Category: News

Levitation France announces dates and first lineup.

While Levitation Austin didn’t happen this year, Levitation France is a go on September 15-16th!  This bodes well for the Levitation shows (a small one is being held in Austin the first weekend of May) making a full return next year.

The first wave of band announcements includes the Black Angels, Slowdive, Acid Mothers Temple, and Kikagu Moyo.  As usual, the Levitation festivals always have a great lineup, and this will be no exception.  Get to Angers, France if you can.

Keep your mind open.

 

Thee Oh Sees announce new summer U.S. tour dates.

THEE OH SEES ANNOUNCE AUGUST & SEPTEMBER TOUR DATES

Today, Los Angeles-based force of nature Thee Oh Sees announce a new batch of tour dates for the late summer that spans both the USA and the European continent. Could the new dates be an indicator of a busy 2017 from the John Dwyer-led outfit? Could these dates point to the possibility of a new record(s)? One can only hope…
THEE OH SEES TOUR DATES (new tour dates in bold):
Sat. Apr. 29 – Norman, OK @ Norman Music Festival
Fri. May 5 – Winterthur, CH @ Salzhaus
Sat. May 6 – Frankfort, GE @ Zoom
Sun. May 7– Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown
Mon. May 8 – Berlin, GE @ Columbia Theater
Wed. May 10 – Clermont-Ferrand, FR @ La Coopérative de Mai
Thu. May 11 – La Rochelle, FR @ La Sirène
Fri. May 12 – Rouen, FR @ Le 106
Sat. May 13 – Lyon, FR @ L’épicerie Moderne
Sun. May 14 – Paris, FR @ Trabendo
Tue. May 16 – Nottingham, UK @ Rock City
Wed. May 17 – Brighton, UK @ Clarendon Centre
Thu. May 18 – Nantes, FR @ Stereolux
Fri. May 19 – Rennes, FR @ Antipode
Sat. May 20 – Reims, FR @ La Magnifique Society
Sun. May 21 – Brussels, BE @ L’Ancienne Belgique
Fri. May 26 – George, WA @ Sasquatch Festival
Sat. June 3 – London, UK @ Field Day Festival
Mon. June 4 – Bristol, UK @ SWX
Wed. June 6 – Metz, FR @ La BAM
Thu. June 7 – Milano, IT @ Magnolia
Fri. June 8 – Ravenna, IT @ Beaches Brew
Sat. June 9 – Dudingen, CH @ Bad Bonn
Sun. June 10 – Nimes, FR @ This Is Not A Love Song
Mon. June 11 – Bordeaux, FR @ le block
Tue. June 12 – Tours, FR @ le temps machine
Thu. June 14 – Manchester University, UK @ Transformers
Sat. June 17 – San Francisco, CA @ Phono Del Sol Festival
Sat. July 22 – Sun. July 23 – Los Angeles, CA @ FYF
Sun. Aug. 6 – Katowice, PL @ OFF Festival
Tue. Aug. 8 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow
Thu. Aug. 10 – Oslo, NO @ Oya Festival
Fri. Aug. 11 – Gothenburg, DW @ Way Out West Festival
Sat. Aug. 12 – Copenhagen, DK @ Pumpehuset
Fri. Aug. 18 – Saint Malo, FR @ La Route du Rock
Sat. Aug. 19 – Brecon Beacons, UK @ Green Man Festival 
Fri. Sept. 1 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom
Sat. Sept. 2 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Bar
Mon. Sept. 4 – Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas Outside
Tue. Sept. 5 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jack’s
Wed. Sept. 6 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
Fri. Sept. 8 – Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero Theater
Sun. Sept. 10 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
Wed. Sept. 13 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Thu. Sept. 14 – Montreal, QC @ La Tulipe I Le National
Fri. Sept. 15 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Theater
Sat. Sept. 16 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
Sun. Sept. 17 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Tue. Sept. 19 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall
Fri. Sept. 22 – Missoula, MT @ Monk’s
Sun. Sept. 24 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
Mon. Sept. 25 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom

Kane Strang’s new album due June 30th.

Kane Strang Announces New Album, Two Hearts and No Brain,
Out June 30th On Dead Oceans

Listen To New Single, “My Smile Is Extinct”
https://youtu.be/Q1fVG1IctmA
https://soundcloud.com/deadoceans/kane-strang-my-smile-is-extinct-3
Kane Strang has announced his new album, Two Hearts and No Brain, out June 30th on Dead Oceans. Along with the announcement he’s sharing the new single, “My Smile Is Extinct.” It’s the follow up to lead single, “Oh So You’re Off I See,” his first taste of new music since 2016’s Blue Cheese, which was shared ahead of Kane’s first ever North American tour last month.

Recorded in his hometown of Dunedin at the notoriously haunted Chick’s Hotel studio, Kane teamed up with producer Stephen Marr from trip hop group Doprah for Two Hearts and No Brain. The collaborative result is a razor sharp blend of intelligent alt-rock, bearing the signatures of grunge/alt rock swiftly executed with careful, meticulous precision over 11 tracks. Marr’s influence brings a pristine, retro-futuristic sheen which complements Strang’s perfectionist recording style, sharp melody, and verbose lyrical neuroticism. Taking to well-worn subject matter (heartbreak, loneliness, family) with a disarmingly frank scalpel, Strang’s wryly deadpan lines never miss a beat – the results often sardonic, and always captivating.

Two Hearts and No Brain is pure pop genius from start to finish. It’s hard to imagine who else could convincingly fuse fuzzy synths with slide guitar; crunchy chords with chiming vocals in such a kaleidoscopic pop vision. The album’s cover art, featuring a refracted analogue photograph taken of Kane atop of a rocky precipice; echoes the spirit of lean guitar-pop shining through a truly contemporary, innovative lens. His attention to detail shows up the fat slack present in the work of many of Kane’s contemporaries; yet his sound remains emotive and playfully laced with a tongue-in-cheek nostalgia – timelessly old and new in the same breath.

What sets Kane apart from the rafts of DIY indie songwriters is a willingness to push further. Having mastered the lo-fi aesthetic, he’s stretched his already limber songwriting legs and production chops to new unexpected spaces on Two Hearts and No Brain. Kane’s vision of extending his sound far beyond the bedroom promises international touring and releases the world over. With a live show that exhibits his unpredictable and exhilarating command on stage, Kane’s amassed a band of cohorts to execute his vision with arresting impact, sure to charm crowds with his sideways slant of guitar pop.

Listen To Kane Strang’s “My Smile Is Extinct”:
https://youtu.be/Q1fVG1IctmA
https://soundcloud.com/deadoceans/kane-strang-my-smile-is-extinct-3

Watch & Listen:
“Oh So You’re Off I See” video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0mAC5NldNg
“Oh So You’re Off I See” audio – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1VLO17X3Is&feature=youtu.be

Two Hearts and No Brain tracklist:
1. Lagoons
2. Silence Overgrown
3. Not Quite
4. Oh So You’re Off I See
5. See Thru
6. Summertime In Your Lounge
7. My Smile Is Extinct
8. Two Hearts and No Brain
9. It’s Not That Bad
10. Don’t Follow Me (I’m Lost)
11. Good Guy

Kane Strang UK/EU Tour Dates:
Sat. May 13 – Zurich, CH @ Stall 6 (Lauter Festival) (tickets)
Mon. May 15 – Manchester, UK @ Gullivers (tickets)
Tue. May 16 – Leeds, UK @ Headrow House (tickets)
Wed. May 17 – London, UK @ The Lexington (tickets)
Thu. May 18 – Brighton, UK @ The Great Escape (tickets)
Fri. May 19 – Brighton, UK @ The Great Escape (tickets)
Fri. May 19 – Brighton, UK @ The Mucky Duck (The Great Escape) (tickets)
Sat. May 20 – Antwerp, BE @ Trix
Mon. May 22 – Berlin, DE @ Privatclub (tickets)
Tue. May 23 – Paris, FR @ La Mecanique Ondulatoire
Wed. May 24 – Kortrijk, BE @ De Kreun (tickets)
Thu. May 25 – London, UK @ Greenman Presents Courtyard at Kings X (tickets)
Sat. May 27 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Upstairs (London Calling) (tickets)

North Coast Fest announces (almost) entire 2017 lineup.

Chicago’s annual North Coast Music Festival has announced its (almost) full lineup.  They’re still keeping some acts secret for now.

North Coast is a mostly electronic music festival that’s promoted as the last fling of summer (It’s the first weekend of September.) before another depressing Chicago winter and Bears season wallops the city.

Some of the biggest names on the bill are Deadmau5, Damian Marley, Big Boi, Gucci Mane, and Ween.  They’re already offering tickets and layaway plans, so get your tickets while they’re cheap and still available.

Keep your mind open.

Toronto psych /surf rockers Yeomans release new single.

Yeomans_L-R_Robin-Sopher_Ian-Kilburn_Luke-Graves_Kieran-Heilbron

Yeomans new single “Just As You Want” 
(out April 30 via NYK)

YouTube // Indie 88

“This is a video for anyone who’s ever been sober at a party. It can be a strange and isolating experience to watch everyone getting gradually more intoxicated and their judgement getting cloudier without experiencing the same effects. Sometimes you have to get creative to make it fun for yourself too.” – Kieran Heilbron (Yeomans)

Yeomans
Garage rock bands always tend to weigh heavily on the retro vibe and Toronto’s Yeomans are no exception, naming themselves after the hardworking farmers of colonial America. However, their music isn’t quite that ancient. Glimmers of 60s fuzz pedals, melodic surf, psych grooves and reverb soaked vocals haunt the Yeomans’ sound.

The band formed in 2013, during the height of the Rob Ford crack scandal. Guitarist Kieran Heilbron met then Yeomans’ drummer Jocelyn while selling “Rob Ford Smokes Crack” t-shirts to raise money for the Gawker “Crackstarter” campaign. Realizing they were both into psych and both looking for a new project they started jamming and Yeomans was born, joined by Calgarian Ian Kilburn on vocals & guitar.

They do their heroes proud, throwing nods to The Chocolate Watchband, The 13th Floor Elevators and The Masters Apprentices.

Yeomans released their first EP in 2014, recorded in a ghostly church in a small town called Little Britain (not to be confused with the highly entertaining TV show). It has a powerful sound with remnants to an earlier time. Soulful lyrics and reverb-drenched grooves fill the listeners ears with tales of prophets, greek gods and revolutionaries.

Signing with NYK Records in 2016, Yeomans released “My Fish Got Drunk”, a shimmering surf instrumental, as their first single with the label in November 2016.

“Just as You Want” is their second release on the label and will be released on April 30th on the NYK mixtape “Now You Know: Volume 1”.

Tour Dates:
April 30 – NYK Mixtape Record Release Party
https://www.facebook.com/events/197193850794470/
May 06 – Handlebar, Toronto w/ Pet Heads, Champion Ski
https://www.facebook.com/events/230453714095088/

Yeomans – Just As You Want (NYK)
Release Date: April 30, 2017
Pre-Order: https://yeomans.bandcamp.com/album/just-as-you-want-single

Yeomans Links
Official: https://www.facebook.com/Yeomansband/
Bandcamp: https://yeomans.bandcamp.com/
Record Label: http://nykrecords.com/

Elephant Stone release live EP and UK / European tour dates.

First, Canadian psych-rockers Elephant Stone have released their first live recording – Live at the Verge.  It’s only available in digital format and has five tracks from a show at the Toronto nightclub recorded in February 2017.  Elephant Stone never disappoint live, so this is more than worth the low price.

Second, the band has released dates for a European and UK tour taking them from the Netherlands to France.

05/24 EKKO, Utrecht NL

05/26 Moth Club, London UK

05/27 The Printworks, Hastings UK

05/28 Eiger Studios, Leeds UK

05/29 Mono, Glasgow SCO

05/30 Picture House Social, Sheffield UK

05/31 The Hope & Ruin, Brighton UK

06/01 La Cave Aux Poètes, Lille FR

06/02 Supersonic, Paris FR

06/03 La Sirène, La Rochelle FR w/ The Black Angels 

06/04 Carte Blanche à Rock in the Bar, Giverny FR

Catch them if you can.

Keep your mind open.

Chicago’s Riot Fest unveils killer 2017 lineup.

Chicago’s annual Riot Fest has unveiled its first lineup announcement for 2017, and it trumps Lollapalooza’s.

They’re bringing in punk legends Buzzcocks, GBH, and Bad Brains, new punks Slaves, Death from Above 1979, and Pennywise, grunge powerhouse Dinosaur Jr., industrial legends Ministry and Nine Inch Nails, electro legends New Order and modern icons M.I.A. and Peaches, progressive psych-rockers TV on the Radio, modern rock giants Queens of the Stone Age, and rap legends Prophets of Rage, Wu-Tang Clan, and Mike D.

They still have twenty-five more bands to announce.  Tickets might be sold out by the time you read this, so don’t wait to get yours.

Keep your mind open.

Atlanta punks Dasher release new single.

DASHER ANNOUNCE SIGNING TO JAGJAGUWAR,

SHARE NEW  SINGLE  “WE KNOW SO“

Over the past few years, Bloomington-via-Atlanta’s Dasher have been building a reputation as one of the US’s most captivating, searing live propositions – a blistering, midnight drag race of dark metal fury, goth ghost wailing and sticky-kick garage rock.

The quartet, led by drummer/vocalist Kylee Kimbrough and completed by guitarists Steve Garcia and Derek McCain, and bassist Gary Marra, draw upon the chop-crunch guitar of latter-day post-punk, the seething screech of the Amphetamine Reptile stable, the nightmarescape of Japanese hardcore and the desire to remain as beats-basic as a Ramones party dream, fusing it all into some of the most enthralling punk rock you’ll hear all year.

Today, the four-piece is proud to announce their signing to Jagjaguwar, a label that – among its eclectic roster – has never been afraid to skirt the noisier fringes of modern guitar music (see: Dinosaur Jr., Black Mountain, Preoccupations) but for whom Dasher mark their first foray into out-and-out punk rock. On the basis of new single “We Know So,” it’s easy to see why they’re taking the jump: across it’s 2.5 minutes, ‘We Know So’ tangles with bludgeoning force, shout-along choruses and guitars that cut like razor-wire. It’s a bewitching call-to-arms that already shows Jagjaguwar’s faith to be well-repaid.

LISTEN TO “WE KNOW SO”
http://bit.ly/2ptlfit

PRAISE FOR DASHER

“Kylee Kimbrough is an unbelievable badass. The drummer, songwriter, and vocalist behind the wide-eyed, abrasive Atlanta post-punk trio Dasher screams in this hoarse, otherworldly voice.” – Pitchfork

“‘Go Rambo’ is an ecstatic, empowering, aggressive wild-out of a punk jammer from Dasher.” – SPIN

“Kimbrough appears fearless on stage with Dasher” – Creative Loafing Atlanta

Dasher Online:
https://www.facebook.com/dasheratl/
https://dasher2.bandcamp.com/

The Raveonettes to release full “anti-album” – “2016 Atomized.”

Last year the Raveonettes decided to create a “anti-album” by composing and releasing a new track digitally every month.  These tracks have now been compiled into their new record – 2016 Atomized.  It will be available April 21st for the first time as a complete collection.

A lot of the tracks on the record have a strong synth / electro feel instead of the psychedelic fuzz you’re used to on a Raveonettes records, but that’s not a bad thing. It’s good to hear them stretching out.

Keep your mind open.

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Extremely limited editions of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s second album of 2017 now available for pre-order.

KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD
MURDER OF THE UNIVERSE PRE-ORDER IS NOW LIVE
Han-Tyumi & The Murder Of The Universe 13 min video released

MURDER OF THE UNIVERSE
released June 23, 2017

  • King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s 10th studio album MURDER OF THE UNIVERSE will be released June 23, 2017.
  • Pre-order now from www.flightlessrecords.com
  • The album consists of 21 tracks split into three chapters. Watch the video for “Chapter 3: Han-Tyumi and the Murder of the Universe” HERE. 
  • There are three different pre-order editions all limited to 2000 copies world-wide.

Tracklist:

The Tale Of The Altered Beast

1. A New World
2. Altered Beast I
3. Alter Me I
4. Altered Beast II
5. Alter Me II
6. Altered Beast III
7. Alter Me III
8. Altered Beast IV
9. Life / DeathThe Lord Of Lightning Vs. Balrog

10. Some Context
11. The Reticent Raconteur
12. The Lord Of Lightning
13. The Balrog
14. The Floating Fire
15. The Acrid CorpseHan-Tyumi And The Murder Of The Universe

16. Welcome To An Altered Future
17. Digital Black
18. Han-Tyumi, The Confused Cyborg
19. Soy-Protein Munt Machine
20. Vomit Coffin
21. Murder Of The Universe

Altered Beast Edition 
– Tri-coloured wax
– 30 page illustrated story book
– Zoetrope animated labels
– Download card
– Limited to 2000 worldwide

Floating Fire Edition
– Floating Fire Splattered wax
– 30 page illustrated story book
– Zoetrope animated labels
– Download card
– Limited to 2000 worldwide

Vomit Coffin Edition
– Vomit coloured blob with splatter wax
– 30 page illustrated story book
– Zoetrope animated labels
– Download card
– Limited to 2000 worldwide

FOLLOW THE BAND’S FACEBOOK/INSTAGRAM/TWITTER FOR NEWS.