The Weeknd to Release Mixtape Trilogy

by Jenn Pelly on December 26, 2011 at 02:25 p.m.

Wrapping a triumphant year of mixtapes and Drake collabs, the Weeknd tweeted last night that all three of his 2011 tapes will be released as a remastered package in 2012, complete with bonuses. That includes last week's Echoes of Silence, which is available to stream or download, as well as Thursday and House of Balloons, one of our top ten records of the year.

Check out "Montreal" from Echoes of Silence below.

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Listen to the Weeknd's Echoes of Silence

by Carrie Battan on December 21, 2011 at 11:45 p.m.

The Weeknd's follow-up to House of Balloons and Thursday is here. Grab the nine-track Echoes of Silence-- featuring a cover of Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana" and production from Clams Casino-- for free over on the-weeknd.com or here, via the Weeknd's Twitter.

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Die Antwoord Reveal New Album Details

by Larry Fitzmaurice on December 19, 2011 at 12:00 p.m.

That eerie, gory image above is the cover art for South African crew Die Antwoord's forthcoming LP, TEN$ION, which is now set for a February 7 release via the band's own ZEF Records, in association with Good Smile, Downtown Records, and COOP Music. Check out the album's tracklist below, as well as the video for first single "Fok Julle Naaires".

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New Release: Dirty Three: Toward the Low Sun

by Jenn Pelly on December 16, 2011 at 03:40 p.m.

Artist: Dirty Three
Album: Toward the Low Sun
Release Date: February 21
Label: Drag City

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New Release: John Talabot: ƒIN

by Jenn Pelly on December 16, 2011 at 02:40 p.m.

Artist: John Talabot
Album: ƒIN
Release Date: February 6
Label: Permanent Vacation

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The Avalanches Tease New LP: Potential Titles, Track With Jennifer Herrema

by Carrie Battan on December 16, 2011 at 12:30 p.m.

We've been getting sporadic updates on a new album from the Avalanches for quite some time now. And here's another one. This morning, they Tweeted, "new song 'the stepkids' w/ Jennifer RTX . current album working titles - 'on a saturday' / 'friday night fever'". And they added this photo, which seem to be the lyrics to a new song. ("Jennifer RTX" would be Jennifer Herrema of Royal Trux/RTX/Black Bananas.)

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Cat Power to Release New Song and Video as Charity Download Next Week

by Carrie Battan on December 16, 2011 at 10:25 a.m.

Cat Power's Chan Marshall announced on Twitter last night: "ALMOST DONE WITH ALBUM. IN 9 DAYS WILL HAVE A SONG AVAILABLE FOR HOLIDAY CHARITY DOWNLOAD W O R D ! XXXX"

She added, "DOODS. DECEMBER 24TH. THE DOWNLOAD IS FOR 1 SONG & VIDEO LIST OF CHARITIES TO CHOOSE FROM. DONATE TO DOWNLOAD. XOXOXOXOXOXXOXOX"

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Brian Wilson Reunites With Beach Boys

by Carrie Battan on December 16, 2011 at 10:01 a.m.

The Beach Boys will celebrate their 50th anniversary with a reunion, a new album, a world tour, and a reissue campaign. And yes, Brian Wilson is part of it, joining Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, and David Marks.

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Stephen Malkmus and L.A. Guns (Yes, L.A. Guns) Cover Each Other on Split 7"

by Jenn Pelly on December 15, 2011 at 10:26 a.m.

Remember that headline from August, "Stephen Malkmus Almost Named His New Album L.A. Guns"? Well, the plot thickens...

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People Are Mad About the Naked Lady on the Cover of the New Justice Single

by Carrie Battan on December 14, 2011 at 02:15 p.m.

As reported, Justice is releasing a single for the song "On'n'On" (featuring a Rick Rubin remix). The cover of that single features a nude woman (see above, in case you missed it). Apparently, the artwork angered quite a few people, provoking Ed Banger Records' Pedro Winter to post this statement on the label's Facebook page:

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The Men Announce New Album

by Jenn Pelly on December 14, 2011 at 01:15 p.m.

After releasing one of 2011's most notable records, the excellent Leave Home, Brooklyn punks The Men will present their hardcore hybrid on another album, Open Your Heart, out March 6 via Sacred Bones. A press release notes that the collection newly incorporates surf riffs, country twang, and pop structures.

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The Shins Announce New Album

by Jenn Pelly on December 14, 2011 at 10:38 a.m.

The Shins have announced that their next album, Port of Morrow, will be released in March via Columbia and James Mercer's own Aural Apothecary imprint. It follows 2007's Wincing the Night Away.

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Rick Rubin to Remix Justice

by Carrie Battan on December 13, 2011 at 03:35 p.m.

In late January, Ed Banger Records will release Justice's "On'n'On", off their new album Audio, Video, Disco, as a single. According to Ed Banger's Facebook, that release will include a Rick Rubin remix of "On'n'On". It'll also feature remixes of the track by Brodinski and Video Village, and remixes of the song "Canon" by Erol Alkan and Tiga.

And yes, that's the cover art for the single up there.

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News in Brief: Micachu/Matthew Herbert, William Schaff, BPM Fest, Summadayze

by Jenn Pelly on December 13, 2011 at 03:10 p.m.

-- This week, Accidental releases Micachu's reworkings of tracks from Matthew Herbert's album One Pig on a remix EP. The album tells the life story of a pig, from birth to plate. Hear her remix of "December" here.

-- Graveface has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a new art book by William Schaff, who has done work for Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Okkervil River, and more. It features writing by the Mountain Goats' John Darnielle, Okkervil River's Will Sheff, and more. An accompanying 10" features recordings by Jason Molina of Magnolia Electric Co., and 10% of proceeds would help pay Molina's current medical bills.

-- The BPM Festival takes place in Playa del Carmen, Mexico from December 30-January 8. The lineup includes Wolf + Lamb, Richie Hawtin, Soul Clap, Art Department, and many more.

-- Australia's Summadayze festival will take place in Adelaide, Melbourne, the Gold Coast, and Perth December 31 to January 3. The lineup includes Flying Lotus, Justice, Spank Rock, Scissor Sisters, Skream and Benga, Metronomy, Busy P, Radio Slave, Snoop Dogg, Moby (DJ set), Grandmaster Flash, and more.

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Listen to the Studio Version of Radiohead's "The Daily Mail"

by Carrie Battan on December 13, 2011 at 02:15 p.m.

Radiohead will put out a new single featuring "The Daily Mail" and "Staircase" on December 19, both of which were recorded as part of The King of Limbs: Live From the Basement session earlier this year.

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