07/02/09

Akron/Family Announce Tour Dates, "Sun Will Shine" Vincent Moon Video Akron/Family are gearing up for a North American tour that features a handful of summer festivals plus headlining club and theater dates. Just back from Japan, Akron/Family will be joined by Wooden Wand for an east coast run and in September by very special guests Jeffery Lewis & The Junkyard and Slaraffenland. The Slaraffenland horns will join the band on stage each night (a la The Dodos or Megafaun before them) to form the Akron/Family big band. For a reminder of the Akron Family live experience, see this breathtaking redition of "Sun Will Shine," brilliantly captured by Vincent Moon and showcasing the band at their finest. Interacting with the crowd, joined by guest musicians, and letting the music lead them off the stage and into Union Pool's courtyard, this performance is the way to close an Akron/Family show. This video was shot during Akron/Family's New York residency in March 2009, as part of multi-night stands the band did in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, Montreal and New York, leading up to the release of Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free. object width="400" height="225"> Fiume Night 09 _ Akron Family _ williamsburgh, march 2009 from vincent moon / temporary areas on Vimeo.

07/02/09

CITAY Perform A New, Improved, LIVE Session For TheBayBridged CITAY were recently featured on the TheBayBridged.com's new feature, New, Improved, LIVE. The band performed cuts from their self-titled debut and their 2008 Dead Oceans longplayer, Little Kingdon. But the real prize here is the band's cover of "Set Me Free," from Sweet's 1974 album Sweet Fanny Adams. Check out cuts from the session HERE.

06/30/09

MT. ST. HELENS VIETNAM BAND Featured On Daytrotter MT. ST. HELENS VIETNAM BAND has been on a tear across North America since releasing their self-titled Dead Oceans debut later this year. On said tear, the band stopped by the Daytrotter Studios for a shred session. Hear the four-song session by clicking right HERE. Daytrotter's Sean Moeller said this of the band: "These are songs full of kicking and swinging, full of fight that seeks more eligible energy – a fire seeking more oxygen for a bigger pronouncement – and the smoke coming off of the towering inferno is that of something pleasant and dear despite the lacerations. "

06/29/09

BISHOP ALLEN Plot European Tour, Star In Movie, Release New Music Video Following a wildly successful European tour last spring, Bishop Allen are returning for another round of club shows and festival dates, visiting Austria, Germany, The Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. We’re thrilled the band has been able to spend so much time with their European fans while supporting Grrr… but for those of you in North America, the band will be touring again before the year is up. Bishop Allen’s Justin Rice also spends time as an actor, appearing in acclaimed indie films such as Mutual Appreciation and Alexander the Last. Currently, Harmony and Me (written and directed by Bob Byington) starring Justin, as Harmony, a depressed lyricist clinging to the memory of an ex-girlfriend, is gaining notoriety at film festivals worldwide, screening at the likes of the Los Angeles Film Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival and Cine-Vegas Film Festival. Harmony and Me also includes an excellent supporting cast including Kevin Corrigan (Pineapple Express, Superbad, The Departed), and Pat Healy (Rescue Dawn, Ghost World, Great World of Sound) as well as bandmate, Keith Poulson, who is currently manning the bass in Bishop Allen. Bob Byington, who directed Harmony and Me was kind enough to shoot a fun, off-the-cuff music video for Bishop Allen for the song “Shanghaied” from their March release, Grrr…. Check out the video below and view the trailer for Harmony and Me HERE. And see a complete list of Bishop Allen's tour dates HERE.

06/24/09

Great Video Of WHITE HINTERLAND San Francisco Performances Now Online For Your Viewing Pleasure In the early Spring of this year, the wonderful Nate Chan (of Left/Right Hand) captured WHITE HINTERLAND'S Casey Dienel as she played "Mon Amie La Rose" and "Vessels" (from Dead Oceans' releases Luniclaire and Phylactory Phactory respectively), strolling through the city's panhandling district. Ease through the rest of your hump day with the videos below. White Hinterland "Mon Amie La Rose" & "Vessels" from Left | Right Hand on Vimeo. White Hinterland has a few live dates to round out the month, all of which can be views HERE.

06/17/09

THESE ARE POWERS premiere Chinese Ghost Festival-inspired video for Easy Answers, Plot China Tour in July The video for THESE ARE POWERS’ song “Easy Answers” was jointly inspired by the annual Ghost Festival held every August in China and the Chinese folkloric tradition of burning joss paper after the death of a relative or loved one. Joss paper has long been burned ceremoniously as an offering to the dead, representing all of the worldly goods that spirits may desire in the afterlife, including intricately detailed miniature paper replicas of mansions, BMW convertibles, laptop computers, karaoke VCRs, and large denomination “hell bank notes” or “ghost money.” Once burned, these items are believed to join the deceased loved ones in heaven, and for lost spirits who still roam the land of the living, small paper boats and lanterns are bought and released, which signifies giving direction to these restless ancestors. Meanwhile, These Are Powers will be bringing their soundtrack for the future peace movement to China for nine dates that include a residency at Beijing's D-22 Club with additional dates in Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan and Tiajin. Sharing the bill on select dates with Carsick Cars - pioneers of China's developing "No Beijing" scene - These Are Powers invitation to perform in China arrives at a crucial time as contemporary artists, modern composers and rock musicians in the world's most populated nation are experiencing a revival after years of suppression from the communist authorities. See a list of tour dates HERE.

06/15/09

BOWERBIRDS Preview Beneath Your Tree from Upper Air, Announce Album Pre-order Dead Oceans and Bowerbirds are pleased to offer “Beneath Your Tree,” the second MP3 from Upper Air. “Beneath Your Tree” features Phil Moore and Beth Tacular trading lead vocals, before joining in sweet harmony. Moore’s gorgeous melodic sensibilities are accentuated here by the familiar backdrop of accordion, acoustic guitar and percussion. Listen to "Beneath Your Tree" Bowerbirds recently completed a European tour, including an appearance at the Primavera Festival in Barcelona. They have also been tapped to perform July 18th at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, as part of their North American tour that starts July 6th in Washington DC. See a full listing of Bowerbirds tour dates HERE. Upper Air is now available for pre-order from Dead Oceans on CD and LP. All customers pre-ordering the album will receive an immediate download code, so they can enjoy MP3s of Upper Air before the physical release hits their mailbox. Also included with the physical copy of the album will be a new 17"x 22" Bowerbirds poster which you can peep below. Upper Air will be available in stores on July 7 in the U.S. and July 6 in the U.K. Preorder Bowerbirds Upper Air HERE.

06/10/09

JOHN VANDERSLICE Debuts Video for Too Much Time on ABC's Amplified and Stereogum Today the ABC News site Amplified debuted a special video starring John Vanderslice and the Magik*Magik Orchestra. The video, featuring the song "Too Much Time," was shot by Nate Chan and Yours Truly at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. "Too Much Time," a favorite off of Vanderslice's recent release Romanian Names, was arranged for the Magik*Magik orchestra by founder and artistic director Minna Choi. Magik*Magik is the official house orchestra of Vanderslice's Tiny Telephone studio, providing groups of symphonic players for recordings and performances. Stereogum said this of the video: "There's some warm-hearted interaction at the open of this video, too, John and Minna Choi (the arranger for the Magik*Magik Orchestra) trading compliments for each other's contributions to this collaborative performance of Romanian's 'Too Much Time.' Vanderslice strums and sings tenderly while Magik*Magik supply beautifully bowed strings and percussion. You'd be right to detect a certain chemistry; Magik*Magik is 'the official house orchestra' of John's Tiny Telephone studio." "Too Much Time" on Amplified in HD John Vanderslice is on a nationwide tour to support the critically-acclaimed Romanian Names. See all the dates HERE.

06/04/09

BISHOP ALLEN Lines Up European Festival Dates, Captured On Video For Live Performance of Cue The Elephants In July, Brooklyn indie-popsmiths Bishop Allen will trot across Europe on a handful of festival dates. So, young people on your soul-searching backpack journey across Europe, let Bishop Allen be your guiding star. Check out all the dates HERE. Bishop Allen was recently captured on video at Philadelphia's Unitarian Church in a performance Grrr... cut "Cue The Elephants." Check out the video by going HERE.

06/03/09

AKRON/FAMILY Check In From Europe When Akron/Family's worldwide tour was announced, one particular tour date jumped out at us. On May 24, they were linking up with the Sublime Frequencies tour, and performing alongside Omar Souleyman and Group Doueh, in Bristol, England. These two artists are responsible for two of our favorite releases on the Sublime Frequencies label, and it was sure to be a special night of music. Seth from Akron/Family emailed this brief story about when they met Omar and Doueh and we thought we'd share it, along with this snapshot: "We got to do one night with the wonderful Sublime Frequencies tour. As soon as Omar and Doueh arrived they came over to hang out in the grass while I was changing the strings on my guitar. Omar was in a full, olive green NBA jumpsuit and sunglasses. Doueh played my guitar and we "talked" in sign language. We got to spend some time with Alan Bishop and Hisham who run Sublime Frequencies too. These guys are truly one of a kind and it was an honor to get to be part of the evening."

06/02/09

Video Of THESE ARE POWERS Performance At The Dig For Fire SXSW Lawn Party Emerges As they would say in the sporting world, Chicago/Brooklyn art-dance-punk trio THESE ARE POWERS "left it all on field" in each of the group's many electric, throbbing performances at the festival. A video of the These Are Powers at the Dig For Fire SXSW Lawn Party is now available at Babelgum.com. Check out the video by clicking right HERE. Meanwhile, These Are Powers have several shows lined up over the next couple months, including an appearance at Canada's NXNE music festival. Check out all the dates by heading HERE.

06/01/09

THE DONKEYS Plot Mega-Summer Tour, Share Dates With Magnolia Electric Co. The music of THE DONKEYS should own your summer activities. It begs you to drink green-bottled beer by it, to break out the Slip-n-Slide, to cut those slacks into short-shorts. Now, the men of The Donkeys are taking their message across the country this summer, sharing a load of dates with fellow neu-classic-rockers Magnolia Electric Co. This should be nothing short of radtastic. Check out all the dates HERE.

05/21/09

NURSES Team Up With Dead Oceans, Announce Album, Offer Free MP3 Welcome to the weird and wonderful universe that NURSES call home. Hailing from Portland OR, Nurses have crafted a fine, fine slice of psychedelic pop on their debut LP Apple’s Acre. Apple’s Acre will be released on August 4 on Dead Oceans (August 24 in the UK) but never fear, we have an MP3 and video to share right now. To immerse yourself in Nurses’ Apple’s Acre is to delight in a certain mental unraveling. These are songs where the vulnerability of pop with its heart on its sleeve engages in a double-dutch jumprope match with the euphoric surrender-to-the-weird that is essential to psychedelia. And Nurses is a band that scavenges beauty and wonder, uncovering Technicolor where others see somber hues. Their off-kilter psych-pop is driven by ever-swelling vocal harmonies, adventurous electronics, some serious wheelin’ and dealin’ on the Rhodes piano, and the kind of new-primitivist percussion that may or may not involve a standard drum kit. An encyclopedic list of musical influences and sound-alikes won’t necessarily cozy up your brain to the Nurses experience. Their compositions revel in the unexpected, and it creates music that’s endlessly fascinating. Part of the allure is that the songs of Aaron Chapman and John Bowers—the cosmic troubadours and longtime best friends behind Nurses—are in a constant state of motion, as if they’re evolving while you listen. Perhaps it’s no surprise, since Chapman and Bowers themselves have spent the past five years in a state of transience, as friendly nomads who gave up the comforts of normalcy for the deeper satisfaction of total devotion to making music. If the two aren't rambling in their own sonic imaginations, they're not satisfied. Download “Caterpillar Playground” for a whiff of Apple’s Acre -- it is a wonderfully strange taste of pop goodness. Also, be sure to check out the acoustic rendition of “Lita” lovingly rendered in high contrast black and white on YouTube for all to see. Listen to "Caterpillar Playground" HERE. Go HERE. to view the video for "Lita." And go HERE to see a full listing of Nurses live dates.

05/20/09

BISHOP ALLEN Performs Intimate Ukulele Session They say you know a song is strong when it can be stripped down to its most simple skeleton and still stand on its own. Recently, BISHOP ALLEN proved the strength of their pop writing chops with only voice, ukulele and melodica in a teeny French bathroom for France's Ukulele Sessions, for which they performed tunes from past albums Broken String and Charm School. The band upcoming dates at both Sasquatch Music Festival and North Side Fest. Check out all upcoming Bishop Allen dates HERE. Ukulélé Session Bishop Allen by cplesoir

05/19/09

JOHN VANDERSLICE'S Romanian Names Available Today Today, JOHN VANDERSLICE'S most excellent Romanian Names hits record store shelves and digital distributors of music the worldwide. Go get you some. Order Romanian Names HERE. In a solid Pitchfork review today, writer Joe Tangari said the following of Romanian Names: "There are plenty more moments to enjoy on Romanian Names, from the bounce of "C&O Canal" to the electro campfire sing-along of "D.I.A.L.O.", the slow back-to-nature majesty of "Too Much Time" and the lonely cello that closes the album. Vanderslice hasn't made a bad record, but he's only made a couple that are this good. If you've never dipped an ear into his world before, Romanian Names is a great place to do it." On Friday at 2 p.m., John will appear live on Seattle's KEXP and give a special in-store performance later on Friday at East Street. Listen to the KEXP session on Friday by going HERE. And find out more about the East Street In-Store HERE.

05/18/09

MT. ST. HELENS VIETNAM BAND Rips A Live In-Studio Performance For KEXP The fine young people of MT. ST. HELENS VIETNAM BAND recently stopped by their hometown's most awesome radio station KEXP for a live-in studio session. The band brought along both their own flavor of Molly Moon's ice cream and their insanely tight "punchy rhythms, melodic phrasing and sharp guitar shredding." The KEXP site is offering up a hat-trick of videos from the session, and a fouth video as part of its Video of The Week podcast. Watch the video for "Who's Asking" below. This weekend MSHVB will play Sasquatch Festival before heading out for a full-on summer tour that includes a slot at Tennessee's Bonnaroo Music Festival. See a full list of dates HERE.

05/15/09

BOWERBIRDS Added To Pitchfork Music Festival Line Up Just as the Internet is abuzz over BOWERBIRD'S mp3 "Northern Lights" from the forthcoming Upper Air, Pitchfork has announced the band's addition to the 2009 Pitchfork Music Festival on July 18. Bowerbirds join the line up on a day that features the likes of The National, Beirut, Ponytail and Yeasayer. The festival runs July 17-19 in Chicago's Union Park. While the 'fork has already sold out of three-day passes, one and two-day passes can be purchased by going HERE. And peep a full listing of Bowerbirds tour dates HERE.

05/13/09

AKRON/FAMILY Do Improv Experimental Set For WFMU While plenty of the tunes off AKRON/FAMILY'S latest, Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free, could get your dad's toes tapping, the band has an experimental foundation that may leave pops a little puzzled now and again. Recently, Akron/Family was able to embrace these improvisational roots for WFMU's The Frow Show, making use of instruments like a cigar-box guitar and a, uh, "space blaster." WFMU is offering mp3 of the entire, hour-and-a-half freak out HERE. To further stoke your fire, read the comments from host Jesse Jarnow, who bared witness to this cosmic performance: "The plans for Cobra-like cues and Oblique Strategies borne from the Love Room loft fell by the wayside, and very quickly Akron/Family shut off the lights in WFMU's Studio B. Literally stumbling in the dark between their usual instruments, upright and toy pianos, Farfisa organ, space blaster, Scott Williams' cigar box guitar, Bryce's accordion, and other toys, the trio jammed for an hour-and-a-half straight, reconnecting with the experimental investigations that run beneath their current incarnation's cosmic folk and Afrodelic dreaminess."

05/13/09

Exclusive First Listen Of JOHN VANDERSLICE'S Romanian Names On NPR Now Right now and leading up to the release of the album, NPR is offering an Exclusive First Listen of JOHN VANDERSLICE'S Romanian Names (released May 19). Stream Romanian Names in its entirety by going HERE. NPR shared these kind words regarding Romanian Names: "John Vanderslice has never seemed at a loss for inspiration. The San Francisco-based songwriter has released nearly an album a year since the arrival of his debut, Mass Suicide Occult Figurines, in 2000. Along the way, he's developed a well-earned reputation for writing smart, adventurous, appealing pop music that fiddles with form and structure. Now, nearly a decade into his career, Vanderslice is about to release his best record yet."

05/12/09

Bowerbirds Share First MP3 from Upper Air, Announce Summer Tour We are pleased to offer the first glimpse into Bowerbirds sophomore album, Upper Air. “Northern Lights” is an absolutely breathtaking track, showcasing Phil Moore’s golden voice and timeless songwriting abilities. Sweet and sincere, “Northern Lights” is as perfect of a song you are likely to hear this year. Listen to "Northern Lights" HERE. Upper Air will be released on July 7th (July 6th in the UK) and in support of their new long player, Bowerbirds will be touring far and wide across North America. Opening for Bowerbirds on all dates will be Megafaun. See a full listing of tour dates HERE.

05/08/09

BISHOP ALLEN Performs Live On BBC Radio Currently on a tour visiting our cousins across the pond in support of their latest pop spectacle Grrr..., BISHOP ALLEN have been getting some love from BBC radio. Last week, the band did a session with BBC's 6Music, performing tunes from both Dead Oceans releases. Go HERE to listen to the program. And go HERE to see a full list of Bishop Allen live dates.

05/07/09

AKRON/FAMILY Tour Like Mad This Summer Now that AKRON/FAMILY'S charging, liberating Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free has seen its official release, the band will be on a touring tear across the U.S. and world. Recently, the dudes of Ak'/Fam' added some Japan dates, some of which they share with Deerhunter. And thanks to the up-with-people powers of modern technology, great videos of the band's primal, blazing live shows are everywhere on the Interweb. Check out the videos below of Akron/Family's Dead Oceans Showcase performances of "Everyone Is Guilty" and "Ed Is a Portal" for a taste of the sweet, sweet musical fruit that's about to land in your bowl. See all upcoming Akron/Family tour dates HERE. AND PLEASE NOTE: All Akron/Family shows are BYOB events - Bring Your Own Bucket to catch all your face melt.

05/05/09

AKRON/FAMILY'S Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free Given Unto The World, Amazing Performance At Amoeba Records Today marks the day the world will have an album to lead it into a new, brave (and wicked awesome) future, as AKRON/FAMILY'S Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free is unleashed. To celebrate the release, Amoeba Records has posted a video interview and performance from a recent Akron/Family visist HERE. And preview the session below, with a killer take of album cut "River."

05/04/09

PHOSPHORESCENT Added To Celebrate Brooklyn! Concert Series PHOSPHORESCENT has been on an aboslute tear lately following the release of To Willie. Following an intimate meeting with the Red-Headed Stranger himself, Phosphorescent was recently added to the roster of this season's BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! concert series. Phosphorescent is slated to perform Saturday, June 27 with Dr. Dog and These United States. Read all about the series, which kicks off June 8 with a performance from David Byrne, HERE. A check out a full listing of upcoming Phosphorescent tour dates HERE.

05/04/09

AKRON/FAMILY Performs For FADER'S Open Bar On the eve of the release of Akron/Family's latest masterpiece Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free, the good people of FADER are airing a stripped-down Akron/Family performance of the tune "Woody Guthrie's America" at New York pub Heater's as part of its Open Bar series. Much like on the very-very-soon-to-be-released album, the band captures the mood of the times with a seemingly simple - yet transcendent - phrase: "I wanna live in Woody Guthrie's America." Watch the video below and read a glowing New York Times review of Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free HERE. FADER TV: Open Bar With Akron/Family by thefader

05/01/09

PHOSPHORESCENT Performs Live On KEXP's Morning Show With John Richards A few weeks back, PHOSPHORESCENT performed live at KEXP's New York studio for The Morning Show with John Richards. He dipped into the Phosphorescent back catalogue, as well as performing tunes from his most recent release To Willie, a tribute to Willie Nelson. See the KEXP post, which includes some excellent photos of the session, HERE. Phosphorescent live on KEXP at The Cutting Room Studios NYC from KEXP RADIO on Vimeo.

04/29/09

JOHN VANDERSLICE Offers New MP3, Lines Up Tour and Sells Out Of Limited Edition Today, JOHN VANDERSLICE and Dead Oceans are offering for download a second standout song from John Vanderslice's upcoming release, Romanian Names. "Too Much Time" is a tale about a lonesome wanderer told best through JV's soaring melodies. Enjoy "Too Much Time" HERE. And before we even had a chance to post a sweet news item about a limited edition, pre-order special for Romanian Names, all 100 wallets of analog tape from the Romanian Names recording session have been spoken for by way of album pre-orders. To the lucky bunch who ordered in time: Congratulations! Dust off your reel-to-reels, your tape splicers or your Vanderslice shrine, because here is the most excellent item that will soon be arriving at your doorstep or P.O. Box: But to you who missed the offer, do not let this deter you from pre-ordering the album, a move we highly recommend, as it still gets you an immediate mp3 download of the entire album and can be performed by simply going HERE. Meanwhile, tickets are now on sale for JV's upcoming tour. See a full list of dates and ticket links HERE.

04/27/09

PHOSPHORESCENT Invited Personally By Willie Nelson To Perform On His SIRIUS XM Radio Channel, Willie's Place Earlier this year Phosphorescent released the album To Willie, a tribute to the music of Willie Nelson. Styled after Willie's own To Lefty, From Willie, a 1975 tribute to Lefty Frizzell, Phosphorescent's To Willie has received glowing praise from sources as far and wide as Country Weekly and Vanity Fair to Mojo and The Fader. Not just a tribute album, To Willie lovingly renders 11 tracks pulled deep from Mr. Nelson's catalog of song. All along Matthew Houck said that his tribute wasn't just a good idea he had, but rather something he'd always known he needed to do. And now a new voice has joined in the choir of high praise for the album – the voice belonging to Willie Nelson himself! Last week Dead Oceans received an invite from Willie Nelson's Sirius XM Radio Channel, Willie's Place (located on the dial on Sirius 64, and XM 13,) for Phosphorescent to perform as part of the channel's festivities celebrating the 76th birthday of the Red Headed Stranger. Hear Willie's personal radio promo for Phosphorescent's appearance HERE.. Also last week, Phosphorescent's Matthew Houck and his entire band of merry musicians were personally invited by Willie to come to New Brunswick, NJ to attend a Nelson performance. Upon arrival, they were invited onto his tour bus where Mr. Nelson was extremely generous and sweet, and shared some very kind words about To Willie. You can read Matthew's own telling of the encounter on his myspace page linked HERE. The meeting was also blogged about on Willie's site HERE. You can hear Phosphorescent pay an hour long birthday tribute to Willie Nelson on Willie's Place (Sirius Radio channel 64, XM 13) on Thursday April 30 at 9pm EST. Phosphorescent will perform with his full band and share stories and insights into the impact that Willie Nelson's music has had on his own career. View full details of Willie's SIRIUS XM birthday party HERE and HERE. Sign up for a free, three-day trial of SIRIUS XM radio HERE and HERE.

04/22/09

THESE ARE POWERS Featured In Art World Docu-Comedy Film To Premiere At Tribeca Film Festival A "Punk-fueled docu-comedy" that tears the business side of the art world apart - sounds about pitch-perfect for a soundtrack featuring the likes of Peelander-Z, The Willowz and Dead Oceans' own THESE ARE POWERS. The Brooklyn/Chicago band's song "Easy Answers" leads the list of songs on the soundtrack to filmmaker Michael Sladek's "Con Artist," which was recently selected to premiere at New York's Tribeca Film Festival. Sladek spoke with indieWIRE about the film HERE. A bit about the film: "Part probing documentary, part character-driven black comedy, Con Artist examines themes of art, money, celebrity and fakery through the career of Mark Kostabi. A successful art world pariah, Kostabi rocketed to fame and fortune in the 1980s with a gimmick: to mass-produce and sell thousands of paintings per year, conceived and executed not by himself, but by a revolving stable of hired hands. However, his brazen greed, self-promotion and outrageous lampooning of the art industry eventually caused a remarkable fall from grace." Visit the "Con Artist" Web site HERE.

04/22/09

BOWERBIRDS Prep New LP, UPPER AIR, For July Release We are pleased to announce the first details of BOWERBIRDS second long player, Upper Air, which will be available on July 7th (UK Release: July 6). The band is embarking on tours of both the US and Europe prior to the album’s release, performing new material for fans on both sides of the pond. Upper Air is the product of months spent away from nature and away from home, touring endlessly with the likes of Bon Iver, Phosphorescent and John Vanderslice and on their own, on both sides of the Atlantic. The fodder for songwriting has changed, and so have the songs. Upper Air moves away from the singular sound and sentiment; each and every song on Upper Air is a journal entry that stands on its own, each a singular, beautiful piece. The arrangements are subtle: acoustic guitars, organ, piano, autoharp, violin, percussion, upright bass and more are used throughout the recording. Usually though, it is just a few of these instruments delicately supporting Moore’s voice, the anchor of every song. Everyone struggles when they try to describe this music, including us, but we’ll try: it has the spirit of Richard and Linda Thompson, the currency of Devendra Banhart, the addictively sweet melodicism of Iron & Wine, but it churns with an underlying energy closer to a Beirut or something farther out, more raw, more wild. See all upcoming Bowerbirds tour dates HERE.

04/17/09

DEAD OCEANS Celebrates Record Store Day In Fine Fashion As tomorrow we celebrate the new international holiday known as Record Store Day for a second year, DEAD OCEANS has the festivities covered on all fronts. First up is AKRON/FAMILY'S exclusive Everyone Is Guilty 7", which features the title track, and opening cut from the band's forthcoming Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free, as well non-album cut "Total Destruction." Get to your local, independent record store early and don't miss the boat on this one, dudes. The musical mayor of San Francisco JOHN VANDERSLICE will perform a special DJ set at San Fran's Amoeba Records at 4 p.m. Saturday. Get all the info HERE. Then, to close out this most wonderful of days, the pride of Norman, OK, EVANGELICALS, will perform at Norman's Guest Room Records. Peep all that information right HERE. Find a list of all stores participating in Record Store Day HERE. Go get you some.

04/15/09

AKRON/FAMILY And JOHN VANDERSLICE Tapped For Lands Music Festival Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam and Beastie Boys - three of the many bands playing San Francisco's Outside Lands Music Festival that will soon stand in the shadows of what are destined to be stunning performances from AKRON/FAMILY and JOHN VANDERSLICE. These two Dead Oceans artist are pleased as punch to join the roster for Outside Lands, which run Aug. 28-30 at San Fran's Golden Gate Park. Everything you need to know about Outside Lands Music Festival can be found HERE. A detailed schedule for the festival is forthcoming, but in the meantime, go grab yourself some golden tickets HERE. And peep a full listing of Akron/Family and John Vanderslice tour dates HERE.

04/07/09

AKRON/FAMILY Drops Exclusive 7-Inch, ReleasesFree MP3, Offer Pre-Orders Deal For Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free As the proper release of AKRON/FAMILY'S instant classic, Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free, draws ever so near, the band has a handful of treats available to tide over the masses. First, know this: Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free is now available for pre-order on both CD and LP formats. And because we aim to please, all pre-order customers will receive an IMMEDIATE DOWNLOAD of the album for their listening pleasure. Go ahead and pre-order Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free HERE! The sweet, shining cherry on top of this news is the release of a second mp3 from the album - the soulful, highlife guitar-inflected "River." Enjoy "River" by going HERE. The band also has prepped the exclusive Everyone Is Guilty 7", which will be available at Akron/Family tour dates and at businesses participating in Record Store Day on April 18, a new international holiday celebrating independent record stores. Opening with a groove unlike anything Akron/Family have ever laid to tape, 7" single and album opener "Everyone Is Guilty" kicks off a new chapter for the band. The percussive thunder and anthemic electric guitars of "Everyone is Guilty" make a bold statement, touching on everything from Fela Kuti to Sly and the Family Stone in under six psychedelic minutes. This is not the Akron/Family you think you know. See a list of participating record stores HERE.

04/01/09

Dead Oceans Announces JOHN VANDERSLICE'S Romanian Names And First MP3 The most noteworthy thing about John Vanderslice’s new album is this: Romanian Names is the best record he’s made to date. The 12 songs represent a career-defining moment, a pitch-perfect collection written and recorded with the utmost care and attention. Vanderslice is certainly not the first artist to make such a leap several albums into a career – think Guided by Voices on Bee Thousand, Spoon’s Kill the Moonlight or Of Montreal’s Sunlandic Twins. Vanderslice's newest, his first for Dead Oceans, makes that step and separates itself from an already top-notch body of work. The process of writing Romanian Names differed from that of prior Vanderslice albums. This time, he moved outside the normal (and by now maybe too comfortable) confines of his famed San Francisco recording studio, Tiny Telephone. He constructed a simple basement studio in his home and wrote and recorded the elemental demos for these songs alone with simply a guitar or piano to accompany his voice. The emphasis was placed on melody and structure, putting thoughts of instrumentation and studio wizardry on hold until there was a complete and stable foundation to build upon. The songs were given time to breathe, to be re-worked and reorganized, and sometimes enough time to be thrown out entirely. Benefiting from this organic and evolutionary process, Romanian Names coheres beautifully. The album is subtle and lush, with a lyrical approach less concerned with narrative and cohesion than previous JV records, leading to a new tone that feels self-assured, natural, and unafraid. The results come in the way of killer sing-along choruses, memorable and punchy hooks, and knock-out atmospherics. Dead Oceans would like to preview Romanian Names with an mp3 of the first song written for the album, “Fetal Horses”. Romanian Names will be released on May 19th (18th in the U.K.). A coast-to-coast-to-coast tour is in the works following John Vanderslice's Gone Primitive Tour with The Mountain Goats. The tour will kick off in California mid-May. Many more tour dates to be announced in the coming weeks, and British and European fans can expect live dates in the autumn. For a complete list of live dates, go HERE.

03/31/09

EVANGELICALS Featured On The Runways Of New York's Fashion Wek Brazilian fashion designer Alexandre Herchcovitch has recently featured the music of Dead Oceans' EVANGELICALS in premiering his collections. The songs "Skeleton Man" and "Paperback Suicide" were used during New York's Fashion Week and at São Paulo Fashion Week in Brazil. Both tunes appear on the band's 2008 longplayer The Evening Descends. Check below for a clip from Herchovitch's New York show as Evangelical's blast in the background. Meanwhile, Evangelicals have started a YouTube page, which can be accessed by going HERE.

03/31/09

AKRON/FAMILY Added To All Point West Festival Line-Up The music festival season is upon us. And AKRON/FAMILY is appearing on more and more line-ups. Most recently, the band was added to the band's playing All Points West Festival, which takes place July 31 through August 2 at New Jersey's Liberty State Park. On Sunday, August 2, the band will appear on a bill including Echo & The Bunnymen, MGMT, The Black Key and Coldplay. Find out more about All Points West Festival by going HERE

03/26/09

AKRON/FAMILY Invited To Play All Tomorrow's Parties Curated By The Flaming Lips Following a string of absolute barnburner performances at SXSW 2009, AKRON/FAMILY has been invited by none other than The Flaming Lips to join the line-up of the Lips-curated All Tomorrow's Parties on Sept. 11-13 in Monticello, New York. Akron/Family will grace the ATP stage on Sept. 12 with names like Animal Collective, Panda Bear, Melvins, Black Dice and Atlas Sound - not bad, not bad at all, gentlemen. Read all you need to know about the The Flaming Lips-curated All Tomorrow's Parties (which also includes Suicide playing the entire first album!) by venturing HERE. Meanwhile, Akron/Family have tours in the U.S., Canada and Europe lined up for the next several months, including a few Spain dates with Wilco, where the Akron gang will be in support of their latest triumph Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free. And see if your hometown is set for total demolition by way of an Akron/Family visit by going RIGHT HERE. Be ready.

03/23/09

Dead Oceans Teams With YouTube To Capture SXSW Magic At SXSW 2009, Dead Oceans, Secretly Canadian and Jagjaguwar partnered with YouTube to capture the many stunning performances at their Thursday showcase blowout at The Mohawk. To peep all the videos, go to http://www.youtube.com/sxsw and click on the "Musical Performances" option. Check back there daily as new performances are added. For a quick, sweet taste of what's in store for you, go HEREto peep Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band in a blazing performance of "En Fuego."

03/17/09

EVANGELICALS Pre-SXSW Austin Adventures Detailed In Tour Blog Arriving in Austin days before the official start of SXSW, EVANGELICALS played a total rager at The Mohawk on Monday. And all was well until later that evening, when...well, Evangelicals' bassist Kyle Davis describes the scene in his tour blog: "That’s where trouble started. I fell asleep and missed a good portion of it (thankfully) but the dudes decided to head to south Austin to find a hotel room. By the time they arrived there, they were so tired that Todd volunteered to sleep outdoors—it was mild and comfortable weather—with his sleeping back and pillow while the rest of us crashed in the van. When I awoke, a terrible comotion was afoot. Apparently, the spot Todd handpicked had also been paw-picked by…" Read the end to this cliff-hanger by going to Kyle's blog HERE.

03/17/09

Dead Oceans Plots SXSW Showcase Mind-blower For the past two years, Dead Oceans, Secretly Canadian and Jagjaguwar have kept Thursday night at the Mohawk the best music showcase of the SXSW Festival. So, in keeping with our tradition of quantities of quality, we are proud to announce that we will be doing it again in 2009. This year we are going to be a tiny bit skimpy on the details. Festival-goers are going to need a little help keeping their minds alert now that all the caffeine and taurine have been taken out of the free Sparks: WHO WILL THE SPECIAL GUEST BE? Did The Curious Digit decide it's time to stage a comeback? Is it Dead Oceans' latest signing? Have we booked The Texas Centaur for the party? Only time will tell, and that time is specifically 12:45 on the night of Thursday, March 19th. Don't bother asking us for hints because SXSW-surprise-torture is our favorite kind of torture! Once again, we will be running two stages at the Mohawk. Please come early, stay late, grab a refreshing beverage, hug the taxidermied bear who lives in the hallway and enjoy the following musical stylings: See all our artists' SXSW appearances by going HERE.

03/10/09

BISHOP ALLEN'S Justin Rice Co-Stars In New Indie film To Premiere At SXSW Film Festival When BISHOP ALLEN'S Justin Rice and Christian Rudder aren't pumping out pop gems like the band's latest album Grrr..., the two moonlight as (modestly great) actors in some wonderful indie films. Most recently, Justin co-stars in "Alexander The Last," the latest film from director Joe Swanberg (Hannah Takes the Stairs). "Alexander The Last" was produced by Noah Baumbach and centers on the ups and downs of a young marriage. Read a great article on Swanberg and the film from Indie Wire HERE. IFC Films and the SXSW Film Festival will premiere the film on Saturday, March 14. Visit the film's Web site HERE and check out the trailer for "Alexander The Last" below.

03/05/09

BISHOP ALLEN Premiere Classic MTV-Style Video For Dimmer A combination of rear project, cardboard cut-outs, a Jell-O mold and some ninja-like scissor work come in together in a fine way to make for BISHOP ALLEN'S video for "Dimmer," the first mp3 from new album Grrr..., due next week. The video, directed by Randy Bell brings to mind the classic videos from the heyday of early MTV (note: It used to show music videos quite often), artists like Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, The Cars, Blondie and Sparks. For the ultimate Talking Heads moment, pay attention at the 2:34 mark. Check out the video on the Dead Oceans site HERE.

03/04/09

PHOSPHORESCENT Contributes Track To Splice Compilation, Records Session Live Session With New York's WNEW PHOSPHORESCENT recently contributed a track to a pop culture Web site Splice Today for a compilation called "The Old Lonesome Sound," which features indie artists covering folk standards. Phosphorescent covers "Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)," while other contributors on the compilation include Headlights, Deer Tick, Christian Keifer, These United States, Radar Bros., and Dave Heumann from Arboretum, among others. The whole compilation can be downloaded for free from the Splice Today site HERE. Meanwhile, the band recorded a live session with New York's WNEW, featuring takes of "Too Sick To Pray" from the recently releases To Willie and "Cocain Lights" from 2007's Pride. The session and excerpts from the WNEW interview can be found HERE.

03/04/09

AKRON/FAMILY Announce Exclusive Record Store Day 7" and download for "Everyone Is Guilty" "Everyone is Guilty" is the first single from AKRON/FAMILY'S upcoming May 5th full-length release, Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free. Featuring album opener "Everyone is Guilty" along with non-album b-side "Total Destruction," this single is available as a limited edition 7" and digital release. The vinyl will be available at Akron/Family shows and via record stores participating in Record Store Day 2009. Opening with a groove unlike anything Akron/Family have ever laid to tape, this single kicks off a new chapter for the band. The percussive thunder and anthemic electric guitars of "Everyone is Guilty" make a bold statement, touching on everything from Fela Kuti to Sly and the Family Stone in under six psychedelic minutes. This is not the Akron/Family you think you know. Meanwhile, Akron/Family is about to kick off a tour surrounding some soon-to-be legendary appearances at SXSW. Peep a full listing HERE.

03/03/09

Spin sings the praises of MT. ST. HELENS VIETNAM BAND, premieres mp3 for A week out from the release of MT. ST. HELENS VIETNAM BAND'S self-titled, Dead Oceans debut, tastemakers of all kinds are taking note. SPIN recently showed some love for the band, premiering an mp3 for album cut "Cheer For Fate." Spin had some kind words to share about "Cheer For Fate": "'Cheer For Fate,' one the album's best tracks, finds bandleader Benjamin Verdoes...singing about falling in love in the springtime. The song is a melodic tangle of sounds that recall a jangly, lo-fi version of Tokyo Police Club." Go HERE for the full Spin article. Find the mp3 for "Cheer For Fate" HERE.

03/02/09

MT. ST. HELENS VIETNAM BAND creates its own flavor of ice cream with Molly Moon's MT. ST. HELENS VIETNAM BAND have teamed with, er, tastemakers Molly Moon's to create a personalized flavor of ice cream - a concoction of coconut ice cream wtih chocolate chunks and huckleberry sauce appropriately named "Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band Ice Cream." On Thursday, the band will serve as "guest scoopers" at the Molly Moon's location in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood. Then, on Friday, the band will celebrate the release of its self-titled longplayer and Dead Oceans debut (release date: March 10) at Neumo's, joined by Say Hi and Visqueen. In March and April, Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band will be on the road with labelmates Bihop Allen surround some soon-to-be-legendary appearances at SXSW. Peep all the dates HERE.

02/27/09

The Explorers Club Featured on Daytrotter, Tour In Support of The consistently radical music site Daytrotter just released a treasure trove of songs from The Explorers Club, recorded on a recent tour. The session features future-classics like "Do You Love Me?" and "Don't Forget The Sun" from the band's Dead Oceans debut "Freedom Wind." Listen to complete session HERE. Daytrotter had these quite lovely things to say about the upstanding young men of The Explorers Club: "The harmonious bursts and flares are endearing and it’s the sort of old, reminiscent sound of long-gone simplicity (by way of congruent complexity and texture) that would and will always demand attention and have the power of transportation, back to an olden love experience or a special someone from those carefree younger days, as they’re always wont to be remembered as. The songs on the band’s debut full-length are of the worn and hummable variety that believes that there is an idyllic status that love or potential love can attain if it’s just given over to the possibility – a belief in the sun and irascible tenacity of the prevailing winds of romance that Brian Wilson tied so many of his hopes and dreams to." The band is on the road once again in the name of "Freedom Wind," hitting up some Midwestern sweet spots. Check out the tour dates HERE.

02/24/09

JOHN VANDERSLICE Records Live Session With KEXP In San Francisco On a recent field trip to the Bay Area, Seattle's KEXP captured performances from the city's most important artists. And KEXP favorite JOHN VANDERSLICE was there to deliver performances of two new cuts from his forthcoming Dead Oceans release Romanian Names, due May 19. Read about JV's session at the KEXP blog HERE, where you will find a link to an exclusive KEXP interview discussing Romanian Names and his upcoming tour with Mountain Goat John Darnielle. And catch JV's KEXP performance of album highlight "Too Much Time" - accompanied by drummer Matthias Bossi - below. John Vanderslice - Too Much Time (Live on KEXP) from KEXP RADIO on Vimeo.

02/24/09

THESE ARE POWERS Host Brooklyn Vs. Chicago Podcast For Urb Dead Oceans' bi-city art-dance-punk trio THESE ARE POWERS recently hosted a podcast for Urb.com, choosing to pit the music scenes from the cities they call home against one another - calling the set "BK vs. Chi." Visit Urb.com HERE to download the Second City vs. Big Apple jams selected by These Are Powers These Are Powers - Urb Podcast Tracklist: Lauren Flax - you've changed feat. Sia Pit Er Pat - The Cairo Shuffle Eliot Lipp - Beamrider Mahjongg - Free Grooverider Gatekeeper - Slow Walk Telepathe - Chromes On It (Kingdom remix) Arp - St. Tropez Noveller - Hair Tapes Magic is Kuntmaster - Forget Her Salem - When You Sleep Birdnames - New Mexico Boolo Master - Drop Pop, Drop Hop

02/19/09

Spin Shows Love For THESE ARE POWERS, premieres new song from All Aboard Future Spin recently showed some serious love for THESE ARE POWERS and the band's hot-off-the-press debut album for Dead Oceans All Aboard Future, calling album cut "Adam's Turtle" a "clamorous affair, with trunk-rattling bass and vocalist Anna Barie's eerie chants...But underneath the surface, the song finds swagger in jagged guitar and driving drums, giving an anchor to these otherwise freeform sounds." Check out the full article HERE. And download the mp3 for "Adam's Turtle" from the Dead Oceans site HERE. Also, some colorful, spirited photos from the All Aboard Future release party at Secret Project Robot can be peeped right HERE, and check footage of the performance below. These Are Powers - Life of Birds from Jon Dobrowolski on Vimeo.

02/05/09

PHOSPHORESCENT And Fader TV Team For A Heartbreaker From To Willie From the fine people at Fader TV: "On one of the shittiest winter days New York has seen in awhile, we invited Matthew Houck aka PHOSPHORESCENT to come by Heathers for the latest installment of our Open Bar series. Houck, along with Angel Deradoorian of the DIRTY PROJECTORS ran through a couple bleary-eyed and comfortably worn songs from his Willie Nelson covers album To Willie (out right now on Dead Oceans). (Below) is their performance of "It's Not Supposed To Be That Way" and about half of the album is streaming on the Phosphorescent MySpace page." FADER TV: Open Bar With Phosphorescent by thefader

02/04/09

Dead Oceans Welcomes JOHN VANDERSLICE, Offers First Details On New Album Romanian Names Following a long and tormenting day of travel including delayed flights, uncomfortable seats, and no sleep, Dead Oceans owner Phil Waldorf arrived at his destination completely fried, wholly frazzled. One of his label partners, Chris Swanson, picked him up at the airport, and as they pulled away from the arrivals curb, Chris turned up the stereo and said, “Listen to this new JOHN VANDERSLICE tune.” Thirty seconds into the song, Phil was in a different place altogether. This was unlike any Vanderslice recording he had heard before. This song was, as far as he could tell, the best tune Vanderslice had ever written, and it needed a home. Gone were thoughts of a terrible flight. Rather than mumbling banal and boring missives about how badly travel sucks, he and his partner were lucky to have one of those great conversations about how they had to be involved with this new thing, this new discovery: John Vanderslice’s new album. Dead Oceans reached out to JV immediately, heard (and was floored by!) more of the material, and is now extremely proud to add him to the label roster. The first fruit of this partnership is JV’s new album Romanian Names, scheduled for release May 19. More details will be available very soon. Vanderslice recently performed some of the new material in his hometown of San Francisco. In honor of the 10th anniversary of JV’s famed Tiny Telephone Recording Studio there was a truly special performance at Great American Music Hall, featuring Vanderslice alongside the 30-piece Magik*Magik Orchestra. A portion of the show is available for view at the brand new johnvanderslice.com! John Vanderslice "Too Much Time" from AV on Vimeo. There will be more chances to hear some of Vanderslice’s new material on his upcoming tour with Mountain Goat John Darnielle, where the two will grace audiences with solo performances and then a collaborative set. Read all about these unique nights of acoustic guitar and voice here. John Vanderslice & John Darnielle: Wed 3/18 - Asheville NC @ The Grey Eagle Thu 3/19 - Durham NC @ The Duke Coffeehouse Fri 3/20 - Norfolk VA @ The Attacus Theatre Sat 3/21 - Washington DC @ Sixth and I Synagogue Tue 3/24 - Northampton MA @ Pearl Street Wed 3/25 - Somerville MA @ The Somerville Theatre Fri 3/27 - New York NY @ The Society for Ethical Culture Sun 3/29 - Gambier OH @ Kenyon College Mon 3/30 - Oberlin OH @ Oberlin College Wed 4/01 - Chicago IL @ Epiphany Thu 4/02 - Champaign IL @ Courtyard Café at University of Illinois Fri 4/03 - Iowa City IA @ The Mill - Mission Creek Music Festival Sat 4/04 - Richmond IN @ Earlham College Mon 4/06 - Bloomington IN @ Buskirk-Chumley Theater

02/03/09

BISHOP ALLEN Offers Up Two MP3s from forthcoming Grrr... We at the Dead Oceans' office believe BISHOP ALLEN'S forthcoming album Grrr... to be so chock-full of thinking-man's-pop goodness that simply releasing the standard, free MP3 would not suffice as a representation of the overall awesomeness of the album. So, this time, we chose two - the soul-searching "Dimmer" and xylophone-erific "The Ancient Commonsense of Things." Please enjoy "Dimmer" and "The Ancient Commonsense of Things" by respectively click-click-clicking HERE and HERE.

02/02/09

CITAY Featured In Performance, Interview With KEXP Last week, the good people at Seattle's KEXP took a San Francisco field trip for three days of interviews and performances from the Bay Area's finest artists. Dead Oceans' classic rock behemoth Citay was honored to be featured on the program, where they burned through epic cuts from the band's 2007 release Little Kingdom, such as "Eye on the Dollar." The band left host Cheryl Waters to say she was "totally blissing out" during the performance. In KEXP's Live From San Francisco blog, the station also had these kind words to share about Citay: "Over the course of two full-length records, those inspirations and attention to detailed, 5+ minute songwriting have led to a profound dynamism with songs often spanning the dour and euphoric before reaching their grand conclusions. Following the late 2007 release of Little Kingdom on Dead Oceans, Citay has remained relevant by taking their dynamic sound to the stage, earning them a recent Goldie Award, a yearly prize offered by the San Francisco Bay Guardian that recognizes exceptional performance across the arts." A download of the podcast is available HERE.

01/30/09

The Explorers Club Prepare For A February Expedition, Perform For Athens Soundies As THE EXPLORERS CLUB head out next week on the first full-scale tour in support of its 2008 Dead Oceans release Freedom Wind, we're pleased to share the band's recent performance of album track "Don't Forget The Sun" for Athens Soundies. The performance was scheduled last-minute on a rare, freezing cold day in Athens, Ga., as the band rolled into town for a show. Bundled-up tight and banded together in an abandoned art school building, The Explorers Club brought a warm California wind to a mid-January evening in Athens. The Explorers Club: Don't Forget the Sun by eikonproductions Visit the Athens Soundies site HERE. The Explorers Club tour dates: 02/03/09 Washington, DC - DC9 02/04/09 Grantham, PA - Messiah College 02/05/09 New York City, NY - The Mercury Lounge 02/06/09 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's 02/07/09 Cambridge, MA - The Lizard Lounge 02/08/09 Philadelphia, PA - The Khyber 02/20/09 Gainesville, FL - University Of Florida 02/25/09 Chicago, IL - The Empty Bottle 02/26/09 Ames, IA - The Maintenance Shop 02/27/09 Grinnell, IA - Gardner Lounge @ Grinnell College 02/28/09 Madison, WI - Der Rathskeller @ University Of Wisconsin 03/01/09 Bloomington, IN - Cinemat

01/28/09

THESE ARE POWERS All Aboard Future Now Available For Pre-Order THESE ARE POWERS, the Brooklyn/Chicago based trio of future primitives have announced plans for a United States tour. The dates include select performances with Abe Vigoda, Bird Names and US Girls, and begin February 25 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, wrapping up on March 27 in Richmond, Virginia. Touring in support of All Aboard Future, These Are Powers live shows are legit face melters - subsonic bass rumbles, club beats and Betty Davis-like vocal swagger - are not for the wary and should not be missed. Music for tomorrow's peace movement never sounded so brilliantly chaotic. All Aboard Future is now available for pre-order from Dead Oceans on CD and LP. The vinyl is 180 grams, housed in a gatefold sleeve and includes a coupon to download the songs as MP3s. We would also like to extend an apology to Sarah Wilmer, whose gorgeous photograph was not credited on the LP. Pre-order All Aboard Future HERE. See There Are Powers tours dates HERE.

01/23/09

THESE ARE POWERS gets remixed, ready a month of New York shows As the release of THESE ARE POWERS' debut for Dead Oceans All Aboard Future draws near, the good people at The Tripwire have dropped a remix of album cut "Easy Answers" by minimalist trance master Butchy Fuego. Get it right HERE. Quoth Tripwire regarding Butchy's edit: "At the forefront — as is the case in their “normal” recordings — are Barie’s vocals. Her sharp staccato annunciation and Ponytail-esque delivery is the attention grabber, but here it’s backed by a softer, almost muted accompaniment of remixed bass and percussion. Cut up with synths, hand claps and overdubs, it’s a more inviting tone for the usually much noisier music collective. Or to appropriate their words again, they are hymns piggybacking on noise collages, club beats and ragas." Meanwhile, These Are Powers has lined up a slew of New York shows over the next month, playing some of the city's coolest venues and art spaces. Check the dates below: 01/23/09 Brooklyn, NY - Bell House w/ Ponytail 01/30/09 Brooklyn, NY - Danbro Studios - Brooklyn Vs. Baltimore Battle w/ Dan Deacon, USAISAMONSTER, Thank You 02/06/09 New York, NY - 92Y Tribeca w/ Bird Names 02/13/09 Brooklyn, NY - Monster Island - Art Show with Album Art 02/16/09 New York, NY - Other Music 02/20/09 New York, NY - Less Artists More Condos

01/23/09

PHOSPHORESCENT Performs Intimate Ukulele Session PHOSPHORESCENT'S Matthew Houck has been known to deconstruct his songs down to their most basic, necessary elements. Recently, Houck did just this with "To Sick To Pray," a cut from Phosphorescent's forthcoming collection of Willie Nelson classics, To Willie. In the dimly lit Phosphorescent practice space, amid Houck's parked motorcycle and a row of green beer bottles, Houck and Phosphorescent piano man Scott Stapleton reveal the bare bones of the Willie tune and a previously released Phosphorescent song for Belgian newspaper, Le Soir, as part of its intimate Ukulele Sessions. Phosphorescent - Too Sick To Pray + At Death (Ukelele) Uploaded by noahmTV

01/22/09

AKRON/FAMILY Previews Material From New Album, Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free, At Intimate Shows and Residencies Throughout North America We are excited to unveil the first details of Akron/Family's forthcoming album, Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free, which will arrive May 5, 2009 on Dead Oceans. In celebration of this new chapter for Akron/Family, the band is previewing much of the material from Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free in special shows this coming March. Akron/Family will be playing a series of intimate residencies in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, playing multiple nights in venues far smaller than they normally would visit. Additionally, they will be doing co-headline shows with Born Ruffians in Toronto and Montreal, performing a St. Patrick's Day blow out at Denver's beautiful Oriental Theater, visiting the SXSW festival and playing at the New Museum in New York City. The band has hand-picked openers for each night of the residencies, and every city will feature special guest musicians joining Akron/Family on stage, with the hope that each night the audience will receive a unique experience. Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free marks the band's first album recorded as a trio; Seth Olinsky, Miles Seaton and Dana Janssen became a three piece in 2007 after original member Ryan Vanderhoof left the band that fall, and this shift in their line-up reconfigured the band's approach to touring. They brought along like-minded musicians such as Megafaun, the Dodos and Greg Davis, both as openers and as members of an ever-changing Akron/Family ensemble, bringing about cacophonous onstage jams interwoven between the band's songs. Whether it's the three members of Akron/Family – communicating and interacting with one another onstage with something like the visceral language of the classic John Coltrane or Albert Ayler ensembles – or upwards of a dozen guest musicians joining them, their live shows are becoming a thing of legend. Akron/Family's 2008 Emo's gig in Austin was one of these legendary performances. The band led the audience and nearly 20 musicians from the stage in an Arkestra-like free-for-all to a riotous, shirtless and sing-a-long parade in the streets. These unhinged performances have been witnessed by audiences at the Monolith, Isle of Wight, High Sierra, Coachella and End of the Road festivals, and since then word has traveled fast about the magic of Akron/Family. The trio of Olinsky, Seaton and Janssen is a sight to behold, and this rare opportunity to see the band performing in intimate spaces is one not to be missed. More information about Akron/Family's Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free will be announced shortly. View Akron/Family tour dates HERE.

01/14/09

PHOSPHORESCENT'S To Willie available for pre-order To Willie, PHOSPHORESCENT'S collection of deep album cuts from the Willie Neslon catalogue is now available for pre-order through Dead Oceans and SC Distribution HERE. The album drops February 3, but its heartfelt opening track, "Reasons to Quit," can be sampled on the Pitchfork, Fader and Stereogum Web sites.

01/13/09

BISHOP ALLEN ready new album Grrr..., North American tour Grrr...It's the warning sound of a rabid beast bearing its teeth. It's the sound you hear just before said beast really lets you have it. And with its new album Grrr... set to be unleashed by Dead Oceans on March 10, BISHOP ALLEN is that stirring animal, readied for an attack of pop songcraft honed over nearly two years of rigorous touring. Grrr..., reveals that after five years of comparisons to other artists--Jonathan Richman, The Kinks, Bright Eyes, Spoon, etc., in rave reviews from Rolling Stone, SPIN, Entertainment Weekly and many others--Bishop Allen has developed an artistry and sound that are unmistakably their own. One thing that distinguishes Bishop Allen's music is the quality of the writing. Rice's literate lyrics, which The Los Angeles Times has praised for their "poetic insight," have a universality that has made them resonant to listeners of all ages and earned them champions ranging from the young comic actor Michael Cera to the National Public Radio host Scott Simon. The band will cross the U.S. in support of Grrr..., making a soon-to-be-announced stop at SXSW. TOUR DATES: 01/16/09 Montreal, QC - Il Motore 01/17/09 Toronto, ON - El Mocambo 01/18/09 Chicago, IL - Schubas Tavern 01/19/09 Columbus, OH - Skully's Music Diner 03/12/09 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church 03/13/09 Washington, DC - Black Cat 03/14/09 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 03/15/09 Asheville, NC - The Rocket Club 03/16/09 Memphis, TN - Hi Tone Cafe 03/17/09 Little Rock, AR - Sticky Fingerz Chicken Shack 03/23/09 West Hollywood, CA - The Troubadour 03/24/09 San Francisco, CA - The Rickshaw Shop 03/26/09 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court 03/28/09 Denver, CO - Hi Dive 03/29/09 Lawrence, KS - Jackpot Saloon 03/31/09 Chicago, IL - Subterranean 04/02/09 Northhampton, MA - Iron Horse 04/03/09 Cambridge, MA - Middle East Upstairs 04/04/09 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg 04/05/09 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom A full listing of Bishop Allen's upcoming tour dates can be found HERE And more about Grrr... can be found HERE. Grrr... indeed.

01/13/09

PHOSPHORESCENT Announce Tour, Special To Willie Performances, Share MP3 PHOSPHORESCENT are hitting the road in support of To Willie, their February 3 release on Dead Oceans. To Willie finds Phosphorescent digging into the Willie Nelson catalog, covering not classics, but deep album cuts. The songs collected on To Willie seem cracked from Phosphorescent's proprietary mold with Matthew Houck's unmistakable voice leading the way. They feel lived in, they feel weathered and they feel just like Phosphorescent. On February 26, Phosphorescent kicks off a US tour in support of To Willie. In Brooklyn, San Francisco, Los Angeles and at a SXSW performance (to be announced), Phosphorescent will be performing the album in its entirety. Of course they will be playing selections from the album every night on tour, but wanted to give fans something special to celebrate the release of this album. Don't forget to check out the MP3 for “Reasons to Quit,” the stellar opening track from To Willie. Read what Pitchfork, Fader and Stereogum had to say and download the track from the links below. Pitchfork The Fader Stereogum View Phosphorescent Tour Dates HERE.

01/09/09

MT. ST. HELENS VIET NAM BAND ANNOUNCES LP, TOUR AND OFFERS MP3 With a self-titled long-player and North American tour locked and loaded, MT. ST. HELENS VIET NAM BAND will continue its brief and head-turning ascension to the top of the pop rock pile. The Seattle band will hit the road in early spring in support of its Dead Oceans debut - due March 10. Benjamin Verdoes (vocals, guitar, percussion) hoped to motivate his younger brother Marshall to push forward in his drum lessons. Once Marshall got good at drums, Benjamin vowed, they'd start a band together, and now-13-year-old Marshall would have naming rights. That promise is officially made good with the release of Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band's full-length. Co-produced by Scott Colburn (the Arcade Fire, Animal Collective), the album at first blush recalls Wolf Parade; the band's frayed melodic sensibilities and lead Benjamin's urgent, driven vocals in particular. Of course, Wolf Parade borrowed a few ideas from Modest Mouse, whose beginnings were indebted to the Pixies. This is the sort of musical lineage that creates the foundation for Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band's debut LP. But Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band are not solely inspired by their contemporaries; dig a little deeper and strains of Queen's over-the-top epic rock peers through, while exhilarating guitar work that nods towards Thin Lizzy appears in more than a few songs. And we're pleased to share "Anchors Dropped" an mp3 from the album HERE. Complete Tracklisting: 01 Who's Asking 02 Masquerade 03 Cheer for Fate 04 Anchors Dropped 05 Going on a Hunt 06 A Year or Two 07 Albatross Albatross Albatross 08 Dull Reason 09 Little Red Shoes 10 En Fuego 11 On the Collar And joining MT. ST. HELENS VIET NAM BAND on the road in March will be Le Loup, from Sup Pop spin-off label Hardly Art. MT. ST. HELENS VIET NAM BAND Tour Dates: 02/26/09 San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Shop w/ Goblin Cock 03/18/09 Dan's Silverleaf, Denton - TX w/ Disappears 03/22/09 San Antonio, TX - Rock Bottom w/ Le Loup 03/24/09 Tucson, AZ - Solar Culture w/ Le Loup 03/25/09 San Diego, CA - Casbah w/ Le Loup 03/26/09 Costa Mesa, CA - Detroit Bar w/ Le Loup 03/27/09 Los Angeles, CA - The Echo w/ Le Loup 03/30/09 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge w/ Le Loup 04/01/09 Media Club, Vancouver - BC w/ Le Loup 04/03/09 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court w/ Le Loup 04/04/09 Denver, CO - Hi Dive w/ Le Loup 04/06/09 Omaha, NE - Slowdown Jr. w/ Le Loup 04/07/09 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry w/ Le Loup 04/08/09 Madison, WI - The Frequency w/ Le Loup 04/09/09 Chicago, IL - Schubas w/ Le Loup 04/10/09 Cleveland Heights, OH - Grog Shop w/ Le Loup 04/18/09 Urbana, IL - Courtyard Cafe w/ Le Loup

01/09/09

BISHOP ALLEN And THE DONKEYS To Play Schuba's Tomorrow Never Knows Festival in Chicago BISHOP ALLEN and THE DONKEYS will share the stage on Sunday, January 18 as part of the grand finale of Schuba's Tomorrow Never Knows Festival in Chicago. Tickets for the show are available HERE. The five-day festival will also feature artists like Department of Eagles, Cursive and Mile Benjamin Anthony Robinson. As part of the Windy City visit, The Donkeys will also play an in-store performance at Chicago's Reckless Records at 3 p.m. on the day of the show. It will no doubt bring some much needed West Coast warmth to the dead of winter. Meanwhile, both Bishop Allen and The Donkeys will be passing through cities around the United States and Canada. Bishop Allen tour dates: 01/16/09 Montreal, QC - Il Motore 01/17/09 Toronto, ON - El Mocambo 01/18/09 Chicago, IL - Schubas Tavern 01/19/09 Columbus, OH - Skully's Music Diner The Donkeys tour dates: 01/10/09 Albuquerque, NM - Burt's Tiki Lounge 01/12/09 Dallas, TX - The Lounge 01/13/09 Austin, TX - The Mohawk 01/14/09 New Orleans, LA - Circle Bar 01/15/09 Birmingham, AL - Bottletree 01/17/09 Rock Island, IL - Ribco 01/18/09 Chicago, IL - Schubas 01/18/09 Chicago, IL - Reckless Records (3pm) 01/21/09 Denver, CO - Hi-Dive Visit the Dead Oceans TOUR DATES page for a complete listing of all artists' tours.

12/19/08

The Explorers Club Perform For The Loft Sessions The Explorers Club will be performing on XM's Loft Sessions this coming Monday, 12/22/08, at noon. If that doesn't fit your schedule, no worries as the session will be re-airing at the following times on Sirius 29 / XM-50 The Loft: Monday - 12/22 - 8:00pm Wednesday - 12/24 - 2:00pm Friday - 12/26 - 3:00am Monday - 12/29 - 1:00am Monday - 01/05 - 2:00am For more information, head over HERE.

12/16/08

Bishop Allen Perform for Fuel TV Bishop Allen stopped by the Fuel TV studios a little while back and performed two songs for The Daily Habit. The band plays a favorite from their last record, The Broken String, as well as a new one entitled "Shanghaied" which will be appearing on their new album coming in 2009. Check the videos out HERE.

12/11/08

These Are Powers offer first mp3 from "All Aboard Future" We are excited to announce the first mp3 from All Aboard Future, the new album from These Are Powers, coming February 17, 2009. "Life of Birds" provides a perfect taste of the new directions These Are Powers explore on their forthcoming LP. Read what Pitchfork had to say about the song at the link below. READ PITCHFORK REVIEW OF "LIFE OF BIRDS" HERE DOWNLOAD MP3 OF "LIFE OF BIRDS" HERE

12/09/08

Akron/Family and Dead Oceans Plot World Domination for 2009 We are extremely proud to announce that Dead Oceans will be teaming up with Akron/Family in 2009 for their first release since their epic 2007 album Love is Simple. Following two albums, a collaborative work with jazz master Hamid Drake (Meek Warrior) and a split EP on the venerable Young God label, we could not be more excited that one of our favorite bands, new or old, will be joining the Dead Oceans roster. Akron/Family is Seth Olinsky, Dana Janssen and Miles Seaton and is currently in the midst of editing and mixing a new LP for release in spring 2009. We will provide more info on this masterpiece-in-progress soon. The band is also planning a short run of late-December tour dates, culminating in a very special performance at the Knitting Factory in New York City on New Years Eve. This is the last show ever at the legendary venue's Manhattan location, and the club has chosen the perfect band to close them out with a bang. MILES SEATON OF AKRON/FAMILY SPEAKS TO BILLBOARD ABOUT DEAD OCEANS AND THE BAND'S NEW LP

12/06/08

Last.fm Features These Are Powers While in London, These Are Powers played a string of shows, including one presented by Last.fm. Last.fm interviewed the band and captured video footage of "Life of Birds" from their 2009 release All Aboard Future, and you can see both immortalized on the internet at the links below. THESE ARE POWERS VIDEO INTERVIEW THESE ARE POWERS PERFORM "LIFE OF BIRDS" AT CARGO

12/03/08

Phosphorescent Readies New LP for February Release We are pleased to announce To Willie, the new full length recording from Brooklyn's Phosphorescent. Recorded in the band's warehouse space in Brooklyn during August and September 2008, To Willie is the follow-up to Phosphorescent's 2007 breakthrough album Pride. On To Willie, Matthew Houck and co., have taken on the Willie Nelson catalog, digging deep, and recording 11 of their favorite tunes. However, To Willie is more than a covers record - Phosphorescent makes these songs their own, while paying tribute to an all-time great. Phosphorescent will tour everywhere this winter and spring. Stay tuned for dates. READ MORE ABOUT THE ALBUM AND CHECK OUT THE TRACK LIST HERE

12/02/08

THE DONKEYS Publish Awesome Tour Diary THE DONKEYS worked recently with San Diego organization Sezio. They outfitted the band with disposable cameras and made them write stories about their most recent adventures on tour. Their pictures and insight are extremely great examples of why THE DONKEYS are such a great bunch of people. We love the giant dream catcher! The Donkeys Manifest Destiny

12/01/08

Bishop Allen Perform Unreleased Song on Fuel TV's "The Daily Habit" Check your local listings because tonight Bishop Allen appear on Fuel TV's action sports show, "The Daily Habit." Featured alongside pro skateboarder Tony Magnusson and The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne, Bishop Allen perform two songs, one old and one new. Bishop Allen play the unreleased track "Shanghaied," along with "Middle Management," which is taken from their 2007 release The Broken String. Fuel TV will archive the performance online, for those of you who can't tune in for the episode. THE DAILY HABIT WEBSITE

11/26/08

These Are Powers Announce "All Aboard Future" 2009 will be known as the Year of the Rat - or some similar shit like that - but one of the more important details of the fledgling year is the release of These Are Powers All Aboard Future out February 17. Dangerous and unpredictable in a live setting, the Brooklyn / Chicago trio of Pat Noecker, Anna Barie and Bill Salas have crafted an exotic hybrid of electro-acoustic beats, subsonic bass rumble, mangled guitars and plaintive call and response vocals on All Aboard Future. Showing solidarity with the visual arts community These Are Powers invited no fewer than 13 different artists from New York to Beijing to create the albums artwork. Vicious dance music for the universal peace movement of the future? Here it is. GET MORE INFO AND TRACK LISTING HERE

11/12/08

Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band Team Up with Dead Oceans We are excited to announce that Dead Oceans and Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band are teaming up to release their debut album in spring 2009. The band are putting the finishing touches on an album co-produced with Scott Colburn (Arcade Fire, Animal Collective) before heading out on tour in December. The debut album follows their self-released Weepy EP, which is available now. CHECK OUT MT. ST. HELENS VIETNAM BAND ON MYSPACE READ MORE ABOUT THE BAND AND DOWNLOAD AN MP3 FROM PITCHFORK

11/11/08

Citay Win a Goldie Citay have won a "Goldie" which are the "The 20th Guardian Outstanding Local Discovery Awards" sponsored by the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Congrats to Citay and hopefully their acceptance speech was under 15 minutes. FIND OUT MORE ABOUT "THE GOLDIES" READ THE CITAY FEATURE IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN

11/11/08

The Explorers Club Share First Music Video The praise surrounding the Explorers Club's album Freedom Wind typically references the band's reverence for the classic summery pop sounds of the 60s and 70s and their love of timeless pop songwriting is undeniable. There are songs that would not sound out of place on oldies radio - and the band captures both the sound and spirit of an era where the radio could be relied on for great music. The first video from The Explorers Club offers a similar sense of nostalgia - "Do You Love Me?" harkens back to an era where MTV was fresh and fun - when you could rely on the network for revealing a visual component to your favorite pop music. Playful and fun, the Explorers Club's lighthearted video perfectly captures one of Freedom Wind's many highlights. WATCH THE "DO YOU LOVE ME" VIDEO ON DEAD OCEANS WEBSITE WATCH THE "DO YOU LOVE ME" VIDEO ON YOUTUBE

10/22/08

Phosphorescent Performs Solo, With Full Band, DJs at CMJ Phosphorescent are performing in a few different incarnations at CMJ this year. Matthew Houck will be doing a solo set at the Brooklyn Vegan day party, and the full band will be kicking out the jams at Chouette annual daytime party at the Cake Shop. Perhaps the most unique performance will be the Phosphorescent DJ set at Other Music. We have no idea what Matthew & co. have planned for this, but it should make for a fine soundtrack while you record shop on a Saturday afternoon. BROOKLYN VEGAN CHOUETTE OTHER MUSIC

10/21/08

White Hinterland "Luniculaire" EP Out Today We are excited to announce that White Hinterland's newest recording, a five song EP of songs song in French, was released today. Luniculaire contains two White Hinterland originals and covers of three French classics. It is a huge step forward musically for the band -- check out the MP3 of "Chant de Grillon" for a taste. DOWNLOAD "CHANT DE GRILLON" READ MORE ABOUT LUNICULAIRE

10/08/08

BOWERBIRDS Are Canceling Their Nov. & Dec. Tour We are sorry to announce that BOWERBIRDS are canceling their upcoming tour in November and December due to exhaustion. The band has been on the road for the bulk of the past four months and is taking a much needed break. Bowerbirds and Dead Oceans apologize for any inconvenience. These two dates are still on: 10/11/08 Norfolk, VA - Attucks Theatre Buy Tickets 12/13/08 Madison, GA - Madison-Morgan Cultural Center w/ Hope for Agoldensummer, Ola Podria

09/25/08

Bishop Allen share new video from Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist When Dead Oceans released The Broken String we certainly did not expect there to be a Bishop Allen video featuring Michael Cera (Juno, Arrested Development, Superbad). As it turns out, the new video for “Middle Management” (from The Broken String and now the soundtrack to Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist) is culled from various scenes of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, which means that Bishop Allen and Michael Cera appear in the same video! We are thrilled with the end result, and can’t wait to see Bishop Allen perform on the big screen. For those keeping score, Nick’s (Michael Cera) band is opening for Bishop Allen in the film, and they make a cameo. And, yes, that is “Middle Management” you have heard in the movie’s trailer. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist comes out Oct. 3rd and the soundtrack (featuring Vampire Weekend, Band of Horses, Modest Mouse, Devendra Banhart, Bishop Allen and more) is in stores now. WATCH THE "MIDDLE MANAGEMENT" VIDEO ON DEAD OCEANS WEBSITE WATCH THE "MIDDLE MANAGEMENT" VIDEO ON YOUTUBE NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST WEBSITE

09/24/08

Evangelicals blog about life on tour, warts, Sarah Palin and more Kyle Davis from Evangelicals is currently chronicling the band's adventures on tour. It is a fascinating (and slightly terrifying) portal into the minds of Evangelicals. They are on the road through the end of October so be sure to point your RSS readers their direction for daily updates on the madness. READ KYLE FROM EVANGELICALS TOUR BLOG HERE

09/18/08

White Hinterland prepare EP of French covers and originals, visit Daytrotter Luniculaire. It sounds French, but it is in fact a word invented by White Hinterland, taking parts of French words "lunaire" (lunar) and "funiculaire" (funicular, as in railway) to form the title of their second release. This EP is a highly ambitious recording containing five songs all sung in French, and it expands upon the wide palette of musical ideas heard on White Hinterland's debut, Phylatctery Factory. Featuring two original songs, plus covers of songs made famous by Serge Gainsbourg, Brigitte Fontaine and Francoise Hardy, White Hinterland feels right at home amid the musical tradition laid out by these legends. Luniculaire will be released October 21st. We are excited to share a song from Luniculaire -- do not miss the psychedelic groove of "Chant de Grillon" at the link below. Gorilla Vs. Bear gave props to the track, saying that,"'Chant de Grillon' vaguely recalls the eerie textural dissonance of the Arcade Fire's 'I'm Sleeping in a Submarine,' but the song reaches another level on the strength of Dienel's haunting vocals." Daytrotter also posted a session with White Hinterland, where they revisit songs from Phylactery Factory, twisting them inside out. READ ABOUT LUNICULAIRE ON GORILLA VS. BEAR DOWNLOAD "CHANT DE GRILLON" WHITE HINTERLAND ON DAYTROTTER

09/17/08

These Are Powers tour blog available on Other Music's website These Are Powers are in the midst of a North American tour and their friend Karen Soskin is along for the ride to offer a helping hand, sell merch and join in the good times. Karen is keeping us apprised of all of the tour happenings via Other Music's blog. It is a really fun read and hopefully we will leave them with some good Austin stories soon. READ THESE ARE POWERS TOUR BLOG HERE

09/16/08

Bowerbirds expand tour, add dates with Calexico Bowerbirds have just announced a plethora of new North American tour dates opening for Calexico throughout November. The band is headlining a slew of west coast dates following the tour with Calexico -- the first time the band has been on the west coast in ages. BOWERBIRDS TOUR DATES

09/02/08

These Are Powers kick off tour, work on new LP These Are Powers have spent the summer in Chicago, writing and recording a new LP. The band is currently putting the finishing touches on this early 2009 release, which was recorded by Butchy Fuego at Top Cat Studio. Although the release is not quite complete, you can have a chance to hear some of it performed live when These Are Powers kick off a North American tour this week. This is a sneak preview worth seeking out. These Are Powers will also be visiting Europe and the UK later this fall. Those dates to be announced very soon. THESE ARE POWERS TOUR DATES

08/28/08

Citay announce tour dates, appear on new WFMU compilation During Citay's spring 2008 tour the band stopped by WFMU for their second session at the world's finest free-form radio station. "On the Wings" has been included in a new WFMU compilation, Selected Sounds from the Free Music Archive, Vol. 1. It is available for free at the link below. Also, Citay are getting ready for a few west coast shows, followed by a run of dates in the northeast and midwest in October. As always, Citay performances are not to be missed. DOWNLOAD THE COMPILATION FOR FREE HERE CITAY TOUR DATES

08/26/08

The Donkeys share new mp3, announce cross-country tour, album pre-order The release of the Donkeys sophomore album Living on the Other Side is just around the corner, and in celebration the band is bringing their California-fried pop sounds on a cross-country tour. Texas, New York, Washington, Alabama, Utah, and points between, watch out, because the Donkeys are taking the show on the road. We've been excited to read much of the advance praise of Living on the Other Side and John Darnielle (of Mountain Goats fame) really nails the essence of the Donkeys on his Last Plane to Jakarta website. Do not miss the link below for Darnielle's great write-up. In addition to this tour, we are sharing with you lucky dogs a second MP3 from Living on the Other Side. Check out "Nice Train," where the Donkeys substitute their countrified waltz with an infectious pop ditty. With an offhanded vocal style that recalls Stephen Malkmus, "Nice Train" is a hilarious tale of a wild night on the town. Living on the Other Side is now available for pre-order from Dead Oceans. READ ABOUT THE DONKEYS ON LAST PLANE TO JAKARTA DOWNLOAD MP3 FOR "NICE TRAIN" THE DONKEYS TOUR DATES PRE-ORDER LIVING ON THE OTHER SIDE ON FROM DEAD OCEANS

08/18/08

White Hinterland live peformance available for download We stumbled across this fantastic recording of White Hinterland's performance from the Hot Freaks party at The Mohawk during SXSW and thought the performance was so good that we had to share. Listen to White Hinterland reinvent many of the songs from their 2008 release, Phylactery Factory. In some cases, the songs are distant cousins from the originals, showcasing the band's ability to turn things inside out in a live performance. Don't miss this link. DOWNLOAD WHITE HINTERLAND'S PERFORMANCE AT THE MOHAWK HERE

08/06/08

Bowerbirds video premiere on MTV's Subterranean We are thrilled to share Bowerbirds first music video, an absolutely stunning clip for "In Our Talons." Directed by Alan Poon and inspired by films like Microcosmos and The Planet Earth series, the video takes the visual spectacle of a nature documentary and puts it into a stop-motion animated world. The video explores three magical creatures from three different lands, equally beautiful, yet doomed by the hand of man. Not only is the result stunning, but the process is equally impressive. The stop-motion puppets were custom made for this video. The bird alone took over a month for the puppet fabricators to build with over 300 feathers manually sized and glued on. For the animals to come to life, the puppet is put into position, a picture is taken, then the puppet is moved slightly and another picture is taken. This is done 24 times for one second of animation, shooting approximately five seconds per day. Most of the miniature sets were made out of foam and clay and then painted, while the clouds were made from cotton. Watch the stunning results on Subterranean's blog below, or wait for Saturday, August 9th and see it in the comforts of your own home on MTV2. WATCH THE VIDEO ON SUBTERRANEAN'S BLOG

08/04/08

Bishop Allen announce fall tour, appear in Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist Bishop Allen are currently holed up in their make-shift Brooklyn recording studio, writing and recording the follow-up to their 2007 album, The Broken String. Tentatively planned for release in early 2009, the band plans to road test many of the new songs on a US tour in November 2008. Touring and recording are not the only exciting things happening in the world of Bishop Allen. The band makes a cameo appearance in the major motion picture release Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, which stars Michael Cera (Arrested Development, Superbad, Juno) and Kat Dennings (40 Year-old Virgin). The band appears in the movie during a scene where Nick and Norah first meet. The trailer for this movie was just released, and features Bishop Allen's song "Middle Management" as well as a brief glimpse of the band onstage during the movie. Songs by Modest Mouse, Vampire Weekend, We Are Scientists, Band of Horses, Devendra Banhart and more are featured alongside Bishop Allen in the film. WATCH THE TRAILER ON YOUTUBE CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE FOR NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST BISHOP ALLEN TOUR DATES

07/31/08

Bowerbirds and Bon Iver peform stirring cover at Bowery Ballroom Phil, Beth, and Mark of Bowerbirds along with Justin, Mike and Sean of Bon Iver perform an astonishingly beautiful version of Sarah Siskind's "Lovin's For Fools." This version is from their recent show at the Bowery Ballroom in New York. Simply put, these people can sing. Please enjoy: WATCH BOWERBIRDS AND BON IVER PERFORM "LOVIN'S FOR FOOLS"

07/29/08

Check out the Explorers Club on Hear Ya Live The Explorers Club stopped by the Hear Ya Live studios on their recent stop in Chicago and the results are breathtaking. Rather than describe it ourselves, we will just borrow a quote from Hear Ya Live: "With songs like “Hold Me Tight,” “Lost My Head,” “If You Go,” “Don’t Forget the Sun,” and “Forever,” you’d think you found a Delorean and drove it 88mph to California and arrived in 1966. The raw, stripped down versions of these songs feel as pure as the golden sand. So go ahead, download the tracks below. Turn up your heat to about 89 degrees, throw on your board shorts, make yourself a Tang and vodka, put a DVR’d episode of “The Wonder Years” on mute, and crank up The Explorers Club." STREAM OR DOWNLOAD THE EXPLORERS CLUB ON "HEAR YA LIVE"

07/24/08

These Are Powers partner with Dead Oceans After witnessing the chaos and energy of a These Are Powers live set, we were immediately enthralled with this band, and after a long courtship and some hot and heavy dating, we are excited to announce the start of a long and fruitful union between These Are Powers and Dead Oceans. First, Dead Oceans will re-release of Taro Tarot and Terrific Seasons in October 2008, followed by an LP of new material in the first part of 2009. The band will support the re-releases with tours of both North America and Europe this fall. To fully grasp the force of a These Are Powers live set, watch the video for "Cockles," which was assembled using footage from 34 shows in 25 cities, primarily shot on the band's US tour in February and March 2008. The video also including glimpses of NYC shows in April/May 2008, as well as the band's set at the Donau Festival in Krems, Austria. Seamlessly edited by director Jacqueline Castel, this video captures the raw power of These Are Powers. THESE ARE POWERS TOUR DATES WATCH VIDEO FOR "COCKLES" ON DEAD OCEANS SITE WATCH VIDEO FOR "COCKLES" ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD MP3 FOR "COCKLES"

07/22/08

Listen to the Explorers Club on the Sound of Young America On the Explorers Club's recent US tour, the band stopped by the Sound of Young America's studio in Los Angeles for a fantastic in-depth interview and performance. It will air nationally this weekend, but you can listen online anytime, at the Sound of Young America's blog. LISTEN TO THE EXPLORERS CLUB INTERVIEW AND PERFORMANCE

07/21/08

Bowerbirds tour with Bon Iver kicks off Tonight in Detroit, MI, Bowerbirds will join Bon Iver for the first of many live dates together. This is the beginning of Bowerbirds long journey, which takes them through North America, Europe and even Beirut, Lebanon, as the band will be on the road almost non-stop from now until December. You can expect the Bowerbirds to play all your favorites from Hymns for a Dark Horse as well as a selection of new songs. The breathtaking beauty of Bowerbirds live should not be missed. BOWERBIRDS TOUR DATES

07/14/08

Citay debut new guitarists at two Bay Area shows Citay first shows featuring new guitarists Josh Pollock and Sean Smith take place this Tuesday and Wednesday. Joining Tall Firs (Ecstatic Peace) on their San Francisco and Oakland dates, Bay Area Citay fans will not want to miss this great pairing, and chance to see the new line-up for the very first time. CITAY TOUR DATES

06/26/08

The Donkeys and Dead Oceans, Together at Last We are extremely excited to announce that Dead Oceans will be releasing the sophomore full length from the Donkeys on September 9th, 2008. Living on the Other Side is a fun-loving, rollicking collection of catchy California-fried pop songs. Be sure to listen to the mp3 for "Walk Through a Cloud" for a taste of the Donkeys' new masterpiece. We decided to ask the Donkeys a few questions for this announcement, so we could tap into their fertile minds, and share the Donkeys world view with everyone. Here is what they had to say: Why are you excited about working with Dead Oceans? Anthony Lukens: I'm excited about having a reason to travel to Texas and drink Lone Star beer, and Dead Oceans has fax machines and computers, and from what I understand they accept collect calls. (No we don't - ed.) What can we expect from the Donkeys in 2008? Tim DeNardo: You can expect the phenomenon of the "donkey show" to no longer be confined to our corner of the world. Its majesty will captivate every man, woman, and child across this fair land of ours. And if the French play their cards right we might pay them a visit as well. Why do the Donkeys love San Diego? Anthony Lukens: I'll answer this question with a question: where else in the universe does the air smell like burritos and suntan lotion at the same time? Follow the links below for more info and sounds from Living on the Other Side. DOWNLOAD "WALK THROUGH A CLOUD" MP3 THE DONKEYS PREVIEW SONGS FROM LIVING ON THE OTHER SIDE ON DAYTROTTER READ THE ONE SHEET FOR LIVING ON THE OTHER SIDE

06/23/08

Bowerbirds "Hymns for a Dark Horse" out now Bowerbirds Hymns for a Dark Horse is now available in record stores everywhere. The new edition of Hymns for a Dark Horse features two new tracks and is available on vinyl for the first time. Bowerbirds will be headed out on extensive North American and European tours during the summer and fall, with many of the dates announced now. BOWERBIRDS TOUR DATES

06/06/08

The Explorers Club kick off tour with Lightspeed Champion Last night in Hoboken, NJ The Explorers Club kicked off a North American tour with Lightspeed Champion. If you have not seen our pop loving friends from South Carolina and they are passing through your town, there is absolutely no excuse to stay home. Playing selections from our favorite summer soundtrack Freedom Wind, The Explorers Club live show is unbeatable. Freedom Wind is in finer record stores everywhere now. Look at what Other Music had to say about it: "No, this is not some long lost pop gem from the '60s that the Dead Oceans label just scooped Sundazed on. Hailing from Charleston, SC, the Explorer's Club are a new band but their first full-length, Freedom Wind, is clearly not of this time. Listening to their rich vocal harmonies on beautifully arranged, yearning songs like "Forever," "Don't Forget the Sun" and "Do You Love Me," it's immediately apparent that the Beach Boys are the band's main influence, but you'll also hear echoes of Paul McCartney, the Zombies/Colin Blunstone and Emitt Rhodes throughout as well. Looking for that perfect summer soundtrack for your trips to the beach, step right up." -- Other Music NYC THE EXPLORERS CLUB TOUR DATES

05/19/08

Watch the Citay video for "Eye on the Dollar" Citay are pleased to offer the perfect visual accompaniment for "Eye on the Dollar," taken from the band's 2007 album, "Little Kingdom." Colors swirl, effects wash in and out, landscapes phase into blasts of digital effects, and for a brief moment, bandleader Ezra Feinberg appears. Pieced together with a collage-like surrealism that could emanate from the strangest of dreams, "Eye on the Dollar" is candy for the eyes. Illicit substances encouraged for enhanced viewing! WATCH THE VIDEO ON DEADOCEANS.COM WATCH THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE

05/13/08

The Explorers Club announce tour with Lightspeed Champion The Explorers Club are hitting the road in celebration of Freedom Wind, criss-crossing North American with Lightspeed Champion and Flowers Forever. The soundtrack of the summer will be in a town near you very soon -- don't miss out. The Explorers Club have also been cooking up some fun before the release of Freedom Wind. Check out their antics on youtube for a taste. The band has also been trickling out songs to their very own muxtape page. Visit the link below and you can preview songs from Freedom Wind. They'll be posting more songs as the May 20th street date nears, so keep checking back. THE EXPLORERS CLUB TOUR DATES THE EXPLORERS CLUB YOUTUBE MADNESS FREEDOM WIND MUXTAPE

05/12/08

Details of Bowerbirds' "Hymns for a Dark Horse" expanded edition unveiled, summer tour dates confirmed The expanded edition of the Plug Award nominated Hymns for a Dark Horse will be released on June 17 (and August 18 in the UK), featuring two new songs as bonus tracks. Originally released by Burly Time Records in 2007, Dead Oceans is thrilled that this masterpiece will finally be widely available. The bonus tracks are more than just tossed off extras. "La Denigración" has a stunning melodic sensibility - you can hear the band drawing not only from traditional American music, but bringing in elements of music from around the globe. "Matchstick Maker" is a heart breaker, centered around singer / guitarist Phil Moore's aching voice. In addition to these two bonus songs, "Hymns for a Dark Horse" will be issued on vinyl for the first time. A new release would not be complete without a tour. We're excited to announce that the Bowerbirds will be joining Bon Iver on a stretch of dates this July, followed by their first trip to the UK and Europe, where they will be appearing at the Green Man and End of the Road Festivals. Many other UK and European dates will be announced soon. BOWERBIRDS TOUR DATES

05/02/08

Phosphorescent play ATP Festival, release Black Cab Session We are pleased to announce that Phosphorescent will make a speedy return to the UK to play the Explosions In The Sky-curated All Tomorrow's Parties festival on Friday May 16. In addition to the ATP date, Phosphorescent is supporting Black Mountain on select UK and European dates in May. Before Phosphorescent's packed show at the Borderline in London a few weeks back, Matthew Houck was filmed for a Black Cab session. Watch his performance of fan favorite "Wolves" at the links below. ATP FESTIVAL INFO VISIT BLACK CAB SESSIONS WEBSITE WATCH BLACK CAB SESSION ON YOUTUBE PHOSPHORESCENT TOUR DATES

05/01/08

The Explorers Club receives gushing praise in Uncut, now available for pre-order The brand new issue of Uncut features a gushing five star review of The Explorers Club May 20th release, Freedom Wind. Uncut calls the album's opening track, "an instant classic," and added, "it's a toss-up whether Jason Brewer's classically crafted songs or the spot-on arrangements are more irresistible, as the group recasts these magical sounds for the 21st Century." Freedom Wind is now available for pre-order from Dead Oceans' website. You can order it on CD or LP formats, and don't forget, the LP version contains a coupon which can be redeemed online for a free download of the album. With the steamy days right around the corner, why not pre-order the soundtrack to the summer of 2008 right now? PRE-ORDER FREEDOM WIND FROM DEAD OCEANS

04/20/08

Bowerbirds Take-away Show on La Blogotheque Vincent Moon is at it again. His now legendary Take-away show series followed Bowerbirds in New York City's Lower East Side during the fall of 2007, taping performances of "Bur Oak," "In Our Talons," "Dark Horse," and "The Ticonderoga." These breathtaking performances can be viewed or downloaded on La Blogotheque's website or by signing up for the La Blogotheque podcast via iTunes. These videos are not to be missed. VISIT LA BLOGOTHEQUE

04/08/08

The Explorers Club release single, announce tour dates The Explorers Club and Dead Oceans are pleased to announce that the first single from their forthcoming album Freedom Wind is now available. You can purchase "Do You Love Me?" on a beautiful 7 inch record, or if vinyl is not your preferred format, the single is available from iTunes, Emusic, Amazon.com, Other Music and other digital stores. In addition to their first release on Dead Oceans, we are pleased to announce a handful of tour dates for The Explorers Club. Many more dates will follow the release of Freedom Wind. ORDER "DO YOU LOVE ME?" FROM DEAD OCEANS THE EXPLORERS CLUB TOUR DATES

04/02/08

Phosphorescent live videos from Other Music's SXSW party Other Music and Dig for Fire hosted one of the most unusual SXSW parties we attended at the festival this year. Situated on the beautiful lawns of the French Legation Museum, a few blocks away from the chaos of downtown Austin, it was the perfect respite from the madness nearby. Other Music and Dig for Fire videotaped performances from Phosphorescent, as well as the rest of the stellar line-up, and have added them to "Live from Other Music" series. The production and sound quality is tremendous on the two Phosphorescent videos--check them out at the links below. WATCH PHOSPHORESCENT PERFORM "AT DEATH, A PROCLAMATION" WATCH PHOSPHORESCENT PERFORM "A PICTURE OF OUR TORN UP PRAISE"

03/30/08

Bishop Allen "Click Click Click Click" video makes MTV2 debut Bishop Allen's "Click Click Click Click" video will broadcast tonight on MTV2's Subterranean at 1AM ET. Congrats to Bishop Allen and director Randy Bell on making their MTV2 debuts. WATCH THE VIDEO ON DEADOCEANS.COM WATCH THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE

03/28/08

Dirty Projectors, Evangelicals and White Hinterland included on Stereogum's tribute to Bjork's "Post" Stereogum are curating a song-by-song tribute to Bjork's album Post and we are pleased that they selected three artists from the Dead Oceans roster for the project. Dirty Projectors, Evangelicals and White Hinterland appear alongside Liars, High Places, El Guincho, Xiu Xiu and more. The album will be available for free and legal download for a limited time, starting Monday, March 31st. MORE DETAILS AND FULL TRACK LIST AVAILABLE HERE

03/26/08

Phosphorescent shares new video for "A Picture of Our Torn Up Praise" The second video from Pride is now available for your viewing pleasure. The video for Phosphorescent's "A Picture of Our Torn Up Praise" was shot in the countryside surrounding Fairfield IA, a small town of 10,000 located roughly 70 miles south of Iowa City. The cast and crew spent several days working in the freezing outdoors, utilizing everything from stadium lighting for the night sequences to a horse (named Elaborate Affair) borrowed from a supportive local resident. The video was conceived and directed by Los Angeles filmmakers Zachary Sluser and Matthew Thiesen, and features a cast of 20 individuals, aged 5 to 65 years old, not to mention a sizable crew and the work of a champion local taxidermist. WATCH THE VIDEO IN QUICKTIME HERE WATCH THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE HERE

03/04/08

White Hinterland release "Phylactery Factory" to lavish praise White Hinterland's "Phylactery Factory" comes out today in finer record stores everywhere. NME gives "Phylactery Factory" an 8 out of 10, while Uncut calls it a "minor classic," going on to say, "Dienel has some of Joanna Newsom's imagination and Jolie Holland's flourish, but is less willfully kooky than either, and from the epic Eno-esque opener, 'The Destruction of the Art Deco House' onwards, this is a sublime recording." White Hinterland will be joining Phosphorescent and Bon Iver on a stretch of west coast dates following three appearances at the SXSW music festival. Then, they head back east for a couple of shows with Throw Me the Statue. Stay tuned for more live dates later this spring and summer. VIEW TOUR DATES HERE

02/28/08

Citay's "Eye on the Dollar" is NPR's Song of the Day We are pleased that NPR has selected the Citay song "Eye on the Dollar" as their song of the day for February 27th. You can stream the track on the NPR website. Don't forget, Citay are about to launch a tour in support of "Little Kingdom" where they will visit many cities for the first time since the release of their towering sophomore album. READ NPR'S REVIEW AND STREAM "EYE ON THE DOLLAR" HERE VIEW TOUR DATES HERE

02/22/08

White Hinterland on the radio and on the road A little over one week ago we posted a link to White Hinterland's session on the NPR show, The Bryant Park Project. Since then, The Bryant Park Project's blog added a live video of White Hinterland in the studio, performing a breathtaking rendition of "Vessels." The Bryant Park Project is not the only radio station that White Hinterland has visited in recent weeks. They stopped by PRI's Fair Game for an interview and live session. Check out the link below, where you can download all four songs White Hinterland taped for Fair Game. Also, don't forget, White Hinterland kick of a tour with Taken By Trees in New York City today. WATCH WHITE HINTERLAND PERFORM "VESSELS" ON THE BRYANT PARK PROJECT DOWNLOAD SONGS FROM WHITE HINTERLAND'S APPEARANCE ON PRI'S FAIR GAME

02/14/08

The Explorers Club reveals details of debut album, new single! This is the one many of you are waiting for. The Explorers Club have put the finishing touches on their debut album, Freedom Wind, which will be released May 20th on CD and LP formats. Lush and undeniably catchy, Freedom Wind is poised to be the benchmark for pop music in 2008. The first single from Freedom Wind is a tasty gem titled "Do You Love Me?" which we are pleased to share as a free MP3 -- the perfect Valentines Day pop treat. But don't mistake this as just another freebie promo track; "Do You Love Me?" is the A-side to The Explorers Club new 7-inch, which will be available on April 8th. The flipside of the single is "Carry Me" - an exclusive non-album track. DOWNLOAD "DO YOU LOVE ME" READ MORE ABOUT FREEDOM WIND HERE

02/13/08

White Hinterland Gear Stolen in NYC (UPDATE!) This is a storyline that is all too familiar. After White Hinterland's show this weekend in Manhattan, drummer Matthew Meyer's van was broken into and a lot of musical equipment was stolen. We will post a list of specifics shortly, but the thieves made away with a drum set, a casio SK-1, a bass amp and an air mattress. More info is coming soon. UPDATE: We have the full list of what was stolen, as well as info on where donations to White Hinterland can be sent. If you happen to spot any of this in second hand shops, or see anything suspicious, please get in touch with us at info@deadoceans.com. This theft is costing the band thousands of dollars, so any contributions you can offer will be a giant help. FULL LIST OF STOLEN EQUIPMENT AND PAYPAL INFO HERE

02/12/08

White Hinterland Appears on NPR White Hinterland recently visited the NPR program The Bryant Park Project for an interview and live performance. Check out the audio at the link below. LISTEN TO WHITE HINTERLAND ON THE BRYANT PARK PROJECT RIGHT HERE

02/11/08

Dead Oceans announces 2008 SXSW showcase Citizens of Earth! Travelers to Texas! Eaters of Mexican food! Goers of shows! Passers out on 6th! Wakers up by the river! Stumblers to breakfast! Hairs of the dogs that bit you! Wakers up in someone's backyard! Stumblers to the river! Takers of a nap! Hailers of a cab out of town! Barfers at airport bathrooms! Sleepers on planes! Forgetters of entire weekends! Whisperers of disbelief back at work on Monday! Citizens of rock! Unite!! Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar and Secretly Canadian are pleased to announce the line-up for our 2008 SXSW showcase. The showcase will be held at Mohawk on Thursday, March 13. OUTSIDE STAGE: Black Mountain 1:00-2:00 Jens Lekman 12:00-12:45 Bon Iver 11:00-11:45 Evangelicals 10:00-10:45 Bodies of Water 9:00-9:45 Phosphorescent 8:00-8:45 INSIDE STAGE: Parts + Labor 12:30-1:15 Citay 11:30-12:15 The Explorers Club 10:30-11:15 Throw Me The Statue 9:30-10:15 White Hinterland 8:30-9:15 Bowerbirds are also playing at SXSW, at the Central Presbyterian Church on Wednesday, March 12 (time TBA, stay tuned). Also, pretty please be sure to check out tour dates for our bands this spring. http://deadoceans.com/shows.php Stay tuned for an update with the bands' day parties. Thank you very much. Love, SCJAGDO

02/04/08

Dead Oceans Welcomes JOHN VANDERSLICE, Offers First Details On New Album Romanian Names Following a long and tormenting day of travel including delayed flights, uncomfortable seats, and no sleep, Dead Oceans owner Phil Waldorf arrived at his destination completely fried, wholly frazzled. One of his label partners, Chris Swanson, picked him up at the airport, and as they pulled away from the arrivals curb, Chris turned up the stereo and said, “Listen to this new JOHN VANDERSLICE tune.” Thirty seconds into the song, Phil was in a different place altogether. This was unlike any Vanderslice recording he had heard before. This song was, as far as he could tell, the best tune Vanderslice had ever written, and it needed a home. Gone were thoughts of a terrible flight. Rather than mumbling banal and boring missives about how badly travel sucks, he and his partner were lucky to have one of those great conversations about how they had to be involved with this new thing, this new discovery: John Vanderslice’s new album. Dead Oceans reached out to JV immediately, heard (and was floored by!) more of the material, and is now extremely proud to add him to the label roster. The first fruit of this partnership is JV’s new album Romanian Names, scheduled for release May 19. More details will be available very soon. Vanderslice recently performed some of the new material in his hometown of San Francisco. In honor of the 10th anniversary of JV’s famed Tiny Telephone Recording Studio there was a truly special performance at Great American Music Hall, featuring Vanderslice alongside the 30-piece Magik*Magik Orchestra. A portion of the show is available for view at the brand new johnvanderslice.com! John Vanderslice "Too Much Time" from AV on Vimeo. There will be more chances to hear some of Vanderslice’s new material on his upcoming tour with Mountain Goat John Darnielle, where the two will grace audiences with solo performances and then a collaborative set. Read all about these unique nights of acoustic guitar and voice here. John Vanderslice & John Darnielle: Wed 3/18 - Asheville NC @ The Grey Eagle Thu 3/19 - Durham NC @ The Duke Coffeehouse Fri 3/20 - Norfolk VA @ The Attacus Theatre Sat 3/21 - Washington DC @ Sixth and I Synagogue Tue 3/24 - Northampton MA @ Pearl Street Wed 3/25 - Somerville MA @ The Somerville Theatre Fri 3/27 - New York NY @ The Society for Ethical Culture Sun 3/29 - Gambier OH @ Kenyon College Mon 3/30 - Oberlin OH @ Oberlin College Wed 4/01 - Chicago IL @ Epiphany Thu 4/02 - Champaign IL @ Courtyard Café at University of Illinois Fri 4/03 - Iowa City IA @ The Mill - Mission Creek Music Festival Sat 4/04 - Richmond IN @ Earlham College Mon 4/06 - Bloomington IN @ Buskirk-Chumley Theater

02/04/08

Dead Oceans Welcomes JOHN VANDERSLICE, Offers First Details On New Album Romanian Names Following a long and tormenting day of travel including delayed flights, uncomfortable seats, and no sleep, Dead Oceans owner Phil Waldorf arrived at his destination completely fried, wholly frazzled. One of his label partners, Chris Swanson, picked him up at the airport, and as they pulled away from the arrivals curb, Chris turned up the stereo and said, “Listen to this new JOHN VANDERSLICE tune.” Thirty seconds into the song, Phil was in a different place altogether. This was unlike any Vanderslice recording he had heard before. This song was, as far as he could tell, the best tune Vanderslice had ever written, and it needed a home. Gone were thoughts of a terrible flight. Rather than mumbling banal and boring missives about how badly travel sucks, he and his partner were lucky to have one of those great conversations about how they had to be involved with this new thing, this new discovery: John Vanderslice’s new album. Dead Oceans reached out to JV immediately, heard (and was floored by!) more of the material, and is now extremely proud to add him to the label roster. The first fruit of this partnership is JV’s new album Romanian Names, scheduled for release May 19. More details will be available very soon. Vanderslice recently performed some of the new material in his hometown of San Francisco. In honor of the 10th anniversary of JV’s famed Tiny Telephone Recording Studio there was a truly special performance at Great American Music Hall, featuring Vanderslice alongside the 30-piece Magik*Magik Orchestra. A portion of the show is available for view at the brand new johnvanderslice.com! John Vanderslice "Too Much Time" from AV on Vimeo. There will be more chances to hear some of Vanderslice’s new material on his upcoming tour with Mountain Goat John Darnielle, where the two will grace audiences with solo performances and then a collaborative set. Read all about these unique nights of acoustic guitar and voice here. John Vanderslice & John Darnielle: Wed 3/18 - Asheville NC @ The Grey Eagle Thu 3/19 - Durham NC @ The Duke Coffeehouse Fri 3/20 - Norfolk VA @ The Attacus Theatre Sat 3/21 - Washington DC @ Sixth and I Synagogue Tue 3/24 - Northampton MA @ Pearl Street Wed 3/25 - Somerville MA @ The Somerville Theatre Fri 3/27 - New York NY @ The Society for Ethical Culture Sun 3/29 - Gambier OH @ Kenyon College Mon 3/30 - Oberlin OH @ Oberlin College Wed 4/01 - Chicago IL @ Epiphany Thu 4/02 - Champaign IL @ Courtyard Café at University of Illinois Fri 4/03 - Iowa City IA @ The Mill - Mission Creek Music Festival Sat 4/04 - Richmond IN @ Earlham College Mon 4/06 - Bloomington IN @ Buskirk-Chumley Theater

01/30/08

White Hinterland Joins Taken By Trees for North American Tour Word is getting out about White Hinterland's wonderful Phylactery Factory, as blogs and websites far and wide have chimed in with resounding approval over the first MP3 from the album. In advance of the March 4th release of Phylactery Factory White Hinterland is headed on a quick tour, opening up shows for Victoria Bergsman's (ex-Concretes) new band, Taken By Trees. White Hinterland's wildflower jazz explorations will make a wonderful accompaniment to the lush, sophisticated pop sounds of Taken By Trees. After these dates, White Hinterland heads to SXSW, with several appearances at the festival in the works. VIEW TOUR DATES HERE

01/26/08

Phosphorescent Share First Video From "Pride" and Extend US Tour Back in December, Phosphorescent spent several weeks supporting Akron/Family on a tour that included stops in England, Belgium and Iceland, and during this trek found time to shoot the first video from "Pride." Directed by UK filmmaker Tom Haines, the video for "At Death, A Proclamation" was shot late one night in the outskirts of London, after a Phosphorescent performance. The video captures this late night atmosphere perfectly and makes for a surreal accompaniment to one of Phosphorescent's most mood altering songs. Phosphorescent's continued support of "Pride" is not limited to just a video – they have added a long stretch of dates to their US tour. On the previously announced first leg, Phosphorescent are joined by new label-mates Bowerbirds, but as they head westward after SXSW, Bon Iver will be riding shotgun. WATCH VIDEO ON DEAD OCEANS WEBSITE WATCH VIDEO ON YOUTUBE VIEW TOUR DATES HERE

01/25/08

Bowerbirds and Dead Oceans Join Forces "Only once every ten years or so does one hear a new band this good, this bursting with ideas, this audibly in love with music... It is beyond stunning. This band is the complete package." Ears tend to prick up when a record review sings praises like these, especially when the praises come from the Mountain Goats' John Darnielle. Darnielle said this recently about Bowerbirds debut album Hymns for a Dark Horse on his Last Plane to Jakarta website, and we completely echo his sentiments. This is why we are beyond thrilled that Bowerbirds are joining the Dead Oceans label. First, Dead Oceans will issue an expanded edition of Hymns for a Dark Horse, with more recordings to follow. Bowerbirds are also joining Phosphorescent on a tour to SXSW. If you have not heard the majestic sounds of Bowerbirds yet, be sure to download "In Our Talons" and soak in it. DOWNLOAD "IN OUR TALONS" BOWERBIRDS WEBSITE VIEW TOUR DATES HERE LAST PLANE TO JAKARTA

01/15/08

Evangelicals Announce Seven Week Tour with Headlights, Digital Single for "Skeleton Man" Following the January 22nd release of The Evening Descends, Norman, OK's Evangelicals are headed out on a seven week cross country trek with Headlights. Playing towns big and small, Evangelicals are bringing their unforgettable psychedelic joyride to a club near you very soon. Taking the prodigious musical skill and clever pop sensibility of their recorded work and pushing it into overdrive, Evangelicals live is not just something to listen to, but to fully experience. We are also pleased to announce that Other Music's digital store is exclusively selling the single for "Skeleton Man," which features two non-album b-sides that will not appear on The Evening Descends. Evangelicals revisit themes from The Evening Descends, lifting a melody here, a lyric there, giving away just enough to wet your appetite for the main course. Skeleton Man track list: 1. Skeleton Man 2. Skeleton Man's Bone Crushing Depression (If I Get Well) 3. Strange Visions VIEW TOUR DATES HERE VISIT OTHER MUSIC'S DIGITAL STORE

01/13/08

Phosphorescent Announces Tour With Bowerbirds Following a whirlwind fall that saw Phosphorescent tour across North America and England with stops in Belgium, the Netherlands and Iceland for shows, the band is headed back out on another US tour. On this one they're joined by North Carolina's Bowerbirds as they make the yearly migration south towards the SXSW music festival. VIEW TOUR DATES HERE

01/11/08

Stream Evangelicals "The Evening Descends" on Myspace From now until Monday, you can stream the new album from Evangelicals exclusively on their myspace page. The Evening Descends album will be released on January 22nd, but why not take a sneak peak now. STREAM EVANGELICALS THE EVENING DESCENDS ON MYSPACE

01/10/08

Dirty Projectors Split 7" Available From Fader Dirty Projectors and White Williams each take one side of a 7 inch record that is being given away for free from the fine folks at Fader Magazine. It's an extremely limited single, and the only way to get one is to win the contest Fader is hosting. The Dirty Projectors side is an alternate version of "Police Story" which the band recorded at the Daytrotter Studios during their last North American tour. This song never aired on Daytrotter, so this is the first chance you have to hear it. Hop over to Fader for all the details. ENTER TO WIN A COPY HERE

01/09/08

Evangelicals Offer First Taste of "The Evening Descends" With Free MP3 "Skeleton Man" has been a staple of Evangelicals explosive live sets for years, and early versions of this undeniable tune made their way onto a Daytrotter session as well as a fantastic KEXP broadcast. Finally polished, refined and ready for release, we're thrilled to share the first single from The Evening Descends in a convenient MP3 format. DOWNLOAD "SKELETON MAN" HERE

01/08/08

Evangelicals on Spin.com and Pitchfork Spin.com had the following to say today when featuring Evangelicals as the "Band of the Day": "Tearing down the day song-by-song as The Evening Descends, Evangelicals draw from their Okie idols the Flaming Lips, using everything from pop, soul, prog, and psychedelia to create arrangements that bleed into open skies, sounding like the weird uncanny cousins of Band of Horses." Read the rest at the link below. They also included a link to "Skeleton Man" which is the first single from the Evangelicals January 22nd release, The Evening Descends. Pitchfork also posted "Skeleton Man," calling it "a big, memorable, and slightly strange rock anthem." More kind words and the MP3 are available at the link below. SKELETON MAN MP3 AND TRACK REVIEW ON PITCHFORK EVANGELICALS AS SPIN.COM'S "BAND OF THE DAY"

01/07/08

Preorder Evangelicals "The Evening Descends" From Dead Oceans The Evening Descends is now available for pre-order from Dead Oceans on both cd and lp formats. Vinyl customers will also receive a coupon to download the album in MP3 format. It won't be in stores until January 22nd, but you can order it now with just a few simple clicks. PREORDER "THE EVENING DESCENDS" HERE

01/05/08

Casey Dienel and Dead Oceans Announce White Hinterland's "Phylactery Factory" 2008 is here, and with the new year comes the influx of new albums. Dead Oceans is thrilled to partake in this ritual, and we are enthused to officially welcome White Hinterland to our label family. Led by the talented Casey Dienel, White Hinterland have crafted the mysterious Phylactery Factory, which will arrive in record stores worldwide on March 4, 2008. In the meantime, visit the White Hinterland myspace page for two demos from Phylactery Factory. Also, don't miss the brand new White Hinterland website. Finally, we also hope you'll take the time to read some eloquent words penned by Sean Michaels about the album. Just follow the links below to hear, read and see: WHITE HINTERLAND ON MYSPACE SEAN MICHAELS TALKS ABOUT PHYLACTERY FACTORY WHITE HINTERLAND HOMEPAGE

12/13/07

Dirty Projectors Perform on NPR Dirty Projectors stopped by the NPR program The Bryant Park Project for an interview and on-air performance. You can hear the segment online and The Bryant Park Project also posted a video of the band's performance of "Rise Above" on the show's blog. WATCH THE VIDEO OF "RISE ABOVE" HERE LISTEN TO THE LIVE PERFORMANCE AND HEAR THE INTERVIEW HERE

12/03/07

Evangelicals Spread Holiday Cheer with "The Last Christmas on Earth" Evangelicals recently contributed "The Last Christmas on Earth" to Mistletonia, a Christmas compilation put together by Mistletone Records, the label where Evangelicals releases reside in Australia. We're pleased to share the MP3 from this excellent compilation, which features a slew of like-minded twisted pop mavericks from around the globe. "The Last Christmas on Earth" was recorded following the completion of The Evening Descends, the new album by Evangelicals, which will be released on January 22nd, 2008. To accompany this demented pop nugget, Evangelicals singer/guitarist/main madman Josh Jones posed for a very special holiday themed photo. DOWNLOAD "THE LAST CHRISTMAS ON EARTH" HERE CHECK OUT THE HOLIDAY PHOTO

11/30/07

New Bishop Allen Video for "Click Click Click Click" We are excited to share the video for one of 2007's finest pop songs, Bishop Allen's "Click Click Click Click". Taken from their recent album, The Broken String, this video is the perfect visual accompaniment to the song, using an amazing stop animation technique, made out of real photographs of the band performing "Click Click Click Click". Yes, you read that correctly, these photographs were all really taken to make this video! "Click Click Click Click" was directed by Randy Bell. WATCH THE VIDEO ON DEADOCEANS.COM WATCH THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE

11/27/07

Evangelicals Announce Details to the First Great Album of 2008 Finally! We are thrilled to unveil the details for the sophomore album from Evangelicals. Let us introduce you to The Evening Descends. The Evening Descends… and worlds collide. First you hear the prodigious musical skill: the deft guitar work, the clever pop sensibility, the wild arrangements. But then on other end of the spectrum there is the innocent and youthful charm of a trio of lost boys who seem to have no business making music with such maturity and sophistication. Taken together, you have Evangelicals, a wholly demented ensemble from Norman, OK. Dabbling in glam, slipping in a little funk and soul, drinking the psychedelic Kool-aid, blasting the synths, cranking up the guitars, and wrapping it all up with a dose of pop smarts, The Evening Descends is the first great album of 2008. The Evening Descends will be released on January 22nd via Dead Oceans. READ MORE ABOUT THE ALBUM AND CHECK OUT THE ARTWORK HERE

11/15/07

Dirty Projectors Nominated for Plug Award Today the 2007 Plug Award nominees were announced and we are thrilled that Dirty Projectors Rise Above was included on the ballot for Best Avant Album of the Year. Please head over to the Plug website and show your support for Dirty Projectors. We've already voted thirty or forty times and encourage you to do the same. Hopefully this will be the first of many accolades that Dead Oceans artists receive for their hard work in 2007. VOTE FOR DIRTY PROJECTORS HERE

11/12/07

Phosphorescent Live Recording, Live Video, Album Stream Phosphorescent just completed a lengthy US tour in support of Pride and are soon heading to Europe and the UK for a string of dates with their bearded friends in Akron/Family. In addition to all this touring, a few exciting items have appeared on the web in recent days. Paper Thin Walls featured Phosphorescent as part of their "Listening Party" series, where you can stream Pride in its entirety and read an in-depth interview with Phosphorescent's Matthew Houck. The Village Voice also ran a feature about Phosphorescent, and in conjunction with the article, they recorded a video of the band performing acoustic and outdoors along the East River in Williamsburg as part of their "Possibly Fourth Street" series. The recording quality is a little bit lo-fi, but if it sounds good enough for Alan Lomax, it sounds good enough for us. Finally, we also stumbled upon an excellent live recording of the band from Denton, TX, from the "Things Chris Recorded" blog and since the current full band incarnation of Phosphorescent is the finest line-up yet, we wanted to share this recording with you. All of the relevant links are below, check them out and enjoy! PAPER THIN WALLS LISTENING PARTY PHOSPHORESCENT ON POSSIBLY FOURTH STREET PHOSPHORESCENT LIVE AT RUBBER GLOVES IN DENTON, TX

11/06/07

New Citay Album In Stores Today We are very excited that Citay's Little Kingdom is on the shelves of finer record stores worldwide today. The band is playing select shows on the west coast this month, and you can expect many more tour dates in 2008. Pitchfork gave Little Kingdom a nice endorsement today and you can read the whole review below. READ PITCHFORK'S REVIEW OF LITTLE KINGDOM

10/31/07

Evangelicals "Halloween Song" on NPR's Morning Edition NPR's Morning Edition included Evangelicals "Halloween Song" in a segment on Halloween music that aired today. Evangelicals appearing alongside "The Monster Mash" sounds pretty good to us! You can hear the piece via the link below. EVANGELICALS ON NPR'S MORNING EDITION

10/29/07

Evangelicals Celebrate Halloween, Play Fun Fun Fun Fest It has been awhile since we have heard from Norman, OK's Evangelicals. Outside of select shows in 2007, the band has been hard at work recording the follow-up to 2006's debut So Gone. Details will be announced very soon for the first great record of 2008. In the meantime, in celebration of this wonderfully spooky time of year, Evangelicals are pleased to share with you their song for the Halloween season. Also, Evangelicals are making their first live appearance since the summer, at Austin, TX's Fun Fun Fun Fest. Alongside Cat Power, New Pornographers, Girl Talk, Diplo, Battles, Final Fantasy, Explosions in the Sky, Okkervil River, Neurorsis, Mates of State and many more, Evangelicals will be dazzling thousands with a taste from their forthcoming album. Minds will melt next weekend in Texas. DOWNLOAD HALLOWEEN SONG HERE EVANGELICALS ON MYSPACE FUN FUN FUN FEST WEBSITE

10/26/07

Dirty Projectors Return to Daytrotter for Encore Session Earlier this year Dirty Projectors visited our friends at Daytrotter and performed songs that were not on their new album, Rise Above. They passed back through Rock Island, IL again this fall and stopped by the Daytrotter studios, this time recording a few selections from Rise Above. These three songs are sparser than the originals, allowing the vocal harmonies to really shine through. Stop by Daytrotter and give it a spin! DIRTY PROJECTORS DAYTROTTER SESSION

10/25/07

Stream Citay's New Album on Virb.com Citay's November 6th release, Little Kingdom, is currently streaming on their page at Virb. Crank up those tiny computer speakers and dive in here. ORDER IT HERE!

10/11/07

New Citay Album Available for Pre-order Citay's Little Kingdom is now available for pre-order in our online shop. It arrives in stores on November 6th, but do not hesitate to order this slab of psychedelic goodness now. Citay will be performing live on the west coast in November, with more touring in 2008. Stay tuned for more tour dates. ORDER IT HERE! CITAY TOUR DATES

10/08/07

Musician Takes Acid, Lives to Tell About It Although we certainly do not condone the use of psychedelic drugs, many of our favorite musicians have dabbled in hallucinogens on occasion. Citay's Ezra Feinberg is one such musician, and we are excited to dive into a copy of "Good Times: Bad Trips" which chronicles, yes, bad acid trips. Alongside Feinberg are tales from Devendra Banhart, Matmos and many others. Aquarius Records calls it, "a killer collection of short stories, all of them fascinating, tales of stolen jet skis, yellow food banquets, secret upper crust sex societies, deflowered virgins, brain loops, dead body mannequins, emergency room freakouts, smoking out with Lee Scratch Perry, football player rapists, midnight calls to Mom, industrial strength lasers, heart murmurs, talking crows, living nude books, grey music, naked hippies, sex with surrealists, skin rashes, mouths full of dough, Cher costumes, stolen Harry Potters, boom box kicking, fake pistols, guitar masturbating, mother meltdowns, Tesla coils and so so so much more." Sounds like a pretty good read to us! BUY IT FROM AQUARIUS RECORDS GALLERY 16 BOOKS

10/05/07

Set Your Tivos, Bishop Allen Songs Used on Ugly Betty, Aliens in America Bishop Allen songs will be appearing on two network television shows airing soon. "Middle Management" appears on the October 11th episode of Ugly Betty, while "Click Click Click Click" is used in the new comedy, Aliens in America, which airs October 15th. Congrats, Bishop Allen! UGLY BETTY WEBSITE ALIENS IN AMEIRCA WEBSITE

10/04/07

Stereogum Loves Phosphorescent The great press about Phosphorescent's forthcoming album Pride continues to roll in. Stereogum posted a fantastic write-up about Pride, calling it "far and away his finest work." They also included an MP3 of the gorgeous song "Wolves" which you can preview by clicking the link below. READ STEREOGUM REVIEW HERE

09/29/07

Pride Available For Pre-order The brand new album from Phosphorescent is available for pre-order from our online store in compact disc and vinyl formats. All vinyl customers also get a coupon to download MP3s from the album. Pick up Pride and learn it from front to back, because Phosphorescent will be on tour supporting this album from October 9th through November 10th and coming to a city near you. We can tell you about how fantastic Pride is, but we think Music for Robots can do it better. Click below for their fantastic review. READ MUSIC FOR ROBOTS REVIEW HERE ORDER IT HERE! PHOSPHORESCENT ON TOUR

09/28/07

Dirty Projectors Nominated for Venus Magazine's Hottt List The editors of Venus Magazine followed their fantastic 10 out of 10 review of Dirty Projectors new album Rise Above by nominating the band for their Hottt List in the "Best Band" and "Best Rock Album" categories. In the spirit of American democracy, we encourage you to head over and stuff the ballot boxes. Thanks, Venus! VOTE FOR DIRTY PROJECTORS HERE

09/18/07

Citay Prepare "Little Kingdom", Offers "First Fantasy" MP3 Welcome to Citay's Little Kingdom. It's an otherworldly place, full of psychedelic swirl, soaring harmonies and grandiose jams. Little Kingdom is the second album from San Francisco's Citay. It's an epic journey, and an album that sounds out of place in 2007 -- a classic in the purest sense. Like Citay's 2006 self-titled debut, the '70s rock sensibility is intact; Thin Lizzy, acoustic Led Zeppelin, Big Star and the Byrds all remain touchstones. But Little Kingdom moves further into ambitious composition, referencing Popul Vuh, Animals-era Pink Floyd, the Fripp-Eno collaborations, and early Mike Oldfield. The twin leads are still huge, the ballads still sweet, but Citay is reaching for more on Little Kingdom. Little Kingdom is lush and beautiful; a grand, epic work that harkens back to day when studio excess was encouraged and a premium was placed on composition. To borrow a line from Arthur's review of Citay's debut, "this is an album without a sell-by date, with a song for every season." DOWNLOAD "FIRST FANTASY" HERE READ ABOUT CITAY ON THE FADER'S BLOG READ PITCHFORK'S TRACK REVIEW OF "FIRST FANTASY"

09/11/07

Dirty Projectors Rise Above Released Today The wait is finally over. Dirty Projectors new album Rise Above is available in finer physical and digital record stores everywhere today. Critics are hailing Dirty Projectors new album as their finest yet, and currently the band is on tour, melting the minds of audiences everywhere. Pitchfork, NPR and Mojo are among the many media outlets who are singing the praises of Rise Above. Also, don't miss Dirty Projectors inclusion in Paper Thin Walls weekly "Listening Party" feature, where they stream an album in its entirety, while getting a track by track commentary from the artist. Not only can you listen to the whole album, but Dave Longstreth shares his insights into the thought process behind Dirty Projectors latest release. READ PITCHFORK'S REVIEW HERE READ A FEATURE IN THE VILLAGE VOICE HERE STREAM THE ALBUM AT PAPER THIN WALLS HERE

09/10/07

Phosphorescent Announces Pride, Offers Free MP3 Musicians often head to New York - it's a familiar story. But something magical happened when Matthew Houck picked up stakes halfway through making his new Phosphorescent record, Pride, and moved to Brooklyn from Athens, Georgia. Pride is something different. Here, Houck channels something mystical and haunting, offering up a dark, meditative set of songs that is all the more spiritual-sounding for its restrained tone. On previous albums, he's recruited guest musicians to fill the gaps, but on Pride, Houck has only enlisted the services of a makeshift choir, otherwise recording every instrument himself. His achingly cerebral delivery recalls Arthur Russell, but honestly, Pride sounds like nothing else we've ever heard. These are poems uttered in an empty field, punctuated by shouts and hollers, as if from a singer either abandoned or possessed. The lyrics are Houck's strongest ever, wrapped in washed out choral etudes that could be channeled from a rural French chapel or a solemn African tribe in prayer. Pride sounds like it was made by a man set free. In fact, Pride sounds broken free of time and place altogether. Yet still it is warm, familiar, and welcoming-a record to call home. Pride will be released Oct 23rd on Dead Oceans. To soak up some of the haunting sounds of Pride listen to the MP3 of "A Picture of Our Torn Up Praise". Pitchfork recently gave this song a ringing endorsement and you can read their praise here. DOWNLOAD "A PICTURE OF OUR TORN UP PRAISE"

08/27/07

Dirty Projectors Featured on NPR's Song of the Day The title track from Rise Above was featured today on NPR's Song of the Day, where you can also stream the song. NPR's Michael Katzif said, "On the title track, as with much of the record, Longstreth neatly entangles crisp guitar playing, a chorus of female voices and a sturdy back beat, and takes the songs far away from punk and into less easily labeled territory. The song mixes the soaring vocal heroics of soul, the bite of '60s rock and subtle allusions to the dance grooves of Afrobeat, as Longstreth's voice channels Marvin Gaye and Bob Marley via Antony & The Johnsons." READ FULL REVIEW AND STREAM THE SONG

08/27/07

Listen to Bishop Allen on KUT and KEXP On their recent cross country trek, Bishop Allen paid a visit to KEXP's studio and recorded several songs. If you didn't happen to be tuned in on that Saturday afternoon, KEXP have been kind enough to feature the session on their excellent podcast. Bishop Allen also visited KUT's Studio 1A in Austin, TX and recorded some songs before their sold-out show at Emo's later that night. Thanks to the powers of the internet, you can hear both of these sessions by following the links below: SUBSCRIBE TO KEXP PODCAST DOWNLOAD KEXP PERFORMANCE AS A SINGLE MP3 FILE STREAM BISHOP ALLEN ON KUT

08/20/07

Dirty Projectors Rise Above Available For Pre-order The wait is finally over. Dirty Projectors new album Rise Above is available for pre-order in the Dead Oceans store on CD and LP formats. Customers who prefer vinyl will also receive a coupon to download an MP3 version of the album. Also, beginning this week Dirty Projectors launch an extensive North American tour. Yacht, Vampire Weekend, White Rainbow and Ecstatic Sunshine are opening dates along the way -- check the link below to see which fantastic line-up is headed to your town. PREORDER RISE ABOVE HERE DIRTY PROJECTORS ON TOUR

07/24/07

Bishop Allen's Sophomore Album "The Broken String" Available Today After literally several years of anticipation, Bishop Allen’s sophomore album, The Broken String is available in finer record stores everywhere today. The inaugural release on Dead Oceans, Bishop Allen have delivered the soundtrack to the summer of 2007. Bishop Allen are currently trekking across the country in support of The Broken String so check their tour dates as they are probably headed to your hometown. The rave reviews are already starting to roll in for The Broken String and we expect these are just the first of many. Also, you can stream the record in its entirety on the band’s VIRB.com page. Plenty of links are below for your enjoyment: LISTEN TO BISHOP ALLEN LIVE ON WNYC'S SOUNDCHECK PROGRAM PRAISE FROM GQ ONLINE PASTE MAGAZINE BAND OF THE WEEK REVIEW IN THE ONION REVIEW FROM NEWSDAY STREAM THE ALBUM ON VIRB.COM

07/18/07

Dirty Projectors Announce Tour, La Blogotheque Posts Take Away Show The legend of Dirty Projectors has been closely tied to their jaw-dropping live performances, so when the band announces a six week headlining North American tour, it is time to pay close attention. Their new album, Rise Above, has finally captured the band’s live energy and momentum, but there is still something undeniable about witnessing Dirty Projectors in the flesh. For an incredibly unique take on the Dirty Projectors live show, check out their recent “take away show” videos recorded by the La Blogotheque. It’s a truly special, one-of-a-kind performance. WATCH DIRTY PROJECTORS TAKE AWAY SHOW DIRTY PROJECTORS TOUR DATES

07/12/07

Citay Joins the Dead Oceans Label, Tours With Howlin’ Rain Dead Oceans is thrilled to announce that Citay has joined the label roster. Citay’s 2006 self-titled debut was one of our favorite records of that year—an instant classic of psychedelic excess, rock guitar balladry, and epic songwriting. Originally the studio project of Ezra Feinberg, Citay has evolved into a full-fledged eight piece band who have performed alongside like-minded space travelers such as Vetiver, Six Organs of Admittance, the Fucking Champs, and Danava. Now the ensemble is headed out for a West Coast tour with Howlin’ Rain before opening up for Yo La Tengo at KUSF’s 30th anniversary show at Bimbo’s in San Francisco. The band is also wrapping up a new album, recorded by Tim Green (the Fucking Champs) in their hometown of San Francisco. More details are on the horizon—stay tuned. For a better idea of what Citay is all about, why don't we just let Arthur Magazine and Mojo do the talking: “Citay really nail that rich acoustic-electric rolling tabla honey harmoney sound that all those heavy bands - Sabbath and Zeppelin, especially-used to do, back when all the best musicians were inspired by what the Incredible String Band were doing, and were still able (or willing) to express a feminine side to go with their preening barbarian or depressive wail aspects...This is an album without a sell-by date, with a song for every season...Monumental.” ---ARTHUR MAGAZINE “Inspired by the acoustic sides of ‘70s rock behemoths Led Zeppelin, Heart and Black Sabbath, they've taken a detoour into lush, baroque folk and sun-kissed Laurel Canyon jams; blending those groups with more pastoral shades with the likes of John Fahey, Pentangle and CSN&Y to very fine effect.”---MOJO If you want audio proof, check out a few MP3s from Citay's debut record, courtesy of Important Records: DOWNLOAD "SEASON'S DON'T FEAR THE YEAR" FROM CITAY'S DEBUT DOWNLOAD "NICE CUFFS" FROM CITAY'S DEBUT Tour Dates

07/05/07

Pre-order Bishop Allen's The Broken String Now 2003 saw the release of Charm School, the infectious pop debut from Brooklyn's Bishop Allen. Now, four years later, Bishop Allen are almost ready to release their sophomore album. Dead Oceans is now accepting pre-orders for The Broken String on both CD and LP, which will ship to arrive on or around the release date. We're not the only ones offering a pre-order for Bishop Allen's latest. Our friends at Insound are running a contest for one lucky customer to win all 12 of Bishop Allen's 2006 EPs. Additionally, the band will be taking pre-orders directly from their own website any minute now. PRE-ORDER THE BROKEN STRING FROM DEAD OCEANS PRE-ORDER THE BROKEN STRING FROM INSOUND PRE-ORDER THE BROKEN STRING FROM BISHOP ALLEN (coming soon)

06/25/07

Phosphorescent Joins the Dead Oceans Family We are thrilled to welcome Phosphorescent to their new home on Dead Oceans. Helmed by native southerner and current Brooklyn resident Matthew Houck, Phosphorescent has released two albums and an EP of haunting, epic and triumphant songs. Currently Houck is putting the finishing touches on a new album, which is slated for a fall 2007 release. "Said the Gramophone" recently discovered Phosphorescent's 2005 album Aw Come Aw Wry, and we particularly enjoyed their take on the song "Dead Heart": "The album is mired, sunken, drenched, in the chords of the 'Aw Come Aw Wry' refrain, which starts this song. Something I haven't seen so clear and used so well since On Avery Island, and it's not the only similarity. Shades of many other artists are here, but I'm not interested in getting caught on that. Instead, I want you to be hypnotized, intoxicated by the drone beneath the falling, tapered melody. I want you to be pulled in and down, like the kind of pull an undertow must feel like, until all of a sudden it all lifts, or falls further, who cares, into a pink and foggy yell." Phosphorescent recently stopped by the Daytrotter studios and the results are magnificent. We strongly encourage you to pay Daytrotter a visit for a taste of a few new songs that will likely make their way onto Phosphorescent's new album. DOWNLOAD PHOSPHORESCENT'S DAYROTTER SESSION HERE

06/21/07

Dirty Projectors Re-Imagine Black Flag’s Damaged on New Album Following the 2006 EP New Attitude, Longstreth went to help his parents move out of the house he grew up in. Among his youthful artifacts was the cassette case from the Black Flag album Damaged. This brought back all sorts of memories – Black Flag was one of Longstreth’s first loves – but the tape itself was missing. So, like the character in the Jorge Luis Borges story “Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote” who sets out to recreate Don Quixote line by line from memory, Longstreth went to the nearest Guitar Center, purchased the cheapest cassette four-track he could find, and embarked on recasting Damaged from memory, without re-listening to a single note or reading any lyrics. The ten songs that make up Rise Above (titled after one of the tracks on Damaged) stem from these four-track demos, recorded at his parents house on an acoustic guitar. All that Jorge Luis Borges-inspired jive might just be hot wind if Rise Above weren't such a hell of a record on its own terms. It resounds with a kind of elegant simplicity: beautiful interlocking guitar parts, gorgeous three-part vocal harmonies, and some great songwriting. Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear manned the knobs, giving Rise Above the same rich sound that he brought to his own band’s acclaimed album Yellow House. Longstreth used the same musicians that appeared on the US tour on which he debuted these songs, and Rise Above captures the inventiveness and raw power of Dirty Projectors' live arrangements at long last. For a taste from Rise Above look no further than this MP3 of "No More". Pitchfork , The Fader, Gorilla vs. Bear and Fluxblog all seem as enthused as we are about Rise Above, which arrives in stores on September 11, 2007. DOWNLOAD MP3 FOR "NO MORE"

06/04/07

Dead Oceans Welcomes The Explorers Club, Offers Free MP3 About halfway through the first song, we knew we were witnessing something special. Already having been charmed by the Explorers Club’s self-released recordings, seeing this band live was a head-over-heels moment. It was love at first sight. We are thrilled to announce that Dead Oceans will be releasing new material from the Explorers Club, first with a single this fall, followed by their debut album in early 2008. The Explorers Club’s sunny psychedelic pop, replete with lush arrangements and cushy four-part harmonies, harkens back to a decade long ago, when kids turned on their FM radios to find the cool new thing. The band draws on the soul-satisfying vocal style made famous by the Beach Boys and the Association, and pairs it with arrangements patented by the likes of Phil Spector, the Left Banke and the Zombies. These 1960s pop reference points are undeniable, but this is not a band that sounds influenced by the Beach Boys records in their collection – the Explorers Club’s pop songs sound as authentic as if they had actually just been unearthed for a new Nuggets collection or compiled for a deluxe Sundazed or Rev-Ola reissue. In other words, this bunch of early-twentysomethings fairly channels a bygone era without sounding burdened by it. This type of pleasure-seeking pop sound historically hails from beachside towns, and the Explorer’s Club is no exception; their home is not an iconic California surfing city but Charleston, South Carolina. Twenty-six-year-old Jason Brewer does the songwriting and arranging, while the complex vocal harmonies come courtesy of James Faust, Nathan Hussey, and David Ellis. Filling out the instrumental sound of the Explorers Club on organ and drums, respectively, are Stefan Rogenmoser and Neil Thomas. This six-man band has been charming new fans with epic live shows since July of 2005, and with a debut album on the horizon, the Explorers Club is primed reintroduce some splendor into the pop music world. We are pleased to offer the MP3 of "Last Kiss", which was mixed by Stuart Sikes (Loretta Lynn, White Stripes, Cat Power) and originally appeared on the band's limited edition UK 7 inch. DOWNLOAD MP3 FOR "LAST KISS"

06/01/07

Bishop Allen Daytrotter Session From SXSW Posted Bishop Allen's trip to SXSW this past March was both exhilarating and exhausting, as they performed five shows in three days. Following their five shows, Bishop Allen visited Daytrotter's mobile SXSW set-up (at Austin's Big Orange Studios) and recorded a blow out set. Perfectly capturing the energy of a whirlwind festival, Bishop Allen recorded glorious and ragged renditions of "Butterfly Nets", "The Monitor", "Flight 180" and "The Same Fire" and you can download all four from Daytrotter. BISHOP ALLEN DAYTROTTER SESSION

05/17/07

Dirty Projectors European Tour Dates Announced Dirty Projectors are headed to Europe for the first time this summer. They will be supporting Beirut in London, Paris and Berlin, as well as appearing at several European festivals. In addition to these shows, Dirty Projectors will also headline a handful of dates during their travels. All of the Dirty Projectors tour dates can be found here. Dirty Projectors also have a special New York City appearance tonight, supporting Deerhoof at the David Bowie curated High Line Festival.

05/14/07

Daytrotter Posts Dirty Projectors Session The fine folks at Daytrotter are at it again. Dirty Projectors stopped by the Daytrotter studios while out on tour with Grizzly Bear and recorded four songs for Daytrotter. This session features a scorching rendition of the live favorite and unreleased song "New New Attitude". Download the entire session here

05/03/07

Bishop Allen Announce New Album Details The long awaited sophomore album from Bishop Allen is on the horizon. We are thrilled to announce that The Broken String arrives July 24th. To hold you over until mid-summer, Bishop Allen offer a sneak preview--check out Rain for a taste from The Broken String. Bishop Allen will be announcing a lengthy summer tour soon, but New York City residents can already look forward to their free appearance at the Seaport Music Festival at South Street Seaport on July 20th.

04/24/07

Evangelicals Support Sunset Rubdown in Texas Taking a break from recording their sophomore album, Evangelicals are supporting Sunset Rubdown in Austin and Denton this weekend. Expect plenty of new material from Evangelicals, who have spent most of the winter holed up recording their new album.

04/20/07

Dirty Projectors Added to NYC Shows With Pulp's Jarvis Cocker Dirty Projectors are a last minute addition to Jarvis Cocker's New York City shows on April 22nd and April 23rd. Both shows take place at Webster Hall. We expect that after witnessing the Dirty Projectors live show, Jarvis will have designs on recruiting them as a new backing band.

04/12/07

Bishop Allen Announce April Shows Brooklyn's Bishop Allen are playing a handful of dates in April, visiting Boston, New York, Philadelphia and a one-off show in Austin. Presented by the Onion, their New York show is a rare all-ages event in Manhattan. Check out the tour page for dates and venues. If you need more of a Bishop Allen fix, check out the fantastic in-depth interview with Justin Rice at 30Music.com.

04/06/07

Dead Oceans Succumbs to Modern Technology, Joins Myspace It was only a matter of time. Dead Oceans has joined the masses and has a page on Myspace. We would love to be your (myspace) friend, so visit us at myspace.com/deadoceans and we can hang out.

03/27/07

Mutual Appreciation (Starring Bishop Allen's Justin Rice) Now Availabe on DVD Justin Rice is best known as half of Bishop Allen's songwriting tandem, but he's also quickly gaining notoriety as the star of Andre Bujalski's film Mutual Appreciation. Mutual Appreciation was released in theaters in 2006 and critics endlessly praised the film and Bujalski, calling him "the fresh voice of a generation (Entertainment Weekly)." After a successful theatrical run, the film has just been released on dvd and is available for purchase. For more information or to watch a trailer, visit the Mutual Appreciation website.

03/08/07

Evangelicals Daytrotter Session Available for Download Last fall, Evangelicals lapped North America several times, playing shows with Serena Maneesh, Annuals, Beach House and even Flaming Lips. Along the way, they stopped off in Rock Island, IL and recorded a session for Daytrotter. The four song session features the live staple "Skeleton Man" -- a new song that will be rerecorded for their second album. Download the whole session here.

03/01/07

Dirty Projectors Announce U.S. Tour With Hella Currently taking a break from recording their new album, Dirty Projectors are headed out on a month long tour with Sacramento noise-makers Hella. Joining Dave Longstreth on this tour is Amber Coffman (guitar, vocals), Angel Deradoorian (bass, vocals), and Brian Mcomber (drums). You can expect to hear a sneak peak of new Dirty Projectors material, as well as some older material. Check out the tour dates here.

02/27/07

Bishop Allen Launches US Tour For the first time in nearly three years, Bishop Allen will be headlining an extensive U.S. tour, visiting cities all across the east coast and midwest, as well as a stop off in Austin, TX for SXSW. Traveling as a six piece band, the live show will feature deluxe arrangements of all of your favorite Bishop Allen songs. You can find all of the tour dates here.

02/15/07

Welcome to the Dead Oceans website 2007 is here, and with it the launch of the Dead Oceans record label. Run side by side with sister labels Secretly Canadian and Jagjaguwar, Dead Oceans is co-owned by the partners behind SC and Jag (Ben Swanson, Chris Swanson, Darius Van Arman, Jonathan Cargill) with Phil Waldorf, former label manager of Misra. Like Jagjaguwar and Secretly Canadian, Dead Oceans will focus on bold and timeless recordings, not emphasizing a particular genre or scene, but instead fostering a diverse stable of sound-creators. Dead Oceans is extremely thrilled to announce the first members of the new label family. 2007 will see the release of new albums from Bishop Allen, Dirty Projectors, Evangelicals, and Iran, with much more on the horizon. Stay tuned for more exciting announcements, including information on our inaugural SXSW showcase. To read our formal announcement click here.