Music News/ Freebies W/E 13/02/2009

This Week :

CAMERA OBSCURA, HOWLING BELLS, METRIC ,THE MACABEES, LA ROUX, NEW TOWN KILLERS, JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN , THE JOY FORMIDABLE ALBUM FREE!

CAMERA OBSCURA FREE Mp3

Camera Obscura announce a new single, the forthcoming album release of My Maudlin Career (out on April 20th 2009 on the legendary 4AD label) and tour dates in both the UK and US. They are also making the title track available to download.

Prior to releasing the album, comes the single, ‘French Navy’, out a week before the album on April 13th. You won’t have to wait until then to hear new music though as the new album’s title track is available to hear on both the band’s website and MySpace page now. It is also being gifted as a free download for those who sign up to the band’s new mailing list and from iTunes.

Tour Dates

Mon 16th March The Lexington, London

Weds 18th March SXSW, Austin, Texas

(Details to follow)

Tues 24th March The Bell House, New York

Thurs 23rd April Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London

(Tickets on sale from 10th Feb at 9am from here)

Sun 26th April Barrowlands Ballroom, Glasgow.

(Tickets on sale from 12th Feb at 9am from here).

Read an interview with the band here

HOWLING BELLS

Free Mp3 of Cities Burning Down Remix Here Right Click

Howling Bells are back with a vengeance in 2009. After a two year absence following the release of their elegantly haunting debut album, spent recording and touring with the likes of the Killers and Mercury Rev, the quartet of Juanita Stein, Joel Stein, Brendan Picchio and Glenn Moule are ready to unleash their singular charms on the world all over again with their brand new album “Radio Wars” and their beautiful second single “Cities Burning Down” 23/02/2009.

Interview here

Album review here

WEBSITE LINKS: For Tour details etc

http://www.howlingbells.net

http://www.myspace.com/howlingbells

METRIC

Digital single released on Itunes on February 9

“I tremble”, Emily Haines whispers, at the start of Metric’s new single “Help I’m Alive”. “They’re gonna eat me alive”, she sings, just before an onslaught of beats, bass and guitar abruptly kick in and, well, swallow her whole. It’s a thrilling start to a thrilling song, roughly three and a half minutes of the most exciting, joyriding, schizoid pop you’re likely to hear all year, and a fitting return to the musical landscape for Metric.

“Help I’m Alive” is currently available for fans to purchase online as a digital download.

THE MACCABEES

The Maccabees have made the first track from their new album available to download for free.

“No Kind Words” is available to download as an mp3 with artwork from www.themaccabees.co.uk now

LA ROUX

The rather ace La Roux release “In For The Kill” on 16 March 2009 through Polydor.The video features Elly driving a very fast car through THE FUTURE. La Roux is about to tour with Lily Allen in March 09

[dailymotion id=k17OnQXbThCfI2WgbW&related=1]

Isa & Filthy Tongues– New Town Killers

Single Released on April 6th.

The single is the lead song to the film of the same name (released in UK in April) featuring Dougray Scott (Desperate Housewives, Mission Impossible) and features the film’s director fellow Scot Richard Jobson (the Skids) on vocals. The single received it’s first UK play on Lauren Laverne’s BBC 6 show this weekend.

“New Town Killers” is expected to be a huge UK hit this Spring and is along the same theme as Trainspotting and Shallow Grave. The Film is premiered at The Glasgow Film festival on Mon Feb 16th at 8.30pm. The plot centers around two private bankers, Alistair and Jamie, who have the world at their feet get their kicks from playing a 12 hour game of hunt, hide and seek with people from the margins of society. Their next target is Sean Macdonald a parentless teenager who lives with his sister on a housing estate on the outskirts of Edinburgh. She’s in debt, he’s going nowhere fast. Sean agrees to play for cash. He soon realises he’s walked into twelve hours of hell where survival is the name of the game…

Isa and Martin Metcalfe (Goodbye Mr McKenzie) lead the band and they are already getting rave reviews for their dark underground sound. There’s little doubt that the guys in this band (The Filthy Tongues) have spent years in dark places brewing up this smouldering batch of bitter edged, poison tinged, sonic assaults. As the heart of Angelfish they seemed to be on the brink of success when their singer, Shirley Manson, fell for the seduction of Butch Vig and his big dollar and left them to become the ‘token’ front-person of Garbage. But they kept at it, creating shimmering musical landscapes, until along came Stacey Chavis from Portland, Oregon to assume the role of Isa and provide the kind of cool, charismatic, rock ‘n’ roll grit ‘n’ spit vocals that have enabled them, together, to produce one tough mother of a record.

“Made My Head Turn” Lauren Laverne BBC 6

Download the track from her much parised new album free
http://www.xtaster.co.uk/assets/joanaspolicewoman/

Joan has also made a video for the track which you can view here:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRIfqVUrMzg]

The  new album “TO SURVIVE” is out now,  including “START OF MY HEART”, “HOLIDAY” and “TO AMERICA” buy it here.

THE JOY FORMIDABLE

The  excellent Joy Formidable, who will be supporting Howling Bells very soon,  have released their album for free here