Year: 2008

Miami Ice, the third effort by Chicago-based Icy Demons (comprised of Bablicon’s Griffin Rodriguez, here known as Blue Hawaii, and Man Man’s Christopher Powell, known as Pow Pow), is so enjoyable and effortless; it’s any wonder why the group hasn’t gained greater notoriety. Although disappointingly short, the album is brimming with such gorgeous material that it’s difficult not to enjoy. “Miami Ice,” the stunning single for which the album was named, is a perfect blend of Rodriguez’s deep yet quiet vocals and elegant synths and piano. Although clearly the strongest and most rapturous effort on the record, it certainly doesn’t take away from the other genius songs.

Twin Tigers have been around less than a year, yet they are the latest hot band from the Athens, GA scene. The group is made of scattered remnants of past acts, most notably Psychic Hearts. With Twin Tigers, songwriter Matthew Rain has adopted more traditional roots on which to base his frenetic and fuzzed sound.

Fresh off their tour with Casualities, Austin-based Krum Bums are embarking on another U.S. tour. UK82 legends G.B.H. will be touring with the group as well. Recently featured on the cover of the Austin Chronicle, the group won Best Punk Band of 2008 from the Austin Music Awards. Their next album, S.O.S., will be released soon. Tour dates are listed below (with more dates to be added at a later date):

Want to win a pair of tix to what ALARM is calling “The Best Concert of the Summer?” Now is your chance. ALARM is proud to present metal icons ISIS and multi-genred magicians Dub Trio at Chicago’s Subterranean on July 26. To enter, sign up in the Contest Box below.

Fresh off of their European tour, New York indie-poppers, the Magnetic Fields are pleased to announce their US fall tour schedule, which will feature a short string of dates this October. A limited number of pre-sale tickets for the shows will be available beginning on July 15th through Music Today, while most general tickets will be available at specific venues beginning July 18th and at select third party retails like Ticketmaster.

NYC experimental jazz saxophonist Matana Roberts has posted the first installment in her series of video blogs that attempt to explain being a woman in the male-dominated world of experimental jazz and the femininity of music in general. In an introspective monologue, the jazz collaborator gives an intimate look into the mind of a female jazz artists through rants, questions, and poignant narratives.

In a rather MTV like fashion, superstar rockers Radiohead have released a ‘making the video’ clip for their upcoming video, “House of Cards,” off of their latest, In Rainbows. The video sees Thom Yorke and company collaborate with director James Frost & photography director Yon Thomas to create a 3-D music video, made almost entirely without the use of cameras.

Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip is a collaboration between artists De Le Sac and Scroobius Pip. In accordance with their name, which is an intentional misspelling of the Edward Lear nonsense poem, “The Scroobious Pip,” the Essex duo create beat heavy songs with rhymes that often use humor and wit to accentuate the point. The duo is perhaps best known for their electronic hit, “Thou Shalt Always Kill,” which has gained them exclusive notoriety and even earned them the track of the week in NME, despite the lyric, “thou shalt not read NME.”