Please release meHere’s the thing about Ty Segall. The dude is absolutely relentless. If he’s not touring, he’s constantly writing and recording. Segall is nothing, if not prolific. Adding to his already expanded catalogue of material, the garage-psych-fuzz wunderkind is gearing up to release a new record this year (Manipulator). And starting in August (well, he’s doing one show in June), he’s going to tour the shit out of that LP ’til the end of the year. The album drops on Aug. 26, but you can head over to NME for tour dates, tracklisting and whatnot. Also, you can view an album teaser below. Enjoy …Even though I don’t consider myself a fan of The New Pornographers, I did have the privilege to interview band member A.C. Newman for my college paper. He proved to be kind and thoroughly interesting, which is basically all you want out of an interview. So it’s nice to see the band still going strong. At least strong enough that they’re coming out with a new record (Brill Bruisers) Aug. 26, and to give people a taste of what that LP will entail, they’ve made an album track available. So to hear that, and to read more info on said record, head over to Billboard.Spoon was one of those rock bands that completely went over my head. But living in Austin, Texas, it was hard not to hear about them. Upon getting the chance to see them at ACL a few years back, I opted to see Gnarls Barkley instead, and I’ve never regretted it. Now the Texan group are releasing a new record (They Want My Soul), and they’ve shared a snippet in the form of the song “Rent I Pay,” which you can hear below via an unofficial video. Don’t know if officiality is a priority to you, but there you have it. As for the release date: Buy it on Aug. 5.Like most people, my only tidbit of knowledge surrounding Kimbra was her guest vox on the hit track “Somebody That I Used to Know,” as made famous by the probably-über-rich Gotye. But Kimbra has her own solo career, her own songs, her own identity, y’all. And if you haven’t listened to her yet, her upcoming record (The Golden Echo) might be a good place to start. Some guest musicians include Van Dyke Parks (!), Omar Rodríguez López (from now-defunct Mars Volta) and John Legend, among others. That drops Aug. 19, but for more deets, head over to Pitchfork.Here’s another new album to look forward to, folks: It’s Weezer’s upcoming record Everything Will be Alright in the End. Produced by the Cars’ Ric Ocasek, no release date has been announced. But what does that matter? You should just get excited that the group is coming out with some new material. View an album teaser below.Former Burqueño Willis Earl Beal has decided to leave XL Recordings. In an interview with Under the Radar, Beal basically said the direction he’s going and the direction of the label were like two separate roads, one road wandering toward a more “trendy” atmosphere, while he wants his music to walk the road less traveled, to be its own entity. Mind you, those are my interpretations, not actual pieces of the interview. But he’s coming out with a new record (Experiments in Time) on Aug. 8, and that will be released independently. Read more about it here.Good news for good news loversA friend of mine introduced me to the song “Ferris Wheel” by Possessed By Paul James years ago. And that’s really the only thing I’ve heard, and the only thing I’ve ever cared about when his name is brought up. It’s beautiful. It’s heartbreaking. It’s songwriting at its finest. And Konrad Wert, the man behind the moniker, is playing Low Spirits on Wednesday, June 25. And why am I so jazzed about this? Because I’ll get to hear this song from the man himself. From his own lips. Listen to that below, and see why it’s essential for me to attend this concert.It’s no secret that punk bands haven’t exactly been chart-toppers. I mean, isn’t that one of the requirements of being a successful punk band … no success? So it’s a nice fact that the Ramones first record, their classic self-titled opus that carried a soaring energy, a gritty, yet upbeat mentality and a fun dynamic, has been certified gold after 38 years. That’s right, they’re officially über-famous. Not just famous. Congratulations dudes.It’s happening, motherfuckers! There’d been some talk about The Unicorns reforming, but that’s all it was: talk. Now the band has confirmed that they are, in fact, reuniting, and not just that: They’re also going to open for Arcade Fire for a few shows. The band has no touring or recording plans yet, but I’m sure new material will probably trickle out within the next year or so. One can only hope. Listen to my favorite Unicorns track below.For all of you nostalgic folks who are still in the know (or would like to be) about Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys … it looks like he’s working on some new material. And some folks that might get featured on the record include Lana Del Rey, Frank Ocean and Zooey Deschanel. A lot of this is speculation, so fingers crossed that these assumptions bear fruit. Ya dig? Head over to Stereogum to read more about it.
Rooster Roundabout: This Week’s Music Highlights
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