This week Disturbed will premiere The Asylum Interactive Experience an online game based on their album Asylum. The album was recently released on Reprise Records, and was Disturbed’s fourth consecutive studio album to debut at No. 1.

We finally have details on the sophomore album from The Smith Westerns. The ten track LP called Dye It Blonde will be released by Fat Possum Records on January 18th. The band will be through out the month of November in Europe with MGMT. Here is the tracklist for the new album.

Weekend/ Still New/ Imagine Pt. 3/ All Die Young/ Fallen In Love/ End of the Night/ Only One/ Smile/ Dance Away/ Dye the World

Before they depart on their European adventure the band will be performing at Lincoln Hall on November 5th.

Fresh off of three performances at CMJ the six-piece Scattered Trees (Roll Call/EMI) are returning home to celebrate the release of their second single “A Conversation About Death on New Year’s Eve”. The band’s first single on their new label Roll Call, “Four Days Straight,”was released earlier this month.

The band has been getting a lot of buzz for their warm and inviting cover of John Lennon’s "Instant Karma" which is the b-side to "Four Days Straight".

Scattered Tress will be performing at Subterranean on Friday November 5th with Bully in The Hallway, Urbanities, and The Fallen Rivers.

One of my favorite local sites this year has been the emerging Giant System. I have featured all of their well-made videos, and have loved the variety of bands that they have chosen to featured. On November 5th they will host their first concert at Empty Bottle. The line-up includes Rabble Rabble, White/Light, Black Math, and Verma, and the event will be if you RSVP at rsvp@emptybottle.com (subject "giant system").

To make their debut Suns have released not one, but two eps and they have released them for free. The band throws a large array of instruments on to these eps including glockenspiels, mandolins, banjos, and even dual drummers. Their sound is full and their eps are free. You can download Close Calls in the U.S. Space Program and The Howl and the Many from bandcamp.

You have three opportunities to catch Suns live over the next two weeks. They are performing at Schubas on October 27th (as Black Sabbath), at The House Cafe (Dekalb) on October 30th, and at Double Door on Nov. 3rd with Mutts, Asleep, Glittermouse, and Republic of Lights.

Marc Mozga and Holly Prindle (I Luv Luv Birds) have come together again to release their full-length album in two years. The 20-track (ten original and ten dub track of those originals) album, Cleaning Lady Uprising, is available on the band’s bandcamp site, but will also be sold at the release show tomorrow night (8/23) at The Underground Lounge as a 12” vinyl that comes with homemade, silk-screened cover art and download.

I Luv Luv Birds is self-produced, self-released bedroom pop at its best. These are lo-fi, but a surprising mix of sound with a few creative moody tracks like "Under Your Command" and "Power’s Out". You never know what sound is coming next, and that makes this album even more enjoyable. My favorite track is the inventive "Hook & Grid".

Birthmark is the alias of Nate Kinsella (Joan of Arc, Make Believe), and over the last three years he has been working on his second album as Birthmark. The album will be called "Shaking Hands" and will be released by Hidden Agenda on December 14th. This is the follow up to his 2007 release "The Layer"

The latest album from the basement duo of Salvatore Cassato and Dakota Loesch (aka Animal City) finds the band bringing a fuller sound. For their new 14 track album, You Win Some, You Loser, Cassato and Loesch have added the rhythm section of Douglas Ryan and Levi Yastrow. This is their first release as a full band and Animal City’s first full-length album. Although fourteen tracks in length the album still only clocks in around 27 minutes. These songs are brief, but fun and at times hilarious. This is a band that does not take themselves too seriously, but does come across as more professional and polished on this release.

The album kicks off with a fun little track about a person has a mouse face. It sounds a little like the Hold Steady at first, but that comparison fades over the whole of the album. Animal City celebrated the album’s release last night at Empty Bottle.

Black Math’s second LP Phantom Power is out now on Permanent Records label, and they are playing on November 5th at Empty Bottle

It wasn’t that long ago that we were singing the praises of the debut album, Little, Big, from Shapers. However, they have already recorded a new single that will be released by Whistler Records on November 16th. The single features "Happy Birthday Polliwog" and "Virginia Reel". The band has made a video for "Virginia Reel" and will be celebrating the release at Empty Bottle on November 15th.

I Fight Dragons have been hard at work preparing their next release for their label Photo Finish Records. They will be releasing a new EP next month and celebrating the release at The Metro on Saturday, Nov. 27th. We have an early look at the EP with the song "She’s Got Sorcery".

The band will also be live tonight on ustream.tv. They have ustreamed most of the recording process, and will be continuing the fun tonight.

The electronic duo GateKeeper is back with a new six song ep that will be released on December 13th by Merok Records. The ep is called Giza, and is the follow to last years debut Kompakt’s Fright imprint. The duo bends techno, Chicago house, italo-disco and industrial, and rely heavily on synths. On this is ep GateKeeper creates their own world of sound, which seems to have a mythology all of its own. This story is visualized in part in their new video for the track "Chains" from Giza.