# Best New Releases – David Newton & Thee Mighty Angels, The Smashing Pumpkins, Gorillaz, My Empire of Sound, Sans Serif

- Link: https://indierockcafe.com/2011/12/david-newton-smashingpumpkins-gorillaz-indie-releases/
- Published: 2011-12-04T04:07:04-05:00
- Author: Max Hammer

We initially thought that last week’s **Best New Releases** was thin on new albums.
But now we’re going to have to eat our words. This week is thin on new releases,
really thin. This is probably the shortest BNR posting this year, and for those 
of you who check out the BNR posts each week, you’re sure to notice.

In a way it’s good for us that this is a slow week for releases because we’re working
on a new edition of Fresh Tracks, but more importantly, on volumes IV and V of Best
Songs of 2011 mixtape series – which so far has been crazy popular.

As for new releases, our top pick of the week goes to the self-released EP, _Paint
The Town_, from the band **David Newton & Thee Mighty Angels**. The quartet consists
of **The Mighty Lemon Drops**‘ band member **David Newton**, plus musicians **Daniel
Harshman** and **Joel Wall** of **Kissing Tigers**, and **Brian Reyes** of **The
Little Ones**. The southern California band musical project has been building a 
quiet following in the **LA-Long Beach** area for a couple of years now. We haven’t
heard the EP yet, but plan to soon. Based on the title track, it wouldn’t be a big
surprise if the EP ended up on our Best Debut EPs of 2011 list.

“Paint the Town” – **David Newton & Thee Mighty Angels** from _Paint The Town_ EP

![smashingpumpkinsreissue](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/51KJu9RRQoL.
_SS400_.jpg "smashingpumpkinsreissue")

Additionally, there are a number of reissues and compilations out this week, including
reissues of **Smashing Pumpkins**‘ first two albums – _Gish_ and _Siamese Dream_,
featuring bonus material that includes rare and previously unreleased recordings,
plus each re-issue contains a DVD featuring never-before-released live shows recorded
at the Metro in **Chicago**.

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[“Cherub Rock”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/CherubRock.mp3) – **
Smashing Pumpkin**s from _Siamese Dream_

Additionally, **Gorillaz**‘ singles collection (stream it on Spinner) was released
this week featuring a decade of the band’s top tracks. Check out the trailer promo
for the singles collection above.

“Feel Good Inc.” – **Gorillaz** from _The Singles Collection: 2001-2011_
 **They
Might Be Giants** released a new video this week featuring the fresh electronic 
version of their most well-known hit single, “Istanbul (Constantinoble).” The video
is trippy and reminds us a bit of **Animal Collective**‘s “My Girls,” but, in the
end, we prefer the original version of the song a hundred times more. Still, the
video is a must-see for die-hard fans of the band’s 30-year career.

 

My Empire of Sound is musician John Alexander Ericson's latest projects

The next batch of songs from albums released this week are likely to only be found
on IRC, including relatively unknown and DIY artists like My Empire of Sound, Jaybee,
Moe’s Implosion, Desmond Grundy, San Serif, and Cuban Cigar Crisis.

From Sweden and Denmark, the electronica pop band **My Empire Of Sound** released
their self-titled debut album earlier this week. The band is** John Alexander Ericson**
´s (The Northern Territories, Stjarna, Alberta Cross) latest music project, with**
Sidsel Marie** on vocals. The album was released by the indie label, **Warsaw Recordings**.
My Empire of Sound’s most influential artists include Portishead, Fever Ray, PJ 
Harvey, and The Knife.

“Early Morning (A New Beginning)” – **The Empire Of Sound** from _The Empire Of 
Sound_

_

**Jaybeemusic**, the musical moniker of **Brighton**, UK musician **James Bennett**
writes and produces quirky, original songs, covering themes such as angels, vampires,
cowboys and pussy cats in what he refers to as a “vaguely pop idiom, all brewed 
in a studio-formerly-known-as-garage, from equal parts technology and inspiration.”

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“Found on Putney Bridge” – **Jaybee** from _Found on Putney Bridge_

“Jump You Bastard” – **Jaybee** from _Found on Putney Bridge_

⌊moesimplosion⌉⌊moesimplosion⌉

**Moe’s Implosion**, a five-piece rock band from **Portugal**, released their debut
album this week, _Light Pollution_. The band got a lot of love in 2009 and on in
Spain and Portugal thanks to their acclaimed debut. The band toured extensively 
throughout the region, including slots at the **Avante Music Festival** and **Musa
Festival**, and opened for artists like **Asian Dub Foundation, The Get Up Kids**,
and **Linda Martini.**

“FM” – **Moe’s Implosion** from _Light Pollution _

“Doctor” – **Moe’s Implosion** from _Light Pollution _

_

It’s been a while since there’s been a band from the northeastern city of **Halifax**,
Nova Scotia in Canada, that has appeared on our pages, but the folk pop of **Sans
Serif** has earned the band some accolades, mostly on Canadian blogs, plus gigs 
opening for artists like **Rich Aucoin** and **Cousins**. On Saturday, they released
their new album, _I’m Not in Love (I’m in Dartmouth)_. We think the band has promise,
if you like folk pop, but we’d suggest they work with a really good producer and
engineer who can hone the band’s sound. The tracks the band sent us are worth the
listen, but whether or not they end up in your MP3 player is a different matter.

“Smoke Detectors” – **Sans Serif** from _I’m Not in Love (I’m in Dartmouth)_

“Let’s All Redistribute Wealth” – **Sans Serif** from _I’m Not in Love (I’m in Dartmouth)_

The **San Francisco** DIY band **Cuban Cigar Crisis** also released a new album 
this week, titled Sourpuss. We don’t know much about the band at all, but we thought
the two tracks they sent in are worth including in this post. We do know that they
once opened for Xiu Xiu. It’s tough for bands to get attention in a city like San
Francisco, but these are not amateurs.

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“Love Between The Sheets” – **Cuban Cigar Crisis** from _Sourpuss_
 “Wuthering Heights”–**
Cuban Cigar Crisis** from _Sourpuss_

Canadian DIY indie singer/songwriter **Desmond Grundy** sent in a couple of songs
from his new album. Songs like “Took A Bus” make it easy to see why he considers
among his top influences **Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Brian Eno** and one of rock’s most
iconic brother bands – **Ray **and **Dave Davies** of **The Kinks**. Grundy has 
performing shows in **Toronto** and the outlying areas of the city for more than
a decade, and describes it as such: “My show is a combination of gritty, toe-tapping
favorites and melodic, fearless originals delivered with spirit and taste.”

“Took A Bus” – **Desmond Grundy** from _Tiles from the Amber Room_

“Black Fly” – **Desmond Grundy** from _Tiles from the Amber Room_