[Video] Cass McCombs: "Big Wheel"
Early this week, Cass McCombs premiered the new music video for "Big Wheel," a track off his latest album, Big Wheel and Others. Though labeling Big Wheel an album is somewhat of an understatement. This 22- song masterpiece explores the mind and world of McCombs, emulating a variety of different styles from blues to country.
The video, shot by Cass's close friend and collaborator, Albert Herter, presents clashing and vivid imagery, complimenting and colliding with the soothing and subtle sound of Cass's voice and style. Check out the video and upcoming tour dates to catch Cass McCombs live.
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Cass McCombs' Tour dates:
Jan. 8 - Bristol, UK @ Colston Hall
Jan. 9 - Glasgow, UK @ CCA
Jan. 10 - Manchester, UK @ Deaf Institute
Jan. 11 - Dublin, IE @ Workmans Club
Jan. 13 - London, UK @ Queen Elizabeth Hall
Jan. 16 - Lisbon, PT @ Teatro Maria Matos
Jan. 17 - Aveiro City, PT @ Teatro Aveirense
Jan. 18 - VN Famalicao, PT @ Casa de Artes
Jan. 19 - Santiago, ES @ Salon Teatro de Santiago
Jan. 20 - Madrid, ES @ El Sol
Jan. 21 - Cadiz, ES @ Edificio
Jan. 23 - Barcelona, ES @ La Sala (2) Apolo
Jan. 24 - Bordeaux, FR @ Bordeaux Rocks
Jan. 25 - Rouen, FR @ Le 106
Jan. 26 - Paris, FR @ MoFo Festival @ Mains D'Ouevres
Jan. 30 - Melbourne, AU @ Northcote Social Club
Jan. 31 - Brisbane RNA, AU @ Laneway
Feb. 1 - Melbourne, AU @ Laneway
Feb. 2 - Sydney, AU @ Laneway
Feb. 6 - Sydney, AU @ Oxford Art Factory
Feb. 7 - Adelaide, AU @ Laneway
Feb. 8 - Fremantle, AU @ Laneway
Feb. 17-20 - Southwold, Suffolk, UK @ Latitude Festival
[RH First Glance] Suns: "Strangeland"
Chicago experimental rockers Suns are spreading around their debut LP When We Were Us, playing multiple cities and venues, sharing their sound with fans and anyone who will lend an ear. Since the release of their LP, Suns has opened for Braid, Cults, and fellow Chicagoans, Maps and Atlases. However, it hasn't been an easy journey for these dudes; just a few months after the release of When We Were Us, the band went from having two drummers to none and found themselves seeking someone who could fill some really big shoes. The band locked in multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Matt Evert of Barber Greene adding a new sound, energy, and vibe to their already electric, heavy, and entrancing sound.
Listen to "Strangeland," a track off of Suns' debut LP When We Were Us, and catch them live at their next show in Chicago, IL at Quenchers with Muscle Worship, An Aesthetic Anaesthetic, Electric Hawk.
[RH First Glance] Take Berlin: "Lionize"
Brooklyn and Berlin based duo Take Berlin released their first EP Lionize just this week, premiering their single "Sebastion." In winter of 2011, Guitarist Jesse Barnes snagged a cassette deck out of the trash in Brooklyn and a few months later met vocalist Yvonne Ambrée. Barnes and Ambrée decided to use the tape deck to record all of the basic tracks on Lionize, using the vintage-y effects of tape recording to capture the enchanting fuzzy warmness of their sound.
"Sebastian," was influenced by Jose Saramago's novel, "The Year of The Death of Ricardo Reis," says Ambrée. "In the story, the protagonist is visited by a ghost... this magic-realism struck a chord in me as I began to consider the "ghosts" that visit us from time to time -- cultural ghosts as well as those from our own personal history." "Sebastian" was the last song to be recorded on the EP and is a simple yet timeless song, which is exactly what Barnes' wants. "The instrumentation so far has been as minimal as possible... we want to compose songs that stand up on their own and would be relevant 10 years from now."
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[Video] Best Coast: "This Lonely Morning"
Sunny Indie-rock pop duo Best Coast, revealed the lyric video they made with comedy video website, Funny Or Die, for "This Lonely Morning," a song off of their latest album Fade Away. The video shows bandmates Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno dueling it out on the tennis court, with lyrics written in sharpie on tennis balls and sweet air tennis racket guitar solos.
Fade Away received high praise from critics and fans, said to be their best work to date, and was named one of Rolling Stone's top albums of 2o13. Best Coast is in the studio working on their next record with producer Butch Walker, and will be showing off some new tunes while on tour with The Pixies in February.
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Tour Dates with The Pixies
2/21/14 - Fox Theater - Oakland, CA
2/22/14 - San Jose Civic Auditorium - San Jose, CA
2/23/14 - The Joint - Las Vegas, NV
2/24/14 - Kiva Auditorium - Albuquerque, NM
2/27/14 - Bayou Music Center - Houston, TX
2/18/14 - South Side Ballroom - Dallas, TX
3/01/14 - Austin Music Hall - Austin, TX
Cass McCombs: "There Can Be Only One"
Promoting the release of his seventh album, Big Wheel and Others via Domino, Cass McCombs hits the road this holiday season with his December tour. McCombs has been making music for over a decade, but the new album is said to be his most encompassing work to date, highlighting McCombs' talent for storytelling, harrowing melodies, and beautifully honest voice.
Big Wheel and Others consists of twenty-two songs, making this work a double album, with a plethora of influences and sounds including folk, rock, blues, and many more. The album takes you on an intimate journey and makes you feel almost like you are reading a book or a collection of poems that you just can't put down. Big Wheel and Others is available on double CD, LP, and digital here.
Check out tour dates and take a listen to Cass McCombs "There Can Be Only One."
Tour Dates
December 2, 2013 Boston, MA The Sinlcair
December 3, 2013 Montreal, QC II Motore
Decemeber 4, 2013 Toronto, ON Great Hall
December 6, 2013 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
December 7, 2013 Louisville, KY Zanzabar
December 8, 2013 Nashville, TN High Watt
December 9, 2013 Alanta, GA Drunken Unicorn
December 12, 2013 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
December 13, 2013 Philadelphia, PA Boot & Saddle
December 14, 2013 Baltimore, MD Ottobar
[RH Interview] Elsinore
With raw talent and tons of heart, Elsinore is in full-force, hitting all you indie-pop/rock lovers with, (in my opinion), one of the best albums of the year. PUSH/PULL was released earlier this month in all of its glory via Parasol Records, followed by a spectacular album release show at Subterranean in Chicago, where I had the pleasure of chatting with Elsinore. Founding members Ryan Groff (guitar, lead vocals) and Mark Woolwine (keys, vocals), gave me all the sweet details on the making of their new album, the new band lineup, and more.
Billie Joe + Norah: "Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine"
Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones premiere "Silver Haired Daddy of Mine" from their upcoming album Foreverly. The album is a reinterpretation of Songs Our Daddy Taught Us, the 12-song collection released by The Everly Brothers in 1958. In just 9 days Armstrong and Jones recreated the ballads with engineer Chris Dugan in Manhattan at The Magic Shop with bassist Tim Luntzel and drummer Dan Rieser. Jones and Armstong played piano and guitar on the record, accompanied by Charlie Burham on fiddle and Johnny Lam on pedal steel guitar.
Foreverly is due out Nov. 25 via Reprise Records and can be pre-ordered here. Meanwhile, you can enjoy "Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine," and the new lyric video for "Long Time Gone."
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[Video] Lily Allen: "Hard Out Here"
Lily Allen steps back into the limelight with a video for her new single "Hard Out Here." Allen lashes out against sexism and the constant objectification of women in the music industry with some hilarious twerking scenes and non-stop sass. With lyrics like "Don't need to shake my ass for you 'cause I've got a brain," and "Forget your balls, grow some tits, it's hard out here for a bitch," Allen doesn't waste any time holding her tongue.
The video mocks Robin Thicke's much debated "Blurred Lines" video and pokes fun at the stereotypical video girl, washing a hubcap in the kitchen. Allen received some backlash, accused of being racist because of the black back-up dancers in the video. "The video is meant to be a lighthearted satirical video that deals with the objectification of women within modern pop-culture," she wrote. "It has nothing to do with race at all."
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