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).

The War On Drugs Release New Video & Free MP3

Philadelphia’s The War On Drugs have released a brand new video for the charging, triumphant album track ‘Come To The City’ plus giving away a free download of the track.

Ahead of the release of ‘Slave Ambient’, The War On Drugs’ sophomore album of mile-high rock anthems, due out August 15 on Secretly Canadian, the band have teamed up with Urban Outfitters for this hazy promo clip. The video follows an LA gang doing some wilding on the outskirts of the sprawling metropolis.

The War on Drugs - "Come to the City" (Official Music Video) from Urban Outfitters on Vimeo.

Download ‘Come To The City’ here:

Come to the City by DOJAGSC

Also you can now hear ‘Slave Ambient’ streamed in it’s anthemic entirety exclusively on Urban Outfitters for a limited time HERE.

Bearsuit - Video for new single "Princess You're a Test"‏

Dark, relentless and thickly laden with dirty, heavy bass, 'Princess You’re A Test' sees Norwich 5-piece Bearsuit take a turn to the dark side. As the fourth single from their recent album 'The Phantom Forest' (released on Fortuna POP! earlier this year) 'Princess You’re A Test' is an altogether darker proposition. Guaranteed to set the indie-disco dancefloors ablaze, the song delves into the mysteries lying await in the phantom forest. Watch the brand new (slightly spooky) video for the song here:



Bearsuit are about to embark on their first tour across mainland Europe, stopping at the Contempopranea and Razzmatazz festivals in Spain as well as Sweden’s Cosy Den festival among others.

DATES:

July 29 Contempopranea Festival – Alburquerque, SPAIN
July 30 Razzmatazz Festival - Barcelona, SPAIN
July 31 Hossegor Festival – Hossegor, FRANCE
August 2 Saint Ex – Bordeaux, FRANCE
August 3 L’International – Paris, FRANCE
August 5 Studenterhauset – Copenhagen, DENMARK
August 6 Cosy Den Festival – Stockholm, SWEDEN
August 14 Old Blue Last – London, UK

Timber Timbre release new video & UK/European tour dates‏

Following the recent announcement that their second album ‘Creep On Creepin’ On’ has been nominated for the Polaris Prize, Canadian trio Timber Timbre have revealed a new video for album track 'Bad Ritual', featuring dark, Lynchian imagery akin to the track's brooding melody.



Timber Timbre have also revealed a few more live dates across the UK/Europe. Most notably these include London's Union Chapel, an appearance at End of The Road festival and a tour for Les Inrocks.

Full dates are as follows:

AUGUST
10 Basel, Switzerland – Festival Im Fluss
11 Gothenburg, Sweden – Way Out West
13 Haldern, Germany – Haldern Festival
14 Hamburg, Germany – Dockville
16 Nijmegen, Holland – Doornroosje
17 Tivoli, Holland – Tivoli de Helling
20 Biddinghuizen, Holland – Lowlands
21 Hannover, Germany – Bootboohook Festival
23 Brussels, Belgium – Feeerieen Festival
25 Dudingen, Switzerland – Bad Bonn
26 Zurich, Switzerland – Exil
27 Luzern, Switzerland – Sudpol
29 Frankfurt, Germany - Brotfabrik

SEPTEMBER
1 Brighton, UK - Jam
3 Dorset, UK – End Of The Road Festival @ Larmer Tree Gardens

NOVEMBER
1 London, UK – Union Chapel www.livenation.co.uk
3 Paris, France – Festival les Inrocks @ Cigale
4 Strasbourg, France – Festival les Inrocks @ La Laiterie
5 Lyons, France – Festival les Inrocks @ le Transbordeur
6 Marseille, France – Festival les Inrocks @ Cabaret aleatoire

The Boxer Rebellion: Last.fm secret session and interview online!

Over the last few weeks you've probably heard us talking about the secret pop-up acoustic Last FM sessions throughout the summer. These sessions have been organised to help promote the recently announced partnership between HP and Last.fm celebrating the Beats audio technology that comes with HP Premium PC, laptop and tablet devices through a series of live music events and artist interviews, curated by Last.fm.

Last month, on July 14, The Boxer Rebellion hit Carnaby Street in central London. They amassed a huge crowd on the bustling street under the summer sun. Everyone from fans to school trippers, tourists and curious passers by stopped to watch the band play this very special live set.



Another pop-up session will be take place in London in August, hosted by Black Cab Sessions in association with Last.fm, watch this space for details.

Pad & Pen Records launch in UK

Pad & Pen Records are a two-man indie record label, distribution and management company based in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Founded in 2008 by Troels Kjeldgaard, Pad & Pen was set up as an outlet for his love of hip-hop and rock music. Later that year, Pad & Pen released their first record – a 12-inch single by Danish hip-hop group, Majors.

This was just the beginning. In late 2008 Pad & Pen welcomed co-owner, Andre Lerche, kick-starting a flurry of releases and a rise in the label’s reputation. Having signed Darling Don’t Dance, who released their debut EP in May 2009, the band elevated the label within the Danish underground music scene, paving the way for the signing of bands such as King’s Light Infantry, The Shaking Sensations, Among Relatives and L.Y.A.

With their reputation cemented in Denmark, Pad & Pen Records signed their heroes Mimas and joined forces with UK label Big Scary Monsters to release Mimas’ music in Scandinavia. With a burgeoning relationship fostered with Big Scary Monsters, Pad & Pen signed the explosive Talons, who would prove a hit amongst the Danish music press.

Pad & Pen Records have now set their sights on the UK, aiming to bring their inventive and varied brand of indie music kicking and screaming from the underground music scene in Denmark, to the music loving public of the UK.

Artists currently on their roster include:

The Megaphonic Thrift
L.Y.A
Talons
Among Relatives
Keith Canisius
Darling Don't Dance
Emil Friis
King's Light Infantry
Mimas
The Shaking Sensations

And they're letting you lucky peeps download a totally free sampler here:
Pad & Pen Records Compilation Vol.1 by abadgeoffriendship

Introducing... The Shaking Sensations

Our good friends at A Badge Of Friendship would like to draw your attention to a fine band of Danish Post Rockers who go by the name of The Shaking Sensations (not Shaking Stevens as i first read it!).

Having released their 2010 debut EP, 'This Is Your Hellfire Region', the band experienced a sharp rise to prominence in Denmark due to the simple melodies that would lead the listener on a tranquil, dream like journey before culminating in a beautiful, often deafening chaos.

Debut album, East of Youth, encapsulates everything that is good about an over populated genre with tracks like “Our Hearts Were Young and Gay” featuring heart-wrenching guitar work throughout which, while sparse, conjures up a variety of reflective emotions. This is in stark contrast to album closer, “Homage to Boyhood”, which really defines the bands heavier side. The track also showcases why the band have opted for two drummers perfectly, both rhythmically and in terms of the sheer wall of sound they manage to create.

Wondering what they sound like? Have a listen here:
The Shaking Sensations - Glass Wings by abadgeoffriendship

Videos from The Sound Of Arrows

Swedish duo, and alleged Madonna botherers, The Sound Of Arrows have not one but two videos for your delectation and amusement.

The first is for their new single, which was out on Monday (25th), called 'Magic'.
Set in a world where all the adults have disappeared, the colourful 4 minute epic video brings to mind the enchanting mystery of Del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth” and the playful imagination of Pixar’s creations. It’s “Where The Wild Things Are” meets “The Neverending Story”, and every bit as fantastical, beguiling, and eye-poppingly stunning as that sounds.



As if that isn't enough, they've given us this lovely mini-doc on how the video was made:




The Sound of Arrows play the following festival dates this summer:

July 01 Blissfields Festival Winchester
July 15 Melt Festival Germany
July 16 Lovebox Festival London
Aug 18 Pukkelpop Festival Belgium

Bachelorette reveals psychedelic new video for 'Blanket'

Following her UK and European tour last month, Bachelorette (aka Annabel Alpers) hasn’t rested, as we can now bring you her kaleidoscopic new video for ‘Blanket’, taken from her self-titled, third album....

Bachelorette - Blanket from Souterrain Transmissions on Vimeo.