Webcuts Music

Now this is the kinda contest fun that Webcuts approves of, despite the fact it involves a little artist-approved song sabotage and censorship. Help Stephen Malkmus write a family-friendly version of his forthcoming single “Senator”, taken from the upcoming Domino Records album Mirror Traffic (out August 22) and you could win a pretty sweet prize. As you’re probably aware, the chorus features the line “I know what the senator wants – what the senator wants is a blowjob”. That Malkmus, such a snazzy wordsmith, but blowjobs will not truck on the radio and a solution must be found.

Electro-dance-goth-opera by way of Canada, Austra’s debut album Feel It Break is akin to a good night out in loud, dark room. Kinda fun, but where’s the door?

Congratulations are in order for The Kills Jamie Hince, who became Mr. Kate Moss this weekend and was serenaded down the aisle by the sultan of suave, Bryan Ferry (the ‘down the aisle’ bit, not entirely true). One wonders what he sang to the happy couple…. “Let’s Stick Together”? “Kiss And Tell”? More importantly, just how much does it cost to hire the Ferry? Getting back to business, The Kills have just released the echo-chamber stomp of “Future Starts Slow” as the next single from Blood Pressures. The accompanying video directed by Philip Andelman follows the band on their travels from earlier this year, with a few sweet kissy-kiss and hand-holdy moments thrown in to make you go ‘awww’. The single is released on 7″ this week (July 11) and is backed with the new track “Blue Moon”. The Kills are set to tour Australia in late July with shows scheduled in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, including an appearance at the Splendour In The Grass Festival.

Webcuts totally fell for Twin Sister‘s 2010 double-EP combo Color Your Life / Vampires With Dreaming Kids, in particular the exquisite dreampop shimmy of “All Around And Away We Go”, so it’s only expected that we’ll excitedly prick up our ears at the sound of fresh rumblings from their Long Island camp and report forth. [...]

With a year spent travailing the globe leading alterna-rock heroes, Pavement, through their reunion parade, it’s back to the day job for Stephen Malkmus and his Jicks. Their latest album, Mirror Traffic, is out August 22 through Domino Records. Produced by Beck ‘Beck’ Hansen, who recently helmed Thurston Moore’s latest effort, this is Stephen Malkmus’ [...]

The name of this band always reminds me of a tawdry 80′s Australian soapie drama, which I doubt was what these four Glaswegians had in mind. On Mirror, Mirror, the follow-up to 2008′s This Gift, Sons & Daughters have made an about-face from their gritty rock n’ roll stance, fashioning together a darkly sinister sound, [...]

Infectious Canadian electro-opera outfit Austra released their latest single “Lose It” in the UK last week, and have made this rather bizarre video to accompany it. One of the stand-out tracks played on their recent UK tour, (especially that galloping Kate Bush cat-call chorus…) it’s the second track taken from the Toronto band’s forthcoming debut album, Feel It Break, following the dark dancefloor incantation of “Beat And The Pulse”. I don’t quite get this video clip. Is it some weird bandmates-as-art installation piece or something more? Is there meaning attached to the bloody noses and half-submerged people in the carpet? At least there’s a sub-conscious distancing of the ‘goth’ tag and the nsfw nudity present in their last clip. The single is backed with a “quietly euphoric, surprising reworking” of Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock” on 7″, with Austra’s debut album Feel It Break being released this week through Domino Records.

The name of this band always reminds me of a tawdry 80′s Australian soapie drama, which I doubt was what these four Glaswegians had in mind. On Mirror, Mirror, the follow-up to 2008′s This Gift, Sons & Daughters have fashioned a darkly sinister sound, pared back for effect and drawing in filmic inspirations that’s perfectly [...]

Infectious electro-opera outfit Austra are to release their next single, “Lose It” on May 9. One of the stand-out tracks played on their recent UK tour, (that Kate Bush cat-call chorus…) it’s the second track taken from the Toronto band’s forthcoming debut album, Feel It Break, following the dark dancefloor incantation of “Beat And The [...]

In what’s promising to be one unbelievably jam-packed month with highly anticipated albums from Fleet Foxes, Explosions In The Sky and now Canadian alterna-rock legends Sloan all set to appear in May, you can add yet another band to that list — village hedonists Wild Beasts return on May 9 with Smother, the follow-up to their critically acclaimed album of 2009, Two Dancers. To be released through Domino Records, Smother was written over a six week period in East London and recorded in a remote part of Wales, and co-produced by the band with long term collaborator Richard Formby.