Boot & Saddle, Dec. 13 - Cass McCombs (Preview)

Sometimes its hard to believe how much an artist must wade through to get to where they are. Singer-songwriter's Cass McCombs early struggles in the industry are well-documented, but 10 years after the release of his debut LP A, those struggles seem fortunately distant.

The California-born McCombs, who released his seventh album Big Wheel And Others back in October, has found critical success as one of the more consistent darlings of the indie folk scene. But before all of this, McCombs was nothing more than a poor, traveling musician, trying to edge his way through in the late 90s and early 2000s. Knowing that, the dour subjects on Big Wheel And Others, such as the lead track - a spoken minute long session between McCombs and a drug-addled child - start to make more sense.

It's not a constant motif for the project, but rather a tipping point for McCombs jumping into a twisted perception of Americana. Murder, mystery, and a constant feeling of drifting helplessness come to pass on the record. But Big Wheel ...  is big enough to let McCombs dance around other elements, giving more credence to the vast openness of his Western inspirations.

He'll be making his way to Philadelphia's newest venue Boot & Saddle Friday, December 13 alongside Arboretum for an intimate showcase. Tickets are on sale now for a modest $13, but don't forget to check out Boot & Saddle's awesome menu and drink list.

Big Wheel And Others is out now on Domino Records.

Stream: Four Tet - Live In Tokyo

Two days back, Four Tet hit Tokyo's Hostess Club Weekender for a fabulous afternoon session, which he has done the good graces of recording for everyone else. Fans of the producer won't be surprised, but the effort is a textural masterwork of bubbling ambient and delicate house, perfect for any afternoon.

Listen below.

Watch King Krule perform live on Nowness

The enthralling emergence of Archie Marshall - better known by his King Krule title - is as riveting as it is relieving. The furious English tone to his singing voice is likely abrasive, but uncommonly cool. The way it sounds, its almost a marvel that the teenage singer-songwriter ever got his name out of the UK. But here we are, already a few years into his young career, and we can't get enough of the kid.

Recently, Krule stopped by the abandoned Lincoln Heights jail in Los Angeles for a barren film-session, courtesy of Nowness (via Yours Truly). It has that enchanting La Blogotheque vibe, but includes an intimate interview with the articulate artist. Watch it below and order Marshall's recent LP 6 Feet Beneath The Moon today on True Panther and XL.

Oneohtrix Point Never - Live At MoMA PS1

With news of extended tour dates on the way, Warp alum Daniel Lopatin debuted a portion of his recent live performance alongside visual artist Nate Boyce for the MoMA PS1 project "R Plus 6/Affect Index."

It's not too much of a surprise, given Lopatin's overall penchant for beguiling oddness as Oneohtrix Point Never, and the partnership with MoMA, that the efforts are "curious." I won't go into anything further than that, because I'm doing whatever Lopatin and Boyce accomplished a likely disservice. Watch the segment below and order the latest Oneohtrix Point Never release R Plus Seven today.

SCNTST - Throwback/Wavez Change

Before he hits Fabric tonight for the Boysnoize Records release party - which also features Boys Noize, Jimmy Edgar, and more - Berlin producer SCNTST debuted two new tracks from his upcoming release Self Therapy.

At only 20-years old, SCNTST - aka Bryan Muller - has been frequently attached to the "prodigy" recommendation. And judging from his rich understand of his own techno inspirations, melding somewhere between aggressive club anthems and subdued bass new wave. Check out "Throwback" and "Wavez Change" from Self Therapy below and click here for more details of tonight's Fabric show.

DARKSIDE live at The Boiler Room

Few things in 2013 have been more ultimately gratifying than DARKSIDE. They've been mentioned half a billion times on this site, but every time something new comes from the duo of Nicolas Jaar and Dave Harrington, it seems to be worth mentioning.

The two recently stopped by the Boiler Room for a rooftop performance of several Psychic cuts, for a spectacular intimate show. Catch the full half-hour plus special below and order Psychic today on Matador and Other People.

Julianna Barwick - Ash Day (Live on Take Away Show)

For the second portion of Julianna Barwick's La Blogotheque venture, the Missouri-via-Louisiana ambient singer-songwriter performed a special performance of "Ash Day" during the actual holiday.

Watch the video below, which mostly features children dressed in for the almost Halloween-like event, directed by Derrick Belcham. He explains, "It is the end of February. The extended darkness is beginning to wear us down, and the weather is a schizophrenic outpatient. On a tip from a local, we take to the streets to watch the children of Reykjavik sing for candy and desserts in full, mystical regalia. It is Ash Day, and Julianna is ready to make the kids work for their treats."

Barwick's awesome Nepenthe is out now on Dead Oceans.

King Krule - Easy Easy (Live On Letterman)

King Krule, the British Wunderkind behind one of 2013's best debuts 6 Feet Beneath The Moon, made his U.S. television debut last night, stopping by the Late Show with David Letterman to perform "Easy Easy."

Watching live, you can't help but wonder if the casual CBS audience was totally off-put by Archie's heavy accented signature. But for those who know the 19-year-old, the take was an absolute joy, matching the recorded version with effortless resolve.

Watch it below and get 6 Feet Beneath The Moon today on XL/True Panther.

Duologue - Gift Horse (Live at Dubway Studios)

One of the many stars of New York City's CMJ earlier this month, UK band Duologue stopped by the city's Dubway Studios for a performance of "Gift Horse," courtesy of All Axis.

The cut comes from the band's debut Song & Dance, which is out now in the U.S. via Killing Moon. Check the performance out below.

DARKSIDE - Freak, Go Home (Live Maida Vale Session)

As part of their ongoing residency for BBC Radio 1 DJ Heidi, Nicolas Jaar and Dave Harrington - aka DARKSIDE - stopped by the Maida Vale studios for a special live rendition of "Freak, Go Home."

The Psychic cut finds the constantly interpretive Jaar sitting back on his gear with Harrington flirting with subtle guitar loops, churning an atmospheric haze throughout. For anyone impressed with the release - which should be sitting on a lot of top ten lists in December - the live version is a must.

Watch it below and grab Psychic today via Matador and Jaar's Other People imprint.

Arcade Fire perform "Normal Person" and "Afterlife" on Colbert Report

With only a week to go before the release of the year's most-anticipated album Reflektor, Arcade Fire stopped by The Colbert Report to perform a pair of tracks not named "Reflektor." Included in the performance are two songs that the band previously performed on SNL special "Here Comes The Night Time," "Normal Person" and the album's second single "Afterlife."

Speaking of which, the radio rip of "Afterlife" has been subsequently taken down after yesterday, but the band has produced a lyric video instead.

Throughout the piece, Colbert constantly refers to the band as The Reflektors. The notion isn't a mistake, in case you missed the special story on the band's performance in Brooklyn last weekend.

Reflektor will be released October 29 on Merge. Watch the videos after the bump.

DARKSIDE - Paper Trails (RA Session)

The newest entrant in Resident Advisor's "RA Sessions" comes from sonic visionaries Nicolas Jaar and Dave Harrington, promoting their recently released Psychic LP as DARKSIDE. Filmed by Patrick Nation, the 10-plus minute set of album cut "Paper Trails" finds Jaar and Harrington at their strongest form - interpreting, live.

What is seen is a concise microcosm of Psychic, which lends to Jaar's mysterious vacant visions and Harrington's lively interjections. If you haven't heard it yet, it's an absolute must for 2013, available now on Matador.

Kung Fu Necktie, Oct. 11 - FUZZ (Preview)

Perhaps the only thing more profound about the early career of San Francisco garage phenom Ty Segall's actual quality or work, is the sheer will he pushes for more.

As a solo artist, the 26-year-old Segall has released eight studio albums since 2008's Horn The Unicorn, along with exclusive 7" singles and cover tracks, separate EPs, work alongside acts like Mikal Cronin and White Fence, and as a member of other bands, including tonight's Kung Fu Necktie headliners FUZZ.

With any familiarity to Segall's previous work, FUZZ might not be too much of a leap - even considering Segall usually sits on the drums while longtime friends Charles Moothart and Roland Cosio sit upfront. The drowning, prodding sludge rock courses on full through the band's self-titled debut LP, which premiered just a few days back courtesy of Chicago's In The Red.

Moothart admitted in a recent interview with SPIN that the two have flirted with the idea for a while, even back in high school, but never considered actually taking it to the studio. "It's fate or something now," he says. "After the last two years going super-gnarly on music things, we thought, 'We just want to have fuckin' fun with music again.'"

Unfortunately, the wave of hype seems to have caught up, and tonight's Kung Fu Necktie show in Philadelphia, featuring CCR Headcleaner and Big No, is already sold out. For the lucky ones, get a preview of tonight's event below.

James Blake - Retrograde (Live on Later ... With Jools Holland)

James Blake stopped by, once again, Later ... With Jools Holland to perform the standout "Renegade" from this year's Overgrown LP. It's an intensely crisp, refined performance, which finds Blake sporting a 1-800-Dinosaur shirt, the name of his new imprint.

Check the performance below and grab Overgrown today on Republic. Otherwise, check out the entire Later episode, which also features spots from Franz Ferdinand and Goldfrapp, among others.

Julianna Barwick - Crystal Lake (Live - ft. Sharon Van Etten, Taraka, and Nimai Larson)

Performing at New York's intimate Judson Church, Julianna Barwick scored a supreme rendition of "Crystal Church," with some vocal contributions from friends Sharon Van Etten, and Taraka and Nimai Larson of Prince Rama.

The unnerving atmospherics gracefully sweep through, as they do throughout Barwick's recent LP Nepenthe, out now Dead Oceans. Watch the performance below.

Arcade Fire - Here Comes The Night Time

In case you may have missed it, last Saturday, after the season premiere of Saturday Night Live, musical guests Arcade Fire debuted the half-hour "Here Comes The Night Time" special, featuring all new previously unheard music from the upcoming Reflektor LP.

Directed by Roman Coppola, the special featured performances of "Here Comes The Night Time," "We Exist," and "Normal Persons," as well as "Reflektor" and "Afterlife" during Saturday Night Live. As well, a slew of guest stars had small cameos, including; Bill Hader, Zach Galifianakis, Rainn Wilson, Jason Shwartzman, Aziz Ansari, Eric Wareheim, Bono, Ben Stiller, James Franco, and Michael Cera.

Watch the whole, commercial-less special below. Reflektor comes out October 29 on Merge.

Julianna Barwick - The Harbinger (Live on Take Away Show)

Director Derrick Belchman penned this wonderfully shot footage of atmosphere music extraordinaire Julianna Barwick for the most recent Take Away Show performance. Fans of La Blogotheque will be familiar with the beautiful take, but in case you're new here, get up on all of it now.

The footage was taken in the consistent majesty of Iceland, which seems astoundingly fitting for Barwick's style with "The Harbinger." It comes from her wonderful new LP Nepenthe, which is available now on Dead Oceans.

Shabazz Palaces Live at Boiler Room

While you were passed out during 4th of July weekend, enigmatic Seattle rap outfit Shabazz Palaces (and Disclosure) met up at London's Boiler Room for a set of special performances. For fans of the former, a ten minute piece of the lucky performance is available below.

The Fire, June 25 - Hospital Ships (Preview)

After meandering his way through the likes of Shearwater and Minus Story, in which he contributed various pieces, Kansas-native Jordan Geiger crafted his bedroom pop outfit Hospital Ships.

The band, which will be performing tonight at The Fire in Philadelphia with The Meta and Sean Rosner, is coming off Destruction In Yr Soul, the first with a full band behind Geiger. With the added dimensions, the lifting pop-centric dimensions balloon to something more massive, encapsulating.

The output, although aiming for something much larger than the early versions of the band, still sits comfortably between humble origins and steady progression. Through the band's evolution, that bigger sound crawls past Geiger's predisposed limitations and allows him to move forward to a possibly grander setting.

That vision will look to flourish tomorrow when doors open at 8 p.m. Tickets for the 21-plus show are still available.

Destruction In Yr Soul is out now on Graveface Records.

The National perform "Don't Swallow The Cap" on Letterman

Before today's release of the super-anticipated Trouble Will Find Me, The National hit last night's Late Show with David Letterman to perform the LP's early standout "Don't Swallow The Cap".

Last night's live version featured a ring of string and complimentary horn pieces, as well as Doveman, aka Thomas Bartlett coming in on keys, making for a fairly grand performance. Watch the whole thing below, and grab Trouble Will Find Me today(!) on 4AD.

Bonus: The National just announced the band will be performing with Dirty Projectors June 7 at the Mann Center in Philadelphia. Tickets for the event will start at $39.50, and will be sure to sell out quickly.