Thundercat premieres video for “Them Changes”

Thundercat is set to go on a North American tour for the mini-album, The Beyond/Where the Giants Roam. Before, however, the singer/producer/bassist has released the video for LP track, “Them Changes.” The clip, directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada (Dave Sitek’s Maximum Balloon, Capital Cities), has samurai battling one another.

Estrada explained the narrative behind the video in a press release:

“Thundercat’s take on heartbreak is so atypical that I figured the video for the song should be anything but a classic relationship-gone-wrong story. Stories like athletes’ careers ending after injuries or artists losing their site [sic]/hearing/ability to perform; these concepts are truly heartbreaking. I also know that Thundercat has a thing for samurais — so I saw an opportunity to make everyone happy here. Or everyone sad, I guess.”

Watch below.

Thundercat 2015 Tour Dates:
08/01-02 – Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon Festival
08/06 – Washington, DC @ Afropunk Pre-Party @ The Howard Theatre
08/08 – Los Angeles, CA @ Low End Theory Festival
08/23 – Brooklyn, NY @ Afropunk Festival
09/17 – San Diego, CA @ Cabsah
09/18 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
09/19 – Albuquerque, NM @ Historic El Rey Theatre
09/20 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
09/22 – Tulsa, OK @ Vanguard
09/23 – Austin, TX @ Holy Mountain
09/24 – Houston, TX @ Studio at Warehouse Live
09/25 – San Antonio, TX @ Alamo City Club
09/26 – Denton, TX @ Oaktopia
09/27 – Toronto, ON @ The Hoxton
09/29 – Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount
09/30 – Boston, MA @ Middle East Downstairs
10/01 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
10/03 – Atlanta, GA @ Afropunk Festival
10/04 – Vancouver, BC @ The Alexander
10/06 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
10/07 – Portland, OR @ Star Theatre
10/08 – Arcata, CA @ Arcata Theatre
10/09 – San Francisco, CA @ 1015 Folsom
10/10 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Velvet Jones

Alamo Basement Session July in pictures
Collective Dreams

The Melodic Tree’s Weekly Playlist

1. To Build A Home – The Cinematic Orchestra

2. Adventure Kids – Teen Men

3. Exodus of the Year – Royal Canoe

4. Hell, Heaven – Parlovr

5. Terracur – Social Studies

6. Spirit Or Something – Monogold

7. Fires In The Backyard – New Animal

8. Touching Down – Therapies Son

9. What My Life Could Have Been – A Classic Education

10. Physiques – People Get Ready

11. Strictly Games – Harlem Shakes

12. Phones Don’t Feud – Holiday Shores

13. Bonny Doon – Gamble House

14. Bright Lights – Giant Cloud

15. Gold In The Air – Jesse Woods

16. Beauty – The Shivers

17. I Woke Up Today – Port O’Brian

18. All For You – Races

19. Cayucas – Oregon Bike Trail

20. Colorado – Grizzly Bear

The National joined by Sufjan Stevens and Justin Vernon at Eaux Claires festival

The first Eaux Claires Music Festival, which is curated by Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, is happening this weekend in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The National were Friday’s headliners but they were not performing alone.

Vernon and Sufjan Stevens appeared during The National’s set. Stevens joined the band during “Afraid of Everyone,” “Squalor Victoria,” and “I Need My Girl,” while Vernon performed on “Slow Show” and “Terrible Love.” Both men appeared on stage during the finale performance of “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks.”

 

Watch Stevens’ performance of “Afraid of Everyone” here.

Setlist:
Don’t Swallow the Cap
I Should Live in Salt
Bloodbuzz Ohio
Sea of Love
Hard to Find
Afraid of Everyone  (w/ Sufjan Stevens)
Squalor Victoria (w/ Sufjan Stevens)
I Need My Girl (w/ Sufjan Stevens)
This Is the Last Time
Peggy-O (Grateful Dead cover)
Abel
Sorrow (w/ Ragnar Kjartansson)
Slow Show (w/ Justin Vernon)
Apartment Story
Pink Rabbits
England
Graceless
Fake Empire
About Today
Encore:
Mr. November
Terrible Love (w/ Justin Vernon)
Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks (w/ Justin Vernon, Sufjan Stevens)

Sam Herring and Madlib pair up as Trouble Knows Me

Samuel T. Herring from Future Islands is not a stranger to the rap scene. Now, the singer, known as Hemlock Ernst, is going on another level by working with producer Madlib for a new project named Trouble Knows Me.

The duo is set to release a self-titled 12-inch on September 1st which features three instrumentals and three rap tracks. A limited amount of screen-printed covers are available now through Rappcats. Madlib will also sold them at his show tonight at The Mid in Chicago, with covers screen printed on site. They will also be sold at a Rappcats popup shop on 5636 York Boulevard in Los Angeles Saturday between 12-4 p.m.

As a preview to the release, they shared a self-titled track, “Trouble Knows Me.” Listen below:

Wavves releases new song “Way Too Much”

Nathan Williams has been working on various side projects through the last year, weather it is his Cloud Nothings collaboration or the bro trio Spirit Club and yet, he is still set to release his own album under his original name also. Now it seems as though he released the lead single to the upcoming Wavves album which is set to come out this year. The song, called “Way Too Much,” is the first hint at the follow-up to the 2013 release, Afraid of Heights. Listen to it on Spotify here.  

Williams released the song early without the permission of his label. Warner Bros. wanted to pull the song but he protested through a series of tweets, saying he would leak the entire album if they took the track down. It looks as though Williams won, “Way Too Much” will stay on Spotify and will be officially released on iTunes on Monday. 

Arcade Fire to release first feature film The Reflektor Tapes

Arcade Fire’s first feature film, called The Reflektor Tapes, will go to theaters worldwide on September 24th for a short time. According to the official statement, the film is “a unique cinematic experience, meeting at the crossroads of documentary, music, art and personal history.”

Arcade Fire Tube first reported on last year that the film is directed by Kahlil Joseph, who has worked with FKA twigs’ “Video Girl” and short films with Kendrick Lamar and Flying Lotus. Based on the images released and the title, it seems like a lot of it will focus on the recording sessions and tour for the band’s Reflektor album from 2013.

Ticket information and theater listings will be posted on the film’s website, TheReflektorTapes.com soon.

An eight-minute part of the film named “Porno” has been released. It is soundtracked by the song from Reflektor of the same name. Watch below.

 

FIDLAR premieres new version of “West Coast”

FIDLAR is planned to return with sophomore album, Too, this coming September. The follow-up to the self-titled LP will include 12 new garage punk tracks. The album was recorded in just two weeks in Nashville and was the first time the band worked with a producer, namely Jay Joyce.

“We could have made record number one again… but instead we decided to challenge ourselves and admit that we don’t know everything,” Zac Carper, guitarist and lead vocalist said in a press release. “I didn’t want to make a standard rock record. The goal for this album was to think outside the box and I think Jay really helped us do that.”

The latest preview of Too is in a new version of “West Coast,” which was premiered on BBC Radio 1 hosted by Annie Mac this afternoon.The original version goes back to the band’s demo EP from 2012, Shit We Recorded In Our Bedroom. Listen to it here.

Too is set to come out on September 4th via Wichita/Mom + Pop. The In support, the band will tour the US this fall. Check out the tracklisting and tour dates below. The album art is above.

Too Tracklist:
01. 40oz On Repeat
02. Punks
03. West Coast
04. Why Generation
05. Sober
06. Leave Me Alone
07. Drone
08. Overdose
09. Hey Johnny
10. Stupid Decisions
11. Bad Medicine
12. Bad Habits

FIDLAR 2015 Tour Dates:
06/12-14 – Leicestershire, UK @ Download Festival
09/09 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
09/10 – Lawrence, KS @The Bottleneck
09/12 – Chicago, IL @ Riot Fest Chicago
09/14 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
09/15 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
09/16 – Columbia, MO @ Rose Music Hall
09/18  – Newport, KY @ Thompson House
09/19  – Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch
09/20 – Toronto, ON @ Riot Fest Toronto
09/22 – Montreal, QC @Theatre Fairmount
09/24 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
09/26 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
09/27 – Boston, MA @ Boston Calling Festival
09/28 – Washington, DC @ The Black Cat
09/29 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
10/02 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade – Hell Stage
10/03 – Gainesville, FL @ High Dive }
10/05 – Tallahassee, FL @ Club Downunder
10/06 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks
10/9-11 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Music Festival
10/13 – Oklahoma City, OK @ 89th Street Collective
10/15 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
10/16 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom
10/17 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park
10/19 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
10/22 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
10/23 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
10/28 – San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s
10/30 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theatre
10/31 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theatre

Shamir announces fall tour

Shamir has announced he will tour in support of his debut album, Ratchet. After he performs this weekend at Pitchfork Music Festival this weekend, he will tour North America in the fall, this includes sets at the Life is Beautiful and Fun Fu Fun festivals. He will go on tour with Years & Years after that in the UK. Look at the full itinerary below.

Shamir also appeared on “Watch What Happens Live” on Bravo where he bartended the se as Andy Cohen talked to Laverne Cox and Andre Leon Talley.

Shamir fall tour:

07-18 Chicago, IL – Pitchfork Festival
07-19 Madison, WI – Memorial Union Terrace, University of Wisconsin
08-08 London, England – Visions 2015
08-11 Copenhagen, Denmark – Pumpehuset
08-17 Warsaw, Poland – Kulturalna
08-18 Prague, Czech Republic – Lucerna Music Bar
08-20–23 Charleville-Mézieres, France – Le Cabaret Vert 2015
08-24 Berlin, Germany – Privat Club
08-26–29 Zurich, Switzerland – Zurich Open Air 2015
08-29 Paris, France – Domaine National De Saint-cloud
08-29 Saint Cloud, France – Rock En Seine
09-01 Rome, Italy – Monk Club
09-22 San Diego, CA – Irenic
09-23 Santa Ana, CA – Observatory – Constellation Room
09-25 Las Vegas, NV – Life Is Beautiful Festival
09-26 Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre
09-28 Portland, OR – Star Theater
09-29 Vancouver, British Columbia – Fortune Sound Club
09-30 Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
10-03 Denver, CO – Lost Lake Lounge
10-05 Kansas City, MO – Tank Room
10-07 Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
10-08 Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
10-09 Columbus, OH – Basement
10-17-18 San Francisco, CA – Treasure Island Music Festival
10-20 Liverpool, England – 02 Academy Liverpool *
10-21 Bristol, England – 02 Academy Bristol*
10-22 Cardiff, Wales – Cardiff Great Hall*
10-24 Brighton, England – Brighton Centre*
10-26 Essex, England – Southend Cliffs Pavilion*
10-27-28 London, England – 02 Academy Brixton*
11-07 Austin, TX – Fun Fun Fun Festival
11-10 Atlanta, GA – Vinyl
11-13 Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
11-14 Baltimore, MD – Ottobar
11-16–17 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
11-18 Boston, MA – The Sinclair
11-19 Montreal, Quebec – Fairmount Theatre
11-20 Toronto, Ontario – Mod Club
11-22 Mexico City, Mexico – Corona Capital Festival

* with Years & Years

The Melodic Tree’s Weekly Playlist

1. Berlin – RY X

2. Never – All the Luck In The World

3. Phantoms and Friends – Old Man Canyon

4. Emma – Silences

5. Steady My Bones – Winterbourne

6. Take Care – Tom Rosenthal

7. Tiger Striped Sky – Roo Panes

8. The Well – Imaginary Future

9. Lift Me Up – Mree

10. Big Jet Plane – Lady of the Sunshine

11. Last Ships – Firekites

12. Someone You’d Amire – Fleet Foxes

13. Places We’ve Roamed – Dancing Years

14. A September Song – Simon Herron

15. Slow Breath – Farewell J.R

16. Tunnel – The Bronze Medal

17. When The Poet Sings – L.A. Salami

18. Magpie – Khushi

19. First Light – Racing Glaciers

20. In the Middle of the Night – Chloe Foy