Fleet Foxes Announce New Album 'Crack-Up' After Six Year Hiatus, Share Nine Minute Single

March 7, 2017Music News, New MusicWeston PaganoComment

After six long years of teasing hints, their frontman going back to school, and their former drummer reaching peak prominence on his own, Fleet Foxes have finally put a date on their long-awaited return. Crack-Up is due out June 16 via new label Nonesuch, with a first taste being provided through the nine minute epic, "Third of May / Ōdaigahara."

Combining Fleet Foxes' signature soaring vocals with an extended harp outro, "Third of May / Ōdaigahara" finds Robin Pecknold confidently indulging in a sprawling exploration of both his most aggressive folk and minimalist tendencies.

Pecknold wrote all 11 tracks, sharing production duties with bandmate Skyler Skjelset. Skjelset and the band's previous record, 2011's Helplessness Blues, were both born on May 3, lending inspiration to the title of the single, while the album title draws from F. Scott Fitzgerald's essay of the same name. The accompanying visual, which features water color paintings being blown across the page, was created by Pecknold's brother Sean and Adi Goodrich.

In an interview with Pitchfork Pecknold explains, "I feel like Crack-Up begins in pure conflicted solitude and ends in a bright clearing, one of closeness, like the top right hand corner of the photograph on the album cover." Though arriving at the release of their third record has been anything but, well, fleet, it seems the result will be well worth the wait.

Listen, and find album art, tracklisting, and tour dates below.

Fleet Foxes' "Third of May / Ōdaigahara" from the 2017 album Crack-Up. Video by Sean Pecknold & Adi Goodrich. Get the track now when you pre-order the album: http://smarturl.it/CrackUp.all See Fleet Foxes on tour: http://fleetfoxes.co/ /// https://www.facebook.com/fleetfoxes https://www.instagram.com/robinpecknold/

Crack-Up

I Am All That I Need / Arroyo Seco / Thumbprint Scar
Cassius, -
– Naiads, Cassadies
Kept Woman
Third of May / Ōdaigahara
If You Need To, Keep Time on Me
Mearcstapa
On Another Ocean (January / June)
Fool’s Errand
I Should See Memphis
Crack-Up

alt-J Announces New Album 'RELAXER,' Drops "3WW" Single and Music Video, Tour Dates

March 6, 2017Music News, New MusicWeston PaganoComment

Three years after releasing their sophomore record This Is All Yours, alt-J have returned, with a forthcoming release titled RELAXER due out June 9 via Canvasback. The announcement is accompanied by lead single "3WW" as well as cover art, tracklisting, and international tour dates, all of which you can find below.

"3WW"'s soft acoustic tones and long intro result in what is a relatively gentle and straightforward single by alt-J standards, and whereas last cycle saw the band joined by an off-the-wall Miley Cyrus sample on "Hunger of the Pine," the Ellie Rowsell (Wolf Alice) feature here makes more sense, seamlessly adding subtle dynamism and harmony to the understated track. The accompanying visual depicts a glitchy medley of scenes from the bizarre Playstation game LSD: Dream Emulator, from which the LP's art direction appears to also be derived.

In addition to drummer Thom Green's 2016 solo release High Anxiety, a statement from the band notes during their break "Gus [Unger-Hamilton] opened a restaurant; Joe [Newman] has been watching a lot of films."

Listen below.

Caution: Contains Flashing Images Stream on Spotify or Apple Music: https://alt-j.lnk.to/3wwID From the forthcoming album RELAXER out June 9th. Pre-order here: https://alt-j.lnk.to/RelaxerID THIS IS NOT THE OFFICIAL VIDEO Animation by Mario Epsley / Keepitvisual

RELAXER:

3WW
In Cold Blood
House of the Rising Sun
Hit Me Like That Snare
Deadcrush
Adeline
Last Year
Pleader

Cold War Kids Announce 'L.A. Divine' LP, Drop New Single "Love Is Mystical"

February 2, 2017Music News, New MusicWeston PaganoComment

Los Angeles-based rockers Cold War Kids have never been shy about their affinity for their city, and now they'll have a whole album to prove it. The band's 6th record L.A. Divine is due out April 7 (an already crowded date that also includes Father John Misty and Future Islands releases), their first on Capitol Records.

The announcement comes with soulful lead single "Love Is Mystical," a floral love anthem complete with a Phillip Lopez-directed visual shot in, where else, downtown LA. Featuring kissing couples of all kinds set to a strong piano drive, the track is well-timed for a Valentine's Day in relatively dark times.

See the single artwork, tour dates, and listen below.

'Love Is Mystical' is the new single from Cold War Kids' forthcoming album 'L.A. Divine.' Download or stream the song now: https://cwk.lnk.to/Mystical Connect with Cold War Kids https://www.facebook.com/ColdWarKids/ https://twitter.com/coldwarkids https://www.instagram.com/coldwarkids/ http://www.coldwarkids.com/ Music video by Cold War Kids performing Love Is Mystical. (C) 2017 CWKTWO Corp.

Future Islands Return to the Present, Announce New LP 'The Far Field,' Drop First Single "Ran," Tour

January 31, 2017Music News, New MusicWeston PaganoComment

Future Islands just got a little closer to the present. The Baltimore-based band has announced The Far Field, their fifth full length, which is due out April 7 via 4AD.

The good news comes along with a taste of what's to come, with lead single "Ran" offering every bit of kinetic energy the name implies. Rolling bass, starry synths, and Samuel Herring's gorgeous growling croons combine in that perfect formula the three-piece has rightfully propelled to indie myth status in recent years.

The record features live drums from touring percussionist Michael Lowry for the first time, production from John Congleton (David Byrne, St. Vincent, Wild Beasts), and the surprise addition of vocals from Blondie's Debbie Harry on "Shadows." It's also revealed that Future Islands play-tested the album at a series of secret shows under fake names over the last year, which is sure to make you regret every time you turned down a night out in 2016 because you didn't know enough of the lineup (and also goes to show that even during the rare moments Future Islands aren't on tour they are, in fact, still on tour).

Curiously, in addition to the normal formats, the record is also available as a "mini-LP," which is apparently a "replica of an actual LP [that] does not actually play" (but does come with a download code). Listen to "Ran" and see the cover art, tracklist, and tour dates below.

'Ran' by Future Islands, from new album "The Far Field": http://smarturl.it/The_Far_Field http://www.future-islands.com/ https://www.facebook.com/FutureIslandsMusic/ https://twitter.com/futureislands/ https://instagram.com/futureislands/

The Far Field

1. Aladdin
2. Time On Her Side
3. Ran
4. Beauty Of The Road
5. Cave
6. Through The Roses
7. North Star
8. Ancient Water
9. Candles
10. Day Glow Fire
11. Shadows
12. Black Rose

Mac DeMarco Announces New Album 'This Old Dog,' Tour, and Releases First Two Singles

January 31, 2017Music News, New MusicWeston PaganoComment

Mac is back! Adding to the staggering list of beloved artists returning in 2017, DeMarco and his band will be releasing a new LP titled This Old Dog, due out May 5 via Captured Tracks, and embarking on an international tour lasting at least from March through November.

The gap-tooth goon has always been a gracious giver, and DeMarco has blessed us with not one but TWO singles from his forthcoming record including the title track and "My Old Man." They may be short and sweet, but it seems ol' Mac is already feeling the weight of time; The lovely and lazy tunes delve into staying true to a lover forever and the coming-of-age realization that one has begun to increasingly resemble their own father, respectively.

So click play, revel in the digital ripples on the curious videos below, and check out the This Old Dog's cover art and tour dates underneath that.

"This Old Dog" is from Mac DeMarco's forthcoming album, This Old Dog, out May 5th, 2017, on Captured Tracks. All iTunes pre-orders come with Instrumentals of This Old Dog and instant grat downloads of lead singles, "My Old Man," and "This Old Dog."

"My Old Man" is from Mac DeMarco's forthcoming album, This Old Dog, out May 5th, 2017, on Captured Tracks. All iTunes pre-orders come with Instrumentals of This Old Dog and instant grat downloads of lead singles, "My Old Man," and "This Old Dog."

Father John Misty Announces 'Pure Comedy' LP, Releases Music Video and Short Film

January 24, 2017Music News, New MusicWeston PaganoComment

What do Donald Trump, Pepe the Frog, and the cruel, cruel miracle of birth all have in common? A six-plus minute music video from Father John Misty, of course.

Waxing philosophical on the existential absurdity of the human condition as only Joshua Tillman can, "Pure Comedy" combines idiosyncratic observationalism with soulful detachment in a way that is simultaneously earnest and composed.

Tillman takes the obligatory stabs at politics (Where did they find these goons they elected to rule them? / What makes these clowns they idolize so remarkable?) and religion (They worship themselves yet they're totally obsessed / With risen zombies, celestial virgins, magic tricks, these unbelievable outfits), but isn't afraid to start at the very beginning (The comedy of man starts like this / Our brains are way too big for our mothers' hips).

So appropriately his forthcoming record begins with this meandering title track. Pure Comedy is due out April 7 via Sub Pop, and so far it sounds every bit of the quasi-preachy-satirical masterpiece you would expect. Tillman explains,

“Pure Comedy is the story of a species born with a half-formed brain. The species’ only hope for survival, finding itself on a cruel, unpredictable rock surrounded by other species who seem far more adept at this whole thing (and to whom they are delicious), is the reliance on other, slightly older, half-formed brains. This reliance takes on a few different names as their story unfolds, like ‘love,’ ‘culture,’ ‘family,’ etc. Over time, and as their brains prove to be remarkably good at inventing meaning where there is none, the species becomes the purveyor of increasingly bizarre and sophisticated ironies. These ironies are designed to help cope with the species’ loathsome vulnerability and to try and reconcile how disproportionate their imagination is to the monotony of their existence.

Something like that.”

The music video with its aforementioned eclectic cast features cartoons from Matthew Daniel Siskin and is accompanied by a 25 minute companion film directed by Tillman and Grant James. See both, along with the album art (also by Siskin) and tracklist, below.

Vid by Matthew Daniel Siskin, and everyone in America. Father John Misty's album Pure Comedy will be released April 7th, 2017 on Deluxe 2xLP / 2xLP / CD / DL / CS in Europe through Bella Union and the rest of the world from Sub Pop.

Father John Misty's album Pure Comedy will be released April 7th, 2017 on Deluxe 2xLP / 2xLP / CD / DL / CS in Europe through Bella Union and the rest of the world from Sub Pop.

Pure Comedy

Pure Comedy
Total Entertainment Forever
Things It Would Have Been Helpful to Know Before the Revolution
Ballad of the Dying Man
Birdie
Leaving LA
A Bigger Paper Bag
When the God of Love Returns There’ll Be Hell to Pay
Smoochie
Two Wildly Different Perspectives
The Memo
So I’m Growing Old on Magic Mountain
In Twenty Years of So

See more by Father John Misty here.

Gorillaz Return After Six Years With Politically Charged Single "Hallelujah Money" on Inauguration Eve

January 19, 2017New MusicWeston PaganoComment

In an age of campaign finance and special interest lobbying dismantling the fabric of Democracy we can at least find some respite and gentle comfort in the jarring reminder of "We are still human" nestled in the vocoder bridge of Gorillaz' first track in six years.

"Hallelujah Money" features the Mercury Prize winning Benjamin Clementine spinning a gloriously irregular (and not unlike Belave) gospel-turned-spoken-word delivery on Trumpian politics backed by choral chemtrails. From references to the refugee strawman as "Scarecrows from the far east" to comparing wall building to unicorns, it's the poetic truth to power only a cult virtual band could procure.

According to their Twitter and YouTube description, the Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett project drops this "lightning bolt of truth in a black night" "on the eve of the Inauguration of President-Elect Donald Trump to serve as commentary on a politically-charged, historical moment. #wearestillhumanz" The accompanying visual directed by the band along with Giorgio Testi depicts La Candelaria brotherhood imagery and more projected on Clementine.

They say bad elections result in good art, and while healthcare could probably bring about that end far better, here we are. We'll take all of this that we can get.

Gorillaz are set to release a new record this year, though "Hallelujah Money" will not be on it.

Gorillaz returns after six years with the apocalyptic "Hallelujah Money" video, the first taste of their new record which is coming later this year. The band has issued this song on the eve of the Inauguration of President-Elect Donald Trump to serve as commentary on a politically-charged, historical moment.

WHY? Announces New Album, 'Moh Lhean,' Drops Lead Single, "This Ole King"

December 16, 2016Music News, New MusicWeston PaganoComment

Yoni Wolf and co. are back - WHY? will officially follow up 2012's Mumps, Etc. with forthcoming full-length, Moh Lhean, via Joyful Noise on March 3, 2017.

The first album recorded in Wolf's home studio since his 2003 debut, Oaklandazulasylum, and his first release since Testarossa, his side-project collaboration with Serengeti earlier this year, Moh Lhean looks set to be a forward-facing return to some familiarity.

The new record, co-produced by Wolf's brother Josiah, is introduced by lead single and opening track, "This Ole King." Filled with warm acoustic and xylophone melodies and vocal echoes, it's a lush track on the more organic side of WHY?'s instrumentation and delivery. "This ole king will be rising," Wolf sings with a somewhat uncharacteristically simple optimism. Thankfully the sentiment seems autobiographical.

Check out the the track and tour dates below. You can preorder Moh Lhean here.

From the album "Moh Lhean", released on Joyful Noise Recordings 3/3/17.

Sylvan Esso Drop New Single, "Radio," Have Second Album on the Way

September 1, 2016New Music, Music NewsAndrew MeriwetherComment

Grab your dancing shoes and thinking caps, folks, the Durham Duo is at it again. After successful splash onto to scene with their self-titled debut in 2014, Sylvan Esso is back with a new single. “Radio” which will leave their fans tingling with excitement for the sophomore album, which is set to release sometime in 2017.

The track certainly feels like a continuation rather than a departure (the bouncy bass lines and high hat sounds will be all to familiar), but producer Nick Sanborn (Megafaun, Made of Oak) has also added new textures, synths, and patches creating a fresh sonic landscape. Singer Amelia Meath (Mountain Man) is also in excellent form lyrically, maintaining catchy hooks alongside incisive commentary. “Radio” cuts, rather ironically given its own presumably hit single intentions, the pop-music-machine at the knees:

"Now don't you look good sucking american dick
You're so surprised they like you
You're so cute and so quick
Singin' I've got the moves of a TV queen
Faux girl hero in a magazine
Faking the truth in a new pop song
Don't you wanna sing along"

The single will be released on a 12” along with “Kick Jump Twist,” a song that has cropped up occasionally in their live sets, on 11/18. In the mean time, the band has announced a Fall US tour, likely featuring new music along the way. So keep your ears open, there are sure to be some more groovy tracks coming your way soon enough.

"Radio / Kick Jump Twist" 12" single available 11/18 via Loma Vista Recordings.

Read our interview with Nick Sanborn here.

STRFKR Finally Announce New LP 'Being No One, Going Nowhere,' Drop Second Single

August 31, 2016Music News, New MusicWeston PaganoComment

Over half a year ago, STRFKR (née Starfucker) dropped a single titled "Never Ever" without any news of an album to come. Because of this, we took the leap in assuming it was a one-off, before STRFKR themselves corrected us on Twitter, providing the first hint that a follow-up to 2013's Miracle Mile was on the way.

Then, radio silence. Despite this delay, "Never Ever"'s "What would I lie for?" outro rings true today as the Portlandian trio has appeared again with new track "Tape Machine" and an album announcement for the grimly named Being No One, Going Nowhere due out November 4th via Polyvinyl.

"Tape Machine" is an excitingly groovy and psychedelic first taste of Being No One, Going Nowhere fitting of its delightfully starry cover art, but actually wasn't originally intended for the band. Frontman Joshua Hodges told Billboard,

“Tape Machine’ was written with two Dutch friends while I was in Amsterdam visiting my girlfriend and trying to find inspiration. Those two friends and I wrote about six songs together and this was one they thought was too poppy for the project, so I asked if I could use it for this STRFKR record.”

Click play and stare at space below.

"Tape Machine" is taken from our new album, Being No One, Going Nowhere, out 11/4. Order here: http://plyvnyl.co/beingnoone