Crooked Fingers premiered the new video for “Our New Favorite” at The AV Club today. Directed and edited by James Fleischel, the video beautifully illustrates the feelings of impermanence and connectedness suggested by the song by capturing and slowing down the fleeting moments of everyday life.

Watch “Our New Favorite” now at The AV Club

Crooked Fingers will be at Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles on February 29 and will be in Austin, TX for the SXSW Music Festival beginning March 14.

Breaks in the Armor is available on CD, LP and digital download now in the Merge store.

Lambchop will release Mr. M on February 21 and we are excited to announce their US tour beginning April 13 in Asheville and ending May 12 in Nashville!

A full list of dates as well as links to purchase tickets are included below, and be sure to visit the Merge tour page for updates.

It’s been nearly two decades since Lambchop released its first album, at the time pronouncing itself “Nashville’s most fucked-up country band.” Provocative it may have been, but the description made sense: at the heart of all that ruckus was a band at once defying and embracing the musical legacy of its hometown. Since then, Lambchop has evolved into an accomplished ensemble, adding palpable depth and substance to singer-songwriter-guitarist Kurt Wagner’s songs—and the band sounds as commanding as ever on its 11th album, Mr. M, a collection of meditations on love and loss and the detritus of everyday existence.

Pre-order Mr. M now on CD or limited-edition dbl-LP in the Merge store to receive a poster (the first 150 of which will be signed!) featuring Kurt Wagner’s original paintings used in Mr. M‘s liner notes and a Lambchop coin purse while supplies last.

Visit the Merge blog to watch an album trailer for Mr. M, too!

Lambchop – Gone Tomorrow by Merge Records

Lambchop US tour:
Apr 13 Asheville, NC The Grey Eagle
Apr 14 Durham, NC Motorco
Apr 15 Arlington, VA IOTA
Apr 16 Annapolis, MD Ram’s Head
Apr 17 Boston, MA Paradise
Apr 18 Philadelphia, PA World Café Live
Apr 19 New York, NY Le Poisson Rouge
Apr 21 Pittsburgh, PA Club Café
Apr 22 Cleveland, OH The Beachland Ballroom
Apr 23 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark
Apr 24 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
Apr 25 Madison, WI High Noon Saloon
Apr 26 Minneapolis, MN The Dakota
Apr 27 Omaha, NE TBA
Apr 28 Boulder, CO The Fox Theatre
May 01 Seattle, WA The Tractor Tavern
May 02 Portland, OR Doug Fir
May 04 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
May 05 Santa Monica, CA McCabe’s
May 06 Tucson, AZ TBA
May 08 Dallas, TX TBA
May 09 Austin, TX The Cactus
May 11 Birmingham, AL Secret Stages
May 12 Nashville TN TBA

Find Lambchop on Twitter, Facebook, and at Lambchop.net.

The Magnetic Fields have premiered their drag-tastic new video for “Andrew in Drag” at NPR Music! Clean white backgrounds and clever camera angles compliment Stephin’s trademark witty songwriting perfectly, but be forewarned, this video is NSFW!

Watch the video for “Andrew in Drag” now at NPR Music

Pre-order both the “Andrew in Drag” 7-inch and Love at the Bottom of the Sea (on CD or LP) now in the Merge store.

The Magnetic Fields have announced their spring tour in support of Love at the Bottom of the Sea and tickets are on sale now!

The Magnetic Fields on tour:
Mar 6 Hudson, NY Helsinki Hudson
Mar 7 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
Mar 11 Minehead, UK All Tomorrow’s Parties
Mar 14, 15, 16 Austin, TX  SXSW
Mar 18 Vancouver, BC  The Vogue
Mar 19 Seattle, WA Neptune Theater
Mar 20 Seattle, WA Neptune Theater
Mar 21 Portland, OR Roseland Theater
Mar 23 Los Angeles, CA Orpheum Theater
Mar 24 Oakland, CA Fox Theater
Mar 26 Chicago, IL Vic Theater
Mar 27 Chicago, IL Vic Theater
Mar 28 Iowa City, IA Englert Theater
Mar 30 Toronto, ON Sound Academy
Mar 31 Montreal, QC Le National
Apr 3 New York, NY Beacon Theater
Apr 6 Boston, MA Berklee Performance Center
Apr 7 Boston, MA Berklee Performance Center
Apr 9 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
Apr 11 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle
Apr 12 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle
Apr 14 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse

Hospitality released their self-titled debut album on Tuesday to great reviews and much excitement. They will celebrate the album’s release on Friday, February 3 at Glasslands in Brooklyn, and have also announced new tour dates with Merge label mates The Love Language and Wild Flag later this spring.

Hospitality is available on CD, LP and digital download in the Merge store. Watch the fun new video for “Friends of Friends,” too!

Hospitality on tour:
Feb 3 Brooklyn, NY Glasslands Gallery (Record Release Show)
Feb 25 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall (Noise Pop w/ Archers of Loaf)
Feb 26 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour w/ Archers of Loaf
Feb 29 Toronto, ON Horseshoe Tavern w/ Tennis
Mar 2 Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall w/ Tennis
Mar 3 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom w/ Tennis *SOLD OUT
Mar 7 New Haven, CT BAR
Mar 9 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506 w/ Tennis
Mar 10 Atlanta, GA The Earl w/ Tennis
Mar 11 Orlando, FL Orange You Glad Festival
Mar 14-17 Austin, TX SXSW Music Festival
Mar 18 Dallas, TX Bro Fest
Mar 20 Birmingham, AL Bottletree w/ The Love Language
Mar 21 Nashville, TN High Watt @ Mercy Lounge w/ The Love Language
Mar 22 Asheville, NC Emerald Lounge w/ The Love Language
Mar 30 New Haven, CT Toad’s Place w/ Wild Flag
Apr 02 Washington, DC 9:30 Club w/ Wild Flag
Apr 03 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero w/ Wild Flag
Apr 05 Chicago, IL Metro w/ Wild Flag

To celebrate the release of Vee Vee on February 21 as well as the reissue of All the Nation’s Airports and White Trash Heroes which will follow later this year, Archers of Loaf have added new tour dates and will perform songs from all four albums.

Listen to “Harnessed in Slums” from Vee Vee below and watch Eric Bachmann’s “One Track Mind” episode on The AV Club to hear the story behind “Web in Front.”

Pre-order Vee Vee on dbl-CD or limited-edition mossy green LP now in the Merge store and receive an email download of the remastered original album. Also available in the Merge store are limited-edition “Team Loaf” pennants re-created from the original design.

Archers of Loaf on tour:
Feb 25 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall – Noise Pop w/ Hospitality
Feb 26 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour w/ Hospitality
Apr 26 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
Apr 27 Cambridge, MA Middle East
Apr 28 Cambridge, MA Middle East
Apr 29 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
May 10 Asheville, NC Grey Eagle
May 11 Saxapahaw, NC Haw River Ballroom
May 12 Raleigh, NC King’s Royal Barcade
May 30-June 3 Barcelona, Spain Primavera Sound

M. Ward will release A Wasteland Companion on April 10. Watch a beautiful new animated video for “The First Time I Ran Away” now!

Pre-order A Wasteland Companion on CD or LP now in the Merge store. M. Ward can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and at mwardmusic.com.

M. Ward on tour:
Feb 2 Los Angeles, CA Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Apr 11 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
Apr 12 Santa Cruz, CA The Cocoanut Grove Ballroom
Apr 13 Indio, CA Coachella **SOLD OUT**
Apr 14 Santa Barbara, CA SoHO
Apr 16 San Diego, CA Belly Up
Apr 17 Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom
Apr 18 Flagstaff, AZ The Orpheum
Apr 20 Indio, CA Coachella **SOLD OUT**
May 5  Portland, ME State Theatre
May 6  Burlington, VT Higher Ground
May 7  New Haven, CT Toads Place
May 8  Boston, MA House of Blues
May 11 New York, NY Webster Hall
May 12 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
May 13 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
May 15 Durham, NC Duke Performances at Page Auditorium
May 16 Athens, GA Georgia Theatre
May 17 Atlanta, GA Buckhead Theatre
May 22 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre
May 24 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
Jonathan Richman supports 4/11
fIREHOSE supports 4/12, 4/16-4/18
Lee Ranaldo Band supports 5/5-5/22

We have been counting down the days to the release of Imperial Teen‘s new record Feel the Sound, and the day has arrived! To celebrate, Jone, Roddy, Lynn & Will have premiered the video for “Runaway” at Spin.com. Watch Imperial Teen’s “Runaway” video now at Spin.com

Click here to view the embedded video.

Also, Imperial Teen are the guest editors at MagnetMagazine.com this week. Read a Q&A with Will and bookmark the “Guest Editor” tag to read new entries from all four band members all week long.

Feel the Sound is available on CD, LP and digital download as well as a full album stream now in the Merge store.

Imperial Teen on tour:
Feb 24 San Francisco, CA Cafe Du Nord Noisepop Festival (SOLD OUT)
Feb 25 San Francisco, CA Amoeba Records Free in-store performance @ 2PM
Mar 14-18 SXSW Music Festival

Eleanor Friedberger premiered her new video for “Heaven” from her debut solo album Last Summer today at The Awl.

Watch the video for “Heaven” now at The Awl

Eleanor Friedberger released her Merge Records debut Last Summer in July and is bringing her band out west for a few dates. Eleanor’s band is Matt Asti (MGMT), Ahmed Gallab (touring member of Yeasayer & Caribou), John Eatherly (Be Your Own Pet & Turbo Fruits). Eleanor will also join the Portlandia tour as a “Special Guest Musician.” Full dates below!

Join Eleanor’s mailing list below to receive a special 5-song download of live tracks and a Bob Dylan cover!
the Eleanor Friedberger band on tour:
Feb 2 San Diego, CA Casbah
Feb 3 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
Feb 4 San Francisco, CA The Independent
Feb 7 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios
Feb 9 Seattle, WA The Crocodile

Eleanor solo as “Special Guest Musician” on Portlandia tour:
Feb 19 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
Feb 20 Boston, MA Berklee Performing Arts Center
Feb 21 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
Feb 22 Durham, NC Carolina Theatre
Feb 23 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
Feb 24 Nashville, TN Marathon Music Works

Hospitality will release their self-titled debut album next week, and have premiered their new video for “Friends of Friends” today at Stereogum.

Directed by Scott Jacobson (who also directed Superchunk’s video for “Digging for Something”) and featuring Alia Shawkat of Arrested Development and Gabe Delahaye of Videogum, the “Friends of Friends” video shows the hardships of a long-distance relationship set in iconic locations in New York & Los Angeles.

Watch “Friends of Friends” now at Stereogum

Daytrotter released their session with Hospitality today and “Eighth Avenue” is the “Song of the Day” at NPR Music! Beginning tomorrow, you can stream Hospitality in its entirety at Spotify. Subscribe now to the Merge Records New Releases to listen. And don’t forget to add user mergerecordsofficial as one of your favorites and check out all our playlists!

Other Hospitality excitement is happening this week, too. On Wednesday, January 25, Hospitality will perform on WFMU’s Seven Second Delay live from the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre. Listen live at 6pm EST, or to the archive on WFMU.org! On Friday, January 27, listen to Hospitality on WNYC’s Soundcheck beginning at 2pm EST.

Hospitality is available on CD and LP now in the Merge store. Pre-orders come with a poster and 5-postcard set, while supplies last. Pre-order customers will also receive via e-mail Hospitality’s 6-song EP from 2008, which was recorded in their Red Hook apartment by Karl Blau on a 4-track recorder. Follow the band on Twitter and Facebook.

Hospitality on tour:
Feb 3 Brooklyn, NY Glasslands Gallery (Record Release Show)
Feb 25 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall (Noise Pop w/ Archers of Loaf)
Feb 26 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour w/ Archers of Loaf
Feb 29 Toronto, ON Horseshoe Tavern w/ Tennis
Mar 2 Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall w/ Tennis
Mar 3 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom w/ Tennis
Mar 7 New Haven, CT BAR
Mar 9 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506 w/ Tennis
Mar 10 Atlanta, GA The Earl w/ Tennis
Mar 11 Orlando, FL Orange You Glad Festival

Merge will release M. Ward‘s sixth solo album, A Wasteland Companion, on April 10.


In the three years since Portland, OR-based troubadour M. Ward released his last solo album – the universally lauded Hold Time – he’s toured the globe, released two albums as one half of Grammy-nominated duo She & Him as well as one with the talented group of friends collectively know as Monsters Of Folk.

Inspired by his increasingly itinerant lifestyle Ward set forth to create something of a musical travelogue. He explains, “Between now and when I made Hold Time there has been a lot of traveling which requires a lot of reckoning with what to leave behind and what to carry – material and otherwise – and thinking about what I want versus what I need, creatively and otherwise. I wanted to get a reflection of that on the album. It was a process of stripping away my security blanket, which is the same four walls I always record in.”

The album was made with 18 musicians and recorded in eight different studios in Portland, Omaha, New York City, Los Angeles, Austin and Bristol (UK). A Wasteland Companion features the talents of M Ward (piano, guitars, voice, production), Mike Coykendall (percussion, bass), Giant Sand’s Howe Gelb (piano), John Parish (percussion, marimba), Bright Eyes’ Mike Mogis (organ), Susan Sanchez (vocals), She & Him’s Zooey Deschanel (vocals), Jordan Hudson (percussion), Adam Selzer (bass), Nathan “JR” Andersen (piano), Scott McPherson (percussion), Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley (percussion), Dr. Dog’s Tobey Leaman (bass), Devotchka’s Tom Hagerman (strings), Oakely Hall’s Rachel Cox (vocals), Amanda Lawrence (violin), John Graboff (pedal steel) and Tyler Tornfelt (bass). The recording utilized eight engineers, including Tom Schick (Rufus Wainwright) and John Parish (PJ Harvey).

Pre-order A Wasteland Companion on CD or LP now in the Merge store. M. Ward can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and at mwardmusic.com.

Track listing:
1. Clean Slate (for Alex & El Goodo)
2. Primitive Girl
3. Me And My Shadow
4. Sweetheart
5. I Get Ideas
6. The First Time I Ran Away
7. A Wasteland Companion
8. Watch The Show
9. There’s A Key
10. Crawl After You
11. Wild Goose
12. Pure Joy

M. Ward on tour:
Feb 2 Los Angeles, CA Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Apr 11 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
Apr 12 Santa Cruz, CA The Cocoanut Grove Ballroom
Apr 13 Indio, CA Coachella **SOLD OUT**
Apr 14 Santa Barbara, CA SoHO
Apr 16 San Diego, CA Belly Up
Apr 17 Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom
Apr 18 Flagstaff, AZ The Orpheum
Apr 20 Indio, CA Coachella **SOLD OUT**
May 5  Portland, ME State Theatre
May 6  Burlington, VT Higher Ground
May 7  New Haven, CT Toads Place
May 8  Boston, MA House of Blues
May 11 New York, NY Webster Hall
May 12 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
May 13 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
May 15 Durham, NC Duke Performances at Page Auditorium
May 16 Athens, GA Georgia Theatre
May 17 Atlanta, GA Buckhead Theatre
May 22 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre
May 24 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
Jonathan Richman supports 4/11
fIREHOSE supports 4/12, 4/16-4/18
Lee Ranaldo Band supports 5/5-5/22

Imperial Teen‘s long-anticipated new album Feel the Sound will be released on January 31, but visit Spin.com now to hear the album in its entirety.

Of the new album, Spin.com says:

Feel the Sound is Imperial Teen’s first new album in five years, but you wouldn’t know it from the sterling collection of beautifully arranged, melody-rich pop songs on display. The San Francisco-based band led by former Faith No More keyboardist Roddy Bottum shows no signs of rust on its fifth studio album, which we’ve got streaming for you in its entirety.

Stream Feel the Sound now at Spin.com

So many bands lose momentum and focus over time, but a little past its sweet sixteenth year of existence, Roddy Bottum, Lynn Perko Truell, Will Schwartz, and Jone Stebbins somehow grow both younger and wiser, connecting four characterful lives through creative friendship and deep trust, and forging a communal power that continues to grow stronger.

Imperial Teen have announced appearances at Noise Pop and SXSW with more to come!

Pre-order Feel the Sound now on CD and LP in the Merge store to receive a poster and a limited-edition key chain earplug case while supplies last.

Eric Bachmann & Liz Durrett began the new year by taking a trip up the east coast and visiting WXPN World Cafe in Philadelphia, Sirius XM’s The Loft, and down to KUT Austin to perform songs from 2011′s stellar Breaks in the Armor. These sessions air this week, so tune in!

Sirius XM’s The Loft session will air multiple times this week, including Wednesday 1/18 at 2pm, Saturday 1/21 at noon, and Sunday 1/22 at midnight, all times EST.

World Cafe airs on Wednesday, January 18. Visit NPR.org for local airtimes, or you can listen live on WXPN’s live stream at 2PM EST.

KUT Austin’s performance aired on Tuesday, January 17. The session is now archived at KUT.org.

Order Breaks in the Armor on CD, LP or digital download in the Merge store now.

 

Lambchop premiered “Gone Tomorrow” from their forthcoming new album Mr. M on NPR’s All Songs Considered podcast today. Listen to the All Songs Considered podcast now or hear the track below via Merge’s SoundCloud page.

Lambchop – Gone Tomorrow by Merge Records

Pre-order Mr. M now on CD or limited-edition dbl-LP in the Merge store to receive a poster (the first 150 of which will be signed!) featuring Kurt Wagner’s original paintings used in Mr. M’s liner notes and a Lambchop coin purse while supplies last.

Visit the Merge blog to watch an album trailer for Mr. M, too!