Video: The Tallest Man On Earth perform "Love Is All" on Jools Holland 4/5

I posted the a video of Kristian Matsson, mostly known as as folk singer/songwriter The Tallest Man On Earth, performing "King Of Spain" on Later...with Jools Holland yesterday, and you can still view it here. Matsson also performed "Love Is All" in the empty studio, probably pre-broadcast, as a web-exclusive for the show and we've got the video for you right here. "Love Is All" is often a highlight of The Tallest Man On Earth's amazing live show and Matsson performed it here on electric guitar as he usually does live, but this version is a bit calmer than his regular live performance - perhaps due to the lack of an audience.

Stream: Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - "Alabama Pines"

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit's Here We Rest is definitely my favourite record of 2011 so far, and Isbell's best work yet, and we've previously posted an mp3 of the track "Codeine" from the album. "Codeine" is indeed one of the best tracks on the album, but opener "Alabama Pines" is just as good and it's now available for streaming below (thanks to Lightning Rod Records). Here We Rest is released next week on April 12 via Lightning Rod Records (a perfect birthday gift for myself since it happens to be my birthday).

Video: The Tallest Man On Earth perform "King Of Spain" on Jools Holland 4/5

I'm not sure how I've managed to avoid writing anything about The Tallest Man On Earth during the almost three months that this blog has been active considering that he's probably my favourite artist out there today, and an incredibly talented songwriter and performer, but now it's time. The Tallest Man On Earth, aka Kristian Mattson from Leksand here in Sweden, guest Later...with Jools Holland last night and performed "King Of Spain" from his latest full-length The Wild Hunt, which was released in April last year (and was my favourite album of 2010).

Check out the excellent performance below, which was curiously unadapted towards the television format and instead was pretty much the same as what you'd get at one of his excellent live shows. Plus there's also a funny shot of Liam Gallagher looking bored in the background...



UPDATE: He also performed "Love Is All" which you can view here.

Neil Young to release new live album, recorded in 1984-85

According to well-known Neil Young fansite Thrasher's Wheat Neil Young will release a new live album called A Treasure, which was recorded during his 1984-85 US tour with the backing band The International Harvesters. While the '80s is often considered a low period in Neil Young's career, and his studio work leaves a lot to be desired at times, live he was usually as good as ever, and the tour in question here is highly regarded among fans. The album will contain twelve tracks, including six previously unreleased ones, and one of those, "Grey Riders", will be the first track released to the radio.

The International Harvesters were something of a country all-star band and featured long-time Neil Young collaborator the late Ben Keith on steel and slide guitar, Spooner Oldham on piano, Rufus Thibodeaux on fiddle, Hargus “Pig” Robbins on piano, bassists Tim Drummond and Joe Allen and drummer Karl Himmel, among others and their contributions are a large part of what made the tour as special as it was. A Treasure was mixed and mastered by Tim Mulligan and will be released on Reprise Records, with rumours of a June release date.

UPDATE: We've got more details on the album now (again thanks to Thrasher's Wheat). It'll be #9 in Neil Young's Archives Performance Series (although only volumes 00, 01, 02, 03 and 12 have been released so far) and it'll be released on June 14 and these are the release details: "It will be available in stores on CD and Blu-ray, as well as on iTunes and through all participating digital retailers. The limited-edition vinyl pressing will precede the CD street date, hitting shelves on May 24th, and will be pressed on 180-gram double-disc vinyl featuring special artwork etched into the fourth side. The vinyl edition will be sold through the official NeilYoung.com store and participating Record Store Day Independent Music Retailers only." We've also got the tracklist for you below.

Tracklist for A Treasure:
1. Amber Jean (9/20/84, Nashville Now TV Nashville, TN)*
2. Are You Ready For The Country? (9/21/84, Riverbend Music Center Cincinnati, OH)
3. It Might Have Been (9/25/84, Austin City Limits TV Austin, Texas)
4. Bound For Glory (9/29/84, Gilleys’s Rodeo Arena Pasadena, TX)
5. Let Your Fingers Do The Walking (10/22/84, Universal Amphitheater Universal City, CA)*
6. Flying On The Ground Is Wrong (10/26/84, Greek Theater Berkeley, CA)
7. Motor City (10/26/84, Greek Theater Berkeley, CA)
8. Soul Of A Woman (10/26/84, Greek Theater Berkeley, CA)*
9. Get Back To The Country (10/26/84, Greek Theater Berkeley, CA)
10. Southern Pacific (9/1/85, Minnesota State Fair St. Paul, MN)
11. Nothing Is Perfect (9/1/85, Minnesota State Fair St. Paul, MN)*
12. Grey Riders (9/10/85, Pier 84 New York City, NY)*

*previously unreleased songs

Kanye West to play Way Out West festival

Hip-hop superstar Kanye West has been confirmed for the Way Out West festival in Gothenburg between August 11 and 13, and it's probably one of the most exciting headliners they could've chosen. Kanye West performed at the first installment of the festival in 2007 and now joins Fleet Foxes, Robyn, Pulp, Janelle Monáe, Thåström, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Explosions In The Sky and Wiz Khalifa at the main festival area.

Last week British wonderkid James Blake was also announced as an act on the Stay Out West club program because he was only available on the 11th, and the festival area is only open on the 12th and 13th. The other acts confirmed for Stay Out West is Yuck, The Jayhawks, The Avett Brothers, Jamie Woon, Destroyer, Twin Shadow, Warpaint and OFF!.

Full album stream: Futurebirds - Via Flamina EP

Technically Via Flamina is not an album but an ep, as the headline says, and it was released by Athens, GA's Futurebirds last Friday on April 1. We've previously posted streams of three of the ep's four tracks; the cover of Stevie Nicks' "Wild Heart", the original "Millstones" and the cover of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" - all except the title track (all streams have now been taken down though).

You can now listen to the entire ep via the band's Bandcamp page (or buy it if you're so inclined), and if you haven't listened to any of the tracks before, rest assured in that it's not a radical departure from the band's previous sound - it's still the type of folk rock/americana that reminds you more of early My Morning Jacket than anything else. Aquarium Drunkards' Autumn Tone label is also re-releasing a remastered version of the Futurebirds' self-titled debut ep on April 19, which is also highly recommended.

Tracklist for Via Flamina:
1. Via Flamina
2. Millstones
3. Wicked Game
4. Wild Heart

Stream: Ben Waters (with The Rolling Stones) - "Watching The River Flow" (Ian Stewart tribute)

Bill Wyman, the original bassist of The Rolling Stones, have reunited with his old band for the first time since leaving in 1992 to record a cover of "Watching The River Flow" for Ben Waters' Ian Stewart tribute album Boogie 4 Stu. Ian Stewart was a founding members of The Rolling Stones and played piano with the band, and acted as their road manager, until his death in 1985.

Ben Waters played piano with Ian Stewart in his band Rocket 88 and is the man behind this project, and on this cover of Bob Dylan's 1971 single "Watching The River Flow" he is joined by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts (all but Wood being original members of The Rolling Stones, and Wood joined in 1976). Despite all of them appearing on the track they never were in the same studio for the recording, with each of them adding their parts from different locations. Guess what? It's good too. Maybe The Rollign Stones should do a blues record if they ever make another record, although I doubt that will happen. PJ Harvey and Hamish Maxwell also appears on Boogie 4 Stu, which will be released on April 18 via Eagle Rock.

Introducing... The Heartbreaks

This foursome, originally from Morecambe but now based in Manchester, were formed in May 2009. Having bonded over shared passions for things such as Motown, bittersweet romance and the English seaside, they have something quite unique. (See for yourself and listen to three of their songs below).

An interesting fact about The Heartbreaks is that ,despite that they have not yet released an album, they have been touring a lot supporting bands like Hurts, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Jack Peñate, The View and Carl Barat.

Video: Black Lips - "Modern Art" (official music video)

Atlanta, GA garage rockers Black Lips will release Arabia Mountain, their sixth studio album, on June 7 via Vice Records and they've now premiered a second video from the album; "Modern Art". "Modern Art" is definitely a step up from "Go Out And Get It!", both in songwriting and the actual video, and it has raised by expectations for the album quite a bit. Check it out below.



(via One Thirty BPM)

Metronomy announces September tour dates in the UK

Electro-pop band Metronomy announces the dates for their September tour around the UK. Here you have the dates:

09.20 Southampton Talking Heads
09.21 Leeds Cockpit
09.22 Sheffield Leadmill
09.23 Glasgow Oran Mor
09.24 Liverpool Kazimier
09.26 Manchester Academy 3
09.27 Birmingham HMV Institute
09.28 Bristol Trinity

Their third album The English Riviera will be released now the 11th of April. Really excited about that! Here's also one of the singles from the upcoming album, "The Look":

Video: Kurt Vile - "Jesus Fever" (official music video)

Kurt Vile's new album Smoke Ring For My Halo has been one of my most listened album during the past month, and deservedly so since it's one of the best albums to be released this year. Vile has now made a video for one of the album's strongest tracks, "Jesus Fever", which premiered today. Check out the Ricardo Rivera-directed and Klip Collective-produced video below, and if you haven't heard the album you can still stream it here.