The Staves – Sleeping In A Car

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Three sisters Emily, Jessica, and Camilla Staveley-Taylor aka The Staves have followed up their 2014 LP If I Was with a new three-song EP entitled Sleeping In A Car. The UK trio make mellifluous, British folk music with rich harmonies and lovely layered arrangements. The new EP, released this month was recorded in London as well as Justin Vernon’s studio in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where they also recorded their previous album.

“These songs reflect the transient nature of travelling,” the sisters said in a press release. “Fleeting moments, like a slide show—reflections in car windows, streetlights passing in rhythm, stolen phone calls, late nights. Feelings of displacement and a disconnect — living in some sort of alternate state of reality. But underneath it all is the feeling of adventure and making your own rules and how dizzying and freeing that can be.”

Having previously supported Bon Iver and Florence & the Machine, the sisters are now setting out on a headline tour this summer, which includes a stop at DC’s Rock & Roll Hotel June 20. Watch the video for new song “Sleeping In A Car,” stream older effort “Steady” and scope out their full tour schedule below.

Upcoming 2016 Tour Dates:

06/03 Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center
06/04 Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
06/05 Milwaukee, WI @ Club Garibaldi
06/06 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
06/08 Pontiac, MI @ The Pike Room at the Crofoot
06/09 Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
06/10 Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB
06/14 London, UK @ Meltdown Festival
06/16 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
06/17 Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right
06/17-18 Dover, DE @ Firefly Festival
06/20 Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel
06/21 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle Back Room
06/23 Atlanta, GA @ Smith’s Olde Bar
06/24 Nashville, TN @ The High Watt
06/25 St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
06/26 Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room
07/08 Winnipeg, MB @ Winnipeg Folk Festival
07/22 Newport, RI @ Newport Folk Festival
08/12-13 Eau Claire, WI @ Eaux Claires Festival

LP – Lost On You

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Despite being involved in the music business as a successful songwriter for many years, Laura Pergolizzi aka LP has just begun to break onto the scene as a solo recording artist. She’s written for Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, and recently worked with Isa Machine (of Florence & The Machine) to compose a song for Bill Murray’s latest movie, Rock The Casbah. Having recently signed to indie label Vagrant Records, LP has an album in the works that will allow her to unveil her own distinct voice. Case in point, “Lost On You” is a Spaghetti Western inspired ballad that showcases LP’s unique vocal stylings and knack for cinematic music production. Her talent isn’t lost on us so stream the effort below and keep an eye out for her debut album to drop in early 2016.

Beirut – No No No

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beirut

As most people are aware by now, beloved indie-folk band Beirut released their fourth full-length No No No this September. The album is distinctly more upbeat than earlier efforts, as evidenced by the title track. Watch the video for “No No No” and revisit one of our favorite Beirut songs (“Nantes”) below.

Beirut will be playing two shows in DC this week — November 3 and 4 at Lincoln Theatre. We were going to say beg, steal or borrow to get tix as they were originally sold out, but it looks like Lincoln has released some extra tickets so it’s your lucky day.

James Vincent McMorrow – How To Waste A Moment

Posted on by santiago

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Veering from his usual tender, airy alt-folk fare, James Vincent McMorrow has shared a new song that steers towards a more tense and serpentine electronic sound. While the Irish singer-songwriter doesn’t have plans to include it in a record at this time, he chose to release the mesmerizing single as a one-off, as the thought of wasted moments was apparently plaguing him when he wrote it. He notes on his Soundcloud page: “I recorded it with tempo because life to me is tempo, it’s rarely slow. This song is the connect from where I was, to where I’m going to be very soon.”

We can’t wait to see where that will be. In the meantime — stream “How To Waste A Moment,” along with the softer yet still exquisite effort “Red Dust” off McMorrow’s 2014 LP Post Tropical below.

Little May – Hide

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Sydney trio Little May has a handful of select US tour dates this month, gracing the District with their presence this Sunday, June 7 in support of The Vaccines at 9:30 Club. The indie-folk outfit has a sound that has been compared to First Aid Kit, Fleetwood Mac and Haim. Stream their single “Hide” for a sample of their sweeping acoustic production and delicate three-part harmonies, and look out for their debut full-length to be released via Capitol Records later this year.

As a bonus, listen to the Duncan Murray bootleg of the lauded Little May track below. The London producer flips the vocal and ups the tempo, giving it a completely new and equally enchanting vibe.

Little May US Tour Dates:

6.6.15 – Gentlemen of the Road Stopover Tour – Seaside Heights, NJ
6.7.15 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC
6.8.15 – Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA
6.10.15 – The High Watt – Nashville, TN
6.11.15 – Bonnaroo – Manchester, TN
6.13.15 – Rough Trade – New York, NY

The Tallest Man On Earth – Sagres

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Swedish folk singer-songwriter Kristian Matsson, professionally known as The Tallest Man On Earth released his new record, Dark Bird Is Home this week via Dead Oceans. The lead single from the record, “Sagres” is a texturally-rich, affective folk track, named for the secluded coastal village (and refuge for Matsson) in southern Portugal. Accompanied by an array of instrumentation — including violin, mandolin, and guitar — the most poignant moment of the song comes towards the end when he laments, “It’s just all this fucking doubt,” Matsson’s voice nearly breaking.

Currently on tour in support of the new album, you can find full tour dates on his website, but DC locals can catch him at 9:30 Club June 1. Stream “Sagres” along with standout track “1904” from his previous album below.

Liza Anne – Ocean

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Another artist who had a successful turn at SXSW this year — Liza Anne is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter who makes pop-flavored, and oft heartrending folk music. She’s set to release her second album, aptly titled TWO on May 19, which you can pre-order on iTunes.

Opening up about the subject matter of the album closer, “Ocean,” Liza Anne relayed: “It’s terrifying to feel walls building up between you and someone you care for. The face of relationships changing has always been an extreme source of anxiety, negative introspection and insecurity for me — this set of lyrics is me voicing a very personal struggle with those emotions in a (what seemed sudden) change of relationship.”

Stream “Ocean” below, and head over to her Soundcloud page for a full set of lyrics. There’s a delightfully secret message embedded within them…but we’re not telling what it is, so head over to see if you can figure it out yourself!

Trails and Ways – Skeletons

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Trails and Ways taunted us with their tropical, calypso sound a couple of years ago, and now the Oakland outfit is back with the first single off their forthcoming record, Pathology. On “Skeletons”—recorded in their drummer’s bedroom along with the rest of the LP—the quartet wanted to create a “dance banger,” which they achieved through lithe guitar lines and dungeony synth bass twisting over a heavy club groove.

The much anticipated debut album, Pathology will be released on Barsuk Records June 2 and they’ll be on tour in June and July. You can view the full schedule on their website, but locals can catch their set at DC9 on June 14.

José González – Leaf Off / The Cave

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José González has shared the second taste off his forthcoming album, Vestiges & Claws — scheduled for release February 17 via Mute Records. It will be the Argentinian-Swedish songwriter’s first solo effort since 2007, after spending time collaborating with his band Junip and contributing to various other projects. According to a press release, the new LP includes an array of influences, from ’70s Brazilian productions, to American folk rock and West African desert blues.

In anticipation of the album listen to new single “Leaf Off / The Cave.” Also check out José’s recent cover of Arthur Russell’s “This Is How We Walk On The Moon” while you scope out his 2015 North American tour schedule below.

 

2015 North American Tour Dates:

4/06 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
4/07 – Washington, DC @ 930 Club
4/10 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
4/11 – Boston, MA @ Paradise
4/12 – Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre
4/13 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
4/14 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
4/16 – Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center
4/18 – Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre
4/21 – Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
4/22 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
4/24 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
4/25 – Vancouver, BC @ Imperial
4/27 – San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s 365 Club
4/29 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent

Wild Child – Pillow Talk

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Wild Child

With two albums under their belt, Austin-based outfit Wild Child has cornered the market in indie folk since their inception in 2010. Formed by Kelsey Wilson (vocals, violin) and Alexander Beggins (vocals, ukulele), the duo grew quickly into a six-piece, as they enlisted members Drew Brunetti (drums), Sadie Wolfe (cello), Evan Magers (keyboards), and Chris D’Annunzio (bass). Kelsey is particularly gifted, once described by NPR as having “the voice of a Jazz Age Broadway baby, all coos and hiccups and shivers.” We concur wholeheartedly, as their mélange of instruments and singsongy melodies amount to all the warmth and heartiness of a fire on a cold winter’s day.

If you’re not yet familiar with Wild Child, do yourself a favor and stream a couple of standout tracks from their debut album Pillow Talk below. Really the entire album is worth listening to though, which is not something we say often here at Poetry. Their second album, The Runaround was produced by Ben Kweller’s boutique label The Noise Company in 2013.

Wild Child’s 2015 tour kicks off in North Carolina this week, with DC’s 9:30 Club as their next destination this Thursday. Check out their remaining tour dates on the poster below to see if they’re coming to a city near you.

 

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