Amy Winehouse Returns!

Oh Amy, how we've missed you! Ms. Winehouse is back with a new song, a cover of the 1963 Lesley Gore classic It's My Party and its good to have her back. Teaming up with Mark Ronson to produce the song for the Q: Soul Bossa Nostra release, it sounds like a typical Winehouse song with her nasal vocals paired up with that soulful voice. Is it good...well, its Amy so its got to be.

Listen to it here:

Likely Looks: M.I.A. - Story To Be Told

M.I.A. once again has made a video and let it go viral...this time around for her track Story To Be Told.

Taking the Captcha style and placing words from the lyrics boxed around a white bird, the song wails as the words fade into the background. Its simplicity allows M.I.A. to get across her favorite thing these days...a message.

Check out the clip here:



M.I.A. kicks off her North American tour today with label mate and protege Rye Rye.

Live Review: The Charlatans @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg September 14, 2010

Being a band for 20 years has its ups and downs and for The Charlatans this definitely has a lot of truth to it. With the release of their 11th album Who We Touch the band decided to make a rare trip Stateside to play several shows around the country for the first time in around 4 years.

The band gave fans exactly what they wanted while making sure they showcased their new material, which is bound to become certified "fan favorites" tracks in the future. Opening with Then from their debut album Some Friendly, Burgess seemed surprisingly happy on stage and more engaging than usual with his Beatles-esque bowl cut and perfectly pitched yet slightly whiney vocals.

Breaking out tracks like North Country Boy, How High and White Shirt created crowd singalongs as people danced and sang in unison, drinks in hand. Mixing it up with tracks from lesser known albums such as This Is The End and Oh! Vanity as well as their new single My Foolish Pride and Smash The System still kept the crowd's interest but it was those classic Charlatans tracks that kept the energy up and the crowd fully engaged.

Ending as usual with Spronston Green, the band's 90-minute set was evidence that The Charlatans can come back to the US anytime...and the fans will be right there with them.

For a taste of The Charlatans live check out their performance of White Shirt from the night before at Bowery Ballroom:

Likely Looks: The Charlatans - My Foolish Pride

The Charlatans are back with a brand new album, Who We Touch and a shiny new single and video to accompany it.

The band recently released their video for the single My Foolish Pride which sees Tim looking like he did back when Some Friendly came out...a.k.a massive mop top. Still suits him though!

The video features Burgess traveling on trains, walking through stations and clearly reminiscing about a former love which sadly it seems at the end he is after all, alone.

Check out the video here:



The band is also hitting the road for a North American tour through the month of September. With a catalog like theirs, missing them is an absolute shame. Here are the dates:

09/08 - Chapel Hill, NC @ Cat's Cradle
09/09 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat
09/10 - Boston, MA @ Royale
09/11 - Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell's
09/13 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
09/14 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
09/15 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's
09/16 - Montreal, QC @ Cabaret
09/17 - Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace
09/18 - Chicago, IL @ Double Door
09/20 - San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo's
09/21 - Costa Mesa, CA @ Detroit Bar
09/22 - Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey

Likely Listens: Brie Stoner

With the fall season coming our way soon, the perfect soundtrack seems to have come from Brie Stoner and her brand new release, the Delicate Hour EP.

Sounding like a cross between Neko Case and Mazzy Star, this Midwestern girl has a voice as smooth as honey and is pretty much love at first listen.

Check out her video for her song Together Forever here:



I can't wait for more from this girl!

M.I.A. Embarks On North American Tour

M.I.A. may have had to jump on the backlash train slightly with her latest release /\/\/\Y/\ (a.k.a MAYA without the crazy stylized writing) but that isn't stopping the British/Sri Lankin singer from hitting the road in support of it.

Tagging along is Rye Rye, an artist on her N.E.E.T. record label and protégé of the singer.

Hopefully, the shows won't be anywhere near her performance the HARD New York festival which left many fans not so thrilled about standing out in the heat all day to catch her.

Here are the tour dates:

Sept 21, Montreal Metropolis
Sept 22, Toronto Sound Academy
Sep 25, Washington DC V Festival
Sep 26 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
Sep 27 New York, NY Terminal 5
Sep 29 Chicago, IL Vic Theater
Sep 30 Chicago, IL Vic Theater
Oct 3 Ithaca, NY Cornell University
Oct 4 Boston, MA Royale Nightclub
Oct 5 Boston, MA Royale Nightclub
Oct 9 Austin, TX Zilker Park - Austin City Limits
Oct 12 Oakland, CA Fox Theater

Likely Looks: Kings Of Leon - Radioactive

Say what you want about Kings Of Leon but somehow since the release of 2008's Only By The Night the band keeps coming back with hit after hit.

Their latest single, Radioactive is off their brand new album Come Around Sundown out October 19th and once again they recorded a smash.

Everything in this video screams Kings Of Leon...from the sepia tones to the Southern setting and of course the brilliant song.

Right now, Kings Of Leon is basically unstoppable and I'd gladly like to see this train keep moving for a longggggg time

Check out the video for Radioactive here:

Reasons To Love Eastbound And Down #3525 - Marilyn Manson

Eastbound And Down is one of the best shows on television...and has gotten even better because somehow they've convinced Marilyn Manson to be on the show sans makeup and in a baseball uniform.

Yea, pretty amazing if you ask me...and the kicker is he HAS A MULLET! You heard me correctly...m-u-l-l-e-t.

Apparently Manson is so obsessed with the show that "he goes so far as to dress up like Kenny," according to co-director David Gordon Green and even repeats entire pieces of dialogue said by Kenny Powers.

Whatever floats his boat but his appearance on the show is something I highly approve of and I cannot wait for this episode to air.

Now for the photo...

Likely Looks: Marina and the Diamonds - Shampain

Marina & the Diamonds is back with her brand new single and video for Shampain, the fifth from her album The Family Jewels

Teaming up with director Kim Gehrig (who has also directed videos for Goldfrapp, Calvin Harris and others) clearly shows her love for a little Michael Jackson circa Thriller and 80's makeshift prom dresses...in the ever-so-quirky Marina style.

Check out the video here:

Starfucker On Tour!

Portland's finest, Starfucker have a brand new label, Polyvinyl, and are ready to embark on a fall tour in support of their single Julius.

Recording the track in the Odditorium (better known as the Dandy Warhols' studio), the band took a darker approach this time around from their debut album and EP...and whatever approach they took = awesome.

Check out and download Julius here:
Starfucker - Julius

Hitting the road in the fall with Octopus Project, hopefully the band are coming to your city so they can play you some new tunes from their upcoming 2011 album

Here are the dates:

Sept. 23rd - Neurolux - Boise, ID
Sept. 24th - Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, UT
Sept. 24th - Urban Lounge - Salt Lake City, UT
Sept. 25th - Hi Dive - Denver, CO
Sept. 27th - Record Bar - Kansas City, MO
Sept. 29th - Juanita's Cantina Ballroom - Little Rock, AK #
Sept. 30th - The Collective - Shreveport, LA #
Oct. 1st - Bottletree Cafe - Birmingham, AL #
Oct. 2nd - Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, GA #
Oct. 5th - Local 506 - Chapel Hill, NC #
Oct. 6th - DC9 - Washington DC #
Oct. 7th - Kung Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, PA #
Oct. 8th - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY #
Oct. 9th - Cafe Nine - New Haven, CT #
Oct. 10th - TT The Bears - Cambridge, MA #
Oct. 11th - Casa Del Popolo - Montreal, Canada #
Oct. 12th - Wrongbar - Toronto, Canada #
Oct. 13th - Garfield Artworks - Pittsburgh, PA #
Oct. 14th - Grog Shop - Cleveland Heights, OH #
Oct. 15th - Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL #
Oct. 16th - Triple Rock Social Club - Minneapolis, MN #
Oct. 19th - Neumos - Seattle, WA #
Oct. 20th - Roseland - Portland, OR #
Oct. 22nd - Great American Music Hall - San Francisco, CA #
Oct. 23rd - Echoplex - Los Angeles, CA #
Oct. 24th - Casbah - San Diego, CA #
Oct. 25th - Plush - Tucson, AZ #

# - w/ the Octopus Project

Likely Looks: MGMT - Congratulations

Get ready to feel like you've entered Jurassic Park with MGMT's latest effort Congratulations. Set in the desert with the saddest looking dinosaur ever, MGMT come in to the rescue and attempt to help as much as they could. I just had the urge to feed it...it looks starving.

Check out the video here:

Likely Looks: Rose Elinor Dougall - Find Me Out

So, THIS is what happens when you leave the Pipettes! Rose Elinor Dougall (aka the super cute brown haired Pipette) is gearing up for her solo release entitled Without Why (her first since splitting from the Pipettes) and if its anything like her single Find Me Out then we're all in for a real treat.

Toning down the 60's bubblegum and getting in touch with a softer side, Dougall creates a beautiful ballad that instantly lures you in on first listen.

The video can be see here:



She'll be performing several dates in the UK but nothing Stateside yet. Fingers crossed!

Robyn Performs "Dancing On My Own" On Letterman

Robyn took to the stage last night on David Letterman and gave the folks at home something to truly talk about...a rarity in live TV.

Looking stunning in a little black dress she was clearly there to entertain and sounded fantastic performing her single Dancing On My Own from her new album Body Talk Pt. 1. Plus, David Letterman even took the time to ask her about her fellow famed Swede Bjorn Borg and gave "all his best" to his friends in Sweden. Robyn smartly smiled and nodded...good move.

Check out the performance below:

Guided By Voices Announce 2010 Reunion Tour

This is the classic lineup and a BIG DEAL for all us indie nerds out there. Hopefully they'll still be the gool ol' bottle of booze right by Pollard's side and a 3 hour set featuring all the goodies.

Support will come from Blitzen Trapper and Times New Viking.

GBV never disappoints...and these shows are a MUST SEE. Now, the question is will this truly be the last reunion tour?


Here are the dates:

9/30 - East Side Drive, Austin, TX (On Sale 7/16 at 12pm) *
10/3 - Pearl Theatre @ Palms Hotel, Las Vegas NV SOLD OUT Matador at Twenty-One Las Vegas
10/4 - Wiltern, Los Angeles CA (On Sale TBA) *
10/5 - Warfield, San Francisco CA (Pre-sale FRI 7/23 10am-10pm password "bee thousand", Regular On Sale SAT 7/25 at 10am) *
10/7 - Crystal Ballroom, Portland OR*
10/9 - Showbox So Do, Seattle WA*
10/12 - First Avenue, Minneapolis MN*
10/13 - The Vic, Chicago IL*
10/15 - Southgate House, Newport KY
10/16 - Outlands Live, Columbus OH
10/21 - 9:30 Club, Washington D.C.
10/22 - Cat's Cradle, Carrboro NC
10/23 - Buckhead Theater, Atlanta GA
11/4 - Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
11/5 - Paradise, Boston MA**
11/6 - Trocadero, Philadelphia PA**
11/7 - Terminal 5, NYC**

* w/ Times New Viking
** w/ Blitzen Trapper

Likely Looks: Marina And The Diamonds - Oh No!

The lovely Marina strikes again (of course with her diamonds...) for her new video Oh No!. Adding a little pop art a la Lichtenstein plus of course Marina herself make this video a non boring one to say the least.

Marina will be Stateside soon on several Lilith Fair dates as well as a couple of solo shows sans Lilith in between. First though, take a few minutes out of your day to watch Oh No!

Likely Looks: The Coral - 1000 Years

Where has this band been? Oh how they have been missed. Its been around 3 years since the band last released an full length LP but they are back and produced this masterpiece called 1000 Years

The video is so beautifully shot and makes me want to get myself to an ocean ASAP!

The single for 1000 Years is proceeded by the album Butterfly House that comes out in the UK on July 12th.

And now...for the video!

Nico Vega Hit The Road With Semi Precious Weapons And Chevelle

Nico Vega is back for some more tour dates...but this time they are teaming up with Semi Precious Weapons and Chevelle to hit the road with.

After hoping on the road with Metric, the band clearly wasted no time getting back into the swing of things and is hitting several major cities and A LOT of places in Texas...

Here are the tour dates:

* Apr 21 Hollywood, California The Roxy
* Apr 23 Chicago, Illinois Subterranean
* Apr 26 New York, New York The Bowery
* Apr 27 Boston, Massachusetts Paradise Rock Club
* May 7 San Antonio, Texas Scout Bar
* May 8 Lubbock, Texas Lonestar Amphitheatre
* May 9 Amarillo, Texas Midnight Rodeo & Piranha
* May 11 Odessa, Texas Toom Dos Amigos
* May 12 Austin, Texas Stubb's
* May 14 Mission, Texas Las Palmas Race Park
* May 15 Corpus Christi, Texas Concrete Street
* May 16 Denton, Texas Hailey's

Soundgarden Returns After 13 Years

After Chris Cornell's last crazy solo project (Timabaland anyone?), a long stint with Audioslave and other odds and ends, the band that made Cornell famous has reunited after 13 years.

On April 16, Playing a show at Seattle's small Showbox venue under the name NudeDragons, fans were apparently paying bouncers $2,500 to make sure they got to witness Chris Cornell, Matt Cameron, Kim Thayiland Ben Shepard on the same stage.

Playing for over 90 minutes, Soundgarden broke out plenty of fan favorites although one key track missing from their catalog was Black Hole Sun

Get ready Lollapalooza...

Here's the setlist:

Spoonman
Gun
Searching With My Good Eye Closed
Rusty Cage
Beyond The Wheel
Flower
Ugly Truth
Fell On Black Days
Hunted Down
Nothing To Say
Loud Love
Blow Up The Outside World
Pretty Noose
Outshined
Slaves And Bulldozers

Encore:

Get On The Snake
Big Dumb Sex
Waiting For The Sun

Likely Listens: Die Antwoord

There is something about Die Antwoord that is a little fascinating to me...maybe because its been a long time since a blast to semi-fame has come on the internet thats unique and compelling?! Hmmm...possibly.

The South African 3 piece make beats reminiscent of old Prodigy (circa The Experience...the good stuff) mixed with a little bit of hip hop and with the stage names Ninja, Yo-Landi Vi$$er and DJ Hi-Tek you sort of can't go wrong.

The band has been creeping up the wonderful world of the internet with their videos and just had a successful performance at Coachella, marking the first time they ever played in America.

There are big things in the works for these guys...sooner than later except them in your daily music vocabulary.

The Fratellis Call It Quits

After 5 years together, The Fratellis have officially called it quits. According the split on the band's website forum, singer Jon Fratelli stated, "We have no plans to work together right now."

Continuing on, he further stated, "Sometimes things just work out that way. Mince, Baz and I are working on music but not with each other...Your passion is appreciated more than we will ever be able to say. We'll forever give our hearts and souls to music and to you guys who want to hear what we do."

Jon Fratelli (real name Jon Lawler) is currently performing in the Codeine Velvet Club while Mince has joined a heavy metal band, so if you really need a Fratellis fix you've always got the side projects...

Likely Listens: Kitten

Its rare these days that you go a MySpace page that someone recommends to you and you actually get floored by a track. Enter Kitten, a band from Los Angeles that haven't even graduated high school yet.

Their track Don't Kill The Light is just a demo but its an absolute masterpiece. With soothing vocals, a killer hook and very reminiscent of Cat Power (but throw in a little more rock to the mix) its bound to have you hooked.

Did I mention they aren't out of high school??!! I officially heart Kitten and cannot wait for their EP.

Pavement REUNITED In Auckland, NZ

Its been 10 years since they've graced the stage together and some lucky folks in Auckland, New Zealand got to witness the band in all their glory at a venue called Town Hall.

1,600 people. 25 song set list. Amazing.

See for yourself...

Little Boots Tacks On More U.S. Tour Dates

Little Boots can't seem to get enough of this side of the Atlantic...and we can't get enough of her.

With her March 2 debut full length release Hands, the UK singer takes her show Stateside with several live dates as well as a Coachella appearance.

Here are the upcoming tour dates:

3/2 - Highline Ballroom - New York, NY
3/5 - Venue - Vancouver, BC
3/6 - Neumos - Seattle, WA
3/7 - Hawthorne Theatre - Portland, OR
3/9 - The Fillmore Auditorium - San Francisco, CA
3/10 - El Rey Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
3/12 - The Glass House - Pomona, CA
3/13 - The Casbah - San Diego, CA

JUST ADDED:
4/18 - Coachella - Indio, CA
4/22 - Masquerade Hell Stage - Atlanta, GA
4/23 - 9:30 Club - Washington, DC
4/24 - Pure - Philadelphia, PA
4/28 - Middle East - Boston, MA
4/29 - SAT - Montreal, QC
4/30 - Phoenix Concert Hall - Toronto, ON
5/1 - Metro - Chicago, IL

Coachella Announces 2010 Lineup

Its not all confirmed but it looks pretty good to me! Jay-Z, Muse and Gorillaz are quite solid headliners...

Here is the lineup in full: