St. Lucia Premieres "Before The Dive"

Even in the urban wilds of Brooklyn, there may be no one else like Jean-Philip Grobler, otherwise known as St. Lucia.

Originally from Johannesberg, South Africa, Jean grew up performing with the Drakensberg Boys Choir School. When the choir wasn’t traveling—St. Lucia toured Japan, Australia, Europe, the US and more—they stayed in an enclave tucked in the South African mountains, learning everything from Bach and minimalist opera to African War Songs and Celine Dion.

A young musician could hardly find better training, but as a young teenager, he started to feel that he’d had his fill of classical music, and it felt like an epiphany when he discovered the music of Radiohead. St. Lucia’s journey thus far ended—as many do—in New York City, where he started working on the tracks that would turn into his debut EP, to be released in the spring. The St. Lucia EP will mark the first full-length release on Neon Gold Records, the formerly singles-only label that first released Passion Pit, Ellie Goulding and The Naked & Famous.

The atmospheric quality of St. Lucia’s electronic pop is powerful, with the musician’s global travels and history of exotic hideaways effortlessly passed onto the audience through his dreamy, shimmering synths, and multi-layered arrangements. The listener is transfixed and transported into some collective memory of childhood summer.

Check out the video for “Before The Dive” and let us know what you think. We expect big things from St. Lucia in the months to come.

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Video Of The Day: Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (TEED for short) is a UK electronic producer and singer who makes unique, hummable dance music that has already generated a lot of excitement amongst the tastemaker set here in the U.S.  Originally signed to Joe Goddard of Hot Chip's Greco-Roman label (for his first EP), the debut album 'Trouble' will be released on Casablanca in June TEED is back with a new single (out April 4 on Casablanca in the US) and a beautifully shot performance video. Can't stop watching...

Video of The Day: Pond - 'You Broke My Cool'

Psych rock warriors Pond have released the video for album standout, 'You Broke My Cool'. The video was shot by the band and their friends over the two weeks they spent in the Perth countryside recording Beard, Wives, Denim.




 POND TOUR DATES
Thu April 19 - The Standard, Sydney, Australia
Fri April 20 - Alhambra Lounge, Brisbane, Australia
Sat April 21 - Great Northern, Byron Bay, Australia
Sun April 22 - Northcote Social Club, Melbourne, Australia (SOLD OUT)
Mon April 23 - Northcote Social Club, Melbourne, Australia
Tue April 24 - Ed Castle, Adelaide, Australia
Sat April 28 - The Bakery, Perth, Australia
Thurs May 5 - The Great Escape, Brighton, England
Fri May 6 - The Great Escape, Brighton, England
Sat May 12 - Walk The Line Festival, Den Haag, Holland
Sun May 13 - Vera, Groningen, Holland
Mon May 14 - Indiestad Festival, Amsterdam, Holland
Tues May 15 - Doornroosje, Nlijmegen, Holland
Thurs May 17 - Rockhal Cafe, Luxembourg
Fri May 18 - Sound City, Liverpool, England
Sat May 19 - Cockpit, Leeds, England
Sun May 20 - Hare and Hounds, Birmingham, England
Tues May 22 - Cargo, London, England
Wed May 23 - Craufurd Arms, Milton Keyes, England
Fri May 25 - Arches, Glasgow, Scotland
Sat May 26 - Soup Kitchen, Manchester, England
Tues May 29 - Blue Shell, Cologne, Germany
Wed May 30 - Molotow, Cologne, Germany
Fri June 1 - Trix, Antwerp, Belgium
Sat June 2 - Field Day, London, England
Sat June 2 - Dot To Dot, Bristol, England
Sun June 3 - Dot To Dot, Nottingham, England
Mon June 4 - Dot To Dot, Manchester, England

Housse De Racket Covers 'Till I Die' by The Beach Boys

Electropop, French-duo, Housse De Racket cover The Beach Boys’ “Till I Die” and release a video to accompany their version of the classic.



“This song’s always been a mystery to us,” the duo says. “The chord progression is a symphony in itself. Brian Wilson at his best! …Two French guys from the suburb of Paris dreaming of California, landscapes & reverberation.” – Housse De Racket

Housse De Racket wrap up their six week North American tour at Coachella, playing Sundays 4/15 & 4/22 at 1:10pm on the Gobi Stage.  The band also added more West Coast dates playing with The Rapture, Neon Indian, and The Hives.  (see dates below)

Housse De Racket Tour Dates:
4/10: San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
4/12: Tucson, AZ @ Opti Club
4/14: San Francisco, CA @ Velvet Room at Clift Hotel
4/15: Indio, CA @ Coachella (1:10pm @ Gobi Stage)
4/16: Pomona, CA @ The Glass House ** w/ The Rapture + The Hives
4/17: Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex ** w/ Neon Indian
4/18: Santa Cruz, CA @ Rio Theatre
4/19: San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
4/22: Indio, CA @ Coachella (1:10pm @ Gobi Stage)

Video Pick of the Day: Imaginary Cities - Temporary Resident

Imaginary Cities are a vintage Mo-town influenced pop-rock band from Winnipeg, Canada. Formed in late 2009 by Rusty Matyas and Marti Sarbit after meeting by chance. They are renown for their captivating melodic songs and Marti’s extraordinary voice. The music video for their song "Temporary Resident" has been nominated for MTVU's Best Freshmen video of the week and also for SiriusXM indies' Emerging Artist Award 2012.   Imaginary Cities - Temporary Resident [Official Video]



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Video Pick: We Are Serenades - "Birds"

Adam Olenius (Shout Out Louds) and Markus Krunegard make up We Are Serenades, two of the most respected contemporary songwriters in Sweden. The two create a sound together, their "third voice," all the while maintaining their own particular nuances that are unmistakable. The duo's debut release, the Come Home EP, came out last year via Cherrytree Records, carrying a light mood and nostalgic sentiment, ultimately cutting mark and classifying the EP as dreamy music.

 Check out the video for “Birds”:

Video Pick Of The Day: Regina Spektor - “All The Rowboats"

Check out the video for “All Of The Rowboats” (Directed by Adria Pretty) from the forthcoming release What We Saw From The Cheap Seats; this is one epic pop song accompanied by an equally quirky video.

 

Video Of The Day: Simian Mobile Disco

Dance duo, Simian Mobile Disco, have released a new music video for their upcoming record, Unpatterns--out May 14th via Wichita. The music video is for the track, "Cerulean," which is nearly seven minutes long. As you'd think, the music video focuses on color, not necessarily on cerulean, per se, but on the whole spectrum we come in contact with on a daily basis. The video is animated and features a circle manifesting itself in different colors and playing with shapes, as if it were going through a maze. Although the concept is quite simple, it's definitely an interesting concept to sit through. Watch it below.

Video Pick: "The Wolves" By Ben Howard

Every Kingdom, the debut album from acclaimed rising British artist Ben Howard, will be released stateside April 3rd on the taste-making independent label Communion Records (brainchild of Mumford and Son’s Ben Lovett). The young acoustic singer-songwriter, whose live performances have resulted in back to back sell-out tours to a rapidly growing fan base throughout the UK and the rest of Europe, will support the new release with a US tour this spring.

Check out the video for “The Wolves”



Ben Howard Tour Dates
3/27 - World Cafe - Philadelphia, PA
3/28 - Jamin' Java - Vienna, VA
3/29 - The Mercury Lounge - New York, NY
3/30 - Bearsville Theatre - Woodstock, NY
3/31 - Cafe 939 @ Berklee College of Music - Boston, MA
4/02 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
4/05 - Mod Club Theatre - Toronto, ON
4/06 - Petit Campus - Montreal, QC
5/28 - Sasquatch! Music Festival - George, WA
5/29 - Wonder Ballroom - Portland, OR
5/31 - The Independent - San Francisco, CA
6/01 - SOHO Restaurant - Santa Barbara, CA
6/02 - The Loft - La Jolla, CA
6/05 - Troubadour - West Hollywood, CA
6/06 - Troubadour - West Hollywood, CA
6/08 - Bonnaroo Music Festival - Manchester, TN

Video Pick Of The Day: Tanlines “All Of Me”

Pop-maestros, Tanlines, have just released their new video for "All Of Me" courtesy of Adult Swim.

The clip features the Brooklyn group performing inside a fuzzy TV while a group of senior citizens have the most unenthusiastic dance ever.

Check out the Julian Barratt directed clip below.

Tanlines' new album, Mixed Emotions, arrived today via True Panther.

Lana Del Ray Releases Video for "Blue Jeans"

Pop songstress Lana Del Rey has released the official music video for the track, "Blue Jeans." The video sees Del Rey in black and white shots where she swims alongside her love interest. Catch the video below. The track is from her debut album, Born To Die, which is out now via Interscope.

Video Pick of the Day - "Definite Darkness" by Cymbals Eat Guitars

Cymbals Eat Guitars Premiere Video For "Definite Darkness"




US Tour Dates With Cursive

3/19 - ACM @ UCO Performance Lab - Oklahoma City, OK
3/20 - Slowdown Jr. - Omaha, NE
3/22 - The Mill - Iowa City, IA *
3/23 - The 400 Bar - Minneapolis, MN *
3/24 - High Noon Saloon - Madison, WI *
3/25 - Lincoln Hall - Chicago, IL *
3/26 - High Dive - Champaign, IL *
3/27 - Blind Pig - Ann Arbor, MI *
3/28 - Mr. Smalls Theatre - Pittsburgh, PA *
3/29 - Grog Shop - Cleveland Heights, OH *
3/30 - Mohawk Place - Buffalo, NY *
3/31 - The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern - Toronto, ON *
4/02 - Middle East (Downstairs) - Cambridge, MA *
4/03 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY *
4/04 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY *
4/05 - Union Transfer - Philadelphia, PA *
4/06 - Black Cat - Washington, DC *
4/07 - Kings Barcade - Raleigh, NC *
4/08 - The Earl - Atlanta, GA *
4/09 - Cafe Eleven - St. Augustine, FL *
4/10 - The Social - Orlando, FL *
4/11 - Club Downunder - Tallahassee, FL *
4/13 - Fitzgerald's Upstairs - Houston, TX *
4/14 - The Mohawk - Austin, TX *
4/15 - Trees - Dallas, TX *
4/17 - Hi-Tone Cafe - Memphis, TN *
4/18 - Cosmic Charlies - Lexington, KY *
4/20 - Off Broadway Nightclub - St. Louis, MO *
4/21 - Mojo's - Columbia, MO *
* w/ Cursive, Conduits

Video Pick Of The Day: Grimes - “Oblivion”

Claire Boucher aka Grimes is, for lack of a better term, blowing up, and we’re along for her ride. It is a project which is both musical and visual, embodying the arts of 2D, performance, dance, video and sound. Visions, her fourth album release, hit stores this month via 4AD and we highly recommend giving the record a listen.

 

Video Pick: Ray Charles by Chiddy Bang

Chiddy Bang

Chiddy Bang is a Philadelphia-based duo consisting of Chiddy and Xaphoon Jones, with a sound that fuses elements of indie-rock and hip-hop. They first came on the radar with their MGMT-sampling track “The Opposite of Being Adults”. Their highly anticipated new album Breakfast drops February 28, and features the single “Ray Charles”. Pre-order the new album and grab a free bonus download! Watch the video for “Ray Charles” below:

Video Pick: Sleigh Bells - “Comeback Kid”

Our Video Pick is by Sleigh Bells for "Comeback Kid". Check out the video below:

Get More: Sleigh Bells, Comeback Kid, Music, More Music Videos

Fanfarlo: Live Sessions

New album, Rooms Filled With Light, available February 28th (Canvasback Music/Atlantic Records).

Fanfarlo will unveil a handful of new live sessions in the weeks leading up to the release of Rooms Filled With Light. Check out the first live session for “Shiny Things”:



Fanfarlo On Tour:
Mar 05: Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
Mar 06: New York, NY - Webster Hall
Mar 07: Washington, DC - U St. Music Hall
Mar 08: Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
Mar 09: Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle
Mar 10: Atlanta, GA - Vinyl
Mar 13: Houston, TX - Fitzgerald’s
Mar 14: Dallas, TX - The Loft
Mar 19: St. Louis, MO - Blueberry Hill Duck Room
Mar 20: Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge
Mar 22: Louisville, KY - Zanzabar
Mar 23: Ann Arbor, MI - The Blind Pig
Mar 24: Toronto, ON - Mod Club
Mar 25: Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Smalls
Mar 27: Columbus, OH - Skully’s
Mar 28: Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
Mar 29: Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
Mar 31: Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theatre
Apr 01: Kansas City, MO - Record Bar
Apr 03: Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
Apr 05: Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
Apr 06: Boise, ID - Neurolux
Apr 07: Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
Apr 09: Vancouver, BC - The Biltmore
Apr 10: Seattle, WA - The Crocodile
Apr 15: Indio, CA - Coachella
Apr 17: San Francisco, CA - Slim’s
Apr 22: Indio, CA - Coachella

Video Pick: '#1 in Heaven' by MNDR

New York-via-Bay Area artist MNDR, a.k.a Amanda Warner, released her brand new single “#1 In Heaven” produced by Peter Wade and mixed by Tony Maserati (Beyoncé, Lady Gaga) via Ultra Records. The song premiered on Pitchfork HERE,stream it via Soundcloud HERE or watch the video below. Directed by old friend Cody Critcheloe, a.k.a. SSION, the video, inspired by Patty Hearst, attempts to make a political manifesto using different archival footage, animation, and film techniques.

MNDR will release her much anticipated full-length debut album in Summer 2012. “#1 In Heaven” is as irresistible as everything else she’s given us thus far, and the first single since “Cut Me Out.”
 

Video Pick of the Week: Birdy - “Skinny Love”

Hailing from the Southeast of England, Birdy is a prodigiously talented 15-year-old singer and songwriter who earned success with her first single (a Top 20 cover of Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love”). Now she’s gearing up for her stateside release of her self-titled debut album on March 12. Critics across the Atlantic have already raved about this record, which features Birdy’s extraordinarily pure voice, as well as her unique, haunting interpretations of songs by such artists as Cherry Ghost, The Postal Service, Phoenix, The National, The xx, and others. Check out her hauntingly beautiful rendition of Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love” below:

Video Pick - Lana Del Rey

The buzz around this bombshell just keeps growing and we simply love her video for Video Games, looks like 12 million people would agree as well by the number of hits. Plus, the song is pretty amazing as well; we can’t wait for her debut record!

Video Pick: "The Hours" by Exitmusic

How many Boardwalk Empire fans are out there? In honor of this week’s season finale, we have a special video to share with you. Aleksa Palladino, who plays Angela Darmody, makes beautifully melodic, dreamy music with her husband, Devon Church, as Exitmusic. The New York City duo doesn't care when the chill runs down your spine, they just hope their music provokes some kind of primal feeling. Striking a unique balance between darkness and light, their music builds on a foundation of rhythmic electronics and synthesizers, to arrive at a sound almost operatic in scope. Check out the recently released video for “The Hours”