DANISH SUPERSTAR TRENTEMOLLER RETURNS!

Danish musician Anders Trentemøller is to release his eagerly awaited second artist album in May 2010.

Entitled “Into The Great Wide Yonder” the second full length by the remarkably talented Copenhagen based musician will drop on Trentemøller’s own label “In My Room”.

Having started his career in the electronic scene with an array of groundbreaking yet classic singles in the early 2000’s his music always broke genre-barriers. Alongside his single-hits Trentemøller became famous for his remixes and the “Trentemøller twist” he added to songs by Depeche Mode, Franz Ferdinand, Röyksopp, The Knife and many more.

The multi-award-winning debut album “The Last Resort” (Poker Flat Recordings, 2006) remains one of the most loved independent albums and is highly appreciated for its abundance of musical ideas and its outstanding song writing.

Followed by “The Trentemøller Chronicles”-album (Audiomatique 2008) Trentemøller’s most recent release is his first ever Mix-CD “Harbour Boat Trips 01: Copenhagen”(hfn music, 2009) which takes the listener on a roundtrip through Trentemøller’s own secret music box and melts Electronica, Neo-Folk, Indie-Rock, Psychedelia and beyond.

We are not going to spoil the surprise, but the new album is far more than a logical progression from Anders Trentemøller’s past work. It opens yet another overwhelming new “sound cosmos” in the artist’s very own song writing and production and is too good to be forced into one single genre alone. It offers a wealth of brilliant melodies and musical ideas and uses many different instruments including electronic and acoustic guitars, strings, Theremin, a bass mandolin and many electronics with a playful easiness that is seldom heard. The new album also features four vocal tracks which seamlessly fall into a simply brilliant and beautiful album that needs to be listened as a whole.

Many fellow musicians and friends contributed their skills not only to the music, but also for the artwork which has been done by design artists Henrik Vibskov and Andreas Emenius or the first video which has been directed by Jesper Just.

While the album is going to be released at the end of May, the first single “Sycamore Feeling” drops in early April.

Posted: Thursday, 25 February 2010

LINDSTROM & CHRISTABELLE NEW ALBUM!

"A remarkable dance record" (8,1 Pitchfork)
"Real Life is simply stellar" (9,5 / 10 XLR8R)
"A masterful 10-song pop album" (5/5 URB Magazine)
"You may not hear a better dance-pop album before the year peters out" (4/5 Resident Advisor)
"Will instantly make your jaw drop" (Anthem Magazine)

After the release of Lindstrøm’s critically acclaimed solo album Where You Go I Go Too in 2008 and 2009`s collaborative album with Prins Thomas entitled II, Norway’s maestro of disco with something really special. This time he teams up with sultry vocalist Christabelle, to bring us Real Life Is No Cool, an edgy pop album of structured chaos and hypnotic beats.

Hans-Peter Lindstrøm actually began work on Real Life Is No Cool before Where You Go I Go Too, as it happened though WYGIGT was finished first. It was his work on this new
album, containing 10 short pop songs with vocals, which became the impetus behind creating the epic and colossal masterpiece, WYGIGT (with only 3 long tracks and a opening track clocking in at 28 minutes). Essentially, WYGIGT was a kind of reaction to his work on Real Life Is No Cool. When WYGIGT began making waves around the world, Lindstrøm went back into his studio to complete Real Life Is No Cool.

Christabelle (also known as Solale to Lindstrøm followers) has been working on and off with Lindstrøm since 2001. They never planned on making an album together, but the collaboration slowly evolved into a collection of songs that ended up becoming Real Life Is No Cool. (The title is a line taken from the album track ‘Keep It Up’ -- a track about violent relationships.)
 
Lindstrøm calls their collaboration “structured chaos”, him being the structure and Christabelle the chaos.

Real Life Is No Cool is a meeting of these two different personalities.

Lindstrøm & Christabelle ‘Real Life is Not Cool’ will be released 12 March through Smalltown Supersound/Stomp.

Posted: Tuesday, 23 February 2010

GIRL GANG DUM DUM GIRLS NEW ALBUM ON SUB POP!

When Dum Dum Girls leading lady Dee Dee needed a band to take her songs out of the bedroom, she looked to her friends: Jules, a San Diego-based furniture designer; Bambi, a non-profit worker in Austin; and Brooklynite Frankie Rose, a former Vivian Girl and Crystal Stilt, currently starting her own project as well. When the other three met for the first time a week before CMJ 2009, it was an instant girl gang.Dee Dee formed DDG in late 2008 as a solo project—the name a nod to both The Vaselines’ album, Dum-Dum, and the Iggy Pop song “Dum Dum Boys”

Dee Dee wrote and recorded the songs that became I Will Be over the first eight months of 2009, and she asked a few others to contribute. Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner plays on “Yours Alone.” Crocodiles’ Brandon Welchez sings and plays guitar on the duet “Blank Girl.” Los Angeles musician Andrew Miller contributes guitars to a number of tracks.

When it came time to choose someone to gently finesse I Will Be, the name Richard Gottehrer came up on Dee Dee’s wish list. Responsible for writing such seminal songs as “My Boyfriend’s Back,” and “I Want Candy,” he also produced his own short-lived band The Strangeloves, as well as The Voidoids, Blondie, The Go-Gos, and more recently, The Raveonettes. Marvels Dee Dee, “I gave him all the rough tracks and he produced them, as I had a lot of digital effects acting as sort of placeholders. I’m not exactly sure what he did, but it’s a world of difference. The songs sound warm, and they kind of sparkle.”

I Will Be runs just under thirty minutes with eleven songs; a short tribute to love, loss, fear, fun, and the classic pop form of the ‘60s girl groups and early punk rockers. Explaining the album’s dark-and-sunny feel, Dee Dee says, “There’s an overdramatic tone, much like a teenager’s world, but applied to the experience of getting older.” No track better exemplifies that sentiment than the somnolent “Rest of Our Lives,” a lullaby about marriage that captures, she says, “that feeling when you’re 16 and you think you’re going to be with your boyfriend forever. And that you’d just die if you weren’t. Except it’s about my husband.”

On the other end of the spectrum, “Bhang Bhang, I’m a Burnout” (the curious spelling being slang for marijuana) spends roughly two-and-a-half minutes musing on the virtues of psychedelics. “Lines Her Eyes” touches on petty girl-on-girl competition, while “Jail La La” updates the Bobby Fuller Four’s “I Fought the Law” with a reverb-laden sing-along.What’s with the bipolar songs? “I tend to be an introvert. So there’s a lot of time for weird thoughts to develop in my head before I put them down on paper,” says Dee Dee. “And it’s really bizarre living in Southern California. It’s that total stereotype of being super-laidback, this ‘everything’s perfect’ vibe. But you’re miserable in the sun because you’re stuck. Like, it’s so perfect that it’s overwhelming and depressing. That’s sorta inspiring.”

Click here to listen to the first single 'Jail La La'

I Will Be is out on the 2^nd of April 2010 through Sub Pop / Stomp

Posted: Tuesday, 23 February 2010

DANIEL MARTIN MOORE AND BEN SOLLEE WITH NEW ALBUM ON SUB POP!

'Dear Companion' is a collaboration between three Kentucky musicians. The songs were written and performed by Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore, and was produced by and features the many talents of Yim Yames (Jim James) of My Morning Jacket and Monsters Of Folk.

Recorded in the first half of 2009 in their home state, 'Dear Companion' explores their ties to the place they love and aims to draw attention to the problem of Mountaintop Removal coal mining (MTR) and its impact on the people and heritage of central Appalachia. A portion of the proceeds from 'Dear Companion' will benefit Appalachian Voices, an organisation devoted to ending MTR and finding a better way forward.

Knowing the power of words and music, they set out to create an album that would raise awareness about the issue. The theme might be dark, the music is not. Every song is shot through with light – and hope.

www.danielmartinmoore.com   ||   www.bensollee.com   ||   www.ilovemountains.org

Daniel’s debut album Stray Age was released in October 2008 through Sub Pop / Stomp.

Posted: Tuesday, 16 February 2010

NEW FEAR FACTORY VIDEO FOR 'FEAR CAMPAIGN' TAKEN FROM 'MECHANIZE'!

Following their highly anticipated appearance at the Big Day Out festival last month, the first video from Fear Factory’s forthcoming album Mechanize can now be viewed online at Stomp TV http://www.stomp.com.au/videos.aspx.  “Fear Campaign” was directed by the team of Ian McFarland and Mike Pecci for Boston-based, Emmy nominated Killswitch Productions.  The clip was filmed in Los Angeles with additional photographic elements and all post production completed in Boston.
 
In a recent interview with Revolver Magazine McFarland and Pecci revealed details about the video’s themes and creation.  “Burton (C. Bell, vocalist) is an extremely creative person and he had some very specific visuals in mind,” says Pecci.  “He said that he wanted to bombard the audience with rapid images that supported his lyrics.  His direction was ‘fast and intense with loads of subliminal images and symbols.’  With that, Ian and I went to the drawing board and started our normal process of deconstructing an idea and rebuilding it from the ground up.”
 
“Our goal was to make a video that was inspired by all those really cool stock footage 90’s music videos, but rather than using stock footage of the atrocities of the world, we decided to shrink those things down to single images and objects that can be identified as the tools used to create those problems,” adds McFarland.
 
“Fear Campaign” is the second single from Mechanize.  The song follows the already successful path of “Powershifter,” the first single which has had over 400,000 online plays since its introduction in mid-November.
 
Mechanize features the highly reported reconciliation of vocalist Burton C. Bell with original guitarist Dino Cazares.  Along with bassist Byron Stroud (Strapping Young Lad) and journeyman drummer Gene Hoglan (Dethlok, Strapping Young Lad), the album also welcomes back the involvement of keyboardist/producer Rhys Fulber (Front Line Assembly).  BraveWords.com says, “combining just the right elements of their own past, present and future, with Mechanize, Fear Factory has achieved instant excitement and an immediate adrenaline boost. In a word: essential.”
 
Killswitch Productions is owned by director/producer Ian McFarland.  McFarland with partner Mike Pecci have directed videos for Meshuggah, Agnostic Front, Sick of It All, All That Remains, and God Forbid.  Prior to filming “Fear Campaign,” Killswitch Productions completed work on Meshuggah’s concert film, Alive.
 
The direct link to view “Fear Campaign” is http://www.stomp.com.au/videos.aspx.

Mechanize is out now via Stomp Entertainment.

Posted: Tuesday, 16 February 2010

AGORIA MIXES NEW BALANCE!

After raising the bar to unprecedented heights in 2009 with Joris Voorn and Will Saul’s stunning additions to the series, EQ Recordings’ Balance series returns for the new decade with yet another standard-setting mix from one of the most sophisticated and inspiring names in techno: Agoria.

The man otherwise known as Sebastien Devaud wasn’t bitten by the dance music bug until he was out of his teens, but once he began hunting imported 12”s from the US and Germany in his native France, there was no turning back. His production career began in 1999, with his debut album Blossom and first compilation following in 2003 – and it was clear even in those early days that a serious new talent was emerging. Blending the throb and groove of deeper, stripped-back techno with a keen sense of musicality, emotion and atmosphere, his is a sound that transcends beyond mere dancefloor disposability.

Agoria explains his intention for this intricate compilation: “The concept of both CDs is all about balance. Literally. In my mind a balance is not a middle position; it's a perfect equilibrium. I’m trying to be as close as possible to this idea. I have tried to find this fine line where the balance is just right.” To accomplish this perfectly-weighted contrast, he’s cherry-picked from a myriad of genres and subgenres in his “beat open-minded” fashion, combining a wealth of material from newcomers across the spectrum (including no less than 12 exclusives) with more established producers, classics and unknown gems from his broad musical past, and put it all together in an unconventional, challenging manner. “In the end, more than a DJ compilation, this is a manifesto of my passion for music and for mixing” he explains.

This superb compilation is as deep and rewarding as a well-woven novel, the dénouement of the story unfolding as the mix evolves through Agoria’s musical DNA. Yet another essential addition to the compilation series that is fast becoming the new benchmark for ambitious DJs and demanding listeners alike.

Balance 16 mixed by Agoria Out 5 March through EQ/Stomp.

Posted: Thursday, 4 February 2010

THE DEBUT SOLO ALBUM BY WHY?'S JOSIAH WOLF!

Jet Lag is the debut solo album by WHY? multi-instrumentalist Josiah Wolf. Wolf’s visual snapshots illustrate the wistfulness of a mundane moment and offer canny excavations of those poignancies that lie beneath the surface: tough triumphs, tougher truths, and outright failures. His lean poems are set to an autumnal mix of warm folk and easy psychedelia played out (by Wolf alone) on guitar, vibes, kalimba, Hammond organ, bells, bass, and drums, to name a few. Mixed by Josiah’s younger brother Yoni Wolf (WHY?, cLOUDEAD), the end result is a sort of chamber pop minus the showy sweeps — virtuosity without the virtuoso—makes Jet Lag as impressive in its subtle execution as it is a timeless, heartfelt listen.

“The Trailer and the Truck” opens the album like a lost thought on its way out of sleep. Notes freed by mallets bounce into the fuzzy foreground, bent chords stretch out from metal strings, then bundled bursts of drum - and strum clear the way for Wolf’s voice. On “Master Cleanse (California),” he mulls over region and religion atop spare acoustics and a kaleidoscopic chorus where shimmering sounds move to an elastic tempo. One of the album’s best follows, “The Opposite of Breathing,” with a shuffling beat, cool tones, and rich textures that evoke late-’60s Greenwich Village.

Throughout these songs, style and substance are treated with equal aplomb. The rolling bass and bright vocals of “The New Car” split the difference between The Zombies and Daniel Johnston. “The Apart Meant” rolls out a cloudy darkness, and after such heaviness, the quiet Paul Simon folk of “That Kind of Man” feels like fresh air, while “Ohioho” is genuinely sunny.

Jet Lag came together following the dissolution of an eleven-year relationship, and during a move from California back to the Midwest, where Wolf grew up. But its final two songs only look back long enough to prepare their author for newness. The stormy “Gravity Defied” conveys that knowing resignation that eventually comes, while on album-ender “The One Sign,” the breeze that Wolf was waiting on becomes a gale threatening to crash a loaded airplane. Rather than cower together or pray to God, however, the passengers stand to face fate head on. Wolf’s final lyric — "'Heaven help me' are just words that time will make you say” — echoes out before the shelter offered by the song dissolves into the outdoors.

www.myspace.com/josiahwolfjetlag

Jet Lag is out through Anticon / Stomp on the 5th of March, 2010

Posted: Thursday, 4 February 2010

DYSCORD ANNOUNCES NATIONAL TOUR IN SUPPORT OF NEW RELEASE!

Crushing riffs, pit swaying groves and highly intelligent yet sometimes comical yet uncompromising lyrics...welcome to the world of Dyscord!!

Formed in 2005, this 5 piece metal band from Perth, Western Australia is without doubt THE metal band to watch out for in 2010.

With a new record deal in place courtesy of Stomp Entertainment here in Australia for the crushing new album “Tirades” and a list of national Australian and New Zealand tour dates ready to go through February and March, along with overseas touring plans in place, Dyscord are ready to step up and show the masses exactly what an intense metal record and live show is all about.

Mixed by Jason Suecof (Chimaira, Devil Driver, Job For A Cowboy, Black Dahlia Murder) and mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side in New York City “Tirades” is without doubt the album that is going to bring Dyscord worldwide recognition.

With a sound that is all their own, Dyscord fuse elements of Death Metal, Thrash, Grind and even Melodic metal into one brutal metal melting pot to pull out a sound that is uniquely “Dyscord”. Accompanied by a live show that has to be seen to be believed Dyscord are the complete metal package.

Dyscord are not some trend/fad “core” band...they are a straight up 100% unrelenting metal act doing things their way!! In a modern day metal world of clone bands Dyscord are leader setting the pace..not a follower...you have been warned...so get involved!!

Click here for tour dates!

Check out the first single ‘Behold’ at www.myspace.com/dyscord

Posted: Thursday, 4 February 2010

THE FUTURE OF HOUSE IS HERE!

“Boogybytes - it is about score, about clubs and pubs, about personality and the things that define us...” This vocal introduces the next instalment of the Boogybytes mix CD series. Volume 5 is the first CD not to feature a star from the label but to give a surprise appearance to the extremely charismatic and not-so-secret insider tip Seth Troxler. His top-drawer DJ, remixing and production skills, as well as his highly praised releases on labels including the Ghostly International sub-label Spectral Sound, have helped him attract considerable interest and great bookings in his home city of Detroit and his current surroundings in Berlin. BPC aficionados may be familiar with Seth through his collaboration with Ryan Crosson and Sean Reves. The trio delivered an extremely successful remix for Kiki under the name “Visionquest” which has been licensed for numerous other releases.

After the success of their night at the Berlin club Watergate, the paths of Ellen Allien und Seth Troxler crossed once again. Seth was spontaneously given the honour of making a Boogybytes CD. After agreeing euphorically and without hesitation, Seth took the time to carefully reflect on his new environment in Berlin: “I wanted to do something which would set itself apart from all the trends, and yet paint a picture of this city and portray it the way I experience it.”

The track selection which came out of this process conveys this picture superbly. Its palpable deepness occasionally harbours a touch of melancholy, yet never becomes overwhelming, for at its peaks - which certainly include Seth's Fever Ray mix - the tension is released in the most explosive and unbridled manner. Seth already considers certain tracks as classics. For him, Nicolas Jaarís “Time For Us” and the epic “Birds And Souls” are works with a great future.

Seth's particular way of combining the most varied of musical elements is shown both in his fitting track selection and in his remarkable mixing technique. Not only are the individual remixes artfully arranged and intertwined, but single elements are also occasionally reemployed as material in a sound montage. Seth merges tracks into one another almost imperceptibly whilst constantly creating new angles in the way they overlap and retreat from one another. Other songs, on the other hand, follow one another abruptly and yet completely seamlessly. Sound elements are dispersed over the tracks, acting as recurring signals. In the case of the dance floor stormer “Stricher” by Roman Flügel (one half of the duo Alter Ego), a complete section of the song is remoulded as a transition between tracks. The 4/4 kick drum does not remain fundamentally in the foreground; in the funk-jazz-tinged pieces by Bakara and Dinky its presence is withdrawn, although the compulsion to dance is never lost. Seth Troxler pays homage both to his Detroit roots and to the minimal house style of his new home, and as a result he moves his hallmark sound beyond the limits of 12” releases for the first time.

Stay tuned for Seth Troxler tour dates!

Boogybytes Vol.5 mixed by Seth Troxler out 26 February 2010 through Bpitch Control/Stomp!

Posted: Thursday, 4 February 2010

THE THERMALS ARE COMING TO AUSTRALIA!

Hi, we're The Thermals. 

We're a three-piece alternative/indie/punk band. 

We live in Portland, Oregon.  You know, the place all your friends are moving.  So they can paint/record/do gravity bong hits, when they're not slinging lattes at one of a thousand or so coffee shops.

Anyways we are very excited to be coming to Australia in March to play some East Coast dates!!

Our latest record is called Now We Can See and is out through Kill Rock Stars (Stomp in Australia). You may have heard our single 'Now We Can See' and the new one 'We Were Sick' on your local radio station. We think it's pretty good! Pret-ty, pret-ty, pret-ty good. Not only are the songs filled with some of our smartest lyrics and sweetest melodies, but the recording is, for us, another great leap in fidelity (you might even call it hi-fidelity), thanks to producer John Congleton (Explosions In The Sky, Polyphonic Spree), who brought massive amounts of sound and bombastic style to the project.

So come see us in March!!

An album that goes so far in proving that simplicity not only has its place, it’s also often the path to unmitigated greatness." - The Onion

"Lots of bands play speedball punk rock, but The Thermals' members manage to infuse theirs with monster hooks and a surprising abundance of ideas." - NPR

"Any band that starts a song with a whoah-e-oh and then kicks into a classic indie guitar riff has got my vote. Add that they're from musical wonderland, Portland Oregon, and it's a win all round." Zan Zowe, Triple J

Now We Can See, Body The Blood The Machine, F**Kin A and More Parts Per Million are out now through Stomp.

Click here for tour dates!

Posted: Thursday, 4 February 2010

DANISH PRIZE EXPORT KASPER BJORK'S NEW ALBUM!

Danish prize export Kasper Bjørke comes from the heart of the thriving Copenhagen electronic scene. After more than a decade as a busy producer and DJ, Kasper has released his work on labels like Plant Music, Fine, Thugfucker and V2 Records and also received a Danish Music Award as Best Producer, for the well known project Filur, which he still runs with his old friend Tomas Barfod (Tartelet / Gomma / Get Physical).

Following the highly acclaimed 'Harbour Boat Trips 01: Copenhagen by Trentemøller' hfn music proudly presents it’s first artist release by Kasper Bjørke, with his brand new long player ‘Standing On Top Of Utopia‘.

The album is an exciting multi-genre journey through Kasper‘s mature, extravagant and richly musical mind. Lashings of glittering analogue synthesizer jams, warm throbbing post-disco trips, touching, heart-felt pop songs and dark electronic club tools are all present. Kasper really went to town on this album, and each track literally overflowing with top class studio and musical ability. Bursting with live instrumentation, tapedeck overdubs and an unmissable finger-on-the-pulse atmosphere, its a treat for the ears and in fact all the senses. 10 uplifting, melancholic, timeless and life-affirming songs lie in store.

A veritable Danish entourage of vocalists including Louise Foo (Giana Factory) and Tomas Höffding  (WhoMadeWho) are featured on the album alongside a wide selection of guest musicians. Jacob Bellens (I Got You On Tape / Murder) wrote the song and contributed the vocals and lyrics on “Young Again”, the first single to be lifted from the album, which comes complete with superb remixes from Whomadewho & Tomboy, Serge Santiago and Lopazz & Zarook - to be followed by the second single ‘Alcatraz’ including mixes by Jimpster, Zombie Disco Squad and Kenton Slash Demon.

Kasper Bjorke - Standing on Top of Utopia - Out 27 February through hfn Music/Stomp.

Posted: Thursday, 4 February 2010

KOMPAKT IS PROUD OF THEIR CHOICES!

Kompakt’s relationship with  Ewan Pearson began four years ago atthe labels annual Sonar beach party in Barcelona. Considered to be one of the most prolific remixers on the planet (see his !K7 released “Piece Work” collection) and his astonishing resume as a producer for Tracey Thorn (Everything But The Girl), Delphic, The Rapture and Lost Valentinos, Kompakt were immediately struck with the sincerity of the man and his genuine passion for music and life. A gentleman and a scholar in the truest meaning (he is a published academic), the bond was sealed and together with Al Usher Ewan approached Kompakt with new music under their Partial Arts moniker. Kompakt have gone on to release two truly remarkable Balearic kraut-disco workout singles, “Trauermusik” and “Telescope” plus a remix for Burger/Voigt.

Now, Kompakt proudly welcome Ewan Pearson to Kompakt’s esteemed mix CD series previously trail blazed by Michael Mayer, DJ Koze, Tobias Thomas, and Superpitcher. “We Are Proud Of Our Choices” is a delightful listen in every sensibility and truly brings his artistic talent as a DJ and producer together in a very personal mix.

“I spent a lot of time gathering music and at one point had nearly 100 tracks in the long list for inclusion - I think I could have happily made 2 or 3 CDs."

"There are some very new / unreleased gems on there - Ivan Smagghe and Roman Flügel collaborated for the first time on a new track called "Uno" which I've had for a while and I think will finally be getting a release on Kill The DJ around the time the CD comes out. Similarly there's brand new track from Jamie Jones and Lee Foss in their "Hot Natured" guise for Culprit - the Droog guys in LA were kind enough to send over a lot of their forthcoming stuff and that's just got such a great groove / bassline."

The title of the compis a reference to a line from an old Montreal socialist song which Pearson came across in a book by G.A. Cohen. It is meant to suggest that everyone, but especially DJs, had better be willing to stand behind the choices they make because often that is all they will have to show for themselves. Pearson—as he always does, be it producing for acts, DJing or working with Al Usher as half of Partial Arts—follows his own idiosyncratic muse on We Are Proud, with scant regard for the ever-changing trends of dance culture.

A true masterpiece from a true master.

Ewan Pearson - We are Proud of our Choices - Out 19 February 2010 through Kompakt /Stomp.

Posted: Thursday, 4 February 2010

ROCK N ROLL'S FIERCEST ANTI-HEROES RETURNS!

It’s hard to tell if The King Khan & BBQ Show is more infamous than famous. Since the 2004 release of their first self-titled debut, the pair has earned itself a place in rock ’n’ roll history by inspiring both critical reverence and insanity.

The King Khan & BBQ Show’s long-awaited third full-length album will not disappoint the band’s admirers or their devoted cult following. Invisible Girl marks a return to the trademark doo-wop-laced, anthemic garage rock that earned the band their fame and their infamy. The record exhibits their effortless fluency in rock ’n’ roll’s tenets and traditions, but as Mark Sultan (otherwise known as BBQ) notes, it also includes “a song so vile that it cannot even be mentioned.”

After releases in the interim on revered labels such as Crypt, Norton, and Fat Possum, King Khan and BBQ have returned to L.A.’s In The Red Records for Invisible Girl. The twosome may be rock ’n’ roll’s fiercest anti- heroes, but they are also its hardest-working ambassadors, touring from Europe to Brazil, Israel to America. In December 2009 King Khan managed to break away from BBQ long enough to make a whirlwind trip to Australia with 11 piece band The Shrines.

http://www.myspace.com/thekingkhanbbqshow

The King Khan and BBQ Show - Invisible Girl - Out 12th of February through In The Red / Stomp.

Posted: Thursday, 4 February 2010

NEW ZEALAND BASED THE RUBY SUNS FIGHTS BACK!

The prime mover of New Zealand based The Ruby Suns, Ryan McPhun has literally travelled around the world to arrive at Fight Softly, the band’s 2nd album for Sub Pop, and 3rd overall. McPhun possesses (or is possessed by…) a voracious musical mind and this new album is the kind of head-spinning combination of big-picture vision and sumptuous detail that only comes from an artist with an urgent need to express all the stuff he’s seen. And you can dance to it!

Fight Softly veers from the path set by its predecessor, the 2008 release Sea Lion. Thematically, it’s not as wide-eyed or light-hearted, picking apart the relationships faced as we pass through the world—-with our surroundings, each other and ourselves. Sonically, it remains as beat-centric, though these beats are deliciously artificial—-stretched and compacted and distorted beyond recognition. Melodies are scuzzy and digital, no guitars strummed or basses plucked. McPhun’s soulful upper-register croon, swallowed into the mix, replaces group chants and full-throated sing-along's. Rather than an album of clearly-drawn influences, Fight Softly is a unique, inscrutable synthesis, more itself than anything else.

nibbling at the edges of unfamiliar sounds but, ultimately, skillfully creating sunny psych-pop.”  Pitchfork

“A strange, lovely trip”  NME

Listen to the first focus track 'Cranberry' here

The Ruby Suns - Fight Softly - Out March 5th through Sub Pop / Stomp

Posted: Thursday, 4 February 2010

BRITISH DANCE/ROCK HYBRID HADOUKEN! WITH NEW RELEASE!

Hadouken! return with their hugely-anticipated second album, ‘For The Masses’, on January 25 2010. The follow-up to 2008’s ‘Music For An Accelerated Culture’, their 100,000 selling debut album, ‘For The Masses’ was recorded in Groningen, Holland with gilded Dutch electronic producers Noisia and is released on Hadouken!’s own Surface Noise Recordings. ‘For The Masses’ is a landmark modern dance-rock album that cements Hadouken!’s reputation as Britain’s most forward-thinking and dynamic young band. “We know what our fans want,” says singer James Smith. “They want it hard and they want it fast. I want this record to sound good over a 1000 kilowatt sounds system or on a Nokia phone on the back of a bus. We don’t want to discriminate. We just want to make immediate contact.”

‘For The Masses’ evolves the edge of your seat meld of twenty ton club rhythms, furious guitars and keen-witted 21st century lyrical journals located on ‘Music For An Accelerated Culture’ by delivering ten tracks that are even harder, even louder, even more rhythmic and even more tightly focused than anything they’ve attempted before, or than anything else on offer by their contemporaries. If an historic comparison was to be attempted, cast your mind back to the earliest, comparatively sketchy works by the likes of the Prodigy or Chemical Brothers. Then recall the impact when each delivered ‘Fat Of The Land’ and ‘Dig Your Own Hole’. That’s the kind of leap forward successfully manoeuvred here. Britain’s next great dance-rock band have arrived.

“I feel like the stars have been aligning for us,” says James. “The Prodigy have come back with a massive hit record. I’ve seen Chase N Status and Pendulum rise to the fore-front. We’re cut from the same cloth as all that but I think we’re doing something really new and exciting with this album. It’s a big, big progression. The time is right for us.”

Contact has been made. This is a bold statement of intent, the perfect mix of state of the art rhythm, edge of your seat guitars and bright-eyed, keen-witted howling at the moon. James is right, the stars really are aligning for Hadouken!’s return. Their time is ­once ­now.

Listen here for the new single 'Turn the Lights Out'

Hadouken! 'For the Masses' will be released 26 February 2010 through ADA/Stomp.

Posted: Thursday, 4 February 2010

PORTLAND'S QUASI BACK WITH NEW ALBUM!

Formed in Portland, 1993, Quasi flings words and notes relentlessly, hurling music across the stage like grenades. Their songs teeter between optimism and despair, fantastical journeys and harsh realism, this is a pop band for people who like their pop throttled. Sam Coomes, Janet Weiss (Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, ex Sleater-Kinney) and Joanna Bolme (Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks) are consummate players who let go of the reins to let the wildness accumulate; who space out and make the music disintegrate, blur and tumble before it falls back into the groove. Their playing is proficiently, seamlessly ragged.

Quasiʼs new album, American Gong, lurches and veers; it reels, resets, crawls and moans. But the album also professes beauty; it surfaces from the murkiness and soars. In the midst of this awesome sonic storm are expertly crafted compositions and arrangements, gravel and grime-coated rock, psych and pop tunes that never lose their shine.

Throughout their time together the trio have also toured and / or recorded either individually or collectively with Sleater-Kinney, Elliott Smith, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks (of which Janet and Joanna are still members), Built to Spill, Bright Eyes, Heatmiser, The Go Betweens, Pink Mountain, Blues Goblins, The Takeovers and Jandek.

"Weiss is a remarkable, unpredictable drummer, and the pair play perfectly together, having reached the point at which improvisation becomes the result of an intuitive locking of creative minds." - PITCHFORK

"Whatʼs ultimately refreshing about Quasi is that theyʼre a quality indie band that doesnʼt really fit into any scene or agenda, but happily exists anyway" - STYLUS MAGAZINE

"With over ten years of playing together, numerous side projects (including Sleater-Kinney for Weiss), and the very dissolution of their marriage, Quasi have proven themselves able to endure, while constantly eking up the stakes with each new release." - TINY MIX TAPES

www.myspace.com/theequasi

Quasi - American Gong - Out 26th of February through Kill Rock Stars / Stomp.

Posted: Thursday, 4 February 2010