Album Name: We Are Born
Featured Tracks: Clap Your Hands, You’ve Changed
Record Label: Jive Records
Website: www.myspace.com/siamusic
Twitter: twitter.com/siamusic

Some things are just meant to go together – peanut butter and jelly, fresh powder/waves on a sunny day, and Sia and Roxy. Crafting dance pop with a clever, emotional core, Sia has been soundtracking our surf and snow sessions for years now, and her new record, We Are Born, is super fun. It’s a little faster and a little wilder than previous efforts, but still personal. The album’s latest single “Clap Your Hands” has been remixed by Diplo and Prince Vince to make it even more dance floor–friendly (if you never watched Sia dance in the video for “You’ve Changed” you’re missing out).  Though she calls Australia home, Sia’s popular all over the world, inspiring fans with her songs, her fashion, and her charm. We can’t wait to see what she does next!

Here’s a clip of Sia traveling the globe promoting her new record:

Album Title: Cloak and Cipher
Featured Track: Swift Coin
Record Label: Saddle Creek
Website: www.myspace.com/landoftalk

Happy Monday, everyone! As we enjoy one of the last full weeks of summer, the time is right for a new Land of Talk record. Led by singer/songwriter Elizabeth Powell, this indie rock trio from the frigid climes of Montreal has been on the road for the past two years in support of their debut album, Some Are Lakes. Now they’re back with Cloak and Cipher, a new full length comprised of tunes that are more mature, more sophisticated and more fun. The album also features a load of guests, including members of Stars, Silver Mount Zion Band, Wintersleep, Besnard Lakes, and a little band  you might have heard of called Arcade Fire. The new record drops on August 24^th, and the band will tour in the States throughout the fall. Grab a free mp3 from the new album here!

Album Title: Crazy For You

Featured Track: “Boyfriend”

Record Label: Mexican Summer

Website: www.myspace.com/bestcoasty

Bethany Costentino of Best Coast sings about the same classic subjects that pop stars do – wanting a boyfriend, how another girl might be prettier than her, how her boyfriend is kind of a letdown – but she does it with a sunny, low-fi sound that is uniquely Californian and nowhere near contemporary. The sound? Think dreamy harmonies and moody backing tracks that could almost be mistaken for Beach Boys outtakes. Best Coast’s debut, Crazy for You, will be released on July 27^th on Mexican Summer Records. It features 12 songs about romance and the beach, and it’s destined to be a record that defines your summer. Check it out!

Album Title: TBD
Featured Track: Where I’m Going
Label: Modular People
Myspace: www.myspace.com/cutcopy

We’ll just come right out and say it: Roxy hearts Cut Copy. As longtime fans of this Aussie electro-rock trio, we’re thrilled to bring you the new track “Where I’m Going” from their upcoming, as-yet-untitled album, which won’t be out until January. This track is being given away in conjunction with the band’s international tour of giant summer festivals (which includes a stop at Lollapalooza in Chicago), and while it’s not quite as dancefloor-ready as some of their earlier songs, it still sounds pretty delicious. Pounding drums? Check. Sweet harmonies? Check. Total awesomeness? Check! We can’t wait to hear the rest of the album. Use the widget below to download your free track!

Album Title: Frankie Rose and the Outs
Featured Track: Little Brown Haired Girls
Label: Slumberland
MySpace: www.myspace.com/saintoftherose

We’re super inspired by the energy, drive and enthusiasm of Frankie Rose. In the last few years she’s drummed for three powerhouse bands: Crystal Stilts, Dum Dum Girls and Vivian Girls. Now she’s struck out on her own with Frankie Rose and the Outs, an all-girl band that matches the power and intensity of her three previous bands while sounding entirely new. Taking the lead on guitar and vocals, Rose is backed bassist Caroline Yes, guitarist Margot Bianca, and drummer Kate Ryan. Together this quartet fashions hi-fi, melodic dream-pop that’s influenced by the Beach Boys and Gilbert and Sullivan musicals. The band’s self-titled debut will be released on Slumberland Records September 21^st.

Album Title: Mines
Featured Track: “Five Little Rooms”
Record Label: Barsuk Records
Website: www.myspace.com/menomena

So the weekend is over and you need a tune to get you started on this sleepy Monday. Well, look no further than Menomena, who are happy to provide the musical jolt you desire. This Portland, Oregon trio, consisting of Brent Knopf, Justin Harris, and Danny Seim, plays an uppity, quirky, harmony-laden brand of indie rock that utilizes all sorts of instruments, from saxophones to glockenspiels, alongside the traditional setup of guitar, bass, and drums. Catch the band on tour this September in support of its fourth album, Mines, on Barsuk Records. It’s Monday, people, and Menomena is what you need. Let’s get to work!

Album Title: In The Dark

Featured Track: “Kill Me Carolyne”

Record Label:ATO Records

Website: www.myspace.com/thewhigs

Bio: With their stunning third album, IN THE DARK, the Whigs have gone widescreen.  Bursting with energy, emotion, and unpredictable experimentation, the Athens, GA-based trio tear open the artistic envelope, bringing both nuance and eclectic strength to songs like “Hundred / Million” and the raucous first single, “Kill Me Carolyne.” IN THE DARK is both atmospheric and ambitious, without losing the pedal-to-the-metal power that earned them universal praise as one of America’s finest young rock ‘n’ roll bands.

Much of the album’s amplified creative direction can be attributed to the involvement of bassist Tim Deaux, who joined founding members Parker Gispert (guitar/vocals) and Julian Dorio (drums) just prior to the 2008 release of the Whigs’ acclaimed second album, MISSION CONTROL.

“There aren’t words to describe how lucky we are to have found Tim,” Dorio laughs.  “Parker and I would just be sitting here, staring at each other.”

An exuberant, no-holds-barred live act, the Whigs followed the release of MISSION CONTROL with nearly non-stop touring, spending much of 2008 traversing the planet as a headline act, special guests of Kings of Leon, The Kooks and Drive-By Truckers, and with stage-stealing festival performances at such international events as Lollapalooza, Fuji Rock, and T In The Park.

“We’d had a good time touring and traveling,” says Dorio.  “We had absorbed a lot of music and new experiences, so there was a lot in us to pour out.  There was no shortage of ideas.”

While previous Whigs recordings kicked off with Gispert’s songwriting, this time the rhythm section took the reins.  Dorio and Deaux began collaborating in the band’s practice space, crafting near-complete songs built upon drumbeats and bass lines.

“It just kinda clicked,” Dorio says.  “We ended up going in every single day, almost as if we were clocking in to go to work.”

“It was really important that Tim was a part of this record from the ground up,” Gispert says.  “From day one, he’s been knee-deep involved in this record, which is how it should be.”

The detailed rhythm tracks provided a solid foundation for Gispert, allowing him the opportunity to write in a more responsive fashion.  As a result, his guitar lines and vocal parts became increasingly dynamic and precise.

“It was really exciting for me,” Gispert says.  “To have an idea already in place that I could instinctually react to, as a guitar player and as a singer.  It allowed me to not over think things before they had even gotten started and to spend more time working on things I don’t normally work on.”

The Whigs laid down demos throughout the first part of 2009 and on June 1st, entered Athens’ Chase Park Transduction studio with longtime friend Ben H. Allen producing.  Allen – who had been behind the board for two of the past decade’s most pivotal works:  Gnarls Barkley’s “ST. ELSEWHERE” and Animal Collective’s “MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION” – was an avowed fan of the Whigs from the very start. Allen was present at the Whigs’ very first gig and had even helped record the band’s early demos.

Album Title: Total Life Forever
Featured Tracks: “This Orient,” Spanish Sahara.”
Record Label: Sub Pop
Website: http://www.myspace.com/foals

What better way to jump start your week than with England’s Foals, a band that’ll have you more wired than that chai latte you’re clinging to for dear life.  The band just released their second album, Total Life Forever (on Sub Pop), which they wrote in a house just outside of Oxford (also home to a little band called Radiohead). Listening to the band’s new album, it’s clear that they’ve grown up a bit since their much-lauded debut, Antidote, stretching out sonically and smoothing off some of the rough edges. No plans for a US tour right now; until then, let their energy and enthusiasm help you get your week going.

Album Title: Habits
Featured Tracks: “Animal,” “In The Next Room.”
Record Label: Island DefJam
Website: http://fameisdead.com/

With summer fully open us, it’s definitely time for Neon Trees to help turn up the heat!  Barely a year into their career, this co-ed combo has already made a name for itself on the radio and on the dance floor. Guitarist Chris Allen, singer Tyler Glenn, drummer Elaine Bradley and bassist Branden Campbell formed the band in Provo, UT – not the likliest of rock hotspots. Bound by their love of pop rock,  from Bruce Springsteen to Michael Jackson, the band eventually landed a deal and has thus far released one EP and a full length album, Habits, that’s burning up the charts like the desert sun.

Catch the band this summer on the Bang the Gong tour with fellow buzz bands Civil Twilight and Paper Tongues. Should be a super  fun time.

Album Title:Manners
Featured Track:”To Kingdom Come (Bodega Girls Remix)”
Record Label:Frenchkiss/Columbia
Website:www.myspace.com/passionpitjams
Bio: Michael Angelakos hears music in his head and knows exactly how he wants it to sound. The young composer/performer has already created two studio masterpieces — Manners and Chunk of Change — and — with his fellow musicians in Passion Pit — is taking his perfectionist pop vision to a whole new level in concert. Soulful, memorable, danceable, earnest and unabashedly pop, the music Michael Angelakos delivers on Passion Pit’s debut album, Manners, reveals a complex and challenging 21st century sound and sensibility, baroque and intricate in its construction with exquisitely soaring hooks and melodies coupled with enigmatic lyrics flowing straight from the id.Launched a mere three years ago as a humble one man multi-track laptop project in Angelakos’ college dorm room, Passion Pit has rapidly evolved under fire into an in-demand concert attraction, with sold out tours and a growing international reputation based on the power and immediacy of the music. Passion Pit is a two-fold entity sharing a single essence: there’s in-the-studio Passion Pit, essentially comprised of Michael writing, designing, and constructing intricate cathedrals of sound, and Nathan Donmoyer handling live percussion and programming. Ian Hultquist is also featured on Manners performing guitar on songs such as “Make Light” and “Moth’s Wings.” And then there is the in-concert Passion Pit, a loose yet tightly calibrated ensemble who turn Angelakos’ musical studio blueprints into a cathartic live experience. Angelakos was 20 years old when Passion Pit took its first hold on his psyche in the form of a multi-song “Valentine” to his then-girlfriend, recorded in his bedroom on readily available ad hoc technology including the built-in microphone on his laptop. After signing with indie label Frenchkiss, he opted to add more recordings that had been made shortly after the he self-released the collection of songs — including the signature track “Sleepyhead” — to his dorm room set, releasing it officially as the lo-fi EP Chunk of Change.Shortly thereafter, Angelakos gave the first Passion Pit performance, which consisted of himself and a laptop singing the EP’s songs in front of some rear-screen projections in the basement of his school to approximately 15 of his friends. The “half-show/half-installation” caught the attention of Angelakos’ friend and musical acquaintance Ian Hultquist, who approached Michael about the possibility of starting a band to play the music live. A few months later, with the help of Hultquist, Angelakos was building a full ensemble capable of realizing and producing the sounds in his head and taking them to the stage.