Britt Daniel (Spoon), Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade) and Sam Brown (New Bomb Turks) have formed the new group Divine Fits. The Nick Launay produced album will be released "later this year" through Merge Records. Follow happenings on Twitter. [www.mergerecords.com]
Pearl Jam will headline one-night of Jay-Z's Made in America Music Festival, which takes place September 1-2 at Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. D'Angelo, Miike Snow, Santigold, Dirty Projectors, Janelle Monae and Passion Pit will perform, as well. [www.billboard.com]
Brandon Welch and Todd Turner (formerly of Far-Less) have formed a new duo, Powers. They've posted their first demo, "White Cloud", on Sound Cloud. [soundcloud.com]
According to a recent tweet, The Love Language are expected to release their third album "by the end of the year", due to some additional mixing and "tweaks". A single is being planned for "late summer". The group recently previewed "Faithbreaker" at Record Store Day performance in Wilmington, NC. Libraries was released in 2010. [twitter.com]
Toadies and Helmet have teamed for a summer co-headlining tour. The schedule kicks off in Houston, TX on July 20th. Toadies will undoubtedly preview material from their new album, Play.Rock.Music, due on July 31st. Stream lead single "Summer of the Strange" on Sound Cloud. Helmet released Seeing Eye Dog in 2010. [thetoadies.com]
The influential Braid will hit the road this summer on a headlining tour, courtesy of Filter Magazine. The trek kicks off on August 7th in Cleveland, OH and Owen will support. The group released the Closer to Closed EP in 2011. [www.braidcentral.com]
The Walkmen will issue their sixth full-length, Heaven, next week on May 29th through Fat Possum. NPR is streaming the full album until the release and you can watch a trailer for the record on YouTube. The group will tour North America over the next few months, including stops at Sasquatch, Lollapalooza and Outside Lands. [www.thewalkmen.com]
Kimbra will release her debut album, Vows, in the US tomorrow. The New Zealander worked on six additional tracks for the Stateside release with producers Mike Elizondo and Greg Kurstin in Los Angeles. Stream the full album on NPR. [www.kimbramusic.com]
Patti Smith will release her eleventh studio album, Banga, on June 5th. The full-length marks Smith' first new material since 2004's Trampin'. Stream album track "April Fool" from a recent episode of NPR's All Songs Considered. [www.pattismith.net]
Oxford's Foals will release a new mixtape under K7's Tapes series in July. Check out the track list on NME and cover artwork on Facebook. In related news, keyboardist Edwin Congreave has been posting mixes to Sound Cloud for some time. Finally, the group is working on a third album and follow-up to 2010's Total Life Forever. [www.facebook.com]
British Theatre, featuring Mike Vennart and Richard "Gambler" Ingram (formerly of Oceansize), released their first EP earlier this year. In a recent newsletter, the band announced that they'll soon issue their second EP on vinyl and digital formats. [www.britishtheatremusic.com]
On June 25th, Joanna Newsom will join Philip Glass at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco, California. The performance is part of the Days and Nights Festival and benefits Big Sur's Henry Miller Memorial Library. Violinist Tim Fain will join the duo to perform songs from both Glass' and Newsom's catalogs. [thewarfieldtheatre.com]
Jonathan Coulton, the so-called "geek rocker" with a devoted cult following, has announced a US headlining tour this summer. The trek kicks off in Boston, MA on June 1st. Coulton released Artificial Heart last year, which was produced by They Might Be Giants' John Flansburgh. Stream "Alone at Home" and a couple other album tracks on Sound Cloud. [www.jonathancoulton.com]
The Kooks are following up their touring earlier this year with more North American dates in May and June, which includes a stop at Bonnaroo 2012. The group will support Foster The People and the trek kicks off on May 26th in Boston. Junk of the Heart was release in 2011. [www.thekooks.com]
Kid Static, a Los Angeles native by way of Chicago, will release a new album, It Gleams, on June 1st through Cobra Music. Stream the album track "T-Shirts & Sneakers" on HipHopDX and catch the video for "Moonlight" on YouTube. [www.kidstatic.com]
This week, West Yorkshire's The Cribs released their fifth album, In The Belly of the Brazen Bull, through Wichita Records. The album was recorded in the studios of Steve Albini and David Fridmann. Stream "Come On, Be a No-One" on Sound Cloud. [www.thecribs.com]
The Joy Formidable have wrapped up their sophomore album at a small studio outside Portland, Maine. The record was mixed by the inimitable Andy Wallace (Nirvana, Silverchair). Frontwoman Ritzy Bryan recently spoke with Spin about the new songs. [www.facebook.com]
Wales' Future Of The Left will release a new album, The Plot Against Common Sense, on June 12th via Xtra Mile Recordings. Stream "I Am the Least of Your Problems" on Pitchfork and watch the video for "Sheena is a T-shirt Salesman" on YouTube. Their last full-length, Travels With Myself And Another, was released in 2009. [futureoftheleft.net]
Godspeed You! Black Emperor will tour this fall, following performances at the Pitchfork Music Festival and ATP's I'll Be Your Mirror USA in Asbury Park. The trek kicks off in Boston, Massachusetts on October 1st. [www.pitchfork.com]
The Digital Noise Academy have launched a Kickstarter campaign to finish their debut album. The band features Ken Andrews (Failure, On), Sharky Laguna (Creeper Lagoon), Charlotte Martin, Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Beck, NIN) and Jordon Zadorozny (Blinker The Star). Two songs, "Melting Inside" and "Thursday Night Party", are currently available on Bandcamp. Ken Andrews mentioned in an email that successful funding of the project could "open up a lot of possibilities" for new solo material. I'd love a new On album myself. [www.kickstarter.com]
