NOTE: This post was first published on Oct 10, 2011; updated some links Oct. 2021
One of our favorite songs so far this autumn is “Don’t Move” from Phantogram; it’s simply a fantastic track that you just can’t but help to move to – even though the song title says not to move.
When we featured the song in one of the recent Fresh Tracks mixes, people downloaded and streamed it like crazy.
It only makes sense to kick off this edition of Best New Releases with the hot, new single from Phantogram. (We recommend listening first to last week’s BNR mixtape, for more stellar tracks.)
Surfer Blood return with their first release since 2010’s sensational debut LP, Astro Coast, an album that made them a huge hit in the indie circuits for the past two years. The band’s newest single is the compelling “Miranda”.
Following Surfer Blood is a double-shot from Woodsman‘s new album, featuring two songs that are masterfully arranged and executed. “In Circles,” and especially, “Specdrum,” highlight the band’s raw talent for combining elements of rock, pop, post-punk, electronic, and particularly, in the case of the two tracks below, their capabilities in creating pure jam psychedelic tunes, with impressive results.
Double-shot: “Specdrum” – Woodsman from Mystic Places EP
Deer Tick returns with a bit more rock in their sound with the lead track “Main Street,” a song which reminds us of Paul Westernberg and The Replacements, whether on purpose or just as some subliminal influence. This is a nice new maturation of style for Deer Tick.
It seemed only fitting to follow-up Deer Tick with the new single from Bear Lake (another animal-named band) who just self-released their new album, If You Were Me.
Italy’s 2010 breakout band A Classic Education return with their sophomore album and the lead track “Forever Boy,” is a sentimental, slow rock track marked by heavily melodic vocals and choruses, Wavves-style guitar licks, and percussion, and an obviously better overall produced sound throughout the album than their 2010 U.S. debut.
Just like other great surprises this week, another new-to-us band, The Beets, add more credibility to the garage rock-pop sound – of bands like The Vaselines – with their new track, “Doing As I Do” from the new album, Let The Poison Out, on Hardly Art Records.
Even better, we were lucky to find another killa track from the album, “Friends of Friends,” thanks to Pitchfork.
Double-shot: “Friends of Friends” – The Beets from Let the Poison Out.
Incorporating electronic beat pop styling with underlying cinematic, and psychedelic, rock infusions, woven with synth sound effects, violin and guitar riffs, and an assortment of wood blocks and cowbells, the eclectic indie band Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble shine through on, “Pretend,” where they are clearly not pretending at all – the track is as real as it gets, and an incredibly complex arrangement at that.
Next, another new-to-us band, The Through & Through Gospel Review, offer one of the most memorable tracks of the week – the enchanting, almost carnival-like influenced song, “I Firmly Believe” from their self-titled, debut album.
As with other bands in this week’s Best New Releases, this is yet another pleasant surprise, and surely a band that we will keep our ears out for. In fact, we received a complimentary copy of the debut LP, and look forward to listening to it more in-depth later on; it’s just another album added with the dozens and dozens of others in our “To Listen To” playlist in iTunes.
“An Arcade From The Warm Rain That Falls” – Comet Gain from Howl of the Lonely Crowd
Although we generally do not post about remastered albums, the fact that Dntel‘s remastered (with bonus tracks) LP, Life Is Full of Possibilities, is out this week, and features Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie, Postal Service) on vocals for the lead track below, definitely makes it an LP to consider repurchasing, and if you’ve never owned it before, that track, and many others, is reason alone to grab a copy.
“(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan” – Dntel from Life Is Full of Possibilities (remastered with bonus tracks)
The problem is the sound quality of the track itself. It’s ironic that it is a remastered track but is filled with what sounds like static, and we can only hope it is not intentional because that would make no sense. We’ve been unable to find any information about why this terrific ‘remastered’ track has static on it. We also tried to hunt down the originally released track, but without any luck. If anyone knows why the track has static on it – especially towards the end – we’d love to hear from you.
Next up is another band name that does not fit at all with the band’s sound and style. Gospel Music, present this semi-quirky track, “This Town Doesn’t Have Enough Bars for Both of Us” that has clear percussion influences from The Violent Femme‘s “Blister In The Sun,” whether on purpose or not.
Perhaps the only blues track in this mix, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound, deliver the upbeat, and oddly optimistic, “Everything Will Be Fine,” with plenty of gusto and some steller musicianship – especially amongst the guitarist, bass player, and drummer. The vocals are clearly influenced by B.B. King’s singing style.
The Migrant mix New Orleans jazz influences with folk, pop, and rock to the appropriately thematic track, “The Hurricane.” Plus, check out other tracks, including Peggy Sue‘s “Cut My Teeth”; The Strange Boys’ amazing “Me and You”, and Russian Circles‘ “Mladek”.
“The Hurricane” – The Migrant from Amerika (self-released)
“Cut My Teeth” – Peggy Sue from Acrobats (stream album)
“Me and You” – The Strange Boys from Live Music
“Mladek” – Russian Circles from Empros