We're excited to announce the signing of Chicago's Maps & Atlases. Their debut full-length will be released this summer, and if you'll be in Austin, TX next week for SXSW, there will be lots of chances to see them perform. Details about the forthcoming album and spring tour dates will be coming soon.

Nada Surf have announced that following their spring tour — initially the only place their forthcoming covers album if i had a hi-fi will be available for purchase — they will release the album on CD/LP and digitally June 8th via the bands own label, Mardev Records. Nada Surf’s spring tour kicks off in New York on March 25th with three sold-out New York shows, and concludes in late May with a performance at the 2010 Sasquatch Music Festival.

The Wooden Birds will be hitting the west coast with folk-popsters The Clientele this March. In anticipation of this match made in indie-rock heaven, Andrew Kenny (the singer/songwriter behind The Wooden Birds) is teaming up with Insound to release a free exclusive digital EP, Montague Street. In addition, Insound and Barsuk Records will be giving out a pair of tickets to each show and a copy of the Wooden Birds debut Barsuk release magnolia on sweet old vinyl. You can download the EP and enter to win here.

True devotion, the forthcoming album from acclaimed Seattle musician Rocky Votolato, is now streaming in its entirety at PasteMagazine.com in advance of its February 23rd release date. Pre-order the record before release date, and receive a bonus 7" single (while supplies last) and be entered to win a free private house show performance by Rocky!

Pearly Gate Music is an incredibly talented gentleman by the name of Zach Tillman (although it should be noted that he records and often plays shows with a full band), who makes beautiful, unusual, simple-yet-complicated songs structured around his extraordinary singing and melodic sense. Pearly Gate Music’s Daytrotter session has debuted and is available here.

Pearly Gate Music’s tremendous, confident, delicate debut full length, entitled pearly gate music, will be out May 18th — we will also be releasing a limited-edition 7" single (big escape) on March 9th.

The Saratoga Springs, NY duo of Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel, known collectively as Phantogram, are preparing to tour multiple times in 2010. In celebration of the release of their debut LP, eyelid movies (out February 9th, but available for pre-orders now), the band will be hitting the east coast and some Midwest dates. You can listen to the record in its entirety on the NPR website here.

The Long Winters have definitely put the 'long' back in 'taking a long time to make a new album', and we're not complaining (too much) because we know that whenever it's done it'll be great. However, we were very excited to learn that John Roderick recently recorded a very special acoustic version of not moving to portland with his and our friend, the amazing and talented Kathleen Edwards, and that he has donated the recording to the excellent and worthy local charity project GIVE Seattle. You can watch a charming video that John made for the song and learn more about the project on the GIVE Seattle site, but basically, for a very reasonable price, you can get exclusive songs from a ton of Seattle bands and songwriters, including Barsuk family like Pearly Gate Music, David Bazan, and Ben Gibbard.

Absolute Punk and Barsuk are excited to announce that anyone who pre-orders Rocky's new album true devotion before February 23rd will be entered to win some pretty great stuff, as well as getting immediate exclusive digital access to the album plus a bonus 7" single with two non-album tracks (while supplies last). Details can be found here.

A free MP3 from true devotion has just been posted as well, for the song red river.