SKOPE NEWS FOR JANUARY 7, 2016

ESH & ARC NEW SINGLE

Esh & Arc have announced their new album, ‘Death Doesn’t Want You’ available January 22 on AR Classic Records. To celebrate this announcement, Esh & Arc have also released their second single, “Keep Diggin'” featuring Boston Hip Hop veterans, Slaine and Reks.

INVERLOCH NEW SINGLE

Melbourne, Australia’s INVERLOCH, featuring half of the legendary Disembowelment, has announced their first-ever full-length release. In 2012, INVERLOCH unleashed their debut EP Dusk | Subside, an epic offering featuring slow atmospherics mixed with bursts of pounding blast beats that erupt out of tranquil soundscapes, following the sound that Disembowelment first trademarked in the early 1990s.

http://decibelmagazine.com/blog/2016/1/4/inverlochs-distance-collapsed-in-rubble-aims-to-disembowel

VON GREY’S FIRST PERFORMANCE AT THE MINT IN LOS ANGELES

Tickets are on sale now for Atlanta-based alt-rock group VON GREY’s January 28 show at The Mint. This special evening will mark the band’s first-ever performance at the storied Los Angeles venue. Butterscotch will open and VON GREY will take the stage at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are available at:

http://bit.ly/1IJ7AZz

GARY LUCAS AND JANN KLOSE’S STEREOPTICON ALBUM OUT FRIDAY, JANUARY 8

(Songwriters available for interviews in support of album)

Guitarist Gary Lucas and singer Jann Klose’s new album, STEREOPTICON is being released this Friday, January 8, on Cosmic Trigger Records/The Orchard. This is a songwriter’s album, probably most at home with fans of AAA, indie, acoustic folk-pop/“urban Americana” music.

Also active songwriters, Gary and Jann collaborated on songs over the past three years. Their friend Dan Beck, who has written with Dion DiMucci, the Iron City Houserockers, Felix Cavaliere, joined them as lyricist on 6 songs. In September 2014 and June 2015, Jann and Gary recorded 10 songs in New York City’s premiere analog studio The Maid’s Room.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/stereopticon/id1065240432

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018ZPIXGE

JOHNNY BOYD NEW ALBUM

No one exemplifies modern-day crooning better than Johnny Boyd: smooth, romantic vocals; matinee idol charisma; classic gentleman’s style; and dynamic, irreverent performances. But it’s his fresh, emotive, all-original contributions to the Great American Songbook that will be his legacy. With his highly anticipated upcoming release, Someday Dreams of You (out February 12, 2016 via Cliffdive Records), Boyd introduces a whole new generation of listeners to the Great American Songbook and his classic crooning style.

The eleven-song Someday Dreams of You is Boyd’s seventh studio album and his first solo album in over three years. The album was co-produced by Boyd and acclaimed industry veteran Oz Fritz (Tom Waits, Bill Laswell, Primus), and unlike other Great American Songbook collections, Boyd’s new album has a twist.

http://www.johnnyboyd.com

THE THERMALS “HEY YOU” SONG DEBUT VIA PITCHFORK

Produced by Chris Walla (formerly of Death Cab For Cutie), with whom the band has worked frequently, We Disappear was recorded in Portland at Kung Fu Bakery (The Shins, Tegan and Sara) and in Seattle, WA at The Hall of Justice (Nirvana, Mudhoney). The album – which will arrive ahead of the 10th anniversary of their acclaimed third LP The Body, The Blood, The Machine – is an authentic, dark, and deeply personal album couched in The Thermals’ trademark catchy and boundless pop/rock. The band examines technology, love, and death throughout: how separation in humanity can come through any of these avenues; how people try to outrun the demise of lives and relationships; how technology can isolate us and impact our relationships even as we completely – and willingly – assimilate ourselves into it (or go “Into The Code,” as the opening track suggests); and how we’ve begun to forego privacy for a feeling of immortality in order to not be ignored or forgotten.

http://pitchfork.com/news/62747-the-thermals-announce-new-album-we-disappear-share-hey-you/

FOALS PERFORM “MOUNTAIN AT MY GATES”

In case you missed it, last night Foals stopped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to perform “Mountain At My Gates”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fHD3k1wCBw

OKEECHOBEE MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL ADDS A FOURTH DAY

Due to a wealth of talent and overwhelming excitement for the Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival, organizers have decided to extend the event an extra day. The festival gates will now open on Thursday March 3 at 12 noon and feature programming starting at 5pm going late into the night. Fans who arrive at noon on that Thursday can enter the gates and immediately start sunning themselves or swimming. The Aquachobee Beach stage will have music and games until sunset at which point an all-night electronic experience at the Jungle 51 Stage will begin. Fans can also enter and explore ChobeeWobee Village and have first access to artisan craft vendors, incredible art installations and intimate performances.

http://okeechobeefest.com/

HEARTLESS BREAKERS NEW VIDEO

We collaborated with Everett Fitch of Big American Story. Here’s his description of the video.

“Every generation struggles with uncertainty. It may be that you first start to truly realize the gravity of that in your late twenties. At this age you struggle in the impermanence of your youth, and the perceived permanence of your impending adulthood. Life isn’t always what it seems though. Life is cyclical. It’s important to realize that. Otherwise you’ll go mad. Childhood, adolescence, manhood/womanhood, there’s a birth and death to all these stages and you can sometimes repeat them many times in your life. I wanted to convey that in the music video as simply as possible. In fact, there’s a line in this very song that sums it all up quite perfectly: “the broken record still spins with the twentysomethings.”

2016 SHE ROCKS AWARDS

The Women’s International Music Network (WiMN) is excited to announce the musical lineup for the 2016 She Rocks Awards, taking place Fri., Jan. 22, 2016, from 7 – 9 p.m. at the Anaheim Hilton Hotel in Anaheim, Calif., during the 2016 Winter NAMM show.

Featuring WiMN Founder Laura B. Whitmore and acclaimed guitarist Nita Strauss (Alice Cooper, Iron Maidens), as co-hosts, the 2016 She Rocks Awards celebration will pay tribute to trailblazing women in music and will include performances by:

Jennifer Batten, (Michael Jackson, Jeff Beck) acclaimed guitarist and Awards honoree
Chart-topping pop duo Karmin, including Awards honoree Amy Heidemann
Raining Jane, touring and recording band for Jason Mraz, including awards honorees Becky Gebhardt and Mona Tavakoli
Malina Moye, acclaimed lefty guitarist and 2014 She Rocks Awards honoree
Nita Strauss, (Alice Cooper, Iron Maidens) co-host for this year’s Awards
The Command Sisters, talented Canadian singer/songwriter duet
Plus the house band Rock Sugah, comprised of Divinity Roxx (Beyoncé) on bass, Kat Dyson (Prince, Sting) on guitar, Benita Lewis (Chaka Khan) on drums, and Lynette Williams (Childish Gambino, CeeLo Green) on keyboard.

http://www.thewimn.com/events/she-rocks-awards/

AUROCH ALBUM STREAM

20 Buck Spin has confirmed the first vinyl edition of From Forgotten Worlds, the pummeling debut album by Western Canadian death metal horde, AUROCH, this week issuing a March street date for the platter.

Looming over Vancouver, British Columbia is an invisible dark energy, trapped in shadow, that imbues the region’s death metal, with a most turbulent methodology. Blasting outside time and out of mind, reaching deep into the lowest places of the Earth, the inhuman entity called AUROCH encapsulates the distant thousand eyed doom of the cosmos, long hidden, frozen to the core and ripe to be awakened once more.

http://listen.20buckspin.com/album/from-forgotten-worlds

RHINO LAUNCHES FIRST EVER “START YOUR EAR OFF RIGHT” CAMPAIGN

January has long been a barren wasteland in the world of new music releases. With most acts rushing to get albums out before the holidays, the first month of the year has far too often been an afterthought to record labels. Rhino changes all that in 2016 with their first ever “Start Your Ear Off Right” campaign. On Tuesday, January 19, Rhino will release 17 titles from some of the most revered acts in music including Bad Company, The Cars, Devo, The Replacements, and Velvet Underground, many of them limited editions. Full details are listed below. These will be available only at participating brick and mortar retail outlets.

http://www.rhino.com/syeor

FIFTH HARMONY WINS FAVORITE GROUP AT 2016 PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS

After a banner 2015, FIFTH HARMONY kicked off 2016 with a huge win last night, taking home their first-ever People’s Choice Award for Favorite Group. Fifth Harmony’s loyal Harmonizers took to the People’s Choice Award polls, rallying their support and taking over the impressive category with their votes. Ally, Normani, Lauren, Camila and Dinah-Jane have been hard at work in the studio, preparing for their highly-anticipated follow-up album, to be released sometime this year via Syco/Epic Records.

http://www.fifthharmonyofficial.com/

‘OFF THE WALL’: MICHAEL JACKSON’S ORIGINAL ALBUM AND THE DOCUMENTARY

On February 26, during Black History Month, the Estate of Michael Jackson and Sony Music’s Legacy Recordings will release exclusive CD/DVD and CD/Blu-ray editions of Michael Jackson’s revolutionary 1979 recording, Off The Wall. The package will include the original version of the album bundled with the new documentary Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall, directed by Spike Lee. The documentary make its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2016, and its broadcast premiere on SHOWTIME® on Friday, February 5 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on-air, on demand and over the Internet. After its first SHOWTIME airing, it will be broadcast in territories around the world.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/off-the-wall–michael-jacksons-original-album-and-the-documentary-michael-jacksons-journey-from-motown-to-off-the-wall-set-for-release-as-a-cddvd-bundle-on-february-26-2016-300200870.html

KIIARA DEBUTS NEW TRACK “SAY ANYMORE”

Zane Lowe premiered Kiiara’s brand new song “Say Anymore” earlier today on Beats 1. The Felix Snow-produced track follows Kiiara’s critically acclaimed debut single “Gold,” which has been topping charts globally, with currently over 22 million streams worldwide since its release in summer 2015.

VALLEYS “THE DEATH OF ME”

Modern progressive metal group VALLEYS are set to release their debut full-length conceptalbum, Experiment One: Asylum, on February 12, 2016. The album illustrates the main character, Asylum, in his tumultuous fight with Multiple-Personality Disorder. Each track depicts Asylum’s returning struggle with a different personality.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtnJ1EFO0b4

LASER NEW SINGLE

Toronto’s Laser, the new group fronted by vocalist Lisa Lobsinger (Broken Social Scene), Paul Pfisterer (The Beauties) and Martin Davis Kinack (Transistor Sound & Lighting Co.), has premiered a third single, “Disconnect”, off their upcoming debut full-length album, Night Driver, today via Stereogum. Night Driver will arrive January 29 on Foreseen Entertainment.

http://www.stereogum.com/1849767/laser-disconnect-stereogum-premiere/mp3s/

THE KVB “IN DEEP”

UK duo, The KVB have announced the release of their new studio album, Of Desire. The album will be released by Metropolis Records on March 11, 2016 and by Invada Records in the UK.

Having begun life in 2010 as a bedroom project for then Southampton-based Nicholas Wood to experiment with ideas around minimal electronica, The KVB expanded with Wood’s partner and collaborator Kat Day, relocating to Berlin in 2014.

Hear “In Deep” at Resident Advisor here:

http://www.residentadvisor.net/news.aspx?id=32789

MANIPULATE NEW SINGLE

The inevitable sound clash of American hardcore and metal has matured tremendously since outfits such as Corrosion Of Conformity and D.R.I. made speed the ultimate goal during the early to mid-1980s. For New York City’s MANIPULATE, it is not only the stylistic traits of both genres worth blending, but upholding the best aspects of each culture as well.

From the metal side of the equation, the band offers up dark, crunchy, menacing riffs coupled with a complete lack of regard for anyone’s hurt feelings. From the hardcore end: no-holds-barred energy and intensity with a critical socio-political point-of-view only the naive would disregard.

http://www.nocleansinging.com/2016/01/06/an-ncs-premiere-manipulate-manipulate/

THE BY GODS NEW SINGLE

Comprised of of bassist Natalie Pauley, George Pauley (vocals, guitar) and Tye Hammonds (drums), the trio stays focused on the difficult art of keeping it simple. The band hit their stride from the opening track on the album, which is assembled perfectly with intelligent and intoxicating melodies. Downstrokes-be-damned, the band continues delivering their fuzz-guitar-laden youthful energy in crystal-clear high fidelity all the way through.

L.A.-BASED DUO THE TWO TENS NEW VIDEO

Buzzing guitars, big thumping drums and sheets of skysaw vocals… this is The Two Tens. Barely a year old, The Two Tens consist of guitarist/vocalist Adam Bones and drummer Rikki Styxx. Inspired by ‘60s garage and ‘70s punk along with all manner of modern buzz ‘n’ fuzz, Bones and Styxx are ready to bring The Two Tens sound and style to you and your mama.

https://rising.yahoo.com/post/136756297778/video-premiere-the-two-tens-debut-ella-dont

LITTLE GREEN CARS NEW SINGLE

LITTLE GREEN CARS return with “The Song They Play Every Night,” the first song from their extraordinary new album, Ephemera. “The Song They Play Every Night” is the opening track on the album, which was co-produced by the band with Rob Kirwan and is set for release on Glassnote on March 11th.

KCONEIL “SORRY” REMIX VIDEO

“For me ‘Sorry’ plays right into the concept of my new single ‘Not this Time’. When making the decision to remix ‘Sorry’ I didn’t just do it just for the mare fact of doing a cover, but instead to create that great lead up to my upcoming single” says Kconiel.

DIE CHOKING ALBUM STREAM

Philadelphia hypergrind trio, DIE CHOKING, has finalized the itinerary for their maiden European tour with Department Of Correction this February, coinciding with the CD release of their III debut LP. The band will tackle upstate New York this weekend, and has announced a ton of additional 2016 tour dates as well.

https://soundcloud.com/earsplit/sets/die-choking-iii

THE TEEN AGE STREAM “BACKWARDS”

The follow up to 2014’s “Low Cunning” single, released on Old Flame Records, Bad Seed was written as an ode to getting older, confronting the inevitable truths that you’ve spent your youth avoiding. It’s about reaching a certain age where everything you did when you were younger finally starts catching up to you, and you’re faced with two choices – either double down, or try to figure out how to overcome your demons.

http://www.spin.com/2016/01/the-teen-age-backwards-premiere-stream/

3 DOORS DOWN ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM

Grammy Award®-nominated multiplatinum Mississippi rock band 3 Doors Down announce their sixth full-length album, Us And The Night [Republic Records], available in stores and through all digital retailers March 11th. Fans can pre-order the album starting January 15th. All those who pre-order the album will receive an instant download of their first single “In The Dark.”

“In The Dark” shows a different side of 3 Doors Down. You’ll recognize the robust riffing, but it flaunts a sexy and striking chant that emphasizes a new groove and swagger altogether.

On the new album Brad Arnold notes: “We’re all excited to release our new album Us And The Night. It’s truly been a labor of love and we can’t wait to get these songs out to our fans around the world.”

http://www.3doorsdown.com/

ZUU “AIN’T NO SUNSHINE”

In every single way, ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ is an evolution from the remarkable EDM/hip hop soundscapes that ZUU explored on his debut EP ‘Subculture’. ZUU’s heavy debt to bass culture is blisteringly apparent in the brutalist beats on his new single. Starting with a subtly warped sample of Bill Withers’ essential soul classic of the same name, ZUU reconstructs it as a blazing melodic synth line ringing above storming kick drums and a serpentine bass. It’s ZUU’s most solid attempt at dance floor hip hop flavoured EDM yet.

SIA RELEASES TODAY NEW TRACK “REAPER” CO-WRITTEN & PRODUCED BY KANYE

Singer/songwriter/producer/massive hitmaker Sia today announces the release of a new song “Reaper” from her forthcoming album THIS IS ACTING set for release everywhere on January 29, 2016 (Monkey Puzzle Records/RCA Records).

“WHITEST BOY ON THE BEACH”

Some people will call Songs For Our Mothers the most unpleasant album of this year, if not of their entire generation; the work of a bunch of drink and drug wracked nihilist degenerates. Some will say that it is a thrilling statement of disgust, defiance and complete creative independence made by the only rock band in the UK that really counts for anything at all anymore. But it is likely that few who hear it will walk away from the second album by the Fat White Family, released on their own label Without Consent, (via Fat Possum in North America) not caring one way or the other.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKNt_qq6N7o

MUSICDISH X CHINA INSTITUTE IN NYC

Chinese Rock, otherwise referred to as Yaogun, is the country’s first grassroots music movement that is increasingly setting its sights on a global audience. To celebrate its 30th Anniversary, MusicDish and China Institute will be hosting “Serve The People! Serve The Rock! China’s Post-Cultural Revolution ‘Yaogun’,” a one-day event to introduce one of China’s most influential cultural movements to a wider audience in the U.S.

Date: Tuesday, January 19
Time: 2-9 PM
Location: China Institute
100 Washington St, New York, NY, 10006
Tel: 212.744.8181
Schedule:
* 2-9PM: Yaogun exhibition + video screening opens
* 4PM: PechaKucha Presentations + Panel Q&A
* 6PM: MusicDish Yaogun press conference
* 7-9PM: Networking Cocktail Reception

Registration:

http://www.chinainstitute.org/event/serve-the-people-serve-the-rock-musicdish-yaogun-launch/

MAIZE REMIXES GWEN STEFANI’S NEW SINGLE ‘USED TO LOVE YOU’

Gwen Stefani’s latest Top 20 smash, ‘Used To Love You’ has received a club ready re-work courtesy of Los Angeles based electronic duo MAIZE. Premiering on Spotify via Gwen’s exclusive NYE playlist, the new take on the track is an absolute dance floor filler.

HIT BARGAIN DEBUT SINGLE

Los Angeles punk outfit Hit Bargain shares their debut single “The Circuits That Cannot Be Cut.” Stream the track and read an interview with the band’s frontwoman Nora Singh on Noisey.

http://noisey.vice.com/blog/hit-bargain-nora-singh-interview-circuits-premiere

PHIL COLLINS – “TAKE A LOOK AT ME NOW” RETROSPECTIVE CAMPAIGN CONTINUES

Phil Collins’ “Take A Look At Me Now” retrospective campaign commences at the end of the month with the January 29 releases of deluxe editions of his classic albums Face Value and Both Sides. The next stage in the series comes on February 26 with brand new versions of Hello, I Must Be Going! and Dance Into The Light.

The “Take A Look At Me Now” campaign finds Phil Collins revisiting a career that can boast over 100 million sales and numerous worldwide #1 albums. His remaining four solo studio albums will also be released in the same format in the coming months.

http://philcollins.co.uk/

SEVEN SISTERS OF SLEEP “GUTTER”

Southern California extreme metal force. SEVEN SISTERS OF SLEEP, had shared “Gutter,” a new song off the band’s upcoming full-length Ezekiel’s Hags, via Spin. The track, which Spin described as, “a cannonball of sludge and double-kick, whose unexpectedly ambient outro is just as unnerving as the blood-curdling wails from singer Tim McAlary that precede it,” can be streamed RIGHT HERE.

http://www.spin.com/2016/01/seven-sisters-of-sleep-gutter-premiere/

MY DARLING FURY “SATISFIED”

My Darling Fury have just premiered their gorgeous new single, “Satisfied,” via Indie Shuffle, and are quickly making their way up the site’s charts (currently at #5!).

There is a bruised elegance, razor­sharp wit, and quirky theatricality about the music of Richmond, Virginia-based band My Darling Fury. With a name that evokes thoughts of vulnerability wrapping its arms around unbridled rage, the indie pop trio of Todd Matthews, Joel Hollister and charismatic frontman Danny Reyes, defies genre limitations with songs that celebrate the unpredictability of life and love. Following the release of their debut album Licking Wounds in 2013, the band returns with A/O/K, out this Winter; a record that continues to push their singular aesthetic in new and exciting directions.

http://www.indieshuffle.com/my-darling-fury-satisfied/

“TROPICANA”

OWSLA regulars Valentino Khan and Wiwek have released their new collab “Tropicana,” out today as a free download via Toneden. The two artists have become mainstays in modern dance music with their worldwide hits “Deep Down Low” and “On Your Mark” while pushing the boundaries of genres and creating their own sounds.

[PREMIERE] Valentino Khan & Wiwek Bring The Jungle Out On Brand New Collab Single “Tropicana” [Free Download]

MATT MILLER NEW VIDEO

He’s barely twenty-one, but already the singer, songwriter, and guitarist Matt Miller is working and recording with the R&B and pop legend who co-wrote “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” and who John Belushi told to “play it, Steve” in The Blues Brothers, Steve Cropper.

That’s Steve playing those delicious, funky guitar licks on “The Hunter,” an R&B/Rock flavored Cropper/Dunn/ Jackson/Jones/Wells, classic, and on the Cropper/Gore/Miller “Last Ride;” two of the many highlights on Matt’s debut album.

LIL DICKY MAKES HIS LATE NIGHT TV DEBUT ON CONAN

Rapper / Actor / (underwear) Model, Lil Dicky made his late night TV debut with a performance on CONAN last night. Accompanied by special guest Rich Homie Quan, the emcee performed “$ave Dat Money” from his chart-topping debut album, ‘Professional Rapper.’

http://teamcoco.com/video/lil-dicky-feat-rich-homie-quan-01-05-16

“COMEDY OF ERRORS” PT 1

The pop-metal group Alesana has just released part one of their ‘Comedy of Errors” music video/mini-movie via Loudwire. The song comes from the band’s recent release Confessions and part two of the video’s saga will conclude later this winter.

http://loudwire.com/alesana-comedy-of-errors-part-1-exclusive-video-premiere/

CONVERSE LAUNCHES SPRING 2016 CHUCK TAYLOR ALL STAR SEX PISTOLS COLLECTION

CONVERSE Inc. celebrates the legendary band, Sex Pistols, with the new Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Sex Pistols collaboration for Spring 2016 showcasing iconic imagery and artwork.

The collection features colors, materials and graphics inspired by the band’s iconic style and album art. The footwear collection features details such as stitch detailing and graphic overlays. Each style includes the iconic Sex Pistols logo on the tongue of the sneaker as well as in the foot bed. The apparel collection combines elevated fabrics and graphic executions that also represent the spirit of the Sex Pistols.

https://www.instagram.com/converse/

MAINLAND DEBUT NEW VIDEO

Led by enigmatic frontman, Jordan Topf (Vocals, Guitar) and comprised of Corey Mullee (Guitar, Synth), Alex Pitta (Bass) and Joey Sulkowski (Drums), the four-piece arrived with their Girls Unknown EP (2013) and followed soon after with their second independent release, Shiner EP (2014).

http://www.nylon.com/articles/mainland-not-as-cool-as-me

EXMAGICIAN “JOB DONE”

Following the recent release of their EP Kiss That Wealth Goodbye, Belfast duo exmagician are delighted to announce details of their debut album Scan The Blue that will be released on March 25th via Bella Union. Additionally, they’ve debuted new track ‘Job Done’ via Clash. The song utilizes a blend of field recordings captured in and around the duo’s hometown of Belfast to create hazy garage rock that’s both distorted and distinctive.

A heady mix of guitars meeting synths and spiraling threads of psychedelia, Scan The Blue is the latest musical incarnation of longtime collaborators Danny Todd and James Smith, the songwriter partnership behind Cashier No.9, who released the David Holmes produced album To The Death Of Fun in 2011 to widespread critical acclaim.

http://www.clashmusic.com/news/track-of-the-day-71-exmagician