News: Summer Camp Release New Video, Michael Kiwanuka Teams with Dan Auerbach, Daytrotter Crosses the Pond

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWcMEyFOA1g&w=590&h=300] I do exist, I swear! I've been working--that's right, working. I've been on blog hiatus this past month or so as I've started my job at Synthetic, the company behind the Hipstamatic iPhone app. (Guess all those gig photos paid off, eh?) I'm still woefully behind on blog duties, but I'll be rolling them back in over the next few weeks. After all, I still owe you an Andrew Butler review.

If anyone is interested in doing a guest post, please comment on this post, tweet me, or shoot me an email. I'd love for you to fill readers in on all the new-folk awesomeness that I've missed over the past month or so. There's been a lot!

Not least of which: congratulations to Daughter for being signed to Glassnote (home of Communion friends Mumford & Sons), Michael Kiwanuka for recording with the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach (track below), and Summer Camp for releasing this super awkward video for "Losing My Mind" (especially loving the cat).

[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/37661704" iframe="true" /]

BREAKING NEWS: Daytrotter has just announced that they're teaming up with Communion and heading to London. From The 405:

We're so excited to be working with Sean and the Daytrotter team here at Communion. We're long time admirers of the ethics and integrity that they display, and we feel as champions of new artists and musical discovery it's a perfect fit for us," said Communion's Jones. Added Lovett, "Daytrotter are the godfathers of alternative music in America, and we're very happy to be entering into this marriage, as Kev said we just love everything they do."

The first batch of sessions recorded here included 4-song sets by Bombay Bicycle Club (the first to be posted on Thursday), Metronomy, Big Deal, Lucy Rose, Niki & The Dove, Nathaniel Rateliff, Admiral Fallow, Slow Club, Simone Felice, Bear Driver, Duologue, Jesca Hoop, Folks, Kyla La Grange, Boxer Rebellion, Tribes and Channel Chairo. Read more at the 405.

NEWS! Lots of it.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-OZP3kifog&w=590&h=300]Check out 'Mukraker' by Conveyor--mark my words, you'll be hearing a lot from them in 2012.

If I covered all the music news that I've found interesting over the past week, I'd be writing this post for three days straight. It's been nutty. So here are some snippets.

King Charles releases Mississippi Isabel EP At long last, I can listen to a version of 'Ivory Road' that wasn't recorded in the back of a London taxicab (although I adore that one too). The king's EP is available on iTunes and Amazon, and features:

1. Bam Bam 2. Love Lust 3. Ivory Road 4. Mississippi Isabel

Andrew Bird reveals Break It Yourself tracklist: I'm stoked to see Andrew Bird and Laura Marling in April--and if that tour prospect isn't juicy enough already, those tickets come with a digital download of the new album and two live EPs. Check those tour dates out here, and the tracklist for Break It Yourself is below.

01. Desperation Breeds… 02. Polynation 03. Danse Caribe 04. Give it Away 05. Eyeoneye 06. Lazy Projector 07. Near Death Experience Experience 08. Behind the Barn 09. Lusitania 10. Orpheo Looks Back 11. Sifters 12. Fatal Shore 13. Hole in the Ocean Floor 14. Belles

Three Blind Wolves release video for 'Echo On the Night Train' These guys need to be better known--they're phenomenal. I'm happy just closing my eyes and listening to 'Echo On the Night Train', but a video (almost) always makes things better.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_A0oHX0_ww&w=590&h=300]

Slow Club announce US tour I'm particularly excited about this one, because it means I finally get to catch this duo live when they hit SF's Brick and Mortar in March.

FEBRUARY 14 - Washington, DC - DC9 15 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's 16 - Brooklyn, NY - The Bell House 17 - Boston, MA - TT The Bears 18 - Montreal, QC - Casa Del Popolo 19 - Toronto, ON - Rivoli 21 - Pontiac, MI - The Pike Room 22 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle

MARCH 06 - Vancouver, BC - Media Club 07 - Seattle, WA - Sunset Tavern 08 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge 10 - San Francisco, CA - Brick & Mortar Music Hall 11 - Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex 12 - San Diego, CA - Casbah

SXSW 2012 dates TBA

Laura Marling discusses her poem and website for The Beast here Laura has posted a poem on the-bea.st; it's inspired by the album and narrated by Gil from Old Crow Medicine Show. Read about her multimedia process and inspiration in the interview above.

Eugene McGuinness releases free download and trailer for 'Thunderbolt' Though we're still waiting on a release date for Eugene McGuinness's upcoming album, at least he's given us another taste of the new material. You can grab the track here and watch the trailer below.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SHDdpSmCSA&w=590&h=300]

Summer Camp hits LA, NY, and DC on upcoming tour I'm bummed that they're not stopping in San Francisco, but you can catch Summer Camp at the following dates:

02/06 – New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge 02/07 – Brooklyn, NY @ Glasslands Gallery 02/09 – Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall 02/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo

And finally.... if you've been on Mars and haven't caught the Coachella lineup yet, click here. Or, for heat-averse San Franciscans like me, check out the Bay Area's Fauxchella dates.

Summer Camp Announce US Tour

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX7elQ6s2Vk&w=590&h=300]

It's only fitting that Summer Camp would stop in LA on their upcoming US tour--after all, Welcome to Condale (which would grace the top of my 2011 best albums list if I'd made one) is set in a fictional SoCal suburb. Maybe that's why their LA date at the Echo is the wonderful price of free.

I'm thrilled that the duo is heading to my side of the pond, but I'm praying to the concert gods that they find their way to San Francisco. Today is the last day to submit music to Noise Pop, so maybe they'll hang in the US an extra couple weeks and hit up the West Coast's premiere indie music festival.

02.06 New York, NY: Mercury Lounge 02.07 Brooklyn, NY: Glasslands Gallery 02.09 Washington, DC: U Street Music Hall 02.13 Los Angeles, CA: The Echo