The Darcys are back with another free album. AJA is the second in their trilogy and "an interpretation of Steely Dan's 1977 classic". The group is currently touring North American with Arkels and later Bombay Bicycle Club. Watch the video for "Josie" on YouTube. [thedarcys.ca]
Death Cab For Cutie will hit the road on a "one-of-a-kind spring trek" in April to further support Codes and Keys. Each night, they'll be joined by members of the Magik*Magik Orchestra. Low and Youth Lagoon will open various legs of the tour. [www.deathcabforcutie.com]
Garbage will release their fifth album, Not Your Kind of People, on May 15th through their own STUNVOLUME Records. Bleed Like Me was released in 2005. [garbage.com]
Uncle Skeleton recently released a new single, "Sophisticuffs", taken from the All Too Human full-length, due in the spring through Yewknee Records. Stream and download the single on Bandcamp. Skeleton's Warm Under the Covers was released in May 2010. [uncleskeleton.bandcamp.com]
Night Reports is the product of a "groggy predawn drive to the airport" by Derrick Brown and Beau Jennings. Their debut album, You're All Out, chronicles "the rise and fall, and boozy stumble, of the sort of athlete that confuses the girl with the championship". The album features a performance from Samantha Crain on "Hang On Me Darlin'" and mixing/mastering from "Derrick's old buddy" Richard Swift. [nightreports.bandcamp.com]
Birdmonster are set to release their third full-length in 2012. They recently dropped a new single, "Living", on Bandcamp for free as a teaser of forthcoming material. From the Mountain to the Sea was released in 2008. [birdmonster.bandcamp.com]
The Kooks will return to the States throughout the coming months to further support Junk of the Heart, their third album that was released in September 2011. The trek kicks off February 28th in Las Vegas. Stream "Rosie" from said full-length on YouTube. [www.thekooks.com]
The Savannah Stopover Music Festival will mark its second year on March 7-10 in Savannah, GA. 2012's lineup includes The War on Drugs, The Love Language, The Men, The Big Sleep, Little Tybee, Jon Lindsay and many more. [www.savannahstopover.com]
Gerard Love (Teenage Fanclub) will release his debut solo album, Electric Cables, under the moniker Lightships on April 3rd. The record features "Love's melodic gifts and taste for adventurous arrangements". Stream "Two Lines" from said album on YouTube. [www.dominorecordco.com]
Jack White will release his solo debut, Blunderbuss, on April 24th on Third Man/Columbia. Stream the lead single "Love Interruption" on White's new website. The vinyl and digital versions include b-side "Machine Gun Silhouette". [www.jackwhiteiii.com]
Feist has announced a world tour in continued support of her 2011 album Metals. The North American leg kicks off at Coachella and runs through mid-May. [www.pitchfork.com]
Mastodon and Sweden's Opeth have announced a spring headlining tour throughout North America. The trek kicks off April 4th in Portland, ME and Ghost will open all shows. Find all the dates and details on Mastodon's website. [www.mastodonrocks.com]
Samantha Crain released a new two-song single, A Simple Jungle, last month through Ramseur Records. The effort includes two new tracks, "It's Simple" and "Cadwell Jungle", and was produced by John Vanderslice at Tiny Telephones. [samanthacrain.com]
Band of Skulls will release their sophomore effort, Sweet Sour, exclusively through iTunes on February 7th. The Southampton alt-rock trio is currently streaming said album on Spin. They'll perform during SXSW on March 13th at Antone's. [vagrant.com]
The Boxer Rebellion will tour North American throughout the spring, kicking off April 6th at Club Congress in Tuscon, AZ. They released their third album, The Cold Still, in 2011. Watch a live video of "The Runner" on YouTube. [theboxerrebellion.com]
Montreal's Plants and Animals will release their third full-length, The End of That, on February 28th via Secret City Records. Described as the band's "most live-off-the floor offering", the record reportedly bridges the gap between its previous two albums. Listen to "Lightshow" on the label's website. La La Land was released in 2010. [secretcityrecords.com]
The Mars Volta will release their sixth album, Nocturniquet, on March 27th. You can preview the cover art and track list on the band's website. In related news, At The Drive-In have reunited to perform at Coachella 2012. [www.themarsvolta.com]
John Mayer has evidently recovered from his surgery to remove granulomas from his vocal cords and is full-steam-ahead on his forthcoming album, Born and Raised. Mayer will return to the stage at Stubb's on March 17th, during SXSW. [jhnmyr.tumblr.com]
A-Sun Amissa will release their debut full-length, Desperate in Her Heavy Sleep, on March 26th through Gizeh Records. The record promises "minimalist drones [and] modern-classical movements". The group is comprised of Richard Knox (Glissando), Angela Chan (Glissando) and Owen Pegg. Stream "Arm in Arm to a Full Awakening" on the Gizeh website. [www.gizehrecords.com]
Rosie Thomas will release her sixth full-length, With Love, on February 14th through her own Sing-A-Long Records. The album was produced by David Bazan (Pedro The Lion) and Blake Wescott (The Posies). It features performances from Bazan, Wescott, Sam Beam (Iron and Wine) and members of Sufjan Stevens' band. Check out "Where Was I" on Bandcamp. Thomas has also scheduled a March tour in support of the album. [www.rosiethomas.com]
