Author Archives: Katie Willmott

While we’re sad to see our week with Portugal. The Man nearing the end, we’re also excited to have not one, not two, but three copies of their newest release, 2011’s In The Mountain In The Cloud, up for grabs.

Portugal. The Man’s unique and ever-evolving sound makes it difficult to pinpoint what genre they belong in, but one thing’s for certain: they are undoubtedly one of the hardest-working bands in the business. The Wasilla, Alaska-based band has managed to record and release a new album every year since 2006, when their debut album, Waiter: “You Vultures!” came out. This is an especially commendable feat considering Portugal. The Man, reputed as a great live band, managed to do this amidst seemingly constant touring.

In The Mountain In The Cloud, out on Atlantic Records, is the band’s major label debut. While many bands lose touch with their sound when they foray into major label territory, Paste says In The Mountain In The Cloud “may just be their finest album to date,” noting that Portugal. The Man’s seventh album is “an amalgamation of everything the band has done before,” but it “takes it all one step further.” Paste also praises the “polished studio sound not quite heard on their previous work” while noting In The Mountain In The Cloud “also managed to capture the band’s raw energy that is so often praised in their live performances.”

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In keeping up with our 10 Weeks of Vinyl Giveaways, counting down to Record Store Day, TVD has a copy of Blues Funeral, the seventh studio album by the Mark Lanegan Band, which we want to put into the hands of one lucky person.

Mark Lanegan is perhaps best known as the lead vocalist of grunge band Screaming Trees. Following the band’s break-up in 2000, Lanegan went on to join Queens of the Stone Age, as well as form The Gutter Twins, a collaborative project with Greg Dulli. Lanegan has gone on to collaborate with a variety of fellow musicians throughout his career.

Blues Funeral contains Mark Lanegan’s first new material since Bubblegum, released in 2004. Upon its release in February on 4AD Records, the album garnered a great amount of critical acclaim and positive reviews, with many critics praising Lanegan’s distinct voice, which has previously been compared to Tom Waits.

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TVD recently gave away a copy of Nevermind, Nirvana’s breakthrough album, as part of our 10 Weeks of Record Store Day Vinyl Giveaways. This time around, we’re giving away another album featuring the music of the Seattle grunge band, a copy of Incesticide, the compilation album released by the band in 1992.

The album, a collection of band rarities, features live performances, demo recordings, and previously unreleased material. Among the songs on Incesticide are “Hairspray Queen,” “Aneurysm,” and a newer version of “Been a Son.” Also on the album are covers of Devo and The Vaselines, as well as one of my favorite Nirvana songs, “Sliver,” which was originally released as a non-album single in 1990.

Hitting shelves less than two years after the aforementioned Nevermind, Incesticide gives listeners an opportunity to see Nirvana’s origins. While Nevermind has more of a polished sound, Incesticide has noticeably minimal production and captures the stripped down, grunge-tinged sound that defines the band. Notably, the album artwork was painted by lead singer Kurt Cobain himself.

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One of Canada’s finest musical exports, Mr. Rufus Wainwright, recently released “Out of the Game,” the first single and title track from his forthcoming album, to be released on Decca Records. Although the Mark Ronson-produced album isn’t set to hit shelves until May 1st, in celebration of the upcoming Record Store Day, TVD has your chance to snag a signed (!!!) copy of it right now.

While recording Out of the Game in May of last year, Wainwright told Rolling Stone that his upcoming album is his danciest, poppiest record yet, saying, “I just want to make something you love, driving around in your car listening or losing your mind to on a dancefloor. Something to serenade us through these very, very troubling times.” The Grammy Award-winning singer also revealed that the songs on his newest album were heavily influenced by two major personal moments in his life, including the death of his mother, Kate McGarrigle, and the birth of his daughter, Viva.

In addition to Ronson’s work behind the boards, Out of the Game features guest appearances from Sean Lennon, members of the Dap Kings, Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner, and Martha Wainwright (the singer’s sister), to name a few. Wainwright has also mentioned that he was heavily influenced by pop heavy hitters David Bowie, Elton John, and Queen during the Out of the Game writing and recording sessions.

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With the month of April (and Record Store Day!) looming around the corner, TVD continues with our 10 Weeks of Record Store Day Vinyl Giveaways. Today, we have a copy of a 2LP set of Mastodon’s The Hunter, released in 2011 on Reprise Records, that we want to put in the hands of one lucky TVD reader.

In addition to debuting at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 chart, The Hunter also helped the progressive and sludge metal band garner a great amount of success, making it onto the Rolling Stone list of the 50 Best Albums of 2011, as well as helping Mastodon nab a Grammy nomination for “Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance” for “Curl of the Burl,” the album’s lead single.

While writing and recording the follow-up to 2009’s critically-acclaimed Crack the Skye, the members of Mastodon decided to take a completely different tack and musical approach to their new material. Guitarist Bill Kelliher notes the writing and recording sessions for this album were much more spontaneous, saying the band’s primary goal was to “Just let it fall naturally, and we did.”

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Maybe it’s the fact that St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, but we at TVD have been feeling especially lucky as of late. If you, too, have been experiencing your share of luck, put it to the test and check out your chance to win a copy of Electric Guest’s “Troubleman” b/w “American Daydream” 7” as part of our 10 Weeks of Record Store Day Vinyl Giveaways.

The limited edition white vinyl single, released this past December on White Iris Records, gives listeners a sneak peek of what to expect on Electric Guest’s Danger Mouse-produced debut album, the tentatively-titled Radical Miracle.

The Los Angeles-based duo, made up of Asa Taccone (brother is Jorma Taccone from The Lonely Island) and Matthew Compton, is scheduled to tour the United States throughout the summer to help promote the upcoming release.

While their first full-length isn’t expected to hit shelves until later this spring, the indie-electronic-soul-pop-rock duo have already made a splash in the music scene, landing a spot on MTV’s “11 Artists to Watch in 2012” list, as well as frequently being compared to the likes of fellow Danger Mouse-produced artists, including Broken Bells and Gnarls Barkley.

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Electro rock duo The Big Pink made a big bang in 2009 with the release of their debut album, A Brief History of Love. The album, which spawned the hit single “Dominos,” put them on many “Artists to Watch” and “Best of 2009” lists. Needless to say, the band was left with big shoes to fill when they recorded their highly anticipated second album, Future This.

The Big Pink, which is made up of multi-instrumentalists Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell, avoided the sophomore slump with Future This, released in January on 4AD Records. A Paste magazine review of the album noted that The Big Pink has continued to evolve as a band and has created a unique sound all of its own, saying that it “distinguishes itself within the vastly popular arena of retro-electro-pop.”

Future This is also a noticeable departure from The Big Pink’s debut album. While A Brief History of Love was full of shoegaze and guitar-driven riffs, Future This finds the band further experimenting with an electronic, synth-pop sound. Despite the rather adventurous move into new music territory, Paste goes on to say that Future This “is never background music,” but rather, is full of indelibly catchy songs that command the attention of listeners.

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While I’m With You is the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ tenth studio album, it is especially noteworthy because it is also the band’s first release to feature new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, who took over the guitar reigns after John Frusciante’s departure in 2009.

Although this isn’t the first time RHCP has made a change to its line-up, lead singer Anthony Kiedis told MTV News that Klinghoffer has contributed to the progression of the band and helped the members push their signature sound, saying, “He’s definitely a big part of why …it’s different person, different chemistry, different experience, different era… We’re a new band.”

Overall, I’m With You, released last August on Warner Bros. Records, received generally positive reviews, with critics saying that the addition of Klinghoffer restored life to the veteran band, who have sold over 65 million albums worldwide. Additionally, I’m With You helped RHCP nab a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album.

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Loney Dear, the moniker of singer-songwriter Emil Svanängen, proves that it’s very much possible to get a lot from very little.

The Swedish performer recorded his first album, The Year of River Fontana, in the basement of his parents’ home and self-released it in 2003, selling CD-R copies through his website and during live performances. The album would eventually go on to gain popularity and sell over 3,000 copies based solely on word-of-mouth, helping Svanängen nab a recording contract in 2006.

Fast-forward to today, and the multi-instrumentalist has accomplished a significant amount, including a tour with fellow folk singer Andrew Bird, as well as a chamber orchestra tour throughout his native Sweden. Svanängen also has six records under his belt, including his most recent release, 2011’s Hall Music via Polyvinyl.

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As we continue on with our 10 Weeks of Record Store Day Vinyl Giveaways, TVD has a copy of Nirvana’s Nevermind that we want to put in the hands of one lucky fan.

Nirvana is widely thought to be one of the main pioneers of the Seattle grunge sound. Nevermind, the band’s sophomore release and major label debut, is considered to be one of the most influential albums of its time, as well as the album that brought alternative rock to the mainstream circuits.

Rolling Stone said it best when it described Nevermind as “a museum piece, a record that merits a display in the Smithsonian.” Released just over 20 years ago in 1991, it would eventually go on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide, making it not only one of the most significant, but also one of the greatest-selling albums of all-time.

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Here’s your chance to get your hands on Pink Floyd’s classic album, The Wall, like you’ve never seen (or heard) it before. The legendary concept record is being re-released today digitally, on CD, and of course on vinyl, and we’ve got a copy of the latter for one of you.

The Wall is widely regarded as Pink Floyd’s magnum opus. Originally released 33 years ago in 1979, it topped the Billboard charts for fifteen weeks and went on to sell more than 23 million copies in the United States alone. The record also spawned the release of an eponymous movie in 1982.

The band’s most theatrical album follows the protagonist Pink, as he rises from life in post-World War II England to become the proverbial isolated rock star. Rolling Stone, which places the album at number 87 on its “500 Greatest Albums” list, says, “rock star hubris has never been so electrifying.” The Wall has also stood the test of time, as Roger Waters continues to tour and perform the album in its entirety.

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