The Slip mp3 and Tour

| USOUNDS


After casting a few dead bodies into the ocean, Slip members immediately wonder if perhaps they made a mistake

Jim James (of My Morning Jacket) recently tripped over The Slip at one of their avant art-rock shows and told The New York Times about it:

“Seeing them live was amazing…I instantly felt a bond with these three guys. You see so many tired, boring rock acts doing the same thing over and over, but these guys are reaching out…They’re taking what we know of music and trying to twist it to a different place.” – My Morning Jacket’s Jim James

The Slip’s new album Eisenhower will be out November 7th on Bar/None. Check out the mp3’s for Even Rats and Children of December. Also, look for tour dates with The Lovely Feathers and mi chaqueta de mañana.

The Dates (Nova Scotia alert!):
October 20 – St. John NB – Neptunes
October 21 – Halifax, NS – The Attic
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Cursive Happy Hollow by [Saddle Creek]

| Jared Fiechtner

Happy Hollow is a fictional town set somewhere in the Midwest. It’s also the title and setting of the new Cursive album, and if you know anything about Cursive, you can probably guess that there aren’t too many folks within this small town that could actually be characterized as happy. If you have a son he’s off to war. If you have a job it’s killing you. If you know a priest he’s a closet homosexual. Or even better, he’s knocking up your daughter.
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The Decemberists The Crane Wife [Capitol]

| Brandi H.

Capitol or no, the Decemberists were headed for a change. Picaresque, the band’s 2004 Kill Rock Stars release, was bombastically dramatic, showcasing a band intimately attuned to its own quirky strengths. But alas, sea shanties about chimbley sweeps and barrow boys were only gonna work for so long. The initial uniqueness of the antiquated, maritime imagery had faded, and that long-ass song about the guy trapped in the whale pretty much closed the deal. The addition of a small brass and strings section stepped up the energy, but at the same time, pushed the band’s sound to its dynamic threshold. So while nobody would argue that Picaresque wasn’t a flat-out success, it presented the band with a challenge: stop writing songs about 19th century British gay prostitutes hanging out at the Bus Mall.
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New Beck Out Today

| USOUNDS

Beck’s The Information is out today. Each copy will come in a blank package with one of four collectible sticker sheets specially designed by American and European artists hand-picked by Beck. Check out a new track called Nausea. Two turntables and one E-meter.

Look for the ghost of L Ron:
10/7 – Los Angeles, CA – 1st and Main Streets (Detour Music Festival)
10/13 – Nashville, TN – City Hall
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The Hold Steady Album Stream

| USOUNDS

The Hold Steady’s new album, Boys and Girls in America hits stores today. Vagrant Records has provided a full album stream HERE.

Craig, Tad, Galen, Bobby, Franz and sometimes Peter on tour:
October 4 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl
October 5 – Birmingham, AL – The Bottle Tree
October 6 – Memphis, TN – Hi-Tone Café
October 7 – Denton, TX – Hailey’s
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The Cars Contest

| USOUNDS

The Cars Unlocked, the new live DVD/live CD will hit stores on October 17th. This DVD was produced by RIC OCASEK, and chronicles the group’s multi-platinum heyday and unearths over twenty never-before-seen performances. Unlocked also features candid behind-the-scenes footage, and a bonus live CD featuring an additional fourteen performances.

Be the first to email usounds at gmail dot com with ‘CARS’ in the subject line, and all this could be yours. (US and Canada only please.)

Stream New Portastatic Album

| USOUNDS

Stream Portastatic’s 9th full-legnth, Be Still Please on the Merge website. Here is what Merge says about the new record (in stores October 10th):

”Be Still Please continues the full-on rock band sound of 2005’s Bright Ideas but with more of an emphasis on the orchestration featured in McCaughan’s recent soundtrack work.”

In related news, Superchunk was asked to play live at The Daily Show Presents: Ten Fucking Years (The Concert) on November 16th in NYC with The Mountain Goats, Clem Snide, and The Upper Crust. Tickets available for $30 at Ticketmaster outlets.
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