The Vaselines Are Back With a New Album and Tour Dates

The Vaselines are set to release their first new album in two decades. Sex With An X will be released by Sub Pop Records on September 14. The band is offering a download of the first single "I Hate the '80s" on their website thevaselines.co.uk.

Sex With An X is produced by Jamie Watson. The album was recorded in England at the Analogue Catalogue studio. The album's twelve songs and two b-sides were recorded in just thirteen days.

Sex With An X tracklisting:

Ruined
Sex With An X
The Devil Inside Me
Such a Fool
Turning It On
Overweight But Over You
Poison Pen
I Hate the 80's
Mouth to Mouth
Whitechapel
My God's Bigger Than Your God
Exit The Vaselines

The Vaselines Fall Tour Dates

Wed 15 Sep 2010 Edinburgh Bongo Room
Thu 16 Sep 2010 Newcastle Other Room
Fri 17 Sep 2010 Leeds Brudenell Social Club
Sat 18 Sep 2010 Liverpool Static Gallery
Sun 19 Sep 2010 Cardiff Millenium Music Hall
Mon 20 Sep 2010 Nottingham Rescue Rooms
Tue 21 Sep 2010 Bristol Thekla
Wed 22 Sep 2010 London The Scala
Thu 23 Sep 2010 Manchester Deaf Institute
Fri 24 Sep 2010 UK Glasgow Oran Mor

Bio:
Formed in Glasgow in 1987, The Vaselines released two singles and one album, Dum Dum, on the 53rd & 3rd label. Splitting up in 1989 (in the same week their album was released), they might have faded into obscurity but for the intervention of a certain band from Seattle. Nirvana covered three Vaselines songs, helping to fuel a growing after-the-fact appreciation of their seedy, two-and-a-half chord, garage pop manifesto.

Founding members Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee remained musically active throughout the intervening years: the former with Captain America aka Eugenius and finally as a solo artist; McKee with Painkillers and Suckle.

Eugene and Frances collaborated intermittently in the intervening years. They toured jointly and played a few of the old songs together in the wake of their respective solo project releases in 2006. But an acclaimed, unannounced appearance at a fundraiser in Glasgow's Mono for Malawi Orphan Support in 2008 was the real catalyst for their latest, exciting bout of creativity.

Ensuing tours of America (including a stand-out appearance at Sub Pop’s 20th anniversary festival, SP20), Brazil, Japan and some UK festival dates saw The Vaselines “re-connect” with wildly appreciative audiences who had blinked and missed them the first time round. Buoyed by the success of their live return, the two punk rock chums decided to go back into the studio.

Crystal Castes Announces More Tour Dates

Bear in Heaven have reworked "Celestica" by Crystal Castles. You can read an interview with Crystal Castles and listen to the track on dazeddigital.com.

Crystal Castles On Tour:
8-July - Les Ardentes HF6 Festival, Belgium
10-July - Slovakia, Trencin, Pohoda Festival's Dance Arena
11-July - Exit Festival, Novi Sad Serbia
17-July - Latitude Festival in Southwold, Suffolk, England
31-July - Emmaboda Festival, Sweden


6-Aug Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
7-Aug Los Angeles, CA - Hard Summer Music Festival
8-Aug Denver, CO - Ogden Theater
11-Aug Austin, TX - Stubb's
13-Aug Chicago, IL - Congress Theater
14-Aug Toronto, Ontario - Koolhaus
15-Aug Montreal, Quebec - Metropolis
17-Aug Boston, MA - House of Blues
18-Aug Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
20-Aug Washington, DC - 9:30
21-Aug New York, NY - Terminal 5
22-Aug Baltimore, MD - Sonar
27-Aug Leeds Festival, UK
28-Aug Reading Festival, UK


2-Sept Milan, Italy, Magnolia Parade Festival
4-Sept Electric Picnic, Ireland


8-Oct Ireland, Belfast, Mandela Hall
9-Oct Ireland, Dublin, Academy
11-Oct Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall
12-Oct Bournemouth O2 Academy
15-Oct London Roundhouse
16-Oct Bristol O2 Academy
18-Oct Liverpool O2 Academy
19-Oct Glasgow O2 ABC
20-Oct Nottingham Rock City
22-Oct Manchester Academy
23-Oct Leeds Metropolitan Unversity
24-Oct Norwich UEA

The Black Belles

The Black Belles are on Jack White's Third Man Records.

"What Can I Do?"




Third Man Promo Featuring The Black Belles "What Can I Do?"
The Black Belles 'What Can I Do?'

CALLmeKAT on Tour and a free MP3

Here is a free MP3 for her song "Flower in the Night."

CALLmeKAT Tour Dates:

Thu 6/17: Toronto, ON - Official NXNE showcase @ NOW Lounge

Fri 6/18: Toronto, ON - Official NXNE showcase @ Czehoski
Sat 6/19: Toronto, ON - 5th annual João Carvalho Mastering NXNE BBQ
Mon 6/21: New York, NY - Scandinavia House
Thu 6/24: Brooklyn, NY - Northside Festival @ Warsaw w/ Au Revoir Simone
Tue 6/29: New York, NY - Mercury Lounge w/ Alexa Wilding

"My Sea"

Tegan and Sara, Holly Miranda, Amanda Palmer & More Cover New Steel Train

This is my laziest post ever and the last one for tonight.

Directly from the press release:

TEGAN & SARA, SCARLETT JOHANSSON, AMANDA PALMER , HOLLY MIRANDA, ANGEL DERADOORIAN AND OTHERS COVER
NEW STEEL TRAIN ALBUM

TERRIBLE THRILLS VOL. 1 AVAILABLE WITH PRE-ORDER OF
STEEL TRAIN - OUT JUNE 29th

STEEL TRAIN ON TOUR THIS SUMMER

CurtisLaneEPcover

With the release of their upcoming self-titled album approaching, Steel Train is proud to announce an exclusive all-female companion album that features each of the new album's twelve tracks reinterpreted, re-imagined and remixed by some of Steel Train's favorite female artists. The release entitled Terrible Thrills Vol. 1 will feature friends and collaborators Tegan & Sara, Scarlett Johansson, Holly Miranda, Deradoorian, Amanda Palmer and Anna Waronker, among others. Terrible Thrills Vol. 1 will be available via pre-orders and vinyl / deluxe packages at www.steeltrain.net. Steel Train will be released on the band's own label Terrible Thrills on June 29th.

"What makes this album so special to us is that each of these amazing artists took our songs and made it into something totally new and special" says songwriter Jack Antonoff. "They've created an altered universe version of Steel Train."

Praised by Spin, Entertainment Weekly, Alternative Press, Esquire and Relix for his passionate songwriting, Terrible Thrills holds special significance to Antonoff. "I couldn't be happier with how the new Steel Train album turned out. But when I was writing these new songs, I had pictured a female taking the lead. With Terrible Thrills, my wish came true," laughs Antonoff.

The first track from Terrible Thrills Vol. 1 will be available shortly via the band's website. Steel Train will head out on a national headlining tour beginning June 22nd. Tour dates below.

Terrible Thrills Vol. 1 Artists (in order of appearance):

Scarlett Johansson
Tegan & Sara
Holly Miranda
Deradoorian
Alia Shawkat
Amanda Palmer
Elizabeth and the Catapult
Charlotte Caffey (of The Go Go's) and Astrid McDonald
Anna Waronker
Rachel Antonoff
and more ...

TOUR DATES:

June 22 Mercury Lounge New York, NY
June 24 Eagle Theatre Pontiac, MI
June 25 Summerfest Milwaukee, WI
June 26 The Firebird St. Louis, MO
June 27 Lincoln Hall Chicago, IL
June 29 Bluebird Theatre Denver, CO
June 30 Kilby Court Salt Lake City, UT
July 2 Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA
July 6 El Rey Los Angeles, CA
July 7 Rhythm Room Phoenix, AZ
July 9 Emo's Alternative Lounge Austin, TX
July 10 House of Blues Dallas, TX
July 12 The Social Orlando, FL
July 12 Drunken Unicorn Atlanta, GA
July 14 Exit/In Nashville, TN
July 16 Grog Shop Cleveland, OH
July 17 Water St. Music Hall Rochester, NY
July 20 Jammin Java Vienna, VA
July 21 First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, PA
July 22 Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
July 23 Middle East Cambridge, MA

www.steeltrain.net
www.myspace.com/steeltrain
www.facebook.com/steeltrain
www.twitter.com/steeltrain

Prince Rama Gets Help From Animal Collective

Prince Rama are a new band who will release their debut album Shadow Temple on Paw Tracks in September. (Sorry I don't have anything more specific just yet.) To check out music and more - visit his myspace here.

Press releae info:
Raised on a Hare Krishna commune in Florida, educated at art school in Boston, and now making noise and living in Brooklyn, Prince Rama are the latest addition to the Paw Tracks roster. Their new album Shadow Temple is an epic shrine of swirling synths, pulsing guitars, and thunder drums. An ethereal chorus of voices and anthemic melodies create a reverb-washed mine of sonic artifacts drawing from southeast Asian rituals, krautrock legacies, chopped and screwed homages, hallucinatory operas, and dance hall psychedelia. Recorded in Kurt Vonnegut's grandson's cabin and a 135-year-old haunted church with the help of Animal Collective members Avey Tare and Deakin, Shadow Temple offers itself as a sincere porthole into a mysterious realm that defies material understanding.

MP3/Canby

Canby (Scott Yoshimura) will release the new album Rat on July 20. The album is the first release for both Canby and Aqui Estamos Records, an independent label located in Des Moines, Iowa. Yoshimura pens and sings the songs, plays the guitar, and records the drums. Grab an MP3 for the strings tinged single "Rat" right here.

Trivia:
Scott Yoshimura is also the drummer for The Envy Corps.

Chocolate Genius Inc.

Chocolate Genius Inc. (a.k.a. Marc Anthony Thompson) is set to release Swansongs August 31 on One Little Indian. The album is touted as "The Fourth Album Of An Extended Epic Trilogy."

Here's "My Mom" from last year which is both gorgeous and tragic:


Bio from the press release:
Born in Panama, raised in California, and molded by New York's music scene. Two solo albums before Cobain took over. A long break, as children are raised and life is truly lived. The creation of Chocolate Genius Inc., an alter ego that quickly transcended such a title. Sound-expanding collaborations with Meshell Ndegeocello, Van Dyke Parks, Doveman, Cibo Matto, 2/3 of Medeski, Martin & Wood, and Thompson's only constant, Marc Ribot. And then, a seemingly sudden glimpse of high thread counts and private jets on Springsteen's Seeger Sessions Tour in 2006, followed by an "emotional roller coaster" in Senegal.

That one never quite left the back of Thompson's mind, a space shared with thoughts of strange coincidences and slaughtered animals, love and loss, family and friends. Music to match every valley and peak, free of genre constraints or any particular scene despite what you may have heard about Thompson's co-starring role in the 'neo-soul movement'.

And now this: Swansongs, the final chapter in an extended trilogy (see also: 1998's Black Music, 2001's Godmusic and Black Yankee Rock released in 2004 ) that's turned first-person tales into truth-seeking therapy sessions. More than just an exploration of the letter "I", you know? Or as Thompson puts it, "Gracefully embracing decay is the constant theme. Letting go. The curse of religion. The passion is the poison. That old dilemma—worship and penance; sparkle and fade; bass and trouble."

True to its title, Swansongs says goodbye to many people, places and things, including some rather important characters that left us several albums ago. Listen closely and you'll see their spectral trails, discovering how ghosts have been here since the beginning, starting with the solemn sleeve of Black Music, Thompson's first proper Chocolate Genius record.

"I'm sitting on the bed that my mother would die in right before we released the second offering, Godmusic," explains Thompson. "She sings vocals on the first song of that record ("Perfidia"). They were caught randomly when I was a kid, as she walked into my bedroom while I was learning how to record.

He continues, weaving a tangled web indeed: "Decades later, I am in Los Angeles trying to find her missing widower. On a piano that hasn't been tuned since the Watts Riots, I record 'Like a Nurse' and write four songs in that very same bedroom. A few days later, I find my father crashed into a pole on La Brea and Venice. It is the same intersection that I sang about in one of the first songs I’d ever written, 'Pinks & Greens'."

Stricken with sorrow and the unwavering hand of fate, Thompson finished "Sit & Spin" on the final day of his father's life. The spare, piano-driven ballad is one of 11 chapters in the Swansongs cycle, a struggle with letting go that arrives two tracks after a voicemail collage that calls out from beyond the grave. As it turns out, the messages—all wrapped up in queasy ambient soundscapes—are simply the sound of Thompson's father trying to get a hold of him over the years.

"I used the recordings of my parents on both releases because they are priceless artifacts to me," explains Thompson, "and I wanted to lock them in the time capsule that each of these documents are. My children's children will be able to download a little piece of their history. An indulgent, guilty conceit and perhaps nothing more - but I love the recording of my mom singing and the humor and spirit of my folks shines on both offerings."

The same can be said for every word and note plastered across the pages of Swansongs, an album that ties up the loose ends of Thompson's never-ending story. Meanwhile, his Chocolate Genius guise shifts ever-so-subtly, as Thompson embraces a simple idea—to "record something I didn't have to apologize for...a complete listening experience."

An abridged track-by-track translation: the fluttering falsetto foreground of "Like a Nurse"; the speaker-panning headphone symphonies of "How I Write My Songs"; the creepy, claustrophobic chamber pop of "Lump"; and ultimate Swansong “Ready Now," which eventually fades off into the distance alongside one last lonesome chord. The only thing missing is the creaking sound of a closed door.

"Reluctantly, the book of songs is done," says Thompson, who also dabbles in sound design and theatre/film scores (American Splendor, Twin Falls Idaho, the Obie-winning A Huey P. Newton Story). "I say reluctantly because I’ll soon have to stare at a blank page again, and greet whatever is next. That’s always the tricky part—by the time music is released, the process usually inspires an entirely new workflow, or has you headed to the road, sofa, beach, airport or bar. At least that’s been my syndrome. Though I write constantly, I release things sporadically at best, and sometimes as quietly as a cough. As Richard Ford says, 'When a tree falls in the forest, who cares but the monkeys?'

Against Me!

Against Me! have a new album - White Crosses - due next week. The band is currently on tour and just recently stopped by Daytrotter for a live session, and you can listen here.

On tour:
June 5--Irvine, CA--KROQ Weenie Roast
June 6--Mountain View, CA--Live 105’s BFD 2010
June 13--Manchester, TN--Bonnaroo
June 15--Orlando, FL--Hard Rock *
June 16--Boca Raton, FL--Sunset Cove Amphitheater *
June 18--Tampa, FL--Ritz Ybor *
June 19--Atlanta, GA--The Tabernacle *
June 20--Raleigh, NC--The Disco Rodeo *
June 21--Richmond, VA--The National *
June 23--Washington D.C.--DAR Constitution Hall *
June 24--Montclair, NJ--Wellmont Theater *
June 25--Brooklyn, NY--Williamsburg Waterfront *
June 27--Boston, MA--WFNX Clam Bake
June 28--Philadelphia, PA--Great Plaza at Penn's Landing *
June 29--Toronto, ON--Sound Academy *
July 2--Detroit, MI--The Fillmore *
July 11--Louisville, KY--Forecastle Festival
July 16--Las Vegas, NV--The Joint *
July 17--Tempe, AZ--Marquee Theatre *
July 19--Austin, TX--Stubb’s Waller Creek *
July 20--Houston, TX--Warehouse Live *
July 21--Dallas, TX--Palladium Ballroom *
July 24--St. Louis, MO--Fair Saint Louis*
July 26--Denver, CO--The Fillmore Auditorium *
July 27--Salt Lake City, UT--The Rail *
July 29--Portland, OR--Crystal Ballroom *
July 31--Seattle, WA--The Paramount Theatre *
August 12--Oslo, Norway--Oya Festival
August 15--Ankkarock, Finland--Ankkarock Festival
August 18--Zurich, Switzerland--Rote Fabrik
August 24--Malmo, Sweden--The Malmo Festival

* w/ Silversun Pickups