[Listen] Electric Guest - "Jenny" x Daytrotter Session

The end of April/beginning of may is going to be a wonderful time for fans of super producer Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton with the upcoming release of Norah Jones' Little Broken Hearts on May 1st and the debut album Mondo by Electric Guest dropping April 24th, both produced by Burton. Fans of Danger Mouse's work, especially his band Broken Bells formed alongside The Shins' James Mercer, will love the Los Angeles duo Electric Guest (Asa Taccone, Matthew Compton) and their recently released self titled EP.

The EP features the band's standout singles from their upcoming debut album Mondo ("This Head I Hold", "Troubleman" and "American Daydream") and also features a new track titled "Jenny" which you can stream below. The EP is available to pick up now iTunes. If you haven't got enough of the Electric Guest goodness, head over to Daytrotter.com to listen/download the group's live session which features 3 new songs "Amber", the KCRW loved track "The Bait" and "Holes" from the upcoming album as well as a live version of "This Head I Hold". Now sit back and enjoy some good music and pick this up when it drops next month.

[Watch] James Mercer Debuts New Shins Song Live: "It's Only Life"

The Shins' fourth studio album Port Of Morrow is set for release on March 20th, and so far we've heard the lead single from the album as well as its b-side. The single, titled "Simple Song," was released last month, with it's b-side, titled "September," following suit one month later. Now, during a solo performance at San Diego radio station 91X, the band's frontman James Mercer debuted a brand new track called "It's Only Life." The four-song set also included performances of "Simple Song," "Young Pilgrims" and "New Slang." You can stream the entire 16-minute set above, with "It's Only Life" kicking in at around 3:49 (via BPM).

Port Of Morrow is out on March 20th via Columbia Records and Mercer's own Aural Apothecary label.

UPDATE: The video has been made private. Check back later for an updated version.

[Listen] The Shins - "Simple Song"

We received word at the end of last year that The Shins had wrapped up on Port Of Morrow, which will be their first album in five years. After waiting patiently for our first real taste of the album, we have the appropriately titled single "Simple Song" for you to try on. It's been so long since Wincing The Night Away came out but fortunately for us it sounds like the guys picked up right where they left off.

You can pre-order the album now and get "Simple Song" instantly. They also have a bunch of pre-order bundle options, including the Deluxe Audiophile Pack that includes a limited reel-to-reel version of the album in addition to all sorts of other goodies like totes, t-shirts, etc. Head over to the official website for The Shins for more information.

[News] The Shins Reveal New Album Details, Including Tracklisting, Album Artwork

Clearly the album cycle for Broken Bells is fully over because The Shins have announced that they will be releasing a new album in March 2012. The upcoming album is called Port Of Morrow and you can have a look at the gloomy artwork above. The album follows their 2007 release, Wincing The Night Away. The band has also released the tracklisting for the upcoming album, which you can check out after the jump.

01 The Rifle's Spiral
02 Simple Song
03 It's Only Life
04 No Way Down
05 September
06 Bait and Switch
07 Fall of '82
08 For a Fool
09 40 Mark Strasse
10 Port of Morrow

[Watch] New Song From The Shins!

Our buddy over at Twentyfourbit came across this delightful gem. Last month at a benefit for Portland, OR's Puddletown School, James Mercer along with Modest Mouse's Joe Plummer on drums played a new Shins track during their encore. Just before the song, Mercer told the audience,“We’re working on a new record and this is one of the songs that should be on there.”

Sounds pretty catchy! I'm all for it! Wonder what else they have up their sleeves? Guess we'll have to wait and find out!

Check out the video above for the performance, or you can just listen to the audio below, courtesy of 24B.

New Shins Song (James Mercer w/Joe Plummer, Live) by TwentyFourBit.com

[Watch] Broken Bells - "Heartless Empire"

The Meyrin Fields EP just dropped this week. To celebrate, we now have a video for "Heartless Empire"! It's not anything too fancy, but now you can enjoy this song in multiple formats!

Make sure you go pick it up if you haven't already!

[Listen] Broken Bells - "Heartless Empire"

Another song from the upcoming Broken Bells EP Meyrin Fields has surfaced! I am starting to understand why these four songs weren't included on the full album. They really don't fit the vibe of the album at all, but not in a bad way. "Heartless Empire" is a bit more chipper and a little rough around the edges than what we've heard in the past. 

Now that we're halfway into what's on the EP, what say you about this direction? I'm rather enjoying this slightly different direction. I don't think I prefer it more than what's on the album, but I'm still feeling it nonetheless. 

 March 29th is coming up fast! Make sure you pre-order the EP if you haven't already. 

[Listen] Broken Bells - "Windows"

A little while ago, NPR debuted the new Broken Bells song "Windows". According to NPR, the songs were recorded while James Mercer and Danger Mouse were recording Broken Bells but these four songs just didn't feel like the other songs that made the album. They sure weren't kidding about that! "Windows" is still pretty chill a la Broken Bells but has a rugged feel to it. 

Check it out for yourselves!

So? What do we think?