What's New(s)?

Arcade Fire cover "Roll Over Beethoven"

Continuing the cover trend that's become a fixture of their Reflektor Tour, Arcade Fire dove into a rock classic on Sunday night in St. Louis when the sextet took on Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven". Berry was born in St. Louis and continues to perform at the city's Blueberry Hill each month, so the move doesn't come as an Earth-shaking revelation. In fact the previous night in Kansas City, Arcade Fire performed a rendition of Kansas' "Dust in the Wind". That rendition though was "rudely" interrupted by lead-singer Win Butler, who reminded the group: "that’s a Kansas song and we’re in f***in’ Missouri. You f***ed up," he said. "That’s gonna kill when we play Lawrence, though."

While the covers may come as no surprise, the band's escalation of their "deadmau5 beef" raises a few eyebrows. The "feud" began during Arcade Fire's set when Win Butler flippantly praised "All the bands still playing actual instruments," which led to deadmau5 proclaiming "Arcade Fire needs to settle down." As though that weren't enough, deadmau5 barbarously declared "If I wanna watch real artists perform, I'd pick the opera before wasting a f***ing minute of my life with Arcade Fire." In St. Louis, Arcade Fire struck back by flashing deadmau5's trademark mask on-screen during "Normal Person". And if that weren't enough former Missouri Congressman Todd Akin made an appearance, a person you generally won't want to be associated with circa 2014. 

Rather than dive into any "beef" further, just enjoy the clip of Arcade Fire's playing some good "rock and roll music."

 

The Roots release new track "Tomorrow"

 

An idea that's been floating around about The Roots' upcoming 11th LP And Then You Shoot Your Cousin is that it's a violent record. Not necessarily that it commits violent acts, but the world it inhabits is one of extreme violence. "When the People Cheer", the first sampling of the album, proved this with an unflinching portrayal of rapper Black Thought permanently stuck in the trap and knowing there's nowhere to go.

 

New single "Tomorrow" heads in an entirely different direction. Bolstered by a ringing piano, the Raheem DeVaughan feature is "thankful to be alive." In a soft-croon, DeVaughan stops to "smell the flowers" and appreciate the small things. "9-5 jobs" no longer sound like hellish nightmares, but welcome escapes. "It's free to be yourself," DeVaughan testifies. However "violent" And Then You Shoot Your Cousin ultimately is, "Tomorrow" will offer a brief moment of tranquility. 

 

And Then You Shoot Your Cousin is out May 13 through Def Jam and you can hear "Tomorrow" now on 1200 Squad.

 

 

 

 

Stream tUnE-yArDs' Nikki Nack now

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

tUnE-yArDs' third studio-album, Nikki Nack, doesn't drop until May 6 in the U.S. but that doesn't mean you can't hear Merrill Garbus' latest effort now. Courtesy of The Guardian, Nikki Nack is currently streaming ahead of its release date and my initial impression of the LP is that its every bit as strong and infectious as Garbus' previous two albums.

tUnE-yArDs are currently touring the U.S. with the aforementioned Arcade Fire, but will also be logging stage-time with the National and Sylvan Esso before the summer is over. You can find the dates below along with the Pee-wee's Playhouse inspired video for the clamorous first-single "Water Fountain".

 

Tour Dates:
4/29 Columbus, OH - Schottenstein Center (w. Arcade Fire)
5/1 Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena (w. Arcade Fire)
5/2 Atlanta, GA - Aarons Amphitheatre at Lakewood (w. Arcade Fire)
5/5 Los Angeles, CA - Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever
5/7 Brooklyn, NY - Rough Trade
5/12 London, England - Village Underground (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/14 Berlin, Germany - Berghain (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/15 Hamburg, Germany - Nochtspeicher (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/16 Brussels, Belgium - Les Nuits-Cirque Royal
5/18 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Bitterzoet (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/19 Paris, France - Cafe de La Danse (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/23 Bend, OR - Les Schwab Ampitheater (w. The National)
5/25 George, WA - Sasquatch Festival
5/26 Boise, ID - Knitting Factory Concert House (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/27 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/30 Dallas, TX - Granada Theater (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/1 Houston, TX - Free Press Summerfest
6/3 Phoenix, AZ - The Crescent Ballroom (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/5 Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda Theatre (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/6 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/13 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/15 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/16 Boston, MA - Royale Boston (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/18 Montreal, Quebec - La Tulipe (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/19 Toronto, Ontario - NXNE, Massey Hall (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/21 Dover, DE - Firefly Festival
6/22 New York, NY - Webster Hall (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/23 New York, NY - Webster Hall (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/26 Brighton, England - Concorde 2
6/30 Manchester, England - Gorilla
7/1 Leeds, England - Cockpit
7/2 Bristol, England - Trinity
7/17 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
7/19 Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Music Festival
7/20 Louisville, KY - Forecastle Festival
9/3 London, England - Brixton Electric 

 

 

Check back tomorrow for more of the newest in new(s) and follow AllFreshSounds on Twitter for updates throughout the day.

What's New(s)?

"Sheezus" season approaching

As lazily named as Lily Allen's new album Sheezus might be, the title-track and accompanying video are anything but. The track itself feeds on crisp drum claps and soft "ah ah ahs", while the clip is overstuffed with blacklights, squiggling white lines, and psychedelic swirls. At one point Allen appears to be freely floating in a star-cluster and she becomes a spot-on Avatar character while crooning "Periods. We all get periods." And if all of that weren't enough, she big ups other colossal female musicians like Beyonce, Lorde, Rihanna, and Lady Gaga who she refers to as a "martyr." 

Sheezus is out May 5 through Regal Recordings.

Joey Bada$$ pays tribute to the UFC with "Mr. Wonderful"

 






















Given 19-year old Brooklyn native Joey Bada$$'s penchant for laid-back boom-bap, you wouldn't expect him to be the type to pay homage to a UFC fighter. But that's exactly what he's done with "Mr. Wonderful", which tips a cap to light-heavyweight brawler Phil Davis. "Mr. Wonderful" doesn't just mention Davis in passing, it revolves entirely around the "number one contender" and how he'll "hit you with the flying kick." While it's fascinating enough to hear Bada$$ stick to one narrative for an entire song, it's much more interesting to hear Kirk Knight's beat which jabs in a way Bada$$ efforts generally don't.

Davis will fight Anthony Johnson at UFC 172 on April 26 and will be using "Mr. Wonderful" as his entrance music for the bout.




tUne-yArDs pays tribute to Pee-Wee's Playhouse in new video

Merrill Garbus' work as tUnE-yArDs has consistently towed the line between in control and chaotic for two albums now, so what better way to capture that near-chaos than to pay tribute to one of the masters of the art-form, Peewee Herman? In the video for the clattering "Water Fountain", the lead single off of third LP Nikki Nack, Garbus recreates the cult-classic TV series Pee-Wee's Playhouse. 

In Garbus' take multi-armed puppets, dog-man chefs, one-eyed monsters, robots, fanged couches, and mad scientists are freely roam around without much interference. Sadly there's no pterodactyls, genies, or mail-carriers to be found, but the video is just as joyous as any trip to the Playhouse would be. So pull yourself up a chair and enjoy.

Check back tomorrow for more of the newest in new(s) and follow AllFreshSounds on Twitter for updates throughout the day.

What's New(s)?

tUne-yArDs debuts "Wait for a Minute"

Last month Merrill Garbus, better known to the music world as tUnE-yArDs, released the infectious stutterer "Water Fountain" as the first taste of her third LP Nikki Nack. Today she's followed up that sunny crowd-chant with the far-more subdued "Wait for a Minute". Garbus rides muted drum-machine beats and curving synthesizers with a soft coo for most of the tracks runtime, only once breaking into her battering-ram shout. When she mentions a "haze" you understand exactly what she's talking about.

Nikki Nack is out May 6 in the U.S. through 4AD.

 

Queens of the Stone Age stay up late in "Smooth Sailing" video

What if Bill Murray just drank his nights away and hung-out in malls while he was in Japan during Lost in Translation and never met Scarlett Johansson? That's roughly what you get in Queens of the Stone Age's video for the molten-hot "Smooth Sailing", albeit with more cocaine and public beatings. Throughout the clip, QOTSA-frontman Josh Homme wanders through dark locales with business-people and aggressively drinks with them at every turn. Like Lost in Translation there's also plenty of karaoke to be found, though it's surrounded by ties on heads and bottle-smashing. Everyone seems to lose their mind by the time the clip is up, looking at ease as a body is being buried. They're all "in flagrante."

Queens of the Stone Age have added a series of U.S. shows that you can find below along with "Smooth Sailing".

Tour Dates:

4/12 Indio, CA - Coachella
4/15 Portland, OR - Keller Auditorium
4/19 Indio, CA - Coachella Valley
5/6 St. Paul, MN - Roy Wilkins Auditorium
5/7 Milwaukee, WI - The Riverside Theater
5/9 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
5/13 Kansas City, MO - Starlight Theatre
5/14 Tulsa, OK - Brady Theater
5/16 Gulf Shores, AL - Hangout Music Festival
5/17 Gulf Shores, AL - Hangout Music Festival
5/18 Gulf Shores, AL - Hangout Music Festival

Bikini Kill unearth "Girl Soldier"

As previously mentioned on the blog, riot grrrl pioneers Bikini Kill are in the midst of a reissue series that started last winter with the re-release of the group's self-titled debut EP. Next week the series continues with Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah, a 12" that was originally split with British riot grrrl group Huggy Bear. For the upcoming reissue, Bikini Kill has taken their half of split and added 7 previously unheard tracks to the equation. Today they shared one of those unreleased tunes, "Child Soldier". A stagnant calamity the group played early in its career, the track moves at a snail's pace with feedback and Kathleen Hanna's lacerating screams blocking it in at every turn.

You can read an interview with Bikini Kill bassist Kathi Wilcox through Rookie and find "Child Soldier". 

Check back tomorrow for more of the newest in new(s) and follow AllFreshSounds on Twitter for updates throughout the day.

"Water Fountain"- tUne-yArDs

Even now, I can't be the only one that still has problems typing Merrill Garbus' tUnE-yArDs project the right way. I know there's a certain rhythm to it that makes easier to write, but I haven't hit it. In typing that opening sentence, I had to backspace at least three times to make sure I had the proper capitalization. It's not so much a tiring exercise, as it is a frustrating one. And when I'm done, all I have is a band name to show for my endeavor.

Granted, if Garbus continues to make tracks like Nikki Nack first single "Water Fountain", I will gladly accept any frustration that will come with a write-up. Right away stuttering hand claps and clanging drums catch you up in an infectious pop rally. The sort where people gather together and march simply because it's a nice day outside. The chant of "nothing much to do when you're going nowhere, WOOHA WOOHA," that constitutes the chorus is equally indelible, splitting the difference between the Dixie Cups' "Iko Iko" and Busta Rhymes most well-known effort. Early on, Garbus counteracts the sunny communal vibe with the pessimistic realization "nothing feels like dying like the drying of my skin." Along with that withering, comes a loss of feeling. A growing numbness that acts as a shield of armor in a world looking to inflict pain. Soon enough though she sheds the dead skin to disperse the pennies she's saved up and splits a two-pound chicken with friends. Who cares if the well's run dry? That concern can wait for another day.

Nikki Nack is out 5/6 via 4AD and Garbus will go on a North American tour for the LP starting April 23 in Denver.

Tour Dates:

4/23 Denver, CO- Pepsi Center
4/26 Kansas City, MO- Starlight Theatre

4/27 St. Louis, MO- Chaifetz Arena
4/29 Columbus, OH-Schottenstein Center
5/1 Nashville, TN- Bridgestone Arena
5/2 Atlanta, GA- Aarons Amphiteatre at Lakewood
5/5 Los Angeles, CA- Mason Lodge at Hollywood Forever
5/7 Brooklyn, NY- Rough Trade
5/23 Bend, OR- Les Schwab Amphitheater
5/25 George, WA- Sasquatch Festival
5/26 Boise, ID- Knitting Factory Concert House
5/27 Salt Lake City, UT- Urban Lounge
5/30 Dallas, TX- Granada Theater
6/1 Houston, TX- Free Press Summer Fest
6/3 Phoenix, AZ- Crescent Ballroom
6/5 Los Angeles, CA- The Fonda Theatre
6/6 San Francisco, CA- The Fillmore
6/13 Washington, DC- 9:30 Club
6/15 Philadelphia, PA- Union Transfer
6/16 Boston, MA- Royale Boston
6/18 Montreal, QC- La Tulipe
6/19 Toronto, ON- Massey Hall
6/21 Dover, DE- Firefly Music Festival
6/22-23 New York, NY- Webster Hall
7/17 Minneapolis, MN- First Avenue
7/19 Chicago, IL- Pitchfork Music Festival
7/20 Louisville, KY- Forecastle Festival