Blog: The Sky Report

Of Montreal's Skeletal Lamping is set for a release on October 7th, and here you have the official artwork (via Pitchfork ). In fact, for all the juicy details, check out their post about the new album , as I can't really offer any more on this breaking news. But it's still very exciting! Of Montreal play Roseland Ballroom on October 10th. Last I checked tickets were still on sale .

No Age are playing a free show tonight at Southstreet Seaport, with Abe Vigoda and Telepathe. When I saw No Age last year at the Bowery Ballroom/CMJ show they absolutely rocked. And with a recent surge in popularity, their show tonight should be a must-see. LA tropical punk band Abe Vigoda and Brooklyn's experimental synth-noise trio Telepathe are also well worth checking out so get there early! The show starts at 7:00. No Age - Eraser (music video)

At long last a release date has been set for Microcastle , Deerhunter's follow-up to the best album of 2007 , Cryptograms . The first single will be "Nothing Ever Happened". As well, Deerhunter are touring with Nine Inch Nails this summer and will play a free show with Black Lips at McCarren Pool on August 3rd. Microcastle tracklist: 01 Cover Me (Slowly) 02 Agoraphobia 03 Never Stops 04 Little Kids 05 Microcastle 06 Calvary Scars 07 Green Jacket 08 Activa 09 Nothing Ever Happened 10 [...]

At its core, the debut effort from Hercules and Love Affair, the brainchild of NYC-based DJ Andy Butler, is a great dance album. But there are a number of elements at work here that elevate the record from "just great" to "awe-inspiring". Co-produced by this decade's go-to electronic guru Tim Goldsworthy (Cut Copy, The Rapture, LCD Soundsystem), the album is as much a sincerely personal piece of detailed work as it is a solid collaborative effort. With its feet firmly cemented to the ground, Hercules and Love Affair references the many eras of dance [...]

Chairlift are an interesting new band from Brooklyn. Their combination of electro-folk and sensitive synth-pop casts them under the same spell you might find MGMT under when they recorded their initial ep. Though not as flawlessly produced as Oracular Spectacular , Chairlift might appeal to you if you're still in the mood for some good old wizard-pop. I'm kinda feelin' it. The new single(?) "Planet Health" is definitely elevated by the delicate vocals of Caroline Polacheck, which can be heard in the new video below. The debut LP [...]

Crystal Stilts are based in Brooklyn and make bittersweet, minimalist indie pop. The excellent new track "Crippled Croon" is currently on my heavy roatation. Its vintage garage rock sound has me absolutely hooked. Other tracks like "Converging in the Quiet" and "Bright Night Nursery" also feature a sort of faded out, nostalgic shoegazer element that recalls, yes, Jesus & Mary Chain. I can't help it. This genre gets me every time. I'm certainly not alone in my newfound love of Crystal Stilts, as their self-titled debut album was recently bestowed with an 8.3 rating [...]

The duo that comprise Quiet Village are Joel Martin and Matt Edwards, the latter of which is also known in the dance world as Radio Slave. The pair met while attending Sir Dunstan's College in South East London back in the early 90's. One night Joel and Matt shared a car, en route to a drum 'n' bass club, and got to talking about music–particularly house and disco–and their mutual love of record shopping. A creative bond was formed. Now, nearly fifteen years later, that bond has spawned the ambitious debut LP, Silent Movie . [...]

It's taken enormous strength to let go of Hilary, but times are tough and we need Obama to be elected in November! The country seems to be spinning out of control with the oil crisis, the two wars, and a bizarre spike in tornados and floods. Let's pull it together people. Get involved and vote for Obama! Happy 4th! Hilary Clinton - Concession Speech (Get behind Obama!) U2 - Where the Streets Have [...]

Everyone's going gaga over Air France , the latest export from the seemingly warm and tropical city of Gothenburg, Sweden. Running along the same path as fellow Swedes The Honeydrips and The Tough Alliance , Air France make contemporary disco pop, ripe with spliced-up samples and lush atmospherics. Check out the track "Collapsing at Your Door"... Collapsing at Your Doorstep - Air France A digital download of the No Way Down [...]

photo by Ryan Muir Vivian Girls have been on heavy rotation on my headphones ever since I caught their show with Love is All last month at Market Hotel. I instantly fell in love with their harmonies when I first heard "Where Do You Run To" and "Tell the World". They have that perfect blend of vintage noise and coy innocence. The self-titled debut album is currently sold out, but will be reissued this fall. Though, if you use your internet savvy you can probably find it. [...]

As previously reported , Primal Scream are back this summer with their 9th studio album Beautiful Future . The first single is "Can't Go Back" and it has a new video, which features Bobby Gillespie walking down a seemingly endless hotel hallway, as girls are being mysteriously (and creatively) killed one by one. The style is very much a throwback to videos of the early 80's with its intentionally cheap looking set and silly acting from the girls-kinda reminds me of an old Tom Petty or Robert Palmer video. If you give the [...]

CSS have debuted the first new video from their forthcoming sophomore LP Donkey . "Rat is Dead (Rage)" is a no-nonsense pop song with just enough of a punk/new wave edge to make it stick. The track seems more straightforward and slick than anything the debut album had to offer. It will be interesting to see where the new LP takes the band. In the video for "Rat...", Lovefoxx showcases her unique presence as she prances around the band in a grainy, revolving single shot. Check it out below. [...]

Devo played a fantastic headlining show at McCarren Pool last night, showing us (and Elijah Wood, who was in the audience) that they haven't lost their punk edge with age. They ripped through all the classics, including "Whip It", "Gates of Steel", "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", "Mongoloid", "Girl U Want", and "Freedom of Choice". At one point, lead singer Mark Mothersbaugh marched around the stage tearing pieces of his bandmates costumes off in what led to a steady "stripping down" metaphor that carried on throughout the set. Devo closed out the show with a rousing version [...]

Okay, so in my opinion this single was the wrong choice for a follow-up to "4 Minutes". I would have chose "Beat Goes On" or "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You". Not to say "Give It 2 Me" isn't classic Madonna and great, but for America, I think it's too...I don't know. I just feel like consumer America isn't with the Madonna train these days. But here's my small, tiny, miniscule part in trying to help this song take off, because I loooooove me some Madonna! Check out the new video for "Give It 2 Me", [...]

I don't know who Celery Moon is or what his/her story is, but the new "Good Morning Stardust V" mix is off the hook! Celery Moon has something to do with Misshapes , as his/her blog is hosted on their site. He/She has incredible taste in dance music, as this mix features seamless transitions between great artists like Ladyhawke, Bjork, The Black Ghosts, Lykke Li, Simian Mobile Disco, Felix da Housecat, Kleerup, Cut Copy, Moby, and In Flagranti, with remixed efforts by talent such as Hercules & Love Affair, Calvin Harris, Holy Ghost, Alan Braxe, [...]

• Celery Moon - Good Morning Stardust V » stardust5.mp3

Beck 's new album is shaping up to be very interesting. Produced by Danger Mouse, Modern Guilt finds Beck in a more serene mood than on recent albums The Information and Guero . The first leaked tracks have a moody and kind of hallucinatory feel to them. You can preview the three tracks at the links below, including the collaboration with Cat Power , though to me she sounds muted and hardly there. Also, check out the video preview of the album, which includes the title track as well. [...]

Cloetta Paris has a new cover Shakin' Stevens' "Cry Just a Little Bit" for the forthcoming Rewind vol. 1 compilation. The 80's cover project features artists such as Dragonette, Purple Crush, Lismore, Pink Skull, Cannonball Jane, FrankMusik and many, many more turning in their versions of 80's favorites. Rewind vol. 1 will become available as a free download on July 1st via buffetlibre.net . Cloetta Paris - Cry Just a Little Bit (mp3)

• Cloetta Paris - Cry Just a Little Bit » cryjustalittlebit.mp3

This Saturday Mkng Frndz are playing a special benefit house party at 315 Seigel in Bushwick. Mkng Frndz is the latest musical incarnation of Tami Hart, who became a hearthrob for queer youth in the early 2000's. "Influenced musically by Kaia Wilson (Team Dresch, the Butchies) and Kurt Cobain, among others, South Carolina's Tami Hart was just a teenager when she released her debut on Wilson's label, the pro-queer and feminist imprint Mr. Lady (Letigre, The Need). No Light in August is a startling debut, too, with Hart sounding like she has an [...]

Blondie played their legendary album Parallel Lines in its entirety last night at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square and it was magical. Debbie Harry looked absolutely stunning in a silver and black gown, sporting a haircut very similar to the one she made so famous in the "Heart of Glass" video. The band sounded great, even with only three of its original members - Debbie, Chris Stein and the amazing Clem Burke. It was a special night for Blondie fans, who got to see rare live performances of tracks like "Fade Away and Radiate", [...]

Vincent Vendetta of Midnight Juggernauts is coming to town for a special DJ set at Webster Hall Saturday night. The event also features live sets from Crookers, Spitzer, DJ Funk, Danger, The Captain and more. Full info below. While in Barcelona for the Sonar Festival, Vin took the time to answer a few questions for us. THE SKY REPORT: How are you? VINCENT VENDETTA: Well thanks. Yourself? TSR: Where are you at? VIN: I'm now in a hotel room in Barcelona for Sonar. We're here [...]