Human Life (Matthew Wasley, Joshua Collins, and Rachael Starr) never let us down. The LA-based trio has produced some of our favorite mixes ever, and some top-notch original work, too.

Today, we have the first new work from the group in quite some time. Enjoy “It’s You” and “Children Of The Night,” below, which Human Life have posted in their full 320 kbps glory.

Update – 9 Feb 2012: We have just learned that Human Life is now just Matthew Wasley. “As a thank you to those that have supported Human Life (so far) we wanted to giveaway two excellent tracks we produced whilst still a trio,” Wasley said in a statement about the two tracks shared above. Wasley’s first single as Human Life will be released this year on Alan Braxe’s Vulture label.

It seems all the mysteries of Cosmic Opera have been revealed. Well, almost. We now know who, where, and when. But the big question that still remains — what can we expect from the Cosmic Opera live experience? What we do know: Cosmic Opera has been described by organizers as an “extrasensory dance event series that will change the landscape of electronic dance music forever” with Swedish House Mafia member and EDM legend Axwell headlining the inaugural showing.

Axwell headlines both nights of this event at Hammerstein Ballroom at the Manhattan Center. He will be supported by Deniz Koyu (February 23) and Thomas Gold (February 24). No ID will be playing both nights.

The pre-sale tickets sold out in less than 30 seconds and the general sale took only 14 minutes to be completed. There are 500 tickets left for the February 23 show, which go on sale here on Tuesday, February 7 at 10 a.m.

Be sure to check back for interviews with the Cosmic Opera founder and others participating in the show, along with a live review.

After three months of radio silence, Local H just posted an update on their site:

“We’ve kept you waiting for four looong years for a new Local H record…. and you’re gonna have to wait just a little longer. We’re getting closer: tracking was done in January, mixing and mastering will be finished in February. And, we promise it’ll be worth the wait – Sanford Parker (Yakuza, Pelican, Bloodiest) is producing it and he is the bee’s knees.

To tide you over, we humbly offer you – a SPRING TOUR! Come hear songs from the new album, Hallelujah! I’m A Bum, live in concert – months before you can buy it…(yeah, our timing’s off, once again).

Here are two live recordings of songs off Hallelujah! that the band has already road tested:

Local H - Another February (Mercury Lounge NYC, Apr 2011)
(From a recording by NYCtaper)

Local H - Paddy Considine (Rock and Roll Hotel DC, Apr 2011)
(From a recording by Craig “Cabbage” Kabis)

Local H Tour Dates (NY, OH and MA on sale today at noon)

Fri 03/09/12 – Rosemont, IL – The Montrose Room
Sat 03/10/12 – Midlothian, IL – Sullivan’s Irish Pub
Fri 03/30/12 – Saint Charles, IL – Chord On Blues
Sat 03/31/12 – Dekalb, IL – Otto’s
Thu 04/12/12 – Grand Rapids, MI – The Pyramid Scheme (Tickets)
Fri 04/13/12 – Toledo, OH – Frankie’s Inner-City (Tickets)
Sat 04/14/12 – Annapolis, MD – Whiskey 1803
Sun 04/15/12 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge (Tickets)
Tue 04/17/12 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall (Tickets)
Wed 04/18/12 – Newark, DE – Mojo Main
Thu 04/19/12 – Reading, PA – Reverb
Fri 04/20/12 – Columbus, OH – The Basement (Tickets)
Sat 05/05/12 – Chicago, IL – Double Door

And here’s what we thought of when the band wrote “four long years” (skip to 0:55 in the first video).

The Darkness burst on the scene back in 2003. Being rock stars they did things too hard and too fast. One thing led to another and The Darkness were no more after two records. Luckily that was 2006 and time has a way to heal everything. Justin Hawkins is back and healthy and so is The Darkness.

The Darkness have returned with “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us,” the lead single off of their as yet untitled third album. Check out the animated video, created Thom Lessner and directed Ted Passon, above. You can download the single at The Darkness’ homepage.

More details about the new album will be announced shortly.

In even better news, The Darkness are touring America. The tour features the original lineup of front man Justin Hawkins, guitarist Dan Hawkins, Frankie Poullian on bass and Ed Graham on drums. The tour originally included one date in New York at Irving Plaza but due to demand, they added a second date. All dates below.

The Darkness Tour Dates

02/01 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix
02/03 – Boston, MA @ Paradise
02/04 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
02/06 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
02/07 – Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero
02/08 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
02/10 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
02/11 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
02/12 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
02/15 – Denver CO @ Summit
02/17 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
02/18 – Phoenix, AZ @ Celebrity Theatre
02/19 – Hollywood, CA @ House of Blues
02/21 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
02/23 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre
02/24 – Vancouver, BC @ The Commodore
02/25 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre

If January is any indication, 2012 is shaping up to be a great year for music. Featuring strong efforts from established and new bands alike, there is a depth and diversity for what January has offered so far. Leonard Cohen has been making music longer than either of the men behind Cloud Nothings or Porcelain have been alive but that’s not to say he is out of ideas or that the young bands have nothing to offer. Far from it. Check out the reviews of Leonard Cohen, Cloud Nothings and Porcelain Raft to see for yourself.

Reviews of Leonard Cohen, Cloud Nothings and Porcelain Raft after the jump
[VIEW THE REST OF THIS STORY HERE]