Sights and Sounds: Erasure, Mastodon, Walk Off The Earth

Here is a pretty robust roundup of music news. Must be Monday!

WORLD PREMIERE OF NEW VIDEO

“GAUDETE” WATCH IT HERE!

NEW ALBUM SNOW GLOBE OUT NOVEMBER 11

Photo Credit: Philip Sharpe

Today (October 28th) Entertainment Tonight online has world premiered “Gaudete,” the new video for the first single from Erasure’s forthcoming album Snow Globe, due outNovember 11th via Mute.  The synth-pop icons Vince Clarke and Andy Bell collaborated with Martin Meunier (James & The Giant Peach and Coraline) and Tonya Hurley author of the best-selling ghostgirl and The Blessed series for the dark and beautiful stop-motion animation clip. Watch “Gaudete” here.

Screenshot from the video “Gaudete”

Snow Globe--a collection of original compositions and seasonal classics--follows Erasure’s 2011 album, Tomorrow’s World. The first single “Gaudete” is Erasure’s take on the traditional Latin carol, which will be recognizable by many after Steeleye Span’s version in the early 70’s.

The song was originally programmed by Vince Clarke with just a drum accompaniment, and he ended up adding keyboard lines to complement the raw rhythmic surge. “I just love the song,” says Andy Bell. “I haven’t actually heard him sing better,” says Vince of Andystepping back into the booth. “I found my inner choirboy again,” says Andy. “I thought I’d lost him but he was there all along.”

Unlike the bells and whistles, glitter and tinsel sets that crowd the market come Christmas-time, Snow Globeis possessed of something more in the wistfully, strangely subdued celebratory mold of recent seasonal albums by Tracey Thorn and Kate Bush.

Formed 28 years ago, Erasure--the award-winning songwriting duo of Vince Clarke andAndy Bell--unleashed on the nation a succession of both influential and chart-topping pop anthems of the ‘80’s, ‘90’s and through today. Songs like “A Little Respect,”“Sometimes,” “Victim Of Love,” “Ship Of Fools,” “Blue Savannah,” “Star,” “Chains Of Love,” “Who Needs Love (Like That),” “Love To Hate You,”  “Drama!,”“Always,” and “Breathe” ensured a formidable presence on the singles charts complemented by five consecutive # 1 albums in the U.K. including The Innocents,Wild!, Chorus and the beginning of the worldwide Abba revival Abba-esque.

Check out Billboard magazine’s feature re: Snow Globe here.

MASTODON TO RELEASE AUDIO AND VIDEO VERSIONS OF EXPLOSIVE LONDON SHOW ON DECEMBER 10th MASTODON LIVE AT BRIXTON, CAPPED OFF BAND'S WORLD TOUR FOR CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED ALBUM, THE HUNTER

On February 11th, 2012, MASTODON took the stage at London's O2 Academy in Brixton, capping off the Atlanta-based band's world tour in support of their critically acclaimed album The Hunter. This sold-out performance was Mastodon's first show at the legendary Brixton venue. It won't be their last, as the London audience positively erupted from the opening chords until the final, frenzied encore. Mastodon Live At Brixton will be released on December 10th,so fans will be able to see and hear what happened on that night.   In addition to performing "Curl of the Burl," "Black Tongue," and "Dry Bone Valley" from The Hunter, the band dug into their catalog, unearthing such scorching tracks as "Colony of Birchmen,""Capillarian Crest," and "Iron Tusk."  Rolling Stone Magazine referred to the band's sonic attack as one that:  "Demonstrates how contemporary hard rock can still be made with imagination, precision and a majestic sense of force." Click on the video below to see (hear) more! Now this extraordinary live show is being released digitally by Warner Bros. Records as Mastodon Live At Brixton, on December 10th. An audio-only version and a live video version directed by Ryan Mackfall (Crashburn Media) (both featuring the full 97-minute performance) will be available from all digital retailers, including iTunes and Amazon. The full set-list is below. Dry Bone Valley Black Tongue Crystal Skull I Am Ahab Capillarian Crest Colony of Birchmen Megalodon Thickening Blasteroid Sleeping Giant Ghost of Karelia All The Heavy Lifting Spectrelight Curl of the Burl Bedazzled Fingernails Circle of Cysquatch Aqua Dementia Crack The Skye Where Strides The Behemoth Iron Tusk March of the Fireants Blood and Thunder Creature Lives At present, MASTODON is hard at work on their next studio venture. Details to be revealed soon. Until then go to: www.mastodonrocks.com

Walk Off The Earth Return for Headlining North American Tour

Nominated for YouTube Music Award and Performing at Inaugural YouTube Music Awards Ceremony

Walk Off The Earth have announced a headlining North American tour to start off 2014.  The tour kicks off on Jan 16 in Minneapolis and routes through March 6 in Los Angeles, with Parachute supporting on the run.  A full list of North American tour dates is below.  Tickets will be available for pre-sale on Oct 29 and will go on sale to the general public on Nov 1.  The Canadian band’s lively set incorporates their wildly popular covers with original songs from their Columbia Records debut full length, R.E.V.O., which is available now.  R.E.V.O. features the band’s breakout hit single “Red Hands,” which hit #1 on the Adult Alternative radio charts and entered the Top 15 at the Adult Pop radio format.  Their follow up single “Gang of Rhythm” is impacting at radio now.

Walk Off The Earth were just nominated for a YouTube Music Award in the Response of the Year (best fan remix, parody or response video) category for their cover of Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble”, and have been confirmed to perform at the first ever YouTube Music Awards ceremony next month in NYC alongside Lady Gaga, Arcade Fire, Eminem, Avicii, MIA, and Earl Sweatshirt.  The YouTube Music Awards celebrate artists who receive the highest levels of engagement with fans from all over the world, through views, likes, shares, comments, subscriptions and more. The inaugural ceremony will be hosted by actor and musician Jason Schwartzman along with comedian Reggie Watts, with Spike Jonze serving as creative director.  Fans can vote at youtube.com/musicawardsfrom now until the live show on November 3 at 6pm ET.

In addition, Walk Off The Earth recently won a CASBY Award at home in Canada, where “Red Hands” has been certified Double Platinum and R.E.V.O. has been certified Gold.  In addition to accepting their award for Favourite New Artist, the group performed a short set for the packed crowd at the event.  Watch the band perform their new single “Gang of Rhythm” at the award show here.

Walk Off The Earth features multi-instrumentalists Gianni Luminati, Marshall, and Sarah Blackwood on vocals, Taylor on keyboards, and Joel Cassady on drums.  WOTE have an incredibly loyal fanbase, with over 1.5 million subscribers to their YouTube channel and over 795k fans on Facebook.  The band gained notoriety for their creative multi-million-viewed YouTube videos ranging from a cover of the Weeds theme “Little Boxes” to Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble” to their most well known cover of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” with all five band members playing one guitar, which has been viewed over 154 million times.  Walk Off The Earth released an album of original songs, R.E.V.O., which stands for the band’s motto Realize Every Victory Outright, on Columbia Records earlier this year.  R.E.V.O. features hit single “Red Hands” as well as their newest single “Gang of Rhythm.”  Walk Off The Earth have brought their energetic live show around the world, including a well received set at Lollapalooza and sold out headlining shows in cities from NYC and LA to Toronto, Tokyo, Singapore, London, and Paris.

Walk Off The Earth Headlining 2014 Tour

w/special guest Parachute

1/16       Minneapolis, MN             Varsity Theater

1/17       Milwaukee, WI                 The Pabst Theater

1/18       Chicago, IL                           House of Blues

1/21       Grand Rapids, MI             The Intersection

1/22       Indianapolis, IN                 Deluxe @ Old National Center

1/23       Cleveland, OH                   House of Blues Cleveland

1/24       London, ON                        London Music Hall

1/28       Portland, ME                      State Theatre

1/29       New York, NY                    Best Buy Theater

1/30       Philadelphia, PA               Electric Factory

1/31       Norfolk, VA                        The NorVa

2/1         Silver Spring, MD              The Fillmore - Silver Spring

2/4         Charlotte, NC                     Amos’ Southend

2/5         Atlanta, GA                         Buckhead Theatre

2/6         Lake Buena Vista, FL       House of Blues

2/7         Ft. Lauderdale, FL            Revolution

2/15       Uncasville, CT                    Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun Resort

2/20       Denver, CO                         Ogden Theatre

2/21       Salt Lake City, UT              In The Venue

2/22       Boise, ID                              Knitting Factory Concert House

2/23       Spokane, WA                     Knitting Factory

2/25       Portland, OR                      Crystal Ballroom

2/26       Seattle, WA                        Showbox SoDo

2/28       San Francisco, CA             The Regency Ballroom

3/4         Anaheim, CA                      House of Blues

3/5         San Diego, CA                    House of Blues

3/6         Los Angeles, CA                House of Blues

http://www.walkofftheearth.com

http://www.facebook.com/walkofftheearth

http://www.youtube.com/walkofftheearth