TOUR W/ UNKOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA + NXNE + RECORD RELEASE SHOW

OSHIN DUE JUNE 26 FROM CAPTURED TRACKS

Following the success of recent singles “Sometime”, “Doused” , and “How Long Have You Known?” (All three earned Best New Track from Pitchfork) you may be asking yourself, what kind of drugs do I need to take to make music that good? Is it really that magical ratio of one part THC and two parts MDMA? Well, the music video for “How Long Have You Known?” intricately details the making of that special drug. Just don’t try this at home kiddos. Watch the Cole play mad scientist in YouTube spotlight video for “How Long Have You Known?” here.

Recently inked to the uber-reliable Captured Tracks imprint, DIIV created instant vibrations in the blog-world with their impressionistic debut “Sometime”; finding it’s way onto the esteemed pages of Pitchfork and Altered Zones a mere matter of weeks after the group’s formation.

Enlisting the aid of NYC indie-scene-luminary, Devin Ruben Perez, former Smith Westerns drummer Colby Hewitt, and Mr. Smith’s childhood friend Andrew Bailey, DIIV craft a sound that is at once familial and frost-bitten. Indebted to classic kraut, dreamy Creation-records psychedelia, and the primitive-crunch of late-80′s Seattle, the band walk a divisive yet perfectly fused patch of classic-underground influence.

One part THC and two parts MDMA; the first offering from DIIV chemically fuses the reminiscent with the half-remembered building a musical world out of old-air and new breeze. These are songs that remind us of love in all it’s earthly perfections and perversions.

A lot of DIIV’s magnetism was birthed in the process Mr. Smith went through to discover these initial compositions. After returning from a US tour with Beach Fossils, Cole made a bold creative choice, settling into the window-facing corner of a painter’s studio in Bushwick, sans running water, holing up to craft his music.

In this AC-less wooden room, throughout the thick of the summer, Cole surrounded himself with cassettes and LP’s, the likes of Lucinda Williams, Arthur Russell, Faust, Nirvana, and Jandek; writings of N. Scott Momaday, James Welsh, Hart Crane, Marianne Moore, and James Baldwin; and dreams of aliens, affection, spirits, and the distant natural world (as he imagined it from his window facing the Morgan L train).

The resulting music is as cavernous as it is enveloping, asking you to get lost in it’s tangles in an era that demands your attention be focused into 140 characters.

Since that fateful summer, the band have waged a full throttle attack on the nation’s venues, where the mellow, sometimes melancholic vibes of those early transmissions morph into a manic, crashing thing, providing an apt preview of DIIV’s debut LP Oshin due on Captured Tracks on June 26th.

DIIV has also just announced new tour dates including NXNE and their record release show in Brooklyn. A rotating cast of characters including Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Killer Mike, Frankie Rose, Spectrals, Grimes, and Wild Nothing are accompanying DIIV on various tour dates. Check out all the stops below and make sure to get off the couch when they come through your town!

Watch – “How Long Have You Known?”

DIIV
Oshin
(Captured Tracks)
June 26, 2012

01 (Druun)
02 Past Lives
03 Human
04 Air Conditioning
05 How Long Have You Known?
06 Wait
07 Earthboy
08 (Druun pt. ii)
09 Follow
10 Sometime
11 Oshin (Subsume)
12 Doused
13 Home

Tour Dates

5/01/12 @ Magic Stick – Detroit, MI *
5/02/12 @ The Shop Under Parts and Labor – Toronto, ON *
5/03/12 @ Valentine’s – Albany, NY *
5/05/12 @ Mercury Lounge – New York, NY * !
05/24/12 @ Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY %
05/25/12 @ FUEL @ Dartmouth College – Hanover, NH
06/09/12 @ Rock and Roll Hotel – Washington, DC #
06/11/12 @ Johnny Brendas – Philadelphia, PA #
06/12/12 @ TT The Bears – Cambridge, MA #
06/13/12 @ Il Motore – Montreal, QC #
06/15/12 @ Lee’s Palace (NXNE) – Toronto, ON
6/23/12 @ Glasslands – Brooklyn, NY (Record release show!)
8/09/12 @ RiverRocks at Pier 84 – New York, NY ^

# = w/ Unknown Mortal Orchestra
% = w/ Killer Mike, High Highs
* = w/ Frankie Rose
! = w/ Spectrals
^ = w/ Grimes, Wild Nothing

Serj Tankian Releases Official Music Video for “Figure It Out”

Harakiri, New Studio Album, Out July 10th

Today Serj Tankian released the official video exclusively on AOL for his first Harakiri single, “Figure It Out.” The video was directed by Ara Soudjian. “It’s a comical political song talking about abusive capitalism and the differences created in economic stature and the reaction to it” says Tankian about the video. “CEOs have gotten away with murder, until now…”

Harakiri, the new studio album from singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, poet and political activist Serj Tankian is set to be released July 10th on Reprise Records/Serjical Strike. Harakiri, a Japanese word meaning ritualistic suicide, is the follow up to 2010′s Imperfect Harmonies and the third solo release from the System Of A Down frontman.

“Harakiri proves that Serj Tankian is not just one of the best vocalists in rock and metal, but one of the most passionate and provocative artists at work today.” – Revolver

Harakiri is presently available for pre-order on the singer’s official website. $2 from the sale of each pre-order will be donated to a non-profit organization to fight global hunger. The single, “Figure It Out,” is available digitally at services including iTunes, Amazon and Spotify. Fans can also check out the lyric video on YouTube.

Serj and the rest of his bandmates in System of a Down will be performing a handful of dates in August.

Confirmed System Of A Down Tour Dates:
08/02 Philadelphia, PA – Susquehanna Bank Center
08/04 Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
08/05 Wantagh, NY – Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
08/07 Washington, DC – Verizon Center Arena
08/09 Boston, MA – Comcast Center
08/11 Montreal, QC – Heavy Metal Festival Parterre @ Parc Jean Drapeau
08/12 Toronto, ON – Heavy Metal Festival Downsview Park
08/14 Detroit, MI – DTE Energy Amphitheater
08/15 Chicago, IL – Allstate Arena

Stay Submerged Until the 3:00 Mark. Then the Party Really Begins.

Detroit quartet FAWN (members of the Von Bondies, Thunderbirds Are Now!, Child Bite, Javelins and more) have released a brand new video for “No Wave,” the second single off of their debut Coastlines LP, out on June 12th with Quite Scientific Records (Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Chris Bathgate). Directed by band members Christian Doble and Alicia Gbur, “the concept of the video/song is based on the feeling of living your life under water. People are talking all around you but it’s all muffled. Maybe you’re surrounded by a party but you’ve never felt so alone. The end half of the song represents breaking free from this solitude or melancholy. ”

Click Here to Download first single ‘Pixels’

The members of FAWN are not only talented musicians, but design their own record covers, photography, posters, websites, and video treatments. They’ve assembled an excitingly well-versed group to showcase the sound of New Detroit through the prisms of such 90′s touchstones as Jesus and Mary Chain, The Pixies, Sleater-Kinney, The Breeders, and Juliana Hatfield, alongside modern influences like Yuck or The New Pornographers.

Coastlines Tracklisting
1. All the Lights
2. Hurricane Fire
3. It’s Never Over
4. Break It Off
5. No Wave
6. Suicide
7. The Forest
8. Pennies
9. Pixels
10. Cobra on the Beach

FAWN – No Wave video

Reptar unveil the video for their single “Sebastian” today, exclusively on the Noisey YouTube channel.

Directed by Deadhorse, Ben Fries and Jesse Cain (who have also created memorable promos for the likes of Kindness, Holy Ghost, and Theophilus London), the clip combines performance footage of Reptar’s lead singer Graham Ulicny, shot from several angles simultaneously to create a surreal and cubistic effect, with living tableaus. The tableaus depict the story of Saint Sebastian, the Christian saint and martyr and earliest gay icon, who was tied to a tree and shot with arrows before ultimately being clubbed to death for his criticism of the Emperor.

“Sebastian” is the current single off of Reptar’s debut album Body Faucet. Produced by Ben Allen (Animal Collective, Gnarls Barkley, Washed Out), Body Faucet is the follow up to the group’s heralded debut EP Oblangle Fizz Y’all, which Rolling Stone praised for its, “…blend of upbeat rhythms, reggae-infected vocals and psychedelic textures.” Body Faucet finds the band delving deeper into world-music influences to compliment their unique blend of danceable and electro infused pop.

Reptar began playing music in late 2008. Since then, the quartet has gained a reputation for their frenzied, must-see live show. After a sold out headline tour that had the band on the road non-stop since February, Reptar are currently out with Grouplove, culminating the epic run of dates with a performance at Sasquatch. In June the band will head over seas for UK dates and return to the U.S. for Fall tour dates to be announced soon.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks as the band unveils remixes from the album.

“Kinetic, danceable rock…”
The New York Times

“Keyed-up, Afro-pop-inflected indie rock…”
The New Yorker

“A bouncy, flamboyant album packed with danceable jams.”
Under The Radar

Reptar – “Sebastian” (Official Video)

REPTAR LIVE DATES

5/22 – Salt Lake City, UT – The State Room#
5/23 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory Concert House#
5/25 – Portland, OR – Star Theater#
5/26 – George, WA – Sasquatch Music Festival
6/12 – New York, NY – Webster Hall#
6/13 – Washington, DC – 930 Club#
6/14 – Boston, MA – WFNX Presents: The Seaport Six in Boston
7/22 – Dover, DE – Firefly Music Festival
9/28 – Fairburn, GA – Counterpoint Music Festival

# with Grouplove

MS MR – Hurricane video

“Beating Lana Del Rey’s record for “1990s influenced Tumblr photos per minute” with the video for their debut single “Hurricane”" – Pitchfork

“…feels big, the vibe feels grand – the pop-allure is definitely present.” – Disco Naivete

MS MR tour dates:
* w/ Marina & The Diamonds
6/01 – Brooklyn, NY @ Glasslands Gallery
7/10 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre*
7/11 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore*
7/13 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theatre*
7/14 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox at the Market*
7/15 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom*
7/18 – Denver, CO @ The Summit Music Hall*
7/21 – Chicago, IL @ Park West*
8/14 – Washington D.C. @ 9:30 Club*
8/16 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall*
8/17 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of the Living Arts*

“Hurricane”:

UME today announced that they will hit the road on a second tour this summer, the previously announced co-headline tour with The Life and Times in June and the newly revealed tour with Helmet and The Toadies.

Hailing from Austin, Texas, Ume is Lauren Larson (Vocals, Guitar), Eric Larson (Bass), and Rachel Fuhrer (drums). The trio’s music is one of beautiful juxtapositions: the loud and soft, the aggressive and eerie, buoyant melodies bursting through wall-of-noise dissonance. Ume explores the artier, heavier side of indie rock, post-punk, and alternative rock.

With Phantoms, their full-length album released last August by Modern Outsider Records, Ume harnessed their carefully crafted chaos into ten tracks, capturing the unhinged passion and raw catharsis of their live shows while pushing their ever-evolving sound to impressive new heights. Like a bridge between Black Sabbath and Bat For Lashes, the LP is heavy, anthemic, beautiful and mesmerizing.

STREAM PHANTOMS VIA SOUNDCLOUD

Ume has already garnered impressive reviews in the media. Nylon declared, “this band is ready to break out in a whole new way…A little like fuzzy shoegaze, raw garage rock and irresistible pop all rolled into one fiery package,” while Relix proclaimed the music as “heavy rock and ethereal indie pop with deft precision, finding new ground somewhere in between Warpaint, Metric and Mogwai.” Ume recently caught the attention of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain who attended and taped one of the band’s many packed shows at SXSW for an upcoming episode of his TV show No Reservations. To quote Bourdain, it was “… a shitload of rawk in a tiny little room.”

The band will be returning to the studio later this year to record their next studio album.

UME Tour Dates
JUNE*
2nd-3rd Houston, TX Free Press Houston Summerfeset
8th Austin, TX Red 7
11th Phoenix, AZ The Rhythm Room
12th Los Angeles, CA The Satellite
13th San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill
15th Portland, OR Bunk Bar
16th Seattle, WA Barboza
18th Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
19th Denver, CO The Walnut Room

JULY^
15th Cincinnati, OH Bunbury Festival
21st Pensacola Beach, FL Capt’n Fun Beach Club
22nd New Orleans, LA Tipitina’s
24th Jacksonville, FL Jack Rabbits
25th Ft. Lauderdale, FL Revolution
26th St. Petersburg, FL State Theatre
27th Orlando, FL House of Blues
28th Atlanta, GA The Masquerade
29th Charlotte, NC The Fillmore Charlotte
31st Silver Spring, MD The Fillmore

AUGUST
1st Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
2nd New York, NY Webster Hall
3rd Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
4th Rochester, NY Water Street Music Hall
5th Lansing, MI Michigan Rock N Brew @ Adado
7th Cleveland, OH House Of Blues
8th Pontiac, MI The Crofoot Ballroom
9th Chicago, IL House Of Blues
10th Indianapolis, IN The Vogue
11th Sauget, IL Pop’s
12th Kansas City, MO The Beaumount Club

* Co-headlining dates with The Life and Times.
^ all dates with Helmet and The Toadies except July 15th

Ume – Captive video

Twin Cabins is the solo project of Nacho Cano, who was born in Mexico City. At a young age, Cano had already discovered and created his first melodies on his grandmother’s piano. At the age of ten, he moved to California, where he became enamored with its beaches, sun, and people. Cano’s interest in music and experimentation continued through his adolescence, where he learned the guitar and eventually began to record and catalog his compositions in his middle school recording studio. Eventually by the age of 18, Cano began to branch out to new instruments and developed a craft for melody through memories, fantasies, and romances.

It was the memories of real (or made up) romances that encouraged Cano to begin writing his own music under the moniker Twin Cabins. Cano created truly Californian dreamlike and catchy melodies that reflected sentiments of love, frustration, and personal conflict. His recordings are written and produced in his bedroom, the environment of his tracks being symbolic of a sense of dreams, loneliness, and careless youth.

Over the course of several months, he began to experiment with alternative and unfamiliar genres of music, releasing them under the alias Rushmore. These include the ambient EP One Year and the intensely personal work Clementine. Cano later shelved the style in order to reflect his sentiments in a more melodic light. Now as Twin Cabins, Cano plans to release his upcoming debut I’m Sure, which is a love letter to past lovers, new lovers, and the comfort of an unpredictable future.

The Hives – Go Right Ahead video

The Hives elaborate, “We recorded large chunks of LEX HIVES at Rixmixningsverket. It is a new studio that Benny Andersson from ABBA built in the heart of Stockholm, and he cut us a deal we just couldn’t refuse. We were the first band to record there. The video shows us walking to the studio on the first day of the second week of recordings. We basically set up a bunch of cameras in order to film while we recorded the take to make this more realistic than most “rock videos.” The thing is, we needed extra mouths and hands since we couldn’t do it all ourselves at the same time. These were generously supplied by people close and dear to us who can be seen in the film. Even Randy Fitzsimmons can be seen through the studio window wearing a mask. Randy on camera is a historical first. This moment is also a historical first. We give you.. We tell you to… GO RIGHT AHEAD!”

Their highly-anticipated new album, Lex Hives, is due out June 5 via the band’s own Disques Hives label and comes in advance of a North American tour that kicks off June 19 in Washington, D.C. A more extensive U.S. headlining tour is in the works for this Fall (details to come). Lex Hives is now available to pre-order on iTunes, including a Deluxe Edition that features bonus tracks produced and recorded by Josh Homme.

The band recently made an explosive return to the live stage with a handful of performances in the U.S., including a hugely successful performance at Coachella, an intimate show at NYC’s Webster Hall Studio, and a performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live that saw the band playing two new songs: “Go Right Ahead” and “Wait A Minute.”

The Hives are Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist, Nicholaus Arson, Chris Dangerous, Dr. Matt Destruction, and Vigilante Carlstroem.

THE HIVES – JUNE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR:
6/19 – Washington, D.C. – 9:30 Club
6/20 – Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory
6/22 – New York, NY – Terminal 5
6/23 – Boston, MA – House of Blues
6/25 – Montreal, QC – Metropolis
6/26 – Toronto, ON – Sound Academy
6/27 – Pontiac, MI – Clutch Cargo’s
6/29 – Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest
6/30 – Chicago, IL – The Vic Theatre

Coldplay performed a tribute to Adam Yauch (aka MCA) of the Beastie Boys at the Hollywood Bowl on May 4th 2012.

Hanni El Khatib – Roach Cock video