by Nick Rizzuto
Aside from being full of me acting like this snow storm is the apocalypse (I insisted on going to North and spending $20 to “make it through the weekend”), today was full of some really cool music news. On my old blog, which can be found at www.nclrmusic.blogspot.com, when I had days where there was just a lot of this really cool music news, I used to post it in bullet-point form for my readers to get through quickly. I think that’s the easiest way to share these things. So here it is, you’re music headlines for 2/5/10:
MGMT: I never thought MTV news would inform me of anything relevant but actually they had a pretty cool interview with MGMT in which Andrew Van Wyngarden told the MTV crew that everyone’s favorite indie band would be releasing their follow up to 2007’s Oracular Spectacular in April. You may have known that the new album was coming soon but this is the first time, to my knowledge, has put a release month on the album. Its going to be called “Congratulations” and if you wanna read more pun-filled information about it, you can read more over at MTV News.
Hot Chip: This band is a new fix for me and it actually took a while for me to get into them. However, they performed “One Life Stand”, from their new album of the same name, last night live on Fallon. It was a great performance with The Roots and I suggest you check it out. They’re a really exciting band with tons of subtleties that have drawn me in more and more on each listen. Check it out over at Prefix Mag.
Sleigh Bells: Sleigh Bells is a band that is currently unsigned and has managed to stay well under the indie radar, despite their badassery. They came to my attention after someone presented them in my A&R in the Music Industry Class. I was confused, enthralled, and excited about them then, and I still have that feeling now. However, they’re going to be touring with two bands I love Major Lazer and Yeasayer – meaning I’m going to see them open for the later in May. If you don’t already have them, get your tickets for the show at R5 Productions. If you’re not so into these bands, maybe the name MIA will perk your ears. That’s right, Sleigh Bells is going to be producing some tracks on her new album, due soon. I don’t about you, but I’m syked for that.
Dan Black: My man Dan Black is going to be doing an international tour to back up the U.S. release of his uber-cool debut album “((un))”. I personally came across this UK native’s tunes way back in July after the album was released over the seas. Since, I’ve showed his stuff to just about all of my friends. He mixes incredibly well-thought out pop songs and hip-hop production with a credibility about what he is singing that is missing much too often from modern pop music. Dan has real star quality – I suggest to all fans of good pop music that they check out his work!
Check out all of these bands on Myspace: