Born Ruffians - Sole Brother ( via Winnie Cooper ) "If Born Ruffians' 2008 debut album Red Yellow & Blue was the result of a talented & precocious gang of freshmen, their 2010 follow-up, Say It , would be the project they left school to finish — a declaration that they're smart & ambitious enough to make [...]
Gayngs - The Gaudy Side of Town "When Minneapolis musician, Ryan Olson masterminded Gayngs I'm sure he had no idea the project would become such a massive super group. The group's debut album features appearances from members of Solid Gold, Megafun, the Rosebuds, Bon Iver, P.O.S., Dessa, Leisure Birds, Happy Apple, and Lookbook among [...]
The Wave Pictures - I Love You Like A Madman "The Wave Pictures are not a new band in any sense of the word, they've been making music together for over a decade now, but I was first exposed to them last week when I was playing around with last.fm (I'm a new member! Friend me!). The London-based lo-fi pop band seems to be right on the edge [...]
Male Bonding - Franklin "Britain's Male Bonding are the most recent addition to the club of easily bored bands who revel in the world of under 3-minute long songs. Like many of their chosen brethren these dudes opt to not only keep things short but to keep everything [...]
Band of Horses - Laredo ( download via Mediafire) "Band of Horses has certainly maintained a strong Web presence leading up to their May 18 release of Infinite Arms . Shortly after they posted a tracklisting apparently straight from the band computer, they posted the gigantic "Compliments" on the front page of BandOfHorses.com in the form of a trippy(ish) slideshow. [...]
Quitzow - The Cut " If robots took over the world as we know it and started a one-woman rock-pop-electronic-dance band, it would be Quitzow. Is that a compliment? Yes. Quitzow is singer/songwriter Erica Quitzow and a somewhat fluid line-up of friends who add everything from alternative bass to Moog and Korg synthesizers. Her latest album, [...]
Sleigh Bells - Tell 'Em "I think when everybody heard the first single "Tell 'Em" (aside from "Ring Ring") we were all wondering if the forthcoming Sleigh Bells album would be a non-stop romp into face smashing tunes. Well, the answer is yes, God yes. The [...]
Gauntlet Hair - I Was Thinking... "There's not much information out there on Denver, Colo., duo Gauntlet Hair, except for the fact that they're two dudes named Andy and Craig. We do know that they traffic in echo-filled post-punk that brings to mind the Big Pink. "I Was Thinking...", a highlight on the band's relatively sparse MySpace, features a sneakily catchy guitar line and spirited shouts." (via Pitchfork [...]
Tame Impala - Solitude Is Bliss " Tame Impala are a four-piece hailing from Perth, Australia that have been receiving a lot of buzz lately. The band refer to themselves as "a stead flowing psychedelic groove rock band that emphasizes dream-like harmony". I couldn't have said it better myself… that's exactly what these guys are. Dream-like harmonies trapped in a [...]
The Radio Dept. - Heaven's On Fire " Clinging to a Scheme , the latest release from The Radio Dept., is a lush, honest record that glistens with delicate melodies and textures. Coupled with the tender croon of Johan Duncanson and his stories of absent love, this latest release from Sweden's Labrador Records. combines the warmth and focus of 2006's Pet Grief along with the slightly brazen, slightly radiant guitar [...]
The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio "The National have returned...or I guess I should say, are returning. Their new album is called High Violet and is a nervy, melodic, explosive and beautiful set of songs that find the band at the height of their collaborative powers. The music is wide-ranging in its moods, by turns intimate and rough, expansive and spare, full of stark angles and atmosphere. Berninger's singing—wild, half-broken, sly—evokes a feeling of being haunted, by love, [...]
Titus Andronicus - Theme From "Cheers" "Progressive punk seems to me to be an oxymoron. Yet it's the best way I can describe Titus Andronicus. The songs on The Monitor are long, sprawling, and dense. The album's closer "The Battle of Hampton Roads" clocks in at over fourteen minutes. Two other songs pass the eight minute mark. But the songs don't drag on. The [...]
Wolf Parade - What Did My Lover Say (It Always Had To Go This Way) "I find it difficult attempting to reconcile in my head which of the two I prefer between Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug. I greatly prefer their collaborative efforts in Wolf Parade to any of their separate bands or side projects. I absolutely adore Apologies to the Queen Mary and I think At [...]
Twin Sister - All Around and Away We Go "Since the November 2008 release of their debut EP, Vampires With Dreaming Kids , New York's Twin Sister have been on a slow build, gradually accumulating new fans as those four songs steadily wind their way across the web. The short record's irresistible pop tracks-- especially the upbeat "Ginger" and "I Want a House"-- weren't far removed from standard indie pop conventions, but the [...]
The New Pornographers - Your Hands (Together) "They say, Oh, don't call this group a supergroup! But I disagree, and there's a distinct reason why. It's because each member in The New Pornographers is, well, super. A.C. Newman adds his unique songwriting and vocal styling and he backs it with the phenomenal song-craft and vocals of Neko Case and Dan Bejar (Destroyer). Blaine Thurier is a film producer and lends keyboard expertise to the band, while [...]
Broken Social Scene - Forced To Love (via AWMusic ) "A lot's happened since Broken Social Scene released that self-titled career-shifting third album five years ago: There were tours and one-offs (together and apart), solo albums, the "Broken Social Scene Presents…" series. All of that, and someone sorta became a household name (thanks to Steve Jobs). Yes, Feist made it to Sesame Street, but nearly everyone associated with the [...]
The Hold Steady - Rock Problems "The Hold Steady's sixth album is on the cards for early May, and is showing no signs of living up to Craig Finn's early estimates that it would be 'less anthemic' than the last. In fact, judging by the two latest leaks 'Hurricane J' and 'Rock Problems' the loss of keyboardist Franz Nicolay in January doesn't appear to have affected them in the slightest. With every essence of [...]
Japandroids - Art Czars " When discussing the myriad charms of Japandroids, you inevitably get around to irresponsible drinking, unattainable girls, and wind machines. Everything they do cuts against the idea of restraint. Funny, then, that one of the most enduring qualities of Post-Nothing is judicious self-editing. Perhaps it would've been every bit as much of an end-to-end burner had it housed a more traditional 10 tracks, but as is, you figure they stopped at eight [...]
Fol Chen - In Ruins " With Part I: John Shade, Your Fortune's Made , California sextet/Liars-affiliates Fol Chen wove a knotty narrative around quirked electronics, funk, and percussion. Its sequel promises a continuation of the plot, picking up in a world "covered in ash, plagued by acid rain." There's much more to the tale, though that's enough background for "In Ruins," the album's first single. Few post-apocalyptic dance songs are this summer-party worthy — flanked [...]
Beach Fossils - Daydream "I recently posted a list of ten bands that I should have checked out last year and there was an overall theme to the ten: several were from the Woodsist label. Beach Fossils has the sound of that label, and it's no surprise; the band released a 7" via Woodsist late last year. Their sound is packed with the fuzzy folk-pop jangle of bands like Woods and Real Estate and Fresh & Onlys. It's [...]
Wake Up and Smell The Music
The Rains of Castamere by The National
Nas - Daughters
DIIV "How Long Have You Known?" (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
CHROMATICS "THESE STREETS WILL NEVER LOOK THE SAME"
A Place To Bury Strangers - "You Are The One" (Official Video)
Azealia Banks - '1991' [Listen]
Metric Debuts Album via Synthetica Hide+Seek, Tickets On Sale Now For Fall Tour
