Thursday, September 20, 2012

San Francisco psych-pop sextet Adios Amigo premiere video from new EP via The Bay Bridged


Click image above to watch video


"Pure California dreaming: nostalgic, jangly music that makes you feel sun-soaked and happy." -- The Deli SF Magazine 

"Happy, hopeful, celebratory music." -- NPR

"The pure indie-pop bliss of Adios Amigo occasionally dipped towards mellow Belle & Sebastian sentimentality, at other points rocking more Shins-like." -- SF Bay Guardian

"This indie pop group bolsters itself with warm, murky harmonies and lovely, listless vocals. All four instrumentalists sing on every song, and the resulting music is more akin to British Invasion-style rock than contemporary pop - three-part harmonies rather than a lead over backing vocals. Most tracks start with a tantalizingly drawn-out major seventh chord. Sometimes the musicians hover on one tonal center for an entire song, the same way a painter might obsess over a single color. They're forgiven." -- East Bay Express



San Francisco psych-pop sextet Adios Amigo today premiere the first video from their sophomore release, Dos . The shuffling, upbeat sweet love song "Chicken" is depicted in stop-motion photography of director Caitlyn Adkins, posted by The Bay Bridged. Watch video HERE. 

The song is culled from Adios Amigo's new 5-song Dos EP which available to download/stream HERE.

Adios Amigo began in the South American capital city of Santiago, Chile. It was here that singer/songwriter/guitarist Johnny Major, during his college year abroad, began writing love songs on an old, beat-up guitar for a Chilean girl whom he would go on to marry. It would be 8 years and tens of thousands of miles traveled before John would record his music and assemble a band. Adios Amigo is the culmination, and also the beginning of his musical aspirations coming to light. 

Adios Amigo, the band, was put together after completion of recordings in the Sacramento studio of engineer David Pullin (Sholi, The Soft White Sixties). All instruments were performed by Major, and the recordings would go on to become Adios Amigo's self-titled debut EP. With only songs written on acoustic guitar, and having never been played with a full band, the sound was invented through layering of guitar and vocal tracks, and the end result was a harmonious wall of sound, reminiscent of Broken Social Scene's grandiose indie rock symphony. Major's singing and writing style can be likened to Elliott Smith, his vocals delivered softly with strategic harmonies, in traditional pop song structure.
. 
The band's two EPs are an eclectic batch of songs tied together by a pop sensibility and a calm, upbeat sentimentality. The songs are about various elements of life: love, past, present, future, and falling asleep on the couch with somebody special. There is not an unhappy note among them. 

In the spring of 2011, Major recruited musician friends to bring his music to life in a live setting. Following some minor lineup changes in recent months, the band has now expanded to a six piece with new members from defunct SF indie-folk group, Red Weather. Johnny Major also plays drums in San Francisco based indie-folk band, Il Gato. All members of Adios Amigo reside in San Francisco, CA.  

ADIOS AMIGO LIVE:
10/05  San Francisco, CA @ Elbo Room


Artist: Adios Amigo
Album: Dos
Label: Adios Amigo Music
Release Date: June 1st, 2012

01. Colony's Dead
02. Chicken  (MP3) (VIDEO)
03. Never Forget
04. Take Me to Heaven
05. Pretty Pretty Princess


Artist: Adios Amigo
Album: Adios Amigo
Label: Adios Amigo Music
Release Date: March 5th, 2012

01. Intro
02. Play You (VIDEO)
03. Debut (MP3)
04. Easy To Hide (VIDEO)
05. The Couch








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For more information, contact Dave at US/THEM group: dave@usthemgroup.com

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British post-rock faves Maybeshewill premiere new song via RCRD LBL from forthcoming third album

Click image above to watch video

"A daring artistic shift, moving from the linear esoterica of Mogwai towards their more kaleidoscopic contemporaries 65daysofstatic. By the final brilliant closer 'To The Skies From A Hillside', not only is their wellspring of underlying grandeur being tapped, it's also clear that there's even greeter things to come, too." 4/5 -- Kerrang

"Epic guitars, crashing drums and intense keys -- it's a dramatic record that will shake your bones." -- NME



Leicestershire, UK's Maybeshewill premiere a new song today from the forthcoming North American release of their third album, I Was Here For A Moment, Then I Was Gone. The song, "Red Paper Lanterns" is posted courtesy of RCRD LBL and available to download/stream HERE. 

Check out official videos for "Red Paper Lanterns" HERE as well as album tracks "To The Skies From A Hillside" HERE and "Critical Distance" HERE.

The quartet is currently on a headlining tour in Europe, which will be followed by shows with ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead in October. Please see complete dates below.  

Maybeshewill is James Collins (drums), Matt Daly (keyboards) John Helps (guitar), Robin Southby (guitar) and Jamie Ward (bass). They've worked tirelessly over the past five years through endless touring and three full-length albums to build a loyal and enthusiastic following across the world. Sticking to steadfastly DIY ethics, the band have self-recorded all their material to date and aspire to be as self sufficient as possible.

The band released their debut four-track EP entitled Japanese Spy Transcript on their own label, Robot Needs Home Records in early 2006 which was later picked up by Japan's XTAL Recordings (Caspian, Yndi Halda) and released in an extended form in August of the same year. Nottingham's Field Records released the band's self-recorded debut album Not For Want Of Trying in May 2008. The record was Huw Stephen's album of the week on his BBC Radio 1 show in its week of release and received glowing reviews from RockSound (8/10), Kerrang (4/5) and Drowned In Sound (8/10), amongst many others. After touring the release extensively around the UK with friends Fight Fire With Water, Worriedaboutsatan and And So I Watch You From Afar, they quickly began working on their second fell-length.

A year later, in June 2009, Sing The Word Hope In Four-Part Harmony was released, once again through Field Records. After much touring worldwide, the band joined the Function Records roster in 2011, releasing I Was Here For A Moment, Then I Was Gone in the UK, Europe and Japan in June. The album was once again self-recorded with Jamie at the board, though this time the band worked in more traditional recording studios.

The album received wide-spread critical acclaim across the board, including Kerrang (4/5), RockSound (8/10), Big Cheese (4/5), NME (7/10) and Artrocker (4/5). In an unprecedented move, the album was played back to back in its entirety on Kerrang Radio in its week of release and gained the group "Band of the Week" accolade on RockSound's website for two weeks running.

I Was Here For A Moment, Then I Was Gone will be available on LP, CD and download on October 30th, 2012 via Function Records. 

MAYBESHEWILL on tour:
 09/22  Thessaloniki, Greece @ Eightball Live Stage
09/23  Istanbul, Turkey @ Peyote
09/24  Sofia, Bulgaria @ The Box
09/25  Bucharest, Romania @ B52
09/26  Belgrade, Serbia @ Fest
09/27  Osijek, Croatia @ Klub Mini Theatre
09/28  Zagreb, Croatia @ AKC Attack
09/29  Ljubljana, Slovenia @ Channel Zero
09/30  Budapest, Hungary @ Durer Kert
10/05  Duisburg, Germany @ Grammatikoff *
10/06  Munster, Germany @ Gleiss 22 *
10/07  Bremen, Germany @ Lagerhaus *
10/09  Colchester, UK @ Arts Centre *
10/10  London, UK @ Scala *
10/11  Manchester, UK @ 02 Academy *
10/13  Edinburgh, UK @ Liquid Rooms *
10/14  York, UK @ Fibbers *
10/15  Norwich, UK @ Arts Centre *
10/17  Berlin, Germany @ Lido *
10/18  Cologne, Germany @ Gebaude 9 *
10/19  Utrecht, Netherlands @ Tivoli De Helling *
10/20  Frankfurt, Germany @ Zoom *
10/21  Antwerp, Belgium @ Trix *
10/22  Paris, France @ Nouveau Casino *
11/01  Nottingham, UK @ Rock City
11/02  Liverpool, UK @ Mello Mello
11/03  Leeds, UK @ Damnation Festival
11/05  Aberdeen, UK @ Tunnels
11/06  Glasgow, UK @ ABC2
11/07  Newcastle, UK @ Trillians
11/08  Bristol, UK @ The Exchange
11/09  Birmingham, UK @ 02 Academy 3
12/22  Leicester, UK @ Y Theatre

* w/ ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead


Artist: Maybeshewill
Album: I Was Here For A Moment, Then I Was Gone
Label: Function Records
Release Date: October 30th, 2012

01. Opening
02. Take This To Heart
03. Red Paper Lanterns (MP3) (VIDEO)
04. Critical Distance (VIDEO)
05. Accolades
06. An End To Camaraderie
07. Words For Arabella
08. Farewell Sarajevo
09. Relative Minors
10. To The Skies From A Hillside (VIDEO)


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Monday, September 17, 2012

UK electronic artist Stumbleine premieres stunning dreampop rendition of Mazzy Star song via RCRD LBL



Bristol, UK electronic artist Stumbleine premieres the first song from the forthcoming genre-defying full length debut, Spiderwebbed via RCRD LBL today. The tune, a lush and hazy revision of Mazzy Star's 90s hit "Fade Into You" is available to stream/download HERE. 

Emerging from Bristol's ever-fertile music scene (perhaps most famous for legends like Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky, but also widely considered "Britain's most musical city"), Stumbleine has built a sizable following in less than a year with several self-released EPs and a recent compilation album, in addition to collaborative outings with fellow producer ASA. He also reports for active duty as one third of dubstep envelope pushers Swarms, whose music has found favor among tastemaker BBC DJs such as Mary Anne Hobbs.

On Spiderwebbed, his enrapturing, genre transcending full length debut; Stumbleine beautifully showcases the multifaceted nature of his music, seamlessly weaving fractured beats, synths, hazy distorted guitars and soulful vocals to create glowing, expansive sonic vistas. In keeping with the album’s title, the music hangs gossamer like, a delicate suspension of sound; beautifully anchored to an array of solid syncopated beats.

Guest vocalists CoMa and Steffaloo contribute their ample talents to the dreamy "The Beat My Heart Skips" and a cover of Mazzy Star’s "Fade Into You", and Birds of Passage lend warmth and poignancy to "Catherine Wheel." Elsewhere, silky, spectral R'n'B vocals spin plaintively through the shimmering "Capulet" and "Solar Flare", whilst the chilled, sweeping cadences of "Honey Comb" and "The Corner Of Her Eye" offer perfect counterweight to the taut urban swing of "If You" and "Cherry Blossom."

Spiderwebbed will be available November 13th via Monotreme Records on CD and download as well as 180 gm vinyl LP, which comes with a free copy of the album CD.


Artist: Stumbleine
Album: Spiderwebbed
Label: Monotreme Records
Release Date: November 13th, 2012

01. Cherry Blossom
02. If You
03. Capulet
04. The Beat My Heart Skips (ft. CoMa)
05. Honey Comb
06. Solar Flare
07. Fade Into You (ft. Steffaloo) (MP3)
08. Kaleidoscope
09. The Corner of Her Eye
10. Catherine Wheel (ft. Birds Of Passage) 



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Thursday, September 13, 2012

Indian Handcrafts premiere new song via Pitchfork, announce fall tour with Red Fang & Black Tusk

Click image above to watch teaser video

"It leans mightily into a spastic sludge-funk groove that could give chills to fans of Maggot Brain-era Funkadelic and Big Business alike - and maybe pop fans, too, since both dudes have voices that are elastic like metal Minaj. Call it a prog-glurp masterwork." -- SPIN 


Canadian power-duo Indian Handcrafts premiere the second track from their forthcoming sophomore album Civil Disobedience For Losers today via Pitchfork. The ferocious song "Terminal Horse" is available to download/stream HERE (alternate Soundcloud link HERE). Indian Handcrafts also take to the road in November with Red Fang and Black Tusk, following this weekend's performance at the Rifflandia Festival. Please see complete dates below. 

The duo recently premiered the first track from the album courtesy of SPIN.com. The song, "Bruce Lee" is available HERE (alternate Soundcloud link HERE). The band recently released a behind-the-scenes video studio shot while recording the album -- featuring cameos from some heavy friends . The Toronto band's sophomore release, Civil Disobedience For Losers was recorded in Los Angeles back in March with engineer Toshi Kasai (Melvins, Big Business, Red Sparowes). Watch teaser video HERE. 

Everything about Canadian power-duo Indian Handcrafts seems to defy possibilities: a two piece that's louder than a hundred bands, kicking out one of the year's most riff-rollicking albums that was recorded while the guitarist had a broken hand! They're two friendly, soft-spoken Canadian guys sounding like the Funkadelic Mothership crash landing on top of the Planet Caravan in Interstellar Overdrive.

Indian Handcrafts' well honed, massive melodic heft seems to belie the simplicity of instrumentation between drummer/vocalist Brandyn James Aikins and guitarist/vocalist Daniel Brandon Allen. While their songs feature hints of heavy, technically skilled bands like Big Business, Hella and Tweakbird, there are also strong melodies and a vocal intensity inviting comparisons to artists ranging from Death From Above 1979 to Jack White. Top that all off with a rhythmic groove reminiscent of a hybrid of ZZ Top's Tres Hombres and Funkadelic's Standing On The Verge of Getting It On and it's clear that Indian Handcrafts are much, much more than the sum of their parts. 

Bursting out of Barrie, Ontario this pair of charming gentlemen immediately impacted the world with a self-released 8-song debut album in 2011. Cathy Pellow of Sargent House quickly took notice and signed the band on to management and the label. Shortly thereafter, Civil Disobedience For Losers was recorded in Los Angeles with Kasai and featuring special guest appearances by Melvins drummers Dale Crover and Coady Willis. Even with such superfriends assisting the proceedings, Indian Handcrafts prove their own exceptional strengths throughout the album. 

"The doctor said if you go and record that's your problem if it gets worse," Allen explains of recording with a broken hand. "It was a little painful some days, but because of being there in the surroundings it was easy to get around that. It healed fine." Overall, the duo says the recording came together very quickly under Kasai's guidance, but it's the bond between Aikins and Allen that gives Indian Handcrafts its lean, ferocious personality. "We first started this band when playing in another band that was pissing us off," Aikins says. "We were the two who always got along. I can't ever see us having anyone else in the band. Unless Toshi played tambourine."

Civil Disobedience For Losers will be available everywhere on LP, CD and download on October 30th, 2012 via Sargent House. 

INDIAN HANDCRAFTS LIVE:
09/14 Victoria, BC @ Soprano's - Rifflandia Festival 2012
09/21 Toronto, ON @ Steam Whistle Brewery

INDIAN HANDCRAFTS with RED FANG & BLACK TUSK:
11/10  Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
11/11  New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
11/12  Brooklyn, NY @ St. Vitus
11/13  Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East (Downstairs)
11/15  Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
11/16  Detroit, MI @ The Magic Stick
11/17  Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
11/19  Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
11/20  Salt Lake City, UT @ The Urban Lounge
11/21  Boise, ID @ Neurolux



Artist: Indian Handcrafts
Album: Civil Disobedience For Losers
Label: Sargent House
Release Date: October 30, 2012

01. Bruce Lee (MP3)
02. Red Action
03. Starcraft
04. Zombies
05. Worm In My Stomach
06. Terminal Horse (MP3) (STREAM)
07. Coming Home
08. Centauri Teenage Riot
09. Truck Mouth
10. The Jerk
11. Lion at the Door

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Fang Island announce co-headlining tour with Anamanaguchi starting in October


Click image to watch video



"It's impossible to come away from Major without a big grin plastered from ear to ear." -- BBC Music

"An eye-popping, pop-punking, limb-flinging, brow-singeing celebration of the major chord and its many possibilities." -- SPIN

"As an album, if I had to give Major a rank, I would promote it to General." -- Vice



Brooklyn's beloved guitar-anthem optimists Fang Island announce co-headlining Midwestern tour dates with Anamanaguchi starting in October, followed by the band's performance at Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, TX on November 4th. Please see complete dates below. 

Fang Island also recently premiered the first video from their sophomore album, Major on cable network MTVu. The clip, "Sisterly" is available to watch video HERE. Alternate Vimeo link HERE. Check out Anamanaguchi's "Sisterly" remix HERE. 

SPIN.com recently premiered the song, "Seek It Out" -- available to stream HERE. (Alternate Soundcloud link HERE.) Pitchfork also previously launched MP3s for the tracks "Asunder" (HERE) and "Sisterly" (HERE).

Like the painstakingly chiseled marble of the album artwork, Major is hefty, solid, monolithic and regal. Whereas Fang Island described their celebrated 2010 self-titled Sargent House debut as, "everyone high-fiving everyone," Major is evermore confident, triumphant and brimming with infectious enthusiasm. Its warm harmonies are given proper berth with more expansive dynamics and focused pop song craft. 

"One of our core ideas has always been that our songs would be all of your favorite parts of the song that other bands make you wait 8 minutes to get to," explains guitarist/vocalist Jason Bartell. "We wanted to be the band that's nothing but your favorite hooks back to back." Major shows Fang Island deftly achieving that aim. 

Throughout, Major highlights the band's endeavor to elevate positivity as an art form. "It's kind of similar to writing songs about being sad," Bartell says. "It can come across as simplistic, or easy. Positive songs often run the risk of sounding shallow, but we feel there are a lot of shades and depths to positivity that can be explored." That exploration becomes clear from the first notes of Major. 

However, Georges sums up the album's bold steps best in this short sampling of the band's nearly 1,000 bullet point explanation of the album title:

"Some reasons we called the album Major: 
- Major key (the first song is minor though!)
- Valley girl colloquialism 
- Because we are on an independent label
- Because the rank under Sargent (House) is major
- It sounds like a constellation
- Steely Dan's "Any Major Dude" was in rotation a lot during the sessions
- The record is packaged to look like stone because it's ROCK. I really wanted people to hold a piece of rock when they picked up the record."

Major was released everywhere on LP, CD and download via Sargent House on July 24th, 2012.


FANG ISLAND Live:


10/26  Buffalo, NY @ Tralf Music Hall **
10/27  Lansing, MI @ Mac's Bar **
10/28  Chicago, IL @ Subterranean **
10/30  Columbia, MO @ Mojo's **
10/31  Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot Music Hall **
11/01  Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory **
11/04  Austin, TX @ Auditorium Shores - Fun Fun Fun Fest

** w/ Anamanaguchi



Artist: Fang Island 
Album: Major
Label: Sargent House
Release date: July 24th, 2012

Track list:
01. Kindergarten
02. Sisterly (MP3) (VIDEO - YouTube or Vimeo)
03. Seek it Out (STREAM)
04. Make Me
05. Never Understand
06. Asunder (MP3)
07. Dooney Rock
08. Regalia
09. Chompers
10. Chime Out
11. Victorinian









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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Boyfrndz premiere song via Pitchfork, release new album and launch U.S. tour



Austin trio Boyfrndz premiere the second song from their sophomore album today via Pitchfork. The song, "Surf's Up" comes from the band's new album, All Day Pass released for download today (LP to follow). LIsten/download HERE. 

Stream/buy the entire album at Boyfrndz's Bandcamp page. The soaring track, "Hear Say" also premiered recently via Consequence of Sound. Stream/download song HERE. 

Boyfrndz launch U.S. tour dates this week in support of the album's release. Please see complete dates below. 

Boyfrndz began in 2010, shortly after the collapse of We The Granada, a band in which guitarist/vocalist Scott Martin and bassist/vocalist Joseph Raines had cut their teeth. Martin's roommate and sought-after drummer/vocalist Aaron Perez (at the time already playing in three other bands) signed on and Boyfrndz quickly became a priority. The lineup expanded to a four piece with guitarist Kelvin Baron for their self-titled full length debut in 2011. The group enlisted Grammy award winning keyboardist Ikey Owens (The Mars Volta, Jack White) to co-produce and he also played keys on a couple of tracks. Boyfrndz pared down to a three piece following a summer tour in 2011 and soon thereafter set about writing new songs resulting in the And So It Goes... 5-track EP in February 2012 and the band's expansive forthcoming album, All Day Pass.

Kicking off with the droning fade in of "Colts", All Day Pass begins with Martin's vocals mirroring his ringing guitar notes and Perez's thunderous toms and Raines' lithe bass playing drive the song's syncopated rhythm through multiple time signature shifts over the course of the tune's 4:11 duration. "On Point" takes a decidedly more sinister turn, with an ominous build up and rollicking turnaround vaguely reminiscent of the oceanic feel of Jane's Addiction's Nothing's Shocking. Elsewhere, passages touch upon the dreamy haze of Sonic Youth and entrancing melodies of Animal Collective wedded to the warped pop prowess of Tera Melos. Throughout, All Day Pass is a captivating hybrid of technical precision guiding a soaring and ethereal melodic haze.

All Day Pass was recorded live in a whirlwind three days at the Shelter studio in Austin with few overdubs. The resulting album captures the trio's ferocious energy and impressive precision. Engineer Chris Seyler (touring sound man for Dillinger Escape Plan) oversaw recording and mixing, with Dan Millice at Engine Room Audio in NYC mastering (Boyfrndz EP, Hella's Tripper, et al). 

All Day Pass is available as a self-release for download on September 11th, 2012 and LP via Spora Records shortly thereafter. 

BOYFRNDZ LIVE:
09/14  Austin, TX @ Red 7 *
09/15  San Antonio, TX @ The Ten Eleven *
09/16  El Paso, TX @ Low Brow Palace *
09/17  Tempe, AZ @ Rogue Bar *
09/18  Phoenix, AZ @ Revolver Records *
09/19  Los Angeles, CA @ Silverlake Lounge *
09/20  San Diego, CA @ Bar Pink *
09/22  Oakland, CA @ 1234 Records *
09/23  San Francisco, CA @ Milk Bar *
09/25  Eugene, OR @ TBA *
09/26  Portland, OR @ Boom Bap *
09/27  Portland, OR @ Laughing Horse *
09/28  Portland, OR @ The Know *
09/29  Spokane, WA @ Mootsy's *
09/30  Missoula, MT @ Zoo City Apparel *
10/01  Boise, ID @ The Crux *
10/02  Denver, CO @ Unit E *
10/03  Albuquerque, NM @ Winning Coffee *
10/04  Norman, OK @ TBA *
10/05  Ft. Worth, TX @ Lola's *
10/11  Santa Fe, NM @ Santa Fe Sol Live #
10/12  Denver, CO @ The Hi-Dive #
10/13  Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot Saloon #
10/14  Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room #
10/15  Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry #
10/16  Norman, OK @ The Deli

* w/ Feuding Fathers
# w/ El Ten Eleven


Artist: Boyfrndz
Album: All Day Pass
Label: Boyfrndz Records
Release Date: September 11th, 2012

01. Colts
02. On Point
03. Hear Say (MP3)
04. All Day Pass
05. New New
06. Not That Sensitive
07. Moses Jones
08. Surf's Up (MP3)
09. Polite In Public
10. When It's Raining
11. Closer
12. Sooner Or Later

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