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Estranged New Order co-founder and bassist Peter Hook will return stateside this fall for another dip into the nostalgia well. This time around, he’s graduating from Joy Division and, instead, performing full albums by New Order: their 1981 debut, Movement, and its followup, 1983′s Power, Corruption & Lies.

The tour kicks off on September 10th at Boston’s Paradise Rock Club and wraps later that month at Colorado’s Gothic Theatre. However, those who prefer their subscription to Ian Curtis should head to Chicago’s Riot Fest, where Hook will perform an all Joy Division set — he just couldn’t resist. Consult the full itinerary below.

In related news, Justin Gerber and myself recently dusted off Power, Corruption & Lies for its 30th anniversary. Check that out here.

Peter Hook and The Light 2013 Tour Dates:
09/10 

When Le1f released Fly Zone this year, “Spa Day” was one of the tracks I immediately latched on to. One of the places where Le1f excels is picking beats that sound like they’re the kind of rap tracks we’ll be listening to when we have flying cars. Another is his way of throwing shade in the most nuanced ways. A lot of folks missed it on “Wut” because of how raspy the vocals are, but verse two on that song is littered with the most bravado-laden lyrics of 2012. “Spa Day” is equally aggressive, despite the song’s title. His mean mug throughout the video, while he’s bouncing from bathtub to hot tub to shower, just emphasizes that it’s not a fluffy track about relaxing, it’s shade on top of shade on top of shade. The phrase “that’s cute” never hurt so badly. You can spot a chunk of his Greedhead labelmates in the clip, which is below.

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Converge at Decibel, 2013 (more by Shaun Regan)

Converge will team with Meek Is Murder, Trenchfoot and Dead Serious at Saint Vitus on May 25 and tickets are on sale. The show is part of a weekend that will see the Massachusetts hardcore quartet also head toward an appearance at Maryland Deathfest, joining names like Bolt Thrower, Infest, and more. All dates are listed below.

Speaking of Maryland Deathfest, the festival recently announced the cancellation of Gehenna "due to pressing legal matters" and the addition of Ringworm. Tickets are still available for Maryland Deathfest.

Dates below...

Continue reading "Converge playing NYC before Maryland Deathfest" at brooklynvegan

All this week Queens of the Stone Age have been sharing creepy, nightmarish visuals in support of their new album

Alexander Von Mehren is a 29-year-old Norwegian who is on the verge of releasing a five-years-in-the-making LP titled Aéropop. He’s the slash type: singer/songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist/human. On Aéropop, he’s credited with playing upright piano, Rhodes, Moog, vibraphone, bass, guitars, drums, and singing. “La Chanson de Douche” is the record’s first single, and rather indie-Francophilic at that, sung in French and registering as a deft blend of Serge and Stereolab. Aéropop was mixed by Chicago post-rock hero John McEntire (with Von Mehren), and features a member of Jaga Jazzist, and I mention these things to help you further situate this track’s dapper lounge-fusion je ne sais quoi. Listen:

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With each passing week, listening to the deluge of mixtapes, radio shows, and live sets from electronic producers and hip-hop artists alike becomes an even more insurmountable task. Quality offerings can fly under the radar, either added to our ever-growing

As mentioned, Kylesa will release their new LP Ultraviolet on May 28, another expansion on their already ever-changing sound. Begin their new chapter by streaming the LP in full below care of Metal Hammer.

Kylesa are currently in the midst of a US tour with Blood Ceremony, White Hills and Lazer/Wulf that will hit Music Hall of Williamsburg on June 14th (tickets). All other dates are listed, along with the album stream, below.

Continue reading "Stream Kylesa's 'Ultraviolet' in full" at brooklynvegan

Le1f cleans up his act in this brand new video.

One of New York’s most unique contemporary rappers, Le1f can always be counted on for a good video, and ‘Spa Day’ does not disappoint. The track was already the clear stand-out of January’s

by Fred Pessaro

George Michael sustained a head injury in a car accident in his native UK yesterday, requiring the ex-Wham! vocalist to be air-lifted to a local hospital:

According to the singer's rep, Michael was a passenger in a Range Rover that crashed on the M1 motorway (a huge freeway) at around 5:50 PM local time.

The rep says no vehicles were involved in the crash. It's unclear exactly what caused the collision... Michael's spokesperson says the singer only suffered "superficial cuts" -- and was doing just fine. [via TMZ]

Continue reading "George Michael injured in car accident, doctors say he's OK" at brooklynvegan

Carrie Brownstein spent years as one third of Sleater-Kinney, arguably the greatest punk band in the world. During that time, it would’ve been a real head-exploder to imagine her in a credit card commercial. But Brownstein is now a sketch-comedy celebrity thanks to Portlandia, and in a new American Express ad, she plays a succession of goofy characters that would’ve been right at home on the show. Watch it below.

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On the surface, it