[News] Final headliners for End of the Road Festival announced

Well isn't this a delightful turn up for the books. End of the Road Festival have just announced their final headliners and it's a bit of a good'un. Gracing the stage with the likes of the already announced Sigur Ros and Belle and Sebastian at the Dorset festival, which takes place from the 30th of August until the 1st of September, will be the spell-binding St. Vincent and David Byrne. Watch the video above for the announcement from organisers and for more info on who else will be playing the fest, head to the official website.

End of the Road won Best Small Festival at the 2011 UK Festival Awards, and rightly so, I've never heard a bad word spoken about it. So why not join in the fun and go see what all the fuss is about by jumping over here for some tickets which are available right now. 

[Watch] David Byrne & St. Vincent on The Colbert Report

Last night the wonderful David Byrne and St. Vincent were guests on The Colbert Report and not only perform a track but sit down and have a chat with Stephen. The duo performed a lively rendition of "Who" and sat down to have a typically jovial conversation about a number of topics including the recent events and Sandy. There's also talk of a three way shower session and a webcam being involved? I'm pretty sure boys around the world would rejoice at Annie in th.... enough of that. It's a Friday, let's celebrate, catch the interview at the top and the performance below courtesy of The Audio Perv.

[Reviews Roundup] September 2012

With all the craziness of music blogging, from concerts to press releases to interviews to festivals, it can be hard to find time to sit down, listen to an album and give it an honest, thorough review. With that in mind, we came up with the Reviews Roundup, a way for us to look back at all of the major releases in the past month and give them an on-the-spot review. Whether we like them or not, we'll spout out a quick blurb about the album to give an overall impression of what makes it good or bad along with a score based out of five.

This month, we've had majors releases from Animal Collective, The xx, G.O.O.D. Music, Grizzly Bear, The Raveonettes, Mount Eerie, The Presets, The Vaccines, and many more. After the jump, you can read our quick thoughts on this month's offerings.

September 4th:

Animal Collective - Centipede Hz:

AnCo deliver an elaborate exploration of spacey sounds and psychedelic soundscapes.

SCORE: 4.0

Mount Eerie - Ocean Roar:

Phil Elverum's second album of the year is a beautiful-yet-eerie emotional journey, exploring the ideas of order and chaos.

SCORE: 4.5

Cat Power - Sun:

Chan Marshall returns after six longs years of dark hibernation with a sun-soaked gem.

SCORE: 4.5

The Vaccines - Come of Age:

The UK outfit's sophomore album is a grittier, more raucous outing than their debut, a welcome maturation for the band.

SCORE: 3.5

Stars - The North:

One of Canada's indie stalwarts offers up a catchy blend of electronic sounds and sprawling instrumentation.

SCORE: 3.5

Two Door Cinema Club - Beacon:

The band's sophomore outing retains the catchiness of Tourist History, but feels a bit forced at times.

SCORE: 2.5

September 11th:

The xx - Coexist:

This sophomore effort shows a great progression for the band, who have an incredible talent for evoking vast depth through subtle minimalism.

SCORE: 5.0

The Helio Sequence - Negotiations:

The Portland duo explore the intricacies of themselves and their instruments, building layer upon layer of delicate and engrossing instrumentation.

SCORE: 4.0

The Raveonettes - Observator:

Observator is an intriguing venture into the allure of Los Angeles, a mental journey in despair and loneliness amidst lush instrumentation.

SCORE: 3.5

David Byrne & St. Vincent - Love This Giant:

The ever-lasting talent and creative drive of David Byrne mixes beautifully with Annie Clark's undeniable charisma.

SCORE: 4.0

The Presets - Pacifica:

Pacifica is an electronic gem, weaving grandiose synthesizers around a complex tale of the future.

SCORE: 4.5

Thee Oh Sees - Putrifiers II:

The San Francisco psych rockers put all they've got into this diverse, hazy psychedelic package that shouldn't be missed.

SCORE: 3.5

The Avett Brothers - The Carpenter:

Yet another exploration into the intricacies of death from a band obsessed with the notion. With soft, solemn moments and charming, upbeat arrays of acoustic goodness, fans will feel right at home here.

SCORE: 3.0

September 18th:

G.O.O.D. Music - Cruel Summer:

The G.O.O.D. Music crew feels fairly disjointed here, with a lot of different artists and styles to take in, but a few solid performances help it from falling apart.

SCORE: 3.0

Grizzly Bear - Shields:

Grizzly Bear delves into a myriad of dream-like sounds, moments later being swept into an uproar of chaotic instrumentation. This expansive array constantly tears apart and rebuilds itself, struggling constantly in a beautiful war.

                                        SCORE: 5.0

September 25th:

Django Django - Django Django:

This Scotland quartet knows how to do harmony right, blending their vocal stylings with an addictive and quirky blend of spacey sounds and psychedelic influences.

SCORE: 4.0

[Watch] David Byrne & St. Vincent Visit Jimmy Fallon

The collaborative effort between David Byrne and St. Vincent was released this week and to support the album the pair visited Jimmy Fallon to put in a few performances from the record. First up at the top you can enjoy them going through a great rendition of the single "Who" that we saw the video to not that long ago. After the jump we have the pleasure of enjoying "The Forest Awakes". I could watch these two perform all day I think. 

Love This Giant is out this week via 4AD/Todo Mundo.

[Watch] David Byrne & St. Vincent - "Who" (Official Video)

Earlier in the week we got to enjoy the collaborative LP between David Byrne and Annie Clark aka St. Vincent, Love This Giant. The monochrome video sees a drunken David cause an accident which leaves poor Annie motionless in the middle of the road. Watch it in full at the top.

Love This Giant arrives officially on September 11th via via 4AD/Todo Mundo.

[Listen] David Byrne & St. Vincent - 'Love This Giant' (Full Album Stream)

NPR is offering up a stream of David Byrne and St. Vincent's collaborative LP Love This Giant one week before it officially hits stores. The album was recorded in Hoboken, NJ at Water Music Studio, where Byrne and Annie Clark were joined by a brass section comprised of members from the Dap-Kings and Antibalas. Stream the album below, and make sure to pick up the 12-track effort when it drops on September 11th via 4AD/Todo Mundo.

[Listen] David Byrne & St. Vincent - "Weekend In The Dust"

David Byrne and St. Vincent are offering up another track from their forthcoming collaborative LP Love This Giant, which is set to drop in early September. We previously heard album opener "Who", which the pair gave us last month, and now you can stream "Weekend In The Dust". If you head over to their official website, you can stream both songs in full, and if you pre-order the album you will receive a download of the latter.

A fan newsletter gave us some choice words from the pair, who said that "Weekend In The Dust" was one of ten songs from the 12-track effort that they wrote together. Here's what Annie Clark had to say: "David came up with some brass riffs and swells that sounded pretty funky. Annie then wrote a cool vocal melody with words over it. We both arranged her vocal and other elements of the track a bit further—still working with horn samples temporarily. Finally, we passed this one on to baritone sax monster Lenny Pickett, ex Tower Of Power and current Borneo Horns and SNL bandleader, for arranging."

Love This Giant is out on September 11th via 4AD/Todo Mundo.

[News] St. Vincent and David Byrne Announce 'Love This Giant', Fall Tour Dates

It's been known for quite some time that Annie Clark of St. Vincent and David Byrne have been working on a collaborative album together, and today all the details about the project have been unveiled. The collaborative LP is titled Love This Giant and will be released on September 11th via 4AD/Todo Mundo. The 12-track effort was recorded primarily at Water Music studio in Hoboken, New Jersey, with the Dap-Kings and Antibalas serving as a brass section for the song "The One Who Broke Your Heart."

The project is described as “infectious and hook-laden”with “a traditional guitar/bass/drums lineup in favor of idiosyncratic horn arrangements.” Annie Clarke stated that "[t]here was no delineating what the roles were. It’s a collaboration I’m truly proud of.”

For an idea of what the album will sound like, check out the first taste with the song "Who," which you can download after the jump. As well, after the jump you can take a look at the full list of tour dates and locations that Clark and Byrne will visit in support of the release.

Love This Giant Tracklist:
01. Who
02. Weekend in the Dust
03. Dinner For Two
04. Ice Age
05. I Am An Ape
06. The Forest Awakes
07. I Should Watch TV
08. Lazarus
00. Optimist
10. Lightning
11. The One Who Broke Your Heart (feat. The Dap-Kings and Antibalas)
12. Outside of Space & Time

St. Vincent and David Byrne 2012 Tour Dates:
09/15 – Minneapolis, MN @ State Theater
09/16 – Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theater
09/18 – Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
09/20 – Toronto, ON @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
09/21 – Montreal, QC @ POP Montreal
09/23 – Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre
09/25 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theater
09/26 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theater
09/27 – Philadelphia, PA @ Tower Theater
09/29 – Brooklyn, NY @ Williamsburg Park
09/30 – N. Bethesda MD @ The Music Center at Strathmore
10/02 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
10/03 – Atlanta, GA @ Cobb Energy Center
10/05 – Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall
10/06 – Houston, TX @ Hobby Center
10/07 – Dallas, TX @ McFarlin Memorial Auditorium
10/10 – San Diego, CA @ Humphrey’s
10/11 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Arlington Theatre
10/12 – Costa Mesa, CA @ Segerstrom Theater for the Arts
10/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theater
10/15 – San Francisco, CA @ Orpheum Theatre
10/17 – Seattle, WA @ 5th Avenue Theatre
10/18 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Auditorium
10/20 – Vancouver, BC @ Centre in Vancouver for the Performing Arts