The Boxer Rebellion
The Cold Still
Releasing: 1 February (digital); 8 February (physical)

US fans of The Boxer Rebellion have two reasons to rejoice. First, The Boxer Rebellion will be making their US television premiere on The Late Show with David Letterman to promote their third album, The Cold Still. Which brings us to the second reason for celebration; to coincide with their late night appearance The Cold Still will be released in the US February 1st, a full week earlier than first planned.

The Cold Still is clearly a labor of love. The band’s third studio album is being released on their own record label, Absentee Recordings, with the help of iconic music producer, Ethan Johns (Kings of Leon, Ryan Adams, Ray LaMontagne). The Boxer Rebellion have created an indie following through loyal fans and word of mouth and with this personal masterpiece, they are set to take over the world.

SONG LIST
01 No Harm
02 Step Out of the Car
03 Locked in the Basement
04 Cause for Alarm
05 Caught by the Light
06 Organ Song
07 Memo
08 Both Sides Are Even
09 The Runner
10 Doubt

February 15, 2011 marks the recording debut of Yellowbirds, the first “solo” effort by singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Sam Cohen (Apollo Sunshine). With help from some friends Cohen orchestrated a sonic dreamland of billowing melodies, lulling harmonies and illustrative existential reasoning. Yellowbirds’ dreamland, appropriately titled The Color, was inspired by Cohen’s nostalgia for his Texas roots, crossed with contemporary industrial wonders of his current home New York City. In turn The Color is a collage of cool, calm and collected psychedelic folk rock, paired with dream pop and varnished with a southern croon; listening to Yellowbirds is like riding on a rainbow wondering “what’s next?” Stray away from the ordinary and join Yellowbirds in their “quixotic world where only the purist tones can be heard.”

The band is scheduled to perform February 12, 2011 at Cake Shop in NYC. Fingers crossed that more dates get announced in the near future.

Following the release of this week’s Rolling Blackouts, the Go! Team want you to know their story and they’ve just put out a new mini documentary to tell it. Check out our review of the new album after you watch all about the history of the band and their artistic approach.

Among the new album releases this month are Mojo by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Miss America by Saving Abel, Shout It Out by Hanson, Tried & True by Clay Aiken, Time Flies… 1994-2009 by Oasis, Suddenly by Allstar Weekend, Up on the Ridge by Dierks Bentley, Lazarus by Travie McCoy, Sweet and Wild by Jewel, Further by the Chemical Brothers,Thank Me Later by Drake, Bingo! by the Steve Miller Band, Body Talk Pt.1 by Robyn, To the Sky by Kevin Rudolf, I’m Alive, I’m Dreaming by the Ready Set, Laws of Illusion by Sarah McLachlan, Something for Everybody by Devo, Love King by the Dream, and the latest Top 40 hits compliation: Now 34. 

The Hundred in the Hands’ “Young Aren’t Young” has been getting airplay in the UK and U.S recently with an infectious swirl of synths. The song might not seem exactly new with the electro dance beat under dreamy female vocals, but it makes for an instant party atmosphere. These lush layers are actually minimally produced, as witnessed during a recent live session for WFUV’s The Alternative Side (TAS) program. Brooklynites Jason Friedman and Eleanore Everdell piece their music together using lots of electronic equipment, a low-fi bullet microphone and Friedman’s wicked electric guitar with a of bit background vocal help. In the accompanying interview, the duo explains the recognizable sound to crate digging for their vast vinyl collection. 

“You can’t not [have records],” Everdell explains, “when you love music.” They also espouse their love of music and current bands in a webzine called Thith Zine. For those wondering, the band’s name refers to a moment in American history when soldiers attacked a Lakota village in what is now Wyoming. Recording of both their EP released last spring, Dressed in Dresden, and their self-titled release issued in the fall, took place at during the same time frame. The TAS session also includes “Commotion”, “Lovesick Once Again”, and “Pigeons”. While the rest of the songs are similarly stylized, there’s nothing wrong with allowing such musical indulgence.