Consequence of Sound

New Strokes album out by September?

Alex Young — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:52:33 +0000

“I think it’ll be out in September… I’ve written a lot of melodies for it, but the other guys have also contributed a lot more: melodies, choruses, parts. It’s way more collaborative. So it’ll have a different feel than our other albums.”

– If you believe the words of frontman Julian Casablancas (via Chicago Tribune), The Strokes could be just weeks away from the release of their long-awaited fourth studio album when they take the stage at this summer’s Lollapalooza. Let’s not push it though.

Here are your Lollapalooza 2010 headliners…

Alex Young — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:28:34 +0000

If you combine the words of Chicago Tribune’s Greg Kot, The Daily Swarm, our own independent scooper “Johnny J,” and a brand new report from Time Out Chicago, your 2010 headliners for the Lollapalooza Music Festival are: The Strokes, Arcade Fire, Lady Gaga, Green Day, Soundgarden, and Phoenix(?).

Other acts expected to appear are Bright Eyes, Dirty Projectors, Hot Chip, The xx, and Yeasayer. Maybe The Flaming Lips, The National, Public Enemy, Against Me!, The Hold Steady, and The New Pornographers too.

Stay tuned to our Festival Outlook for all the latest updates. An official announcement is expected in April.

Lollapalooza 2010 takes place from August 6-8 at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois.

Sub Pop announces cornucopia of Record Store Day releases

Chris Coplan — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:04:10 +0000

Record Store Day is the chance for every independent retailer across the nation to come together and show the power of the independent music community and to share a few exclusive tunes at the same time. No RSD would be complete without Sub Pop, one of the largest and most legendary of the indie labels. And this April 17th, they won’t disappoint.

On top of the previously announced Beach House Zebra EP, the label will have a slew of interesting releases, including CocoRosie’s “Lemonade” 7″, The Album Leaf’s There Is a Wind 12″, releases from Happy Birthday and Male Bonding, and the Holy Grail that is Soundgarden’s 1987 debut single “Hunted Down” b/w “Nothing to Say”, which will be pressed on orange translucent vinyl.

But arguably one of the biggest releases from Sub Pop will be Casual Nostalgia Fest. In 2008, in honor of their 20th anniversary, Sub Pop held SP20, a music festival featuring the likes of Iron & Wine, Blitzen Trapper, Flight of the Conchords, and many more. A total of 19 artists will be featured on the effort, and all the album’s sales will go to benefit the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund. Enjoy the full tracklist below.

And if merely buying these releases isn’t enough, Sub Pop has tapped a few bands to play shows at several independent shops. Miami’s Sweat Records will play host to No Age, L.A.’s Origami Records will be graced by Dum Dum Girls and Male Bonding, and Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba will take the stage at Austin’s Waterloo Records.

Happy Record Store Day, indeed!

Casual Nostalgia Fest Tracklist:
01. Green River – “Leech”
02. Wolf Parade – “Fine Young Cannibals”
03. The Vaselines – “Dying for It”
04. Obits – “Run”
05. Les Thugs – “Dirty White Race”
06. Eric’s Trip – “Smother”
07. Beachwood Sparks – “You Take the Gold”
08. Blitzen Trapper – “Furr”
09. Flight of the Conchords – “Carol Brown”
10. Iron & Wine – “Woman King”
11. Constantines – “Why I Didn’t Like August ‘93″
12. Seaweed – “Baggage”
13. Grand Archives – “Dig That Crazy Grave”
14. Low – “Silver Rider”
15. The Helio Sequence – “Lately”
16. Kinski – “The Wives of Artie Shaw”
17. Pissed Jeans – “Caught Licking Leather”
18. Mudhoney – “The Open Mind”
19. Comets on Fire – “Dogwood Rust”

Beck taps St. Vincent, Liars, Os Mutantes for next record club

Alex Young — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:31:57 +0000

“Did a Record Club record with Beck and Liars and Os Mutantes in LA last week! It will be online soonish. Serious fun.”

– St Vincent tweets the awesome news that she and a few other indie heavyweights have teamed up with Mr. Beck Hansen for the fourth installment of his Record Club. No word on who will be covered this time around, but, so far, the online series has tackled Velvet Underground & Nico, Songs of Leonard Cohen, and Skip Spence’s Oar. Might I recommend Sandinista!, Mr. Hansen?

Stars get spooky on The Five Ghosts

Philip Cosores — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:44:26 +0000

The last thing I remember hearing about Stars, lead singer Torquil Campbell was Myspacing (ha!) an anti-Pitchfork rant in opposition of their review of the album In Our Bedroom After The War. Which, of course, was a mildly favorable review. And which, of course, called out blogger reviewers as lonely virgins who would rather talk about something they don’t like than promote something they do. I paraphrase, but yeah, it was lame and not the best way to make friends.

But it looks like Pitchfork is taking the high road, as years later they report without any trace of bitterness that Stars will release their new album on June 22, titled The Five Ghosts. This release marks the first album from Stars’ own label, Soft Revolution, which will be licensed outside their home of Canada through Vagrant. The album will feature Andrew Whiteman (Apostle of Hustle, Broken Social Scene) and songs written by all five principal members. The process of writing together makes the album more “cohesive and unified,” an element that hopefully translates to their live show.

Stars will take The Five Ghosts on the road this spring for a string of club dates that will include the new album played in its entirety as well as fan-chosen favorites “Take Me To The Riot”, “Ageless Beauty” and the classic “Your Ex-Lover Is Dead”. Kind of ruins the anticipation a little, knowing the setlist, but at least you won’t be disappointed. No tour dates have been announced yet, but enjoy a track listing.

The Five Ghosts Tracklist:
01. Dead Hearts
02. Wasted Daylight
03. I Died So I Could Haunt You
04. Fixed
05. We Don’t Want Your Body
06. He Dreams He’s Awake
07. Never Been Good With Change
08. The Passenger
09. The Last Song Ever Written
10. How Much More
11. Winter Bones

On Second Listen: High on Fire – Snakes for the Divine

Matt Rhodes — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:00:03 +0000

For those of you who have never heard High on Fire before, a little business is in order. Matt Pike and crew are considered stoner/doom metal, so the music is not for the faint of heart. If you enjoy the brutal stuff, however, this is one band that should not be missed. Their last record, 2007’s Death is this Communion, blazed new trails in the metal world and even found itself a place amongst Decibel Magazine’s Top 100 Metal Albums of the Decade. Snakes for the Divine is no different in quality and talent, and may just be the perfect follow-up to a record that helped define doom metal altogether. The new album is an eight song effort that begs for good herb and a pit the size of a dance floor.

Snakes for the Divine is strongest in the first half. The title track opens the album with a metal riff reminiscent of 70’s arena rock, then leads right into a vicious assault on the ears. The transformation is a welcome one, as the droning metal riffs and solo mastery become apparent after only about the first minute or so. A heavy rolling drumbeat opens up the next song, “Ice Hammer”, and presents a feeling of being pummeled by sound. High on Fire destroys with this song. Its grunge-esque harmonizations in the middle portion proves that a progression between albums can exist. ”Bastard Samurai” continues the trend with slower southern grooves and vocals, but songs like “Ghost Neck”, and “The Path” seem to only touch on older versions of High on Fire. The bleak and violent assault continues after these songs, but holding interest gets to be kind of difficult.

“Fire, Flood and Plague” is the only song worth mentioning in the second half. Because of its unique climax, a newfound interest is formed, and the last part of the album becomes easier to digest. Fast and heavy riffs help build up to a point of no return. As the climax is reached, the same speed is kept, but direction changes once Pike’s vocals kick in. An all out race back down the mountain ensues and it becomes apparent that “Fire, Flood and Plague” holds one of High on Fire’s most brutal and emotional moments.

This album is in no way the most memorable High on Fire album, but it’s definitely a worthy follow-up to the record that pushed them to the highest point in their career. While about half of the songs stick with the same old High on Fire formula, there is enough new and progressed material here to keep new and old fans spinning the album for a good amount of time. Old fans may find more to like than new listeners, but if you have the ear for metal, this is one 2010 release that should be given at least a few spins from beginning to end.

Check Out: LCD Soundsystem’s “fashionable” new song

Michael Roffman — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:50:29 +0000

We all recognize the burly James Murphy as exceptionally suave, but we never knew how much he’d push the envelope in that department. Two days ago, in Paris, France no less, Murphy’s indelible electronic act — you might have heard about ‘em — LCD Soundystem performed at Yves Saint Laurent’s fashion show. In complete fashion (no pun intended), there were models, there were skimpy outfits, there were snazzy spectators, there were ridiculous outfits, and there was a new song performed by Mr. Murphy.

As Pitchfork reports, “The track apparently is a “re-incarnation or LCD-style interpretation” of experimental composer Peter Gordon and Love of Life Orchestra’s 1979 songs “Beginning of the Heartbreak” and “Don’t Don’t”.” It’s certainly in the LCD-style as this could easily fit on 2007’s Sound of Silver, or perhaps this year’s forthcoming effort. No word yet on whether or not it’s primed for an official release; however, if you want to snag the originals, they’re being re-issued.

It’s probably marked on your calendars already, but the new LCD effort is due out May 17th.

LCD Soundsystem 2010 Tour Dates:
04/16 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Music Festival
04/20 – Dublin, IE @ Tripod
04/21 – Dublin, IE @ Tripod
04/23 – London, UK @ Brixton Academy
04/24 – London, UK @ Brixton Academy
04/26 – Birmingham, UK @ Academy
04/27 – Leeds, UK @ Academy
04/28 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowlands
04/29 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowlands
05/01 – Manchester, UK @ Academy
05/02 – Bristol, UK @ Academy
05/04 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
05/05 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique
05/06 – Berlin, DE @ WMF
05/08 – Paris, FR @ Bataclan
05/09 – Paris, FR @ Bataclan
05/30 – George, WA @ Sasquatch! Music Festival
06/11 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music Festival
06/17-20 – Barcelona, ES @ Sonar Festival
07/10 – Lisbon, PT @ Optimus! Alive Festival
07/15-16 – Mariaville, NY @ Camp Bisco 9
07/17 – Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival
07/30-08/01 – Nigata Prefecture, JP @ Fuji Rock Festival
08/12 – Oslo, NO @ Oya Festival
08/13 – Gothenburg, SE @ Way Out West Festival
09/12 – Isle of Wight, UK @ Bestival

Check Out: Xavier Rudd – “Love Comes and Goes” (CoS Premiere)

Chris Coplan — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:05:57 +0000

Australian multi-instrumentalist Xavier Rudd got a little more dense emotionally on 2008’s Dark Shades of Blue. But now, two years later, Rudd finds himself in a seemingly more positive direction with Koonyum Sun. And he’s offering up an exclusive ray of sunshine in the form of “Love Comes and Goes”.

Despite the initial realization that the song is more realistic than pure pop puffery, with love abandoning us when we need it most only to return whenever it feels, the song is sung in a beautifully optimistic way. With the beat of an old guitar and Rudd’s sweet and often haunting voice, you feel the pain and joy of every crack in his broken heart and understand the only way to deal with is to just live through it. Not that we’ve ever been heartbroken or anything. Check out the song below. You can also download it for free here.

Koonyum Sun is out April 19th via ANTI-. Until then, you can also enjoy the video for “Time To Smile” below. And we’ll keep you updated whether the Aussie decides to hit the States and tour.

Check Out:
“Love Comes and Goes”

Minus the Bear plots spring tour

Alex Young — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:35:12 +0000

Let’s see. A new album? Check. A new record label? Check. Hmm, it seems the only thing to be missing from Minus the Bear’s upcoming itinerary is a U.S. tour. Oh, wait. [opens inbox to find press release dealing with aforementioned topic]. Never mind!

In support of the forthcoming, sexually-charged release of its new studio album, OMNI, Minus the Bear will embark on a U.S. tour thi spring, starting April 19th in Spokane, Washington. From there, the band will travel east, hitting cities across the mid-west along the way. Their travels will ultimately conclude on May 29th in George, Washington with an appearance at the Sasquatch! Music Festival. Also included on the itinerary will be five shows at the Austin based South by Southwest later this month. Find all the specifics below.

OMNI is due for released on May 4th via Dangerbird Records.

Minus the Bear 2010 Tour Dates:
03/18 – Austin, TX @ Cedar Street (SXSW)
03/19 – Austin, TX @ Antones (SXSW)
03/19 – Austin, TX @ Rusty Spur (SXSW)
03/20 – Austin, TX @ Stubbs (SXSW)
03/20 – Austin, TX @ Mellow Johnny’s (SXSW)
04/19 – Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory
04/20 – Billings, MT @ The Railyard
04/22 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
04/23 – Bonner Springs, KS @ Sandstone Amphitheatre
04/24 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew’s Hall
04/26 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
04/28 – Covington, KY @ Madison Theater
04/29 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
04/30 – Hartford, CY @ Webster Theatre
05/02 – E. Rutherford, NJ @ The Bamboozle
05/05 – Boston, MA @ Wilbur Theatre
05/06 – Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero
05/07 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
05/08 – Richmond, VA @ The National
05/09 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore
05/10 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
05/11 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution
05/12 – Tampa, FL @ The Ritz
05/14 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues
05/15 – Dallas, TX @ Granada
05/16 – Austin, TX @ La Zona Rosa
05/18 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theatre
05/19 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
05/20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Mayan Theatre
05/21 – Pomona, CA @ Glass House
05/22 – San Diego, CA @ SOMA
05/23 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theater
05/26 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
05/27 – Reno, NV @ Knitting Factory
05/28 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre
05/29 – George, WA @ Sasquatch! Music Festival

Faith No More confirm NYC date

Alex Young — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:00:43 +0000

For the first time in over a decade, Faith No More will deliver a performance in the eastern seaboard of the United States. On June July 5th, the recently reunited outfit will take to the Williamsburg Waterfront in Brooklyn, New York in benefit of to the Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn (OSA). The performance will be one of a series of benefit concerts to take place at the Waterfront this summer.

“The benefit shows will help fund the restoration and preservation of parks in North Brooklyn, and subsidize the cost of free concerts at the Williamsburg Waterfront,” said Stephanie Thayer, OSA’s Executive Director, in an issued statement. “As nearby McCarren Park Pool is being renovated, OSA is pleased to continue its tradition of bringing outdoor music to North Brooklyn.”

Tickets will go on sale starting Saturday, March 13th at 12:00 PM EST via Ticketmaster.com. Find the rest of the band’s upcoming itinerary, which currently includes five dates, below.

Faith No More 2010 Tour Dates:
04/12 – San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
04/13 – San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
04/14 – San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
04/17 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Music Festival
07/05 – Brooklyn, NY @ Williamsburg Waterfront