# Best New Releases, April 3rd, Vol. I – Of Monsters and Men, The Lumineers, Max and the Moon, Lux, Black Mountain, Twin Steps

- Link: https://indierockcafe.com/2012/04/of-monsters-and-men-the-lumineers-max-and-the-moon-lux-twin-steps/
- Published: 2012-04-07T04:01:04-04:00
- Author: Max Hammer

Last week, IRC presented nearly two dozen MP3 singles from the latest best new album
drops via [Volume One](https://indierockcafe.com/2012/03/best-album-releases-2012-poor-moon-la-sera-oberhofer-mp3-singles/)
and [Volume Two](https://indierockcafe.com/2012/04/best-new-releases-vol-ii-week-of-327-justin-townes-earle-tyburn-saints-way-yes-races-the-mars-volta-sleep-wave-sleep/);
this week’s new releases highlight singles from bands to watch Of Monsters and Men,
The Lumineers, Max and the Moon, plus Lux, Black Mountain, and Twin Steps among 
others. Volume Two will be out shortly, but in the meantime, this playlist of a 
dozen MP3 tracks contains some of the best new music of the spring.  Volume Two 
will feature Great Lake Swimmers, AU, Zammuto and others.

There’s been a ton of buzz around the Icelandic indie folk pop band **Of Monsters
and Men** in the past year or so, but most especially in the past few months, with
their first U.S. tour kicking off at **SXSW** 2012 in **Austin **last month.

After winning a popular annual battle of the bands competition in **Iceland** in
2010, Of Monsters of Men went on to become one of the most popular new bands in 
their homeland, and were invited to perform at the 2010 **Iceland Airwaves Festival**,
where **Seattle**‘s _KEXP_ recorded the band performing the track, “Little Talks,”
which quickly provided the band with their first significant U.S. exposure. By February
of 2011, the band signed with **Record Records** to begin recording their debut 
album.

![ofmonstersandmen](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/ofmonstersandmen.
jpg "ofmonstersandmen")

But it was the spinning of “Little Talks” on _Radio 104.5_ in **Philadelphia** in
August of 2011, that propelled the band to nationwide popularity. Soon the song 
started popping up on radio stations across the country, and throughout the blogosphere.
With the wind at their backs, Of Monsters and Men released their debut album, _My
Head is an Animal, _in Iceland in September of last year, where the LP, and the 
single, “Little Talks,” rocketed  to **No. 1 **in the country that gave us Bjork,
Sigur Ros, and dozens of other popular artists and bands.

This week, some six months later, the album officially dropped in the U.S., and 
is currently in the Top 20 on the Amazon music charts, where the album is available
with two additional tracks not found on the Icelandic release. SideOneTrackOne.com
wrote: “Their folksy Scandinavian sets are as playful as the dynamics between the
boy-girl vocals they utilize, and with a penchant for anthemic chorals and relentlessly
upbeat rhythms.”

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Junk Culture, Wildlife Control, Allen Stone

One thing that can’t be said about Of Monsters and Men is that they are hyped and
over-rated. They are one of the best ‘new’ bands of the year since this their debut
album was just released this week in the U.S.

“Little Talks” – **Of Monsters and Men** from _My Head Is an Animal_ via Record 
Records
 via SideOneTrackOne.com

**Double-shot**: [“Lakehouse”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/Of%20Monsters%20And%20Men%20-%20Lakehouse.mp3)–**
Of Monsters and Men** from _My Head Is an Animal_

![thelumineersmp3album](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/41iXXLla5pL.
_SS500_.jpg)

#### Band to Watch in 2012: Denver’s The Lumineers

While other bands move to **New York** from all points around the U.S. to pursue
their musical ambitions, **The Lumineers** left New York to settle down in **Denver**.
This week the band dropped their anticipated, self-titled debut LP, featuring the
lead single, “Hey Ho,” which was recently featured as the _Song of the Day _ on 
Seattle’s _KEXP_.

“Ho Hey” – **The Lumineers** from _The Lumineers_ on Dualtone Records

In fact, stay tuned because The Lumineers will be featured in the upcoming Bands
to Watch in 2012 series we’ve been working on. In the meantime, to hear more of 
the band, listen to more songs on their official website, where you can also get
news, view videos, and check [The Lumineers 2012 tour schedule](https://indierockcafe.com/2012/04/of-monsters-and-men-the-lumineers-max-and-the-moon-lux-twin-steps/ thelumineers.com)
to see if they’re stopping by your city.

**Double-shot:** “Slow It Down” – **The Lumineers** from _The Lumineers_

The album, _The Lumineers_, is on sale for only $6.99 via Amazon, where it is #10
on the Amazon MP3 album charts.

This next track is from a DIY album release that came out last week, and which was
meant to appear in either volume of the **Best New Releases** for March 27th.  The
unsigned **Fullerton**, California indie pop/piano rock band, **Max and the Moon**,
got our attention right away when we heard the track, “Light House,” from their 
new album, _The Way I See_, which they had sent in for review.

The single is an impressive track from a band that, of the people we asked, no one
had heard of before. But no worries there – that’s one of the great things about
indie rock; there are so many artists and bands that can be like your own little
secret favorites, and that of few other people – because they don’t know about them–
can compete for that exclusivity , whether it’s real or fantasy, or somewhere in
between.

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“Light House” – **Max and The Moon** from _The Way I See_
 

 ⌊luxband⌉

**Seattle**‘s electro-dance, dream pop boy-girl duo, **Lux**, have been popping 
on indie music blogs in recent weeks in a lead up to their debut release, _We Are
Not the Same_, dropped officially this week. Lux have been compared to other duos
like **Cults** and **Sleigh Bells** for their blending of pop, C-86 vocal delivery
and, as described by _The UK Independent_, “Phil Spector-via-Jesus and the Mary 
Chain walls of sound.”

However, much of the criticism, even from reviewers who like the album overall, 
is that the album lacks “the focus and urgency that have made their peers so blog-
worthy.” While there are still plenty of decent to good tracks on the LP, there 
are too many songs that are aimless, sloppy and under produced. Still, it’s a decent
start for an unsigned band that self-recorded and released their first record.

The first single, “The Window,” profiles the charming vocals of singer **Leah Rosen**,
surrounded by washy synths and drum machines. The second track, “Coroner’s Office,”
is presented to give you a better idea of the band’s sound, and what is a fairly
good debut, considering that it was self-recorded and released.

“The Window” – **Lux** from _We Are Not the Same_ (self-released)

“Coroner’s Office” – **Lux** from _We Are Not the Same_ (self-released)

![](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/518EvHDj8lL._SS500_.jpg)

#### Black Mountain, Brenton, Caltrop, Twin Steps

Once again, **Black Mountain** take another step forward as one of the top psychedelic,
hard rock bands around today with a new single from the _Year Zero_ soundtrack. 
The track delivers pulsating jam rock laced with explosive, killer guitar licks,
powerful drumming and a dark, nefarious overtone. This nearly eight-minute nail 
bitter might just make you feel like your on a Harley blazing through some tripped
out landscape until the gas runs out and petters to a stop.

If you liked “Mary Lou,” you’ll probably also dig the long, meandering track, “Blessed,”
with its dark rock guitar jams at the core. The song is from the  new single, “Blessed,”
off the band Caltrop’s new LP, _Ten Million Years and Eight Minutes_. And Breton
finishes up this mini three-track playlist of hard rock, which only made sense to
group together

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Mumford & Sons, Sera Cahoone, Dum Dum Girls

[“Mary Lou”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/marylou.mp3) – **Black
Mountain** from _Year Zero_ soundtrack (+booklet) via Jagjaguwar

“Blessed” – **Caltrop** from _Ten Million Years and Eight Minutes_ on Holidays For
Quince Records

[“Jostel”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/Jostle.mp3) – **Breton **
from _Other People’s Problems_ on FatCat Records

![](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/TwinSteps_presskit1-500x400.jpg&
sa=X&ei=7B2AT_yEOqSpiQLtx4z3Ag&ved=0CAoQ8wc&usg=AFQjCNGROm-MzXk_nvBhKrzqLK7R-xtsLQ)

This next track, “Pinkie Promise,” by **Twin Steps**, is a blast to the past of 
the doo-whop era combined with some Phil Spectorish elements. It’s a track that 
stumbles along with a lead vocalist that sings “Iiiii” over and over, and presumably
a small collection of female and male back up singers.

And just when you thought you were on your little retro cruise down the boulevard,
about half way through the six-minute long track, the singing stops and there’s 
a momentary jam from the band – which doesn’t allow it, along with the duration,
to be a radio track – for about 15 seconds until the track returns to it’s previous
drunken ballroom stupor, except this time there’s giggling girl loops, which go 
on for a bit too much.

Who knows if they pulled it off (depends on who you ask), but Twin Steps definitely
take an unconventional approach to what would otherwise be an ode to the oldies 
but goldies that your parents, or grand parents, grew up with. The band’s new EP,
_Serial Parade_, is out now.

[“Pinkie Promise”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/TwinSteps-Pinkie_Promise.mp3)–**
Twin Steps** from _Serial Parade_

⌊hollisbrown⌉⌊hollisbrown⌉

**Hollis Brown **has been inching up the so-called indie folk/country rock charts
in recent years, and now he’s, back with another folksy country rocker that would
be just fine on a soundtrack of a movie about a cross country journey, or something
to that nature, especially with a title like “Ride on the Train,” and the added 
lyric, “and baby, don’t look back.” While there is not much in the way of lyrical
content, or storytelling here, it’s still a fine tune.

“Ride on the Train” – **[Hollis Brown](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/hollisbrown.com)**
from _Nothing and The Famous No One_ EP