Tagged: hotoffthepress

Elvis Costello 's National Ransom album drops in November. You can hear it here .

Now that they're as close to "a household name" as a Scottish indie-pop act is likely to be, Belle & Sebastian can enlist big-name guests. Carey Mulligan graces their eighth album's title track, singing sweetly, albeit improbably for an Oscar-hopeful: "I hate my job/ Every day I'm stuck in an office", but the pairing of Stuart Murdoch with MOR powerhouse Norah Jones is less successful - "Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John" drags along with all parties sounding a bit awkward. The record's finest moments are still the band doing what they do best, as with the sprightly [...]

They may be firmly established as one of the most successful folk bands in the country, but Bellowhead have had one major problem to overcome: how can they record a studio album that matches the invention and sheer exhilaration of their live shows? The solution was to bring in a versatile, high-profile producer, and take even more risks in breaking down the barriers between traditional music and jazz, vaudeville and any other big-band styles that took their fancy. Producer John Leckie has worked with everyone from the Stone Roses and Radiohead to Baaba Maal [...]

New solo album from this tentacle-armed Hella drummer and prolific indie sideman. Features contributions from No Age, Devendra Banhart, Prefuse 732s Guillermo Scott Herren, Deerhoof's Greg Saunier, and Hella partner Carson McWhirter, among others. Get it here...

French Horn Rebellion are two brothers from Brooklyn who continually deliver astonishing, artistic music filled with 70s disco flair and epic synth drops. Without going into greater detail, they are simply outstanding. The once Milwaukee-an brother's a'disco, French Horn Rebellion, will be releasing a new album some time in October/November this year. The new album is called The Infinite Music of French Horn Rebellion, and from a recent chat with Robert of FHR, the album is a concept album/narrative about a space age horn player travels through the galaxies. I think. Anywho, the 1st single off the disc is the [...]

Excellent Quality

Unearthing unites legendary comic book writer Alan Moore, award-winning photographer Mitch Jenkins and a cast of high-caliber musicians. A bewitching story written and narrated by Moore set against an epic score from musicians including Adam Drukker & Andy Broder, Mike Patton, Stuart Braithwaite, Zach Hill and Justin Broadrick. Alan Moore is best known for his groundbreaking graphic novels The Watchmen , V For Vendetta, From Hell and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen . These, along with work for 2000 AD and DC Comics, have established him as one of the most influential and [...]

Does Steve Schiltz ever sleep? If you've been following his project, Hurricane Bells, the answer is apparently not. Less than a year after releasing and touring for his debut album, Tonight Is The Ghost, Hurricane Bells return with an EP of covers and new music entitled, Down Comes The Rain. While this release has some great moments, it leaves the listener wishing that Schiltz had waited longer and recorded a full album—there's just not quite enough to go around. The covers turned out pretty solid. The strongest of the three is unquestionably Blue October's "Into the Ocean", which [...]

The Duke & The King are a soul-folk-glam ensemble from the sticks of New York founded, produced, and created by Simone Felice and Robert Bird Burke, featuring the sensational Simi Stone and Reverend Loveday, and like any traveling theatre troupe there's bound to be a growing cast of bewitching characters. Named for the traveling Shakespeare hustlers in 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn', these curious band of rebels/rabble have found an unexpected home together, a floating raft adrift on a river of chance, an itinerant church of harmony and sin where its okay to french kiss your cousin and [...]

The queen of country/indie, Piney Gir lasso's in her Country Roadshow to create a fabulously luscious sound with nods to Emmy Lou Harris, Tammy Wynette and Dolly Parton. Piney Gir taunts traditional country music with a big city edge… 'Jesus Wept' is a nod to Piney's strict religious upbringing and her urge to walk the line between naughty and nice. There comes a time when everyone should question their faith and Piney (with the help of her trusty Roadshow) has channelled that into a record. A record that's a little bit country, a little bit rock 'n' roll [...]

Jim Avett's 2009 release, Jim Avett and Family, was a record that, while maybe not 40-some years in the making, was probably 40-some years in the considering. With the album's slate of gospel standards, the patriarch of North Carolina's most popular export presented himself as an interpreter. But with six of its seven songs being Avett originals, the new Tribes can be considered Avett's proper debut as a country music singer-songwriter. He cites Merle Haggard and Tom T. Hall as two of his favorites. And while he makes no claims of being in their league, his work does favor the [...]

Lissie Maurus was raised in the riverside town of Rock Island, IL, and she drew upon those blue-collar Midwestern origins to create her own form of indie folk music. The granddaughter of an international barbershop quarter champion, she grew up singing in theater productions, eventually picking up the guitar and playing her own songs at local coffeeshops as a teenage. Lissie was also something of a rebel; she got thrown out of high school during her senior year, spent a brief period at Colorado State University, relocated to Paris for a semester, and eventually ditched college altogether to pursue her [...]

There's no better way to wrap up the work week than to get an email with a present, as I did from Leyla at Polydor this afternoon. There's no way around the comparisons the Pierces will draw to the Mamas and The Papas . Melancholy "death is upon us" lyrics floating above layered and luscious harmonies. Their pictures look like they're having fun but their sound - and the one video I watched - seemed pretty grim. Kind of like living in the new millennium, huh? See [...]

From her MySpace page CURRENT AFFAIR MEDIUM RARE Release date: (Scandinavia + Finland) September 8th 1st Single Meet a Bear . Released (Scandinavia + Finland) June 14th Selective Notes/Razzia With the risk of sounding like I just became a parent, or that I'm a member of Oasis, I'd like to say that Current Affair Medium Rare is one of the best albums in a long time. It's true, it's true! I don't want to describe the music in words or using references [...]

From Tinashe's MySpace page: "for passing by my page and reading this... I produce and write everything on this page myself... not trying to be cool or anything just thought you might like to know/ I was originally shipped over from Zimbabwe so I could eventually grow to become a doctor/lawyer and wire money back home via Western Union, that didn't go so well... I blame/thank MJ. I smiled & nodded to avoid bullying over my African accent at school until the Eastenders elocution lessons started to pay off... [...]

Kinda wish she'd come up with a little more creative handle..."Lissie" is, well, dull at best. But the one song I heard was pretty good. Nice hook, good voice, nice Fleetwood Mac-ish guitar. Here's what Baeble says in their review: Catching A Tiger is an album that's always moving, preoccupied with love, family, creation of art, and the relationships that bind them. Through the varied emotive contexts of bluesy riffs and folk balladeering, Lissie can tell a story about herself while blurring the details... the tall tale of the record adds color without [...]

You have to respect guys like J.P. Jones. A few years ago, he sidled up to Chrissie Hynde at a party and the next thing you know, they're bonding over a mutual love of fairgrounds. Not long after, they found themselves co-writing Fidelity! , a song cycle about a romance between a younger man and an older woman (much like the duo, who have 30 years age difference between them). Read more here and get it here .

Now approaching 20 years on the road, relentlessly honing his craft and building his fanbase, Michael Franti is a star - or at least nearing stardom. Michael Franti live is the bread and butter of his career. Having said that, he's released some stellar albums. I turned-on to Franti in 2001 when I was walking through the Union Square Virgin Megastore and heard Stay Human (for my money still his best). Yell Fire was almost immeasurably intense and All Rebel Rockers - not to be faulted for its popularity - [...]

Anyone with a passing interest in reggae has heard of Lee Perry also known as 'Scratch' or 'The Upsetter' but, over the last thirty years, Lee 'Scratch' Perry has become better known as a 'performance artist' rather than a performer, an artist or record producer. Yet Scratch's importance to the history of Jamaican music in particular, and recorded music in general, is second to none. He has made an incredible contribution to the development of reggae as a producer, arranger and writer and was the inspiration [...]

Formerly of the Wilson Hospital and all-girl band Back Fish (all girl at the outset, anyway), Katie Goes To Tokyo is actually Katherine Bergstrom . Popular in her home country of Sweden, her current single ( Little Sister ) is getting heavy love in the homeland. It'll be on her second album, My Naked Heart , which rolled out on August 18th. Take a listen here .