While details about the new Beastie Boys album are still shakey and trickling in (aka - we know they are working on one, that's it) it appears that the band has created a new portion of their official site in which they've made tons of Acapella tracks available for you to download and create your own remixes. Get to it.
The new album from Sondre Lerche, Phantom Punch, is top notch pop/rock. Preview the album here then see him on tour throughout these dates.
After a relentless year of touring it seems that The Octopus Project hasn't had enough quite yet. Hot on the heels of their release The House of Apples & Eyeballs (with Black Moth Super Rainbow) the band will be traveling from Texas to Seattle (playing along the way) until they reach their destination; Bear Creek Studio. A new album will be recorded and released soon thereafter.
Punk rock supergroup Die Hunns will soon embark on a long road schedule to support the upcoming Volcom release You Rot Me.
Bedroom outfit Cassette will release Beautiful California on March 6th via Atomisk Records. The album is comprised of 35 tracks to cover different moods and things, many of which are aimed at being commercial jingles. The band (which is really one man, Devin Smith) has already scored one with a Visa campaign launched this previous summer.
May 1st will see the release of the fourth record from Canada's Frog Eyes. Once again the band is working with Absolutely Kosher to put out the album, which is titled Tears of the Valedictorian. The band obviously has some tour dates and SXSW appearances lined up, and there's also a song from the album available in the Downloads.
Fountains of Wayne will follow-up 2003's Welcome Interstate Managers with Traffic and Weather, which will hit stores on April 3rd. The record is the band's fourth, and hopefully they'll get some widespread attention this time for something with a little more substance than "Stacy's Mom"—we know they're capable of it. Here's an ecard for the release, if you're interested. Head over to fountainsofwayne.com for more details.
Here's a quick update for that string of Mooney Suzuki shows we mentioned last week. They'll now be doing support for Albert Hammond, Jr. for a couple weeks, as both prep new releases.
The Locust will be dedicating a month of touring to New Erections, which will be released by Anti on March 20th. They'll have Cattle Decapitation on the road as support.
Atlanta, Georgia's Shannon Wright will bring back her percussive guitar playing and splayed-finger piano talents on Let In The Light. This, her fifth album, is set for release on May 8th through Touch and Go. Listen to "Defy This Love" and view the cover art on Wright's MySpace page.
The Lesbian record that was mentioned a few weeks back now has a release date set for March 13th. Tour dates and an appearance at SXSW will ensue.
The sixth annual Sasquatch! Music Festival will be held on the weekend of May 26th in the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington State. As of now, the line-up hasn't been announced. The festival will reveal that information on February 20th. We'll let you know more as soon as we know more.
The No Fear Music Tour will see Killswitch Engage and He Is Legend off on a 32-date, nationwide tour from February 21st through April 8th. Check out the tour website for how pre-order tickets and downloads.
The faaaaabulous Scissor Sisters are embarking on a little tour covering a handful of cities in North America this March. Can you feel the love?
Michigan's The Icicles will release Arrivals & Departures on April 11th through the Microindie label. The album was produced by Britt Myers, who's also turned the knobs on releases from The Icicles' kindred spirits Dressy Bessy and The Essex Green. Don't let the name fool you, this band is straight-up sunshine pop. Check out some tracks on their Myspace page if you haven't heard them already.
Regina Spektor will once again drop in on Last Call with Carson Daly. On February 13th, she'll perform "Better" from Begin To Hope (and Guy Pearce will also be on the show, if that helps).
Hail Social will self-release Modern Love and Death on March 20th; the sophomore record follows up 2005's self-titled release on the Polyvinyl label. We've got just a few dates for the band now, but more are sure to come.
The upcoming Klaxons album is titled Myths of the Near Future, and will be released on March 27th through Rinse/DGC. The British band is already neck-deep in praise over last year's Xan Valleys EP, and they'll be touring throughout April to share the songs with us all.
As expected, Battles is set to release "Atlas," a new single through Warp, on April 3rd. Warp sneaked us a peek at the artwork, if you're interested. The single will precede the upcoming full-length Mirrored, scheduled for release on May 15th. Also, a short March/April tour has been announced.
With the impending release of the next Explosions In The Sky album, All Of The Sudden I Miss Everyone (Feb 20th), the band has announced a large slew of tour dates. Be sure to check them out and maybe even buy the new album one week early on iTunes.
