Monday Music News

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks have announced their 7th studio album, Sparkle Hard. Due out early this summer, the album is the first in four years, following 2014's Wig Out at Jagbags. The band has also shared a song from the album: "Shiggy" which follows up "Middle America," shared last month. A press release says of the album: "Self-indulgent escapism has never been The Jicks' bag, but on Sparkle Hard, the reality of modern life sits closer to the surface, communication cutting to the chase whether it's a proto-punk grind or a back-porch country duet doing the talking. A cleaner burn for dark and complex times." Sparkle Hard is out May 18 via Matador. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks will be in Seattle on Saturday, August 4 to play the Neptune Theatre. [ Under the Radar ]

Arcade Fire were big winners at the 2018 Juno Awards held in Vancouver, British Columbia over the weekend. The band won Album of the Year for 2017's Everything Now and also were awarded the International Achievement Award for "exemplary success on a global scale." Other winners include Grimes, who won Video of the Year for the Janelle Monae-featuring "Venus Fly," Kendrick Lamar for International Album, and Alvvays for Alternative Album of the Year. During the ceremony last night, Arcade Fire performed "Everything Now" backed by First Nations singers. [ Pitchfork ]

Soul singer Leon Bridges recently announced that he'd be releasing a new album called Good Thing this May. Today, he's shared a video for the previously released single "Bad Bad News." Directed by Natalie Rae, the clip follows model Paloma Elsesser through the streets of New York as she chases a man down while mimicking Bridges', who is in a jam session with his band, dance moves. Good Thing follows up Bridges' acclaimed 2015 debut Coming Home and is out May 4 via Columbia. STG is bringing Leon Bridges to the WaMu Theater on Friday, September 14. [ Stereogum ]

Bon Iver debuted new material over the weekend during a collaborative performance with Minnesota contemporary dance company, TU Dance. Justin Vernon’s “work-in-progress score” soundtracked the two-night event at MASS MoCa (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) in North Adams, MA. One of the featured songs had been previously teased last year at a show in Richmond, VA. Tu Dance will officially premiere the work at Liquid Music festival on April 19, but snippets of this weekend's performance were recorded by audience members. Vernon's last Bon Iver album was 2016's 22, A Million. [ NME ]