The Luyas unleash new video for opening track off Animator

07 November 2012

The Luyas, the outfit of Montreal natives Pietro Amato, Mathieu Charbonneau, Bucky Wheaton, Sarah Neufeld and Jessie Stein, dropped their third album, Animator, last month via Dead Oceans and Paper Bag Records.

Animator was conceived right after a close friend’s sudden death and “is supposed to be some weird resuscitation.” as singer and multi-instrumentalist Jessie Stein explained. “The animator’s job is to create the semblance of movement in things that cannot move themselves. The musician’s is to make us feel like something is happening with a sound”.

The quintet are currently touring Animator across North America and will reach European shores later in the month. You can check all their stops here.

The Luyas have unveiled a mesmerising video to accompany the outstanding epic 9-minute opener ‘Montuno’. Mylene Simard directed it and you can watch it below. Straight after listen to the first single off Animator, ‘Fifty, Fifty’.


Julia Holter signs to Domino and re-releases somophore album Ekstasis

05 November 2012

Julia Holter‘s excellent and widely acclaimed second album Ekstasis, released earlier this year via RVNG Intl, is being reissued by Domino on December 3rd digitally and on CD. The double vinyl edition arrives a couple of weeks later.

“Ekstasis is an album that reflects both the conventions of Holter’s extensive classical training and natural pop flair – as carefully considered from a compositional perspective as it is immediately affecting”, as the label puts it.

‘Goddess Eyes II’ is the first mesmerising cut off Ekstasis chosen by Domino to entice everyone’s ears. The single drops on December 10th and you can listen to it below.

Hejira release first single from upcoming debut album

04 November 2012

London based outfit Hejira, the quartet of Sam Beste, Rahel Debebe-Dessalegne, Alex Reeve and Alexis Nunez, are readying their debut full-length album. Matthew Herbert co-produced the yet-to-be-titled album, slated for an early 2013 release. We’ll keep an eye out for updates on this.

According to the press release, Hejira “cut their category destroying sound with psychedelic guitars, bisexual vocals and orchestral percussion, creating an atmosphere which is at once apocalyptic and hopeful”.

The foursome have recently released their first single, ‘Gypsy Of The Soul’. It’s available only on 7” and it comes backed with a remix from The Invisible on the B-side. Listen to ‘Gypsy Of The Soul’ below.

Poppy Ackroyd sets release date for Escapement

02 November 2012

Back in July, we reported on multi-instrumentalist and composer Poppy Ackroyd‘s upcoming debut solo album, Escapement. Her eagerly anticipated debut record will arrive on December 14th via Denovali Records.
According to the album’s blurb, Escapement reflects her intricate relationship with the piano and the violin. Classically trained on the two instruments, Poppy has been manipulating and multi-tracking sounds from them for the last few years. Her forthcoming album was composed using only the piano or the violin with the exception of a few field recordings of birds from the Outer Hebrides and rain recorded whilst driving in Scotland.

‘Escapement’ is described as “the part of the mechanism in a piano that enables the hammer to be released, so that the string can vibrate once it is struck. It can also mean the physical act of escaping, and in the context of this album it refers to the release of emotions through the instrument.”

We had previously shared the video for the beautiful ‘Seven’ off Escapement. The album’s supreme opening track ‘Aliquot’ also has an accompanying video filmed in her studio in Edinburgh. Watch it below.

Touché share new single and remix of previous cut by Daedelus

01 November 2012

Los Angeles based outfit Touché have just released their new single ‘I’m A Man Not A Machine’ last Tuesday. 
The duo of multi-instrumentalists Alex Lilly (The Living Sisters, Obi Best, The Bird and the Bee, Ry Cooder, Nick Lowe) and Bram Inscore (Twin Shadow, Beck, Thurston Moore, Charlotte Gainsbourg) create “anthemic pop pieces darkened by the desires of the human heart and sharpened by personal politics” as the press release describes.

The new single comes with a remix by Lee Cooper, the moniker used by Wynne Bennett of Twin Shadow, and you can grab it free here.

The pair are also sharing a brand new remix of previously released single ‘Snow White’ by Daedelus,  Listen to ‘I’m A Man Not A Machine’ and straight after listen to ‘Snow White’ (Daedelus’ Pig Hearted remix).


Flamingods announce debut album release and share new cut

31 October 2012

Tribal pop experimentalists Flamingods have been teasing us for the last year with some staggering bedroom recordings. The London based quintet have finally announced the release of their debut album, Sun, slated for a January 21st release via Art is Hard Records.
Half of the tracks from the album are completely new and the other half are re-recordings of songs featured in their previously released EP, also entitled Sun.

The upcoming album will be available on 12″ and digitally, and you can pre-order it now here.

Flamingods are offering ‘Quesso’ as the first single lifted from Sun, featuring guest guitarist Dustin Wong. Listen to it now.