Slowdive have still got it. The British shoegaze legends reformed in 2014, and are now set to release their fifth album. The first single from that album, "kisses," just sounds like pure vintage 90's shoegaze. It's gorgeous and just oozing with fuzz. The song does have a bit of a pop center to it, so nowadays we would most likely refer to "kisses" as dream pop, but the two genres have a ton of crossover between them. Slowdive have crafted a wonderfully hypnotic song that stands alongside the best of their early 90's heyday, and we couldn't be happier for it.
Vocalist/guitarist Neil Halstead says of the new single:
“It wouldn’t feel right to make a really dark record right now. The album is quite eclectic emotionally, but it does feel hopeful.”
You can watch the video for "kisses" below. everything is alive is due out September 1 on Dead Oceans, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Slowdive, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Sat. June 24 - Exeter, UK @ Phoenix [SOLD OUT] Sun. June 25 - Somerset, UK @ Glastonbury Festival Mon. July 17 - Perth, AU @ Astor Theatre [SOLD OUT] Wed. July 19 - Brisbane, AU @ Princess Theatre Fri. July 21 - Sydney, AU @ Enmore Theatre Sat. July 22 - Melbourne, AU @ Forum Sun. July 23 - Adelaide, AU @ Hindley St. Music Hall Wed. July 26 - Auckland, NZ @ Powerstation [SOLD OUT] Sat. July 29 - Niigata Prefecture, JP @ Fuji Rock Festival Sat. Aug. 5 - Mysłowice, PL @ Off Festival Fri. Aug. 11 - Sicily, IT @ Ypsigrock Festival Fri. Aug. 18 - Brecon Beacon, GB @ Green Man Festival Sat. Sep. 23 - Toronto, ON @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre Mon. Sep. 25 - Boston, MA @ Citizens House of Blues Boston Wed. Sep. 27 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall Thu. Sep. 28 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall Fri. Sep. 29 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer Sat. Sep. 30 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club Mon. Oct. 2 - Cleveland, OH @ The Roxy @ Mahall’s Tue. Oct. 3 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre Wed. Oct. 4 - St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre Fri. Oct. 6 - Denver, CO @ Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom Sat. Oct. 7 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Union Mon. Oct. 9 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom Tue. Oct. 10 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo Thu. Oct. 12 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield Sat. Oct. 14 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether Mon. Oct. 30 - Glasgow, UK @ QMU Tue. Oct. 31 - Manchester, UK @ Ritz Wed. Nov. 1 - Bristol, UK @ SWX Fri. Nov. 3 - London, UK @ Troxy Sun. Nov. 5 - Belfast, UK @ Mandela Hall Mon. Nov. 6 - Dublin, IE @ National Stadium
Somehow Peter Prescott of Mission of Burma and Volcano Suns has another band that I never knew about. Minibeast already released an album that I completely missed back in 2012, and they are currently at work on the follow up, Free Will. Based on a track from the upcoming album, "High Sea," Minibeast shares some common sonic ground with Mission of Burma, but with an added emphasis on the groovy side of things. It's basically the noise and dissonance of Burma but heard through a 60s surf groove, as if Frankie and Annette were punks. You can listen to "High Sea" below. Minibeast currently have a Kickstarter to help fund the final production of Free Will. You can get more information on that here . It should be out sometime in June.
With this weekend's upcoming Newport Folk Festival, we thought we'd highlight some of this year's can't miss acts. We're focusing on the bands playing smaller stages and earlier in the day. I mean, you're obviously going to see Ryan Adams and Jack White. Instead, these are the acts worth getting there early for, and seeking out the smaller stages. Phox Friday, 1:50, Quad Stage Phox hails from Baraboo, WI, the winter home of the Ringling Brothers' Circus. I'm not sure if that is connected to their music or not, but Phox has an otherworldly charm and a magical feel. They come across as a more grounded St. Vincent or a less intense version of early Tori Amos. Their music is simply beautiful and uplifting. Reignwolf Friday, 2:55, Quad Stage Truly pushing the boundaries of what can be considered "folk" are Reignwolf. Reignwolf is Jordan Cook, who sounds like a mixture of The Black Keys and Queens of the Stone Age, mixed with just a lit...
Earlier this week I was expressing sympathy for Limp Bizkit. Limp Bizkit just don't seem to be riding that surge of 90s nostalgia that all sorts of other terrible bands from that era are. Sure, they're terrible. But are they really that much worse than Filter, Alien Ant Farm, and other bands on those 90s nostalgia packages. And then this video is released. The first lyrics to the song are literally "Go fuck yourself." It then features Fred Durst sitting on a toilet, bikini clad chicks pretending to fellate garden hoses and leaf blowers, and Fred Durst talking about fucking bitches, all while wearing a hoodie and a backwards red baseball hat. Then Lil Wayne comes out. Please keep in mind Fred Durst is a 42 year old man.
