Below you can listen to the title track from Sophia Knapp's Into The Waves, her first LP outside of her work with Cliffie Swan/Lights..

The record comes out next Tuesday, February 28 on Drag City.

Knapp plays this Thursday at Union Pool with Sanctuaries and Hairy Sands, and next Wednesday she'll celebrate the release of her album with a show at Sway Lounge in Manhattan. She also opens for Nite Jewel at Bowery Ballroom on April 24.

Dustin Wong's new album, Dreams Say, View, Create, Shadow Leads, is out today on Thrill Jockey Records, and he's playing a release show Friday night at La Sala with Lichens. Check out Jesse Jarnow's profile of Wong for the Village Voice.

Wong will also be celebrating his new album by posting a new song on Soundcloud each day for the rest of the week:

Dustin asked fans and friends to tell him about a dream that was significant by recording a description of the dream to his Soundcloud page. He has created five original songs, inspired by each of their dreams and incorporating their description, and will post a track each day this week.

Here's the first one, "Dave Sutton's Dream: Gold Dust and Skateboarding":

Update: here's Wong's second dream song, "Kristel Cover's Dream: Dolphin in a Pool in a House":

And here's the video for Dreams Say, View, Create, Shadow Leads's "Pink Diamond":

Each week we compile a playlist featuring songs by bands that are playing NYC in the coming week. Check out this week's playlist below!

You can listen to our playlist via Spotify, Grooveshark or the embedded player below! Click on a band name below or check out the "Related Shows" listings at the bottom of this post to see when they are playing.

Eardrum NYC Weekly Playlist - 02.14-02.19

[Play with Spotify] [Play with Grooveshark]

01 .The Suzan – Come Come
02. Selebrities – Time
03. Small Black – Search Party
04. Ski Beatz – Scaling The Building
05. Bjork – Thunderbolt
06. Shark? – Die Alone
07. Acrylics – Counting Sheep
08. Prince Rama – Rest In Peace
09. Nick Zammuto (of The Books) – F U C-3PO
10. Snowmine – Let Me In
11. MNDR – I Go Away
12. Superhuman Happiness – Needles & Pins
13. Parts & Labor – Rest
14. Savoir Adore – Early Bird
15. Javelin – Cowpoke
16. Dustin Wong – Anniversary Song
17. Ava Luna – Clips
18. Sharon Van Etten – Give Out
19. Pop. 1280 – Bodies in the Dunes
20. Blood Orange – Sutphin Boulevard
21. Islands – This is Not A Song
22. Avan Lava – The Easy Way
23. Mountains – January 17
24. Todd Rundgren – I Saw The Light
25. YACHT – I Walked Alone
26. Air Waves – Knock Out
27. Royal Baths – Darling Divine

Sleigh Bells played Terminal 5 Friday night, and Shaun Regan shot some great photos. Check them out below, along with a few videos from Bowery Presents' live video stream of the show.

The New York Times' Jon Pareles reviewed the show; here's an excerpt:

But Sleigh Bells fans expect the visceral, and that’s what the band — the two members, their recorded tracks and Jason Boyer on second guitar — served up on Friday night at Terminal 5 in a typically short (51 minutes), forceful set. With or without tongue in cheek, Sleigh Bells have fully embraced the shtick of the big dumb loud rock band. A dozen Marshall speakers were the stage backdrop; there were hyperactive strobe lights. Ms. Krauss, formerly a schoolteacher, played the rocker chick as a cussing party animal, wearing a studded leather jacket, pink top and short shorts. “Push it! Push it! True shred guitar!” she barked in the set’s first song.

Sleigh Bells were also on Saturday Night Live the next night (watch them play "Comeback Kid" and "End of the Line"), and their new album, Reign of Terror, is out tomorrow.

All photos by Shaun Regan

Tonight Bowery Presents will be streaming Sleigh Bells' set at Terminal 5 live starting at 10:30pm. They also play Saturday Night Live tomorrow night.

The duo's new album, Reign of Terror comes out next Tuesday on Mom+Pop. You can stream it now over at the New York Times website.

Check out our review and a couple of videos of Sleigh Bells' show at Le Poisson Rouge way back in November 2009 and watch their Terminal 5 set below starting at 10:30pm.

Yo La Tengo covered Todd Rundgren's "I Saw The Light," originally from his 1972 album Something/Anything?, for a new '70s tribute compilation that you can pick up as a reward for donating to WFMU's fundraising marathon, which starts next week.

The New Yorker posted the track and a few others, as well as the full track list for the compilation, which also includes contributions from Belle & Sebastian's Stevie Jackson, The Minus Five, Mike Doughty and Joe Pernice. Here's a quote from their post:

Everyone knows WFMU, or should: the pride of New York-area independent radio, based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and broadcasting at 91.1 on your FM dial, as well as at wfmu.org. WFMU is a rare jewel of the airwaves for many reasons, not the least of which is how it’s supported entirely by listeners—not by a university, not by advertisers, not by sponsors. As a result, the station has to stage several fund-raising stunts, and luckily, they do so with the same dedication to fun and music that drives the rest of their programming. This year’s fund-raising marathon starts February 20th, and as an enticement, the station’s d.j. Michael Shelley has created a special tribute album in which contemporary rock and pop artists cover their favorite Top 40 hits from the seventies. All songs were recorded for the compilation only. It’s not available in stores, physical or digital. The only way to get it is to make a pledge to the station.

Pledge your support to WFMU below or here!

Below you can check out a recent Newtown Radio session with Heaven's Gate, a band featuring members of the late Sweet Bulbs.

You can catch Heaven's Gate this Saturday at Big Snow Buffalo Lodge with Sleepies, Dead Leaves, Warcries and Jeremy Smoking.

They will also play Death By Audio on February 28 with Night Manager, Life Size Maps and Day Dress.

Head to Newtown Radio's YouTube page for more great live sessions.

You might recognize Neal Morgan from his terrific drumming with Bill Callahan and Joanna Newsom (he appeared on the former's Apocalypse and the latter's Have One On Me and has also toured with both), but he's also got some great solo work in which his percussion and voice take center stage.

His second album, In The Yard, came out in January, and he'll be playing tonight at Big Snow Buffalo Lodge with Man Forever, Plasma Expander and Hot Babes and Thursday at Union Pool with Ed Askew and Metal Mountains. Listen to In The Yard's "Fathers Day" below.

Eardrum contributor Gary Canino recently interviewed Morgan for the BOMB Magazine blog, and the interview is accompanied by a YouTube mixtape curated by Morgan. You can also check out another interview and stream In The Yard over on OPBmusic.org.

Here's an excerpt from Gary's interview:

NM I've been writing about this for five or six years—about supporting—about all of this stuff related to being a supporting drummer, and hope to eventually turn it into a book. Ha! Super inside-baseball drumming book that ten people will read. That question just opens up what to me is so fascinating about what I’m lucky enough to do as a support musician. Thanks for asking it.

GC Neal Morgan's Guide to Drumming and Life. Could be the 21st century answer to Dale Carnegie.

NM I like it. I'll credit you if that's the title.

Each week we compile a Spotify playlist featuring songs by bands that are playing NYC in the coming week. Check out this week's playlist below!

If you have a Spotify account, just click on the link below to launch the playlist, then click on a band below or check out the "Related Shows" listings at the bottom of this post to see when they are playing.

Eardrum NYC Weekly Playlist - 02.14-02.19

01. Oberhofer – Away Frm U
02. Lily & The Parlour Tricks – Little Angel
03. Richard Thompson – Beeswing
04. Neal Morgan – Fathers Day
05. Bjork – Crystalline
06. Lucky Dragons – Open Melody
07. Slow Club – If We're Still Alive
08. Palomar – Wouldn't Release You
09. Milagres – Here to Stay
10. Pearl and the Beard – Sweetness
11. Ed Askew - Fancy That
12. Teengirl Fantasy – Cheaters (Original Mix)
13. Natural Child – The Jungle
14. Mates of State – Palomino
15. Tall Tall Trees – Heart Says Go
16. Yellowbirds – The Rest of My Life
17. The Vandelles – My Time
18. Sleigh Bells – Rill Rill
19. Lady Lamb The Beekeeper – Between Two Trees
20. Aretha Franklin – Rock Steady
21. Magik Markers – Taste
22. Zola Jesus – Vessel
23. Hush Arbors – Fast Asleep
24. Robin Bacior – Island

This Will Destroy You and Life Size Maps played 285 Kent this weekend, and (((unartig))) caught some video, which you can check out below.

You can catch Life Size Maps February 28 at Death By Audio with Night Manager, Heaven's Gate and Day Dress.

This Will Destroy You at 285 Kent:

Life Size Maps - "Weird Luck" at 285 Kent: