NPR is streaming the new New Pornographers album, Together (out May 4th), in its entirety.
Mother Jones interviews Passion Pit frontman Michael Angelakos.
Pitchfork reports that singer-songwriter PJ Harvey will guest-design an issue of Zoetrope: All Story.
Stream Avi Buffalo's self-titled album (out tomorrow).
Lifehacker lists the five best online music discovery services.
Frank YangDan Mangan has come through town a few times since his show at the Rivoli last October, but for my purposes that show and the one this past Thursday night at the Horseshoe make for very good comparison points. At that show, I noted he seemed “on the cusp of bigger things” and while the ‘Shoe is physically bigger than the Rivoli by a fair margin, selling it out as fully as Mangan did also represents a sort of watershed moment for a Canadian artist. Dan Mangan isn’t just rising; he’s risen.
Continue reading at Chromewaves →
Photos: Dan Mangan, Aidan Knight @ The Horseshoe – April 22, 2010
MP3: Dan Mangan – “Road Regrets”
NYC Taper is sharing a recording of Owen Pallett’s show in New York last week. Dallas Voice also has an interview.
Under The Radar talks to Florence Welch of Florence & The Machine.
Fresh off announcing the release date of her new record – June 29 – M.I.A. has released the first decidedly NSFW video and leaked the corresponding MP3 from the record herself. Clearly, motherhood has mellowed her out. Yeah, right. Update: YouTube has moved the video behind the adults-only curtain. Kids of all ages can watch it and it’s ultra-violence at her website, though.
MP3: M.I.A. – “Born Free”
Video: M.I.A. – “Born Free”
The Hot Chip/xx show from Washington DC this past weekend is now available to stream at NPR, and if you want some visuals to go with the audio, check out the photos over at Photokyle. There’s also a Hot Chip feature at The Independent.
Billboard has an extensive feature piece on The National, whose High Violet is just a fortnight from release.
The Georgia Straight and Tuscon Weekly talk to Shearwater frontman Jonathan Meiburg.
The Line Of Best Fit interviews Band Of Horses’ Creighton Barrett. Infinite Arms is out May 18.
Crooked Fingers has taken to Kickstarter to solicit financing for a most worthy of projects – a follow-up to their 2002 covers EP Reservoir Songs. Pledges can be for as little as $1, but starting at the $6 point you’re entitled to a download of the finished product, while $15 or $25 gets you a limited-edition LP and if you get into the four-figure territory, you can get to pick a song for them to cover or have them come to your living room to perform. For serious. They’re targeting an early Summer release for the EP and a new Crooked Fingers full-length before the year is out.
Anni Rossi – “Crushing Limbs” From her as-yet-not-fully-announced new full-length, due out this summer from 4AD. Note also that Rossi is playing the Matt Groening-curated ATP coming up in May.
Versus – On the Ones and Threes
Out August, 2010 on Merge
Beautiful cover artwork by Tae Won Yu, from whom this picture and news comes. Teenbeat will be releasing the 2xLP version.
The Guardian is streaming Hole's new album, Nobody's Daughter (out April 27th).
Spinner's band of the week is Villagers.
Conor O'Brien, the youthful creative behind Villagers, is responsible for some of the most interesting indie-folk to come out of Ireland for some time, with his debut album, 'Becoming a Jackal,' due from Domino Records on May 24.
The Guardian talks to bands about their websites.
PopMatters interviews music critic Greil Marcus.
The Guardian profiles the National and the band's new album, High Violet (out May 11th).
Because Berninger sounds like a polite Nick Cave and suffers like a literate Chris Martin, the National's music is often described as elegiac, when in truth, it's more uplifting than that. The rhythms are much too urgent to be called stately. The juxtaposition between the singer's mournful baritone and the joyous guitar lines and vocal harmonies is a defining characteristic of their sound. "You have to trust a voice like that," says friend and neighbour Sufjan Stevens. "He sings like an older brother with a dark side. He'll protect you on the playground, but he's not afraid to tell it like it is, and he'll kick you in the face if he has to."
The Philadelphia Folk Festival has posted its 2010 lineup.
Click Track reports that Joanna Newsom and My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James will guest on the forthcoming Roots album.
Knowing what you want is usually a lot more exciting than having no idea at all. “Jesus” is basically a song about being aware of your desires, and trying to wish them into reality. The list of demands are not incredibly specific…
…but it’s all in the realm of the possible. Maybe it’s about trying to experience something all over again, maybe it’s an idealized version of the life you already know. Either way, this song captures that feeling of imagining some perfect moment, and thinking that you’re right on the edge of it actually coming true.
Buy it from Burning Mill Records.
