The Melodic Tree’s Weekly Playlist

1. Objects of My Affection – Peter Bjorn and John

2. Adult Diversion – Alvvays

3. You Make Me Wanna Die – The Shivas

4. Impossible – Lyla Foy

5. Cold Lips – The Beets

6. Roky Said – Dead Ghosts

7. Back To You – Twerps

8. All I Wanna Do – Splashh

9. Cut Your Bangs – Girlpool

10. You Are Dead – Mind Spiders

11. My Mine – H. Hawkline

12. Made Up in Blue – The Bats

13. Mirrors – Crocodiles

14. Waste A Lot of Things – Jaill

15. I Need a Woman – Hockey Dad

16. Time Being – Surface to Air Missive

17. Night Song – Young Rival

18. We Bros – WU LYF

19. Summer Solstice – Crystal Antlers

20. Orlando – Exploded View

Acid Smoker shares video for “Under the Sun”

Portland Maine-originated and Olympia-based band, Acid Smoker have released their self-titled follow-up to their 2013 album, Ergot. Today, to celebrate the release, they have also released a video to go along with the track, “Under the Sun.” The video shows a man in the dumps in his life and while watching television, sees an ad for cigarettes, and figures it is his best chance to get over his “post-college slump.” Watch it below.

Hear Elliott Smith’s unreleased live version of “Pretty (Ugly Before)” from new Planned Parenthood compilation

It was announced last month that a massive 7″ singles compilation benefitting Planned Parenthood would feature songs from Björk, Bon Iver, Sleater-Kinney, Foo Fighters, the National’s Matt Berninger and Bryce Dessner, and more. One of the “more” was Elliott Smith, whose unreleased live version of “Pretty (Ugly Before)” has been revealed. Listen to the song below, which was recorded in 1999, years before it appeared posthumously on From a Basement on the Hill. The track features an accompaniment from Jon Brion on pump organ. According to Mark Flanagan, the owner of L.A. venue Largo, where the performance was recorded, this was the first time Smith ever played the song live.

“Jon [Brion] happened to be at Largo that night and he and Elliott sequestered themselves in my tiny upstairs office and he played us the song,” Flanagan said in a statement. “I found this cassette recording among the many cassette recordings I have of his shows from almost 20 years ago and can think of no better place for it to find it’s way to all kind people who support girls young and older in our world.”

Elliott Smith’s estate also issued a statement with the release of the song:

Elliott did and said many things in his life that showed his commitment to the principles that Planned Parenthood stands for, including equal rights for all, affordable and accessible access to healthcare, and a woman’s autonomy over her body. He was an outspoken feminist (evidenced not only by his actions and countless conversations with friends and family, but also by his culminating college thesis written in spring of 1991 entitled “Toward a Post-Structuralist Feminist Jurisprudence”). He went out of his way to play for or otherwise contribute to charitable causes. For these reasons, and so many more, Elliott’s family has no doubt that he would feel very proud to be part of this project.

 

Japanese Breakfast announces new album, shares video for new song “Machinist”

Michelle Zauner has announced a new Japanese Breakfast album. It is the follow-up to their debut Psychopomp and it is called Soft Sounds From Another Planet. It is out July 14th via Dead Oceans. Zauner has also shared the self-directed video for lead single “Machinist.” In a press release, she said, “The song is a sci-fi narrative about a woman who falls in love with a robot. In the video she hallucinates on rocket fuel and tears apart her spaceship in an attempt to build a body for her robot lover.” Watch Japanese Breakfast’s “Machinist” video below and find the Soft Sounds tracklist below that. Find her upcoming tour itinerary here.

Soft Sounds From Another Planet:

01 Diving Woman
02 Road Head
03 Machinist
04 Planetary Ambience
05 Soft Sounds From Another Planet
06 Boyish
07 12 Steps
08 Jimmy Fallon Big
09 Body Is a Blade
10 Till Death
11 This House
12 Here Come the Tubular Bells

At the Drive In share new song “Pendulum in a Peasant Dress”

At the Drive In have shared “Pendulum in a Peasant Dress,” a new song from their first album in 17 years, in•ter a•li•a. Listen to it below. At the Drive In will also head on tour behind the album throughout the summer; check out the itinerary hereIn•ter a•li•a is out May 5th via Rise Records.

The Avalanches expand tour

The Avalanches released Wildflower last year, the long-awaited follow-up to Since I Left You from 2000. After playing a string of shows in April, including one at Coachella for their first U.S. show in 15 years, the band has announced additional North American tour dates. The Avalanches will perform a set at Brooklyn Bowl on June 3rd before their Governors Ball performance on June 4th. See the itinerary below. At the beginning of the year, they played a number of dates in their home of Australia.

The Avalanches:

06-03 Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl
06-04 New York, NY – Governors Ball
06-05 Washington, DC – 930 Club
06-07 Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of the Living Arts
06-09 Toronto, Ontario – Danforth
06-10 Montreal, Quebec – Corona Theatre
06-12 Boston, MA – The Royale
07-16 Chicago, IL – Pitchfork Music Festival

Watch the music video for “Frankie Sinatra” below:

Radiohead share mysterious new video with OK Computer lyrics

Radiohead have released a new video that is soundtracked by the distorted voice of a young girl and the glitchy computer visuals are very much indecipherable except for several lines of text, which read, “Program: radiohead” and, near the end, “1 REM.” The girl’s narration includes lyrics from the song “Climbing Up the Walls” from OK Computer. Watch it below.

The Melodic Tree’s Weekly Playlist

1. Teen Sex – infinite biscus

2. Better All the Time – Zuli

3. Find Yourself – Jacco Gardner

4. Waiting Around for Grace – Pond

5. Cinnamon – Palehound

6. How Can You Really – Foxygen

7. Anxiety’s Door – Merchandise

8. Words – Goat

9. Je suis la montagne – Moodoid

10. Mind Daze – Psychic Ills

11. The Dated Steadily – Mink Mussel Creek

12. Fredag – Dungen

13. These Shadows – Wooden Shjips

14. Wucan – Black Mountain

15. Auto Neutron – Fat White Family

16. Hallogallo – NEU!

17. 2020 – Suuns

18. LSD and the Search for God – The Blue Angel Lounge

19. Burning Mirrors – Lumerians

20. Ancient Echoes – Eternal Tapestry

Phosphorescent covers Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land”

For every day of the first 100 of Donald Trump’s administration, the anti-Trump compilation Our First 100 Days have shared a new song. Contributions included songs from Angel Olsen, Mitski, Avey Tare, Jay Som, Toro Y Moi, Speedy Ortiz, Tim Heidecker, and others. Today, the final installment has come. It is a cover of the Woody Guthrie classic “This Land Is Your Land” from Phosphorescent. Listen below.

Björk announces career-spanning songbook 34 Scores

Björk has announced a new career-spanning songbook. It is called 34 Scores for Piano, Organ, Harpsichord and Celeste, and it will come out June 5th via Wise Publications. She collaborated in making the book with pianist Jonas Sen, design house M/M Paris, and engraver Werner Wolff. 34 Scores will include arrangements of songs from Debut, Post, Homogenic, Selmasongs, Vespertine, Medúlla, Drawing Restraint 9, Volta, and Vulnicura. Find all the included songs here.

34 Scores is available exclusively at the Björk Digital exhibition in Los Angeles, May 19th-June 4th, ahead of its official release. She will perform pieces from the songbook with 32 string players at her upcoming L.A. concert on May 30th.