In the sure hands of Kiwi indie-poppers the Brunettes, Paper Dolls turn out to be quite sturdy. The Brunettes' last album, the Sub Pop release Structures and Cosmetics, was a wonderful set of charming indie pop songs. The slim disc made the most of its short playing time, trying out different feels, from twee-pop sunburst to moody minor-chord pining, and it all seemed to work. Each song felt spaced out, but still contained. Each moment created with perfection in the studio, but still with an organic sway to it. But the Kiwi...

Drake inadvertently disses 2010 Grammy winners Phoenix in this post-awards show smackdown edition of "The Take". Drake's Take: New Releases 02.02.10 New release post-Grammys week is always a crapshoot. Most labels avoid it like the plague, as it's the week award winners see sales bumps, but there are enough music fans out there (namely, me) who don't give a rat's ass about who won a Grammy. For those of us, there are some scraps like the new release from (the band formerly known as The Muslims) [...]
Een overdosis twee pop is zo opgelopen. Blijkbaar weet het Nieuw-Zeelandse duo The Brunettes dat maar al te goed en dus hebben ze twee maatregelen genomen om hun vierde album Paper Dolls boeiend te houden. In de eerste plaats hebben...

Mike Tyson is a wuss Today is National Black AIDS/HIV Day but we're not going to go there. Don't worry, if it was National White AIDS/HIV Day, we wouldn't go there either. The subject matter is just too much of a downer. Instead, let's turn the clock back 24 hours and celebrate New Zealand Day , also known as Waitangi Day, which was observed yesterday. It's a holiday that celebrates the 1840 signing of New Zealand's founding document. New Zealand is a lot like Scotland, but farther away for most [...]

Hot Chip @ Pier 3 in 2008 ( more by Kyle Dean Reinford ) tonight in NYC * Aziz Ansari @ Comix * AA Bondy, Lia Ices @ Union Hall * Average Girl, Cosmonaut @ Matchless * K Holes, Golden Triangle @ Union Pool * Ava Luna, Twin Sister, Data Dog @ The Tank * J Dilla Foundation benefit w/ Questlove @ the Bell House [...]

New release post-Grammys week is always a crapshoot. Most labels avoid it like the plague, as it's the week award winners see sales bumps, but there are enough music fans out there (namely, me) who don't give a rat's ass about who won a Grammy. For those of us, there are some scraps like the new release from (the band formerly known as The Muslims) The Soft Pack and the latest from Dead Moon offshoot Pierced Arrows . This week also sees new releases from The Album Leaf , Midlake , We [...]
...New Zealanders The Brunettes have long delivered their affinity for classic pop melodies with a distinct retro flavor. On their newest disc, Paper Dolls [out on Lil' Chief Records], however, Jonathan Bree and Heather Mansfield modernize their insatiable pop stylings, injecting traces of Krautrock and new wave into the foreground. While the charming sonics that [...]

Kicking off this week's new album releases on Groundhog's Day, we have Toro Y Moi's Causers of This , which is a very worthy debut amongst the ever-growing amount of bands coming down the pipe of similar ilk. Also garnering a lot of buzz is Midlake's The Courage of Others , the follow-up to to 2006's The Trials of Van Occupanther . I've yet to hear this one myself, but I did enjoy their previous album to some extent, so I'm definitely looking forward to checking it out soon. [...]

The Album Leaf - A Chorus of Storytellers MP3: The Album Leaf - "Falling From The Sun" The Brunettes - Paper Dolls Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba - I Speak Fula MP3: Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba - "Musow" Malachai - Ugly [...]
Last week was all about the new Beach House album. This week is a little be quieter, but there's still some good music hitting the shelves today. The Album Leaf releases their fifth LP today, A Chorus of Storytellers (pictured above). If you're looking for a beautiful soundtrack to your day take a listen to the mostly-instrumental ambient, atmospheric, moody (whatever you want to call it) tunes found on A Chorus of Storytellers - it reminds me quite a lot of [...]

Who : Midlake Title : The Courage of Others Label : Bella Union RIYL : Grizzly Bear, Dr. Dog, Department of Eagles Thoughts : If you loved The Trials of Van Occupanther you will undoubtedly herald Midlake's follow-up efforts as one of the best releases of the year when the time comes for those shennanigans. If you're anything like me you enjoyed "Roscoe" and could barely keep your eyes [...]
Been itching for that Lil Wayne "rock" album that probably isn't very rocky at all? Well, it appears it's finally arrived. But I'm not holding my breath til I see it on the shelves. Otherwise it's a pretty dead week. Unless you like The Album Leaf , Blind Man's Colour , Mount Eerie , Passion Pit , Priestess , Rob Zombie or Sole . In which case it's not really a dead week at all. :: The Album Leaf , [...]

In an unprecedented move I have changed last week's "pick of the week" from Beach House's Teen Dream to Los Campesinos!' s Romance Is Boring . I've had an opportunity to really listen to Romance Is Boring the last week and I think it is a tremendous album. Also, what's it gonna take to get these kids some "Best New Music?" P4k needs to get a clue! As for this week the new Midlake album, The Courage of Others , will dominate every possible musical [...]

Midlake's The Courage of Others is a worthy successor to the band's 2006 album The Trials of Van Occupanther . I am definitely looking forward to rapper Lil Wayne's Rebirth , also in stores tomorrow. Glossary's Feral Fire is another strong album from the Tennessee band (and its first on Lucero's Liberty and Lament label). Several other releases stand out this week. I can definitely recommend The Brunettes' [...]
![The <span style="color: #384E60; background-color:#84CCF2">Brunettes</span>: Red Rollerskates [mp3]](http://cache.elbo.ws/posts/2302098_lg.jpg)
Artists like Archetecture in Helsinki, Mates of State and The Brunettes have always walked a thin line between amazing melodies and silly songs. It's true. With sweet twee-worthy tunes and borderline wince-inducing lyrics, a new album could easily dissuade a listener if not crafted properly. You saw that with that quite sad remix album AiH gave us a few years back. Well, The Brunettes return with their first album on Lil' Chief Records and with songs like "Red Rollerskates", it's clear that this over-the-top [...]

More information on bands that debuted this week on the FUTURE SOUNDS radio show on WOXY .... WORLD'S GREATEST GHOSTS MYSPACE HOMETOWN: Portland, OR TRACK: Phantastes Thanks to the 3 Imaginary Girls folks for tipping us [...]
"Tough Love" - Regrets & Brunettes "Tough Love" does so much so effortlessly in its first 15 seconds that a casual listener may not hear much more than an intriguing mood. But check it out: first the brisk minor key guitar strum, at once mellow and urgent; then the slightly dissonant second guitar line (harsher and crunchier but also somewhat distant); then--out of left field but instantly perfect--the wistful, Bacharachesque horn motif (and that could be a keyboard sounding like a horn, but no matter). It's an extraordinarily compact introduction; Richard [...]

Pitchfork released a list of a bunch of albums that are set to come out in 2010 (view them all below the break). Here are a few of those that we are looking forward to... The National: TBA [Beggars Banquet] Beach House: Teen Dream [Sub Pop] LCD Soundsystem: TBA [DFA] MGMT: Congratulations [Columbia] The Magnetic Fields: Realism [Nonesuch] Interpol: TBA [Capitol] Spoon: Transference Mount Eerie: Black Wooden [Latitudes] David [...]
Scores Girls Interview: Paris and Mariah conducted by Caley Dimmock Having freshly re-opened the world renowned Scores gentleman's club in New York city is once again redefining gentleman's clubs in NYC. Boasting a restaurant modeled on the internationally acclaimed Robert's Steakhouse, Scores hosts is sister establishment, Roberts Restaurant. Roberts will serve top-rated cuisine with a trendy twist, and the club aims to compete with other restaurants around Manhattan, with more than just delicious meals. MVRemix caught up with Paris and Mariah, two of the girls from Scores to [...]