theblackangels.comAnother week, another batch of show announcements to cobble into a blog post, another band with “black” in their name hitting the road.

This time, it’s Austin psych-rock veterans The Black Angels, who’ve announced a trans-continental tour this April in support of their fourth full-length album, Indigo Meadow, out April 2. A preview track has been made available to stream, and while it doesn’t stray far from formula – you don’t make it as far in the drugged-out, trippy drone-rock game by changing it up too much – it’s still got some jump and some teeth to it, to say nothing of being sadly topical of late.

The Toronto show goes April 23 at the Danforth Music Hall, tickets $23.50 for floors and $33.50 for mezzanine. The Allah-Las and Elephant Stone support.

MP3: The Black Angels – “Telephone”
Stream: The Black Angels – “Don’t Play With Guns”

U.S. Girls – which is actually just one girl, Meghan Remy, and a distinctive cut-and-paste sonic aesthetic – will be at The Shop Under Parts & Labour on March 13 in support of last year’s Gem.

Video: U.S. Girls – “Work From Home”

I don’t know either act that well, but enough to know that the pairing of mournful Minneapolis electro-R&B act How To Dress Well and Los Angeles singer-songwriter Sky Ferreira is a bit of an unusual one. Regardless, they’re hitting the road together this Spring – the former in support of last year’s Total Loss and the latter for the Everything Is Embarrassing EP, out March 25 in advance of her full-length debut I’m Not Alright; Pitchfork has the full dates, which includes a March 27 date at Wrongbar.

MP3: How To Dress Well – “Us In The Sense Of Forever”
Video: Sky Ferreira – “Sad Dream”

The Joy Formidable have taken the occasion of yesterday’s release of Wolf’s Law to confirm a North American tour that brings them back to Toronto for, like, the millionth time, for a show at The Phoenix on April 12, tickets $18.50, support from Team Spirit and Ribs. There’s interviews with frontwoman Ritzy Bryan at Spin and DIY.

MP3: The Joy Formidable – “Wolf’s Law”

American experimental folk outfit of no fixed address Akron/Family have announced a new album in Sub Verses, and while the record isn’t out until April 30 they’ll be on the road in support well before then. Look for them at Lee’s Palace on April 19, tickets $15, and listen to one of the new songs below.

MP3: Akron/Family – “Silly Bears”
Stream: Akron/Family – “No-Room”

Clinic are bringing their latest album Free Reign and their surgical masks for a show at The Garrison on April 23. Under The Radar also reports that they’ll have a companion/remix album entitled Free Reign II available digitally starting March 5.

MP3: Clinic – “The Second Line”

Los Angeles-based family act He’s My Brother She’s My Sister are here for a show at the Horseshoe on April 28 in support of their 2012 debut, Nobody Dances In This Town.

Video: He’s My Brother She’s My Sister – “Touch The Lightning”

English electronic artist Gold Panda will be at The Horseshoe on May 8, tickets $15. He released his new Trust EP digitally earlier this year and will put out the vinyl 12″ on March 4. You can stream it all courtesy of Pitchfork.

Stream: Gold Panda / Trust

Steve GullickIt’s a bit strange to get into a band with what turns out to be a stylistic outlier, but that’s apparently what happened with me and Hot Chip. I liked bits of their first three albums but wouldn’t have counted myself a fan until 2010’s One Life Stand brought me into the fold with its more soulful angle on the distinctive Hot Chip sound. It was only relatively different from its predecessors – the Londoner’s template of cerebral, slightly nebbish, yet eminently danceable electro-pop was wholly intact – but with a more emotional dimension than they’d previously explored. Some didn’t like it as much; I liked it more.

So yeah, the “return to form” comments that have accompanied their just-released In Our Heads got my back up a little bit; who said that Hot Chip needed to return to any particular form? Why couldn’t they simply forge ahead in a new direction? And then I spent a little time with Heads and decided that maybe it wasn’t so important where it went on the plot of their creative trajectory – it’s a good record that manages to maintain much of the songwriting growth evidenced in One Life Stand, just folded back into their old sound, and more importantly, I didn’t like them any less for it.

Indeed, it’s hard to get off on the wrong foot with an opener as strong as “Motion Sickness” and while Heads is largely Hot Chip by numbers (I spent a little while clicking through my iTunes to try and find which of their older songs the opening of “Let Me Be Him” is a carbon copy of and while I didn’t find it, I know it’s out there), that still means it’s an upbeat collection of dancefloor-ready tunes with the requisite number of ballads and epics. If there’s a downside to this, it’s that there’s not much on Heads likely to elicit the same sort of strong reactions – positive or negative – that Life did, nor is there much for their next record to react against. Maybe the best thing about Heads – besides giving us “Night & Day” and “Flutes” – is that odds are by the time Hot Chip returns to the studio, they’ll be creatively restless enough again to try something new.

Hot Chip are in town at the Sound Academy next Sunday night, July 15, and courtesy of Collective Concerts, I’ve got a pair of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want Hot Chip” in the subject line and your full name in the body and have that in to me before midnight, July 12.

There’s features on the band at Loud & Quiet, Clash, The Star-Tribune, Prefix, The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Japan Times.

Video: Hot Chip – “Night & Day”
Video: Hot Chip – “Flutes”

It’s not another “Country House” or “Coffee & TV”, but the studio performance that Blur have released as a video for their new single is still alright.

Video: Blur – “Under The Westway”

Neil Halstead has gotten in the Wimbledon spirit and released a tennis-themed tune which will be available as a bonus 7″ for those who buy his new solo record Palindrome Hunches at independent retailers when it goes on sale on September 11. It’s available to stream now.

Stream: Neil Halstead – “Tennis For Dennis”

The Line Of Best Fit The Quietus talk to Cate Le Bon, who kicks off her Fall North American tour at The Rivoli on September 18. Her Cyrk II is out August 20.

Wonderland has an interview with Still Corners.

DIY talks to Foals keyboardist Edwin Congreave about their new Tapes mixtape thing.

V Magazine gathers together Grimes, Charli XCX, and Sky Ferreira for a photoshoot and some career advice from Genesis P-Orridge, Geri Halliwell, and Elton John respectively. Grimes is at Fort York this coming Friday, July 13, and Chari XCX there on August 4.

Ladyhawke’s press circuit in support of Anxiety has hit Australia, as evidenced by feature pieces in FasterLouder, The Maitland Mercury, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, Loud & Quiet, and The Canberra Times.

Tame Impala has revealed details of their new record, to be entitled Lonerism and out in October. Hit up Pitchfork for details and to download the first sample MP3 in exchange for an email address.