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The Drums announce the release of their second album, Portamento out September 13th through Frenchkiss Records.
In support of their US release, The Drums have also announced fall tour dates including a summer performance at this year’s sold out Lollapalooza. Their shows kick off on September 28th in Hoboken, NJ at Maxwell’s and continue through November 6th in Washington DC at The Black Cat. Exclusive fan pre-sale starts Wednesday, July 27th followed by a public on-sale this weekend.

To accommodate the record’s sonic expansiveness, the band has expanded to a quintet live, adding two auxiliary members including good friend Myles Matheny on guitar and bass. The additional touring musicians lend their live performances a more spontaneous feel, in line with the aesthetic of the new album, getting rid of the need for backing tracks.

Tour dates:

August 6th             Chicago, IL                         Lollapalooza
Sept. 28th             Hoboken, NJ                         Maxwell’s
Sept. 29th             Boston, MA                         Brighton Music Hall
Sept. 30th             Montreal, QC                         Evenko
Oct. 1st                 Toronto, ON                         The Mod Club
Oct. 3rd               Cleveland Heights, OH             Grog Shop
Oct. 4th               Chicago, IL                         Subterranean
Oct. 5th               Minneapolis, MN             7th Street Entry
Oct. 6th            Des Moines, IA                         Vaudville Mews
Oct. 10th             Portland, OR                        Doug Fir Lounge
Oct. 11th             Vancouver, BC                         Venue
Oct. 12th             Seattle, WA                        Crocodile Café
Oct. 14th             San Francisco, CA             The Independent – Treasure Island Night Show
Oct. 15th             San Diego, CA                         The Casbah
Oct. 18th             Los Angeles, CA             Echoplex
Oct. 20th             Tempe, AZ                        Sail Inn
Oct. 22nd             Dallas, TX                         The Loft
Oct. 23rd             Austin, TX                         The Parish
Oct. 24th             Houston, TX                         Fitzgerald’s
Oct. 26th             Tallahassee, FL             Club Downunder
Oct. 27th             Orlando, FL                         The Social
Oct. 28th             Miami, FL                         Grand Central
Oct. 31st             Atlanta, GA                         The Drunken Unicorn
Nov. 3rd             Brooklyn, NY                         Music Hall of Williamsburg
Nov. 5th             Philadelphia, PA             Making Time at Voyeur Night Club
Nov. 6th             Washington, DC             The Black Cat

To purchase tickets: http://thedrums.com/shows

The first step to enjoying UME is educating yourself the proper way to pronounce their name. That would be as follows: ooo-may.

Beyond that, the proof is in the product. According to their site, Laura Larson’s calming vocals, placed over the band’s thundering guitars, explosive percussion and dynamic beats create a combination of fuzzy shoegaze, raw guitar rock and irresistible pop rolled into one fiery package. Often compared to Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Metric and Sonic Youth, this band is causing a stir nation wide. In fact, “Captive,” the first single of Phantons, their yet to be released sophomore LP, recently debuted at #14 on the specialty radio charts, before making its way to the #2 spot.

You can download “Captive” here, courtesy of NYLON Magazine. Then catch them Friday August 5th on the Stageasaurus Rex Stage from 2:10 p.m. to 2:40 pm. For more information, check in with Kanrocksas here.

Feel free to check of this video of UME rocking Fontana’s in NYC in 2009.

La Dispute have recently announced they will be hitting the road this fall with Thrice, Moving Mountains, and O’Brother. The tour will kick off on September 30 and tickets are available now. Full tour dates are listed below:

Sep 30 – Las Vegas, NV – Hard Rock
Oct 01 – Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theater
Oct 03 – Dallas, TX – The Door
Oct 04 – Austin, TX – Emo’s
Oct 05 – Houston, TX – House of Blues
Oct 07 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Revolution
Oct 08 – Orlando, FL – Beacham Theater
Oct 09 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade Theater
Oct 11 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
Oct 12 – Richmond, VA – The National
Oct 13 – Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory
Oct 14 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom
Oct 15 – Towson, MD – Recher Theater
Oct 16 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza
Oct 18 – Boston, MA – Royale
Oct 19 – Montreal, QC – Club Soda
Oct 20 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix Theatre
Oct 21 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Zoo
Oct 22 – Covington, KY – Madison Theatre
Oct 23 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
Oct 25 – Grand Rapids, MI – Intersection
Oct 26 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrew’s Hall
Oct 27 – Chicago, IL – Metro
Oct 28 – St. Louis, MO – Pop’s
Oct 29 – Lawrence, KS – Granada
Oct 30 – Denver, CO – Summit Music Hall
Nov 01 – Magna, UT – SaltAir
Nov 03 – Seattle, WA – Showbox Market
Nov 04 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
Nov 05 – San Francisco, CA – Regency Ballroom
Nov 06 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades
Nov 08 – Los Angeles, CA – Mayan Theater
Nov 09 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
Nov 10 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
Nov 11 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues

www.ladisputemusic.com

New Orleans’ MUTEMATH have announced that they will launch the Odd Soul Introduction Tour this fall. The tour finds the band, which is Paul Meany (vocals/keyboards), Roy Mitchell-Cardenas (bass/guitar), and Darren King (drums), unveiling songs from their upcoming new album, Odd Soul, which will be released on October 4^th by Teleprompt/Warner Bros. Records. MUTEMATH will perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on the night of release.

The Odd Soul Introduction Tour kicks off on September 7^th and concludes with a homecoming show in New Orleans on October 21^st. A pre-sale for a VIP Package (which includes tickets, a physical and digital copy of Odd Soul, and a digital download of the track “Blood Pressure”) has already begun. Regular tickets go on sale to the public on August 5^th. Prior to September 7^th, MUTEMATH will perform a few select special dates in August. Tour dates can be found below.

In other MUTEMATH news, the track “Odd Soul” is currently available to fans in a unique video mixer platform. The mixer, which premiered on digital and social media technology site Mashable.com, features a different video for each part of the song: drums, guitars, bass, vocals, synth, and background vocals. Listeners can solo, mute, and mix “Odd Soul” in real-time creating their own audio and visual mix. Due to varying connection speeds and hardware there are two versions available, a 4-track version meant for users on slower connections and a 6-track version for fans using up-to-date browsers on faster broadband connections. Versions can be chosen by visiting www.mutemath.com/oddsoul.

08/06             Tulsa, OK                            Brady District Block Party
08/13            Tokyo, JAPAN                    Summer Sonic Festival
08/14            Osaka, JAPAN                     Summer Sonic Festival
08/16            Los Angeles, CA                Troubadour (sold-out)
08/20            Mobile, AL                          Saenger Theatre
08/25            New York, NY                      Mercury Lounge (sold-out)
09/07            Charleston, SC                     The Pour House
09/08            Greenville, SC                      The Handlebar
09/09            Columbia, SC                       New Brookland Tavern
09/10            Athens, GA                          40 Watt
09/12            Raleigh, NC                          The Pour House
09/13            Wilmington, NC                   The Soapbox
09/15            Richmond, VA                      Canal Club
09/16            Charlottesville, VA               The Southern
09/17            Poughkeepsie, NY               The Loft
09/18            Hartford, CT                          Webster Underground
09/20            Providence, RI                      The Met
09/22            Buffalo, NY                             Mohawk Place
09/23            Burlington, VT                        Higher Ground
09/24            Albany, NY                             Pearl Palooza (WEQX)
09/25            Cleveland, OH                      The Grog Shop
09/27            Ann Arbor, MI                    The Blind Pig
09/29            Lansing, MI                          The Loft
09/30            Milwaukee, WI                      The Rave Bar
10/01            Des Moines, IA                   Vaudeville, Mews
10/02            Lawrence, KS                      Bottleneck
10/07            Oklahoma, City, OK                  The Conservatory
10/08            Waco, TX                               Common Ground
10/09            San Antonio, TX                Endless Music
10/11            Little Rock, AK                    Revolution Music Room
10/12            Memphis, TN                                    Hi-Tone
10/14            Baton Rough, LA                  Chelsea’s
10/16            Pensacola, FL                      Deluna Fest
10/17            Jacksonville, FL                   Jack Rabbit’s
10/19            Knoxville, TN                         The Square Room
10/20            Birmingham, AL                   Workplay Theatre
10/21             New Orleans, LA                One Eyed Jacks

www.mutemath.com

Coming straight out of Springfield, MO, Ha Ha Tonka specialize in disarming and effortless anthems that owe as much to high and lonesome Ozarks mountain music as chugging college rock. The band released its Bloodshot debut, Buckle in the Bible Belt, to much acclaim in 2007, followed up with LP Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South in 2009, and released their latest album Death of a Decade this past April.

With a handful of tour dates lined up, the band is ready to hit the road and make a special appearance at Rockhurst College on Saturday August 27. For more information about the band and to take a look at more tour dates please visit www.hahatonkamusic.com

LA’s Fool’s Gold are hitting the road this fall in support of their sophomore album, Leave No Trace, out August 16th. Following a handful of shows in August, they’ll tour the US in September, and will head to the UK in November with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The five-piece band of founding members Luke Top (vocals/bass) and Lewis Pesacov (guitar), Garrett Ray (drums), Brad Caulkins (multi-intrumentalist), and Salvador Placencia (percussion) have become known across the globe for their energy and ability to get people to let loose and take pride in their dancing shoes. This unified Fool’s Gold line-up has allowed for the dynamic of the band to have a redefined sound, in a live setting and on record. Tour dates are as listed below:

Wed. Aug. 3 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek w/ Lykke Li , Best Coast
Sat. Aug. 6 — Seattle, WA @ Mural Amphitheatre – KEXP BBQ: Concerts at the Mural
Mon. Aug. 22 — Las Vegas, NV @ Foundation Room on the Roof at The Mandalay Bay
Sat. Sep. 3 — Los Angeles, CA @ FYF Festival
Tue. Sep. 13 — Tulsa, OK @ Cains Ballroom w/ Cold War Kids
Wed. Sep. 14 — San Marcos, TX @ Texas Music Theater w/ Cold War Kids
Thu. Sep. 15 — Dallas, TX @ South Side Music Hall w/ Cold War Kids
Sat. Sep. 17 — Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits
Mon. Sep. 19 — Columbus, OH @ Skully’s
Tue. Sep. 20 — Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
Wed. Sep. 21 — Washington, DC @ Black Cat
Thu. Sep. 22 — New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
Sat. Sep. 24 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bowl
Sat. Oct. 1 — San Francisco, CA @ Brick & Mortar Music Hall
Fri. Nov. 2 – Dublin, Ireland @ The O2 w/ Red Hot Chili Peppers
Sat. Nov. 5 – Paris, France @ Le Trianon w/ Red Hot Chili Peppers
Mon. Nov. 7 – London, UK @ The O2 w/ Red Hot Chili Peppers
Wed. Nov. 9 – London, UK @ The O2 w/ Red Hot Chili Peppers
Thu. Nov. 10 – London, UK @ The O2 w/ Red Hot Chili Peppers
Sat. Nov. 12 – Glasgow, UK @ SECC – Hall 4 w/ Red Hot Chili Peppers
Wed. Nov. 14 – Manchester, UK @ Evening News Arena w/ Red Hot Chili Peppers
Tue. Nov. 15 – Manchester, UK @ Evening News Arena w/ Red Hot Chili Peppers
Thu. Nov. 17 – Sheffield, UK @ Motorpoint Arena w/ Red Hot Chili Peppers
Sat. Nov. 19 – Birmingham, UK @ NEC – LG Arena
Sun. Nov. 20 – Birmingham, UK @ NEC – LG Arena

For more information visit www.foolsgoldmusic.com

Tickets go on sale to the public this Thursday, July 28 at 12pm, and fans can go to www.anhorse.com to take advantage of pre-sale opportunities. Below are a list of tour dates:

8/6/11 – Chicago, IL @ Lollaplooza
9/16/11 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits
9/18/11 – St. Louis, MO @ The Old Rock House
9/20/11 – Akron, OH @ Musica
9/21/11 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
9/22/11 – Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen
9/23/11 – Iowa City, IA @ The Mill
9/24/11 – Lawrence, KS @ The Jackpot
9/26/11 – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
9/27/11 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
9/28/11 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux
9/30/11 – Seattle, WA @ El Corzon Lounge
10/1/11 – Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar
10/3/11 – Oakland, CA @ The New Parish
10/4/11 – San Luis Obispo, CA @ S.L.O. Brewing Company
10/15/11 – Jacksonville, FL @ Underbelly

www.anhorse.com

Sweden’s First Aid Kit has announced new US tour dates this fall. In September, sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg will support Bright Eyes on nine dates beginning the 7^th at The Norva in Norfolk, VA. The band will then return to the US again in November supporting fellow Swede Lykke Li on eight dates that kick off November 9^th at the Fox Theater in Oakland, CA. First Aid Kit was recently in the Omaha studio of producer (and member of Bright Eyes) Mike Mogis working on their sophomore album; more information regarding the album coming soon.

First Aid Kit saw success last year with the release of their debut LP The Big Black & The Blue garnering praise from NPR’s All Songs Considered, Nylon, and SPIN (‘Breaking Out’ artist), among others. In the past year, the band has performed at SXSW, Austin City Limits festival, and the CMJ Music Marathon and released a Third Man Records Blue Series 7-inch, recorded with Jack White at his own Third Man Studios in Nashville, TN.

9/3 Norfolk, VA – The Norva

9/4 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club

9/5 Baltimore, MD – Ram’s Head

9/7 Myrtle Beach, SC – House of Blues

9/8 Athens, GA – Georgia Theatre

9/9 Birmingham, AL – Sloss Furnaces

9/11 Orlando, FL – House of Blues

9/13 New Orleans, LA – House of Blues

9/15 Dallas, TX – Palladium Ballroom

11/9 Oakland, CA – Fox Theater

11/11 Denver, CO – Ogden Theater

11/13 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue

11/14 Chicago, IL – Vic Theater

11/15 Toronto, Ontario – Sound Academy

11/17 Montclair, NJ – Wellmont Theater

11/19 Asheville, NC – Orange Peel

11/20 Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theater

Check out First Aid Kit at www.thisisfirstaidkit.com

The nominations for the 2011 Barclaycard Mercury Prize – for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland – were announced last week at a special ceremony in London by BBC 6music radio presenter Lauren Laverne. Receiving a Mercury Prize nomination (and/or winning it) generally leads to increased album sales and increased celebrity profile for a band. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, September 6 at a special event in London featuring performances from all the nominees.

Here are the 12 albums up for this year’s Mercury Prize:

Adele – 21
Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi
Elbow – Build a Rocket Boys!
Everything Everything – Man Alive
Ghostpoet – Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam
Gwilym Simcock – Good Days at Schloss Elmau
James Blake – James Blake
Katy B – On a Mission
King Creosote and Jon Hopkins – Diamond Mine
Metronomy – The English Riviera
PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
Tinie Tempah – Disc-Overy

Dammit, Amy. Even your name forshadowed things to come.

Amy Winehouse died at her home in Camden, North London at the mythical age of 27. Cause of death is currently listed as “unexplained”, but who are we kidding? The explanation that will eventually come will shock no one as a sense of sad acceptance is already settling in. The woman who defiantly proclaimed “Hell no.” to rehab had demons and, more often than not, sought to exorcise them in some damned self-destructive ways with drink, drugs, and a bad marriage. Her recent European tour came to a screeching halt after, via the interwebs, the world watched and re-watched a Serbian gig where she was too wasted to perform.

One thing about musical artists that we music fans are grateful for and appreciate, in general, is their ability to translate the human condition through the songs. If we flex the awareness we were all born with, it’s hardly news that some of our- no, the world’s- most loved/beloved artists are/were immensely flawed characters. Basically they were pretty fucked up, and part of trying to un-fuckup themselves is via the music they create. “Frank” from 2003 was her acclaimed intro to the world, but Amy put her skeletons on worldwide display with 2006’s Back To Black; literally opened up a high alcohol content vein and let it flow. Habits, health, insecurities, and breakups…her head, soul, and heart were on her sleeve for the pleasure and pain of your listening with doo-wop, jazz, soulful precision, and a love of the vibe of girl groups of old. Hers was a voice that so many of us could hear the future of non-shitty music in. And we listened. Some of us still do.

Against all reason and repeated episodes that predicted otherwise (relapses, health problems, run ins with the law, more relapses), some of us held out the slimmest glimmers of hope that Winehouse would get it together and live to second or even eclipse the awesome of the Grammy Award-winning Back To Black but, oh well. So goes the power of addiction, excess, and self-abuse. But no matter how you saw her, what you thought of the past 3 years of her life, how many jokes you made about crack, boob jobs, or rat’s nest beehive up-dos, no one with a working set of ears was able to deny the heft of her talent. And it’s the lose of and unfulfilled potential of that talent, as well as the abrupt and pitiful end of a fragile human life, that will be mourned.

The second track on Back To Black right after “Rehab” is “You Know I’m No Good”. Sometimes I just hate it when art imitates like so damned precisely. Fuckery.

This always has been and always will be my favorite performance of hers. So simple, so right on: “Valerie”:

Thoughts and prayers are definitely with her family today. As for you Amy, keep singing your soul and rest in peace.

Editors Note: This post was written by Trina Green. She comes to Popwreckoning as a guest writer with content borrowed in partnership with High Voltage Magazine. Check them out!