RACHEL PLATTEN’S “WILDFIRE” DEBUTS TOP 5 ON BILLBOARD 200
Wildfire, the major label debut album from multi-platinum selling recording artist Rachel Platten, has entered the Billboard 200 at #5 this week. The impressive entry marks the breakthrough pop artist’s highest career debut, not to mention the week’s highest-charting album to debut. Wildfire, which features current single “Stand By You” as well as the chart-topping, multi-platinum hit “Fight Song,” is available everywhere now via Columbia Records, including iTunes and Spotify.
WEEKENDER PREMIERE NEW EP STREAM
Floaty Feeling, Blue is a record of dreamy, textured pop tunes, soaked in psychedelic effects, recorded at Fancy Time Studios with Derek Sheehan once again teaming with Kyle “Slick” Johnson, who worked on the band’s debut, Spanish Peaks. Over the past two years, Weekender have built a loyal, local following, becoming the band to support touring acts coming through town, including Future Islands, The Growlers, Nothing, Surfer Blood, Israel Nash, Peace, and Field Report, amongst others.
http://thekey.xpn.org/2016/01/11/weekender-floaty-feeling-blue-premiere/
ALEX SMOKE NEW SINGLE
Following his hallucinogenic dancefloor EPs ‘Dust’ and ‘Green Man’ for R&S, Alex Smoke returns with his latest opus ‘Love Over Will,’ a suite of perfectly crafted electronica, brimming with layers and texture that mixes depth, euphoria and social commentary in equal measure. As with his 2011 release under the Wraetlic guise, Love Over Will sees Menzies further exploring the melding of his voice with intricate electronics and discordant melody. The album is available to pre-order now via Bandcamp and iTunes.
http://www.clashmusic.com/news/premiere-alex-smoke-manacles
PELICAN HEAD TO EUROPE
Chicago’s celebrated torchbearers of instrumental metal, PELICAN, will return to Europe for a string of dates this Spring. This marks the band’s first European tour since the successes of their innovative 2013 LP Forever Becoming and 2015’s 4-track EP, The Cliff — both released via Southern Lord — and their 2014 Arktika live 2xLP. PELICAN will take their dense, meditative sounds, affectual melodies, and distorted atmospheric prowess to Germany, the UK, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic and Denmark, including performances at Desertfest, Young Team Festival, A Colossal Weekend and more.
HENRY FONG NEW SINGLE
Los Angeles based producer Henry Fong is bringing in the new year with a heavy hitting original “Turn It Up,” out now via Musical Freedom Records. The track is steeped in Henry’s groovy high-energy sound. Starting off with a bouncy intro, “Turn It Up” builds up to a massive drop featuring springing bass, layered synths and expertly-crafted vocals courtesy of Mr. V.
GHOST NOMINATED FOR BEST METAL PERFORMANCE GRAMMY AWARD
Ghost’s “Cirice”, from their critically acclaimed third album Meliora, has been nominated for ‘Best Metal Performance’ at the 2016 Grammy® Awards. Meliora was released on August 21, 2015 and debuted in the Top 10 (#8) on Billboard’s Top 200 Album Charts, No. 1 at Independent Retail, and No. 2 at Rock. The Grammy® Awards will be handed out on Monday, February 15, 2016 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA and televised live on CBS at 8PM EST/PST (Check local Listings).
KNOCKOUT KID NEW SINGLE
Bullet Tooth is excited to launch the first single from the upcoming Knockout Kid album “Manic” coming February 26. Check out “Jurassic Park After Dark” (featuring Trey Sexton from Kid Liberty) now at YouTube.com/BulletTooth. Special pre-order bundles for “Manic” are live now at BulletTooth.com/store including exclusive tee shirts, hoodies, and flags.
STILL FLYIN’ ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM + SINGLE
Ernest Jenning Record Co. is excited to announce Perfect Future, the fourth album from San Francisco’s Still Flyin’ (out January 15, 2016). To ring in the announcement, the band has shared “Love Both Sides,” which is available to stream or embed HERE.
The band also has added a few tour dates throughout the northeast, beginning at New York City’s Cake Shop on February 3 and concluding in Boston, MA at Plough and Stars on February 6.
https://stillflyin.bandcamp.com/track/love-both-sides
ANNA MEREDITH DEBUTS NEW SINGLE “TAKEN” ON STEREOGUM
Today, Anna Meredith shares “Taken”, the latest single to be revealed from her forthcoming debut album Varmints. Following on the heels of her previous single “R-Type”, “Taken” “evokes a clear sense of triumph,” writes Stereogum. “With flickering arpeggios of guitars and speak-sung anthemic vocals,” they write, “it builds to a steady, exhilarating climax.” Meredith says, “When I’m teaching composition to students I quite often do a pompous ramble about how writing a ‘pop song’ is one of the hardest things you can do. There’s nowhere to hide behind the material, it needs to be catchy – but for the right reasons I think this is the closest I’ve ever got to nailing one!”
http://www.stereogum.com/1849740/anna-meredith-taken-stereogum-premiere/mp3s/
DIM MAK RELEASES “GREATEST HITS 2015”
DIM MAK’s Greatest Hits 2015 offers a selection of the label’s best tracks released last year. A strong blend of hits ranging from progressive and electro to trap and dancehall (and everything in between), the compilation features artists like Keys N Krates, SBCR aka The Bloody Beetroots, Vicetone, 3LAU, Dirtyphonics, Ookay, Autoerotique, MORTEN, Lil Jon and many more!
https://play.spotify.com/album/7L5QaV1VAG5WACC8qXQRks
MUSIC FEST FOR NORML FLORIDA
For the 18th consecutive year, community activist Flash continues to bring attention and raise funds to legalize medical marijuana. In 2014, the Florida Right to Medical Marijuana Initiative (Amendment 2) nearly passed a State of Florida constitutional amendment measure. Now South Florida’s annual Medical Marijuana Benefit Concert will once again work for reform and to make it legal. The event takes place at Gramps (176 NW 24th St, Miami, FL 33127) on February 6, 2016, beginning at 4:20 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance and available online at bit.ly/18thMMBC; show is open to those 18 and over.
“This event will raise funds for NORML of Florida’s (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), Patients Out of Time and United for Care’s medical marijuana campaign, and the protection of patients’ rights,” says Flash. “With the amendment getting more voter support than the sitting governor during the last election cycle, we feel that change is well within our grasp.” In November of 2014, Governor Rick Scott narrowly won re-election to a second term by gaining 48.2% of the vote; Amendment 2 fell just short of the required 60% of the vote to pass by just about 2.5 points. In other words, the 57.6% approval by voters easily surpassed the conservative Republican’s popularity.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-18th-annual-medical-marijuana-benefit-concert-tickets-20305286659
ANDRA DAY ANNOUNCES HEADLINING NATIONAL TOUR WITH CITI
Warner Bros. Records/Buskin Records rising American soul sensation Andra Day is gearing up for her tour with Citi. Day was recently seen performing at Citi’s Sweet Treats event series in New York City treating captivated fans to the soulful sounds of her album and their favorite holiday songs.
Citi will now be working with Day as the official credit card of the Andra Day Tour. Citi® cardmembers will have access to pre-sale tickets beginning Wednesday, January 13th at 10:00AM local time through Friday, January, 15th at 10:00PM local time through Citi’s Private Pass® Program. For complete pre-sale details, visit www.citiprivatepass.com. The general on-sale date for the tour is Saturday, January 16th at 10:00AM local time.
https://www.citiprivatepass.com/
POUND OF FLESH RELEASES NEW ALBUM “REFILLS”
Pound Of Flesh, the electronic hard rock band from Chicago, released its new album “Refills” featuring remixes by Steve McIntosh today via WuLi Records and INgrooves Music Group.
Pound Of Flesh was formed in the late 90’s, and released their first full-length record in 2000, entitled “Red & Black”. The album received critical acclaim and support from over 250 radio stations nationwide.
http://www.pound-of-flesh.com/
HALF JAPANESE NEW VIDEO VIA SPIN
Due out January 22nd on Joyful Noise Recordings, Perfect features otherworldly sounds, chaotic rhythms, and weird time signatures, all topped off with Jad Fair’s brash vocals and oddball lyrics. Its tracks run the gamut from sweet love songs with overtly sincere lyrics to manic, almost abrasive tracks that seem to end before you can fully wrap your head around them. Once again, Half Japanese manages to combine elements of every genre imaginable into one strange, unpredictable, and undeniably-catchy package.
http://www.spin.com/2016/01/half-japanese-we-cannot-miss-premiere-watch/
ORANSSI PAZUZU NEW SINGLE
Finnish psychedelic black metal experimenters, ORANSSI PAZUZU, have issued the first single from their anxiously awaited fourth LP, Värähtelijä, which is set for release in February.
The new ORANSSI PAZUZU track has been delivered to the public through an exclusive premiere of the record’s fourth movement, “Hypnotisoitu Viharukous,” courtesy of Spin, who offers that the song delivers, “a five-and-a-half-minute epic of unease, starting with wobbly fuzz bass that explodes into a 6/4 full-band frenzy that flails like an extraterrestrial Drive Like Jehu. Then come the synths, screeching even harder than vocalist Jun-His, and things just get more surreal from there.”
http://www.spin.com/2016/01/oranssi-pazuzu-hypnotisoitu-viharukous-new/
ANE BRUN’S VIDEO “YOU LIT MY FIRE”
NPR Music calls the new release “worldly, adventurous and gleeful.” The album is receiving many accolades abroad and tops the charts in Scandanavia and Benlux. U.K.’s Sunday Times says the record “Sensational” while Uncut says “best of all is the spell-binding, soul-jazz intensity of ‘You Lit My Fire’ which is the kind of track you’ve been waiting for Lauryn Hill to make for years.” Mojo gave the album four stars.
http://www.npr.org/2016/01/11/462603486/songs-we-love-ane-brun-you-lit-my-fire
THEM SWOOPS NEW SINGLE
Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Them Swoops first started making waves back in 2012, when an early demo version of their track, ‘Work Around It,” crept it’s way into rotation on major Aussie radio tastemaker, Triple J.
After supporting the likes of The Macabees, playing sold out shows in their hometown, and with hype amassing on the airwaves and in the blogosphere, word of the band quickly spread to the other side of the globe. ‘Work Around It’ scored an add to influential USA radio station SiriusXM Alt Nation, and the track frequently appeared in the ‘Alt 18’ most requested tracks and in the stations Top 20 most played songs each week.
http://www.indieshuffle.com/them-swoops-into-the-atmosphere/
BOB MOULD LIVE VIDEO
Extending the prolific tear that kicked off with the 2012 release of Silver Age and intensified with Beauty & Ruin in 2014, Bob Mould confirms the release of Patch The Sky out March 25th, 2016 on Merge Records.
Once again featuring his stalwart band of Jason Narducy on bass and Jon Wurster on drums, Patch The Sky is a triumph of opposing forces and properties—as is to be expected from the master of balancing personal darkness with melodic brightness.
JEWEL TOUR
Grammy-nominated songwriter and New York Times’ bestselling author and poet JEWEL will return to the road this Spring for an intimate tour, performing hits spanning her 12-studio albums including 2015’s ‘Picking Up the Pieces’ and sharing stories from her memoir Never Broken — Songs Are Only Half the Story. Jewel’s “Picking Up the Pieces Tour” kicks off Friday, March 4 in Lake Charles, LA at Golden Nugget Casino Grand Ballroom.
“It’s going to be really fun to get back out on the road,” Jewel said. “I’m excited to share the stories behind some of my favorite and most personal songs in such an intimate setting.”
THE FIRST-EVER FLOWER POWER CRUISE SELLS OUT
The inaugural Flower Power Cruise has completely sold out, surpassing all expectations for the new cruise franchise launched by StarVista LIVE earlier this year. Sailing on the Celebrity Constellation from February 29, 2016 through March 5, 2016, the Flower Power Cruise will feature concerts by the greatest singers and musicians who built the soundtrack to the ‘60s, including Blood, Sweat & Tears featuring Bo Bice, Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals, The Grass Roots, The Guess Who, Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone, Jefferson Starship, Mark Lindsay – Former Lead Singer Of Paul Revere & The Raiders, and The Buckinghams. Micky Dolenz (The Monkees’ lead singer) will also be onboard as the special guest host. In response to the high level of demand, a 2017 Flower Power Cruise is currently in production and will be announced shortly.
PEMBERTON MUSIC FESTIVAL 2016
Huka Entertainment is pleased to announce that Pemberton Music Festival in Pemberton, BC will return for its third consecutive year on Thursday, July 14 through Sunday, July 17, 2016. Pemberton Music Festival is Canada’s biggest camping, music and comedy festival, and last year’s event drew more than 115,000 fans and featured nearly 120 performances by 113 artists over four days.
A limited supply of Early Bird tickets, which allow fans to purchase advance festival passes at a discount, go on sale Friday, January 15, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. PST at PembertonMusicFestival.com.
http://pembertonmusicfestival.com/
YANNI TO TOUR
Internationally renowned composer and multi-instrumentalist Yanni rings in the New Year with a new album and the news of a major North American tour, embarking February 2nd in Sarasota, FL, with stops in cities including Atlanta, Denver, Nashville, New Orleans, Los Angeles and more. The run will continue well into the Spring with more dates to be announced shortly. Yanni, accompanied by his 15-member master musician international orchestra, will perform beloved fan favorites as well as pull out a few surprises. His new album SENSUOUS CHILL will be available worldwide via Sony Music Masterworks imprint Portrait Records on January 29th.
YINKA DIZ “NIGHT IN DUBAI”
Emcee/producer Yinka Diz presents the music video for “Night In Dubai”, his new single produced by Joe Prime. Born in Chicago to a mother from the infamous Cabrini Green projects and a Nigerian immigrant father, Yinka spent the early years of his childhood living in and around the city before moving to the Inland Empire, just outside of Los Angeles.
BOSTON GLOBE ENDORSES KING
After selling out their LA show at The Lyric Theater in December, KING continue to make waves in the music scene having been recently named one of Boston Globe’s ’16 Artists To Look Forward To Hearing In 2016.’ The innovative LA trio made up of twins Paris and Amber Strother and musical sister Anita Bias create their unique sound by blending an array of genres and eras, and their dreamy, soulful aesthetic has been capturing the attention of music-lovers and the media alike.
FUNKERMAN NEW SINGLE
New record by Funkerman, who co-owns Flamingo Recordings with Fedde le Grand. The record is called You Got Me Weak and it is forthcoming on Dirtysoul (Be Yourself Music) with a Spotify exclusive. Early support on this record comes from Oliver Heldens, Hardwell and Quintino.
https://soundcloud.com/dirtysoulmusic/funkerman-you-got-me-weak
DEAD STARS “CALM PUNK”
Dead Stars will release their sophomore LP, Bright Colors, on March 4th via their own Weird Tree Records. A follow-up to 2014’s Slumber, it features more crunchy guitars, catchy pop melodies, and big, explosive choruses from the Brooklyn-based band. The album is currently available for pre-order, which comes with an instant download of lead single “Calm Punk.”
The band shares a video for the track, pairing its bouncy guitar lines and heavy-hitting chorus with visuals that expand on the song’s oxymoronic title. You can watch the video where it premiered with Under The Radar or via YouTube.
http://www.undertheradarmag.com/news/premiere_dead_stars_calm_punk_video
JESSICA LEA MAYFIELD BEGINS SOLO WINTER WEST COAST TOUR JANUARY 26TH
Jessica Lea Mayfield broke out of her bluegrass comfort zone with her 2014 record Make My Head Sing… embracing distorted guitar tones, crashing drums, and heavy riffs that would more likely evoke a comparison to her idols of the early 90’s than any modern day artist. It finds Jessica in a place where she is ready to take control of her music, and elevate her reputation from folk songstress to rock star.
Now looking to 2016, Mayfield will be embarking on a solo winter tour across the West coast as she continues to write and begin performing songs that will be on her next album.
http://jessicaleamayfield.com/
ONE DAYS NOTICE ALBUM STREAM
Cleveland pop punk band One Days Notice is starting the new year off with their sophomore album Blackout. The gritty, balls out record won’t be available until January 14th, but you can stream the whole thing early via New Noise Magazine. The group recently signed with Remember to Breathe Records (AKA RTB Records) for the release and will hit the road later this year.
“We’re really excited for this album after pouring in a couple years of blood, sweat and beers,” says vocalist Chris Bassitt. “Most of the songs were written while drunken underwear wrestling and we think anyone that listens will find the sound really reflects that.”
http://newnoisemagazine.com/exclusive-album-stream-one-days-notice-blackout
DANNY L HARLE NEW VIDEO
Back in November, London-born producer Danny L Harle released his breakout debut EP, Broken Flowers, via PC Music / Ultra Music. Today he shares a brilliant new video for the title track. Watch as a young girl turns her mundane photocopying gig into a surreal trip. Feel free to post and share.
http://smarturl.it/BrokenFlowersVideo
DILLY DALLY SHARE OFFICIAL RECORDING OF “KNOW YOURSELF”
Dilly Dally has debuted a studio version of their scorching cover of Drake’s “Know Yourself” with New York Magazine’s Vulture today. The band was first filmed playing the song at this year’s CMJ FADER Fort, which proved so popular they decided to record an official version.
http://www.vulture.com/2016/01/hear-dilly-dallys-drake-know-yourself-cover.html
CROSS ME ANNOUNCE ‘FOREVER CURSED’ EP & POST TEASER VIDEO
After touring relentlessly and seasoning and developing their sound along the way, Cross Me are ready to release their Bridge Nine debut EP. Titled Forever Cursed, these four songs compose a mean, turbulent 10 minutes of hardcore with deep introspection and heavy thrash and metal influences that gives them character and unique flair amid a crowded modern hardcore field. Check out a teaser for the EP now on YouTube.
SMILE “HOLIDAY”
There’s something not to trust about SMILE. They’re deceptive.
We’re living in a post-dolewave world. The economies up, house prices are soaring, burgers are artisanal yet these guys from Melbourne don’t appear to care about property investments. You’d think they’d be a cool breeze, a setting sun, but on their sophomore album, ‘Rhythm Method’ they’re throwing pop hooks, a snare drum jab, a vocal uppercut. Take the lead single ‘Boundless Plains To Share’ for example. A national anthem quoting dark groove tune that appears to question our great leaders asylum policies?! WTF? One starts to wonder if these guys even voted for the Tone Dog! It’s fair dinkum UN-OZtralian.
VANCE JOY IGNITES HIS “FIRE AND THE FLOOD TOUR 2016”
Atlantic recording artist Vance Joy will kick off the “fire and the flood” tour tonight with the first of two sold out shows at Vancouver’s historic Orpheum. The run is his first since supporting Taylor Swift’s epic “1989 World Tour.” New dates were announced today on the trek in Cleveland and Indianapolis plus a move to a larger venue in Salt Lake City. The tour runs through April 1st at Boston’s House of Blues with several shows already sold out (see attached itinerary). Reuben and the Dark, Elle King, Jamie Lawson and Blind Pilot will be Vance Joy’s special guests throughout the run.
DJ SNAKE CELEBRATES BREAKOUT YEAR WITH VIDEO RECAP TODAY
Grammy-nominated French DJ and producer DJ Snake is celebrating a phenomenal 2015 by recapping the highlights of the year in a video that is out today. Watch it HERE. Directed by Charles-Edouard Dangelser and produced by DJ SNAKE MUSIC LLC with an original score by Grégoire Vaillant, the clip features footage of DJ Snake’s travels and adventures performing around the world as both a headliner and as a major draw at such festivals as Coachella, Miami Ultra, and Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas to name a few.
MIIKE SNOW RELEASE COMPELLING “GENGHIS KHAN” MUSIC VIDEO
Miike Snow has released the provocative video for anthemic new single “Genghis Khan.” Directed by award-winning Ninian Doff (Pulse Films), the video premiered earlier today via Buzzfeed and is now available to watch worldwide on Miike Snow’s YouTube Channel: http://smarturl.it/GenghisKhanVideo. The band has partnered with Tumblr and Spotify to create a stunning interactive iii Tumblr experience, allowing fans to listen to tracks from the album while simultaneously exploring unique music and art related to those songs.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/kelleydunlap/miike-snow-genghis-khan-music-video#.gwEJ6Pv7PP
HEARTS HEARTS “I AM IN” VIDEO VIA MY OLD KENTUCKY BLOG
Perhaps fitting for a band conceived in a monastery in Upper Vienna, Hearts Hearts create beautiful, elegiac songs which live at the intersection of classical and contemporary electronic and pop music. Anchored by Österle’s voice and as likely to evoke Sigur Ros as Flying Lotus, their debut album Young is an album about experimentation and observation – literate, sophisticated, but vulnerable and warm.
http://www.myoldkentuckyblog.com/?p=54388
BLOODIEST ALBUM STREAM
Bloodiest have shared an advance stream of their self-titled album via Nerdist, who claim its darkened blend of noise rock and heavy psychedelia “is sure to be one of the best metal albums of the year.”
http://nerdist.com/bloodiests-self-titled-record-is-post-metal-perfection-premiere/
