New TITUS ANDRONICUS album + 2 mp3s! 15 Dec 2009

XL Recordings is excited to announce the release of The Monitor, the second album by Titus Andronicus. It’s set for release on March 9th, 2010, which also happens to be the 148th anniversary of the Battle of Hampton Roads (see track 10), wherein the U.S.S. Monitor and the C.S.S. Virginia entered into their epic struggle off the coast of Virginia.
 
The Monitor is 65 minutes long, and is comprised of 10 tracks varying in length between 1:55 and 14:02.
 
The Monitor is a concept album about the Civil War, “sort of”, says singer Patrick Stickles. He goes on to say that “It doesn't take place in olden times, nor does it necessarily feature any characters that participated in that conflict. Really, it is a record about how the conflicts that led our nation into that great calamity remain unresolved, and the effect that this ongoing division has on our personal relationships and our behavior and how they're all out to get us (or maybe not?) and yadda yadda yadda.”
 
We invite you to listen to a track from the album, “Four Score And Seven”, Parts 1 + 2. The full song is 8:39 minutes long, but it’s been conveniently split into 2 parts for your listening pleasure and for the purposes of the vinyl double A side 7” which will be released on February 9th, (Abraham Lincoln's 201st birthday, 201 being the area code of Glen Rock, NJ).
 
To hear the version as one track, please visit the band’s myspace/website/blog.
"Four Score And Seven" part one
"Four Score And Seven" part two
The Monitor was recorded this past August by producer and engineer Kevin McMahon at his studio - Marcata Recording - in New Paltz, NY. The usual suspects from the world of Titus Andronicus were all in attendance, as well as members of Ponytail, Wye Oak, Vivian Girls, and the Hold Steady. McMahon also mixed the album, and it was mastered by Greg Calbi – whom the band chose because he is the only person alive who can claim involvement in both The Chemistry of Common Life by Fucked Up and Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell by Meat Loaf!
 
The Monitor has lovely artwork too, by Nolen Strals, vocalist of Double Dagger and co-author of the recently published textbook, Lettering and Type.
 
The band also has lofty touring plans, and will start a national tour near release that will include an appearance at SXSW. You can also catch them at New York’s Mercury Lounge on New Year’s Eve.
 
The Monitor track listing:
1) A more Perfect Union
2) Titus Andronicus Forever
3) No Future Part Three: Escape From No Future
4) Richard II
5) A Pot In Which To Piss
6) Four Score And Seven
7) Theme From “Cheers”
8) To Old Friends And New
9) …And Ever
10) The Battle Of Hampton Roads

The Big Pink - Announce North American Spring dates 07 Dec 2009

The Big Pink is the core duo of Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell, bolstered live by bassist Leopold Ross and drummer Akiko Matsuura. The group has been on the road steadily in celebration of A Brief History Of Love (BUY HERE). They played some high profile dates in Europe supporting Muse, and are riding high just after finishing up their first proper U.S. headlining tour (which included multiple sold-out shows on both coasts and places in between)!

If you weren't fortunate enough to catch this recent stint, you're in luck! The Big Pink has confirmed plans to come back to the U.S. for a lengthy jaunt that will kick-off in early March 2010 and last through mid-April! A Place To Bury Strangers will support.

MARCH SPRING N.AMERICAN DATES
3/10 San Francisco CA Great American Music Hall
3/12 Seattle WA Neumos
3/13 Vancouver BC Venue
3/14 Portland OR Doug Fir Lounge
3/18 Minneapolis MN First Avenue & 7th Street Entry
3/19 Milwaukee WI Turner Hall Ballroom
3/20 Chicago IL Metro
3/22 Newport KY Southgate House
3/23 Cleveland OH Grop Shop
3/24 Toronto ON The Mod Club
3/26 Montreal QC Cabaret Du Musee
3/27 Boston MA Paradise Rock Club
3/28 Hoboken NJ Maxwell's
3/30 New York NY Webster Hall
3/31 Philadelphia PA Theatre of the Living Arts
4/01 Baltimore MD Ram's Head Live!
4/02 Carrboro NC Cat's Cradle
4/03 Atlanta GA The Masquerade
4/05 Tallahassee FL Club Downunder
4/07 Houston TX Warehouse Live
4/08 Austin TX The Parish
4/09 Dallas TX Granada Theater
4/10 Lawrence KS The Bottleneck
4/11 Denver CO Bluebird Theater
4/12 Salt Lake City UT Urban Lounge
4/14 Phoenix AZ Rhythm Room
4/15 San Diego CA The Casbah
For more on The Big Pink head to the band's official website.

ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI SIGN TO 4AD 25 Nov 2009

Los Angeles’ notorious lo-fi pop oufit Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti have been unveiled as the latest signings to 4AD. The group are currently recording their first record for the label, due spring 2010.

With roots going back as far as 1996, the West Coast act are as sublime as they are surreal with a sound loaded with hazy nostalgia and a fiercely experimental pop palette. The band have previously picked up particular plaudits for the Haunted Graffiti releases via Paw Tracks, The Doldrums (2004), Worn Copy (2005) and House Arrest (2006).

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti will perform a small number of European dates in December, taking in the following climbs:
4 Bristol Qujunktions @ TBC, UK
5 Minehead All Tomorrow’s Parties, UK
6 Cardiff Buffalo, UK
7 Nottingham The Bodega, UK
8 London The Rest Is Noise, UK
9 Manchester Deaf Institute, UK
10 Paris Point Ephemere, FR
11 Aalst Netwerk, BEL
13 London Lexington, UK

For more info head to 4AD.com or arielpink.com, as well as following them on Facebook and Myspace.

The Mountain Goats cancel 2 shows due to illness... 24 Nov 2009

Happy Holidays from CAMERA OBSCURA! 23 Nov 2009

Camera Obscura have had an amazing year, with their album My Maudlin Career garnering raves all around.   A huge UK tour was followed by a six-week stretch in North America and Mexico then a summer full of festival appearances. In between these, they recorded many radio sessions in the UK, and made their US TV debut on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson.  After being afforded a short break – not until they’d filmed a new video ("The Sweetest Thing": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhSanTYPm2g)and recorded a new song, they did a full European tour and now they are back in the US for more dates! 2010 is already shaping up to be as busy with more festivals penned in and the southern hemisphere firmly in their sights.

To end this amazing year, the band have just begun a US tour, and on December 8th  they will be releasing a holiday single! “The Blizzard” will be available as a 7” & digital single with the album track “Swans” as the b-side. “The Blizzard” is a pretty dour song as far as “holiday” tunes are concerned. It was written by country artist Jim Reeves and is about a gentleman trying to get home to a gal named Mary Anne. He’s riding a lame pony in a blizzard, and, well – it doesn’t have a happy ending. He ends up just 100 yards short – ie: freezing to death before he gets there.
Either way, it’s more gorgeousness from Camera Obscura. For a short time My Maudlin Career will be packaged with the single.

Hear “The Blizzard”
Hear “Swans”

Remaining US tour dates:
11/24    Northampton MA    Pearl Street Ballroom             
11/25    Rochester NY        The German House             
11/26    Toronto ONT        Phoenix                     
11/27    Pontiac MI        Crofoot Ballroom             
11/28    Milwaukee WI    Turner Hall                 
11/30    Bloomington IN    Bluebird                 
12/1     St. Louis, MO        Vintage Vinyl (instore performance)
12/1    St Louis MO        Off Broadway                 
12/2    Oxford MS        The Lyric Oxford             
12/3    Athens GA        40 Watt ClubIn addition, the band have just announced a tour of Australia and New Zealand in January next year...

1/18 Auckland Monte Cristo Room
1/19 Wellington San Francisco Bathhouse
1/21 Sydney Beck's Festival Bar
1/22 Brisbane The Zoo
1/23 Melbourne Corner Hotel
1/25 Perth Amplifiers                

Don’t forget about My Maudlin Career for year-end lists!

“The album feels as if it could have been released any time in the last 50-odd years, but the inspired arrangements - and, of course, Campbell's indelible voice -make it sound fresh, too."
Pitchfork (8.3/10)

"Camera Obscura has been crafting its own blend of shimmering chamber-pop since first forming in Glasgow in 1996. Now, more than a decade later, the group [is about to} release its richest and most ambitious album to date."
-NPR's Exclusive First Listen"

"It’s an infectious album that blooms repeatedly throughout, unfolding in muted, endearing aural hues; simultaneously sad and celebratory, and always charming."
-Paste 89%

"The result is a flawless blend of sunny pop, Motown, blues and jazz with the cleanest production in Camera Obscura's catalog."
-Billboard

"On their fourth album, this Scottish indie-pop band's fondness for woeful heartache and Phil Spector–esque production reaches a poignant peak."
-Spin

“Make no mistake, this is a remarkably beautiful record.
(It) exists to reward those both mad, and sad, in love.”
 NME (9/10)

HEAR "MY MAUDLIN CAREER"
WATCH the "FRENCH NAVY" video
WATCH the band perform “FRENCH NAVY” on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson

Blue Roses on tour!!! 20 Nov 2009

We are SO excited to announce that BLUE ROSES, aka Laura Groves, will be coming to our shores for a rare US tour starting on December 4th. Her self-titled debut was released earlier this year by XL Recordings, and a new ep titled Does Anyone Love Me Now will be out digitally on 12/7. The EP contains 4 tracks, one of which is a stunning cover of “Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)” by Irma Thomas.

It’s a hidden gem in a year of very busy releases. Simply stated – her voice is magical.  Laura is from Yorkshire, England, and her album was recorded partly in bedrooms as well as piano shops, local colleges and churches in Yorkshire and was entirely self-produced and arranged by Blue Roses. Her voice is clear and simple and will likely remind you a little bit of The Sundays, Mazzy Star or Kate Bush.

Don’t miss this opportunity to see her!

Listen to "Doubtful Comforts"
Watch her play "I Am Leaving" in a woody forest
Watch her play "Does Anyone Love Me Now" in someone's living room
Watch her play "Coast" in a piano store

12/4     Los Angeles CA    The Hotel Cafe                
12/7     Seattle WA        The Vera Project                   
12/8     Vancouver BC        The Shark Club                   
12/10    Dallas TX        Prophet Bar                           
12/11    Memphis TN        Newby’s Side Pub                   
12/12    Nashville  TN        3rd & Lindsley                   
12/13    Chicago IL        The Abbey                           
12/17    Allston MA        Great Scott                           
12/18    New York NY        Mercury Lounge
(all shows with Marcus Foster)        

“Blue Roses makes it clear that Groves is inordinately talented and working with big portions of audacity and acumen. It's the sort of debut that puts Groves in the company of recent giants, both with its dramatic compositional flair (again, Joanna Newsom) and in its mix of homemade humility and major accomplishment. Add Blue Roses to the recent list of Bon Iver, Adem Ilhan, and Peter Broderick-- smart songwriters with the vision and wherewithal to do succeed, for the most part, by themselves.”
-Pitchfork, 7.8

Have you seen the Vampire Weekend video yet? 20 Nov 2009

Anni Rossi confirmed for Matt Groening curated ATP UK! 19 Nov 2009

Efterklang album news + mp3 19 Nov 2009

Efterklang announce Magic Chairs album release
+ free MP3 of album track “Modern Drift”

Two months after joining the 4AD stable, Efterklang have announced details of Magic Chairs, the band's third full-length studio album and their first for the label.

Slated for release on February 23rd, Magic Chairs is Efterklang's most accessible and immediate album to date. Unlike the lengthy gestation of 2007's critically acclaimed Parades ("Dazzling" 4 stars - Mojo) that saw the band isolate themselves in their home-town of Copenhagen for more than 18 months, Magic Chairs was a far more organic and close-knit affair and a marked departure for the band in terms of approach and execution.

During brief breaks from touring in early 2009, the four core members of Efterklang began to develop song sketches into more elaborate arrangements in Tel Aviv and Portland with help from members of their seven-piece live band. Taking these songs with them on the road and testing them out on their US tour allowed the band the luxury to fine-tune and hone each new track before returning to Denmark in the spring to begin the task of recording. Engineer-producer Gareth Jones (Nick Cave, Depeche Mode, Wire) was drafted in to mix Magic Chairs in London, another first for the band (Mads Bauer usually oversees the mixing process for Efterklang).

Talking about Magic Chairs the band say "We are very proud of this record and feel that it introduces a new Efterklang sound. The songs draw inspiration from pop song structures, created and recorded with a live approach and we wanted to display every sound source clearly so that the listener can hear every ingredient of the music."

To illustrate this new Efterklang sound, download and listen to opening track “Modern Drift”

track listing:

1. Modern Drift
2. Alike
3. I Was Playing Drums
4. Raincoats
5. Harmonics
6. Full Moon
7. The Soft Beating
8. Scandinavian Love
9. Mirror Mirror
10. Natural Tune

LINKS
www.efterklang.net
www.myspace.com/efterklang
www.4ad.com/efterklang

Vampire Weekend video premiere! 19 Nov 2009

V A M P I R E    W E E K E N D
Announces the MTV premiere
of the “Cousins” video

TODAY, November 19, MTV Networks will premiere “Cousins”, the first video from Vampire Weekend’s forthcoming album Contra, due out January 12 via XL Recordings.

“Cousins” was directed by Garth Jennings and produced by the same team that brought you the “A-Punk” video – Hammer & Tongs. The video will premiere across MTV properties, and will air throughout the day starting at 6am e.s.t on MTV, MTV2, MTVU, MTV Hits, LOGO, TeenNick and Palladia. The online premiere of the video will take place simultaneously on MTV.com

“Cousins” is now available via digital retailers, and the 7” will be in stores on December 15

WATCH IT HERE: http://www.mtvu.com/video/?vid=454602