[Listen] The Shins - "Wonderful Christmastime" (Paul McCartney Cover)

Tomorrow is Halloween, that time of year when it's ok for you to leave the house dressed up as pretty much anything and not having (too many) people stare at you in a weird way. With that said, shops seem to be bringing out the Christmas stock already and just this morning on my walk to work I noticed Manchester's Xmas lights have been snuck up at some time recently. I should probably look up more often as for all I know they've been up for weeks. Anyway, we've already heard Cee Lo Green lay down a Christmas track in the  "Run Rudolph Run" at the start of the month and today you can enjoy The Shins tackling Paul McCartney's Christmas staple, "Wonderful Christmastime". It's set to feature on Holidays Rule, which is available in stores and on iTunes now.

[Wathc] The Shins - "No Way Down" x "The Rifle's Spiral" Live on Conan

This summer I had the pleasure of enjoying The Shins performing at Leeds Festival, and I remember it well as it was pretty much the only band I watched during the weekend at which it was pissing it down with rain. I mean, I was totally soaked to the bone by the end of it. Sodden. The set though, was great, and last night they showed their worth again with a few performances on Conan O'Brien's late night slot. They laid down renditions of "Now Way Down" and their is a web exclusive performance of "The Rifle's Spiral" too which you can enjoy after the jump. The first video is enjoyable at the top courtesy of The Audio Perv.

[News] Washed Out Announces Fall Tour

Ernest Greene's chillwave project Washed Out has found a great deal of success in the last year or so, having released a studio LP and completing his first headlining tour earlier this year. Now, Greene is looking to expand his tour schedule with a slew of dates in September and October. Starting on September 16th, Washed Out will tour across Canada and the U.S., with the tour wrapping up in Baton Rouge on October 8th. Included in his itinerary are eight shows opening for The Shins. Peep Washed Out's full tour schedule after the jump.

Washed Out 2012 Tour Dates:
09/16 – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge
09/17 – St. Louis, MO @ Plush
09/18 – Grinnell, IA @ Gardner Lounge
09/20 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
09/21 – Boise, ID @ Reef
09/22 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre *
09/23 – Victoria, BC @ Royal Theatre *
09/25 – Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum Theatre *
09/26 – Portland, OR @ Keller Auditorium *
09/28 – Atlanta, GA @ CounterPoint Festival
09/30 – San Diego, CA @ Open Air Theatre *
10/02 – Los Angeles, CA @ Gibson Amphitheatre *
10/03 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theater *
10/04 – Albuquerque, NM @ Kiva Auditorium *
10/05 – Norman, OK @ Opoli
10/06 – Dallas, TX @ INDEX Festival
10/07 – Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s
10/08 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon

* =  w/The Shins

[Watch] The Shins Cover The Magnetic Fields' "Andrew In Drag"

During their current trip to Australia, The Shins stopped by the Triple J studio to perform for their covers program called Like A Version, where bands perform one of their own songs along with a cover of their choice. The cover they chose to perform was The Magnetic Fields' "Andrew In Drag", one of the highlights from their latest LP Love at the Bottom of the Sea, which dropped earlier this year via Merge/Domino. Check out their performance above (via Fake Walls).

[Watch] The Shins - "It's Only Life" (Official Video)

The Shins have been consistently releasing music videos for songs from their latest LP Port of Morrow, with the highlight being "The Rifle's Spiral." In their newest visual for album standout "It's Only Life," many moods are captured and combined into quite a powerful video. Focusing on a kid and his dog, both of whom have antlers strapped to their heads, the video captures the simplistic joy you find in childhood, where every moment allows the imagination to run wild. Couple that with the seemingly post-apocalyptic world around him, though, and things get much more disturbing. Watch it above.

[Watch] The Shins - "No Way Down" (Official Video)

After the creative and visual wonder that was The Shins' music video for "The Rifle's Spiral," the band has opted for a more straightforward approach to their latest video. The accompanying visuals for "No Way Down," from their latest LP Port of Morrow, The Shins do the usual stand-in-a-room-and-play-the-song type of video. Although it's pretty lackluster in a creative means, the band does sound very good when playing live and raw. Watch it above.

[News] The Shins Announce Fall Tour Dates

Continuing the success of their latest album Port of Morrow, The Shins have announced a new leg of tour dates for this fall. Starting in Seattle on September 22nd, the tour will take the band throughout the West Coast and Southwest of North America through till October 13th where they will perform at this year's Austin City Limits. Check out their full tour itinerary after the jump, with newly added dates in italics.

The Shins 2012 Tour Dates:
05/29 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Ampitheatre #^
05/31 – Council Bluffs, IA @ Harrahs Council Bluffs *^
06/01 – Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theatre *
06/02 – Kansas City, MO @ Livestrong Sporting Park
06/04 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant *
06/05 – Columbus, OH @ LC Indoor Pavilion *
06/06 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore *
06/08 – Cleveland, OH @ Masonic Auditorium *
06/09 – Louisville, KY @ Iroquois Ampitheatre *
06/10 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music Festival
06/22 – Frankfurt, DE @ Luften Festival
06/23 – Neuhausen, DE @ Southside Festival
06/24 – Schessel, DE @ Hurricane Festival
06/25 – Hamburg, DE @ Grobe Freiheit 36
06/27 – Arendal, NO @ Hove Festival
06/29 – Helsinki, FI @ The Garden Party
06/30 – Borlange, SE @ Peace & Love Festival
07/02 – Gothenburg, SE @ Pusterviksbaren
07/03 – Malmo, SE @ KB Club
07/05 – Roskilde, DK @ Roskilde Festival
07/07 – Lisbon, PT @ Super Bock Super Rock
07/23 – Melbourne, AU @ Festival Hall
07/25 – Sydney, AU @ Hordern Pavilion
07/27 – Byron Bay, AU @ Splendour in the Grass Festival
07/29 – Niigata, JP @ Fuji Rock Festival
08/03 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
08/04 – Toronto, ON @ Molson Ampitheatre
08/05 – Montreal, QC @ Osheaga Festival
08/17 – Erfurt, DE @ Highfield Festival
08/18 – Hasselt, BE @ Pukkelpop
08/23 – Zurich, CH @ Open Air Festival
08/24 – Paris, FR @ Rock en Seine
08/25 – Reading, UK @ Reading Festival
08/26 – Leeds, UK @ Leeds Festival
09/22 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
09/25 – Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum Theatre
09/26 – Portland, OR @ Keller Auditorium
09/30 – San Diego, CA @ SDSU Open Air Theatre
10/02 – Universal City, CA @ Gibson Ampitheatre
10/03 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
10/04 – Albuquerque, NM @ Kiva Auditorium
10/07 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
10/08 – Atlanta, GA @ Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
10/10 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues
10/11 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
10/13 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits

# = w/ The Head and The Heart
^ = w/ Blind Pilot
* = w/ The Antlers

[News] The Black Keys Announce Fall Tour Dates

With their current tour backed by Arctic Monkeys nearing its end and a European tour taking up the majority of the summer, The Black Keys have announced even more tour dates in support of last year's El Camino. Starting on October 1st and going till October 10th, the Ohio duo will hit seven cities throughout the West Coast and Southwest of the U.S. and will be backed up by Tegan & Sara. Check out their full tour itinerary after the jump.

The Black Keys 2012 Tour Dates:

05-14 Winnipeg, Manitoba - MTS Centre *
05-15 Minneapolis, MN - Target Center *
05-16 Milwaukee, WI - Bradley Center *
05-18 Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion *
05-19 Atlantic City, NJ - Revel's Ovation Hall *
07-20-22 Dover, DE - Firefly Music Festival
07-28 New York, NY - Catalpa Festival
08-01 Council Bluffs, IA - Mid-America Center +
08-03 Chicago, IL - Lollapalooza
08-04 Toronto, Ontario - Molson Canadian Amphitheatre #
08-05 Parc Jean-Drapeau, Montreal - Osheaga 2012
08-09 Gothenburg, Sweden - Way Out West Festival
08-10 Oslo, Norway - Oya Festival
08-11 Helsinki, Finland - Flow Festival
08-13 Copenhagen, Denmark - Tap1
08-14 Hannover, Germany - Awd Hall
08-15 Saint Poelten, Austria - Frequency Festival
08-17 Biddinghuizen, Holland - Lowlands Festival
08-18 Hasselt-Kiewit, Belgium - Pukkelpop 2012
08-19 Leipzig, Germany - Highfield Festival
08-21 Belfast, Ireland - Tennent's Vital 2012
08-22 Dublin, Ireland - The O2
08-24 Leeds, England - Leeds Festival
08-25 Paris, France - Rock en Seine Festival
08-26 Reading, England - Reading Festival
10-01 Fresno, CA - Save Mart Center †
10-02 Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl †
10-04 San Diego, CA - Valley View Casino Center †
10-05 Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center †
10-08 Anaheim, CA - Honda Center †
10-09 Phoenix, AZ - US Air Arena †
10-10 Las Cruces, NM - Pan American Center †
10-21 Newcastle, Australia - Newcastle Entertainment Centre
10-22 Sydney, Australia - Sydney Entertainment Centre
10-26 Brisbane, Australia - Brisbane Entertainment Centre
10-28 Perth, Australia - Rock It Festival
10-30 Adelaide, Australia - Adelaide Entertainment Centre
10-31 Melbourne, Australia - Sidney Myer Music Bowl
11-01 Melbourne, Australia - Sidney Myer Music Bowl
11-03 Auckland, New Zealand - Vector Arena
11-05 Wellington, New Zealand - TSB Bank Arena
11-27 Lisbon, Portugal - Atlántico
11-28 Madrid, Spain - Palacio De Deportes
11-30 Lyon, France - Halle Tony Garnier
12-01 Torino, Italy - Palaolimpico
12-03 Amsterdam, Holland - Ziggo Dome
12-04 Munich, Germany - Olympiahalle
12-05 Dusseldorf, Germany - ISS Dome

* with Arctic Monkeys
+ with Tame Impala
# with the Shins
† with Tegan and Sara