4CDMusic.com - Our Life is Music

We have added two bands to the already overwhelmingly fabulous line-up of Merge bands past and present who will be performing at XX Merge: 3Ds and Pure. Both bands will be performing at the Cat’s Cradle. Doors open each night at 7 p.m. See you there!

Pure were a band from Asheville, NC, featuring Steve Dunnington (bass & vocals), Danni Iosello (drums), and Martin Beeler (guitars & vocals). We released a Pure 7” in the spring of 1991 and they haven’t played together since the early ’90s, but they’ve agreed to reunite for XX Merge and we’re excited! A bit Dinosaur Jr.-y but more spacey, everyone who saw them was pretty blown away and people loved the single. Then they just kinda disappeared back into the mountains.

Stream a Pure song from our 5 year anniversary compilation, Rows of Teeth.

In the same vein, New Zealand’s legendary, guitar-mangling 3Ds haven’t played a stateside show since their 1994 tour with Superchunk, but Davids Mitchell and Saunders, Denise Roughan, and original drummer Dominic Stones are making the trip for XX Merge!

Stream songs from our 3Ds releases as well as the Quasi cover of the 3Ds song “Beautiful Things” from the SCORE! The Covers! CD now on sale at a new low price in the Merge store.

5-day passes for XX Merge are sold out. There may be a limited number of tickets for sale at the door for the Cat’s Cradle shows, and tickets are still available via eTix for the July 26 show at Memorial Hall featuring She & Him, American Music Club & Wye Oak.

This Will Be The Death of Us, the upcoming album from Set Your Goals doesn't hit stores until July 21st, but starting today you can pre-order the record! For $17.99 you can get a copy of This Will Be The Death Of Us and a Set Your Goals t-shirt! Check it out below, then head to the SYG Store to pre-order your copy today!

Folks, check out this exclusive interview and acoustic performance by The Loved Ones who dropped by the Alternative Press office during their recent tour with The Bouncing Souls. You can hear it right here!

We are pleased to announce the release date, tracklisting and cover art from the beloved hardcore punk band Paint It Black due out on August 18th. This new four song EP titled Surrender is part two of their 7” EP’s planned for the summer. The first, Amnesia was released by Bridge Nine in June and you can read about it here and hear a stream of the 7” here. Paint It Black are renowned for their live shows and lucky for us they have announced tour dates in September on the east coast and abroad so be sure to check them out!

Track List:
1: Sacred
2: Worms
3: Cipher
4: Surrender

Get yourself a 22 song Epitaph sampler, courtesy of Hurley. You'll find brand new, never before heard tracks from Every Time I Die and Farewell and a whole slew of awesome tracks. Check out the tracklisting below, then CLICK HERE to download the FREE sampler!

Epitaph Sampler Tracklisting

1. Every Time I Die - The Marvelous Slut
2. Set Your Goals - gaia bleeds (make way for man)
3. Escape The Fate - 10 Miles Wide
4. Bring Me The Horizon - Diamonds Aren't Forever
5. The Blackout - Children of the Night
6. I Set My Friends On Fire - Things That Rhyme With Orange
7. Rancid - Last One To Die
8. Bad Religion - New Dark Ages
9. New Found Glory - Don't Let Her Pull You Down
10. Sing It Loud - Come Around
11. You Me At Six - Finders Keepers
12. Farewell - Devoid (That's What I Think About It)
13. The Higher - It's Only Natural
14. Settle - Affinity For My Hometown
15. Frank Turner - Photosynthesis
16. Thursday - Friends In The Armed Forces
17. Vanna - Safe To Say
18. Our Last Night - Escape
19. Parkway Drive - Idols and Anchors
20. The Color of Violence - Christina, Christina
21. Leathermouth - Bodysnatchers 4 Ever
22. Story of the Year - The Antidote

In celebration of Independence Day, St. Louis rock group Story of the Year pays tribute to the men and women in the armed forces with a heartfelt music video for their new single, “Terrified.”

Watch “Terrified” HERE

Story of the Year’s most earnest ballad to date, “Terrified,” explores the whirlwind emotions that families all across the country feel each day as they hope for the safe return of their loved ones who are serving the country abroad.

“The video for "Terrified" is pretty much a direct interpretation of the lyrics,” explains singer Dan Marsala. “A story of a husband who is off at war, scared of the fact that he might not ever make it home to his wife and family, and a pregnant wife who is left at home, not knowing if she will ever see her husband alive again. It is an extremely touching subject because there are hundreds of thousands of families in America going through this exact scenario as we speak. It has to be one of the most terrifying situations that any family could ever experience. I think the video is a great representation of the story told in the lyrics and it is our tribute to all the families who suffer through this situation every day.”

“What excites me the most about this video,” adds guitarist Ryan Phillips, “is that it takes an enormous issue our generation is facing, the war in Iraq, and instead of getting political we honed in on the human aspect of the situation.”

Story of the Year will return to the studio this summer to record their fourth studio album due out in 2010.

Bay Area pop-punk band Set Your Goals has released a music video for the title track from their forthcoming album, This Will Be The Death Of Us. Shot in a warehouse in downtown Los Angeles, the video features a stunning live performance with a guest appearance and vocals by Vinnie Caruana (I Am the Avalanche).

“This Will Be The Death Of Us” is the title track from the bands sophomore album, which is set for release on July 21. “A quantum leap forward” (Alternative Press), This Will Be The Death Of Us is “38 minutes of scorching, Lifetime-esque, balls-to-the wall pop-punk that keeps one ear to the ground and one to a nostalgic sound” (Revolver). "To put it bluntly, this is an amazing, incredible, passionate, energetic, urgent, competent, important and inspiring album” (Decoymusic.com).

Watch “This Will Be The Death Of Us” HERE

Listen to audio streams of “This Will Be The Death Of Us” and “Gaia Bleeds (make way for man)” HERE

Set Your Goals will kick off their co-headlining tour with Four Year Strong on July 13th.

Set Your Goals Tour Dates:
13 July – Pop’s – Sauget, IL (w/Fireworks)
15 July – The Picador – Iowa City, IA (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
16 July – Metro – Chicago, IL (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
17 July – Magic Stick – Detroit, MI (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
18 July – Reverb – Toronto, ON (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
19 July – Underworld – Montreal, QC (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
20 July – The Station – Portland, ME (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
22 July – Northern Lights – Albany, NY (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
23 July – The Stone Pony – Asbury Park, NJ (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
24 July – Toad’s Place – New Haven, CT (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
25 July – The Palladium – Worcester, MA (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
26 July – the Crazy Donkey – Farmingdale, NY (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
27 July – The Town Ballroom – Buffalo, NY (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
28 July – Peabody’s Downunder – Cleveland, OH (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
29 July – Mr. Smalls Theater – Pittsburgh, PA (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
30 July – Otto Bar – Baltimore, MD (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
31 July – Canal Club (Downstairs) – Richmond, VA (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
1 Aug – New Brookland Tavern – Columbia, SC (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
2 Aug – Visulite Theatre – Charlotte, NC (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
4 Aug – Off the Wagon – Montgomery, AL (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
5 Aug – Rocketown – Nashville, TN (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
6 Aug – Vinyl (GA) – Atlanta, GA (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
7 Aug – State Theatre – St. Petersburg, FL (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
8 Aug – Culture Room – Ft. Lauderdale, FL (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
9 Aug – The Social – Orlando, FL (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
11 Aug – The High Ground – New Orleans, LA (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
12 Aug – Java Jazz – Houston, TX (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
13 Aug – Emo’s – Austin, TX (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
14 Aug – The Max – Dallas, TX (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
15 Aug – The Marquee – Tulsa, OK (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
16 Aug – Launchpad – Albuquerque, NM (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
17 Aug – The Clubhouse Music Venue – Phoenix, AZ (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
19 Aug – Soma – San Diego, CA (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
20 Aug – Glasshouse – Pomona, CA (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
21 Aug – Slim’s – San Francisco, CA (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
22 Aug – Satyricon – Portland, OR (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
23 Aug – El Corazon – Seattle, WA (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
24 Aug – The Venue – Boise, ID (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
25 Aug – Murray Theater – Salt Lake City, UT (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
26 Aug – Cervantes – Denver, CO (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)

On Tuesday, June 30th, Spoon will debut its first newly recorded material since 2007’s universally acclaimed Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga! We will release the three-song “Got Nuffin” single on CD and digital download beginning June 30, with the 12″ vinyl version following in July (exact date TBD). Pre-order your CD single now in the Merge store.

“Got Nuffin” was recorded by Nicolas Vernhes at Rare Book Room. B-sides “Tweakers” and “Stroke Their Brains” were recorded by Spoon.

As previously announced, Spoon will return to its birthplace to commandeer Austin’s Stubbs Amphitheater July 9, 10 and 11 for SPOONX3, which will feature the live debut of new material from the band’s forthcoming album as well as different special guests nightly, all handpicked by the band. Spoon will also perform as part of our 20th anniversary celebration, XX Merge July 22-26th.

The lineup for the shows at Stubbs is as follows:

July 9 - SPOON, Quasi, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears
July 10 - SPOON, Low, Dale Watson
July 11 - SPOON, Atlas Sound, the Strange Boys

For further information, check www.spoontheband.com.

Telekinesis are in Los Angeles today and will visit the Santa Monica studios of KCRW to perform on Morning Becomes Eclectic. The band will play live and chat with host, Jason Bentley. Tune in to listen and watch live at 11:15 PST / 2:15 EST today, June 26.

Telekinesis are on tour in support of their debut album, Telekinesis!, available on CD and digital download in the Merge store.

We are excited to welcome Mindy Kaling to the illustrious list of SCORE! curators. Mindy is one of our favorite writers and actors on television’s The Office, for which she is also a co-executive producer. From her famous “Netflix instructions” to her subtle dance moves every time Michael Scott’s phone rings, Mindy’s Kelly Kapoor makes us laugh whenever she is on screen. Mindy is compiling her favorite songs from the Merge catalog plus a little something extra to create yet another unique installment in the SCORE! series. We can’t wait to see the results!

SCORE! Merge Records: The First 20 Years is a deluxe subscription-only box set that is currently sold out. However, you can purchase SCORE! 20 Years of Merge Records: The Covers! now on sale in the Merge store with all proceeds benefiting the charities chosen by the curators. Mindy has chosen to direct the proceeds from her SCORE! contribution to Doctors Without Borders.