Blog: We Listen For You

The only way that I can convince myself that this is somehow fair that Beirut will be touring Canada only in the summer is by reminding myself how bleeding cold it is in Canada right now how geese fall from the sky, rivers freeze, and spit turns in to ice cubes before they hit the ground. Still sucks tho, obligatory eh? Tour Dates (w/ links to purchase): July 17 Montreal @ Metroplois Theatre [...]

When Lambchop's LP Oh(Ohio) came out a few years ago, the record seemed to emerge from some sort of perverse lounge act which set off Kurt's poetic stylings. "Gone Tomorrow" the newest track from the forthcoming Mr. M begins as much of OH(Ohio) did, before taking a turn for a sitar, experimental droning jam session. Somehow Lambchop are managing to find the sonic equivalent for their front man's lyrical peccadilloes. Lambchop - Gone Tomorrow by MergeRecords [...]

We don't write a lot about hip-hop on WLFY even though it's one of Hank's favorite genres and an art form I was obsessed with in the 90's/early 2000's. Maybe I need to see a hip-hop psychologist to outline exactly what it is I look for in a hip-hop track, but whatever those factors are, they've been absent for the last few years aside from Shabazz Palaces. If I'm self-diagnosing, what I look for is a calm/steady flow, beats informed by jazz structures or samples, and a resistance to egotism or pop culture references. The last factor [...]

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Now that Sonic Youth is no more (?), we've got to live with solo projects, which is kind of like when you break up with someone and take comfort in those few friends that you have in common seeking something like you used to have with everybody. Lee Ranaldo's often been the man behind the mask of Sonic Youth, more mysterious than Kim or Thurston, and a more accomplished painter . There's something of a visual touch in the jangly "Off the Wall" the first hit from Between the Times and Tides out on Matador [...]

If we had to classify the 90s alt-rock, college music scene, we might go about it something like this: Grunge - See Kurt Cobain, Hole, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, etc. Nerd-grunge - See Weezer Country-grunge - See Uncle Tupelo & its remnants Son Volt, Wilco, etc. REM British-rock - See Radiohead etc. That still leaves us with the problem of The Lemonheads, an on again off-again Boston, MA group fronted and founded by Evan Dando. What separates The Lemonheads and Dando's music in particular from everything around it is its eclectic base. The [...]

Via the New Yorker: "Going Home" I love to speak with Leonard He's a sportsman and a shepherd He's a lazy bastard Living in a suit But he does say what I tell him Even though it isn't welcome He will never have the freedom To refuse He will speak these words of wisdom Like a sage, a man of vision Though he knows he's really nothing But the brief elaboration of a tube Going home Without my sorrow [...]

Do you remember rock bands? Guitar, bass, drums, vocals...nothing else? It often feels that if you didn't start your rock band before 2005 then nobody cares. Most music bloggers don't want to cover new rock music unless you throw in some synths, explore ambient noise, or repeat a gimmick on every track (see Sleigh Bells). Primary Structures are just what we need, a rock band with no frills, focused on creating solid rock music with a vocalist that isn't afraid to sing without heavy effects. On "The Farm" we get a catchy electric guitar riff, [...]

In the desert you need plenty of water. There have been tales of Aborigines picking frogs from the sand with wooden sticks only to slake their thirst by squeezing the frog. Or who can forget those white travelers lost for days who imagined great rivers, lakes, and streams where there were none? In the movies a palm tree always appears just before the end. But there is no desert like the one of pain. And as with pain, in the desert you need no map as the sun rises in the east and folds in [...]

At the start of the year we handed out our first Required Listen of 2012 tag to the New Albany, IN folk/Appalachian band Houndmouth . It didn't take long for the group to follow up their glorious track "Penitentiary" with two new songs. On "Houston Train", Katie Toupin takes over lead vocal duties and guides a very southern sound that is complimented by an electric guitar that occasionally shakes up the calm track. "Krampus" is a simplicity at its best with the band singing the same sentence over and over, letting the [...]

That post title felt so great to write, let me do it one more time: "New Tracks From Leonard Cohen, The Magnetic Fields, and Of Montreal." There is so much to love on this new single from Cohen's upcoming record Old Ideas . The song starts with a little something for die hard Cohen fans...a simple nod to his wonderful track, "The Stranger" with a similar guitar plucking and rolling. The guitar eventually interrupts itself and [...]

We've been fans of The Zookeepers ever since they first sent us their manic music in 2009. The New England band is back with the EP, True To These Times , which continues to deliver everything we expect from The Zookeepers: overflowing energy and a unique perspective on rock music that makes them one of the more interesting bands today. Our highlighted tack of the day, "Foil" plays like a punk version of a later Sparks song with touches of Queen's playfulness. The song is filled with catchy guitar hooks, noise, yelling, chants...it's packed [...]

The Hidden Words Free Thyself From The Fetters Of This World Release Date: Dec 3rd, 2011 Label: Self Release <p><p&a mp;amp;amp;gt;&amp ;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p& amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&am p;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp ;amp;amp;gt;&a mp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp ;amp;lt;a href=" http://thehiddenwords.bandcamp .com/album/free-thyself-from-t he-fetters-of-this-world"& amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;am p;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Free Thyself From The Fetters Of This World by The Hidden Words& amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt ;/a&am p;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;& amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;am p;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&am p;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; amp;amp;amp;gt;&am p;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&am p;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;& amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p& amp;amp;gt;</p> Reviewing a religious record with only a pedestrianunderstanding of the religion at hand is a difficult task. Art can often be analyzed through apersonal understanding of a theme – love, nostalgia, or death, for [...]

Youth Lagoon - July from Tyler T Williams on Vimeo .

If you're one of those people who puts a lot of stock into band names and thinks Houndmouth is as bad as I think it is...add some extra letters, some $ signs, or whatever you need to do to make it all buzzy and hip like most indie bands today. Alright, now we can move on to the most important topic: Houndmouth has a great sound and has blown me away with their debut track "Penitentiary". The New Albany, IN four piece has a laid back rock/folk sound anchored by americana tones and some of the [...]

Conveyor is the perfect band to ring in our first blog post of 2012. Their 2011 EP, Sun Ray , blew us away with its lush harmonies and sweeping melodies. The Brooklyn band will be releasing their new single "Mukraker" on clear vinyl this year as they ready their debut LP, something we'll wait for impatiently. This track is a beautiful entrance into a new year and displays a smaller band that by the end of the year could easily be (and should be) a name celebrated on many best of lists. [...]

PR Firms Quit sending e-mails letting other blogs know that a track is premiering on another site. This does nothing for those other blogs. You're basically saying "go steal this track from the site we just gave the premier to and rehost". A bunch of blogs don't rehost or steal tracks so this e-mail is worthless to us. Just send us an e-mail when we can post legally and cleared. We don't send your PR firm an e-mail letting you know [...]

When making this mix my goal was to create a collection of songs that would act as a great lead up to the parties of New Year's Eve. You will assuredly be bombarded with loud dance music and the clamoring of excited voices ready to bring in a new year filled with possibilities. For me, the turning of a new year has always been about reflection and contemplation, so why not make a ten track mix to aid these moments. The mix is not all about ball drops, countdowns, or celebration...every track is about time, because [...]

...Just Spotify this .

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