After a thin week for new albums during the July 4th holiday, things got back to normal last week with a hefty new batch of fresh releases from Dirty Projectors, Twin Shadow, Deleted Scenes, Digitalism, Summer Camp, Husky, Communist Daughter and more. Plus, after three decades, the post-punk/alt rock band Mission of Burma sound better than ever on their new, widely-acclaimed release, UnSound.
There are also a few impressive debut albums dropped last week, from bands to watch, Videoing and Western Affairs, as well as Holograms, Debo Band and Deep Time. Western Affairs are also a DIY band, as are The Young Evils, who’ve made a name for themselves in and around Seattle, including opening gigs for the Vaselines and Pearl Jam.
The Dirty Projectors‘ sixth studio album, Swing Lo Magellan, was a year in the making, and features the band’s most melodic and intricate album to date, packed with strange textures, rapid transitions, and soaring harmonies. The press and fans have hailed the album, some calling it DP’s best work to date. In fact, The Los Angeles Times wrote: “Dirty Projectors still get itchy at the prospect of sleek surfaces, and their uneasiness is a thrill to behold.” For anyone who liked the band’s first album, Swing Lo Magellan is a must-have, and for a limited time the MP3 version is only $3.99 via Amazon. All this week’s releases are also available, when applicable, via CD and vinyl. A complete list for this past week’s releases is included at the end of this post.
“Gun Has No Trigger” – Dirty Projectors from Swing Lo Magellan on Domino
via TheWheelisStillinSpin.com
Twin Shadow Follows Up Debut With Another Terrific Album of ’80s Nostalgia
Twin Shadow also dropped a new album, Confess, featuring George Lewis Jr.‘s upbeat, 80’s sounding jams and touching ballads. Twin Shadow’s second LP, the follow-up to his hugely popular 2010 indie debut, Forget, is being hailed by much of the music press and blogs as another home run. Drowned in Sound called it “wholly brilliant”; Pitchfork noted: “[it] is defined by its melodic and emotional immediacy” and Slant Magazine boasted: “…an altogether superior effort, and one of the few modern indie releases that handles its 80s reverence with dexterity.” Click the album title below to get Confess for only $3.99 via Amazon.
“Five Seconds” – Twin Shadow from Confess on 4AD
Band to Watch, Austin’s Gritty Videoing, Drops Debut
The new Austin music project, Videoing, blends hi-tech industrial with lo-fi cogs, gears, and whistles, to produce a sound that is dark and driving, gritty and grinding. “Night Watch” is all of those things and one of the best singles released this month. The haunting, grimy grit of “Night Watch” lightens a bit with a pronounced uptempo beat, a melodic synth jam infusion, as well as a shifting and disorienting aspect that demonstrates the band’s impressive songwriting and recording skills.
Videoing’s debut album, Reader LP, pricks the ears of unsuspecting listeners, and the audiophile community at large. The band sent three tracks to post; two are posted below as a double-shot; the third, “Crimson Waves” will be Monday’s Song of the Day. Plus, they’re on our Band to Watch list.
“Night Watch” – Videoing from Reader LP on Slack Electric
Double-shot: “Driver’s River” – Videoing from Reader LP
Deleted Scenes: Another Band to Watch This Week On Heels of New LP
The dream pop fuzziness of Deleted Scenes’ single, “Bedbedbedbed,” conjures up a sense of floating, and a great track for a ‘chill out’ playlist. The relaxing, hazy atmosphere of the band’s sound is only part of their appeal. The album, Young People’s Church of Air, is so impressive among
“Bedbedbedbedbed” – Deleted Scenes from Young People’s Church of Air on Park The Van
Double-shot: “English As A Second Language” – Deleted Scenes from Young People’s Church of Air on Park The Van
Mission of Burma Sound Better Than Ever on New LP
The legendary post-punk, alt. rock band, Mission of Burma, jump back into the fray with their fourth album since their reunion in 2006. What makes their newest album so alluring to long-time MoB fans is that their sound hasn’t changed much at all, yet as the All Music Guide wrote: “…their musical wanderlust has resulted in one of the most exciting and eye-opening albums they’ve made to date.”
On Unsound, MoB engineer distorted, brash compositions as they did 30 years ago, splicing together wrenching, yet appealing, vocal harmonies within a cacophony of raw guitar progressions and staggered tape loops that the NME called “thrilling clatter, which shames bands half their age.” Reviews have been mostly positive from the mainstream press and the blogosphere, and sure to satisfy fans, both new and old. To that end, the band sent in two tracks – our third double-shot of the week – “Second Television” and “Dust Devil,” which are as ragged and rough as ever, or as Paste put it: “truly glorious noise.”
“Second Television” – Mission of Burma from Unsound on Fire
Holograms Drops Debut; Plus, Husky, Western Affairs
Holograms rocks with rapid succession on the single “ABC City” from their new, self-titled album debut. Another single, “History’s Door” by the band Husky was a Song of the Day earlier in the week. The track is sort of a punk dances with indie rock sound that reminds us of Kaiser Chiefs, with a frantic pace and chorus vocals singing: “Isolation” followed by a blistering guitar solo at the tail side of the track. The song has wracked up over 12,000 plays on SoundCloud in just four weeks.
“ABC City” – Holograms from Holograms on Captured Tracks
“History’s Door” – Husky from Forever So on Sub Pop
Western Affairs, currently a DIY band, dropped their album, 2000, this past week. The single, “Laura,” is an uplifting indie pop/rock track that almost feels a bit like you’re soaring in the sky on a beautiful summer day. Sure that’s a bit corny, but what the hell; we think it’s perfect for a summer 2012 indie playlist. We haven’t heard the entire album yet, but it’s on the “Listen To” list.
“Laura” – Western Affairs from 2000 (self-released)
Seattle’s The Young Evils Drop EP; Plus, Aesop Rock, Communist Daughter, Delicate Steve and Others
Next, the Seattle rock band, The Young Evils, are back with a fresh EP, Foreign Spells, that was produced by Shane Stoneback (The Cults, Vampire Weekend, Sleigh Bells). Producer Barrett Jones (Foo Fighters, Nirvana) worked on the band’s bouncy, pop-driven 2010 debut album Enchanted Chapel. The band started out as a way to pay homage to the Nirvana-popularized duo, Vaselines, in 2008 by songwriter and founder, Troy Nelson and lead singer Mackenzie Mercer. The Young Evils have opened for the Vaselines and Pearl Jam, which is indicative of their talent and popularity in the Pacific Northwest.
“When Sally Walked In The Rain” – The Young Evils from Foreign Spells (self-released)
“Zero Dark Thirty” – Aesop Rock from Skelethon (only $3.99 limited time via Amazon) on Rhymesayers Entertainment
“Ghosts” – Communist Daughter from The Lions & Lambs EP on Grain Belt Records
“Two Lovers” – Delicate Steve from Positive Force (CD) on Luaka Bop
“A New Drug” – Digitalism from DJ-Kicks on !K7 Records
“Hidden” – Erika Spring from Erika Spring EP on Cascine
“Life” – Summer Camp from Always EP on Apricot Recording Company/Moshi Moshi Records
“Lessons of Darkness (Apology)” – Supreme Cuts from Whispers in the Dark on Dovecote Records
“I Still Pull the Silver (From the Penny Drawer)” – Jonathan Byerley from Catherine Market on La Société Expéditionnaire
“Play Along” – Dan Le Sac from Space Between the Words on Sunday Best
“Asha Gedawo” – Debo Band from Debo Band on Sub Pop
“Clouds” – Deep Time from Deep Time on Hardly Art
New Music Releases: Week of July 10th, 2012
Click any version – MP3, CD or vinyl – for any of the releases listed below and you’ll be taken right to the Amazon purchase page where you can check out. When you purchase albums with IRC’s links in any post, we get a few cents for each completed order, which helps us pay our server and related costs to run the website.
Aesop Rock – Skelethon | CD Vinyl MP3 Deluxe MP3
Allies for Everyone – Scavenger [EP] | MP3
A Band of Buriers – Filth | MP3
Beak – Beak II | CD Vinyl MP3
Bravestation – Giants & Dreamers | MP3
Zac Brown Band – Uncaged | CD MP3
Chatham County Line – Sight & Sound [Live] | CD Vinyl MP3
Clare and the Reasons – KR-51 | Clare and the Reasons – KR-51 CD Vinyl MP3
Communist Daughter – Lions & Lambs [EP] | CD MP3
Dead Rat Orchestra – The Guga Hunters of Ness | CD Vinyl MP3
Debo Band – Debo Band | CD Vinyl MP3
Deep Time – Deep Time | CD Vinyl MP3
Deleted Scenes – Young People’s Church of the Air | CD Vinyl
Delicate Steve – Positive Force | CD Vinyl MP3
Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan | CD Vinyl Deluxe Vinyl MP3
Duran Duran – A Diamond in the Mind [Live] | CD DVD Blu-ray MP3
Dusted – Total Dust | CD Vinyl MP3
The Early November – In Currents | CD Vinyl MP3
Family of the Year – Loma Vista | CD MP3
Glass Cloud – Royal Thousand | CD MP3
Glocca Morra – Just Married | MP3
Holograms – Holograms | CD MP3
Husky – Forever So | CD Vinyl MP3
I Call Fives – I Call Fives | CD MP3
Impossible Arms – Ripped in No Time | CD Vinyl MP3
Kadavar – Kadavar | CD MP3
Dan Le Sac – Space Between the Words | MP3
Eleni Mandell – I Can See the Future | CD Vinyl MP3
Marina and the Diamonds – Electra Heart | CD MP3 Deluxe MP3
Mission of Burma – Unsound | CD Vinyl MP3
Origami Ghosts – It Doesn’t Exist | MP3
Ozarks – Ozarks [EP] | MP3
The Restorations – A/B [EP] | MP3
Saint Motel – Voyeur | MP3
Erika Spring – Erika Spring [EP] | Vinyl MP3
Suit of Lights – Shine On Forever | MP3
Bibi Tanga and The Selenites – 40 Degrees of Sunshine | CD
Serj Tankian – Harakiri | CD MP3 Deluxe MP3
Theclosing – Theclosing | CD MP3
Twin Shadow – Confess | CD Vinyl MP3
The Ugly Club – You Belong to the Minutes | MP3
Van She – Idea of Happiness | MP3
Videoing – Reader | MP3
Hank Williams Jr. – Old School New Rules | CD Vinyl MP3