Tuesday, April 29, 2014

SPEAK Ready to Push "Pedals"; New Album Out June 24th!


"What else can I say about SPEAK other than the fact that they rock my socks and limbs off," begins a recent feature on the Austin-based foursome in indie tomeThreadSence. The interesting thing about this young synthpop band is thatThreadSence isn't alone in that praise. Originally fanning the embers that began with 2011's debut I Believe In Everything, SPEAK is just about to set the whole world afire with their new album PEDALS, due out on June 24, 2014 via Playing In Traffic Records. They will support its release with an upcoming East Coast tour with Gemini Club and The Griswolds (tour dates below).
Pedals is a mélange of sounds textured by the swathy electric guitars of Nick Hurt, the funky-drummer-esque rhythms of Jake Stewart, the syncopated bass of Joey Delahoussaye, and the soaring three-part harmonies punctuated by lush synths and the distinctive falsetto-tinged vocals of Troupe Gammage. The album has a density whose impact could fill the earbuds of an iPod as well as the expanse of a cavernous club. Calling on inspirations as diverse as Prince, Radiohead, Cut Copy, Sam Cooke and Kanye, SPEAK's music is not quite what you'd expect from the indie music hotbed of Austin, Texas. "I think we were more anomalous when we first started (almost 10 years ago… Jeez!)," says Troupe of his hometown. "The Austin scene has really grown over the past five or so years and I think a lot of that has to do with the internet. The geographical restrictions that have kept Austin away from a lot of other regional music scenes have broken down, so suddenly there are hip hop influences popping up, and European dance music, and orchestral grunge bands and whatnot. Just because I grew up in Americana doesn't mean I can't listen to Boards of Canada!"
From the staccato paranoid pop of "Mystery Lights" to the acoustic lilting balladry of "This Much I Know" to the moody psychedelia of the album closer "Trials"Pedals is 14 songs of different feels and tempos, held tightly together by the unique and genre-defying musicianship. The indiepop of "Be Reasonable, Diane" is a classic-in-waiting, which Earmilk has described as having "the synth pop styling of Vampire Weekend… guitars crack like whips and pop like Phoenix… infectious pop you don't have to feel guilty for enjoying." The breezy opening track "Gates" was actually one of the most difficult to muster. "This track dates back to a demo from 2009," explains Troupe of the epic and anthemic song. "You know how Kanye West claims to have spent 5000 hours writing Power? The only reason I think that might be true is that we've easily spent 5000 hours EACH on this track. Finishing it was one of the great reliefs of my life." On the flipside, the equally epic and anthemic "Peaks" was a cinch. "Total opposite of 'Gates'," he says. "This one came to me pretty much intact while we were driving through the mountains after four or five weeks of grueling touring. When I played it for the band, they were all really happy with it, so it was one of the 'easy' songs to record."

Formed in 2008 in Austin, SPEAK have been lavished with applause and praise from the get-go. Winning Best New Band in 2010 and thenBest Indie Group in 2011 at Austin Music Awards, they continued their budding musical takeover with stints at Austin City Limits Music Festival, and tours with Ra Ra Riot, Tegan & Sara, Miniature Tigers, and Tally Hall, among others. Recently, the song "I Should’ve Guessed", their collaboration with RAC (with whom they just wrapped up a national tour), shot up to the #1 position on Hype Machine just a few weeks ago. While this wave of critical and fan acclaim might have created undue pressure and a real need to please their audience, it thankfully didn’t shape or dilute the direction of Pedals. "I think we might have felt the weight of expectation if anyone had actually heard I Believe In Everything, but fortunately or unfortunately, that wasn't the case," Troupe says cheekily. "The pressure we had on Pedals was internal because any compromise you make while recording an album casts a shadow two years long... You relive that compromise night after night after night on stage. So we wanted to make sure we could support this album for as long as it took and still feel great about playing it, discussing it, and listening to it years from now." From the sounds of it, they created just that… an album that's timeless and will continue being a point of discussion for years to come.
SPEAK is Troupe Gammage (keyboard, lead vocals), Nick Hurt (guitar, vocals), Joey Delahoussaye (bass, vocals), andJake Stewart (drums). Pedals was self-produced and will be released on June 24, 2014 via Playing in Traffic Records.
TOUR DATES 
with Gemini Club, The Griswolds
June 13 Toronto, CAN The Drake
June 14 Montreal, QC Underworld
June 15 Burlington, VT Higher Ground
June 17 Boston, MA Great Scott
June 18 Brooklyn, NY Rough Trade
June 19 Washington, DC Black Cat
June 20 Philadelphia, PA Boot & Saddle

# # #

MOVEMENT ANNOUNCE US TOUR DATES; STREAM THEIR SELF-TITLED DEBUT EP


Movement are today pleased to announce their first run of US headline tour dates, spanning both coasts this coming June. The tour will be in support of their debut self-titled EP, which is out next Tuesday May 6th on Modular Recordings. Tickets for the Los Angeles show go on sale this Thursday, May 1st; all remaining shows go on sale this Friday, May 2nd.
 
A stream of the Movement EP, featuring singles ‘Like Lust’ and ‘Ivory’, premiered yesterday on Dazed, and you are also able to stream/embed the EP via Soundcloud here.
 
 
Best New Track for ‘Us’ and ‘Like Lust’ - Pitchfork

“When first hearing Movement it would be understandable to assume it was just one producer weaving hazy, smooth sounds while repeating vocal phrases like mantras. But this is a band, and watching them play this music and sing these vocals in front of you is breathtaking.” -Stereogum

“Sydney’s Movement drops what is probably their best song yet (although “Like Lust” continues to creep on us in the best way) in the spectral/sexy new track Ivory” - Gorilla vs Bear
 
“…(a) swampy mid-tempo jammer with a yearning chord progression and the sort of heavy-chested, late night atmosphere that sounds really nice inside headphones.” – The Fader on ‘Ivory’
 
Movement have been honing their live show with support slots on tours with Solange and Darkside. Get a taste of what to expect on their upcoming dates via the previously released videos for ‘Us’ and ‘Like Lust’.

All upcoming tour dates are listed below. Tickets for the Los Angeles show at the Echo go on sale this Thursday, May 1st. All other shows go on sale Friday, May 2nd.  
 
MOVEMENT US TOUR DATES
Tues June 24th - The Echo, Los Angeles, CA
Thurs June 26th – Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco, CA
Sat June 28th – Glasslands, Brooklyn, NY
Mon June 30th – Westway, New York, NY
Thurs July 3rd – Bamboo Bar, Philadelphia, PA
 
PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED TOUR DATES
Fri May 9th - Coolangatta Hotel, Gold Coast *supporting Rufus
Sat May 10th - The Tivoli, Brisbane *supporting Rufus
Sun May 11th- The Tivoli, Brisbane *supporting Rufus
Thurs May 22nd – Shebeen, Melbourne
Fri May 23rd - Rocket Bar, Adelaide
Fri May 30th – Spectrum, Sydney
Thurs June 5th - Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane
Fri June 6th - Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Mon June 16th – Ace Hotel Basement, Shoreditch, London
Sun June 22nd – FOR Festival, Hvar Island, Croatia

Frances Cone EP Out Today, Now Streaming w/ Paste + "Better Man" Video!

Frances Cone 
 
Self-Titled EP Out Today,
Streaming In Full w/ Paste Magazine!

Watch + Share: Bittersweet “Better Man” Video

Catch Frances Cone LIVE This May

 
“…a soft voice that hits somewhere between Neko Case’s Americana and the breathy depth of Cat Power…” Refinery29
 
"…a harmonious blend of indie pop and lush instrumentals, and we can’t get enough.”
– NYLON
 
“…a bittersweet feelings cocktail -- of joy and pain and regret for when things seemed simpler, even when they certainly were not.” – WNYC
 

Click image above to watch the “Better Man” video
 
Brooklyn-based band Frances Cone release their self-titled EP todayFrances Cone marks a clear departure from the band’s more solo-sounding previous work, and fans can get a taste of the EP now at Paste Magazine where it’sstreaming in full!
 
 “Better Man” is a highlight on the record that exemplifies the trio’s sonic growth, and they’ve just unveiled the beautifully bittersweet accompanying video with WNYC! As singer/keyboardist Christina Cone elaborates: "I always wanted the visual representation of 'Better Man' to be pretty overarching -- something that displayed the complexities between two people or a group of people over time. It's interesting for me to think about hidden desires versus outright demands women place upon men whether those men be their fathers, sons, husbands, etc., and how quickly we went from the sort of stifled quietness of the '50s to the raciness of Cosmopolitan headlines or crassness of Bridesmaids and how much cause and effect that's really had on real life relationships between men and women, if that's even measurable. There is so much going on in the eyes of that woman being kissed for the camera and it just makes my brain go wild.” You can also check out the “Better Man” video HERE where it’s available to post & share!
 
Cone, guitarist Jeff Malinowski & bassist Andrew Doherty met within the past year- however their creative spark is almost tangible on the new EP. Their sound is at once enormous & intimate, huge yet familiar. Written in Charleston, SC, arranged in Brooklyn & recorded in Nashville, Frances Cone’s unique mix of indie pop & Americana harmonies sets the band apart from the rest.
 

Photo credit: William Mebane
 
Fans can experience Frances Cone’s hypnotic live show as they conquer the west coast this May, following a hometown performance at Rough Trade NYC with Doe Paoro this Friday!
 
Frances Cone Tour Dates
 
5/2: Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade NYC (w/ Doe Paoro)
5/7: Los Angeles, CA @ The Hotel Cafe
5/9: San Francisco, CA @ 50 Mason Social House
5/10: Eugene, OR @ Luckey's Club
5/12: Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern
5/13: Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom

Papertwin announces new EP, shares new single "Alkaline"


Brooklyn synth-pop trio Papertwin has been playing music together since 2009, formed by Max Decker after narrowly escaping a lucrative career as a landscape painter. After two homespun EPs, the band is set to release their first studio collaboration, Vox Humana, onJune 17. Stream the EP's debut single "Alkaline" on SPIN.

Recorded under the guidance of producer Abe Seiferth (Yeasayer, Eleanor Friedberger, Turing Machine, DFA's Plantain Studios), and mastered by Joe Laporta (Vampire Weekend, Beach House), Vox Humana escalates the band's unique brand of synth-pop to new heights. Dreamy, dark, and nostalgically sci-fi, the EP features analog synthesizers, driving percussion, and reflective vocals. Drawing on influences from The Cure to Gillian Welch, Vox Humana builds upon the band's previous recordings Porcelain (2011) and Peru(2012).

Papertwin is comprised of Max Decker (vocals, guitar, synth), Francis Cardinale (drums, programming) and Nick Shopa (synth). They are friends, and have been for a while. Before forming Papertwin they were valet car parkers, land surveyors, piano tuners, landscape painters, denim tailors, movie popcorn poppers...and sometimes still are.
  
              
Papertwin
Vox Humana
[Self-released]
Release date: June 17, 2014

Track List:

1. Alkaline
2. Headlights
3. Whale
4. Arco
5. Sonar
6. Laces Out
  
  
PAPERTWIN LINKS: Official / Facebook / Twitter / Bandcamp

Survival Knife's debut album, Loose Power, is our now on Glacial Pace! Catch them opening for Modest Mouse in Portland and on tour in May!


Survival Knife's, debut album, Loose Power, is now streaming in it's entirety at Pitchfork Advance!
-
Featuring Unwound bandmates Justin Trosper and Brandt Sandeno, their debut is out now on Glacial Pace Recordings.

Share the angular single "Roman Fever" via Soundcloud and catch the band opening for Modest Mouse and on a
West Coast tour in May:

Tour Dates:
05.01.14 – Portland, OR @ The Crystal Ballroom w/ Modest Mouse
05.02.14 – Portland, OR @ The Crystal Ballroom w/ Modest Mouse
05.08.14 – San Francisco, CA @ The Hemlock Tavern
05.09.14 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
05.10.14 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
05.16.14 – Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar (Album Release Party)
05.17.14 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza



When Unwound broke up in 2002, the pioneering post-rock band left a hole in the musical firmament that dozens of acts have been trying and failing to patch up in the years since. Try as they might, they could never quite reach the perfect balance of tension and release, spiny and smooth that made the Olympia-based trio’s work so damn powerful.
That is until Survival Knife came to life.
Bringing together two ex-Unwound bandmates Justin Trosper and Brandt Sandeno, Survival Knife is another bracing and energetic shot to the dome by these singular songwriters, and one that they are eager to embrace.
The first major statement to arrive from this new project is Loose Power, the debut full-length from Survival Knife, out April 29th on Glacial Pace Recordings. Working with longtime Unwound cohorts Stuart Hallerman (he recorded the album with Matt Buscher) and Steve Fisk (who handled the mixing), and mastered by the venerable Bob Weston (he of Shellac and Mission of Burma infamy), the seven-song album weds the riffage of classic rock with the feverish angular pulse of post-punk/post-hardcore.
Lyrically, Trosper circles back on the existential and global concerns that marked much of Unwound’s best material. This time around, though, his words feel more cutting and direct. He tears the financial industry to shreds (“Heaven Has No Eyes”) and touches on global paranoia (the title track), while also leaving you with the devastating image of a lone man running away from his own despair (“Fell Runner”).
Getting to this point, however, took some doing. Unlike all of his former musical brethren, singer/guitarist Trosper didn’t have any interest in music after Unwound split. Instead, he moved to Los Angeles for a stretch, going to school and helping other bands with recording projects. But after returning to his hometown of Olympia, the itch to take up his guitar against the world returned, and, with the help of longtime musical companion Sandeno and his friends Kris Cunningham (drums) and Meg Cunningham (bass), Survival Knife was born.
The quartet already garnered a great deal of attention. The West Coast has already had a taste of what Survival Knife has to offer thanks to plenty of NW dates and a tour the band did last year with Modest Mouse. And the world has been well-primed thanks to the band’s 7” releases on Sub Pop and Kill Rock Stars. Once Loose Power is in the world, there will be little hope of holding back and soon we’ll all be following Survival Knife into the abyss.


MARTYR'S TONGUE: San Juan Crew Dispatches Vicious Track Via Cvlt Nation


A pummeling new track from San Juan, Puerto Rico-based MARTYR'S TONGUE is now available via Cvlt Nation.

Laying down a landslide of pandemonium as corrosive as it is pulverizing, MARTYR'S TONGUEunloads a brand of metallic mayhem born of the dark lords of Cleveland, Ringworm and Integrity, jacked-up on noise, grime and electronic elements, putting them in the race with Rot In Hell, Full of Hell, Blind To Faith and the like. With several demos, splits and EPs released since 2010, the self-proclaimed "five audio terrorists preaching world genocide through sonic warfare" have created their most brutal material yet on the impending split 7" with Pennsylvania-based Benchpress. MARTYR'STONGUE's pair of contributions to the 7" -- "Deconstructive Process" and "Unholy Communion" -- were mixed and mastered by Axel in San Juan, mercilessly overthrowing the B-side of this split platter.

Cvlt Nation is now displaying MARTYR'S TONGUE's opening B-side bomber, "Deconstructive Process," at THIS LOCATION.

The split's opening track, "Penance," courtesy of Benchpress, is also streaming at RevolverHERE.

Pennsylvania-based Get This Right Records will release the split EP on vinyl and digitally on May 6th. The first pressing of the 7" will come in a run of 350 -- 130 copies on black, 120 on bone white and 100 on clear with red/lavender/yellow/blue swirl/splatter -- each copy joined by a digital download of the EP. There will also be a limited edition, numbered, screen-printed cover for all preorders placed. Preorders are posted HERE.
  

Pixies Release "Indie Cindy" Today | First Full-Length Album In Over 2 Decades

PIONEERING ALTERNATIVE ROCKERS PIXIES RETURN TODAY WITH INDIE CINDY
BAND'S FIRST ALBUM IN OVER TWO DECADES IS AVAILABLE IN A VARIETY OF FORMATS
Check out Pixies' track-by-track YouTube video 
Fans have dreamed about it for years, and nowPixies are delivering. Indie Cindy, the band's first full studio album since 1991'Trompe le Monde, is out today in the U.S. Indie Cindy is being released on the band's own label, Pixiesmusic (marketed and distributed worldwide by [PIAS] Recordings). It is available in all physical and digital retailers, and is streaming this week on MSN Music and last.fm




Pixies Track by Track Commentary (audio & video) |Please Post/Share 

The 12 cuts on Indie Cindy were produced by Gil Norton, producer of the band's classic Doolittle,Bossanova, and Trompe le Monde albums, and recorded during October 2012 at Rockfield Studios in Wales, UK. The various packages feature a collection of brand new artwork by the legendary graphic artist Vaughan Oliver who created the artwork for all of Pixiesprevious releases.  

Pixies are making Indie Cindy available in a selection of formats:

* as a standard 12-track single-CD digipak with booklet

* as a two-disc, deluxe gatefold album, pressed on 180-gram vinyl

* as a standard 12-track digital download via iTunes, Amazon, and other online retail sellers

* as an expanded digital download exclusively through iTunes that includes a bonus live-in-concert 13-track set recorded during the band's recently-completed North American tour

* available at pixiesmusic.com, a special deluxe, limited edition (5,000) two-disc set (available as a CD and as a deluxe gatefold album pressed on 180-gram vinyl) that includes the 13-track live disc. This deluxe package also includes a 40-page, hard-back book that features the new artwork produced exclusively for Indie Cindy. The CD limited edition is packaged in a special gold-foil hard slipcase.


While Pixies have been acclaimed as the most influential, pioneering band of the late 80s alt/rock movement, having blazed the trail for artists from Nirvana to Radiohead to Pearl Jam, today, a whole new generation of music fans are discovering their iconic "loudquietloud" signature sound. After five genre-defining studio albums, Pixies disbanded in 1993, and then launched their reunion tour in April 2004, playing to sell-out crowds all over the globe for seven years, a longer period of time than they were a band originally. But writing, recording and releasing new music was something that the band had been wanting to do for a long time, so they secretly booked studio time in Wales for the fall of 2012. Six days into the recording, founding bassist Kim Deal decided to leave the band; Black Francis, Joey Santiago and David Lovering made the decision to carry on, working with a variety of touring bassists, something they'd never done. As the UK'DIY wrote about the new music, "They're back. They're still brilliant. God save the Pixies."

Indie Cindy Track listing:
  1. What Goes Boom
  2. Greens and Blues
  3. Indie Cindy
  4. Bagboy
  5. Magdalena 318
  6. Silver Snail
  7. Blue Eyed Hexe
  8. Ring the Bell
  9. Another Toe in the Ocean
  10. Andro Queen
  11. Snakes
  12. Jaime Bravo

Track listing for Live In The USA*:
  1. Bone Machine
  2. Hey
  3. Ana
  4. Magdalena 318
  5. Snakes
  6. Indie Cindy
  7. I've Been Tired
  8. Head On
  9. The Sad Punk
  10. Distance Equals Rate Times Time
  11. Something Against You
  12. Isla de Encanta
  13. Planet of Sound

* (with touring bassist Paz Lenchantin)

PixiesOfficial Website | Facebook | Twitter 

Indie CindyiTunes | Amazon 

Broods North American Tour Underway, 'Bridges' Remix Revealed


BROODS NORTH AMERICAN TOUR UNDERWAY
REMIX TO HIT SINGLE 'BRIDGES' PREMIERED


 

LISTEN TO 'BRIDGES' (ASTR REMIX) HERE
 
 
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
04/30 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY – SOLD OUT
05/02 - U Street Music Hall - Washington, DC
05/03 - Kung Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, PA
05/04 - Great Scott - Allston, MA
05/06 - Il Motore - Montreal, QC
05/07 - Underground at The Drake - Toronto, ON – SOLD OUT
05/09 - The Media Club - Vancouver, BC
05/10 - Barboza - Seattle, WA
05/11 - Mississippi Studios - Portland, OR – SOLD OUT
05/13 - The Independent - San Francisco, CA – SOLD OUT
05/14 - Echo - Los Angeles, CA – SOLD OUT
05/15 - The Observatory - Santa Ana, CA


 “Sibling-duo BROODS may be following in the footsteps of fellow Kiwi Lorde but there is no denying these two are starting a fire all their own.” – V Magazine

“... Auckland’s newest set of power pipes, Georgia Nott, 19.” - VOGUE Magazine

“Looking for some gorgeous pop music to dive into and subsequently peddle to your friends this coming weekend? Look no further than Broods' self-titled debut EP…” - Billboard Magazine

“Broods’ self-titled EP is on repeat. Forever. Until their next album drops.” - MTV Buzzworthy

Having sold out their debut shows in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City, BROODS - comprised of New Zealand multi-instrumentalist Caleb Nott and vocalist Georgia Nott – commenced their inaugural North American tour. Their next stop is a sold-out show at Music Hall of Williamsburg. From there, they will continue up the East Coast, into Canada, and make their way down the West Coast, wrapping up in California mid-May.

This week, the brother-sister duo’s powerful lead single 'Bridges' received “a sort of Swedes-doing-tropical bounce,” remix from New York City-based band ASTR. The track premiered on The FADER. Listen to it here.

'Bridges,' which “freezes the listener in his or her tracks from the opening second” (Billboard), and highlights “Georgia’s breathy vocals (which) soar above Caleb’s delicate keyboard melodies and dance-floor-worthy percussion” (Vogue Magazine) was featured as iTunes Single of the Week. The breakout hit also has over one million Spotify streams in North America alone, as well as 1.5 million Soundcloud plays overall. Broods also revealed a new video for ‘Bridges’ in late March. Watch the video here.

Though only formed in early 2013, Broods released their self-penned, self-titled, 6-track EP in January and have become one of the hottest global acts of 2014. The EP, which has been described as “a cohesive set of intimate, featherlight electronic pop gems, brimming with possibility for even more gorgeousness,” (Muu Muse) was recorded and produced in New Zealand by Grammy Award winning producer Joel Little (Lorde/Pure Heroine).

Broods signed a record deal with Capital Records in the U.S and plan to release their debut album later this year.

Their debut EP is available now on iTunesAmazon and Spotify.

 

Front Line Assembly - ECHOES


After two milestone 2013 releases, 2014 is shaping up to be nothing short of extraordinary for the Front Line Assembly camp. FLA is kicking off the year by releasing ECHOES, the follow-up to 2013's long-awaitedECHOGENETIC & critically acclaimed instrumental soundtrack for AirMech. ECHOES is a remix collection of FLA's favorite modern artists reinterpreting the band´s now classic ECHOGENETIC. Presented as both a 14-song physical album and an exclusive extended digital release,ECHOES features two new original songs, co-written by Ian Pickering of the Sneaker Pimps, alongside remixes from artists such as Comaduster, Sonic Mayhem, Youth Code, Slighter, Rhys Fulber, HECQ, Henrik Backstrom (of Necro Facility), Blush Response (Joey Blush from Scar the Martyr), Liebknecht (Daniel Meyer), Haujobb, Techdiff, Tweaker, Primitive Race, Atiq and Enk, and Cyanotic.

Download The Rich Hands' New Single "So Fine" Premiered on PureVolume!


The Rich Hands' Out Of My Head LP Out May 6th, 2014 on Fountain & Burger Records!

Download & Share Their New Single "So Fine" Premiered on PureVolume Yesterday! - https://soundcloud.com/fountain-records/so-fine-album-version


Check out The Rich Hands' new single "So Fine" premiered on PureVolume yesterday in advance of their new full-length, Out of My Head, out May 6th on Burger and Fountain Records! Recorded and produced by Chris Koltay (Atlas Sound, Xiu Xiu, Tyvek), Out of My Head is the follow up from The Rich Hands' 2013 Dreamers LP.

As singer and guitarist Cody Mauser told PureVolume, "With 'So Fine' I wanted it to be everything I love about KISS. From the guitar riffs to the catchy 'sing a long' choruses to even the ace-inspired guitar solo towards the end but with our twist to it. We made it a heavy, catchy, in your face track."

Listen to "So Fine" at the link above and let me know if you would like an advance copy or download of their new full-length!

"Mixing elements of classic and garage rock along with surf pop, the trio creates those great, to-the-point rock songs that get the adrenaline pumping..." PureVolume


More About The Rich Hands:

Out of My Head, the new album from San Antonio rock ‘n’ rollers The Rich Hands breaks out of the gate with a punchy, pumped-up and fuzzed-out riff that immediately gets the party in full gear. Taking cues from classic rock, garage punk, and even a little surf pop–always amped and extra crunchy–the tight rhythms, infectious hooks and supercharged anthems belted out throughout the dozen loud and proud tracks of Out of My Head, out May 6 via Fountain Records, with a cassette release by Burger Records, marks a huge stomp forward for the young trio.
Growing up listening to ’60s and '70s rock ‘n’ roll and surrounded by a serious scene in their hometown, singer and guitarist Cody Mauser, bassist Matt Gonzalex and drummer Nick Ivarra all found common ground in the camaraderie of good old rock and roll. Jamming together over those formidable years of high school, Ivarra describes the groups desire to, “bring back that raw, simple feeling of having a good time without the melodrama.” Developing that sound by feeding off each other’s addictive energy, The Rich Hands succeed in every aspect of that early creed, and Out of My Head is the unequivocal expression of pure joy.
The last few years have been a whirlwind for the band, recording and releasing a slew of singles leading up to last year’s Dreamers LP and touring across the country on four separate tours just in 2013 alone. Throughout it all, Mauser is a constant song-writing machine, with hardly a break between albums. The songs that make up Out of my Head are his best yet; fast, fun and second to none. The band’s first single off their new album, “Teenager,” ranks as one of the most quintessential tracks The Rich Hands have ever committed to tape. Ivarra calls it a “catchy, corny, bratty summery anthem. It just popped out at us, when you play a song once and it’s just done, it clicks.” This assertion could just as easily describe the album in whole; it just clicks. 
There’s a lot of new, eclectic elements at play on the new LP as well, recorded in a cold Detroit week at High Bias Studios, and produced by Chris Koltay (Atlas Sound, Xiu Xiu, Tyvek). The band took full advantage of their new hi-fi surroundings, belting out the album on a variety of amps and axes they never previously could get their hands on. The result was a “huge change of pace,” according to Ivarra. “We got crazy tones and a better sound. I don’t think we’ll ever go back.” Out of My Head also features the group’s first foray into double tracking, Nashville tuning, and even organs and synths, lending just a hint of Southern bravado on tracks like the wholly surprising Dylan-inspired “No Harm Blues.” Buoyed by the quality of the new record, and backed by two supportive labels, The Rich Hands have a wide-open road ahead, and they’re determined to enjoy every last step they take.
LINKS
Download their single "Teenager" - 
https://soundcloud.com/fountain-records/the-rich-hands-teenager

Watch and share their video for "Teenager" - 
http://youtu.be/upJ0oYwbbqk

05.23.2014 - San Antonio, TX @ Limelight * Album Release Show

Soko Announces First Headline Tour Of North America, Recording Second Full-Length Album With Ross Robinson


French multi-instrumentalist Soko today announced her first headline tour of the United States. Soko is currently in the studio recording her second full-length album, My Dreams Dictate My Reality, with producer Ross Robinson (The Cure, At The Drive-In).  

While this record is the follow-up to her record that Nylon Magazine called "gritty," "honest," and "simple," you can expect more of the grit and honest and less of the simple onDreams. A fun taste of Soko in the studio HERE. Upon finishing recording, Soko will hit the road with a full band and will preview songs from the forthcoming album along with some songs from her acclaimed, if not a tad quieter, 2012 full-length debut, I Thought I Was An Alien. The run kicks off June 1 at the Constellation Room in Santa Ana, CA and includes shows at Los Angeles' El Rey Theatre (June 2) and Le Poisson Rouge in New York City (June 18). Penn Badgley's band Mother (on Neon Gold Records) is supporting on all dates. See below for full list of dates. 

"Think Daniel Johnston with experience in place of innocence. Touching and strangely beautiful," said The UK Independent upon the release of I Thought I Was An Alien, which Soko produced with Fritz Michaud (Elliott Smith). Stew of Negro Problem, reviewing forThe Talkhouse, pronounced it "brilliant" and urged, "You should stop reading this now and just listen to it." "Beneath the neu-folk veneer...lies lush beds of texture rife with swelling strings, pulsating synthetic drum beats, and reverb-soaked keyboards," observed Vogue

Born in France and now residing in Los Angeles, Soko has appeared in more than a dozen French films, including À l'origine (In the Beginning), for which she was nominated for aCésar Award, and 2012's Augustine, for which she won the Best Actress Award at the Mar Del Plata International Film Festival in Argentina. The New York Times praised "the uncanny power of Soko's face and body" in Augustine, saying "she is as grave and luminous as a silent-film star." When director Tatia Pilieva tapped her for "First Kiss," a short film that features 20 strangers kissing for the first time, Pilieva selected Soko's "We Might Be Dead by Tomorrow" as the soundtrack to the short black-and-white film, which became a viral hit, racking up more than 80 million views to date. 

"We Might Be Dead by Tomorrow," which is from I Thought I Was An Alien, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Streaming Songs chart and at No. 9 on the Hot 100 last month. You can view Soko's video for "We Might Be Dead by Tomorrow" HERE and "First Kiss" HERE. While there is an air of melancholy to Soko's songs like "We Might Be Dead by Tomorrow," they also brim with the sense of euphoria that comes from learning to live in the now. 
  
A self-taught talent, Soko began writing songs at age 20, teaching herself guitar after seeing a friend play music and realizing she wanted and could do that, too. After moving to Paris, radio stations in Denmark, Belgium and Australia started spinning her music, and soon she was playing gigs with Daniel Johnston, M.I.A., Babyshambles, and Azure Ray, among others. In addition to her songwriting and acting, she is also known for directing her own boldly spirited DIY music videos and creating her own artwork. 

Soko - U.S. Headline Tour

6/1 - Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
6/2 - Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
6/3 - San Francisco, CA @ Slims
6/5 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
6/6 - Vancouver, BC @ The Imperial
6/7 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos
6/10 - Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center
6/11 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
6/13 - Toronto, ON @ The Hoxton
6/14 - Montreal, QC @ Le National
6/15 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
6/18 - New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge

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TOBACCO shares new single via FADER - On Tour Now


Today TOBACCO shares "Father Sister Berzerker," the 3rd single from the forthcoming Ghostly LP Ultima II Massage via FADER.  TOBACCO has a limited run of East Coast & Midwest tour dates currently underway, with more dates TBA soon. ICYMI, check out the previous single from Ultima, the ultra-nasty "Eruption" and also the completely insane and highly NSFW Eric Wareheim-directed video for "Streaker."

Bio:
TOBACCO can't have nice things.

On his third album, the Pennsylvania snake-synth-charmer deepens his approach to aural depravity. Ultima II Massage widens a jagged swath through the dude's own weird catalog, each disparate track damaged to the point of contributing to some sort of greater, lurching Frankenstein-like state. "I spent a lot of time breaking it in all the right places," says TOBACCO. "It ends up making the whole thing breathe - sometimes gasp for air. It feels more alive." Immediately after finishing 2010's Maniac Meat, he went to work on the beat-addled series begun with Fucked Up Friends in 2008. There were notable breaks en route to now - a surprising commission to remix White Zombie's "Thunder Kiss '65," a new Black Moth Super Rainbow record (Cobra Juicy), and producing Demon Queen's Exorcise Tape with vocalist Zackey Force Funk - but he saved the worst for last, amassing the most misanthropic material for Ultima. To wit, SPIN dubbed early share "Lipstick Destroyer" a "junkyard takedown of Daft Punk's beloved, pristine electro."

TOBACCO explains his modified approach: "I wanted to push each song just enough, so that even when the album's at its wildest, it's something you can zone out to. It feels like a definitive end to a concept I've been trying to perfect forever.Maniac Meat was linear. This time I wanted to do a lot of different things and have them come together as one meditative piece. At least for myself."

Which, oddly enough, makes sense. This is easily TOBACCO's most diverse set to date - his own Stereopathetic Soulmanure, but about that 1-900 hotline life: massage parlors, plasticized sleaze, fake tans, old dial-ups to the fan clubs of dead B-actors. Fittingly, the album's only contributor is Brian LeBarton who shrieks as Notrabel on the grimy freak-out "Streaker." At 17 tracks, Ultima is stacked with beautifully perverse hits - from the sickly sticky "Eruption," to the wobbly demon swaggerer "Face Breakout," to the distorted punk spazz of "Dipsmack," to the apocalyptic sepia ambience of "Spitlord." You may hear disembodied bits of Boards of Canada, early Def Jam records, and Gary Numan, or maybe just public-access TV and bad VHS dubs of '80s horror flicks. Or the sun exploding and everything you've ever loved melting. Again, TOBACCO was just trying to make meditation music.

But to find that rotted sweet spot, as always, he had to subvert his pop urges. TOBACCO went back to the cassette decks he started off with - analog weapons of distortion to compliment his hissing vocoder and blown rhythms. Any moment that felt "just right" was brutally assaulted until ugly again. All to accomplish one end: "This might be my most purposely difficult album yet, but I promise if you let it in, it can fuck you up."

Ultima II Massage. No happy ending.

Pre-order the album here or via the Ghostly Store or direct from TOBACCO
 
TOBACCO TOUR DATES:
04/29 Louisville, KY Zanzabar
04/30 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge
05/02 - 05/04 Austin, TX Austin Psych Fest
05/06 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon
05/07 Birmingham, AL Bottletree
05/08 Atlanta, GA The Earl
05/09 Durham, NC Motorco Music Hall
05/10 Washington DC U Street Music Hall



TOBACCO

Ultima II Massage
(Ghostly)
Street Date: May 13, 2014

Track List:

01. Streaker (ft. Notrabel)
02. Good Complexion
03. Video Warning Attempts
04. Eruption (Gonna Get My Hair Cut at the End of the Summer)
05. Lipstick Destroyer
06. Self Tanner
07. Face Breakout
08. Blow Your Heart
09. Beast Sting
10. Dipsmack
11. Creaming for Beginners
12. Omen Classic
13. Pool City, McKnight Road
14. Spitlord
15. Father Sister Berzerker
16. The Touch from Within 
   

TOBACCO LINKS: