New Releases

Admiral Fallow’s brand new track "Beetle In The Box" received its first radio play last night on Huw Stephens BBC Radio 1 evening show. The track is a taste of the band's forthcoming second album (May tba)  and is now available for free download from the band's site:  www.admiralfallow.com.

Produced by Paul Savage (Mogwai, King Creosote) at Glasgow's Chem 19 and mastered by Greg Calbi (Bon Iver, The National) in New York City, the album is the follow up to the Scottish indie band’s acclaimed 2011 debut, Boots Met My Face, which the BBC called “devastatingly downtrodden and wonderfully uplifting… surprising and enthralling… finely crafted material played superbly well.”

Having sold out a headlining show at Glasgow’s ABC this Friday, January 27th, playing support to Snow Patrol at the SECC on Saturday, January 28th, and selling out London’s Borderline as part of HMV’s Next Big Thing Concert supporting We Are Augustines on February 2nd,  rest assured that 2012 will see Admiral Fallow taken to new and deserved heights.

Great Lake Swimmers have announced U.S. tour dates in support of the April 3 release date of New Wild Everywhere, their fifth studio album and follow up to 2009’s Juno and Polaris-nominated album Lost Channels. The tour kicks off Tuesday, May 1 in Chicago at Lincoln Hall; pre-sale packages are currently available on the band’s website (www.greatlakeswimmers.com), with the general on-sale beginning Friday, January 27. Support act Cold Specks will join the band on the North American leg of the tour. The band has also confirmed that they will be appearing in Austin, TX during SXSW, with show details to follow. See below for a full list of tour dates, including previously announced Canadian and European dates.

In other news, this week PasteMagazine.com premiered a new music video (here) for lead single “Easy Come Easy Go,” which was digitally released on January 17. The video was directed by Scott Cudmore (Rural Alberta Advantage, Timber Timbre), shot in one take and showcases the band performing in a studio in their hometown of Toronto as the set gets deconstructed around them. Watch the video above and keep reading for more information and full list of tour dates.

Datarock - "California" from stereogum on Vimeo.

In case you missed it, Norwegian electro-rockers Datarock released a new video for their latest single "California."  The video, which originally premiered on Stereogum,  was co-directed by Andreas Trolf and music-video legend and Devo collaborator Gerald V. Casale.

New York-based singer/songwriter Jay Brannan returns with sophomore full-length album Rob Me Blind on March 27, 2012. Jay released his critically lauded debut album goddamned in 2008, but first gained attention with his role in John Cameron Mitchell’s 2006 indie film Shortbus, where he performed his original song, “Soda Shop.”

For his sophomore effort, Jay teams up with Grammy-winning producer David Kahne (Regina Spektor, Paul McCartney, The Bangles), who brings instrumental textures to Jay’s songwriting, hinting at a slightly new direction for the minimalist artist while maintaining the signature qualities of a Jay Brannan album: brutal honesty, sharp wit, and sparkling melodies. Lyrically, the album follows the singer through states of loneliness, anger, rejection, and yearning, while somehow offering a glimpse of hope and self-acceptance.

The first single from the 10-track album, “Beautifully” (out now in iTunes), showcases Jay’s talent for storytelling as he recounts the saga of someone falling for a close friend whose attraction lies only in the realm of the platonic. A new video for the track (directed by Grant Carden & Dillon Magrann-Wells) premiered yesterday on NYMag.com (here).

Keep reading for more information.

Toronto indie-folk/rock darlings Great Lake Swimmers return with New Wild Everywhere (April 3, 2012), their fifth studio album and follow up to 2009’s Juno and Polaris-nominated album Lost Channels. Lead single “Easy Come Easy Go,” the most upbeat and up-tempo song in the band’s history, is available January 17, 2012.

Listen To “Easy Come Easy Go” Here:

Great Lake Swimmers - Easy Come Easy Go (radio edit) by nettwerkmusicgroup

New Wild Everywhere captures all of the excitement and intuitive musicianship of a group at the peak of their creative powers, with 12 new tracks that reveal a depth and maturity only previously hinted at by lead singer and songwriter Tony Dekker. Produced by longtime Great Lake Swimmers’ collaborator Andy Magoffin, New Wild Everywhere marks the first time in the band’s history that an album was recorded in a real studio (Toronto’s Revolution Recording); past albums have been famously recorded in historic churches, castles, music venues and more.

“We wanted to try something new, expand our horizons, and flex a bit of the creative muscle we’ve built up through years of touring,” says Dekker. “It came as a bit of a surprise how well we functioned as a band in that [studio] environment. We were able to focus completely on the songs, rather than the logistical obstacles of waiting for the boat to dock, or the rain to stop.”

Keep reading for more information and Canadian/European tour dates.

Nettwerk-managed indie pop-folk artist Radical Face (aka Ben Cooper) -- who released his critically-acclaimed sophomore album The Family Tree: The Roots in North America in October on his own Bear Machine label -- has just inked a deal with Nettwerk's label side for the album's release in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The Family Tree: The Roots will be out at the end of January/early February (release dates vary across each territory). Hauntingly beautiful, Radical Face’s new album glimmers with folk, pop and Ben’s wide-open vocals. His European tour kicks off January 23rd with back to back sold-out shows in London. See below for full list of dates. 

After four years of honing the album concept, which depicts the life and tribulations of a family from the 1800’s, Ben recorded The Family Tree: The Roots alone in a tool shed and limited the songwriting to instruments that would have been accessible in the 1800’s. Incorporating piano, acoustic guitar, a floor tom, and voices, he only brought in additional instruments of the era during tracking when needed. From soaring tracks like “A Pound of Flesh” and “Severus and Stone,” to eerily dark pieces like “Black Eyes” and “Kin,” to warm, enlightening gems like “Always Gold” and “Mountains,” the songs flow together with mindful artistic clarity, allowing the listener to fully escape into the album as the stories unravel.

Keep reading for European tour dates.

Mark Klasfeld (Jay-Z, Foo Fighters, Flo Rida, Kid Rock, Bon Jovi, Gnarls Barkley) directs the brand new video for fun.’s breakthrough single “We Are Young” feat. Janelle Monáe; a collaboration with hip-hop master, Jeff Bhasker (Jay-Z, Kanye West, Drake, Alicia Keys and Beyonce) the producer on the band’s anticipated Some Nights, out February 21st (Fueled by Ramen). Fans can experience fun. firsthand this winter when the band takes on a headline tour of North America to showcase new music along with fan favorites—see below for a full tour itinerary.

Keep reading for full list of tour dates.

As part of the ongoing earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, State Radio shares a new track with fans, “Roadway Broken.”

The song is about a mother searching for food for her children after the 2010 earthquake, and will be available as a free download on Tuesday, December 20. There are several ways for fans to get the song: 1) tweet about the song, 2) tweet about donating to Haiti, 3) share a message to Facebook about the song and Haiti and/or 4) buy it at Bandcamp for $1. Half of all proceeds will be donated to Stand With Haiti: a Partners In Health service organization to provide health care, clinical and social support and rebuild and reinforce the public health systems in Haiti.

For more information on “Roadway Broken,” visit: http://aktfiles.com/state_radio/splash/
For more information on Stand With Haiti, visit: http://www.standwithhaiti.org/haiti

State Radio will soon be announcing 2012 touring plans, including dates in Europe and the US. In the meantime, bandmember Chad Stokes is prepping for a handful of west coast solo dates and Dispatch’s first jaunt to Europe. See below.

Young Liars - Colours Single by nettwerkmusicgroup

Nettwerk Records is pleased to announce the signing of Vancouver’s latest indie rock sensation, Young Liars. Comprised of five multi-instrumentalists, Young Liars deftly experiments with synth-pop, electronic and indie rock to create catchy indie pop hooks.

Revered as an integral part of the local soundscape, the quintet’s compelling style has set them apart from indie rockers of the same flavor with driving, layered and thoughtful arrangements.

Young Liars is the latest addition to Nettwerk’s expanding label roster, which includes active artists like Ladytron, Peter Murphy, Angus & Julia Stone, William Fitzsimmons, as well as catalogue artists like Old Crow Medicine Show and fun.

In near infancy, the blog darlings have already garnered sold-out shows and a promising EP, Homesick Future (set for release February 21st). Today, Nettwerk Records shares lead track, “Colours,” from the forthcoming EP. Included in the release is a remix by fellow countrymen, Teen Daze.

Nettwerk Management client Hem have just released a beauitful original holiday song called "Identical Snowflakes" (listen below). The New York-based band has been busy in the studio putting the finishing touches their upcoming release, Departure and Farewell, due out in 2012. "Identical Snowflakes" will be featured on the full-length as well. 

Identical Snowflakes by ColeenN