Magnet premiers the second single from Hot Panda's new album!

"Synth-rock quartet Hot Panda recorded its sophomore album, How Come I’m Dead (Mint), in a whirlwind one-week session at JC/DC Studio in Vancouver with the help of New Pornographer John Collins. The first single, “Mindlessnesslessness,” captures this urgency with spiraling keyboards and an ever-persistent drum beat. An unanticipated downtempo finish adds a touch of sweetness to this otherwise fantastically manic track. Download “Mindlessnesslessness” below, and if you are feeling creative, make your own remix here. And as a bonus, MAGNET is proud to premiere album track “Masculinity,” which you can also download below." Click on over to Magnet and download "Masculinity"

Happy Thanksgiving!

Riot Act will be shutting down for the holiday this afternoon... we'll catch up with you bright and early on Monday morning. Until then, please download this 29 song sampler of all the amazing acts we've worked with this year! 29 great songs, free! That's something to make you thankful, right?

Riot Act's Favorite Jams of 2010!!!

Wow & Flutter share "The Puget Sound" off of their new album, Equilibrio!

Lead track, "The Puget Sound", kicks off Wow & Flutter's new album with the proper amount of weirdness, distortion and groove and you should download and share it with your readership!

What the press has to say about Wow & Flutter:
"I think it’s safe to say that fans of Sonic Youth, The Pixies and The Minutemen will find plenty to like in the WAF’s ADD-inspired post-punk." My Old Kentucky Blog

"This Portland band’s latest album is another first-rate set of dark, tension-filled post-punk that combines the arty atmospherics of Sonic Youth with a more scuzzy, visceral rock attack on a variety of memorable songs with strong, distinctive hooks." KEXP

"Equilibrio!—the band's latest, and first on Seattle imprint Mt. Fuji—is easily their best work." Portland Mercury

"Truly a band that's inspiring and wants to make life more enjoyable!" Mixtape Muse

"These guys remind me of recent sounds from Washington DC; their herky-jerky, structurally complex, but still quite melodic music isn't exactly like Black Eyes, Smart Went Crazy, or the Dismemberment Plan, but it would surprise me if fans of those bands didn't enjoy Wow And Flutter as well." RVA Magazine

"There are a few moments here that rival just about any indie-rock record released this year: “Scars” sounds like a lost single from Sonic Youth’s late period (it would fit perfectly at the beginning of Rather Ripped), and “Union Pacific” skirts by with clattering rhythms and some nifty fretwork. “Ivan the Terrible” stomps with an evil sneer that’s new for the band, and closer “The Day Before the World Explodes” uses all of its six minutes to build to an epic, fuzzed-out and hopeful finale." Willamette Week

Hot Panda interviewed in Verbicide Magazine!

"How Come I’m Dead? is manic, full of frenzied guitars, cute melodies, gentle asides that calm things down nicely (piano downpours and gales of horns), and, for the most part, songs that inspire some form of movement or air punching: an undercurrent of anxiety swells with each track, as if menace and danger are just around the corner, stretching their limbs, lying in wait." Read the full feature interview over at Verbicide!

Sea Of Bees featured as Q Magazine's Track of the Day!

"Self-described as freak-folk, the Scaramento native mixes woozy vocals with guitar, that in the case of The Woodspossesses a sound, on-the-surface not too dissimilar to Joanna Newsom with raised-pitch, skewing vocals adding a naive or slightly child-like quality. On other tracks, like Marmaladefrom her forthcoming debut record Song For The Ravens, backed with fuzzed guitar, a hint of feedback, more densely layered vocals and drums the musical backing sounds more akin to what you might expect from a heavier/scuzzier Laura Marling say, or a more folk-Breeders - depending on what direction you're coming at this from musically." Read the rest and hear the track at Q!

"Bird on a Wire" - Hurtbird's Mic Checks and Balanc

"In junior high I was introduced to rap through a hidden box of tapes I found buried at the bus stop," he explains. "By my seventh grade year I was verbally escaping my shy self by recording raps on my boombox while mentally escaping by listening to bands like Pink Floyd. I guess that could be why mixing rock elements and hiphop never felt strange to me. It just seemed right." Read the rest of the Hurtbird interview over at the Portland Mercury

RCRD LBL offers up Shellshag's "1984" off of Rumors In Disguise!

Such a great band, such a rad song... RCRD LBL agrees:

"Do you see that picture? That's called love, people—sort of like my feelings for Shellshag minus a wedding ring or two. San Francisco transplants now living in Brooklyn, Johnny Shell and Jen Shag have long been members of the bicoastal DIY scene. "1984" seems to capture this quality of experience with a girl groups gone grunge feel that is sweet without losing its edge. An hour later, when you find yourself humming "ba ba da," you'll realize how disarmingly catchy the track manages to be. The duo is right at home on New Jersey label Don Giovanni, and their live act is just as refreshing as the rest of the material on Rumors in Disguise. In other words, get thee to a show!" Click to nab the single.

Rusty Willoughby's Cobirds Unite gets a wonderful write up over at Last.FM!

"Rusty’s latest, Cobirds Unite, is pretty outstanding. It’s a haunting, largely acoustic, collection of addictively melodic, harmony laden, comtempo-folk crack." Click through to read the rest!

The Switchboard Sessions offers up two newly recorded lo-fi songs from Laura Stevenson and the Cans!

There's a wonderful interview up at Switchboard Sessions with Laura Stevenson and the Cans and, bonus, two newly recorded tracks to preview while we all patiently wait for them to finish recording their sophomore album for Don Giovanni Records! Click to read the interview.

New vinyl!! Shapers and Black Whales 7" out today!

Preview the A Side of two great vinyl releases.

SHAPERS on Whistler Records - "Virgina Reel"

Black Whales on New Canada Records - "Rattle Your Bones"

Rusty Willoughby's Cobirds Unite out today!

Early Raves for Cobirds Unite:
"Rusty Willoughby offers up a dozen superbly written, subtle-emotive lonely journeys on his new album Cobirds Unite. It is probably the best sounding roots-oriented album I have heard in some time, and that means a lot when you have a voice as sweet and true as Willoughby's, backing vocals from Rachel Flotard, cello from Barb Antonio, a bunch of great picking and playing on various instruments by (producer) Johnny Sangster, and Tilman Herb on violin, among others." No Depression

"A haunting hush settles foglike over Cobirds’s beautiful folk-pop with minor canyon rock and alt.country leanings—aided by Martin’s vibraphone, Antonio’s cello, Sutherland’s dobro, Flotard’s dulcet duet vocals, and violin, banjo, and pedal steel. And songs such as the title track and chilling “Where are the Knives” are so gently soothing, you’ll almost miss their brooding base. Covers of “Do Right Woman” and “Streets of Baltimore” (both a la Flying Burrito Brothers versions) complete the scene." Big Takeover

"Everything about Rusty Willoughby’s Cobirds Unite is perfection, from the production to the talented backing musicians to Willoughby himself. This album can easily stand up to any bigger releases of 2010 and knock them on their asses and, frankly, it should be that way. Beautiful record Rusty, just beautiful." Innocent Words

"So yes. Cobirds Unite. Wistful. Country-tinged. Two warm, star-speckled voices playing up against each other, and hamonising. Some delightful Hammond organ. Haunting. Heavenly. Hiccoughing. Heroic, in a mild way. Makes me miss the bars and fast friendships and rancour of the Pacific Northwest something rotten." Everett True

"Cobirds Unite is a beautifully lush record with Willoughby’s acoustic rounded out by slide guitar, organs, violin, banjo and most importantly Flotard’s voice which nearly trades line for line and is a great match. The songs themselves range from a quiet Elliot Smith-ish “Seventeen Express”, the country sounds of the title track and the rock of “Find A Way Home” which does a good job of borrowing the riff from “Suffragette City”. Cobirds Unite is a solid release from front to back which hopefully will gain Rusty Willoughby the recognition he deserves." Reviler

Rusty Willoughby shares a track from his recent live session at KEXP!

Rusty Willoughby's album of duets with Rachel Flotard (Visqueen) hits stores next Tuesday and to celebrate, they're sending out a live version of the title track they recently performed in-studio at Seattle's KEXP. Download and share "Cobirds Unite" Live at KEXP!

Hurtbird on tour all over the Pacific Northwest!

SHAPERS share the new video for "Happy Birthday Polywog"

SHAPERS TOUR DATES:
11.09.10 - Ann Arbor, MI @ the Blind Pig
11.10.10 - Toledo, OH @ Mickey Finn's
11.11.10 - Philadelphia, PA @ Mill Creek Tavern
11.12.10 - Brooklyn, NY @ the Rock Shop
11.13.10 - Manhattan, NY @ Piano's
11.15.10 - Chicago, IL @ the Empty Bottle

Everett True on Cobirds Unite!

"So yes. Cobirds Unite. Wistful. Country-tinged. Two warm, star-speckled voices playing up against each other, and hamonising. Some delightful Hammond organ. Haunting. Heavenly. Hiccoughing. Heroic, in a mild way. Makes me miss the bars and fast friendships and rancour of the Pacific Northwest something rotten. Music for suburban romantics and homeless dreamers, music for folk who never fell out of love with music in the first place." Everett True

Black Whales "Rattle Your Bones" to be KEXP's Song of the Day tomorrow!

Please be sure to sign up for KEXP's Song Of The Day Podcast today and the brand new single from Black Whales will be sitting nicely in your iTunes tomorrow!

Seattle! Don't miss Cobirds Unite at Reykjavik Calling tomorrow night...

After impressive sets at CMJ and Pop Montreal, Hot Panda are happy to announce a West Coast tour in December!

Tour Dates:
12.03.10 - Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
12.04.10 - Victoria, BC @ Logan's Pub
12.05.10 - Seattle, WA @ Comet Tavern
12.06.10 - Olympia, WA @ Le Voyeur
12.07.10 - Portland, OR @ the Woods
12.08.10 - San Francisco, CA @ the Hemlock
12.09.10 - Los Angeles, CA @ the Echo
12.11.10 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
12.15.10 - Lethbridge, AB @ the Slice
12.16.10 - Calgary, AB @ the Marquee
12.17.10 - Edmonton, AB @ the Pawn Shop

What folks are saying:
"Edmonton, Canada's Hot Panda recorded its new album, How Come I’m Dead?, during the Winter 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. The chaos of the time is reflected in the music, as Hot Panda weaves an anarchic medley of sounds and styles into its sophomore album." CMJ

"The album may be call How Come I'm Dead?, but Hot Panda aren't lifeless, not even close!" Exclaim

"They sound like the kind of band you’d like to have in your backyard, tearing it up while you bite into the most delicious pancakes you’ve ever tasted. They sound like the start of a weird, sunny day. Get into it." 'Sup Magazine

"More impressively, Hot Panda naturally flow in and out of all styles of high-intensity rock without overreaching. “Evil Nature” moves from blasts of noisy shredding to blissful pop without skipping a beat. “Pools” is a giddy shot of swaggering bravado. “Mindlessnesslessness” is spastic electro-pop in the vein of Brainiac. This is rock music with an abundance of attitude to match the plentiful hooks, the sort of thing we used to expect from guitar-driven bands as a requisite." Stereo Subversion

The AV Club shares the new SHAPERS single, "Virginia Reel" and the band preps for tour!

Check out the AV Club's interview with SHAPERS discussing their new single and download the a side for free! Hot on the heels of their debut album, Little, Big, the band has their next release cued up from Whistler Records. The single, Virginia Reel is out November 16th!

Tour Dates:
11.09.10 - Ann Arbor, MI @ the Blind Pig
11.10.10 - Toledo, OH @ Mickey Finn's
11.11.10 - Philadelphia, PA @ Mill Creek Tavern
11.12.10 - Brooklyn, NY @ the Rock Shop
11.13.10 - Manhattan, NY @ Piano's
11.15.10 - Chicago, IL @ the Empty Bottle

Mother Jones' new article on Basia Bulat!

"Heart of My Own centers in on an individual's relationship to place. The title track, Bulat says, reflects her need for consistency amid transience. "I was really looking for something steady," she says. "I was really insistent to my brother [her drummer]: just the kick drum, just the beat, only play the kick drum." But the touring seems to have paid off. At San Francisco's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass fest, she wooed the crowd with a Polish song about zoo animals, enchanted them with her soulful voice and her rotation of adorable, oddball instruments, and left the stage to a standing ovation." Maddie Oatman

Read the rest at Mother Jones!

Shellshag heads out on tour with Street Eaters!