Month: May 2017

Levitation France announces dates and first lineup.

While Levitation Austin didn’t happen this year, Levitation France is a go on September 15-16th!  This bodes well for the Levitation shows (a small one is being held in Austin the first weekend of May) making a full return next year.

The first wave of band announcements includes the Black Angels, Slowdive, Acid Mothers Temple, and Kikagu Moyo.  As usual, the Levitation festivals always have a great lineup, and this will be no exception.  Get to Angers, France if you can.

Keep your mind open.

 

Thee Oh Sees announce new summer U.S. tour dates.

THEE OH SEES ANNOUNCE AUGUST & SEPTEMBER TOUR DATES

Today, Los Angeles-based force of nature Thee Oh Sees announce a new batch of tour dates for the late summer that spans both the USA and the European continent. Could the new dates be an indicator of a busy 2017 from the John Dwyer-led outfit? Could these dates point to the possibility of a new record(s)? One can only hope…
THEE OH SEES TOUR DATES (new tour dates in bold):
Sat. Apr. 29 – Norman, OK @ Norman Music Festival
Fri. May 5 – Winterthur, CH @ Salzhaus
Sat. May 6 – Frankfort, GE @ Zoom
Sun. May 7– Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown
Mon. May 8 – Berlin, GE @ Columbia Theater
Wed. May 10 – Clermont-Ferrand, FR @ La Coopérative de Mai
Thu. May 11 – La Rochelle, FR @ La Sirène
Fri. May 12 – Rouen, FR @ Le 106
Sat. May 13 – Lyon, FR @ L’épicerie Moderne
Sun. May 14 – Paris, FR @ Trabendo
Tue. May 16 – Nottingham, UK @ Rock City
Wed. May 17 – Brighton, UK @ Clarendon Centre
Thu. May 18 – Nantes, FR @ Stereolux
Fri. May 19 – Rennes, FR @ Antipode
Sat. May 20 – Reims, FR @ La Magnifique Society
Sun. May 21 – Brussels, BE @ L’Ancienne Belgique
Fri. May 26 – George, WA @ Sasquatch Festival
Sat. June 3 – London, UK @ Field Day Festival
Mon. June 4 – Bristol, UK @ SWX
Wed. June 6 – Metz, FR @ La BAM
Thu. June 7 – Milano, IT @ Magnolia
Fri. June 8 – Ravenna, IT @ Beaches Brew
Sat. June 9 – Dudingen, CH @ Bad Bonn
Sun. June 10 – Nimes, FR @ This Is Not A Love Song
Mon. June 11 – Bordeaux, FR @ le block
Tue. June 12 – Tours, FR @ le temps machine
Thu. June 14 – Manchester University, UK @ Transformers
Sat. June 17 – San Francisco, CA @ Phono Del Sol Festival
Sat. July 22 – Sun. July 23 – Los Angeles, CA @ FYF
Sun. Aug. 6 – Katowice, PL @ OFF Festival
Tue. Aug. 8 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow
Thu. Aug. 10 – Oslo, NO @ Oya Festival
Fri. Aug. 11 – Gothenburg, DW @ Way Out West Festival
Sat. Aug. 12 – Copenhagen, DK @ Pumpehuset
Fri. Aug. 18 – Saint Malo, FR @ La Route du Rock
Sat. Aug. 19 – Brecon Beacons, UK @ Green Man Festival 
Fri. Sept. 1 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom
Sat. Sept. 2 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Bar
Mon. Sept. 4 – Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas Outside
Tue. Sept. 5 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jack’s
Wed. Sept. 6 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
Fri. Sept. 8 – Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero Theater
Sun. Sept. 10 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
Wed. Sept. 13 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Thu. Sept. 14 – Montreal, QC @ La Tulipe I Le National
Fri. Sept. 15 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Theater
Sat. Sept. 16 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
Sun. Sept. 17 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Tue. Sept. 19 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall
Fri. Sept. 22 – Missoula, MT @ Monk’s
Sun. Sept. 24 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
Mon. Sept. 25 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom

Kane Strang’s new album due June 30th.

Kane Strang Announces New Album, Two Hearts and No Brain,
Out June 30th On Dead Oceans

Listen To New Single, “My Smile Is Extinct”
https://youtu.be/Q1fVG1IctmA
https://soundcloud.com/deadoceans/kane-strang-my-smile-is-extinct-3
Kane Strang has announced his new album, Two Hearts and No Brain, out June 30th on Dead Oceans. Along with the announcement he’s sharing the new single, “My Smile Is Extinct.” It’s the follow up to lead single, “Oh So You’re Off I See,” his first taste of new music since 2016’s Blue Cheese, which was shared ahead of Kane’s first ever North American tour last month.

Recorded in his hometown of Dunedin at the notoriously haunted Chick’s Hotel studio, Kane teamed up with producer Stephen Marr from trip hop group Doprah for Two Hearts and No Brain. The collaborative result is a razor sharp blend of intelligent alt-rock, bearing the signatures of grunge/alt rock swiftly executed with careful, meticulous precision over 11 tracks. Marr’s influence brings a pristine, retro-futuristic sheen which complements Strang’s perfectionist recording style, sharp melody, and verbose lyrical neuroticism. Taking to well-worn subject matter (heartbreak, loneliness, family) with a disarmingly frank scalpel, Strang’s wryly deadpan lines never miss a beat – the results often sardonic, and always captivating.

Two Hearts and No Brain is pure pop genius from start to finish. It’s hard to imagine who else could convincingly fuse fuzzy synths with slide guitar; crunchy chords with chiming vocals in such a kaleidoscopic pop vision. The album’s cover art, featuring a refracted analogue photograph taken of Kane atop of a rocky precipice; echoes the spirit of lean guitar-pop shining through a truly contemporary, innovative lens. His attention to detail shows up the fat slack present in the work of many of Kane’s contemporaries; yet his sound remains emotive and playfully laced with a tongue-in-cheek nostalgia – timelessly old and new in the same breath.

What sets Kane apart from the rafts of DIY indie songwriters is a willingness to push further. Having mastered the lo-fi aesthetic, he’s stretched his already limber songwriting legs and production chops to new unexpected spaces on Two Hearts and No Brain. Kane’s vision of extending his sound far beyond the bedroom promises international touring and releases the world over. With a live show that exhibits his unpredictable and exhilarating command on stage, Kane’s amassed a band of cohorts to execute his vision with arresting impact, sure to charm crowds with his sideways slant of guitar pop.

Listen To Kane Strang’s “My Smile Is Extinct”:
https://youtu.be/Q1fVG1IctmA
https://soundcloud.com/deadoceans/kane-strang-my-smile-is-extinct-3

Watch & Listen:
“Oh So You’re Off I See” video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0mAC5NldNg
“Oh So You’re Off I See” audio – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1VLO17X3Is&feature=youtu.be

Two Hearts and No Brain tracklist:
1. Lagoons
2. Silence Overgrown
3. Not Quite
4. Oh So You’re Off I See
5. See Thru
6. Summertime In Your Lounge
7. My Smile Is Extinct
8. Two Hearts and No Brain
9. It’s Not That Bad
10. Don’t Follow Me (I’m Lost)
11. Good Guy

Kane Strang UK/EU Tour Dates:
Sat. May 13 – Zurich, CH @ Stall 6 (Lauter Festival) (tickets)
Mon. May 15 – Manchester, UK @ Gullivers (tickets)
Tue. May 16 – Leeds, UK @ Headrow House (tickets)
Wed. May 17 – London, UK @ The Lexington (tickets)
Thu. May 18 – Brighton, UK @ The Great Escape (tickets)
Fri. May 19 – Brighton, UK @ The Great Escape (tickets)
Fri. May 19 – Brighton, UK @ The Mucky Duck (The Great Escape) (tickets)
Sat. May 20 – Antwerp, BE @ Trix
Mon. May 22 – Berlin, DE @ Privatclub (tickets)
Tue. May 23 – Paris, FR @ La Mecanique Ondulatoire
Wed. May 24 – Kortrijk, BE @ De Kreun (tickets)
Thu. May 25 – London, UK @ Greenman Presents Courtyard at Kings X (tickets)
Sat. May 27 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Upstairs (London Calling) (tickets)