1.31.2011

The Rural Alberta Advantage - "Stamp"

Back in December Bryce dropped some information on the upcoming new album from The Rural Alberta Advantage called "Departing". Well I now have to the first single "Stamp" to share with you all. Have a listen below.

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The Rural Alberta Advantage - Stamp

- Spence

NPR First Listen: Bright Eyes - The People's Key

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One of my personal favorite segments of NPR is their first listen. Featuring full listen of albums a couple weeks before the release date. This time around NPR features Bright Eyes The People's Key. We have introduced you to a couple track of the new album but now you can listen to it in it entirety over at NPR Music HERE. Enjoy everyone!

- Spence

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

helplessness_blues

Well finally the new Fleet Foxes album is set to drop May 3, 2011. This is one of the most highly anticipated albums of the year for us here at Blue Sloth. The title track has been released and you can check it out below. Grab a download as well. I'm really liking the sound so far. Enjoy everyone.

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues by subpop

-Bryce

1.30.2011

The Lonely Island - The Creep (feat. Nicki Manaj)

Check out the new Lonely Island track The Creep which features Nicki Manaj who was the musical guest last night.



You can also check out her performances last night on SNL below. If don't enjoy the music I know you'll get some amusement out of her outfits.



1.27.2011

Lia Ices - Daphne featuring Justin Vernon

Here on Blue Sloth we are pretty up on any works by that of Bon Iver or their front man Justin Vernon. So when new comer to Jagjaguwar Lia Ices released her new album this week called Grown Unknown that features Justin Vernon on the track called "Daphne" I couldn't help but put it up.

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Lia Ices - Daphne

- Spence

Bright Eyes - Haile Salassie

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Around Christmas time we introduced you to "Shell Games", the first single from the Bright Eyes album The People Key's that is set to release February 15 via Saddle Creek. The next single "Haile Salassie" was release this week and you can download it below for an exchange of your email address. Enjoy.



- Spence

Converse Present's: All Summer

Although I'm a little late to the game on this one, but nonetheless the marketing guru's behind Converse commissioned an unlikely collaboration between Kid Cudi, Bethany Cosentino from Best Coast and Rostam Batmanglij from Vampire Weekend for a summer anthem called "All Summer". Have a listen below and shout out to Seggy for bringing this to my attention.

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All Summer - Kid Cudi, Bethany Cosentino and Rostam Batmanglij

- Spence

Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill (Music Video)

Check out Rill Rill on YouTube below.



-Bryce

1.26.2011

Iron and Wine - Tree By The River (La Blogotheque)

In light of Iron and Wines new album Kiss Eachother Clean being released here is a La Blogotheque take away show (which they do so well) of the song Tree By The River. His last two new albums have been taking different directions than his previous home released EPs and studio LPs by incorporating different sounds and new instruments. It is also nice to hear Sam Beam really use his voice in a couple songs rather than just whispering the whole way through the album.

Check out the tracks below and make sure to go get the album.

Iron and Wine - Walking Far From Home

Iron and Wine | Tree by the river | A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.


-Bryce

1.25.2011

Cold War Kids - Mine is Yours

Mine-is-Yours

The Cold War Kids are releasing their newest indie rock album Mine Is Yours today. CWK started in 2004 and hail from Long Beach, California. This is their third full length release and could prove to be one of their best yet. The band said that this album would be a step up from the last and that we can all expect something extra this time around. You will have to decide that for yourself though. You can check out the first four tracks of the album below. The album is available on iTunes and at your local record shops so go nab yourself a copy. Hope you all enjoy.

Cold War Kids - Mine Is Yours

Cold War Kids - Louder Than Ever


Cold War Kids - Royal Blue

Cold War Kids - Finally Begin

Here's an old track if you're a CWK virgin.



-Bryce

1.24.2011

Dallas Green and Shad - Live Forever

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Dallas Green from the Canadian bands Alexisonfire and City and Colour has just recently collaborated with Canadian hip hop artist Shad to release an EP containing a couple tracks. The EP is fittingly called the Two Song EP and the songs released have been called Live Forever and Listen (Remix). The EP is on iTunes so you can head over their and purchase it for yourself. For your enjoyment though I have placed a YouTube video of Live Forever for everyone to check out.



-Bryce

1.21.2011

Don't Look Back - She & Him

She & Him released the official video for "Don't Look Back" this week featuring the love of my life Zooey Deschanel in a 50's retro-style bandstand video. She looks amazing as ever so check it out!



- Spence

Zeus - Kindergarten

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When Spencer and I saw Jamie Lidell in Calgary late last year the opening act was the Toronto based band Zeus (Arts and Crafts). Although their live show didn't blow either of us away some of the songs on their most recent album Say Us
are pretty darn good. During the performance they also played a couple new songs that I am excited to hear on their next album.

iTunes is offering a track off their most recent album called Kindergarten as the Single of the Week. Go grab that if you like it right HERE. Also the whole album is on sale for a limited time for $3.99 if you feel so inclined.

You can stream their whole album below if that's a little too much though. A couple tracks I suggest for you to check out are Kindergarten (obviously), The Renegade, and River By The Garden.


Zeus by Arts & Crafts


So when will this post end?? After this nice little a cappella version of River by the Garden performed by Make Your Exit.

MAKE YOUR EXIT - "The River By The Garden" by Zeus from Mitch Fillion (southernsouls.ca) on Vimeo.


-Bryce

New Lykke Li Video

Surfacing on the internet today is an artistic video from Sweden's Lykke Li. The video features Lykke Li in black and white as she so often does, in a desert in distress with a overt pirate feel to it. Between this video, and singles "I Follow Rivers" and "Get Some" I like the dark direction she is taking with her new album "Wounded Rhythms", set to drop March 1st. This is quickly becoming one of my most anticipated albums of early 2011, so check out the new untitled video as well as the video for "I Follow Rivers".

Lykke Li - Untitled from Lykke Li on Vimeo.


Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers (Animated Video) from Lykke Li on Vimeo.


- Spence

1.20.2011

Matthew Good - Lights of Endangered Species

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The name of Matthew Good's fourteenth and possibly last full length album has just been released. Lights of Endangered Species is the name and it is going to feature nine tracks (His only full length to have under 10 tracks).

The first single will be streaming in the M+ area of his website (unfortunately a paid subscription area) before the summer 2011 release.

2010 was a very busy year for Matthew Good, after embarking on a tour across the US and Canada, he began recording of his latest album in October. After a marathon recording session, mixing followed on November 29th. Good was also happily married last year and had his first baby. ((http://www.nearfantastica.com/news/lights-of-endangered-species.html)

I will try my best to get that single up on here as soon as I can get my hands on it.



-Bryce

Tired Pony - The Place We Ran From

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Well this one slipped past my ears this year.

Tired Pony was formed by Gary Lightbody (of Snow Patrol), who had a "long-term ambition" of making a country album. It was through this process that Tired Pony, a music supergroup consisting of Gary Lightbody, Richard Colburn (Belle & Sebastian), Iain Archer, Garret Lee, Peter Buck (R.E.M.), Scott McCaughey and Troy Stewart came into being. The band also features M.Ward (She and Him), Zooey Deschanel (She and Him), and Tom Smith.
Lightbody formed the group out of his appreciation for country music, and has during the early planning phase described the group's music once as "country-tinged" but explained later that in the end the album's development turned out much more to Americana than Country during the whole creative process in the studio. The group visited Portland, Oregon in January 2010 to record this debut album, which is being produced by member Lee. The Place We Ran From was released on 12 July 2010.

I have recently been enjoying this album a lot and I hope you all enjoy it as well. You can check out a couple songs from The Place We Ran From below.


Tired Pony - Get On the Road

Tired Pony - Dead American Writers

-Bryce

1.18.2011

Matt Mays - Queen of Portland Street

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Check out a new track from the Maritimes singer/songwriter Matt Mays called Queen of Portland Street. Also just a couple days ago iTunes released a Matt Mays session that is available for purchase (definitely a must for those hardcore fans). This track looks likes it is available for download as well so make sure to grab yourself a copy.

Matt Mays - Queen of Portland Street

- Bryce

The Strokes announce new album release date

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It looks like that the fourth studio album from The Strokes will come out on March 22 of this year. The album is tentatively titled Angles, and the first single from the ten-song LP will most likely be "Undercover of Darkness". The band also mentioned they want to release albums much quicker now that they are back.

Their albums will be in heavy rotation for me as this release approaches.

-Bryce

Mother Mother release new single - The Stand

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Mother Mother is a 5 piece indie rock band based out of Vancouver, British Colombia. Mother Mother consists of Ryan Guldemond on guitar and vocals, Molly Guldemond on vocals and keyboard, Jasmin Parkin on keyboard and vocals, Ali Siadat on drums, and Jeremy Page on bass. I saw this band open up for Matthew Good last year and they put on a pretty good show. On December 6, 2010, the band announced via their website the title of their third studio album would be Eureka. The album will comprise twelve tracks, and will be released March 15. Just recently they released a single called The Stand which is promoting that album. You can check The Stand out below as well as a couple songs off their previous album O My Heart.

The Stand by Mother Mother

O My Heart by Mother Mother

Body Of Years by Mother Mother


If you want to check out more Mother Mother you can stream all of their songs over at their SoundCloud page. A couple more tracks I suggest to take a listen to are Wrecking Ball and Hayloft.

-Bryce

1.14.2011

Broken Social Scene Live In Concert, well on YouTube at least

The Canadian musical masterminds Broken Social Scene are currently touring North America is support of their 2010 album Forgiveness Rock Record, which made our Top 50 Album of 2010 list but I won't tell you where. Anyway Broken Social Scene is playing a show in New York at Terminal 5, but if your like me and don't live in New York the show will be streamed live via YouTube. The show will be on Jan 18 at 9:00 pm ET, or 7:00 pm MT. They are amazing live performers and I guarantee it will be worth your time. So instead of me telling you the details again, I'll let Brandon Canning from Broken Social Scene tell you below.



Also check out the somewhat disturbing video for the single "Texico Bitches".



- Spence

1.12.2011

Hello 2011 and The Black Keys on SNL

Hello 2011.

Spencer and I were recently on our Christmas break from school so we also took a break from Blue Sloth but we're back for the new year and we're excited to see what 2011 brings. We have some new plans for designing and improving the blog this year and if any of you out there have any suggestions we are definitely open to them. Just fire us an email and let us know (contact info is in the side bar). Hope all of you had a great break from whatever is it you do and if you like what you're seeing and hearing here be sure to put us under your favorites and come check back every couple days.

We know we promised our year end lists to be done... however, they're not. Now that Spencer is back in Lethbridge and I am in Calgary you will have to wait a couple more weeks before you can see our picks. It's worth the wait.

Now back to the music.

Even though this happened weeks ago and some of you may have seen this performance already I still feel that it deserves a post. The Black Keys were on SNL and gave a great performance of two track off their newest album Brothers. Check out Howlin For You and Tighten Up Below via The Audio Perv.






-Bryce

1.11.2011

Lykke Li - I Follow River

wondedcov452

Check out another track from Lykke Li called I Follow Rivers from her upcoming Wounded Rhymes album expected to be released March 1st this year.

Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers

-Bryce

1.07.2011

Listen to Iron and Wines new album in full before the release

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Sam Beam and Iron and Wine recently played a set over at the NPR studios and showcased their new album which is going to be released on January 25th from front to back. You can check out the set right HERE. You also have the option of downloading the set as an audio file. Enjoy everyone.