ANR - Stay Kids

Miami duo ANR released the deluxe edition of their post-apocalyptic indie pop album Stay Kids through 10K Islands. Though the band consists of merely two members – Brian Robertson (Keys, Vocals) and Michael-John Hanock (Vocals, Drums) – they create a powerful sound filled with layered melodies and bountiful hooks. It has landed them shows with bands like Animal Collective, Neon Indian, No Age, and Fucked Up.

Stay Kids is a rhythmically propulsive, psychedelic trip that was inspired largely by recent floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, and other environmental disasters. Much of the album’s lyrics meditate on how such ‘natural’ disasters affect individuals and humanity at large. However, sonically-speaking the album is by no means morose. Instead, the synth-heavy and often danceable material feels triumphant. Each song is a journey through carefully sculpted, dream-pop soundscapes with frequent, unexpected and exciting detours.

ANR’s live show highlights a different aspect of the band, bringing out their punk influences as well as their penchant for German progressive acts of the 70’s.

Check out the latest video of their song It's Around You.

ANR (Awesome New Republic) "It's Around You" from Mayer\Leyva on Vimeo.

Planningtorock Announces W

W is the second Planningtorock album by Bolton-born, Berlin-based musician and visual artist Janine Rostron, a genuinely unique artist. Her individuality and ingenuity is heard here on W in the full glory of a creative high. Unsettling yet evocative, making comparisons to such luminaries as Grace Jones and Bjork not far wide of the mark.

The latest single to be released from W is the baroque boogie of “Living It Out.” A song described as a “tense disco track” and one of the album’s stand-out highlights by Pitchfork and “euphoric” by Nylon Magazine, it is one of the most immediate tracks on the album and features the drumming skills of LCD Soundsytem’s Pat Mahoney. On this two part remix 12” the inimitable, and much missed Warp producer, France’s Jackson (Jackson and His Computer Band) delivers an exceptional eight minute remix, teasing out the original tune’s pulses, rhythms and spaces, all beautifully cut up with Janine’s myriad vocal layers, building up to an epic, dirty crescendo at the four minute mark, before taking us home with an absolute hands-up dancefloor thumping. More info coming soon.

Living It Out from planningtorock on Vimeo.

American Babies 'Joeline'

Tom Hamilton’s American Babies are kicking off their Fall with a new look to their online presence with the release of the new VIDEO for Flawed Logic’s “Joeline”. This is the band’s third video from Flawed Logic directed by Hamilton and finds a cast made up of some of Philadelphia’s finest musicians, including members of Dr. Dog, Hezekiah Jones, and the Disco Biscuits.

Destroyer 'Savage Night at the Opera'

Destroyer - Savage Night at the Opera from Merge Records on Vimeo.

Another superb video from indie pop outfit Destroyer brought to you by Merge Records.

Blackbells 'This is Home'

A Very She & Him Christmas Album Out in October

Merge Records is proud to announce the release of She & Him’s first-ever holiday recording entitled A Very She & Him Christmas on October 25, 2011.

A Very She & Him Christmas is a wonderful collection of holiday tunes from two of music’s most impressive artists–Zooey Deschanel (She) & M. Ward (Him). Inspired by seminal holiday albums by the likes of The Carpenters, Vince Guaraldi, The Beach Boys, Elvis Presley and more, She & Him have set out to create an intimate holiday recording of Christmas classics that helps bring new emotions out of old songs.

Recorded in Los Angeles and NYC at various points in 2011, A Very She & Him Christmas sees the duo stepping back slightly from the layered, lush aesthetic of their critically acclaimed second album, Volume Two. On A Very She & Him Christmas, Deschanel and Ward let the songs speak for themselves, oftentimes recording them with just acoustic guitar and vocals. Consistent in everything are the elements that have made She & Him one of the most loved bands of the last few years–Deschanel’s soulful vocal delivery and Ward’s impressive guitar work, both sounding as timeless as ever.

Check in soon for more information.

Silje Nes Unveils New Video

Berlin-based Norwegian Silje Nes has released a great new video. Created in the unusual portrait format, it was filmed by Blank Blank in time lapse over 24 hours in Flø, Norway.

The video was created for Silje's live performance at the GO WITH THE FLØ festival. Beautifully shot, the film documents the Norwegian countryside and changing atmospheric conditions and is sympathetically soundtracked by a new abstract instrumental track which Silje created.

FLØ from Blank Blank on Vimeo.