Releases of March, 2011:
ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI
Moment Bends
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as heard on radiospin on March 31st, 2011
under album, electronic, experimental, indie, pop, preview
Architecture in Helsinki caught fire with their pop-infused 2003 debut, Fingers Crossed. And from then on, it appeared that the Australian band had found its lane by blending heavy ’80s vibes, like those of the B-52‘s and other new-wave acts, with ample amounts of modern indie. But Architecture in Helsinki wanted to go a slightly different route with their fourth album, Moment Bends, which came nearly four years after their third, Places Like This: Moment Bends still boasts moments of caffeinated pop, but the group has become more mature over time, resulting in a more sophisticated, reflective sound.
ARTIST: Architecture in Helsinki
TITLE: Moment Bends
LABEL: PID
RELEASE DATE: May 10, 2011
TIME: 40:16 min.
WEB: http://www.architectureinhelsinki.com/
01. Desert Island [04:13]
02. Escapee [02:58]
03. Contact High [03:39]
04. W.O.W. [02:50]
05. YR Go To [04:21]
06. Sleep Talkin’ [02:57]
07. I Know Deep Down [03:58]
08. That Beep [03:46]
09. Denial Style [03:25]
10. Everything’s Blue [03:55]
11. B4 3D [04:14]
Architecture in Helsinki - Contact High
get it here.
THE RAVEONETTES
Raven in the Grave
2011 release from the Danish indie-rock duo. The Raveonettes‘ music is characterized by close two-part vocal harmonies inspired by The Everly Brothers coupled with hard-edged electric guitar overlaid with liberal doses of noise, very similar to The Jesus and Mary Chain. Their songs juxtapose the structural and chordal simplicity of ’50s and ’60s rock with intense electric instrumentation, driving beats, and often dark lyrical content, similar to another of the band’s influences, The Velvet Underground. All these things and many more inside this Raven in the Grave.
ARTIST: The Raveonettes
TITLE: Raven in the Grave
LABEL: Vice
RELEASE DATE: April 5, 2011
TIME: 35:49 min.
WEB: http://www.theraveonettes.com/
01. Recharage & Revolt [05:24]
02. War in Heaven [04:43]
03. Forget That You’re Young [03:58]
04. Apparitions [03:56]
05. Summer Moon [03:05]
06. Let Me On Out [02:36]
07. Ignite [03:06]
08. Evil Seeds [04:18]
09. My Times Up [04:43]
The Raveonettes - Forget That You’re Young
get it here.
ART BRUT
Brilliant! Tragic!
Tapping the genius of Frank Black to produce your record may seem like a once-in-a-lifetime event for many bands, but the pop culture obsessive Art Brut have once again nabbed The Pixies frontman to man the boards for their upcoming fourth LP, Brilliant! Tragic!. Recorded in just two weeks, the album is said to be the first to feature frontman Eddie Argos singing.
ARTIST: Art Brut
TITLE: Brilliant! Tragic!
LABEL: Cooking Vinyl
RELEASE DATE: March 31, 2011
TIME: 40:17 min.
WEB: http://www.artbrut.org.uk/
01. Clever Clever Jazz [03:45]
02. Lost Weekend [04:22]
03. Bad Comedian [04:14]
04. Sexy [03:33]
05. Is Dog Eared? [06:19]
06. Martin Kemp [02:15]
07. Axel Rose [03:28]
08. I Am the Psychic [02:45]
09. Ice Hockey [05:33]
10. Sealand [04:03]
get it here.
KONTAKTE
We Move Through Negative Spaces
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as heard on radiospin on March 28th, 2011
under album, electronic, instrumental, post-rock, preview, recommended, rock
Kontakte follow-up their debut Soundtrack For Lost Road Movies with We Move Through Negative Spaces: no evidence of any difficult second album syndrome here. As usual the band’s music infuses all elements from the sonic-spectrum: combining ethereal melodies and celestial tones with a pulsing electronic backbeat, Kontakte produce an overall hypnotic noise, informing the band to create music with depth, space and intensity.
ARTIST: Kontakte
TITLE: We Move Through Negative Spaces
LABEL: Drifting Falling
RELEASE DATE: March 15, 2011
TIME: 56:44 min.
WEB: http://www.myspace.com/kontakteuk
01. Astralagus [06:33]
02. Hope… [07:46]
03. With Glowing Hearts [08:09]
04. Early Evening Bleeds Into Night [06:33]
05. A Snowflake In Her Hand [06:22]
06. The Owls Won’t See Us in Here [07:18]
07. Every Passing Hour [03:46]
08. The Ocean Between You and Me [10:17]
get it here.
EVI VINE
… and So the Morning Comes
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as heard on radiospin on March 27th, 2011
under album, folk, indie, preview, RBR, songwriting, submitted
Evi Vine has been a prolific songwriter and performer operating both over and under the radar for the past few years, when continued radio support and a tireless live schedule continue to enhance her considerable reputation. To date, Evi has released just one solo 4 track EP Human Remains: a dark, sparse home demo which sold out of its limited run. Throughout her musical travels and trials, she had been creating songs that feature on … and So the Morning Comes, during which time they morphed and evolved into the beautifully crafted songs you hear today in her full-length debut. Her petite voice led to many comparisons to Björk and Emiliana Torrini, but while her vocal phrasing sometimes did bear a strong similarity to the ever-enigmatic Ms. Guðmundsdóttir, her compositions have a more sweet and soft appeal: sharp jolts of beauty, delicate little flourishes and unexpected oddities hidden in the (only) apparently simple song structures.
ARTIST: Evi Vine
TITLE: … and So the Morning Comes
LABEL: White Label
RELEASE DATE: April 18, 2011
TIME: 48:11 min.
WEB: http://www.evivine.com/
01. For the Dreamers [04:30]
02. Down [04:33]
03. Inside Her [06:46]
04. Colours of the Night [04:53]
05. For You [03:38]
06. Kiss [06:22]
07. I Let You Leave [05:50]
08. In This Moment [05:51]
09. All the Beauty [02:34]
10. How Time Flies [05:34]
Evi Vine - Colours of the Night
removed by request
BURIAL & FOUR TET feat. THOM YORKE
Ego/Mirror
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as heard on radiospin on March 26th, 2011
under collaboration, electronic, experimental, preview, recommended, single
2nd Burial / Four Tet collab, this time featuring Thom Yorke: limited to 300 12” copies.
ARTIST: Burial & Four Tet feat. Thom Yorke
TITLE: Ego/Mirror
LABEL: TEXT
RELEASE DATE: March 21, 2011
TIME: 13:08 min.
WEB: http://www.fourtet.net/
01. Ego [06:45]
02. Mirror [06:24]
Burial & Four Tet (feat. thom yorke) - Mirror
get it here.
EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY
Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
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as heard on radiospin on March 25th, 2011
under album, experimental, instrumental, post-rock, preview, recommended
Explosions in the Sky should need no introduction, as purveyors of some of the most affecting, beautiful instrumental music going. Their works are temperate and ambient, gentle and melodic, infused with real depth and tenderness so that even when just playing in the background, they somehow find a way to bury deep into your conscious and touch your soul. This latest album is no different: though technically an EP of six songs, the songs are for the most part so lengthy and intricate that it feels more diverse and sprawling than your average full length. Don’t miss it, and Take Care, Take Care, Take Care.
ARTIST: Explosions in the Sky
TITLE: Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
LABEL: Temporary Residence
RELEASE DATE: Aprl 26, 2011
TIME: 56:44 min.
WEB: http://www.myspace.com/explosionsinthesky
01. Last Known Surroundings [08:22]
02. Human Qualities [08:10]
03. Trembling Hands [03:31]
04. Be Comfortable, Creature [08:48]
05. Postcard from 1952 [07:07]
06. Let Me Back In [10:07]
Explosions in the Sky - Trembling Hands
get it here.
METRONOMY
The English Riviera
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as heard on radiospin on March 24th, 2011
under album, electronic, indie, preview, recommended
Recently, Metronomy had the addition of two new members, a drummer and bassist, so that their shows can now be completely live. It seems they’ve progressed in other ways too: this release, The English Riviera, is cleverly catchy, but deceptively simple, a real sign of how naturally these songs come to them as a band.
ARTIST: Metronomy
TITLE: The English Riviera
LABEL: Because
RELEASE DATE: April 11, 2011
TIME: 45:06 min.
WEB: http://www.metronomy.co.uk/
01. The English Riviera [00:37]
02. We Broke Free [04:06]
03. Everything Goes My Way [03:30]
04. The Look [04:38]
05. She Wants [03:51]
06. Trouble [04:46]
07. The Bay [04:50]
08. Loving Arm [03:31]
09. Corinne [03:16]
10. Some Written [06:03]
11. Love Underlined [05:58]
get it here.
LOW
C’mon
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as heard on radiospin on March 23rd, 2011
under album, electronic, folk, indie, preview, recommended
While 2007’s Drums and Guns was a statement against the war in Iraq, slowcore icons Low aim for more widespread themes on their ninth full-length album C’mon: a general plea for decency and common sense in a world that they feel is lacking in such things. Recorded at the same Catholic church that 2002’s Trust was laid down in, the album is being released by longtime label home Sub Pop and again it makes you feel like you don’t need happy music, anymore.
ARTIST: Low
TITLE: C’mon
LABEL: Sub Pop
RELEASE DATE: April 11, 2011
TIME: 45:50 min.
WEB: http://chairkickers.com/
01. Try to Sleep [04:20]
02. You See Everything [04:08]
03. Witches [04:03]
04. Done [02:55]
05. Especially Me [05:29]
06. $20 [04:11]
07. Majesty Magic [04:14]
08. Nightingale [04:58]
09. Nothing But Heart [08:12]
10. Something’s Turning Over [03:20]
get it here.
THE KILLS
Blood Pressure
The Kills, UK/US duo of Jamie Hince and Alison Mosshart, release Blood Pressures, the highly anticipated follow-up to their critically acclaimed third album, Midnight Boom. This album keeps their basic sound intact searing guitars, driving rhythms and sexually charged lyrical savvy. The 11 tracks on Blood Pressures find The Kills embracing a fuller sound: there is heavier instrumentation and layered, huge-sounding harmonies with Jamie and Alison uniting in their trademark singsong vocal style over tom heavy primitive beats.
ARTIST: The Kills
TITLE: Blood Pressures
LABEL: Domino
RELEASE DATE: April 5, 2011
TIME: 42:00 min.
WEB: http://www.thekills.tv/
01. Future Starts Now [04:05]
02. Satellite [04:13]
03. Heart Is A Beating Drum [04:20]
04. Nail in My Coffin [03:33]
05. Wild Charms [01:15]
06. DNA [04:29]
07. Baby Says [04:29]
08. The Last Goodbye [03:42]
09. Damned If She Do [03:53]
10. You Don’t Own the Road [03:23]
11. Post and Pans [04:35]
get it here.
THE VACCINES
What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?
With the cocksure album title What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?, incredibly well received debut tracks, and, we would guess, many declarations of love off the back of the moody jilted lover stares they so expertly delivered in their Post Break-Up Sex video, you can see why people might be just a little suspicious (but mainly jealous) of The Vaccines. But it’s not all smooth moves and knocked-out-in-their-sleep tunes for the four-piece, as this first full-length proves.
ARTIST: The Vaccines
TITLE: What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?
LABEL: Columbia
RELEASE DATE: March 14, 2011
TIME: 36:03 min.
WEB: http://www.thevaccines.co.uk/
01. Wrekin’ Bar (ra ra ra) [01:22]
02. If You Wanna [02:54]
03. A Lack of Understanding [02:59]
04. Blow It Up [02:36]
05. Wetsuit [03:50]
06. Norgaard [01:39]
07. Post Break Up Sex [02:54]
08. Under Your Thumb [02:21]
09. All In White [04:34]
10. Wolf Pack [02:24]
11. Family Friend [08:30]
The Vaccines - Post Break Up Sex
get it here.
L’ALTRA
Telepathic
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as heard on radiospin on March 18th, 2011
under album, electronic, indie, pop, preview, recommended
For over a decade now, Joseph Desler Costa and Lindsay Anderson have waged through the various ups and downs that so often come hand in hand when a musician opts for the artistic route over the daily doldrums of life: several line-up changes, break-ups and make-ups, and a harrowing six year hiatus following their equally critically acclaimed album Different Days all lead to a welcomed reunion of the dark and stormy partnership of singer-keyboardist Anderson and singer-guitarist Costa. Telepathic finds L’Altra refining their baroque balladry and expanding their signature wurlitzer and guitar foundation with collaborators such as Charles Rumback (Colorlist, Via Tania), Josh Eustis (Telefon Tel Aviv, Sons of Magdalene), Josh Abrams (Bonnie Prince Billy) and Marc Hellner (Pulseprogramming).
ARTIST: L’Altra
TITLE: Telepathic
LABEL: Acuarela
RELEASE DATE: March 28, 2011
TIME: 41:48 min.
WEB: http://www.laltramusic.com/
01. Dark Corners I [01:54]
02. Nothing Can Tear It Apart [04:10]
03. Big Air Kiss [03:52]
04. Boys [04:00]
05. When the Ship Sinks [03:25]
06. Black Wind [05:21]
07. Either Was the Other’s Mine [02:55]
08. Winter Loves Summer Sun [03:58]
09. This Bruise [05:13]
10. Telepathic [05:02]
11. Dark Corners II [01:58]
L’Altra - Nothing Can Tear It Apart
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TELEKINESIS
12 Desperate Straight Lines
When Telekinesis mastermind Michael Benjamin Lerner set out to record songs for the follow-up to his debut album Telekinesis!, he found himself with no band, a case of vertigo, and a wrecked van. The long-distance relationship that inspired his debut album’s songs of wanderlust had ended, and Michael was inspired (by the heavy, fuzzy bass in Flin Flon‘s A-OK) to buy a bass guitar and again record with Chris Walla at Portland’s Jackpot! Studios. The result is twelve new songs of heartache, anger, and even a little hopefulness.
ARTIST: Telekinesis
TITLE: 12 Desperate Straight Lines
LABEL: Merge
RELEASE DATE: February 15, 2011
TIME: 32:36 min.
WEB: http://telekinesismusic.com/
01. You Turn Clear in the Sun [03:23]
02. Please Ask for Help [02:44]
03. 50 Ways [03:30]
04. I Cannot Love You [02:01]
05. Dirty Things [02:22]
06. Car Crash [02:40]
07. Palm of Your Hand [01:28]
08. I Got You [02:50]
09. Fever Chill [02:52]
10. Country Lane [02:34]
11. Patterns [02:33]
12. Gotta Get It Right Now [03:39]
Telekinesis - Please Ask for Help
get it here.
KEREN ANN
101
Keren Ann was born in Caesaria, Israel, to a Japanese-Dutch mother and Russian-Israeli father. She was raised in Paris, but now shares her time between Paris and Tel Aviv when not on the road touring. She began captivating U.S. critics and audiences in 2004 with the stateside release of Not Going Anywhere, and proved that she was here to stay with 2005′s Nolita and 2007′s Keren Ann. And now, almost four years after her last album, she’s back with 101. Each song is a window into a world, like the windows of the apartment building opposite James Stewart‘s in Rear Window. Each picture, lit by a different light, is a painting comes to life, a painting in sound and words, telling a story. There is also a new energy, a broader range, a sense of new ground broken. The voice reaches out more, but Keren Ann retains her enigmatic quality, her intimate bond with the listener, and the vignettes still mystify as much as they illuminate. Nothing is sacrificed.
Ultimately 101 embodies what Keren Ann‘s music is all about: the songs, the voice, the sound.
ARTIST: Keren Ann
TITLE: 101
LABEL: PID
RELEASE DATE: March 8, 2011
TIME: 41:15 min.
WEB: http://www.kerenann.com/
01. My Name Is Trouble [04:12]
02. Run With You [03:46]
03. All the Beautiful Girls [05:02]
04. Sugar Mama [03:08]
05. She Won’t Trade It For Nothing [02:50]
06. You Were On Fire [03:55]
07. Blood On My Hands [03:45]
08. Song From A Tour Bus [03:40]
09. Strange Weather [05:27]
10. 101 [05:30]
Keren Ann - My Name Is Trouble
get it here.
THE STROKES
Angles
Angles is The Strokes’ first new release since 2006′s First Impressions of Earth and marks the ambition of that album with the immediacy of the band s earlier albums Is This It? (2001) and Room On Fire (2003). In 2010, the band returned to the road, playing and headlining major festivals in the United States and UK, including the Isle of Wight Festival, Lollapalooza, Hurricane Festival, Splendour In The Grass, Rockness, Outside Lands, and Austin City Limits. This new album seems to be entitled such, because that is what it sounds like and, according to the first rumors, while on previously released Strokes’ albums, Julian Casablancas was the main songwriter, the band has said this album was a much more collaborated-upon work.
ARTIST: The Strokes
TITLE: Angles
LABEL: Rough Trade
RELEASE DATE: March 22, 2011
TIME: 34:14 min.
WEB: http://www.thestrokes.com/
01. Machu Picchu [03:30]
02. Under Cover of Darkness [03:56]
03. Two Kind of Happiness [03:42]
04. You’re So Right [02:34]
05. Taken For a Fool [03:23]
06. Games [03:52]
07. Call Me Back [03:02]
08. Gratisfaction [02:59]
09. Metabolism [03:01]
10. Life Is Simple in the Moonlight [04:15]
The Strokes - Taken for a Fool
get it here.
JENIFEREVER
Silesia
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as heard on radiospin on March 14th, 2011
under album, indie, post-rock, preview, recommended
Immediately and obviously bolder than their previous full-lengths, 2006′s Choose a Bright Morning and 2009′s Spring Tides, Silesia is a glorious coalescence of open space and memorable melodies: there’s an intrinsically uplifting air to the songs on this album and a slightly more upbeat and anthemic quality that sets it apart from the band’s earlier work, straying in to the post-pop (or, if you are fanatic about neologisms, call it pop-gaze) genre without getting lost. Silesia surprises by taking a transient, positive stance on life rather than wallowing in melancholia: this is still Jeniferever (track lengths still peak at a healthy nine mins), but it’s older, wiser and more accessible.
Without compromises.
Indie RockARTIST: Jeniferever
TITLE: Silesia
LABEL: Monotreme
RELEASE DATE: April 12, 2011
TIME: 52:35 min.
WEB: http://www.jeniferever.com/
01. Silesia [06:51]
02. Waifs & Strays [05:20]
03. The Beat of Our Own Blood [04:27]
04. A Drink to Remember [07:18]
05. Deception Pass [04:14]
06. Cathedral Peak [06:12]
07. Where the Hills Fall Towards the Ocean [04:16]
08. Dover [04:51]
09. Hearths [09:06]
get it here.