Friday Music News

05/05/2017

Janice Headley

LCD Soundsystem // photo by James Bailey

If you were listening to The Morning Show on KEXP this morning, you heard DJ John Richards play the new LCD Soundsystem. As reported yesterday, two songs debuted last night -- "Call the Police" and "American Dream" -- both available now in digital format, and streaming below. No definite news on the new album, but frontman James Murphy wrote on Facebook yesterday:
"seriously almost done with the LP. 1 more vocal and 2 more mixes to go. as eager as folks have been for me to get this done, it's got nothing on how much i want to be finished myself. it's been one of the most enjoyable records to make in my life, if not the most fun ever (i think it is, for sure, the happiest i've ever been making a record.) so it will be sad in some ways to see it leave the house etc., but we're really looking forward to not feeling "late" all the time, and being able to do things like plan a weekend to do something fun. or respond to an email about eating with a friend with something other than 'i'm sorry! i'm totally buried in the LP! check with me in a month?"
Murphy's friends may have to wait a little longer for hang out time: LCD Soundsystem are the musical guest this weekend on Saturday Night Live and the band have just been announced as Friday's headliners at the Sasquatch! Music Festival. [ Under the Radar ]

For Record Store Day, Avey Tare and Geologist of Animal Collective shared a limited edition EP, Meeting Of The Waters. If you didn't manage to snag a copy, you can console yourself with the digital version, out now. The four-song collection was recorded live in the Amazon rainforest outside Manaus, Brazil in early 2016. A portion of the proceeds will go to IDESAM (Instituto de Conservação e Desenvolvimento Sustentável do Amazonas), a non-profit dedicated to the conservation of the Amazon region. Animal Collective play the Neptune Theatre on Thursday, June 29th. [ Consequence of Sound ]

It's been a couple of years, but Montreal band The Dears are finally delivering a follow-up to 2015's Times Infinity Volume One. Times Infinity Volume Two will be out July 14th via Dangerbird in the U.S. and Paperbag in Canada. Frontman/founder Murray Lightburn calls the release "a record driven by an unmistakable sense of unease - as the comparatively darker component of the Times Infinity series," adding, "I worked deliriously towards finishing Volume Two. In part it was because I knew precisely how it was all supposed to fit together but mostly because there was another band's session coming within just hours. It really recalled those overnight mixing sessions for No Cities Left, complete with a fresh-faced Howard [studio co-owner Bilerman] arriving in the morning, coffee in hand, asking, 'how did it go?' I still don't really know. But I did my best." Listen to the first single "Of Fisticuffs" below. [ Under the Radar ]

Former Gossip frontwoman Beth Ditto is on the verge of releasing her debut solo album, Fake Sugar. We've already been spinning the lead single "Fire," and now we have another new track to add to rotation, the bluesy, powerful "Oo La La." Listen below. Fake Sugar will be out June 16th via Virgin Records. [ Stereogum ]

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Sasquatch! Music Festival 2017: LCD Soundsystem Announced

Just announced: LCD Soundsystem has joined the 2017 Sasquatch! Music Festival lineup. The beloved New York City band will replace Frank Ocean as the headliner on Friday, May 26th, as he had to drop out due to production delays beyond his control.