VIDEO: SAM ROBERTS BAND - SHAPESHIFTERS

Sam Roberts Band released Lo-Fantasy earlier this month and now they just dropped the official video for the single "Shapeshifters". The video features Sam Roberts driving around the different boroughs of New York in a yellow cab with band mate James Hall in the back playing along... As they drive around they pick up some local street dancers from the New York subway and make their way to Coney Island check it out below! Lo-Fantasy is out now on Paper Bag Records.

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[ALBUM REVIEW] SAM ROBERTS BAND - LO-FANTASY

After agreeing to write this review, I hesitated.  Being a fan of Sam Roberts Band for years now (and having previously praised them on this very blog), I was convinced that this would be difficult to write… worried that I would only be able to describe the album as "Sam Roberts-y". Luckily for new listeners and old fans alike, the band has given us a new experience. The opening number, "Shapeshifters", is an upbeat dance track unfurling a gateway of musical exploration that is Lo-Fantasy. It gives listeners a fresh taste for what the rest of the record holds. Experimentation with 80's synth fills the intro to "Metal Skin" and leads us to the most addicting song on the album with an upbeat, sunny California beat. The 80's influence appears once again later, and much heavier, on "Chasing the Light". This Tears For Fears inspired track sets a perfect scene for your John Hughes prom-scene fantasies. We all have those, right? Not to say they steer too far from their traditional sound… Anthems such as "The Hands of Love" and "We're All In This Together" (which premiered on opening night of this past NHL season) remind us that the band has not forgotten their classic rock roots: A pinch of psychedelica and a dash of rock n roll mixed together to create their magic. Guitar riffs that grab your interest, and Roberts' lyrics that capture and keep your attention. With songs already being selected as Best New Songs of the Week most recently on Esquire Magazine, perhaps this is the record that will break in America and give them the recognition they so deserve. Listen to the opening track Shapeshifters in it's entirety below. Lo-Fantasy is set for release Feb 11th on Paperbag Records HERE. Catch them on their upcoming US tour HERE

By Natalie Burris

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VIDEO: SAM ROBERTS BAND / WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

This was the last song written for 'Lo-Fantasy' and, as often happens, the last song captures the spirit of the whole record. If each song represents a different piece of the human struggle, 'We're All In This Together' offers a solution, the way forward, a chance for redemption through each other."

- Sam Roberts

Click HERE to pre-order "Lo-Fantasy " and instantly receive the singles "We're All In This Together" and "Shapeshifters" for download.

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[RADIO] THE MINIMAL BEAT 11.23.2013

ARTIST / TRACK / ALBUM

• Pearl Jam / Brain Of J / Yield
• Sam Roberts Band / We're In This Together / Lo-Fantasy
• Sky Ferrera / Nobody Asked Me If I Was Ok / Night Time, My Time
• The Strokes / Barely Legal / Is This It
• Temples / Mesmerise / Sun Structures
• Tame Impala / Desire Be Desire Be Gone / Innerspeaker
• Cut Copy / Let Me Show You Love / Free Your Mind
• Blood Orange / Time Will Tell / Cupid Deluxe
• Rathbourne / Soft / Soft
• Alex Barnett / Try Harder /
• Darkside / Paper Trails / Psychic

Guest DJ Julie Meckler

• Joe Dassin / L'ete Indien /
• Julie Meckler / Queenshead / Queenshead
• Thomas Fersen & JP Nataf / Escobar / Plutot tot
• Camille / Ta douleur / Le Fil
• Jacques Dutronc / Et moi et moi et moi /
• Mathieu Boogaerts / J'trouve Pas l'pole / J'en Ai Marre d'etre Deux
• Brigitte / Ma benz 
• Dick Annegarn / Bebe Elephant /
• Serge Gainsbourg / Initials BB
• Manu Chao / Je ne T'aime Plus /
• Julie Meckler / Manhattan / Queenshead
• Velvet Underground / Afterhours / Velvet Underground
• Thomas Fersen & Bumcello / Le Bouton / Plutot Tot
• Julie Meckler / Forest / Queenshead

THE MINIMAL BEAT 11.23.2013 by The Minimal Beat on Mixcloud

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[LISTEN UP] THE LAST SUN - SUCH A FAN

The Last Sun is the musical incarnation of Montreal musician Dave Nugent. A songwriter in his own right since the age of 17, he's been honing his skills in various bands including as the lead guitarist for the Sam Roberts Band. Making use of some recent down time, Dave teamed up with lifelong friend Jordon Zadorozny (Blinker The Star) at his Pembroke, ON recording studio, French Kiss, to lay down the four tracks that comprise The Last Sun EP in five days. Jordon's renowned skills as a producer, mixer, drummer, and overall sonic craftsman brought Nuge's ideas and demos to intense, glorious life.

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[SUCH A SCENE] SAM ROBERTS BAND - USA MIDWEST TOUR

Sam Roberts Band USA Midwest Tour - May 2012

Sam Roberts Band has a special place in my heart. They are one of the few bands that still make me giddy, and I can't believe I have had the pleasure of knowing them for almost six years! I was lucky enough to see all four of their Midwest stops earlier this month (Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Chicago) supporting the Old 97's. Unlike most concerts I see these days, the band always delivers a driving energy that draws in an uncertain crowd and leaves with a slew of new fans. Whether it be on stage or chatting at the bar, they have a certain chemistry that never disappoints.What I'm trying to say is… these Canadian gentlemen write the catchiest music on the other side of the Niagara, that's what I'm talkin' aboot!

-- Natalie Burris

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[RADIO] THE MINIMAL BEAT 05.05.2012

ARTIST / TRACK / ALBUM

Tribute to Adam Yauch MCA by Billeh Ocean

• Beastie Boys / B For My Name / The Mix Up
• Beastie Boys / Paul Revere / Licensed To Ill
• Beastie Boys / 5 Piece Chicken Dinner / Paul's Boutique
• Beastie Boys / Looking Down The Barrel of A Gun / Paul's Boutique
• Beastie Boys / Brass Monkey / Licensed To Ill
• Beastie Boys / Egg Mann / Paul's Boutique
• Beastie Boys / Fight For Your Right / Licensed To Ill
• Beastie Boys / 14th Street Break / The Mix Up
• Beastie Boys / Funky Boss / Check your Head
• Beastie Boys / Johnny Ryall / Paul's Boutique
• Beastie Boys / Body Movin / Hello Nasty
• Beastie Boys / So What You Want / Check Your Head
• Beastie Boys / Politickin / The Mix Up
• Beastie Boys / Triple Trouble / To The 5 Boroughs
• Beastie Boys / Pass The Mic / Check Your Head
• Beastie Boys / 3 MC's and one DJ / Hello Nasty
• Beastie Boys / Sabotage / Licensed to Ill
• Beastie Boys / The Rat Cage / The Mix Up

Sam Roberts Band Guest DJ Set

• Cat's Eyes / Face in the Crowd / Face In The Crowd
• War on Drugs / Baby Missiles / Slave Ambient
• Blinker the Star / Running Up That Hill / We Draw Lines
• PJ Harvey / The Glorious Land / The Glorious Land
• M83 / Kim & Jessie / Saturdays = Youth
• The Clean / Tally Ho / Anthology
• Constantines / Young Lions / Shine A Light
• Althea and Donna / Uptown Top Ranking / Uptown Top Ranking
• Black Night Crash / Ride / Tarantula
• Paul Kelly / I Look So Fine I Feel So Low / Gossip
• XTC / Dear God / Skylarking
• Elvis Presley / In the Ghetto / 7 Inch
• Tears for Fears / Head Over Heels / Songs From The Big Chair

THE MINIMAL BEAT 05.05.2012 by The Minimal Beat on Mixcloud

Listen every Saturday on WLUW 88.7 FM in Chicago or Stream live at WLUW.ORG

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SAM ROBERTS BAND - COLLIDER SESSIONS

Friends of the the blog Sam Roberts Band recorded Collider at Engine Studios down the street from The Minimal Beat HQ in Chicago's Wicker Park Neighborhood. Here's a really cool video of those recording sessions from this past September/October 2010.



COLLIDER was released this past Tuesday May 7th: Pick up an Autographed copy HERE

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