OK,
friends, here's the last part of my attempt to recap what went down while we
were out. I think I pretty much covered the favorites, so normal
posting will start back up tomorrow with Brad and one of his usual charming
posts. Enjoy.
- The
Best Of What You/We Missed: Part 2 -
:Akron
Family - So It Goes:
It's definitely way too early to be talking about these
sorts of things, but I'd like to say this is already aiming
for a spot on my 2011 song list. Talk about playful
and just fun to kick back too and turn up loud. The
oddly titled S/T II: The Cosmic Birth And Journey Of
Shinju TNT is due February 8 on Dead Oceans.
:Pete
And The Pirates - Winter 1:
As you may recall, Brad mentioned this artist in a post late
last year. However, the couple of songs he shared were
a bit more kinetic, whereas this is very slick and chilled
out. I dig it. The band is supposed to release a
new album sometime in May.
:Toro
Y Moi - Still Sound:
Up until he put on a really nice set at Fun Fun Fun Fest, I
was admittedly a little so-so on Chaz Bundick (and no, it
wasn't because of the name). But now I "get" it, and
I'm all over this funky track and anxious for more.
Underneath The Pine is due February 22 on Carpark.
:Fergus
And Geronimo - Powerful Lovin':
While their name makes me imagine a TV show where a banker
and a Native American fight crime at night, the sound of
their music has me thinking of a softer King Kahn And The
Shrines. Feel free to wail. Unlearn is
out today on Hardly Art.
:La
Sera - Devils Hearts Grow Gold:
Katy Goodman is great as a part of the Vivian Girls, but I
think I actually prefer this project. The songs just
seem better crafted and more interesting, as shown by this
very warm piece of vintage pop. The Devils Hearts
Grow Gold 7" is out today on Hardly Art.
:Atlantic
Pacific - Patterns:
Here's a song that features Garrett Klahn (formerly of the
influential Texas Is The Reason) and John Herguth (House And
Parish, The Love Scene). They've apparently been
around since 2008, but this hazy tune is my introduction to
them. Meet Your New Love is out now on No Sleep
Records.
:Wye
Oak - Civilian:
Wye Oak have steadily gotten better over the course of their
last two full lengths, so I think by following that logic we
can assume their third LP will be their best yet. This
fantastic song certainly makes it seem that way.
Civilian is due March 8 via Merge.
:British
Sea Power - Who's In Control?:
For the last week or so I've been trying to come up with the
proper word to describe this song, and the best I can do is
"goofy." What's with the call and respond chorus?
Or the 90s alternative sound? Did a group of adults
really write this? Whatever the answers, I can't wait
to drunkenly sing this at one of their shows.
Valhalla Dancehall is out now on Rough Trade Records.
:Lykke
Li - I Follow Rivers:
I can't figure out Lykke Li. On her last album she
delivered a collection of very fresh sounding tracks that
caught the intention and praise of everyone, and now she's
seems to be following it up with some very standard pop
stuff. Granted, both tracks so far have been catchy
and fun to listen to, but it's still a strange shift.
Wounded Rhymes is out March 2 on LL Recordings.
:The
Babies - Wild I:
Because it just wouldn't be right if only one Vivian Girls
side project got mentioned, here's one from Cassie Ramone
(it also features Kevin Morby from Woods). It's not
near as warm as La Sera, but its particularly rough edge has
something endearing about it. The band's self titled
album is set to be released on February 8 via Shrimper.
- John Laird -
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