Ásgeir - Torrent

Last September, Icelandic artist Ásgeir made his native debut, in relatively explosive terms. His album Dyrd í dauðathogn, which will be released in the States October 28 as The Silence, was the fastest selling debut in his native island's history, surpassing even the triumphant legends of Sigur Ros and Bjork. To give some perspective, Ásgeir's debut is already owned by one out of every 10 Icelandic residents.

After being released in several other European countries and being nominated for numerous awards, Ásgeir has booked his first official UK headlining show, with a tour commencing later in October. Check out the tour dates here, as well as "Torrent," the electric first single from Dyrd í dauðathogn below.

New Sigur Rós - Ísjaki

After the departure of band member Kjartan Sveinsson, who joined the band on keyboards in 1998 as the only band member with any sort of formal musical training, Sigur Rós are set to release the newest, far more uptempo LP Kveikur.

The release isn't until June 18 on XL, but the band has released the second official single from the follow up to last year's excellent Valtari, with "Ísjaki." This comes after the late March release of "Brennisteinn" and a few live performances of new material. However, those who pre-order Kveikur on iTunes will receive an instant download of the new track.

Otherwise, watch the lyric video for "Ísjaki" below.

Sasquatch! 2013 lineup revealed

The always underrated Sasquatch! music festival, held every Memorial Day weekend in May, has announced its 2013 lineup.

Headliners this year include Mumford & Sons, the recently reunited Postal Service, Vampire Weekend, The XX, Sigur Ros, and Mackelmore & Ryan Lewis - who are placed pretty high on the billing.

Included in the usually stellar mid-card are: Empire Of The Sun, Cake, Grimes, Andrew Bird, Built To Spill, Danny Brown, Schoolboy Q + Ab Soul, El-P, Japandroids, Death Grips, and plenty others (comedians a plenty, too). Click the poster above to see the whole lineup.

Tickets for the May 24-27 event, held in the stupidly gorgeous Gorge Ampitheatre in Washington, will go on sale February 9 via the festival website.

Bears And Bullets Albums Of The Year (#25-11)

Now that the Honorable Mentions are out of the way, here's the official Bears and Bullets Top Albums of 2012 list (part one):

New Sigur Rós video - Varðeldur

Sigur Rós' "Mystery Film Experiment" has only four more entries left for the rest of 2012 (the final entrant will be released December 17). Today, we get to see Irish artist Clare Langan's take on the serene "Varðeldur." Check it out below, and stay tuned for the final entries.

New Sigur Rós video - Ekki Múkk

The newest video from Sigur Rós' Valtari Mystery Film Experiment features Game Of Thrones and The Wire star Aiden Gillen. Directed by Nick Abrahams, the ten minute video features the Irish actor aimlessly talking to animals in grassy fields. Check it out below, and stop crying.

New Sigur Rós video - Dauðalogn

The ongoing Valtari film project from Sigur Rós has another new video for you to watch. More so than any other video so far from the album, this one for "Dauðalogn" seems most appropriate, showing natural landscapes and starry atmospheres. Watch it below.

Lollapalooza 2012 Review: Day Three

Sunday, August 5 was a steady continuation of the current drought in the Midwest. The sun was high in a bleakly open sky. The park was sun-dried, putrefying the baseball fields and grass into a off-putting mud that rivaled Bonnaroo. And the night was set for the biggest acts of the entire weekend; Jack White and Justice. But more so than anything else on my mind was the imminent end of not only my weekend, but possibly my tenure at Lollapalooza. If it would be the final day - the truly final day - how would things end?

Day Three:

Five years in a row, three days a year. There's a passage in Into The Wild that reads, "Happiness is only real when shared." Since my second venture in Grant Park in 2008, I have ridden the Blue Line alone waiting for my friends to arrive late. And if this was truly my end, I'd rather share it than wade through half the day alone again.

We arrived pleasantly late - 3 p.m. to be exact. Slowly wandering the park, we traversed the seemingly endless mud pits on the South side of the park for a spot at Sigur Ros, electing to skip The Walkmen. Coming in, I've heard wild rumors about the Icelandic group's live performances; most notably how it can bring people to tears. Considering the heat and the relatively odd time for their performance (4 p.m.), the band put on one of the most memorable shows in Lollapalooza history. Tears didn't exactly happen, but rumblings of grown men crying did get around eventually. Even though the band left several notable songs out of their one hour set, including "Starálfur" and "Glósóli," the time was unmatched in terms of emotions. Jonsi, seemingly alone in a large group, could project unlike most other singers during the weekend to a continually stunned crowd.

Sigur Ros

While it seems like 80 percent of the park made their way to Florence + The Machine, my friends and I had just decided to spend the time languishing most of our last hours at Perry's with Dr. P, Big Gigantic, and Zed's Dead. It was a good change of pace just to not care for a while and joyously waste some time before the night ended.

The final night rounded out with the weekend's two biggest aforementioned acts - Justice and Jack White. Splitting among friends, I stayed for Justice on the North side. Considering last year's final venture with Deadmau5 proved to be a rain-soaked clusterfuck and that I still haven't seen Daft Punk, this would be the biggest electronica show I've ever seen. And that cannot be understated.

Justice

Justice are unbelievably intense live. Total non-stop, combining the best from their first two albums, It was a totally unique live experience. Although I'd relinquish Daft Punk's status at the top of the live electronica experience, Justice to me would be a fantastic second. It remained the best show of the weekend.

And that's how it all ended. What I'll be saying by this time next year is completely unknown to me, but for the time being I couldn't be happier of what these past five years have been.

Best Performances: Sigur Ros, Justice
Worst Performances: Zed's Dead

Highlights: "Varúð" by Sigur Ros
Lowlights: Mud

Lollapalooza 2012 Must-See Artists Pt. V

Today we'll continue our Lollapalooza countdown with part five.

#2: Sigur Rós
There have been very few artists as consistently remarkable as Sigur Rós throughout the years. With every new album (and side project), the band's enigmatic status continued to grow, with hauntingly emotional expansiveness made all the more surprising considering the fact that they sing in another language. 

There's a distinct fan-fare for the band, despite its Icelandic roots. In a niche entirely its own, Sigur Rós exists as an anomaly. The songs are lengthy and touchingly atmospheric, without connecting any certain meaning to its large English speaking fan base. But that insatiably memorable sound on standout tracks like "Hoppípolla" from 2005's Takk... and "Svefn-g-englar," the song most of us were introduced by from the group, is what keeps the legendary status of the band growing.

Word of the band's live performances sound almost cult-like in their absurdity. One description heard fairly often when viewing Sigur Rós is that it brings fans to tears. Literal tears. Would you miss an opportunity like that? I won't.

The band will be performing at 4 p.m. on the Red Bull Soundstage, Sunday, August 5.



#1: Justice 
Sitting at the top of my "must-see" list even before Lollapalooza became a staple in my life, French electro duo Justice could easily be the show of the weekend. Known for their chaotic light shows and live experiences, Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay are the next in line to the fellow France natives Daft Punk  (not quite there yet) for their crowning live electronic music experiences.

The only unfortunate circumstance of Justice performing this year is that fans will have to decide between them and Jack White, who will be performing at the same time Sunday night, August 5. Considering I've seen White in various live forms already, I'll venture to the North side of Grant Park for what's sure to be a memorable party.

The band will be performing at 8:30 p.m. on the Budlight Stage, closing the festival.

New Sigur Rós video - Rembihnútur

The next in the recent string of videos from Sigur Rós isn't nearly as questionably absurd as what I now call the "Shia LeBouf Nude Experience" from last week. Video number four, "Rembihnútur," from last month's Valtari, is a compilation of black & white shots of motionless subjects, transposed in (mostly) moving environments. Check it out below, and expect some more videos from the band in the coming weeks.

New Sigur Rós video - Fjögur píanó

So, during my super-busy Monday, I apparently missed the brand new music video for Sigur Rós' "Fjögur píanó," which, as you may have heard, does feature a nude ... Shia LeBouf. What to make of this, I have no idea, but watch the video if you don't believe it.

New Sigur Rós video - Varúð

The latest from Sigur Rós's series of videos from Valtari, their latest album, comes the slow snowy buildup of "Varúð." While the video isn't much, the song sells it again, which is what you expect from the band. Strong, emotional buildup, crashing elements, and tears. Oh god the tears. Watch below.

New Sigur Ros - Ég Anda

In case you missed the 7 p.m. local-time stream of Sigur Ros' super-anticipated Valtari album, check out the album's awe-inspiring opener "Ég Anda" below, via BBC Radio 1.

And don't forget to grab the album May 29, which you can preorder here.

Monday Bears: New Sigur Rós - Varúð

A few weeks back, we heard our first bit of Sigur Rós' upcoming Valtari album, which has quickly become the next most anticipated album of 2012, with the seven minute-plus "Ekki Múkk." Today, we get "Varúð," a much shorter cut, which premiered on Shaun Keaveny's BBC Radio 6 show. Listen below.

Wednesday Bears: Lollapalooza rough schedule released

With three-day passes selling out yesterday, Lollapalooza released their "which artists on which day" rough schedule. The announcement (click photo for larger image) came with the release of single-day passes, which are available now for $95.

Conflicts are inevitable (in life as well, but, forget about that), and it seems that Sunday presents the biggest challenge. Jack White, Florence+The Machine, At the Drive-In, Justice, and Sigur Ros are scheduled to play as the day's largest acts, so decisions are likely going to be made, and unhappiness will spread like, let's say, smallpox.

While Sunday seems unfortunate, days one and two should be comfortable, with a super-strong mid-card scheduled to perform Saturday.

Check back to Bears and Bullets for when the official schedule is released.

Lollapalooza 2012 lineup revealed

So, the day's really here. And after the previous months/weeks of speculation, the biggest story of Lollapalooza 2012 ended up being that the lineup leaked from Sunday WAS 100% ACCURATE. It's the first time in recent memory that a complete leak like this has happened with a major U.S. music festival, so everything we heard tonight wasn't a surprise.

As you know, Black Sabbath, with all original members, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Black Keys, Jack White, Florence + The Machine, At The Drive-In, Avicii, and Justice are the big names headlining the August 3-5 Chicago festival. And if you've been following, you'd already known that M83, Sigur Ros, The Weeknd, The Shins, and many others will fit the billing as well.

So while the fest isn't as particularly top-heavy as in years past, there's a more-than solid mid-card to support it, with spectacular acts like The Tallest Man on Earth, Jeff the Brotherhood, Michael Kiwanuka, FIDLAR, and many others. Alongside them is an extremely solid electronica lineup, with Bassnectar, Star Slinger, Madeon, Kaskade, and plenty others worth your time this year.

There were a few left-field acts, like Franz Ferdinand and The Afghan Whigs making the billing, despite zero previous rumors of their inclusion.

But as it is every year, there are some notable disappointments. Namely, the absence of Odd Future, St. Vincent, Fucked Up, and Refused, among others, not making the final billing.

Regardless, there is a ton of depth to Lollapalooza 2012, and plenty of reason to get excited. Tickets for the festival are still available. And as always, stay tuned for more additions (and subtractions) from the billing, and the lineup schedule, which should be available in a few weeks. As well, check out the official Lolla video below.
 

New(!) Sigur Ros - Ekki Múkk

After scheduling a few spring/summer shows, the expected announcement of Sigur Ros' newest album is finally here. The Iceland icons will release Valtari May 28, which has pretty easily become my most anticipated album of 2012 so far. It'll be the first new album from the band, which took a short hiatus a few years back, since 2008. And unlike the previous album Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, the new album will not have parts in English. Listen/watch "Ekki Múkk," the band's first new song in too long, below.

Finally, some Lollapalooza rumors

This time last year, we already knew a handful of headliners and sub-headliners for Chicago's Lollapalooza, so waiting until mid-February was a bit boring.

Until today, the only rumors shifting through for the festival have been off-hand suspicions of Metallica and Red Hot Chili Peppers, among other headliners clinging to festivals like Sasquatch! and Coachella. And while those aforementioned rumors for Metallica seem to have some legitimacy now, a few other names have been 'leaked.' Now, these still are not confirmations, so don't take them as such, but they are much more likely as of today, via Consequence of Sound.

Suspected headlining acts like Jack White, Beck (who hasn't played the festival in a surprising 15 years), and Sigur Ros are among the names, of which also include Swedish House Mafia. Personally, Metallica and SHM don't really do anything for me, but are big names regardless. The others, however, make this year seem pretty exciting. It's good to finally hear that.

As always, check back for more rumors as they come.

Monday Bears: New Sigur Ros - Lúppulagið

It's not quite a trick, but when I say "New" next to the Sigur Ros track, it's pretty much a lie. "Lúppulagið" doesn't feature any of Jonsi's vocals, just a six-minute atmospheric instrumental in another realm of existence. Something I'm slightly sure Sigur Ros coined.

Sigur Ros - Lúppulagið

Friday Bears: Buncha new videos

One video for Friday just doesn't cut it, so here's a bunch from the past few days that are worth a look, including; Beirut's first video from The Rip Tide for "Santa Fe," brand new Das Racist and Los Campesinos, and more footage from Sigur Ros' "Inni."

Beirut - Santa Fe



Das Racist - Michael Jackson

Los Campesinos - By Your Hand



Sigur Ros - Klippa