[Album Stream] Letlive. - 'The Blackest Beautiful'

Letlive's last album, Fake History, was one of my favourites of 2011. Since then they've gone on to build up an ever growing fan base, with their live shows being some of the most chaotic I've seen in recent years. With this in mind, I've been very eager to hear a follow up from the band. Well the wait is over as they're new offering, The Blackest Beautiful, is now streaming in full via Epitaph Records' Youtube Channel. The album isn't actually set for release until the 9th of July so get your fill a full 3 weeks before it officially drops. Turn it up loud and enjoy it below.

You can pre-order the album over iTunes iTunes or at Epitaph's store.

[Listen] Biffy Clyro - "Get Lucky" (Daft Punk Cover)

It's fair to say that over the last few months, Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" has been almost impossible to escape. It's been used on adverts and TV Shows along with having multiple daily plays on almost every radio station imaginable. Let's add a new direction for the track then shall we as Biffy Clyro chose to cover the infectious track while on Dermot O'Leary's BBC Radio 2 Saturday slot. Check out their acoustic take on the track below or re-listen to the entire show and interview over here.

[News] Jay-Z Announces New Album 'Magna Carta Holy Grail', Due Out July 4th

Jay-Z's long-awaited follow-up to 2009's The Blueprint 3 has been announced: Magna Carta Holy Grail will be released on July 4th.

During game five of the 2013 NBA Finals, a three-minute trailer debuted. The trailer showed Hov in the studio with Pharrell, Swizz Beatz, Timbaland and Rick Rubin (who very recently served as executive producer on Kanye's Yeezus), where they discuss the beats and rhythms behind this new record. It also sampled some new music, and what you hear throughout the trailer sounds awesome. Check it out below.

The album is about, like this duality of how do you navigate through this whole thing, through success, through failures, through all this and remain yourself."—Jay-Z on Magna Carta Holy Grail

Samsung has already purchased one million copies of Magna Carta Holy Grail, and will release an app on June 24th that gives an insight into the record. Then, the album will be available to download for free through that app on July 4th at 12:01am EST to the first one million Samsung Galaxy S III, Galaxy S4 and Note II users.

[Watch] Foals Cross the Desert in the Video for "Bad Habit"

Foals have tapped the talent of Nabil Elderkin once before, where he directed their dark, dingy video for "Late Night." The two parties have teamed up again, this time to give the Holy Fire track "Bad Habit" the visual treatment. It follows lead singer Yannis Philippakis as he trails behind a naked woman across the desert. Watch it below.

[News] Porcelain Raft Announces New Full-Length Record, 'Permanent Signal'

Porcelain Raft shows no signs of slowing down. He released his debut full-length album Strange Weekend early last year, and followed that up with the instrumental Silent Speech EP just last month. Now, Mauro Remiddi is ready to unveil his sophomore record.

Titled Permanent Signal, Remiddi's latest work was recorded in New York with Yuck member Jonny Rogoff on drums and is set for release on August 20th. Check out the album's announcement trailer below, featuring a ghostly pay phone and one minute of new music.

[Listen] Stream Mayer Hawthorne's New Single "Reach Out Richard," Dedicated to His Father

In honor of Father's Day, Mayer Hawthorne paid tribute to his own pops with a new song called "Reach Out Richard." Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, he said:

With Father’s Day coming up, I wanted to share a special song about my father. This was the hardest song I’ve ever had to write. I still tear up sometimes just thinking about it. Thanks to Pharrell for pushing me to get the whole story out. Love you, Dad. I’ll find my way eventually."

While Father's Day has passed, that doesn't mean we can't continue to appreciate our old men. Why not start by streaming the Pharrell-produced track below? It will be included on Hawthorne's upcoming album Where Does This Door Go, set to drop on July 16th.

[Watch] Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. Perform New Song "War Zone" on Conan

God damn, how did I almost miss this?! SKOA favorites Dale Earnardt Jr. Jr. performed on Conan last week, and it was awesome. Bringing their high-energy sound to Conan O'Brien's show, the duo performed two songs.

The first was "If You Didn't See Me (Then You Weren't On The Dancefloor)," from their Patterns EP that released last April. It sounds fantastic live, especially with the full live suite. Next up was a web exclusive performance of a brand new song titled "War Zone." The track is from DEJJ's upcoming sophomore album and was a great showcase for their ever-expanding sound. With glittering synths, trickling guitar licks, echoing harmones and a smooth saxophone, what's not to enjoy? Check out both performances below.

[Listen] Arctic Monkeys debut new song "Mad Sounds" Live in Sweden

We got to hear a brand new track from Arctic Monkeys just last month in the shape of "Do I Wanna Know?". While that song seemed to be a little dark and reminiscent of new Queens of the Stone Age, they've now premiered a softer track titled "Mad Sounds" live in Sweden. Performed during their set at Hultsfreds Festival, you can check out the live recording below that appeared online via the Arctic Monkeys US forums not too long ago. There's a nice little video too. Organ filled, and a definite nice mid-set break before the band performed "R U Mine?", it feels like a gentle breeze on a summers eve as it washes over you. Oh la la la.

Update: The band also played the track during the Danish NorthSide festival yesterday (Sunday 16th June). More footage can be seen below.