The end of 2012 is fast approaching and the ‘best of’ posts and playlists are already in the works. But there are still six weeks left in the year and some of the most anticipated new albums of the year dropped this week, among them Sufjan Stevens‘ newest addition to his Christmas albums collection, Silver & Gold, which we’ll have much more about this weekend for the Album of the Week (only a partial list right now) feature.
[zbplayer]Also, check out lead singles from new albums by Crystal Castles, School of Seven Bells, The Weeknd (with a single featuring Drake), Social Studies, El Perro Del Mar, Clinic, Bear Colony, among others.
“X-Mas Spirit Catcher” – Sufjan Stevens from Silver & Gold
Make sure to check back tomorrow and during the weekend, not only for a full review and profile of Stevens’ Silver & Gold, but also for Volume II of this week’s album releases, featuring more sweet singles by a number of artists and bands, including one of the greatest (some say the greatest) rock and roll bands of all time – The Rolling Stones (and a chance to win a free 50th Stones’ anniversary eBook), as well as legendary bands of the 1980’s and 1990’s, including live and new studio album releases from Mudhoney, Soundgarden, Sonic Youth, and Guided by Voices, and IRC exclusive DIY releases.
Crystal Castles Release Their Best Album To Date, III
The wildly popular, and immensely talented, Canadian electro duo, Crystal Castles, blew us away in 2010 with their self-titled sophomore LP after peaking our interest with their 2008 self-titled debut. In recent months, the duo have released a few fresh singles, including “Affection,” from their new album, III, their darkest, most haunting album to date. “Affection” is dominated by Alice Glass‘ ghostly cooing and the melodically dark and staggered synth riffs of Ethan Kath, who also produced the album himself.
“Affection” – Crystal Castles from III on Casablanca Records
In July, the duo dropped “Plague,” a schzophrenic, somewhat demonic, track that starts off with what sounds like the industrial rumble of a factory in the distance and a ghastly howl overlaid with Glass’ soft, spooky vocals. Waves of flickering synths and eerie sound effects suddenly explode into a fully engulfed electronic thrasher with Glass’ now piercing shrieks set against Kath’s raging riffs and a single, coarse drum beat that hacks away methodically in the background – altogether resulting in a truly rattling, sorrow-filled, angst-driven, ominous album. In fact, some fans have noted that III sounds like it could be the soundtrack of the 2012 Mayan doomsday prophecy, which supposedly culminates on the winter solstice, 12.21.12. As another bonus from the duo, download another single off the album, “Wrath of God” for free via Soundcloud.
“Plague” – Crystal Castles from III
School of Seven Bells’ New LP, Lead Single and Cover of Lil Wayne Track
Released only two weeks ago, the fresh electro pop/dance single, “Secret Days,” from the New York indie rock duo School of Seven Bells, received nearly 52,000 plays and nearly 50 thumbs up comments on SVIIB’s Soundcloud page, crowding up the track’s timeline with oodles of praise from fans. Plus, check out an interesting electro-style cover of Lil Wayne’s “How To Love.”
“Secret Days” – School Of Seven Bells from Put Your Sad Down EP on Vagrant Records
Bonus: “How to Love” (Lil Wayne) – School Of Seven Bells from Put Your Sad Down EP on Vagrant Records
The Weeknd Collaborates with Drake on Single from LP Trilogy
Musician Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd, dropped a new album this week that includes the single, “The Zone,” featuring the popular artist Drake, who also makes a brief appearance in the music video as well. The track was originally featured on Tesfaye’s mixtape, Thursday, released earlier this year.
“The Zone (ft. Drake)” – The Weeknd from Trilogy on Republic Records/XO
Social Studies Drops Sophomore Album, Developer
Also on Tuesday, San Francisco indie band Social Studies dropped their sophomore album, Developer, featuring the thunderous single, “Away For The Weekend,” which highlights the haunting vocals of Natalia Rogovin, who we think is a rising female vocalist in the realm of indie rock. The band hired Oakland engineer Eli Crews (Tuneyards, Deerhoof, Thao & Mirah) to refine their sound, digging deeper into mood-altering textures and repetition, and deep-sixing some of the ornate flourishes to reveal an anthemic core.
The band’s label, Vice Records, was spot-on in suggesting the track sounds like a “sober” version of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Social Studies also premiered a new video for the song, “Terracur,” in which there are some fantastic shots of San Francisco at night. Plus, Little Rock indie band, Bear Colony (yup, another group with ‘bear’ in their name), dropped a new album this week, Soft Eyes, featuring the feel-good single, “Flask Retort.” The song is awash in warm and fuzzy synth notes, reverb-heavy guitar riffs and a fine rhythm to boot. This is the band’s first album of new material since their widely praised 2006 debut LP, We Came Here To Die. Also check out the lead single, “Hold Off The Dawn,” from the new album, Pale Fire, by El Perro Del Mar.
“Away For The Weekend” – Social Studies from Developer on Antenna Farm Records
“Flask Retort” – Bear Colony from Soft Eyes
“Hold Off The Dawn” – El Perro Del Mar from Pale Fire on The Control Group
Clinic Chills Out; Jozef Van Wissem and Jim Jarmusch and How To Destroy Angels
Chill out with Clinic on the mellow track, “For The Season,” followed by another calming track, “Etimasia” by Jozef Van Wissem and Jim Jarmusch. Might as well keep the chill beat going with the latest dubstep single from husband and wife duo How To Destroy Angels.
“For The Season” – Clinic from Free Reign on Domino Record Co.
Double-shot: “Misty” – Clinic from Free Reign on Domino Record Co.
“Etimasia” – Jozef Van Wissem & Jim Jarmuschfrom The Mystery of Heaven on Sacred Bones Records
“Keep It Together” – How to Destroy Angels from An Omen EP on Columbia Records
Brian Eno’s Lux 1 Video, Bambi Lee Savage, and Books On Tape
To wrap up Volume I of this week’s top releases and singles, check out the new music video for the latest single on the album, Lux, by the godfather of indie electro pop, Brian Eno, plus DIY artist Bambi Lee Savage, and Books On Tape. Check back for more singles and music videos in Volume II from this week’s top releases tomorrow.
“Lux 1 (exerpt)” – Brian Eno from Lux on Warp
“Oh Loneliness” – Bambi Lee Savage from Darkness Overshadowed (self-released)
“Super Dr.” – Books On Tape from Retired Numbers on Sorry Juniper!
Check back tomorrow for Volume II of this week’s Best New Music Releases that will feature new songs and videos from The Rolling Stones, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, and many others.