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Top 8 summer tours of 2013

May 22, 2013 in Music news

Summer is right around the corner, which means it’s time to enjoy some fun in the sun, breathe in the fresh, summery air…and sweat it out in a mosh pit while watching one of your favourite bands perform live.

Luckily there are some big-named artists that are planning some mega international tours this summer. As a matter of fact, these tours are so big you’re bound to be in close proximity to a city and/or town they’re set to be playing in. And because any artist planning a massive tour which covers several (if not more) countries deserves some of your hard-earned cash, here is a list of some of the many bands that could be coming to a city or town near you this summer:

1. Black Sabbath

Who in their right mind wouldn’t want to see the Prince of Darkness stumbling around the stage and mumbling incoherent lyrics? I know I would! The majority of the band’s summer shows are in North America, but they will be heading to South America in October and will also be playing shows in UK and Europe this November and December. To check out the list of their upcoming shows click here, and to find some great deals on concert tickets visit http://www.bigticketshop.co.uk/

2. The National

Sometimes it seems like all these guys do is release new music and tour the world, so naturally they’re planning on covering a ton of different countries scattered all over the globe this summer; (not to mention that they’ll be touring with some other big-named artists like Frightened Rabbit, Dirty Projectors, Youth Lagoon, Local Natives, Johnny Marr and Daughter, just to name a few). You can view the list of their future concerts here.

3. FIDLAR

These surf punkers are one of the hottest up-and-coming bands of 2013, and if they’re playing a show in a city or town close to you we highly recommend that you see these badasses in the flesh. They are playing a ton (and we mean a TON) of American shows starting in June, followed by countless shows in the UK and Europe. They will also be performing in Australia in July and August before heading back to North America in the fall. To see a list of their upcoming shows check out their Facebook page.

4. Unknown Mortal Orchestra

These psych rockers are currently playing a string of shows Europe, and will soon be heading over to North America mid-June to hit just about every state and province in Canada and America; (yes, even the Canadian Prairies). In July they’ll be performing a few shows in their homeland (AKA New Zealand), as well as in Australia, followed by even more shows in America, Europe, the UK and Canada. To find out more information on their huge tour click here.

5. Toro Y Moi

To say that Toro Y Moi’s upcoming tour is massive would be the understatement of the year; (the dude has so many shows there aren’t even enough days in the summer to cover all of them). He’s playing a ton of concerts in North America (even in Hawaii), as well as in Japan, and will also be playing countless shows all over Europe including Lithuania and Finland. To view the list of his upcoming shows click here.

6. Kendrick Lamar

Mr. Lamar is not only playing an insane amount of shows in major cities all over America, he’s also set to perform in a crapton of smaller American cities/towns that we’ve never even heard of before. At the beginning of July the rapper will head over to Europe to play at a few select festivals, followed by some concerts in the UK, Japan and Canada. For more information on his future shows click here.

7. My Bloody Valentine

Unfortunately for North Americans these Irish shoegazers won’t be playing too many shows on the continent this summer, but they are starting their massive European tour tomorrow in Switzerland and will be playing a ton of different shows in Europe including Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Austria and many, many more. They’re even playing a couple of shows in Asia this July, and will be performing at the FYF Festival in Los Angeles on August 25th. For more info on their tour click here.

8. Foals

Foals will be all over the place this summer, with future shows being pegged in Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Japan and even Russia. They will be touring nonstop from May 25th to November 12th, and will be hitting countless major cities in the UK, America, Canada and Europe. To check out their massive list of upcoming shows click here.

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Tags: Birmingham, California, Compton, Dublin, England, Ireland, Los Angeles, New Zealand, Oregon, Oxford, Portland, South Carolina, The South, UK
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Top new tracks: Beady Eye, Noah and the Whale, Atoms for Peace, Surfer Blood + Daughter covers Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky”

May 1, 2013 in Ambient, Art Rock, Electronic, Experimental, Free downloads, Pop, Psych Pop, Rock

Atoms for Peace – “Magic Beanz” {Electronic/Experimental}

We’ve been listening to Amok nonstop since it was released a couple of months back (which may or may not have something to do with being swooned by Thom Yorke’s HOT moves in the “Ingenue” video), so we were surprised to see that the group is already releasing new material. The track made its debut this past Saturday during Thom Yorke and Nigel Godrich’s glorious DJ set on the French radio program Nova Club.

Beady Eye – “Second Bite of the Apple” {Rock}

Now that Noel Gallagher and his High Flying Birds had their time in the spotlight with their 2011 record, it’s time for Liam Gallagher and his Beady Eye to do what Liam Gallagher does best: Steal the spotlight from his brother. Beady Eye’s new album finally has a name (Be) and a release date (June 10th) and just in case you missed it you can listen to the album’s first single “Flick of the Finger” here.

Daughter – “Get Lucky” (Daft Punk cover) {Psych Pop}

Everyone and their mother is talking about this new Daft Punk track, so of course everyone and their mother decided to give it some remixing and cover love as well. This song debuted on the BBC Radio One Live Lounge show, which is also where Daughter covered Hot Chip’s “Ready For The Floor” and Bon Iver’s “Perth” last month.

Said The Whale – “I Love You” {Pop/Rock} + Free download

Said The Whale’s new album is out June 18th, so you know what that means….you best be preparing yourself for a plethora of music videos!! And because the band are the awesome Vancouverites that they are, they’re offering this single as a free download if you join their mailing list here.

BRAIDS – “Amends” {Experimental/Ambient}

Whenever a new BRAIDS track is released, a long line of music bloggers step up and start ranting and raving about how awesome it is, and this track was no different. This trancey, ambient tune is off the art rockers’ new 12″ In Kind // Amends, which is being released June 11th via Arbutus.

Noah and the Whale – “Heart of Nowhere” ft. Anna Calvi {Pop/Rock}

It’s less than a week until Noah and the Whale release their fourth LP, which is bound to be on the top of everyone’s top album lists this year. The track has got some heavy-duty violin action going on, and also features the Brit Award/Mercury Prize-nominated artist Calvi.

Surfer Blood – “Slow Six” {Alternative Rock}

This track is off Surfer Blood’s forthcoming LP Pythons which is being released June 11th (although the song originally debuted on their Record Store Day 7″). And in case you didn’t already know, the band started their mega North American tour with Foals today; to check out their upcoming concerts click here.

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Tags: Alberta, British Columbia, Calgary, California, Canada, England, Florida, free mp3 downloads, London, Los Angeles, UK, Vancouver
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Top 5 indie tracks of the week

April 29, 2013 in Alt-Folk, Experimental, Folk, Free downloads, Garage Rock, independent bands, Indie, Pop, Rap, Rock

We Are The West – “Hammer” {Alt-Folk}

As soon as we read that this Los Angeles-based duo recorded their music in storm drains and performed on sheep farms we just had to check them out; (because nothing is as badass as performing on a sheep farm). This track is off the second release of a four-part album of recordings, and you can purchase it for as little as $3 or each individual track for $1 here.

Wooly Mammoth – “Gold” {Pop/Rock} + Free downloads

Originally from Woodstock (no, the Canadian Woodstock silly) this band’s brand spankin’ new record North Shore is currently available as a free download at their Bandcamp page (although we highly recommend you buy it as a name-your-price download here). The group is prepping to play at various shows in London, Kitchener and Toronto; to stay up to date on their upcoming concerts check out their Facebook page.

NO CODA – “Holy War” {Alternative Rock} + Free download

With music so awesome it will fit like a glove in your eardrums, these Swedish noise rockers won’t be releasing their debut album until later this year, but in the mean time you can download this track for free via Soundcloud (and make sure you give them some “Like” love on Facebook and follow them on Tumblr too).

Gatas & Sorvetes – “Highlights On You” {Garage Rock} + Free downloads

It’s not too often we get submissions from Brazil, but a lo-fi surfy garage rock band from Brazil? Now that’s something special. This track is off the group’s brand new four-track EP Headbanger, which is currently being offered as a free download at the group’s Bandcamp page.

Benin City – “My Love” {Experimental/Rap}

Named after a Nigerian state capital, this “fused genre band” has been on the receiving end of some remixing love from Paper Tiger, Spoek Mathambo’s Nicolaas Van Reenen and Dan le Sac, so it’s about time these guys got some love from RMD as well. This single is off their debut album Fires In The Park (produced by Marc Pell of Micachu and the Shapes) which is out on June 24th.

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Tags: Brazil, California, Canada, free mp3 downloads, Los Angeles, Ontario, Scandinavia, South America, Sweden
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Top new tracks: The xx, MGMT, Sigur Rós, Joy Orbison + Unknown Mortal Orchestra covers Lindstrøm

April 26, 2013 in Alternative, Ambient, Dance, Experimental, Free downloads, Pop, Psych Pop, Psychedelic Rock, R&B, Rock

Unknown Mortal Orchestra – “Rà-àkõ-st” (Lindstrøm cover) {Psych Rock}

Just when we thought things couldn’t get more awesome than the mega Norwegian producer remixing UMO, the psych rock giants went and returned the favour by covering one of Lindstrøm’s tracks (which is off his 2012 album Smalhans). The cover is pretty epic, which isn’t surprising given that everything UMO touches turns to psych rock gold.

Joy Orbison – “Donell” {Dance/R&B} + Free download

Fans will be wringing out their panties once they find out that not only has the popular UK producer released a brand new single, he’s also making it available as a free download (so get on that shit). The track doesn’t sound a whole lot different than his previous work, but given that a new Joy Orbison track is a rare commodity these days I’ll quit my bitching.

The xx – “Together” {Alternative Pop}

With all the big-wig names being pinned to the new Great Gatsby soundtrack, it’s easy to forget that London’s beloved xx gave their own little indie touch to the release. Other artists featured on the soundtrack include Beyoncé, Jack White, Gotye, Florence + The Machine and Jay-Z (who served as the soundtrack’s executive producer).

Wild Nothing – “A Dancing Shell” {Electropop}

We only just found out about this new Wild Nothing EP a few days ago, so we were pretty stoked when we saw that the dream poppers had already released the EP’s first official single earlier this week. The release only has seven tracks on it, but if it’s as awesome as their 2012 album Nocturne or this, then it’s bound to be a killer.

Baths – “Ironworks” {Ambient/Experimental}

It’s been three long years since we’ve heard anything from Baths (AKA Will Wiesenfeld), so obviously fans have been buzzing about this new dreamy, ambient tune. The track is off Wiesenfeld’s second LP Obsidian, which is being released on May 28th via Anticon.

Sigur Rós – “Ísjaki” {Alternative Rock}

Sigur Rós’ new LP won’t be released for another couple of months, but they’ve already released not one, but two new tracks off the album. Even though “Brennisteinn” made its debut online last month, ”Ísjaki” is said to be the first official single off their new album, which is being released June 17th/18th via XL Recordings.

MGMT – “Alien Days” {Psych Pop}

Although this track was included on the duo’s limited-edition Record Store Day cassette of the same title, “Alien Days” is the first official single for their brand spankin’ new album which is due out this June. It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly three years since Congratulations was released, so all we can say is it’s about damn time, MGMT!

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Tags: Auckland, Brooklyn, California, England, free mp3 downloads, Iceland, London, Los Angeles, New York, New Zealand, Oregon, Portland, UK
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Top 5 indie tracks of the week

April 8, 2013 in Americana, Experimental, Folk, Free downloads, Hip Hop, independent bands, Indie, Noise Rock, Punk, Rap, Rock, Synthpop, Synthpunk

Daiquiri – “Expiry Date” {Noise Rock/Synthpunk}

This band’s sound is definitely an acquired taste, but if you’re a fan of Tenacious D, Iron Maiden, Queen, or Peter’s epic vampire opera ballad from Forgetting Sarah Marshall, then this band will blow your mind. To purchase their new album Sequel for $7 or each track for $1 click here.

Pajama People – “Wintertime (In My Woods)” {Synthpop}

We’ve been keeping our eye on Pajama People ever since we watched this glorious video, and just when we thought the band couldn’t get anymore awesome they go and release this epic video about a drug dealing gorilla. Their new album isn’t out until April 26th, but in the meantime you can listen to the crapton of their past releases at their Bandcamp page.

Jeffrey Philip Nelson – “New Orleans Girl” {Americana/Folk}

Is this secretly John Paul White trying to pull a quick one on us or something? Because this guy sounds so much like the male half of The Civil Wars it made us do a double take at first. His fifth studio album The Riders Song was just released on April 3rd, and you can purchase it for $9.90 or each track for $0.99 via iTunes here.

X-Phaze – “Pretend” {Rap/Hip Hop} + Free download

One of our favourite underground New Jersey-based hippity hoppers is back with a brand new single which was just released on April 5th. If you dig the tune you can download it for free here, and to read our past coverage on the über talented X-Phaze click here.

Redfoot – “Make It Quick” {Indie Rock}

This track from New York City’s Redfoot takes all sorts of interesting twists and turns in a span of four-and-a-half minutes, and just listening to it will take you to a whole other world. If you like the song you can purchase it for as little as $1 at the group’s Bandcamp page.

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Tags: Brooklyn, California, Canada, free mp3 downloads, Los Angeles, New Jersey, New York, Ontario, Ottawa
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Guest post: Terrible Albums and Famous Musicians – What Were They Thinking?

March 25, 2013 in Album reviews, Classic Rock, Funk, Guest Post, Rock

Bad albums by great artists are a very difficult thing to swallow. Musical visionaries eventually run dry creatively and don’t know when or how to take a break to recharge. At best, the albums produced are laughably bad and/or the artist rebounds later. In the worst case scenario, these black sheep albums can signify the beginning of the end for an artist.

Lulu {Metallica and Lou Reed}

Metallica and Lou Reed

While neither artist has a pristine track record, this is a record so bad that fans of both artists and music in general wondered if the whole thing was an elaborate prank. Primarily featuring spoken word from Reed with Metallica as his backing band, the album is based on a pair of works by German playwright Frank Wedekind, not that anyone would be able to notice. The fact of the matter is that there is no musical synergy at play here. Reed’s rambling and Metallica’s mostly limp arrangements never line up and it makes for an incredibly long, exhausting listen after nearly 90 minutes.

Van Halen III {Van Halen}

Van Halen

This is another obvious entry in this list. Picking Gary Cherone, former vocalist for the band Extreme, to replace Sammy Hagar was just the first of many questionable choices for Van Halen during the ’90s. The songs on this record were mostly longer and more experimental than the band’s previous material, which would be fine if the songs weren’t already suffering from the worst problems of the Hagar era. Everything is lifeless and immediately forgotten after listening, with even Eddie Van Halen clearly having no idea what he wants to do with the material.

Never Let Me Down {David Bowie}

David Bowie

Every list like this needs a “washed up, lazy ’80s record” entry. The lowest point in a self-proclaimed five-year malaise, Bowie has a few decent songs on here but the production is so uninspired and heavy that they completely go to waste. It sounds like David Bowie is trying to be creative without having any actual inspiration. Some people find this record interesting but they’re clearly just trying too hard.

Universal James {James Brown}

James Brown

This album’s effort to update his sound in the ’90s almost seems to miss the point of James Brown. His music is timeless, vital and bounding with energy. This record is sterile, contrived and a blatant attempt to cash in on his popularity. Instead of sounding like a James Brown record incorporating hip-hop, it sounds like a generic ’90s hip-hop record that got out of hand with sampling James Brown. Between the album’s sound and its record cover, it’s a fitting companion piece to the soundtrack to “Space Jam.”

Jason Kane is a vinyl record collector and avid music blogger. Jason collects his vinyl from SoundStage Direct, an online vinyl record distributor.

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Tags: Atlanta, Brooklyn, California, England, Georgia, London, Los Angeles, The South, UK
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Top new tracks: Drake, Austra, Action Bronson, James Blake + Best Coast covers Roy Orbison

March 13, 2013 in Classic Rock, Electronic, Electropop, Hip Hop, Rap, Reggae, Soul, Top 2013

Best Coast – “Crying” ft. Snacks the Cat (Roy Orbison cover) {Classic Rock}

What’s more awesome than Best Coast covering a classic Roy Orbison tune? Best Coast covering a classic Roy Orbison tune with her pet kitty-kat Snacks the Cat. Listen carefully at the 2:20 mark to hear Snacks make his official indie rock debut (and don’t forget to follow him on Twitter).

Major Lazer – “Jessica” ft. Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend {Reggae}

Any song featuring a member of Vamprie Weekend is bound to be a good one, especially when it’s vocalist Ezra Koenig singing Rastafarian on a reggaelicious Major Lazer track. The song is off Major Lazer’s forthcoming album Free The Universe which is being released on April 15th, and the album also features cameos from Wyclef Jean, Bruno Mars, Peaches, Shaggy and a crapton of other artists.

Drake – “5AM in Toronto” {Rap/Hip Hop}

Everyone’s been buzzing about Drake’s forthcoming album Nothing Was the Same, and even though it doesn’t have an official release date this is the second single we’ve heard off his new album (with the first being “Started From the Bottom”). And in case you didn’t already hear, Drake was recently listed as #5 on MTV’s Hottest MC’s In The Game VIII list (with Kanye being at #7 – THE HORROR), but is the track good enough to get him on the Forbes’ “Rich List” this year? Only time will tell…

Austra – “Home” {Electropop}

Our favourite electro-goth Canadian superstars are back with a brand new album Olympia, which is due out June 18th via Paper Bag Records (and June 18th can’t come soon enough). The group’s previous album (Feel It Break) was dark as fuck, so it’s surprising to hear an Austra single that’s more poppy and less gothy than what we’re used to (not that we’re complaining or anything…)

Four Tet – “For These Times” {Electronic}

This past week we’ve seen not one, but two new tracks from Four Tet (with the other being a cover of Justin Timberlake’s “Suit and Tie”), although this track may have been overshadowed by JT since both songs were posted within hours of eachother. This song is off the new NonPlus compilation Think and Change which also features Boddika, Pearson Sound, and many more.

James Blake – “Digital Lion” ft. Brian Eno {Electronic/Soul}

This song has a conglomeration of different genres, starting with a slow, trancy beat, then moving on to a more R&B/soulish vibe before finally morphing into a bouncy electro madness, James Blake style. The track is off Blake’s forthcoming album Overgrown which is being released on April 8th.

Action Bronson – “Morey Boogie Boards” {Rap/Hip Hop}

Produced by the New York rap producer Harry Fraud, this track is the first single off Fraud’s new full-length compilation Adrift. The mixtape is being released on Friday and also features French Montana, Mac Miller and Pusha T.