Ringside - Lost Days

While Zooey Deschannel's musical side project She & Him sure gets tons of coverage, there's another "celerity" band worthy of praise: Ringside. Composed of guitarist, keyboardist, and vocalist Scott Thomas and actor Balthazar Getty providing beats and producing. Lost Days released this past week is the follow up to their 2005 self-titled debut. It combines the borrowed genre elements used on the debut with a new, more rugged sound. That's not to say the whole album is full of rough-and-tumble rock songs, there's also slower, more introspective tracks like "Stay" and "Love in the Asylum". All throughout the album there's this perfect balance achieved between the beats and the other musical content, no doubt due to the two artists' long collaboration with each other. It's catchy without being fake, and noisy without being irritating: pop rock done oh so right.

Lost Days features numerous guest appearances like Ben Harper on "Lost Days", Joaquin and sister Rain Phoenix on backing vocals, and Weezer's Brian Bell to name a few. It's the product of much labor and love, financed and released by the band itself on their own imprint Ringside, Inc. Here's hoping it's not another six years until they release their next album but if that's what it takes for them to produce another album of this quality, then so be it. Get a taste of Ringside with the video for soft rocking lead track/single "Lost Days" featuring Ben Harper:


If you like what you hear, you can give them whole album a listen and buy it at their Bandcamp here.

Fleet Foxes reveal album details and new tour dates

After almost three years, folk rock quintet Fleet Foxes is finally releasing its sophomore album. The album titled Helplessness Blues is slated for a May 3rd release date, after which the band will depart on a North American tour.

Tour dates:
4/30 The Vogue Theatre - Vancouver British Columbia, Canada
5/1 Crystal Ballroom - Portland, Oregon
5/3 Moore Theatre - Seattle, Washington
5/5 Fox Theater - Oakland, California
5/6 Spreckles Theatre - San Diego, California
5/7 Hollywood Palladium - Hollywood, California
5/8 Rialto Theatre - Tucson, Arizona
5/10 Stubb's Waller Creek - Austin, Texas
5/11 Palladium Ballroom - Dallas, Texas
5/13 Ryman Auditorium - Nashville, Tennessee
5/14 The Tabernacle - Atlanta, Georgia
5/15 DAR Constitution Hall - Washington D.C.
5/17 Orpheum Theatre - Boston, Massachusetts
5/18 The United Palace Theatre - New York, New York
5/21 Tower Theatre - Upper Darby, Pennsylvania

Limited pre-sale tickets as well as album pre-orders will be available tomorrow. You can also download the title track from the album here.

Pitstop: Crystal Fighters

Crystal Fighters might very well be the most unique band I've ever heard. The London-based Spanish invoking quintet combines Basque folk instruments with synthesizers to create folk-tronic dance-pop. It's a mash-up of so many genres it' almost hard to believe but Crystal Fighters does it very well. Whether the vocals are chanted, sung, or spoken, their melodies are as undeniable as the beats they create. Normally one who avoids club music there's something intriguing about them that compels you to listen. It's no wonder the group has played numerous musical festivals.

I'm not exactly sure what made Crystal Fighters request to follow me on Twitter (leading me to discover them) but I'm glad they did. Their music is refreshing in its newness and charming in its delivery. The band released their debut album Star of Love in October, you can listen to the full album stream here.

Get a peek at their distinct sound with "Plage":
Plage by Crystal Fighters

Pitstop: Matt Pond PA

I had heard of Matt Pond PA mentioned numerous times throughout 2010. And for some reason never checked it out. What actually prompted me to give it a listen was seeing the name on the calender for a local concert venue. The venue normally caters to hardcore, screamo, and the various varieties of punk music so I was surprised when I saw Matt Pond PA on the calender. On every instance I had seen or heard his name, a genre was never attached. One Google search landed me on his MySpace page. Turns out Matt Pond PA is the name of the NY-based Philadelphia-born full band that accompanies singer/songwriter Matt Pond. His music evokes sunny warm Spring days regardless of what time of year it actually is. Unlike most full band's centered around a songwriter, every part is given its chance to soar and make its presence known. Sure, the instrumentals mostly compliment Matt Pond's vocals but they're not so out of focus that you can't recognize the talent there.


Get a taste of Matt Pond PA with the video for "Starting" from last year's release The Dark Leaves. And if you like the band's sound make sure you catch them on their tour beginning February 25. You can view the dates here.

Now Streaming: Telekinesis - 12 Desperate Straight Lines

Telekinesis has undergone some considerably changes over the year(s) like line-up changes but what hasn't changed is leader Michael Benjamin Lerner's brilliantly shiny powerpop. His sophomore album 12 Desperate Straight Lines was inspired by heartbreak, a van crash, and a restless spirit. It's both charmingly familiar and subtly different.

You can stream the new album in full before its February 15th release date at NPR here.

Telekinesis - 12 Desperate Straight Lines

Michael Benjamin Lerner aka the man behind Telekinesis won me over long ago with debut album Telekinesis! back in 2009. Add to the fact that he's worked with underrated singer/songwriter Anya Marina and well, the man can pretty much do no wrong. "Dirty Thing" is by far one of the catchiest songs I've encountered over the past year but for all the right reasons. It's light and poppy but not too much and is one of those examples of happy songs that are actually kinda sad.

Considering the album's inspired by feelings of desperation, depression, anger, and hopelessness, you might be surprised by the album's upbeat high-energy pop sound and yet that's what attracts you to Telekinesis. The duality between the catchiness of the songs themselves and the actual meaning of the lyrics. On 12 Desperate Straight Lines you get vestiges of Learner's established sound while he also throws in more experimentation. It's noisier than the debut but no less accessible. Proving you never know what to except from him: Learner redoes previously released "Dirty Thing" and makes it sound more nostalgia a feat I didn't even know was possible.

12 Desperate Straight Lines proves that even life's low points have good in them. Learner's tracks dance where others would weep, smile when others would frown, and practically shine with optimism. It's the more positive break-up album you bound to ever hear.

You can preorder the album (whose release date is February 15) here.

Watch: Lykke Li - "I Follow Rivers"

When she's not selling out shows worldwide, Swedish siren Lykke Li is creating art. After an untitled video where Lykke Li gets in touch with her primal side and savagely attacking the sand on a beach. The video for her second single from upcoming sophomore album Wounded Rhymes "I Follow Rivers", finds Lykke Li traversing the snowy plains of Gotland with Swedish Lebanese actor Fares Fares. Well more like chasing after him. Even going barefoot in the freezing snow to catch up to him. And when she catches up with him there's like a minute of kissing. After the super fem-powered "Get Some", it shows a softer side to the take no prisoners persona established in her past couple videos. And yet, even when she's comforting a man, barefoot in the snow, a steely glance at the camera reminds you that she's still no pushover. Enjoy the video for "I Follow Rivers":

Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers (Director: Tarik Saleh) from Lykke Li on Vimeo.