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If there were a way to make the June come any sooner, I’d do it in a heartbeat. In addition to the promise of perfect weather, the month heralds http://www.cmj.com/artists/Smith-Westerns/"target="_blank"> Smith Westerns’ new album Soft Will, the follow-up to 2011′s Dye It Blonde, out via Mom + Pop on June 25. For those of us who can’t wait till then, the group has released a warm and dreamy track, 3am Spiritual.

Packed with calming guitars, playful synths and airy vocals, the song is fitting for those turbulent summer nights when you just can’t fall asleep. Cullen Omori’s youthful, pleading croon seems like a more effective lullaby than infinite sheep-counting. In support of the upcoming album, the band will be embarking on a North American tour this July. Check out the tour dates, and the wonderful “3am Spiritual,” below.

Smith Westerns Tour Dates:
07/19

Collaborative effort Saab Stories is due out in early June.

Directed Jason Goldwatch, the video for ‘Strictly 4 My Jeeps’ finds the Queens Ghostface aficionado lifting weights, doing cartwheels, hanging out with rap-absurdist RiFF RaFF, and undertaking some impressive culinary challenges (all in the company of some BBW models).

The song, which first premiered back in February, is the first single from Saab Stories, which will be produced by

Last June, Explosions in the Sky guitarist Munaf Rayani revealed to CoS that the band had been tagged to score David Gordon Green

Young Wonder is an electro-pop duo from Cork, Ireland who have a mastery for crafting lush, skittering soundscapes. “Electrified” combines big, bright synths and features lead singer Rachel Koeman’s hitting the hook’s high notes while harmonizing with monster-sound vocal distortion. Its video was directed by fellow Irishmen, Brendan Canty and Conal Thomson of the art collective Feel Good Lost, who have worked with Passion Pit and Keep Shelley In Athens, among others. Says Canty (not of Fugazi and Rites Of Spring fame) of the clip, “We and the band talked a lot about creating a more montage-based, pop-style video that really captures the personality of the band, their environment, the track, and the new record whilst still including that ethereal imagery that we are known for.” Check out the dark but spritely video below.

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by Andrew Sacher

Roomrunner at WBAR-B-Q 2013 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

As mentioned, Baltimore's Roomrunner are releasing their debut LP, Ideal Cities, next week (5/28) via Fan Death, but you can now listen to it ahead of its release date at SPIN. When last writing about the album, I said:

The album has the clearest production of anything the band has put out to date, but it's far from overly polished. Guitar riffs pile on top of each other in a Siamese Dream/In Utero sort of way, putting Roomrunner in a league of other current bands like California X and Milk Music that actually make the term "grunge" sound appealing again.

As mentioned, they'll be playing a few dates in June with Mikal Cronin (who is touring in support of his excellent new LP, MCII) and Shannon and the Clams, including the NYC show happening on June 20 at Ballroom (tickets). Around that time, Roomrunner will also play a record release show on June 13 at Death by Audio, where they were initially supposed to play a release show in May but cancelled.

Updated dates are listed, along with a video of them playing "Bait Car" at Death by Audio, below...

Continue reading "Roomrunner streaming debut LP, reschedule release show" at brooklynvegan

The singer-songwriter played 'Sorry' and 'Heaven's Ladder' last night in Santa Cruz, California

Last month, Cassie, the queen of breathy-robot electro-R&B, released her insanely great RockaByeBaby mixtape, which would still be the year’s best mixtape if Chance The Rapper’s Acid Rap hadn’t come along. The tape ended with the twinkly, luxurious “All My Love.” And now the Brooklyn dance producer Kingdom has reworked the track, though he didn’t exactly overhaul it. Instead, he stretched out its titanic computer-groove to nearly twice its length, adding in some subtle touches. Listen to his edit below.

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Kvelertak @ The Studio at Webster Hall, 5/17/2013 (more by Keith Marlowe)

Kvelertak brought the temperature up a few degrees in the basement of Webster Hall, when the band joined Cancer Bats and Black Tusk as part of a sold-out show at The Studio on May 17. More sweaty, stage-divey, rafter-hang-y pictures are at InvisibleOranges. The show was part of a tour for the Norwegian party-metal crew in celebration of their new LP, Meir, out now.

Continue reading "Kvelertak played The Studio @ Webster Hall with Cancer Bats and Black Tusk (pics)" at brooklynvegan

Bennio Qwerty is a new project with its foundation in the foundation of one of my favorite bars on the South Side of Williamsburg, Bar Donna. And “its foundation in the foundation” is not a typo: guitarist/singer Mike Barron and bassist Nathan Delffs met onsite-constructing the bar’s elegant woodwork, discovering a shared love for the likes of Lungfish, Scott Walker, and Drive Like Jehu while laying the beams. Barron’s been on these pages already, as guitarist for North Highlands; before Bennio, Delffs played in Forest Fire, and drummer Louie Glaser comes from Wise Blood. Bennio’s sound isn’t really a triangulation of those aforementioned influences, nor the band members’ previous projects for that matter. Barron voices intelligent intonations over a rhythmic, lydian track that’s given a soothing studio treatment, registering as something like a less mathematically minded Travis Morrison. Hear it:

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by Bill Pearis

Local indie rockers Old Monk are busy finishing the follow-up to 2012's Birds of Belize, a record that should be out in early 2014. Meanwhile, the band have a stopgap single out now on Eenie Meenie, the very catchy "Seymour." We've got the premiere of its video in this post. Using 8-bit graphics it works in references to Pitfall!, plus a slew of classic films (Safety Last, Annie Hall, The Good, the Bad & the Ugly to name three) and was directed/animated by Josh Carrafa who you may know from his Music History Gifs website. You can check it out below.

Old Monk also have a few NYC shows coming up: June 8 at Knitting Factory with The Vansaders, The Marshmallows and The Brooklyn What (tix); then June 18 at Cameo; and June 28 at Ludlow St. club Leftfield. Those dates are listed, along with that video, below.

Continue reading "watch a new 8-bit video from Old Monk ++ upcoming shows" at brooklynvegan

Read and comment. From thedailyswarm.com.

Boy, oh boy, are the GIF makers in for a field day. In the new video for “Strictly 4 My Jeeps”, watch as Action Bronson does cartwheels, lifts weights, ride around in his big ass jeep, and play a game of horse with RiFF RAFF before heading home for a mean steak and an Action Bronson-themed ice cream cake. A+ job to everyone involved.

“Strictly 4 My Jeeps” is the first track off Bronson’s collaborative album with wunderkind producer Harry Fraud, Saab Stories. In a recent tweet, Bronson revealed the tape “WILL BE OUT EARLY JUNE 10000000% no matter what.” As always, stay tuned for more.