Cheer for the A-Team

The Black Keys new video...Stream the new Tennis record...St. Vincent doesn't want to be a Cheerleader...Stream the new Islands LP...

Let's start this off with The Black Keys. Their latest LP, El Camino, came out in December, and the band is currently on tour in support of the record, but they've given this next little nugget for their adoring fans. My first introduction to the Black Keys was crashing on a friend's couch in Austin during SXSW and secretly listening to his records, while he was drunkenly passed out in a little nook above the living room. Yeah...the place was weird. But, I found Rubber Factory to be a great album. And, they haven't stopped getting bigger, both in fame and in sound. If you want to compare, which I wouldn't necessarily do, you can listen to something from Thickfreakness and then watch the new video here, and see what you think.

In other news, Tennis has released their new album online. The album is called Young & Old. I posted a track from the album a couple of weeks back, but now you can listen to it in its entirety. They definitely play on a more ethereal, translucent vibe that has definitely won me over. I wouldn't recommend playing it for Pantera fans, but they've got a nice vibe about them. You can listen to the album here.

Now, St. Vincent is one of those artists who just has something about her. Maybe it's her natural beauty, or the way she shreds on her guitar, of the fact that she composes her music to movies she likes, making them more theatrical and thematically relevant. Either way, she won me over after her last record, and while I haven't dived into her newest release, Strange Mercy, this video definitely makes me want to. You can view the video for the track, "Cheerleader," below:



Lastly, Islands has released their new album online as well. The album is titled A Sleep and A Forgetting. I first heard of Islands from a friend, who would play them every time we got stoned for a good two months, and naturally, I wasn't into it. But, as time went on, I came to know and appreciate their sound, and when I found out that they were an offshoot from The Unicorns, let's just say that my doubts were put on hold. But, you can hear their new album below:



LISTENING: It's been a slow morning, but harking back to my metal-head, goth days, I listened to Mechanical Animals by Marilyn Manson this morning. I know...that's a weird choice to start your day off, but it's been kind of dismal here lately, and the only way you can beat the constant greys is to drown them out with some depressing, genius music. Now, I'm in a more peppy mood, so I'll probably put on The Ramones.

That's all. PEACE.