I’m sure by the end of the day every blogger and media outlet with echo this announcement, but it appears that Ryan Adams will be ready to release his ninth album, Easy Tiger on June 5th courtesy of Lost Highway Records.

The following tracks will be appearing on the record:

Goodnight Rose/Everybody Knows/The Sun Also Sets/Halloween Head/Off Broadway/Two Hearts/Tears Of Gold/These Girls/Two/I Taught Myself How To Grow Old/Oh My God, Whatever, Etc, Rip Off/Pearls On A String

It is not known if this will be the only album he releases in 2007.

Myspace: Ryan Adams

I took my time making my way to the office today. For good reason though, I was hooked on The Winterpills album The Light Divides, which was released yesterday on Signature Sounds. You’ll find a warm mixture of folk and vocal harmonies that immediately reflect the obvious similarities of Elliott Smith and Sam Beam of Iron & Wine.

There have been plenty of times I’ve lauded albums for their winter appeal/sound, and the Winterpills name is reflective of an aural medicine of sorts. As we continue to shovel our way out of our homes and into our cars here in Wisconsin it helps to have music that fits the landscape of your surroundings and The Light Divides does just that.

The Winterpills are on tour with MoB favorites The Long Winters and will be playing the High Noon Saloon in Madison on March 22nd.

Stream: Listen to The Light Divides in its entirety.
Myspace: The Winterpills
YouTube: The Winterpills - A Benediction
Listen: The Winter Pills on NPR (mp3)
Read: Paste Magazine

MP3: The Winterpills - Broken Arm
MP3: The Winterpills - Handkerchiefs
MP3: The Winterpills - Pills For Sara

+Download The Winter Pills MP3’s with eMusic’s free trial of 25 free downloads+

When talking about the inspiration for The New Magnetic Wonder in a recent interview with the Onion AV Club, Robert Schneider of The Apples In Stereo cites Brian Wilson’s Smile, “I realized that the whole genre of baroque pop has just barely started. I believe that Smile is the most perfect example ever made of psychedelic pop, and it came out two or three years ago, not 1967. The whole genre seemed new to me all of a sudden.”

Reading that prior to attending last night’s highly energetic, well attended, and enthusiastically embraced performance at the High Noon Saloon convinced me that what he told the Onion AV Club was the truth.

The New Magnetic Wonder is an album by a band succeeding in stepping out of their shadow, whether it is intentional or not doesn’t really matter, because it works. In terms of live performances, last night was nothing out of the ordinary for regular fans of The Apples In Stereo. What their latest album has allowed for is the welcoming of new fans that were previously somewhat cooled by their previous efforts, myself included, and given us melodies and quick pop songs that we’re still humming long after the band left town.

It’s always refreshing when a band can merge their existing fan base with “outsiders” with the release of a single record. Sticking with their most recent material for the majority of the evening, and overcoming some initial technical difficulties, The Apples In Stereo provided over an hour’s worth of enjoyable and high energy pop music that channeled the Beatles and even Brian Wilson himself (take a listen to “The Sun Is Out”).

As someone who has never been a huge fan of the band going into the evening, I can say that I came away supremely impressed and am sure it will affect the amount of plays I give their latest album as well. There has been a lot of other folks who weighed in on the show, which have been conveniently gathered up for you at Dane101.com, and I think the Daily Page review summarizes the evening as perfectly as my memory ever could.

Myspace: The Apples In Stereo
Related: Pitchfork Review of The New Magnetic Wonder [6.9]
Youtube: The Apples In Stereo - Energy

Each Tuesday stop by Muzzle of Bees for our recommended purchases for the week. We’ll always give you albums that we would spend our own money on as well as a few others we think might be worth your hard earned flow. From time to time we’ll also throw in a release we ourselves are meaning to check out.

With that being said, check out the first installment of Tuesday’s Gold: What We Recommend.

Dean & Britta - Back Numbers [website | myspace | buy | download]

Dr. Dog - We All Belong [website | myspace | buy | download | mp3]

Do Make Say Think - You, You’re A History In Rust [website | myspace | buy | download]

Last night I went to the High Noon Saloon late hoping my arrival would coincide with the exact moment that The Apples In Stereo ascended on the stage. You see, the older I get the less patience I have and the more I pay too much attention to a band’s name, which is exactly the reason for my delayed departure to the venue. Without hearing one note of their music I had already written Casper & The Cookies off as a band that I wouldn’t like.

Upon walking into the High Noon Saloon in the middle of Casper & The Cookies set I was instantly aware of the mistake I had made and wondered how many songs my rush to judgment had cost me. Luckily, the band triumphantly poured through a handful of selections before exiting the stage to a widely impressed crowd. Fronted by the husband and wife duo of Jason NeSmith and Kay Stanton, Casper & The Cookies combine playful and power pop melodies that provided a perfect start to an equally amazing set by The Apples In Stereo.

You may recognize Jason NeSmith as a former member of the glam outfit Of Montreal, and his latest adventure has been praised by other blogs who were smart enough to pay attention since the beginning. I picked up a copy of their latest The Optimist’s Club, and on my second listen including the drive home from the concert; I can say that this is an album worth you checking out. It would be an absolute shame if you didn’t check out their Daytrotter Session, which offers up three free downloads of their material in the typical Daytrotter setting.

What did we learn today kids? We learned not to judge a band by their name and that opening bands like Casper & The Cookies, can definitely set the bar high for those that follow.

Myspace: Casper & The Cookies
MP3: Casper & The Cookies - Syd From Central Park

On Friday night, thirty well-bundled fans trudged through the first night of a two day blizzard to the Annex to see The Spinto Band.

I attended for free thanks to the kind folks at madison.com. They are giving away tickets to a ton of shows. (Click here for more information)

The Changes opened. I only caught the tail of their set, but was impressed. They have a slightly heavier sound than The Spinto Band, more drums, harder beats, but the music still moves.

The second opener, dios (malos), were delayed by the snow, so The Spinto Band took the stage relatively early. The boys are from Delaware (which I have to mention because they’re the only band from Delaware that I know of, and every other reviewer seems to mention it too.) They weren’t concerned by the small crowd.

They jump all over the stage, they swing their guitars, they belt their pop melodies with energy. It’s hard for me to remember the last time I saw a band that seemed to have so much fun on stage. The energy was contagious. One drummer, one on keys, and four guys on various combinations of the guitar or bass. Plus the kazoos, you can’t forget about the kazoos.

Their most popular track, “Oh Mandy,” was also one of their most disappointing to see live. It completely followed the album version. They’ve been touring in front of Nice and Nicely Done for a few years now. They seem ready to go back to the studio and lay down some new tracks. And their fans? We’re ready to hear what else they can do too.

You can hear them live yourself. Emusic has a live concert.

(travis)

Myspace: The Spinto Band
Myspace: The Changes
YouTube: The Spinto Band - Oh Mandy

If you stop by this site on the regular, you’d know we’re big fans of Lucero.  Today, we wanted to give you a look back at lead singer Ben Nichols’ previous band, Red 40.

Towncraft unveiled this quicktime video from February, 1995 of a bass playing and brit accented Ben Nichols fronting his previous band.  Nichols has come quite a way since then, and while the video is great for nostalgia the factor, we definitely dig his cigarette and whiskey soaked voice that we’ve come to enjoy with his contributions to Lucero.

You can purchase the Red 40 Discography at the Lucero store for $8.

Lucero is currently touring across Spain and will be performing at SXSW.  After that, they team up with Catfish Haven and American Princess for a jaunt across the US. 

Myspace: Lucero
Myspace: Catfish Haven
Myspace: American Princess

There are a bunch of concerts we recommend you take in this week. Check them out below and let us know which ones you’ll be attending.

2/26 - The Apples In Stereo - High Noon Saloon, Madison
2/27 - Richard Buckner/Six Parts Seven - High Noon Saloon, Madison
2/28 - Denison Witmer - High Noon Saloon, Madison
2/28 - The Autumn Defense - Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee
3/1 - The Autumn Defense - Cafe Montmartre, Madison

Myspace: The Apples In Stereo
Myspace: Richard Buckner
Myspace: Six Parts Seven
Myspace: Denison Witmer
Myspace: The Autumn Defense

Let’s start the day and week off with a sweet song by Minneapolis songwriter, Haley Bonar. We’ve been fans of Haley since we first saw her open for Mason Jennings and later Andrew Bird.

Haley writes gorgeous folk songs that are tenderly arranged and fit perfectly against the snow covered landscape that is blanketing the upper Midwest today. Last year she released Lure The Fox on Afternoon Records to high praise, but never got the online stamp of approval I think she deserves.

If you live in the Twin Cities area check out her myspace page for her current tour schedule, and we’ll keep you informed of any future tour plans across the US.

Buy: Afternoon Records
MP3: Haley Bonar - Captain Captain
Myspace: Haley Bonar
Review: Andrew Bird and Haley Bonar in Madison (2/18/2006)

The first pass with Nurse & Soldier’s Marginalia, I was less than impressed. I had some time to revisit the album over the weekend and am glad I did. Marginalia is another stellar release from Jagjaguwar already this year, and if you find yourself hearing similarities with this album and Oneida, it’s for good reason because Bobby Matador holds down the reins for both. In addition to fellow full-time collaborator Erica Fletcher, Matador also recruits fellow Oneida member and Milwaukee resident (?) Kid Millions to lend a hand.

I can’t find any upcoming tour appearances, but am hoping the band makes its way through the Midwest as I imagine their music would translate well in a live setting.

MP3: Nurse & Soldier - Green Tea
Myspace: Nurse & Soldier
Related: Pitchfork review of Marginalia [7.0]

Unrelated: Arcade Fire played SNL last night, check out the videos for Intervention and Keep The Cars Running.