This is BRAIDS, a trio (and apparently former four-piece) from Calgary. I missed their 2011 debut album Native Speaker, which was shortlisted for Canada’s Polaris Music Prize. Their next album, Flourish // Perish, comes out August 20. If the album sounds like this song — my god, the drumming alone! — I’ll be listening to the album non-stop for the rest of the year.
Also note they’re coming through town in October, playing the lovely, tiny Sunset Tavern on the 23rd. See you there?
Holy crap, Franz Ferdinand are still together, and making music that simultaneously sounds like them, but in a modernized way. “Right Action” is from their forthcoming album Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, due out August 26.
If you’re not yet familiar with The Weeknd, that rock you’re under must be nice and cozy. The song shown in the attached video is “Belong to the World,” which appears on his forthcoming album, Kiss Land.
In the video, The Weeknd (whose real name is Abel Tesfaye) appears to be attempting a mid- to late-career Michael Jackson-like performance. Watch the video, and try not to think about Moonwalker or the video for “Black or White.”
OK, I’m scared.
I’ve spoken of my love for Matthew Houck and his band Phosphorescent many times in the past. Solid, twangy, bluesy rock n’ roll. Nobody today is doing it better. And unless quite a few amazing albums come out in the next few months, Phosphorescent’s recent album Muchacho will end up near the top of this year’s Bacon Calendar.
They’re coming to Seattle in September, after having just been through town back in April of this year. I saw them then, and I just bought tickets to see them again. This is officially a must-see event. Don’t miss it.
The nicest man in indie rock, John Vanderslice, has a new album out (Dagger Beach) and now has a new video from said new album. “How The West Was Won” is classic Vanderslice: split vocals, solid chord progressions, somewhat bleak-sounding lyrics directed at a nameless “you.” If you’ve liked John in the past, you’ll like this, too. And if you’re not familiar with John, this is the perfect jumping off point.
I love Stephin Merritt, in all his incarnations.
This particular song/video is for his band Future Bible Heroes, from their new album Partygoing, which came out in June. A lovely little ditty called “Living, Loving, Partgoing.”
I would very much like a life-size Stephin Merritt statue at my next camping expedition. Makes for a good bear repellent.
You Alone Know, the Soil & the Sun, What Wonder is this Universe!
“I don’t need to understand
Every word you speak to me
I don’t need to recognize
Every truth, every time
I don’t need a bigger noise
All I need is to hear your voice”Game over the Soil & the Sun, my heart is bursting.
//
The Soil & the Sun. A crazy blend of Typhoon, Sufjan, Of Monsters and Men, and many many other things. MUST HEAR MORE. (and you can, right here.)
Quite interested in Majical Cloudz (I’m sorry, but really?! “Majical Cloudz”? Ugh.), whose second album Impersonator came out back in May. I haven’t listened to anything else of theirs, but based on this song they sound very much in the same realm as James Blake. I’ll now go listen to the album and report back.
Still trying to figure out Colin Stetson. Here’s a new video, for his song “Who The Waves Are Roaring For” featuring Justin “Bon Iver” Vernon on vocals. Colin and his experimental saxophone can be head on his most recent album New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light, out now.
Wow. This is my first taste of Gary Clark Jr., and if the rest of his stuff sounds like “Numb,” I’m going to be bowled over. This video came out back in May, so I’m surprised I haven’t heard or seen it before now. It‘s possible I heard it and mistook it for The Black Keys, as it does sound quite a bit like that, but this gets back to something that those guys lost a few years back. Definitely going to look more into him, starting with his album Blak and Blu, which came out back in October of last year.
2013 might be the year I finally start to like Bloc Party. Their song “Ratchet,” from their EP The Nextwave Sessions, to be released on August 12 is shown above, in a video that can accurately be described as “mind blowing.”
According to Wikipedia the band will be taking an indefinite hiatus after their performance at the Latitude festival on July 19. That’s unfortunate, given my newly acquired willingness to enjoy their music.
There’s a definite time and place for M.I.A., and just because I haven’t found it yet doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate what she’s produced to date. Here’s a new video, for the song “Bring The Noize” which is off her forthcoming album Matangi, to be released “in the near future.”
Perhaps it’s the bleach-blonde hair, or the fiery green dress, but the way The Deer Tracks’ lead singer Elin Lindfors is portrayed in this video for their song “W” reminds me of Daenerys Targaryen rising naked out of the ashes at the birth of her dragon offspring.
Please draw your own conclusions.
The Deer Tracks’ The Archer Trilogy series concluded back in February of this year.
Just like King Kong, here are the Yeah Yeah Yeahs from atop the Empire State Building, with their fantastic, bombastic song “Despair.” Their fourth full-length album, Mosquito came out this past April, complete with one of the worst covers ever applied to a professionally-produced record.
Great little professional live video from Atoms for Peace’s club performance last month. SO looking forward to finally getting to see this lineup at the Treasure Island Festival down in the bay area in October.
Here’s a new, rather amazing video from Beach House’s 2012 album Bloom, for their song “Wishes.” It was directed by the very funny Eric Wareheim (who also makes a very brief cameo within).
No words.
Maybe the new album from Editors — A Ton of Love, due out July 1 — will be the album that gets me back into the band. Nothing’s hooked me on the past couple albums, but “The Weight” (above), and the title song from the new album (video here), at first listen appear to have repeat-worthy hooks. We’ll see.
I’ve said it before: I don’t hear lyrics. I can listen to a song over and over and over again, to the point where I can sing every word of the song, and not ever have understood the meaning of the words I’m singing. Consequently, I’m terrible at making “emotionally meaningful” mix tapes. I’ll put songs on a mixtape that sound great together and blend well from one to the next, but then be told by the receiver “those songs you put on my mixtape were all so dark!” Heartbreak, death and mayhem, and I’ll just not have heard it until it was plainly told to me.
Which puts me in a strange position when confronted with a lyric video, such as this new Okkervil River video for their song “It Was My Season” from their forthcoming album The Silver Gymnasium, due out September 3. Here, I am presented with the lyrics in an unavoidable fashion. I can’t watch the video without reading and understanding the lyrics. And I hate to say it, but I think it makes the song sound worse to me. I’m fairly confident that this new song is actually quite good. But, because I now have read all the lyrics, and their nonsensical, somewhat strangely comic nature, I don’t like the song as much.
I’m very curious if I’m the only one that reacts this way about songs. Do tell, won’t you? But don’t sing it to me, because I won’t hear you.
Billy Bragg does comedic songs (and videos) perfectly. Here’s “Handyman Blues” from his latest album, Tooth & Nail.