Right off the bat, we can say that this is not anywhere as near a big week for new releases as other weeks so far this month have been. But one of the exciting new releases is the official drop of Liars‘ new EP, Proud Evolution. The title track was remixed by no other than Radiohead‘s very own Thom Yorke.
“Proud Evolution (Remix by Thom Yorke)” – Liars from Proud Evolution EP
The new EP also features a live version recorded at Music Hall Of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, plus three exclusive new b-sides “Come Now”, “Total Frown”, and “Strangers”. Liars said about the EP: “A triumphant processional piano part is hijacked by something more lurid and tempting. The clicking and gurgling of what’s kicking. Soon a large rolling mass of bass displaces the equilibrium and redirects it into a groove. The tempting wave reminds you that misplaced confidence can be frightening.”
Liars has been all over the indie map in the past year or so, and for good reason. In a nutshell: they “get it”. The Los Angeles Times said: “Bands that do what they want to do because they believe in it – and trust the intelligence of their listeners – are the future. That is the brave new world of Liars”.
Autumn Again, from Philadelphia/Sydney’s celebrated indie dream pop band, A Sunny Day in Glasgow, is strongly recommended, not only because we freaking loved their previous releases over the past two years, but also because we love their newest LP, Autumn, Again.
“Drink Drank Drunk” – A Sunny Day in Glasgow from Autumn, Again
The next release we want to feature this week, The Dropout Cats, came to us via email from the Cologne, Germany. Sebastian Zimmer is the one-man band behind One In A Googlepex. His first two albums garnered critical praise for their blend of excellent song-craft, spacey production and genre busting boldness.
From the get-go, we were struck by the beauty and freshness of the song composition and minimalistic instrumentation on the 8-bit folk (as the band calls it) track, “Monolith.” The song is dreamy, melodic, accented perfectly by soft, harmonic vocals and a piano – a nice mellow surprise from Germany. It’s no surprise that Nick Drake is such a big influence on the band.
“Monolith” – One In A Googleplex from The Dropout Cats
We’re not sure, however, what to really make of the very different, electro-pop track, “Just Like You,” but we are including it for good measure anyhow. To be fair, we haven’t yet heard any of the other tracks on the band’s new debut album, but if there are a lot of streams/downloads of one or both of the songs below, we’ll be compelled to find another track on the album to share with all of you.
“Just Like You” – One In A Googleplex from The Dropout Cats
Among the other debuts out this week, and worth considering, are Houses, Wow & Flutter, Soars, and Oh Land. Plus, there are some mellow indie folk tracks below from more new releases.
“Soak It Up” – Houses from All Night
“Endless Spring” – Houses from All Night
“Scars” – Wow & Flutter from Equilibrio!
“Figurehead” – Soars from Soars
“Son of a Gun” – Oh Land from Oh Land
“Silver State” – Sleep-ins from Songs About Girls & Outer Space
Here are three chilled out acoustic folk songs from Belfi/Grubbs/Pilia, Ben Weaver and The Extra Lens. Plus, we included other releases we think you might want to check out the full album streams from Violens, Girl in a Coma, Kings of Leon and The Phantom Band.
“Onrushing Cloud” – Belfi / Grubbs / Pilia from Onrushing Cloud
“East Jefferson” – Ben Weaver from Mirepoix and Smoke
“Only Exiting Footage” – The Extra Lens from Undercard
Violens‘ Amoral (stream Amoral via Spinner)
Girl in a Coma‘s Adventures in Coverland
Zach Hill‘s Face Tat
The Phantom Band‘s The Wants
Kings of Leon‘s Come Around Sundown
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion‘s Orange + Experimental Remixes EP