SERENA-MANEESH - S-M 2: Abyss In B Minor

Serena-Maneesh - I Just Want To See Your Face [mp3 via 4AD]
Serena-Maneesh - Ayisha Abyss [mp3 via 4AD]

Norway's Serena-Maneesh make a lot of noise. Back in 2005 I would occasionally play their track "Drain Cosmetics" at the restaurant I worked at and complaints would inevitably scatter throughout the dining room. So maybe this band isn't ideal for dinner time, but what they do is pretty damn incredible. Deeply ensconced in their love of My Bloody Valentine and the like, Serena-Maneesh are very into that "wall of noise" sound and have no issue with blowing your eardrums out the back door. Their second lp S-M 2: Abyss In B Minor sees its release on March 23rd via their new label 4AD.

THE RADIO DEPT. - Heaven's On Fire

The Radio Dept. - Heaven's On Fire [mp3 courtesy of Labrador Records]

The weeks are slowly dwindling away in the seemingly never ending wait for the new Radio Dept. album to drop. Clinging To A Scheme still doesn't come out until April 21st, but now we have this new single to tide us over. "Heaven's On Fire" reportedly uses a Thurston Moore sample and features a b-side cover of Sade's "All About Our Love". The official single becomes available on March 24th.

BEAR IN HEAVEN Launch Tour

Bear In Heaven - Lovesick Teenagers [mp3]

Bear In Heaven landed at #23 on our Best Albums of 2009 list a couple months ago with their excellent second album Beast Rest Forth Mouth. Now the band are launching a U.S. tour, kicking off with the next Popgun party at Glasslands on February 19th. The tour will find the band sharing dates with Cymbals Eat Guitars before winding down to SXSW next month. View full tour dates here.

YEASAYER Release Odd Blood

Yeasayer released Odd Blood yesterday. May the 2010 best of lists begin! Get the new single "O.N.E." for free at yeasayer.net. Watch the amazing, yet very NSFW video for "Ambling Alp" below. Nudity alert!

LOCAL NATIVES - Gorilla Manor

Local Natives - Sun Hands [mp3]

LA's Local Natives are poised to go big in 2010. The mounting buzz surrounding their debut LP Gorilla Manor has reached the boiling point and now it's time for us all to see if it really lives up to the hype. The band can instantly be categorized somewhere in the range of Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear upon first listen, but when digging deeper it becomes apparent that they have a voice all of their own. Gorilla Manor doesn't come out until next week, but you can stream the album in its entirety right now at NPR.

THE GOLDEN FILTER - Hide Me

Recently we mentioned that The Golden Filter's debut album is coming soon. Now we have a new track called "Hide Me". This is like Goldfrapp on ecstasy.

The Golden Filter - Hide Me [mediafire]

GOLDEN AGES - Tradition

Philadelphia's Golden Ages is yet another one-man bedroom producer making beautifully trippy electronic jams. Think MillionYoung, Memory Cassette, Washed Out, etc. No one seems to know this guy's real identity, but that should change soon, as success should pull him out of the shadows very soon. The new lp Tradition is available now on iTunes and a vinyl release is imminent. Take a listen.

Golden Ages - Everything Will Be Alright [mp3]
Golden Ages - Be Cool [mp3]

LITTLE GIRLS Covers BEACH HOUSE

Little Girls of Toronto are in love with the new Beach House album. To pay tribute, the band has covered their track "10 Mile Stereo", giving it their own drone-induced sound. Check it out.

Little Girls - 10 Mile Stereo [mp3]

FREDRIK - Trilogi

Fredrik - Locked in the Basement [mp3]

Now a sextet, Swedish electronic band Fredrik is back with sophomore LP Trilogi, released earlier this week.

"In a lot of ways, Trilogi picks up right where Fredrik’s debut, Na Na Ni, ended. Fredrik Hultin's smoothly volatile voice and earnest northern european folk compositions sit indistinguishably on top of Lindefelt's brushed, shadowy rhythms and trademark electronica-before-electricity washes of sound."

New video for "Viskra" below, directed by Dutch filmmaker Iris Piers. Well worth watching!


Fredrik - Viskra from The Kora Records on Vimeo.

Fredrik tour dates:

02/13 - Washington, DC Crab's Claw
02/14 - New York, NY Mercury Lounge
02/15 - New York, NY Pianos
02/18 - Brooklyn, NY Union Hall
02/19 - New York, NY Permanent Records In-Store
02/10 - Baltimore, MD Metro Gallery
02/21 - Harrisburg, PA Midtown Bookstore
02/22 - Washington, DC Black Cat
02/23 - Philadelphia, The M Room

WE ARE WOLVES - Invisible Violence

We Are Wolves - Holding Hands [mp3]
We Are Wolves - Blue [mp3]

Montreal dance/rock/electro trio We Are Wolves will release their third album Invisible Violence on Dare To Care Records - digital 02/02 - physical 02/23. Uneventful, but well shot video for leadoff single "Holding Hands" below.


We Are Wolves || Holding Hands music video from Dare To Care Records on Vimeo.

Previously:

We Are Wolves on The Sky Report, July 2007


We Are Wolves || Fight & Kiss from Dare To Care Records on Vimeo.

BELOVED ROGUE - Daysleeping

Beloved Rogue - Capital Sense [mp3]

Beloved Rogue are a trio from Brooklyn who seem to have a deep affection for vintage shoegazer bands like Ride and Swervedriver. If you've read this blog for more than a minute than you might know that I'm a sucker for this kind of sound. Last fall the band released the three track ep Polaurora and they have a 7" available now at Insound. "Daysleeping" video and live dates below. More on the band here.



Upcoming live dates:

02/17 Trash Bar, Brooklyn
02/22 Cake Shop, NYC

SURFER BLOOD - Astro Coast

Florida based fuzz-pop outfit Surfer Blood are getting all kinds of crazy attention with the recent release of their debut LP Astro Coast. Are they worth the hype? Check out two tracks from the new album:

Surfer Blood - Floating Vibes [mp3]

Surfer Blood - Swim [mp3]

KING KHAN AND THE SHRINES Prep Tour

King Khan and the Shrines - Land of the Freak [mp3]

King Khan is reinstating one of his many outfits, as he and The Shrines return to the stage this spring with their "celebrated psychedelic soul big band explosion" on tour, ending with what is sure to be an awe-inspiring show at Coachella. Last year the band released the LP What Is It?!, one of three records King Khan put out in 2009. All dates below.

03-27 Atlanta, GA - The Earl
03-29 Carrboro, NC - Cats Cradle
03-30 Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
03-31 Chattanooga, TN - JJ's Bohemia
04-01 Nashville, TN - Exit/In
04-02 Memphis TN - Hi-Tone Cafe
04-03 Birmingham AL - Bottletree
04-05 Austin, TX - Emos
04-06 Dallas, TX - Sons of Hermann
04-08 Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
04-09 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
04-10 Boise ID - Neurolux
04-11 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
04-12 Vancouver, BC - Venue
04-13 Seattle, WA - Neumos
04-15 San Francisco, CA - Bimbos 365 Club
04-18 Indio, CA - Coachella

TORO Y MOI - Blessa

Toro Y Moi toplined our Ten Most Promising Acts of 2010 list just a few weeks ago, and here he is with a new video from his debut lp Causers of This. We've been rocking "Blessa" for some months now. See (and hear) what all the fuss is about.

Toro Y Moi - Blessa [mp3]

New MILLIONYOUNG ep - Be So True

MillionYoung - Cynthia [megaupload]

We told you about new "chillwave" electronic artist MillionYoung last month and his Sunndreamm ep showed up at #9 on our Best EP's of 2009 list. Now he has a new ep titled Be So True, due January 19th on Arcade Sound Ltd.. This guy is going places. Catch him when he plays a pair of NYC dates in March.

3/11 Glasslands - Brooklyn
3/12 Piano's - Manhattan

PANTHA DU PRINCE to Release Black Noise

Pantha du Prince - The Splendour [mp3]

Pantha du Prince first grabbed my attention with his previous release This Bliss. His new album Black Noise is due February 9th via Rough Trade and features guest contributions from Noah Lennox of Animal Collective and Tyler Pope of !!! and LCD Soundsystem. Stream more Pantha du Prince here.

THE GOLDEN FILTER - Thunderbird

The Golden Filter - "Thunderbird" from The Golden Filter on Vimeo.

Get the free mp3 at thegoldenfilter.com.

CFCF - Continent

CFCF has made waves here before. Now he's back, and this time with a full-length album.

"Continent, the long awaited debut full length from Montreal's CFCF (aka Mike Silver), takes Silver's musical and visual influences and turns them to song, leading one through varying landscapes and moods. The album comes to us after a long string of remixes for HEALTH, The Presets, The Teenagers, and Hearts Revolution. In the time leading up to Continent, he released the Panesian Nights EP and The Explorers single, which featured label-mate and frequent collaborator Sally Shapiro."

You can purchase the album digitally at Paperbag Records.

CFCF - Monolith [mp3]

Previously:

New RAVEONETTES - The Chosen One

Vice Records and The Raveonettes are offering up the new, previously unreleased track "The Chosen One" for free. "The jittery soda-shop stomp" is not a bad outtake from the new album In and Out of Control.

The Raveonettes - The Chosen One [mp3]

FRANKIE ROSE - Thee Only One

Frankie Rose, drummer for Crystal Stilts and formerly of Vivian Girls, has stepped up to bat with her first solo effort, the new single "Thee Only One".

"Ms. Rose's music is haunted by the ghosts of 60s girl group, Brill Building, and 80s and 90s noise pop in equal measure. It's a spooky, lovely sound -- Frankie's ethereal yet affectation-free voice swirling in a sea of church-like harmonies over a bed of tambourines, bells, and propulsive drumming. Recalling in spirit such groups as The Aislers Set and Black Tambourine, Frankie's music is both timeless and immediate, both deeply personal and completely universal."

Brooklyn Vegan reports that Rose has left Crystal Stilts to fully embark on her solo project. She will also be drumming for Dum Dum Girls when they play CMJ in New York this week.

Frankie Rose - Thee Only One [mp3]

Backed by her new band The Outs, Frankie Rose will debut her new material at these upcoming gigs:

Nov 5 The WOODSER - Brooklyn
Nov 13 THE BLACK CAT with CRYSTAL STILTS - Washington DC
Nov 14 THE BELL HOUSE with CRYSTAL STILTS - Brooklyn