New Wax On their eponymous debut Retribution Gospel Choir , Alan Sparhawk and company proved they could very well bring the rock. Sparhawk, who's better known as an integral piece of the slowcore band Low, shook all preconceptions by churning out a collection of songs more keen on arena-sized rock riffs than slow-burning minimalist fare. Under the production of Mark Kozelek, the band's first album exhibited decidedly Crazy Horse-esque leanings. Their new album 2 , which is their first on heralded label Sub Pop, extends that [...]
Having made quite an impression already with just a couple of 12"s, Javelin have decided it's high time they released a proper full length and we couldn't possibly agree with them more! They have already wowed us live with their unique multi-boombox setup and the tunes of those two 12" are pretty damn addictive, so we're anticipating getting hooked on 15-tracks they have planned for No Más for a long time to come. The album will be released on April 20th courtesy of Luaka Bop [...]
One of our favorite live musical moments of last year was Caribou's amazing performance at ATP NY. With an ensemble cast that was somewhere around 16-members, Dan Snaith and company were absolutely one of the most compelling acts of the entire weekend, and consider the company they were in that's saying a hell of a lot! Today we got word that Snaith is officially ready to follow-up the 2008 Polaris Prize winning Andorra with a brand new full length titled Swim . The record will hit stores on April [...]
Portland based Parenthetical Girls have announced a new 5-part series of 12" records to be released on Slender Means Society starting in late February. It's not quite the proper follow-up to 2008's underrated Entanglements but it continues the trend of indie bands moving to vinyl and digital for their releases. The first 12" to be released will be Privilege: Pt. 1 - On Death & Endearments , out on February 23rd. Here's the track listing for that one and the first taste of what's to [...]
New Wax Some music is gorgeous to a fault, and if you're not listening closely enough, Portland folk songstress Laura Veirs' new album July Flame may, at first glance, appear to be a pretty-yet-forgettable affair. Sure, Veirs' unassumingly thin vocals and lushly ornate arrangements make for decent background music, but to overlook the artistic merit of July Flame would be a shame. While Veirs' songs are undoubtedly delicate they are not without their surprises. The horns on "Summer Is The Champion" add an unexpected [...]
New Wax Nashville's Matthew Ryan has been quietly releasing soul-bearing albums with workmanlike precision over the years. Last year's Matthew Ryan VS. The Silver State , one of my favorite albums from 2008, was filled with childhood reminiscence and musings on lost love. On Dear Lover , Ryan's 12th album, the veteran songwriter visits similar emotional territory while going all-out DIY. Not only was the bulk of the album recorded, mixed, and mastered in his Nashville home studio, but Ryan also financed and self-released the album. [...]
New Wax Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson's impressive 2008 self-titled debut exhibited the young songwriter's inner (and outer) turmoil with noteworthy flair. Now signed to Omaha's Saddle Creek Record, Robinson returns with a sophomore album entitled Summer Of Fear . Whereas his debut employed the production expertise of Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor, his new album was overseen by Kyp Malone of TV On The Radio. Over an infectious brand of Americana-tinged rock, Robinson's volatile voice navigates timeless notions of frustration and general pessimism. From whisper-soft to raucous, Robinson's [...]
New Wax Let's get this out of the way. Dead Man's Bones is a collaboration between Zach Shields and Ryan Gosling. Yes, that Ryan Gosling. Isn't he dreamy? The young actor has turned in some fine performances over the years in independent fare such as The Believer , Lars & The Real Girl , The United States Of Leland , and Half Nelson , but any time a movie star tries their hand at music, you can't help but listen with a skeptical ear. [...]
New Wax Indie-rock stalwarts Built To Spill have never put out a terrible album, but lead singer/guitarist Doug Martsch and company haven't quite recaptured the magic of 1999's classic Keep It Like A Secret . Sometimes when a band has a signature sound, their albums start to sound a bit samey and predictable, and Built To Spill's 2006 effort You In Reverse sounded like a band noodling about in over-stomped territory. While the band's newest release There Is No Enemy doesn't digress much [...]
New Wax Chicago's Califone, now signed to Dead Oceans, which is home to the likes of Bowerbirds, Akron/Family, Phosphorescent, and John Vanderslice among others, follows up their wonderful 2006 album Roots & Crowns with a new album entitled All My Friends Are Funeral Singers . While the album stand's on its own musically, it is also a companion piece to Califone lead singer Tim Rutili's first feature film, which shares the same title and is about a psychic woman who lives in the woods alone. [...]
New Wax For those of you who missed out on it, Chris Crisci, who you may know as the lead singer of post-rockers The Appleseed Cast, put out an impressive little folk album entitled Early Morning Hymns under the moniker Old Canes back in 2004. Newly signed to Omaha's lauded Saddle Creek Records and equipped with a new album entitled Feral Harmonic , which is due out 10/20, Crisci returns with his brand of infectiously upbeat folk-rock. Fans of Early Morning Hymns will [...]
New Wax Grand Archives, a Seattle band led by Mat Brooke, who was formerly in the lesser-known yet notable Carissa's Wierd and indie it-band Band Of Horses, is back with a new album entitled Keep In Mind Frankenstein . While the mellow, harmony-driven pop aesthetic exhibited on their self-titled debut album is extended on the new album, Brooke and company take a notable step towards Americana on Keep In Mind . The gorgeous "Oslo Novelist" opens with a reverb-heavy guitar riff that is soon joined by [...]
New Wax I caught The Twilight Sad, along with labelmates We Were Promised Jetpacks and Frightened Rabbit, last night at The Bottletree in Birmingham, Alabama and would easily place it as one of the best shows I've been to. It'd be impossible to choose a favorite performance because I've worn out albums from all three and they each offer a very different experience, but when it comes down to an unadulterated, nerve-shattering aural onslaught, The Twilight Sad's set was unparalleled in its unbridled power. The band has an [...]
New Wax David Bazan, most commonly lauded for his work in Pedro The Lion, has always appealed to me because while he was often labeled as a Christian artist, his lyrics never shied away from posing questions of faith that plague believers and non-believers alike. I'm not sure how Bazan would label his own beliefs at this juncture, but on his new album Curse Your Branches , he's still asking the tough questions. On the astounding album opener "Hard To Be," Bazan recounts the story of Adam [...]
New Wax The Duke & The King, besides referencing "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," is a roots-folk duo consisting of Simone Felice, who used to play drums in The Felice Brothers and has also written a few novels, and Robert "Chicken" Burke, a multi-instrumentalist who has worked with, among others, George Clinton. No worries, the duo's new album Nothing Gold Can Stay doesn't sound very P-funk, not that it would be a bad thing. Taking a page out of the "how to record a folk album" [...]
New Wax A.A. Bondy's rustic 2007 debut American Hearts was the sort of album that left folk fans salivating for more. With a deft understanding of song structure and an understated yet genius knack for image-driven wordplay, not to mention a wonderful voice, the once-member of 90's grunge/rock band Verbena established himself as a songwriting force. On his new album When The Devil's Loose , which is set for release September 1 on Fat Possum, Bondy infuses his already winning formula with the backing of [...]
New Wax As the title suggests, Mike Kinsella's newest contribution under the Owen moniker is a bit of a departure both musically and thematically. Recorded over the course of two years, New Leaves, which is being released September 22 on Polyvinyl Records, enlists the expertise of multiple engineers such as Tim Iseler (Wilco), Brian Deck (Iron & Wine), and Graeme Gibson (Califone), whereas previous releases were primarily recorded in a makeshift studio in the home of Kinsella's mother. Musically, the arrangements on New Leaves [...]
New Wax Last year's Why? album Alopecia , for lack of better terminology , kicked my ass. It was the first I'd heard of Yoni Wolf and company's hip-hop infused art rock and it worked itself into my top ten albums of the year. Wolf's wordplay, which is, as far as I'm concerned, without comparison, is equal parts genius and untethered absurdity. Wolf still juggles poignant introspection with too-much-information lyricism. On "Into The Shadows Of My Embrace," Wolf goes from musing on the pangs of loneliness [...]
New Wax Sometimes it's nice to have a respite from all the sad-bastard music I embrace, and while Seattle trio The Cave Singers tackle both joy and sorrow on their new album Welcome Joy , the band's energy is enough to put a permanent smile on your face. The band rose from the ashes of Pretty Girls Make Graves when former member Dave Fudesco teamed up with Pete Quirk of Hint Hint and Marty Lund of Cobra High. Welcome Joy refines the already-promising rustic folk [...]
New Wax While No One's First, And You're Next , the latest release from Modest Mouse, can't be considered a proper follow-up to 2007's We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank , it contains enough bright moments in its outtakes and leftovers to merit a listen. The EP contains more polished versions of B-sides from 2004's Good News For People Who Love Bad News and the aforementioned We Were Dead . Musically it's all over the place. From the spacey long-player "Whale [...]
Captain Obvious
Pop Tarts Suck Toasted
Daft Punk: When anonymity goes wrong
Maribou State feat. Holly Walker - Tongue (Official Video)
Ears Wide Open: Ocha la Rocha
