The Heligoats - Goodness Gracious (2010)

Once again NPR introduces me to an awesome new artist. This time it's The Heligoats. Washington based The Heligoats is actually composed of singer/songwriter Chris Otepka whose innovative and playful lyrics lend some sense to the delightful moniker, as well as Steve Mitchell, Mike Mergenthaler, and Dave James. Their latest album Goodness Gracious was released almost a year ago and while I'm not surprised it managed to evade my notice, one listen had me regretting that it had. The Tiny Desk concert featuring Otepka provided a lot of insight into the inspiration behind his songs (He has some of the most interesting stories I've ever heard)but even without that insight, you can't deny the infectiousness that is Otepka's charmingly inventive lyrics. "Fish Sticks" is by far my favorite for its high energy balls-to-the-wall energy.

I might not have known about Heligoats a year ago but with releases with Goodness Gracious, I certainly wish I had. The album is as vivacious as it is enchanting, brimming with joy, positive vibes, and charm. It's sure to be an favorite.

Get a taste of The Heligoats with the aforementioned Tiny Desk Concert on NPR featuring Otepka solo:

Acid House Kings let you choose their next single!

Swedish twee group Acid House Kings' fifth studio album Music Sounds Better With You is out this March 22nd, and the group are giving its fans the chance to pick their next single off the album. Here you can listen to samples of the four options for consideration: "Would You Stay Stop?", "Under Water", "(I'm in) A Chorus Line", and "Waterfall" which you can then vote on.

Crystal Fighters present new video

Turns out my discovery of Crystal Fighters was excellent timing because no less than 24 hours after, they released their brand new video for "At Home". The video has a plot which finds several of the band members meeting up after what appears to be a lengthy time period. There's different reactions from each member from eagerness, to anger, to grim acceptance. The plot is reminiscent of your standard summer blockbuster where the young group is bonded by a secret in this case eventually all gathering together to unearth a box they buried awhile ago.

Watch the video for Crystal Fighter's "At Home":

tUnE-yArDs announces new album and tour dates

Last August at Summerstage, Merrill Garbus aka tUnE-yArDs played tons of new songs and at her secret show at The Rock Shop announced the next time she returned to New York, she would have a new record out. Garbus makes good on her promise with the announcement of her new album W H O K I L L out this April 19th on 4AD. Unlike her 2009 debut BiRd-BrAiNs, Garbus trades in her lo-fi DIY aesthetic for a cleaner studio sound funded from featuring "Fiya" in a Blackberry commercial.

You can read Garbus' short interview with Pitchfork here for more info about the album.

In addition to the wonderful news about the record, Garbus also revealed some tour dates starting this Spring:

4/26 Great American Music Hall - San Francisco, California
4/28 Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, Oregon
4/29 The Crocodile - Seattle, Washington
4/30 The Biltmore Cabaret - Vancover, British Columbia, Canada
5/2 Visual Arts Collective - Garden City, Idaho
5/3 Urban Lounge - Salt Lake City, Utah
5/4 Hi Dive - Denver, Colorado
5/6 Jackpot Saloon - Lawrence, Kansas
5/7 Slowdown - Omaha, Nebraska
5/8 Cedar Cultural Center - Minneapolis, Minnesota
5/10 Lincoln Hall - Chicago, Illinois
5/11 The Pike Room @ Crofoot Ballroom - Pontiac, Michigan
5/12 Horseshoe Tavern - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
5/13 La Sala Rossa - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
5/15 Flywheel Arts Collective - Easthampton, Massachusetts
5/16 Brighton Music Hall - Boston, Massachusetts
5/17 Daniel Street - Milton, Connecticut
5/19 The Red Palace - Washington, D.C.
5/20 Johnny Brenda's - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
5/21 Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, New York
6/25 The Troubadour - West Hollywood, California

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