Fruit Bats are a Ruminant Band

ru⋅mi⋅nant  / Pronunciation [roo-muh-nuh nt]:
adjective
1. ruminating; chewing the cud.
2. contemplative; meditative: a ruminant scholar.

After several years keeping busy playing with both Vetiver and The Shins, Eric D. Johnson has returned to craft a brand new Fruit Bats album, The Ruminant Band, on Sub Pop Records. Johnson recently promised that “We are going to choogle for you.” And choogle they do! The album is chock full of the kind of music that will lift your head and take notice to the sweet sounds abound. Some might even liken it to a religious experience. But don't take our word for it, rather see the video proof!

Grand Archives puts together a freakishly good new album!

Grand Archives recently released their new album, Keep In Mind Frankenstein, has all the awesomeness of the previous release, and then added even more awesomeness on top of that. It has been noted that it may be a little darker than The Grand Archives, although it's hard to feel dark when listening to this effort.

Sub Pop says that "It’s an album made up of disparate elements artfully fit together and brought to life with affecting results". We couldn't have said it better ourselves.

We're hoping that once the band finishes their European tour in early 2010 that they will do us the good favor of heading out the road here in the US. But if you're checking in from overseas, you can find the complete list of dates here.

Secretly Canadian to release Yeasayer's Odd Blood

Secretly Canadian recently announced that they will be the proud home for Brooklyn based Yeasayer’s new album, Odd Blood. The hotly anticipated follow up to 2007’s All Hour Cymbals will be released in February 2010, but until then you can get your fill with the new single “Ambling Alp”. And because they are such a great bunch of people, they are giving away the single as free download on their website. But before you get too comfortable with just a free mp3, they also have the digital release and 12” vinyl, both featuring remixes by Memory Tapes and DJ/rupture.

Oh, and we’ve also been tipped off to one wild music video that you will not want to miss! More on that to come later………

We shine the spotlight on Heatbox

Watch our interview with a cappella extrordinaire, Heatbox. He talks about how performing was always his passion, and how he used to be just a traditional beatboxer until he got hooked on a loop pedal. However, his act is still very minimal--a few microphones, a loop pedal, and that's it. He also tells us that the song "Pizza Funk" started off as an inside joke, only to be turned into something more. Watch below:

Headlights touring midwest, southern states

Headlights will be playing gigs in Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin in the next few days, until early December. For details, check their MySpace page

If you don't live near these places, you may have to do the next best thing and keep tabs on them via Twitter. Yup, the band has a Twitter account, and they'll be posting all info about touring, new video blog entries and interesting news there--so check it out!

Good Question: "Take A Moment"

Calgary-based band Good Question takes the best of folk--jangling, acoustic guitar and bright, feel-good vocals--and meshes it together with instruments unusual in this type of music. You've got your cello. Your didgeridoo. Your woodwinds. Your glockenspiel.

When you watch the video for "Take A Moment" below, you might wonder why you haven't heard of this amazingly talented band before--they take you on a journey like no other! Watch below:

View D. Willz's "Cashed My Check" video on MTV

D. Willz has been getting a lot of attention lately. Everyone's digging his relaxed, humorous tracks that reflect an immense amount of talent.

In fact, the lighthearted, feel-good clip for "Cashed My Check" was recently featured on MTV! Watch it here.