Did You Forget Me, Baby?

It's all a bit under the radar at the moment, but our beloved Matthew Sweet is hitting the road this summer for a tour seemingly titled The Matthew Sweet Rock Show. I guess there's no question whether he's headlining. Via matthewsweet.com...

FRI 7/11/14 Infinity Hall Norfolk, CT
SAT 7/12/14 Westhampton Beach PAC Westhampton Beach, NY
SUN 7/13/14 Sellersville Theater Sellersville, PA
TUE 7/15/14 Ram's Head Annapolis, MD
WED 7/16/14 The Birchmere Alexandria, VA
FRI 7/18/14 City Winery NYC, NY
SAT 7/19/14 Paradise Boston, MA
SUN 7/20/14 The Abbey Bar Harrisburg, PA
TUE 7/22/14 Club Cafe Pittsburgh, PA
WED 7/23/14 Beachland Ballroom Cleveland, OH
THU 7/24/14 Radio Radio Indianapolis, IN
FRI 7/25/14 City Winery Chicago, IL
SAT 7/26/14 Merchant Street Music Festival Kankakee, IL
TUE 7/29/14 Knucklehead’s Kansas City, MO
THU 7/31/14 Vega Lincoln, NE
SAT 8/2/14 SPACE Evanston, IL

Most dates already have tickets on sale. No news that I've seen about a new album, but my fingers are crossed.

Snug As Fuck

Liam Finn finally releases the follow-up to 2011's acclaimed FOMO next week. Pitchfork Advance is streaming the full album here with some instagrammy photos and vines short vids to go along with your listening pleasure.

Finn is pushing it to the edge again with The Nihilist, but being Neil's kid can't be easy (he even ends the album with a tune called Wrestle With Dad! Hmm). Liam is finding his way just fine!

Pitchfork Advance | Amazon

Bury Me Deep In Your Dreams

Matt Pond has released a new album via NoiseTrade called Skeletons and Friends. It's free as a thank you to supportive fans. But upon first listen, I feel a bit guilty about that. Of course you can tip on NoiseTrade and upon first listen it deserves a hefty one.

Perhaps strangely, it’s mostly about hope. Sometimes the forces surrounding will set you adrift, amiss in the sea of music.

Holy hell I can relate to that these days; a sea of music indeed. Beautiful. Enjoy.

It's Just A Drop Of Rain

Justin Currie is best known as the lead singer-songwriter of Del Amitri, a band sadly best known for Roll To Me. In the Too Poppy Universe, Currie is one of the best songwriters of his generation; dry, melancholic, witty, and in its ultimate meaning, lyrical.

Out today - at least in US digital stores - is his latest solo album Lower Reaches. Allmusic.com calls it "a collection of road-ready, Scots-spun Americana that feels both loose and lived in." That's not the first time I've seen Currie called Americana and superficially I get it, but his songs are certainly more universal. Can't wait to download this one and I encourage you to do the same. In fact, dig deeper. Explore beyond Roll To Me and if you're a fan of contemplative, romantic, and often soul-crushing tunes then you will not regret it.

Official Site | Amazon | iTunes

Bright Are The Stars That Shine

I suppose Too Poppy is a blog 50 years in the making. Of course this month we're all celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Beatles crashing onto our shores and fundamentally changing music forever. There are plenty of celebrations online and elsewhere, but it would be tragic if you missed last night's Late Show with David Letterman performance of And I Love Her by Broken Bells (and Ringo) in the Ed Sullivan Theater...

Perfection. In less than four minutes The Shins' James Mercer and Danger Mouse collectively known as Broken Bells capture the essence of the initial revolution caused by The Beatles and the subsequent evolution of the popular music we revere today. Sting, Flaming Lips, Sean Lennon, and Lenny Kravitz are all scheduled for the remainder of Letterman's weeklong celebration.

It's also a hell of a way to promote Broken Bells' new album After the Disco, the follow-up to their fantastic self-titled debut. Disco is out today.

Official Site | iTunes | Amazon

You Crave Adventures

Jeremy Messersmith's new album Heart Murmurs "is no less than an attempt to craft a new batch of pop standards" according to NPR. They would know because they've heard it. Now they've made it available for us loyal public radio listeners in full streaming glory one week before it's officially released! The Reluctant Graveyard was an unexpected treat a few years ago so I can't wait to spend some quality time with Heart Murmurs' "subtle strings and sly infectiousness."

Stream Heart Murmurs via NPR

Official Site | Bandcamp | iTunes | Amazon MP3

To Me It Comes As No Surprise

Matthew Sweet moves back to the Midwest only two hours away from me and reveals plans for a 2014 Kickstarter campaign for his next album! More here!

Happy 2014, Too Poppers!