Wintersleep are the "New Inheritors"

[It is an honor for me to introduce the Exploding In Sound faithful to our newest contributor, Adam Roncaglione. Adam comes from the fantastic and now defunct RabbitHoleMusic.com and will be periodically contributing reviews for EIS...]


The one thing I could always say about Wintersleep was that they got better with each new album. It appears that with their 4th album, New Inheritors, they may have finally gone backwards. After 2007's Welcome To The Night Sky, it almost seemed like it would be impossible for them to top that effort. It took a little time to digest that dense and intelligent album, but now I feel it stands near the crest of my all time favorite albums. After listening to New Inheritors many times hoping for the same feeling to overcome me, I still sit here wanting.

My biggest problem with New Inheritors is, it didn't have to be this way. The opener “Experience The Jewel” is absolutely stunning. Singer Paul Murphy's voice has never sounded more unique, like this could ONLY be Wintersleep. I thought this album was going to soar based on this track alone. The two tracks they released online, the title track and “Black Camera” were both very catchy and extremely different, so I was expecting a diverse effort. After Welcome to the Night Sky, I assumed the band was going to fully embrace their post-rock style musings that perfectly intertwine with the gorgeous Canadian folk that comes so naturally to them. So here I am expecting diversity and experimentalism, and honestly this album just feels like an identity crisis.


Just to clarify, there isn't a bad track on the album, just about every song has redeeming qualities and a certain catchiness. However, there just isn't more than a handful of great songs, if any that will go into the Wintersleep diehard's vernacular. The album doesn't feel very cohesive and as of right now ranks as my least favorite album by the band.

With all that said, I am still not giving up on the album, and I still hold out hope that this is a “grower.” If I didn't hold Wintersleep in such high esteem, this would probably pass as a pretty great album, but I do hold them to a higher standard. It actually pains me to type such negative words about the band I currently consider my favorite band in the world. They will continue to be that band until someone else dethrones them and next time I hope they grab that experimental folk gene that resides so deep in them and top everything they've ever done.

-- adam roncaglione

Omar Rodriguez Lopez Quartet Features Frusciante / Release Free Album

Omar Rodriguez Lopez Quartet have released their album, Sepulcros de Miel, for FREE download via their bandcamp page. The Quartet are: Juan Alderete De La Peña, John Frusciante, Marcel Rodriguez Lopez & Omar Rodriguez Lopez.

"That's right folks, another album from Omar Rodriguez Lopez that we are giving away for FREE or you can choose to DONATE what you can spare, any profits will go to our own new Music Scholarship program we are setting up that will be combining all donations we get from this release with the last release from Omar Rodriguez Lopez & John Frusciante. The money will be used to sponsor musicians and school programs that we feel are really helping young or in need artists. You will hear more about our organization as it progresses, it is in the process of being made a non profit and will be an ongoing fund that we will continue to release albums from both Rodriguez Lopez Productions and Sargent House and to contribute too.

Both Sepulcros De Miel and Omar Rodriguez Lopez & John Frusciante albums will be released in a limited amount on Vinyl. Pre-Orders will be announced soon.

Blind Dog Sky Working on Sophomore Album

Satellite Tragedy's Ridd Sorenson has begun work on the sophomore release from his solo project Blind Dog Sky. Here's what he had to say...

"Time for another record. 5 in the can (listed below), 6-7 more to go.

If I Had Two
Trust
Fools Forever in the Dark
Strong and Free
Dream"

You can download "I'm Comin' Home" from the project's self titled debut on Exploding In Sound's Circulatory System compilation. Interested in the entire debut album? Download it for FREE HERE!!

Solar Powered Sun Destroyer Finish Recording

Washington, DC's Solar Powered Sun Destroyer have finished recording their debut full length with legendary J. Robbins. Here's what the band had to say...

"The full-length record is done! We couldn't be happier, and J. Robbins, Joe Mitra, and TJ Lipple all did amazing jobs working on it with us. We will announce the title and track listing for it soon, and we also have some cool remixes done by some of our favorite musicians. All information and updates will be posted HERE, but remember to friend us on Facebook and Twitter (@spsdmusic). Oh yeah, and an official website is coming soon too.

Over the next couple of months, label, touring, and release date stuff will be figured out and hopefully the record will be out in the fall. In the meantime, we will be playing out as much as we can this summer, but the plan is to be going full force once August/September hits."

In the meantime, don't forget to check the band out of Exploding In Sound's Future Legendary compilation...

Endless Wave Ready Debut Album "City Walls"

Endless Wave are a Boston-based rock trio combining pop and shoegaze on their debut EP “City Walls,” set for a Spring 2010 release through Fort Point Records. The band will be playing their EP release show Wednesday, June 9 at Great Scott in Allston, Massachusetts along with Philly's Asteroid #4. Check out the official press release for more information...

"The latest wave of the now is a blistering jolt from the past, one not steeped in rehashed retro sounds or formulaic resurrections but one that arches a sonic lineage to a cherished but short-lived era crystallized by its own ambition and limitation.

Rising Boston trio Endless Wave chips away at the past in reshaping the future, taking an energized approach to shoegaze's extended wall of reverb sound and juxtaposing it against a backdrop of pitch-perfect pop brilliance. It’s a concise aural bullet where elements of early Smashing Pumpkins and Catherine Wheel are splashed across the front-page praise for early '90s UK heaven-stormers such as Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine and Ride.

But where the previous millennium's shoegazers hopelessly looked down, Endless Wave stares forward and launches past the restrictions of its forefathers. Call it evolutionary exercise that began in Cambridge in summer 2009 when André Obin (bass, vocals) and Timothy Ryan (guitar) began writing music together, soon finding drummer Tucker Dawson. Obin's pitch-perfect vocals glide lock-step with Ryan's rhythmic melody, a whirlpool of hooks tied together in the modern undertow beat of Dawson's drumming. The result is a sound that can simply be described as sky-gaze. An early demo for the soaring track “Last Phase” immediately circulated through the hands of Boston tastemakers, receiving airtime on WFNX Radio’s "New England Product" show and becoming a favorite of respected nightclub DJs. Endless Wave’s first official release, the “City Walls” EP, was recorded by Paul Q. Kolderie (Radiohead, Pixies, Morphine) and Adam Taylor (2009 Boston Music Awards’ “Producer of the Year”) at Camp Street Studios in Cambridge. The EP is slated for a June release through upstart indie label Fort Point Records, with a release party at Great Scott in Allston with Philadelphia’s Asteroid #4 and Montreal’s The High Dials.

EARLY PRESS RUMBLINGS:
Boston Herald: “A vibe that should really turn heads in Twenty-Ten"

Boston Phoenix: “Imagine the Verve, Ride, Slowdive, or My Bloody Valentine if any of those bands went jogging on a regular basis. There's a bit more of a rock thrust to these songs than is often found up the nü-gaze tree, and it's a welcome alternative to the increasingly overcrowded raft of NyQuil-core”

Stuff@Night: “A rock undertow keeps the band's dreamy, ethereal shoe-gazing soundtrack from floating too far afield in the ethereal abyss.”

TeaPartyBoston.com: “The band is off to a smashing start”

bestofmyspace.uk.com: "Shoegazey goodness with a bit of drive about them. Like Galaxie 500 doing the Jesus and Mary Chain’s speed."

HUM TRIBUTE ALBUM - Casting Call

The time has come to pay tribute to one of the 90’s most influential yet criminally overlooked bands, HUM. Pop Up Records, an independent label operating from deep within the space rock scene is searching for bands that are heavily influenced by the iconic HUM to round out the line-up for an official tribute album set for release in 2011. Hailing from Champaign-Urbana, IL, HUM released several albums throughout the 90’s, both independently and with the major label RCA. Their break out hit “Stars” catapulted the band into the limelight for a brief period, but the band has always remained an underground phenomenon. Their music combines the shimmering layered guitars of space rock with elements of grunge and post-punk for a timeless sound that was unique and refreshing.

Several bands have already been confirmed for the HUM tribute album including: Funeral For A Friend, The Esoteric, (Damn) This Desert Air, and Anakin. If you are interested in being part of the tribute, please have your representation/label send an e-mail to: HumTribute@PopUpRecords.com with your band’s information and a few words on HUM’s influence on your music.

The album will be presented by a team of like minded individuals including: Pop Up Records, ExplodingInSound.com, escapingtheordinary.net, DecoyMusic.com, Chancellor Design, and HOUSEWITHOUTWALLS Design. Having all been influenced by HUM themselves, the team is dedicated to the project, paying tribute, and all of the bands involved. Pop Up Records are no strangers to paying homage to the icons of the 90’s, as the label released the exceptional The Nurse Who Loved Me: A Tribute to Failure in late 2008. The album featured a wide range of acts from Paramore to Exeter, showcasing the great range of Failure’s influence on the different artists involved. The album primarily featured fairly unknown up-and-coming bands, introducing the world to the likes of ORION, (Damn) This Desert Air, Solare, Satellite Tragedy, and many more bands. The tribute paid its respects to Failure with the utmost brilliance, inadvertently forming a tight knit community amongst all those involved.

Stay in touch with all things Hum Tribute related at:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/humtribute
Myspace: www.myspace.com/humtribute
Twitter: www.twitter.com/humtribute

Stone Temple Pilots Announce Summer Tour

STP's 2010 Tour was just announced! This summer, starting on August 7th, the band will be hitting the road and coming to a town near you. Tickets go on sale June 12 for the below shows.

DATE CITY VENUE
Aug 07, 2010 Winnipeg, MB Rock on the Range
Aug 10, 2010 Denver, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Aug 11, 2010 Sturgis, SD Rock n Rev @ Glenco Campground
Aug 13, 2010 St. Paul, MI Wilkens Auditorium
Aug 17, 2010 Columbus, OH LC Pavillion
Aug 19, 2010 Grand Rapids, MI Deltaplex
Aug 20, 2010 Chicago, IL Charter One Pavillion
Aug 22, 2010 Cleveland, OH Tower City Amphitheatre
Aug 25, 2010 Cincinnati, OH PNC Pavillion
Aug 26, 2010 Detroit, MI Fox Theatre
Aug 28, 2010 Pittsburgh, PA First Niagra Amphitheatre
Aug 29, 2010 Toronto, ON TBD
Aug 31, 2010 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Casino
Sep 01, 2010 Boston, MA BofA Pavillion
Sep 03, 2010 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata
Sep 04, 2010 Wantagh, NY Jones Beach Musical Theatre
Sep 05, 2010 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center

Tame Impala's "Innerspeaker" Reviewed on Pitchfork

Tame Impala's "Innerspeaker" has been reviewed by Pitchfork, receiving an unusually high score of 8.5 out of 10 and tagged "Best New Music"...

[pitchfork.com] From the Vines to Wolfmother to Jet, recent Aussie rock exports have been painfully indebted to arena rock-- quick to recycle a sound but rarely succeeding in revitalizing it. Perth three-piece Tame Impala play with some of the ingredients of arena rock as well but do so in aid of more leftfield, organic sounds and interesting excursions. The result is a cleanly executed and frequently dazzling debut: Innerspeaker is a psychedelia-heavy outing that toys with paisley pop, stoner vibes, and an expansive array of swirling guitars.

On first listen, Innerspeaker provides a lot of dots to connect: There are patches of late-60s American psychedelia, buzzy Motor City riffage, and decades of British pop, ranging from the pastoral pop of the Kinks to the vivid expansiveness of the Verve to the narcotic warmth of the Stone Roses. Frontman Kevin Parker shares an eerie vocal similarity with John Lennon, both in tone and in the way he allows his voice to soar with each melodic turn or rhythmic surge. Though most of the album is a little restrained lyrically, Parker's rapturous phrasing conveys the meaning. Mixed by Flaming Lips collaborator Dave Fridmann, each component is here is set on an even plane, allowing bass lines and delay-swept guitar bursts to melt into one another, cultivating a uniform feel that's vintage, far-out, and irrepressibly cool.

By all accounts, fixing their gaze so intently on established influences should play as either disingenuous or forced. It's difficult to be so plugged-in to a vintage feel without the music seeming time-capsuled, but the band's vibrance help these songs sound very much alive. Tame Impala aren't taking a purely revisionist approach-- you aren't left with a feeling that their intention was recreate some lost Love demo or an Jimi Hendrix Experience deep cut. If anything, their record points to some of the same roads traveled recently by bands like Animal Collective or Liars, but dials back the eccentricities and difficulty level, leaning on the guitar rather than electronics, and focusing their efforts through more traditional pysch-rock prisms. They aren't as adventurous as their more offbeat peers, but because of their lazer-guided hooks and tangible pleasures, they might wind up reaching more people.

This is very much an album's album-- it sounds best as a piece, where you can get lost in its heady expanse. With the kaleidoscopic stereo-panning on "Why Won't You Make Up Your Mind?" or the maddening stomp on "Bold Arrow of Time", Innerspeaker demonstrates a subtle yet encompassing sense of control, never obstructing the grander motifs while still offering a variety of odd details that guide you back to the album's hooks. There aren't any standout singles on Innerspeaker in the sense that it's unlikely that people are going to be asking you to throw on certain tracks by name (though if in a pinch, "Expectation" and "Why Won't You Make Up Your Mind?" should suffice nicely). But when an album is able to tinker with and update familiar textures and moods without blurring the lines too much or just plain overdoing it, you can believe that psych fans will be asking for it to be thrown on regardless. If you're smart, you'll oblige them.

— Zach Kelly, May 28, 2010

How To Destroy Angels Offering FREE Download of Debut EP

[theprp.com] How To Destroy Angels will be releasing their self-titled six track EP as a free download over at their official website, www.howtodestroyangels.com, on June 01st. A $2 “hi-def” option is also available for the release and will feature lossless audio along with a 1080p download of the bands music video for the track, “The Space In Between“.

An immediate free download of the bands song “The Believers” is available to those who pre-order [for free below]. Meanwhile, a CD version of the EP is scheduled for a July 06th release date through Null, while a vinyl release will follow with more details TBA. As previously reported, The group is the new collaborative project between Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor, his wife Mariqueen and frequent Nine Inch Nails collaborator Atticus Ross.

Quick Notes: Dredg, Disco Doom, Filter

*[theprp.com] dredg are now offering the limited edition vinyl pressing of their 1998 outing “Leitmotif” online HERE. [*ed note: This is one of my all time favorite albums. If you have never heard it, I really can't stress enough that you check it out.]

*Switzerland's Disco Doom [who are quickly becoming one of my favorite bands], have created their own Bandcamp page, where you can stream and download all three of the bands releases. CHECK IT OUT HERE!!



*Filter have begun streaming their new single “The Inevitable Relapse” online via their Myspace. The track is the first music to surface from the groups new album, “The Trouble With Angels“, which will see an August release date through Rocket Science Ventures.

Dead Confederate Ready "Sugar" for August Release!!

Athens, Georgia-based quintet Dead Confederate is excited to announce the release of their sophomore record Sugar, due on August 24th on TAO Recordings/Old Flame. The anticipated follow up to their debut Wrecking Ball, this album explores new styles beyond the aching, bleak psychedelia with which the band originally made their mark.

Recorded by John Agnello (Hold Steady, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr.) during a record-setting blizzard in New Jersey, the sessions focused on the malleability of the freshly written songs. The start to this progression was shaped by tours with legends Dinosaur Jr. and Meat Puppets, and gave Dead Confederate an increased appreciation for the early underground bands of the 80s and 90s that laid the foundation on which their sound is built. The album also features a special guest appearance by J. Mascis on the single "Giving It All Away."

Splitting songwriting duties between bassist Brantly Senn and singer/guitarist Hardy Morris, each songwriter picked their favorite of the other's contributions, creating a complimentary collection of songs. Instead of touring the newly penned tracks, the band (Jason Scarboro, Walker Howle, John Watkins) spent two days learning 20 songs and a week reworking them, then laid half of them down.

Dead Confederate is currently touring Europe, with a return to the US in June for Kentucky's Forecastle Festival. Be on the lookout for more tour dates as the release of Sugar nears.

"Dead Confederate's alt-country/grunge hybrid doesn't just feel like a compelling debut, it feels like a compelling new genre." - The Onion

"Artist To Watch...a raw howling take on Southern rock..." - Rolling Stone

"Although southern Civil War soldiers may remain six feet under, Dead Confederate's sincere versatility drives home rock'n'roll that is damn well alive and kicking." - SPIN.com

"Known for its notoriously insane live show, this dramatic band forges a distinctive style..." - Paste

"Dead Confederate's wall of sound feels cinematic and atmospheric, loud and beautiful." - NPR

Quick Notes: Failure, Torche, ISIS, Stone Temple Pilots, and more

*[theprp.com] A behind the scenes video detailing the forthcoming vinyl reissue of Failure’s “Fantastic Planet” has been made available online and can be found below. The video features interviews and insight with former members of the band along with the likes of Billy Howerdel (A Perfect Circle, Ashes Divide) and Dean DeLeo (Stone Temple Pilots). “Fantastic Planet” will arrive on double vinyl on June 08th through Warner Bros. Records.



*Torche and Boris‘ upcoming split release together “Chapter Ahead Being Fake” has been bumped back to a July 13th release date through Hydra Head. The effort will feature Torche’s “King Beef” and Boris‘ “Luna“.

*Isis have posted an extensive update online detailing their future musical plans following the completion of their swan song “Final Transmission Tour“. You can find the entire update over at their Blogspot.

*Stone Temple Pilots are streaming their entire performance from their recent New York City Show. Watch it HERE.

*Midnight Masses played "Desperate Man" live at The Levi's® FADER Fort during this year's SXSW festival...



*Freedom Hawk have posted a live version of "Executioner" from their recent performance in Raleigh, NC. Check it out HERE!

*Rage Against The Machine is leading a boycott of the state of Arizona over its controversial new immigration law. Frontman Zack de la Rocha has founded "The Sound Strike," a group of artists protesting the law. Cypress Hill, Kanye West, Rise Against, Ozomatli, Sonic Youth, Tenacious D, Serj Tankian and Massive Attack are among the acts who have signed on at thesoundstrike.net.

*Just a reminder... you can download Monument To No One's self titled debut album for FREE via their bandcamp page!! Make sure you grab a copy, this is a great record.

Stone Temple Pilots Expected to Top Billboard 200

[billboard.com] Next week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Stone Temple Pilots will return to tally after a long absence as its new self-titled set will be the chart's highest debut. Industry prognosticators think the album -- the band's first studio release since 2001 -- could sell in the neighborhood of 60,000 to 70,000 copies by week's end on May 30. That might be enough to enable a No. 1 debut, depending on how the current week's topper, "Glee - The Music Volume 3: Showstoppers," declines in its second week. "Showstoppers" arrived at No. 1 with 136,000 this past week.

If "Stone Temple Pilots" arrives in the top 10, it will mark the sixth top 10 for the band -- its entire output of studio albums. Only its greatest hits package "Thank You" missed the top 10 (No. 26 in 2003).

In related news, Dean DeLeo has spoken to MusicRadar about the band's triumphant return...

[musicradar.com] "I always knew this day would come," says Stone Temple Pilots guitarist Dean DeLeo of the band's reformation and their brand-new, self-titled album, a disc so jam-packed with goodness that many (including us) are already calling it one of the great comebacks in recent music history.

"I've heard Scott [Weiland] talk about us making more music as 'unfinished business,' and you know, c'est la vie," says DeLeo. "Here we are. I hope to make five more great records with this band."

In late 2002, the multi-platinum Pilots - DeLeo, his bassist brother Robert, drummer Eric Kretz and singer Scott Weiland - imploded, and Weiland soon joined the trouble-plagued supergroup Velvet Revolver.

"A lot of people called our situation a 'break-up,' says DeLeo, "but we - and I'm talking about the band - refer to it as a much-needed respite. Look, if we didn't go our separate ways right then and kind of tuck this in bed for a while, we never would've gotten back together. We were shoulder-to-shoulder for 14 years. We spent most of our adult lives in tight surroundings and quarters.

"So a lot of things happened during that rest," he continues. "Scott got involved in Velvet Revolver, Robert and I got involved in Army Of Anyone [which also featured Robert Patrick from Filter and drummer Ray Luzier]. But I always knew that we'd come back to the table and do this, 'cause it didn't end with 'I don't ever want to see you again.'"

And now, following Weiland's highly-publicized (and extremely messy) 2008 departure from Velvet Revolver, the Pilots are indeed back, having lost little momentum it would seem. The new album is self-produced (with some assistance from noted boardsman Don Was) and its 12 songs are immensely satisfying, running the gamut from '60s-laced pop gems (Between The Lines, Cinnamon) to heavy-duty rockers (Hazy Daze, Fast As I Can) to admitted Aerosmith homages (Huckleberry Crumble) to a passel of tunes that reveal the DeLeo brothers' deep fascination with country music.

MusicRadar sat down recently with the New Jersey-born Dean DeLeo to talk about the state of STP, their reunion and what the future holds for them. We also got a chance to talk a little (OK, a lot) guitar and gear action.

So much has been made of Scott's exit from Velvet Revolver. While he was in the band, did you guys have contact with him? Did you have an inkling that he was unhappy?

"Yeah, yeah. Scott and I saw each other and talked with each other quite a bit during Velvet Revolver. He came out to my house and expressed that things were a little strained. You never want to hear that. It was kind of a drag to hear that. But we were all very respectful for what one another had going on; we never wanted to get in the way of that.

"With me knowing that Scott was unhappy in that camp, another thing came into play: I was getting calls from our agent telling me that promoters were calling to see if the band was interested in doing a bunch of the summer festivals. And I was like, 'That's interesting to know…' Scott and I talked and… if Velvet Revolver was fine, I would've been respectful and not made the call to Scott, but I knew that things were fragmented in that camp, and I called and said, 'A lot of stuff going on right now, is this something we want to do?' And I spoke to Eric and Robert and it was like, 'Why not?'"

READ THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW HERE.

Adam Franklin Plots June Release for "I Could Sleep for a Thousand Years"

Adam Franklin & the Bolts of Melody announce the release of I Could Sleep For a Thousand Years on June 29! Today the band are debuting lead single "Yesterday Has Gone Forever" via Big Takeover. Listen HERE!

"No gimmicks, no hip indie rock collaborations, no special event hype - just a winning collection of melodic songs played with taste and passion" - Big Takeover

Produced by Charlie Francis (REM, Robyn Hitchcock, Super Furry Animals) after their successful tour with the Church in 2009, this album is a declaration of intent from a proper band ready to let it rip.

You may know Adam Franklin as the frontman of the legendary band Swervedriver - Sleep is his third solo album and his first recorded entirely with the Bolts of Melody.

Press love Adam Franklin & the Bolts of Melody:

"Bolts of Melody deftly illustrates that his way with a tune hasn't diminished in the slightest." - Pitchfork

"The ability to compose such sturdy tunes is Franklin's major asset, whether he's pounding with Swervedriver or pondering on his own." - Washington Post

"Simply put the word to describe this set is "Wow"... Adam Franklin & The Bolts of Melody put on a masterful exhibition that really explored the creative potential contained within the electric guitar." - We Love DC

"Franklin's still working on that dizzying wall: The new effort may not be quite as loud as Swervedriver was, but Franklin layers his vocals, writes richly visual lyrics, plays seasick guitar lines and shoots it all through a labyrinth of pedals." - Willamette Weekly

"For long-time fans, it's interesting to hear how Franklin's vocal range, song structures, and sonic palette have evolved; he's mellowed a bit (not too much - there's still plenty of distortion pedals in his rig) and his psychedelic urges, though perhaps quieter and a tad more melodic, remain hypnotic, engaging, and bittersweet." - Philadelphia Weekly

Adam Franklin & the Bolts of Melody - A Brief History:

“Melody and power seldom went together so well” Ed Ball on Adam Franklin and Swervedriver

From 1990 to 1998 Adam Franklin was the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for London-based Swervedriver; contemporaries of and label mates with My Bloody Valentine and Ride but with a more adrenalized rock ‘n’ roll sound, showing flashes of Husker Du and Sonic Youth. Then from 1999 to 2006 Adam recorded and toured as Toshack Highway, a gentler but no less inventive folky/electronic/film-soundtracky hybrid, releasing a full album and flurry of EPs, split releases, seven inch singles and the like.

In 2007 an album that had started out as the next Toshack Highway release became the first album to be released under the moniker Adam Franklin and was titled Bolts of Melody - which also became the name of Adam’s adaptable, forever-changing and quite formidable live group. Sometimes a rock ‘n’ roll four-piece and at times expanding to take in pedal steel and piano, the live band and album showcased a return of sorts to the searing, guitar-constructed songwriting style Franklin’s followers were familiar with from Swervedriver days, but also with an air of the musical experimentation more redolent of the Toshack era.

In 2008 Franklin found time not only to tour once again with the re-ignited Swervedriver as they were rapturously received on their first tour for a decade, but also to tour and record the debut album of Magnetic Morning, his new collaboration with Sam Fogarino of Interpol, and record - with the Bolts of Melody band - the second Adam Franklin release, Spent Bullets.

Bullets walks beyond the ground broken on Bolts and is a more direct, varied and satisfying album than ever before. The power and melody that has always coursed through the veins of Adam’s electric songs is in full effect on tunes such as "Surge," "Teardrops Keep Fallin’ out My Head" and "Autumn Leaf." And then in the likes of "Big Sur," "Champs" or "End Credits," there are all sorts of other unexpected and intriguing sonic fingerprints - smudged evocations of Scott Walker soundtracking a French spy movie or The Temptations refracted through side three of Electric Ladyland perhaps. In short, some of the most sonically beautiful songs of Franklin’s career converge on one disc that aims straight for the heart.

ADAM FRANKLIN & BOLTS OF MELODY - I Could Sleep For A Thousand Years Tracklisting...

Yesterday Has Gone Forever
I’ll Be Yr Mechanic
She’s Closer Than I’ve Ever Been
I Want You Right Now
Mary Gunn
Carousel City
Guernica
Spent Bullets
Sinking Ships
The Road Is Long
Lord Help Me Jesus, I’ve Wasted A Soul
Take Me To My Leader

US tour to be announced soon.

Apteka Post Live Session on YouTube

Check out Apteka's performance of the Thompson Twins' "If You Were Here" on Chicago Live, as well as their single "Traitors"...

Dead Meadow Announce June Tour Dates

Dead Meadow have posted a full set of tour dates for June...

6/09 @ Middle East Cambridge, MA (with Black Helicopter)
6/11 @ Rock Off Concert Cruise New York, NY
6/12 @ M Room Philly, PA
6/13 @ Metro Gallery Baltimore, MD
6/15 @ Black Cat DC,
6/16 @ the Jewish Mother Virginia Beach, VA
6/17 @ Local 506 Chapel Hill, NC
6/18 @ Stella Blue Asheville, NC
6/19 @ the Pilot Light Knoxville, TN
6/20 @ the Hideaway Johnson City, TN
6/21 @ the Earl Atlanta, GA
6/22 @ the Jack Rabbits Jacksonville, FL
6/23 @ One Eyed Jacks New Orleans, LA
6/25 @ Warehouse Live Houston, TX
6/26 @ Rubber Gloves Denton, TX
6/27 @ Emo’s Austin, TX
6/29 @ Launch Pad Albuquerque, NM
6/30 @ Plush Tucson, AZ
7/01 @ the Casbah San Diego, CA

Weird Owl Featured in New York Press!

[nypress.com] WEIRD OWL gets shit on a lot. Spin ranked its record, Ever the Silver Cord be Loosed, as having the 17th worst album title of 2009. The Village Voice said it has the worst band name from a borough with a band called Cheeseburger. The positive reviews usually include the phrases “from Brooklyn, but...” or “I can’t believe these guys are from New York.”

If someone asks you what you are listening to and you respond, “This killer song by Weird Owl,” they think you said Weird Al and you have a slight speech impediment. By the time they’ve stopped laughing and you admit that yes, you do have a slight speech impediment, especially when drinking, they laugh harder and the point is dead.

“No, no, really. It’s a good band.” “Yeah, OK.” They leave and watch the videos for “Fat” or “Amish Paradise” and relive their shitty days in middle school.

I’m not here to defend this sort of rabble, which is mostly nitpicking or cutesy attempts at cleverness. I’m also not here to tell you that Weird Owl is a great band or the five guys are good hardworking fellas or any other pat-on the-back bullshit. I’m not even here to describe the music using the tired music journalist thesaurus. I’m here to tell you there is a use for music that does not belong. There is a use for Weird Owl.

It sounds sterile, I know. But it’s the goddamn truth. I think people sometimes forget why they listen to music in the first place. Is it dancing music? Relaxing music? Fucking music? When you boil it down, every song has its use, but you have to know how to use it. Some think it’s good to listen to relaxing music to calm you down. This is wrong. You get there faster going over the top; try free jazz or noise punk. Some think you should deal with the warm weather in New York City—everyone on top of each other sweating and looking for space—by listening to angry/riffy/electro/garage/dance music. This is wrong, too. Try slow spacey jams about disconnecting your body and your soul, man.

“Our vibrational frequencies are long and need open space. Everything that usually comes out of New York is really fast, angular, fast and edgy, has attitude and all,” says Trevor Tyrell, Weird Owl’s lead singer and guitarist.

“Think about this. The entire city is a grid, when you walk around you’re walking in a grid. You gotta turn corners, but out west there’s open spots. You’ve got open canyons and things and organic areas. New York is not like that, but our music comes out of New York. It’s more familiar and more expansive.”

The song “Skeletelepathic” nails this philosophy. Tyrell sings slowly, like a Richard Hell 45 played at 33 1/3 RPM, “Take my hands I don’t need them/ Take my eyes I can’t see anyway/ And take my flesh I can’t feel it/ But my bones are my bones.”

There is an obvious Byrds/Neil Young style going on with the guitar, but it never seems to be trying too hard. Still, the apparent strength is the lyrics.

“When I was just a friend of theirs watching their band play I’d say, ‘Wow! Really far out lyrics. I have no idea what’s goin’ on,’“ says bassist Ken Cook.

“That’s the overall goal of psychedelic music. To trick your mind into that state where it’s not a linear consciousness of everyday waking reality. You’re processing things on a different level,” adds Tyrell.

Weird Owl started in 2004, but through many transformations finally came together a couple years ago and last year released a debut LP on Tee Pee Records. Jon Rudd plays guitar, Sean Reynolds drums, John Cassidy plays keys, Cook plays bass and sings backup and Tyrell is the chief lyricist, singer and guitarist.

The band has no plans to leave the city. This isn’t some Midwest via Brooklyn band. This is a New York band and it makes spacey music.

“I don’t want to live in San Francisco or Portland or L.A. The people out there have a little more space to live in, in general, but we’re New Yorkers. We all live in New York. That’s how it is,” says Cook.

Use Weird Owl to float above the grid, above the packed park or sweaty bus. Sway your way through the summer heat. Substances help, but are not mandatory.

[It is with great pleasure to announce Weird Owl will be featured on Exploding In Sound's upcoming two disc digital compilation In Case of Evacuation. I for one couldn't be more excited]

Mini Mansions Streaming New Single / Announce Tour Dates

A message from Mini Mansions...

"You can now listen to our new single "Monk"! It is the A side on our new 7" single coming out June 1st, on Psychedelic Judaism. The B side will be our cover of Blondie's "Heart of Glass", which we will post sometime in the near future. You can order the 7" from psychedelicjudaism.com!

Also, we are getting ready to leave our nests for a while. Dates for our 6 week US/CANADA stint are below. Check em out and then come check us out! We will be selling our new 7" at our shows, along with brand new T-Shirts! See you in your city!"

Love,
Mini Mansions

Jun 1 2010 Yucca Tap Room Tempe, Arizona
Jun 2 2010 The Underground Santa Fe, NM
Jun 3 2010 Tripel Nickel Tavern Colorado Springs, CO
Jun 4 2010 Moe's BBQ and Bowl Englewood, CO
Jun 5 2010 Surfside 7 w/ Wire Faces Ft. Collins, Colorado
Jun 6 2010 Duffy's Tavern Lincoln, NE
Jun 7 2010 Record Bar w/ Pearly Gates Music Kansas City, MO
Jun 8 2010 Vaudeville Mews Des Moines, IA
Jun 9 2010 400 Bar Minneapolis, MN Find Tickets
Jun 10 2010 Daytrotter Session! Rock Island, Illinois
Jun 11 2010 Lincoln Hall w/ Gold Motel and Secret Colours Chicago, IL
Jun 12 2010 The Bishop w/ Josiah Wolf Bloomington, IN
Jun 13 2010 DC9 w/ Warpaint Washington, DC, DC
Jun 14 2010 North Star Bar Philadelphia, PA
Jun 15 2010 Knitting Factory w/ Warpaint Brooklyn, NY
Jun 17 2010 NXNE- Bovine Sex Club Toronto, ON
Jun 18 2010 NXNE- The Great Hall Toronto, ON
Jun 19 2010 NXNE w/ The Stooges @ Dundas Square Toronto, Ontario
Jun 21 2010 Il Motore w/ Sleepy Sun and Disappears Montreal, Quebec, CANADA
Jun 22 2010 Call the Office London, ON, CANADA
Jun 24 2010 The Legendary Red Dog w/ Rikers Peterborough, ON, CANADA
Jun 25 2010 Mavericks Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA
Jun 26 2010 Lop Lops Sault Ste. Marie, ON, CANADA
Jun 29 2010 Amigos w/ Sleepy Sun Saskatoon, SK, CANADA
Jun 30 2010 Pawn Shop w/ Sleepy Sun Edmonton, Alberta, CANADA
Jul 1 2010 Sled Island Festival-Republik Nightclub Calgary, AB, CANADA
Jul 6 2010 Biltmore cabaret Vancouver, BC, CANADA

Eels Announce "Tomorrow Morning" Tracklisting / Cover Art

EELS have released the official tracklisting and cover art for their ninth studio album TOMORROW MORNING, which will be available on August 24, 2010...

TRACK LISTING
01 in gratitude for this magnificent day
02 i'm a hummingbird
03 the morning
04 baby loves me
05 spectacular girl
06 what i have to offer
07 this is where it gets good
08 after the earthquake
09 oh so lovely
10 the man
11 looking up
12 that's not her way
13 i like the way this is going
14 mystery of life

Trent Reznor Composing for "Tetsuo: The Bullet Man"

[theprp.com] Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor recently composed an instrumental track for the Japanese film “Tetsuo: The Bullet Man“. You can check out the track for the aforementioned film below...

ISIS/Melvins Split Gets Release Date

[theprp.com] ISIS’ forthcoming 12″ split release with the Melvins has been set for a July 13th release date through Hydra Head. The effort will see Isis contribute their two “Wavering Radiant” b-sides, “Way Through Woven Branches” (previously only available on the Japanese version of “Wavering Radiant“) and “The Pliable Foe” (previously unreleased.)

Meanwhile, the Melvins will chip in with alternate versions of their new tracks “Pig House” and “I’ll Finish You Off“. Standard versions of both tracks will be featured on the bands new album, “The Bride Screamed Murder“, which is due in stores on June 01st through Ipecac.

Introducing Boston's EOLUNE

Exploding In Sound would like to introduce you to a new band coming out of Boston called Eolune. The band has released their debut album Canvas for FREE download via their bandcamp site, so be sure to check it out.

From the band's bio...

"Eolune is an experimental, Boston-based quartet that blends intricate guitar work with electronic arrangements, creating evocative sonic landscapes. Corey Wade and David Hunt have been playing in various musical projects together since middle school, but went their separate ways to attend different colleges. Despite the distance, the two continued to write and demo songs together, and Eolune is the result of that effort. A few years and countless Fung Wah bus rides later, Eolune has released its first official recording, Canvas EP. Recorded with Jonathan Schmidt (the current drummer of Morningwood) on drums, and mixed by Joe Costable (For the Record), this 6-song EP represents the first to come out of these recording sessions. With Corey and David sharing lead vocal duties and the addition of two new members, Josh Cuadra and Lorne MacArthur, Eolune is finally in a position to capitalize on the latent potential that has been growing over the years. Eolune is pronounced "ee oh loon" or "ay loon" (if you prefer)."

A message from the band regarding the release of Canvas...

"We are very proud to release our first official recording, Canvas EP. This effort was toiled with over the past eight months and features Jonathan Schmidt (Morningwood) on drums. The EP was mixed by Joe Costable (For the Record), tracked with the help of Will Tendy, and mastered by Mike Kalajian (Fine Print Mastering). Check out the full liner notes here. The physical version of the CD is now available.

Our decision to release the EP through a donation-based service called BandCamp, was based upon our desire for people to have access to this music. It is better to have our music in people's stereos than sitting in our garages or on our hard drives. We are more adamant about people listening to this recording than we are about making any kind of profit from it. If you download the EP for free and like it, we hope that you will come out to a show or tell a friend about us. Our ultimate goal is sustainability, not money nor recognition.

It is with that mentality that we have released the EP under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. This license allows anyone to use the music for non-commercial purposes, provided that they follow the conditions specified by the license. We hope that you enjoy the EP.

We recommend that you listen to it as loud as possible while speeding down empty highways." - Corey & David

Dead Meadow's "Three Kings" Reviewed on Pitchfork

Dead Meadow's new live/studio album Three Kings has been reviewed by Pitchfork, receiving a score of 6.7 out of 10...

[pitchfork.com] Dead Meadow have a special affection for the bell bottom era's sludgier side. The Los Angeles-via-Washington, DC psych-rock trio have spent much of the past decade dusting off the knotty proto-metal of yesteryear-- as performed by bands like Vanilla Fudge, Blue Cheer, or Black Sabbath-- and pushing it toward darker, druggier, and heavier extremes. Coming two years after the band's last proper release, 2008's Old Growth, Three Kings is an unabashed homage to Led Zeppelin's concert film The Song Remains the Same-- packaging a live recording and a few new studio tunes with a DVD that cuts between performance footage and loopy dream sequences.

While the relatively high viscosity of Dead Meadow's music is an asset to the band's studio releases and live sets, it doesn't translate to the screen very well. In general, the heaviest personalities on stage at a Dead Meadow concert are the band's amplifiers. Stripped of the high volume and gut-churning low end, the band inevitably loses some urgency. During "Sleepy Silver Door" Jason Simon lays a strong case for his inclusion in the guitar-hero pantheon, but he's not much of a showman. His only stage move is to work the wah-wah pedal.

The fantasy sequences, which do a sort of headshop take on Alejandro Jodorowsky's surreal cult film The Holy Mountain, are meant to alleviate the burden of excitement during some of the band's jammier excursions. But they mostly just suggest that Dead Meadow does, indeed, have a sense of humor. Simon along with bassist Steve Kille and drummer Stephen McCarty strut about in wizard garb. During one animated sequence, a group of bipedal weed-creatures self-immolate, then the moon inhales the smoke and, well, you get the idea. The studio tracks are largely standard issue, too, the kind of groovy head-nodding prog-blues that the band can write in its sleep at this point.

As a monument to Dead Meadow's live show, Three Kings largely flounders. But when combined with the mp3-only bonus tracks, it does work pretty well as a de facto greatest hits album, offering up solid takes of material from across the band's discography. And the DVD's main narrative-- three young men toy with the dark intrigues and are swept up into a bizarre alternate reality-- has some strange, possibly unintentional, parallels to Dead Meadow's own career. Here are three East Coast indie-rock guys (two members were once in the scrappy emo band the Impossible Five) who took a glimpse behind stoner-rock's veil and wound up tripping through a psychedelic wormhole, that deposited them, for better or worse, in Hollywood.

— Aaron Leitko, May 26, 2010

Stone Temple Pilots Featured on Gibson.com

[gibson.com] Against some pretty stratospheric odds, Stone Temple Pilots are back with their first album of new material in nearly a decade. To mark the arrival of the self-titled, self-produced set, which finds frontman Scott Weiland and guitarist Dean DeLeo once again confidently roaring alongside each other, we offer a refresher on some of the band’s most rocking moments from the first time around...

“Plush”

The second single from the band’s 1992 debut, Core, set Stone Temple Pilots apart from the grunge pack. While everyone else was concerned with playing it cool, Weiland and company came armed with sterling melody and easy pop sheen, selling a boatload of copies and earning the band a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance, MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist and Rolling Stone’s Best New Artist honor. In an era when nobody wanted to be perceived as rock stars, the guys were only too happy to fill the gap.



“Interstate Love Song”

Probably the Stone Temple Pilots’ most popular tune, and with good reason. Taken from 1994’s blockbuster Purple album, it contains one of DeLeo’s meatiest riffs and Weiland’s headiest vocal performances. This is where people stopped thinking of them as grunge clones and realized they were an actual force to contend with.



“Vasoline”

The first 30 seconds of this song contain some of DeLeo’s most epic guitar work. Another cut from Purple, “Vasoline” is an all-guns-blazing rocker – the kind that would knock “Beavis and Butthead” out of their seats if they weren’t so busy yelling, “That's not Pearl Jam, dumbass!”



“Big Bang Baby”

A stylistic detour from the band’s third album, Tiny Music... Songs From the Vatican Gift Shop, which was full of stylistic detours. Fed up with the dismissive comparisons to just about every act coming out of Seattle, the band used this track to set off on the glam-rock path that leads to much of the material on the reunion album. Never mind that they used the Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” as a springboard.



“Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart”

Another standout track from Tiny Music, this one finds Weiland – neck deep in personal turmoil – sounding more vulnerable and honest than ever: “I am I am I said I’m not myself/ But I’m not dead and I’m not for sale/ Hold me closer, closer let me go/ Let me be, just let me be.” No wonder they needed some time off.

Alice in Chains "Black Gives Way to Blue" Goes Gold

[bravewords.com] Black Gives Way To Blue, the new album from ALICE IN CHAINS, has been certified gold in the US by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for shipments in excess of 500,000 copies.

The gold certification is the latest in a long line of success stories surrounding the band and Black Gives Way To Blue dating back to last October, when the record entered The Billboard 200 at No. 5 with first-week sales exceeding 125,000 copies.

Both fans and critics alike have responded to the Nick Raskulinecz-produced (FOO FIGHTERS, DEFTONES, RUSH) album with rave reviews. In addition to national television performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show, the quartet (guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell, guitarist/vocalist William DuVall, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Inez) has supported the record with a string of sold-out international tours and recently announced that they'll be headlining BlackDiamondSkye, a monolithic triple bill featuring guest stars DEFTONES and MASTODON. The tour, produced by Live Nation, launches September 16 at the Charter One Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois.

Over the course of its remarkable career, Alice In Chains has garnered multiple Grammy nominations, sold more than 20 million albums worldwide, wrote and recorded 12 top 10 hit singles and had two No. 1 records on The Billboard 200 chart.

The BlackDiamondSkye North American tour dates are now as follows:

September
16 - Chicago, IL - Charter One Pavilion
17 - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Center
18 - Toronto, ON - Molson Amphitheatre
20 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun
22 - Boston, MA - Agannis Arena
24 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
25 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Theatre
26 - Fairfax, VA - Patriot Center
28 - Atlanta, GA - Lakewood Amphitheatre

October
1 - St. Louis, MO - Scottrade Arena
4 - Denver, CO - Red Rocks
7 - Vancouver, BC - GM Place
8 - Seattle, WA - Key Arena
9 - Portland, OR - Memorial Coliseum
15 - San Diego, CA - Viejas Arena
16 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint

How To Destroy Angels Featured on Pitchfork's "Directors Cut"

[pitchfork.com] From UNKLE's "Rabbit in Your Headlights" to Wax's "California", great music videos are bursts of sound and vision that leave an indelible impression. Director's Cut is a Pitchfork News feature in which we chat with music video directors about their creations. The men and women behind the camera are often overlooked in today's YouTube era, but this feature aims to highlight their hard work while showcasing the best videos currently linking around the internet. A little behind-the-scenes dirt couldn't hurt, too.

This time, we checked in with Rupert Sanders, who helmed the grizzly debut video from How to Destroy Angels, aka Trent Reznor, his wife Mariqueen Maandig, and Nine Inch Nails collaborator Atticus Ross. It just so happens that Ross is Sanders' brother-in-law, but this isn't a case of mere nepotism -- the director has made many ingenious commercials, like the life-as-video-game one for XBox and the dude-with-huge-legs one for Monster.com. (Watch those and more at Sanders' website.)

"The Space in Between" is his first major music video (he did a low-budget clip for Ross earlier this year). It finds Reznor and Maandig dripping blood and, eventually, going up in flames. Not exactly your typical husband-and-wife love fest. But Reznor and Maandig are not your typical husband and wife.

We spoke with Sanders about his star couple, the video's shady narrative, and how to burn people alive:

How to Destroy Angels: "The Space in Between"
Director: Rupert Sanders
Cinematographer: Greig Fraser
Production Design: James Chinlund


Pitchfork: What was it like working with Trent on this video?

Rupert Sanders: It's like when you collaborate with a great cinematographer or a great designer-- we're all there to do something that we love doing and that we're good at. And he's such a... well, "nice" is the wrong word... he's just an intelligent, thoughtful, honorable kind of guy. There's no bullshit with Trent. He's got very specific ideas about how he wants to be seen and what he's looking for, which is helpful for a music video director because it's a very blank page otherwise. Lots of times things can go wrong because of lack of communication, but I didn't have to persuade him to make his wife dead-- that was something he wanted. He brought the death. And the response to the video has been great. There hasn't been too much "Yoko" talk.

Pitchfork: Did you talk with him about the meaning of the song and why he wanted those visuals specifically?

RS: Yeah, for him it was very much about the neglect that has led a relationship to this-- the demise of love and passion. He was very specific in how the room caught fire and that they had killed each other, and how the people around them didn't really care.

Pitchfork: When I first watched it, I thought the other people were somehow in on the killings.

RS: It's hard because you want to be elusive about what's going on but not so confusing that there was no train of thought. If you look closely, there's a knife next to Trent and Mariqueen's holding a spike of a champagne glass. You don't really know why the other girl is laughing on the phone rather than calling 911. There's something a little more disconcerting and creepy when the audience can play more of a part in figuring things out.

Pitchfork: That makes sense considering how Trent is a pretty private person and not this tabloid personality.

RS: I'm sure a lot of that went into the concept of the video, like he's saying, "We're dead to you. We're off limits. Don't get involved in our shit." If you finish in a massive band and then you start a group with your wife, it's a little like Paul McCartney and Wings: you're always going to be the butt of people's jokes. But this is definitely the opposite of a Wings video.

Pitchfork: The fire effects look impressively real. How did you guys pull that off?

RS: [Visual effects company] The Mill did really amazing work. A lot of fire effects can look like it's just laid on top and not interacting with the people, so we built two mannequins of Trent and Mariqueen, dressed them in the same clothes, and then set them on fire. Then we were really able to mix and overlay that with shots of the real Trent and Mariqueen. It was quite a ghoulish shoot.

Pitchfork: Were Trent and Mariqueen on set when they were burning the mannequins? Seems like it would be weird to watch yourself on fire like that...

RS: They watched the first burn and were like, "I think we're gonna go now." They'd been lying in blood for a few hours by that point. Mariqueen was very funny when she was lying in the sticky corn syrup blood and never for a minute thought that it was creepy or unglamorous. She was laughing about the fact that this was her first video with her new husband and he killed her in it.

Pitchfork: What happened to the burned mannequins?

RS: They probably scared the shit out of some trash collector.

Hello=Fire "Nature Of Our Minds" Video

Hello=Fire, the incredible side project from Queens of the Stone Age / The Dead Weather guitarist Dean Fertita have posted a video for "Nature of Our Minds". The track is taken from the band's self titled debut album, which is MOST definitely worth checking out!

The Dandy Warhols Plot Greatest Hits Album

"We are proud to announce The Dandy Warhols’ The Capitol Years 1995-2007, featuring fourteen of our most popular tunes from our years with the historic Capitol Records label, plus one all-new never before heard bonus track, is set for international release June 21st, August 24th in the United States. The track listing is as follows:

1. BOYS BETTER
2. EVERY DAY SHOULD BE A HOLIDAY (TONY LASH MIX)
3. NOT IF YOU WERE THE LAST JUNKIE ON EARTH
4. GOOD MORNING
5. GODLESS
6. GET OFF
7. BOHEMIAN LIKE YOU
8. WE USED TO BE FRIENDS
9. SCIENTIST (ARE SOUND VERSION)
10. THE LAST HIGH
11. PLAN A (ARE SOUND VERSION)
12. HOLDING ME UP
13. ALL THE MONEY OR THE SIMPLE LIFE HONEY
14. SMOKE IT
15. THIS IS THE TIDE (BONUS TRACK)

In support of this release, live dates for the United States and Australia, to augment our previously announced summer dates in Europe, will be announced very soon"

The Felix Culpa Announce Tour Dates

The Felix Culpa will be hitting the road this summer, here's where you can catch them...

May 27 2010 A House! Madison, WI
May 28 2010 House show Lansing, MI
May 29 2010 Hartland Performing Arts Center - Bledfest Howell, Michigan
Jun 12 2010 Performance Hall at River Music Experience Davenport, IA
Jun 13 2010 Subterraean Chicago, IL
Jun 15 2010 Southgate House Newport, KY
Jun 16 2010 Firebird St Louis, MO
Jun 17 2010 TBA Nashivlle, TN
Jun 18 2010 TBA little rock, AR
Jul 10 2010 Byron Fest (Alternative Stage) Byron, IL
Jul 11 2010 Public Space ONE Iowa City, Iowa
Jul 12 2010 The Record Bar Kansas City, MO
Jul 13 2010 TBA St. Louis, MO
Jul 14 2010 Canopy Club Champaign, IL
Jul 15 2010 Frankie's Inner City Toledo, OH
Jul 16 2010 Musica Akron, OH
Jul 17 2010 Garfield Artworks Pittsburgh, PA
Jul 19 2010 The Ottobar Baltimore, Maryland
Jul 20 2010 The Fire Philadelphia, PA
Jul 21 2010 Harper's Ferry Allston, MA
Jul 22 2010 Club Hell Providence, RI
Jul 23 2010 The Space Hamden, CT
Jul 24 2010 Vibe Lounge Rockville Centre, NY

Delta Spirit Ready "History From Below" / Tour Dates

Rounder Records is preparing to celebrate the imminent release of the new Delta Spirit record on June 8, 2010. Entitled History From Below, the record was produced by My Morning Jacket's keyboardist Bo Koster and Eli Thomson. Brooklyn Vegan has already weighed in on the new album, saying "it's already one of my favorite records of the year," and to kick off the release, the band has confirmed an in-store on June 7 at Amoeba Records in Los Angeles. The first single from History From Below, "Bushwick Blues," is now available on itunes and the customer reviews have been raves across the board.

View the band's EPK on the making of History From Below at the bottom of the article.

History From Below was recorded at Prairie Sun Studio C in Cotati, CA -- the same place Tom Waits has recorded almost exclusively since 1991. The record is brimming with incredibly deep and moving songs that are alternately grand and explosive, rock and rustic, always eloquent and melodic. It has a powerful energy that radiates musically, lyrically and vocally from the moment you hit play as it finally captures the uncontainable spirit the band exudes on stage.

The band will hit the road in support of History From Below. The dates are as follows:

June 7/ Los Angeles CA / Amoeba In Store
June 8 / Solana Beach CA / Belly Up
June 9 / San Francisco CA / Independent
June 10 / Portland OR / Doug Fir
June 11 / Seattle WA / Neumo's
June 12 / Vancouver BC / The Venue
June 14 / Boise ID / Neurolux
June 15 / Salt Lake City UT / Urban Lounge
June 16 / Denver CO / Bluebird Theatre
June 17 / Omaha NE / Waiting Room
June 18 / Minneapolis MN / Varsity Theatre
June 19 / Chicago IL / Metro
June 21 / St. Louis MO / Firebird
June 22 / Indianapolis IN / Radio Radio
June 23 / Columbus OH / Basement
June 24 / Cleveland OH / Beachland Ballroom
June 25 / Pontiac MI / Pike Room
June 28 / Boston MA / Middle East Downstairs
June 30 / New York NY / Bowery Ballroom
July 1 / Brooklyn NY / Music Hall of Williamsburg
July 2 / Philadelphia PA / First Unitarian Church
July 3 / Washington DC / 9:30 Club
July 5 / Carrboro NC / Cat's Cradle
July 6 / Chaleston, SC / Pour House
July 7 / St. Augustine FL / Cafe 11
July 8 / Orlando FL / The Social
July 9 / Atlanta GA / Masquerade
July 10 / Birmingham AL / Bottletree
July 11 / Haittesburg MS / Thirsty Hippo
July 13 / Little Rock AR / Juanita's
July 14 / Tulsa OK / Cain's
July 15 / Dallas TX / The Loft
July 16 / Houston / TX Mango's
July 17 / Austin TX / Emo's Outside
July 20 / Santa Fe NM / Santa Fe Brewing Co
July 21 / Tucson AZ / TBD
July 23 / Los Angeles CA / El Rey Theatre
July 24 / Santa Barbara CA / Velvet Jones

Autolux's "Transit Transit" Tracklist Revealed

[filtermagazine.com] Excitement is in store for fans who have been waiting around since the mid-00's for the return of LA's Autolux to the music-making scene. The band's followup to 2004's Future Perfect will be released this summer, August 3rd, 2010 on TBD Records (Radiohead, White Rabbits) in North America and Japan, and ATP Recordings (Built to Spill, Spiritualized) for the rest of the world.

Transit Transit track listing:

1. Transit Transit
2. Census
3. Highchair
4. Supertoys
5. Spots
6. The Bouncing Wall
7. Audience No. 2
8. Kissproof
9. Headless Sky
10. The Science of Imaginary Solutions

Look out for new tour dates to come soon!

Mastodon Cancel Summer Tour

[blabbermouth.net] Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON have cancelled their previously announced summer tour, which scheduled to launch in Germany on June 5 and be completed in Finland on July 3. The band's guitarist, Bill Kelleher, was diagnosed with pancreatitis (a sudden inflammation of the pancreas which can have severe complications and high mortality despite treatment) and was advised by doctors to pursue further medication. Doctors are optimistic and expect a full recovery in the coming weeks for Bill, as the band is eager to take part in the BlackDiamondSkye tour, along with ALICE IN CHAINS and DEFTONES, scheduled to open in Chicago on September 16.

MASTODON's latest album, "Crack The Skye", sold 41,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 11 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's fans responded with manic enthusiasm to the LP, snapping up every available copy of various limited-edition artifacts, including the deluxe tunnel book CD+DVD package, both color and double-disc 180gm gatefold vinyl pressings, plus a pair of CD single/T-shirt bundles.

Wintersleep Post "Black Camera" Video

Wintersleep have posted the video for their new single "Black Camera" off their upcoming album New Inheritors...

In addition to the video, the band have posted some behind the scenes footage...