Wolf Alice - Leaving You
“Leaving You” has all the slow burn, elegance, and ferocity of this current/impending storm, with none of the personality disorder or actual destruction. It’s impossible to be everything to everyone, but this particular song comes quite close to being most of what we need right now.
Gabriel Bruce - Fool’s Gold
Gabriel Bruce is not the Nick Cave for a new generation, because Mr. Cave is for children of all ages. Bruce, and his freely available EP is good to the point that is makes me anxious to think that I haven’t paid attention to it until now.
Receive your free download here.
Leverage Models - Cooperative Extensions
Leverage Models manage to combine the pop sensibilities of countless contemporary acts with what appears to be the musical chops of decades gone by. The excitement that spills recklessly from “Cooperative Extensions” isn’t youthful exuberance, it’s unabashed emotion and anxiety.
Download Cooperative Extensions from Bandcamp.
Yellow Ostrich - The Shakedown
The best Yellow Ostrich songs sounds as if they’re wildly self-aware cries for help. Alex Schaaf is willing to share with us everything he knows, but more importantly he is equally forthcoming about that which he wonders.
The band directed the video themselves. Buy Strange Land here.
THEESatisfaction - Earthseed
When I asked the question of a friend today regarding whether hip hop was in fact dead, neither of us had fully considered THEESatisfaction. They bring contemporary inspirations to a multitude of genres in desperate need of an update.
Buy awE naturalE from Sub Pop.
Carolee - No One Face
“No One Face” appears to be a beautifully noisy update of a classic 90s album. The voice and music sound familiar, but it’s clear upon the first listen that the two haven’t met previously. Each piece has had something to say before, but together Carolee has something entirely new to say.
Buy EP1from 12XU.
Fun. - Some Nights
If you can’t beet ‘em, join em. Just listen; have fun; maybe even pretend this song is the soundtrack to your life while you’re walking down the street or riding public transportation. Enjoying “Some Nights” is a hell of a lot easier than resisting — even after you realize this band has gotten pretty popular…
Buy Some Nights here.
Stay+ - Scum
It’s haunting and exhilarating. “Scum” will put a little something extra in your step or take the wind out of your sails if you prefer. Stay+ has an energy both dark and light.
“Old songs re-released under a compliant band name. Fuck Christian AIDS now on iTunes (get it before we get sued again.)”
Perfume Genius - Sister Song
For those of you who intend to outlive me, please ensure this song is played at my funeral.
Pre-order Put Your Back N 2 It from Matador Records.
Willis Earl Beal - Monotony
“Monotony” will most likely bring to mind a different tortured singer-songwriter. The obvious comparison is entirely accurate, but there’s a unique sweetness in Willis Earl Beal’s voice. There is nothing uncommon about the painful frustration.
Acousmatic Sorcery will be out in 2012 on Hot Charity/XL Recordings.
First Aid Kit - The Lion’s Roar
First Aid Kit has all the wisdom of experience, but also the all too prevalent self-awareness (which yields to self doubt.) “The Lion’s Roar” is damning, while remaining self effacing. Holding a mirror up to ourselves and others rarely leads to happiness or even self satisfaction. In this instance, however, a wonderfully pointed and steadily off-kilter song is the result.
Buy The Lion’s Roar here.
Sissy and the Blisters - Let Her Go
There are plenty of comparisons one could make when listening to Sissy and the Blisters. To make that connection, however, is to miss out on the other influences. The reason “Let Her Go” sounds like so many songs we’ve heard before, is because it is influenced by feelings we have all felt before.
Buy Let Her Go here.
