LE NOVITA’ 4AD

St Vincent
New album, Strange Mercy, announced

St. Vincent, the nom-de-stage of Annie Clark, has confirmed the release of new album Strange Mercy, on 14th September. Having worked together on 2009’s Actor, Clark reunited with producer John Congleton, recording the album in her hometown of Dallas, TX at Elmwood Studios. The 11 new tracks showcase Clark’s inimitable gift for melody, packing elegant arrangements with hefty emotional punches.

Clark’s virtuosity has long been recognised, and Strange Mercy finds her redefining the idea of the guitar hero, utilizing the instrument as a pointillist artist might wield a brush. On ‘Cruel’ she elicits punchy bursts like an R&B horn section. ‘Cheerleader’ froths and boils, with deep and fuzzy guitars bubbling up to the surface, while ‘Surgeon’ twirls about endlessly, Clark’s vocals dancing amid a blizzard of notes.

Since the release of her 2009 album Actor, which debuted on the Billboard Top 200, Clark has collaborated with some of the biggest names in indie music. She recorded with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon for the Twilight soundtrack, had her song ‘The Strangers’ sampled by Kid Cudi (who she later performed with), and has been working with David Byrne on a forthcoming project. More recently, just last month she blew away a sold-out New York crowd at Michael Azerrad’s “Our Concert Could Be Your Life”, with a performance of Big Black’s ‘Kerosene’, which the NME described as “a revelation of biblical proportions”. Watch her performance here.

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Zomby
New album, Dedication, released on July 11th / 12th (US)

Having recently signed a worldwide deal with 4AD, July 11th / 12th (US) marks the release of Dedication, the debut album for the label from Zomby.

One of the most talented producers of a generation, he has also proved to be one of the most elusive. In the last five years, Zomby has consistently surprised with releases that switched from the melancholic to the menacing, showing him able to turn his hand to almost anything. As such, anticipation for new Zomby material is high, but outside of a few out-takes on the internet, there hasn’t been much to feed off in recent times. That was until the end of last year when the hauntingly beautiful track, ‘Natalia’s Song’, appeared unannounced in a Burial and Kode9 mix for Radio 1. Catching people off-guard, it marked the end of his hiatus with some style and the beginning of the next chapter in his career.

Taken from the new album is ‘Things Fall Apart’, which you can now listen to here. The MP3 is available to download from Pitchfork
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Gang Gang Dance
Eye Contact Out Now

“Deliriously enjoyable” – Uncut ****
“A bright and endless summer of sound” – The Wire
“Eye Contact is, in every way, beautifully synthesized” – MOJO ****
“Gang Gang Dance’s finest, weirdest, and most uplifting statement yet.” – Pitchfork, Best New Music

Gang Gang Dance first album for 4AD, Eye Contact, is out now. Recorded throughout 2010 with long-term collaborator Chris Coady (producer of Saint Dymphna and Rawwar EP, as well as recent releases by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Zola Jesus, Beach House and TV On The Radio), Eye Contact sees the new line-up subtly build upon the melodic aspects of their last album, Saint Dymphna.

To mark the release of Eye Contact, Gang Gang Dance have also recorded a 4AD Session. Filmed in early April at Angelic Studios in the heart of rural England, the band convened in a purposefully built 20ft square mirrored room, encased by endless reflections of themselves, marking the session as a true landmark in the series.

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The four-song session provides a glimpse into what fans can expect on the band’s forthcoming tour, taking in North America, Europe and Japan.

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Joker
Limited edition 12″ pressing of ‘The Vision (Let Me Breathe)’

‘The Vision (Let Me Breathe)’ by Bristol-based producer Joker is available to buy now. The first release from Joker for 4AD, the track can be heard on Youtube here.

The 12″ has been given a very limited pressing as a white label and is fast selling out. The A-side features a vocal version of the track from rising star Jessie Ware (who has previously collaborated with both SBTRKT and Sampha), while the B-side is the instrumental of the track.

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Bon Iver
New album, Bon Iver, Bon Iver, released on June 20th

Bon Iver has confirmed the release of new album, Bon Iver, Bon Iver, on June 20th. Featuring ten new songs penned by Justin Vernon, the album expands the group’s sonic palette beyond the rustic acoustics of the debut. Bon Iver, Bon Iver is a lush landscape of silky electric guitars, intricate keys, and subtle horn and string sections, which retains the ghost choirs and densely layered vocals intact that Bon Iver is widely celebrated for.

The first single to be lifted from the aforementioned album will be ‘Calgary’, which can be downloaded for free from here. The physical format ‘Calgary’ will be released on July 4th on 12″. Exclusive to this release will be a cover of Bonnie Raitt’s ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’.
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Since the release of the excellent second album, w h o k i l l, tUnE-yArDs have spent the last month touring North America, bewitching every town in their wake. With the tour now coming to an end (with sold-out shows in Washington, Philadelphia and New York to come), the band have only a few days to recuperate before they head to Europe for their first tour of the continent this year.

Having kicked things off at the Primavera Festival in Barcelona last weekend, they head off to France, Belgium, Germany, Holland, the UK and Ireland. After these shows, the band arrive back on the West Coast for two more shows and a well earned break. Please see here for all tour dates.

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Stornoway
4AD Session digital EP

Last September, Stornoway recorded an incredible 4AD Session in their hometown of Oxford. Sited in the Rotunda of Graham Greene’s former home – a room used by his ex-wife to display her collection of doll’s houses – it provided a sublime setting to capture an intimate performance from one of the best new acts to come out of the UK in recent years.

This week, the session has been made available to buy as a digital EP from all good retailers and as a teaser, you can download ‘Fuel Up’ for free (for a limited period) from the link here.

Further to this, as a special present to their fans, the band are releasing it on CD having produced a limited number of handmade EPs themselves, with the artwork on each one having been painstakingly done by the band’s drummer, Rob Steadman. The EPs will only be available to buy at their Somerset House headline show in London (July 9th). Tickets are selling fast and are available from here. A further limited quantity are being sold now through both the band’s own store and at Rough Trade in London.
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Efterklang
An Island DVD

Since premiering on January 31st, An Island, Efterklang’s collaborative film with Vincent Moon has taken on a life of its own, exceeding even the creator’s own modest expectations. Distributed during the first two months using the unique method of Private-Public Screenings devised by the band and director, members of the public were invited to host their own public free-entry screenings of the film in their homes, offices, schools et al (details below). Overall, more than 1,200 screenings of An Island took place during February and March.

Following this success, Efterklang and Vincent Moon have now made An Island available for download and revealed details about the deluxe DVD release of the film. Via the film’s website, you can now either choose your own price for the Digital Download or you can pre-order the deluxe DVD package.

The deluxe package is limited to 5,000 custom-made, eco-friendly, numbered, letterpress printed deluxe covers, with a DVD disc full of bonus material. When ordering this package you will receive instant access to the Digital Download of An Island.

As part of the deluxe DVD package a new Efterklang EP ‘Live at Roskilde Festival 2010’ will also be included (digitally). The EP will only be made available this way.

The Digital Download and DVD Package will only be available via the band’s website.