Featured releases
(Jagjaguwar) CD & LP
Steve McBean strikes again, this time on a bed of blue velvet. It’s true that Outside Love is a less rock-oriented affair, as though “Sweet 69” took five years to settle down and come round to a mood that is plush and unwavering. This is a work of robust ballads, like the steadfast album opener “Axis: Thrones of Love” and mid-album gem “Holiday.” Melodic and self-assured (as usual), the album feels like it’s resonating through the spaciousness of a church, with a grassy field employed as the floor – so everyone can sit around and goddamn enjoy it – and rightfully so.
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6 June 2009 by Tara Campbell
(BPitch Control) CD
Mediating between Apparat’s pop-oriented micro-anthems and Modeselektor’s boisterous push on the techno envelope, the combined effort of these Berlin techno purveyors slickly balances ambient horizons and grimy beats. The project’s slick and sharp aural playground is occasionally diversified with elements of an echoing, dub-tinged fusion. Moderat: a masterful new hybrid creature.
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6 June 2009 by Tara Campbell
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(Warp) CD & 2LP
Yes, you’ve likely had enough of the onslaught of “HEY HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEW GRIZZLY BEAR!” fanfare recently, but jesus, Veckatimest is totally worthy of the racket. Yellow House was a beautiful, semi-life changing discovery for many & Veckatimest is a reaffirming release from Grizzly Bear, a group in a position that often spells “misstep” for so many bands like them. The opening jazzy smolder of “Southern Point”, followed up with the epic “Knife”-like “Two Weeks”, is an amazing way to get things cooking. What Veckatimest lacks from its predecessor — the eerie, lurking feeling that crept around Yellow House‘s duration — is replaced here with a steadfast attention to maximum hook value. “Cheerleader” & “While You Wait For The Others” also illuminate this record, but in all honesty, there aren’t weak tracks; Veckatimest has the natural ebb & flow dynamic that full length albums SHOULD have. Man these guys write sweet vocal lines.
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3 June 2009 by Chris Long
| Pop / Rock
(DFA) CD, LP soon
Better late than never with this one… LCD Soundsystem-pals The Juan Maclean return from their heavily underrated debut with a sharp left turn down the alley occupied by Human League. The Future Will Come is far more comfortable in its pop skin than Less Than Human, as evident with current single “One Day” – it’s the dancey love ballad for those who grew up on Depeche Mode, ABC & Human League. The dancefloor will still burn from the rest of this – “The Simple Life” is Italo-disco-pop glory, while “Happy House” is a 12 minute ode to house music, complete with piano riffs & great diva vocals from Nancy Whang. Believe me when I say this, it’s worth listening to the whole 12 minutes.
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3 June 2009 by Chris Long
| Electronic, Pop / Rock
(3024) CD & 3LP
Martyn holds the brightest torch for the crew of producers orbiting around the dubstep/techno axis. His now-legendary remix of TRG’s “Broken Hearts” was one of 2008’s hilights, regardless of your sub-genre preferences. Released on his own 3024 imprint, Great Lengths is great indeed – after Burial, Martyn has established a new direction for the dubstep producer as album-oriented artist. Much of the record operates in a netherworld between dubstep & straight up minimal techno; 130 bpm 4-to-the-floor kicks pin down glacial sub-bass movements that usually swell below melancholy arrangements. Features the sweet jam “Vancouver”.
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3 June 2009 by Chris Long
| Electronic
(Interscope) CD, LP coming
Show Your Bones just didn’t quite have it did it? Everyone just seemed to be pining for another “Date With The Night” or “Maps”, to no avail. It’s Blitz! feels like Karen O & co. have shaken off the idea that they can retrieve their initial post-punk energy – here they sound assured & well, older. Opener “Zero” has the pop flare, but isn’t cluttered or mixed amid racket – it’s just a great pop song, replete with tip-of-the-tongue sing-along bits. Synths make a dramatic step forward, cleaning up much of the sonic image & really helping hang Karen O. in a new light (we all know she sound awesome over a crazy punky riff…). On the whole, this trio sound refreshed… It’s Blitz! is well thought & well crafted return.
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14 April 2009 by Jeremy Robinson
| Pop / Rock
(Bubbles) CD, LP coming
The Whitest Boy Alive is the peppy side project of Erlend Øye, most notable for his whispy, Simon & Garfunkel-esque strums in Kings Of Convenience. WBA is Øye in fun mode, channelling the smooth pop of groups like Phoenix & Junior Boys, while employing house music structures (the influence of which no doubt stems from Øye’s collaborations with many club-ready producer). Rules is far from challenging stuff — it’s hard to not bop your head along with much that’s here — but there’s a beauty in Øye’s smooth meshing of rhythm & subtle, supple melody.
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14 April 2009 by Chris Long
| Pop / Rock
(EMI) CD, 2LP coming soon
Colin Meloy & co. took some brave left turns with The Crane Wife. The group’s forays into prog & classic rock took many a longtime fan by surprise, with many onlookers unfortunately missing out on a group willing to challenge itself & stretch their already established aesthetic. The Hazards Of Love continues this winding path, delving even deeper into the deep dark forest. Meloy’s storytelling is framed with heavy riffing & beautiful lead vocal turns from Shara Worden (aka My Brightest Diamond). Again, a far cry from the acoustic balladry of Castaways & Cutouts but it’s nice to see one of indie-rock’s staples taking some creative chances.
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26 March 2009 by Jeremy Robinson
| Pop / Rock
(Mute) CD, LP coming soon
After two years hibernating under the glacial underworld that was fused by Silent Shout, The Knife’s Karin Dreijer Andersson returns with a solo record that is just as ethereal. Departing somewhat from the dance floor grooves that slithered through The Knife’s last album, Andersson’s solo debut is a more minimal headphone affair, boasting spacial tones that reverberate & loom amidst the album’s broad depths. In turn, Fever Ray is a project of acute resonance, perception and mood; stripped down & intimate with its eerie imposition. This is the subsequent chapter to those who carried Silent Shout beyond the dance floor.
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26 March 2009 by Tara Campbell
| Electronic, Pop / Rock
(Warp) CD & LP (which comes with a free CD copy!)
Mark Pritchard’s many guises run the gamut of contemporary electronica’s different molds, but with his latest offering as Harmonic 313, Pritchard manages to comment on bass culture’s current electronic impact with poignant accuracy. When Machines Exceed… is littered with dubstep, crunk & plodding post-Dilla hip-hop-scapes, all refined with immaculate sound composition & production. A pleasant surprise, this should do well for fans of Flying Lotus, Prefuse 73 & Madlib.
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26 March 2009 by Jeremy Robinson
| Electronic
More featured releases...
