Most albums can be sampled by clicking on the album cover. Almost all the music you can hear and read about in this section can be purchased in our store. Also, get free downloads and other things by visiting the artist site by clicking on their website address. Support the artists!
Posted by Joseph Bridges on Sunday, December 27, 2009,
In :
Reviews
Artist: Seabird
Title: Rocks Into Rivers
Label: Credential Recordings
Genre: Rock/Pop
Following up on their excellent debut ‘Til We See The Shore which featured several pop gems that were played all over the nighttime drama television landscape from Grey’s Anatomy to the now canceled Pushing Up Daises and scoring a coveted spot on one of Paste magazine’s cd samplers, Seabird returned to the studio with producers Paul Moak (Mat Kearney and Sixpence None the Ri...
Posted by P Shather on Sunday, December 20, 2009,
In :
Tour
New York, NY – Owl Cityannounces a Spring headlining tour of the US kicking off on March 30th in Boise, ID and hitting every major US market including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco, Denver, DC and more before ending on May 2nd in Milwaukee. The tour will come on the heels of a headlining tour of Europe and the UK as well as a tour of Australia where they’ll be joining up with Cobra Starship. In addition, the Spring headlining tour will be Owl City’s second St...
Posted by P Shather on Sunday, December 20, 2009,
In :
Tour
Alasdair, Mark, James & Mel will be stateside in February to support their new album, Bonfires on the Heath.
Featured on individual critic's year end lists at The Onion AV Club, Pitchfork, NPR Music, and more, Bonfires on the Heath is in a sense a return to the Clientele’s roots; the dreamlike suburban landscapes first encountered in the early singles, their trippy sense of menace stronger now. Back in London, they’ve drawn on older traditions of English folk, which exist here side by...
Posted by P Shather on Wednesday, December 16, 2009,
In :
News
Bettie Serveert's new album, Pharmacy of Love, will be released on March 23rd by Second Motion Records in the U.S. and by Sound of Pop in Canada. But fans will get a preview of the new material with the acclaimed Dutch indie rock band's digital EP, Deny All, which will be available beginning January 26th on the iTunes Music Store. In addition to lead single "Deny All," the EP will include a long version of "Calling (XL)" and a small version of "Souls Travel (small)" plus "Waiting for Contro... Continue reading ...
Posted by Joseph Bridges on Wednesday, December 16, 2009,
In :
Free Downloads
Roman Candle had quite an impact on Slim Moon, Kill Rock Stars' founder: "In 1994, I had been asked to be on this five-person solo-act tour called Pop Chord with Tammy Watson, Carrie Akre, Sean Croghan and Elliott Smith. The first night at the Crocodile in Seattle, I didn't pay too much attention and people talked all thru Elliott's set. Sean Croghan got up next and said "all of you people who just talked through Elliott's set are bummed because you just misssed something very very special....
Posted by Joseph Bridges on Wednesday, December 16, 2009,
In :
Free Downloads
December 15, 2009 // Toronto, ON – Calgary’s Woodpigeon has announced a Winter tour of Canada that includes record release celebrations in Vancouver and Calgary in January and Ontario/Quebec dates in February in support of Die Stadt Muzikanten which arrives in stores January 12 on Boompa. Produced by Arran Fisher (acoustickitty), the fifteen tracks on Die Stadt Muzikanten are stunning, lush and orchestral, inspired by songwr...
"The Strange Boys appeal to me because of their brilliant recasting of the roots of rock and roll with a seditious modern twist" - Geoff Travis, Rough Trade
""The Strange Boys make music that can only come from Texas, a perfectly formed, totally accomplished and spot-on executed rock n' roll band. I didn't even know they made them like this anymore." -Larry Hardy, In The Red Records
San Francisco's Moon Duo was formed in 2009 by Sanae Yamada and Erik Johnson (Wooden Shjips). Inspired initially by the legendary duo of John Coltrane and Rashied Ali, Moon Duo counts such variant groups as Silver Apples, Royal Trux, Moolah, Suicide, and Cluster as touchstones. Utilizing primarily guitar, keyboards, percussion and vocals, the duo plays space against form to create a pr...
Posted by Joseph Bridges on Thursday, December 10, 2009,
In :
Free Downloads
December 9, 2009 // Toronto, ON – On the heels of what has been an ecstatic start to the holiday season, last night's second installment of the third annual Jason Collett’s Basement Revuesaw Collett debut songs from his forthcoming album Rat A Tat Tat, to a sold out and enthusiastic crowd. Arts & Crafts is excited to announce details for the new album from Toronto-based Jason Collett, set for official release on March 9, 2010 in North America.
"Drain the Blood" is the first official single from the Hometowns LP and will be released on 7" vinyl (w/ download code) and digital formats on Jan. 12. The single includes the newly recorded B-side cover of Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger".
The Rural Alberta Advantage was born out of singer / songwriter Nils Edenloff's exodus from the province that i...
Posted by Joseph Bridges on Wednesday, December 9, 2009,
In :
Reviews
These three EPs were our favorite from 2009. Though they be small, they are mighty with sound. As with our favorite ten albums, we do not consider this a “best of”, but a “most enjoyed.”
1)Artist: I Fight Dragons
Title: Cool Is Just A Number EP
Label: Self Released
Genre: Rock/Pop/Nintendo
There will never be a shortage of bands using a gimmick to promote their music. Sometimes the gimmick is in the music, and when it is, the music usually lacks any coherence from song to so...
Berlin-based electronic artist, The Go Find, has announced the release of their third album, Everybody Knows It's Gonna Happen Only Not Tonight, in February 2010 (Morr Music). On this third effort, The Go Find, led by Dieter Sermeus, continues to refine and build upon the band's now-familiar sound: charmingly dreamy indie pop songs shaped around swirling synths, acoustic guitars and Dieter's distinct vocals. Th...
Posted by P Shather on Monday, December 7, 2009,
In :
Free Downloads
This Christmas if you find no Hallmark moments, nor jewelry boxes under a tree. If you encounter a Grinch with a heart three sizes too small, or endure ghostly midnight text visits from an unrepentant Scrooge . . . You may conclude, "I guess you'll be leaving me this Christmas."
Posted by Joseph Bridges on Monday, December 7, 2009,
In :
News
New York, NY -West London indie rock quartet MUMFORD & SONS is set to release their critically acclaimed US debut album, Sigh No More, March 2nd on Glassnote Records. They will play several headlining dates in North America in early 2010 in support of the release (dates below.)
On their debut, Mumford & Sons have created a gutsy, banjo-driven, old-time sound that marries the magic of Crosby, Stills & Nash with the might of Kings of Leon and the harmonies of Fleet Foxes. Sigh No More was recor... Continue reading ...
Posted by P Shather on Sunday, December 6, 2009,
In :
Reviews
Rating the best albums of the year is an impossible task with over 15,000 albums coming out every year. These are ten of our favorites from the year that we hope you enjoy. And before anyone gets all in a tizzy over the inclusion of the Rural Alberta Advantage and Titus Andronicus, we are including them because they were both re-released this year on record labels after both being put out last year as self issues. Please comment at the end of this article to include your favorites and stay tu... Continue reading ...
Posted by Joseph Bridges on Wednesday, December 2, 2009,
In :
Free Downloads
Merge Records is excited to announce that Sweden's Shout Out Louds will be releasing their new record, entitled Work, on February 23, 2010. Work is the band's third album and second for Merge. It was recorded in Seattle and produced by Phil Ek (The Shins, Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses). The band has made a song from the record available for free download at the link below. The song is called "Walls."
The Art Museums tell sordid tales of artists, lovers & poseurs with cult new wave jangle. Bay Area psych burnouts, Josh Alper & Glenn Donaldson converged in San Francisco in the Summer of '09 to record Anglophile jams on a Tascam 388 tape machine (state of the art home-recording circa '85). ROUGH FRAME is their debut LP for the WOODSIST label. They would make a hi...
AVI BUFFALO (PHOTO BY ANDREW YOUSSEF FOR STEREOGUM.COM)
Avi Buffalo - fresh off the announcement of their recent signing to Sub Pop Records and the release of their debut 7 inch single - will be heading to New York City for the first time EVER in January to support Final Fantasy at The Bowery Ballroom Jan 18th, 2010! The band will also headline their own show at Union Pool in Williamsburg on ...
Posted by P Shather on Tuesday, December 1, 2009,
In :
Free Downloads
Hold Steady and World / Inferno Friendship Society member Franz Nicolay will begin a two-week tour of Germany and Austria tomorrow with Sweden's Moneybrother. The mustachioed multi-instrumentalist is playing shows in support of his latest solo offering, St. Sebastian Of The Short Stage.
Released on November 10th, 2009 by Team Science, the four-song EP is available in both 10-inch vinyl and digital formats. The label has pressed 500 copies (200 clear, 300 black) and each record includes a f...
With their new full-length, Shutter Release, Lymbyc Systym's Jared and Michael Bell are redefining what it means to be an instrumental band. The brothers make music that sings through you, and their impossibly personal vividly intimate melodies are the product of a lifetime of making music together. Seamlessly blending precision precise pop hooks, grandiose orchestration and experimental str...
