Fun. – “We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe)”

FUN. – We Are Young (Radio Edit) by MMMusic

Mat Kearney – “Ships In The Night”

Mat Kearney – Ships In The Night (Radio Edit) by MMMusic

The Darkness – “I Believe In A Thing Called Love”

Ray Charles – What’d I Say

Kanye West – Runaway [Explicit]

Kearney seems to pick up right where he left off with this sophomore effort.   He’s branching out a bit on this song, with a different percussive sound than anything heard on Nothing Left to Lose, but he fortunately for us the song stays true to his sound. The new album, City of Black & White, is due out May 19th.  Let’s hope this single isn’t a fluke, and for once a breakout Christian artist can avoid the sophomore slump.  He heads out on tour with Keane early next month.  You should definitely go out and see him if he comes your way.

The Lovers Are Losing – Keane

SUPPORTING KEANE:

May 9              Los Angeles, CA          Hollywood Palladium

May 10            Anaheim, CA               The Grove at Anaheim

May 12            Salt Lake City, UT       Kingsbury Hall

May 13            Denver, CO                 Ogden Theatre

May 15            St. Paul, MN                Myth

May 16            Chicago, IL                  Aragon Ballroom

May 19            Washington, DC           Constitution Hall

May 20            Upper Darby, PA         Tower Theater

May 21            Boston, MA                 Bank of America Pavilion

May 23            Toronto, ON                The Sound Academy

May 24            Cleveland, OH             Time Warner Amphitheatre

May 26            Montclair, NJ               The Wellmont Theatre

May 27            New York, NY            Radio City Music Hall(Sold Out)

HEADLINE DATES:

June 19            Knoxville, TN               Bijou Theatre

June 20            Birmingham, AL           City Stages

June 21            Charlotte, NC              Amos

June 22            Charleston, SC            Music Farm

June 25            Norfolk, VA                Norva

June 26            Richmond, VA             The National

June 29            Milwaukee, WI            Summerfest

June 30            Bloomington, IL            Bluebird

July 2               Grand Rapids, MI        Intersection

July 3               Detroit, MI                   Comerica Cityfest

July 5               Duluth, MN                  Bayfront Festival

July 6               Green Bay, WI             Meyer Theatre

July 7               Madison, WI                Majestic

July 10             Minneapolis, MN         Basilica Block Party

July 11             Kansas City, MO         Beaumont

July 15             Memphis, TN               Minglewood

July 16             Columbia, MO             The Blue Note

July 17             Omaha, NE                  Slowdown

July 19             Denver, CO                 Mile High Festival

Courage of Others – TBA

Unfortunately I could find next to nothing on this album, other than the fact that it is being recorded right now in their hometown Denton, TX.  Everything I have comes from an interview they did with Stereogum back in November, which didn’t reveal a whole lot, other than it isn’t goin to sound like “Roscoe” or “Head Home,” two songs I adored from their previous work. But I will be sure to write about the record with more detail once I can actually find some.  Until then, enjoy one of my favorite tracks from the phenomenal Trials of Van Occupanther.

Midlake – Young Bride

11. M. Ward

Hold Time – 2/17

The follow-up to the brilliant  2006 release, Post-War, consists of fourteen tracks and includes guest performances by Lucinda Willisams, Jason Lytle of the band Grandaddy, Tom Hagerman of DeVotchKa, Rachel Blumberg of The Decemberists, and the “she” half of She & Him, Zooey Deschanel.  I’ve only given it one listen, but it seems to be a very strong record.  And I think that it is greatly benifited by all the talented people that Ward surrounded himself with while recording.  A streaming preview can be found here at NPR, so go check it out and let me know what you think.

M. Ward – Never Had Nobody Like You

10. Mat Kearney

Things have been pretty quiet from Kearney for quite some time now.  Other than the single he did for Grey’s Anatomy back in September of 2007, the Oregon native hasn’t given us anything new since early ’06.  So I am getting real excited to hear what one of the best Christian songwriters of our generation has for us next.  All I know is that he went into the studio last summer to record and that Tyler Burkum, former Audio Adrenaline guitarist, was rumored to be there with him.  So hopefully this rhyming, soul-singing, rocker won’t let us down.

Mat Kearney – I Won’t Back Down

9.  MuteMath

MuteMath spent the later half of 2008 feverishly writing and recording their second full length record in their home studios in Nashville and New Orleans.  Their goal is to return from their break for the holidays and put the final touches on the record by the end of March to get it ready to be released in August of this year.  I may not be able to share with you the title or official release date, but I can bring you the first single off the new record and a killer video that drummer Darren King created while in the studio last year.  If you like this video you should head over to their YouTube channel ready to be blown away. They have made several short videos documenting their creative minds at work in the studio.  According to an interview with the OC Register, their “goal is to embarrass the first album.”  I can’t even imagine what that would look like, or better yet sound like, but I am excited to find out.

MuteMath – Spotlight

Most Anticipated Albums of 2009 – Part 2