Two hours of new music (without Super Bowl commercial interruption) commences at 8pm tonight on XPN. We’re excited to dip into “Mike’s Mailbag” and pull out some listener submissions.  Plus we’ll hear what Father John Misty has been up to, musically speaking.  One of the best rock albums of the year so far just came out.  It’s from the duo Japandroids and you’ll want to crank your stereo up for that one.  Also new tunes from our Free at Noon guest Flo Morrissey & Matthew E. White, the Bay Area’s Sjowgren, and much more …

FUTURE ISLANDS “Ran”

Get excited because your hopes of dancing along with Sam Herring of the Baltimore synth-pop band Future Islands just became a reality with news of a new album. Since their performance on Letterman propelled Future Islands into a must-see live act, expectations for their next album started to rise.  With the release of the song “Ran” (below), we can all exhale.  The album The Far Field is set for a April 7th release and May 29th you can see Sam’s moves in person when the band plays The Fillmore in Philadelphia.

 

THE SADIES feat. KURT VILE “It’s Easy (Like Walking)”

Right before the holidays I had an opportunity to sit down with Kurt Vile and he told me about a new project he had just contributed to. It was with the Toronto based band The Sadies.  The Sadies are a much-loved band whose success in Canada for whatever reason has never really been matched in the States.  Regardless, their influence is wide-ranging and certainly has earned the adoration of musicians like Kurt. Northern Passages is the name of their new album and Kurt sings lead on this song called “It’s Easy (Like Walking)”.

 

FIRST IMPRESSION: THE MOLOCHS

If you’ve got an itch for some 60’s style garage rock, we’re going to scratch it for you. Allow me to introduce The Molochs, our “First Impression” artist this evening.  Having formed roughly four years ago, the band is fronted by Los Angeles songwriter Lucas Fitzsimons.  Their new album America’s Velvet Glory is out now on Innovative Leisure, a label known for great retro-fitted records (Nick Waterhouse, Allah-Las).  Listening to their jangly & punchy style brings to mind early Stones, The Troggs, even Modern Lovers.  We’ll offer up a couple samples on the show tonight.

 

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