Merry Christmas!

Just in time for Christmas! Download/listen to this:

Concert of Miracles - A Celebrity Holiday Spectacular

This isn't Christmas music below. But it is a very good and also-humorous piece by some of the same talent.

The Weeknd: Echoes of Silence

The Weeknd has already released two pseudo-albums this year. Echoes of Silence is the third. House of Balloons was great. I didn't care much for Thursday, but Echoes might be a return to form. Below are three tracks off Echoes of Silence.

The Weeknd--D.D.

The Weeknd--Montreal

The Weeknd--Same Old Song

Harriet: "I Slept With All Your Mothers"

Harriet, a new band out of LA, is my new favorite band of the moment. I don't mean to underplay how much I approve of their apparent awesomeness, but favoritism can be fickle. This song, "I Slept With All Your Mothers," is the first song in a while that I have put on repeat. Yeah, I know... it's gotta be good, huh? Especially because it weighs in at a lean two minutes, 25 seconds. But, it's packed with rock, catchiness, and enough substance to keep me listening for several more repeat sessions. Listen/download from Soundcloud below.

Harriet "I Slept With All Your Mothers" by HarrietMusic

Their EP, Tell The Right Story, is out January 31st.

The Shins Announce New Album

The Shins have announced the release of a new album called Port Of Morrow. It will be released some time in March.

"Wuthering Heights"

I recently came across a cover of Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights." It's by a band called Cuban Cigar Crisis off their album Sourpuss. I think it's a very funny song. If you're familiar with Wuthering Heights it's funny. If you watch the Kate Bush music video below, it's funny. It's just funny. Not necessarily in a laugh-out-loud kind of way, but in an ironic way.



Cuban Cigar Crisis--Wuthering Heights

Guards: "Do It Again"

I posted about Guards back in September in conjunction with a word-vomit post about Vampire Weekend. This time, I'll keep it concise. The latest single from Guards is a high-energy, garage-rocky, poppy number. It's called, "Do It Again." Listen below:

Guards--Do It Again

Islands: "This Is Not A Song"

Islands--This Is Not A Song

New Albums This Week!

I don't have a lot in the way of up-and-coming band news, which is something I know I could work on a bit. But, I am still obligated to let you all in on some very good news. Yesterday, December 6, 2011, saw the release of the latest Black Keys album. I'm sure this is no surprise to most, because it has been well-hyped, if only for a little while pre-release. I did my fair share of hyping for this album, too--this is the gazillionth El Camino-related post I've made in about a month.

Although the Black Keys deserve all the hype (their album is great), this post is not about them. It is about several other established bands that have announced new albums in the past few days.

Tennis: Young and Old, February 14, 2012

Of Montreal: Paralytic Stalks, February 7, 2012

AIR: Le Voyage Dans La Lune, February 6, 2012

Sleigh Bells: Reign of Terror, February 14, 2012

School of Seven Bells: Ghostory, February 28, 2012

Miike Snow: TBA, 2012

Andrew Bird: Break It Yourself, March 6, 2012

Animal Collective: TBA, 2012?

Islands: A Sleep And A Forgetting, February 14, 2012

Lana Del Rey: Born 2 Die, January 30, 2012

This list is by no means all-inclusive, but ALL of these artists are definitely worth keeping your eyes on. I'll keep you up to date here and will post links to songs and albums streams, where available, in the very near future.

Lana Del Rey: "Born to Die"

Lana Del Rey is set to release this single, "Born to Die," on January 23rd. Her debut album is due out soon after on January 30th.

Update (12/14/2011): Official video at VEVO