Johan Reinhold - Shoot Me Down Remix EP

Swedish indie electro-popper Johan Reinhold has just released an EP of remixes to accompany 'Shoot Me Down', the first single from his forthcoming album 'Beautiful Loser'.

Over the years Johan Reinhold has been involved with several musical endeavors that has given him a following in his native Sweden. His last effort won local praise for its cinematic sound and was later nominated for a Swedish Grammy Award in 2009. Having finished touring Europe that same year Johan Reinhold made an abrupt change and decided to switch his creative path. “I wanted to try something different and explore new territories. I needed to evolve,” he says.

Have a listen to the EP here:
Johan Reinhold - Shoot Me Down (The Remix EP) by JohanReinhold

Shearwater - New album & track stream

Shearwater have long been one of our favourite bands here at E&D so whenever we hear they've got new material out there's always a few ripples of excitment around the office.

The album, 'Animal Joy', is out through Sub Pop on February 27 and apprently is going to be 'edgier' than their previous work.

You can judge for yourself with the sneak peak stream of 'Breaking The Yearlings':

Catch them on their EU tour in the spring:

28/03/12 : Bitterzoet – Amsterdam (NL)
29/03/12 : Botanique – Brussels (B)
30/03/12 : The Haunt – Brighton (UK)
31/03/12 : The Deaf Institute – Manchester (UK)
01/04/12 : Stereo – Glasgow (UK)
03/04/12 : Scala – London (UK)
04/04/12 : Le Grand Mix – Tourcoing (F)
05/04/12 : La Maroquinerie – Paris (F)
06/04/12 : Bad Bonn – Düdingen (CH)
08/04/12 : Palace – St.Gallen (CH)
09/04/12 : Bloom – Mezzago (Milan) (I)
10/04/12 : Circolo degli Artisti – Rome (I)
11/04/12 : Bronson – Madonna dell’albero (Ravenna) (I)
12/04/12 : Menza pri Koritu – Ljubljana (Slovenia)
16/04/12 : Groove Station – Dresden (D)
17/04/12 : Prinzenbar – Hamburg (D)
18/04/12 : Comet – Berlin (D)
19/04/12 : Babylon – Istanbul (TR)
21/04/12 : AN Club – Athens (GR)

Italian hardcore quartet HOLY release debut EP on Jan 23rd

Four friends gave birth to HOLY in the hot summer of 2011 in Milano, Italy. Whilst most people were hanging out in shorts and sunglasses, planning their holiday and heading to the seaside, HOLY were locked inside a hot, sweaty rehearsal room, writing songs.

It only took a few days to give birth to a fistful of songs, 8 to be exact. Soon after, a demo was recorded in the same hot, sweaty rehearsal room, which instead of being a demo became HOLY's debut release.

Clocking up 8 furious songs in an insane 11 minutes, their self-titled debut EP is released on 12” vinyl on January 23rd through Italian DIY label Hell, Yes!

Watch the video for the EP’s opening track, ‘The Wrong Side’ here:

Okkervil River Release ‘Golden Opportunities 2’ Free Mixtape

At the end of the year in 2007, Okkervil River released ‘Golden Opportunities Mixtape’, a free EP intended as a gift to fans. Called a ‘Must Have Download’ by Rolling Stone, the songs were recorded on the road throughout Europe and America during extensive touring for their album 'The Stage Names'. This year, the band continues that tradition in the sequel release ‘Golden Opportunities 2’, which both hearkens back to the original release and varies the formula.

‘Golden Opportunities 2’, comprising of 5 cover versions, is available to download from the Okkervil River website, in both MP3 and lossless formats.

Track listing:
'It is So Nice to Get Stoned' (by Ted Lucas)
'U.F.O.' (by Jim Sullivan)
'One Soul Less On Your Fiery List' (by David McComb)
'Plan D' (by Bill Fay)
'Dry Bones' (American Traditional)

Rumour Cubes announce new album details

Rumour Cubes have today announced that 'The Narrow State', their debut full lengther, will be released on 27th February 2012.

Just over a year since they grabbed people's attention with the 'We Have Sound Houses Also' EP, Rumour Cubes are now putting the finishing touches to 'The Narrow State', which has been recorded at Cafe Music Studios (Orbital, Brian Eno, King Creosote) in East London.

Rumour Cubes are a six piece instrumental band that fuse violin & viola, guitars, electronics and visual media in to extraordinary cinematic soundscapes. In the past year they have received radio play from BBC 6 Music’s Tom Robinson and appeared alongside Three Trapped Tigers and Her Name Is Calla on Sweeping The Nation and Cheery Wave Collective compilations.

As a taster of what you can expect from the album, listen to lead track 'The Gove Curve' here:
The Gove Curve by Rumour Cubes

Esben and The Witch man kicks off record label with Abi Wade release

A new Brighton record label formed by Esben & the Witch’s Daniel Copeman and local gig promoter Andy Rossiter have announced their first release. Called Love Thy Neighbour Records, the EP only label will launch on November 28th with cellist & singer Abi Wade’s debut release, ‘And Blood and Air EP’.

An amalgamation of strings and vocal chords, Abi’s music is seemingly and seamlessly sewn together, each beat, melody and bass line put exactly in its place to create songs that pull the heart strings and a performance that will beguile and intrigue.

See a video of Abi performing the first track from the EP, ‘Stability’ here:


Or listen / download it here:
Abi Wade - Stability by WorkItMedia

Team Morale give away free song

George Cloke and Oli Dewdney are a rather splendid indie/electro duo from Kent that goes by the name of Team Morale. They make lush instrumental soundscapes with guitars, bass, drums, organs, mandolins and banjos, with the net result sounding something like the love child of Warpaint and Mount Kimbie. The duo are 'doing it for the love' as 'they' say and only hope that others enjoy listening to their music as much as they enjoy making it.

Grab 'Sleep Deprivation' here:
Sleep Deprivation by Team Morale

Hyde & Beast Need You!! (if you play trumpet)

Hyde & Beast – The Futureheads’ Dave Hyde and ex-Golden Virgins’ drummer Neil Bassett - are offering fans the opportunity of a life time. They are looking for trumpet-playing fans to join them onstage during their UK tour which kicks off on Sunday in Newcastle! The band are after a different player for each night, and would like them to accompany them during performances of their recent single, ‘Never Come Back’.

Neil ‘Beast’ Bassett explained,"If you or someone you know can blow a mean horn then get in touch. We will get you and a mate into the show for free; we can have a little practice in soundcheck and then play the show. Should be a blast!"

To apply, simply send your name, contact details and the date you would like to play to hydeandbeast@hotmail.co.uk along with a confirmation that you have a trumpet you're able to use. The band will get back to those selected to play with more information. You can see the video for ‘Never Come Back’ here:


Hyde & Beast will be playing the following shows, and need a different trumpeter for each date except Manchester:

NOVEMBER
Sun 6 NEWCASTLE Cluny
Mon 7 SHEFFIELD The Harley
Tue 8 GLASGOW Captain’s Rest
Wed 9 EDINBURGH The Electric Circus
Thu 10 NOTTINGHAM Bodega
Fri 11 LIVERPOOL Contemporary Urban Centre
Sun 13 YORK Fibbers
Mon 14 BRISTOL Louisiana
Wed 16 LONDON Water Rats
Thu 17 MANCHESTER Deaf Institute
Fri 18 STOCKTON The Georgian Theatre

To coincide with the tour, Hyde & Beast are also releasing their new single, ‘You Will Be Lonely’, which is out on November 14th through their very own label, Tail Feather Records.

Free MP3 from The Lowriders

The Lowriders are giving away an MP3 of their single 'Big Moustache' to accompany the release of their album 'Fury'.

The Lowriders are Colchester based four-piece Dave Garlick (vox), Brian Ware (guitar), Adam Parrot (drums) and Jay Chamberlain (bass) who transformed in to their current guise in 2008, when they collectively decided to turn a new page, leaving their record label behind, renaming the four-piece & creating their own label (Adrenalin Records).

Grab a chunk of their raw and energetic sound here:
The Lowriders - Big Moustache by abadgeoffriendship

Dan Mangan - New album news & free download

Following numerous European jaunts, tours with The Walkmen, The Decemberists and Okkervil River, playing for Wills & Kate on their recent trip to Canada, award nominations and appearances at Glastonbury and End of the Road, Dan Mangan has joined City Slang. The Vancouver-based song smith will be releasing his captivating new album ‘Oh Fortune’ in the UK on December 5th.

As a taster of what to expect, you can download and hear lead track ‘Post War Blues’ here: http://soundcloud.com/cityslang/dan-mangan-post-war-blues

Or just take a listen here:

New video from I Am In Love

Young up and comers I Am In Love have been getting a lot of buzz recently, gaining fans from BBC Radio 1 presenters such as Edith Bowman and Greg James, performing to huge crowds at summer festivals Kendal Calling, Summer Sundae, Y Not festival and a headline tour in Germany and judging by this video for 'Call Me An Animal', taken from their forthcoming EP, it's easy to see why.

It's a lovely slice of dark, electro indie, reminiscent of The Cure (always going to be a winner at E&D towers) and nods in the direction of Wild Beasts.

Matt Stevens releases glorious new album

Loop guitar magician Matt Stevens releases his new album today (26/09) after 11 months of slaving away over a hot pedal board.

It is available now from his Bandcamp site on Digipack CD or Download.

He's also supporting the amazing guitar fella that is Jon Gomm on Wednesday in Islington, London - at time of writing there are 14 tickets left at WeGotTickets

iconAclass unleashes brand new video and Black Heart Procession remix

Ahead of the release of 'For The Ones' on Deadverse, IconAclass (best known for his work in dälek) unleashes a brand new video for the song 'Long Haul' and also a remix for The Black Heart Procession's 'Heaven and Hell'. We strongly encourage you to check them out:



Black Heart Procession - Heaven and Hell (dälek/iconAclass remix) by deadverserecordings

The next UK live physical appearance for iconAclass will be at Supersonic Festival in Birmingham but before that he will be appearing online on Saturday 24th September as part of Label Love & Factory Worker Music's PIAS fire virtual benefit gig.

Trojan Horse give away album!

Our favourite new prog overlords, Trojan Horse, are celebrating hitting 10,000 plays on Bandcamp by launching a new website & giving the album away for free before heading out on tour.

Formed back in 2007, Trojan Horse’s success has been long overdue, the group’s strong belief in a DIY aesthetic finally paying dividends this year with the sold out launch of Trojan Horse in Manchester, support from BBC 6music and Drowned In Sound, support slots with the likes of Vessels and Beecher and appearances at breakthrough underground festivals Sounds From The Other City and Fat Out Fest as well as playing for Love Music Hate Racism. You can now catch up on all the latest ‘Horse news at http://trojanhorseuk.com including latest touring dates.

Made up of brothers Nick (vocals/guitar,) Lawrence (bass/vocals,) and Eden Duke (keyboards/vocals) as well as drummer Guy Crawford, the prog-rockers have a slew of Autumn gigs coming up, including shows with Secret Chiefs 3 and Zun Zun Egui as well as a brace of London shows including the Transient Constellations all-dayer at Brixton’s Windmill. Trojan Horse are a force that seem to be only gathering momentum, their penchant for the diverse and bombastic forging together with ever more exhilarating results, the next instalment set to be an EP to be released before the end of the year. For now don’t miss your chance to download, for free, one of the finest albums to come out of Manchester this year. For more info go to http://trojanhorse.co.uk.

Forthcoming Tour Dates:

17/9 WINDMILL, BRIXTON, LONDON
24/9 TOWN HALL PUB, ECCLES, SALFORD MUSIC FESTIVAL
25/9 THE WILLOWS, SALFORD MUSIC FESTIVAL
28/9 THE 229, EUSTON, LONDON 12/10 THE BASEMENT, YORK
19/10 SUPPORTING ZUN ZUN EGUI, RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER
20/10 SUPPORTING CIRCLES, ISLINGTON MILL, SALFORD
29/10 WE ARE THE NIGHT, FELL FOOT FOREST, LAKE WINDERMERE, CUMBRIA

Free mp3 from Keith ToTP

After building up a stellar reputation among fellow musicians while touring Europe and the US, Keith Top Of The Pops & His Minor UK Indie Celebrity All-Star Backing Band are releasing their debut album - Fuck You! I'm Keith Top Of The Pops.

The band were formed by chance during an Art Brut show at The Knitting Factory in New York, when the support act pulled out at the last minute, and Keith and two members of the headline act joined forces to play some of Keith's songs. Since then, the band has existed in a constant state of flux, with band members often being recruited a few minutes before the show, and numbers ranging from just Keith and a drummer to 24 musicians, and a brass section, sharing the stage!

The band live by two rules - no rehearsals and no soundchecks - to ensure that every song they play sounds different every time. This novel approach is applied to the track listing on Fuck You! I'm Keith Top Of The Pops, as they were arranged based on the songs' first ever performance.

Keith has also attracted a fantastic line up of musicians to record alongside him, including Dyan Valdes of The Blood Arm, Fruitbat and Jimbob from Carter USM, Keith Murray and Chris Cain from We Are Scientists and Ian Catstiltskin, Eddie Argos and Jasper Future from Art Brut. As a result, the sound is a collection of wonderfully chaotic freeform rock tunes that sound like a cross between The Fall and Half Man Half Biscuit, with more bitter and twisted undertones.

With an album tour due in September, Keith Top Of The Pops & His Minor UK Indie Celebrity All-Star Backing Band, are sure to ruffle some feathers in the UK Indie music scene over the coming month.

You can download a sneak preview of this craziness here:
Keith Top Of The Pops & His Minor UK Indie Celebrity All-Star Backing Band - I Hate Your Band by abadgeoffriendship

Ghostpoet to play next Last FM pop-up session

The third in the summer (yes, it is summer still apparently) series of pop up gigs has just been announced.

Following gigs from Slow Club in Soho Square and Boxer Rebellion on Carnaby St, Mercury Music Prize nominated Ghostpoet is going to have a crack and will be popping up in The Big Chill Bar on Brick Lane this coming Monday (22nd) from 8pm.

This marks the last of the pop up sessions, hosted by Black Cab Sessions in association with Last.fm.

For the latest information on the pop-up sessions, exclusive content and artist interviews follow HP on Twitter and Facebook.

Hawk Eyes & Turbowolf released to wreak havoc together

The mighty Hawk Eyes are being let out of their cage to terrorise the country once again and this time they're bringing reinforcements in the shape of the awesome Turbowolf & The James Cleaver Quartet.

They will be riffing it up at these locations:

Tue 08 Nov 2011 Bristol Croft
Wed 09 Nov 2011 Cardiff Ifor Bach
Thu 10 Nov 2011 Colchester Arts Centre
Fri 11 Nov 2011 UK Southend Chinneys
Sat 12 Nov 2011 Nottingham Basement
Mon 14 Nov 2011 Birmingham Vudu
Tue 15 Nov 2011 Leeds Cockpit
Wed 16 Nov 2011 Glasgow King Tuts Wah Wah Hut
Thu 17 Nov 2011 Manchester Alter Ego
Fri 18 Nov 2011 UK Sheffield Corporation
Sat 19 Nov 2011 Aldershot Westend Centre
Sun 20 Nov 2011 Bournemouth Ibar
Tue 22 Nov 2011 London Upstairs at the Garage

Bring the fucking noise.

Free Spencer Park Music sampler

The lovely folk at Spencer Park Music have decided to pick a few of their favourite tunes by the artists on the label (Matt Stevens, The Fierce & The Dead, Datapuddle and Yonks) and compile them in to a rather fine, free, downloadable thingamabob.

As well as the fab music, it includes 2 essays, a discography, photos and press cuttings. It sums up the last 4 or 5 years of their stuff pretty well and hopefully will get some more people in to the music.

You can download it from their Bandcamp.

Neon Indian: Brand new album announced, London show next week and free download

Neon Indian is back with his second full-length offering ‘Era Extraña’, to be released on October 10th through Transgressive Records.

A special one-off London date has also been announced for Tuesday August 9th at Islington’s Electrowerkz venue. NPR exclusively revealed new track ‘Polish Girl'’ which you can hear by going to the Neon Indian Facebook page and clicking ‘Like’.

If that’s not enough, Neon Indian is also riding high in the blogging charts with the first taste of Era Extraña’, 'Fallout' which is online for free download now....

Esmerine release new video & October tour dates‏

In support of their recent album on Constellation, 'La Lechuza', Esmerine will embark on a UK tour this October. They have released a video to help promote the UK shows which can be viewed here:

Esmerine: UK Tour Promo 2011 from Constellation Records on Vimeo.

Here are the dates and touring line up info:

19 Sept Stereo, Glasgow
20 Sept Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
21 Sept Union Chapel, London

The touring line up is as follows:

Rebecca Foon - cello (Silver Mt. Zion)
Bruce Cawdron - marimba, percussion (Godspeed You! Black Emperor)
Sarah Pagé - harp (Lhasa de Sela, Barr Brothers)
Jamie Thompson - percussion (Islands, Unicorns)

With live lightbox projections by Clea Minaker
http://cleaminaker.wordpress.com/
(Responsible for live visuals for Feist tours 2008-2009)

Esmerine enters its second decade with an expanded line-up and a new album – the band's first in six years. As a duo co-founded ten years ago by percussionist Bruce Cawdron (Godspeed You! Black Emperor) and cellist Beckie Foon (Thee Silver Mt. Zion), Esmerine released two critically-acclaimed albums of modern chamber music in 2003 and 2005 that had one foot in the new music/experimental terrain of contemporaries like Rachel's or Town And Country and the other in a more visceral and lyrical landscape populated by the likes of Dirty Three (and GY!BE themselves).

Bruce and Beckie have continued stoking the embers of Esmerine, with occasional special events in their Montreal home town over the past few years, often including invitations to guest musicians. While Esmerine had made deft use of guest players on previous records, their performances over the past two years opened the band up to two new musicians in particular who were invited to join as full members: harp-player Sarah Page ( The Barr Brothers) and percussionist Andrew Barr (The Slip, Land of Talk, The Barr Brothers).