New Entry: Risk Risk Drops New Single "I Hunt For Static"

German minimal synth-pop musician Risk Risk (aka our good friend Stefan K), has dropped his infectious single "I Hunt For Static".

"I Hunt For Static", along with "Heartbeat" (2013), are the latest releases Risk Risk has made. Stefan is currently working on more songs, which we hope to see released soon. We'll keep you posted.

Have a listen to the track below.

(Facebook)

By The Sea To Release New Album 'Endless Days Crystal Sky' This Month

Liverpool/Wirral based indie-pop band By The Sea are set to release their new album titled 'Endless Days Crystal Sky' in August 25 .

The band's sophomore album features 10 new tracks and will be out via their own imprint War Room Records. Check out the tracklist below and Pre-order your copy here.

Tracklist:

01. Endless Days

02. You’re The Only One

03. These Days Fall

04. Youth

05. Emily Says

06. I See A Crystal Sky

07. Another Way

08. The Stranger Things

09. At Your Window

10. Wild September

The band have also shared "You're The Only One", the second track to be taken from the album. Have a listen here. 

(facebook.com/bytheseaband)

The Drums Share "Magic Mountain", First New Track In 3 Years

Last Week, Brooklyn NY indie poppers The Drums announced the release of their new single "Magic Mountain" for September, now the band are streaming the track.

Speaking about the song, vocalist Jonny Pierce says: 

"Not since the Summertime EP has it been just Jacob and I left up to our own devices. Now that we’re back to just the two founding members, we figured we could do whatever we wanted and run with it. Together, we had just one goal: let go of any preconceived ideas that anyone has about The Drums and make songs to be as grand and majestic as we want them to be. "Magic Mountain" is a sparkling reflection of our last three years. It's about shedding off what binds you and protecting whats good, finding a safe place away from everyone and everything that wants to destroy you." (via Noisey).

Have a listen to the infectious track below, it has been added to our current playlist.

(facebook.com/wearethedrums)

Tags: The Drums

Ex Hex Announce Debut Album, Stream New Single "Don't Wanna Lose"

Washington based indie punk trio Ex Hex, comprised by Mary Timony, Laura Harris, and Betsy Wrighthave, have announced they will release their debut album titled 'Rips' in October.

The 12-track album was recorded over two weeks in North Carolina with Mitch Easter (Let's Active, R.E.M.) and in the basement of Mary’s home with frequent collaborator Jonah Takagi.

'Rips' will be out on October 7 in the US and 13 October worldwide via Merge Records. Pre-order your copy here.

The band have also shared the album's first track "Don't Wanna Lose", which has been added to our current playlist, and you can listen to below.

(facebook.com/exhexband)

Tags: Ex Hex

Blonde Redhead Announce New Album 'Barragán', Stream "No More Honey"

New York based alt-rock band Blonde Redhead have announced a new album titled 'Barragán', which will be released on September 2 via Kobalt.

The follow up to their 2010's Penny Sparkle, features 10 songs, and was produced, engineered, and mixed by Drew Brown (Beck, Radiohead, The Books), and recorded at Key Club Recording in Benton Harbor, Michigan and the Magic Shop in New York City. Pre-order your copy now from iTunes,

The band have also shared the album's first track "No More Honey," which can be streamed below the tracklist.

Barragán Tracklist:
01. Barragán
02. Lady M
03. Dripping
04. Cat on Tin Roof
05. The One I Love
06. No More Honey
07. Mine to Be Had
08. Defeatist Anthem (Harry and I)
09. Penultimo
10. Seven Two

Website: blonde-redhead.com

Traams Announce New EP 'Cissa', Stream New Track "Giddy"

Chichester post punk trio Traams have announced they will released a new EP titled 'Cissa' on July 14th via FatCat Records. 

The follow-up to 2013's debut album 'Grin', has been also produced by with Rory Attwell and Hookworms' MJ. 

The band are also streaming their new track "Giddy", which was one of the first songs they wrote after the released of their debut album. 

"It spearheaded a productive month or so of writing that became our new EP 'Cissa'. We jumped straight back in the studio to get them down." The band said.

Have a listen to the track below.

(facebook.com/TRAAMSBAND)

Tags: TRAAMS

Midnight Juggernauts Announce New EP, Stream New Track "Cedoption"

Melbourne, Australia indie/psychedelic trio Midnight Juggernauts have announce the release of a new 2-song EP called 'Cedoption'.

It is the first taste of a series of four EPs the band have slated for 2014, with the first out this Friday. The release coincides with the premiere of their new audio-visual show 'AERIALS', an immersive sensory experience which blends aerial imagery and electronic music.

The band have also shared the EP's title track "Cedoption", have a listen below.

Website: midnightjuggernauts.com

Craft Spells Announce New Album 'Nausea', Stream "Breaking The Angle Against The Tide"

California based indie poppers Craft Spells have announced they will released their sophomore album titled 'Nausea' on June 10th via Captured Tracks. 

The follow up to their critically acclaimed debut LP 'Idle Labor', features 11 new tracks, and according to the press release, sees frontman Justin Vellesteros "back with bolder sentiments and a more mature sound." Pre-order your copy here.

The band have also shared the album's first single "Breaking The Angle Against The Tide", which is available for download on their Soundcloud page. 

Check out the album's tracklist and have a listen to the their new single below.

01. Nausea

02. Komorebi

03. Changing Faces

04. Instrumental

05. Dwindle

06. Twirl

07. Laughing for My Life

08. First Snow

09. If I Could

10. Breaking the Angle Against the Tide

11. Still Fields 

Website: craftspells.tumblr.com

Tame Impala Announce Live EP For Record Store Day, Stream "Be Above It"

Aussie psych-rock band Tame Impala have announced they will release a new EP called 'Live Versions' for this year's Record Store Day (19 April).

The 8-track EP features live versions of songs from their past two albums,  and are taken from a show that took place in Chicago last year. 

Check out the tracklist, and listen to a live version of "Be Above It" below.

1. Endors Toi

2. Why Won’t You Make Up Your Mind

3. Sestri Levante

4. Mind Mischief

5. Desire Be Desire Go

6. Half Full Glass

7. Be Above It

8. Feels Like We Only Go Backwards

(facebook.com/tameimpala)

Tags: Tame Impala

James Announce New Album 'La Petite Mort', Share New Track "Frozen Britain"

Manchester legends James have announced they will return with their 13th studio album titled 'La Petite Mort' in June.  

The album is the follow-up to 2008's Hey Ma and 2010's pair of EPs The Night Before, it was produced by Max Dingel (Killers. Muse, White Lies), and created in Athens, Lisbon, the Scottish Highlands, and tropical paradise of Ancoats.

James have revealed that putting the album together was a long and tough journey, but it pushed them to "new heights in craftsmanship and intensity."

La Petite Mort will be released June 2nd in Europe and will be preceded by the song "Frozen Britain," which is available as a free download to those who pre-order the album, as well as the first single "Moving On" due in April.  

Have a listen to "Frozen Britain" below:

Website: wearejames.com

Howling Bells Announce New Album ‘Heartstrings’, Stream New Track "Slowburn"

Australia born London based indie four-piece Howling Bells have announced they will released their fourth full-length album titled ‘Heartstrings’on June 2 via Birthday Records.

Recorded at London's Assault and Battery Studios with producers Catherine J Marks and Alan Moulder, the album was completed in 11 days, resulting in a potent collection of songs.

About the recording process, frontwoman Juanita Stein, said:  "Having a deadline means you're forced to make crucial artistic decisions in a very short time. You don't have the luxury of overthinking. I feel this process shaped the album. As a result, you become incredibly connected to the musical spirit of the band. We loved every second of it".  

The full tracklisting for 'Heartstrings' is as follows:

01. Paris

02. Possessed

03. Your Love

04. Slowburn

05. Tornado

06. Euphoria

07. Paper Heart

08. Original Sin

09. Reverie

10. Heartstrings

The band have also shared the album's first single "Slowburn", which is available as a free download. Have a listen below.

Website: howlingbells.co.uk

Chad VanGaalen Announces New Album, Shares New Track "Where Are You?"

Canadian producer/singer/songwriter Chad VanGaalen has announced he will released his fifth full-length album titled "Shrink Dust" in April.  

The album was self-produced at VanGaalen's Yoko Eno home studio in Calgary, Alberta, and will be released on April 29th on Sub Pop Records / Flemish Eye Records (Canada). Pre-order Shrink Dust now

Tracklist:

01. Cut Off My Hands

02. Where Are You?

03. Frozen Paradise

04. Lila

05. Weighed Sin

06. Monster

07. Evil

08. Leaning On Bells

09. All Will Combine

10. Weird Love

11. Hangman’s Son

12. Cosmic Destroyer

VanGaaled has also shared a video that is actually a compilation of Chad's past videos put together for their new track "Where Are You?".

Listen/watch below.

Website: flemisheye.com/chad-vangaalen

Watch: Temples Release Music Video for "Mesmerise"

London's neo-psych outfit Temples have released the music video for "Mesmerise".

The single, produced by James Bagshaw and Thomas Warmsley in Pyramid Studios at their home studio in Kettering, will be released on on Febrary17th, and is taken from their upcoming debut album 'Sun Structures', which will be out on February 10 via Heavenly Recordings. Pre-order your copy here.

The video was directed by Benjael Halfmaderholz. Watch it below.

Website: templestheband.com

(facebook.com/templesofficial)

Tags: Temples

Kaiser Chiefs Announce New Album, Stream New Track "Misery Company"

Leeds indie rockers Kaiser Chiefs have announced they will release their fifth studio album titled 'Education, Education, Education & War' on March 31st UK/Europe and April 1st North America via Fiction Records.

The follow-up to 2011's 'The Future Is Medieval', is available now for pre-order here on both CD and vinyl formats. It was produced by Ben H. Allen III (Gnarls Barkley, Animal Collective), and recorded at The Maze Studio in Atlanta, Georgia.

It's the first studio album without the founding member/drummer Nick Hodgson, who left the band in December 2012. On 7 February they announced Vijay Mistry from the band Club Smith as Kaiser Chiefs new drummer. 

The tracklist is as follows:

01. The Factory Gates
02. Coming Home
03. Misery Company
04. Ruffians On Parade
05. Meanwhile Up In Heaven
06. One More Last Song
07. My Life
08. Bows & Arrows
09. Cannons
10. Roses

The band have also unveiled the album's lead single "Misery Company". Have a listen below.

(facebook.com/kaiserchiefs)

Tags: Kaiser Chiefs

Temples Announce Debut Album 'Sun Structures', Stream New Single "Mesmerise"

London's neo-psych band Temples have just announced that their highly anticipated debut album 'Sun Structures' will be released on Monday 10th February 2014 on Heavenly Recordings.

The 12-track album will feature their already classic tunes "Shelter Song", "Colours To Life" and "Keep In The Dark", and will be available as a digital download, vinyl and CD. The band was featured as Band of The Month on Rocktober 2012 here on Kool Rock Radio.

See the full tracklisting below.

01. Shelter Song

02. Sun Structures

03. The Golden Throne

04. Keep In the Dark

05. Mesmerise

06. Move With the Season

07. Colours to Life

08. A Question Isn't Answered

09. The Guesser

10. Test of Time

11. Sand Dance

12. Fragment's Light

The band are also streaming their brand new single "Mesmerise". Have a listen below.

(facebook.com/templesofficial)

Tags: Temples

Bloc Party's Kele Okereke Announces New EP "Heartbreaker"

Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke has announced a new solo EP titled 'Heartbreaker'.

The four-song EP includes the title track, which features vocals from Bobbie Gordon, also a remix of the song from Berlin-based techno artist Recondite, and two more tracks.

The EP will get a vinyl release on November 25 via Crosstown Rebels and come out digitally on December 9 via Beatport.

About the EP Kele quotes: "I've always loved the inclusive and spiritual nature of house music, so the opportunity to make music for the most iconic and influential house music label in the UK is a dream come true for me."

The tracklist for Heartbreaker EP is as follows:

01. Heartbreaker

02. God Has a Way

03. Heartbreaker (Recondite Remix)

04. Get Up

Have a listen to the title track below.

Website: iamkele.com/blog

Cocteau Twins' Simon Raymonde Launches New Duo Snowbird, Announces Debut Album

Cocteau Twins' Simon Raymonde has launched a new project called Snowbird with singer-songwriter Stephanie Dosen.

The pair will release their forthcoming debut album titled 'Moon' in January on Raymonde's label Bella Union, with cover art by famed designer Vaughan Oliver, who has worked extensively with 4AD and Cocteau Twins. The record features guest appearances from Radiohead's Ed O'Brien and Phil Selway, Midlake's Eric Pulido and McKenzie Smith, alongside Lanterns on the Lake's Paul Gregory, and Jonathan Wilson.

In a press release, Raymonde said of the album contributors: "Having [the collaborators] add their magic to the record was a thrill, but really, I think this is very much Stephanie's record. She's a really special singer and I feel the simplicity of my music was the perfect backdrop for her stories and her incredible vocal arrangements." 

"Stephanie was the first singer I had worked with since Elizabeth [Fraser of Cocteau Twins] that I had a real musical empathy with. She could do anything. No one had ever sung with Midlake on record before Stephanie, while Massive Attack asked her to be their lead singer on tour—ironic really given that Elizabeth had too! She also sang with Chemical Brothers. But we'd never written music together at home." He added.

About the band he said: "It would be a little odd if it didn't remind people of Cocteau Twins."

On the album: "I wrote every piece of music at night, in semi-darkness so that the space didn't feel like my living room. The moon was very important for the light it reflected."

Raymonde has also unveiled "Porcelain" the lead cut from the album, which is light as a feather... Have a listen below.

TOY Announce New Album, Stream New Single "Join The Dots"

London-based indie rock/psychedelic rock band TOY have announced that they will released their second album titled 'Join The Dots' on December 9th through Heavenly Recordings.

The follow-up to 2012's self-titled debut, was recorded once again with south London super-producer and Speedy Wunderground label owner Dan Carey. The release will be proceeded by a series of shows in London and Manchester, before the band headline London's Shepherds Bush Empire in the New Year. You can pre-order your copy of 'Join The Dots' here.

The band have also shared the album's title track, which will be released  on October 21st on a limited edition vinyl and includes a screen-printed sleeve by David Chatton Baker and an instrumental version of the track.

Listen to the track below.

The tracklisting is as follows:

01. Conductor
02. You Won't Be The Same
03. As We Turn
04. Join The Dots
05. To A Death Unknown
06. Endlessly
07. It's Been So Long
08. Left To Wander
09. Too Far Gone To Know
10. Frozen Atmosphere
11. Fall Out Of Love

Website: toy-band.com

Cut Copy To Release New Album 'Free Your Mind' In November

Australian indie band Cut Copy have shared details of their forthcoming new album titled 'Free Your Mind'.

The follow-up to 2011's Zonoscope, will be out on November 5 via Loma Vista/Modular. Recorded  in their hometown of Melbourne, Australia, the album was produced by the band's Dan Whitford, and then got it mixed in upstate New York by Dave Fridmann (Tame Impala, MGMT, the Flaming Lips). 

According to the press release, the album was influenced by the two different Summers of Love (1967 and 1988-1989).

"The concept of freedom is one that's universally positive and timeless, and whatever each person's version of that freedom is, it's a good thing to be reminding people or even just ourselves to be 'free,'" said lead singer Dan Whitford. 

The tracklist for 'Free Your Mind' is as follows:

01. (Intro)
02. Free Your Mind
03. We Are Explorers
04. Let Me Show You Love

05. (into the desert)

06. Footsteps

07. In Memory Capsule

08. (above the city)

09. Dark Corners & Mountain Tops

10. Meet Me in a House of Love

11. Take Me Higher

12. (the waves)

13. Walking in the Sky

14. Mantra

The band have also shared the title track, have a listen below.

(facebook.com/cutcopy)

Tags: Cut Copy

Single of the Week August 26/2013: Risk Risk "Heartbeat"

This week's Single of the Week on koolrockradio.com is "Heartbeat", another great cut by German minimal synth-pop project Risk Risk (aka our good friend Stefan K.).

Heartbeat is actually a lost track that was NOT on Risk Risk great debut album 'This is 1983', but it was intended to, and just as all the tracks from that album,  it's a brilliant 80s synth oriented tune.

Risk Risk's new album is almost finished, and Stefan is currently looking for a new label to release it. We'll keep you posted as more details on the record surface.

Have a listen to the demo version of 'Heartbeat' below.

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