Now Streaming: New CDs from The Deftones, School of Seven Bells, Bush Tetras, & More

There are some tasty new albums streaming this week—as well as one that's nearly 15 years old but is seeing the light of day for the first time. The new ones includes the latest efforts by The Deftones, School of Seven Bells, El Perro Del Mar, and Ari Hest. And an old favorite of ours (see below).


You'll probably hear this Bush Tetras song, and a lot of their just-released "Happy," at their NYC gig on Nov. 29th.

The unreleased album is "Happy," the late-'90s collection from the influential New York post-punk band Bush Tetras. The album was apparently stuck in record-label hell as various companies were sold or merged. "Happy" is finally coming out of limbo as ROIR acquired the rights to is, and released it Nov. 13th. (Read an interview with Bush Tetras talking about the album, and a biography of the band.)

Bush Tetras will play at NYC's Le Poisson Rouge on Nov. 29th (with Suicide, which will perform its first album in its entirety).

Although we don't write about Celtic music a lot here, we've long been fans of it, and so it's good news to see a fresh album from Irish folk singer-songwriter Susan McKeown. She's been a favorite since we heard her first album, "Bones," all the way back in 1995. She's got a great, expressive voice that's magnificent for singing Irish tunes as well as American folk tunes, but she can also rock. And she's also collaborated with musicians from other genres, including the Klezmatics.

The Dublin native, who's now lived in New York for more than 20 years, is out with her latest solo album, "Belong," this week. We're definitely looking forward to spending a lot of time with that one.

NPR First Listen:
"Instrumental Tourist" by Tim Hecker & Daniel Lopatin
"The Odds" by The Evens

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Koi No Yokan" by The Deftones
"Put Your Sad Down" EP by School of Seven Bells
"Pale Fire" by El Perro Del Mar
"Happy" by Bush Tetras
"Soft Eyes" by Bear Colony
"Transit of Venus" by Black Forest Fire
"Jan" by Jan

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"The Fire Plays" by Ari Hest
"Belong" by Susan McKeown
"Scrimshaw" by Nels Andrews

Free Streaming Albums: New Music from Magnetic Fields, Memoryhouse, & More

Probably the most anticipated of the new albums streaming online this week is the latest release from The Magnetic Fields, "Love At The Bottom Of The Sea," the group's first album since 2010's "Realism." Leader Stephin Merritt has a history of making abrupt changes in the band's sound from album to album, and NPR Music says this new work is a return to its earlier synthesizer-based approach.



Video for "Andrew in Drag," from the new Magnetic Fields album.

But don't expect to settle in with any of the songs for very long: NPR's review says, "These 15 songs feel slight by design—the longest track is a brisk 2:39, and the whole enterprise clocks out at about 34 minutes—but there's a world of wit in their brevity."

Also streaming online this week is "New Multitudes," another album of Woody Guthrie lyrics set to music by modern artists, this time Jay Farrar, Jim James (of My Morning Jacket, under his oddball alter ego "Yim Yames"), Will Johnson, and Anders Parker.

Other notable streaming albums including the latest from two newly popular Canadian outfits, Memoryhouse (its first full-length) and Plants and Animals, and new releases from Andrew Bird, Anais Mitchell, and Amy Ray (half of the Indigo Girls).

You'll also get a second chance at hearing "Ghostory" by School of Seven Bells, which KCRW and NPR had featured earlier.

As always, the albums listed below are just a sampling of those streaming this week; check the websites for full lineups. Albums are generally available for streaming for a week or eight days, beginning each Monday, though sometimes they may be available a day or so longer.

Let us know in the comments section which ones below you like, or what other new or upcoming releases you're enjoying.

NPR First Listen:
"Love At The Bottom Of The Sea" by The Magnetic Fields
"Milk Famous" by White Rabbits
" Break It Yourself" by Andrew Bird
"Ekstasis" by Julia Holter

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Lung of Love" by Amy Ray
"The Slideshow Effect" by Memoryhouse
"Myth" by Geographer
"Ghostory" by School of Seven Bells
"Every Child a Daughter, Every Moon a Sun" by The Wooden Sky
"New Multitudes" by Jay Farrar, Yim Yames, Will Johnson, Anders Parker
"The End of That" by Plants and Animals
"King of the Waves" by Little Barrie
"Those of Us Still Alive" by Tiny Victories

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"The Perfect Crime" by Magnolia Memoir
"Young Man in America" by Anais Mitchell

Free Album Streaming: New CDs from Sleigh Bells, School of Seven Bells, & More

New releases from the London-based indie-pop band Fanfarlo and the dreamy New York duo School of Seven Bells highlight the albums available for online streaming this week. [UPDATE, Wed., Feb. 22nd: AOL Music has added the new Sleigh Bells album, "Reign of Terror," to its streaming lineup for this week (stream it here), so that's the highlight of this week's new streaming choices. I've added that below and put it in the title.] I liked Fanfarlo's previous record, and while I can't say I'm always in the mood for the ethereal soundscapes of SVIIB, their songs are great when I want something totally different from the traditional guitar-based rock combo.

Fanfarlo's "Rooms Filled with Light" is one of the albums you can preview online this week.

Formed as a trio featuring guitarist Benjamin Curtis (of Secret Machines) and twin sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza doing vocals, SVIIB carries on as a duo following the departure of Claudia late last year more than a year ago.

Also on preview this week: the new album by singer-songwriter Sara Radle, formerly in The Rentals (with ex-Weezer bassist Matt Sharp); the California band Princeton; the Grammy-winning Benin artist Angelique Kidjo; and many other bands that, well, I'm not at all familiar with. (However, I enjoyed listening to "Giant Orange," the rocking album by Cheap Girls, today, so often the fun of these previews is discovering a collection you like by an artist you've never heard of before.)

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Reign of Terror" by Sleigh Bells
"Spirit Rising" by Angelique Kidjo
"Same Sun Shines" by Sara Radle
"Awkward Breeds" by The Sidekicks

NPR First Listen:
"Rooms Filled With Light" by Fanfarlo
"Toward the Low Sun" by Dirty Three
"Court the Storm" by Y La Bamba
"Black Radio" by Robert Glasper Experiment

Hype Machine:
"Ghostory" by School of Seven Bells



Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Giant Orange" by Cheap Girls
"Metal Moon" by Dirty Ghosts
"Lungs, Dirt & Dreams" by Damon Moon and the Whispering Drifters
"North for the Winter" by Guy Capecelatro III
"Wake All My Youth" by Young Empires
"Remembrance of Things to Come" by Princeton

Concert Notes: Tinderbox Fest Sat.; Dave Matthews & HMag Festivals Rescheduled, & More

Holly Miranda and a host of established and up-and-coming female bands will play Saturday's Tinderbox Music Festival in Brooklyn.

This edition of Concert Notes is all about festivals, including a Brooklyn fest of female rockers and new dates for two events postponed by Hurricane Irene.

* the Tinderbox Music Festival takes place tomorrow, Sept. 10th, at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. (I wrote about the inaugural Tinderbox fest last year.) The headliners on the main stage are Eternia and the Band (10 p.m.) and Holly Miranda (9 p.m.), but there are plenty of other musicians going all day long starting at 1 p.m., including XYLOS, Alyson Greenfield, Charlene Kaye and The Brilliant Eyes, The Debutante Hour, Still Saffire (representing Brooklyn's own Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls), EULA, and more. (Get Tinderbox Music Fest tickets.)

* the HMag Music Festival in Hoboken has been rescheduled for Oct. 16, at its original venue at Pier A Park in the Mile Square City. The headlining bands, The Walkmen and School of Seven Bells, are still on the schedule, along with Inner Party System, The Kickdrums, 7Mornings, Kangaroo Jones, Christina Alessi, Helloradio, and the Blaire Reinhard Band. The HMag Music Festival starts at 12 Noon and runs until 10 p.m.

* the Dave Matthews Band Caravan will now take place next weekend, Sept. 16th, 17th, and 18th, but will take place on Randall's Island instead of the original site of Governors Island. DMB will play a full set each night, and other musicians including Dispatch, Warren Haynes (solo), Brandi Carlile, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, and Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band.

* and finally, a note of very local interest: the 2011 Hoboken Italian Festival is underway, and besides the usual zeppole and cannoli there's old-time music. The festival runs from Sept. 8th to the 11th and, while you've already missed the NJ American Idol and the "Freestyle Friday" events, still to come is stage MC Johnny Maggio, music from Molfetta, Italy, opera singing, the Bronx Wanderers, and more. (See the Hoboken Italian Festival schedule.)

Free Music Tonight For Fashion's Night Out: Best Coast, Joss Stone, The Roots, & More

Get More: MTV Supervideo, Music, Best Coast

Above: Best Coast's video for "Our Deal," directed by Drew Barrymore.

Tonight is annual event known as Fashion's Night Out, and in New York that means plenty of free music gigs around town amid the fashion shows and late-night shopping. See the listings from Brooklyn Vegan and Oh My Rockness to see what bands are playing where and when. You can try using the search at the Fashion's Night Out website, but there doesn't seem to be a way to view just the music events, so you pretty much need to search the site by location (searching by band name doesn't work).

Here are some of the events, according to the above sources:

• Best Coast at Helmut Lang, 6 p.m. (event listed as running till 11 p.m., but it's not clear what time Best Coast is playing)
• Ronnie Spector, Lypskinka, and many others at Bergdorf Goodman, 6:45 p.m.
• The Roots at John Varvatos, 9 p.m.
• Real Estate at Ash Footwear Soho, 6 to 10 p.m. (playing acoustic at 8; DJ'ing the rest of the time)
• Kelly Rowland (Destiny's Child) at Macy's Herald Square, 4th Floor, 7 p.m.
• Joss Stone at Macy's Herald Square, 7 p.m.
• Justin Townes Earle (doing songs from the "Rave On!" Buddy Holly tribute album) at Partners and Spade, 6 p.m.
• School of Seven Bells (acoustic) at Treasure & Bond, 8 p.m.

Totally unrelated to Fashion's Night Out, Patti Smith is playing a free concert at Webster Hall. No ticket required, but you'll need to RSVP to get in.

Free Music: KCRW Live Streaming Sets from School of Seven Bells, Pete Yorn, Best Coast, & More

KCRW's great in-studio performance program Morning Becomes Eclectic has a new podcast up of a live set with School of Seven Bells, the project that features Benjamin Curtis of Secret Machines with the twin sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza.

I first heard of them in their previous visit to Morning Becomes Eclectic, but while the music in that performance was more electronic and dance-oriented, this latest appearance has a more stripped-down, acoustic sound. The band plays tunes from its latest album, "Disconnect from Desire," which came out this summer. You can download the School of Seven Bells live set here, or through iTunes.

School of Seven Bells will be playing live in New York at the Zero Film Festival in Brooklyn on Sat., Nov. 20th and at Terminal 5 on Thurs., Dec. 2nd (supporting The Walkmen).

Other recent MBE performances that you can stream (but not download) include: Pete Yorn (from Nov. 19th), Best Coast, Clinic, and KT Tunstall.