LITTLE SCREAM PREMIERES NEW SINGLE "LOVE AS A WEAPON"

LITTLE SCREAM PREMIERES NEW SINGLE “LOVE AS A WEAPON”

ACCLAIMED MONTREAL BASED ARTIST PREMIERES NEW SINGLE WITH ZANE LOWE ON APPLE’S BEATS 1 RADIO

 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES BEGIN FEBRUARY 17 INCLUDING APPEARANCE AT WAYHOME FESTIVAL

 LISTEN TO AND SHARE “LOVE AS A WEAPON HERE

Yesterday, Little Scream premiered her brand­ new single “Love As A Weapon” with esteemed musical tastemaker Zane Lowe on Beats 1 Radio. Montreal-­based multi-­instrumentalist, writer, and visual artist Laurel Sprengelmeyer (a.k.a. Little Scream), says of the song, “I was thinking of classic pop songs, how a good one can lift you out of a fog like nothing else. This is a song of rebellious joy, for dancing and crying and starting over, again and again.” “Love Is A Weapon” is available for purchase now via iTunes HERE.

LISTEN TO AND SHARE “LOVE AS A WEAPON HERE

Little Scream has an exciting few months ahead. In addition to signing with Dine Alone in Canada and Merge Records for rest of world, she will be on the road across North America on tours with Operators and Thao & The Get Down Stay Down beginning February 17 and including SXSW. Full tour dates can be found below.

Little Scream’s 2011 debut album, The Golden Record, received a glowing 8.1 on Pitchfork, which deemed it “a stellar debut...[and] a perfectly mixed bag of graceful folk, coiled pop, and expansive art rock.” NPR dubbed it “an absolutely captivating record,” including it on their Best Albums of 2011 list, and the New York Times named Little Scream one of the best new acts to follow at SXSW, saying her record evoked “hints of the divine.”

More details on Little Scream’s much­ anticipated sophomore album will be announced shortly.

Photo Credit: Rachel Granofsky

PRAISE FOR LITTLE SCREAM

“...an absolutely captivating record. It's got a lot of push and pull: It's very powerful, very delicate, very dreamy and meditative, but also very poppy and catchy. -- Robin Hilton, NPR

"Little Scream seeks many elusive things on her wisely idiosyncratic debut album, “The Golden Record” (Secretly Canadian). There are distant lovers, fading memories, hints of the divine and, most of all, feelings that words can’t possibly describe. Perhaps that’s why her music mutates from song to song, and often within them. She can be gentle and folky or muster mock-classical strings and flute; she overdubs herself into a hearty campfire choir or an ethereal descant. She can be stark and electric like P. J. Harvey or gather up a grand, handmade anthem like Arcade Fire...”Jon Pareles, NEW YORK TIMES

“...a stellar debut...Sprengelmeyer sounds both worn from experience and inspired by something she can't yet imagine, the peripatetic sort who's old enough to be wise but young enough to be adventurous. That's the great thread that runs through this album, a perfectly mixed bag of graceful folk, coiled pop, and expansive art rock....The Golden Record is the document of a real-life wanderer who sings about drift and regret, dreams and reality...infinitely approachable and enjoyable welcome by an artist who sounds like she's here now, for the duration.” – Grayson Currin, PITCHFORK

“4.5 stars...flitting between scaled-down folk music and lush, widescreen panoramas of sound...This is an absolute beast of a debut.”Andrew Leahey, ALLMUSIC.COM

“The Golden record is a moody, bold, artful declaration” EXCLAIM!

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES

Feb 17 - Waterloo, ON - Starlight *

Feb 18 - Hamilton, ON - The Casbah *

Feb 19 - London, ON - Call The Office *

Feb 20 - St. Catharines, ON - Detour Music Hall *

Feb 24 - Sainte-Therese, QC - Bar Le Cha-Cha *

Feb 25 - Ottawa, ON - Ritual Nightclub *

Feb 27 - Kingston, ON - Grad Club *

Apr 09 - Toronto, ON - Adelaide Hall *

Apr 11 - South Burlington, VT - Higher Ground ^

Apr 12 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair ^

Apr 13 - New York, NY - Webster Hall ^

Apr 15 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club ^

Apr 16 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts ^

Apr 17 - Richmond, VA - The Broadberry ^

Apr 18 - Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle ^

July 22-25 – Oro-Medonte, ON – Wayhome Festival

(*) w/ Thao & The Get Down Stay Down

(^) w/ Operators

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CHRIS VELAN REVEALS NEW VIDEO, ANNOUNCES TOUR DATES

 

MONTREAL SONGWRITER CHRIS VELAN TO RELEASE HOWARD BILERMAN-PRODUCED SIXTH ALBUM ON MARCH 4TH VIA NEWSONG RECORDINGS

CANADIAN TOUR DATES BEGIN MARCH 23

WATCH AND SHARE THE NEW VIDEO FOR TITLE TRACK “GLOW” HERE

PRE-ORDER GLOW HERE VIA PLEDGE MUSIC

 

Montreal songwriter and producer Chris Velan is preparing to release his sixth LP, Glow, on March 4 via NewSong Recordings, and getting ready to support it with a string of tour dates across Canada. Full tour dates can be found below with more stops added shortly. In the meantime, audiences are treated to the ethereal new video for the title track “Glow”.

Directed by Velan himself, the video was filmed “at the height of summer over the course of three magical days in an old-growth forest in a provincial park outside of Victoria,” he says. “The two feral-looking brothers in the story are sons of a friend of mine and they did such a wonderful job at just being themselves in their acting debut. The final product has this beautiful hazy and dreamlike quality to it that captures the hymnal feel of the song.”

Though penned quite some time ago, the real potential of the title track wasn’t tapped until Velan was in studio to record it. “Glow was originally an up-tempo, happy-sounding track,” he says. “But when we got to recording it in the studio, we quickly realized that the feel and arrangement didn’t match the solemn and reflective lyrics. The take that made it on the album was our first attempt at re-imagining the song. If you listen closely, you can almost hear us unlocking the tune as we’re playing it.”

WATCH AND SHARE THE NEW VIDEO FOR TITLE TRACK “GLOW” HERE

 

Joining Velan in studio to record Glow was Co-producer Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, Basia Bulat, Wolf Parade, Vic Chestnutt) and an all-star band of local musicians; Jamie Thompson (Islands, The Unicorns) sitting at the drums, Morgan Moore (Barr Brothers, Blood and Glass) on bass, Max Henry (Suuns) playing keys, with Ariel Engle (AroarA) and Ngabo Kiroko (Dear Denizen) providing backup vocals.

Glow is the most accomplished, seamless mingling of Velan’s musical predilections - dancing from quiet, intimate passages, growing on pulse smooth rhythms. It’s a DNA that draws from his singer-songwriter craft as much as from West African guitar pop, vintage-era rock steady, and dance-floor eighties rock.

The songs on Glow want to pull back the curtain and let the light in. They’re about taking that long, unflinching look in the mirror, shattering mythologies, both personal and collective, and naming the lies that keep us caged. Whether refusing the clean-up job of a prophet in “Listen, Elijah”, or invoking grace in “Call Me Into Your Heart”, Velan’s latest collection of songs seems intent on finding joy at the end of the world - where no matter how frightening the outcome, the end is never the end, just a great new beginning.

It’s a path of inquiry that began for Velan on his previous album, The Long Goodbye, a raw and confessional reckoning with the break-up of a long-term relationship. While echoes of that ache remain in his latest release, Velan’s writing now looks forward with a faith in the blossoming power of love, connection, and the other intangibles that sustain life and will.

Glow is available for pre-order now on Pledge Music along with other exclusive items. 

PRE-ORDER GLOW HERE VIA PLEDGE MUSIC

LISTEN TO “UN-AMERICAN GOTHIC” HERE

CHRIS VELAN TOUR DATES

Mar 23 - Vancouver, BC - Railway Club w/ David Beckingham (Hey, Ocean!)
Apr 6 - Montreal, QC - Divan Orange
Apr 9 - Sutton, QC - Salle Alec et Gérard Pelletier
Apr 12 - Toronto, ON - The Burdock
Apr 15 - Halifax, NS - Company House
May 2-8 - Toronto, ON - CMW

 

GLOW TRACK LIST

01 As They Are
02 Call Me Into Your Heart
03 un-American Gothic
04 El Zonte
05 Listen, Elijah
06 Steal You Away
07 Ever So Slightly
08 Great New Beginnings
09 Making It Up To You
10 Fortune
11 Glow

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RA RA RIOT REVEALS NEW TRACK, “FOREIGN LOVERS”, FROM UPCOMING ALBUM 'NEED YOUR LIGHT'

RA RA RIOT REVEALS NEW ALBUM TRACK “FOREIGN LOVERS”

BROOKLYN BAND’S NEW ALBUM, NEED YOUR LIGHT, OUT FEBRUARY 19 ON ARTS & CRAFTS

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES BEGIN MARCH 2 WITH STOPS IN MONTREAL, TORONTO, AND VANCOUVER

 LISTEN TO “FOREIGN LOVERS” HERE VIA INTERVIEW MAGAZINE

WATCH AND SHARE THE LYRIC VIDEO FOR “FOREIGN LOVERS” HERE

Ra Ra Riot, whose upcoming album, Need Your Light, is due out February 19 on Arts & Crafts, is happy to share a new track off the LP. "Foreign Lovers"premiered Monday courtesy of Interview Magazine

 LISTEN TO “FOREIGN LOVERS” HERE VIA INTERVIEW MAGAZINE

WATCH AND SHARE THE LYRIC VIDEO FOR “FOREIGN LOVERS” HERE

"Foreign Lovers" and much of Need Your Light was produced by Ryan Hadlock (Vance Joy, Blonde Redhead). However, both the title track and "Water" were produced by Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend, Charli XCX, Carly Rae Jepsen), who has a long-time association with the band.

Ra Ra Riot has confirmed the first tour in support of Need Your Light beginning March 2 with stops in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Full North American tour dates can be found below.

Earlier this year Ra Ra Riot shared singles "Absolutely", which has surpassed 1 million streams on Spotify to date, and "Water" which has neared 2 million streams. “Water” is a collaboration with Rostam and showcases Ra Ra Riot's heightened levels of experimentation found throughout Need Your Light. Both tracks have seen significant attention; "Water" peaked at #25 on FMQB, KCRW posted it as "Today's Top Tune" earlier this year, and the it was just included in Sirius' Alt Nation's Alt 18. Last week Ra Ra Riot shared Dim Sum's remix of "Absolutely" which you can listen to below.

LISTEN AND SHARE DIM SUM’S REMIX OF “ABSOLUTELY

Harper’s Bazaar recently included Need Your Light in their ‘10 Albums You Need To Listen To In February’ saying, "the singles from Light don't stray from the band's fun indie vibe, especially 'Absolutely' which the band fittingly released on New Year's Day. ‘It's the year of absolutely being, absolutely nothing, absolutely crushing,' they sing, possibly foreshadowing what the forthcoming album holds.” WNYC pegged "Absolutely” as an "undeniable bit of synthpop" and Stereogum labeled it ebullient".

Need Your Light is the fourth full-length from Ra Ra Riot and sees the band getting back to their house party roots without abandoning the more heady soundscapes they explored with 2013's Beta Love. The result is an album that's celebratory without being saccharine and that sees the group collectively mining their prior experiences in order to craft something that looks toward the future with an optimistic gaze.

Ra Ra Riot is Wes Miles (vocals), Mathieu Santos (bass), Milo Bonacci (guitar), Rebecca Zeller (violin), and Kenny Bernard (drums)

NEED YOUR LIGHT TRACKLIST

1. Water

2. Absolutely

3. Foreign Lovers

4. I Need Your Light

5. Bad Times

6. Call Me Out

7. Instant Breakup

8. Every Time I'm Ready To Hug

9. Bouncy Castle

10. Suckers


NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES

2/13 - Aspen, CO - Aspen Mountain

2/21 - Charleston, WV - Mountain Stage

3/02 - Albany, NY - The Hollow +^ 

3/03 - Boston, MA - Paradise +^ 

3/04 - New York, NY - Webster Hall +^ 

3/05 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer +^ 

3/06 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club +^ 

3/08 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle +^ 

3/10 - Savannah, GA - Savannah Stopover Festival

3/11 - Atlanta, GA - Aisle 5 +^ 

3/12 - Birmingham, AL - Saturn +^ 

3/13 - Nashville, TN - Exit In +^ 

3/15 - Houston, TX - Walter's Downtown +^ 

3/16-18 - Austin, TX- SXSW

3/19 - Fort Worth, TX - The Live Oak ^* 

3/21- Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar ^* 

3/22 - San Diego, CA - The Irenic ^* 

3/24 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom ^* 

3/25 - Santa Barbara, CA - Soho Restaurant & Music Club ^* 

3/28 - Santa Ana, CA - The Constellation Room ^* 

3/27 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent

3/30 - Seattle, WA - Neumos ^* 

3/31 - Vancouver, BC - The Biltmore Cabaret ^* 

4/01 - Portland, OR - Revolution Hall ^* 

4/03 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge ^* 

4/04 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theatre ^* 

4/06 - Kansas City, MO - The Riot Room ^* 

4/07 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock Social Club ^* 

4/08 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall ^* 

4/11 - Columbus, OH - A&R Music Bar ^* 

4/12 - Millvale, PA - Mr. Small's Theatre ^* 

4/14 - Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace ^* 

4/15 - Montreal, QC - Bar Le Ritz ^* 

4/16 - Geneva, NY - The Cracker Factory ^ 

4/30 - Tampa, FL - WMNF's Tropical Heatwave

6/11 - Cleveland, OH - LaureLive

 +with Sun Club

^ with PWR BTMM

* with And The Kids


PRE-ORDER NEED YOUR LIGHT

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Directly from Ra Ra Riot


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