This is fine.
NPR has full album and track-by-track streaming of Yeasayer‘s Fragrant World and Divine Fits‘ A Thing Called Divine Fits (see pics form the first official show here). These are two of the late summer’s, early fall’s most anticipated releases, so you now have something to wrap your ears around and make the decisions as to whether or not the limited edition vinyl you have on preorder is worth it.
Get your Fits fix here.
Get your Fragrant on here.
Let’s be honest, I’m a sucker from good indie pop. While browsing through the immense catalogue of Cloudberry Records, I came across this offering from the label’s The Spook School. It’s not a surprise to me that the band is based in Edinburgh, but it surprises me that more people don’t adamantly swoon over music like this. The song starts off with a bit of a jangling guitar, but as it moves along, there’s more of a bright discordant guitar that jabs in and out. It doesn’t hurt that the chorus uses male/female vocals in unison (love it). If you’re in the mood visit the CR site and pre-order this new 7″ from The SS.
Download:The Spook School – Here We Go [MP3]
I figured we should start the week off a little bit slow, as no one really needs to jump right into things on a Monday. I’m bringing you this great slow burner from Mandrax Icon, who just released his latest album on cassette via our friends overseas at Cakes and Tapes (also on vinyl via Nostril Records). I just love the vocals of singer Marcio, who apparently did all the work on the entire album, Mary Climbed the Ladder for the Sun. It’s definitely an album with a folk leaning, with hidden gems of touching melody scattered about. I really hope you’ll like this as much as I do.
Download:Mandrax Icon – Dead Joy [MP3]
Personally, I think a good pop tune supersedes all allegiance to hipsterdom and elements of cool. And in that spirit, I’ve fallen for this new track from Empress Hotel. The New Orleans-based group will be releasing their Heavy Halo album via Park the Van Records on September 11th. On their latest single, they’re just getting into a nice solid groove, allowing the natural hook within the song to make its way into your ears. You get the feeling that these dudes were sitting around, relaxing and writing fun tunes that warmed their hearts. Sounds like a recipe for a really fun time. See for yourself.
Download:Empress Hotel – Holly [MP3]
I don’t know how I stumbled upon this great little recording project, but I’m grateful that I did. If you’re looking for some low key lo-fi, then meet Sweden’s Horrible Houses. They’ve been hard at work this summer, releasing two collections titled Family Tapes Volume I and II. The track below is one of my personal favorites, though I’ve been spending my entire day jamming to the whole of FT Volume I. From start to finish these compilations are full of hits, and while it’s said to be sort of a basement recording you wouldn’t really be able to tell by just listening. Sure, there’s little details that hint at the process being done in a small space, but it seems so much more than that. I suppose that’s just the power of great songwriting.
Download:Horrible Houses – Haunted Rivers Family Tapes [MP3]
Here is something a little different for you. This track came across the IT Dept’s twitter feed as a song of the day at Line of Best Fit.
Lindstrom has these flashes that get him a slot on my playlists from time to time and this track summarizes the good and bad. It is strange, it goes full on disco to deep trance in a single beat. Bright to dark, pensive to frivolous. Maybe this will work to start your dance party this weekend.
Maybe you will hate it and use it to show your friends why you hate electronic music. Either way, have a listen, download from the soundcloud embed if you like. If you like, take a listen to a few of the other artists at smalltownsupersound’s soundcloud.
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When I first played the opening track from the new Because EP by Daydreamer, the guitar just grabbed me immediately. It’s not quite buzzsaw, not quite jangle, but somewhere in between. And atop it all are some gently faded vocals that hover over the track, sort of like the early approach from PoBPAH, except noisier. Right now the group is letting you download their latest EP for free, and since it’s only four real songs (2 noise blips included), you should take the time out of your day and get your hands on it. In my mind, it’s definitely worth your time.
Download: Daydreamer – Beach Blanket [MP3]
So, one of the perks of running a music site is you get tons of free stuff; I mean TONS. But, another perk is that you get to hook up your readers too! Unfortunately, this contest is only for our Austin folks, so I can hand deliver it (I’m a cheap skate), but if you leave a comment below you could win tons of free stuff. I’ll throw in advance copies of stuff from around the globe, not to mention stickers and other goodies, just as long as you promise to spread the word on our tiny little site; I might even throw in a free Literature LP to boot. Leave a comment with your favorite band at the moment, and the one closest to my tastes wins the schwag. Contest ends Sunday night.
It’s been almost an entire year since I’ve heard anything from the Michigan crew, The People’s Temple. These cats play straight-up rock n’ roll, with a bit of swagger and a whole lot of history. Their album Sons of Stone almost wore itself out on my record player, so I’m pleased to share with you this new tune off the group’s Looter’s Game 7″. For me, the tambourine is the standout in this song, wiggling it’s way around in the background, providing that classic psych sound that’s gaining prevalence on our ATH pages. You can pick up your copy of the new 7″ from Hozac Records right now.
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/55087359″ params=”auto_play=false&show_artwork=false&color=ff7700″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
Island Twins just released their self-titled album a short bit ago, and it’s finally making its way into my daily rotation. Man, this is one helluva listen. I wanted to give you this track from the band to illustrate the trio’s songwriting power. It begins in an almost fay manner, sort of like you’re being asked to go on some otherworldly journey. However, out of nowhere it just blasts off into this explosive chorus full of noise and distortion, only to return quietly. It’s almost as if the song itself is meant to accompany the story line from the lyrics, but I’m just pushing my own agenda there I’m sure. No matter, this band is rad. Check it out.
Download: Island Twins – The Wolfs Lair [MP3]
