Whitney released their debut album, Light Upon the Lake earlier this year. They have released an animated music video for the song “Polly” today. Watch the music video below. It was directed and animated by Sarina Nihei and it features surreal hand-painted scenes of a man’s adventures.
Justice announce new album Woman,share new song “Randy”
Justice have announced the name of their third album. Woman, the follow-up to Audio, Video, Disco, is set to be out in the middle of November. They have also released a new song named titled “Randy.” It premiered on Annie Mac’s BBC Radio 1 show today. Listen to that below. Earlier this summer, Justice released the new song “Safe and Sound,” which is on the new album.
Angel Olsen announces 2017 US tour dates
Angel Olsen has expanded her fall tour to a few early 2017 dates. Following shows in Europe and Australia, the singer-songwriter will be out almost all of February to perform in US cities like New Orleans, Austin, Denver, Phoenix, and San Francisco.
Check out her full itinerary. All upcoming dates come behind Olsen’s album, My Woman.
Angel Olsen 2016-2017 Tour Dates:
09/14 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
09/15 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
09/16 – Hudson, NY @ Basilica Hudson
09/17 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
09/18 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
09/20 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
09/21 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
09/22 – South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground Ballroom
09/23 – Montreal, QC @ Pop Montreal
09/24 – Toronto, ON @ Mod Club
09/25 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
09/26 – Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch
09/27 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
09/28 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
09/30 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
10/01 – Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle
10/13 – Brighton, UK @ Concord 2
10/14 – Manchester, UK @ Club Academy
10/15 – Glasgow, UK @ SWG3 Studio Warehouse
10/16 – Bristol, UK @ Marble Factory
10/17 – London, UK @ KOKO
10/19 – Hamburg, DE @ Kampnagel
10/20 – Copenhagen, DK @ Koncerthuset, Studie 2
10/21 – Oslo, NO @ John Dee
10/22 – Stockholm, SE @ Debaser Strand
10/23 – Goteborg, SE @ Pustervik
10/25 – Berlin, DE @ Columbia Theater
10/26 – Munich, DE @ Ampere
10/27 – Zurich, CH @ Bogen F
10/28 – Koeln, DE @ Stadtgarten
10/29 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique
11/03 – London, UK @ Islington Assembly Hall
11/04 – Paris, FR @ La Gaite Lyrique
11/05 – Den Haag, NL @ Crossing Border Festival
11/06 – Amsterdam, NL @ Tolhuistuin
11/26 – Hobart, TAS @ Grand Poobah
11/28 – Melbourne, AU @ Corner
12/01 – Lismore, AU @ Lismore City Hall
12/02 – Brisbane, AU @ Brightside
12/03 – Berri, AU @ Fairground Festival
12/05 – Sydney, AU @ Sydney Opera House Studio
12/07 – Adelaide, AU @ Grace Emily
12/08 – Perth, AU @ Badlands
12/10 – Melbourne, AU @ Meredith Festival
12/13 – Wellington, NZ @ San Fran
12/14 – Auckland, NZ @ Kings Arms
02/03 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
02/04 – New Orleans, LA @ The Republic
02/07 – Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
02/08 – Dallas, TX @ Trees
02/10 – Denver, CO @ The Bluebird Theater
02/11 – Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf
02/12 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom
02/14 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
02/15 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
02/17 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
02/18 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre
Watch Lower Dens video for new song “Real Thing”
Lower Dens have released a video for a new song called “Real Thing.” Watch the music video below as well as Lower Dens’ current tour dates. The video, directed by SSION’s Cody Critcheloe, shows Jana Hunter performing the song against a black background and the occasional scenes of people dancing. “Real Thing” was written by Hunter with Arthur Bates and Ariel Rechtshaid.
In a press release, Hunter said:
Initially, I wrote ‘Real Thing’ with my friend, musician Arthur Bates. Arthur and I have had a very long, intense, chaotic and very close friendship. He’s also been a major influence on me personally and artistically. I love him. When we’re together, the air is full of intense melancholy, reckless abandon, and a very goofy kind of dark humor. Somehow in our years of knowing each other we’d never written a real song together. We got together specifically for that purpose, in Houston, the town where we met, and wrote this song in about an hour. The lyrics were inspired by an advice column in an old copy of Oui magazine I found in Arthur’s apartment. The woman writing in to the column seemed genuinely torn between her love for her husband and her desire to fuck around. I find that kind of selfishness entirely relatable, the kind of thing all of us know about ourselves and find nearly impossible to admit. Those kinds of simultaneously internal and yet universal struggles bring me to tears. What if we could all acknowledge just those kinds of flaws, accept them, resolve not to judge each other? I mean, who wants this misery? This alienation? The greed that follows generations of repression? The jealously, oppression and injustice that come next? No. Hell no. If that’s reality, I don’t care to be a part of it. Or at least that’s how I let myself feel from time to time, until I realize I love people and I’m part of the community of humankind and if things are gonna be better for anybody it’s on me to do my part. Might seem like a lot but, for me, it’s all in this song.
Last, I wanna acknowledge Ariel, Caleb and Henrik who contributed writing and engineering. They all added so much and I’m very grateful. And of course, to Arthur as well, I owe so much. Thank you, my friend.
The visuals are 100℅ Cody Critcheloe AKA SSION, whose vision I will always follow to its realization. I have immense respect for him.”
Lower Dens are currently on tour with Explosions in the Sky. Find the dates below.
Lower Dens:
09-12 Indianapolis, IN – Deluxe at Old National Center %
09-13 Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall %
09-14 Cleveland, OH – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
09-15 Detroit, MI – Masonic Temple Theatre %
09-24 Albany, NY – Larkfest
09-30 Brooklyn, NY – Pioneer Works
10-01 Harrisburg, PA – Makespace Music Festival
12-17-18 Houston, TX – Day For Night
05-11 Baltimore, MD – Joseph Myerhoff Symphony
% with Explosions in the Sky
The Melodic Tree’s Weekly Playlist
1. Everything All At Once – Local Natives
2. Season 2 Episode 3 – Glass Animals
3. I Wanna Touch You – The She-Devils
4. Tuff Ghost – The Unicorns
5. When I Get Home – Post Animal
6. Forever, Until – Dog Bite
7. Welcome To Your New Life – Alohaha
8. Ghosting – Mother Mother
9. Smoke Rings – Modern Vice
10. Ya Ya Ya – You Won’t
11. Skateboarding Girl – Sick Sad World
12. Do I Make You Feel Shy? – Connan Mockasin
13. Tulips – The Bilianda Butchers
14. Egg – The Garden
15. Black Cherry – Las Rosas
16. Only 4 U – Rivergazer
17. Had Ten Dollaz – Cherry Glazerr
18. I’ve Wasted So Much Time – Enjoy
19. Badillac – Together Pangea
20. Lost My Mind – Froth
Watch Jack White perform two songs, chat on “Fallon”
Jack White was the musical guest on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” last night. After having a chat where he teases Fallon’s go-to guitar, “a beginner’s guitar for children,” he performed a medley from his career-spanning compilation Acoustic Recordings 1998-2016. It is his first acoustic TV performance. Watch him perform two songs “Love Is the Truth,” from when Jack did a Coca Cola commercial and the White Stripes’ “You’ve Got Her in Your Pocket” below.
Grandaddy return after a decade with new songs “Way We Won’t,” “Clear Your History”
Grandaddy has returned 10 years after the release of their farewell album Just Like the Fambly Cat. The indie rock outfit have released two new songs: “Way We Won’t” and “Clear Your History.” Listen to them here. The band also announced they have signed to producer Danger Mouse’s 30th Century Records, and are working on a new album. Danger Mouse said in a press release, “Grandaddy have always been one of my favorite bands. I think their new single is up there with their best work and I’m proud to have them become part of 30th Century.” Grandaddy reunited initially for live performances in 2012.
Watch clipping. perform “A Better Place” on “Corden”
Daveed Diggs’ (Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in Hamilton) rap trio clipping. last night made their television debut on “The Late Late Show With James Corden.” Watch their performance below. They performed “A Better Place,” from their most recent album, Splendor & Misery. Diggs won a Tony Award for “Best Featured Actor in a Musical” but left Hamilton in July.
Early Look at Local Natives’ “Sunlit Youth”
We here at Melodic Tree were lucky enough to get our hands on Local Natives’ upcoming album, Sunlit Youth, and after listening to it on repeat for a few days we thought we’d share a few of our initial reactions and maybe give you some things to look forward to on the official release date this Friday.
If you have already listened to the three singles that have been released off the new album – “Villainy”, “Past Lives”, and “Fountain of Youth” – or if you have read some of our past posts regarding Sunlit Youth then you are well aware that Local Natives have evolved quite a bit since their Gorilla Manor days. As a sort of an expansion upon the sound of their 2013 release, Hummingbird, LN has made synth sounds a much more prominent aspect of their music. The best example of this is the opening track and previously released single, “Villainy”. This song might show a closer resemblance to a group like Empire of the Sun rather than the sound we fell in love with on Local Native’s debut record, but is none the less a powerful synth pop opening to the album and a great indicator of the direction the band is striving towards.
If the sound of “Villainy” is maybe not your cup of tea, fear not for there are plenty of gems to keep you engaged throughout the rest of the album. For instance, possibly one of the best moments of Sunlit Youth is the vocals on the third track, “Dark Days”. Not only are the lyrics engaging and the melody beautiful, but the incorporation of Nina Persson’s voice is a godsend. Singer-songwriter of the Swedish pop group The Cardigans as well as a number of her own solo efforts, Persson’s tender voice lends perfectly to those of the rest of the band. As she takes the second verse solo and then harmonizes flawlessly with the rest of the group, one might think that she was meant to be a Local Native.
Although at this point you might have an idea in your head about what the whole album sounds like, we promise Sunlit Youth will surprise you, and that is what’s so great about it. In the song “Masters” the band flirts with electronica (side note: if Local Natives wrote more of this kind of music, clubs would be way better); we get an almost hip-hop vibe in the song “Jellyfish” featuring Moses Sumney; “Coins” comes out of nowhere with a surprisingly fitting quasi-R&B sound fit with wailing vocals and all; and even a throwback to the classic LN sound with “Ellie Alice”.
In summary, Sunlit Youth is engaging but perhaps not what longtime Local Natives fans would expect. We still hear their signature cryptic yet beautiful lyricism paired with gorgeous harmonies, but now the musical context in which those aspects appear is different. So if you’re willing to give this new evolution a chance, we think you’ll have no problem remaining a die hard Local Natives Fan.
Dave Grohl’s mom interviews Dr. Dre, Amy Winehouse, Haim’s moms for new book
Dave Grohl’s mother, Virginia Hanlon Grohl, has written a book titled From Cradle to Stage: Stories From the Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Rock Stars. It is set to be out April 25, 2017 via Seal Press, as Stereogum reports. The book, which features a foreword by the Foo Fighters frontman, has Grohl interviewing the mothers of other famous musicians, including Verna Griffin (Dr. Dre), Janis Winehouse (Amy Winehouse), Donna Haim (the Haim sisters), Marianne Stipe (R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe), Hester Diamond (Beastie Boys’ Mike D), and Patsy Noah (Adam Levine). The book will include the Grohls’ “exclusive” family pictures. See the book cover above.
The Melodic Tree 