[News] Justin Vernon: Bon Iver is "Winding it down"

Bon Iver has been such a prominent figure in the indie rock scene for quite a few years now, but with only two albums and an EP under their belt, it appears the Justin Vernon-led outfit are going to be winding things down. During a recent appearance on Minnesota radio station 89.3 The Current's Local Show, Vernon responded with the following when asked what Bon Iver was up to at the moment (via The Daily Swarm):

Winding it down. I look at it like a faucet. I have to turn it off and walk away from it because so much of how that music comes together is subconscious or discovering. There’s so much attention on the band, it can be distracting at times. I really feel the need to walk away from it while I still care about it. And then if I come back to it – if at all – I'll feel better about it and be renewed or something to do that."

A representative from the band's label Jagjaguwar responded shortly after, saying, "They are just going off cycle after two very busy years on this record." While we let this ruminate, you can watch Bon Iver's full concert at New York's Radio City Music Hall, which is streaming on YouTube for the next two days. Watch it below.

[News] Animal Collective Announce New Single for November

Animal Collective have announced that the second single from their ninth studio LP Centipede Hz will be the sprawling, upbeat number "Applesauce". Sporting artwork reminiscent of 2007's Strawberry Jam, the single will be released on 10" vinyl and digitally on November 11th, with the non-album song "Crimson" backing it up. The single is now available to pre-order.

Stream the "Applesauce" b-side "Crimson" below, and make sure to watch Animal Collective's late night support of Centipede Hz tonight on Conan and on October 4th on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

[News] RZA Announces 'The Iron Fists Tour'

Leading up to the release of his debut feature length film The Man With the Iron Fists, RZA will embark on The Iron Fists Tour. Kicking off at New York's Music Hall of Williamsburg on October 3rd, the tour will take the Wu-Tang to major cities across the U.S., ending on October 24th in Los Angeles. Rap Dose reports that each stop along the way will see RZA bringing a special guest on to the stage, where they will perform a unique setlist. Check out hiss full tour schedule after the jump. along with the red- band trailer for his film.

The Man With the Iron Fists is in theatres on November 2nd.

RZA 2012 Tour Dates:
10/03 – New York, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
10/04 – Boston, MA @ The Royale
10/07 – Baltimore, MD @ Soundstage
10/08 – Falls Church, VA @ The State Theatre
10/10 – Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl
10/12 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew’s
10/13 – Chicago, IL @ Shrine
10/15 – Austin, TX @ Beauty Ballroom
10/16 – Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s
10/19 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
10/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ House of Blues

[News] Dirty Projectors Announce New EP, 'About to Die'

Just over two months after releasing their amazing sixth LP Swing Lo Magellan, rock outfit Dirty Projectors have announced a brand new EP titled About to Die. The EP, which will be released on November 6th, will include four tracks (all of which you can see after the jump), and will be released digitally and on 12" vinyl through Domino Records.

The band has released a video for "About to Die", the title track from the EP, which features clips from their recent short film Hi Custodian. Watch it below.

About To Die EP Tracklist:
01. About To Die
02. While You’re Here
03. Here Til It Says I’m Not
04. Simple Request

[News] Is Kanye West Prepping Another Album for Next Month?

All day, reports have been swirling around the blogosphere of a possible sixth studio LP from Kanye West titled Black American Psycho, with a registered domain displaying the image pictured above. Going further, HipHopWired reported the following:

According to the website www.blackamericanpsycho.com, which is a domain owned by Def Jam Records, Kanye will be dropping what is allegedly is sixth studio album on October 23rd, 2012. Reports are surfacing that the number of artists that flew to Hawaii last month to finish Cruel Summer were actually on the island to work on Black American Psycho and not the group’s compilation album."

While a new Kanye West album would be especially amazing following the release of Cruel Summer, it appears the rumors are false, with the domain www.blackamericanpsycho.com now displaying the following message:

This website is in no way affiliated with Def Jam Records or Kanye West. The Black American Psycho title and the 10.23.2012 release date are fictitious. I apologise for misleading people, I did not expect the site to generate so much traffic and be taken seriously."

For the time being, a sixth LP from 'Ye is unconfirmed, but there's always the possibility that he is in fact prepping a new studio effort. Stay tuned for more information.

[News] Darwin Deez Announces Brief U.S./EU Tour

It has been quite a long time since we've heard from SKoA favorite Darwin Deez, whose self-titled debut album made it into our top 10 favorite albums of 2010, but the New York indie outfit is back! The band has been hard at work on their sophomore LP in Asheville, NC for the better part of this year, and they are asking fans to join them as they rediscover themselves as a band with a slew of tour dates. Starting on November 8th, the brief U.S. tour will see them visiting eight cities over the course of nine days, followed by solo dates in London, Paris, and Berlin. Check out the full tour schedule after the jump, and stay tuned for more from Darwin Deez in the coming weeks!

Darwin Deez 2012 Tour Dates:

Nov. 8th, LOCAL 506, Chapel Hill, NC, USA ($10 All Ages) (tickets)
Nov. 9th, THE EARL, Atlanta, GA, USA ($10 +21yr's) (tickets)
Nov. 10th, UNDERBELLY, Jacksonville, FL, USA ($8 +18yr’s) (tickets)
Nov. 11th, THE SOCIAL, Orlando, FL, USA ($12 +18yr's) (tickets)
Nov. 12th, CROWBAR, Tampa, FL, USA ($10 +18yr’s) (tickets)
Nov. 14th, GREY EAGLE TAVERN, Asheville, NC, USA ($8 All Ages) (tickets)
Nov. 16th, THE SOUTHERN, Charlottesville, VA, USA ($10 All Ages) (tickets)
Nov. 17th, BLACK CAT, Washington, DC, USA ($15 All Ages) (tickets)
Nov. 28th, XOYO, London, UK (£14 +16yr’s) (tickets)
Nov. 29th, BOULE NOIRE, Paris, FR (€17 All Ages)(tickets)
Nov. 30th, MAGNET CLUB, Berlin, GER (€15 +16yr’s)(tickets)

[News] Biffy Clyro Announce Tracklist & Release Date For 'Opposites'

Well it's been an exciting few months for fans of Biffy Clyro. We've got to see them debut new songs live at festivals, release a new track in the form of "Stingin' Bell" and then talk with Zane Lowe regarding the double release which is titled Opposites. As we'd previously mentioned we thought it was going to be a double LP each disc titled differently. The Land At The End Of Our Toes and The Sand At The Core Of Our Bones respectively. Turns out that is what the separate discs are called in the neatly wrapped package called Opposites. 

Today the band have offered up a release date for the album... drum roll please... January 28th 2013 in the UK, France, Denmark, Norway & Finland,  January 25th in Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium & Switzerland and on January 29th in Italy and Spain. The release dates for Australia, Japan, North and South America will be announced shortly. Yes, we know that's quite a while to wait but the band are also set to play the iTunes festival in London this very weekend and we'll be there to give you all the news regarding the sound of the new tracks they play!

The album itself was recorded in LA with the legendary Garth Richardson and will comprise 20 songs which you can pre-order right now over here. The track-listing can be seen below. (Note the image above is just a temporary cover and not the final artwork!)

Opposites

The Sand At The Core Of Our Bones

1. Stingin' Belle
2. Sounds Like Balloons
3. Biblical
4. The Joke's On Us
5. Black Chandelier
6. A Girl And His Cat
7. Opposite
8. The Fog
9. Little Hospitals
10.The Thaw 

The Land At The End Of Our Toes

1. Different People
2. Modern Magic Formula
3. Spanish Radio
4. Victory Over The Sun
5. Pocket
6. Trumpet Or Tap
7. Skylight
8. Accident Without Emergency
9. Woo Woo
10. Picture A Knife Fight

[News] Death From Above 1979 to Debut New Material During Upcoming Tour

Death From Above 1979 are using their recently announced Canadian tour for more than just appealing to those who hold 2004's You're a Woman, I'm a Machine so dear (although it really is an amazing album), opting instead to use the opportunity to debut new material. This makes it the first time the duo has written new material together since, well, their debut. Here is what Sebastien Granger had to say in a letter posted on the band's official website:

Jesse and I have been writing new songs and the only way we feel like we can make them any good is to go out and play them for people. We’re going to throw our little muscle bound babies to the lions and see who survives. We tried just jumping into the studio, but the songs lacked spirit. They lacked life.

So this tour is song CPR.

There’s no way for us to do it anonymously anymore, so we’re inviting you to come along with us. Watch us Do It. The way we used to. The way everyone used to. We’re a band, and bands just work it out together."

The Canadian-only tour kicks off on October 28th in Hamilton, ON, and runs through till November 11th. Check out the band's full tour schedule after the jump.

Death From Above 1979 2012 Tour Dates:
10/28 – Hamilton, ON @ Studio Theatre
10/29 – Peterborough, ON @ Venue
10/30 – London, ON @ London Music Hall
11/01 – Kitchener, ON @ Wax Nightclub
11/02 – Laval, QC @ Studio Theatre
11/03 – Quebec City, QC @ Union Commericale
11/04 – Ottawa, ON @ Ritual
11/05 – Kingston, ON @ Alehouse
11/07 – Fredericton, NB @ THe Market
11/08 – Moncton, NB @ Oxygen
11/09 – Halifax, NS @ Olympic Hall
11/11 – St. Johns, NL @ Club One