Lykke Li Announces "I Never Learn"

After months of rumblings Swedish singer/songwriter Lykke Li has announced her latest album. Titled I Never Learn, it will be out May 5th on Atlantic and completes the trilogy of albums that thus far has consisted of 2008's Youth Novels and 2011's fantastic Wounded Rhymes. Check out the album trailer below.

Watch The Walkmen's Hamilton Leithauser Video for New Single "Alexandra"

The past few months have seen the crew of the recently "disbanded" The Walkmen mostly making news for what they're not doing, be it making music together or being true to their word. Today, however, we finally got some new music in the form of a video for the song "Alexandra" from lead singer Hamilton Leithauser's upcoming solo album Black Hours (out May 5 on Ribbon Music) which will also feature contributions from members of Fleet Foxes, The Shins, Dirty Projectors, Vampire Weekend, and the aforementioned Walkmen. Directed by Tristan Patterson, the video features a tuxedo-ed Leithauser (with backup dancers!) seemingly embracing the loungey style he often brought to The Walkmen, check it out below:

Watch Pink Mountaintop's Video for "Ambulance City"

Pink Mountaintops seem determined to put as little effort as humanly possible into their video for "Ambulance City", but they can't hide the fact that they've got a killer song on their hands. Singer/guitarist Stephen McBean, who also heads the indie-stoner-rock outfit Black Mountain, sounds as unhinged as he's ever been on this track, shredding his vocal chords to to proclaim the return of Pink Mountaintops. Their first album since 2009, Pink Mountaintops will release Get Back on April 29th via Jagjaguwar.

Listen to "Wire" from The Interest Group

Philadelphia band The Interest Group have shared "Wire", the single off their forthcoming 5-song EP, to be released on February 24. Like a collaboration between Bat for Lashes and The Information-era Beck, "Wire" is a dark blend of captivating female vocals layered on top of a thick Stax Records rhythm, along with a backdrop of dreamy, ambient tones.

Broken Bells- After the Disco REVIEW

It’s difficult to overstate just how staggering of a misfire After the Disco is for Broken Bells. The side-project(?) of The Shins’ James Mercer and producer Danger Mouse (aka Brian Burton), Broken Bells debuted in 2010 with an eponymous full-length of casually soulful indie rock that registered as- at best- irrepressibly endearing and- at worst- imminently listenable. If Broken Bells slightly underwhelmed, it was only due to the sheer talent involved and not the insidious nature of the album’s relentlessly (and I mean relentlessly) hook-laden tracks. The world wasn’t exactly clamoring for a second album; but it was easy to assume that a more evolved out-of-necessity follow-up release could be a real doozy.

This brings us to After the Disco. Veering lazily between seventies-era dancefloor tropes and softcore radio kitsch, After the Disco should be the catalyst that slams the door shut on the eye-rollingly ironic revival of adult contemporary music. Much more than on their debut, Mercer and Burton merely go through the motions, opting to play dress-up in lieu of inspiration. Consider “Holding Out For Life”, the album’s lead single and arguably best track where Mercer wholeheartedly riffs on the Bee Gees during the unending falsetto-fueled chorus. Once Broken Bells establish this winking acknowledgement, the song’s only recourse is to repeat itself until it inevitably morphs from homage to all-out ripoff (repeat: this is After the Disco’s best track). All of the album is constructed in the same hollow manner, superficially alternating between criminal overlength (album opener “Perfect World” registers as a strong four-minute song stretched out over an interminable six-plus minutes, “Lazy Wonderland” is another offender) and bizarre atonal shifts (“After the Disco”, “No Matter What You’re Told”) that bring any momentum to an abrupt standstill. It’s only on “Medicine” and penultimate track “The Angel and the Fool” where Broken Bells briefly comes to life, mainly because both songs could seamlessly fit within the well-worn comfort of the band’s previous release.  Somehow both self-indulgent and aloof, After the Disco reduces the once-promising Broken Bells to a campy husk, garishly pointing at thrift store iconography without daring to explore inside.

Pitchfork Music Festival Announces Headliners & First Wave of Support Acts

The picture below says it all, as Pitchfork Music Festival promises another fantastic time for any music lover in July of 2014.

Here's the daily lineup, times will obviously come later, but for now, harness your excitement, and buy your tickets here

Friday

Beck

Giorgio Moroder

Sun Kil Moon

Factory Floor

Death Grips

Haxan Cloak

Sharon Van Etten

Saturday

Neutral Milk Hotel

TuneYards

Mas Ysa

Pusha T

The Range

Ka

Circulatory System

The Julie Ruin

Wild Beasts

Sunday

Kendrick Lamar

Grimes

Slowdive

DIIV

Com Truise Remixes Weeknight's "Dark Light"

In anticipation of their debut album Post-Everything, out on March 4 via Artificial Revords, Weeknights have offered an remix of their track "Dark Light" by New York producer Com Truise.

Check out Weeknight's music video for the original version of "Dark Light" here.

Dum Dum Girls- Too True REVIEW

Too True, the latest offering from the Dum Dum Girls, features the Los Angeles-based quartet at their most relaxed. Following 2011’s dowright angsty Only in Dreams and the claustrophobic grit from 2010’s catchy debut I Will Be, Dee Dee Penny and company avoid rocking the boat. Despite an ample helping of the band’s signature dreamy melancholia (mostly in the album’s second half), Too True never threatens to veer off-course, maintaining a confident and assured “steady as she goes” approach. Quite open about the influences she proudly wears on her sleeve, Too True finds Penny sifting through the remains of Suede, the Stone Roses, and the Jesus and Mary Chain, while briefly reanimating Pat Benatar for the album’s second single, the grandiose “Rimbaud Eyes”.  For these reasons, the album promises to be a real winner for pre-existing fans of the Dum Dum Girls. However, those hoping the band will embrace an exciting new direction for their third full-length release will find Too True almost maddeningly slight.

With the help of Too True's tight thirty-minute run-time, the Dum Dum Girls are able to create a brisk, exciting pace at all costs. While commendable, this approach is occasionally to their own detriment as the pacing here can sometimes feel so aerodynamic and poppy that the listener may find themselves anticipating the next song before it even arrives (in particular, “Are You Okay” and “In the Wake of You” could have benefited from a little more room to breathe). Meanwhile, Penny’s songwriting maintains a powerful and reliable freshness that practically dares the listener to not pay attention (“Cult of Love”, “Evil Blooms”, Trouble is My Name” are some of the album’s most memorable moments)- she is a real-deal talent, selling these songs to the listener better than the songs sell the album itself.  Yet as the final track fades out into oblivion, it becomes apparent the Dum Dum Girls seem the most comfortable when breathing new life into recycled ideas. And while they’re damn good at it, one hopes that the band’s next release rises above the delicious, imminently listenable, ultimately weightless pop pastiche that is Too True. 

Watch Yellow Ostrich Performing "Shades" Live

Yellow Ostrich began as a solo project of Alex Schaaf when he was 21, and quickly expanded into a 4-piece band that seems equally at home playing guitar-driven alt-rock as they are producing dreamy electronic arrangements. With their upcoming album Cosmos out on February 25 followed by a North American tour with Pattern Is Movement, Yellow Ostrich are poised to make waves in 2014. Watch the band performing their single "Shades", live-

Listen to "False Widow" from White Royal

White Royal are a newly formed group from Leeds, UK, and while their catalog may currently be somewhat sparse, one can hope that the recently released "False Widow" is a harbinger of good things to come. Atmospheric, melodic, and with reverb to spare, the song builds on a lonely set of guitar chords to create an introspective groove, perfect for wandering the streets alone after midnight.

St. Vincent Debuts "Prince Johnny"

In case you haven't noticed, Annie Clark, or St. Vincent as she is better known, has been quite busy of late.The hype train for her new self-titled album (out February 25th on Loma Vista) left the station awhile ago and has manifested itself in her current US tour, an appearance on Comedy Central's game show @midnight last night, and even a soccer tip from Annie herself. If your main priority when it comes to St. Vincent is the actual music, however, you're in luck as Clark has shared another song from the album called "Prince Johnny." This is the third song from the album she has released thus far (the other being "Birth In Reverse" and "Digital Witness"), check it out below.

Listen to "River" from Pattern is Movement, New Album Out April 1

Philadelphia duo Pattern is Movement has announced that their self-titled fourth album will be released on April 1st. Over the past decade, Christopher Ward and Andrew Thiboldeaux have carved out their own brand of unclassifiable indie rock as Pattern is Movement, utilizing soulful melodies, experimental instrumentation, and ghostly vocals- all of which are on display on the album's lead track, "River".

Angel Olsen Releases Music Video for "Hi-Five"

Check out Angel Olsen's new video for "Hi-Five", which recreates the alluring visual minimalism of 1960's television broadcasts- without the kitsch. It's a good match for Olsen's warm vocals and honest lyrics, as well as the the saturated, analog-style production of the track. Olsen's forthcoming album Burn Your Fire For No Witness will be released through Jagjaguwar on February 18th.

Real Estate Debut New Songs on Soundcheck

Ridgewood, NJ's own indie-rockers Real Estate debuted a couple more songs from their forthcoming Atlas (due out March 4th on Domino Records) during their third ever appearance on NPR's Soundcheck this week. In addition to a Q&A with frontman Martin Courtney, this recently expanded edition of Real Estate (now featuring Girls's Matt Kallman on keyboards and Jackson Pollis on drums) performed their already released lead single "Talking Backwards", as well new tracks "The Bend" and the instrumental "April's Song." Check it all out below: