Man, do I love Woods. This quite prolific New York band is surely one of the best kept secrets on the planet. Their music is eccentric and laced with blissful melody. Thankfully they will be releasing album number seven on September 18 on Woodsist Records. "Bend Beyond" will contain 12 tracks and I have a little taste below for you.

Bend Beyond Track Listing
1 Bend Beyond
2 Cali In A Cup
3 Is It Honest?
4 It Ain't Easy
5 Cascade
6 Back To The Stone
7 Find Them Empty
8 Wind Was The Wine
9 Lily
10 Size Meets The Sound
11 Impossible Sky
12 Something Surreal

MP3: Wind Was The Wine-Woods

High Highs - Once Around The House (Official Video) from High Highs on Vimeo.
Another day. Another video by High Highs. Enjoy!

Please enjoy a video for a song that I am guessing you will find impossible not to enjoy. "Open Season" is the song and it is by High Highs. This band consists of Jack Milas and Oli Chang and they produce music that is feathery and blissful, but not lightweight at all. The duo met in Sydney and eventually moved to New York. Their self titled EP caused quite a stir when released last year in the US and soon will be available in Australia. Hunt in down and then wait for a debut album sometime in 2013!

This is about Ladyhawk. Not the other one. Drop the E and discover some great music. This Vancouver band of men have released two great albums of throaty, gritty, harmonic rock. But it's been a while. Four years actually since their last release. But wait no longer. Triple Crown Audio Recordings will release "No Can Do" on October 9.
Have a listen to some sounds below!

MP3: You Read My Mind-Ladyhawk

No Can Do Track Listing
1 Footprints
2 I'm A Witch
3 No Can Do
4 Rub Me Wrong
5 Sinking Ship
6 You Read My Mind
7 Bedbugs
8 Evil Eye
9 Window Pane
10 Eyes of Passion

Those Scottish wonders are back! Masters of the emotion charged song to make you shout and cry have signed a deal with Atlantic that will see them release a new album in 2013. In the meantime they will release an EP of 5 songs on September 24. "State Hospital" contains songs that were considered, for one reason or another, not suitable for the album. But lucky for us we will still get to hear them!

State Hospital Track Listing
1 State Hospital
2 Boxing Night
3 Home From War
4 Off
5 Wedding Gloves

Good news peoples! AC Newman will release solo album number three on October 7 on Matador Records. "Shut Down The Streets" contains 10 tracks and you can listen to the opening track below that features vocals from Neko Case.

Shut Down The Streets Track Listing
1 I'm Not Talking
2 Do Your Own Time
3 You Could Get Lost Out Here
4 Encyclopedia of Classic Takedowns
5 There's Money in New Wave
6 Strings
7 Hostages
8 Wasted English
9 The Troubadour
10 They Should Have Shut Down The Streets

MP3: I'm Not Talking

Do you remember a time when Interpol were great? I mean seriously great. I do. Their first two albums were impeccable. Then they lost their way. Their following two albums were major letdowns. Plodding and lifeless. However, Paul Banks, their lead singer released a solo album that was rather good. Released under the name of Julian Plenti it was inventive and exciting. Now fast forward to 2012 and Banks is about to release solo album number 2. This time he has ditched the Plenti moniker and just gone with plain old Paul Banks. To suit this he has named the album simply "Banks". The ten track album will be released on Matador Records on October 23. The album was recorded in New York and Connecticut with producer Peter Katis. Let's hope for the best!

Banks Track Listing
1 The Base
2 Over My Shoulder
3 Arise, Awake
4 Young Again
5 Lisbon
6 I’ll Sue You
7 Paid For That
8 Another Chance
9 No Mistakes
10 Summertime Is Coming

Easily one of the most fun tracks of 2012!

OK peoples, if you want goodness in your lives do this now.
Stream the new Divine Fits album in its entirety right now here.
You won't regret it!

On Friday morning ATP announced they would be returning to Australia in 2013. To be more specific, Melbourne. I'll Be Your Mirror Melbourne Curated by The Drones and ATP will take place on February 16 and 17 in the suburb of Altona. It's a stellar lineup, especially the Saturday featuring the legendary My Bloody Valentine and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. I am particularly excited by the latter band, a band I never, ever thought I would get to see.

Look out Melbourne!
Hope you got tickets this morning!

Saturday February 16th curated by ATP
My Bloody Valentine (1st Aus show since 1992)
Godspeed You! Black Emperor (1st ever Aus show)
Swans
The Dead C
HTRK
Thee Oh Sees
Sleepy Sun
Standish Carlyon
+ more to be confirmed

Sunday February 17th curated by The Drones
The Drones
Beasts Of Bourbon (original line-up)
Einstürzende Neubauten (1st Aus show since 1991)
Lost Animal
Harmony
Cam Butler & The Shadows Of Love
+ more to be confirmed

Holy crap excited! Those ferocious New Jersey men Titus Andronicus have a new album due out soon. "Local Business" will see the light of day on October 23 on XL Records. The album was recorded earlier this year in upstate New York and features Owen Pallett on violin. This album is the first since the departure of Amy Klein and Ian Graetzer. Get ready!

Local Business Track Listing
1 Ecce Homo
2 Still Life With Hot Deuce and Silver Platter
3 Upon Viewing Oregon’s Landscape With the Flood of Detritus
4 Food Fight!
5 My Eating Disorder
6 Titus Andronicus VS. the Absurd Universe (3rd Round KO)
7 In a Big City
8 In a Small Body
9 (I Am the) Electric Man
10 Tried to Quit Smoking

Texas sound merchants Balmorhea will be releasing their new album "Stranger" on Western Vinyl this coming October. The six piece from Austin sculpt beautiful soundscapes so this release is definitely one to look forward to.

Stranger Track Listing
1 Days
2 Masollan
3 Fake Fealty
4 Dived
5 Jubi
6 Artifact
7 Shore
8 Pyrakantha
9 Islet
10 Pilgrim

MP3: Pyrakantha-Balmorhea

Divine Fits played their first show during the week at Beerland in Austin, Texas. Above is their cover of the Roland Howard classic "Shivers". Below are some videos from the show.

Those mightily talented men The Avett Brothers will be releasing their brand new album on September 11. "The Carpenter" was produced by Rick Rubin and will contain 12 tracks. Scott Avett said that some of the songs on the album address life and death, especially after watching bassist Bob Crawford's daughter struggle with cancer. "As we get older, a lot of the things we said in the past that we thought we believed about understanding life or death, I don't know that we understood them as well as we do now and I don't know that we understand them now , but we're closer to an understanding. The hard times with Bob and his daughter's illness was something that we woke up to and changed our lives entirely."

The Carpenter Track Listing
1 The Once And Future Carpenter
2 Live And Die
3 Winter In My Heart
4 Pretty Girl From Michigan
5 I Never Knew You
6 February Seven
7 Through My Prayers
8 Down With The Shine
9 A Fathers First Spring
10 Geraldine
11 Paul Newman Vs. The Demons
12 Life