Music News for January 25, 2013-January 27, 2013

Rock and Alternative

Vampire Weekend have debuted a brand new track titled “Arms”, live. The new song was performed during their show at the Metro Theatre in Sydney. This event took place on January 23^rd. The song is taken from their forthcoming third album. The new album is set to be released on May 6^th in the UK and on May 7^th in the US. To listen to the new song, be sure to visit: http://consequenceofsound.net/2013/01/watch-vampire-weekend-perform-a-new-song-arms/.

 

The Strokes have released a new song, titled “One Way Trigger”. To listen to the new song, visit: http://www.thestrokes.com/thankyou. The song is also being offered as a free download on their website (http://www.thestrokes.com/). The Strokes are set to release a new album later this year.

 

A recording of Paul McCartney singing “A World without Love” has been unearthed by Peter Asher. The song was written by McCartney and given to Asher for his duo, Peter and Gordon, in order for them to record it. Until now, there was no confirmation if there was a recording of McCartney performing the song. This song had gone to No. 1 in the UK and the US, after it was released in 1964. The version that was discovered includes Paul McCartney singing and playing the acoustic guitar for the song. Some of these same tapes include a recording of McCartney singing an early version of The Beatles’ “I’ll follow the Sun”.

 

Paramore have recently revealed details of the tracks that will be featured in their upcoming self-titled album. They have already released a trailer for their new album, which can be viewed here:  http://www.nme.com/news/paramore/68178. Paramore’s Hayley Williams has mentioned that electronic music and Alt-J have been an influence for this new album. Paramore will be released on April 8^th and their new single “Now” will be out on February 24^th in the UK. The track listing for the new album is “Fast in My Car”, “Now”, “Grow Up”, “Daydreaming”, “Interlude: Moving On”, “Ain’t It Fun”, “Part II”, “Last Hope”, “Still Into You”, “Anklebiters”, “Interlude: Holiday”, “Proof”, “Hate to See Your Heart Break”, “(One of Those) Crazy Girls”, “Interlude: I’m Not Angry Anymore”, “Be Alone”, and “Future”.

 

The Vaccines had headlined The Joiners in Southampton on January 22^nd, where they played a one-off not-for-profit show in order to raise money and awareness of the venue. The Vaccines played an hour-long set with a selection of songs from their debut album What Did You Expect from the Vaccines? And from their second album Come of Age. The Joiners has played host to bands such as Oasis, Kings of Leon, The Liberteens, etc., in the past. The set was made because the venue has been facing an uncertain future after a dramatic recent drop in ticket sales. The Vaccines had played songs such as “No Hope”, “Wreckin Bar (Ra Ra Ra)”, “Teenage Icon”, and more at this set. They are now set to embark on a UK arena tour this May, which will include the biggest show they have done so far at London’s O2 Arena on May 2^nd.

 

Electronic and Dance

Gold Panda has been working on some new material and it has now been released as the Trust EP. This new EP features microhouse sounds and shows Gold Panda’s progression since his release of Lucky Sinner.  To stream the latest EP from electronic music producer, Gold Panda, visit: http://theneedledrop.com/2013/01/gold-panda-trust-ep/.

 

Swedish House Mafia have announced the full lineup for the highly-anticipated North American part of One Last Tour. The tour includes over a dozen acts that have been booked to open for them. New York will be treated with Pete Tong, AN21, Otto Knows and Armand Van Helden in Madison Square Garden. AN21 and Max Vangeli will be in San Francisco as well. Nero, Alesso, Zedd, Monsta, and more will be at LA’s Masquerade Motel. Swediah House Mafia’s last United States performance will take place at this year’s Ultra Music Festival.

 

Pop and R&B

Adele has confirmed that she will be performing “Skyfall” live at this year’s Academy Awards, which will be held in Los Angeles. She had posted on her label’s website (XL Recordings) that it was an honor to be nominated and chosen to sing in front of so many people. Adele is also nominated for the Best Original Song category at the awards. Adele had also picked up a Golden Globe award for “Skyfall”. The Academy Awards will take place on February 24^th at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

 

Justin Timberlake is set to take the stage during the Super Bowl weekend in New Orleans. Timberlake will perform at the DIRECTV Super Saturday Night event. This event takes place one day before the big game, on February 2^nd. This charity event will benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children. Timberlake has yet to confirm any tour plans to support the release of his next album, The 20/20 Experience.

 

Country

Carrie Underwood has done a duet with Steven Tyler for Aerosmith’s latest album. The song is titled “Can’t Stop Lovin’ You” and is now a radio single. Steven Tyler and Carrie Underwood have sung together in a mash-up of “Undo It” and “Walk This Way” at the ACM Awards, back in 2011. It was said that the decision to add Underwood’s vocals to the song was last minute, yet they worked well for the song.

The WordPress, Meet The Word Alive!

The Word Alive released an album recently called, “Life Cycles”. Some of the songs are “Wishmaster”, “Life Cycles”, “Entirety” and “Dragon Spell”. I love every song that The World Alive has produced and they never fail to impress me. They have a mix of Heavy Metal/Screamo and amazing techno break-downs. Hopefully they will appear in Warped Tour 2013 and join blessthefall and Hawthorne Heights. Their album is now in stores and is one of their best releases.

Music News for January 18, 2013-January 20, 2013

Rock and Alternative

The Strokes are to release a new album in 2013. The Stroke’s fifth album will be released later this year and will most likely include their single “All the Time”. News about their new album were received hours after a US radio station claimed it had been sent a brand new Strokes song that was called “All the Time”. The new track was said to have been sent by RCA records.

Phoenix have named their upcoming album Bankrupt! On the band’s website (http://www.wearephoenix.com/), the homepage has a sound clip, thought to be taken from the new album. Phoenix will play Rock am Ring im Park festival in Germany. The performances will take place from July 7^th -9^th. Other performances in the festival include Green Day, The Killers, and The Prodigy. It has been said that Phoenix are set to release their new album in April after Daniel Glass (head of Phoenix’s record label, Glassnote Records) mentioned the release date.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs had performed a few brand new songs at a show at the Glass House in Pomona, California on January 11^th. The band opened up the show with one of these brand new songs and followed it with “Phenomena” and then another new song. All of the new songs that were performed are thought to be taken from their upcoming fourth LP. To check out the complete list of songs performed by Yeah Yeah Yeahs at this show, be sure to visit: http://www.nme.com/news/yeah-yeah-yeahs/68142.

Black Sabbath have announced that their new album will be called 13 and it is set to be released in June. Black Sabbath have made the album primarily in Los Angeles and it features Rage Against the Machine’s Brad Wilk on drums. They have also revealed that the album will include 15 tracks. Black Sabbath will tour Australia, New Zealand, and play a show at Ozzfest in Japan. To see a list of tour dates, go to: http://www.nme.com/news/black-sabbath/68143.

Palma Violets have announced details of a UK tour that is set to take place in March of 2013. Palma Violets will be touring in support of their debut album 180, which is set for a release date in February. This short tour will begin at the Lemon Grove venue and other tour dates will be in Cambridge, Sheffield, Middlesbrough and Oxford. Palma Violet’s debut album is set for a release date on February 25, through Rough Trade Records. This debut album includes their single “Best of Friends”.  For a complete list of tour dates, be sure to check out: http://www.nme.com/news/palma-violets/68242.

Electronic and Dance

Zedd has recently done an acoustic performance of his song “Clarity” alongside Foxes and Alvin Risk on the David Letterman Show. Zedd had also released an official music video for his song “Clarity”, which also features Foxes in it. To watch the music video, be sure to visit: http://www.dancingastronaut.com/2013/01/zedd-releases-official-music-video-for-clarity-2/.

The second annual benefit concert for the Children’s Orthopedic Center in West Hollywood will be headlined by Deadmau5. Last year, this event raised over $150,000 and there is hope that the same will happen in 2013. Deadmau5 is headlining alongside Crookers and Nero, yet there are still more artists to be announced. Tickets for this event are $264. To buy tickets and check for ticket availability, be sure to visit: http://concerts.livenation.com/event/09004997D3864861?dma_id=324.

Pop and R&B

Katy Perry and Alicia Keys are among a diverse group of musicians lined up for the Inaugural Ball this Monday, as President Obama is officially sworn in for his second term. For the official Inaugural Ball, Keys and Perry will be alongside other artists such as fun., members of the “Glee” cast, John Legend, Stevie Wonder, Usher, Far East Movement, Soundgarden, Brad Paisley, and more. The Commander-in-Chief’s Ball, which honors America’s armed forces, will have artisits such as Alicia Keys, Brad Paisley, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, and Marc Anthony. Both of these events will take place on January 21^st, after Obama has taken the oath of office.

Country

Luke Bryan has just landed the job of the Academy of Country Music Awards’ co-host. Luke Bryan has also sold out his 21-city Dirt Road Diaries Tour. It has been said that Luke Bryan has added additional tour dates, being that his first-ever headliner tour has already sold out. 35 more shows have been added. The locations for these tour dates include Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D. C., Chicago, San Diego, and more. To see a complete list of tour dates, be sure to visit: http://www.countryweekly.com/news/luke-bryan-sells-out-tour-announces-second-leg.

Oprah Winfrey’s Emotional Interview With Lance Armstrong

In a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey, cyclist Lance Armstrong admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs to win seven Tour de France titles. The interview is set to begin airing on Thursday and continue on Friday because there is so much material. Winfrey has stated that “emotional” doesn’t even come close to describing the interview.

Artist Spotlight – Yuck

There’s a really awesome band I know that nobody has ever heard of, and they’re called Yuck. Yuck is an indie rock band with members from New York, London, and Hiroshima. This band got their name from a venue accidentally putting a ‘Y’ instead of an ‘F’, if you know what I mean. They’re a mix of Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. with their swirly effects and echoing vibes that send notes bouncing off the walls and into your ears. They’ve only released one self titled album so far, but it’s perfection. If you have not heard of them before, you can check them out in the link I’ve posted. If you like what you hear, and you should, then check out their entire album. Yuck, by Yuck. They aren’t yucky at all, they’re actually pretty amazing.
-Steve Edwards

Loitering In The Meandering Tilted Skies

http://wilshire.bandcamp.com/

WARG has always been regarded as an alternative station, and in honor of that I’d like to present you something that I guarantee you’ve never heard of. There’s this awesome band called Wilshire that I happen to know personally, and the world needs to know them. Zach and I have had a show together since we’ve been on radio, and we’ve been friends for quite a while now, but when we first met, I was introduced to his brother who I had found out to be a drummer in a band. I was immediately more excited about knowing Zach. We attended one of their concerts, and I’d discovered that they were called Wilshire, and also that they were mind-blowing. Wilshire is Vinnie Crisostomo (drums), Ben Arguelles (guitars, vox), Brendan Egan (guitars, vox), and newly added Dylan Epling (bass). They’ve been together for some time now, them being long time friends. They released their first triple-album last year, entitled “I’ll Speak in a Monstrous Little Voice”, and this year they’ve just released their newest album entitled “Loitering in the Meandering Tilted Skies.” The music they create is an explosion of enchanting sonic dissonance and beautiful confusion, only matched by the likes of Sonic Youth, Explosions in the Sky, and Dinosaur Jr. Ben’s guitar is always battling Brendan’s, as if the both of them are trying to drown one another out with their aggressive, eerie, complex notes that always sound like they’re floating in the outer atmosphere. They’ll forever battle each other, and no one will win: except for the listener. Underneath all of that is Vinnie’s drums, with his crashing cymbals and booming fills. His playing ensures the atmosphere is extra spacey. Next in the rhythm section is Dylan, whose bass booms and rumbles under everyone’s noise to create the perfect rattling foundation that you think may crack – but never does. On top of everything, I cannot forget to mention Brendan’s chilling vocals, with the type of mind provoking lyrics that leave us pondering the meaning of life itself. Wilshire is the perfect example of beautiful, complex dissonance that sounds like winter on the Moon. When you listen to their stuff, you’re easily tangled up and suspended in clouds of beautifully melancholic, heartbreaking melodies and rhythmic structures that are also in some way full of hope. They’re the type of band that can play with your heart, and alter your emotions with each listen. The music itself is as complex, ambiguous, and exquisitely detailed as the titles of the albums and the songs inside of them. Wilshire is a DIY artist operating out of DZ records in Ben’s basement, which he actually built with his own two hands. Wilshire is completely self created, and self maintained. These are just ordinary guys, who make extraordinary music. You may get the feeling that I’m just some pretentious hipster kid because I’m telling you to listen to an unsigned, DIY band. But, who needs labels nowadays when you can create anything you want all on your own? The fact that there’s no restrictions makes it so much better. Wilshire truly has no limits and they keep progressing further. In fact, they’re already working on their third studio album. So take my advice and listen to these guys – they’re the real deal. They operate locally, so maybe you can even come out to one of their shows. I’ve posted the link to their bandcamp page above where you can download their music, and you can pay whatever you want! You can even take it for free. So, if you have any sense of what music is even remotely good, you should listen to Wilshire. An even cooler part of this all is that three out of four of them are Argo Alumni, so they’ve once walked the same halls as all of us. Listen to them, because they’re a great band, and all around great guys.

-Steve Edwards

Music News for January 11, 2013-January 13, 2013

Rock and Alternative

Bob Dylan has just released a limited-edition box set in order to prevent some of his rare, early recordings from falling out of copyright. This “50^th Anniversary Collection” includes 86 rarities that Dylan had recorded in 1962. Bob Dylan’s debut album has fallen out of copyright in Europe. To prevent the same thing from happening to his 86 recordings, Sony Music had distributed around 100 copies of The 50^th Anniversary Collection to some stores in France, Germany, Sweden, and the UK.

Arctic Monkeys have been confirmed to headline this year’s Benicàssim festival. Arctic Monkeys will be joining The Killers and Queens of the Stone Age on the line-up. Other acts that were confirmed to perform at the festival on July 18^th-21^st include Jake Bugg, Palma Violets, Azealia Banks, Echo Lake, Splashh and Swim Deep. To check for any available tickets and the latest listings, visit: NME.com/tickets.

Fun. have released a new track titled “Sight of the Sun”. This new song is going to be featured on the upcoming soundtrack for HBO’s original series Girls, which was due out January 8^th. To listen to the new track, be sure to check out: http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/fun._release_new_song_sight_of_the_sun.

David Bowie has just announced his first new album in 10 years. The album is titled, The Next Day and it is to be released on March 11^th in the UK and most countries, March 8^th in Australia, and March 12^th in the USA. The standard edition of the album includes 14 songs and the “Deluxe Version” has another three songs, both of which are available to pre-order on iTunes now. Bowie has already released the first single off of the album called “What Are We Now?”, which is available on iTunes. To watch the video of the song, visit: http://www.nme.com/news/david-bowie/68051. The complete track listing for The Next Day can also be seen there.

Morrissey had played an unreleased song on the US television program Late Show with David Letterman this week. To watch this performance, be sure to check out: http://www.nme.com/news/morrissey/68099#9. The unreleased track is titled “Action is My Middle Name”. This track is one of three solo tracks that were released on BBC Radio in 2011. The two other songs are titled “The Kid’s a Looker” and “People are the Same Everywhere”. He had also performed a song called “Scandanavia” in his live sets. Morrissey has already confirmed that he has new material ready for an upcoming album.

Jake Bugg, Frank Turner, and Vampire Weekend are some of the many artists that are to be announced to perform at this year’s South by Southwest music festival. This event will take place in Austin, Texas. The music arm of South by Southwest will take place from March 12^th-17^th and will also see announced sets from Black Lips, Jesca Hoop, Toy, and more. To see a list of all of the performers at this year’s South by Southwest, be sure to visit: sxsw.com/music.

 

Electronic and Dance

The Knife had just announced their first tour dates since 2006. It was said that these dates will take place in Copenhagen in May. On The Knife’s official website, a message mentions that they will be playing two shows at Copenhagen’s Vega in May 12^th and 13^th. These are the first tour dates to be announced for their upcoming ‘Shaking the Habitual’ tour, which will have more European dates announced soon. The Knife also announced that they will release their new album on April 8^th, titled Shaking the Habitual.

 

Pop and R&B

Justin Timberlake has confirmed that he will return to the music industry. Timberlake had last released an album in 2006 and he has spent the last few years focusing on his acting career. Timberlake had confirmed that he is ready to release new material. It has been rumored that he might release new music with Jay-Z. There are also other rumors that state that Beyonce will be featured on his new songs. On his return to the music industry, Timberlake had released a video to state that he is “ready”. To view the video, be sure to visit:  http://www.nme.com/news/justin-timberlake/68097.

Beyonce is set to perform at United States President, Barack Obama’s inauguration. The event will be on January 21^st outside of the Capitol building in Washington, DC and   Beyonce will sing the National Anthem of the United States. Barack Obama had spoken at a fundraiser hosted by Beyonce and her husband Jay-Z, for his re-election campaign that was in New York. This fundraiser had raised about $4 million.

 

Country

Jerrod Niemann had taken the idea of getting in touch with the fans to a whole new level. Back in September, Niemann had launched a sweepstakes called “Rock Your Room” which was set to give one lucky winner a bundle of Sony Electronics and an exclusive live performance from him in their residence. The lucky winner was chosen to be Catherine, a student at Arizona State University. Niemann has gone to Arizona to treat Catherine and her friends to a private concert at her house on December 10^th. With the private concert, Catherine received new electronics from Sony, including a PlayStation Vita. Jerrod Niemann’s “Jägermeister Presents” tour will be ending on January 11^th, with only a few tour dates left.

Jimi Hendrix’s Unreleased Track

Jimi Hendrix fans will be impressed and should get ready for the unreleased track called, “Somewhere”. The track showcases Jimi’s blend of blues and rock with Buddy Miles on drums. Fans should be expecting his “People, Hell and Angels” album which should be released on March 5. The album is one that features experimental recordings from 1968 and 1969. An update was posted that the track was removed from the interent but won’t be gone for too long. Vevo informs that the video of the unrelased track will be posted at 3 a.m. tomorrow. Make sure to check that at and don’t forget about the album releasal.

– Zach Crisostomo

Barack Obama Pushing for Gun Control

After the killing of 6- and 7-year-olds at Newtown’s Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14th, President Barack Obama pushed gun control to the top of his list for the first time and pledged to put as much power as possible behind the issue. The White House is fighting for this to stay a pressing issue, since it’s currently losing importance to more pressing issues. On Thursday, Vice President Joe Biden will meet with the National Rifle Association and other gun-owner groups so they can talk at the White House. The administration’s goal is to come to an agreement over plans to curb gun violence.

Music News for January 4, 2013-January 6, 2013

Rock and Alternative

An interview with Yoko Ono, which discusses The Beatles’ split has surfaced. It has been reported that Ono gave the interview to Joe Smith (music industry figure) in 1987, yet the audio of the discussion has only recently surfaced. The interview audio is available in a file from the Library of Congress. In the interview, Ono describes the band’s split to a “divorce” and because of the split, each one of them was becoming independent. Even though Ono has been said to be held responsible from the demise of the band, Paul McCartney had revealed that Ono’s relationship with John Lennon had played no part in the band’s split. To listen to the audio of the interview, check out: http://www.loc.gov/rr/record/joesmith/.

Miles Kane had just released his new single called, “Give Up”, which was co-written with Kid Harpoon and produced by The Lightning Seeds’ Ian Broudie. The single is from Miles Kane’s new second album, which is due to release later this year. A four track EP will be released on iTunes on February 24^th and it will be available on 7” format on the 25^th. The tracklisting of the EP includes “Give Up”, “Woman’s Touch”, “The Competition”, and “Give UP” (Video). To listen to Miles Kane’s new single, be sure to visit: http://www.nme.com/news/miles-kane/67979.

Beach House has released a video for their song, “New Year”, which is taken from the duo’s fourth album Bloom. To check out the video, be sure to visit: http://www.nme.com/news/beach-house/67972. The album has been their highest-charting album, as it peaked at Number seven in the US charts. Beach House has begun a tour of Australia and will return to the UK for some London tour dates in the spring. Beach House is also said to be headlining at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire venue on March 26^th and 27^th.

Norma Jean have re-entered the studio and they have been recording for a new album since early December. They have announced that they have at least seven songs tracked and are planning to track seven more. In regards to the new album, Norma jean have said that they have spent almost two years writing it and that they have found many ways to expand on what they have done before. They have also said that they have progressed into making something new.

Electronic and Dance

Andre Sobota has started the new year with his fourth EP, Futura. The EP features two trackes titled, “Paulista” and “Futura”. Sobota has mentioned that his track, “Paulista” was influenced by Niemeyer architecture and some aspects of life in São Paulo. To check out both of these songs, be sure to visit: http://www.dancingastronaut.com/2013/01/andre-sobota-futura-ep/

Skrillex has just released a new three track EP via YouTube, called Leaving. This EP includes songs called “Leaving”, “Scary Bolly Dub”, and “The Reason”. Skrillex has also revealed a new video for his track, “Summit”. To listen to Skrillex’s new tracks and to watch the video, be sure to visit: http://www.nme.com/news/skrillex/67992.

Daft Punk do not have plans to tour or play live in 2013, although they have been linked to headline slots in Glastonbury and Coachella. There have been rumors about Daft Punk performing at Coachella, yet it has been said that they will not be touring this year.

Pop and R&B

Beyonce will be joined onstage with one hundred fans when she appears at the Super Bowl in February. In a contest, fans were asked to submit photos of them dancing and 50 of those fans will be chosen to dance onstage with Beyonce. The contest winners will also be able to bring a friend. This contest is run by Pepsi, which will also sponsor Beyonce’s 2013 tour for the release of her new album. It has also been said that Beyonce will release new material before she appears at the Super Bowl and new tracks will also be shared during her performance.

Country

Jake Owen had a halftime performance at the Discover Orange Bowl on January 1^st. The event was at Miami’s Sun Life Stadium. The Discover Orange Bowl aired live on ESPN January 1^st at 7:30 p.m. CT. After this performance, Jake Owen joins up with Jason Aldean’s Night Train Tour.