Joshua James set to release sophomore LP, offers free tune

I've been a fan of Joshua James since his debut album, The Sun is Always Brighter, was released a couple years ago - a folk record with modest beginnings that eventually garnered a good deal of acclaim from those that had the pleasure of hearing it. James possesses a genuine and seemingly natural songwriting ability, and combined with his uniquely raspy, whispered voice it often makes his songs feel like the work of a man with much more wisdom and experience than would expect to find in a 25 year-old. He describes his inspiration in this way; "...there are contrasts to everything. You have to combine the sweet and salty, the ugly and beautiful. Music is very therapeutic for me. It’s all about making a connection with humanity, with the audience, in ways that I normally wouldn’t be able to."

His sophomore LP, entitled Build Me This, will be released on September 22, but he's giving you the opportunity for a preview by offering "Magazine" for free below. The track should give you a good idea of the direction Joshua is heading on this upcoming release, which shows louder, more rockin' side of him than we've heard before. Download and enjoy!

Magazine (MP3)

Royal City's lovely odds 'n' ends

Although unknown to me until recently, Canadian musical collective Royal City has included some very notable names during its brief lifespan from 1999 to 2004. Primarily a songwriting vehicle for Aaron Riches, the band also featured Jim Guthrie as a member and collaborated with Leslie Feist, Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy), and Bobby Wiseman (Blue Rodeo) at one time or another. The band has garnered more than their fair share of critical acclaim and what appears to be a solid following despite only having lasted five years. I'm wondering now how it's possible for me to have overlooked this supergroup (of sorts), but I'm awfully glad for the late introduction that came with their recently released, self-titled b-sides and rarities collection.

Royal City, the album, is exactly what you'd expect from a record of its type, an uneven but generally strong collection of tunes that covers a wide range of stylistic territory. The first half of the album is especially great, with the brash opener, "Here Comes Success," the plaintive "Can't You Hear Me Calling," and the melancholy "Postcards" providing an excellent start. I'm sure there are plenty of gems here to be found by those more familiar with the band's work (like the pleasant waltz cover of the Strokes' "Is This It?"), but even the uninitiated will be able to appreciate the songwriting and musical craft that fills much of the 40 minutes.

You can download "Can't You Hear Me Calling" and "A Belly Was Made For Wine" from the new record below. Both should give you a good idea of Royal City's endearing folk-rock sound that makes even their b-sides collection an album worth exploring. The record is out today on Asthmatic Kitty.

Can't You Hear Me Calling (MP3)

A Belly Was Made For Wine (MP3)

The Dodos to release "Time To Die" Sep 15!

The Dodos back with a quick follow-up to last year's excellent Visiter, a nine-song record entitled Time To Die. Though the original duo of singer/guitarist Meric Long and drummer Logan Kroeber have added a new member, vibraphonist Keaton Snyder, the band have promised that the record retains their punchy, raw sound - just with a slightly different spin.

As Long puts it: “I’m glad that we were able to keep things simple on this record, because when your band gets a little popular, there’s this tendency to say things like, ‘Let’s add an orchestra on this one!” That works for some people, but it would detract from this band.”

You can read an interview that Pitchfork did with the band while they were still early in the recording process here.

I'm pumped, and as soon as I get word on a single I'll be sure to pass it along. Meanwhile, here's the tracklist:

Time To Die:
1. Small Deaths
2. Longform
3. Fables
4. The Strums
5. This Is A Business
6. Two Medicines
7. Troll Nacht
8. Acorn Factory
9. Time To Die

Anna Ternheim set to release new LP in August

Swedish songstress Anna Ternheim will be releasing a new record, her second U.S. album, on August 11. Leaving on a mayday was produced by Bjorn Yttling (of Peter Bjorn & John fame) and has already made quite the impression in Ternheim's home country, earning her Best Female Artist and Album of the Year at the Swedish Grammys. The first single from the album, "What Have I Done," is available for download on iTunes here, or you can check it out on Anna's MySpace page. The song's quirky beats and sinister string arrangements are striking, but the live acoustic version which you can see below is quite excellent as well, so give it a listen.

Rock Central Plaza releases new LP, offers first single and Van Halen cover

Unfortunately, I missed the release of Rock Plaza Central's new record, ...at the Moment of our Most Needing or If Only They Could Turn Around, They Would Know They Weren't Alone, while I was on vacation these past couple weeks. The folk-rock quintet are offering the first single from the record, "(Don't You Believe the Words of ) Handsome Men" along with a cover of Van Halen's "Panama," both of which you can download below. The group's gritty, earthy style and strong songwriting make them a band worth checking out, so download the songs and stay tuned for an album review coming up soon!

(Don't You Believe the Words of) Handsome Men (MP3)

Panama [Van Halen Cover] (MP3)

David Mead offers "Blackberry Winters" from upcoming album

Well in advance of his new record, Almost and Always, which will be released in August, David Mead is offering the song "Blackberry Winters," which you can find below. It's a lovely folk tune that marks the first new material from Mead in over three years since his acclaimed Tangerine album. The gentle, melancholy collection was affected, in part, by Mead's own struggles, which he details:

“I had to take some time away from touring. I had basically been in a rental car by myself for eight months of every year since 2000 and I was just fried. And perpetually broke. It wasn’t fun anymore.” After spending 2007 living in Brooklyn, Mead separated from his wife and returned to his native Nashville in early 2008, initially landing in a room in his father’s basement for a few months. “The change was a little paralyzing. I had left pretty much every- thing but my books and a few lamps in Brooklyn, and there I was, back in Nashville, well into my 30’s, doing manual labor and wondering what was supposed to happen next.”

Blackberry Winters (MP3)

Track list for Almost and Always:

1. Rainy Weather friend
2. Little Boats
3. Blackberry Winters
4. Mojave Phone Booth
5. Twenty Girls Ago
6. From My Window Sill
7. Sicily
8. Gramercy Vaudeville
9. Last Train Home
10. Almost and Always
11. Love Don’t Leave Me Now
12. Sleeping In Saturday
13. Home

Drug Rug announce new record info/cover art

Drug Rug is an up-and-coming retro-rock duo that has been making some waves recently, capturing the attention of NPR, Spin, and others with their infectious boy/girl style that both channels the feeling of classic pop music and feels remarkably refreshing. Their self-titled debut was released in 2007, and the band recently offered an excellent EP entitled The Kitchen Tapes in preparation for a new full-length record coming in July. Thomas Allen and Sarah Cronin have set the bar high for themselves, but from what I've heard so far, they won't disappoint.

Paint the Fence Invisible is out July 28th, to be exact, and the album art is to your right. Head to the band's MySpace page to hear more, or check out The Needle Drop to download the best cut from the recent EP - "Pick Your Pen Up Lucy."

Pink Mountaintops share first song from "Outside Love"

I don't usually do this, but I'm going to go ahead and quote the email I received informing me about Steven McBean's latest album, Outside Love.

"Oh hello, internet. It's us, Jagjaguwar. We've been hanging out down by the fire, sipping brandy and anticipating sharing some Outside Love with you. The new song is called "Vampire", and we think it'll send shivers under your dress. Just don't take our word for it. Download here and post at your leisure. We love leisure."

Well, there you have it, Jagjaguwar wants you to hear "Vampire" and I wholeheartedly agree that you should take them up on a great free tune. The album will be released on May 5th, and will include ten tracks of Pink Mountaintops' signature expressive folk-rock style. Also, make sure you take a look at these tour dates:

6/02/09 - Montreal QC - Sala Rossa
6/03/09 - Portland ME - Space Gallery
6/04/09 - Boston MA - TT the Bears
6/05/09 - Brooklyn NY - Bell House
6/06/09 - New York NY - Mercury Lounge
6/08/09 - Philadelphia PA - Johnny Brendas
6/09/09 - Pontiac MI - The Pike Room at Crofoot
6/10/09 - Chicago IL - Empty Bottle
6/11/09 - Bloomington IN - Russian Recording
6/13/09 - Buffalo - Big Orbit's Soundlab
6/14/09 - Toronto - Horseshoe Tavern

Tinted Windows release debut LP next week!

Tinted Windows is a new pop-rock supergroup that spans musical generations, comprised of Taylor Hanson (yes, THAT Hanson), James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins, A Perfect Circle), Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne), and Bun E. Carlos (Cheap Trick). An odd collection of artistic personalities to be sure, but one that's gotten more than a few people very excited. Their live unveiling at SXSW must have been quite experience, and now the group are set to release their self-titled debut album next week, April 21st.

The band have already posted a couple songs on their website, the videos of which you can see below. It sounds as if these guys really have their act together; "Kind of a Girl" and "Messing With My Head" are fun, breezy rock songs filled with classic pop hooks that get me excited to hear the rest of the record next week.

Messing With My Head


Tinted Windows "Kind of a Girl"



The guys also have a few tour dates posted, with more on the way:

APRIL
20 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
25 Edmond, OK Plunkett Park/University of Central Oklahoma
28 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
30 Chicago, IL Double Door

MAY
2 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata Events Center - w/No Doubt
3 E. Rutherford, NJ The Bamboozle 2009 @ Meadowlands Sports Complex

Hockey to re-release "Mind Chaos" this summer

Hockey, a four-piece dance-rock band from Portland, are getting set to re-release their debut album, Mind Chaos, this summer after having self released the record last year. The group's infectious pop sound takes the funk and danceability of classic soul and pop music and combines it with synths, drum machine, and a gritty rock 'n' roll attitude that make songs like the first single, "Too Fake," such a compelling listen. These guys seem poised to conquer the indie scene, so do yourself a favor and get familiar with them now.

You can watch the video for "Too Fake" below and you should head over to the band's MySpace to hear a few more tracks. Also, check out this article on guardian.co.uk in which Hockey are quite literally listed as the next big thing.

Too Fake (Video)


The band are heading overseas to conquer Europe after a few dates in California:

4/14 - Detroit Bar - Costa Mesa, CA *
4/15 - The Loft @ UCSD - San Diego, CA *
4/16 - Cellar Door - Visalia, CA #
4/17 - Rickshaw Stop - San Francisco, CA #
4/24 - The Roundhouse (MTV "Camden Crawl") - Camden, UK
4/25 - Bristol University - Bristol, UK *
4/27 - Manchester Academy 2 - Manchester, UK *
4/28 - Wulfrun Hall - Wolverhampton, UK *
4/29 - Waterfront - Norwich, UK *
4/30 - Forum - London, UK *
5/1 - Southampton University - Southampton, UK *
5/2 - Digital - Brighton, UK *
5/3 - Custard Factory - Birmingham, UK *
5/5 - Leeds Met University - Leeds, UK *
5/6 - Studio 24 - Edinburgh, UK *
5/7 - OMU - Glasgow, UK *
5/8 - Red Room - Nottingham, UK #
5/11 - Black and White @ Plug & Play - Reading, UK #
5/12 - Clwb Ifor Bach - Cardiff, UK #
5/13 - The Cellars - Portsmouth, UK #
5/14 - The Great Escape - Brighton, UK #
5/16 - The Great Escape - Brighton, UK #
5/24 - Sasquatch Music Festival @ The Gorge - Quincy, WA
6/11 - Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival - Manchester, TN

* w/ Friendly Fires
# Headlining date

Silversun Pickups preview new album, unveil video for "Panic Switch

Though it's become much easier these days to get an earlier-than-intended listen to most big albums, it's been nice to have a legal way to preview some of this year's most anticipated releases. Silversun Pickups have thankfully allowed their upcoming album, Swoon, to be available to hear in its entirety at MTV's The Leak this week, leading up to the record's April 14th release date. From what I've heard so far, the wait has been worth it.

Also, though I'm sure you've already been listening obsessively to the first single, "Panic Switch," the colorfully claustrophobic video is now up, which you can see below.

New Sunset Rubdown album on the way!

The boys of Wolf Parade have been quite busy as of late, with Dan Boeckner's Handsome Furs releasing their second disc and Spencer Krug working with indie supergroup Swan Lake on last month's Enemy Mine. Oh, and we shouldn't forget WP's excellent sophomore album, At Mount Zoomer, that we were graced with last year. Apparently it's not enough for the uber-prolific Krug, who's other project, Sunset Rubdown, will be unveiling their third album (second on the Jagjaguar label) on June 23rd.

The album marks the debut of bassist/drummer Mark Nicol who will be joining the lineup of Jordan Robson-Cramer on drums, guitar and keys, Michael Doerksen on guitar and bass, and Camilla Wynne Ingr on keys and percussion and vocals. The record is titled Dragonslayer, and the gloriously weird album art is what you see above.


Tracklisting:
1. Silver Moons
2. Idiot Heart
3. Apollo and the Buffalo and Anna Anna Anna Oh!
4. Black Swan
5. Paper Lace
6. You Go On Ahead (Trumpet Trumpet II)
7. Nightingale / December Song
8. Dragon's Lair

Also, while the band are planning some U.S. tour dates, they're making their way through Europe first - tour dates below.

04/18/09 Paris, France - La Maronquinerie
04/20/09 Haarlem, NL - Patronaat
04/21/09 Wetzlar, Germany - KuZ
04/22/09 Stuttgart, Germany - Manufaktur
04/23/09 Prague, CZ - 007
04/24/09 Krems, AT - Danube Festival
04/25/09 Moscow, Russia - Avant Festival
04/27/09 Zagreb, HR - Teatar & TD
04/29/09 Krakow, PL - Manggha
04/30/09 Warsaw, PL - Hydrozagadka
05/02/09 Aarhus, Denmark - Pop Revo Festival

Great Lake Swimmers release new LP tomorrow!

This is very good news that you hopefully have heard by now, but for the unaware, Great Lake Swimmers have a new album out tomorrow entitled Lost Channels. The record is a followup to the band's excellent 2007 release, Ongiara. The new single, "Pulling on a Line" is an extremely infectious alt-folk tune with banjo and mandolin adding a sweet touch to frontman Tony Dekker's world-weary tenor voice. You can check out the video for the song below.

Keep an eye out for Great Lake Swimmers on tour in support of their new album, tour dates below as well.





Great Lake Swimmers Lost Channels US Spring Tour 2009:
Mar 31 - Seattle @ The Tractor Tavern
Apr 01 - Portland @ Doug Fir
Apr 03 - San Francisco @ The Bottom of the Hill
Apr 04 - Los Angeles @ Spaceland
Apr 05 - Tucson @ Plush
Apr 07 - Austin @ Stubbs Bar-B-Q
Apr 08 - Denton @ Hailey's
Apr 10 - Atlanta @ The Earl
Apr 11 - Asheville @ The Earl (all ages)
Apr 13 - Charlottesville @ Gravity Lounge
Apr 14 - Washington @ Black Cat
Apr 15 - Philadelphia @ Johnny Brenda's
Apr 16 - Northampton @ Iron Horse Music Hall
Apr 17 - New York City @ The Bowery Ballroom
Apr 18 - Cambridge @ The Brattle Theater
Apr 20 - Newport @ The Southgate House
Apr 21 - Chicago @ Schubas
Apr 22 - Minneapolis @ 7th Street Entry
Apr 23 - Madison @ High Noon Saloon

Deastro to release "Moondagger" LP on June 25

22-year-old Randolph Chabot is Deastro, a one-man electro-rock band making some big waves since the release of his home-recorded debut, Keepers, last year. His bedroom-pop style is remarkably full, with layers of electronics and organic instruments filling his sci-fi narratives with pop hooks. His confident presentation and soaring arrangements elevate his music past the league of lonely, insecure, pop artists emerging from similar backgrounds, and his infectious attitude is easy to love.

Deastro's new album, Moondagger, is due out on June 25th, and the psychedelic first single, "Paralellogram, " is out now, which you can stream over at his MySpace page. The single should be enough to get you excited to hear more from the new record, which expands Chabot's sound for an even grander, more explosive electronica sound to create music unlike anything you've heard before.

Still Flyin' preps new album, adds tour dates

San Fransisco's Still Flyin' is less of a band and more of a mob, a group of fifteen (or more) musicians led by Sean Rawls that redefine the term party-rock. The group have a new album on the way, entitled Never Gonna Touch the Ground, which will be released April 21st. You can download "The Hott Chord is Struck" below, an electrifying, danceable groove with a bit of a disco streak featuring horns, layers of percussion, and a slinky bass line. You can also see the video for the equally great "Good Thing It's A Ghost Town Around Here." If the rest of the album is this solid, I imagine we'll be hearing quite a bit about these guys around the blogosphere soon.

The Hott Chord is Struck (MP3)

The band also have a tour starting tomorrow, dates below:

3/18 @ 7pm - Austin, TX Ms. Bea's / Todd P & NY Noise Party
3/18 @ 11:30pm - Austin, TX Club 1808
3/19 @ 5:30pm - Austin, TX Red House Pizzeria / Music For Listeners & Moshi Moshi Party
3/19 @ 2:40am - Austin, TX Ms. Bea's Yard (Thu. Night / Fri. Morning)
3/20 @ 2:45pm - Austin, TX Home Slice Pizza
3/20 @ 1am - Austin, TX The Independent
3/21 @ 1:10 - Austin, TX Side Bar / 40 Watt Party
3/21 @ 3:15 - Austin, TX Lamberts
4.3.09 Brooklyn NY Union Hall
4.4.09 Boston MA PA's Lounge
4.5.09 New York NY The Cake Shop
4.6.09 Philadelphia PA Johnny Brenda's
4.7.09 Baltimore, MD Zodiac
4.8.09 Columbus, OH Carabar
4.9.09 Lexington, KY Al's Bar
4.10.09 Chicago, IL Abbey Pub
5.8.09 Sacramento, CA Blue Lamp
5.9.09 San Francisco, CA Cafe Du Nord

Joan of Arc offers new song from upcoming 'Flowers'

Experimental indie rock collective Joan of Arc, led by enigmatic frontman Tim Kinsella, are set to release a new album, entitled Flowers, on June 9th. Kinsella has always been about the only constant in Joan of Arc, releasing a stready stream of albums since the late 90s with a different band lineup and musical direction for each one. Shifting time-signatures, complex arrangements, and a health dose of musical exploration make Joan of Arc a band unlike any other, and Flowers seeks to continue the group's journey even further into the outer reaches of their psychedelia-tinged folk-rock sound.

You can download "Explain Yourself #2" below for an early taste of the upcoming record. The oddball pop tune is one of the more direct songs on Flowers, with some funky percussion and organ as the backdrop to Kinsella's off-kilter lyrics that only pop up on about half of the album. You can also check out the band's MySpace page to hear more music, or head on to their home page for additional information.

Explain Yourself #2 (MP3)


Tracklisting:
1. Fogbow
2. The Garden of Cartoon Exclamations
3. Flowers
4. Fasting
5. Explain Yourselves #2
6. Tsunshine
7. A Delicious Herbal Laxative
8. Explain Yourselves
9. Table of the Laments
10. Fable of the Elements
11. Life Sentence / Twisted Ladder
12. The Sun Rose

Pete(r) Doherty to release solo debut on March 24

Having just hit his 30th birthday, the famously unstable (musically and otherwise) Peter Doherty will release his solo debut album, Grace/Wasteland, on March 24. The album shows a more relaxed and laid-back side of Doherty than we've seen before with Libertines or Babyshambles, mixing folk, blues, and classic pop in a charming set of 12 tracks, all of which you can hear on his MySpace right now! His new, more mature, style should once again make Doherty the subject of scrutiny, but hopefully the attention will be focused more on the music than his personal life this time around.

You can also download the song "New Love Grows on Trees" from the upcoming album by providing some info at EMI. Either way, make sure you take the time to give Grace/Wasteland a listen.


Track list:

Arcardie
Last Of The English Roses
1939 Returning
A Little Death Around The Eyes
Salome
Through The Looking Glass
Sweet By and By
Palace Of Bone
Sheepskin Tearaway
Broken Love Song
New Love Grows on Trees
Lady, Don’t Fall Backwards

Kath Bloom tribute album arrives in April

American singer/songwriter Kath Bloom will have an album released in her honor on April 7. Loving Takes This Course: A Tribute to the Songs of Kath Bloom is a two-disc collection, one of covers, another of the original folk songs that cause these people to say such nice things about her:

"One of the most heartbreaking singers ever. Beautiful." - Devendra Banhart

"I consider myself her biggest fan." - Josephine Foster

"I've never enjoyed sharing a bill with anyone as much as I have with Kath. She's wonderful and lights up the room wherever she goes." - Mark Kozelek

Those three artists, along with a varied selection of 13 others have recorded generally great reinterpretations of Bloom's gentle, emotionally charged songs. The album was compiled by Chapter's Guy Blackman and San Francisco filmmaker Caveh Zahedi over the past two years and serves as a decent introduction to Bloom's work if you haven't had the pleasure of hearing her music already.


Track List, Disc One:

1. Come Here - Marble Sounds
2. The Breeze/My Baby Cries - Bill Callahan
3. When I See You - Laura Jean
4. Finally - Mark Kozelek
5. Window - Mick Turner (Dirty Three) & Peggy Frew
6. Forget About Him - Devendra Banhart
7. I Wanna Love - Scout Niblett
8. Biggest Light Of All - The Dodos
9. Look At Me - Josephine Foster
10. Ready Or Not - Mia Doi Todd
11. Fall Again - Corrina Repp
12. It's So Hard To Come Home - Marianne Dissard & Joey Burns (Calexico)
13. In Your School - Amy Rude
14. If This Journey - Tom Hanford
15. There Was A Boy - Meg Baird (Espers)
16. Come Here - The Concretes

Metric return with new LP, offer free acoustic MP3

Metric, the indie rock band fronted by Broken Social Scene member Emily Haines, will release their fourth album, Fantasies, on April 14. The record will feature ten new songs of the group's electronically-inclined rock music and will be a followup to 2005's Live It Out. Haines had the following to say about the recording of the album:

"For me, the major influences on the record were the places we wrote it: Bear Creek, this utopian farmhouse studio, and then our own studio in Toronto, which definitely brought in the electro, dance and rock elements because the city feels so good right now and so many of our musician friends were around. And then for me, being in Buenos Aires, most of the songs I brought to this record came out of being in exile with just a piano and a guitar. And then in the final stages, mixing at Electric Lady in NYC brought everything around to where we first met Josh and Joules.”

You can hear a preview by listening to the first single and lead track "Help, I'm Alive" below:





Also, if you're interested in getting a free acoustic version of the song for download, just enter your email address into the following widget (linked to the band's website):



Lastly, here's the track list:

Help I'm Alive
Sick Muse
Satellite Mind
Twilight Galaxy
Gold Guns Girls
Gimme Sympathy
Collect Call
Front Row
Blindness
Stadium Love

Art Brut release debut single and B-side from upcoming album

Art Brut is set to release their new album, Art Brut vs. Satan, on May 12, but you can get a preview of the upcoming record over at Pitchfork, where they're streaming the first single, "Alcoholics Unanimous," a rousing punk-rock tune with a fantastic group-shout chorus and some blistering guitar lines. Also, you can download an exclusive B-side, "Just Desserts," over at RCRD LBL.

The new album was produced by Frank Black and recorded over twelve days last December and will be the group's first effort since severing their relationship with EMI. About the songwriting process, frontman Eddie Argos said, “I had an album’s worth of songs written, but once we got there we wrote four or five new ones. It all just flooded out.” If this first single is any indication, May 12 is a day we should all be looking forward to.