[Watch] Little Comets - "Language Is Over" (Acoustic)

Newcastle-upon-Tyne based band Little Comets always manage to brighten a dull day, not that the weather is all that bad today in the UK but hey, it could change at any moment. So why not make sure it's bright with this Jennifer And Other Short Stories EP featuring track, "Language Is Over". You can enjoy the acoustic rendition at the top of the page and as if that wasn't enough the band have offered up a free download of the track too which you can grab below via their Soundcloud. Happy music Monday!

Check out some live dates the band have scheduled for later in the year.

October

Tues 16th Manchester, The Manchester Ritz

Wed 17th Hull, The Welly

Thurs 18th Edinburgh, The Electric Circus

Fri 19th Glasgow, King Tuts

Sat 20th Newcastle, O2 Academy

Mon 22nd Leeds, The Cockpit

Tues 23rd Birmingham, O2 Academy 2

Wed 24th Norwich, Open

Thurs 25th Sheffield, O2 Academy 2

Fri 26th Bristol, Fleece

Sun 28th Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms

Mon 29th Brighton, Concorde

Tues 30th Oxford, O2 Academy 2

Wed 31st Nottingham, Rescue Rooms

November 2012

Thurs 01st London, Koko

[Listen] General Fiasco - "Bad Habits"

We've got a lot of love for General Fiasco and we're happy to hear they're now gearing up for the release of the release of an album titled Unfaithfully Yours via Dirty Hit on July the 30th. Ahead of the album though we get to enjoy the beautiful track "Bad Habits" which will be released as a single on the same day. Give yourself a Monday morning treat from these talented Northern Irish lads. We'll be keeping a close eye on them in the coming months with the release of their new LP.

[News] Bloc Party Announce October UK Tour

We got news not too long ago about the brand new album, Four, from Bloc Party and today more good news for UK fans hits the net. The band have just announced an October tour set to take place across a range of cities including Newcastle, Birmingham and Manchester. Interestingly the Manchester date is to take place at Warehouse Project which is intriguing as the line-up for that is yet to be announced. Excited much? Peep the dates after the jump.

Four is set to be released on the 20th of August. 

Bloc Party 2012 Tour:

12/10 - Newcastle, O₂ Academy

13/10 - Leeds, O₂ Academy

14/10 - Glasgow, O₂ Academy

15/10 - Birmingham, O₂ Academy           

17/10 - Southampton, Guildhall

18/10 - Bristol, O₂ Academy

19/10 - Manchester, WHP

20/10 - Cambridge, Corn Exchange

[News] Animal Collective's Deakin Says 'Centipede Hz' Will Be Weirder Than Expected

When speaking to The Stool Pigeon recently, Animal Collective member John "Deakin" Dibb spoke about their upcoming ninth studio album Centipede Hz. He revealed that the album will be a lot weirder than anything the band has done before, and much harder to swallow. Here's what Dibb had to say:

I remember saying, “This is going to be harder for people to swallow.” There’s no doubt about it: people are going to react to this. It wasn’t being bummed about it or a critical comment of the music or anything ­— I’m really stoked and I think the record’s amazing, personally. But there was an instant melodic gratification to Merriweather and I think we intentionally made a record this time that is a lot more … um … [laughs] We took a left turn at weird town. For the most part, every song, in terms of the way the record is laid out and the choices we made sonically, is way more challenging. And that’s been verified by every person I’ve played it for so far. People have said they love the record. Friends of ours have said it took them two or three times to even understand it. Merriweather is not that. From the first note of Merriweather you’re like, “Oh my God, I just wanna dance” or “My heart’s exploding.” This is more like, “This is amazing but I’m confused and I don’t quite know what’s going on and I think I need to listen to it again and maybe I should turn it off."

If you've listened to the band's forthcoming 7" single "Honeycomb" and its b-side "Gotham," then it's clear that AnCo are departing from the melodic nature of Merriweather Post Pavilion. Centipede Hz is out on September 4th via Domino.

[Watch] Crystal Castles Debut New Song at Parklife Festival

At Parklife Festival in Manchester, England last weekend, Toronto electronic duo Crystal Castles debuted a brand new song. The duo are currently working on their as-of-yet-untitled third studio album, which is set to be released sometime this summer via Fictional/Universal. Check out the fan footage of the untitled song above.

[Watch] Damon Albarn Premieres New Blur Song

Damon Albarn can't seem to make up his mind about Blur. First, he announced that their upcoming performance at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympics would most likely be their last, only to announce shows leading up to their Olympic performance. This gave the indication that the Olympic performance wouldn't be their last. Then, producer William Orbit revealed that Albarn had halted recording sessions with Blur, which came as a complete surprise to his bandmates. Last week, though, Albarn created even more confusion when he debuted a new, untitled Blur song at the Poetry Olympics in London. According to Albarn, the song, which he recorded a week and a half ago, will be coming out in a few weeks. Watch it above, with the untitled track kicking in at the 2:30 mark.

[News] The Helio Sequence Announce New Album: 'Negotiations'

Following the release of their fourth studio album Keep Your Eyes Ahead back in 2008, Portland alt-rock duo The Helio Sequence hit the road in support of the release. While on tour in 2009, the pair received a call that their recording space had flooded with over a foot of water, although most of their equipment was safely stowed away in their tour van. The flood meant the band had to find a new recording space, and they landed on a 1500-square-foot cafeteria in an abandoned warehouse. The change in location proved to be more than just physical, as it gave the band a chance to change their approach to recording. Their latest album, titled Negotiations, is the result of this.

Recorded over the past year or so, Negotiations is "the loosest, and most free-form the duo has ever done," with a sound that the band describes as "warmer, more organic and more spacey/ethereal." The 11-track effort is set for release on September 11th via Sub Pop, and to give fans an introduction to the album the duo have released a promotional trailer featuring an unidentified song from the forthcoming studio effort. Check it out, along with the tracklisting for Negotiations, after the jump.

Negotiations Tracklist:
01. One More Time
02. October
03. Downward Spiral
04. The Measure
05. Hall of Mirrors
06. Harvester of Souls
07. Open Letter
08. When the Shadow Falls
09. Silence on Silence
10. December
11. Negotiations

[News] Radiohead Stage Collapses in Toronto

Photo via Roeland Roovers/Mobypicture

Yesterday, the stage in Toronto's Downsview Park collapsed in preparation for the show Radiohead was set to perform that night. The collapse caused one person to receive severe injuries and was transported to a local hospital, two received minor injuries and were released shortly after, while one person was pronounced dead on the scene. According to BBC, the person killed was Radiohead's drum technician Scott Johnson.

Radiohead wrote on their Facebook, "Due to unforeseen circumstances the radiohead show at downsview park tonight has been cancelled. Fans are advised not to make their way to the venue. Refunds will be made at point of purchase. Further information is to follow."

The show was supposed to mark the end of Radiohead's North American tour, but given the circumstances the band is likely to reschedule. More on this story as it develops.