[Watch] Yellow Ostrich - "The Shakedown" (Official Video)

The new video for Yellow Ostrich's song "The Shakedown," from their sophomore LP Strange Land, premiered yesterday on NYLON, and it sees the band going low budget. Directed by the band themselves, this is what lead singer/guitarist Alex Schaaf had to say: "We made this video ourselves in Michael's basement. With no budget and minimal gear, we explored the beauty of darkness. The white light represents the past, and the black light represents the future. Should I stay or should I go?" Watch it above.

Yellow Ostrich is touring through till the end of the month alongside Los Campesinos! and again in August, so make sure to check out their full tour schedule to see if they will be performing near you. Tour dates after the jump.

Yellow Ostrich Tour Dates:

6/16 - Plush - St. Louis, MO #

6/17 - Headliners Music Hall - Louisville, KY #

6/19 - The Orange Peel - Asheville, NC # 

6/20 - The National - Richmond, VA #

6/21 - Maxwell's - Hoboken, NJ #

6/22 - Le Poisson Rouge - New York, NY #

6/23 - Brooklyn Bowl - Brooklyn, NY #

6/24 - Brillowbox - Pittsburgh, PA #

6/26 - Ottobar - Baltimore, MD #

6/27 - Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC #

6/28 - Masquerade - Atlanta, GA #

6/29 - Beachman Theatre - Orlando, FL #

6/30 - Bardot - Miami, FL #

8/2 - Turner Hall - Milwaukee, WI &

8/3-5 - Lollapalooza - Chicago, IL

8/9 - Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas - Las Vegas, NV

8/11 - Outside Lands - San Francisco, CA

# - w/ Los Campesinos!

& - w/ Sharon Van Etten, Tennis

[News] Mount Eerie Announces Second Album of 2012: 'Ocean Roar'

Mount Eerie, aka Phil Elverum, set out lofty goals for this year, with plans to put out two album by the time 2012 came to a close. His first release, titled Clear Moon, came out in May, and now he has announced that the follow-up will be titled Ocean Roar and will be released on September 4th via Elverum's own P.W. Elverum and Sun label.

An issued press release describes the album "as a counterpoint to the soft synth walls and landscape pondering of Clear Moon, presenting the opposite of that album's clear glints of awareness: a total wall of blue-grey oceanic fog, a half remembered dream of a trip through dense old growth hills to the gnarly winter ocean, in the middle of the night, decades ago. This album is the audio equivalent of the blanket of thick dark water vapor that covers the Pacific Northwest for most of the year, revealing only brief glimpses of illumination."

Below, you can stream an excerpt of the "Pale Lights" from the forthcomign LP. As well, after the jump, you can take a look at the tracklisting for Ocean Roar, as well as Mount Eerie's upcoming tour, which is set to start on June 17th in Olympia, WA.

Ocean Roar Tracklist:
01. Pale Lights
02. Ocean Roar
03. Ancient Times
04. instrumental
05. Waves
06. Engel Der Luft (Popol Vuh)
07. I Walked Home Beholding
08. instrumental

Mount Eerie 2012 Tour Dates:
06/17 – Olympia, WA @ Northern 414 1/2 Legion Way
06/18 – Portland, OR @ 4321 SE Hawthorne (2 shows, early & late)
06/19 – Portland, OR @ Valentine’s
06/20 – Seattle, WA @ 20/20 Cycle (2 shows, early & late)
06/21 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
06/22 – Nanaimo, BC @ TBA
06/23 – Victoria, BC @ The Fifty Fifty
06/24 – Bellingham, WA @ Make.Shift Art Space
07/13-15 – Anacortes, WA @ 1st Anacortes Unknown Music Series
08/24-26 – Rochester, WA @ Helsing Junction Sleepover

[News] The Raveonettes Announce New Album: 'Observator'

Danish dream pop duo The Raveonettes have announced their sixth studio LP, titled Observator, which is set to be released on September 11th via Vice Records. The LP is the band's third release in less than a year, following their Rarities/B-Sides compilation and Into The Night EP. The band's label described the album as "the greatest exploration of [the Raveonettes'] signature dark, big beat, melancholic, fuzzy sound to date.” Adding to the process was Sune Rose Wagner's alcohol fueled benders turn creative lucidity: "I get a lot of my ideas when I'm out. I get drunk and have moments of lucidity where I scribble down notes and thoughts. The next day, I'll start channeling the thoughts I had the previous night. That's sort of always worked for me but this time, I had to go the long way round to remember that."

The band, once sobered, made their way to Hollywood's Sunset Sound studio with producer Richard Gottehrer, a process that was apparently very quick and easy: "Overall, we took just seven days to record Observator so in that context, it's one of the quickest and easiest albums we've ever done," said Wagner.

Along with the album details, the duo has announced a tour in support of the forthcoming release, with a summer of festival appearances will be followed by a fall tour throughout North America. From September 21st till October 12th, the band will stop by 15 cities across the continent. Check out the full tour schedule after the jump.

The Raveonettes 2012 Tour Dates:
06/14 – Los Angeles, CA @ Majestic Halls
06/23 – Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
06/24 – Chicago, IL @ Green Music Fest
08/04 – Montreal, QC @ Osheaga Festival
09/21 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater
09/22 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
09/23 – Vancouver, BC @ Venue
09/26 – Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock
09/27 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
09/28 – St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird
09/30 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
10/02 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix
10/04 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
10/05 – New York, NY 2 Webster Hall
10/06 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
10/07 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
10/08 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theater
10/11 – Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
10/12 – San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s 365 Club

[News] St. Vincent and David Byrne Announce 'Love This Giant', Fall Tour Dates

It's been known for quite some time that Annie Clark of St. Vincent and David Byrne have been working on a collaborative album together, and today all the details about the project have been unveiled. The collaborative LP is titled Love This Giant and will be released on September 11th via 4AD/Todo Mundo. The 12-track effort was recorded primarily at Water Music studio in Hoboken, New Jersey, with the Dap-Kings and Antibalas serving as a brass section for the song "The One Who Broke Your Heart."

The project is described as “infectious and hook-laden”with “a traditional guitar/bass/drums lineup in favor of idiosyncratic horn arrangements.” Annie Clarke stated that "[t]here was no delineating what the roles were. It’s a collaboration I’m truly proud of.”

For an idea of what the album will sound like, check out the first taste with the song "Who," which you can download after the jump. As well, after the jump you can take a look at the full list of tour dates and locations that Clark and Byrne will visit in support of the release.

Love This Giant Tracklist:
01. Who
02. Weekend in the Dust
03. Dinner For Two
04. Ice Age
05. I Am An Ape
06. The Forest Awakes
07. I Should Watch TV
08. Lazarus
00. Optimist
10. Lightning
11. The One Who Broke Your Heart (feat. The Dap-Kings and Antibalas)
12. Outside of Space & Time

St. Vincent and David Byrne 2012 Tour Dates:
09/15 – Minneapolis, MN @ State Theater
09/16 – Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theater
09/18 – Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
09/20 – Toronto, ON @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
09/21 – Montreal, QC @ POP Montreal
09/23 – Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre
09/25 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theater
09/26 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theater
09/27 – Philadelphia, PA @ Tower Theater
09/29 – Brooklyn, NY @ Williamsburg Park
09/30 – N. Bethesda MD @ The Music Center at Strathmore
10/02 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
10/03 – Atlanta, GA @ Cobb Energy Center
10/05 – Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall
10/06 – Houston, TX @ Hobby Center
10/07 – Dallas, TX @ McFarlin Memorial Auditorium
10/10 – San Diego, CA @ Humphrey’s
10/11 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Arlington Theatre
10/12 – Costa Mesa, CA @ Segerstrom Theater for the Arts
10/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theater
10/15 – San Francisco, CA @ Orpheum Theatre
10/17 – Seattle, WA @ 5th Avenue Theatre
10/18 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Auditorium
10/20 – Vancouver, BC @ Centre in Vancouver for the Performing Arts

[News] Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros Announce Fall Tour

Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros will head out on the road this fall in support of the recently released Here and their as-of-yet-untitled second album of 2012. Starting in Berkeley, CA on September 7th, the tour will see the band touring all across the continent for a full month, with none other than Clap Your Hands Say Yeah opening for a majority of the dates. Peep their full tour schedule after the jump.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros 2012 Tour Dates:
07/05 – Liege, BE @ Les Ardentes Festival
07/06 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
07/07 – Cologne, DE @ Kantine
07/09 – Paris, FR @ Le Tranbendo
07/11 – Ravenna, IT @ Ravenna Festival
07/12 – Bern, CH @ Gurtenfestival
07/13 – Vikedal, NO @ Vikedal Roots Music Festival
07/15 – Southworld, UK @ Latitude Festival
07/16 – Leeds, UK @ Leeds Irish Centre
07/17 – Dublin, IE @ Olympia Theatre
07/19 – Manchester, UK @ Manchester Cathedral
07/21 – Cambridgeshire, UK @ Secret Garden Party
09/07 – Berkley, CA @ Greek Theatre *
09/09 – Dana Point, CA @ Doheny Days Music Festival
09/11 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall *
09/12 – Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theater *
09/14 – Vancouver, BC @ Malkin Bowl *
09/15 – Redmond, WA @ Marymoor Ampitheater *
09/16 – Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall *
09/18 – Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Event Center *
09/21 – Columbia, MO @ Roots ‘N Blues ‘N BBQ Festival
09/23 – Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room *
09/25 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre *
09/26 – Louisville, KY @ Iroquois Auditorium *
09/27 – Asheville, NC @ Thomas Wolf Auditorium *
09/29 – Charleston, SC @ North Charleston Performing Arts Center *
09/30 – Orlando, FL @ Beacham Theatre *
10/01 – St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live *
10/03 – New Orleans, LA @ Mahalia Jackson Theater *
10/05 – Kansas City, MO @ Crossroads *

* = w/ Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

[News] Wild Nothing Announces New Album: 'Nocturne'

Earlier this year, Wild Nothing, the shoegaze dreampop project of Jack Tatum, released the "Nowhere" 7" Single, along with its accompanying b-side "Wait," and now he has announced details regarding the follow-up to 2010's Gemini. The album is titled Nocturne and is set for release on August 28th via Captured Tracks, and the lead single from the sophomore effort, "Shadow," is streaming after the jump.

Throughout the summer and the fall, Wild Nothing will be touring alongside Beach House and The Walkmen, so make sure to check out their full tour itinerary after the jump, along with the tracklisting for Nocturne.

Nocturne Tracklist:
01. Shadow
02. Midnight Song
03. Nocturne
04. Through the Glass
05. Only Heather
06. This Chain Won’t Break
07. Disappear Always
08. Paradise
09. Counting Days
10. The Blue Dress
11. Rheya

Wild Nothing 2012 Tour Dates:
06/26 – Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree
06/27 – Jackson, MS @ Morning Bell Records & Studios
06/29 – El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace
07/01 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues *
07/03 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre *
07/06 – Aspen, CO @ Belly Up Aspen *
07/07 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater *
07/09 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom *
07/10 – Lawrence, KS @ Liberty Hall *
07/11 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant *
07/12 – Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall *
07/17 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue *
07/18 – Pontiac, MI @ The Crofoot Ballroom *
07/19 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues *
07/20 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall *
07/21 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Small’s Theatre *
08/09 – New York, NY @ Pier 84 #
10/29 – Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street !
10/30 – Manchester, UK @ Ritz !
11/01 – London, UK @ Forum !

* = w/ Beach House
# = w/ Grimes and DIIV

[News] Benjamin Francis Leftwich Announces US Tour

Here in the UK, Benjamin Francis Leftwich has made a little bit of a name for himself and following the release of his stunning debut, Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm, he's going from strength to strength. With the UK artists rising up through the charts in the US so much at the moment the natural step for him to take is to announce a US tour and to take his album to the masses. He'll do so with a headline North American tour scheduled for November and December. He's also preparing to release his album Stateside later in the year via Vagrant Records. 

As well as this exciting news, Ben is also back in the studio recording some new tracks for the deluxe version of his debut. Working in the Church Studios, London with producer Ian Grimble he says:

"Its great to be back in the studio...I've been on tour for the last year so it's nice to be making new music again. I'm really proud of the new songs and I'm looking forward to sharing them with people. I'm in a really good creative headspace at the moment and feel like my song writing has developed whilst I've been on tour and experienced new people, places and things."

Check out his dates after the jump and at the top of the page you can check out a video he recorded on his last trip to the US in the shape of a session for In The Open with "Box of Stones".

North American Fall Dates:

11/08 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill

11/09 – Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Bar

11/10 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar

11/12 – Eugene, OR @ Cozmic

11/13 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge

11/15 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern

11/16 – Vancouver, BC @ Media Club

11/17 – Kelowna, BC @ The Habitat

11/18 – Canmore, AB @The Communitea

11/21 – Calgary, AB @ Palomino

11/22 – Edmonton, AB @ Brixx

11/23 – Regina, SK @ The Exchange

11/24 – Winnipeg, MB @ Park Theatre

11/26 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry

11/28 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas

11/29 – Indianapolis, IN @ (venue TBD)

11/30 – Louisville, KY @ Uncle Slaytons

12/02 – Nashville, TN @ 3rd n Linsly

12/03 – Columbus, OH @ The Rumba Café

12/05 – Lansing, MI @ Mac Bar

12/06 – Toronto, ON @ Rivoli

12/07 – Montreal, QC @ Petit Campus

12/08 – Albany, NY @ Jacks Place

12/09 – Boston, MA @ Club 939 Berkeley

12/12 – New York, NY @ Studio @ Webster hall

12/13 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live

12/14 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe

12/15 – Washington, DC @ BlackCat

12/16 – Charlottesville, VA @ The Southern

12/18 – Raleigh, NC @ The Pour House

12/19 – Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl 

[Review] Dot 2 Dot Festival Manchester

A 4 day weekend. A rarity in anyone's yearly calendar, not this year if you're in the UK. Thanks to the Queen! God Save her and all that. What better way to spend part of it than at a must on the local gig calendar, Dot to Dot Manchester. It's is a funny event really taking place across three cities in total over three separate days. Manchester was the final stop for the bands who'd sweated their music into Nottingham and Bristol the previous two days. Manchester's gigs this year had introduced some new venues adding to previous years' fun times. Large venues like The Ritz and Sound Control were  staple but new kids on the block Zoo had been added to the mix making for a smaller more intimate feel at a few sets. It takes place across 5 venues all reasonably close together just off of Oxford Road right in the City centre, handy, Sound Control also had 3 levels which was an added bonus for ticket holders. Why? My main concern was going to be getting from place to place and then getting back into venues. What if they were too full? What if the stage I wanted to get to was unavailable?!

Turns out, the main place I wanted to be was at the aforementioned Sound Control. After picking up my wristband I was at The Ritz and heard the familiar sound of Bastille ringing through the venue so quickly headed to enjoy an albeit short but sweet set. The band actually ended up playing two sets after Summer Camp cancelled, I only caught one set but they filled the room with ease packing a large punch for a band so young.

After Bastille I headed down to the place I wanted to witness some musical magic for the majority of the day, Sound Control. First up as I walked through the ground floor and headed up to the awkwardly shaped Club room was Clock Opera who's album I absolutely loved. From the rather large crowd they'd drawn in I think a lot of people eddied too. A highlight of the set for me was "Lesson No7" as the beat kicked in the floor slowly started to bounce in time. Wonderful.

Next up was some fun from 2:54 who were playing in the loft. They'd been getting a fair bit of attention on the blogs and from the likes of Zane Lowe and radio so I was pretty giddy for the set and I wasn't disappointed. Their echoey twangs filled the loft with an ease and elegance. Next up was a really intriguing act: Pure Love. A band fronted by Frank Carter, the previous lead singer of Gallows and a man I'd seen cause carnage in the past at the likes of Sonisphere and Leeds festival. He knew how to make some noise yet this new project is a popper affair. The loft was pretty quiet for the set in all honesty which led to Frank immediately jumping the barrier and planting his mic stand right in front of me. He commanded the attention of the room with the actions of a man in a hardcore band, the music has changed but his presence has not. A great set from a band with a future if they play their cards right. Only downside was he tried to start a circle pit at one point, the crowd weren't the circle pitting type and it led to Frank hitting me in the face with his bottle of cider. Luckily, I like cider.

Finishing up a day of truly great music in Soundcontrol's Loft was Cloud Nothings, Wavves and Pulled Apart By Horses. One band I like a lot while two of those bands I adore. Cloud Nothings set was a gentle yet noisy affair and a nice little bit of relaxation from the energetic performance Pure Love had offered half an hour prior not to say these guys didn't have energy but the main event for many in the room was still to come. Nathan Williams, frontman of the surf-punk band Wavves wandered on stage to set up his kit, strat in hand a few minutes later his band joined him and without a word the intro to "King of the Beach" filled the air and damn it was loud! I don't know if previous sets had sensitised my ears to the levels but it was a wall of fuzzy goodness. I like it loud and the next 45 minutes was a joy to watch with tracks from his two albums and EP, Life Sux being played one after another.

Pulled Apart By Horses followed Wavves and after the two days prior they looked a little rough prior to the set, I spotted Lee their drummer watching Wavves contently from side of stage. The boys took to their slot on stage and bloody delivered a knock-out blow after a day of already great music. Tracks like "V.E.N.O.M." and "Punched a Lion In The Throat" were sang back at them as the crowd all bounced as one. From the rowdiness and the state of my shoes/t-shirt by the end of the set I must say I'd had a great day and the event was a well oiled machine. It managed to showcase some great new emerging talent along with some more established acts. For a music fan and avid gig goer I'd recommend the day in any of the cities to everyone. Roll on D2D2013 I say! Onwards and upwards.