Jacked.

On his blog today, John Mayer revealed some disappointing news: his upcoming spring tour has been cancelled.

Kaput. Dunzo.

I hate when it has to come to this for musicians. It’s a burden on the vocalist, it’s a disappointment to the fans, it’s total chaos for the touring business. But it’s an inevitable happening. A lot of artists develop laryngitis (Adele most recently and famously); in John Mayer’s case, a granuloma formed in his throat. Surgery to remove the growth is anticipated, and expect John to take an even longer break from performing this time around.

“Please know how hard I tried to resolve this and how disappointed I am that I can’t perform this record yet,” John commented on his blog. The record he’s referring to is his newest, Born And Raised, which will still be released May 22nd on Columbia Records.

Even though you won’t be seeing John perform his new songs anytime soon, below you can listen to the first single off the album, “Shadow Days”. And at least listeners can look forward to even more new songs coming from John during the time off: “Because I don’t make a very good anything-other-than-a-musician, I’m going to begin writing the next album very soon.”

God bless the music.

Photo above via: Billboard

JUST DROPPED: Santigold, “Disparate Youth” Music Video

Well…it dropped one week ago. Somehow I missed the announcement.

BUT that doesn’t change the noteworthy elements of the video - adventure, a tree of life, wild animals, kids with body paint, floral print pants. Okay, I actually don’t know what this video is about, but I love the song and search for any reason to bring it up in conversation. The rhythms, the shredding guitar riffs and Santigold’s low, droning vocals all combine into something of an anomaly.

The song is off Santigold’s upcoming album, Master of My Make Believe, out May 1st. TV on the Radio guitarist Dave Sitek worked with her on the new album, so let’s expect and hope for even more intricate pieces and interesting blends of musical styles.

Check out the video for “Disparate Youth” below. And don’t miss Santigold performing at Coachella next month (!!!). Listen and love.

Silversun Pickups announced today that their new album, Neck of the Woods, will be released in just a couple short months - May 8th. The effort will be the band’s third studio album and was produced by Jacknife Lee, who has worked with R.E.M., U2 and Weezer.

In an interview with SPIN, frontman Brian Aubert revealed that creating the record was mostly a reflection on himself - “I wanted to see what built me. It was learning why I am the way I am.” Fans can also look forward to the classic Silversun Pickups sound (“distorted guitar” and “pretty, dreamy parts”).

Be on the anxious lookout for the first single, “Bloody Mary”, coming very soon.

Photo above via: Silversun Pickups

Sometimes you can’t explain why you’re drawn to certain kinds of music. I recently stumbled upon Manchester-based Moses Gold and, for reasons unexplained, was immediately captured by the song “Luvsick”. It’s a blend of elements, a transition from dark mystique into an ominous roar of starry synths and beats. Drowned In Sound probably best describes it as “defiantly Mancunian with that Ian Curtis-burr and rave-hands inducing euphoric climax…”

Overall the sound is interesting, it’s weird, it’s different. Check it out for yourself below, and be on the lookout for more to come from Moses Gold. Listen and love.

Photo above via: Moses Gold

So Fiona Apple fans, you’ve been itching for her return, but are you ready for this? One of my favorite soul sisters just released the title of her new album today, and it’s 23 words long. Or better yet, 118 characters (so we can still tweet the entire thing - yes!). The full title is:

The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw, And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do

Always one for poetic nature, Fiona likes to strike this chord when delivering album titles. Her second album, When The Pawn…, was actually short for an eight-line poem. The full poem reads:

When the pawn hits the conflicts he thinks like a king
What he knows throws the blows when he goes to the fight
And he’ll win the whole thing ‘fore he enters the ring
There’s no body to batter when your mind is your might
So when you go solo, you hold your own hand
And remember that depth is the greatest of heights
And if you know where you stand, then you know where to land
And if you fall it won’t matter, cause you’ll know that you’re right

Rumor has it the new album will be dropping in late June on Epic Records. Meanwhile, as Fiona plays a handful of tour dates this month and in June (most are sold out), I’ll be thinking of abbreviations for the new album. Let’s settle on The Idler Wheel…

Photo above via: Pitchfork

JUST DROPPED: Beach House, “Myth”

Who knew the simplest tweet could bring on so many good vibrations. “Hello again”, Beach House posted and tweeted around 10pm PST tonight, with a link to their website where listeners could stream the very first song off their forthcoming new album. “Myth” is haunting and beautiful, with an intricate melody and Victoria Legrand’s howling vocals. Listen below. Beach House’s new album Bloom is rumored to be out sometime in May on Sub Pop, but it’s still TBD (the band has yet to confirm anything).

In the meantime, listen and love.

Photo above via: Beach House

JUST DROPPED: Bear In Heaven, “Sinful Nature”

The newest release off Bear In Heaven’s upcoming record is classic experimentation, total psychedelia, and pretty much everything you could hope for and expect out of the Brooklyn-based band. Rock and sway to “Sinful Nature” below. The new album I Love You, It’s Cool drops April 3rd on Dead Oceans/Hometapes. Digging what you hear? Catch the band on tour in a city near you - click here for dates.

Photo above via: The Billions Corporation

Whatever you did this past Saturday and Sunday, I’m positive Jack White had a way better weekend than you. The newly solo artist nailed his performance on Saturday Night Live, an episode that brought in the 2nd largest ratings the show has seen this season (just behind the season opener with Charles Barkley as host). And although most viewers probably tuned in to catch host Lindsay Lohan fall flat on her face or have a meltdown (she kept it together despite negative reviews), Jack White turned out to be the night’s truest badass of them all.

After a mess of ho-hum SNL performances in recent weeks (Sleigh Bells was okay, Karmin and Lana Del Rey were just downright forgettable), I can’t even begin to explain the wave of relief that washed over me when I learned Jack White was slated to perform. I hoped he would rock it and could give the show a jolt of musical excitement it seriously needed. Fortunately, he succeeded. The whole show was different, it was interesting. And the best part? It wasn’t predictable. Jack had two different backing bands (one for each song) - all girls for the soulful “Love Interruption”, and all guys for the punchy “Sixteen Saltines”. The performance was so good, so damn solid that I wanted to jump up and cheer and dance and thank God for, in my opinion, one of the most rocking performances SNL has seen in a while. I loved everything about it - the tight band, the violins and the upright bass, the slide guitar, the distorted solos. It dripped with grunge, passion and such a ferocity. Check it all out below.

Jack’s progress throughout the different folds of rock music is a continuing inspiration - his involvement with The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather has been nothing short of intriguing to listeners, and his endeavors as an independent record label founder are noteworthy to all in the music industry. And now, this weekend’s performance marks a promising new direction and solo debut for Jack. I’m anxiously awaiting his new album Blunderbuss, which drops April 24th on Third Man Records/Columbia Records.

Photo above via: You Ain’t No Picasso

Let’s pretend Lulu never happened and celebrate Lou Reed for being one of the most influential and fascinating musicians of his time. A storyteller of emotions, he wrote songs about S&M and drug use and dared to be a spokesman for the counterculture. I admire him for his unconventionality, his ability to remain a wildly inspiring fixture in rock n’ roll without necessarily achieving massive commercial appeal or acceptance. That’s the essence of a true rock star.

Happy 70th Birthday, Lou Reed!

Photo above via: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images/Rolling Stone

All I could think about last night while Reptar was performing at The Echo was “Man, this band seriously means something.”

Maybe it’s because this group of southern guys and childhood friends (the band hails from Athens, Georgia) are so genuinely grateful, so down to earth, so freaking normal - it’s almost sickening. “Thank you so much guys, seriously,” frontman Graham Ulicny echoed from the microphone several times throughout the end of their set and encore. Or maybe it’s because on stage, that simplistic demeanor bursts into a musical explosion of dance, groove, punk and rock n’ roll. Their sound is all of these things, an eclectic mix, a certain kind of un-calculated cool that’s complemented by textured rhythms and vocals that exude flavor and punch. It’s a sound that pays homage to a wide variety of influences like The Talking Heads, Vampire Weekend, Animal Collective and MGMT. Let’s also not forget the clever humor behind their band name, a tribute to a classic hero & villain from a beloved kids television show on Nickelodeon.

I admire Reptar for all of these reasons, for the same reasons that the rest of their fans do, too (they have such a cult following that diehard fanatics even call themselves “Reptards”). I hope this is only the beginning of their success, and in the midst of a full-fledged US tour with dates extending through April (in addition to some dates in support of Grouplove May-June), I think it’s safe to assume that Reptar will be continuing on the rise.

Helping to craft Reptar’s unmatched sound is producer/mixer/songwriter Ben Allen (Gnarls Barkley, Animal Collective, Washed Out), who produced the band’s EP, Oblangle Fizz Y’all, as well as their full-length debut, Body Faucet, which drops May 1st on Vagrant Records. If you have yet to have a taste for Reptar, below you can listen to their latest single from Body Faucet, “Sebastian”, as well as other tracks from their EP. Just because.

Take a sip, listen and love.

Photo above via: Reptar/Vagrant Records