oh! so random

Tera Melos - Idioms (EP) (2009)

2009-04-20T06:38:00.001-07:00

01.meant for you (The Beach Boys cover)
02.koka kola (The Clash)
03.tame (The Pixies cover)
04.blast off (Weezer cover)
05.hey sandy (Polaris cover)

In a recent myspace bulletin post, lead guitarist Nick Reinhart mentioned how happy he was that he didn't have to tap one single note on this whole ep. "I felt like such a hack everytime I started to play 40 Rods..."

We could've had a full length in a recent time from Tera Melos. At least until drummer Vince Rogers left the band. But with Vince leaving the band, the whole idea of a new full length for us to steal came to a screeching halt. After picking up new drummer John Clardy, Tera Melos put the idea of a new full length on hold, and rather decided to pick up their instruments and play the songs that most inspired them. They describe these songs as: "These are five of the raddest songs ever written. Since we will probably never write anything as cool as these, we figured we'd recreate them. Also, since they will likely never be performed by the original artist again, and quite possibly by anyone, we will honor them by playing them live." Taking a few months to relearn their most influential songs, the next stream of releases coming out look to be Cover EPs such as this one, Idioms Vol. 1.

The music itself is a huge change of pace for Tera Melos as a whole. Gone is the crazy spastic, jazz like drumming found on their previous albums. Gone is the crazy tapping frenzy that guitarist Nick Reinhart and bassist Nathan Latona flung at your ears at a million miles per hour. We are greeted with toned down technicality, a flurry of effects, and most surprisingly, vocals. Tera Melos never really used vocals. First a few undecipherable lines on their debut LP, and then an added conclusion of vocals found on their split EP with "By The End of Tonight." Here the vocals are not used as another layer, but more as the fronting force. Nick's vocals are put through a lot of effects and such throughout the EP, and give the EP a more chilled-out feel. The guitar and bass are toned down from the aggressive and spastic nature found on their previous recordings. No more crazy time-signature shifts, jazz-style drumming. The one thing that still remains from previous recordings is the high use of sampling. Halfway through most of the songs everything will cut out and sample will cut over carrying the song over to it's next part. The guitars are much more simple and Nick relies on pulling his strings more than any other technique he has used. The bass is more groovy then pounding and the drums rely more on simplicity and substitute a few fills in here and there.

The covers themselves are very well done and more importantly, they're loads of fun. I can't imagine someone staying depressed through the EPs 7 minute 56 second play time. The songs are happy, bouncy and upbeat. It's quite evident throughout the whole playtime that everyone in the band was having a lot of fun recording the songs that they know, love and grew up with. The songs flow through in a fantastic way that allow the EP to flow as smooth as a slip n' slide. For one, I'm happy for this new transition in Tera Melos' writing process. It seems that they have completely dropped what had made them original in the first place, to progress into a different realm of song writing and techniques. If they actually do decide to change their sound completely, only time will be able to tell us that. But enough with this rambling, if you're a fan of fun, I suggest joining their mailing list and downloading this free EP. Or just wait for some little shit to upload it onto a torrent site (that's how they feel about downloading.)

Now only if Tera Melos happened to do a Godspeed You! Black Emperor cover. -sputnikmusic.com

Black Moth Super Rainbow - Eating Us (2009)

2009-04-20T05:49:00.000-07:00

01. Born On A Day The Sun Didn’t Rise
02. Dark Bubbles
03. Twin Of Myself
04. Gold Splatter
05. Iron Lemonade
06. Tooth Decay
07. Fields Are Breathing
08. Smile The Day After Today
09. The Sticky
10. Bubblegum Animals
11. American Face Dust

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s psych-pop outfit “poised to break out this year” (Rolling Stone) Black Moth Super Rainbow have a special treat for Record Store Day vinyl aficionados.

On April 18, 2009, Graveface Records will release the ‘Born On A Day’ 7-inch, which comes with two versions of the eerie, swirling psychedelic first single “Born on a Day the Sun Didn’t Rise”‘Eating Us’ (Graveface 5/26) on 7-inch orange/red vinyl in a limited edition of just 500 copies. from their forthcoming album

Side A is the album version, and Side B is a soft, stripped-down version recorded with a banjo and sticky electro beats, showcasing the before and after entailed in recording their first studio album with acclaimed producer Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, MGMT, Weezer) at Tarbox Road Studios. Graveface is also offering “Born On A Day the Sun Didn’t Rise” as an MP3 download for fans to hear the fully fleshed-out BMSR.

Fridmann takes Black Moth Super Rainbow’s adventurous sound to new sonic heights by replacing the spliced electro beats used in their previous recordings with D.Kyler’s booming, hip-hop styled live drums, cranking up the undulating bass guitar to blend seamlessly with the crunchy beats, and making frontman Tobacco’s vocoder lush and up front, creating a creepy and angelic sound that bridges human voice and machine. Fridmann keeps the candy-coated sticky textures created with vintage synths, guitars and freaked-out analog effects for which the group has become known and loved.

‘Eating Us’ follows the critically praised 2007 ‘Dandelion Gum’ (Graveface). The group Blender described as “the missing link between Daft Punk’s cosmic kitsch and the wistful bliss of ‘Strawberry Fields Forever” is poised to make a major impression on new fans in 2009.

Graveface Records has set up a reserve list on their website where fans can sign up to ensure they receive the full deluxe CD of ‘Eating Us,’ featuring a 16-page art booklet and hairy summer jewel case jacket limited to 2,000 copies.

As previously announced, Black Moth Super Rainbow, who have previously toured with Flaming Lips and Aesop Rock, will take their cocktail of visual and aural oddness on the road this summer supporting ‘Eating Us.’ Daydreamers School of Seven Bells co-headline. -bandweblogs.com

LoveLikeFire - Tear Ourselves Away (2009)

2009-04-17T21:51:00.000-07:00

1. William
2. From A Tower
3. Crows Feet
4. Signs
5. Ive Pissed Off My Friends
6. Good Judgement
7. Boredom
8. My Left Eye
9. Far From Home
10. Stand In Your Shoes
11. Everything Must Settle

Million Dollar Lips-Lust (2009)

2009-04-17T04:04:00.000-07:00

01. Single Round
02. Golden Pearl
03. Under Dancer (Feat. Danny Mommens)
04. Modern Dream
05. Always The Pain
06. Lets Dance
07. The Colourful Me
08. About To Break
09. The One To Blame
10. All She Wants
11. Moving On (To The Other Side)

This is Million Dollar Lips debut record. The album of the band from Sesimbra contains 11 tracks, where the electro pop melts with glam and pieces of the sharpest lust. It was produced by Marc Requille.
Enjoy it and support the band! -filedownloadfull.com

Halloween, Alaska - Champagne Downtown (2009)

2009-04-17T03:50:00.001-07:00

01. Hot Pink

02. In Order

03. Ends

04. Gone with the Wind

05. Hollywood Sign

06. Champagne Downtown

07. Un-American

08. Be a Man

09. Hurry Up

10. Knights of Columbus

Having earned widespread acclaim for its atmospheric brand of synth-driven indie, "CHAMPAGNE DOWNTOWN" sees Halloween, Alaska crafting its most distinctive and disarming set to date. Songs such as "In Order" and "Gone With The Wind" are complex and thoughtful, rich with simmering textures and literate lyricism. Melding an expansive range of inventive sounds with anthemic indie-rock hooks, "CHAMPAGNE DOWNTOWN" straddles the boundary between the electronic and the organic to create a novel rethink of what pop music can mean in a new millennium. Halloween, Alaska is comprised of James Diers (voice, keyboards, guitar), Matthew Friesen (bass, sampler), Jacob Hanson (guitar, keyboards, voice), and David King (acoustic and electronic drums)- the latter also serving as the enigmatic drummer with modernist jazz giants, The Bad Plus. Though founding keyboardist/programmer Ev has since left the official touring line-up, he remains on board for recording and assorted sound manipulation. "CHAMPAGNE DOWNTOWN" was recorded by Ev and mixed by Grammy Award-winning engineer Tchad Blake (Peter Gabriel, American Music Club, Latin Playboys).

Halloween, Alaska came together in 2002, encompassing members of such esteemed local outfits as Love-cars, 12RODS, and Happy Apple. The band self-released its eponymous debut in 2004, drawing critical praise and nationwide exposure when two tracks - "Des Moines" and "All The Arms Around You" - were featured on the Fox series, The O.C. Popular demand saw "HALLOWEEN, ALASKA" reissued the following year by East Side Digital, prompting a further flood of accolades.

"Halloween, Alaska's emotive verve and electro-organic poise is so accomplished, you'd think you'd got your hands on The Blue Nile's mislaid comeback album," declared MOJO in it four-starred rave. "Melancholy stains every measured note, but HA reside slap-bang in the heart of America's Midwest, and the atmosphere of low, distant horizons and isolation is palpable." "Mesmerizing stuff," hailed the Sunday Times , while the Twin Cities' own City Pages noted that "the album drowns the ears in alien lullabies, though Diers's candid lyrics about living-room clutter make everyday things just as song-worthy as these strange soundscapes...King combines his traditional drum kit with electronic pads that sound just as they should - beautifully artificial."

That same year also saw the release of Halloween, Alaska's sophomore outing, "TOO TALL TO HIDE." The album - which includes a striking rethink of LL Cool J's classic "I Can't Live Without My Radio" - also reaped copious critical hosannas. "Having laid out a defining blend of lush electronica and spare, somber emo-rock on its debut," wrote The Onion AV Club , "this time out the foursome explores the territory further - it's soaring and introspective by turns." "It displays all the charms of this band," affirmed Pulse , "sentimentality tempered by a wink and masterful musicianship uncluttered by virtuoso-style wankery." -musicremedy.com

Flairs-Sweat Symphony (2009)

2009-04-17T03:21:00.000-07:00

01 Superlife
02 Radio
03 Whamma Gonna Do
04 Better Than Prince
05 French Cowboy
06 Truckers Delight
07 R.E Balls
08 Neighbourwatch
09 Square Boy
10 Golden Years

Tiga - Ciao! (2009)

2009-04-17T03:14:00.000-07:00

01. Beep Beep Beep
02. Mind Dimension
03. Shoes
04. What You Need
05. Luxury
06. Sex O'Clock
07. Overtime
08. Turn the Night On
09. Speak, Memory
10. Gentle Giant
11. Love Don't Dance Here Anymore

The producer has reportedly split the difference between "club songs and real songs" by working with the likes of Soulwax, James Murphy, Jesper Dahlbäck and Gonzales—an artist perhaps best known for his work behind the scenes with indie darling Feist. Soulwax and Dahlbäck, as you might imagine, have a lot to do with the club-centric tunes like "Beep Beep Beep," "Mind Dimension" and "What You Need." And Gonzales and Murphy help out with things like "Luxury" and "Gentle Giant," which see Tiga airing out some of his insecurities to the world at large. That said, as with many Tiga records, there's lots of mixing and matching, meaning the line between "club" and "real" blurs quite often—as on the lengthy closer "Love Don't Dance Here Anymore," which contains a two-minute piano ballad intro before transforming into a Cowley-esque disco groover. -wiredla.com

Joshua Radin - Simple Times (2009)

2009-03-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

1. One of Those Days
2. I'd Rather Be With You
3. Sky (Featuring Meiko)
4. Friend Like You
5. Brand New Day
6. They Bring Me To You
7. Vegetable Car
(8. Free Of Me
9. You Got Growin Up To Do (featuring Patty Griffin)
10 We Are Okay
11 No Envy No Fear

There is a tangible sincerity to Joshua Radin. While his brand of singer/songwriter tunes aren't terribly original, they never feel false or fabricated. Simple Times, his sophomore release, is just that: simple. It sticks to his formula of pensive, vaguely introspective lyrics (example: "you make your past your past") echoed through his hushed, whisper-thin voice, peppered with wistful piano and string arrangements. Songs like "One of Those Days" and lead single "I'd Rather Be With You" are fleetingly pleasant. "Sky," the sprightly confection with fellow Hotel Café artist Meiko, is charming and earnest ("Sometimes I forget to love you like I should / But I'd never leave you / No, I never would"). The muted, melancholic "They Bring Me To You" is a stunning standout, with pitch-perfect vocals from Erin McCarley that melt in tune with Radin's. When Radin strays too far from the formula, like the African-twinged "We Are Okay" and the grating "Vegetable," the album stalls. But even though nothing approaches the honeyed intimacy of "Star Mile" or the lush instrumentation of "Sundrenched World" off 2006's We Were Here, Radin has crafted a worthy collection of songs destined for future Zach Braff movies (his close friend). That's not necessarily a bad thing. - Pastemagazine.com

Disrupt - The Bass Has Left The Building (2009)

2009-03-23T08:38:00.001-07:00

01. The Bass Has Left The Building

02. 21st Century Planet Smashas

03. Berzerk Dub

04. Echobombing

05. Bruce Lee

06. SEGA Beats

07. Hail The Robots

08. It's More Fun To Dubpute

09. Wir Rufen Die Venus

10. Impossible Mission III

11. Bit Defender

12. Love On

Germany's top soundbwoy Disrupt aka Jan Gleichmar drops the follow-up to Werk Discs awesome 'Foundation Bit' LP, teasing our bowels with rumbunctious subbass and cheeky 8-bit game music lifts on 'The Bass Has Left The Building'. Almost anyone that's come into contact with Disrupt's fun dubs has quickly developed an addiction for his compact and highly disciplined form, channeling the spirit of early Jamaican digi-dub and dancehall produced on early Casio keyboards and cheap drum machines through a matrix of 8-bit samples and pungent dub FX for an entirely endearing sound which attempts to maximise the potential of the stripped dub format with constantly mutating FX meaning no two succesive bars sound identical. The title track lifts the theme from the C64 game 'Future Knight' and piles a tonne of epic dubbed pressure upon it before 7" detonators 'Bezerk Dub' and 'Echobombing' squeeze out the slow and heavy jams for all bass luvvas. The version of C64 chip tune 'Bruce Lee' will probably flood back memories for those old enough (albeit with added subbass), and acid fried stepper 'Wir Rufen Die Venus' takes our money for the album highlight. You'd best check this if you like Darkstar, Quarta 330 or classic digi-dub dancehall. Big. -Boomkat.com

Raina Rose - End of Endless False Starts (2009)

2009-03-23T08:17:00.001-07:00

01. Are You Still in Love With the World?
02. Desire
03. The King's Flashlight
04. Blind Cyrus
05. Air & Water
06. The River
07. Misaligned Tires
08. This Ain't My House
09. Not Not Love
10. Starts With a Low Hum
11. End of Endless False Starts
12. I Would Like to Kiss Everyone *Bonus*

Raina "Railroad" Rose first began performing when she was three, singing "Johnny B. Goode" with her father and sister in a house high on a hill in Eagle Rock, CA. In 1988 her family moved to Portland, Oregon. Although she considers Portland her home, she currently splits her time between the Pacific Northwest and Austin, Texas.

As young girls Raina and her sister, Marisa, used to rock out with their dad as he played "Jugband Music" by the Spoonful, or "Maybelline" by Chuck Berry and when Marisa started playing Beatles records on an old beat-up record player in the other room late at night, Raina would absorb them for hours listening through the wall as she sang along.

Raina's dad, Mo, introduced her to the guitar when she was 11, right around the time he found a double live Ani DiFranco album in a studio space he was renting out. So he gave her the album and encouraged her to start pickin'. From that moment forward, Raina's musical world burst wide open. She devoured songwriters old and new, such as Joni Mitchel, Dar Williams, the Indigo Girls, Dan Bern, Robert Hunter, Paul Simon, Elliott Smith, and a whole slew of new folks who used to and still create good, honest, soul-wrenching music that may or may not fly under the radar of the masses.

Raina's solo debut "Despite the Crushing Weight of Gravity" came out in August 2005. Produced by Jim Brunberg at Mississippi Studios in Portland, OR, it has been called an indiefolk masterpiece by the press. Produced in collaboration with her father Mo (Western & Country music history buff), and featuring original illustrations by Three Pin Artist Giovanni Salimena, The Prophet, The Panhandler and The Moon is a strikingly sweet sophomore album from a serious yet sincere indie-folk-singer. –threepin.org

Bosque Brown - Baby (2009)

2009-03-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

01. White Love
02. Went Walking
03. So Loud
04. On and Off (Part 1)
05. Texas Sun
06. Whiskey Flats
07. On and Off (Part 2)
08. Train Song
09. This Town
10. On and Off (Part 3)
11. Oh River
12. Phone Call
13. Soft Love

Texas dove Bosque Brown (a.k.a. Mara Lee Miller) has a voice that can only be compared to the comfort that one finds in a pillow. Mara Lee Miller ’s voice is as soft as the flowing river that Bosque Brown is named after. However, this is not the sort of soft that we are all used to, but a pure southern, raspy softness, which is nothing short of beautiful.

Four years after their first record,Bosque Brown has released its second album, Baby. Having lived in Texas my whole life, I know oil when I see it, and after listening to all thirteen tracks of Baby, I know I have struck it. With a voice like that of Norah Jones(and what sounds like a female version of Thom Yorke), Mara Lee Miller paints such beautiful pictures with her singing.

The songs, “On and Off (part I)”, “On and Off (part II)” and “On and Off (part III)” are testaments to how versatile and elegantly she can use her voice with no help from background music. The first track, “White Dove” is a beautiful song about rising up and shedding the little things.

Not only is the singing a masterpiece, but the lyrics in the song are just as immaculate. This holds true for all of the songs that Bosque Brown has on Baby. -Popwreckoning.com

The Cloud Room - Waiting (2009)

2009-03-23T07:57:00.001-07:00

01. Follow Me
02. Waiting...
03. Sonic Youth
04. 24 Hr Heartbreak
05. La La Losing
06. When Dogs And Wolves Split
07. The Bomb Is Boring
08. T-Shirts
09. Sticks And Stones
10. Memories
11. Blue Monday
12. Melody Like Snow
13. Sunlight Song (Part 2)

Named after the Chrysler Building's abandoned speakeasy, The Cloud Room is a Brooklyn-based quartet that forges the wistful, Kinks-esque pop of the 60s with the second coming of New York rock into hooks the most Ritalin-crazed fan of Justin Timberlake and New Order could sing in the shower. The Cloud Room thrive on their unique way of blurring the lines between today and yesterday. According to J, "People always groan about how good rock used to be. To hell with that, there's still great songs out there waiting to be found." -insound.com

Cinemasophia - Fits & Cycles

2009-03-23T07:26:00.001-07:00

01. Detailed Night
02. Failed Drum Circle
03. ...And Then Quietly
04. Neutral Burst
05. Given Hell
06. I Refuse Yr Fourth Dollar
07. Pet Enemies
08. Dislodge From Thee
09. Light of My Life
10. Two Flights Downstairs
11. Whole Ghosts

Cinemasophia is a top notch indie rock band with all the twist and turns of a world class rollercoaster. In fact when we at Little Black Cloud Records heard the demos to this release we begged the band to let us put them out.

If you love '90s American shoegaze (Lilys, Swirlies, all that is Slumberland) and are looking forward to a new Polvo record as much as we are, then Cinemasophia's "Fits & Cycles" will be sure to wildly please you too.

What others are saying:

"It's quite reminiscent of the remarkably multi-personalitied Philadelphia band The Lilys, but also akin to more recent bands such as Grizzly Bear -- both with whom Cinemasophia have shared the rock stage. It's a lush, yet loosely woven tapestry of dream pop, shoegaze, and post-rock. In turn, the band can be all warm and fuzzy, robust and driving, introspective and intimate, fiery and dissonant."

– Aquarius Records

"As a record store owner, it can become quite the pain in the ass to describe music as you exhaust your vocabulary through miles of post-its. And, as you read record reviews all day, it becomes more difficult to understand what a band sounds like through words. Cinemasophia is a sonic assault of poly-rhythmic structures, minimal lyrics, satellite beeps, blah blah blah. This shit is good."

– Relative Theory Blog

-littleblackcloudrecords.com

The Super Vacations - S/T (2009)

2009-03-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

01. Weird Beard
02. El Secret
03. Pyramids
04. Sea Song
05. Mr. Mystery
06. Congratulations
07. Terrible The Cat
08. Landing Site
09. Candy Hearts
10. Van.America
11. Endless Bummer
12. Remain In Wonder
13. Stack/Stacks
14. Solid Gold
15. Grown
16. Sidewalk

Another excellent contemporary psych monster from Shdwply, rapidly becoming one of VT’s favourite imprints. The Super Vacations take off on the whole Gary War style of F/X-occluded psych/pop mutants, creating a form of modern psychedelia that has nothing to do with loon-pants but is as brain-rearranging and specifically drug-keyed as anything on the International Artists label. The Super Vacations have a weird, refracted garage/surf guitar sound that’s somewhat akin to alla them great groups on the Pebbles surf set The Pyramids, The Fantastic Baggies, etc if they hadda re-grouped in a secret basement sometime in the 90s and re-connected to the freak tradition via Royal Trux (with a guitar sound specifically keyed to Neil Hagerty circa Bad Blood), electric Jandek and classic teenage stones like The Bachs, 13th Floor Elevators, Bubble Puppy, et al. Another beautifully muzzy trip through teenage USA from Shdwply. Highly recommended. - VT -Sarcaticsunrise.com

The Wooden Birds - Magnolia (2009)

2009-03-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

01. False Alarm
02. The Other One
03. Sugar
04. Hailey
05. Hometown Fantasy
06. Choke
07. Quit You Once
08. Never Know
09. Anna Paula
10. Believe In Love
11. Seven Seventeen
12. Bad

Antje Duvekot - The Near Demise of the High Wire Dancer (2009)

2009-03-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

01. Vertigo
02. Ragdoll Princes and Junkyard Queens
03. Long Way
04. Lighthouse
05. Dublin Boys
06. The Bridge
07. Scream
08. Reasonland
09. Coney Island
10. Merry Go Round

Super Furry Animals - Dark Days/Light Years (2009)

2009-03-17T08:53:00.001-07:00

01. Crazy Naked Girls
02. Mt
03. Moped Eyes
04. Inagural Trams
05. Inconvenience
06. Cardiff In The Sun
07. The Very Best Of Neil Diamond
08. Helium Hearts
09. White Socks/Flip Flops
10. Where Do You Wanna Go?
11. Lliwiau Llachar
12. Pric

Reconvened after various side projects - Gruff Rhys's Mercury-nominated Neon Neon, the Peth, Acid Casuals - these economic dark days find Super Furry Animals in buoyant mood. Their ninth album falls decidedly on the side of Light Years, re-embracing psychedelic pop with the vim of a bunch of bearded men who really aren't in showbiz for the opportunity to be papped. Standout track "Inaugural Trams" celebrates public transport with the band's customary beatific wryness and a guest rap in German from Franz Ferdinand's Nick McCarthy. Even the list of inconveniences in "Inconvenience" fails to be grumpy; rather, they galumph along groovily, spiritually very much at one with tracks called things like "Crazy Naked Girls" and "Cardiff in the Sun". -guardian.co.uk

cotton jones - paranoid cocoon (2009)

2009-03-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

01. Up A Tree (Went This Heart I Have)
02. Gotta Cheer Up
03. Some Strange Rain
04. Gone The Bells
05. Photo Summerlude
006. By Morning Light
07. Cotton & Velvet
08. Little Ashtray In The Sun
09. Blood Red Sentimental Blues
10. I Am The Changer

Cotton Jones is the new project from Michael Nau and Whitney McGraw of Page France and their debut album Paranoid Cocoon sounds almost nothing like their former band. The sound of Cotton Jones abandons any pop sentiment and takes a pensive approach that is apropos for the gloomy happenings out in the real world.

Paranoid Cocoon sounds like a folk album The Doors may have made. It’s pouring down rain in the Bay area and their low-fi sound in the perfect accompaniment. Nau’s baritone voice and McGraw’s sweet sound create splendid harmonies and the lo-fi recording gives the album an otherworldy feel. Standout tracks include “Up a Tree (Went This Heart I Have),” “Gotta Cheer Up,” “Cotton and Velvet” and “Blood Red Sentimental Blues.” Lo-fi has its place and it works on this album, but after hearing Cotton Jones perform “Cotton and Velvet” on Daytrotter , I’d like to hear crisper recordings to bring out the vocals. I guess that just gives me more reason to track them down at SXSW 2009.

If you are looking for a pick me up, this ain’t the album. But if you’d like to escape into the foggy, damp backwoods and simply get lost for awhile, Cotton Jones is the lantern that lights your path. The debut full-length, Paranoid Cocoon, is out now on Suicide Squeeze Records. -hearya.com

Rhythm and Sound - See Mi Yah (Remixes)

2009-03-13T09:15:00.000-07:00

1 See Mi Version (Basic Reshape)

2 Free For All feat. Paul St. Hilaire (Soundstream Remix)

3 Let We Go feat. Ras Donovan & Ras Perez (Ricardo Villalobos Remix)

4 Poor People Must Work feat. Bobbo Shanti (Carl Craig Remix)

5 Boss Man feat. Walda Gabriel (Tiki's Pure Blue Remix)

6 Let Jah Love Come feat. Sugar Minott (Sweet Substance Remix)

7 Lightning Storm feat. Rod Of Iron (François K. Remix)

8 Truly feat. Freddy Mellow (Vladisav Delay Remix)

9 Rise And Praise feat. Koki (Vainqueur Remix)

10 Dem Never Know feat. Jah Cotton (Sleeparchive Remix)

11 See Mi Yah feat.Willi Williams (Hallucinator Remix)

This CD collects four vinyl releases during 2006, if you didn't check them then I tell you that some of the reworks are quite weak, others are very good but there are three absolute masterpieces that make See Mi Yah Remixes a must buy.

The Basic Reshape of "See Mi Version" is one of those untouchable mixes, where techno and dub doesn't sound as two distinct genres, showing once more why Basic Channel are undisputed milestones of electronic music. The Soundstream remix of "Free For All" is a nice, smooth house tune, a summer hit to play on the beach, while Villalobos uses slick sounds, bass is made from velvet, but his long remix is a bit plain. Then comes Carl Craig, and his version of "Poor People Must Work" is utterly amazing, perfection applied to techno music, I won't spend more words because I fear they could be inadequate. Just keep in mind that if you don't own this tune, you're missing something very important. Tikiman's dubby mix of "Boss Man" is good but it won't stick in your head, Sweet Substance does better with a massive dose of submarine beats and bass, designing a spacious, uplifting dub anthem. One of the major letdowns is the Francois K remix, a producer of his experience delivers a standard jungle/breakbeat track, so stereotypical that one of the thousands of bedroom producers around the world would have done better; Vladislav Delay also offers a break based mix, but at least it's more entertaining and the bassline is properly shaking.

The final part of the record is where you find the most refined mixes, first of all there's Vainqueur with an ethereal version of "Rise And Praise," and before the very last ragga remix by Hallucinator, you get the mind-blowing Sleeparchive touch on "Dem Never Know." The minimal master starts all bleeps and clicks, with a single fat sinewave as bass, before unleashing a mesmerizing evolution of dub music: vocals are clear, a tapping beat brings you back to the roots with the help of glacial bleeps on the upbeat and a bouncy bassline that will make you jump and shiver at the same time. It's incredible how this tune still sounds truly Jamaican with all those cold minimal elements into it.

Either buy Volumes 3 and 4 on vinyl or pick this, otherwise you'll regret not listening to such beautiful material...www.igloomag.com

Steppas Delight

2009-03-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

CD 1

1. Kode 9 - 9 Samurai
2. Benga - Evolution
3. Search & Destroy - Candy Floss
4. Plastician & Skepta - Intensive Snare
5. Uncle Sam - Round The World Girls
6. Bug & Warrior Queen - Poison Dart
7. Goth-Trad - Genesis
8. Seventeen Evergreen - Ensonique
9. Martyn - Broken

CD 2
1. TRG - Broken Heart
2. Joker - Gullybrook Lane
3. Quest - Hardfood
4. Ikonika - Please
5. Silkie - Dam 4
6. Geiom & Marita - Reminissin'
7. Shonx - Canton
8. Gatekeeper & Grilza - Shade Darker
9. Peverelist - Roll With The Punches

Steppas’ Delight tells the story of Dubstep – from its South London roots up to its present status as the most vibrant musical sub-culture in the UK - and its subsequent virus-like growth throughout the world. The album is made up of exclusive new tracks alongside some choice tracks from Dubstep’s recent history and features many of the original groundbreaking names alongside the current underground new wave of Dubstep producers. In the early 2000s Dubstep was a marginal music made by a handful of young producers in the concrete-coated suburbs of South-West London. Using free PC software like Fruity Loops or PlayStation’s music-making software Music 2000 and making their own left-field versions of dark garage records: Fast forward eight years and Dubstep is easily the most vibrant scene in the UK with many of the original Dubstep artists now the most in-demand producers, remixers, DJs and label-owners in the UK today. Steppas’ Delight traces the musical journey of Dubstep from these small beginnings to the current new wave of young artists and producers on the scene today. This release is both a snapshot of the present and future and an essential guide to Dubstep, and tells the story of the music – the artists, labels, clubs, radio stations, cutting houses and more. This release is a continuation of Soul Jazz Records’ prolific Dubstep releases such as the Box of Dub albums and singles from the likes of Digital Mystikz, Skream, Ramadanman, Cotti, Kode9, Ladybug, Warrior Queen and many more …

Daniel Johnston - Daniel Johnston At Home Live

2009-03-12T13:39:00.000-07:00

01. Kool Aid
02. The Spook
03. Bloody Rainbow
04. Silly Love
05. I Had a Dream
06. Love
07. Tuesday Waltz
08. I Hate Myself
09. And I Love You So (And I Can’t Let Go)
10. Mama’s Trying for Showland
11. History of Our Love
12. Try to Love
13. Wishing You Well

The title of the latest work of Daniel Johnston Daniel Johnston is titled At Home Live. Strange as this is a description that applies to almost 80% of their discography. And it's a nice little, that this recording Johnston feels like a return to his beginnings.

Lo-Fi no more power, work collects 13 songs that are within the least known of his catalog. Only "Silly Love" in Fun, it is possible that in some way and round in their iTunes. The rest while working man may sound new to their ears.

Sonorously sounds like a mockery of the concept of a live album. When the disc opens with "Kool Aid" is heard the constant barking of a dog, as if in some way to replace a public auditorium and at the same time plays with the cliché of the dog barking because of the music Desafinado. Better introduction to the distinctive sound of Johnston does not exist, it is curious that he had not used before.

The rest of the album feels like a trip to the past, completely away from the production of fine Fear Yourself, her latest album. Nostalgic fondly, like myself, feel very grateful.

Art Brut - Art Brut Vs. Satan

2009-03-11T22:02:00.000-07:00

1. Alcoholics Unanimous
2. DC Comics And Chocolate Milkshake
3. The Passenger
4. Am I Normal?
5. What A Rush
6. Demons Out!
7. Slap Dash For No Cash
8. The Replacements
9. Twist And Shout
10. Summer Job
11. Mysterious Bruises

Post-punk troublemakers Art Brut are coming back 'atcha with an all new LP (their third) sporting the glorious moniker of "Art Brut VS. Satan"--which can't possibly end up being as awesome as that title. The band seems confident, though. Frontman Eddie Argos assures that their "punk as funk" recording time of two weeks with the legendary Frank Black will work to Art Brut's advantage in the long run. "Art Brut vs. Satan" is scheduled for an April 20th release, with first single "Alcoholics Unanimous" due out April 6th.

The Decemberists - The Hazards Of Love

2009-03-10T20:01:00.000-07:00

1. Prelude
2. The Hazards of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle the Thistles Undone)
3. A Bower Scene
4. Won't Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga)
5. The Hazards of Love 2 (Wager All)
6. The Queen's Approach
7. Isn't it a Lovely Night?
8. The Wanting Comes in Waves / Repaid
9. An Interlude
10. The Rake's Song
11. The Abduction of Margaret
12. The Queen's Rebuke / The Crossing
13. Annan Water
14. Margaret in Captivity
15. The Hazards of Love 3 (Revenge!)
16. The Wanting Comes in Waves (Reprise)
17. The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned)

The Decemberists' Hazards of Love, their second album for major label Capitol, is something of a rock opera about a girl named Margaret, her lover William, a lecherous rake, and a scary forest queen. So, basically, it's only slightly weird for the Decemberists.

Hazards is the follow-up to the Portland band's The Crane Wife, an album based on a Japanese folk tale, and features 17 songs and guest appearances from Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond, Jim James, and Robyn Hitchcock. The band had initially hoped to stage the album as a play, but lead singer Colin Meloy decided it was unstageable. Instead, the band has mentioned doing a tour where they play the album front to back.

Pete Doherty - Grace/Wasteland

2009-03-10T19:52:00.000-07:00

1 Arcadie
2 Last of the English Roses
3 1939 Returning
4 A Little Death Around the Eyes
5 Salome
6 Through the Looking Glass
7 Sweet By and By
8 Palace of Bone
9 Sheepskin Tearaway
10 Broken Love Song
11 New Love Grows on Trees
12 Lady, Don't Fall Backwards

Pete Doherty, most notably known as a heroin junkie, then as the singer of Babyshambles and the Libertines, apparently has been working on a solo album slated for release on March 24 via Astralwerks. The album is calledGrace/Wasteland and the NME has gotten a listen, calling it "the most diverse album Pete has made by a long stretch." Considering his four albums have jocked the Clash and the Strokes unrepentedly, that can't be too hard, I imagine. Doherty was joined in the production of the album by the guitar work of Blur guitarist Graham Coxon, and the album was produced by Stephen Street, who produced Blur'sParklife, among other albums. There will be a single, called "Last Of The English Roses," out on March 2 in advance of the album, and the NME says it sounds like Gorillaz (yes!!!????).

The Honeydogs - Sunshine Committee EP

2009-03-05T11:58:00.003-08:00

01. Sunshine Committee
02. Fiber Optic Paramour
03. Good Fight
04. Balaclava
05. Stash
06. Levers, Pulleys & Pumps

Metric - Fantasies: Limited Download Bundle EP

2009-03-05T11:34:00.000-08:00

01. Gimmie Sympathy (Acoustic)
02. Help, I'm Alive
03. Nobody's Home (Pink Floyd Cover)
04. Waves (Bonus Track)

Sara Lov - Seasoned Eyes Were Beaming (2009)

2009-03-04T03:06:00.000-08:00

01. Just Beneath The Chords
02. Frankie
03. A Thousand Bees
04. New York
05. Old Friends
06. Seasoned Eyes Were Beaming
08. Touched
07. Animals
09. Tell Me How
10. Fountain

Sara Lov seems to have emerged from the Hotel Café generation. Her light and fuzzy singer/songwriter songs are similar enough to Ingrid Michaelson, Sara Bareillis, and Lenka that it’s like they all decided at a slumber party in the late 80’s that they would be grow up to be famous singers and be best friends forever and Sara Lov is just the dark horse of the ranks (and I have no idea if they’re all BFFs or not). Lov hails from Los Angeles by way of Israel and Hawaii, and is a former member of the Devics, a dream pop band with a number of albums to their name. Here Lov ventures only a little ways from her dream pop roots and presents a lovely piano-based EP and full-length that is worth repeated visits.

Lov’s The Young Eyes EP opens with “New York”, a typical forlorn love song – we all have that friend from college we visit in New York and reminisce with about “the long ago.” Lov’s songs are relatable and though mellow in sound are not entirely made of despair and longing, though she does touch on those subjects. She breaks up the mellow with “Timebomb”, a perky but less discothèque Beck cover. While an excellent take, her Arcade Fire cover of “My Body is A Cage” is fabulous enough to overtake the rest of the EP. It has the same amount of emotion as the original without the need for much added instrumentation. Absolutely gorgeous.

Her follow-up full-length Seasoned Eyes Were Beaming (to be released in March) turns it up just a notch. It contains a more produced sound, but in essence retains the same spirit as her EP. The album starts out with “Just Beneath the Chords”, a very 1970’s-sounding ballad. “A Thousand Bees” has the feel of a lost George Harrison song with its arrangement and sage message. “Old Friends” is an obscure Simon & Garfunkel cover that is done so well and thoroughly claimed by Sara Lov it seamlessly flows with the rest of her original work. The title track is more updated and modern in sound, much more akin to the ladies of the Hotel Café, but doesn’t detract from the work as a whole. By the end track, “Fountain”, made familiar by it’s inclusion on an episode of “Bones”, one feels satisfied and enlightened.

This is a woman whose voice isn’t as affected as so many current female singers. She knows music and knows how to convey it properly. She has an almost child-like voice, but more commanding with her adult years. It’s not the over-powering wail so favored today, but a croon, a siren in the mythical sense. The frequent cello mixed with her voice give the EP especially a haunting feel, but not enough to make it dark cabaret or goth. Lov’s records are a lovely example of modern folk rock, with soothing instrumentals and vocals that portrays a certain mix of emotions, a certain maturity.

Overall there’s a retro feel to Sara Lov’s music. Her gentle use of slow chord progressions, light drums, and echoed riffs bring to mind early solo Beatles and the era of classic pop singer/songwriters. She doesn’t produce a full-on copy of the sound, but rather a revival and reference out of love for it. Her music reflects her voice – she is a girl who is emerging as a woman, and is coming to realize the differences of perspectives she thought of life from before. Lov has crafted a wonderful album of inspirational and relaxing songs that don’t jar or cajole but ease and comfort. -staticmultimedia.com

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest (2009)

2009-03-04T02:45:00.000-08:00

01. Southern Point

02. Two Weeks

03. All We Ask

04. Fine for Now

05. Cheerleader

06. Dory

07. Ready, Able

08. About Face

09. Hold Still

10. While You Wait for the Others

11. I Live With You

12. Foreground

This is one of 2009's big ones, kids. On May 26, Warp will release the long-awaited follow-up to Yellow House, the breakout album from Grizzly Bear, Brooklyn's finest purveyors of cavernous whisper-sigh experimental rock. Neoclassical composer Nico Muhly and Beach House singer Victoria Legrand both contributed.

Last week, we reported the title: Veckatimest, named after a small, uninhabited island off the coast of Massachusetts. And today, they've revealed the album cover (which can be viewed right up there) and tracklist (see below). Check back early next week for an interview with frontbear Ed Droste about the album.

The band has a busy year coming up. This weekend, they've got a New Yorker-sponsored show with (seriously) Gabriel Byrne coming up at Brooklyn's Galapagos Art Space. On February 28, they'll play the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Howard Gilman Opera House with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, who will play some arrangements that Muhly wrote specifically for the show. Also on the radar: SXSW, Bonnaroo, and a to-be-announced nationwide club tour. -pitchforkmedia.com

The Explorers Club - Freedom Wind

2009-03-03T21:07:00.000-08:00

1. Forever

2. Honey, I Don’t Know Why

3. Don’t Forget The Sun

4. Lost My Head

5. Do You Love Me?

6. Summer Air

7. If You Go

8. In The Country

9. Safe Distance

10. Hold Me Tight

11. Last Kiss

12. Freedom Wind

Freedom Wind is The Explorers Club’s debut album. The Beach Boys are the obvious touchstone, but dig a bit deeper and you’ll hear flourishes of Paul McCartney,The Byrds, Emitt Rhodes, ELO and doo-wop. Embracing a pop blueprint from a time when great songs were played on the radio and everybody loved them all, The Explorers Club has produced one of the sweetest pop records you're likely to hear this year. Whether it's the soaring harmonies of “Forever,” the playful psychedelia of “In the Country,” or the classic choruses of “Do You Love Me?” or “Last Kiss,”
The Explorers Club consistently displays a knack for writing undeniably catcy pop songs that drip with youth and exuberance. The lush arrangements and cushy four-part harmonies are complemented here by an ensemble of guitars, accordion, banjo, mandolin, organs, piano, lap steel guitars and more.The Explorers Club hails from Charlestown, South Carolina. Twenty-six-year-oldJason Brewer does the songwriting and arranging, while the complex vocal harmonies come courtesy of James Faust, Wally Reddington, and David Ellis. Filling out the instrumental sound of The Explorers Club on organ and drums, respectively, areStefan Rogenmoser and Neil Thomas.

Wild Light - Adult Nights (2009)

2009-03-02T08:28:00.000-08:00

01. California On My Mind
02. New Hampshire
03. Canyon City
04. Surf Generation
05. Call Home
06. Heart Attack
07. Future Towns
08. The Party (Oh My God!)
09. My Father Was A Horse
10. Lawless River
11. New Year’s Eve
12. (Surfer’s Reprise)
13. Red House

Wild Light have been receiving a lot of attention for their single “California on My Mind”, and with good reason. The track is simple but not too simple; repetitive but not annoying. So okay, Reader, you’ve got this track lodged in your brain and you want to know if this is some buzz band throwaway, like say a Rooney. The answer is yes and no. It’s ballsy to kick off the record with the single and leave the listener to 12 more uncharted-territory tracks, but Adult Nights propels from its strong start and never really loses the momentum hook-wise. Having said that, there’s definitely no improvements made on the “California” style, and so while no individual track sticks out sorely, that’s exactly the problem: no individual track sticks out at all. You’d probably be better off buying the single.

Nothing is groundbreaking about the album; there are plenty of borrowed tricks from peers like Arcade Fire, and none with the same artistic flair – but the songs really are catchy enough to hold their weight. Subtle flourishes like the keyboard leads in “New Hampshire” truly make the song. Then there’s the stop-start rhythms of “The Party (Oh My God)”, which save it from being a mere Interpol replica. It’s an extremely listenable disc, even if it never finds its own style exactly.

But there’s really only one moment on Adult Nights where the group seem to have their own personality, and that’s in the folky “Heart Attack”, easily the most memorable song on the album (save for the single.) There’s equal parts The Bends-era Radiohead, Arcade Fire, and Arcade Fire. You might have a better time listening to The Bends once and then Arcade Fire twice, but Wild Light may have just saved you some time.

It was tough for me to get used to the fact that the vocalist sounds like he used to front Sixpence None The Richer, The Cardigans, and Matchbox 20 (in that order.) But if you take your indie rock with a subtle hint of yodel, then Wild Light should be right up your alley. Besides, once the album has been running for a little bit, you tend to forget about those vocal quirks anyways.

Catchy single aside, Wild Light may have a tough time being remembered. I can foresee either a radically different, genre-swapped sophomore release or else a quiet drift into the background of popular music. But there will surely remain some indie music enthusiasts who make it their responsibility to keep up with the group.

-absolutepunk.com

VA - Chillhouse Session 4 (2009)

2009-03-02T07:48:00.000-08:00

01. Angel - Walf (Original)

02. Aurora - Sad Day (Original)

03. Big Game James - in Tha Mood (Original)

04. Big Game James - Make Me Want U (Original)

05. DJ Diba - Take My Heart (Original)

06. DJ Doublesix - Hello World (Original)

07. DJ Gee Cee - Blu Monday (Original )

08. DJ Liberty - Mar Y Sol (Original)

09. DJ Pallas - One Week (Original)

10. DJ Patrick - Patrick Groove (Original)

11. DJ Project - City Life (Original)

12. DJ Project - Soul is Shine (Original)

13. DJ Zoia - Darkness Night (Original)

14. Johnny & Diego - Trumpet in Love (Feat Mr Com Original)

15. Luky Riviera - the Grooves (Original)

16. Markus Engel - Engelsstaub (Erik Heirman Acoustic Remix)

17. Mistral - Check the Move (Original)

18. Pascal Mancino - the Moon Lovers (Original)

19. Stereoliner Presents Loungeside - Long Island

20. Symphocat - Blik (Original Version)

21. This Way - Faster (Original)

22. Tom & J - Blue Beach

Lemongrass - Hypnosis (2009)

2009-03-02T07:40:00.000-08:00

01 Star Child
02 Silent Dream
03 Polar Nights
04 Eclipse Of The Sun
05 Evolution
06 Coral Reef
07 Voyager
08 Moonwalk
09 Inner Worlds
10 Summer Scent
11 Water People
12 Lake Of Lava

In the wake of his stimulating download EP „Ambient Land“ which came as a surprise , as the first Lemongrass ambient release ever, Roland Voss did some homework to drop his first ambient album and he did so with diligence, inspiration and dedication. As was the vibe on the EP which the basis of the 12 album tracks is taken from, the overall impression is of some dreamlike atmosphere, where gravity has ceased to exist and weight has lost its meaning. Extended to full album length, Lemongrass creates an artfully induced state of relaxation and concentration in which deeper parts of the mind become accessible and respond with joy. No beats but a pleasing breeze makes you explore the wonders of your inner self. -harbourstate.de

General Elektriks - Good City For Dreamers (2009)

2009-03-02T07:16:00.000-08:00

01. Take Back The Instant
02. Raid The Radio
03. You Don't Listen
04. Helicopter
05. Cottons Of inertia
06. Little Lady
07. Engine Kickin' In
08. David Lynch Moments
09. Gathering Of The Lost Loves
10. Mirabelle Pockets
11. La Nuit Des Ephémères
12. Bloodshot Eyes
13. Rebel Sun

So I learned a little more about General Elektrik in the meantime. It's the work of RV Salters and has followed him through his moves to San Fran, up to Seattle, then back to the Bay Area. He deftly defies any particular classification but managed to start all his groovin with a computer a keyboard and a mic. Eventually he started mixin beats for Quannum and that's why you see Quannum's Lateef scratchin his back on the last album. This album is hot. -Earitnow.com

Cursive - Mama, I'm Swollen (2009)

2009-02-27T05:15:00.001-08:00

01. In the Now
02. From the Hips
03. I Couldn't Love You
04. Donkeys
05. Caveman
06. We're Going to Hell
07. Mama, I'm Satan
08. Let Me Up
09. Mama, I'm Swollen
10. What Have I Done?

Since their roughly emo beginnings, Cursive's nature has been one of progress. Never particularly adept at sticking to genre specifics, they've traversed that vast Indie underworld armed first with thrashing riffs, then glorious strings and dissonant brass. Their trajectory over their last two albums (2003's The Ugly Organ and 2006's Happy Hollow) has been one of dramatic irony and clever prose, but not without the sinking sadness of personal anguish. Cursive have all but perfected the blending of the meta and the melodrama, and come away with a sound that is surprisingly unique. Mama, I'm Swollen (the band's sixth release on Saddle Creek Records and their first release in three years) looks to continue this method, and keep Cursive ever moving forward. -Prefixmag.com

Ladytron - Velocifero (2008)

2009-02-27T04:52:00.001-08:00

01. Black Cat
02. Ghosts
03. I'm Not Scared
04. Runaway
05. Season of Illusions
06. Burning Up
07. Kletva

08. They Gave You a Heart, They Gave You a Name
09. Predict the Day
10. The Lovers
11. Deep Blue
12. Tomorrow
13. Versus

Velocifero is the fourth album from four-piece electro-pop innovators Ladytron and their first since 2005's great leap forward, Witching Hour, and a change of label.

Picking up where they left off, the 13-track studio album sets out with customary disregard for categorisation by referencing as many genres, bands, percussive riffs, cheesey keyboard lines, airborne melodies and souped-up synths as they can. So many in fact that you'll want to play this on 'repeat' so that you can keep a running tally.

Even the choice of recording venue seems more than just coincidental. The Studio de la Grande Armée in Paris was where Duran Duran recorded their career-making Rio and other notables – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, INXS, Françoise Hardy and ABBA's Frida (the blonde one) among them – have all benefitted from its Gallic magic and charm. Factor in additional production credits here for Ed Banger Records' Vicarious Bliss and Nine Inch Nails keyboardist Alessandro Cortini and something special was bound to happen.

Velocifero gets under way with the delightfully dark wrap-around fuzz of Black Cat – Roxy Music out of Gary Numan driven along with Kraftwerk-like discipline and held together by Bulgarian vocals.

Lead single Ghosts carries itself with a jaunty Goldfrappian bounce but eschews glitter and cod glam to offer something altogether more rewarding. Runaway's infectious Pet Shop Boys-accented mantra is no less retro but staunchly refuses nostalgia and where Deep Blue rises to blissfully enraptured heights and Tomorrow coasts on the sweetest simplicity of execution, Predict The Day delivers a steadily mounting maelstrom of sound that boils over into a magnificently crafted messiness.

Ladytron have never made much of an impact on the UK charts. If there's any justice, Velocifero will catapult them out of their decade-long cult status into deserved commercial success. -bbc.co.uk

Conductive Alliance - Conductive Alliance (2009)

2009-02-27T04:24:00.000-08:00

01. Siver

02. Turtles

03. Harmonics

04. Neko

05. Water Like Mountains

06. KOC

07. Detrimental Effects

Conductive Alliance mixes acoustic and electric instrumentation to create a distinctive sound that is rooted within many styles and traditions. This Chicago group formed in 2007, when longtime friends began writing and performing high energy instrumental music. In the Fall of 2007 their debut EP "Wind Up Bird" was released. Soon after recording "Wind Up Bird", bassist Nicholas Hill, and drummer Corey Breker joined the group, building upon and expanding Conductive Alliance's unique sound. Conductive Alliance's latest self-titled EP was recently released, and is widely distributed throughout Chicago. -Sonicbids.com

Pretty & Nice - Get Young (2008)

2009-02-23T21:34:00.001-08:00

By now, our collective new wave nostalgia hangover should be staggering. But there's something about the way Boston trio Pretty & Nice re-imagine the playfully manic, barbed-wire sounds of Devo, XTC, and This Year's Model-era Elvis Costello. Their approach is so guileless and giddy, you'll get drunk on that spazzy, sneering sound all over again. Though the rousing, delightfully messy songs on their sophomore album (their first for Sub Pop affiliate Hardly Art) are neither pretty nor nice, they do show off some masterfully economical riffs and herky-jerky (if not outright dance-y) rhythms.Get Young, which clocks in under 28 minutes, swells with energy and amphetamine-addled pop hooks, making it hard to ignore and near impossible not to like.

More insistent and deliberately aggressive than the tunes they are modeled after, Get Young's tracks spit their muscular guitars out in percussive bursts, teasing listeners with a playful Jam-like melody or some flirty/flinty synthesized textures. But then, lest they sound too likeably pop, P&N wrap their songs in antagonistically tinny production that leaves them buzzy, muddy, and intentionally amateurish-sounding. Frontman Holden Lewis can't help that his reedy voice recalls Elvis Costello's (though he certainly could avoid the faux-British pronunciation), but it can make it hard to not see every song in light of the comparison. "Tora Tora Tora", with its choppy staccatos, sing-along chorus, and churning keyboards, admittedly owes more of a debt to the rhythmic weirdness of Devo. But the way that Lewis delivers his words, with that familiar demanding foghorn of a voice, he may as well be singing "Radio, Radio".

But Pretty & Nice modernize their sound with computer-age flourishes. Songs like "Hideaway Tokyo" and "Grab Your Nets" bury a bleeping Nintendo soundtrack underneath their breakneck rhythms and prickly guitars, as if the Attractions added a game of Tetris as their secret mechanical fourth member. And with their fuzzy, blown-speaker frequencies, the keyboards often recall the screaming feedback of Justice's synths rather than the hollowed out 1980s versions of their heroes. Likewise, "Peekaboo" is a nice surprise, breaking up the album's disorienting rhythms and shout-singing with its easy, dreamy pulse. On that track Lewis' wispy falsetto spills over thrifty guitar strumming and drummer Bobby Landry's gentle-heartbeat percussion. Pausing for such a break three songs into their throttling collection, Pretty & Nice give you just enough time to catch your breath and give into the reverberating loveliness before diving back into the fray at a pulse-racing pace.

It makes sense, then, that their album's title is a demand. It's not We Are Young or You Are Young or even Being Young; it's Get Young, the imperative. Pretty & Nice's songs challenge listeners to keep up with their blasts of catchy melody purposely obfuscated by noisy clatter or aggressive chugging. "Get with it," the collection seems to insist. "Give in, don't be such an adult!" Some who won't like Get Young are probably too grown up for its enchantingly juvenile thrill ride, but there's something to be said for taking the album's titular advice to heart. -Pitchforkmedia.com

01. Piranha
02. Tora Tora Tora
03. Pixies
04. Peekaboo
05. Nuts & Bolts
06. Hideaway Tokyo
07. Grab Your Nets
08. Solar Energy
09. Gypsy
10. Wandering Eye

Eric Lindell - Gulf Coast Highway (2009)

2009-02-23T21:12:00.000-08:00

01. If Love Can't Find A Way

02. Willin' and Able

03. Love and Compassion

04. This Love Is Gonna Last 05. Turnin' It Out

06. It's A Drag

07. Lullaby for Mercy Ann

08. The Look

09. I Can Get Off On You

10. Country Livin'

11. Dirty Bird

12. I'll Be Around

13. Here Comes The Blues Again

14. Crying Time

15. Raw Doggin'

Balmorhea - All Is Wild All Is Silent (2009)

2009-02-23T20:59:00.000-08:00

Austin's Balmorhea has always made beautiful music, but that pulchritude has often belied the underlying sensuality that makes their music so inviting. The band takes a giant leap forward, embracing that sensuality, on their bold and variegated new album All is Wild, All is Silent. Now a six piece, the band known for their understated simplicity and restraint has produced an album as complex as the workings of the lonely human heart. -Musicremedy.com

01. Settler
02. March 4, 1831
03. Harm and Boon
04. Elegy
05. Remembrance

06. Coahuila
07. Night in the Draw
08. Truth
09. November 1, 1832

K'naan - Troubadour (2009)

2009-02-23T20:48:00.000-08:00

Somalia-raised, Toronto-based rapper K'naan thinks like Bob Marley, flows like Eminem and mixes African music with conscious hip-hop, unabashed pop and even metal. The results are usually catchy and interesting: On "ABC's," K'naan contrasts North American gangster fantasies with his war-torn childhood, trading verses with old-school MC Chubb Rock, and then rocks out with Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett on "If Rap Gets Jealous." Over the timely upbeat funk of "Dreamer," he sees the utopia of John Lennon's "Imagine" through a hip-hop lens: Troubadour is K'naan's unique vision made real. -Rollingstone.com

01. T.I.A
02. ABC’s (feat. Chubb Rock)
03. Dreamer
04. I Come Prepared (feat. Damian Marley)
05. Bang Bang (feat. Adam Levine)
06. If Rap Gets Jealous (feat. Kirk Hammett)
07. Wavin’ Flag
08. Somalia
09. America (feat. Mos Def and Chali 2NA)
10. Fatima
11. Fire in Freetown
12. Take a Minute
13. 15 Minutes Away
14. People Like Me

Prefuse 73 - Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian (2009)

2009-02-23T20:29:00.000-08:00

01. Periodic Measurements of Infrequent Smiles
02. Hairy Faces (Stress)
03. Parachute Panador
04. NoNo
05. Punish
06. Half Up Front
07. Sexual Fantasy Scale
08. DEC. Machine Funk All ERA’s
09. Get Em High
10. Ampexian Tribe of a Lesser Time
11. When Is a Good Time?
12. Fountains of Spring
13. Whipcream Eyepatch
14. Regalo
15. Rubber Stems
16. Oh Is It
17. Four Reels Collide
18. Fringertip Trajectories
19. Violent Bathroom Exchange
20. Natures Uplifting Revenge
21. Yuletide
22. Simple Loop Choir
23. No Lights Still Rock [feat. Dimlite]
24. Gaslamp Killer Feedback Text
25. Digan Lo
26. Preparation’s Kids Choir
27. Pitch Pipe
28. Periodic Measurements of Infrequent Frowns
29. Formal Dedications

Plushgun - Pins and Panzers (2009)

2009-02-23T20:10:00.000-08:00

01. Dancing In A Minefield
02. How We Roll
03. Just Impolite
04. A Crush To Pass The Time
05. The Dark In You
06. Let Me Kiss You Now (And Ill Fade Away)
07. Union Pool
08. 14 Candles
09. Without A Light
10. An Aria

Popup - A Time And A Place (2009)

2009-02-23T19:53:00.001-08:00

If it has felt like a long time coming for Popup’s debut long player to land in our arms then maybe it’s because we’ve been aware of them being damn good from very early on. Furious early demos, bursting with barely contained energy, recorded the spittle-strafed epithets shot from Damian Gilhooly’s lips, setting the bar high early on, and as a slow trickle of songs suggested, considerable promise. For A Time and a Place they’ve come good on that promise.

The musical reference points are plentiful but it points to a certain romance and freewheeling – Arab Strap in their fondness for a wandering narrative, The Delagados’ skill with a delicate image and Sons and Daughters’ nous for a rollicking driving beat. At the same time, however, their sound is all their own.

At points wistful, warming and biting, Popup sound like indie music from back when indie meant music made by intense young men and women whose fondness for a trebly guitar sound was second only to their taste for a confessional lyric; music made for its own sake regardless of the potential for global stardom. This band are the real deal, trading in blunt confessionals instead of vast terrace chants.

All we ever want from our pop music is a connection, someone who understands the pain or pleasure in our predicament, our hopes, our dreams, and perhaps most importantly, our failures. We want someone who can convey our hurt in a way that makes us not sound like a clown. Look no further. -list.co.uk

01. Love Triangle

02. Poison Apple

03. Stagecoach

04. A Year In A Comprehensive

05. The Saviour Of Judas McDade

06. Dreams Like These

07. Chinese Burn

08. What’s The Matter Now?

09. The First Weekend Of The Smoking Ban

10. Pure

11. In Her Day

12. Pull The Fuse

13. Lucy, What You Trying To Say?

martyn - great lengths (2009)

2009-02-23T05:41:00.001-08:00

01. The Only Choice

02. krdl-t-grv

03. right?star!

04. Seventy Four

05. Little Things

06. Vancouver

07. These Words feat. dBridge 08. Bridge

09. Elden St.

10. Far Away

11. Hear Me

12. Is This Insanity? feat. Spaceape

13. Brilliant Orange

14. Natural Selection

The Boy Least Likely To - The Law of the Playground (2009)

2009-02-23T04:31:00.003-08:00

Predating the current C-86 revival by a good four years, Jof Owen and Pete Hobbs aka The Boy Least Likely To return after a long overdue absence with their latest slice of delicious indie pop.

The duo's debut album The Best Party Ever was one of those sleeper hits that took a while to seep through to many people but received a rave review on these very pages back in 2005.

After an enforced hiatus due to record company shenanigans, Owen and Hobbs have returned to their Too Young To Die label to release this new album. And for fans of their earlier work there is plenty here to delight.

The Law Of The Playground is a more cohesive set than the debut album, which essentially bundled three EPs together. This time around there is a greater sense of purpose in the music and lyrics that marks The Law Of The Playground as a definitive statement for Owen and Hobbs.

The opening Saddle Up is a perfect introduction to the duo's musical ethos: sweet vocal harmonies, a melodic structure straight out of country music, and parping brass and glockenspiel sprinkled like a sugar coating over everything. Meanwhile, the underlying threat beneath the surface pleasantness of the lyrics ("I know there is a big scary world out there just waiting for me") carries on the themes of the first record.

A Balloon On A Broken String could be the perfect song title for Owen and Hobbs, evoking the strange mixture of childhood wonder and adult melancholy that permeates all their music. The track itself, with its recurrent fuzzy guitar motif, introduces a more urgent tone than is normal in The Boy Least Likely To world, while Owen finally nails the perfect Green Gartsideimpression.

When Life Gives Me Lemons I Make Lemonade is the closest track in structure and melody to the debut album, while Owen's assertion that "I've always been a hopeless romantic" brings a warm feeling to the heart in chilly times. There is an even greater cautiousness to his starry-eyed optimism this time around, however, as he reminds us that these days he always "sleeps with the light on".

As on the debut album there is the occasional lull in proceedings, with both I Box Up The Butterflies and Stringing Up Conkers marking time. Fortunately, these two tracks bookend the absolutely gorgeous The Boy With Two Hearts, which positively skips by on the back of an exquisite brass arrangement.

The Boy Least Likely To Is A Machine is a curio, introducing a thumping beat and electronic squiggles to back up some unsettling lyrics. More than any other track on the album, it reassert the feeling that where the debut album was full of jejune optimism this time around all is not well in the world.

Despite its cutesy title, Whiskers reaffirms this feeling. The martial drumbeat lends lyrics such as "he sits around the campfire and licks his wounds" and "I found his little plastic shield chewed up on the battlefield" an added oomph. It's as if nature red in tooth and claw has descended on the cute animals from the cover of The Best Party Ever in all its vengeful fury.

The Nature Of The Boy Least Likely To mines a similar seam, managing to make cricket pitches, chocolate raisins and fallen leaves sound eerily sinister. The increasing sense of isolation that pervades the second half of the album is writ large in I Keep Myself To Myself and The Worm Forgives The Plough.

A Fairytale Ending brings the album to a close on a note of doubt that belies its title. And this is why this album is such a triumph. Owen and Hobbs could have just rewritten their debut note for note, but instead they have chosen to take us on a journey that many of us know all too well. Here's waiting for the next instalment. -Musicomh.com

01. Saddle Up
02. A Balloon On A Broken String
03. When Life Gives Me Lemons I Make Lemonade
04. I Box Up All The Butterflies
05. The Boy With Two Hearts
06. Stringing Up Conkers
07. The Boy Least LIkely To Is A Machine
08. Whiskers
09. Every Goliath Has Its David
10. The Nature Of The Boy Least Likely To
11. I Keep Myself To Myself
12. The Worm Forgives The Plough
13. A Fairy Tale Ending

milieu - colortone (2009)

2009-02-22T05:51:00.000-08:00

01. Cropduster
02. Color The Waves
03. Sun Dress
04. Summer Friends
05. Acid Fried Skate Rink

06. Jacket Holograph
07. Pillow Whiter
08. Night Ride
09. Silver Fountain Cascade
10. Waving Goodbye

mary & the boy/felizol - time machine (2009)

2009-02-22T04:28:00.000-08:00

Mary & The Boy's new album 'Timemachine' was released in January 2009 by Inner Ear Records. This album is a collaboration with Felizol. The album was recorded and mixed by Callmelazy at Soundflakes Studios and mastered by Cristian Vogel. -Playourmusic.net

01. Burning Books, Detuned Trombones And The
Principles Of Time Travel (Death Waltz)
02. You, You, You
03. No More Bad Trips For Little Mary
04. Afraid Of The Devil
05. Staring
06. My Dance Is Getting Better
07. Are You Still Dancing Can Can?
08. I Was Able To Begin Again (Death Soul)
09. Cock
10. Mama
11. Death
12. A Hopeless Case (Death Samba)
13. Timemachine

And Then There Were None - Who Speaks for Planet Earth?

2009-02-20T07:50:00.000-08:00

01. Murmurs Of...
02. John Orr The Arsonist
03. The Hospital
04. Reinventing Robert Cohn
05. Action Is The Anecdote
06. The Atmosphere
07. Cloak and Dagger
08. Right Here Waiting
09. Bed Of Nails
10. Thank The Watchmaker
11. The Alamo
12. Insozzz...

Eleni Mandell - Artificial Fire (2009)

2009-02-20T07:45:00.000-08:00

Eleni Mandell's musical coordinates obviously include sultry sirens Chrissie Hynde and PJ Harvey, but she also possesses an uncanny knack for sweetly sinister, heartsick vignettes. "God Is Love" is both brooding prayer and lament, fueled by guitarist Jeremy Drake's staccato, scale-running riffs. Dreamy, upper-register chord changes power "In the Doorway," imbuing a blushing line like "I was dizzy, I was guilty, I wanted to confess" with manic lust and morning-after regret. The album's rockers are a serviceable change of pace -- especially "Little Foot," which channels early, Farfisa-laced Elvis Costello -- but it's Mandell's torch songs that ignite. -Spin.com

1. Artificial Fire
2. God Is Love
3. Right Side
4. Personal
5. Tiny Waist
6. It Wasn't The Time (It Was The Color)
7. Bigger Burn
8. Little Foot
9. Don't Let It Happen
10. In The Doorway
11. Needle And Thread
12. Front Door
13. I Love Planet Earth
14. Two Faces
15. Cracked

Emily Loizeau - Pays Sauvage (2009)

2009-02-20T07:29:00.000-08:00

01. Pays Sauvage

02. Fais Battre Ton Tambour 03. Tell Me That You Don'T Cry

04. Sister

05. La Dernière Pluie

06. Songes

07. Coconut Madam

08. La Femme A Barbe

09. The Princess And The Toad

10. Ma Maison

11. In Our Dreams

12. Dis-Moi Que Toi Tu Ne Pleure Pas

13. Le Coeur D'Un Géant

14. La Photographie

Candlestickmaker - Seeds

2009-02-20T07:14:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the neon-coloured world of Alexandru M. Seidiu aka Candlestickmaker! Enjoy a ride full of squashed and mashed up beats. The correctly tickled rhythms swoosh over you in a hustle and bustle, take you direclty on a rollercoaster through a happy-acid-megalomania, into a world where SpongeBob enjoys playing with the nipples of Hello Kitty...

Fantastic, mad, ill, sweet, trippy... So don't take neither the blue or red pill! Take the coloured one! -Phlow-magazine

1. Celeste
2. Aquarius
3. Beam!
4. 107049
5. Canvas In The Sky
6. Drops Of Light
7. Don't Worry About Me
8. Nov, 27
9. Sun, Rise!
10. Seeds
11. Drops Of Night / Dreamer
12. Summer Break
13. Seeds (128 Mix by Olga Bancic)

Download

Old School Freight Train - Six Years (2009)

2009-02-18T04:10:00.000-08:00

Old School Freight Train, from Charlottesville, VA combines thought provoking lyrics with captivating melodies, soulful vocals, virtuosic instrumentals and imaginative arrangements. Blending folk, jazz, soul, pop, bluegrass, latin and celtic, OSFT offers a unique musical experience the BOSTON GLOBE claims is "the Next Big Thing" and the CHICAGO TRIBUNE claims is "accessible but uncompromising in creativity." DAVID GRISMAN says, "After forty years of recording acoustic music, it's not very often that a new band catches, and keeps, my attention. Old School Freight Train has done that and more." "Shades of Jack Johnson, Ben Harper... even a kiss of Van Morrison... Old School Freight Train is off on a timeless new track blending roots and rock to create a sound that's all their own." - Tim Dickinson, National Affairs Correspondent, Rolling Stone

01. Heart Of Glass
02. Millionare
03. Let Me Go
04. Memphis
05. Wake Up
06. Seems Like It’s Over
07. I Won’t Say Anything
08. Six Years
09. Get Down
10. Dunedi
11. Like You

I Monster - A Dense Swarm Of Ancient Stars (2009)

2009-02-18T03:44:00.000-08:00

01. The Circus Of Deaf

02. A Sucker For Your Sound 03. Goodbye Sun

04. Cool Coconuts

05. Lust For A Vampyr

06. Mr. Mallard

07. She’s Giving Me The I

08. Escape From New Yorkshire

09. Dear John

10. Inzects

11. Inzects 2 (The Mutations)

12. Sickly Suite Part 1 How Are You?

13. Sickly Suite Part 2 Out Of The Shadows

14. Sickly Suite Part 3 Gone 15. A Pad Is Waiting

16. The Best

Miss Kittin & the Hacker - Two

2009-02-17T23:44:00.000-08:00

01. The Womb

02. 1000 Dreams

03. PPPO

04. Party in my Head

05. Indulgence

06. Emotional Interlude

07. Suspicious Minds

08. Electronic City

09. Inutile Eternite

10. Ray Ban

11. 1000 Dreams (Reprise)

Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight

2009-02-17T23:05:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it truly is the quiet ones. Frightened Rabbit are testament to this. Two years after the (first) release of their debut album Sing The Greys, a good album but by no means a classic, and infrequent trips around the UK toilet circuit the Selkirk, Scotland-based four-piece have, from nowhere, released one of 2008’s truly great indie-pop albums. Michael Stipe, take note.

On their sophomore offering the band have shaven off the instrumental passages that snaked through their first release and created 14 blissfully simple pop songs. Opener’The Modern Leper’ and recent single ’Heads Roll Off’ yearn for Radio 1 A-List inclusion, all witty turns of phrase and soaring, catchy choruses, and yet they still have an undeniably rustic, scruffy quality, aided by Scott Hutchinson's wailing vocals and the substitution of a bass guitar for a second acoustic guitar playing lower notes.

It is on 'I Feel Better' that this mix of cohesive songwriting and clumsy delivery is at its most potent; a decidedly up-tempo number that has the same high-octane caterwaul-led feel to it as that on Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's more jaunty moments, but transposed into the near-orchestral resplendence of The Hidden Cameras.

But the beauty of The Midnight Organ Fight is that it works in any location and/or situation. It is of such a substantial quality throughout that it can last through repeated full spins on lonely train journeys through idyllic landscapes, yet still has a high enough ratio of glorious pop hooks and distinctive ideas per song to not be ruined by a click of a ‘random’ or ‘shuffle’ button.

Although this album could very well catapult Frightened Rabbit into the mainstream, and deservedly so, it is evident this is by no means intentional. The Midnight Organ Fight is neither a genuine 'safe' option for the band nor a blatant fan-base builder which obscures the band’s own charms as has been the case for fellow countrymen Biffy Clyro and (sort of – they’re based in Glasgow) Snow Patrol.

Here there can be no snobbish derision and calls of 'selling out' or playing to the average man; in creating an album showcasing the very best of the band’s talents they have created one so perfectly fit for, as Scott so vividly puts, “the soft, soft static” of popular radio. A happy coincidence, then -drownedinsound.com

1. The Modern Leper

2. I Feel Better
3. Good Arms Vs. Bad Arms
4. Fast Blood
5. Old Old Fashioned
6. The Twist
7. Head Rolls Off
8. Backwards Walk
9. Keep Yourself Warm
10. Poke
11. Floating In The Forth
12. Who'd You Kill Now

Mercury Rev - Strange Attractor

2009-02-16T19:20:00.000-08:00

I'll call it like I see it, Strange Attractor is not the greatest piece of work in the Mercury Rev catalogue. But nobody expected it to be.
Strange Attractor is the free instrumental album and companion piece to the proper record Snowflake Midnight.
On the album, the Buffalo band renowned for the sweeping cinematic feel of their records, branches out a bit to delve into electronic aspects we aren't used to hearing from them. After a couple of so-so studio albums, the attempt at something new is welcome; even if it's not always successful.

Many of the songs do end up blending into one another. However, like much of the Mercury Rev oeuvre, it is perfect for a stormy candlelit evening...www.snobsmusic.net

01. Love Is Pure

02. Taken Up into Clouds, Changed and Rained Down
03. Pure Joie de la Solitude
04. Persistance and the Apis Mellifera
05. Fable of a Silver Moon
06. Loop Lisse, Loop
07. In My Heart, a Strange Attractor
08. Incident on Abeel Street
09. Af Den Fader Kommer Den Sol
10. Because Because Because
11. Nocturne for Norwood

Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains

2009-02-16T19:07:00.000-08:00

There's a certain strain of indie rock that excels at exuberance. From Built to Spill's "In the Morning" to Modest Mouse's "Doin' the Cockroach" to Pavement's "Stereo", you can get some serious uplift from chiming guitars, a ramshackle rhythm section, quiet/loud dynamics, and a dude who's ready to put it all out there vocally, even if he's not Jeff Buckley. New York's Cymbals Eat Guitars, whose remarkably assured debut album Why There Are Mountains came out digitally recently, understand something about the infectious spirit of that era. Mountains' "Wind Phoenix" is just a bit over five minutes long, but it feels like three great songs climbing all over each other that somehow manage to exceed the sum of their parts. Opening with a jubilant horn refrain, it skips along on a tuneful melody, slows down, ramps up to a climax, sticks with it for a while, and then crashes back down to its opening section. It's breathless, forceful, loose but not sloppy, and brimming with a sense of joy. Singer Joseph Ferocious says something about an "Ikea finery" and watching Notre Dame; the details aren't all clear, but you get a sense of someone fighting hard to get it all in. With so many ideas and feelings spilling out at once, there's not a song built that can quite contain them -www.pitchforkmedia.com

01. And the Hazy Sea

02. Some Trees
03. Indiana
04. Cold Spring
05. Share
06. What Dogs See
07. Wind Phoenix
08. The Living North
09. Like Blood Does

Madeleine Peyroux - Bare Bones (2009)

2009-02-15T05:52:00.001-08:00

Vocalist Madeleine Peyroux teams with famed producer Larry Klein, Steely Dan's Walter Becker and Joe Henry on her new album, "Bare Bones," due out in March from Rounder Records.Becker and Klein co-wrote the title cut with Peyroux, while Henry and Klein worked with her on "Love and Treachery." The 11-song set also features a sole Peyroux-penned composition, "I Must Be Saved." "I'm really happy that I got to write," says Peyroux, "It feels like a new segment, and it's great work. I'm surrounded by beautiful sounds, really honest musicians, really honest playing." -Billboard

01. Instead
02. Bare Bones
03. Damn The Circumstances
04. River Of Tears
05. You Can’t Do Me
06. Love And Treachery
07. Our Lady Of Pigalle
08. Homeless Happiness
09. To Love You All Over Again
10. I Must Be Saved
11. Somethin’ Grand

The Low Frequency In Stereo - Futuro (2009)

2009-02-14T03:57:00.000-08:00

"If the stars had a sound, it would sound like this..."

By: Ingmar Wåhlberg - groove.no

1. Turnpike
2. Texas Fox
3. Geordie la forge
4. Mt. Pinatubo
5. Starstruck
6. Sparkle Drive
7. The End Is the End
8. Solar System

Ruthie Foster - The Truth According to Ruthie Foster (2009)

2009-02-14T03:44:00.000-08:00

This extraordinary songwriter/performer tackles life’s big issues throughout her sizzling new album. On it, Ruthie repeatedly testifies to her core message - that through all of the ups and downs of living, you must stay true to yourself. The pain as well as the joy of love, the strength it takes to weather life’s challenges, the hope that grows from seeds of faith and wisdom: All of this breathes inspiration and celebration into The Truth According to Ruthie Foster.

And the music brings it to life. Truth be told, Foster could sing the phone book, jam on a laundry list and send everyone home happy. But the combination on The Truth According to Ruthie Foster of uplifting lyric and electrifying vocals, backed by a band of world-class players bristling with soul, proves impossible to resist. -Ruthiefoster.com

1. Stone Love
2. I Really Love You
3. When It Don't Come Easy
4. (You Keep Me) Hangin' On
5. Truth
6. Love In the Middle
7. Nickel and a Nail
8. Dues Paid In Full
9. Joy On the Other Side
10. Tears of Pain
11. Thanks For the Joy

Jenny Wilson - Hardships (2009)

2009-02-14T03:27:00.000-08:00

01. The Path

02. Like A Fading Rainbow

03. Clattering Hooves

04. The Wooden Chair

05. Porcelain Castle

06. Anchor Made Of Gold

07. Bad Waters

08. Only Here For The Fight 09. Pass Me The Salt

10. Motherhood

11. Hardships

12. We Had Everything

13. Strings Of Grass

Gregor Samsa - Over Air (2009)

2009-02-13T06:43:00.000-08:00

01. Ain Leuh / VPRO
02. Jeroen Van Aken / VPRO
03. Three / VPRO
04. Adolescent / VPRO
05. Abutting, Dismantling / VPRO
06. Young And Old / VPRO
07. Du meine Leise / alternate mix
08. XXX / GS + Tiempo
09. Lean / GS + Bobby Donne (of Labradford)

Eluvium - Life Through Bombardment (2009)

2009-02-13T06:16:00.000-08:00

Disc One: "Lambent Material"
A1 The Unfinished 4:38
A2 Under the Water It Glowed 5:10
A3 There Wasn't Anything 4:41
B1 Zerthis Was a Shivering Human Image 15:35
B2 I Am So Much More Me That You Are Perfectly You 5:50

Disc Two: "An Accidental Memory in the Case of Death"
C1 An Accidental Memory 1:12
C2 Genius and the Thieves 2:27
C3 Perfect Neglect in a Field of Statues 5:26
C4 Nepenthe 3:42
D1 In a Sense 1:46
D2 The Well-Meaning Professor 7:35
D3 An Accidental Memory in the Case of Death 4:27

Disc Three: "Talk Amongst the Trees"
G1 Taken 16:56
G2 We Say Goodbye to Ourselves 2:10
H1 One 7:44
H2 Swallows in the Bath 8:15

Disc Four: "Talk Amongst the Trees"
G1 Taken 16:56
G2 We Say Goodbye to Ourselves 2:10
H1 One 7:44
H2 Swallows in the Bath 8:15

Disc Five: "When I Live by the Garden and the Sea / Indecipherable Text"
I1 I Will Not Forget That I Have Forgotten 5:21
I2 As I Drift Off 3:48
I3 All the Sails 5:45
I4 When I Live by the Garden and the Sea 7:32
J1 Untitled (For Piano) 4:07
J2 Untitled (For Orchestra) 5:29
J3 Untitled (For Rhodes and Tape) 7:41
J4 Carousel 5:20

Disc Six: "Copia"
K1 Amreik 3:18
K2 Indoor Swimming at the Space Station 10:29
K3 Seeing You Off the Edges 5:03
L1 Prelude for Time Feelers 5:49
L2 Requiem on Frankfort Ave. 2:41
L3 Radio Ballet 3:12
L4 (Intermission) 0:51

Disc Seven: "Copia"
M1 After Nature 1:52
M2 Reciting the Airships 4:36
M3 Ostinato 6:09
N1 Hymn #1 1:32
N2 Repose in Blue 9:18

Oh Atoms - You Can't See The Stars From Here (2009)

2009-02-13T06:11:00.000-08:00

1.Sugar Mouse
2.Nylon And Leather
3.Brooklyn Cheesecake
4.This Is Not Your Song
5.Five Over Stripe
6.Ice Cream Blonde
7.Shaftesbury Drill
8.Lucky Motel
9.Silver Spoon
10.Transcontinental
11.Little Victories
12.You Can't See The Stars From Here

The Rakes - Klang (2009)

2009-02-13T06:05:00.000-08:00

1. You’re In It
2. That’s The Reason
3. The Loneliness Of The Outdoor Smoker
4. Bitchin’ In The Kitchen
5. The Woes Of The Working Woman
6. 1989

7. Shackleton
8. The Light From Your Mac
9. Muller’s Ratchet
10. The Final Hill

Bajinda Behind The Enemy Lines - Money to Burn (2009)

2009-02-13T06:03:00.001-08:00

Volcano Suns - The Bright Orange Years [Reissue] (2009)

2009-02-13T05:52:00.000-08:00

I'm one of those rare specimens who, thanks to the vagaries of time and fate, got into Volcano Suns before Mission of Burma. And so I've long had a fondness for drummer Peter Prescott's second band that matches — and sometimes exceeds! — that for his first.

If Burma were (and are) avant theorists, damaging eardrums via Dadaist sound experiments and squalls of knotty noise, the Suns were simply interested in bringing the rock. The bonus-track covers on Merge's reissue of the Suns' All-Night Lotus Party — Beatles basher "Polythene Pam," the Amboy Dukes' "Journey to the Center of the Mind," Leonard Nimoy's awesomely awful "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins" — give an idea of the happily sophomoric rockism indulged in on this 1986 sophomore disc by Prescott, guitarist Jon Williams, and bassist Jeff Weigand. On their own songs, Prescott gives voice to the primal urge to pound loud and hard.

"Jak," the muscular (jacked?) opener on their '85 debut, The Bright Orange Years, rumbles melodically along, spazzing out in a middle-section maelstrom of roiling drum pummels and vulcanized-rubber bass lines. "Promise Me" sticks a red-hot cattle prod into cowpunk's rump roast. "Tree Stomp" could lead to serious neck injury. On Lotus Party's "Blown Stack," a short salvo of feral hardcore, Prescott seems to damage vocal cords and drum heads in equal measure. And that album's "Magic Sky" is pure, simple, surging, relentlessly catchy rock and roll. Max Ernst is great, after all, but so is Ted Nugent. -Thephoenix.com

01. Jak
02. Descent into Hell
03. Truth Is Stranger Than Fishing
04. Balancing Act
05. Promise Me
06. (I'm Gonna) Make You Mine
07. Cover
08. The Mouth That Roared
09. Cornfield

10. Animals
11. It's Stewtime
12. Silvertone
13. Sea Cruise
14. Greasy Spine
15. Tree Stomp
16. Nature and Me
17. Old Paint
18. The Central
19. Local Wise Man
20. Testify [live]
21. 1999 [live]

The Everyday Visuals - The Everyday Visuals (2009)

2009-02-12T07:56:00.000-08:00

01. Intro (Morning Star)
02. Limb From Limb
03. Florence Foster Jenkins
04. I Can't Stop You
05. Heal Me
06. I'll Take It All In Stride
07. Boom! Boom! Boom!
08. Restless Heart
09. Daydream Ghosts
10. Driving
11. Peers
12. Bonus Track

Let's Wrestle - Let's Wrestle (2009)

2009-02-12T07:45:00.001-08:00

01 I won't lie to you
02 Song For Abba Tribute Record
03 I'm ok you're ok
04 Quazar Blues
05 I Want To Be In Hüsker Dü
06 Let's (Fucking) Wrestle
07 Song for Man with Pica Syndrome
08 Insects
09 Music is my girlfriend
10 Joe Reddington you'll be the death of me
11 Tanks
12 It's not going to happens
13 Song for old people
14 I'm in fighting mode
15 Heartbreaker
16 Diana's hair

Propagandhi - Supporting Caste (2009)

2009-02-12T07:29:00.000-08:00

1 Night Letters
2 Supporting Caste
3 Tertium Non Datur
4 Dear Coach’s Corner
5 This Is Your Life
6 Human(e) Meat (The Flensing of Sandor Katz)
7 Potemkin City Limits
8 The Funeral Procession
9 Without Love
10 Incalculable Effects
11 The Banger’s Embrace
12 Last Will and Testament

Optical Axis - Mixed by DJ Ryow a.k.a. Smooth Current (2009)

2009-02-12T07:01:00.000-08:00

01 Smooth Current - Introduction
02 Dinner At The Thompson's - Vegas
03 Daily Bread - That's That
04 Y Society - Setting The Example
05 Dadamnphreaknoizphunk - Lunchcorner
06 Andrew J & Kaltenecker - Inch
07 Quantic - We Got Soul
08 Jazz Liberator - Music In My Mind Part 2
09 The Dining Rooms - Existentialism (Milano Bossa mix)
10 Thievery Corporation - Supreme Illusion (Nickodemus remix)
11 Zeb - Toe To Toe (original version)
12 Drum Brothers - C2C/Beat Torrent (feat Pfef & Atom - Live & Uncut)
13 Smooth Current - Re: Strain Of Stairs (Unmixed Demo version)
14 Mo' Horizons - Green Day
15 DJ Alibi - One Day
16 DJ Cam Quartet - Rebirth Of Cool
17 E Reece & Core Elements - What U Need (Smooth Current remix)
18 Liquid Spirits - If You Don't Love Me (feat Phonte)
19 Liquid Spirits - Stepney
20 Smooth Current - Outro

Ursula 1000 - Mystics (2009)

2009-02-12T06:44:00.000-08:00

While traveling the world dj-ing at places like Fabric, The Big Chill Festival, Shambhala or even at his home residency at APT, he takes in all his experiences and turns out his turn ons into a psychedelic brain stew. And from this brew we bring you Mystics.
This 12 track album returns from journeys into outer space giving us an epic collection of psychedelic sonic sorcery. Zig-Zagging further away from the cheeky vintage breakbeat rhumba of previous records, this time the Brooklyn beat-wizard ventures into tougher and more angular territory: beats banging harder and bass popping louder. Drawing from a variety of new influences and collaborations, Ursula 1000 delivers lethal doses of dirty bootybreaks, gothic sexcapades, electro dancehall and disco-funk filth. At once playful and dangerous… Mystics is a cry to the stars. -Myspace.com

1.Summoned from the Void

2.The Wizard (feat. Kathleen Cholewka)
3.Rocket
4.Rump (feat. Tee Double)
5.I.C.O.M.E. (feat. Rochelle Vincente Von K)
6.Losin' It (feat. Anton Glamb)
7.Zombies (feat. Kojak)
8.Do It Right
9.Star Machine (feat. Mocean Worker)
10.Tension (feat. Austin Schwab)
11.Step Back (feat. Sista Widey)
12.This Magick
13.Mystics (feat. Mike Geier)

Pete Namlook + Gabriel Le Mar - Namlook . Le Mar (2009)

2009-02-11T06:10:00.001-08:00

01. Acidflow Original Mix

02. Springtimer Original Mix

03. Deepa Original Mix

04. In Time Original Mix

05. Jetzt Original Mix

06. Flow Original Mix

Kanye West - LVs & Autotune (2009)

2009-02-11T05:56:00.000-08:00

01. Kanye West - Big Screen (Feat. GLC)
02. Kanye West - What It Is (Feat. Sophia Fresh)
03. Kanye West - Punch Drunk Love (Feat. Common)
04. Kanye West - Go Hard (Remix) (Feat. Jay-Z, T-Pain, DJ Khaled)
05. Kanye West - Teriya King (Feat. Teriyaki Boyz)
06. Kanye West - American Express Myself
07. Kanye West - Sky High (Feat Kid Cudi)
08. Kanye West - See You In My Nightmares Part 2 (Feat. Lil Wayne)
09. Kanye West - The Corner (Feat. Common)
10. Kanye West - Put On Part 2 (Feat. Young Jeezy, Jay-Z)
11. Kanye West - Digital Girl (Feat. Jamie Foxx, The Dream)
12. Kanye West - It's Over Part 2 (Feat. John Legend)
13. Kanye West - Bad Newz (Remix) (Feat. Trey Songz)
14. Rick Ross - Im Just Doing My Thing (Prod. By Kanye West)
15. Jay-Z - History (Prod. By Kanye West)
16. Kanye West - We Can Make It Better (Feat. Talib Kweli, Common, Q-Tip, Rhymfest)

The Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique (20th Anniversary Edition) (2009)

2009-02-11T05:39:00.000-08:00

The Beasties' masterpiece -- and one of the original nightmares for sampling opponents everywhere -- the cut & paste hip hop classic Paul's Boutique! The Dust Brothers unapologetic way of weaving very famous samples with soul, funk and film score obscurities would steal the show if not for the infectious, boisterous rhymes of the Beastie Boys -- they couldn't possibly have cared less about alienating the massive frat boy fan base built with License To Ill, and it's a joy to behold. It's one of those mindblowing pop transformations on par with the Beatles (who the Beasties and Dust Brothers were so brazen to sample several times on this album) and the Beach Boys on the pop maturation scale from earlier hits to later artistry -- even if the wild lyrics and deft back & forth rhymes by the Beasties are the antithesis of maturity. From classic rock dinosaurs to soul and disco classics, from the Jaws score to "Dueling Banjos", it all finds it's way into the beatcraft -- and both mainstream pop and underground hip hop are better now because of this record. Tracks include "Hey Ladies", "Shake Your Rump", "High Plains Drifter", "Shadrach", "Johnny Ryall", "Eggman", "Car Thief", "What Comes Around", the "B-Boy Bouillabaisse" suite and more. (Anniversary edition features remastering overseen by the band -- and includes a free digital download featuring a track-by-track commentary by the Beasties!) © 1996-2009, Dusty Groove America, Inc.

01. To All The Girls

02. Shake Your Rump
03. Johnny Ryall
04. Egg Man
05. High Plains Drifter
06. The Sounds Of Science
07. 3-Minute Rule

08. Hey Ladies
09. 5-Piece Chicken Dinner
10. Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun
11. Car Thief
12. What Comes Around
13. Shadrach
14. Ask For Janice
15. 59 Chrystie Street
16. Get On The Mic
17. Stop That Train
18. A Year And A Day
19. Hello Brooklyn
20. Dropping Names
21. Lay It On Me
22. Mike On The Mic
23. Awol

Odawas - The Blue Depths (2009)

2009-02-11T05:30:00.000-08:00

The Blue Depths is an album for warm places. A balmy haze habitat for headphone meanderings. A dream world where Neil Young and Jimmy Webb float in the reverb-saturated summer breeze. -Musicdirect.com

01. The Case Of The Great Irish Elk

02. Swan Song Of The Humpback Angler

03. Our Gentle Life Together

04. The Sound Of Lies

05. Secrets Of The Fall

06. Moonlight/Twilight

07. Harmless Lover's Discourse

08. Boy In The Yard

Crime In Choir - Gift Givers (2009)

2009-02-11T05:15:00.000-08:00

01. Gift Givers
02. Round Air Copy
03. Crystal Cake
04. Jealous Dancing Days
05. Fingers Lightly Bowed
06. Pedal Nervous Sensation
07. Fool's Guild

Black Dice - Repo (2009)

2009-02-11T04:56:00.000-08:00

Entitled Repo, the record sees the former DFA act going in a slightly accessible direction. We think. Described in the press release as having cultivated a "new roadhouse blues-band philosophy" and having a collection of "concise" songs to show it off, you'd be forgiven for thinking that these tunes will be a kinder and gentler Black Dice. In the same breath, however, we get "sonically battering" and "flat-out bizarre," which for a band that started their career off with a host of legendarily confrontational noise performances before unleashing an almost soothing dub-inspired collection of droning noise rock on their breakthrough album, Beaches and Canyons, is saying quite a bit. Whatever the result, fans of acts like Gang Gang Dance and Fuck Buttons will get their fix come April, once the record is released on Paw Tracks. -Residentadvisor.net

01 Night Cream
02 Glazin
03 Earnings Plus Interest
04 Whirligig
05 La Cucaracha
06 Idiots Pasture
07 Lazy
08 Buddy
09 Inches
10 Vegetable
11 Urban Super Mist
12 Ultra Vomit
13 Gag Shack

Sensiva - Draught (2009)

2009-02-11T03:18:00.000-08:00

Kraak & Smaak - Plastic People (2008)

2009-02-11T03:11:00.000-08:00

01. Bobby & Whitney
02..Squeeze Me
03. Plastic People
04. Enzo
05. Man of Constant Sorrow
06. That's My Word
07. Cornered
08. California Roll
09. Thinking Back
10. Il Serpente
11. Ready for Life
12. Ain't Gonna Take It No More
13. To Everyone Who Has

New Rhodes - Everybody Loves A Scene (2009)

2009-02-11T02:59:00.000-08:00

New Rhodes are the kind of indie band that everybody loves; edgy and unique, donning that pleasant '80s spin. So why is this fashionable foursome more established in Japan than in the UK? The answer is unclear, but after their new release, the Brits should soon catch on.

Circulating material yet still remaining unsigned, 'Everybody Loves a Scene' is the new single from the forthcoming album of the same name. Catchy and full of flavour, the New Rhodes have certainly hit the mark when it comes to a light-hearted tune.

Demonstrating an encouraging introduction through riffs that are strong enough to capture attention, the song really kicks in when drums and vocals are entered into the mixture. Fully alert and raring to go, the song provides the listener with one epic verse and chorus combination that you can't help but sing and dance to. Affix a Bruce Springsteen-esque underlay and the single is complete.

Lyrically, the Bristolian band unleash a slight cheese-factor where they tell a tale of knowing what’s at stake, but needing nothing else - even if everybody else does love a scene. How very charming, lads. Admittedly, overly complicated is not necessary when the music is this effervescent.

It can be hard to stamp your mark on the indie/rock genre, but these guys have managed with ease. This is definitely worth a repeat listen - they have far too much depth to be branded 'just another'. -dailymusicguide.com

01. Everybody Loves A Scene

02. Come Into The Room
03. The Joys Of Finding And Losing That Girl
04. Let’s Talk
05. So Alone
06. The Bells Of St John
07. I’ll Wait For You By The Coast
08. A&E
09. Is This The Life You Want
10. 254
11. You Can Have It All
12. Primrose Hill
13. Nowhere Fast

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - The Century of Self (2009)

2009-02-11T02:48:00.000-08:00

After following up the knotty, epic rock reverence of Source Tags & Codes with such lifeless, studio-slicked meticulousness as So Divded and World Apart (somewhere in there are two puns related those albums’ lack of connection to the fervor and brilliance of Source Tags, but I’ll let you work ‘em out), …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead returns with an album knee-deep in the meat-blood carnage of visceral and exciting rock ‘n roll. Abandoning the heavy-handed and overused overdubs that plagued their two previous releases, …And You Will Know Us have crafted a record recorded live in the studio, forcing the band away from the cold studio reliance that could’ve made them Yes’ second coming and towards a furiously brutal—yet still highly orchestrated, composed, and even, at times, graceful—piece of music that, while not quite the masterwork that was Source Tags, can stand proudly as that album’s successor. -previxmag.com

1 Giants Causeway
2 Far Pavilions
3 Isis Unveiled
4 Halcyon Days
5 Bells of Creation
6 Fields of Coral
7 Inland Sea
8 Luna Park
9 Pictures of an Only Child
10 Insatiable One
11 Ascending
12 An August Theme
13 Insatiable Two

Say Hi - Oohs and Aahs (2009)

2009-02-11T02:30:00.000-08:00

I first wrote about Say Hi last year around this time. The shoegaze-ish sound is not normally my cup of tea, but there’s something about this band that continues to draw me in. I say “band” but it’s actually just Eric Elbogen who wrote and recorded the album in his home studio last year. Say Hi’s [...] -Mog.com

1. Elouise
2. Hallie And Henry
3. Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh
4. November Was White, December Was Grey
5. Dramatic Irony
6. Maurine
7. One, Two ... One
8. Audrey
9. The Stars Just Blink For Us
10. Sallie's Heart Is Stone

Creature - No Sleep At All (2009)

2009-02-11T02:20:00.000-08:00

1. Who's Hot Who's Not
2. Don't Be Afraid
3. Pop Culture
4. Brigitte Bardot
5. Alive
6. Pay Up
7. Property
8. Kandahar
9. Last Days Of America
10. It's Over
11. Star

The Lonely Island - Incredibad (2009)

2009-02-11T02:09:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you already heard Jizz in my Pants by The Lonely Island. Well, the boyz are releasing their album Incredibad on February 10, 2009 and, although it's a joke album, I think Andy Samberg gives The Lonely Island a touch of credibility, as weird as that sounds.

Incredibad is going to end up being one of those albums you can't believe you bought in a year from now, but their lyrics are pretty hilarious and, although Jizz in my Pants, Lazy Sundayand Dick in a Box are by far the best songs, the others are listenable for the humor.

But The Lonely Island has had some serious help from the likes of some big names like T-Pain, Jack Black, Justin Timberlake, Norah Jones, and Natalie Portman, to name a few. -Theinsider.com

01. Who Said We’re Wack?
02. Santana DVX (ft. E-40)
03. Jizz In My Pants
04. I’m On A Boat (ft. T-Pain)
05. Sax Man (ft. Jack Black)
06. Lazy Sunday (ft. Chris Parnell)
07. Normal Guy - Interlude
08. Boombox (ft. Julian Casablancas)
09. Shrooms - Interlude
10. Like A Boss
11. We Like Sportz
12. Dreamgirl (ft. Norah Jones)
13. Ras Trent
14. Dick In A Box (ft. Justin Timberlake)
15. The Old Saloon (Mix Tape Edit) - Interlude
16. Punch You In The Jeans
17. Space Olympics
18. Natalie’s Rap (ft. Natalie Portman & Chris Parnell)
19. Incredibad