Lambchop’s Mr. M will be in stores on February 21, but NPR is streaming the full album now at NPR Music. Also, see the new video for “Gone Tomorrow” featuring underground Nashville wrestlers at NPR’s All Songs Considered blog.

Of Mr. M, NPR says: “But, for an album that once bore the working title Major League Bummer, Mr. M isn’t mournful so much as winsome; it’s no accident of sequencing that it winds to a close with a redemption song as generous and giant-hearted as ‘Never My Love.’ Amid softly plucked acoustic guitars and sweet strings, that song is so direct in its hopefulness and gratitude, it almost sounds as if Wagner is covering Don Williams again. But it’s just the sound of a downcast dreamer who, nearly 20 years into his career with Lambchop, is just beginning to find what he’s wanted all along.”

Listen to Lambchop’s Mr. M now at NPR Music.

NPR premiered the new video for “Gone Tomorrow,” which features scenes from the underground wrestling scene in Nashville. Director Zach Spiger and Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner offer the story behind the video as well. Read the story and watch the video at the All Songs Considered blog.

Watch the video for “Gone Tomorrow.”

Mr. M is available for pre-order on CD and dbl-LP now in the Merge store.

To celebrate the February 21st release of Vee Vee, as well as the reissues of All the Nation’s Airports and White Trash Heroes that will follow later this year, Archers of Loaf have added new dates to their tour schedule. The band will perform songs from those three albums as well as from Icky Mettle, their classic 1994 debut which was reissued on Merge last year.

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

Also, our crack digital team has located VHS tapes of old Archers of Loaf videos and digitized them for our viewing pleasure!

Watch videos for “Underachievers March and Fight Song” and “Harnessed in Slums” from Vee Vee. Visit the Merge YouTube page to find more vintage Archers of Loaf videos as well as newly digitized videos from Pipe, Big Dipper, Polvo, Portastatic, The Mad Scene and more!

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 physical copies of the album bundled with limited-edition “Go 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

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, releasing two albums as one-half of GRAMMY-nominated duo She & Him as well as one with the talented group of friends collectively known 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.”

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.

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:
% – w/ fIREHOSE
+ – w/ Lee Ranaldo Band
Apr 11 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore (w/ Jonathan Richman)
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 06 Burlington, VT – Higher Ground +
May 07 New Haven, CT – Toad’s Place +
May 08 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

Hospitality released their self-titled debut album on January 31 to great reviews and much excitement.

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 and Los Angeles.

Watch the “Friends of Friends” now!

Hospitality have also announced new tour dates with Merge labelmates The Love Language and Wild Flag later this spring.

Hospitality is available on CD, LP and digital download in the Merge store. Follow the band on Twitter and Facebook.

Hospitality on tour:
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 02 Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall w/ Tennis
Mar 03 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom w/ Tennis [SOLD OUT]
Mar 07 New Haven, CT – BAR
Mar 09 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

Imperial Teen have released a new video for “Runaway” from their new album Feel the Sound. Featuring a wild cross-dressing party, the video captures the joyous high spirits of the song.

Watch Imperial Teen’s “Runaway” video now!

“Feel the Sound turns blipping guitars and synth riffs into roller-skate jams the whole band can harmonize over.” ~ Rolling Stone

Imperial Teen on tour:
Feb 24 San Francisco, CA – Café Du Nord – Noisepop Festival [SOLD OUT]
Feb 25 San Francisco, CA – Amoeba Records (FREE in-store performance @ 2PM)
Mar 14–18 Austin, TX – SXSW Music Festival
Mar 24 Los Angeles, CA – The Satellite

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

Watch the video for “Andrew in Drag” now!

Pre-order Love at the Bottom of the Sea on CD or LP now in the Merge store and receive a poster and button.

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 06 Hudson, NY – Helsinki Hudson
Mar 07 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
Mar 11 Minehead, UK – All Tomorrow’s Parties
Mar 14–16 Austin, TX – SXSW Music Festival
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 03 New York, NY – Beacon Theater
Apr 06 Boston, MA – Berklee Performance Center
Apr 07 Boston, MA – Berklee Performance Center
Apr 09 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

Crooked Fingers have released a new video for “Our New Favorite” from Breaks in the Armor.

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 the video for “Our New Favorite” now.

Crooked Fingers will be at Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles on February 29 and 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.

Eleanor Friedberger has released a new video for “Heaven” from her debut solo album, Last Summer.

Watch the video for “Heaven” now.

Eleanor Friedberger released her Merge Records debut Last Summer in July 2011 and will join the Portlandia tour as a “Special Guest Musician” this month. Join Eleanor’s mailing list to receive a special 5-song download of live tracks and a Bob Dylan cover!

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

For the 1-year anniversary of the release of Arcade Fire’s epic The Suburbs, winner of 2011’s GRAMMY Album of the Year, Merge released The Suburbs Deluxe Edition. Congratulations to Arcade Fire and art director Caroline Robert on their 2012 GRAMMY award for Best Recording Package.

The Suburbs Deluxe includes: * CD: The Suburbs album, including an extended version of “Wasted Hours” and two non-album tracks, “Speaking in Tongues” featuring David Byrne and “Culture War” * DVD: “Scenes From The Suburbs,” a 30-minute behind-the-scenes documentary, and the official video for The Suburbs’ title track. * An 80-page booklet featuring stills from the film, behind-the-scenes photographs from the film’s production, and lyrics. See an image here.

Arcade Fire’s 2011 GRAMMY-winning Album of the Year The Suburbs and the 2012 GRAMMY winner for Best Recording Package The Suburbs Deluxe Edition are both available now in the Merge store.

Richard Buckner played a set for The Line of Best Fit when he was last in Europe, and he’s just announced another trip for May. Don’t miss Richard on the road, either here or abroad, in 2012. Our Blood is available in stores and online now!

Richard Buckner on tour:
Feb 22 New Haven, CT – BAR
Feb 24 Lexington, KY – Cosmic Charlie’s
Feb 25 Atlanta, GA – Highland Inn Ballroom
Feb 27 Easton, MD – The NightCat
Mar 02 Bayport, NY – The Grey Horse Tavern
Mar 10 North Adams, MA – MASS MoCA
May 01 Winchester, UK – The Railway
May 02 York, UK – Dutchess of York
May 03 Bury, UK – The Met
May 04 Kilkenny, IE – Kilkenny Festival
May 05 Kilkenny, IE – Kilkenny Festival
May 06 Belfast, IE – Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival
May 07 London, UK – Cecil Sharp House
May 08 Newcastle, UK – The Cluny 2

Step out of the cold and into the nearest rock club to warm your soul this winter! The Love Language play several dates with Hospitality in March, and Mac McCaughan has solo shows in North Carolina and at San Francisco’s Noise Pop Festival this month. Also appearing at Noise Pop will be Wye Oak, Hospitality and Archers of Loaf! Versus play the chickfactor 20th anniversary party in New York, and the Mountain Goats play a tribute to the Rolling Stones as well as a special event with Anonymous 4. And don't forget Lambchop - 62 tour dates!

As always, keep an eye on the Merge tour page for shows in your area!