Month: March 2018

Failure offer great perks for pre-ordering their upcoming fifth album.

Meticulous rockers Failure are at work on their fifth full-length album, which will be a collection of 3 EP’s that explore the disconnection of humanity we’ve created and embraced with technology.  Sound heavy?  I’m sure it will be, as will the riffs and drum fills.

Failure is offering some cool perks through the PledgeMusic page for the new record, including a drumming lesson, signed drum heads and sticks, handwritten lyric sheets, downloads of the albums in various formats, T-shirts, and more. Don’t wait too soon to get on board, some of the rewards are already gone.

Keep your mind open.

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Levitation France 2018 dates announced.

Mark your calendars.  Levitation France is scheduled for September 21-22nd this year.  Lineup announcements and tickets will be available soon.  I’m already making plans to attend this year.  Don’t miss out on what is sure to be a great time.

Keep your mind open.

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Mamby on the Beach reveals 2018 lineup.

Chicago’s Mamby on the Beach music festival returns with another impressive lineup of hip hop, EDM, and rock acts.  Getting Common, Spoon, and Cold War Kids all in the same weekend is impressive.  Grizzly Bear will probably put on a mind-bending set, Jamila Woods impressed a lot of folks at Pitchfork Music Festival last year, and Jai Wolf‘s DJ set will most likely be a must-see.

Tickets are on sale now.

Keep your mind open.

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The Flaming Lips release four years’ worth of early studio recordings and rarities.

The Flaming Lips have released an early Easter gift with Seeing the Unseeable: The Complete Studio Recordings of the Flaming Lips 1986 – 1990.  It’s available for pre-order through their PledgeMusic page.  It contains four albums and a lot of unreleased demos and B-sides.  This is the first time these tracks are available on CD.

They’re also offering Scratching the Door for pre-order on CD, which collects early tracks from the band’s original lineup.  This stuff is a gold mine for Flaming Lips fans.  I’m probably going to grab some of this, as it will be material they played when I saw them in the mid-1980’s in a tiny club outside Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Keep your mind open.

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Pitchfork Music Festival unveils full lineup for 2018.

THE PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES FULL 2018 LINEUP:

HEADLINERS TAME IMPALA, FLEET FOXES AND MS. LAURYN HILL

PLUS COURTNEY BARNETT, THE WAR ON DRUGS, CHAKA KHAN,
MOUNT KIMBIE, BLOOD ORANGE, DRAM, BIG THIEF, RAPHAEL SAADIQ,
NONAME, EARL SWEATSHIRT, THIS IS NOT THIS HEAT, JAPANDROIDS, SYD, MOSES SUMNEY, (SANDY) ALEX G, JULIEN BAKER, KELELA, ALEX CAMERON,
AND MORE!

JULY 20-22, 2018 AT CHICAGO’S UNION PARK
—Tickets available here—

The Pitchfork Music Festival announces today the full 2018 lineup, including headliners Tame Impala, Fleet Foxes, and Ms. Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 20th Anniversary Performance. The 13th Annual Pitchfork Music Festival takes place Friday, July 20 through Sunday, July 22 at Chicago’s Union Park.

The festival opens on Friday with performances by Tame Impala, Courtney Barnett, Mount Kimbie, Big Thief, Earl Sweatshirt, Syd, Julien Baker, Saba, Open Mike Eagle, Julie Byrne, Joshua Abrams & Natural Information Society, Lucy Dacus, Melkbelly, and The Curls.

On Saturday, the festival presents Fleet Foxes, The War on Drugs, Blood Orange, Raphael Saadiq, This Is Not This Heat, Moses Sumney, Kelela, Girlpool, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Circuit des Yeux, Nilüfer Yanya, Zola Jesus, berhana, and Paul Cherry.

Sunday, the final day of the festival, features Ms. Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 20th Anniversary Performance, Chaka Khan, DRAM, Noname, Japandroids, (Sandy) Alex G, Alex Cameron, Smino, Japanese Breakfast, Kelly Lee Owens, Ravyn Lenae, Kweku Collins, Irreversible Entanglements, and Nnamdi Ogbonnaya.

“It’s very inspiring to see the Pitchfork Music Festival come together for the thirteenth year,” said Adam Krefman, senior director, festivals and activations for Pitchfork. “It has become much more than a music festival—it’s a community of artists and musicians, and also a reflection of Pitchfork as a media voice and event producer. What we do in Union Park every July resonates in Chicago, but also nationally and internationally, and we could not be prouder to present this year’s artists to festivalgoers old and new.”

Committed to striking a balance between discovery and celebration through a diverse, unexpected lineup, the Pitchfork Music Festival continues to be one of the world’s most accessible and exciting weekends in music.

“Since the festival’s inception, we’ve tried to present the most unique and eclectic musical lineup,” says festival producer Mike Reed. “Unlike other festivals, music is always at the forefront, so it’s great to step back and see how diverse and inclusive the music makers and listeners have become. We hopefully do our best to reflect that by simply staying true to our initial ideals.”

The Festival offers attendees a wide array of activities beyond the music with 50 individual vendors, as well as specialty record and craft fairs. It also works to support local businesses while promoting the Chicago arts and food communities as a whole. Each year, a commitment is made to keeping Pitchfork Music Festival ticket prices affordable, while providing new and useful experiences, and working with the city’s best local vendors.

Pitchfork Music Festival tickets are on sale now for $75 a day or $175 for a three-day pass. The Pitchfork +PLUS upgrade is $375 for a three-day pass and includes a variety of exclusive amenities such as premium food vendors and private specialty bars. Details are available here.

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

FRIDAY, JULY 20
Tame Impala
Courtney Barnett
Mount Kimbie
Big Thief
Earl Sweatshirt
Syd
Julien Baker
Saba
Open Mike Eagle
Julie Byrne
Joshua Abrams & Natural Information Society
Lucy Dacus
Melkbelly
The Curls

SATURDAY, JULY 21
Fleet Foxes
The War on Drugs
Blood Orange
Raphael Saadiq
This Is Not This Heat
Moses Sumney
Kelela
Girlpool
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
Circuit des Yeux
Nilüfer Yanya
Zola Jesus
berhana
Paul Cherry

SUNDAY, JULY 22
Ms. Lauryn Hill–The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 20th Anniversary Performance
Chaka Khan
DRAM
Noname
Japandroids
(Sandy) Alex G
Alex Cameron
Smino
Japanese Breakfast
Kelly Lee Owens
Ravyn Lenae
Kweku Collins
Irreversible Entanglements
Nnamdi Ogbonnaya

For more information, including line-ups, event news and the latest updates, visit Pitchforkmusicfestival.com, Facebook.com/PitchforkMusicFestival and follow @pitchforkfest.

About Pitchfork:
Pitchfork is the most trusted voice in music. Pitchfork.com is the preeminent resource for highly-engaged fans looking to discover and experience new music in a thought-provoking way. Its comprehensive reviews and analyses of the people, trends, and events shaping the industry have defined music journalism for more than 20 years. Not only does Pitchfork set the standard for music coverage, it has a global reputation for hosting unique and eclectic music events, including annual Music Festivals in Chicago and Paris. For more go to Pitchfork.com and follow @pitchfork.

Keep your mind open.

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Fat Hot – Self-titled

Garage rockers Jonathan Kahler and Gamble Scrantom make up the duo Fat Hot, and their self-titled album (currently only available on cassette or as a download, no less) is a fun, snarky, fuzzy treat. 

Opening with “Boatman Love Song,” the album gets a rough surf rock sound going before unleashing reverbed vocals about found and lost love.  “Ghost Drugs” is a fun little tune that seems to be about a spirit hoping to get some spirits from a young woman.  The catchy “Bad Drink” continues the theme of substances that alter one’s state of mind as they sing about searching for a bad drink while lamenting the loss of a shoe.

“Krakken Me Up” returns to the earlier nautical theme and continues the Flat Duo Jets-like wall of blues rock Fat Hot seems to have mastered early in their career.  “Sweet” is a slow burn about a one-night stand that might end up in danger, disaster, or both.  It unloads around the 2:15 mark with a surprising fury before going back to a simmer for a little while.  “Sour” is the longest track on the album, coming it at nearly six minutes, and it’s full of scorching guitar and drum fills that mix stoner metal with psychedelia.

“Harpy Woman” is the second reference to a mythological monster, and the seventh time Fat Hot unleashes blistering riffs and beats.  “Shudder” brings up a common theme in blues-garage-psych-psychobilly tracks – the Devil.  It’s a toe-tapper of a tune about impending death.  The album ends with another salute to being a sad drunk – “Rye Smile.”  The guitar work on it is deceptively tricky and the drum work switches on a dime at any given moment.

This is a fun record, and a pleasant discovery for me.  It will be for you, too.

Keep your mind open.

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Neko Case’s new single, “Hell-On,” is (as you would expect) wonderful.

One of the best singer-songwriters of our time, Neko Case, has unveiled the first single and title track from her upcoming album, Hell-On.  It’s a lovely, haunting, and slightly quirky track highlighted by a cello backing Case’s distinctive voice and witty lyrics.

Hell-On is available for pre-order and is set for release on June 01, 2018.  She’s also embarking on a U.S. tour with Ray Lamontagne beginning May 27th and ending July 10th.

This will surely be one of the best records of the year.  Ms. Case always delivers.

Keep your mind open.

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All Them Witches – Lost and Found

In case you need some good news, Nashville psych / blues rockers All Them Witches have released a free EP available for download.

It’s four tracks of more haunting songs from the band.  The opener, “Hares on the Mountain,” is an old English love song that practically summons the ghosts of dead soldiers from their unmarked graves with Allan Van Cleave‘s slightly menacing organ and Ben McLeod‘s drones and Celtic ghost guitar work.  “Before the Beginning” is a slick Fleetwood Mac cover, and “Call Me Star” (from their excellent album Dying Surfer Meets His Maker) is a lovely display of Michael Parks‘ old soul / weary traveler vocals as his acoustic guitar and McLeod’s sparse psychedelic chords back him.

I love that the EP ends with a dub track (Yes, a dub track) – “Dub Passageways.”  It gives drummer Robby Staebler a chance to cut loose with some wicked chops.  It’s a dub version of “Open Passageways” (also from Dying Surfer Meets His Maker) and a nice look into another musical style that’s influenced All Them Witches.

Keep your mind open.

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Ladytron offers great PledgeMusic perks for their first album in seven years.

Electro / shoegaze quartet Ladytron are set to release their first album in seven years.  The as yet untitled album will be out later this year, but the current single, “The Animals,” is already available.

Ladytron have started a PledgeMusic campaign for the album to celebrate the new album’s upcoming release, and it has some great perks.  A CD of the new album signed by the band is just $25.00.  There are big bundles of signed music and merchandise, handwritten lyric sheets, colored vinyl copies of the album, and you can even get your name listed in the album credits.  Each pledge level comes with a digital download of the full album and an immediate download of “The Animals” and a remix of the track.

Get this stuff while you can.

Keep your mind open.

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Pitchfork Music Festival announces second round of 2018 lineup artists.

THE PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES
SECOND ROUND OF 2018 PERFORMERS

JULY 20-22, 2018 AT CHICAGO’S UNION PARK
– Tickets available here –

The Pitchfork Music Festival returns to Chicago’s Union Park Friday, July 20 through Sunday, July 22 for its thirteenth year. As previously announced, the 2018 lineup is being unveiled in three parts via a hand-painted mural in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood, which is also being livestreamed on Pitchfork.com. Moments ago, the second round of performers for the Pitchfork Music Festival were revealed: The War on Drugs, Chaka Khan, Courtney Barnett, Earl Sweatshirt, Big Thief, Mount Kimbie, Moses Sumney, Smino, Girlpool, Syd, Kweku Collins, Zola Jesus, Julie Byrne, and Berhana. They join the following acts: Tame Impala, DRAM, Raphael Saadiq, This Is Not This Heat, (Sandy) Alex G, Japandroids, Kelela, Julien Baker, Ravyn Lenae, Kelly Lee Owens, Melkbelly, Lucy Dacus, Joshua Abrams & Natural Information Society, and Irreversible Entanglements. The breakdown by day is listed below, and the livestream can be viewed here.

Committed to striking a balance between discovery and celebration through a diverse, unexpected lineup, the Pitchfork Music Festival continues to be one the world’s most accessible and exciting weekends in music. The Festival offers attendees a wide array of activities beyond the music with 50 individual vendors, as well as specialty record and craft fairs. It also works to support local businesses while promoting the Chicago arts and food communities as a whole. Each year, a commitment is made to keeping Pitchfork Music Festival ticket prices affordable, while providing new and useful experiences, and working with the city’s best local vendors.

Pitchfork Music Festival tickets are on sale now for $75 a day or $175 for a three-day pass. The Pitchfork +PLUS upgrade is $375 for a three-day pass and includes a variety of exclusive amenities such as premium food vendors and private specialty bars. Details are available here.

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

FRIDAY, JULY 20
Tame Impala
Courtney Barnett – NEW
Mount Kimbie – NEW
Big Thief – NEW
Earl Sweatshirt – NEW
Syd – NEW
Julie Byrne – NEW
Lucy Dacus
Melkbelly
Joshua Abrams & Natural Information Society

SATURDAY, JULY 21
The War on Drugs – NEW
Raphael Saadiq
This Is Not This Heat
Moses Sumney – NEW
Kelela
Girlpool – NEW
Julien Baker
Zola Jesus – NEW
berhana – NEW

SUNDAY, JULY 22
Chaka Khan – NEW
DRAM
Kelly Lee Owens
Irreversible Entanglements
Japandroids
(Sandy) Alex G
Smino – NEW
Ravyn Lenae
Kweku Collins – NEW

For more information, including line-ups, event news and the latest updates, visit Pitchforkmusicfestival.com, Facebook.com/PitchforkMusicFestival and follow @pitchforkfest.

About Pitchfork:
Pitchfork is the most trusted voice in music. Pitchfork.com is the preeminent resource for highly-engaged fans looking to discover and experience new music in a thought-provoking way. Its comprehensive reviews and analyses of the people, trends, and events shaping the industry have defined music journalism for more than 20 years. Not only does Pitchfork set the standard for music coverage, it has a global reputation for hosting unique and eclectic music events, including annual Music Festivals in Chicago and Paris. For more go to Pitchfork.com and follow @pitchfork.

Keep your mind open.

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