Vagrant Records will release EELS’ eighth studio album End Times on January 19. EELS is the ever-changing project of singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mark Oliver Everett (aka E). End Times follows on the heels of EELS’ critically acclaimed 2009 release Hombre Lobo, hailed by Vanity Fair as “anti-anthems that get your dopamine pumping instead of your fist” and praised by Rolling Stone for its “muddy roadhouse rockers.” Largely self-recorded on an old four track tape machine in the basement of Everettt’s Los Angeles home, the “end times” he writes about isn’t “Mayan calendar conspiracy theory bullshit,” says Everett, but, “the state of the desperate times we live in. The bottom line-ness of it all.”
While Hombre Lobo was written from the point of view of a fictional character (namely, the Dog Faced Boy of EELS’ 2001 album Souljacker), End Times is purely real life as Everett sees it: a “divorce album” with a modern twist. He equates his personal loss with the world he lives in losing its integrity. This isn’t Everett’s first break-up record. His 1993 solo effort, Broken Toy Shop, chronicled the broken heart of a young man in his twenties. End Times focuses on the loss of a middle-aged man growing as an artist. The loss has more weight.
As for the timing of the release, “I felt guilty about the long gap between the last two albums so I’m making up for lost time,” Everett says. The longest gap between EELS albums (four years between the 2005 release Blinking Lights and Other Revelations and the 2009 Hombre Lobo) is being followed by the shortest (six months between Hombre Lobo and End Times).
During the four years prior to Hombre Lobo Everett embarked on a number of projects including his acclaimed book Things the Grandchildren Should Know and the BBC produced multiple-award winning Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives documentary film about Everett and his quantum physicist father, Hugh Everett III, which was broadcast on PBS’ Nova series in the fall of 2008. Everett says he’s now “back to my real job: making music full time.”
Check out the new track “Little Bird” from End Times :
Self-recorded in their own PA studio, Slim & Slender is the brand new 4-song EP by jubilant pop sextet The Spinto Band. The vinyl and digital only collection, out this week via Park The Van, gives us a little taste of what we can expect from the band’s next LP, also self-recorded, which is due out in 2010. Possibly some of the band’s best material yet, Slim & Slender includes extended instrumental explorations and a bouncy cover of the theme from Terry Gilliam’s Brazil.
The guys will also be heading out on the Park The Van Fall Tour in a few weeks, hitting stages along the east coast and Midwest with label-mates The Generationals and Pepi Ginsberg. Grab the EP’s lead-off track below, and get ready to catch The Spinto Band in a city near you!
Download and share “Jackhammer (Slim Version)”
Tour Dates:
10-21 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
10-22 Cambridge, MA – TT The Bear’s
10-23 Brooklyn, NY – Union Hall
10-24 Washington, DC – Rock ‘N Roll Hotel
10-25 Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506
10-27 Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle Tavern
10-28 Atlanta, GA – The Earl
10-30 New Orleans, LA – The Marigny Theater
11-01 Birmingham, AL – The Bottletree
11-02 Nashville, TN – The Basement
11-03 Bloomington, IN – The Bishop
11-04 Chicago, IL – Schuba’s
11-05 Urbana, IL – Illini Union Courtyard
11-06 Pontiac, MI – The Pike Room @ Crofoot
11-07 Pittsburgh, PA – Garfield Artworks
Slim & Slender Tracklist:
01 Jackhammer (Slim Version) MP3
02 Brazil
03 Keep Them Alive (Slender Version)
04 Thayer Function
For More Information:
http://www.myspace.com/thespintoband
http://www.parkthevan.com/spintoband
http://www.spintoband.com
http://twitter.com/SpintoBand
“…desperately exciting, frenetic, frightening stuff …deeply fascinating and intriguing, soaked in the blood and madness of some of today’s most bizarre and talented noise and experimental artists.” - Blogcritics
Having just finished up their tour with Down (including a stop-over at All Tomorrow’s Parties), grunge godfathers The Melvins released their punishing remix record Chicken Switch today via Ipecac Recordings.
Unlike traditional remixes, Chicken Switch is a collection of re-named remixes (or perhaps it makes more sense to call them mash-ups?) that cull from entire Melvins’ albums as the source material. The result is 15 new tracks that include so many bits and pieces of classic Melvins sludge that it’s hard to tell the original songs from which they came, and this is not a bad thing.
And who better to create these noise masterpieces than some of the band’s favorite noise masters? Remixers include Eye Yamatsuka (Boredoms), Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth), Matmos, Merzbow and many others who are well-suited for the challenge. Grab one of the album’s slightly dancier tracks below!
Download “Queen (Electroclash Remix By Panacea)” from Melvins’ Chicken Switch
Chicken Switch track listing and remixers:
01 Washmachine Sk8tronics (Remixed By Eye Yamatsuka)
02 Emperor Twaddle Remix (Remixed By Christoph Heemann)
03 She Chokes Her Dying Breath & Does It In My Face (Remixed BY V/VM)
04 AAHHH… (Remixed By John Duncan)
05 Linkshänder (Remixed By Matmos)
06 EggNog Trilogy: I) She’s Ivanhoe, II) Cancer, III) Inebriated (Remixed By Lee Ranaldo)
07 SNOW REM REM IBVZ (Remixed By Merzbow)
08 Prick Concrete/Revolution M (Remixed By David Scott Stone)
09 Queen (Electroclash Remix By Panacea) MP3
10 The Silky Apple Butter Of Youth (Remixed By Sunroof!)
11 4th Floor Helicopter (Remixed By Kawabata Makoto)
12 disp_tx_skel_mach_murx (Remixed By Farmersmanual)
13 Overgoat (Remixed By Void Manes)
14 Over From Under The Dog, Girl & Boy Treatment (Remixed By RLW)
15 Hard Revenge Milly Bloody Battle VS. The Melvins Ozmatized Gore Police (Remixed By Speedranch)
For More Information:
Here’s a really cool new song from Land Of Talk off of their new EP, Fun and Laughter. The band seems to be expanding its sound a bit and it makes you wish there were more than 4 new songs!
Fun And Laughter , which includes four brand new songs, and three videos, will be available in CD and digital formats. The CD version features screen printed art designed by the band in a special edition package, and will only be available from select indie retailers, saddle-creek.com, landoftalk.com, and at venues on the road.
Track Listing:
Sixteen Asterisk
May You Never
As Me
A Series Of Small Flames
The Man Who Breaks Things (Dark Shuffle) - Video
Troubled - Video
Some Are Lakes - Video
Tour Dates:
Tue-Oct-27, San Diego, CA, Casbah
Thu-Oct-29, Los Angeles, CA, Spaceland
Fri-Oct-30, Visalia, CA, Cellar Dooor
Mon-Nov-02, San Francisco, CA, Cafe Du Nord
Wed-Nov-04, Portland, OR, Doug Fir Lounge
Thu-Nov-05, Seattle, WA, High Dive
Fri-Nov-06, Bellingham, WA, Nightlight
Sat-Nov-07, Vancouver, BC, Biltmore Cabaret
Having toured with Xzibit, The International Noise Conspiracy and Atmosphere among others the Looptroop Rockers are masters of bringing their unique sound, look and attitude to whatever stage they’re standing on. Good Things shows many sides in the evolution and maturity of Looptroop Rockers, the ever broadening musical explorations of Embee and the continuous message laden lyrical depth of Promoe and Supreme. Good Things features appearances by Rakaa Iriscience of Dialated Peoples, Mapei, and Timbuktu.
Their new song is called “The Building” and you can check out the mp3 and the video right here:
mp3(right click, save as): LoopTroop Rockers - The Building
Looptroop Rockers // The Building from Bad Taste Records on Vimeo.
Multi-platinum recording artist Mika will release his sophomore album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much, on September 22nd via Casablanca/Universal Republic Records. Produced by Mika and Greg Wells (Katy Perry, P!nk), this record is the highly anticipated follow-up to 2007’s Life in Cartoon Motion, which sold over 5 million copies worldwide. The new album features guest contributions by Imogen Heap and Final Fantasy’s Owen Pallett, and contains brilliant first single, “We Are Golden,” which was unveiled with an exclusive first play on England’s Radio 1 on July 20th. A video for the track, helmed by acclaimed Swedish director Jonas Akerlund, is currently streaming on Mika’s website – http://www.mikasounds.com
Check out the new single “We Are Golden” (Calvin Harris Remix)
Life has moved in accelerated motion for Mika, a Beirut-born, London-bred songwriter, since releasing his debut album in 2007. Claiming the space between Freddie Mercury, Elton John, David Bowie and ABBA, Mika’s infectious songs – pop anthems such as “Grace Kelly,” “Love Today,” and “Relax” – rocketed the singer to international acclaim within months of his album’s release. Critical praise landed squarely on his shoulders across the globe for his keenly-honed choruses and unmistakable three-octave range, unlike any other voice in pop music. Award nominations followed throughout 2007 and 2008, garnering Mika Grammy’s, Brit Awards, World Music Awards, and the UK’s most prestigious songwriting honor, The Ivor Novello Award. Fashion designers such as Matthew Williamson and Christian Louboutin designed bright, dazzling stage attire for him to match his own color-soaked, exuberant live show. When the dust finally settled – closing a world tour in Paris, France, where he played to an arena packed with 65,000 people – Mika began to set his sights on his next record.
Following the age-old motto “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Mika returned to Los Angeles, where he made his first record, and loaded his recording studio with visual inspiration, toys, posters, 60’s children’s books, trinkets and more to create a world entirely of his own where the songs could grow. The resulting album, a firecracker explosion of effervescent, gorgeous piano pop, shows Mika building upon the strengths of his debut (every chorus is instantly memorable) while expanding arrangements and styles to create a record that is even more joyous and unique than his first. The Boy Who Knew Too Much straddles a line between childish naïvete and world-worn sophistication; Mika likens this transformation as the shift from childhood and Life in Cartoon Motion’s innocence to something more akin to adolescence. As such, the songs on The Boy Who Knew Too Much are ebulliently bold, embracing the mysteries, melodramas, adrenaline and vitality of one’s teenage years to startling affect. The arrangements are bigger and more beautiful than ever before, and the album is underpinned by an open-hearted and accepting idea of what living in the 21st century means in all its contradictory, complicated glory.
Opening track “We Are Golden” starts the album with a chorus that could only be described as “absolutely amazing,” featuring a massive choir, defiant declarations and a driving beat. “Blame It On the Girls” marries skittering percussion with floor-stomping piano and a swoon-worthy chorus, while “Rain” – featuring droplets of violin plucks from Owen Pallett and additional programming by Stuart Price – is a bona fide dancefloor anthem, Mika’s stunning voice floating effortlessly over pillows of synths. “Toy Boy” features sweeping, 40’s Disney orchestration, and “Dr. John” mixes a 60’s sunlit, hand-clapped chorus with a plea for clarity from confusion. Indeed, from stirring ballads to candy-coated choruses, The Boy Who Knew Too Much retains a breadth of vision that speaks not only to Mika’s extraordinary melodic sensibilities, but also to the incredible stories he tells within his songs. From Mika, we would expect nothing less.
Track listing for The Boy Who Knew Too Much:
1. We Are Golden
2. Blame It On The Girls
3. Rain
4. Dr. John
5. I See You
6. Blue Eyes
7. Good Gone Girl
8. Touches You
9. By The Time
10. One Foot Boy
11. Toy Boy
12. Pick Up Off The Floor
Grammy-nominated alternative outfit, SKILLET, prepare to release AWAKE, the follow up to their 2006 breakthrough project, Comatose. The band, John Cooper (singer/bassist), Korey Cooper (keyboardist/vocalist), Ben Kasica (guitarist), and Jen Ledger (dummer/vocaist) teamed up with all-star producer Howard Benson (Daughtry, My Chemical Romance, The All-American Rejects), to deliver an album that is sure to have plenty of anthems, smash singles, and concert sing-a-longs. “Monster,” the first single off the upcoming album, is loaded with towering riffs and unbridled rock n’ roll abandon. The band is scheduled to play a couple festivals around the US before joining the Alive & Awake Tour which will kick off in late September and run through November.
Check out the band’s single, “Monster” and to see when SKILLET will be in a playing near you. Make sure to pick up your copy of AWAKE, in stores everywhere August 25th!
UPCOMING TOUR DATES AND FESTIVAL DATES:
Aug 3 Kingdom Bound - Darien Lake Theme Park Resort Darien Center, New York
Aug 7 Lloyd Noble Center Norman, Oklahoma
Aug 8 Heaven Fest 2009 Brighton, Colorado
Aug 14 Newsong Festival - Loucon Camp & Retreat Center Leitchfield, Kentucky
Aug 15 Angel Stadium Anaheim, California
Aug 29 Dorney Park Allentown, Pennsylvania
Sep 4 Texas Hill Fest New Braunfels, Texas
Sep 5 West Texas Boy’s Ranch San Angelo, Texas
Sep 12 Disney Hollywood Studios (LMA Stage) Kissimmee, Florida
Sep 19 Carowinds Theme Park Charlotte, North Carolina
Alive & Awake Tour (*except where noted)
Sep 24 Embassy Theater Fort Wayne, Indiana
Sep 25 Grace Brethren Church Columbus, Ohio
Sep 26 Awakening Music Festival - Marven Park Leesburg, Virginia *
Sep 27 The Tabernacle Atlanta, Georgia
Sep 29 Freedom Hall Johnson City, Tennessee
Oct 1 Washington Avenue Armory Convention Center Albany, New York
Oct 2 Manhattan Center Studios-Hammerstein Ballroom New York, New York
Oct 3 The Palladium Worcester, Massachusetts
Oct 4 Electric Factory Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 6 Salem Civic Center Salem, Virginia
Oct 8 Minglewood Hall Memphis, Tennessee
Oct 9 Riverfest Amphitheater Little Rock, Arkansas
Oct 10 Youthquake - Cullman County Fairgrounds Cullman, Alabama *
Oct 11 Mobile Civic Center Mobile, Alabama
Oct 15 Spirit Bank Event Center Tulsa, Oklahoma
Oct 16 South Plains Fair Coliseum Lubbock, Texas
Oct 17 Abraham Chavez Theater El Paso, Texas
Oct 18 Kiva Theater Albuquerque, New Mexico
Oct 20 Mcgee Park/ Memorial Coliseum Farmington, New Mexico
Oct 22 Celebrity Theater Phoenix, Arizona
Oct 23 Club Nokia La Live Los Angeles, California
Oct 25 Warnors Theater Fresno, California
Oct 27 Redding Convention Center Auditorium Redding, California
Oct 29 Medford Armory Medford, Oregon *
Oct 30 OSF Pavillion Salem, Oregon
Oct 31 Showare Center Seattle, Washington
Nov 1I NB Performing Arts Center Spokane, Washington
Nov 3 Toyota Center Kennewick, Washington
Nov 5 Qwest Arena Boise, Idaho
Nov 7 Paramount Theater Denver, Colorado
Nov 13 Stephens Auditorium-Iowa State University Ames, Iowa
Nov 14 Minneapolis Convention Center Auditorium Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nov 15 House of Blues Chicago, Illinois
Nov 19 Maude Cobb Center Longview, Texas
Nov 20 Palladium Ballroom Dallas, Texas
Nov 21 The Berry Center Cypress, Texas
Nov 22 Abilene Civic Center Abilene, Texas
Nov 27 Remingtons Springfield, Missouri
Nov 28 Adler Theater Davenport, Iowa
Nov 29 Duluth Entertainment Convention Center Duluth, Minnesota
Dec 3 Memorial Auditorium Chattanooga, Tennessee
Dec 4 Hobart Arena Troy, Ohio
Dec 5 Agora Theater Cleveland, Ohio
Dec 6 Deltaplex Grand Rapids, Michigan
Insane Clown Posse, the Detroit duo of Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, are readying their tenth full-length release Bang! Pow! Boom! Already multiple times platinum with albums The Great Milenko and The Amazing Jeckel Brothers now the underground duo is back and poised to strike again. The group’s dark visions and Barnum minds have spawned a carnival of music and mayhem often scorned by mainstream media, but embraced by an entire sub-culture of like minded-individuals.
Whether a long time fan or new to the ride, go “Behind The Hatchet” with a short video look at one of the most successful underground bands in the world. And, for a taste of Bang! Pow! Boom!, which hits stores September 1, check out the freshly unveiled audio album sampler.
BLK JKS’ highly anticipated full-length debut After Robots will be released September 8 on Secretly Canadian. Following the March release of their MYSTERY EP and return appearance at South by Southwest, South Africa’s BLK JKS are receiving critical praise from The New York Times, SPIN, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, LA Weekly, Time Out New York, New York Daily News and Under the Radar, among others.
Amidst all this critical praise the essence of BLK JKS’ music—a collision of township blues, fringe jazz and renegade dub, heard via the lens of prog—shines through. Music from Africa has never sounded like this, as BLK JKS bring the concept of afro-futurism into a new century.
After Robots was recorded January in Bloomington, IN as BLK JKS traded a South African summer for winter in America and burrowed in for marathon recording sessions of one live take after the next. Brandon Curtis of Secret Machines returned to join the band at the controls and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble appears on several tracks with the swagger of aggressive horn stabs, but throughout After Robots is an original BLK JKS affair—a distinctly South African vision of rock’s global travel and the possibility of what it can sound like from here on out.
BLK JKS first came to the U.S. in the spring of 2008 after a chance meeting with über-producer Diplo while he was on tour in South Africa. The band’s appearance on the cover of the Fader, as well as highly acclaimed sets at South by Southwest, sparked recording sessions at New York’s famed Electric Lady studios that resulted in the MYSTERY EP. They have gone on to share stages in North America and Europe with a celebrated and disparate array of artists including Femi Kuti, Santigold, Dirty Projectors, Michael Franti and Cody Chesnutt; they have played Sasquatch and Soweto Arts Festival; and drummer Tshepang Ramoba has been celebrated by Billboard as “the best musician” at SXSW.
BLK JKS consists of childhood friends Lindani Buthelezi and Mpumi Mcata who grew up on the same block in Johannesburg’s East Rand where they taught themselves guitar. After the band’s current lineup took shape with the addition of bassist Molefi Makananise and drummer Tshepang Ramoba, both of Soweto, they embarked on a schedule of heavy touring throughout South Africa that earned them a loyal national following.
The first glimpse of the full length, “Mololatladi”(right click, save as) which literally means rainbow in Zulu, is available now as a free mp3.
BLK JKS Tour Dates
June 9 Philadelphia, PA Kungfu Necktie
June 11 Washington, DC The Black Cat
July 5 Brooklyn, NY Weeksville Heritage Center
“who would have thought three guys that were so wasted would ever sell millions of albums a few months later”.
It’s always cool to catch a band “before they were big”, but its even cooler when that band is a pre-Nevermind Nirvana. The good people at TrendWhore have posted a gold mine of Nirvana MP3’s from their September, 1991 performance at Montreal’s legendary Foufounes Electrique. One of the more notable aspects of this show is the intense and fresh performance of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” before everyone and their little sister knew the words.
Download “Smells Like Teen Spirit” here, and then head over to TrendWhore for the rest of the MP3’s from the concert.
PLAY
