Releases under the ‘album’ Category:
WHITE JACKET
Hollows and Rounds
White Jacket is led by former Apples in Stereo keyboardist, Chris McDuffie. Hollows and Rounds is his first solo album: a big slice of power pop and contemporary indie rock, with a dash of 70s psychedelia that would make The Beatles form The Yellow Submarine era smile.
ARTIST: White Jacket
TITLE: Hollows and Rounds
LABEL: Whitejacket
RELEASE DATE: April 3, 2012
TIME: 35:14 min.
WEB: http://www.whitejacketmusic.com/
01. Versus Angel [02:53]
02. Those Are Pearls [01:35]
03. The Modern [02:55]
04. Walkin’ Blues [02:48]
05. Single Seagulls [02:14]
06. River’s Song [02:26]
07. Medinah [03:35]
08. Dregs [01:59]
09. Easy Now [03:05]
10. Inside Out [03:21]
11. Sangfroid [02:58]
12. Missing [01:38]
13. Like It Warm [03:50]
get it here.
LOWER DENS
Nootropics
No Comments
as heard on radiospin on April 11th, 2012
under album, experimental, indie, new wave, preview
Nootropics is the second album by the Baltimora-based laid back melody surrealists Lower Dens. The lead singer Jana Hunter‘s vocals are really the centerpiece of this album: she has this earthy alto voice that sounds dark and burdened, exuding the qualities and characteristics that suggest an unfulfilled desire to be set free. What this does is it takes the listener on a dimly lit musical journey, leading to a subtly impactful apex.
ARTIST: Lower Dens
TITLE: Nootropics
LABEL: Ribbon
RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2012
TIME: 50:25 min.
WEB: http://lowerdens.com/
01. Alphabet Song [05:28]
02. Brains [05:08]
03. Stem [02:07]
04. Propagation [05:00]
05. Lamb [03:43]
06. Candy [03:20]
07. Lion in Winter (pt.1) [04:16]
08. Lion in Winter (pt.2) [03:37]
09. Nova Anthem [05:28]
10. The End Is the Beginning [12:18]
get it here.
DRINK TO ME
S
No Comments
as heard on radiospin on April 10th, 2012
under album, electronic, experimental, indie, preview, recommended, rock
Second album for the Italian indie-combo Drink to Me: S is the follow-up of the critically acclaimed Brazil. With this release the trio changes suddenly its direction, leaving the noisy solutions that were a trademark of their debut and introducing massive doses of synths and hard electronics. Dancy melodies over a lo-fi substrate mixed with the beating warmth of the classical rock-instrumentations: half Liars and half Klaxons. What else?
ARTIST: Drink to Me
TITLE: S
LABEL: Unhip
RELEASE DATE: March 12, 2012
TIME: 37:23 min.
WEB: http://www.drinktome.net/
01. Henry Miller [05:15]
02. The Elevator [03:27]
03. Picture of the Sun [03:45]
04. Future Days [03:42]
05. Space [03:28]
06. Dig a Hole with a Needle [04:02]
07. L.A. 13 (pt.1) [03:26]
08. L.A. 13 (pt.2) [01:48]
09. Disaster Area [03:39]
10. Airport Song [04:51]
get it here.
THE FUTURHEADS
Rant
No Comments
as heard on radiospin on April 6th, 2012
under album, cover, experimental, indie, pop, preview
Long gone are the days when record labels would bow to their artistes’ every whim. At a time when, more than ever, music=sales=money, artistic egos are worth zilch, and concept albums are worth even less. So who on earth agreed to let The Futureheads release an a cappella album? An idea that sprang from a Radio 1 Live Lounge session, which saw them attempt, with schoolboy clever dick humour, an instrument-free version of Kelis‘s Acapella, was somehow allowed to flourish into an entire album. A silly, novelty album that no one’s going to listen to, right? Not quite. Those who are gunning to dismiss Rant as a novelty record will, at first glance, have plenty of ammunition: the covers, the boring re-workings of their own songs, and the fact that at times it sounds part barbershop quartet and part football crowd. But it’s far from self-indulgent: their song choices and clever arrangements make Rant a real, if unexpected, delight.
ARTIST: The Futurheads
TITLE: Rant
LABEL: Nul
RELEASE DATE: April 2, 2012
TIME: 34:04 min.
WEB: http://www.thefutureheads.co.uk/
01. Meantime [03:17]
02. Meet Me Halfway [03:05]
03. Robot [02:01]
04. Beeswing [04:16]
05. Thursday [04:11]
06. Summer Is Icumen In [01:52]
07. The Keeper [01:40]
08. The No.1 Song in Heaven [04:26]
09. The Old Dun Cow [02:53]
10. Acapella [02:28]
11. Man Ray [04:02]
The Futurheads – Meet Me Halfway
get it here.
ORBITAL
Wonky
No Comments
as heard on radiospin on April 5th, 2012
under album, dance, electronic, experimental, preview, recommended
First new album in eight years from the undefeated champions of British electronic music. Recently reunited following a long sabbatical, Paul and Phil Hartnoll are back on fighting-fit form and ready to reclaim their title as lightheaded lords of the dance arena. Both timeless and contemporary, heartwarming and exhilarating, Wonky puts a vividly modern spin on their signature blend of richly melodic, deeply emotive Electronica. Confident, energized and eclectic, Wonky already sounds like the duo’s finest release to date: most of the gleaming, whooshing, shimmering tracks on this album will instantly tap into the warm-blooded rush and restless bounce of classic Orbital.
ARTIST: Orbital
TITLE: Wonky
LABEL: PID
RELEASE DATE: April 10, 2012
TIME: 50:43 min.
WEB: http://orbitalofficial.com/
01. One Big Moment [06:17]
02. Straight Sun [05:29]
03. Never [04:44]
04. New France [04:48]
05. Distractions [07:05]
06. Stringy Acid [05:20]
07. Beelzedub [04:55]
08. Wonky [06:14]
09. Where Is It Going? [05:51]
get it here.
GIARDINI DI MIRÒ
Good Luck
No Comments
as heard on radiospin on April 4th, 2012
under album, electronic, indie, post-rock, preview, recommended, rock
Five years of silence lead us to Good Luck, 4th (5th, if we want to consider also Il Fuoco, sonorization of the 1915′s homonymous film by Giovanni Pastrone) album by Italian post-rockers Giardini di Mirò. For this album the band returns to the original line-up of the first one Rise and Fall of Academic Drifting (2001). In ten years Giardini di Mirò have been able to get out of the label of “Italian Mogwai”, carrying on an idea of sound that in time has become a trademark. Good Luck is heading to be a cross-eyed album, made of songs apparently disconnected one from another. But in the end the beauty and the strength of this release is that: shuffling the cards, alternate moments of solid and classic post-rock to more liquid and soft parts. Good Luck is geometry, not mathematics, and melody is always the center (as a proof of that, the presence of Devics‘ Sara Love as guest vocals on the ethereal This Is the Place). Welcome again.
ARTIST: Giardini di Mirò
TITLE: Good Luck
LABEL: Santeria / Audioglobe
RELEASE DATE: March 23, 2012
TIME: 38:54 min.
WEB: http://www.giardinidimiro.com/
01. Memories [02:36]
02. Spurious Love [05:06]
03. Ride [04:01]
04. There Is a Place [03:35]
05. Good Luck [04:21]
06. Rome [06:33]
07. Time On Time [05:49]
08. Flat Heart Society [06:53]
get it here.
LADYHAWKE
Anxiety
No Comments
as heard on radiospin on April 3rd, 2012
under album, electronic, indie, pop, preview, recommended, remix, rock
One of the brightest stars to light up the pop firmament this millennium is back. Thanks to her brilliant self-titled 2008 debut, Ladyhawke (a.k.a. Pip Brown), shot to stardom around the world. Her follow-up will surely even exceed those achievements, and establish the wildly talented young tunesmith as one of her generation’s most beloved pop heroines. Eighteen months in the making, Anxiety carries ten instant classics, each brimming over with irresistable hooks, fresh beats and ear-grabbing synth sounds.
ARTIST: Ladyhawke
TITLE: Anxiety
LABEL: Island
RELEASE DATE: March 28, 2012
TIME: 36:10 min.
WEB: http://www.ladyhawkemusic.com/
01. Girl Like Me [02:56]
02. Sunday Drive [04:05]
03. Black, White & Blue [03:55]
04. Vaccine [03:34]
05. Blue Eyes [03:17]
06. Vanity [03:01]
07. The Quick & the Dead [03:49]
08. Anxiety [03:24]
09. Cellophane [04:15]
10. Gone Gone Gone [03:54]
Ladyhawke – Black, White & Blue (treasure fingers remix)
get it here.
TANLINES
Mixed Emotions
Mixed Emotions is the debut album from Brooklyn’s Tanlines, the duo of Eric Emm (vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Jesse Cohen (drums, keyboards, bass). Initially a production project, Tanlines have evolved through two acclaimed EPs into a deeply personal, electronic pop group. The album was recorded in a series of locations after the band were evicted from their own studio, which in turn pushed Emm to focus on his lyrics and songwriting: in the process, he discovered a beautiful baritone vocal style. The lyrics poured out of him, and their maturity and honesty form the core of this release.
ARTIST: Tanlines
TITLE: Mixed Emotions
LABEL: True Panther Sounds
RELEASE DATE: March 20, 2012
TIME: 39:26 min.
WEB: http://tanlinesinternet.com/
01. Brothers [04:13]
02. All of Me [03:55]
03. Green Grass [03:28]
04. Abby [03:36]
05. Yes Way [03:08]
06. Not the Same [04:34]
07. Lost Somewhere [03:32]
08. Real Life [04:44]
09. Rain Delay [03:36]
10. Cactus [03:40]
11. Nonesuch [03:31]
get it here.
ELIAS
Fossils
No Comments
as heard on radiospin on March 31st, 2012
under album, indie, preview, RBR, recommended, rock, submitted
Vancouver-based trio Elias, made by Brian Healy (keyboards, lead vocals), Rob Tornroos (guitar, backing vocals) and Stefan Tavares (drums), release their brand new album Fossils, on Wax Records. On Fossils, the band’s sound covers a lot of ground, moving from dark to light, from moody to anthemic, from rock hardness to melody sweetness, without resulting foregone. After a lengthy search, Jeff Dawson (Marcy Playground, Hey Ocean!) was brought onboard to produce the record and Grammy winner John O’Mahony (Coldplay, Metric) accepted to mix the sounds. Their dedication to the project was glue that allowed for the record’s emotional momentum to carry forward.
ARTIST: Elias
TITLE: Fossils
LABEL: Wax
RELEASE DATE: February 14, 2012
TIME: 44:18 min.
WEB: http://www.eliasband.com/
01. Fossils [05:00]
02. Enough [04:06]
03. Knockdown Dance [04:00]
04. Tunnel Lights [05:07]
05. Hands and Knees [04:25]
06. Lake Louise [04:49]
07. Rising Tide [03:37]
08. Catapults [04:43]
09. Glass [04:58]
10. Hold the Line [03:33]
removed by request
CHROMATICS
Kill For Love
No Comments
as heard on radiospin on March 30th, 2012
under album, electronic, indie, pop, preview, recommended
The new Chromatics album, Kill for Love, was just released on iTunes: surprisingly they were not able to find a label. Now, two months later, everything goes in its right place, and Kill For Love sees the light physically thanks to Italians Do It Better. This is the first album since 2007′s Night Drive from this dark-dance-pop aesthetes and it’s filled with mystery, intrigue and several interesting twists and turns.
ARTIST: Chromatics
TITLE: Kill for Love
LABEL: Italians Do It Better
RELEASE DATE: January 24, 2012
TIME: 1:32:04 min.
WEB: http://www.myspace.com/chromatics
01. Into the Black [05:23]
02. Kill for Love [03:58]
03. Back from the Grave [03:43]
04. The Page [03:36]
05. Lady [05:08]
06. These Streets Will Never Look the Same [08:37]
07. Broken Mirrors [07:04]
08. Candy [02:30]
09. The Eleventh Hour [03:28]
10. Running From the Sun [07:07]
11. Dust to Dust [02:41]
12. Birds of Paradise [04:26]
13. A Matter of Time [05:06]
14. At Your Door [03:53]
15. There’s A Light Out On the Horizon [04:44]
16. The River [06:09]
17. No Escape [14:01]
Chromatics – Back from the Grave
get it here.
THE AMERICAN DOLLAR
Awake in the City
The American Dollar is a U.S.A.-based post-rock band, formed in 2005 in Queens, New York. The band consists of drummer John Emanuele and guitarist Richard Cupolo. Awake in the City is their 5th album so far, and it tries to bring us again in another soft-sonic dimension: the beauty of all this, and the simplicity with which this task is accomplished, is that this album is designed with the very real, and richly powerful idea of memory, of that constant need for us to latch onto our past.
ARTIST: The American Dollar
TITLE: Awake in the City
LABEL: Yesh
RELEASE DATE: March 24, 2012
TIME: 40:18 min.
WEB: http://theamericandollar.info/
01. Faces in the Haze [04:27]
02. Heavy Eyes Ignite [04:15]
03. Ether Channels [03:32]
04. First Day [03:40]
05. Steeltown (part 1) [02:08]
06. Steeltown (part 2) [02:03]
07. Strings [03:08]
08. Crossing Asia [03:32]
09. As We Float [04:02]
10. Urbana [02:38]
11. Friends of Friends [03:35]
12. Oracle [03:18]
The American Dollar – Heavy Eyes Ignite
get it here.
LOLA KITE
I Start to Believe You
In less than twelve months, the 2nd album I Start to Believe You by the Amsterdam-based Lola Kite is already a fact. Unlike the debut album, Lights, especially where the atmosphere is cheerful and spirited, the twelve songs on I Start to Believe You become more melancholiser and reveal their new dreamy nature. With the advent of Jacco Gardner, the trio composed by Keez Groenteman, Jasper Verhulst and Bram Vervaet, evolved into a quartet. Gardner is also responsible for the production of the record that this time was held in their own hands, but this extra addition is primarily intended for the live shows even more dynamic and energized than before.
ARTIST: Lola Kite
TITLE: I Start to Believe You
LABEL: Excelsior
RELEASE DATE: March 2, 2012
TIME: 38:05 min.
WEB: http://lolakite.com/
01. Love and the Weather [00:50]
02. Energy Could Be Our Closest Friend [03:17]
03. Someone OK [03:38]
04. The Fair [03:07]
05. Don’t Block Our Sun [04:14]
06. Boss [04:24]
07. Road to Nowhere [04:05]
08. Island Smyland [01:43]
09. A Higher Key [05:13]
10. Daisy Acquarius [00:51]
11. Tokyo Love [03:42]
12. W’ter [03:09]
get it here.
DIRTY THREE
Toward the Low Sun
First studio album in seven years from Dirty Three, the alt-rock/folk trio led by Grinderman & Bad Seeds mainstay Warren Ellis. Toward the Low Sun is a true humdinger: Ellis is always sawing away at something on the violin that kind of tightens our chest and gives us that old thousand-yard stare, Mick Turner wanders with hollow-bodied guitar from abstract and dreamy to punishing hard chord rock in the space of a breath, never sacrificing a sense of the awesome along the path, and then there’s Jim White, who is doing something that no one else does back there. Plus, he’s drumming!
ARTIST: Dirty Three
TITLE: Toward the Low Sun
LABEL: Drag City
RELEASE DATE: February 28, 2012
TIME: 42:02 min.
WEB: http://anchorandhope.com/
01. Furnace Skies [04:44]
02. Sometimes I Forget You’ve Gone [03:49]
03. Moon On the Land [04:53]
04. Rising Below [05:47]
05. The Pier [04:53]
06. Rain Song [03:51]
07. That Was Was [04:02]
08. Ashen Snow [05:14]
09. You Greet Her Ghost [04:49]
get it here.
MI AMI
Decade
Daniel Martin-McCormick may be thinking that 2012 is the year he breaks through. It’s taken him a decade to get here, from the scruffy post-punk of Black Eyes, a dancier advance on that template with Mi Ami, plus his various solo projects (Sex Worker, Ital). On Decade he returns to work with Damon Palermo, who helped him to tether his dual careers, trying to draw an easy line between them, especially when the expansive deep house influence at the heart of Decade kicks in. That why Decade manages to be both lean and meticulous without homing in on a clear point of convergence, feeling very much like a vision still undergoing a slo-mo blur into focus.
ARTIST: Mi Ami
TITLE: Decade
LABEL: Silk
RELEASE DATE: March 20, 2012
TIME: 37:04 min.
WEB: http://www.myspace.com/youngmagicsounds
01. Horns [08:31]
02. Time of Love [11:14]
03. Free of Life [10:31]
04. Bells [06:50]
get it here.
FIORIOUS
Fiorious
Fiorious is a Bronx-born Italian-American Ivy-League grad who quit his dayjob as a pop music journalist and returned to the motherland to make his own music, embracing his Euro roots without sacrificing his New York City soul. The fruits of his wanderlust? A throbbing, hard-smacking orgy of electropop, disco-funk, and indie-dance. Fiorious is his self-titled debut.
ARTIST: Fiorious
TITLE: Fiorious
LABEL: self-released
RELEASE DATE: March 20, 2012
TIME: 33:44 min.
WEB: http://www.fiorious.com/
01. Elevator [04:45]
02. So Pretty [04:35]
03. I’m in Love with a German Film Star [03:51]
04. If You Wanna Dance (don’t leave your room) [04:26]
05. Man Alive [03:45]
06. New York City Girl [04:00]
07. 7 Steps [04:01]
08. Sun-Kissed Afternoon [04:21]
get it here.