Maps & Atlases reveal album and tour details

It's a good day for Maps & Atlases fans as they recently released a new track "Solid Ground" on their Myspace, revealed the release date of their debut full-length Perch Patchwork for June 26th,an announced a new US tour besides Scotland's Frightened Rabbit.

Hear the new track and check to see if their playing by you at their Myspace here:
http://www.myspace.com/mapsandatlases

Hear their two previous EPs to gear up for the latest release here:

Good Old War - Only Way To Be Alone (2008)

It's no secret that I'm a sucker for artful, melody-driven folk and Good Old War delivers that with their debut album Only Way To Be Alone. The trio fits together almost perfectly, aptly showcasing Keith Goodwin's vocals that seem to practically burst with a raw honesty and sentimentally. The band achieves a level of combined musicianship that often takes tons of years to master and their three-part vocal harmonies are downright heavenly. Even when outside collaborators Anthony Green, Dave Davison, and Unlikely Cowboy's Alison Wadsworth are featured on tracks "Weak Man" and "Stay By My Side" you can hardly tell they're not members of the band. From the opening strains of "Coney Island" to the harmony-laden "Stay By My Side" the album is pure folksy goodness guaranteed to please.

You can preview the whole album at their bandcamp or here:


The band's sophomore album is currently in the works so keep your eyes open for news on that front and check out their tour schedule to see if you can make a show.

28 Costumes release new song and announce tracklist

Not too far back I mentioned 28 Costumes was going to release their new album this summer, well this Saturday a luck 100 concertgoers will get the chance to own the album before it's release date. For all the rest of us though 28 Costumes has put up a new song on their Myspace called "Liked Me After All?"

They also announced their tracklist which is as follows:
1. Inside/Outside
2. You Excite Me
3. This Band Has Eaten All Our Money
4. I Get Filled With Rage
5. Walking At Pace Uphill
6. Erika
7. Liked Me After All?
8. Blame
9. You Belong
10. I've Been Repeating Myself For A Long Time

Listen to it here:
http://www.myspace.com/28costumes

Good Old War announce US Tour

Philadelphia folk trio Good Old War just announced the dates for their upcoming headlining tour with Yukon Blonde and Audra Mae (whom I've never heard of but I'm sure are great) here's a list of their upcoming shows:

5/20 The Note - West Chester, Pennsylvania
5/24 Smiling Moose - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
5/25 The Grog Shop - Cleveland Heights, Ohio
5/26 Magic Stick - Detroit, Michigan
5/28 Beat Kitchen - Chicago, Illinois
5/29 7th Street Entry - Minneapolis, Minnesota
5/30 Slow Down - Omaha, Nebraska
5/31 The Marquis Theater - Denver, Colorado
6/3 The Venue - Boise, Idaho
6/4 El Corazon - Seattle, Washington
6/5 Hawthorne Theater - Portland, Oregon
6/7 Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, California
6/9 SOMA - San Diego, California
6/11 Troubadour - Los Angeles, California
6/14 The Loft - Dallas, Texas
6/15 Zombies - San Antonio, Texas
6/19 Backbooth - Orlando, Florida
6/21 Masquerade - Atlanta, Georgia
6/22 Tremont Music Hall - Charlotte, North Carolina
6/23 Ottobar - Baltimore, Maryland
6/25 Maxwell's - Hoboken, New Jersey
6/26 The Studio at Webster Hall - New York, New York
6/27 The Middle East - Cambridge, Massachusetts

So if Good Old War is playing in a city near you, I strongly recommend you buy a ticket. You won't be disappointed. Never heard of them? Get a taste here:


You can also catch them at Bamboozle New Jersey on May 2nd along with great acts like Kevin Devine, Matt & Kim, MGMT, Minus the Bear, and OK Go.

Megafaun releases new song

Freak folk rockers Megafaun have been pretty busy with the their first major headlining tour in support of their sophomore record Gather, Form, & Fly that I didn't expect to hear anything from them for some time. Well, the band recently put up a new song on their Myspace called "Volunteers". The extensive tour with serve to introduce fans to new songs off their mini-album Heretofore, to be released this summer. So check the new song out at their Myspace and if it's your cup of tea look for a Megafaun show near you:
http://www.myspace.com/megafaun


Also the band plans on recording another album this fall so stay tuned for more info on that.

Pitstop: Elle s'appelle

Meet Elle s'appelle. French for "She is called", the powerpop three piece is actually no more but in a fit of nostalgia I felt the need to mention them. Composed of Andy Donovan on bass, Lucy Blakely on keys, and Owen Cox on drums, the trio created energetic pieces they called "hyperactive nursery rhymes" probably called such for the lightning quickness and sing-a-long quality of their songs. The news of the bands break ocurred in August of 2008 with a post on their Myspace by Donovan stating that he was leaving to lend his guitar skills to fellow Liverpool band 28 Costumes and that the other members were moving on to other possibly not musical things and mentioned a possible Where Are They Now? type article (that I'm still waiting for). It was a sad day especially cause the band was hard at work on their debut album. The band had only one previous release for their single "Little Flame" released on Moshi Moshi Records. And so while fans wait for news of the bandmates happenings, fiend for album recordings to surface, and hold out for hope that the band will get back together, enjoy this video of the band playing a four song set on City Centre Social:


You can also hear music from the band on their myspace page:
http://www.myspace.com/ellesappelleband

Watch - Freelance Whales - "Generator 2nd Floor"

With an appearance at SXSW and an upcoming slot at Lollapalooza, it's pretty needless to say that Queens based Freelance Whales is an up and coming band to watch. About to release their debut album Weathervanes on April 13th, the band has recently uploaded their debut video on Myspace for the track "Generator Second Floor".

The video features the band members walking across a snowy wasteland dressed in Mexican skeleton masks, ponchos, and sombreros led by their lead singer/banjoist. The band encounters a girl lying on a blanket in a snowfree foresty area and awaken her by tying electical chords around her limbs and playing and in return she gives them a basket of apples and they proceed across the frozen landscape burying them in the snow followed by them turning into apple trees. It's very Johnny Appleseed meets Frankstein.

Watch it here:

Freelance Whales - Generator 2nd Floor

Freelance Whales | MySpace Music Videos