Category Archives: New Releases

Thursday’s Three, March 8th

Thursday's Thr3e

This is the second edition of the new series I began last week. Each Thursday I’ll write a post with three bands: ones I’ve recently discovered and think are awesome and think you will too, or ones that have a new record out. Sometimes (like this week) it’ll be three new releases; sometimes three discoveries; sometimes a little of each. Let’s get to it, to it, to it…

New Release: Josh Ritter – The Beast In Its Tracks

This is a break-up record. Ritter recorded it after his marriage ended, and a 56-second little intro sets the scene: “Last night I saw / Someone with your eyes / Someone with your smile / We danced / And I regret that she asked me to / Cuz she didn’t have your arms…” I love that; it’s so subtly heart-wrenching. One could easily gloss over this brief song in a rush to reach the core tunes – indeed, I did exactly that my first couple times through this album – but stop a moment and recognize how close you would need to be with someone, how intimately you must know them, to notice in someone else a difference so small. The woman had his former lover’s eyes and smile, two features so often put to song. But she didn’t have her arms, and that made all the difference.

Only Josh Ritter could use such an emotional collapse as inspiration for a record as gorgeous as this, full of vibrant, layered songwriting and inimitable imagery. In “Joy To You Baby” he sings “To the lion of evening, with the storm in its paw…” Who else is writing like that right now? It’s what keeps me coming back to his music. If you’ve never heard him before and like this album, I recommend The Animal Years, Southern Pacifica, and The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, in that order.

[youtube http://youtu.be/xwFPq8EItko]

Listen to that track all the way through – there’s a curveball at the end. (C’mon, we’ve all been there.)

New Release: The Cave Singers – Naomi

The Cave Singers play indie/folk rock with a gritty southern twang that belies their Seattle origins. Naomi is their fourth’ LP and second since switching to well-known indie label Jagjaguwar (Bon Iver, Okkervil River, Sharon Van Etten). It’s quite similar to 2011’s No Witch, but I’m alright with that. This is one of those bands that I don’t expect to mix it up. That’s not a negative thing – they have a certain spot and they hit it really well, so I don’t mind if they just hang right there.

New Release: Waxahatchee – Cerulean Salt

Waxahatchee began as the bedroom recordings of Katie Crutchfield, an origin story that is rapidly transitioning from exception to norm. 2012’s American Weekend left no doubt of this with its stripped down nature, but it won accolades for introspective lyricism and its skin-after-a-rug-burn emotion. Crutchfield has returned less than a year later with an album to which I was immediately partial simply because the name includes my favorite color/crayon. The electricity and additional production present in Cerulean Salt represent a clear break from its acoustic predecessor, but connecting the dots is not hard; it’s the next logical step for this songwriter. One cannot remain in bare bones forever (see: Van Etten, Sharon).

Check back next Thursday for another three!

Thursday’s Three, February 28th

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Thursday's Thr3e

You’re reading the first installment of a new series I’m starting up. You can say you knew it when. Sweet deal. So, each Thursday I’ll write a post with three bands: ones I’ve recently discovered and think are awesome and think you will too, or ones that have a new record out. Sometimes it’ll be three new releases; sometimes three discoveries; sometimes a bit o’ both. Here we go.

New Release: Atoms for Peace – Amok

Atoms for Peace is a new(-ish) side project from Radiohead’s Thom Yorke that features Flea (of RHCP, but you knew that) on bass. Amok is their first album, and it was produced by Nigel Godrich, the same man responsible for Yorke’s The Eraser back in 2006. The sound is similar, yet livelier and more developed. Yorke’s falsetto shimmers above as the countless layers of bass and synth pulse each track along. I think a friend of mine was right, however, when he mentioned that if you’re gonna use Flea, inarguably one of the greatest bassists in history, use him. He’s not featured anywhere near as prominently as he should be. Still, a great listen that’ll tide Radiohead fans over until the group’s next record.

The video below is for “Ingenue,” one of the record’s best tracks, and it features Thom Yorke dancing with his female sartorial twin in an empty auditorium. It’s simple but works perfectly with the song. And of course, there are already gifs.

[youtube http://youtu.be/DpVfF4U75B8]

Discovery: Body Parts

No, I did not discover some previously unnoticed appendages. That’d be weird. (Like really, imagine that for a moment. Very strange.) The L.A. four-piece Body Parts is the vision of Ryder Bach. I discovered them today thanks to David Greenwald’s (of Rawkblog) SXSW digging. They remind me of the Dirty Projectors, which should be all the endorsement you need. I will definitely be checking them out at South-By.

Discovery: Hiatus Kaiyote

Another discovery thanks to SXSW and Mr. Greenwald, this Melbourne band plays electronic-infused, piano-driven songs of sinewy “future soul.” Plus, how can you not listen with album art like that? Put on some headphones and give this song your full attention.

Check back next Thursday for another three!

New Mount Moriah Record Streaming on Pitchfork

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Mount Moriah

Miracle Temple, the new album from North Carolina alt-country trio Mount Moriah, is now streaming on Pitchfork. This should give you a feel for their sound:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Fem7oAHxlk]

UPDATE: The album is now available. The last track is particularly solid.

New Music from Jenn Wasner, CHVRCHES, and James Blake

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Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak, who made one of my favorite albums of 2011, will be releasing a new album on May 14th as Dungeonesse. It’s separate from her work with Andy Stack (the other half of Wye Oak), part of a new project with Jon Ehrens.

The tracks released so far sound entirely different from anything Wye Oak has done. It’s straight dance pop. The first song exhibits some R&B vocal influences and the second reps that trademark dance pop gloss. What I’m saying is, it’s catchy. I’m interested to see where this project goes.

[youtube http://youtu.be/DyNDaW4qwQw]

[youtube http://youtu.be/9cnsPLDsU-E]

In a similar but grittier vein comes a new track called “Recover” from CHVRCHES, an electronic band from Scotland that recalls The Knife or Metric. (Fun fact from this BBC write-up: the Roman “v” was used in place of a “u” to avoid confusion with physical churches when people searched for the band online.) They have only a couple singles to their name despite forming back in 2011, but they’ll be releasing an EP later in March. This song is the title track:

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/77997623″ width=”100%” height=”164″ iframe=”true” /]

An earlier single of theirs called “The Mother We Share” is also pretty awesome:

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/60173536″ width=”100%” height=”164″ iframe=”true” /]

Lastly we have a new track from James Blake, the UK electronica producer and post-dubstep wunderkind. After 2011’s breakout self-titled album, Blake released the Enough Thunder EP (with the beautiful Joni Mitchell cover) and now follows it up with “Retrograde,” the first single from his forthcoming second LP, Overgrown. There are fewer syncopation-born jolts, leading to more focus on Blake’s vocals. I like this song a lot and hope that the rest of the album heads in a similar direction.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6p6PcFFUm5I]

Note: I wasn’t planning on doing anything Valentine’s Day-related today, but this morning Josh Ritter (one of my favorite singer/songwriters) released a video for the song “New Lover” from his forthcoming album The Beast In Its Tracks. Fair warning: it is certainly not for anyone who’s enjoying this most divisive of holidays.

New Song from The Postal Service!

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Many (myself included) never thought this day would come. But here it is. At long, long last (though not so long as My Bloody Valentine) a new track from The Postal Service has entered the world:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OIJaQhVoMZg#!]

As far as any similarity to Give Up, “A Tattered Line of String” recalls “Such Great Heights” or “Clark Gable,” opting for a more uptempo beat instead of the melancholic, comfort-food electronica that defined the rest of the record.

It’s worth noting that this song is only a previously unreleased track, not something that was recorded recently. Still, it’s great to hear.

New Releases & Discoveries

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New movie releases tend to lag in the spring as the studios build up to the summer blockbuster season. TV shows are on all spring, but take a break during the summer months.

Unlike those two industries, music never rests. That leads to a lot to keep up with when you listen to as much music as I do. There are always new releases from your favorites, and while you want to get to those, you’re continuously looking for new favorites as well. Sometimes it can seem a bit overwhelming. Rather, it would if I didn’t love it so much.

Over the past few weeks I’ve checked out some particularly good new records from established standouts. I’ve also come across a number of new bands that I’ve really been enjoying. I wanted to offer a quick rundown in case any of these struck you as much as they have me.

New Releases:

Cynic’s New Year, Horse Feathers

Hailing from Portland, that bastion of contemporary folk, Horse Feathers is sublimely unassertive Americana that leans comfortably on the shoulder of orchestral influence. I was introduced to them through Thistled Spring, their 2010 release, and now they’re back with a great follow-up. I saw them during SXSW (more on that soon, I promise) in a church in the northern part of downtown. Really just the most perfect venue for this band.

Hoyas, S. Carey

Sean Carey is the drummer for Bon Iver, and back in 2010 he released All We Grow, one of my favorite albums of that year. There are certainly similarities between the two artists, but S. Carey tends more toward the ambient. I think of his music as Bon Iver, Bon Iver + Takk… with some Radiohead touches thrown in for good measure. He recently released this four-track EP, and I’m a big fan.

Young Man In America, Anaïs Mitchell

Anaïs Mitchell is the visionary behind Hadestown, a 2008 folk opera “based on the Orpheus myth and set in a post-apocalyptic American depression era.” If you have not heard it, I highly recommend that you read the story and then sit down and listen. It’s wonderful. As you can then imagine, I was really looking forward to her follow-up. I’ll admit, I don’t like it as much as Hadestown, though it is hard to compare because of the differences in style; where the former is eclectic, this new effort hangs around traditional American folk. It needs a few more listens before I can give a final appraisal.

Break It Yourself, Andrew Bird

Although this album came out back at the beginning of March, for some reason I just never got around to listening to it until recently. Wow as was I missing out. It is less varied or experimental than some of Bird’s previous work, and is more subdued on the whole, but it still retains that brand of whimsy he does so well (“Near Death Experience Experience”). It sounds like he focused on one “feel,” and I actually like the result more than many of his past albums, which is saying a lot.

New Discoveries:

Two Gallants

A friend of mine recommended this San Francisco duo to me last fall, but I never got around to giving them a listen. I tried out their 2007 self-titled release earlier this week and very much liked what I heard. It’s brash folk rock by a couple of experienced musicians. I’m looking forward to checking out some of their newer releases.

Sarah Jaffe

A Denton, TX native, I’d heard the name Sarah Jaffe about a half dozen times since moving to Austin. But it wasn’t until a song of hers came on the radio a few days ago that I really listened in. To me her music sounds as if Sharon Van Etten wrote some new tunes, but then recruited Erika Wennerstrom (of Heartless Bastards, another (Austin) Texas-based band) to perform them instead of singing them herself. I don’t mean to undermine Ms. Jaffe’s music style by immediate comparison, but the impressions are fresh because I just started listening. I imagine her own persona will emerge in time. Regardless, solid stuff.

Bowerbirds

Think Justin Vernon-endorsed, Raleigh-based indie folk trio is a new favorite. I’ve spent a lot of time in the past few weeks with their newest record, entitled “The Clearing.” It’s soft-spoken, forsaking an immediate grab for a more nuanced experience. Highly recommended.

Tuesday Tidbits

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Some new music for your third favorite weekday:

New Fanfarlo album streaming on NPR. Pop/rock/folk with experimental tendencies and lots of layers. Fun and catchy. Highlights include “Deconstruction” and “Tanguska.”

I’m so happy that the Shins are back. Five years after Wincing the Night Away, James Mercer is finally releasing a new album, entitled Port of Morrow. Better still, the super cool video for its first single, “Simple Song,” is available on iTunes as a free download.

I love the concept for this video, and the song is classic Shins – in fact, I’m pretty sure a couple chord progressions were straight out of “The Celibate Life” and “Gone For Good.”

And finally, be sure to check out Sleigh Bells’ Reign of Terror, out today. Treats was a 2010 favorite, and now the duo of Derek Miller and Alexis (not Alison) Krauss are back with a sophomore effort that packs the biggest electro-noise-rock wallop of any band out there.