The Roots – UNDUN video

B. Dolan featuring Toki Wright, Jasiri X, Buddy Peace, Sage Francis – Film The Police video

B. DOLAN’s “FILM THE POLICE” pays tribute to N.W.A.’s infamous “F*ck the Police,” serving as a call to action for the digitized media movement while responding to the recent explosion of police brutality all across the world.

This free MP3, courtesy of STRANGE FAMOUS RECORDS, features a reconstruction of Dr. Dre’s original beat, brilliantly reanimated by UK producer BUDDY PEACE. Label CEO, SAGE FRANCIS, opens the song by picking up the gavel where Dr. Dre left it 23 years ago, introducing a blistering, true-to-style flip of Ice Cube’s original verse by SFR cornerstone, B. Dolan. TOKI WRIGHT (Rhymesayers Entertainment) follows up by stepping into the shoes of MC Ren, penning the people’s struggle against cops as a case of “Goliath Vs. a bigger giant.” Finally, Jasiri X (Pittsburgh rapper/activist) rounds out the track by filling in for Eazy-E, reminding us that police brutality disproportionately affects poor people of color.

With the Occupy Movement bringing various forms of injustice to the forefront of people’s consciousness, “Film the Police” is a reminder that cops have been a continued and increasingly militarized presence in public streets. Thanks to the widespread use of smartphones and video cameras, along with the popularity of social networks such as Twitter and Facebook, the power of the media has been put back into the people’s hands as they document the injustices perpetrated by those who have sworn to serve and protect them.

VIDEO: “Wired”

STREAM: “Load Your Eyes” (Star Slinger Load Your 808 Remix) –

I Break Horses

Allow us to introduce you to the beguiling world of I BREAK HORSES, the nom de plume of Maria Lindén and her musical partner Fredrik Balck. Residing in the Swedish capital of Stockholm, the duo have been meticulously crafting the nine incredible tracks that make up debut album Hearts throughout stolen moments gathered up over the past two years.

The task of capturing the sonic density of Lindén’s compositions was painstaking, while Balck’s lyrics, constantly teasing the senses, are at times insular and cold to the touch. It’s only when interpreted by Maria’s gorgeous vocals that a warmth is added, like the first rays of sun on a winters morning.

Although heavily (and openly) influenced by My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Jesus & Mary Chain et al – Hearts is far from an exercise in typical shoegaze fayre. Maria, waif-like and unassuming in person, is transformed on record to sound 10 feet tall. And, perhaps where certain contemporaries would hypnotize the listener into their world by sheer volume alone, I Break Horses lock firmly onto the very thing that makes each and every one of us ‘tick’: our pulse. Our Hearts. The common thread that links the nine songs together; always present, always beating – the album’s strength and presence guided entirely by it.

Coupled with with Lindén’s vocal, a seductive Scandinavian croon that’s bathed in an ocean of reverb and tremelo, Hearts is quite the sonic experience. It can’t be defined via a few meagre adjectives or genre classifications; you have to live it, live inside it. It will soak you up, embrace you and give back what you put in… Welcome to the most bewitching debut of the year.

I BREAK HORSES

SU 22-Apr San Francisco, CA Fillmore *
W 25-Apr Portland, OR Roseland *
TH 26-Apr Seattle, WA Neptune *
F 27-Apr Vancouver, BC Vogue *
SU 29-Apr Salt Lake City, UT In the Venue *
M 30-Apr Denver, CO Ogden *
TU 1-May Lawrence, KS Granada *
W 2-May St Louis, MO Pageant *
F 4-May Chicago, IL Vic *
SA 5-May Detroit, MI Majestic *
SU 6-May Toronto, ON Sound Academy *
M 7-May Buffalo, NY Town Ballroom *
W 9-May Boston, MA House Of Blues *
TH 10-May New York, NY Terminal 5 *
F 11-May Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer *
SA 12-May Washington, DC 9:30 Club *
M 14-May Atlanta, GA Buckhead Theater *
TU 15-May Nashville, TN Marathon Music Works *
TH 17-May Houston, TX House of Blues *
F 18-May Austin, TX Stubb’s *
SA 19-May Dallas, TX Granada *
M 21-May Phoenix, AZ Crescent
W 23-May Los Angeles, CA Echo

* = w/ M83

I Break Horses
Hearts
(I Kill Love / Bella Union)
Street Date: Aug. 23, 2011

1. Winter Beats
2. Hearts
3. Wired
4. I Kill Your Love, Baby!
5. Pulse
6. Cancer
7. Load Your Eyes
8. Empty Bottles
9. No Way Outro

Director: Hoku Uchiyama
Produced by: Erich Lochner, Matt Miller, and Adam Bolt
Lead Animator: Adam Bolt
Executive Producers: Jason Webley & Amanda Palmer
Director of Photography: Adam David Meltzer
Evelyn Evelyn played by: Lexi Ibrahim & Nikki Ibrahim
Composite Work: Travis Gorman & Michael Scott
Additional Composite Work: Caleb Clark & Geronimo Moralez
Skeleton-Dance Animator: Julian Birchman
Additional Animation: David Johnston
Character Design: Adam Bolt
Additional Character Design: Odessa Sawyer
Wardrobe Designer: Jessica Huang
Production Design: David A. Novak
1st Assistant Camera: Louis Normandin
Gaffer/Dolly Grip: Rex Kinney
Sound Design: Mike Weinstein
VFX Consultants: Dan Blank & Arvin Bautista
Hair & Makeup: Stephanie Bravo
Skeleton-Dance Performance & Choreography: Shaheed Qaasim & Joanna Meinl
Production Manager: Sky Prendergast

Special Thanks:
Melissa Malandrakis, Steven Ritz-Barr, Daniela Meltzer, Robert Snyder, Brie Ford, Sanghee Oh, Scott Jones, Kent & Ruth Uchiyama, Mahea Uchiyama, Kevin Farey, and Karen Criswell

Amanda Palmer Fall Tour With Neil Gaiman + AFP Solo Shows

Amanda Palmer is pleased to share a groundbreaking new video for Evelyn, Evelyn’s song “Have You seen my Sister Evelyn?” The video, directed by Hoku Uchiyama and produced by Vanishing Angle, uses a never before seen animation technique. The twins draw on a steamed up window with their fingers and their drawings come to life and have an adventure! Watch the video here. Dark Horse Comics also comics just released a graphic novel that tells the story of the Evelyn,Evelyn twins the bizarre and bloody night of their birth and subsequent orphaning; their early years on a chicken farm; shocking encounters with depraved gentlemen; life in the circus; the terrible fates of their dearest friends; and concluding with the sisters’ rise to international fame via the internet, as told with astounding eloquence by musicians Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley, and documented in gorgeous detail by the artist Cynthia von Buhler with an afterward by Neil Gaiman.

Award-winning author Neil Gaiman and DIY-musician Amanda “Fucking” Palmer will also embark on a brief co-headline tour of the West Coast this Fall, starting with a Halloween engagement at Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles.

The newlywed (and anything but conventional) couple are billing the event as “An Evening with Neil Gaiman & Amanda Palmer” and promise an unusual and intimate few hours of spoken word, songs, stories, chats with the audience, and – given Palmer’s penchant for the unplanned – more than a few surprises. The stage will contain a piano, a ukulele, two microphones, and (Amanda claims) a few comfortable twitter-sourced armchairs.

Amanda Palmer Tour Dates
* = An Evening With Neil Gaiman & Amanda Palmer

10/28: San Diego, CA @ Birch North Park Theatre
w/ The Jane Austen Argument
10/29: Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre, A Halloween Spectacular
w/ Jason Webley & The Petrojvic Blasting Co.
10/31: Los Angeles, CA @ Wilshire Ebell Theatre, 7pm *
11/4: San Francisco, CA @ Palace of Fine Arts, 7pm *
11/6: Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre, 7pm *
11/8: Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theatre, 7pm *
11/9: Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre w/ Jason Webley, 7pm *

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – If I Had A Gun… video

The video was directed by Mike Bruce and filmed at The Paramour in Silver Lake, Los Angeles. The video features Peyton List from Madmen as the bride and Tim Murphy from Criminal Minds as the father of the bride. The video will debut on MTV and VH-1 tomorrow on September 27th.

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds will embark on their debut North American tour kicking off on November 7th in Toronto, ON at Massey Hall (see below for detailed ticketing information – Note additional shows have been added to both New York & Los Angeles). The following day, Noel’s solo debut album NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS will be released on November 8th in the U.S. on Sour Mash/Mercury Records.

NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS was recorded in London and completed in Los Angeles during 2010 and the first half of 2011. The album was co-produced by Noel Gallagher and Dave Sardy, who produced the last Oasis album, Dig Out Your Soul (2008).

At a press conference earlier this summer announcing his new project, Noel stated that the band would be performing classic Oasis tracks along with his new solo material. “I’m proud of them and of what they mean to people,” he said of the Oasis repertoire. “I’ll never do a gig without playing them. They’re like drugs to me.”

Noel Gallagher – Press Conference 6th July 2011
And when asked by his manager who the High Flying Birds are, Noel responded “They aren’t anyone in particular. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds is me and whoever is around at the time of whatever it is that I’m doing, a loose collective kinda thing.”

On November 10th, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds will make their network television debut on the Late Show With David Letterman.

NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS marks Gallagher’s first solo album project since the 2009 split of multi-platinum band Oasis. As songwriter, guitarist and producer of Oasis since the band’s inception in 1993, Noel Gallagher was at the helm for their global success, from the launch of their first indie UK singles in 1994 to their final shows together in the summer of 2009. Over the course of their seven consecutive #1 studio albums, Oasis sold over 70 million records worldwide and charted 22 consecutive Top 10 UK hits from 1995 to 2008 (including eight #1′s), creating an astounding historical record.

The band have also recently released a music video for the song “Monster Mask” written by Ron Weiner (Futurama, 30 Rock). The video features the band’s signature infectious pop, whistled melodies, in-the-studio footage and a montage of clips from classic public domain black & white horror movies. Watch the video at the link below:

Monster Mask – Pomplamoose video

Pomplamoose Tour Dates

Oct 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
Oct 22 – Santa Barbara, CA @ SOhO
Oct 26 – Seattle, WA @ The Triple Door
Oct 27 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
Oct 29 – San Francisco, CA @ SF Jazz Fest, Yerba Buena Center For The Arts

Cookies – Summer Jam video

Shot over one weekend on Super 8 film.
Directed by Wyeth Hansen of LABOUR.

Directed by Wyeth Hansen, the video was shot on Super 8 over one fun-filled weekend this summer. Hansen somehow lined everything up seamlessly with the song. Perfect for anyone that’s an animal lover or already nostalgic for the season!

Cookies is Ben Sterling of Mobius Band joined by Melissa Metrick and Ian Ainley. They’ve been described as a “hip-hop-infused electro-pop trio” by Interview Magazine.

VICE.COM premieres the music video for “BUG”, the 2nd single off Life Sux. The video chronicles the highs and lows of Nathan Williams and Stephen Pope Jr. When a “bugged” out dude shows up at their house, all the fun is sucked out of the home and mayhem ensues. Mermaids, police, and women are thrown into the mix for a gunpowder filled finale.

Watch the video now at VICE:

Wavves’ new EP, Life Sux is out now on Wavves’ label Ghost Ramp, the EP features “I Wanna Meet Dave Grohl,” as well as collaborations with Best Coast and members of the band F*cked Up. Life Sux is now available now on vinyl too via Ghost Ramp. You can order digitally via iTunes here and the vinyl here.

WAVVES TOUR DATES

09/23 @ Royale – Boston, MA %
09/24 @ Webster Hall – New York, NY %
09/25 @ Black Cat – Washington, DC %
09/26 @ Jefferson Theater – Charlottesville, VA %
09/27 @ Local 506 – Chapel Hill, NC %
09/28 @ Skully’s- Columbus, OH %
09/29 @ Logan Square Auditorium- Chicago, IL %
09/30 @ Magic Stick- Detroit, MI %
10/02 @ Town Ballroom- Buffalo, NY %
10/15 @ Corona Capital Festival- Mexico City, MX
01/19 @ The Weezer Cruise- Miami FL- Cozumel, MX
01/20 @ The Weezer Cruise- Miami FL- Cozumel, MX
01/21 @ The Weezer Cruise- Miami FL- Cozumel, MX
01/22 @ The Weezer Cruise- Miami FL- Cozumel, MX
01/23 @ The Weezer Cruise- Miami FL- Cozumel, MX
% = w/ Fucked Up

ORDER LIFE SUX DIGITALLY THROUGH ITUNES

ORDER LIFE SUX ON VINYL

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Bug
2. I Wanna Meet Dave Grohl
3. Nodding Off (feat. Best Coast)
Side B
4. Poor Lenore
5. Destroy (feat. members of Fucked Up)
6. In The Sand (live)**

** Vinyl and iTunes bonus track

Bianchi is one of the few “indie electronic” artists out there, a genre I have come to fully appreciate after I figured out what the hell it is. Listeners are then exposed to “Lydia” which features subtle and sexy male and female harmonious whispers that surf along the electromagnetic beats. Her Space Holiday’s relationship with electronica is mathematical, well timed and pre-meditated which concludes in a clean and fresh outcome.

His relationship with Indie (which I realize is an ambiguous title for music styling, so let’s call it folk rock in this case) is dreamy and ethereal. The duration of the album consists of heartfelt, energetic and relaxing tunes which make you dance slowly while thinking which is entirely refreshing in contrast the most others that make up the world of overly MDMA infused electronic music.

A Particularly interesting piece is “The Ringing In My Ears,” in it’s softness, and “Hassle Free Harmony” in it’s instrumental diversity. “Perfect on Paper” is the most honest portrayal of admittance around tormented love I have heard since Wilco’s “Radio Cure.”

The use of violins are featured throughout the album which always give me the chills, as does Bianchi’s patient voice. Lyrically the album is symbolic and contains a perfect mix of introspection and melancholy. In respect to the beginning of the album, Her Space Holiday (which by the way, is a perfect title for this musical endeavor) is concluded with an outro titled “Manic Expressive Exit” which is so humble, it actually thanks the listeners and after spending time with this gem you will want to thank it several times over. Enjoy your journey into space; don’t forget a good pair of headphones.

Welsh indie-rock trio The Joy Formidable are proud to announce a string of tour dates in support of The Foo Fighters. The band will tour with the legendary alternative rock giants in November for a number of East Coast dates, from Duluth, Georgia to Boston, Massachusetts. The band will also be returning to the U.S. for some brief headlining tour dates in August, including a stop at the Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago on August 7.

The Foo Fighters invited The Joy Formidable out to tour with them following a tweet posted to the Foo Fighter’s twitter account by lead-singer Dave Grohl on April 27, saying “I would like to personally thank The Joy Formidable for writing the song of the year, “Whirring.” Xxx Dave.”

The Joy Formidable’s new video for their song “A Heavy Abacus” was recently released, and you can watch the video via the band’s Youtube channel below.

Watch “A Heavy Abacus” Music Video

The Joy Formidable have also recently released a digital EP of select remixes and live tracks exclusively on iTunes, which can be purchased today. The EP will be released to all other digital retailers tomorrow, on July 12. The appropriately titled Roarities EP features 5 total tracks, and the track listing and artwork are below.

The Joy Formidable Tour Dates
Jul 31 Montreal, QC @ Osheaga Music Festival
Aug 3 Cleveland, OH @ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Aug 5 Kansas City, MO @ Kanrocksas
Aug 7 Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza Festival
Aug 12 San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands Festival
Sept 2 Redmond, WA @ ENDFEST
Sept 4 Edmonton, AB @ Sonic Boom Festival
Sept 8 Portland, OR @ Music Fest NW
Sept 22 Cincinnati, OH @ Midpoint Music Festival
Sept 23 Philadelphia, PA @ Popped Festival!
Sept 24 Atlanta, GA @ Music Midtown
Nov 7 Duluth, GA @ Arena of Gwinnett Center*
Nov 8 Charlotte, NC @ Time Warner Cable Arena*
Nov 10 Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center*
Nov 14 Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center*
Nov 16 Boston, MA @ TD Garden*

*With The Foo Fighters

Roarities EP

Austere – Naked And Famous Remix
Whirring – Innerparty System Remix
A Heavy Abacus – Live at Koko
Llaw = Wall – Live at Koko
The Greatest Light is The Greatest Shade – Live at Koko