London Grammar – Everywhere You Go

london grammar

London Grammar have uncovered an unreleased gem (incidentally one of their earliest recordings, according to Rolling Stone) — so you know I had to share it. Although the track diverges from the group’s usual electronic fare, it’s nice to hear Hannah Reid’s vocals float over an acoustic guitar so effortlessly in this musically simple song. So good, I can’t stand it.

The track can be found on their new Nightcall EP. Also the trio will be touring North America in 2014, so check out the dates below. I suggest you get your tickets now, as their show at DC’s U Street Music Hall this October was by far the best I saw all year.

 

2014 North American Tour Dates:
1/15 – Baby’s Alright – Brooklyn, NY
1/16 – The Box – New York, NY
3/17 – Fitzgerald’s Upstairs – Houston, TX
3/18 – Granada Theater – Dallas, TX
3/21 – The Crescent Ballroom – Phoenix, AZ
3/22 – Vinyl, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino – Las Vegas, NV
3/23 – House of Blues – San Diego, CA
3/25 – El Rey Theater – Los Angeles, CA
3/27 – The Independent – San Francisco, CA
3/28 – Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR
3/29 – Neumos – Seattle, WA
3/31 – Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, BC
4/03 – Varsity Theater – Minneapolis, MN
4/04 – Metro – Chicago, IL
4/05 – Shelter – Detroit, MI
4/07 – Phoenix Concert Theater – Toronto, ON
4/09 – Irving Plaza – New York, NY
4/11 – Paradise Rock Club – Boston, MA
4/12 – Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA
4/14 – 9:30 Club – Washington D.C.

Delorean – Destitute Time (Slow Magic Remix)

apar

Spanish group Delorean put out a new LP called Apar in September — that largely went unnoticed by me until this dreamy rework by Slow Magic surfaced. Check out the mysterious producer’s remix of their track “Destitute Time” along with his scheduled tour dates below.

Delorean will be embarking on a North American tour as well, which includes a stop at DC’s Black Cat early in the New Year.

 

Delorean tour dates:
1/24 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg
1/25 Washington, DC @ Black Cat
1/26 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
1/28 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade – Purgatory
1/29 Birmingham, AL @ Bottle Tree
1/30 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks
1/31 Austin, TX @ Mohawk
2/1 Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
2/3 El Paso, TX @ Lobrow Palace
2/5 Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent
2/6 San Diego, CA @ Casbah
2/7 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theater
2/8 Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
2/9 San Francisco @ The Independent
2/10 San Francisco, CA @ Independent
2/11 Seattle, WA @ Barboza
2/14 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St Entry
2/15 Iowa City, IA @ The Mill
2/18 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
2/20 Toronto, ON @ Hoxton
2/23 Boston, MA @ Sinclair

Slow Magic tour dates:
12/05 Vancouver, BC @ Electric Owl (w/ El Ten Eleven)
12/06 Seattle WA @ Neumos (w/ El Ten Eleven)
12/07 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom (w/ El Ten Eleven)
12/11 Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom (w/ French Horn Rebellion)
12/12 San Diego, CA @ Casbah
12/13 San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s (w/ El Ten Eleven)
12/14 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey (w/ El Ten Eleven)
12/17 Tampa, FL @ Crowbar
12/18 Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub
12/19 Miami, FL @ Bardot
12/20 St. Augustine, FL @ Cafe 11
12/31 Chicago, IL @ Canvas

Tennis – Mean Streets

tennis-small-sound-ep-cover

If you love indie and also happen to be nostalgic for the dulcet pop stylings of the 50’s and 60’s, then look no further than the new Tennis EP just released via Communion Records. Sample their track “Mean Streets” off the five track EP Small Sound below and grab it on iTunes today.

Tennis will be playing at DC’s Black Cat TONIGHT!

 

Tennis Tour Dates:
11/06 Washington, DC @ Black Cat
11/07 Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
11/09 Montreal, QC @ II Motore
11/10 Toronto, ON @ The Garrison
11/12 Bloomington, IN @ Bluebird Nightclub
11/13 Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
11/14 Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge
11/16 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
11/17 St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
11/19 Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
11/20 Madison, WI @ The Frequency
11/21 Maquoketa, IA @ Daytrotter
11/29 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater

Artist Spotlight: Au Revoir Simone

aurevoirsimone

The Brooklyn-based trio Au Revoir Simone have been on my radar since 2007, the year they went on tour with Peter, Bjorn and John and I was discovering the wonders of dreampop. Described by London’s The Times as “a collision between the Waitresses, Stereolab and Kings of Convenience, their music has power from what it holds back rather than spells out, and is just waiting to be fallen in love with (or to).” Indeed, their whimsical Still Night, Still Light LP from 2009 was on heavy rotation in my playlist at the time and still is — sample a few favorites off the album below, including a rad remix by Neon Indian and a disco edit of “Only You Can Make You Happy.”

 

After a long hiatus the group released a new full-length album last month, Move In Spectrums, which debuts a more space-age pop sound that diverges from their prior lighter fare. While it may not hold the same charm as their previous efforts, they have definitely paved the way for many female bands in existence today (ah hem, HAIM).

au-revoir-simone-move-in-spectrums-album-500x500

Au Revoir Simone will be performing at DC’s U Street Music Hall tonight, and at the Highline Ballroom in NYC tomorrow!

Upcoming Tour Dates:

Oct 15 – Washington, DC – U Street Music Hall
Oct 16 – NYC – Highline Ballroom
Oct 18 – Boston – Brighton Music Hall
Oct 19 – Montreal – The Belmont
Oct 20 – Toronto – The Drake Hotel
Oct 22 – Los Angeles – Echoplex
Oct 23 – San Francisco – Slim’s
Oct 25 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir
Oct 26 – Vancouver, Canada – Electric Owl
Oct 27 – Seattle – Neumos
Oct 28 – Chicago – Lincoln Hall

Throwback Thursday: LCD Soundsystem

lcdss

Inspired by the MS MR cover of LCD Soundsystem‘s “Dance Yrself Clean” at Black Cat a couple weeks ago, for this Throwback Thursday edition I thought I’d post one or two or four tracks of the now-defunct group.

Although the legendary NY-based group technically played their last concert in Madison Square Garden in 2011, frontman James Murphy is currently on tour doing his thing solo. He’s playing a DJ set at 930 Club Friday night, so in anticipation of the show, stream the tracks below and if you’re in the area go get your dance on tomorrow.

 

What’s your favorite LCDSS track? I’d love to know!

BANKS – Warm Water // Waiting Game

banksfiggy-original

BANKS, the LA-based chanteuse has garnered a lot of attention in the music scene this year for her sultry R&B-inflected sound. The groovy beats on her track “Warm Water” — produced by none other than TEED — get turned up a notch in this house remix by producer Figgy below. Be sure to pick up the free download here, then check out the devastating SOHN-produced track “Waiting Game” — released on her EP London last month.

BANKS performs in DC this Saturday at DAR Constitution Hall with The Weeknd (full tour dates below). No furlough for the fervid artistes.

BANKS Tour Dates (Supporting the Weeknd):
10/02 – Durham, NC @ Durham Performing Arts Center
10/04 – Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
10/05 – Washington, D.C.@ DAR Constitution Hall
10/07 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
10/08 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
10/11 – Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre
10/13 – Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
10/14 – Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
10/15 – Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre
10/17 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
10/19 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
10/20 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall

MS MR – Fantasy

MS-MR-Fantasy

In honor of the electropop duo MS MR playing in DC this Sunday, I thought I’d post a couple of their tracks hitherto undocumented on PIAECC before.

The first track, “Fantasy,” is from their debut album Secondhand Rapture; and the second is an RAC remix of their single off the same album, “Think of You.” I’m obsessed with both so check them out.

Cults – High Road

cults_630x640

In anticipation of their new album Static coming out October 15th, the Cults have released a couple new songs including the sweet but devastating lo-fi track “High Road.” The NYC based duo that premiered in 2011 with their eponymous debut record have a charming, fifties-inspired pop sound that reminds me a little of Camera Obscura. Enjoy it below along with my favorite off their first album, “You Know What I Mean.”

 

‘Cause I am afraid of the light, yeah, you know what I mean,
And I can’t sleep alone at night, yeah, you know what I mean.

Cults 2013 Tour Dates:
Oct 22 – The Sinclair, Boston, MA, USA
Oct 23 – Theatre of Living Arts, USA
Oct 26 – Life Is Beautiful Festival – Las Vegas, NV, USARSVP
Oct 27 – Life Is Beautiful Festival, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Oct 29 – Black Cat, Washington, D.C., USA
Oct 30 – Motorco Music Hall, Durham, NC, USA
Oct 31 – Visulite Theatre, Charlotte, NC, USA
Nov 1 – The Loft, Atlanta, GA, USA
Nov 2 Voodoo Experience Music Festival, New Orleans, LA, USA
Nov 4 – Emo’s, Austin, TX, USA
Nov 5 – Fitzgerald’s, Houston, TX, USA
Nov 8 – Launchpad, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Nov 9 – Crescent Ballroom, Phoenix, AZ, USA
Nov 10 – The Irenic, San Diego, CA, USA
Nov 12 – El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Nov 15 – Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR, USA
Nov 16 – Rio Theatre, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Nov 17 – Neumo’s, Seattle, WA, USA
Nov 20 – Bluebird Theatre, Denver, CO, USA
Nov 22 – First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Nov 23 – Metro, Chicago, IL, USA
Nov 24 – Grog Shop, Cleveland, OH, USA
Nov 25 – Lee’s Palace, Canada
Nov 26 – Webster Hall, New York, NY, USA

HAIM – The Wire (Tourist Remix)

tourist-your-girl1

Until now the buzz around HAIM, the sister trio from LA had all but escaped my attention. This remix by the London producer Tourist, however, changed that with his tropical twist on their single “The Wire.”

The mix will be part of the Amazon’s UK deluxe edition of the bands forthcoming LP Days Are Gone, out September 30th. Stream below along with the virtually unrecognizable original, which, while not my fave, has an undeniably catchy chorus.

 

Tourist 2013 North American Tour Dates:
10/18 New York, NY @ CMJ
10/19 New York, NY @ CMJ
10/23 Boston, MA @ TT The Bears
10/24 Washington, DC @ U St Music Hall
10/25 Montreal, QC @ Belmont*
10/26 Toronto, ON @ Wrongbar*
10/27 Asheville, NC @ Mountain Oasis
10/29 Miami, FL @ Bardot*
10/30 Vancouver, BC @ Electric Owl
10/31 San Francisco, CA @ 1015 Folsom
11/1 San Diego, CA @ Bang Bang
11/2 Seattle, WA @ Lo-Fi
11/3 Los Angeles, CA @ Hard – Day of the Dead
11/7 Chicago, Il @ Concord
11/8 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St Entry
11/9 Denver, CO @ Norad

*Supporting Duke Dumont

London Grammar – Strong (High Contrast Remix)

londongrammar

The EP for London Grammar‘s new single “Strong” is set to release September 1, which includes the High Contrast remix by Welsh producer Lincoln Barrett. With his trademark addition of d&b, the rework is a solid – dare I say stronger – reinterpretation of the original.

Listen below, along with another track off their Metal & Dust EP, “Darling Are You Gonna Leave Me.”

London Grammar will be playing at DC’s U Street Music Hall October 6th.