Music News

Rdio introduces $3.99 per month subscription plan

Rdio is now beginning to introduce a mid-tier subscription for $3.99 a month for hopes that it will stand out from an ever-growing streaming market.

The new service, named Rdio Select, includes unlimited ad-free radio with no limits on the amount of skips, 10-track, artist curated playlists, and a 25-song-a-day streaming limit. Users would also be able to download and stored 25 songs permanently, changing their downloaded tracks everyday as long as they do not go over that number.

talking with Buzzfeed, Rdio CEO Anthony Bay states that the company thinks that 25 songs “is more than most users download in a day, so we feel it’s enough.” He said later that he hopes to bring in new users who are not willing to pay the regular $9.99 for ad-free, unlimited mobile streaming but are able to pay the lower option. “We’ve all been flying airplanes that had business class only, there is no coach,” Bay said.

Although there are no hard numbers, it is believed that Rdio’s share in terms of streaming is much less than that of Spotify’s. They hope that this new price can attract people away from the ad-based free streaming of their competitor. Spotify, at the moment, is the only on-demand music streaming service that offers a free tier, that has been under fire from artists such as Taylor Swift who have pulled albums from the service. it is no accident that Swift’s face is on Rdio’s homepage.

Bay told Buzzfeed: “We agree with Taylor Swift that on-demand playback of what you want to listen to shouldn’t be free.”

TIDAL, another one of Rdio’s competitors, offered two tiers; a 49.99 a month Premium and a $19.99 HiFi service, both of which are avaliable for discounted rates when purchased as a six-month pre-paid package. After buying Beats, Apple is expected to launch a streaming service for a $7.99 monthly fee with no free option. They have also been pressuring labels to leave free services such as YouTube and Spotify all together.

Although it is nothing permenant, Rdio Select is being offered as a 60 day free trial, which is plenty of time to fill the 25 daily tracks with as much as you like.

Julian Casablancas + the Voidz preview “Human Sadness” video

Julian Casablancas + the Voidz have released a teaser for their upcoming “Human Sadness” video from their debut album, Tyranny. The clip features a variety of different images including war, fast cars, spaceships, beautiful women, and of Casablancas himself. Watch it below. 

The video will premiere on May 20 at the Cinefamily theater in Los Angeles, where it will followed by Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho. It will be accompanied by a live audio. 

Casablancas + the Voidz will be performing an international festival tour this summer, along with dates from Casablancas’ other band, the Strokes.

Albert Hammond Jr. announces new solo album, premieres “Born Slippy”

The Strokes Albert Hammond Jr. will release a new solo album named Momentary Masters on July 31st. This is the follow-up of his 2008 album, ¿Cómo Te Llama? and the AHJ EP from 2013. Compared to his previous releases, which are put out on Julian Casablanca’s Cult Records, the album will be released through Vagrant Records. The album cover is above.

Produced by Gus Oberg, a longtime Strokes collaborator, Momentary Master will also have a handful of collaborators for the recording sessions including guitarists Mon Khmer’s Hammarsing Kharhmar and Bleachers’ Mikey Hart, bassist Jordan Brooks, and drummer Jeremy Gustin.

The first preview of the LP is “Born Slippy” which is can be listened to below.

Momentary Masters Tracklist:
01. Born Slippy
02. Power Hungry
03. Caught By My Shadow
04. Coming to Getcha
05. Losing Touch
06. Don’t Think Twice
07. Razors Edge
08. Touché
09. Drunched In Crumbs
10. Side Boob

Courtney Barnett releases an animated video for “Dead Fox”

Courtney Barnett has released the music video for “Dead Fox” from her new album, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit. The video was directed and animated by Rory Kerr and Paul Ruttledg, and has a plethora of animal characters including a beefy, tattooed shark and a fox that drives a tractor trailer recklessly. There are scenes of a couple being run over and an animated Barnett.Kerr and Ruttledg spoke about the video, saying:

“We liked how politically loaded and conversational the lyrics are. We wanted the animation to have a stylistic and organic look, hence most of the drawings were done on paper rather than digitally. To further compliment the lyrics, we thought it would be funny to have the animals in the video look as cynical as possible, as if they’d had enough with how humans are treating them.”

Watch the animated clip below.

 

Future Islands auction off “Letterman” cue cards, sneakers for Baltimore charity

Alt-rock band, Future Islands are auctioning off some of their stuff to help their hometown according to Billboard. The fund, The Fund for Rebuilding Baltimore, hopes to help “repair the physical and emotional damage that has been done” due to recent events.

Currently the cue cards from their last appearance on “Late Show With David Letterman”, sneakers frontman Samuel T. Herring wore during the taping, a signed print of the artwork from On the Water, a signed copy of Singles, an out-of print 12′ from 2010 and a copy of their split 7″ with Music Beat are up for grabs. Future Islands will match all of the proceeds from the auction exactly up to $5,000.

Here’s that “Letterman” performance:

Watch the band do “Seasons” at Primavera Sound 2014:

Tobias Jesso Jr. delivers a moving performance of “Without You” on Jools Holland

Tobias Jesso Jr.’s latest single off of his debut album, Goon, “Without You”, has been quite a bit of attention. After his performance on Conan with Danielle Haim, the singer-songwriter revealed the music video

Jesso took “Without You” across the Atlantic to a performance on Later … with Jools Holland. The lyrics speaks volumes but there is something about the anguish he has on his face when he performs it. 

Modest Mouse announces new U.S. tour dates

Not even halfway through 205, Modest Mouse has had quite an important year. Not only have they released their first album in eight years, Strangers to Ourselves, they also have been making appearances on late-night television, and working already on another LP with Krist Novoselic. With all this hectic scheduling, the band still had the time for a summer tour. 

this lengthy leg of dates in both North America and Europe includes headlining sets as well as festival sets. Modest Mouse are to perform the stages at Sasquatch!, Firefly Festival, Open’er Festival, and WayHome Music and Arts Festival, as well as many others before joining the Austin City Limits lineup in October.

Modest Mouse 2015 Tour Dates:
05/23 – George, WA @ Sasquatch! Music Festival
06/06 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
06/07 – Chula Vista, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheater
06/19 – Dover, DE @ Firefly Festival
06/21 – Minneapolis, MN @ Rock the Garden
06/26 – Odense, DK @ Tinderbox Festival
06/27 – Norrkoping, SE @ Bravalla Festival
06/28 – Oslo, NO @ Piknik | Parken
06/30 – Berlin, DE @ Columbiahalle
07/01 – Gdynia, PL @ Open’er Festival
07/03 – Utrecht, NL @ Tivolivredenburg
07/04 – London, UK @ Calling Festival
07/05 – Birmingham, UK @ The Institute
07/07 – Manchester, UK @ The Ritz
07/08 – Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy Leeds
07/09 – Newcastle, UK @ O2 Academy
07/10 – Dublin, IE @ The Helix
07/12 – Perth, UK @ T in the Park
07/18 – Birmingham, AL @ Sloss Music and Arts Festival
07/19 – Louisville, KY @ Forecastle Festival
07/22 – Brooklyn, NY @ Prospect Park Bandshell
07/23 – Boston, MA @ Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
07/25 – Oro-Medonte, ON @ WayHome Music and Arts Festival
07/26 – Detroit, MI @ Mo Pop Festival
08/15 – Omaha, NE @ Maha Music Festival
08/18 – Albuquerque, NM @ Villa Hispana
08/19 – Flagstaff, AZ @ Orpheum Theater
08/20 – Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl
08/21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery
08/23 – Portland, OR @ MusicFest NW
10/10 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits

Watch the video for “Lampshades on Fire” below: 

A week after shutting down, Grooveshark is back

Grooveshark last week has announced that it would be shutting down after a long legal battle with major record labels. As a way to avoid a multi-million dollar lawsuit, the site announced it would be closing down immediately, removing all of its mobile apps and intellectual property. 

Users were quick to mourn as others hurried to retrieve their song collections and playlist that were made during the streaming service’s seven years of existence. Days later, however, it appears that Grooveshark is back online, kind of.

The replica platform, Grooveshark.io, is currently up and promises to “reproduce the old Grooveshark UI in its entirety” over time, according to BGR.com. BGR.com also claims that they have spoken with someone who is involved with the project. 

The source for Grooveshark IO, known as “Shark” told the tech website:

“Well, I started backing up all the content on the website when I started suspecting that Grooveshark’s demise is close and my suspicion was confirmed a few days later when they closed. By the time they closed I have already backed up 90% of the content on the site and I’m now working on getting the remaining 10%.”

“Shark” also said, “We have all the servers/domains infrastructure in place, it’s going to be a roller coaster and we’re ready for it,” which refers to the legal issues that will appear in the coming days. It is uncertain whether or not “Shark” and the rest of their team were former Grooveshark employees or music fans who know how to build a website.  

Considering the fact that major labels and a federal judge were already set to sue Grooveshafk, and that the original site’s copyright/parents were seized, it is too soon to be able to tell whether Grooveshark IP will be able to still around. 

METZ share new video for “The Swimmer”

METZ, the Toronto noise rock band, know that life is simply s series of moments; thus in their new video for “The Swimmer”, one man’s experience is shared through seemingly GIF-like moments. Going from being hit by a lady friend, smiling on panic propaganda on the news, or getting beat up by young punks, it seems to repeat itself in a perpetual loop. Deep within the video, there is a metaphor for modern-day society in America, but watch the Michael Leblanc and Scott Cudmore-directed video before to dig it out. 

“The Swimmer” is from the band’s second album, METZ II, which will come out tomorrow through Sub Pop, internationally today. They have also announced a series of European tour dates, which can be found below.

METZ 2015 Tour Dates:
05/08 – Austin, TX @ Levitation 2015
05/09 – Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees Festival
05/11 – St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theatre *
05/12 – Orlando, FL @ The Social *
05/13 – Birmingham, AL @ Work Play *
05/14 – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge *
05/19 – St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird *
05/20 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
05/21 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry *
05/22 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry *
05/23 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon *
05/26 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom *
05/27 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg *
05/28 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club *
05/29 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer *
05/30 – Boston, MA @ Paradise *
06/05 – Athens, GR @ Plissken Fest
06/06 – Thessaloniki, GR @ Plissken Fest
06/07 – Skopje, MK @ Zdravo Mladi Festival
06/16 – London, UK @ Underworld #
06/17 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique – Rotonde #
06/19 – Hilvarenbeek, NL @ Best Kept Secret Festival
06/20 – Scheesel, DE @ Hurricane Festival
06/21 – Neuhausen ob Eck, DE @ Southside Festival
06/22 – Leipzig, DE @ Taubchenthal
06/24 – Berlin, DE @ Cassiopeia
06/25 – Cologne, DE @ MTC
06/27 – Evreux, FR @ Le Rock Dans Tous ses Etats
07/10 – Montreal, QC @ Piccolo Rialto
07/12 – Quebec City, QC @ Imperial De Quebec
07/14 – Ottawa, ON @ Ottawa Blues Fest
07/21 – Cincinnati, OH @ The Woodward Theatre ^
07/22 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement ^
07/23 – Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place ^
07/24 – 26 – Oro-Medonte, ON @ WayHome Music & Arts Festival
07/27 – Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club !%
07/29 – Winnipeg, MB @ Pyramid Cabaret !%
07/30 – Saskatoon, SK @ Amigos Cantina !%
07/31 – Calgary, AB @ The Republik !%
08/01 – Edmonton, AB @ The Starlite Room !%
08/03 – Vancouver, BC @ The Rickshaw Theatre !%
08/04 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos !%
08/05 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge !%
08/06 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Twilight Concert Series @ Pioneer Park $
08/09 – San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands
08/11 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge !%
09/04 – Larmer Tree Gardens, UK @  End of the Road Festival
09/06 – Dublin, IE @ Electric Picnic
09/08 – Vienna, AT @ Arena
09/09 – Zagreb, HR @ Culture Factory (Small Room)
09/10 – Bologna, IT @ Freakout Club
09/11 – Rome, IT @ INIT
09/12 – Milan, IT @ Lo Fi Club
09/14 – Zurich, CH @ Kinski Club
09/15 – Lausanne, CH @ Le Romandie
09/17 – Toulouse, FR @ Le Metronum
09/19 – Madrid, ES @ Sala Lemon
09/21 – Bilbao, ES @ Kafe Antzokia
09/23 – Lyon, FR @ Le Transbordeur
09/25 – Dusseldorf, DE @ Zakk
10/16 – Stockholm, SE @ Debaser
10/17 – Lund, SE @ Mejeriet
10/18 – Oslo, NO @ John Dee
10/19 – Aarhus, DK @ Atlas
10/20 – Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen @ Christiana
10/27 – Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie
10/28 – Lille, FR @ L’ Aeronef

* = w/ FIDLAR
^ = w/ Viet Cong
# = w/ Bad Breeding|
! = w/ Big Ups
% = w/ Dilly Dally
$ = w/ The Kills

Paul McCartney announces first tour dates of North America

Sir Paul McCartney has managed to perform a few US tour dates between his upcoming Firefly Music Festival and Lollapalooza this summer. 

McCartney is performing his first ever Chatlottesvile, Virginia and return to Columbia, South Carolina for the first time in 22 years. Macca is also due to play Philadephia. See the full tour schedule below. 

Paul McCartney 2015 Tour Dates:
06/19 – Dover, DE @ Firefly Music Festival
06/21 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
06/23 – Charlottesville, VA @ John Paul Jones Arena
06/25 – Columbia, SC @ Colonial Life Arena
07/04 – Roskilde, DK @ Roskilde Festival
07/31 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza