Jenny and Johnny first started working together in Los Angeles in 2005, after being introduced by Conor Oberst. During hours of downtime on Lewis’ Acid Tongue world tour, she and Rice began writing a batch of songs different from anything they had previously created. The material was fast, ultra-melodic, and often blended both of their voices into one, creating a completely new sound. When the tour wrapped in Japan in August of 2009, Jenny and Johnny were eager to record the new tunes. They enlisted Rilo Kiley’s Pierre De Reeder to engineer a nine-day October session at his Bright Street Recorders in North Hollywood with the intention of making demos. Jenny and Johnny played as many instruments as possible, right down to the drums. Jason Boesel lent his considerable drumming talents to the songs that required something more. The four friends worked lightening fast, had a hell of a lot of fun, and were so stoked on the results that Lewis and Rice decided to start a new band and finish the record. The overall result is genuine and original pop music for Right Now. This is not a Rilo Kiley record, a Jenny Lewis record, or a Johnathan Rice record. This is Jenny and Johnny. They’re having fun now, and they want you to, too. Listen for "Big Wave" all this week on New Music Heaven at 9am, 4pm, 7pm, and 11pm on 94/7 Alternative Portland.
Sleigh Bells
Songwriter/producer Derek Miller and vocalist Alexis Krauss comprise Sleigh Bells, an experimental pop duo that began earning its first fans after a breakout performance at the 2009 CMJ Festival. The musicians formed the group in New York, where Miller (a Florida native and onetime member of hardcore act Poison the Well) had relocated in the hopes of starting a new project. He found his ideal partner in Krauss, a former vocalist for the teenaged girl group Rubyblue, and the two began creating a batch of demos that combined pop hooks with loud, rhythmic crunch. The duo signed to M.I.A.'s boutique label N.E.E.T. and released its debut album, Treats, in 2010. Listen for Rill Rill all this week on New Music Heaven at 9am, 4pm, 7pm, and 11pm on 94/7 Alternative Portland, and look out for your Nation email with a FREE download of the song!
Tokyo Police Club "Wait Up"
They may be Tokyo Police Club, but they're native to Newmarket, Ontario. This Canadian quartet recently wrapped up a supporting stint for Passion Pit and now headline with material from their latest album, Champ, an album they had a lot of fun making without any set of rules. "There's really not one thing to sum it up," singer David Monks says. "Musically we didn't follow any kind of framework or preferred kind of song. Any direction we went is a direction that just felt fun." See what he means with "Wait Up" at 9am, 4pm, 7pm and 11pm all this week, and look out for a FREE download of the song in your next Nation email!
Foals..."Total Life Forever"
Switching gears from a rhythm-heavy debut album, Foals bring us this week’s Slice of New Music Heaven! This Oxford quintet has turned a little more introspective on its second album, Total Life Forever, but blends both thoughtfulness and a punchy stomp-clap-beat in the title track. Listen to it this week at 9am, 4pm, 7pm and 11pm, and check your Nation email for the FREE download!
NMH- American Bang: "Wild & Young"
American Bang’s self-titled, loud, sexy, and soulful major-label debut album is a memorable and melodic introduction to the Nashville-based rock group. The album successfully captures all the amazing grace and guts of their deep musical roots and Southern accent. From the pounding and gritty opening of “Whiskey Walk,” to the instantly anthemic “Wild & Young,” to the messy, Stonesy romance of “Hurts Like Hell,” it’s clear that American Bang shoots straight at the heart of great American rock ‘n roll. Listen for "Wild & Young" all this week on 94/7fm and Nation members keep an eye on your inbox for your FREE American Bang download!
NMH-Laura Veirs: Wide-Eyed, Legless
Laura Veirs’ seventh album July Flame, which Colin Meloy calls “the best album of 2010,” explores the emotion of mid-summer. Drenched in wood smoke, sunlight, pollinators, pastoral dales, fireworks and warm nights, her lyrics explore the dichotomy between one’s desire for permanence and security and the realization that such things rarely exist.
Stay tuned to your Nation email to get a free download of "Wide-Eyed, Legless."
White Rabbits..."They Done Wrong, We Done Wrong"
First they totally impressed us on Night 4 of December 2 Remember. Then they kicked off a supporting slot on a tour with Spoon. Next stop? Your Next Slice of New Music Heaven. You're probably already familiar with White Rabbits' contagiously-catchy "Percussion Gun" that we've been playing, but "They Done Wrong, We Done Wrong" showcases a more unplugged, laidback sound that might remind you a bit of Flogging Molly's "Don't Sink the Boat." We think you'll really enjoy it - stay tuned for the Free Download in your next Nation email! Not in the Nation? Sign up now!
Fever Ray "Seven"
Fever Ray – whose self-titled debut album met with a flurry of 2009 year-end praise. In addition to being iTunes Electronic Album Of The Year, 2009 also saw the album rank #2 Album Of The Year in the Guardian UK Poll, #9 Album Of The Year via Hype Machine’s aggregated zeitgeist poll, and Pitchfork named “Fever Ray” their #9 album of 2009. Pitchfork also ranked album singles “When I Grow Up” and “If I Had A Heart” in their Best Tracks Of 2009, #36 and #58 respectively.
The album is also now available a Deluxe Edition. "Fever Ray Deluxe" contains the CD album plus two new studio recordings, cover versions of Vashti Bunyan’s "Here Before" and Nick Cave and Anita Lane’s "Stranger Than Kindness," which Fever Ray also performs during the live set. The second disc "Live in Lulea" captures the full Fever Ray live show on CD. The third disc is a DVD featuring all previously released Fever Ray videos and an exclusive video for "Stranger Than Kindness," directed by acclaimed multimedia artist Andreas Nilsson (who also designed Fever Ray and The Knife's live shows)
US audiences will have an opportunity to see Fever Ray on stage once again at the 2010 Coachella Music And Arts Festival April 16th, 2009. "Fever Ray is uncut darkness ,“ wrote " Sasha Frere-Jones of Fever Ray’s live show in The New Yorker. And August Brown of The Los Angeles Times wrote,"[Fever Ray works] at the absolute forefront of sound, stage and the ways the two inform each other...Fever Ray never shies from its more theatrical and modern impulses, the real emotions Andersson's music brings out -- enticement, disquiet and unknowable mystery -- are much older than the stage. "
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