# Best New Music Releases, Week of Sept. 18th, Vol. One – Grizzly Bear, Band of Horses, Dinosaur Jr., Allah-Las, Alt. J, Menomena

- Link: https://indierockcafe.com/2012/09/best-new-music-releases-week-of-sept-18th-vol-one-grizzly-bear-band-of-horses/
- Published: 2012-09-21T21:39:58-04:00
- Author: Max Hammer

September is turning out to be a blockbuster month for new album releases, with 
this week adding to the stacks new albums by Grizzly Bear, Band of Horses, Dinosaur
Jr., and Menomena, to name a few. In the first two weeks of new releases, the weeks
of [September 4th](https://indierockcafe.com/2012/09/best-new-music-releases-week-of-sept-4th-animal-collective-cat-power-stars-two-door-cinema-club-two-gallants-bob-mould-jens-lekman/)
and [September 11th](https://indierockcafe.com/2012/09/best-new-music-releases-week-of-sept-11th-the-raveonettes-the-xx-david-byrne-st-vincent-turbo-fruits-seapony/),
there were fresh albums from Animal Collective, Cat Power, Stars, The Raveonettes,
The xx, David Byrne & St. Vincent, and in [Part Two](https://indierockcafe.com/2012/09/more-best-new-releases-from-firewater-field-report-neal-halstead-sea-wolf-avett-brothers-hello-echo-solos-helvetica/)
for the week of September 11 include Neal Halstead, Sea Wolf, Hello Echo, and many
others.

There have been dozens of standout singles as wellmaking this the third week in 
a row in which music lovers have so no shortage of solid, accomplished album releases,
so many so that there are more than a dozen standout tracks from the stack of albums
that officially dropped for the week of September 18th. There are excellent singles
from familiar bands such as Grizzly Bear, Dinosaur Jr., Band of Horses, Menomena,
among others.

It was a neck-to-neck contest this week between **Grizzly Bear** and **Band of Horses**
as to which band’s new album would be our top of the list. The new album, _Shields_,
by **Brooklyn**‘s folk rock giants, Grizzly Bear, crossed the finish line first.
_Shields_ is a gorgeous album, and clearly shows the band at the height of their
music-making careers. _Rolling Stone_ wrote: “With _Shields_, they still sound like
Radiohead at a Buddhist retreat, but the songs are more muscular, increasingly driven
by drummer Christopher Bear’s innate swing” and _The A.V. Club_ added: “On an album
that touches repeatedly on the barriers people build between each other, the members
of Grizzly Bear have forged further ahead into sweet synchronicity.”

[“Yet Again”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/Yet-Again--EM08123.mp3)–**
Grizzly Bear** from _Shields_ on Warp

One reason that Band of Horses didn’t capture the best album of the week is that
since they signed over to Columbia for _Infinite Arms_, and now their latest, _Mirage
Rock_, something seems to have been lost in the process, and we’ve talked to, and
heard from, many fans who still like the band’s latest releases, but just not as
much as the band’s first two albums. This is also reflected by the press and bloggers’
reviews across all four albums. The band’s two Columbia releases, overall, have 
scored almost two whole points (on a 1 to 10 scale) lower overall in _Metacritic_
than their pre-Columbia albums – _Cease to Begin_ and _Everything All The Time_.
That said, _Mirage Rock_ is still a solid release that many fans will enjoy, but
if we were to recommend to someone who’s never heard the band where to start, it
would have to be _Cease to Begin_.

⌊bandofhorses⌉⌊bandofhorses⌉
 _Drowned in Sound _wrote: “There are those that will
love this record [_Mirage Rock_], for whom it will be the gateway into earlier, 
richer work. But for those of us who have already been spellbound by what Ben Bridwell
can create, this is simply not enough” and _Paste Magazine_ wrote: “Bridwell has
never sounded more assured as a songwriter, exploring bold new ideas and penning
some of his most poignant lyrics.”

Related Post:  More Best & DIY Releases for Week of Oct. 2nd - Moon Duo, The Valery
Trails, Pontoons, My Empire of Sound, The Ecstatics

The lead single, “Knock Knock,” is one of Band of Horses’ best songs on _Mirage 
Rock_. But over all, it sounds like Band of Horses have lost some of their footing,
and it didn’t obviously help that they signed to a major label like Columbia, which
was a disappointment to many of their die-hard fans, with some even accusing the
band of “selling out.” That said, Mirage Rock is still a good album, and a solid
record for die-hard fans, it’s just not as brilliant as the band’s first two roots
folk rock albums.

[“Knock Knock”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/knockknock.mp3) – **
Band of Horses** from _Mirage Rock_ on Columbia

Also, make sure not to miss any of the fantastic music that has been posted in the
past week, including Best New Music Releases for the week of September 11th, Volume
One, Volume Two, plus DIY releases and a profile of overseas band to watch, The 
Yours from Honk Kong

#### Dinosaur Jr.’s New Album, Plus Allah-Las and Alt. J’s Dark New Single

Seven years since their 2005 reunion, **Dinosaur Jr.** has released some of the 
best albums of their career. In fact, they have dropped three albums – the latest,
_I Bet on Sky_, since 2005 – and all three have scored an overall average of 9 out
of 10 on _Metacritic_. Altogether, _I Bet on Sky_, is perhaps their best LP since
their resurrection, featuring a spectacular set of songs, like the single below,“
Watch The Corners,” that exemplify their unique brand of alternative rock.

_CMJ_ wrote about _I Bet on Sky_: “It’s everything to be expected: Dinosaur Jr. 
sounds relaxed, takes a laid-back approach and still manages to make an album that
stands up next to everything else that the band has released since its resurrection.”

Related Post:  Best New Music Releases, Week of August 14th - Black Pistol Fire,
Wild Cub, Dead Can Dance, MNDR, Height with Friends

“Watch The Corners” – **Dinosaur Jr.** from _I Bet on Sky_ on Jagjaguwar

The band **Allah-Las**‘ new track “Busman’s Holiday” from their self-titled debut
album is one of our favorite tracks of the week thanks to its distinct late 60’s
blues/psychedelic rock sound that reminds us a lot of The Animals. **Alt-J’**s new
single, “Fitzpleasure,” a recent _KEXP_ ‘Song of the Day,’ is dark and fragmented,
with a throbbing, brooding bass line, menacing guitar licks, haunting synth riffs
and sinister vocals. “Fitzpleasure” fitz just right for a Halloween playlist or 
horror film. And Black Prairie’s new single, “How You Ruin Me,” is a solid new single
that shows the band growing musically since their last release.

“Busman’s Holiday” – **Allah-Las** from _Allah-Las_ on Innovative Leisure

“Fitzpleasure” – **Alt-J** from _An Awesome Wave_ on Canvasback Records

[“How Do You Ruin Me”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/HowDoYouRuinMe.mp3)–**
Black Prairie** from _A Tear In The Eye Is A Wound In The Heart_ on Sugar Hill Records

#### Ben Gibbard Duets with Ex-Wife Zooey Deschanel; Menomena’s Personal Touch, and Cars and Trains

**Death Cab for Cutie** and **Postal Service** frontman **Ben Gibbard** teamed up
with ex-wife **Zooey Deschanel** (the two divorced last year) on **Mike Coykendall**‘
s peace-loving song, “The Hippie Girl,” which conjures up images of a beautiful 
young woman with straight, long sandy blonde hair, no makeup except a happy face
painted on her cheek, and a flower in her hair. Coykendall’s album, _Chasing Away
the Dots_, was released on Fluff & Gravy Records. The new album from **Menomena**,
_Moms_, is the band’s most personal work to date, with inspiration from members’
family histories. Already the band had released two previous tracks this past summer–“
Capsule” and “Heavy Is As Heavy Does” – from _Moms_.

“The Hippie Girl (with Ben Gibbard and Zooey Deschanel)” – **Mike Coykendall** from
_Chasing Away the Dots_ on Fluff and Gravy Records

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Thurston Moore, Surfer Blood, A Lull, Wild Beasts, Man/Miracle

“Pique” – **Menomena** from _Moms_ on Barsuk

The newest single “Pique” has a funky, chilled out groove, but three-quarters of
the way into the song, a guitar solo shatters the relative calm of the song, giving
it a roaring finish. [Stream _Moms_ at _Paste Magazine_](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/album-stream-menomena---moms.html).“
Nations” by **Cars and Trains** is a short, but superb song, with a thumping bass,
acoustic guitar, violins and reverb-heavy, nearly spoken vocals that break into 
gorgeous choruses.

“Nations” – **Cars and Trains** from _We Are All Fire_ on Fake Four Inc.

#### Corin Tucker Band Release Sophomore Album, _Kill My Blues_

On the track, “Groundhog Day,” **The Corin Tucker Band** rip out a fully charged,
jerking garage rocker that conjures up visions of **Blondie** in punk/new wave mode
jamming with members of **Devo**. Corin Tucker is 1/3 of **Sleater-Kinney**.

“Groundhog Day” – **Corin Tucker Band** from _Kill My Blues_ on Kill Rock Stars

⌊albumleaf⌉⌊albumleaf⌉
 The next few tracks are instrumentals from **The Album Leaf**
and new-to-us bands, **Rangda** and **Lymbyc Systym**. While “Descent” is more of
an esoteric, dreamy track, “Majnun” blends psychedelic guitar rock and Arabian Nights
style rhythms and percussion that strangely paints a musical collage of 21st Century
modernism woven in with ancient mysticism.

“Descent” – **The Album Leaf** from _Forward/Return_ (self-released)

“Majnun” – **Rangda** from _Formerly Extinct_ on Drag City

“Falling Together” – **Lymbyc Systym** from _Symbolyst_ on Western Vinyl

**Coming Up**: The Whigs, Woods, Jon Spencer Blues Project, Sic Alps, and How to
Dress Well.