It has been seven long years since the Knife released their now classic Silent Shout, however that will change on April 9 when they finally release their forth record, Shaking the Habitual. Pieces of information have been slowly leaking across the internet over the past few weeks (including the fact that this will be a double CD / triple LP coming in just shy of 100 minutes!!) and today we get the official video for the behemoth of a lead single, "Full of Fire".
For the release of their second full-length, Almanac, Brooklyn's Widowspeak descended upon Manhattan's Mercury Lounge for an intimate performance of their latest bout with greatness. Highlighting tracks from the new album, Molly Hamilton and company unleashed breath-taking renditions of their classic style of breathy vocals and dream inducing guitar riffs. New tracks "Dyed in the Wool", "Storm King" and the live debut of "Thick as Thieves" were coated in heavy reverb, probably indebted to a mix of Television style guitars with the cries of Fleetwood Mac, and the compact sound of "The Dark Age' exploded with shoegaze power that spoke volumes about the song's magnitude and the band's songwriting capabilities. Older tracks "In the Pines" and the forever gorgeous "Gun Shy" were particular triumphs of the evening and while the newer tunes don't necessarily bring the group to a new level, there are always certain tracks that will leave one breathless. At this point, it seems irrelevant to mention the obvious influence of Mazzy Star, however even the Galaxie 500 inspiration is quite apparent through the group's hazed instrumentation. Seeing the band transform from a three-piece, to a four-piece, to tonight's quintet, has been a true pleasure as the band's aesthetic has truly erupted over the past few years. Their take on modern dream-pop is clearly in a class of their own. Despite the still noticeable stage fright of Molly, the group shimmers in their own glow of sun-soaked euphoria. Their encore was the lone "Harsh Realm" which welcomed even more praise from the hometown showcase (cries for Molly were forever abundant) and a bashful thank you brought the evening to an end.
Last year, Brooklyn rockers The Men broke through with their incendiary third album Open Your Heart. On March 5, the band will release the follow-up New Moon via Sacred Bones. That's the album art above (which strays from the standard Sacred Bones art work) and below you can hear the first single "Electric" which seems to pick up perfectly from where Open Your Heart finished.
The official debut album from Thom Yorke led supergroup Atoms for Peace is called Amok and is set for release on February 25 in the UK and the following day here in the US. The latest single is called "Judge Jury and Executioner" and will be released on 12" vinyl along with the b-side "S.A.D." on March 19. Watch an accompanying video for the track below.
