News

Empire of the Sun announce new album Two Vines

In 2013, Empire of the Sun released their second album, Ice on the Dune. They have announced a follow-up now called Two Vines, and it is set to be out October 28th through Astralwerks. Two Vines was recorded in Hawaii and Los Angeles and was co-produced by Empire of the Sun and Peter Mayes, who also produced Sia, the Killers, and Mika. It shows contributions from Lindsey Buckingham, Wendy Melvoin from Prince’s band the Revolution, and pianist Henry Hey and bassist Tim Lefebvre, both from David Bowie’s Blackstar band. The first introduction to the album will be single “High and Low.” Find the full tracklist below.

In a press release, Lord Nick Littlemore said, “There was an image we talked about very early on with this record, before we wrote the title track, ‘Two Vines,’ and that was this image of a modern city overtaken by jungle, almost like mother nature taking back the planet. He continued, “All the buildings will turn back to sand. All it will be is nature again. We wanted to make something that reflected the beauty of that, and the wisdom that plants can give us about living harmoniously on this beautiful planet.”

Emperor Luke Steele added about recording in Hawaii, “Going to Hawaii to record was the best idea. That was the catalyst for me. I’d spend the morning surfing, then roll in and make music into the night.”

Two Vines:

01 Before
02 High and Low
03 Two Vines
04 Friends
05 There’s No Need
06 Way to Go
07 Ride
08 Digital Life
09 First Crush
10 ZZZ
11 To Her Door
12 Keystone
13 Lend Me Some Light
14 Welcome to My Life
15 Walking on a Dream

Watch the “Walking on a Dream” video:

Koko the Gorilla meets Flea, plays on bass guitar

Koko, the highly intelligent ape who loves cats and knows how to sign language recently met Flea, the co-founder and bass player for Red Hot Chili Peppers. During their meeting, Flea gave Koko a bass lesson.

According to The Gorilla Foundation’s website, “Koko was thrilled by the mellow sounds and a jamming session followed with Koko strumming on Flea’s bass!” The website added, “Watch for more news on future collaborations between the two.”

Car Seat Headrest share new song “Does It Feel Good (To Say Goodbye?)”

Car Seat Headrest has released a new song called “Does It Feel Good (To Say Goodbye?).” It was written for a short film called Loudini. The film was directed by Conor Byrne and presented by Ray-Ban Films, Loudini lays out the story of Lou (played by Henry Zebrowski), who is a down and out magician. Will Toledo, Car Seat Headrest frontman, also shows up in the film as a busker playing a portion of the song. Watch Loudini and listen to “Does It Feel Good (To Say Goodbye?)” below.

Raury shares new Donnie Trumpet-produced track “Like A Star”

At this point in his career, Raury has shown his ability to consistently change his genre. The young Atlantian showed this off with his new song “Like A Star”

The track shows Raury collaborating with producer Donnie Trumpet, who puts down a beat the swirls around as Raury sings and eventually starts rapping.

It definitely shows the various sides Raury has, and you can listen to it below.

The Tallest Man on Earth shares new single “Rivers”

Singer-songwriter Kristian Matsson, The Tallest Man on Earth, has yet to confirm plans for a new album, but he has still come out this year with two beautiful singles.

“Time of the Blue,” the first, came out in June and the second, “Rivers” arrived today where it shows the delicateness of just Matsson and his guitar.

Stream “Rivers” below. Matsson is touring Europe currently and his last full-length was Dark Bird is Home last year.

Watch Omar Rodríguez-López’s new video for “Pineapple Face, Not Even Toad Loves You”

As well as At the Drive-In’s summer reunion tour (and possible new music), guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López has assured that he will release 12 albums before the end of the year. He’s kept his word this far, sharing Sworn Virgins, Corazones, and more recently, Blind Worms Pious Swine. He also put out a couple of music videos from every album, including this week’s for Sworn Virgins tracks “Pineapple Face” and “Not Even Toad Loves You.”

Directed by Rodríguez-López, the black-and-white seven-minute clip shows him performing the two songs with fellow Bosnian Rainbows member Deantoni Parks. They are both joined by trippy creatures that were created by Polish graphic designer Maciej Chodziński. Watch it below.

Rodríguez-López’s next album is Arañas en La Sombra, which is slated to be out August 26th.

Rufus Wainwright releases “Hallelujah” cover featuring 1,500 vocalists

One of this year’s most beautiful performances was in June when Rufus Wainwright sang with 1,500 background vocalists to perform Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” The performance, which happened in the Hearn Generating Station, a decommissioned electrical generating station in Toronto was a part of Choir! Choir! Choir!’s “Epic! Night” series.

A recording of the performance after it went viral has been released formally through evert digital retailers, including Spotify, Apple Music, and TIDAL.

The full video can be watched below via YouTube. The single’s artwork is posted above.

Watch Bon Iver debut new songs in full Eaux Claires set

At the Eaux Claires Music Festival last night in Wisconsin, Bon Iver premiered songs from their upcoming album 22, A Million. The album is due out September 30th via Jagjaguwar, and it is the band’s first new release in five years. You can watch the footage below from their performance, which includes a stream of the entire set. The band has detailed the album’s tracklist as well (below), shared the artwork (above), and released two new songs: “22 (OVER S∞∞N) [Bob Moose Extended Cab Version]” and “10 d E A T h b R E a s T ⊠ ⊠ (Extended Version).”

22, A Millon:

01 22 (OVER S∞∞N)
02 10 d E A T h b R E a s T ⊠ ⊠
03 715 – CRΣΣKS
04 33 “GOD”
05 29 #Strafford APTS
06 666 ʇ
07 21 M♢♢N WATER
08 8 (circle)
09 ____45_____
10 00000 Million

Watch Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon perform at his high school band’s 1999 album release party

Before Bon Iver, Justin Vernon released music under various names, including JD Vernon, DeYarmond Edison, and Mount Vernon in high school. The band in 1999 celebrated the release of their first album, We Can Look Up, at Eau Claire, Wisconsin’s Westgate Sportsman Club with a show. Today, because of YouTube user Mike Olson, who previously released the group’s performance at a 1998 battle of the bands, the release party is also available to watch. The group features Phil Cook (DeYarmond Edison, Megafaun, Gayngs), Brad Cook (DeYarmond Edison, Megafaun), and Joe Westerlund (Megafaun, Grandma Sparrow), according to the description. Watch it below.

The video came out the day before the debut of Bon Iver’s new album; it will be played in full tonight at Vernon’s Eaux Claires Music Festival.

Porter Robinson and Madeon release new song “Shelter,” announce joint tour

Porter Robinson and Madeon have released a collaboration named “Shelter.” Listen to it below. The producers have announced the Shelter Live Tour, as well, a joint North American tour that will begin in September and will have a new live show that is from each of the artists’ catalogs. According to Robinson, the tour will show the two performing together. Find the list of tour dates below as well.

Porter Robinson & Madeon:

09-29 Atlanta, GA – The Tabernacle
10-01 Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion
10-02 Austin, TX – Austin City Limits
10-04 Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
10-05 Chicago, IL – Aragon Ballroom
10-06 Kansas City, MO – Midland Theatre
10-07 Dallas, TX – South Side Ballroom
10-08 Houstin, TX – Revention Music Center
10-09 Austin, TX – Austin City Limits
11-13 Toronto, Ontario – Danforth Music Hall
11-16 Washington, DC – Echostage
11-25 San Francisco, CA – Bill Graham Auditorium
11-26 Los Angeles, CA – Microsoft Theater
11-29 San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park
12-01 Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium
12-02 Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex