Despite the 2010 postponement, organizers intend to move toward continuing ROTHBURY in 2011. According to Stein, “This event is something very special, and we are unwilling to potentially tarnish what ROTHBURY is, and can become, by working under conditions that will produce anything less than a magical experience. Our efforts are certainly not coming to an end.”



We have a wagonload of free downloads of music and videos as well as links for live streams for you this month.

Emanuel and the Fear

Emanual and the Fear released a new music video for The Rain Becomes The Clouds, a beautifully animated music video depicting a random stroll through the life of NYC resident, Emanuel Ayvas. With various appearances by the Fear, the video follows Emanuel through the streets of NYC, onto the subway, and lastly to the roof of a Brooklyn apartment building where the music flourishes into a climatic conclusion. Drawing from the lyrics and essentially from the name of the band, the video explores optimistic outlook in a world where pessimism is rife and part of the everyday.

Music video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wK2QGKSgLY

http://www.fearlessmusic.com/video/emanuel-and-the-fear-rain-becomes-the-clouds-live-on-fearless-music

 Keep an eye out for Emanuel and the Fear’s new full-length album, Listen, available in March through Paper Garden Records! More details to be announced soon!

Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté

World Circuit and Nonesuch Records are set to release Ali and Toumani, the second and last album pairing the late Malian guitar virtuoso Ali Farka Touré and kora master Toumani Diabaté, on February 23. Recorded over three afternoons at London’s Livingston Studios in 2005, with contributions from the late Orlando “Cachaíto” López on bass, Ali and Toumani is the successor to the duo’s Grammy-winning In the Heart of the Moon. The new album was produced by Nick Gold and beautifully recorded by Jerry Boys, the same production team behind the earlier recording. It is the last album recorded by both Ali Farka Touré and Cachaíto López.

Video clip for the song “Kala Djula”: http://pitchfork.com/tv/#/musicvideo/3930-ali-farka-toure-toumani-diabate-kala-djula-world-circuit

Short film on the making of the album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZynyK8FlMM

Album info: http://www.nonesuch.com/albums/ali-and-toumani

Via Tania

Via Tania will be touring with the Windish Family, including appearances at SXSW.

The release of a new single, “Fields,” will be announced soon, as well as an exciting music video shot by none other than the  Aussie production team Moop Jaw (The Temper Trap, The Presets, The Golden Filter, Peaches, Miami Horror, Neon Indian), who will be taking Tania into the beautiful, rural mountain lands of Mount Buller, a spectacular locale known for its sunsets and breathtaking landscapes. 

Free Download of “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” (Nina Simone Cover)

https://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=batch_download&send_id=791977070&email=fea7688fae285adf37834799b3315f54

KICKBEND

Chicagoland blues-rock band KickBend recently recorded “Christmas lights” with guest musicians Mario, Joe, and Steve.

The free download is available on KickBend’s Broadjam page:

http://www.broadjam.com/artists/songs.php?artistID=10746&mediaID=463028

www.kickbend.com

HOUSTON BROTHERS

The Houston Brothers and Chocolate Lab Records announce the release of “‘Confederate Dunce,” a track from their new album The Archer, which was released January 16, 2010.

 The band says it was a song that was prompted by a tremendous life change and upheaval. “It took years to flesh out, and may seem outwardly raging, but the song’s heart is warm. We read ‘A Confederacy of Dunces’ in high school honors English and it seemed a most appropriate reference…” says songwriter, Justin Faircloth.

You can find more about the band at: http://www.myspace.com/thehoustons

And get a free download of “Confederate Dunce” at: http://www.chocolatelabrecords.com/confederatedunce.mp3

You can also get a free download of their holiday song “Christmas lights” at Broadjam.

http://www.broadjam.com/artists/songs.php?artistID=10746&mediaID=463028

Watch the video of the live recording of the song:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ6ykr7Q0uI

“Christmas lights” is KickBend’s take on the beautiful melody composed by the late-great Zdenko Runjic. Unlike most holiday tunes, ”Christmas lights” is about keeping those in need in our thoughts ”when Christmas lights are gone.”

Plants and Animals

photo Caroline Desilets

Plants and Animals (Warren C. Spicer, Matthew “the Woodman” Woodley, and Nicolas Basque) is the product of a musical three-way between two boyhood friends from Canada’s East Coast and a French-Canadian. Full of analog warmth, their music sounds instantly familiar, as though it could have been made in 1972, while also somehow feeling undeniably recent and raw.

They debuted, Parc Avenue, in early 2008 and will release their sophomore effort, La La Land on April 20 on Secret City.  It is louder and tougher than Parc Avenue, but also smoother and more cohesive. The album was recorded at the band’s hometown go-to studio in Montreal, The Treatment Room, and at Studio La Frette outside Paris—a brokedown old mansion filled with vintage gear and a killer board in the cellar.

From California coast vibes to Montreal winters and Spanish trains, La La Land is just as eclectic as Parc Avenue, but there’s something more mature holding the music together now. Inspired by a rediscovery of electric guitars, amplification and fuzz pedals, it takes us up and away from Parc Avenue’s Montreal-in-the-summer vibe, and out into the big league rock n’ roll ether. It’s like all the experimentation and attention to detail in the studio over the years has bred a kind of confidence in them that you can hear all the way through La La Land. As they might say in the movies, La La Land isn’t a place—it’s a state of mind. Plants and Animals has never been a band with much interest in posturing or unnecessary theatrics, but on La La Land the curtain isn’t just pulled back, it’s gone entirely.

Stay tuned for lots more news on Plants and Animals and La La Land and enjoy this sneak peek of what’s to come with the album’s first track “Tom Cruz,”available here: 

http://www.secretcityrecords.com/albums/la-la-land

Check them out here:
www.plantsandanimals.ca
www.myspace.com/plantsandanimals
www.facebook.com/pages/plants-an…

Dukes of Stratosphear

The Complete And Utter Dukes is a special LIMITED edition release of XTC’s pseudonymous output as “The Dukes of Stratosphear” released domestically at the end of 2009 on XTC mainman Andy Partridge’s Ape House label, distributed by ADA. This LIMITED EDITION purple cloth-covered box set held closed with an O-card completes even the completist’s collection with everything the Dukes ever recorded presented in a variety of formats. We’ve seen some great reviews, a sampling of which I include below, and there’s more on the way. I’m hoping you’ll take time to check out the music and consider covering — we do have all the music from the set available on promo CDs, available upon request

This includes the vinyl versions of 25 O’Clock and Psonic Psunspot are faithful to the original in their content and were remastered especially for these vinyl pressings. Both come on 180 gram vinyl in gatefold sleeves and newly designed inner bags. There’s also a 7 inch single featuring Andy Partridge’s “Tin Toy Clockwork Train,” a track written for a psychedelic Euro Star ad campaign and Colin Moulding’s demo of “The Affiliated.” You also get both 25 O’Clock and Psonic Psunspot are on separate CDs, again, having been completely remastered from the original analogue tapes, with generous bonus material and packaged in hardback books boasting 24-page booklets of extensive liner notes. There is a “puzzle” that is exactly that: a psyched-out, mindbendingly difficult 500 piece jigsaw. You’ll also find five Dukes US dollars, psychedelic sheckels, one of which can be redeemed for an EXCLUSIVE Dukes T Shirt.

And for your viewing pleasure, here’s their video fro “Mole From The Ministry:”

and here’s a download link for the same track:

https://rcpt.yousendit.com/802218462/3ad4842658c83bd5d815b2958cd5ff9f

Bear Hands

What A Drag to be released February 16

LIVE MUSIC ALERT: Bear Hands will play the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis on March 9

“Bear Hands make aptly grizzly indie-rock growls, resembling a hungover, vicious Cold War Kids” -The Fly

“The energetic guitars crunch with a touch of Ted Leo & the Pharmacists’ edge and Rau’s piercing vocals call up comparisons to another idiosyncratic ironist: Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock” -Spin

Bear Hands release their new single ‘What A Drag’ on Cantora Records and for one month, you can download the tunes for free!

Just when all the fuss is exploding on the Brooklyn indie art and pop rock scene, Cantora Records are ready to unleash Brooklyn’s Bear Hands US debut single, and their sexiest tune yet, What A Drag on February 16th. But this band doesn’t sound like they are remotely influenced in the least by what’s going on musically around them. They’re breaking the mold making them a truly refreshing and standout group, opening their own rift, letting everyone know there’s a new sheriff in town.

 What A Drag will be available digitally, in addition to a 1000 limited run pressing of 7″ white vinyl. Download it now for free for 1 month only and watch the brand new video for the single:

 www.bearhandsband.com

 EELS

MySpace is premiering the new EELS END TIMES album (out next Tuesday, January 19) in its entirety. Listen to the album on the EELS MySpace player right now, right here:

http://www.myspace.com/eels

Johnny Action Figure

Johnny Action Figure self-released a brand new, full-length album, Good Eye, on Tuesday, January 19, 2010. Since forming in 1999, vocalists/guitarists Chris Sheehan and Brendan Fullam (sharing duties), bassist/vocalist CF Fullam, and drummer Brad Rittle blend modern and classic sounds, and their wide range of styles and influences come together on Good Eye. Each song on the album stands remarkably on its own, all while Johnny Action Figure’s signature three-part harmonies maintain an incredibly imaginative vocal balance.

Good Eye is a 12-song follow up to the band’s critically-acclaimed debut EP in 2006, Asks The Room To Please Stop Spinning; an album which spawned a tour through major US cities. Johnny Action Figure has performed with some of the bigger names in alternative music such as Wilco, Pete Yorn, and The Get Up Kids. A spring tour is planned to support the album. 

Get a free MP3 download of “Manhattan Hymnals,” ”Young Rider,” and “Barnstomp” at:

http://www.sonicbids.com/jaf

You can watch the “Young Rider” Music Video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7sAfJdv8pk

Dubskin

From the college town of Fort Collins, CO, comes the blazing five-piece roots reggae band, Dubskin, featuring drummer Cory Eberhard of Pretty Lights. The project, known for their off-beat bass-laden rhythms and spiritually-aware lyrics are releasing their sophomore effort, No End in Time for free on the band’s website.

With an eye on the past and a foot in the future, Dubskin captures an authentic Caribbean sound replete with soulful vocals, newfangled ska, and soaring guitar undertones. Dropping dance-ready beats with spot on harmonics is second nature to the band that has performed with Burning Spear, Israel Vibration, Barrington Levy, Morgan Heritage, The Itals, Midnite, and Mad Professor.
The five-piece project features Jamal Skinner (Vocals), Cory Eberhard (Drums), Jason Wieseler (Keys and Samples), Phil Salvaggio (Guitars), and Dean Curtis (Bass). Collectively the project has self-released two rousing albums since they formed in 2006. However, No End in Time allows the band to shine.

To download No end in time check out the bands website at: http://dubskinmusic.com/Home/NoEndInTime

Groove Armada featuring Bryan Ferry

“How can a tune invoke both a smoky Parisian café glinting with the reflections of lost loves and early David Bowie?  Bryan Ferry keeps his legendary Roxy Music roots front and center on this exclusive Groove Armada tune—replete with a downtempo melody, piano keys and a plaintive beat that turns tempestuous. It’s Groove Armada—sexy’s a given! But there’s something more intellectual at play; it’s clear this sound is more dance-informed progression than chillout track. ” – RCRD LBL

Groove Armada’s new album, Black Light, will be out March 2 on OM Records.
 
Download “Shameless” (featuring Bryan Ferry) from RCRD LBL: http://rcrdlbl.com/2010/01/19/exclusive_new_download_groove_armada_shameless_feat_bryan_ferry_?utm_source=Girlie+Master+List&utm_campaign=8d4db25745-groove_armada_bryan_ferry_track1_20_2010&utm_medium=email