The Features, from Nashville, are releasing Wilderness, their third record July 26. The 7 inch for Rambo is out now and you can hear it below via Soundcloud. The band have toured with Manchester Orchestra and their last record was the band’s first on the Kings of Leon label, Serpents and Snakes.

This record is said to be a mix including elements of indie, krautrock, psychedelia, and AOR.  The single is out on limited edition vinyl and includes the B-side, This Much I Know, which you can also hear above. The B-side is unreleased.

Tour
7.29.11 - The Satellite - Los Angeles, CA
8.19.11 - Cosmic Charlies - Lexington, KY
8.25.11 - Zanzabar - Louisville, KY
8.26.11 - The Earl - Atlanta, GA
8.27.11 - Mercy Lounge - Nashville, TN
9.06.11 - Club AE - Pittsburgh, PA
9.07.11 - Musica - Akron, OH
9.08.11 - Magic Stick - Detroit, MI
9.09.11 - Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL
9.10.11 - Old Rock House - St. Louis, MO
9.11.11 - Record Bar - Kansas City, MO
9.13.11 - Marquis Theatre - Denver, CO
9.14.11 - Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, UT
9.16.11 - El Corazon Lounge - Seattle, WA
9.17.11 - Bunk Bar - Portland, OR
9.19.11 - Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA
9.20.11 - The Wire - Upland, CA

Radiation City, dream poppers from Portland, are releasing their debut record, The Hands That Take You, on September 27 on Tender Loving Empire. The founders of the group (Cameron Spies and Lizzy Ellison) formed the band while working together on their cassette-only label, Apes Tapes. Check out the track, The Color Of Industry, above.

How’s that for low-fi cred? Only way you get more than that is having an 8-track label. And keep in mind, this wasn’t 20 years ago. The Hands That Take You appeared first on that label in February of this year. The new release will be on vinyl and CD.

The band is also heading out on tour. Current dates are below. More to come.

Tour

June 30 - Seattle, WA- Hi-Dive
July 14 - Portland, OR- Holocene "Into The Woods Quarterly"
July 24 - Portland, OR- PDX POP NOW!
July 29 - Portland, OR- Doug Fir w/ Tu Fawning
Sept 24 - Portland, OR- Doug Fir (CD Release Show)

Elle King’s Good To Be A Man is available for your listening perusal. King is a new, young artist and I don’t know much about her. Apparently she is from the Midwest but I will not hold that against her.

Feel free to spread the word about her if you are into the music.

The Wood Brothers first single from Smoke Ring Halo has a video. Shoofly Pie is the first single from the country/blues/Americana act. The band consists of, unshockingly, Oliver and Chris Wood. The engineer on this record will be familiar to some of you as well, Jim Scott. Scott has produced the likes of Johnny Cash, Wilco, Tom Petty, Lucinda Williams, Dixie Chicks, Red Hot Chili Peppers and more.

The band was recently featured on NPR Weekend Edition on a piece about Mason Jar Music. Check it out HERE.

Art Vs. Science played SXSW and toured the USA in the spring. The music is a sort of dance-punk and they are heading back to the USA to play festivals and shows in August. Another remix of Magic Fountain by Thieves of Aeon (aka Strange Talk).
 
This is a new, and sort of welcome trend, this punk meets dance. A lot of dance music just is too..I dunno…beepy..for me anyway. These bands add a little bit of punch to the music. It really makes you want to dance.
 
Tour
8/11 Miami, FL - Electric Pickle
8/12 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
8/13 Chicago, IL - North Halsted Market Days
8/14 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
8/18 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress
8/19 Phoenix, AZ - Brick
8/20 Mexico City, Mexico - Voila Acoustique
8/21 Vancouver, BC - Fortune Sound Club
8/23 Portland, OR - Doug Fir
8/24 San Francisco, CA - Bottom Of The Hill
8/25 Sonoma, CA - Ampitheatre
8/26 San Diego, CA - Casbah
8/27 Los Angeles, CA - Sunset Junction
(w/ The Hundred Days, Art Brut, Butthole Surfers, Melvins)
8/28 Tacoma, WA - Grit City Fest

Wild Beasts are playing shows in the USA in support of their new release, Smother, which we have mentioned before. The dates are below. Wild Beasts have a top 20 release in the UK and have a track you can hear, Loop the Loop, at their Soundcloud page.

The band was recently featured on NPR’s The Record too.

Tour

July 12 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Café Live w/ Marques Toliver
July 13 – New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge w/ Marques Toliver
July 14 – New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge w/ Marques Toliver
July 16 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Sep. 16 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits
Sep. 20 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
Sep. 21 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
Sep. 22 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
Sep. 27 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
Sep. 28 – Montreal, QC @ Cabaret Mile-End
Sep. 29 – Toronto, ON @ Mod Club
Sep. 30 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Bag
Oct. 1 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Oct. 3 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall
Oct. 4 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
Oct. 7 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune
Oct. 8 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
Oct. 9 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
Oct. 11 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Rio Theatre
Oct. 13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex
Oct. 15 – Mexico City, MX @ Corona Capital Festival

Explosions In The Sky put out their first music video ever—an animated piece for the track, Last Known Surroundings, from the record Take Care, Take Care, Take Care. You can see it on the band website, www.explosionsinthesky.com.

The video is directed by Ptarmak (a design studio in Austin, TX) and uses Sissy Emmons beautiful illustrations. The band is also heading out on tour internationally. Dates are below.

Tour

8/11 - Olso, Norway - Oya Festival
8/12-13 - Gothenburg, SWE - Way Out West Festival
8/19 - Brecon BEacons, UK - Green Man Festival
9/1 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre
9/2 - San Diego, CA - SOMA
9/3 - Los Angeles, CA - FYF Fest
9/5 - Big Sur, CA - Henry Miller Library (SOLD OUT)
9/8 - Spokane, WA - Bing Crosby Theater
9/9 - Vancouver, BC - The Vogue Theatre
9/10 - Portland, OR - Musicfest NW
9/11 - Boise, ID - Egyptian Theatre
9/13 - Denver, CO - The Fillmore Auditorium
9/14 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theatre
9/16 - Dallas, TX - AT&T Performing Arts Center - Strauss Square
9/21 - Champaign-Urbana, IL - Pygmalion Music Festival
9/28 - New Orleans, LA - Tipitina's *
9/29 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle *
9/30 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel *
10/1 - Baltimore, MD - Ram's Head Live **
10/2 - Philadelphia, PA - Tower Theater **
10/3 - Montclair, NJ - Wellmont Theatre**
10/5 - Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre **
10/6 - Montreal, QC - Metropolis Theatre *
10/7 - Toronto, ON - Sound Academy *
10/8 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre *
10/10 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue *
10/11 - Des Moines, IA - Val Air Ballroom *
10/12 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre *
10/13 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom * 
11/4 - Madrid SP - Anexa del Pabellon de Vistalegre
11/5 - Zaragoza SP - Sala Oasis
11/6 - Barcelona SP - Casino Alianca
11/15 - Copenhagen DK - Vega
11/18 - Hasselt BE - MOD
11/19 - Kortrijk BE - De Kreun
11/20 - Bristol UK - Academy
1/27/12 - London UK - Brixton Academy 

* Wye Oak supports
** The Antlers support

Caveman not only have their new record, CoCo Beware, coming out in the fall, they are heading out on tour  with The War On Drugs. The band are from New York and the track, Old Friend, is available for your perusal above.

The band only formed a year or so ago and almost immediately were opening for bands like Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes, Cursive, White Rabbits, Wye Oak and others.

Tour

8/06 - Montauk, NY @ The Surf Lodge
8/18 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's *
8/19 - Brooklyn, NY @ Cameo *
8/21 - Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall *
8/22 – Burlington, VT @ Monkey Bar
8/23 - Montreal, CAN @ Casa del Popolo *
8/24 - Toronto, CAN @ Drake Hotel *
8/25 - Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig *
8/26 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern *
8/27 - Milwaukee, WI @ Club Garibaldi *
8/28 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry *
8/30 - St. Louis, MO @ The Biliken Club *
8/31 - Lexington-Fayette, KY @ Cosmic Charlie's *
9/01 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe *
9/02 - Washington, DC @ The Red Place *
9/15 – New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge (Album Release)

* w/ The War On Drugs

The Irrepressibles’ Mirror Mirror comes digitally August 9 and as a special edition album October 25. There will be remixes from the likes of Röyksopp, Hercules & Love Affair and Zero 7  and more. A single, In This Shirt, comes out June 27. You can hear the track, Forget The Past, above and other stuff below. I am confused as to what is what but hell watch it all anyway.

The band has been performing live for ages as a ten piece orchestra. They are performance art meets music, film etc etc etc. It is the weekend. I am not going to parse a press release with  such a massive shitload of links and downloads coherently! Please!

Toronto’s Shaun Boothe is a rapper whose latest track (and video) came out in the last few days. Boothe recently opened for Snoop Dogg in London and his latest mixtape, Waiting Room, comes out July 5. On G.O.O.D Music in a week and some change.

If I had wanted to act cool I would have written that his mixtape “drops” but, really, trying to be cool is for douchebags and PR people. PR people are fine, it is their job. I was a PR person for ages and it is like biting the heads off chickens in the Circus. Or maybe that just relates to where I worked.

But let me change the subject.

Boothe is a rising star in Canada and across the border. He is an artist to be reckoned with and his music has been spreading, and I suspect will continue to do so. Check out the video. There was a download remix but it required me to do more than click once so I didn’t bother but I bet you can use your browser skills to find it.