This week started off with a number of posts, including new singles from DIY and record label artists; DIY Artist of the Week: Bryce Jarden; a new song from Goodbye, Texas and Album of the Week by Freelance Whales. Therefore, we start off with Freelance Whales’ new single, “Dig Into Waves,” followed by “Time to Run,” the new single from one of our favorite artists of the past couple of years, Lord Huron.
“Time to Run” flows nicely following “Dig Into Waves” – both songs are spirited, intricate pop tracks, and easily among the top songs from this week’s new album releases. But “Time to Run” starts out quietly, like watching the first signs of the sun rising, and then breaks out into a glorious, uptempo song driven by acoustic guitar, synths and earth beats. This is repeated two other times in the song but without taking away too much from the song’s exhilarating jaunt.
“Dig Into Waves” – Freelance Whales from Diluvia on Mom+Pop / Frenchkiss
“Time to Run” – Lord Huron from Lonesome Dreams on IAMSOUND
Lord Huron, the moniker of New York artist Ben Schneider, had a number of wildly successful EPs in the past couple of years, but his long-anticipated debut LP, Lonesome Dreams , is easily one of the best debuts of 2012. Next, Dana Falconberry‘s newest single, “Crooked River,” calms things way down with soft harp and violins and her magnificently lovely voice. The song paints a picture of a daydream. Wouldn’t it be cool if Dana and Lord Huron recorded a song together?
“Crooked River” – Dana Falconberry from Leelanau on Antenna Farm Records
The latest single from Ty Segall, “The Hill,” is a blazing psychedelic guitar rocker, followed right behind by another psych rocker from the band Tame Impala titled “Elephant.” Ty Segall’s newest album, Twins, has already received good reviews across the board. The San Francisco band are on a roll and we’re stoked to be seeing them Sunday at the Treasure Island Music Festival. NME, which gave Twins a 9 out of 10, wrote: “It has the reckless spirit of a record that hasn’t been over-analysed, but with an intense flurry of ideas from someone in the absolute prime of their creativity.” These are really two of the best bands to emerge in the past couple of years, especially for fans of classic and psychedelic rock. Tame Impala’s Lonerism is soaked with guitar-jamming, heavy rhythm psychedelic rock.
“The Hill” – Ty Segall from Twins on Drag City
“Elephant” – Tame Impala from Lonerism on Modular
Band to Watch: Glasgow Genre-Mixers PAWS Drop Debut LP, Cokefloat!
The Glasgow lo-fi garage/punk pop trio PAWS gun it on their new single, “Miss American Bookworm,” blasting out from the starting gate with a fast-driving, rhythmic, and vibrantly melodic romp that flows nicely after Tame Impala’s “Elephant” and Ty Segall’s “The Hill.” PAWS’ new album, Cokefloat!, captures the energy and rawness of the band’s live shows, and per the title is, as the band said, “like a sugar high,” adding “all of the lyrics are pretty much a documentation of the past two years. A lot of crazy things have happened in our lives – some good, some horrific…there is a strong feeling of positivity and hope running throughout this record [like] light piercing through some distinctly dark times. We’re playing in this band to keep going and stay alive.”
The band name, PAWS, since it is a common word, and is a similar construction of many other band names (The Big Paws; Paw Paws; Monster Paws and so on), makes it more challenging to find information about the band via search, but not impossible. PAWS have previously opened for bands like Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, No Age, Black Lips, Wavves and Happy Birthday. This is a terrific track, and we’re looking forward to hearing the album.
“Miss American Bookworm” – PAWS from Cokefloat! on FatCat Records
Bandmate Neko Case Teams Up With A.C. Newman on His Third Solo LP, Shut Down the Streets
Next, A.C. Newman, one of the most accomplished and progressing musicians – both as a band member of the New Pornographers and as a solo artist – of the past decade of indie rock, has come up with yet another infectious pop song, “Encyclopedia of Modern Takedowns,” from his new Matador release, Shut Down the Streets.
At it’s core, the single’s catchy sing-a-long chorus is partly made possible by the contributions of Newman’s New Pornographers’ bandmate Neko Case. Don’t be surprised if the central lyric of the chorus, “I didn’t live that many lives” gets caught in your head after playing the song a few times. The time measures within the chorus are complex and intriguing – they’re not orthodoxy and yet don’t come off as experimental or out of place, which is simply further evidence of Newman’s amazing abilities in composing, recording and mixing as well as an incredible proficiency and knack for creating memorable hooks, witty lyrics and catchy choruses.
“Encyclopedia of Modern Takedowns” – A.C. Newman from Shut Down the Streets on Matador
Fresh Tracks from Mark Mallman, Letting Up Despite Great Faults and Tamarin
The new single, “Double Silhouette,” by Mark Mallman, is similar to Newman’s – radio-ready pure pop perfection with a persuasive hook, crisp sound and a chorus that almost anyone can sing along with. The witty titled, “Bulletproof Girl,” from the sophomore album by Letting Up Despite Great Faults conjures up immediate imagery of a tough-as-nails character and has a sassy groove about it. In 2009, the band one wide praise for their self-titled debut album.
“Double Silhouette” – Mark Mallman from Double Silhouette on Eagle’s Golden Tooth
“Bulletproof Girl” – Letting Up Despite Great Faults from Untogether on New Words
“Seems a Laugh” – Tamarin from Shake The Ghost on La Société Expéditionnaire
Check back tomorrow for More Best New Releases from this week