Atlas Sound is the solo project from Bradford Cox of indie buzz band Deerhunter. Cox’s first solo record, Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel was released in ‘08.

After reading a Beck interview while in the sixth grade, Cox learned he could use the family’s karaoke machine as a multi-track device.

Atlas Sound is Cox continuing to explore the process, his way of using “ideas I can’t make work with a five piece band.”  On this new record he’s created an intimate space you’ll keep going back to.

Parallax the third release from Atlas Sound is out November 8th on 4AD. Grab a free download of Flagstaff here.

Did you catch Fitz and the Tantrums when they played that show at Willow Island last weekend?

They’re still on the road in support of their album “Pickin’ Up the Pieces,” and their momentum continues to build. They say their recipe for success is “six killer musicians, five dapper suits, irresistible songs, some serendipity and one vintage organ.”

Fitz and the Tantrums will be back in the Midwest in late November, playing three shows at the Metro (two are already sold out).

In the meantime, here’s a free download of a live version of the song “Don’t Gotta Work it Out.” Enjoy!

Frightened Rabbit are a Scottish band lead by Scott Hutchison. They released their debut Sing The Greys in 2006 and have created some pretty amazing music ever since. The band’s 2008 release The Midnight Organ Fight even scored “Album of the Year” votes from some music critics.

Nobody does a love song better than Frightened Rabbit. They’ve grown since ‘06 adding more complex layered arrangements into the mix.

Hutchison’s strong Scottish vocals and huge choruses have become his signature. The band seem poised for a breakthrough. The Ep includes the song “The Work” featuring vocals from veteran Scottish folksinger Archie Fisher.

Grab the new Frightened Rabbit Ep here in exchange for your email address. It’s also streaming here if you want to check it out first.

After almost a decade The Cranberries are releasing Roses, a new studio album in February. The band worked on much of the new record in Limerick and Toronto with producer Stephen Street.

Lead singer Dolores O’Riordan tells Billboard, “It’s kind of picking up where we left off… The whole thing was very lovely. It really came together really nicely. A lot of the tracks were written without really thinking about it. They just came.”

“It’s really cool, the chemistry,” O’Riordan continued. “It’s really just right. There’s something there when we’re together that’s really good. It’s not something that money can buy. It’s not really something anyone can really emulate. It’s got to do with energy and chemistry and that kind of thing. It’s like putting on a perfect pair of shoes. It just fits.”

Expect Roses to drop on Valentines Day 2012. Grab a free download of the first single Show Me The Way below.

The Kooks dropped their 3rd record Junk of the Heart last month and are currently in the middle of a world tour. The band just wrapped the UK leg and are off to take over the rest of Europe before hitting the states next month.

The Kooks recorded the new record in London and New York with Jim Abbiss but then scrapped half the material to hook up with Tony Hoffner who produced the first two records. Lead singer Luke Pritchard felt lost with Abbiss at the helm and brought Hoffner back into the mix to give the band a clear direction and open new doors with production and instrumentation.

Pritchard says, “Musically it’s quite different. It’s a new band, two new guys. The sound of the band has changed quite drastically. Still with the same roots we’ve always had, melody being really important in our band. It’s soul music, the lyrics are quite a lot influenced by what’s gone on… you get to a third album and [have] six or seven years on the road.”

Download an acoustic version of the title track below.

Ride the Drive will take place this Sunday, September 25.

Ride the Drive is FREE, open to the public, family-friendly, and a whole new way to experience our great city.  For this event, particular streets are closed to cars and open to bikers, walkers, roller-bladers and those out to share in the experience & fun atmosphere.

Along the route there will be activities, information booths, food vendors, and plenty of other ways to enjoy the city…including music stages!  The stage is going to be switched around a bit this time to reduce rider congestion up on the square.  It will be facing the capitol a little ways down MLK Jr. Blvd. And here’s the lineup:

*10-10:45am: Joe Bainbridge
*11-11:45am: Corey Hart
*12-12:45pm: Anna Wang & The Oh Boys
*1-1:45pm: Keefe Klug & The Surgical Precision

In order to support Ride the Drive, these artists have been kind enough to offer a free download! Right click on the song names below and save the file to download!

-Joe Bainbridge:   “Searching for Satillites“
-Corey Hart:   “Extinguish“
-Anna Wang & The Oh Boys:   “Fickle Heart“
-Keefe Klug & The Surgical Precision:   “The One“

Pearl Jam is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year..just like Triple M! Next week they’re releasing a retrospective CD containing 29 rare and unreleased songs.

The album is actually the soundtrack to a documentary DVD that will come out October 25th.The movie is directed by award-winning director and music journalist Cameron Crowe, and is  being called a definitive portrait of thel band carved from over 1,200 hours of rarely and never-before-seen footage, plus 24 hours of recently shot concert and interview footage. PEARL JAM TWENTY chronicles the years leading up to the band’s formation, the chaos that ensued soon-after their rise to mega-stardom, and what happened in the years after that.

And  for the Pearl Jam completionist, there’s also a PJ20 book that came out on Tuesday.

Get the free download of the song Ole here.

Did you see Pearl Jam play the song on Jimmy Fallon’s show? You can watch that here.

Wilco’s new album “The Whole Love” will be available for purchase and download in a couple of weeks, but Wilco fans can get a freebie this week on iTunes, with a download of the song “Born Alone.”

Rolling Stone calls the song “jaunty hum-along pleasure.”

The new album will be in stores September 27th and is available for pre-order on the band’s website.

Wilco plays a sold-out show at Overture Hall in Madison October 5th.

Download the new song here.

The guy who gave us that great pop song “Girlfriend” 20 years ago has a new album coming out later this month. Matthew Sweet’s new record is called “Modern Love,” and comes out September 27th.

A quick look at some of the song titles hints it may be at least slightly amusing. Can’t wait to hear “Oh Oldendaze” and “My Ass Is Grass.”

The first single is called “She Walks the Night” and you can download it free, in exchange for your email address.

Get it here.

–Posted by Kitty Dunn

Cass McCombs will drop his second record of 2011, Humor Risk on November 7th. The eight-song set was produced by McCombs and Ariel Rechtshaid, who also helped out on Wit’s End his sixth effort released back in April.

The late John Peel once called McCombs “unobtrusively brilliant”. McCombs has made a name for himself as a nomad, connecting with European indie rock circles in the early 2000s and more recently with folk-rock fans in the U.S. He’s a kind of musicians musician who’s fans include Fleet Foxes and Andrew Bird.

Domino Records’ Kris Gillespie was initially drawn to McCombs’ writing. “When you see the lyrics on the printed page, there’s such an economy to them that they’re almost minimalist. But when he sings them, they become these vivid, detailed stories somehow.”

Here’s the track list for Humor Risk..

1. Love Thine Enemy
2. The Living Word
3. The Same Thing
4. To Every Man His Chimera
5. Robin Egg Blue
6. Mystery Mail
7. Meet Me At the Mannequin Gallery
8. Mariah (sketch)

Grab a free download of The Same Thing below and let me know what you think.

Cass McCombs – The Same Thing by DominoRecordCo