It has been four years since Architecture In Helsinki released a new record. Their latest, Moment Bends,comes out May 3 on Cooperative Music USA/Downtown Records. This is a pop dance record apparently but its influences are from all over the many years and genres of dance. It took two years to record in the band’s studio, Buckingham Palace.

The band will follow the band will follow the release with a world tour of Europe, Australia and North America. USA dates begin in June.

Tour
 
02/19:  Wiseman’s Ferry, NSW, AU @ Playground Weekender
02/26:  Launceston, TAS, AU @ MS Festival
03/13:  Meredith, VIC, AU @ VIC- Great Plains Festival
04/06:  Hamburg, DE @ Knust
04/07:  Luxembourg, LX @ Rotondes
04/08:  Paris, FR @ Gaité Lyrique, Super Mon Amour! Festival
04/09:  Rotterdam, NL @ Motel Mozaique Festival
04/10:  Strasbourg, BE @ Laiterie, Super Mon Amour! Festival
04/12:  Manchester, UK @ Academy3
04/13:  London, UK @ XOYO
04/14:  Glasgow, UK @ Oran Mor
04/15:  Dublin, UK @ The Button Factory
04/16:  Brighton, UK @ Concorde2
04/18:  Cologne, DE @ Genaude 9
04/19:  Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
04/20:  Berlin, DE @ Maria
04/21:  Vienna, AT @ Wuk
04/22:  Prague, CZ @ Sperm Festival
04/24:  Zurich, CH @ Kaseme
04/25:  Turin. IT @ Spazio 211
04/26:  Milan, IT @ Magnolia
06/01:  Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda
06/02:  San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
06/03:  San Francisco, CA @ Slims
06/05:  Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
06/06:  Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
06/10:  Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity
06/11:  Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
06/14:  Boston, MA @ Paradise
06/16:  New York, NY @ Webster Hall
06/17:  Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
06/18:  Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
06/19:  Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall
 

Yellow Bird Project, a Montreal-based arts organization, and illustrator Andy J. Miller joined forces to create The Indie Rock Poster Book.  The book consists of posters from 30 illustrators and inspired by indie rock songs. The book comes out May 7, 2011.

Proceeds benefit a variety of charities chosen by the musicians. Some of the songs inspiring posters are BonIver’s Skinny Love, Iron & Wine’s The Trapeze Swinger and more.

This effort follows the previous, and successful, Indie Rock Coloring Book.

Prints in the book are removable for framing. Or you can leave it as a book. Hell, buy two of them and frame one and keep the other one as a book The Yellow Bird Project began in 2006 and has been raising money for a variety of charities since then.

For more information head to www.yellowbirdproject.com

Nick Teehan, a Toronto singer/songwriter, released his debut EP, Sidewalk Friend. His PR folks compare him to Tom Waits, Rufus Wainwright and Gershwin (it is good when your publicist has a high opinion on you).  The music has the usual instruments with string sections, trumpets and sousaphones tossed in for good measure. Teehan was, before venturing out on his own, a noted saxophonist. A full length is coming in 2011.

You can check out the single for Sidewalk Friend HERE.

Teehan is also playing with The Jessica Stuart Few at Toronto’s Supermarket, 268 Augusta Avenue on Thursday, February 3rd.

Manchester Orchestra have side projects, work with other bands and do all sorts of stuff. The new record, Simple Math, follows Mean Everything to Nothing, which was a really super record and was also something of a HIT.

The record is described as a “concept record.” It is the story of a young man questioning, well, everything. The press release makes this sound very much like frontman Andy Hull’s baby. Hull started the band with Jonathan Corley, Chris Freeman, Robert McDowell and Tim Very in 2004. At the time he was 16. The next year they played over 200 shows. Want a hint on how to be successful in music kids? Just re-read that last sentence.

Shows and tours will happen. Keep your eyes peeled for dates.

Danish band, Alcoholic Faith Mission, have a new single from the soon to be released And the Running with Insanity EP (yeah, the name doesn’t seem right in English but these guys are Danish). You can find a track, Running With Insanity, at Soundcloud HERE.

The band has been touring a good deal and been written up by publications such as The New York Times and Esquire. They will be playing shows in North America in March, including the Under the Snow Festival in Montreal and SXSW.

You can also download a single (a & b side) at the Ampeater Music Website.

Tour
5/9 - Canadian Music Week - Toronto, ON
5/10 - Casa Del Popolo (Under the Snow Festival) - Montreal, QC
5/ 11 - Canadian Music Week - Toronto, ON
5/ 12 - Canadian Music Week - Toronto, ON
5/ 13 - Littlefield - Brooklyn, NY
5/15 - Knitting Factory - Brooklyn, NY
5/16 - SXSW - Austin, TX
5/17 - SXSW - Austin, TX
5/18 - SXSW - Austin, TX
5/19 - SXSW - Austin, TX (Paper Garden / YYZ Showcase)

Australia’s Art vs Science, an electronic outfit with two EPs and an expanding following at home, are taking aim at the USA. Their first U.S. release, Magic Fountain EP, comes out in March,

The EP was recorded by Berkfinger (Philadelphia Grand Jury) and mixed by Adrain Bushby (Muse, Foo Fighters, Two Door Cinema Club). The music is dance, electronic but also rock. Forget about labeling….the music is a mutant hybrid that is coming to eat your children. Shows will be announced soon.

O'Death , an unusual New York band, have a new record coming, Outside. The record is out on Ernest Jenning Record Company April 19. Outside is the band’s third record. The band had been on hiatus when drummer, David Rogers-Berry was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma. After chemo and shoulder replacement the band appeared at the Newport Folk Festival.

The band will tour in support of the record. Dates are below. You can hear a track from the CD, Bugs, HERE.

Tour-

Saturday, Mar. 12 – Denton, TX @ 35 Conferette
Mar. 16 – Mar. 20 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
Monday, Mar. 21 – Tucson, AZ @ Plush w/ The Strange Boys, Natural Child
Tuesday, Mar. 22 – San Diego, CA @ Tin Can Alehouse w/ Franz Nicolay, David Dondero
Wednesday, Mar. 23 – Los Angeles, CA @ Echo w/ Franz Nicolay, David Dondero
Thursday, Mar. 24 – Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy and Harriets w/ Helado Negro
Friday, Mar. 25 – Santa Cruz, CA @ 418 Project w/ Helado Negro
Saturday, Mar. 26 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent w/ Helado Negro
Sunday, Mar. 27 – Reno, NV @ Holland Project w/ Helado Negro
Tuesday, Mar. 29 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern w/ Helado Negro
Wednesday, Mar. 30 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret w/ The Strange Boys, Natural Child
Thursday, Mar. 31 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
Friday, Apr. 1 – Missoula, MT @ The Palace w/ The Strange Boys, Natural Child
Saturday, Apr. 2 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux w/ The Strange Boys, Natural Child
Sunday, Apr. 3 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge w/ The Strange Boys, Natural Child
Monday, Apr. 4 – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive w/ The Strange Boys, Natural Child
Tuesday, Apr. 5 – Pueblo, CO @ Red Raven Gallery w/ Sasquatch, The Haunted Windchimes
Wednesday, Apr. 6 – Lincoln, NE @ Bourbon Theatre
Thursday, Apr. 7 – Fargo, ND @ The Aquarium
Friday, Apr. 8 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club w/ Grandchildren
Saturday, Apr. 9 – Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen w/ Grandchildren
Monday, Apr. 11 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop w/ The Hollows, Grandchildren
Tuesday, Apr. 12 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird Cafe w/ Grandchildren
Wednesday, Apr. 13 – Grantham, PA @ Messiah College
Thursday, Apr. 14 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie w/ Grandchildren
Friday, Apr. 15 – Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory w/ Grandchildren
Saturday, Apr. 16 – Allston, MA @ Great Scott

Hot Sugar (aka Nick Koenig) has a new ep, Muscle Milk, out now. Even better, the ep is FREE and you can download it HERE. Hot Sugar’s debut is a mix of IDM, indie pop and funk with a slathering of humor and charm. A video on Vimeo documents Koenig and action at the recording session and is available HERE.

Hot Sugar’s work is often based on “found audio” but don’t expect to ever recognize the source. The audio he finds is manipulated beyond any recognition. He pitches down exploding fire crackers and uses the sound of automobiles running over juke boxes but good luck trying to figure out where.

More from Hot Sugar is coming so keep an eye to the website.

Cass McCombs, full length, Wit’s End, comes out April 12 in the USA and April 11 in the UK.  It took two years to record the record with sessions in California, New York, New Jersey and  Chicago. The record was produced by McCombs and Ariel Rechshaid.

Cass McCombs and band will play at SXSW and then tour the USA over the summer to support the record.

 Listen to a track, County Line, off of, Wits End, at Soundcloud.

This must be FRANCE DAY here at Mapanare. Emilie Simon started out in 2003 and has since won three of the French Grammys (they call them Victoires de la Musique) for her first three records. She scored the film March of the Penguins and released her first US record, The Flower Book, in 2006. 

Her latest, The Big Machine, was recorded in Brooklyn with guests such as members of Arcade Fire, Beirut and more. It comes out April 12, 2011.

The track, Rainbow, is the one above and for more information head to www.emiliesimonmusic.com.