Harlem’s sound isn’t anything new. We’ve heard such similar material recently from the likes of Black Lips, The King Khan and BBQ Show and Smith Westerns (to name a few). But there’s still something great about Harlem that makes them stand out like they’ve been here for years. They have a certain playful charm on… Continue reading Harlem’s Hippies is instantly classic bubblegum garage rock
Category: New Albums
matt pond PA’s The Dark Leaves is brooding, but it isn’t dark
matt pond PA have a well-established formula for making accessible indie pop, usually in chamber form with violin and cello accompanying acoustic guitar. Pond’s been making music with the PA crew since 1998, and despite various lineup changes, their sound has been fairly consistent — some albums teeter on the lush side of orchestral instrumentation… Continue reading matt pond PA’s The Dark Leaves is brooding, but it isn’t dark
Lali Puna’s new album, Our Inventions, released today
Lali Puna has released the much-anticipated Our Inventions, their first new material in over five years. The album is significantly less layered than previous material, but still contains the glitchy stuff Lali Puna has become known for. Pick it up from Morr Music, and check out the video for “That Day”, full of animated smiling bears,… Continue reading Lali Puna’s new album, Our Inventions, released today
Notable Album Release: Ed Harcourt – Lustre
Ed Harcourt is finally back, ladies and gentleman. He’s set to return with his fifth studio full-length, Lustre, on June 15 via Nice Music Group/Piano Wolf Recordings. His last LP, The Beautiful Lie, was recorded over four years ago, but wasn’t released in the U.S. until 2008, so it’s nice to here Lustre will be… Continue reading Notable Album Release: Ed Harcourt – Lustre
[MP3] Stars: “Fixed”
Hot on the heels of my post about Stars’ new tour dates and mention of upcoming single, “Fixed”, comes…”Fixed”. This is the first track available off Stars’ forthcoming fifth LP, The Five Ghosts, and thank god it’s Amy Millan taking the reigns. Because she’s pretty much one of the best female vocalists out there and… Continue reading [MP3] Stars: “Fixed”
Dr. Dog’s Shame, Shame shines with sorrow
At 11 years old, Dr. Dog are officially veterans in the indie music scene. While their last two albums, 2008’s Fate and 2007’s We All Belong, sought to establish their credibility as great musicians and song writers, with their latest effort, Shame, Shame, they have little left to prove. And it seems that the band… Continue reading Dr. Dog’s Shame, Shame shines with sorrow
Jim Kroft prepares release of new album, offers “Let Go” as free mp3
Got some news and a great new mp3 coming your way; couldn’t be a better day! The weather is ridiculous(ly nice), so it’s fitting we have some information regarding Jim Kroft’s predominantly sunny (sounding) forthcoming effort, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. The album (note the slight change from a previous post) will drop May 3,… Continue reading Jim Kroft prepares release of new album, offers “Let Go” as free mp3
Ólafur Arnalds to release new album this June
This week in Icelandic neo-classical news, Ólafur Arnalds will be releasing his sophomore album, …and they have escaped the weight of darkness, in the states June 8. There aren’t any MP3s available yet, but yay! I love Mr. Arnalds. He has an exciting way of infusing relatively simple compositions with all the emotion to…power…a…car. Vroom.… Continue reading Ólafur Arnalds to release new album this June
Twin Sister showcases talent, patience with Color Your Life EP
Twin Sister always seems to come out of nowhere. The band that brought us the Vampires With Dreaming Kids EP, which included the great tracks “Ginger” and “I Want A House” have come back with a new EP, Color Your Life. It’s twice as long as Vampires and shows the band looking in a little bit… Continue reading Twin Sister showcases talent, patience with Color Your Life EP
Dum Dum Girls come off bland on I Will Be
The lo-fi bubblegum pop sound is nothing new, and it’s been done to death by several great bands (Vivian Girls, Raveonettes, et all). That’s not to say that Dum Dum Girls can’t make a good record of the same kind of music themselves! I think given their previous efforts and some of the singles off… Continue reading Dum Dum Girls come off bland on I Will Be