aaamusic | On 03, Feb 2011

LOW ANNOUNCES NEW RECORD ‘C’MON’ & WORLD TOUR (headline BARBICAN 3rd June) Free MP3 of “Try to Sleep” Available Now from http://www.subpop.com/artists/low

Longstanding Duluth, MN trio Low will release their latest full-length record, C’mon, on April 11th, 2011 on Sub Pop. Starting todayAdd an event for today, you can listen to and download “Try to Sleep,” the lead track from the upcoming album from the above link. (There’s a widget there which you can embed for use in news stories and the like)

C’mon was recorded in an old church in Duluth and mixed in Hollywood with producer Matt Beckley working alongside the band. Singer Alan Sparhawk describes C’mon simply as “Warm, pretty, large like Nashville without the country. Mim and I are talking to each other in the lyrics, sometimes it’s not pretty, but it’s as honest as love.”

Low’s music recently reached a new audience via a rather unmistakable voice.  On his 2010 solo album Band of Joy, Robert Plant covered two Low songs from their 2005 release The Great Destroyer garnering a Grammy nomination for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance for his interpretation of “Silver Rider.”

On March 16th, during this year’s South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, TX, Low will perform an intimate and undoubtedly memorable show at St. David’s Sanctuary, which will serve as the first of a 28-date world tour in support of the new album. Full list of dates check here http://chairkickers.com/news/

LOW SXSW & UK Tour Dates:
Wednesday March 16th – St. David’s Sanctuary (SXSW) – Austin, TX
Monday May 16 – Queens Social Club – Sheffield
Tuesday May 17 – Classic Grand – Glasgow
Wednesday May 18 -The Sage Gateshead – Gateshead
Thursday May 19 – Club Academy – Manchester
Friday May 20 – Trinity – Bristol
Friday June 3 – Barbican – London

PAPERCUTS RELEASE FIRST ALBUM FOR SUB POP (Feb 28th), ‘FADING PARADE’, plus 3 free MP3s bundle! http://www.subpop.com/artists/papercuts

Subtlety is often an underrated quality. That’s partly why Papercuts’ new album, ‘Fading Parade’ – the band’s fourth overall, and first for Sub Pop – is such a breath of fresh air. Papercuts principal Jason Robert Quever’s beautiful songwriting is thoughtful, quietly evocative and simultaneously ambitious. This is dream pop of the highest order, but unlike a lot of contemporary bands that fall under the same sonic umbrella, Papercuts isn’t trying to emulate shoegaze heavy hitters from yesteryear. Instead, Quever’s embraced a gentler, more sophisticated approach to presenting pop music that’s steeped in atmosphere.

Sub Pop are in a giving mood, you can listen/download the band’s next single entitled “Do You Really Want to Know” in the form of a cute lil widget, which also includes the never before released track “UFO” and album track “Do What You Will”. Get them here: http://www.subpop.com/artists/papercuts and feel free to embed / share around.

Check a YoursTruly performance of the new single: http://vimeo.com/19411398

Papercuts will be touring the US through Feb, March and April with bessie mates Beach House, along with shows with Young Prisms, Still Corners and our very own BANJO OR FREAKOUT. Fear not, there are plans to hit the UK this Spring as well.

OBITS RELEASE NEW ALBUM ‘MOODY, STANDARD AND POOR’ ON 28th MARCH 2011 http://www.subpop.com/artists/obits

The answer to the question, “Are Obits ‘indie rock veterans’?” is yes and no. Yes, they are accomplished musicians who once fronted Drive Like Jehu, Edsel, Hot Snakes, and Pitchfork. But also; No, they are not active or retired members of the United States military. It’s good to get these things sorted out. Don’t worry—there are no dumb questions.

Are Obits a young band? They are. Another good question. A child born in 2007, when Greg Simpson joined as bassist, would not yet be in kindergarten. Obits didn’t self-release their first single (“One Cross Apiece” b/w “Put It in Writing”) until late 2008. Their debut LP (I Blame You, on Sub Pop), wasn’t released until March 2009. Does their stripped-down rock incorporate elements of surf and garage? Absolutely it does. The members of Obits are fans of oldies. They generally dislike newies. But their influences simmer in the crock-pot of human creativity; you will find only disappointment if you try to deduce the muse of any given song.

What of Obits’ new record? Well, for starters, it’s their second full-length, and it’s called Moody, Standard and Poor. It was recorded at Brooklyn’s Saltlands Studio by Eli Janney and Geoff Sanoff. Sub Pop will release it on March 29, 2011. And how will Moody, Standard and Poor make you feel? The short answer is: great. Not Smoking-An-Eightball-Of-Coke great. But Alive-To-New-Listening Experiences great. The long answer is that these twelve songs will take you on a series of emotional road trips. Some will be as brief as a walk to the fridge. Others will be epic pilgrimages to the shady hinterlands of your subconscious. Great records can do this. ‘Moody, Standard and Poor’ is one of ’em.