Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 2600

Weekend "Mirror"

Crocodiles Premiere "Teardrop Guitar" On NPR's 'All Songs Considered,

Crocodiles Premiere "Teardrop Guitar" On NPR's 'All Songs Considered, Releases 'Crimes Of Passion' Teaser Video On Brooklyn Vegan Tour With Japandroids Kicks Off This Weekend In NYC
Crimes Of Passion LP Out August 20th On Frenchkiss Records (August 19th in UK/EU via Zoo Music)

Click Here To Watch "Crimes Of Passion" Teaser Video On Brooklyn Vegan Click Here To Listen To "Teardrop Guitar" On NPR Tour Dates

6/7/13 Music Hall Of Williamsburg -  Brooklyn NY *
6/8/13 Union Pool - Brooklyn, NY
6/10/13 Beachland Tavern - Cleveland, OH
6/11/13 Metro - Chicago, IL *
6/12/13 Newport Music Hall - Columbus, OH *
6/14/13 MOTR Pub - Cincinnati, OH
6/15/13 Headliners Music Hall - Louisville, KY *
6/16/13 Mr. Smalls Theatre - Millvale, PA *
6/17/13 Adelaide Hall - Toronto, ON *
6/20/13 Jefferson Theater - Charlottesville, VA *
6/21/13 Ottobar - Baltimore, MD * 6/29/13  – MIV Festivals – Pordenone, Italy
8/24/13 – Broadcast – Glasgow, UK
8/25/13  – Sneaky Petes – Edinburgh, UK
8/27/13  – Brudnell Social Club – Leeds, UK
8/28/13  – The Ruby Lounge – Manchester, UK
8/31/13  – End of the Road – Larmer Tree, UK
9/2/13  – Sticky Mike’s – Brighton, UK
9/3/13  – Le Nouveau Casino – Paris, France
9/5/13  – Music Hall – Barcelona, Spain
9/7/13  – Kutxa Kultur Festibala @ Igeldo Amusement Park – San Sebastian, Spain
9/10/13  – Indie Summer Party @ Magnolia – Milan, Italy
9/11/13  – Blah Blah – Turin, Italy
9/12/13  – Block Out Rock ClubVia Casilina – Rome, Italy
9/13/13  – Looop – Padova, Italy
9/14/13  – Hana Bi – Marina di Ravenna
9/16/13  – Arena / Dreiraum – Vienna, Austria * w/ Japandroids
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Pixies Release Second Music Video for "Bagboy"

Pixies Release Second Music Video for "Bagboy""We didn't set out to have two music videos for 'Bagboy,' but once we saw both of these, we knew we didn't want to use just one.  And look, who says you can't have two videos for a song that shows two completely different perspectives?  Not us."   -- Black Francis
See the new "Bagboy" video exclusively at RollingStone.com
More info on the "Bagboy" track and videos, and the extensive world tour that Pixies are about to launch, go to the band's press assets site.
"Bagboy" cover art by Vaughan Oliver

 pixiesmusic.com

Cults announce Static out October 15 on Columbia Records

CULTS ANNOUNCE STATIC OUT OCTOBER 15 ON COLUMBIA RECORDS
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WATCH CULTS ALBUM TEASER NOW AT http://cultscultscults.com
(Columbia Records; New York, NY – July 25, 2013) – On October 15, Columbia Records will release Static, the highly anticipated follow-up to Cults’ critically adorned 2010 self-titled, debut release.  Written and recorded over the course of 2012 in the band’s home base of New York City, Static is produced by Cults with support from Shane Stoneback (Sleigh Bells, Vampire Weekend) and Ben Allen (Animal Collective, Washed Out).  Today the band shares a self-directed album teaser which features tracks “We’ve Got It” and “So Far” from Static: http://cultscultscults.com                                                                                                        Cults’ is the genesis of Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion, who mysteriously appeared in the spring of 2010 with their viral single “Go Outside.”  Acclaimed for what the New York Times describes as an “entrancing and intuitive strain of indie rock indebted to clean-cut ‘50’s rock with flashes of ’60’s haze,” Cults were additionally praised by NPR , Pitchfork , Los Angeles Times , and Spin for their outstanding debut album that includes their other notable tracks “Abducted,” “You Know What I Mean,” and their Adult Swim single “Oh My God.”
Earlier this year Cults opened for Passion Pit on a handful of east coast dates leading into their performance at Bonnaroo.  Previously the band joined Foster The People for a massive 2011 North American tour.  In the beginning 2012 Cults played an extensive headlining tour before they retreated to NYC to record Static.   The Washington Post noted that "less than two years later the mystique has disappeared, but a standout pop band has emerged."


http://cultscultscults.com http://www.columbiarecords.com

The Selecter Announce Rare Stateside Tour

The Selecter Announce Second Leg of “Non-Stop Pressure Tour”

Two-Week East Coast and Midwest Run Follows Several Summer Festival Stops, a COACHELLA Performance & Handful of West Coast Dates with Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry
     New York, NY – The Selecter is thrilled to announce the second leg of their US “Non-Stop Pressure Tour.”  The two-week trek will bring the legendary band to the East Coast and Midwest for the first time in nearly a decade and follows several summer festivals, a performance at this year’s Coachella and a handful of West Coast dates with Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry.  Starting out in Minneapolis, MN on September 13th, the tour makes stops in several major cities including NYC, Detroit, Boston, DC and Philadelphia.  In addition, The Selecter will play the Riot Fest in Chicago on September 14th alongside a number of heavy hitters including Blondie, Motorhead, Rancid, and Toots and the Maytals.

Formed in the late 70s in Coventry, The Selecter was one of the early acts to sign to 2 Tone Records, home to Madness, The Beat and The Specials.  They became an integral part of the emerging ska scene, setting themselves apart from the pack by being one of the only female fronted ska bands.  Led by the fashionable and talented Pauline Black, The Selecter released a number of seminal singles on the label including “On My Radio,” “Three Minute Hero,” and “Missing Words.”  A couple of these songs made it on their 1980 debut LP, Too Much Pressure , which charted in the Top 5 in the UK.  The following year they released their much anticipated follow-up album Celebrate the Bullet – an album that No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani placed in her Top Five Albums of all time in a 2011 Elle UK interview.

This comes as no surprise, considering Stefani has been a fan since ska made its way over to the US in the mid-80s.  Noting Pauline and The Selecter as a big influence on her career, in 1997 Stefani invited a reunited The Selecter out on their Tragic Kingdom tour.   This was the last time The Selecter toured the US outside of some select dates in 2003.   

On Halloween in 2010, Pauline Black and Arthur “Gaps” Hendrickson celebrated the 30th anniversary of Too Much Pressurewith The Selecter performing the album live at the Sinners Day Festival in Hasselt, Belgium.  This event kicked off the current revitalized incarnation of the legendary band who has continued to write and release new music including 2011’s Made In Britain .  That same year Pauline Black released her powerful and critically acclaimed memoir Black By Design , in which she explored her racial identity, ska, and a search for her biological parents.  The book became a #1 Best Seller in the Guardian Bookshop and was highlighted in NPR’s Weekend Edition.  The Independent reviewed the book, calling it “…More than a musical memoir-vivid, intelligent, compelling”.

Now it’s 2013 and The Selecter is back with another new studio album – String Theory – currently available in the UK only.  The album got the band out on the road again ultimately leading to their first US tour dates in a decade with the “Non-Stop Pressure Tour.”  Rolling Stoneclaims Pauline is “Hands down…the best voice that ever graced a 2-Tone release.”  Don’t miss on a chance to hear this voice live. Full tour dates below:
The Selecter "Non-Stop Pressure Tour" - September, 2013
13th    Cedar Cultural Center                         Minneapolis, MN
14th     Riot Fest                                                  Chicago, IL
15th     Magic Bag                                               Detroit, MI
17th     Lee’s Palace                                             Toronto, ON
18th     Starlight Room                                      Waterloo, ON
19th     Trocadero                                                Philadelphia, PA
20th     Gramercy Theatre                              New York, NY
21st      Paradise Rock Club                              Boston, MA
22nd     State Theatre                                       Washington, DC

Stay connected with The Selecter
http://www.theselecter.net/
https://www.facebook.com/TheSelecter
https://twitter.com/TheSelecter
http://www.twitter.com/paulineblack
 

The Helio Sequence Tours With Menomena

The Helio Sequence To Tour With Menomena
September 28th - October 25th
  The Helio Sequence will hit the road this fall with fellow Portland band & longtime friends Menomena. Dubbed the “Heliomena” tour, the trek begins September 28th in San Francisco, CA at Great American Music Hall and ends October 25th in Salt Lake City, UT at the Urban Lounge. Preceding the tour, The Helio Sequence have a few festival and club shows to mention: July 27th in Carnation, WA for the Timber Outdoor Music Festival; September 7th in Portland, OR at Music Fest Northwest (Aladdin Theatre); and September 26th in Seattle, WA at Showbox at The Market with Shabazz Palaces. The tour is in support of their 5th album Negotiations.  Please find a full list of tour dates below.
Negotiations, the fifth album from The Helio Sequence, is available now via Sub Pop on CD, LP, and digitally.  The album, led by the singles "October" and "Hall of Mirrors", was written, recorded and produced by the band in their studio in Portland, Oregon.  Watch the band’s video for "Hall of Mirrors", which was co-directed by Cliff Sargent and Alex Huebsch, here.
What people are saying about Negotiations: "There’s no debate here -- Negotiationswas well worth the four year-long wait. A seminal point for The Helio Sequence, the forthcoming release sees the band digging back into their more experimental roots while simultaneously falling into their true sound" - FILTER       "…When they settled down to write and record Negotiations, their fifth full-length and latest for Sub Pop, the duo decided to ditch the sleek digital textures that have defined much of their work up until now for a setup that features vintage synthesizers, reverb, and microphones. The result is perhaps the most inviting inviting record they've crafted to date, a warm, humid, seismic set of songs..." - SPIN.com       "Hints of psych and prog color the margins here, but by and large, Negotiationstakes the romantic sweep of 1980s arena-pop and plays it with the relative emotional reserve and compositional trickiness of turn-of-the-millennium Pacific Northwest indie. Sidestepping go-for-broke bombast and easy melodrama, Summers and Weikel lean into Negotiations' curves, making their every move count." - Pitchfork       "Summers and Weikel work incredibly well together on Negotiations. Summers’ haunting voice and shimmering guitars roll and intertwine with Weikel’s drum and synth work effortlessly. It’s an album that may take an extended listen, but once you key in, you won’t shake it off." - Consequence of Sound      "The duo presents itself with a maturity that continues to snowball and solidify their sound, proving they’re still riding high on a wave that shows no sign of cresting." - Portland Monthly

Tour Dates
Jul. 27 - Carnation, WA - Timber Outdoor Music Festival Sep. 07 - Portland, OR - Music Fest Northwest / Aladdin Theatre Sep. 26 - Seattle, WA - Showbox at the Market* Sep. 28 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall Sep. 29 - Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex Sep. 30 - Santa Ana, CA -  Constellation Room Oct. 1 - Phoenix, AZ - Pub Rock Oct. 2 - Tucson, AZ - Plush Oct. 4 - Austin, TX - Mohawk Oct. 5 - Denton, TX - Canned Festival Oct. 7 - Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder Oct. 8 - Birmingham, AL - Bottletree Oct. 10 - Atlanta, GA - Terminal West Oct. 11 - Charlotte, NC - Visulite Oct. 12 - Raleigh, NC - Kings Barcade Oct. 13 - Washington, DC - Black Cat Oct. 15 - Philadelphia, PA  - Underground Arts Oct. 17 - New York, NY - Webster Hall Oct. 18 - Boston, MA  - Sinclair Oct. 19 - Ithaca, NY - The Haunt Oct. 21 - Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge Oct. 22 - Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater Oct. 24 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Oct. 25 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge All dates with Menomena, unless noted* w/ Shabazz Palaces

Junip-NEW FALL TOUR DATES

    NEW FALL TOUR DATES
    We are so excited to have new Junip tour dates to share with you!   Junip’s upcoming fall tour will kick off in Austin with the band’s first appearance at Austin City Limits on Saturday, October 5th and wraps up on Sunday October 20th in Los Angeles with stops in San Francisco, New York, Salt Lake City, Denver, Atlanta and Baltimore. For a full list of tour dates please see below.   JUNIP FALL TOUR DATES   10/5—Austin City Limits Music Festival—Austin, TX   10/7—Terminal West—Atlanta, GA   10/8—Cats Cradle—Carrboro, NC   10/9—Ottobar—Baltimore, MD   10/10—Le Poisson Rogue—New York, NY **(2 Shows Early /Late , this show is part of LPR's in the “Round” Series)**   10/12--Austin City Limits Music Festival—Austin, TX   10/14—Summit Music Hall—Denver, CO   10/15—The State Room—Salt Lake City, UT   10/16—The Knitting Factory—Reno, NV   10/17—Bimbos 365 Club—San Francisco, CA   10/19—The Loft at UCSD—La Jolla, CA   10/20 – The Belasco – Los Angeles, CA   Those warm spring days seem only a few memories ago when Junip unveiled music from their sophomore self-titled release during a brief two-week tour, but we can attest that it left a lasting impression. In case you missed their infectious live set you can check out their in-studio performance at WFUV here, their beautiful session with Pitchfork here or their KCRW session here.   Junip’s live performances and new record have amassed critical acclaim from the media and fans alike. “Line of Fire”introduced the world to new music from the trio from Gothenburg and drummed up expectation for what the rest of the record would deliver; lush waves of glorious warm sound that has become Junip’s signature. As we witness Elias, Tobias and Jose meld into one, we indulge our desires for more music from Junip with “ Your Life, Your Call.”   Listen to “Your Life, Your Call” HERE   Watch the video for “Your Life, Your Call” HERE   

The Faint @ US Open of Surfing

All photos taken by Angel Ceballos.

Twin Shadow @ US Open of Surfing

All photos taken in NYC by Daniel Murtagh.

TWIN SHADOW is playing the US OPEN of SURFING in Huntington Beach tomorrow, Thursday, July 25th, 2013.

US OPEN of SURFING