Cleveland-based Bears have an EP entitled Shortest Day Of The Year coming out April 3rd through Best Kept Secret. You can preview two songs from the disc, described as darker than their debut, right here. The popsters also have tour dates, including the obligatory stint at SXSW.
Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie will head out on a short solo tour in May. David Bazan of Pedro the Lion and Johnathan Rice will join Mr. Gibbard on every date.
Thrice will take a break from their 4-disc concept album and play a series of East Coast shows with Norma Jean and The Receiving End of Sirens in May (pre-order at ducatking.com). Bookmark alchemyindex.com to keep up with Thrice day-to-day, until the new album hits stores.
Brookyln's We Ragazzi, the mish-mashers of garage rock/electro-clash who disbanded in in 2004 shortly after Wolves With Pretty Lips, will be returning to the stage in April. First off, the trio will play one in their hometown before crossing the waters for the All Tomorrow's Parties festival. No details on any new records coming out of the reunion, but there's a track from the band's last effort in the Downloads if you never got to hear 'em.
On April 17th, Desoto Records will release Play, a compilation of songs written for childen by a diverse cast of independent artists. Mary Timony, Mirah, Mudhoney and John Davis (of Q & Not U) are among the contributors, and the album is "packed with wonderful, upbeat songs that we find as enjoyable as our five-year-old Nick does," or so says the record label. Check the Channels song in the Downloads.
Louisville's King Kong will be releasing Buncha Beans through Drag City sometime this spring, though an exact date for album #7 remains elusive on the band's site as well as the label's. Regardless, the trio will be heading east for some shows in April, so common sense says the album will be ready by that point. "Bulldozers" in the Downloads.
Art Brut will do a mere five dates in North America during April to support their Nag Nag Nag Nag single. The band plans to drop a sophomore record this summer, though no title has been announced. You may as well disregard this if you're not in an enormous city, 'cause they're not coming your way.
Though this is second-rate news considering all the hoopla about The Jesus & Mary Chain reuniting, we'd be neglecting our duties to not announce the Reid brothers' reunion under a different title. Sister Vanilla brings William, Jim and JAMC's Ben Lurie together with Reid sibling (and band namesake) Linda; the quartet plans on releasing its debut Little Pop Rock through the Chemikal Underground label in early April. Two tracks in the Downloads!
SU favorites Dredg have posted on their blog that they are hard at work on demo'ing songs for their next album. The new album may turn out to be another concept album (our fingers are crossed). The band revealed a few track titles to go along with the news and plans on playing a few shows in April. Check the blog.
In continuing support of Six Demon Bag Man Man are going back on the road and to road test some new material. Maybe you can convince them to play "Bulls on Parade" again? Look for them with Icy Demons and, occasionally, Girl Talk.
65daysofstatic will be releasing its third album sometime in May. The British post-rock quartet will be bringing its show to the US for the first time in support of The Destruction of Small Ideas, being showcased at SXSW and rounding out the visit with some yet-to-be-announced gigs on each side of the coast.
Willy Mason will follow-up Where the Humans Eat with the March 20th release of If the Ocean Gets Rough. Astralwerks, who reissued his debut album, will take on the duties for his latest as well. Expect the guy to be commandeering his fans' couches, as he's said to do, when the record takes him on another trip around the States. Also, check "When the River Moves On" in the Downloads.
Owen (Mike Kinsella) will be taking his one-man folk-pop act on the road in support of his latest Polyvinyl release At Home With Owen. Accompanying him for most dates will be alt-country punks Drag the River and singer/songwriter Rocky Votolato (ex-Waxwing).
Clark will follow-up his latest full-length, Body Riddle, with the Ted EP on March 6th. The EP will feature the title track remixed by Bibio as well as four non-album tracks. Watch the "Ted" video on YouTube.
What's left of Hot Water Music, The Draft, will release a self-titled digital EP on March 13th through Epitaph. Carrying the momentum of their debut full-length, In A Million Pieces, the EP features "four rockin' tracks."
We already mentioned that he's going on tour, but at that point we hadn't realized that Rocky Vololato will be dropping a new record on June 19th. the brag & cuss will be the songwriter's second release for Barsuk and will feature a full cast of musicians culled from the backing bands of Cat Power, Sufjan Stevens and Pedro the Lion.
Arcade Fire will be performing on Saturday Night Live this weekend. The band is set to play two songs from their upcoming album, Neon Bible, out on March 6th through Merge.
Songstress Rachael Yamagata hopes to release her recently completed, follow-up to 2004's Happenstance in April/May through RCA. The new material is being described as "in-your-face" and "darker and grittier," a reflection of her live performances. The album as features production from indie-rock go-to man, Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes, Cursive, Jenny Lewis).
Andrew Bird will drop his tenth record on the Fat Possum label. Armchair Apocrypha, due out on March 20th, will be followed by a string of supporting shows. Dates to come.
Way back in August we told you that The Frames had a new album entitled The Cost that would be released Stateside in February. Well, the album is now officially available and you can download the song "Sad Songs" right here. You can view an extensive list of tour dates from the band here.
