[Listen] Summer Heart - "Pretty Haze" x "The Forbidden"

It's so damn lovely out in NYC and these are the jams you should be playing as you twirl around in the sunshine. Like the name of the song hints, "Pretty Haze" sure to leave you in a lovesick haze.  Likewise "The Forbidden" continues to envelope you in subtle serenity. Both tracks come from Summer Heart's forthcoming EP, which drops later this year. These songs going to be the soundtrack to couples cuddling on blankets in McCarren Park this summer, so if your relationship survived cuffing season, you're welcome in advance for the inevitable swoonfest you'll experience from this. 

Per his tweets and snaps, the Swedish mastermind behind the project, David Alexander is currently in Brooklyn working on more music, so it's most likely that yours truly is going to be making him #SKOAfam very soon. 

If you're one of those patient people with money heading to SXSW in the next couple of days, make sure to add at least one of his performances to your daily agenda alongside the BBQ eating and standing in long lines. If SXSW isn't in your sights, you can always come to the Knitting Factory near the end of the month and hang out with me. 

Summer Heart On Tour
16 – The Townsend (1:05am), SXSW, Austin
19 – Icenhauer’s (1am), SXSW, Austin
23 – The Knitting Factory, Brooklyn, NYC

[Listen] Big Black Delta - "Kid Icarus"

With every PledgeMusic update about this record my chill level goes from zero into negative numbers. Upon unveiling the artwork for his forthcoming sophomore album, Tragame Tierra, Big Black Delta mastermind Jonathan Bates shared a new track, "Kid Icarus" in addition to dates for a tour that kicks off in May. I'm already jittery with excitement at the thought of seeing them at Baby's All Right with the lighting that's already there. No doubt Bates will be drenching us in color. New York fam I hope you're ready to lose you're shit. Dis gon' be good. 

As of late January, the album had finally been mastered and was slated to be put into final production in the next few weeks, which unfortunately means that the timeline for the album release has been pushed back a bit. Hard to be frustrated that they're taking their time considering the quality of each track that's been released so far. 

I know this has been making the rounds for the last few weeks but just to make sure our friendship isn't in jeopardy, feast your ears on this:

OH! Obviously there is still time to help fund the album so get on that. 

Big Black Delta Tour Dates:

May 1 – Minneapolis – Fine Line Music Cafe
May 3 – Dubuque, IA – The Venue
May 4 – Kansas City – Middle Of The Map Festival
May 5 – Chicago – Empty Bottle
May 6 – Detroit – UFO Factory
May 8 – Toronto – Adelaide Hall (Canadian Music Week)
May 9 – Montreal – Bar Le Ritz
May 10 – Burlington VT – ArtsRiot
May 11 – Brooklyn - Baby's All Right
May 13 – Boston – Cafe 939
May 14 – Albany – The Hollow
May 15 – Philadelphia – Milkboy
May 16 – DC – Black Cat
May 17 – Baltimore – Metro Gallery
May 19 – Vancouver – Biltmore Cabaret
May 20 – Seattle – Crocodile
May 22 – Portland – Doug Fir Lounge

[Night Out] Big Data @ Warsaw (11/08/2015)

It's yah boy Big Data looking bawse as hell at Warsaw (11/08/2015)

So, um, a lot can happen in 7ish months.

Wow. 

I knew that touring pretty much incessantly was going to be good for broadband bud and mastermind behind Big Data, Alan Wilkis, but I did not realize just how fast he would accelerate once it was all set in motion. Inertia is a crazy thing, man. It only took somewhere around 45 seconds of their opening number before I grabbed Sprout's shoulder and disrupted her snapping to exchange delightfully astonished glances and mouth, "OH MY GOD!" to each other. 

When last we met our hero, Wilkis was still feeling out how big to go as a performer, which I know has to be tough considering his backstory hasn't really ever been performance based. What I witnessed on Sunday night was what happens when someone takes the time to actually cut and polish a diamond in the rough. That mofugger **SPARKLED**. It wasn't just his stage presence, which has been updated (nerdy pun intended). *Someone* has also obviously been taking singing lessons because dare I say I didn't miss Jamie Lidell's vocals on "Clean" this time nearly as much as I did back in March. 

Highlight of the night for me was what transpired behind me at what was happening in front of me that inspired me to tweet this: 

Love hearing people in the crowd at Warsaw yell at each other "Aren't they SO GOOD!?" re: @BigDataBigData 😊

— kibBAE (@kibbe) November 9, 2015

Considering his current momentum I just keep wondering to myself if he's ever going to slow down. My guess (and hope if I'm honest) is that he won't. 

You're right, Alan. I didn't know that you were dangerous. 

Catch Big Data on tour with RAC and see what I saw. You can peep dates over on Facebook. 

If you haven't listened to Big Data's debut album, 2.0 you better bump it via the Spotify player below before I shake the stupid outta yah. 

For proof of Big Data's newfound badassery, you can relive our night courtesy of Sprout's snaps below:

[Listen] HEALTH - 'DEATH MAGIC' (Full Album Stream)

Oh my GOD am I excited that you all can hear what I've been OBSESSING over for the past month. That's right, fam, the new HEALTH album, DEATH MAGIC is now available for streaming in full courtesy of the wonderful NPR (UK folks you can holler at Noisey UK for a listen).

Please tell me that upon listening to this record you feel prepared to go fight an intergalactic war or something else not of this world. I'm not sure if before this album I've ever listened to an album, looked back at the album title, and thought to myself, "Yep, that actually sums it up perfectly." Even the choice of all caps was the right call. I really can't get enough of this record, can you tell?

The wait for DEATH MAGIC to be unleashed on the masses is nearly over as it drops this very Friday (August 8th). There's still a little bit of time to pre-order the album if that is a thing that you do.

HEALTH ON TOUR

EU: 

11/10 - MOJO, Hamburg

12/10 - Pumpehuset, Copenhagen

13/10 - Berghain, Berlin

17/10 - Meet Fcatory, Prague

19/10 - Mousonturm, Frankfurt

20/10 - Wizeman, Stuttgart

22/10 - Paradiso Noord, Amsterdam

UK:

25/10 - Kazimier, Liverpool Music Week

26/10 - Stereo, Glasgow

27/10 - Gorilla, Manchester

28/10 - Heaven, London

30/10    Pitchfork Festival, Paris

[Watch] Dillon Francis - "Bruk Bruk (I Need Yo Lovin')" (Lyric Video)

Oh man, the lyrics to Dillon Francis' latest single, "Bruk Bruk (I Need Yo Lovin')"  were so complex that I was hoping he'd post them on the internetz and that he has in another hilarious lyric video (below). Just like his "I Can't Take It" lyric video we have more googly-eyed creatures singing to us, although this time it's more fire-related things and less junk food to play into his forthcoming EP, This Mixtape Is Fire, which drops on August 14th. There's many a collabo on this fiery mixtape, including (but not limited to): Calvin Harris, Chromeo, and Skrillex.

If pre-ordering is the name of your game, you can do so over on iTunes. 

(btw it's the internet and sometimes you can't detect sarcasm so I would like to take this moment to make sure you all know I was joking about not knowing all of the lyrics to this) 

Speaking of "I Can't Take It", Francis also recently unveiled the length docu-style video the song which he calls "Exit Through The Donut Hole" which is as delightfully entertaining and trollsome as it is weird, which is very on-brand for him. Definitely worth checking out if you have 15 minutes to spare for the lulz. 

My favorite follow on Snapchat is also hitting the road with Zedd, Madeon and the gang on Zedd's upcoming True Colors Tour so be sure to grab tickets while you can for that. 

THIS MIXTAPE IS FIRE TRACKLIST:

1. Dillon Francis – “Bruk Bruk (I Need Your Lovin)”
2. Dillon Francis and Calvin Harris – “What's Your Name”
3. Dillon Francis and Skrillex – “Bun Up the Dance”
4. Dillon Francis and Bro Safari – “Pull It”
5. Dillon Francis feat. James Hersey – “Coming Over”
6. Dillon Francis feat Chromeo – “Lies”
7. Dillon Francis – “I Can't Take It (Party Favor Remix)”

Sydney Rockers Little May Announce World Tour

Sydney trio Little May have revealed that they will be hitting the road starting in September on a world tour in support of their upcoming debut album, For The Company, which drops on October 9th courtesy of Dew Process and Capitol Records. Tickets for their US dates are on sale now which you can snag over on their website.  

If you haven't heard their debut single, "Home" yet you need to get on that ASAP. This is a great first taste of what's to come. The band was fortunate enough to have Aaron Brooking Dessner from The National produce the record and from the sounds of it he really made sure they stepped out with their best foot forward. 

Catch Little May On Tour In The US

10.20.15 - Mercury Lounge - New York, NY

10.21.15 - Baby's All Right - Brooklyn, NY

10.23.15 - MilkBoy - Philadelphia, PA

10.24.15 - DC9 - Washington, DC

10.26.15 - Schubas Tavern - Chicago, IL

10.27.15 - 7th Street Entry - Minneapolis, MN

10.29.15 - Barboza - Seattle, WA

10.30.15 - Mississippi Studios - Portland, OR

11.2.15 - The Independent - San Francisco, CA

11.3.15 - The Echo - Los Angeles, CA

[Watch] VOWWS - "The Great Sun" (Official Video)

Fresh from the 'Better Late Than Never' pile is the latest from SKOA's favorite dark angels VOWWS *now with 2 Ws if you're following along!*. Their latest track, "The Great Sun”, which was released back in May, is as dreary and dancey as ever but with a bit more boom and gloom than their previous track, "Losing Myself In You". As we've continue to follow the evolution of the (now) LA-duo since their WAZU days, it's evident that the only direction these guys are heading is onward and upward to bigger and better things. 

"The Great Sun" is the title track of their forthcoming debut full length which will likely drop sometime this fall. For now, enjoy the video above complete with karaoke-style Japanese lyrics (at least I hope they're the lyrics in Japanese anyway). 

The band is currently on a mini-tour of sorts and will be making a stop in NYC at our new favorite venue AVIV. Peep tour dates below.

A photo posted by VOWWS (@vowwsband) on Jul 14, 2015 at 2:57pm PDT

#SKOARADIO 07/18/2015

me going through all the new music this week

Oof. Really stoked for this show and because I submitted it late it was a little borked airing. You didn't even get to hear the last two segments. :( All good though! There's always next week (not to mention the podcast that will be attached to this show shortly). But yeah, trying to get back to digging out those little diamonds in the rough that I enjoy supporting. Plus HELLO NEW KENNA!! *praise hands emoji* A lot to be excited about. Expect more posts in between this show and the next with more info on the bands we're featuring.

As always feel free to let me know what you thought of this week's show either by dropping a comment here or hitting me up on Twitter.

Until next week!

<3

@kibbe!

• Breakbot (feat. Ruckazoid) - "Fantasy" 
  • DID YOU SEE GUYS!? We're getting SO CLOSE to a new Breakbot record! We've hit the mastering stage of the process per his post on Instagram. Eeeeee! 
• Miami Horror - "Love Like Mine" 
  • North American tour now. August = Australia dates. 
• Big Black Delta - "It's Ok" 
  • Pledge your life and hard earned money away. If you need convincing that BBD is worth the money always and forever we have not one but two interviews with him. 
• Rainer - "Marry" 
  • Grab dat album doe.
• Gothic Tropic - "Puppet Master"
  • Playing a couple of dates with Surfer Blood. Debut album Fast or Feast slated for early 2016 release. 
• Madeon - "Pay No Mind" 
  • Heading out on tour with Zedd and Dillon Francis. Snapchat won't know what hit it tbh. 
• Tame Impala - "'Cause I'm A Man" 
  • Go buy Currents! It's so good! Hopefully you made it out to one of their listening parties like I did!
  • Tour is in full swing and dates are selling out fast so GRAB THEM WHILE YOU CAN. 
• Death In The Afternoon - "'82" 
  • Available to purchase everywhere August 28. Until then, obsessively listen over on Soundcloud. 
• Phases - "I'm In Love With My Life" 
  • Can't believe I have to miss them on Tuesday (7/21) At The Studio at Webster Hall. 
  • On tour now if that wasn't obvious from the above. 
  • Someone we love at SKOA did a fun remix of this song. Any guesses? It was our broadband buddy Big Data! 
• ARRWS (feat. FEM FEL)  - "The Dark" 
  • From his upcoming EP Motionless For Hours. 
• VOWWS - "The Great Sun" 
  • Debut full length The Great Sun expected to drop this fall!! ON TOUR NOW!
• Boots - "I Run Roulette" 
  • Playing the Lollapalooza after show with some other dates. Supporting Run The Jewels this fall. More over on his site. 
• On An On - "It's Not Over" 
  • And The Wave Has Two Sides out on July 24th! Check out the cool game on their website that they used to unlock their next single, "You Can't Escape It". 
• Example - "Whisky Story" 
  • HE DID THE WHOLE BLOODY MUSIC VIDEO IN ONE TAKE ON THE LONDON UNDERGROUND! WHAT!!!?!??! 
  • Oh yeah I interviewed him back in 2012 at his first show in NYC. Is he ever going to break in the US? I sure hope so.
• HEALTH - "STONEFIST"
  • DEATH MAGIC is out on August 7th and it is AMAZING (trust me) so pre-order it. 
  • Like every smart band they're hitting the road to support their new album. Dates over on Facebook.
  • PS you can get STONEFIST for free over on their website.
• Ratatat - "Cream on Chrome" 
  • Magnifique is out now, too! GO GET IT! 
  • "Guess who's on tour?" "I guess Ratatat!" "YOU GUESSED RIGHT!" 
• Sivik - "U Got" 
  • There are some fun remixes of this song on Soundcloud. 
• SEØUEL - "Subtle" 
  • Reykavik EP drops on July 24th. I'm into it. 
• Galantis - "Call If You Need Me" 
  • On tour now. 
• Kid Cudi (feat. MGMT & Ratatat) - "Pursuit of Happiness"
  • Playing a couple of festivals this summer. 
  • Man on the Moon III expected to drop sometime this year. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
• Monarchy - "Black Widow"
  • ReVision out now. 
  • Earlier this week they released a video for their Blur cover of "Girls And Boys" featuring Dita Von Teese that's a bit trippy.
• Kenna - "Sleep When We Die" 
  • Something must be coming because Kenna has been posting a lot of videos on Facebook lately. (Spoilers: something is, but I can't say because I've been sworn to secrecy).
• Tropics - "Hunger" 
• Big Data (feat. Bear Hands) - "Sick For Me" 
  • On tour basically forever. Dates with RAC coming soon so that's cool! 
• Too Many Ts (feat. Great Scott) - "Same Thing"
  • You know you can get their latest EP with this song on it for free, right? 
  • Fair amount of shows this summer. None near me for Too Many Hugs tho. :/ 

IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THE MUSIC BIZ STUFF I TALKED ABOUT:

What Really Happened With Taylor Swift and Apple Music

Soundscan's 2015 Half-Year Report

Concerts and Festivals Create Passion Fans (Who Spend) Says Study

NOW ONTO THE MUSIC!