Mp3/Stream - Listen to Shearwater's new album The Golden Archipelago

The sublime Shearwater are releasing their new album, The Golden Archipelago, next week.

Their latest album explores the beauty, menace, and fragility of the natural world.

Easily the band’s most absorbing and accomplished work to date, The Golden Archipelago follows 2006’s enigmatic Palo Santo and 2008’s acclaimed Rook, albums linked by themes of environmental and personal decay and humans’ impact on nature.

This time singer-songwriter Jonathan Meiburg turns his attention to life on islands – a world of lushness and austerity, silence and sudden cataclysms. From rising sea levels to displaced populations, Meiburg travels from the Falklands to Madgascar, from the Bikini Atoll to the Tierra Del Fuego.

The fabulous folks at NPR are streaming the album its entirety this week. Go listen to it here.

The Golden Archipelago

1. Meridian

2. Black Eyes [mp3]

3. Landscape At Speed

4. Hidden Lake

5. Corridors

6. God Made Me

7. Runners Of The Sun

8. Castaways

9. An Insular Life

10. Uniforms

11. Missing Islands

The Golden Archipelago is out Feb 19 though Matador/ Remote Control.

News: Yo La Tengo in Australia next week!

[click pic to view Nothing To Hide live on French TV]

"Popular Songs is as essential as anything Yo La Tengo have ever released, and perhaps even more so – an album that looks back at where they've been, smiles, and stares resolutely forward to what will come next. It also makes a pretty solid starting point for anyone who hasnʼt yet been seduced by their considerable charms." DROWNED IN SOUND

“Impressive sounds, clever moves, sweet melodies” J MAG

"What better way to celebrate your silver anniversary with a band than striking gold?" Beat

Yo La Tengo hit Australia next week on the back of their latest album 'Popular Songs'. Playful winsome and optimistic, 'Popular Songs' finds Yo La Tengo producing their most rewarding album since their breakthrough effort 'And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out' almost 10 years ago.

As well as treating fans to new material, Yo La Tengo will be performing a few old gems from what's undoubtedly one of the most critically lauded indie back catalogs.

In a first for Australian audiences, Sydney and Melbourne fans will have the opportunity to witness the 'Freewheelin' Yo La Tengo Show' - an intimate affair with the band play semi-acoustic, off the cuff, performing and discussing your requests.

The Freewheelin' requests shows have sold out already so make sure to get your tix to their other shows pronto! Don't miss what will be one of this summers most talked about events.

Thurs Feb 11 Melbourne, Thornbury Theatre
Freewheelin' Yo La Tengo Show
SOLD OUT!
Co-presented by InPress.

Fri Feb 12 Melbourne, The Forum
Tickets $50.40 + bf - some transaction fees may apply from www.ticketek.com.au or phone 132 849.
Co-presented by InPress.

Saturday 13th: Hobart, Moorilla
Tickets $45.00 + bf from Moorilla: 655 Main Rd,
Berriedale, moorilla.com.au or phone (03) 6277 9900

Tuesday 16th: Brisbane, Hi-Fi
Tickets $48.00 + bf from www.feelpresents.com,
Rockinghorse Records or phone 1300-THE HIFI (843 4434)
Co-presented by Rave Magazine

Wednesday 17th: Sydney, Basement - Freewheelin' Yo La Tengo Show

SOLD OUT!

Co-presented by Drum Media

Thursday 18th: Sydney, Metro
Tickets $49.70 + bf - some transaction fees may apply from
www.feelpresents.com, in person at the venue or
phone (02) 9550 3666.
Co-presented by Drum Media

Friday 19th: Adelaide, Fowlers Live
Tickets $47.60 + bf from www.feelpresents.com,
all Moshtix outlets or phone 1300 GET TIX.
Co-presented by dB Magazine.

Saturday 20th: Perth International Arts Festivals, Becks Music Box.
Tickets on PIAF website

Yo La Tengo recently strutted their stuff for the La Blogotheque Takeaway series

Yo La tengo - A Take Away Show - Part 1 from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Yo La Tengo - A Take Away Show - Part 2 from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Popular Songs is out now through Matador/Remote Control.

News: Jay Reatard tribute show at Ding Dong this weekend

Jay Reatard died last week at the age of 29, one of the most prolific punk musicians and song writers of our time, leaving behind a legacy of hundreds of records, thousands of songs and millions of shows in about 20 different bands over the last 15 years.

In the last two years, he'd toured Australia twice to rabid response from Melbourne, and on Saturday 30th January Melbourne is returning the favour by paying tribute to his life and music with a one-off show at the Ding Dong Lounge featuring reatarded Melbourne bands like Kamikaze Trio, The UV Race and Useless Children.
DJs Candy Cut, Pissing On The Mainframe and Stained Circles will blast tunes from his enormous back catalogue, and songs that influenced him or were written influenced by him.

And as a one off, we will be projecting footage from one of his wildest shows in his first European tour with the Jay Reatard band early in the night.

Doors are at 8:00pm, entry is $10, money from the door will go towards a charity to be elected by Jay's father specific to his life in Memphis.

New Mp3 : Shearwater - Castaway

"Shearwater captures the vibrant beauty of what lies beneath out concrete jungle existance." Beat

"Simply magical"
Daily Telegraph

"A band who are truly worth your time"
Rave

"Wondrous"
Time Off

Shearwater return with The Golden Archipelago, their latest album which continues to explore the beauty, menace, and fragility of the natural world.
Easily the band’s most absorbing and accomplished work to date, The Golden Archipelago follows 2006’s enigmatic Palo Santo and 2008’s acclaimed Rook, albums linked by themes of environmental and personal decay and humans’ impact on nature.

This time singer-songwriter Jonathan Meiburg turns his attention to life on islands – a world of lushness and austerity, silence and sudden cataclysms. From rising sea levels to displaced populations, Meiburg travels from the Falklands to Madgascar, from the Bikini Atoll to the Tierra Del Fuego.

The first taste from The Golden Archipelago is Castaway.

Take a listen.

Castaway [mp3]



The Golden Archipelago is released February 19th through Matador/Remote Control.

News - R.I.P. Jay Reatard

We were deeply saddened to hear the heartbreaking news this morning that Jay Reatard has died.

Matador Records have issued this statement on their blog:

"We are devastated by the death of Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr., aka Jay Reatard. Jay was as full of life as anyone we’ve ever met, and responsible for so many memorable moments as a person and artist. We’re honored to have known and worked with him, and we will miss him terribly."

At just 29, the prolific Memphis garage rock musician leaves behind a very sizeable body of work, including 2006's Blood Visions, before signing with Matador who released a compilation of Jay's numerous 7" singles as Matador Singles '08 and his last album Watch Me Fall that was released in 2009.

Jay Reatard toured Australia twice, first in 2008 including shows with The Dirtbombs, and returning almost a year ago for Laneway Festival and side shows with No Age.

More details over at Pitchfork.

Tour News: Brightblack Morning Light announced rescheduled tour for April

Mistletone proudly presents Brightblack Morning Light (USA) with special guest Rio en Medio (USA).

For their first Australian tour, Brightblack Morning Light will consist of founder Nathan Shineywater with two accompanists: Danielle Stech-Homsy (keyboards/vocals) and percussionist Cannupa Luger. Danielle will also perform a set of her bewitching folk/electronic lullabies in her solo guise as Rio En Medio.

This tour has been rescheduled after the January dates were postponed. Tickets purchased for the January shows in Sydney & Melbourne will be valid for the April shows; refunds are also available at the point of purchase.

BRIGHTBLACK MORNING LIGHT is a collective based in the mountains of rural New Mexico, led by gentle naturist, Nathan Shineywater. Recording their debut in 2005 for Matador Records, Brightblack Morning Light toured with Os Mutantes, Vashti Bunyan and Joanna Newsom, and more recently with My Bloody Valentine and Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions. Their slow-motion, blissed out, shamanistic music is unforgettable and hypnotic: think lush, sensual, woozy soundscapes tinged with soul, blues, gospel and other southern sounds harking back to Shineywater’s Alabama roots. "Definitely freaky, in a hallucinatory chant-down-Babylon sense," writes the San Francisco Chronicle. "The band specializes in analog electronica: meticulous machine music, hazily recreated on old-fashioned instruments," writes the New York Times. "After two songs, they own the Great American Music Hall," raves a RELIX live review.

RIO EN MEDIO (Spanish for river in between) is the pseudonym of singer and baritone ukulelist Danielle Stech-Homsy. Born in the high desert of New Mexico, Danielle began to record and perform her own compositions. Working independently and in secret, she created a collection of collage-like songs incorporating found sounds and electronic programming, lifting texts from disparate sources, and evoking traditional/folk song structure, themes and melodies. As chance would have it, a friend passed on the unique, hand-made record to Devendra Banhart who soon requested to release it on his label (Gnomonsong). Since her debut release in early 2007, Danielle has performed and worked with artists such as Grizzly Bear, CocoRosie, Patrick Wolf and Vashti Bunyan. Her delicate, fragmented songs feature a sparse and haunting trio of baritone ukulele, subtly harmonized vocals and electronic or sampled soundscapes, evoking the spun poetry of ancient folk lullabies.

BRIGHTBLACK MORNING LIGHT / RIO EN MEDIO TOUR DATES:

SYDNEY: Wednesday, April 7 at Oxford Art Factory.

Tickets $35 + booking fee available from Moshtix. Presented by 2SER.

MELBOURNE: Thursday, April 8 at East Brunswick Club.

Tickets $35 + booking fee available now from The East Box Office, on 9388 9794 or online. Presented by 3RRR.

BRISBANE: Saturday, April 10 at the Troubadour.

Tickets $35 + booking fee from Oztix. Presented by 4ZZZ and Rave Magazine.

Brightblack Morning Light’s albums Motion To Rejoin and their self-titled record are out now through Matador/ Remote Control.

BRIGHT BLACK MORNING LIGHT MYSPACE
http://www.myspace.com/brightblackmorninglight

News: The Horrors and The xx top NME list

NME have published their "Best 50 Albums of 2009" list and taking out the top spots were The Horrors for their second album Primary Colours at #1 and newcomers The xx with their debut xx at #2.

No doubt we'll see these guys keep dominating as the end of year lists roll in.

Joining them on the list are The Big Pink at #7, Future Of The Left at #18 and Cold Cave at #24

Click here to view the full list.

Tour news: Cat Power's coming to town

The enigmatic Cat Power returns to Australia this summer backed by Dirty Delta Blues; the same band that accompanied Cat Power on her sold out national tour of March 2008 and who feature the talents of Jim White (Dirty Three) and Judah Bauer (Blues Explosion). Cat Power will perform at the Pyramid Rock Festival on Phillip Island, at Sydney's Days Like This Festival and for a series of headline appearances in holiday markets and beachside cities around the country- a first for Car Power. Road trip anyone?

Most recently Cat Power has toured the USA with The Pretenders, visited South America and released Dark End of the Street, a six-track double gatefold 10" and digi-pack taken from the same recording sessions as her last album, Jukebox. Following the Australian dates, Cat Power will visit Singapore for the first time followed by her second ever visit to Japan and the first with her band.

Wednesday 30th December: Phillip Island, Pyramid Rock Festival - on sale now!
Tix & info www.thepyramidrockfestival.com


Thursday 31st December: Brisbane, Powerhouse
+ The Middle East, Mexico City and guest DJ's.
Tickets $60.30 (includes booking fee - some transaction fees may apply) from www.feelpresents.com, the Brisbane Powerhouse, www.brisbanepowerhouse.org or phone: 07-3358-8600


Saturday 2nd January: Coolangatta Hotel + The Middle East
Tickets $44.00 + bf from www.feelpresents.com,
the venue and Oztix outlets www.oztix.com.au and 1300 762 545


Tuesday 5th January: Adelaide, The Gov
Tickets $48.60 + booking fee - some transaction fees may apply from
www.feelpresents.com, www.moshtix.com.au or
phone: 1 300 GET TIX & all moshtix outlets.


Wednesday 6th January: Astor Theatre, Perth
Tickets $59.30 + booking fee from www.feelpresents.com,
www.bocsticketing.com.au, phone: 08-94841133, 78's Record Store and all BOCS outlets.


Friday 8th January: Wollongong, Waves
Tickets $44.00 + includes booking fee from www.feelpresents.com,
www.moshtix.com.au or phone: 1 300 GET TIX & all moshtix outlets.


Saturday 9th January: Newcastle Panthers
Tickets $44.00 + booking fee - some transaction fees may apply from
www.feelpresents.com www.moshtix.com.au or phone: 1 300 GET TIX & all moshtix outlets.


Sunday 10th January: Sydney: Days Like This Festival - on sale now.
Tix & info www.dayslikethis.com.au

Stream: Cold Cave mix tape for Fact Magazine

Wesley Eisold, the lead man pf Cold Cave has put together this mix cd for Fact Magazine.

You can listen to it here -
Fact 97/ Cold Cave [mp3]

"Featuring Teenage Filmstars, Alex Chilton, Rephlex veteran Bochum Welt and more, it's a brilliant mixtape of weird synth experiments, twee-ed out indie, post-punk and more - featuring a bunch of stuff we've never heard of, but we're now obsessed with. You can't really ask more than that from this sort of thing."

It's just up til Nov 23 so hop to it!

Tracklist:
My Dad is Dead - The Quiet Man
Tronics - There Talking About Us
Bochum Welt - Fortune Green
Would Bes - I'm Hardly Ever Wrong
Trisomie 21 - Is Anybody Home? (Part 1)
Teenage Filmstars - Kaleidoscope
Alex Chilton - Like Flies on Schubert
Brett Smiley - VaVaVa Voom
AA - Suicide Fever
Minimal Man - She was a Visitor

Cold Cave's album Love Comes Closer is out now through Matador/ Remote Control

New videos: Golden Silvers, Jay Reatard and The Big Pink

Some videos for your Tuesday afternoon...

First up we have The Golden Silvers.
Recently the boys headed over to the U.S and reworked the single 'Arows Of Eros' with a nine piece Jazz outfit from Chicago. Recorded in Damon Albarn's studio, this was a musical experiment that turned out to be nothing short of impressive.

Next up we have Jay Reatard and his performance of "It Ain't Gonna Save Me" as part of Pitchfork's A>D>D series.



Finally we the video from the British duo steadily taking over the world, The Big Pink. Too Young To Love is the next single taken from their album 'A Brief History Of Love'.

News: Fucked Up to release Christmas single with help of Vampire Weekend, Yo La Tengo + many more.

25 years after Bob Geldof got together his band of 80's rock heroes to flood the airwaves with 'Do They Know It's Christmas?', Fucked Up are formulating a new band of musical luminaries to do it all over again.

We mentioned earlier is the year that Fucked Up had been the gracious recipients of the 2009 Polaris Music Prize.

Upon receiving the award, Damian Abraham aka Pink Eyes had declared that the $20,000 award would go towards funding a musical charity project.

The re-recording 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' will be released as a single, with it's profits aimed at raising funds for charities such as Justice For The Missing, a Canadian organisation dedicated to the 500+ Canadian Aboriginal women who have been murdered or gone missing.

Commenting on the cause, Pink Eyes says "I liked the idea of somewhat marginalized indie rockers coming together for a marginalized cause ... There's a kind of cavalier colonialism to the original, like the West has to go in and help this poor Third World country. But the charities that we're trying to help are exactly a product of this colonial history. People who have been subjugated and oppressed for so many years are going missing. So there's an irony to using the song."

The already confirmed acts are members of Vampire Weekend, TV on the Radio, Broken Social Scene, the GZA, Bob Mould, No Age, Yo La Tengo and comedian David Cross.

But there are still plenty more of acts on Fucked Up's Christmas wish list; "I'm still waiting on confirmation from Feist, Jarvis Cocker and MIA. We wanted the biggest people we could get. If we could get a Jonas Brother on this, I would get a Jonas Brother."

Fucked Up's Chemistry Of Common Life is out now through Matador/Remote Control.

Tour News: Yo La Tengo tour announced

Yo La Tengo are not afraid. they walk bravely forward, into the unknown, hand in hand. and 12 (or 14) albums in, they may just be hitting their stride.
NME

"Popular Songs reveals a band sounding as vital as ever 12 albums in."
Rave (Album Of The Week)

"Impressive sounds, clever moves, sweet melodies."
J Mag

"What better way to celebrate your silver anniversary with a band than striking gold?"
Beat

Yes you heard right!
Indie rock pioneers Yo La Tengo are headed our way for a national tour next February.
Drawing material from the stunning new album Popular Songs and their (needless to say) amazing back catalog, Yo La Tengo will be visiting ever major city in Oz (including Hobart for the very first time).

But that's not all, Melbourne and Sydney fans are in for a real treat.
In addition to their live shows, Yo La Tengo will perform their Freewheelin' Yo La Tengo Show' at The Thornbury Theatre in Melbourne and The Basement in Sydney.

Previously seen in the US and Europe, the shows are an off the cuff and intimate affair where the band perform and discuss songs according to audiences requests.

Tickets for ALL Yo La Tengo shows (* excepted) are on-sale Monday 16th November.
Wherever you are, be sure not to miss out!

Thursday 11th: Melbourne, Thornbury Theatre - Freewheelin' Yo La Tengo Show
Tickets $45.00 + bf from www.thethornburytheatre.com only.
Co-presented by InPress.

Friday 12th: Melbourne, The Forum
Tickets $50.40 + bf - from www.ticketek.com.au or phone 132 849.
Co-presented by InPress.

Saturday 13th: Hobart, Moorilla
Tickets $45.00 + bf from Moorilla: moorilla.com.au
or phone (03) 6277 9900

Tuesday 16th: Brisbane, Hi-Fi
Tickets $48.00 + bf from www.feelpresents.com, Rockinghorse Records or phone
1300-THE HIFI (843 4434)
Co-presented by Rave Magazine

Wednesday 17th: Sydney, Basement - Freewheelin' Yo La Tengo Show
Tickets $45.00 + bf from www.feelpresents.com,
in person at the venue or phone: (02) 9251 2797
Co-presented by Drum Media

Thursday 18th: Sydney, Metro
Tickets $49.70 + bf - www.feelpresents.com, in person at the venue or
phone (02) 9550 3666.
Co-presented by Drum Media

Friday 19th: Adelaide, Fowlers Live
Tickets $47.60 + bf from www.feelpresents.com, all Moshtix outlets or phone 1300 GET TIX.
Co-presented by dB Magazine.

* Saturday 20th: Perth International Arts Festivals,
Becks Music Box. - On sale November 9th.
Tickets $40.50 + bf from www.perthfestival.com.au or phone: (08) 94841133 -
on sale November 9th.
Or $37.00 + bf for Friends of the Festival available from
www.perthfestival.com.au or phone: (08) 94841133 -
on sale November 4th.

New Video: Spiral Stairs - Cold Change

Check out Cold Change, the new video by Spiral Stairs.
The Jess Carfield directed video follows a day in the life of 'Benmont' a beardy and somewhat down and out character.
Spiral Stairs' debut solo album The Real Feel is out now through Matador/Remote Control.

Mp3/Stream - Listen to Cold Cave - Love Comes Close in it's entirety

Cold Cave's debut album Love Comes Close is released next week.
Until then, thanks to the generous folk at Matador, you can stream the whole damn thing!

Want the real deal? Love Comes Close is out November 6th through Matador Remote Control.

New Video - Cold Cave - Love Comes Close

Love Comes Close is the first video taken from Cold Cave's debut album of the same name.
The Art Boonparn directed video is an aptly lo-fi, gritty and brooding piece of work.

Videos - Kurt Vile chats and performs acoustically for FaderTV

Someone please tour Kurt Vile to Australia soon!



Childish Prodigy is out now through Matador/ Remote Control.

New Video - Spiral Stairs - Stolen Pills

It's been a busy few weeks for Spiral Stairs. First, news broke of a Pavement reunion and Australian tour, his plans to migrate to Australian shores and his debut album The Real Feel came out just last week.Phew!

Now we have the first video from The Real Feel, Stolen Pills.

Fast paced and frantic, Stolen Pills gives some context behind the poor old OD'ed raccoon we see on the The Real Feel's album artwork.
Take a look!

Tour news: Pavement are back, and touring Australia!

The rumours are true, Pavement are indeed gracing our shores for an Australian tour.

Yes, Pavement are reforming.
Yes their very first shows announced since 1999 will be in Australia.
Yes one of those shows will be Saturday 6 March at Golden Plains festival in the Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre, Victoria.

One of the most popular, important and influential bands in the history of modern music, Pavement disbanded in 1999 after releasing several masterwork albums, leaving a legacy as bona fide icons of what is now a massive scene.
That legacy has expanded exponentially to reach gigantic cultural proportions, so the announcement of the reformation and shows has seen an explosion of modern joy from discerning music lovers all over the globe.

Dates below:

SYDNEY
Thursday 4 March
Enmore Theatre
Tickets available from: Ticketek or 132 849,
The Enmore Theatre Box Office, Enmore Online or (02) 9550 3666
Presented by triple j and Drum Media


VICTORIA
Saturday 6 March
Golden Plains


ADELAIDE
Sunday 7 March
Thebarton Theatre
Tickets available from: Venuetix or (08) 8225 8888
Presented by triple j and Rip It Up


PERTH
Monday 8 March
Metro City
Tickets available from: Tickets from Megatix or 1300 634 284
Presented by triple j and Drum Media Perth


BRISBANE
Wednesday 10 March
The Tivoli
Tickets available from: Ticketek or 132 849
or Rocking Horse Records ph: (07) 3229 5360
Presented by triple j and Time Off


MELBOURNE
Friday 12 March
The Palace
Tickets available from: Ticketek or 132 849
Greville Records, Polyester Records (City & Fitzroy stores), The Espy Hotel and The National Hotel (Geelong).
Presented by triple j and Inpress

To celebrate the upcoming reunion tour, Pitchfork has posted up a Pavement docco made in 2002 featuring live performances and interviews with the band. The full 90 minute doco is up for one week only. Don't miss out!

New video - Kurt Vile 'Freak Train'

Kurt Vile unveils his debut video for Childish Prodigy's epic stomper "Freak Train".

Childish Prodigy is out now through Matador/ Remote Control.

Introducing Cold Cave

The latest addition to the Matador family is Philly/New York quartet Cold Cave.
A band of fine pedigree, Cold Cave is comprised of Wesley Eisold (Give Up The Ghost, Some Girls) Caralee McElroy (ex Xiu Xiu) Dominick Fernow and Sarah Lipstate (ex-Parts and Labor, Noveller).

They have been hotly tipped as the "ones to watch" by Stereogum and Pitchfork and have had their material previously released on smaller labels, What's Your Rupture? and Fernow's Hospital Productions.

Take a listen to Life Magazine, it has equal parts fuzzy lo-fi charm to upbeat electro danceability.

Cold Cave - Life Magazine [mp3]

Their Matador debut Love Comes Close is due out this November.

Fucked Up win 2009 Polaris Music Prize

[Photo from polarismusicprize.ca]

Toronto hardcore punks Fucked Up have taken home the 2009 Polaris Music Prize.

Each year a group of Canadian music critics, bloggers and all round industry peeps get together and award the Canadian release they consider to have the most artistic merit.
They beat fellow Canadian luminaries Metric, Great Lakes Swimmers, and Malajube to recieve the $20,000 prize.
Past winners of the prize have included Final Fantasy and Caribou.

Damian Abraham aka Pink Eyes said they would put the $20,000 towards a charity project raising awareness about missing Canadian aboriginal women.

"There were over 500 missing aboriginal women in Canada and we're going to put out a benefit record to try to draw attention to it and raise some money for these people," Abraham said.

"It's a marginalized group, it's a racialized crime, it's ignored. So we're putting out a benefit Christmas record with some really funny guests and we're gonna pay for it."

Pretty incredible we think.

Fucked Up's album The Chemistry Of Common Life is out now.

New Kurt Vile album Childish Prodigy out Oct 2

A while ago we announced Matador's signing of über-talented Philly singer-songwriter Kurt Vile.

Vile’s second album Childish Prodigy will be out in Australia on October 2. Matador tell us "this absorbing, addictive and richly detailed album covers an immense amount of ground compared to its predecessor, from the pounding stomp of Hunchback and the hypnotic beat of Freak Train” to the unexpected, soaring trumpet in Amplifier."

Here is the first MP3 from Childish Prodigy, the lovely, haunting “Overnite Religion”:



Overnite Religion [mp3]

Childish Prodigy will be out in October 2 through Matador/ Remote Control

Yo La Tengo - New video and stream

Check out the dreamy video for When It's Dark.
Yet another track taken from the stunning new album by Yo La Tengo, Popular Songs.



Also well worth a look is a great interview Pitchfork have up with Dario Robleto, the conceptual sculptor responsible for the burnt tape that appears on the album's artwork.

Popular Songs is out now, so be sure to run out and grab a copy.

Those who STILL need further convincing can stream the album in full here.

Now who says we're not good to you?

Are you ready for The Real Feel from Spiral Stairs?

After a five-year absence, Pavement guitarist and Preston School Of Industry mainman SPIRAL STAIRS (Scott Kannberg) returns with The Real Feel, his bona fide solo debut.

It’s a heart-on-sleeve (but occasionally tongue-in-cheek) song cycle about his complicated personal life. This album is by far the most crafted and introspective of Spiral’s post-Pavement works.

The album was recorded in Australia with a diverse crew of talented people including members of The Posies, Gersey, Ian Moore and others. The Real Feel was mixed by The Posies’ Jon Auer,

Spiral maintains his trademark melodic whoops and Flying Nun guitar licks, but overlays a layer of melancholy and wisdom, as well as a touch of Peter Green blues. Alert listeners will also spot Richard Thompson, Captain Beefheart and The Died Pretty.

Maltese Terrier [mp3]

Please note no raccoons were harmed during the making of the album artwork. Not by us, anyway.

The Real Feel is out October 16 through Matador/ Remote Control.

Yo La Tengo - Avalon Or Someone Very Similar

The third video installement in the 5 week lead up to the release of Yo La Tengo's Popular Songs!



Follow the hyperlink to see previous videos
Here To Fall and Periodically Double Or Triple

Jay Reatard - Waiting For Something

In this short doco Jay Reatard talks about everything from dropping out of school and embarking on his very first recordings, right through to growing up in Memphis surrounded by all things Elvis.

Jay Reatard's latest album Watch Me Fall is out now through Matador/Remote Control.

Yo La Tengo - Periodically Double Or Triple

Last week when we blogged the video for Yo La Tengo's Here To Fall we told you all about the band's weekly video offering leading up to the release of their 16th (and pretty stunning) album Popular Songs.

It's another week and just as promised, we have another clip for you.

This week's installment is Periodically Double Or Triple, a very fruity and juicy clip directed by John McSwain.

I gotta say, there's nothing quite like close up chin-shots of people devouring melons and bananas...

Julian Plenti - Games For Days

Another offering from Mr Plenti.
'Games For Days' is probably the most straight foward, post-punk sounding track from his incredibly varied album. Maybe a bit Interpol-esque even?

Directed by Javier Aguilera the clip features handcuffs, a trashed hotel room and Metric frontwoman and all-round babe Emily Haines.

Take a look:

New Jay Reatard video It Ain't Gonna Save Me

Only one more week til Jay Reatard's new album Watch Me Fall is out! We blogged the first single It Ain't Gonna Save Me back in June, and now here's the clip.


The other day Jay twittered about breaking a rib but didn't mention how. Maybe it was one of these tough little kids?

Watch Me Fall is out Aug 14 through Matador/ Remote Control.

New Yo La Tengo video Here To Fall

We had a very excited response to our blog of the first sounds from Yo La Tengo's new album Popular Songs. We can now reveal the release date is Sep 4 and share with you both sounds and sights for a second track Here To Fall. This sprawling, ambitious album is Yo La Tengo’s 16th, and marks their 25th anniversary. It is also a new culmination for a career that has been swinging upwards again since 2006’s I Am Not Afraid Of You.

Popular Songs crosses a ton of different styles while marking a musical journey through pop history AND the band’s history. It ranges from the foreboding wah-wah of the opener, “Here To Fall,” to the gorgeous, Georgia-sung “Avalon Or Something Very Similar,” to the concise, Ramones-driven summer anthem “Nothing To Hide,” and then to the three, very long songs that close the album, ending with the 16-minute drone freakout jam, “And The Glitter Is Gone.”

And in lead up to the release of the album, the band are releasing five video clips. Here to Fall is the album's dramatic opening track and kicks off director John McSwain's visual accompaniment to the diverse and arresting sounds of YLT's exceptional new album.

Popular Songs is out Sep 4 through Matador/ Remote Control.

Yo La Tengo - Avalon Or Someone Very Similar

Here comes the third video installment from Yo La Tengo in the lead up to their new album Popular Songs

Avalon Or Someone Very Similar is a bright and summery clip complete with kites, parks and trance-inducing triangles.

Take a look.

Yo La Tengo's much anticiapted album Popular Songs is out September 4th through Matador/Remnote Control.

New Cave Singers album and mp3 Beach House

Matador have announced the second album from Seattle’s Cave Singers is due in August. "It is entitled ‘Welcome Joy’ and adds a world of color and nuance to the already great songs from their 2007 debut. The trio of Peter Quirk, Derek Fudesco and Marty Lund were joined on this record by Amber Webber (Black Mountain, Lightning Dust) and Ashley Webber (Lightning Dust). They recorded the album at The Hive in Vancouver with Colin Stewart.

Our first MP3 is the gorgeous, brooding, building Beach House":

Beach House [mp3]

Welcome Joy is out in August through Matador/ Remote Control.

Another new Jay Reatard mp3 Wounded

Yet another new track from the forthcoming Watch Me Fall album by Jay Reatard, due out in August!

Here is Wounded, which Matador say "wraps layers of Tall Dwarfs-ish acoustic guitar around a typically complex Jay song structure. In two and a half minutes it builds to an ironically celebratory refrain. We challenge you to get this one out of your head after listening to it a couple of times."

Wounded [mp3]

Watch Me Fall is out Aug 15 through Matador/ Remote Control.

New Times New Viking mp3, album on way

Times New Viking have a new album on its way. According to Matador, the Columbus based trio delivered their second album for the label on VHS tape and if this first mp3 taster is anything to go by, it's going to be packed with more lofi pop goodness.

No Time To Hope [mp3]

The release date for the new album, Born Again Revisited is yet to be announced. out now

New Yo La Tengo live footage

As we mentioned last week, Yo La Tengo have a new record coming out this September. It is called 'Popular Songs' and you can hear the first single Periodically Double Or Triple here.

You can watch the band perform another track "Nothing To Hide" from what will be the band's 12th album, on French TV here. It's YLT at their noisy best.



Popular Songs is due out September through Matador/ Remote Control. Can't wait!

New AC Newman live album out now

Surprise! AC Newman has dropped a live album on us and it's out today through iTunes only.

It is called "Live From Montreal" and was recorded 12th March 2009 at the Sainte-Catherine Apple Store.

Tracklisting is:
1. There Are Maybe Ten or Twelve
2. Miracle Drug
3. Like A Hitman, Like A Dancer
4. Prophets
5. Secretarial
6. The Heartbreak Rides
7. The Palace At 4 A.M.
8. All Of My Days And All Of My Days Off
9. Submarines of Stockholm

It's an iTunes exclusive so if you want to hear it, head overe there.

Jay Reatard live on The Daily Habit

Last week we told you about Jay Reatard's upcoming album Watch Me Fall, due out Aug 15.

Jay performed two tracks from the album recently on Fuel TV's The Daily Habit. First up was the single It Ain't Gonna Save Me (we blogged the mp3 last week too), plus another newie, My Shadow.





Watch Me Fall is due out August 15 through Matador/ Remote Control.

Fender to release Sonic Youth guitars tomorrow

From the Fender site:

"Thurston Moore + Lee Ranaldo. Jazzmaster guitars slung across seminal shoulders. In the hands of both men, the sound of Sonic Youth is the sound of that guitar used as part paintbrush and part cluster bomb. Introducing the new Thurston Moore Jazzmaster and the Lee Ranaldo Jazzmaster guitars from Fender, releasing July 1st.

Lee and Thurston have always heavily modified their Jazzmaster guitars- removing all extraneous controls- simplifying and stripping them back to their essence, leaving just a 3 way switch and a volume knob. In many ways these 2 instruments are similar, yet in almost every major way (pickups, bridges, frets, pickguard) they are totally different. "After playing and slaying Fender Jazzmasterz for the last 20+ years we are totally PSYCHED and HONORED to have our very own signature axes.



"When Fender came to us with an offer to make signature models of our Jazzmaster guitars we jumped at the chance. These are the guitars that have defined the sound of Sonic Youth for more than 20 years. Although we love all guitars, Jazzmasters are the ones we've modified and perfected for our uses over the years. With massive input from our great road crew we've come up with a Thurston Jazzmaster & Lee 'Jazzblaster' that fully reflect the current state of the guitars we play in 2009. In fact, we couldn't wait to get our hands on these axes - the prototypes of our Fender models have already been thrust into action during the recording of our latest album, 'The Eternal', and have already begun to acquire the scrapes and scarz of live performance. These guitars rock Sonic style!"
- Thurston Moore/Lee Ranaldo

The Thurston Moore Fender Jazzmaster and Lee Renaldo Fender Jazzblaster are out tomorrow.

Sonic Youth's The Eternal is out now through Matador/ Remote Control.

New Jay Reatard mp3 It Ain't Gonna Save Me from new forthcoming album

My does time fly! It seems like only yesterday when Jay Reatard graced our shores earlier this year for the St Jerome's Laneway Festival. Since then Jay has been working away on a new album titled Watch Me Fall and already new tracks are floating around the bloggosphere.

Matador will be releasing ‘Watch Me Fall’ in August. Excepting last year’s pair of singles comps for Matador and In The Red, this is Jay’s first album since 2006’s ‘Blood Visions’, and it’s a self-produced full-length that more than lives up to the sky-high standards previously set. Earlier this year, Jay described the making of ‘Watch Me Fall’ to labelmate Andrew Earles:

“This new album has been challenging. It’s the first time I’ve written and recorded an album specifically because a label wants to release it. I’ve never made a record for a record label. I’ve always finished my recordings and then a label is decided on. When I made ’Blood Visions’ I had no idea that it was going to see the light of day. And I’ve never made a record in which the label heard the songs, or anyone heard the songs, before the album was finished, so that’s kind of intense. That’s what singles are for; I always considered my singles as a glimpse between the albums. Labels always had the previous single as an example of where I was going at the time, or of what the next album might sound like. In this situation, people at the label are hearing the songs before the album has been finished, but I try not to let it distract me, I’m trying to go about this process in a way that’s the closest to how I would have done an album in the past. A lot of bands these days, they approach the making of an album like it’s collecting songs, they don’t think about how all of the songs are going to work together. They sequence their albums on iTunes, wondering what songs sound best next to each other rather than putting them together as they were written. That’s not an album.”

It Ain’t Gonna Save Me [mp3]

is the first MP3 from ‘Watch Me Fall’, and provides only the slightest hint of the album’s depth.

It Ain't Gonna Save Me was featured on Pitchfork's 'Best New Music' scoring an impressive 8 out of 10.

Have a read of the full review on Pitchfork's website.

Watch Me Fall is due out August through Matador/ Remote Control.

New Yo La Tengo mp3 from forthcoming album Popular Songs

(cassette by Dario Robleto)

From the Matablog:

We have an old saying at Matador HQ, “the only thing predictable about Yo La Tengo albums is their high level of excellence and crazy amount of musical ground covered”. Trouble is, even if you believe we really have an old saying that unwieldly, it doesn’t really do justice in this instance. The new Yo La Tengo CD/2XLP/digital album ‘Popular Songs” (OLE 856-1,2) could be the bravest musical statement to date in a career full of ‘em. Recorded in Hoboken and Nashville in early 2009 with longtime associate Roger Mountenot, ‘Popular Songs’ finds the trio of Georgia Hubley, Ira Kaplan and James McNew at the height of their creative powers, fashioning an epic work that’s cooly confident as it is wildly adventurous.

Even for longtime followers of Yo La Tengo, the stylistic range encompassed on ‘Popular Songs’ is startling ; the band aren’t merely conversant with rock & pop subgenres stretching into the double digits, but their unselfconscious mastery of such is simply uncanny. Without absolving you of the sacred responsibility of listening to this album from start to finish (with no commercial interruptions!) , we can say with full confidence there are portions of ‘Popular Songs’ where a cursory needle drop reveals a band that doesn’t sound instantly like Yo La Tengo — or at least how you recognized them prior to now. In the words of Mike Wolf, “Yo La Tengo is not afraid. They walk confidently forward, into the unknown, hand in hand. And 12 (or 14) albums in, they may just be hitting their stride.”

Periodically Double Or Triple [mp3]
is the first MP3 from ‘Popular Songs’. Stay tuned for the release date.

Matador roster update: Kurt Vile

New Matador signing news from the Matablog:

We tend to start new signings entries to the Matablog with lines like “Matador Records is pleased to announce….”, but could we possibly be more redundant? Of COURSE we’re pleased to announce blah fucking blah, are we gonna say ”Matador Records reluctantly admits….” or “we’re obliged to tell you…”?

So with that in mind, we’re REALLY pleased to announce — perhaps more than ever before in label history — an addition to the label roster we currently consider to be one of the more important figures in American music circa 2009. Philadelphia guitarist/ vocalist Kurt Vile first came to our attention (and possibly yours as well) with the release of the 2008 CD ‘Constant Hitmaker’ on the Gulcher imprint ( a label whose paw prints extend to dusty genius recordings by the Gizmos and MX80-Sound and contemporary stuff from Home Blitz and Magik Markers). What the homemade ‘Hitmaker’ (recently reissued on vinyl by Woodsist) lacked in fidelity it more than made for in scope —– to dub the album “psych pop” barely scratches the surface of a work that’s as impossibly catchy as it is wildly experimental.

Kurt Vile on myspace

New Sonic Youth video Sacred Trickster

Here's the new official video for Sacred Trickster from Sonic Youth's new album The Eternal.



The Eternal is out now through Matador/ Remote Control.

SONIC YOUTH ON LETTERMAN

Check out last week's Sonic Youth performance on David Letterman.
Playing the first single Sacred Trickster from their latest album The Eternal, the 'Youth well and truly prove that after all these years they can still rock out like it's nobody's business.



The Eternal is out now through Matador/Remote Control.

SONIC YOUTH WEEK ON PITCHFORK

The folks over at the 'fork have decided to celebrate the release of Sonic Youth's new album The Eternal by dedicating a whole week to them!

Over five days, Pitchfork TV will be featuring interviews with the band, video selections currated by SY and a knockout performance as part of Pitchfork's A>D>D project.

Sacred Trickster

Monday June 8 - A>D>D session, part one
Tuesday June 9 - A>D>D session, part two
Wednesday June 10 - Sonic Youth: The Pitchfork Interview, Part One
Thursday June 11 - Sonic Youth: The Pitchfork Interview, Part Two
Friday June 12 - Sonic Youth curated the videos on Pitchfork TV. Some incredible selections.

Be sure to jump on to the Pitchfork website to check it out.

The Eternal is out now through Matador/Remote Control.

Cat Power to tour with Juliette Lewis?!

According to Pitchfork.

Is the world really ready for this?

Julian Plenti's album details

Behold, here is the cover art and full tracklisting for the upcoming debut album by Julian Plenti (solo release from Paul Banks of Interpol).



Tracklisting for Julian Plenti Is... Skyscraper:

01 Only If You Run
02 Fun That We Have
03 Skyscraper
04 Games for Days
05 Madrid Song
06 No Chance of Survival
07 Unwind
08 Girl on the Sporting News
09 On the Esplanade
10 Fly as You Might
11 H

It is due out July 31 through Matador/ Remote Control and includes guests such as Mike Stroud from Ratatat and Sam Fogarino from Interpol.

Check out the mp3 of Fun That We Have here.

Looking for mp3s?
Check out our free mp3 download page here!

New Julian Plenti mp3 Fun That We Have

Here's our first full taste of Julian Plenti, aka Paul Banks from Interpol's solo project.

As we mentioned last week, the album is due out August 1 through Matador/ Remote Control.

We like what we hear!

Fun That We Have [mp3]

Looking for mp3s?
Check out our free mp3 download page here!

Julian Plenti is... Skyscraper

Does this man look familiar?


Julian Plenti is Paul Banks, lead singer of Interpol. He will be releasing his debut solo album 'Julian Plenti is... Skyscraper' later this year.

Listen here.

Julian Plenti is... Skyscraper is out August 1 through Matador/ Remote Control.

More Sonic Youth live on Jools Holland

33 more sleeps til The Eternal is released, but hey whose counting?

There's plenty to keep us excited til then.

Here's more footage up at YouTube of Sonic Youth's performance on Jools Holland last week.

First up here is the single Sacred Trickster with Kim on the mic plus the Thurston fronted Antenna:


And if that's not enough, why don't you sign up for a direct hit from the band by following them on TWITTER?

Sonic Youth's The Eternal is out June 6 through Matador/ Remote Control.

Sonic Youth perform What We Know on Jools Holland

Another teaser from the forthcoming Sonic Youth album The Eternal, out in Australia through Matador/ Remote Control June 6.

Here is their performance on BBC's Jools Holland show earlier this week. It's the Lee Renaldo sung What We Know:

New Sonic Youth mp3 Sacred Trickster

Ever since we announced details of the new Sonic Youth album The Eternal, everyone's been asking for a listen.

Well, other than this dodgy YouTube video of a live performance of Calming The Snake, here's your first 'official' taste.

“Sacred Trickster” is a 2:10 out-of-the gate hardcore matinee track with Kim singing salutes to French painter Yves Klein and Western Massachusetts noise artist Noise Nomads. It sets the tone for ‘The Eternal’, which comprises twelve tunes that are a fireworks display of Sonic Youth touchstones. From the primal no wave attack of its earliest days, to the radical chording and song structures of its ’90s period, to the more focused and contemporary explorations of the last five years. This their 16th album, and their first for the Matador label, consolidates their move to a more lush, sensual sound as displayed on last album ‘Rather Ripped’ - but if anything punchier and cleaner, and now backstopped by the addition of Mark Ibold (Pavement, Dustdevils) on bass. - Matablog

Relish it!

Sacred Trickster [mp3]

Buy The Eternal on iTunes.

The band has also just been confirmed to play at the My Bloody Valentine-curated ATP Nightmare Before Christmas to be held at Butlins Holiday Resort in Minehead from December 4th - 6th, 2009.

sonicyouth.com

The Eternal is out June 6 through Matador/ Remote Control.

Looking for mp3s?
Check out our free mp3 download page here!

New video - AC Newman on Letterman

In case you missed it on the box last night, here it is on the tube - AC Newman was on the Late Show with David Letterman performing 'Like A Hitman, Like A Dancer'.



AC Newman 'Get Guilty' is out now on Matador/ Remote Control.

New Jay Reatard video - DOA

That's right kids -

DEAD ON ARRIVAL
IS NO FUN

Got that?

DOA is the latest clip from Jay Reatard's Matador Singles '08.

New Sonic Youth - Calming The Snake live video

Can't wait to hear the new Sonic Youth record 'The Eternal' due out in June?

Well this video of Calming The Snake shot by a fan in Chile should help wet the appetite:


via Stereogum.

The Eternal is out June.

Fucked Up - No Epiphany (No Age Remix)

Here's the No Age remix of Fucked Up's No Epiphany available on the No Epiphany 7".

No Epiphany (No Age Remix) mp3

No Epiphany is out now through Matador.

Condo Fucks - Straight Outta Connecticut

Many years ago, in a town called New London, in Connecticut, one band reigned supreme.

Condo Fucks.

Here is their story, the story of a scene, of dreams fulfilled and those unrealized.

Georgia Condo. Kid Condo. James McNew.

Fuckbook is out March 21.

Preview Sonic Youth's 'The Eternal'

Sonic Youth's 16th album, The Eternal, is due out early June. Recorded in November and December of last year, the first few snippets of the tracks can now be heard here:



[mp3]

Fucked Up feature on Pitchfork

Head over to Pitchfork to check out an interview with Canada's hardcore supremos Fucked Up and find out some interesting facts you may not have known about the band.

Pitchfork: Do you remember the first time you played New York?

Mike Haliechuk: It was in a womens' bookstore called Jane Doe Books, now closed. There were maybe 30 or 40 people there, and then we rushed to play an Adult Swim party at the Knitting Factory.

Jonah Falco: Three bands played: our tourmates, Punch You in the Face and Fourteen or Fight, and us. The whole thing was decorated with papier-mâché of Adult Swim and "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" characters, and there was a big spread of food. This is why there was...

Damien Abraham: A huge food fight! In the top floor of the Knitting Factory was...

MH: The Rapture and Danger Mouse.

DA: But Danger Mouse played on our floor. It was pre-Grey Album, so Danger Mouse was obviously known, but it wasn't like...Danger Mouse! They threw us out of the venue, with a case that I just put in the car, having no idea what it was. We stopped and [realized] it was a turntable, a Tech 12 turntable. It might have been Danger Mouse's turntable, and it might not have been. But now it's mine.

Antony talks Berlin

Berlin: Live at St Ann's Warehouse is Lou Reed's soundtrack to the live performance of the classic album, recorded in late 2006.

Guests on the album include Sharon Jones, Rob Wassermann and Antony.

Below is a video of Antony discussing his experience of working on Berlin: Live at St Ann's Warehouse, which is out now.

Times New Viking cover Velvet Underground

The Wexner Center in Columbus, Ohio recently put on a show of Velvet Underground covers, inviting local lo-fi heroes Times New Viking to take on the musical duties, plus Psychedelic Horseshit performing a couple of songs.

You can download the full set at Pat Radio.

Psychedelic Horseshit:
Sister Ray
Stephanie Says

Times New Viking:
Run Run Run
I'll Be You're Mirror
I'm Waiting for My Man
All Tomorrow's Parties
Sunday Morning
Venus in Furs
I Can't Stand It Anymore
Heroin
Pale Blue Eyes
Here She Comes Now
After Hours

Times New Viking's debut album for Matador, Rip It Off, is out now.

Jaguar Love get nailed

Nine Inch Nails have handpicked Jaguar Love to be their sole support act for their Melbourne and Sydney shows next week. Both bands will be playing at the Soundwave Festivals with Jaguar Love playing also playing sideshows in Melbourne and Sydney with Minus The Bear.

Originally forming in Seattle, Jaguar Love (Cody Votolato and Johnny Whitney of Blood Brothers and Jay Clark from Pretty Girls Make Graves) soon up and moved to Portland where the ferociously creative and once-noisy musicians added incredibly catchy melody to their songwriting. The result is their debut album Take Me To The Sea, a collection of 10 songs that are as surreal as they are anthemic. Oh, and they’re a little bit glam too.

TOUR DATES
Sat 21 Feb - Brisbane, Soundwave Festival
Sun 22 Feb - Sydney, Soundwave Festival
Mon 23 Feb – Sydney, Campbelltown City Hotel w/ Minus The Bear
Tue 24 Feb – Sydney, Hordern Pavilion w/ Nine Inch Nails
Wed 25 Feb – Melbourne, Festival Hall w/ Nine Inch Nails
Thu 26 Feb – Melbourne, Next! at Brown Alley w/ Minus The Bear
Fri 27 Feb – Melbourne, Soundwave Festival
Sat 28 Feb - Adelaide, Soundwave Festival
Mon 2 Mar - Perth, Soundwave Festival

Highways of Gold