NEW VIDEO FRIDAY

Gnarls Barkley - Run (ft. Justin Timberlake)


Beach House - Heart of Chambers


Underworld - Boy, Boy, Boy


The Juan Maclean - By the Time I Get to Venus

MADONNA - Hard Candy, Tracklist Revealed

As I've confessed before, I am a huge Madonna fan, so pardon while I divulge. The new album has been given the title Hard Candy and will be released April 28th via Warner Bros. The above Dazed & Confused cover is new! Hot! The first single, "4 Minutes", will be released in late March, with a video featuring Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, expected to debut any day now.

Madonna will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at the Waldorf-Astoria in NYC on March 10th.

Hard Candy tracklist:

1. Candy Store
2. 4 Minutes
3. Give it 2 Me
4. Heartbeat
5. Miles Away
6. She's Not Me
7. Incredible
8. Beat Goes On
9. Dance Tonight
10. Spanish Lesson
11. Devil
12. Voices

TAKEN BY TREES - "Sweet Child O' Mine"

If you haven't already, you really should check out the new Taken By Trees single, a beautiful cover of "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N Roses. Victoria Bergsman (The Concretes, Peter, Bjorn & John) gives the classic track a charming makeover that lovingly reinvents it.

The debut album Open Field was released last June via Rough Trade Records.

If you're in San Francisco, be sure to catch Taken By Trees at Great American Music Hall on Saturday, March 1st. They also play The Roxy tonight in LA and the Triple Door in Seattle on March 4th.

STREAM - Taken By Trees - Sweet Child O' Mine

Taken By Trees - Sweet Child O' Mine (music video)

HEADLIGHTS - Some Racing, Some Stopping 80%

Indie pop band Headlights return with their sophomore LP Some Racing, Some Stopping, the follow-up to their 2006 debut Kill Them With Kindness. Led by the male/female duo of Tristan Wraight and Erin Fein, Headlights hail from Champaign, Illinois, a moderate-sized farm town located about 135 miles south of Chicago. Written and recorded entirely in Wraight’s isolated farmhouse outside Champaign, Some Racing, Some Stopping has an auburn-tinged tone that makes it the perfect soundtrack to these chilly days of winter.

The album begins with the slow burning anthem, “Get Your Head Around It”. The delicate opening strains gently pull you into a dream-like story, before bells, drums and “ooh-ooh’s” build into a swell. Wraight sings about overcoming those pesky mistakes that humans are so prone to, urging one, possibly himself, to swallow the past and march on. With its marching band crescendo, the track tells the same story musically.

The album’s first single, “Cherry Tulips”, perhaps best highlights the band’s knack for boy-girl harmonies. The hyper-romantic track showcases Fein’s gorgeous angelic voice, one that’s rich with delicate nuances beneath the fragile sweetness.

“I want the sea,
I want the whole sea
For you and me
For you and me”

Guitars lovingly swim around Fein’s voice, before embodying a very effective high-pitched slide loop at the climax that instantly recalls the Talking Heads.

On the topic of influence, it would be hard not to mention the occasionally distinctive similarity in style to that of the New Pornographers, or even a more lighthearted Arcade Fire. The frequent use of coed harmonies, slow-building anthems, and meticulous storytelling makes the comparison most notable on the driving third track “Market Girl”, which utilizes sleigh bells, instantly catchy hooks, and a euphoric guitar solo as Wraight reminisces:

”I remember I was five,
sitting, watching fire in the sky;
when it was easier for me to feel
different on the 4th of July
And the fireworks,
they’d always make me cry”

The elements embodied by Headlights come together most seamlessly on “Catch Them All”, a stand-out track that amazingly builds into a sort of epic tour de force in well under three minutes. The track is the closest thing here to resemble the blistering rock ‘n’ roll heights of Kill Them With Kindness.

Some Racing, Some Stopping is a solid improvement on their first record, showing a maturity and a grace that is bound to grab many new fans in the coming year. I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see Headlights become an indie major in the months ahead.

Some Racing, Some Stopping is available now on Polyvinyl Records.

Originally published at kevchino.com.

JEREMY JAY - 'Beautiful Rebel'

"Beautiful Rebel", a new track from L.A. singer-songwriterJeremy Jay, immediately caught my attention. Sure it sounds like a cross between T.Rex and David Bowie, but the song is like listening to a vintage classic. Jay first grabbed attention when he put out the six track Airwalker ep last November. Now he is prepping the debut album A Place Where We Could Go, out April 22 on K Records.

Jeremy Jay is playing a handful of shows at SXSW next month. The new single 'Alpha Rhythm' will hit the streets (or headphones) in May.

Jeremy Jay - Airwalker (music video)

A New Song Emerges From THE B-52'S

A new song has emerged from The B-52's hotly anticipated new album Funplex. The new song, "Hot Corner" sounds as if it was recorded during the Cosmic Thing sessions. It's good to see them picking up right where they left off years ago.

In related news, some are ackowledging the Athens, GA resurgence.

Funplex is released March 25 via Astralwerks.

The B-52's - Hot Corner (mp3) via rollingstone.com

Funplex tracklist:

1. Pump
2. Hot Corner
3. Ultraviolet
4. Juliet Of The Spirits
5. Funplex
6. Eyes Wide Open
7. Love In The Year 3000
8. Deviant Ingredient
9. Too Much To Think About
10. Dancing Now
11. Keep This Party Going

PACIFIC! - Reveries

Pacific! are yet another exciting new act from Gothenburg, Sweden who make airy, romantic synth-pop. Their new album Reveries is released tomorrow as an import via Dolores Recordings. The new single "Number One" comes with a fantastic animated video, directed by Stephane Manel. Check it all out below.

You can purchase Reveries here.

Number One by pacific!

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Hot Lips by Pacific!

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Underground Alert - A FAULTY CHROMOSOME

A Faulty Chromosome hail from Austin, Texas [correction: Burbank, CA, though they seem hellbent on relocating to Austin] and make adorable, romantic indie pop. Their new album is called As An Ex-Anorexic's Six Sicks Exit, ....

Check out their bio, new video, full album stream and a couple of mp3's below:

"a faulty chromosome is a slopbucket of shoegaze tremolo, hand-claps, 8-bit blips, water-damaged mister rogers records, mashed casio chords and drum machine’d beats--all bundled up in a warmish childhood memory of hiding beneath the kitchen table in 1986 with their uncle’s overweight cocker spaniel (what was her name? keebo? keeno?). for neophobes and/or the musically nescient, a faulty chromosome (sort of) sounds like: the feelies + new order + half japanese + pavement + my bloody valentine + shaggs + yo la tengo + pere ubu + sebadoh + belle & sebastian + suicide. sort of. they are the quiet kid who hides in the library at lunch time drawing pictures in textbook margins. at worst, enjoyable noise. at best, a charming mess (i guess?)."














A Faulty Chromosome - Jackie O (music video)


A Faulty Chromosome - Jackie O (mp3)
A Faulty Chromosome - Them Pleasures of the Flesh (mp3)

Stream the entire album here.

STRANGE BREAKS & MR. THING

It blows my mind that this amazing new compilation of rare breaks has taken so long to be compiled. The collection is packed with one awesome track after another. At present, the collection cannot be purchased as a whole, but individual tracks are available digitally at bbemusic.com.

Here's what the label has to say about the compilation:

The sound of the sixties and seventies has never been so sought after
as at the present moment. You could even argue that modern music just isn't good enough. As evidence consider this: contemporary producers and artists are often looking back to get inspired - insert staggering number of examples - so you can safely say that even in this digital age the beating heart of modern R&B and hip-hop is still vintage soul, funk and jazz.

This is why BBE Records have teamed up with DJ/Producer Mr Thing, to dig deep into his extensive collection to compile a series of albums of rare and sought after breaks. This series reflects brilliantly on his dedication to digging for those untouched and unrivalled samples and breaks as you hear him use in his DJ sets. As a DJ, Mr Thing never fails to engage the crowd with his winning combination of hip hop and funk breaks spiced up with his legendary mixing and scratching skills.

The first installment in the five part "Strange Breaks & Things" series contains superb songs; some you've probably never heard of, some which may make you go: "I recognize this sample!"… because it was once used as the backdrop for a classic Hip Hop track. If you liked the legendary "Strange Games" compilation series on BBE compiled by the likes of Kenny Dope & DJ Spinna, you'll love "Strange Breaks & Things".

The Discoettes - Yes We Can Can (mp3) (from Strange Breaks & Mr. Thing)

ALL POINTS WEST Official Poster, Tickets On Sale February 29

Many more acts should be announced in the coming weeks...

apwfestival.com

ALL POINTS WEST Line-up Announced!

Billboard.com is reporting that Radiohead will indeed headline the first two nights of the inaugural All Points West Festival, to be held August 8-10 at Liberty State Park, directly across the Hudson River from Lower Manhattan. The festival is being presented by Goldenvoice and the masterminds of Coachella.

In less exciting news, Jack Johnson will headline the third night of the festival.

Also confirmed:

Underworld
Cat Power
New Pornographers
Girl Talk
CSS
Black Kids
Animal Collective
Kings of Leon
The Roots
Andrew Bird
The Go! Team
Mates of State
Sia
Rogue Wave
The Virgins
Metric
Chromeo
The Black Angels
Juana Molina
Amadou & Mariam
Michael Franti & Spearhead
and more...

THE BIG SLEEP - Sleep Forever

The Big Sleep have arrived! I have had the track "Bad Blood" on repeat for the last week. It is a track that grows on you more and more with every listen and now I am officially a big fan. Sleep Forever, the sophomore LP from the Brooklyn-based indie shoegaze band, was released yesterday on Frenchkiss Records.

The Big Sleep are also currently on tour. The next stop is the Mercury Lounge in NYC tomorrow night, February 21. They will also be playing a handful of gigs at SXSW in Austin next month. Full tour dates below.

Buy Sleep Forever at Insound.

The Big Sleep - Bad Blood (mp3)
The Big Sleep - Pinkies (mp3)

The Big Sleep - Slow Race (live on La Blogotheque)

THE BIG SLEEP - Slow Race
by lablogotheque

The Big Sleep tour dates:

02-21 New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
02-27 Grantham, PA @ Messiah College
02-28 Washington, DC @ Black Cat
03-01 Allston, MA @ Great Scott
03-05 Norfolk, VA @ The Boot
03-06 Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
03-07 Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn
03-08 Birmingham, AL @ Bottle Tree
03-12 Austin, TX @ Mohawk (Frenchkiss Records Showcase)
03-13 Austin, TX @ Red Eyed Fly (Noise Pop Party)
03-14 Austin, TX @ Beauty Bar (Little Radio Party)
03-15 Austin, TX @ Saxon Pub (Outside Distro Party)
03-18 Bloomington, IN @ The Blue
03-19 Chicago, IL @ AV-Aerie
03-20 Columbus, OH @ Ravari Room
04-04 Washington, DC @ Black Cat ##
04-05 Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of the Living Arts ##
## w/ Les Savy Fav

HEADLIGHTS - 'Cherry Tulips'

Headlights hail from Champaign, Illinois. Led by Erin Fein and Tristan Wraight, Headlights make sugary sweet indie pop, full of boy-girl melodies, catchy guitar riffs and swirling organs. Their 2nd LP Some Racing, Some Stopping hits stores today, and the first single "Cherry Tulips" has a brand new video. Check it out below.

Headlights are currently touring the States, with an NYC show at the Mercury Lounge on Sunday, February 24.

Head over to the Headlights Myspace page to download "Cherry Tulips".

Headlights - Cherry Tulips (music video)

New YEASAYER Video - 'Wait for the Summer'

Brooklyn based Yeasayer are riding the wave of critical success from their 2007 debut album All Hour Cymbals. Having just wrapped a US tour with MGMT, Yeasayer launch their European tour tomorrow night in Nijmegen, Netherlands. Check out their impressive performance of "2080" recently on Conan. The beautiful new video for "Wait for the Summer" was directed by Mixtape Club, also responsible for TV on the Radio's "Me-I" clip.

More info on Yeasayer.

Yeasayer - 2080 (mp3) (via yeasayer.net)
Yeasayer - Sunrise (mp3) (via yeasayer.net)

Yeasayer - Wait for the Summer (music video)

THE RAVEONETTES - Lust Lust Lust Out Tomorrow, New Video for 'Aly, Walk With Me'

The Raveonettes are back with the new album Lust Lust Lust, a striking return to the dirtier sound of their 2002 debut Whip It On. The album is great! If you like drony guitars, catchy melodies, and gritty, distorted rock you should definitely check it out. The third video from the album, for the opening track "Aly, Walk With Me", has surfaced, as well, download the standout gem "Dead Sound" below.

Lust Lust Lust is out tomorrow on Vice Records.

The Raveonettes - Dead Sound (mp3)
The Raveonettes - Dead Sound (Peter Holmstrom and Jeremy Sherrer remix) (mp3)

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

CSS Finishing New Album in Sao Paulo

CSS have been back at home in Brazil putting the finishing touches on their 2nd as yet untitled LP. Tim Noakes traveled to Sao Paulo to document the band in the studio and doing their first homecoming show since exploding onto the global scene over a year ago. Check out the series of films Noakes shot for Dazed & Confused Magazine...

CSS - Back to Brazil

The new album is due sometime this year, possibly as early as this summer.

New Video Friday

Justice - Phantom pt. II


Kanye West - Flashing Lights


New Pornographers - Myriad Harbour


Beach House - You Came To Me


Marissa Nadler - Mexican Summer

MOBY - 'Disco Lies'

"Disco Lies" is the second music video from Moby's forthcoming dance album Last Night. The track is simply hot, recalling Moby's seminal Everything is Wrong album. The blaxploitation-style video expresses Moby's long-time stance as an animal activist, depicting a baby chick who grows up to exact revenge on Colonel Sanders.

"Last Night is basically a love letter to dance music in New York City. What I love about the New York approach to dance music is the eclecticism and the open minded-ness on the part of the musicians, the dj's, and the people in the bars and clubs. In making Last Night, I essentially tried to take a long 8 hour night out in New York City and condense it into a 65 minute long album." -Moby

Moby - Disco Lies (music video)


Speaking of a night out in New York City, Moby will be spinning records TONIGHT alongside Mixhell (of Brazil) and Drop The Lime (who recently opened for Robyn with an amazing DJ set). The night of dance music is the latest in Moby's series of Degenerate parties at Hiro Ballroom in Manhattan.



Last Night is due April 1 from Mute Records.

LADYTRON - Velocifero

Ladytron have announced the details of their upcoming new album Velocifero. The disc, produced with the help of Alessandro Cortini and Vicarious Bliss, is set to be released in the US on June 3 via Nettwerk Music Group.

That's all we've got right now, but expect more details soon...

Velocifero tracklist:

01 Black Cat
02 Ghosts
03 I'm Not Scared
04 Runaway
05 Season of Illusions
06 Burning Up
07 Kletva
08 They Gave You a Heart They Gave You a Name
09 Predict the Day
10 The Lovers
11 Deep Blue
12 Tomorrow
13 Versus

THE DUKE SPIRIT - 'The Step and The Walk'

British rock band The Duke Spirit wowed me a couple years ago at Coachella when they braved an early spot on the mainstage under the boiling desert heat. That was back when they were touring in support of their awesome debut album Cuts Across the Land. Now they're back with their follow-up LP Neptune. The first single and video is "The Step and The Walk" and it is hot, particularly Leila Moss and her howling vocal.

Neptune is out on April 4 via Shangri-La Music.

STREAM - The Duke Spirit - various tracks

The Duke Spirit - The Step and The Walk (music video)

HILLARY CLINTON, Rock Star

Underground Alert - PASS KONTROL

Introducing Pass Kontrol, an underground Brooklyn duo, who already have a loyal following in both Bushwick and Berlin. The band's impressive versatility is best experienced live. And if you're in NY, don't miss their next show, February 23 at the Bushwick Starr. The guys made a special video invite to the show, with a special performance on a Brooklyn rooftop.



To experience the more ambient side of Pass Kontrol, stream a handful of tracks below.

STREAM - Pass Kontrol - various tracks

THE TOUGH ALLIANCE - 'A New Chance'

The Tough Alliance have been under my radar for a while now, but I've never managed to post about them. They are a male duo from Gothenburg, Sweeden who make irresistable retro synth-pop. Their latest album A New Chance was released last year through Sincerely Yours/Summer Lovers Unlimited. Read Pitchfork's glowing review.

STREAM - The Tough Alliance - First Class Riot

The Tough Alliance - A New Chance (music video)

ROBYN @ Highline Ballroom, NYC

Robyn played her first "live" gig in the US last night, turning in a charismatic one hour show that was hugely focused on her most recent self-titled release. And though that "release" has yet to be shipped to the US, the crowd knew every word to every song. Robyn was clearly exhilerated by the crowd's enthusiasm.

The Swedish pop queen kicked off the show with a cover of The Teddybears' "Cobrastyle", then went on to play one crowd pleaser after another, including "Konichiwa Bitches", "With Every Heartbeat", "Be Mine", "Handle Me", and "Bum Like You".

The encore began with a stripped down version of her 90's US hit "Show Me Love", before she finally succombed to the crowd's demands for her cover of Prince's "Jack U Off". Someone in the crowd even had a huge sign that screamed the song's NSFW title. Her rendition of the track was playful and upbeat, sending the crowd into a near frenzy. Then Robyn calmed things down for the final track, an emotional, acoustic version of "Be Mine", as taken from The Rakamonie EP.

Robyn only makes stops in San Francisco and Los Angeles, before heading back across the Atlantic, but she will return in March for SXSW in Austin. The Rakamonie EP is available now from Interscope Records. The LP is tentatively scheduled for an April release, though it has been out in other countries for close to three years.

Robyn - With Every Heartbeat (live at Highline Ballroom)

LIGHTSPEED CHAMPION

Devonte Hynes used to be a part of the now defunct indie-rock/art-punk band Test Icicles. Since his departure, Hynes as formed a new and completely different band altogether. With Lightspeed Champion, Hynes has found his voice, crafting unique folk-pop songs with a decidedly more realistic tone than that of Test Icicles. With a recent NME cover, Hynes’ new venture seems to be paying off big time.

For the debut album Falling Off the Lavender Bridge, Hynes flew to Omaha, Nebraska to work with Mike Mogis, a prominent collaborator of Conor Oberst’s and resident producer for Saddle Creek Records. The album also features vocalist Emmy The Great, as well as members of The Faint, Cursive, and Tilly & the Wall. On tracks like “Midnight Surprise” and “Tell Me What It’s Worth”, Lightspeed Champion’s songs tell richly-woven personal stories, which Hynes says were inspired both by dreams and reality. Upon listening to the record, it is abundantly clear that this is an extremely autobiographical work. Of the songwriting process, Hynes has said, “I obsess over songwriting to the point where when I listen to music I hear the song rather than the genre”.

Falling Off the Lavender Bridge was released February 5th via Domino Records. For more info on Lightspeed Champion, visit Myspace.

Originally published as part of Buzzworthy at Kevchino.com.

Lightspeed Champion - Galaxy of the Lost (music video)


Lightspeed Champion - Tell Me What It's Worth (music video)

BEACH HOUSE - "Devotion" 89%

Beach House are the Baltimore girl/boy duo of vocalist/organist Victoria Legrand and guitarist/keyboardist Alex Scally. With their 2006 eponymous debut, the duo found themselves warmly embraced by bloggers, drawing critical comparisons to Mazzy Star, Slowdive and Galaxie 500. Now, with their follow-up LP Devotion, Beach House take their concept one step further, offering eleven new tracks that display a more assured confidence and an overall fuller sound.

Scally and Legrand are devout collectors of organs. In fact, on Devotion they used six different organs alone. The instrument has a unique and perfect relation to Legrand’s voice, which together can create a beauty so rich your heart nearly melts. The duo also have a deep affection for vinyl, recommending that you seek out the double-LP edition of the album for the best experience of the new release.

Devotion opens with the wistful “Wedding Bell”, which uses a harpsichord and Scally’s slide guitar to dance alongside Legrand’s blue-tone sing-song voice. By Beach House standards, this track is about as fun as they get. The sepia, slow-motion of “You Came To Me” follows, where it becomes clear that Legrand’s hushed and dreamy vocal style is nuanced and rich with character in a way that recalls Georgia Hubley and, at times, Nico. “Gila” is the most reminiscent track of the debut album, following a drum loop with the faithful organ, as Legrand’s echoed vocals meander along with the mystical charm of a skilled snake, before letting loose a restrained desperation by track’s end.

What’s most impressive about the work here, is the deeply layered variation of influence, which in very subtle ways utilizes such novelty sounds as 60’s Motown, 50’s country, and 90’s noise rock, only to create eerily warm, late night soothing lullabies.

Devotion also features a short and sweet cover of Daniel Johnston’s “Some Things Last A Long Time”, another sepia-drenched dreamlike moment that almost serves as an interlude between two deeper tracks. Among the eleven tracks, “Turtle Island” and “D.A.R.L.I.N.G” are highlights, songs wherein the style that is Beach House hits a crucial height. These tracks walk a beautiful fine line between dazed melancholy and minimalist pop.

All in all, the album as a whole is best experienced after multiple listens, when the deep layers of instrumentation and hidden melodies can finally seep through. Devotion is released on February 26 via Carpark Records.

-Originally published at Kevchino.com

LYKKE LI - 'I'm Good, I'm Gone'

This is just awesome!! Lykke Li has just released this DIY video of herself singing 'I'm Good, I'm Gone', with a little help from Robyn and members of The Concretes and Shout Out Louds. It's like a Swedish power group or something. Most importantly, though, is how the video showcases the budding young talent of Li herself. Keep an eye on this girl. She's bound to do wonderful things in the near future.

Lykke Li - I'm Good, I'm Gone

DEBORAH HARRY - 'If I Had You'

Deborah Harry has a new single from her recent solo album "Necessary Evil". 'If I had You' also has a new video, which serves as a sort of retrospective of her amazing career and also features live footage from her recent solo tour. The song is a gentle rock ballad that true Debbie Harry fans should love. Check out the new video below.

"Necessary Evil" is in stores now.

Deborah Harry - If I Had You (music video)

New Video Friday

Shocking Pinks - Emily


The Raveonettes - You Want the Candy


Cut Copy - Lights and Music


Hercules and Love Affair ft. Antony - Blind

PALEBOY, Saturday Night in Brooklyn

I will be doing a laptop DJ set at the Northeast Kingdom Lounge Saturday night from 10 - 2. The NK Lounge is in Bushwick...just take the L Train to Jefferson and exit at Starr St. It's on the same block, at the corner of Wyckoff and Troutman.

Expect modern electro and rock, as well as new wave/eighties dance tracks and a dash of post-punk for good measure.

$2 PBR's and $5 draft and chalkboard wines. It's a cheap night out, with great music in a cozy, intimate space.