New NEON INDIAN - Sleep Paralysist

Neon Indian just dropped the new single "Sleep Paralysist", co-produced by Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor. Grab it courtesy of Mountain Dew's Green Label Sound below.

OWEN PALLETT - Lewis Takes Off His Shirt

After working as a violinist/string arrangement for bands like Beirut, Arcade Fire, Pet Shop Boys, Grizzly Bear, Mika, Holy Fuck, Great Lake Swimmers, The Mountain Goats, Stars, Fucked Up and The Hidden Cameras, Owen Pallett (aka Final Fantasy) has recently released his third album Heartland on Domino Records. The new single "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt" is due March 29th and now has this borderline NSFW video.

CANT - Ghosts (Class Actress Remix)

Terrible Records is the new label from Chris Taylor (Grizzly Bear) and Ethan Silverman.

Issue 001 - CANT - Ghosts 12"
Issue 002 - Acrylics - All of the Fire
Issue 003 - Class Actress - Journal of Ardency

Now Class Actress returns the favor and adds some cosmopolitan nostalgia to CANT's debut single "Ghosts".

CANT - Ghosts (Class Actress remix) [mp3 via Terrible Records]

Plus, Class Actress performing "Let Me Take You Out" acoustic in an apartment:

THE MORNING BENDERS - Excuses

Yours Truly offers up this absolutely gorgeous live video of The Morning Benders performing "Excuses", the opening track on their new album Big Echo (due March 9th). The clip really showcases what a talent singer Chris Chu is. But the talent doesn't stop there, The band invited fellow San Francisco pals Christopher Owens (Girls) and John Vanderslice to join in. Another cool note: the track was produced by Chris Taylor (Grizzly Bear). Get the new track "Promises" for free at themorningbenders.com.


Yours Truly Presents: The Morning Benders "Excuses" from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

The Sky Report - Videos of the Year

Fever Ray - When I Grow Up (dir. Martin de Thurrah)

When I Grow Up from Fever Ray on Vimeo.

The Horrors - Sea Within A Sea (dir. Doug Hart)


Depeche Mode - Wrong (dir. Patrick Daughters)

Depeche Mode - Wrong Video Clip
Uploaded by Mightybaut. - See the latest featured music videos.

Rainbow Arabia - Omar K (dir. Keith Musil)


The Flaming Lips - Watching the Planets (dir. Wayne Coyne & George Salisbury) (NSFW)

Watching The Planets
by paulqaz

Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks (dir. Patrick Daughters)


Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll (dir. Richard Ayoade)


Lady Gaga - Bad Romance (dir. Francis Lawrence)


Matt & Kim - Lessons Learned (dir. Taylor Cohen and Otto Arsenault)


Fever Ray - If I Had A Heart (dir. Andreas Nilsson)

If I Had A Heart from Fever Ray on Vimeo.

Best of 2009 - Guest List - Class Actress

As the year winds to an end, we've asked some of our favorite artists to select their five favorite releases of 2009. Class Actress is the brainchild of Brooklyn based artist Elizabeth Harper, and she is poised to breakout in a big way in 2010. Her debut ep Journal of Ardency is scheduled for a February 9th release on Terrible Records, the new offshoot from Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor. If you haven't yet, get the leadoff track "Careful What You Say" below. Harper took time out from her busy schedule to share her favorite things of the year.

2009 In no particular order.

Girls - "Lust for Life" (single)
A warm, honest hug from the friend you wish you had who'd admit they were as fucked up as you.

Mariah Carey - "Obsessed" (single)
Nobody does it like Mariah, she just makes hooky, bitchy, diva pop hits.

Cass McCombs - "You Saved My Life" (track from Catacombs)
Epic love song. Seeing him play this live at the Bowery Ballroom was beautiful. I have a crush on him.

Patrick Cleandenim - "Telephone Song" (track from Orange Moonbeam Floorshow)
I listened to this song for a month straight. Maybe because I had a crush on him, maybe not.

Chairlift - "Evident Utensil" (video)
I was tied up limb for limb to a tree in the woods, whipped by Victor (Boy Crisis/Das Rascit) and then baptized in a river.

Bat for Lashes - "Daniel" ( live on David Letterman).

Das Racist - "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell" (track)
Kinda genius.

Major Lazer - "Pon De Floor" (Video)

Robert Pattinson

Girl Crisis

Let the Right One In (film)
still and romantic

FULL YEAR-END COVERAGE HERE

The Sky Report - Albums of the Year

1. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

2. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

3. The Antlers - Hospice

4. Fever Ray - s/t

5. The Horrors - Primary Colours

6. Atlas Sound - Logos

7. Natureboy - s/t

8. The Fiery Furnaces - I'm Going Away

9. The Flaming Lips - Embryonic

10. PJ Harvey & John Parish - A Woman A Man Walked By

11. Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport

12. Bat For Lashes - Two Suns

13. The XX - XX

14. Sharon Van Etten - Because I Was In Love

15. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

16. The Raveonettes - In and Out of Control

17. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!

18. Nite Jewel - Good Evening

19. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - s/t

20. Real Estate - s/t

21. JJ - n° 2
22. Memory Tapes - Seek Magic
23. Bear In Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth
24. Antony & the Johnsons - The Crying Light
25. Girls - Album
26. Woods - Songs of Shame
27. White Denim - Fits
28. Ganglians - Monster Head Room
29. Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs
30. Lotus Plaza - The Floodlight Collective
31. Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms
32. Dark Was the Night (compilation) - various artists
33. Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue
34. Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer
35. St. Vincent - Actor
36. Royksopp - Junior
37. Masterface - Freedom Tower
38. DâM-FunK - Toeachizown
39. Cold Cave - Love Comes Close
40. Telepathe - Dance Mother
41. Wavves - Wavvves
42. Gossip - Music For Men
43. The Sandwitches - How To Make Ambient Sadcake
44. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
45. Jeremy Jay - Slow Dance
46. Discovery - LP
47. Here We Go Magic - s/t
48. Micachu - Jewellery
49. Kurt Vile - Childish Prodigy
50. Night Control - Death Control

FULL YEAR-END COVERAGE HERE

Best of 2009 - Guest List - The Antlers

As a precursor to our impending year-end list, we've asked some of our favorite artists to select their five favorite releases of 2009. The Antlers have quietly become the breakout band of the year. Their third album Hospice has shown up with high placing on year-end lists such as The Music Slut, Stereogum and NPR's All Things Considered. And just last night they headlined a sold-out Bowery Ballroom. I think you get the point - the album is amazing!

Here are The Antlers' six favorite songs of the year, according to drummer Michael Lerner:

(In no particular order)...

Bon Iver - "Bloodbank"

Justin Vernon's soul/folk picked up right where he left off with For
Emma, Forever Ago. Beautiful melody and imagery here.

Sharon Van Etten - "I Wish I Knew"

Can a song be both fragile and powerful at the same time? Absolutely!
Just a gorgeous song. Sharon's live shows are also a must see.

Phoenix - "1901"

I feel like I heard this song everywhere this year and it still
continues to dominate my iPod. It completely succeeds in striking the
perfect balance between pop and rock.

Grizzly Bear - "While You Wait for the Others"

Such a great song! The verses slyly creep along before exploding into
the soaring chorus. The harmonies in that chorus are amazing! Also
great is the way the downbeat is dropped and lands on the 2 - Love
that!

Dirty Projectors - "No Intention" / "Stillness is the Move"

Ok, maybe I am breaking the rules by choosing both of these songs here
instead of just one, but I don't care - they are both that good!
2 of the best songs you'll never hear on Hot 97 but totally could/should.

FULL YEAR-END COVERAGE

NEON INDIAN Remixes GRIZZLY BEAR

Grizzly Bear - Cheerleader (Neon Indian 'Sega Genesis P-Orridge' Remix) [mp3]
Grizzly Bear - Cheerleader (Neon Indian 'Studio 6669' Remix) [mp3]

New GRIZZLY BEAR Video - Ready, Able

Directed by Allison Schulnik, the latest Grizzly Bear video is as haunting and beautiful as any of the band's previous videos. "Ready, Able" is taken from Veckatimest, available now on Warp.

GRIZZLY BEAR - Veckatimest

Surely one of the more anticipated releases of the first half of the year, Grizzly Bear's follow-up to the stunning 2006 release Yellow House will almost certainly be met with heavy praise. A listening party for the new album goes down Monday at Manhattan's Other Music. Veckatimest is released Tuesday via Warp.

And here's the new video for the single "Two Weeks", directed by Patrick Daughters.

PItchfork Music Festival - Preliminary Lineup

The fourth annual Pitchfork Music Festival goes down July 17-19 at Chicago's Union Park. Tickets go on sale March 13th. This year marks a small change in format, as Friday night's performances will be "Write the Night: Set Lists by Request". When you purchase your ticket you'll be given a link to vote for which songs you'd like to hear the band's play. The idea of an all-request Yo La Tengo show makes me giddy.

Here is the initial lineup, with many more to be announced soon.

Friday - "Write the Night: Set Lists by Request"
Built to Spill
The Jesus Lizard
Yo La Tengo
Tortoise

Saturday
The National
Pharoahe Monch
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Sunday
Grizzly Bear
The Walkmen
Vivian Girls

GRIZZLY BEAR Unveil Veckatimest

Brooklyn's Grizzly Bear are set to release their third proper lp Veckatimest on May 26th via Warp. The album's title comes from the name of some island off the coast of Massachusetts. The band are rumored to be hitting the road soon and have already scheduled a performance at BAM on February 28th, backed by the Brooklyn Philharmonic.

Grizzly Bear - Shift (La Blogotheque)


Grizzly Bear - Knife (official video)


Veckatimest tracklist:

01 Southern Point
02 Two Weeks
03 All We Ask
04 Fine for Now
05 Cheerleader
06 Dory
07 Ready, Able
08 About Face
09 Hold Still
10 While You Wait for the Others
11 I Live With You
12 Foreground

LA GRÈVE GÉNÉRALE - Blog House is Dead mix

That amazing UK DJ duo la grève générale are back with another mindbending mix, perfect for your New Years Eve party. Featuring tracks from an eclectic array of artists like The Knife, Phil Collins, Bangers & Cash, David Bowie, Radiohead, Grizzly Bear, and Trick Daddy, this mix is sure to get any party started. The boys of la grève générale recommend turning up the bass when playing this mix, so let the shit rattle!

DOWNLOAD (Link) La Greve Generale - Blog House is Dead

Blog House is Dead - tracklist:

Intro
Fuck Buttons – Sweet love for planet Earth
Spank Rock and Benny Blanco are Bangers & Cash – Loose
The Knife – Heartbeats
Pharoahe Monch – Simon says
Radiohead – No surprises
Missy Elliot ft Mike Jones – Joy
Enduser – Red meth
Grizzly Bear – Shift
Dead Prez – I have a dream too (LGG's blam-blam edit)
DJ Unk – Walk it out (Remix ft Andre 3000)
Adam Tensta - My cool
Sinden and the Count of Monte Cristal – Beeper
Tepr - Minuit Jacuzzi (DatA remix)
Dizzee Rascal – Flex
Booka Shade – The bird and the beats at the win
The Killers – Somebody told me
Dizzee Rascal – Fix up look sharp
Anavan – Notoriety
Envelopes – Party (Sportsday Megaphone remix)
Lil Mama – Lip gloss (Krazyfiesta remix)
Porcupine Tree – Pure narcotic
Pase rock ft Amanda Blank – Sexy motherfucker
Trick Daddy ft Chamillionaire – Bet that
Ghosts on Tape - Mogadishu Night Life
Modeselektor – Hasir
Cadence Weapon – In search of the youth crew
Teenage BadGirl – Tales from the pigs
Phil Collins – Sussudio
Rex the Dog – Circulate (JBag Radio Edit)
Faltermeyer – Axel F
Grafton Primary – I can cook (Miami Horror remix)
Chromeo – Needy Girl
TTC and Modeselektor – 2000007
High Powered Boys – Hoes Get Down
Partyshank – Penis Vs Vagina (Lies in Disguise remix)
Europe – The Final Countdown (Them Jeans remix LGG "Made A Yacht Disappear" edit)
Like Woah – Oh I Like (Whitenoise remix)
Spank Rock and Benny Blanco are Bangers & Cash – BOOTAY
David Bowie – Ziggy Stardust
Sneaky Sound System – UFO (SebastiAn vs Blaze Tee rerub)
Bloc Party – Hunting for Witches (Villians Electro-Banger Remix)
Kissy Sell Out – Her
LFO – Freak
Dr Dre ft Snoop Dogg – The next episode
Daft Punk – Short Circuit
Ying Yang Twins – The Whisper Song
65Daysofstatic – I swallowed hard, like I understood
Juelz Santana – Dipset (Ghislain Poirier remix)
Stars - Elevator love letter
DJ Khaled – Holla at me
More Fire Crew – Still The Same
Wale – Freaks (Bird Peterson remix)
Daft Punk – Aerodynamic
Shy Child – Summer (South Central remix)

Reader's Choice - Breakthrough Artist of 2007 - GRIZZLY BEAR / THE TEENAGERS

It's a tie!

A few of you spoke, and the consensus is that Brooklyn-based Grizzly Bear tied with the Parisian hipster band The Teenagers for The Sky Report's Reader's Choice poll for Breakthrough Artist of the Year.

Other artists ranking high in the poll were Panda Bear, Deerhunter, Glass Candy, and Battles.

GRIZZLY BEAR - "Friend"

Today Grizzly Bear are releasing "Friend", an EP of "new, reworked, and re-recorded material (including covers and collaborations)". To be more specific, here you'll find the band's takes on classics like The Crystals' 'He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)', covers of Grizzly Bear by CSS, Band of Horses, and Atlas Sound, as well as collaborations with Dirty Projectors and Zach Condon (of Beirut).

Unfortunately, Grizzly Bear's appearance on Conan O'Brien tonight has been cancelled due to the Writer's Guild strike, but the band will be doing a free show at the Virgin Megastore (Union Square) on Wednesday. Grizzly Bear will take the stage in the cafe at 7:00 pm, but it is a good idea to get there early.

"Friend" tracklist:

01 Alligator (Choir Version) (w/ Zach Condon and Dirty Projectors)
02 He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)
03 Little Brother (Electric)
04 Shift (Alternate Version)
05 Plans (Terrible vs. Nonhorse: Sounds Edit)
06 Granny Diner
07 Knife (CSS)
08 Plans (Band of Horses)
09 Knife (Atlas Sound)
10 Deep Blue Sea (Daniel Rossen Home Recording)

BEIRUT - "The Flying Club Cup"

BEIRUT's new album "The Flying Club Cup" hits stores on October 9th and the amazing La Blogothèque have filmed every track in Brooklyn. The clip for 'Cliquot' features Ed Droste of GRIZZLY BEAR on lead vocals and it is stunning. Also, check out 'Nantes', performed by the whole band as they descend a stairwell into a gritty Brooklyn basement. This is profound stuff.

Beirut w/ Ed Droste (of Grizzly Bear) - Cliquot (filmed by La Blogotheque)

BEIRUT -Cliquot - From the FLYING CLUB CUP
Uploaded by flyingclubcup

Beirut - Nantes (filmed by La Blogotheque)

BEIRUT - Nantes - from The Flying Club Cup
Uploaded by flyingclubcup

You can pre-order the album here. Check out more of these videos at flyingclubcup.com.

CSS & SHOUT OUT OUT OUT OUT at Studio B

CSS may not have made it to Lollapalooza (sorry Chicago!), but they sure rocked the sticky, sweaty, packed like sardines Studio B on Friday night. What a fucking show!!! What a motherfucking crowd!!! I have never seen a New York crowd get so into it - dancing, crowd surfing, and just outright going bonkers. Yes! This may have had something to do with the fact that it was a free show. When I arrived there was a line wrapping way around the block with no end in sight. This was by far the most crowded I have ever seen Studio B.


The band's set got started with a new song (forgive me, I don't know what it was called) before they ripped through all the great ones - 'Patins', 'Fuck Off Is Not the Only Thing', 'Alala', 'Alcohol', and their now infamous cover of L7's 'Let's Pretend We're Dead'. And of course, the closer 'Let's Make Love (and Listen to Death From Above)' was a crowd pleaser, complete with raining confetti and bubbles galore.


GRIZZLY BEAR was in the house (I believe it was the whole band) and Ed Droste seems to have had as much fun as anyone else, as he blogged about the night on the band's website.


Opening act SHOUT OUT OUT OUT OUT were also a lot of fun. It was like a full-on dance party. I only wish I had gotten some better pictures of these guys. They were really fantastic. Check them out! The other opening band DIRTY ON PURPOSE didn't fare quite as well. I personally felt that their music was completely out of place on a night like this. Their dreary shoegaze noise rock was lost on the crowd who just wanted to get sweaty and dance.



-all photos by Scot Bowman and Derek Morris

GRIZZLY BEAR - 'Central and Remote'

Here's the new GRIZZLY BEAR video, which I nominate as a contender for video of the year. Gorgeous and quietly affecting.

Grizzly Bear - Central and Remote (Music Video)

Grizzly Bear - Central and Remote dir Jesse Ewles
Uploaded by jesse_ewles

ZACH CONDON - 'Venice'

A new song has surfaced from ZACH CONDON, the forefront of theskyreport favorite BEIRUT. And solo, it's more of an electro affair. But all glory is not lost, as horns (a signature Beirut sound) deliver a profound punch on the second half of this track.

The song, a gorgeous electro refrain titled 'Venice', appears on a new compilation for The Believer (Magazine), compiled by Pitchfork Media's Brandon Stosuy. The collection also features rare tracks from GRIZZLY BEAR, DEERHUNTER, OF MONTREAL, YACHT, THE BLOW, THE TWILIGHT SAD, SUFJAN STEVENS, EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY and I'M FROM BARCELONA.

Read more on Zach Condon in earlier posts on I Guess I'm Floating and Nialler9.

In other Zach Condon news, he recently joined Ed Droste and GRIZZLY BEAR onstage at the recent Primavera Sound Festival in Spain. I would have died to be there.

DOWNLOAD - Zach Condon - Venice (mp3)