Max Hammer – Page 28 – INDIE ROCK CAFE

Best New Music Releases, Week of Oct. 2nd – Why?, Matt and Kim, The Mountain Goats, How to Dress Well, Sun Airway, Beth Orton

Posted on 10/07/201207/22/2021 by Max Hammer

It took a bit longer this week to put it altogether because we’ve also been working on the Top DIY Releases of the Week playlist to be posted later today, including fantastic new singles from Moon Duo, The Valery Trails, The Ecstatics, Pontoons, My Empire of Sound, and more.

Plus, earlier in the week, we posted our Album of the Week review for The Vaccines‘ sophomore record, Come of Age, that features too excellent singles from the album, including the popular “Teenage Icon,” along with the video as well. This playlist post includes the other top non-DIY releases of the week from Matt and Kim, Why?, The Mountain Goats, How to Dress Well, Sun Airway, Will Sargeant, Beth Orton, Daugther, and Mark Eitzel, among others.

Matt and Kim pretty much stick to their branded sound on “Now” while Why? departs with a sort of fragmented hip-hop narrative mixed with indie pop on the lead single, “Jonathan’s Hope.” Reviews of the band’s newest effort are generally positive across the web, and we think deservedly so. There’s a lot of interesting material for fans of Why? to absorb, and for more casual music lovers who know some Why? songs, it’s very different then anything the band has released before.

“Jonathan’s Hope” – Why? from Mumps, etc. on Anticon

One particular lyric, among others, is: “a white dove on the hood of a two-ton truck.” Now that’s stark imagery, which is a consistent theme throughout. Mumps is a proper follow-up to the band’s superb 2009 album, Eskimo Snow, one of IRC’s favorite albums of the year – a year that was overflowing with memorable albums. Although we have Top Ten Songs playlists for 2010 and 2011, we don’t have them archived for 2009, but you can still find plenty of great music from ’09 by browsing through the archive of playlists. Unlike most other music blogs, we do not take down MP3 links – some expire or are taken down by the artist or label after some time, but surprisingly many remain intact.

Also, check out the colorful new video for Why’s track, “Strawberries.” A California cast of eccentric characters in a parade – not too quirky for California at all, but then again the rest of the country thinks Californians are nut cases when in fact they just like to have a fun. One of the online comments we read was from a Why? fan who said something to the effect that he wished he could have been there for the taping of the video while munching on magic mushrooms. We think the video is weird and wild enough that the mushrooms are not necessary, but, the point, whether joking around or serious, is understood once you’ve seen the video.

“Now” – Matt and Kim from Lightning on FADER Label

The Mountain Goats’ Drop Another Winning LP, Transcendental Youth

Needless to say, The Mountain Goats have turned out yet another impressive album of John Darnielle’s accomplished songwriting and performance skills. But, Transcendental Youth falls short of the brilliance of albums like 2005’s The Sunset Tree and 2008’s Heretic Pride. Rolling Stone wrote: “An album full of characters struggling against dead-end jobs, drug addiction and depression doesn’t exactly sound inviting, but in the hands of John Darnielle, it’s magic.” The Quietus had a different view, granting the album a 7 out of 10, and adding “Call Transcendental Youth a stumble and wait for the next Mountain Goats release next year.” We’re leaning more towards the Rolling Stone spin that “it’s magic,” but perhaps “magic” is a bit strong. Darnielle’s music is definitely an acquired taste; his fans tend to be more musically sophisticated and geeks proud to be so. No doubt Transcendental Youth is and will be accepted warmly by TMG’s most loyal fans – whether it reaches far beyond that is another matter.

“Cry for Judas” – The Mountain Goats from Transcendental Youth on Merge

2010 Listener Voted Break Out Band Sun Airway Drop Sophomore Album

Sun Airway is a Philadelphia band we first featured in 2009, and in 2010, they were voted by IRC listeners as one of the top breakthrough bands of 2010. Now Sun Airway is back with a sophomore album, Soft Fall, and the sweet new single, “Close.” Let’s see if this new single puts them back in the Top Ten Songs (September’s playlists coming up – finishing up analyzing stats to determine Top 10) for 2012. We’ll find out soon.

“Close” – Sun Airway from Soft Fall on Dead Oceans

How to Dress Well, the moniker of experimental pop producer and R&B artist, Tom Krell, has a new album out, Total Loss. The LP’s lead single, “Ocean Floor For Everything,” has been out for five months, and during that time has amassed over 115,000 plays on Soundcloud. The song is a tranquil, relaxing composition with calming synth notes, a delayed, elongated beat, and sensual, harmonic lead vocals – altogether creating a dreamy landscape where you can imagine yourself watching a glorious, firey sunset in total peaceful quiet. If Krell’s goal was to paint a beautiful picture with minimal musical input, he was successful.

It is only fitting to include the lead Balmorhea single from the album, Stranger, back-to-back with “Ocean Floor For Everything” because they flow together perfectly. Balmorhea takes the listener on a sonic journey that of peace and tranquility, and it seems to us the song also has an optimism to it as it picks up a bit in the last two minutes. Musician Mark Eitzel changes the mood with a fairly ‘bummed out’ love song – such is love; that wonderful and painful thing we can’t live without. There is nothing more painful than a lost love. Just by coincidence, Mark Eitzel‘s new album is titled Don’t Be A Stranger – which also implies a yearning for love, and an interesting contrast to Balmorhea’s Stranger.

“Ocean Floor For Everything” – How To Dress Well from Total Loss on Acéphale

“Pyrakantha” – Balmorhea from Stranger on Western Vinyl

“I Love You But You’re Dead” – Mark Eitzel from Don’t Be a Stranger on Merge

ERAAS pumps up the drum machines bass on “Fang,” creating a shifty, throbbing and deep beat, sprinkled with tambourines, infusions of ghostly pop spurts and echoey, soft, melodic vocals that altogether give the song a sense of psychedelia with a haunting overtone. “Fang” is the lead single from the interestingly-name band’s self-titled debut album.

“Fang” – ERAAS from ERAAS on Felte

Echo and The Bunnymen’s Will Sergeant Drops Instrumental Solo Album

As the founding member of the popular Liverpool post punk band, Echo and the Bunnymen (1978-present), guitarist Will Sergeant sent IRC a couple of songs from his new solo album, Things Inside. The songs, “Into The Seventies” and “Dragonflies” are a departure from what fans are used to in regards to his work with the Bunnymen. Sergeant explores the world of experimental, ambient instrumental music on his latest effort, featuring calming, presumably Far Eastern-influenced guitar work exhibiting a skill that only someone who is a master guitarist can achieve. While it’s not necessarily indie rock, we still dig it, and great for when you just want to hear music without words, like while reading or what have you. On the subject of indie rock, Sergeant, and his long-time bandmate, Ian McCulloch, have as much to do with the birth of indie back in the early 1980’s as any other band can claim.

“Into the Seventies” – Will Sergeant from Things Inside

“Dragonflies” – Will Sergeant from Things Inside

Orphan track meant to post last week, via ThisWheelIsinSpin “Sirens” – Satellite Stories

Quick Picks: Tilly and the Wall, Beth Orton, Immigrant Union, Maserati, Team Genius, Flying Lotus

As promised, there was a lot to cover this week, so in order to get back to finishing the upcoming Top DIY Releases of the week, here are quick picks of other MP3singles released this week by Tilly and the Wall, Team Genius, Flying Lotus, Beth Orton, Immigrant Union, Maserati, and Ken Stringfellow, and other tracks to pick and chose from, spanning the musical landscape from country to electronic. The Top DIY Releases of the Week playlist for this past week includes terrific singles from Moon Duo, The Valery Trails, Pontoons, My Empire of Sound, The Ecstatics and others that we think many listeners are going to like, especially since many are not really posted anywhere else online and easily accessible.

“Love Riot” – Tilly and the Wall from Heavy Mood on Team Love

“Everything’s Alright” – Team Genius from Loud Songs EP on Paper Garden Records

“Putty Boy Strut” – Flying Lotus from Until The Quiet Comes on Warp Records

“Magpie” – Beth Orton from Sugaring Season on Anti-

“Doesn’t It Remind You of Something (feat. Charity Rose Thielen)” – Ken Stringfellow from Danzig In The Moonlight on Spark & Shine

“My Heart’s A Joke” – Immigrant Union from Immigrant Union

“The Eliminator” – Maserati from Maserati VII on Temporary Residence

Amazon Quick Clicks to Purchase This Week’s MP3s, CDs and Vinyls

Tori Amos – Gold Dust | CD Deluxe CD/DVD MP3

Angel Snow – Angel Snow | CD MP3

Angels Heart – Tattoos and Cigarettes | MP3

AxeWound – Vultures | CD MP3

Balmorhea – Stranger | CD Vinyl MP3

Beacon – For Now [EP] | Vinyl MP3

Big Cats – For My Mother | MP3

Brainstorm – Heat Waves | MP3

Dance for the Dying – Puzzles for the Traveler [EP] | MP3

Iris DeMent – Sing the Delta | CD Vinyl MP3

Mark Eitzel – Don’t Be a Stranger | CD Vinyl MP3

Eraas – Eraas | CD Vinyl MP3

Faith Evans – R&B Divas | CD MP3

Flying Lotus – Until the Quiet Comes | CD Vinyl

The Giving Tree Band – Vacilador | MP3

Guerilla Speakerz – Holla [EP] | MP3

Hammock – Departure Songs | CD MP3

John Wort Hannam – Brambles and Thorns | CD MP3

Heart – Fanatic | CD Vinyl MP3

The Hood Internet – Feat | CD MP3

Charlie Hunter & Scott Amendola – Not Getting Behind Is the New Getting Ahead | CD Vinyl MP3

Jets Overhead – Boredom and Joy | MP3

Jeanne Jolly – Angels | CD MP3

Diana Krall – Glad Rag Doll | CD Deluxe CD Vinyl MP3 Deluxe MP3

The Last Names – Wilderness | MP3

Lightning Bolt – Oblivion Hunter | Vinyl MP3

The Lone Wolf Project – Old Words, New Chapters | MP3

Marillion – Sounds That Can’t Be Made | CD MP3

Maserati – Maserati VII | CD Vinyl MP3

Matt and Kim – Lightning | CD Vinyl MP3

Maus Haus – Light Noise | CD MP3

Maybeshewill – I Was Here For a Moment, Then I Was Gone | CD Vinyl MP3

Tift Merritt – Traveling Alone | CD Vinyl MP3

Miguel – Kaleidoscope Dream | CD Vinyl MP3

The Modern Airline – The Modern Airline | CD MP3

Moon Duo – Circles | CD Vinyl MP3

Van Morrison – Born to Sing: No Plan B | CD MP3

The Mountain Goats – Transcendental Youth | CD Vinyl MP3

Muse – The 2nd Law | CD Deluxe CD/DVD Vinyl MP3 Deluxe MP3

Lindi Ortega – Cigarettes and Truck Stops | CD MP3

Beth Orton – Sugaring Season | CDVinylMP3Deluxe MP3

Andrew Osenga – Leonard the Lonely Astronaut | CD MP3

Papa Roach – The Connection | CD Deluxe CD Vinyl MP3

Charlie Peacock – No Man’s Land | CD Vinyl MP3

Tristan Prettyman – Cedar + Gold | CD MP3

Rah Rah – The Poet’s Dead | CD MP3

Rupa & The April Fishes – Build | CDMP3

Jake Shimabukuro – Grand Ukulele | CD MP3

b>Skyzoo – A Dream Deferred | CD MP3

Sun Airway – Soft Fall | CD Vinyl MP3

Taken By Trees – Other Worlds | CD Vinyl MP3

Three Days Grace – Transit of Venus | CD MP3

Tilly and the Wall – Heavy Mood | CD Vinyl MP3

The Tins – Life’s a Gas | CD MP3

The Tragically Hip – Now For Plan A | CD MP3

Frank Turner – Last Minutes & Lost Evenings | CD/DVD MP3

Two Fingers – Stunt Rhythms | CD Vinyl MP3

Ultraísta – Ultraísta | CD Vinyl MP3

The Vaccines – Come of Age | CD Vinyl MP3

The Valis – Minds Through Space and Time | MP3

Bry Webb – Provider | CD Vinyl MP3

Why? – Mumps, Etc. | CD Vinyl MP3

Andre Williams – Life | CD Vinyl MP3

Z-Ro – Angel Dust | CD MP3

Zion I – Shadowboxing | CD MP3

Album of the Week: The Vaccines’ Sophomore Release, ‘Come of Age,’ Packs a Sassy, Wild Punch

Posted on 10/03/201201/09/2020 by Max Hammer

Among the album releases this week, the much anticipated sophomore LP by The Vaccines, Come Of Age, is a courageous and triumphant progression from their break-through debut album, released last year, What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? Overall, Come Of Age is more colorful and sentimental than the band’s debut. The first half of Come Of Age is a blast, with The Vaccines channeling the vigor and pop-rock perfection of The Strokes, and at other times, unleashing a fast-driving, blazing wall of guitar rock reminiscent of bands like Arctic Monkeys and The Libertines with well-honed vocals and tight, bold melodies. It’s songs like the Dylanesque opener, “No Hope,” the anthemic, surf rock blog-hit, “Teenage Icon,” the adrenaline-charged burn of “All in Vain” and “Ghost Town,” and the unabashed ’70s pop glory of “I Always Knew” (think Cheap Trick) that make Come Of Age a sassy and exciting sophomore release from the young band.

“Teenage Icon” – The Vaccines from Come Of Age

While the first half of the album is the most memorable, songs like the crisp, Ramones-style punk rockers, “Bad Mood” and “Change of Heart, Part 2” are the stand-out tracks of the second half of the album. But the track, “Weirdo,” is a complete dud that should have been left off the album altogether; it completely interrupts the flow and groove of the album. Finally, the album closer, “Lonely World,” which drudges up a darker side of teenage emotion and confusion, sounds so different from the rest of the songs on the album that it could almost be mistaken for a track from The Walkmen. Overall, we give Come Of Age an 8 out of 10, only because songs like the mid-point doozy, “Weirdo” and “I Wish I Was a Girl” fall flat and break up the roaring momentum of the first half of the album; otherwise, we would have given the album a 8.5 or 9.

“No Hope” – The Vaccines from Come Of Age

Reaction from the music press has been mostly positive. Mojo observed: “They may be musical magpies but what they build from their stash is gold,” while NME added: “Come Of Age breezes through their awkward teenage phase with ease,” and Uncut said: “The Ethan Johns-produced follow-up sees their punky, Spectorish pop continue to evolve.” Clash wrote that the band’s sophomore release “is a brave and stunning progression that now solidifies the statement that this group can grow past 2011 without going stale.”

We do, to varying degrees, agree with some critics who complain the record has “nothing to say” (Pitchfork), and UK critics who assert that Come Of Age falls short of being a blockbuster second release (The Guardian), or that it lacks originality (The Independent – Sunday). However, suggestions that Come Of Age needs to have a powerful, coherent, over-arching message, or that it should somehow fulfill some “bid for world domination” (The Guardian) come off as presumptuous and petty criticisms, failing to overshadow the simple fact that, musically, it’s an enjoyable and noteworthy second effort. We think, there are at least four to five songs from Come Of Age that people will remember and play years from now. If it had been released three months earlier, Come Of Age (minus a few songs) would have been one of the best summertime albums of 2012, especially considering that it was a rather disappointing summer for spectacular new albums compared to summers of the past few years.

View other IRC posts with songs by The Vaccines

Note: Our second favorite album of the week is The Mountain Goats, Transcendental Youth. It was a very close second. More on that coming up.

Top DIY Releases of the Week, Sept. 25th – Dizzy Bats, Slunq, Defy The Ocean, High Pines, Arioc, Faithless Town, The Shallows

Posted on 09/30/201210/16/2021 by Max Hammer

Each week, we post a playlist of MP3 singles from the Best New Music Releases dropped for that week. This week’s top releases featured singles from Frightened Rabbit, Mumford & Sons, Dum Dum Girls, Sera Cahoone and many others. Often in the BNMR playlist, we mix singles from popular indie bands, as well as lesser known and DIY artists, many of whom are unknown to even the most die-hard indie music fans. However, lately, we’ve decided to break it up a bit to separate the ‘indie mainstream’ and label releases from the organic, DIY releases dropped by artists and bands that exhibit qualities worthy of at least getting a chance to be heard.

Afterall, it was IRC fans that helped propel bands like Oberhofer to indie fame, and who voted overwhelmingly in favor of Artist of the Week profiles for DIY musicians like Thad Kopec, and just this week Paul Thomas Zito. Plus, the Top Ten Songs playlists are determined by how many times IRC listeners stream or download a song we posted during the week. Many times, we are fascinated by the results, and other times baffled, but in an enlightening way every time.

Much of the filtering includes songs and submissions received from DIY, unsigned artists and bands. And time and again, we are genuinely surprised how much great music from talented musicians we hear that, in many cases, we would have never heard anywhere else. With the DIY posts, we try our best to give artists and bands that we think at least deserve to be heard, and step back a bit to let the listeners decide for themselves – as the Top 10 Songs playlists (September in the works) demonstrate.

Most of the times that we have published a new installment of In Dee Mail, Artist of the Week or, more recently, 7 Bands You Gotta Hear, the responses from listeners range from good to overwhelming. While there will still be DIY releases in the Best New Music Releases, and other playlist series, expect to see more posts exclusively focused on DIY and unsigned artists and bands, many of them exclusively on IRC.

New York Alt. Rock Dizzy Bats Debut First Singles

Just a year since their formation, the New York City DIY alternative/nerd rock band Dizzy Bats got our attention with their light and playful style, sounding very much like college indie rock – with touches of punk pop – that was so popular in the 1990s. “Please Stall” sounds a lot like Weezer, as does the second, more uptempo, single, “Sundial,” with an added touch of They Might Be Giants. So it’s no surprise that lead vocalist Connor Frost told IRC that Dizzy Bats model their music after bands like Weezer, Green Day and Dinosaur Jr. Their album cover looks like it was illustrated by Keith Haring.

“Please Stall” – Dizzy Bats from Sundial

“Sundial” – Dizzy Bats from Sundial

Dizzy Bats Official Website

London Alternative Rockers Slunq Collaborate Remotely for Debut Album

It may just be coincidental, but we’ve been hearing a higher than usual number of singles that are of a dark, gloomy, heavy, sad, and mysterious nature.

In keeping with that trend, on Wednesday, the alternative rock band Slunq officially dropped their debut album, Spoiled Portion. Slunq’s band members are two-thirds London, one-third Brixton. The three musicians have never met one another since they began to collaborate on Spoiled Portion in 2010. But they are not newbies to the world of UK alt. rock.

In fact, they’re all UK noise-rock veterans – Peter Dahl Collins and Chris Collins (no relation that we know of) are former members of CrashTV, and Daniel Knowler was an original member of The Infinite Three. Slunq’s mix of alternative rock, noise rock and post punk recall their favorite bands – Killing Joke, Cardiacs, and Nine Inch Nails. And like most bands, their musical influences show through in their music.

On the track, “Pig Stick,” the trio knock out dark and raw guitar-driven hard rock (not quite metal), punctuated by a brewing progression that over boils into full-steam, unabashed rock. On the second track, “Nailbox,” the sound is even heavier with chunky guitar riffs and driving rhythms. The more we listen to these tracks, the more we think Slunq may just be a band to watch in 2013, and yet there are only a couple of original reviews of Slunq via Google searches, however, their debut album did appear on Bandcamp’s page of recommended new releases.

“Pig Stick” – Slunq from Spoiled Portion

“Nailbox” – Slunq from Spoiled Portion

London Duo Turn Love of Hard Rock Into An Environmental Cause

Yet another London band, well technically, duo, Defy The Ocean, dropped their debut EP, Myopic, last Wednesday. Chris Theo is in charge of not only vocals, but guitar, bass and keyword, while drummer Marcos Economides, also co-writes with Theo. But the two friends are not writing and recording music for any personal monetary gain. In fact, all proceeds from the EP will go to a conservation charity called Sea Shepherd.

The EP is a concept piece about humans’ role in the rapidly depleting biodiversity of Planet Earth, which explains both the bleakness and dramatic darkness of songs like “Invaders!” and “Neolithic.” It’s hard not to think of Avatar when listening to the duo’s songs. The EP is available for purchase at Defy The Ocean’s official website. The band listed their major musical influences as A Perfect Circle, Deftones, Alice in Chains and Marillion.

“Invaders!” – Defy The Ocean from Myopic

“Neolithic” – Defy The Ocean from Myopic

Brooklyn’s High Pines Drop Psychedelic Debut, We Are Humans

More gloom and darkness for this past week’s releases comes from the singles of Brooklyn‘s unsigned band, High Pines, but this time it’s in the form of psychedelic rock joined with soothing pop. It’s quite an accomplishment that this Brooklyn band is able to effortlessly transition from a dark undertow to a soothing pop melody in the single, “I Haven’t Seen it All” from the band’s new album, We Are Humans, dropped last Thursday via the band’s DIY label, Mind Pattern.

Only a year old, the band did not tell us much about them, which is a bit annoying. So, we hunted down some further details about who they are and all that. The now four-member band actually started out as the solo project of Caribbean-born musician Leo “Jottin” Lugo when he relocated to Brooklyn in 2007. Lugo was previously a member of Loin, and spent much of last year working on demos. He then met Colorado experimental musician Maxx Loup (they both have cool ‘stage’ names). The pair made fast friends in part because of their interest in different forms of music. Loup, now the band’s lead guitarist, had travelled throughout South America and Europe studying African music as well as Spanish culture.

Lugo and Loup knew they had to have a four-piece band, particularly in Brooklyn where live gigs are essential for a band to build buzz and credibility in a borough with more musicians than could fill a football stadium. Soon, they recruited drummer Felipe Torres and bassist Andrey Kisselev, and had a full band. This past summer, the band performed a number of concerts in the metropolitan area, including a July 28th show at the Trash Bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It’s hard to come up with another place in the U.S. which has been more influential for indie rock for the past decade as Brooklyn has, and continues to be.

In addition to world music, Brooklyn, and the larger New York City area, offers a cornacopia of every type of music, no matter how old or how outlandish. Therefore the band will benefit from that especially since they are an experimental band. Plus, the influences of High Pines’ self-proclaimed musical proteges, like The Doors, The Velvet Underground, Can, Radiohead and The Verve are evident at one point or another on songs like “All Around,” “I Haven’t Seen it All,” and “I Walk With You.” If you like to kick back and listen to melancholic retro psychedelic guitar rock, featuring moments of pop infusions, you might just dig High Pines. On the SoundCloud page for “I Haven’t Seen it All,” there are a dozen positive comments, including Trent Marshall, who wrote: “Definitely has a chill Shins’ vibe to it. I’m a fan!” You can also view their Facebook page here.

“I Haven’t Seen it All” – High Pines from We Are Humans

“All Around” – High Pines from We Are Humans

PA Metal Rockers Arioc Drop Debut Three Years in the Making

More good news for hard rockers looking for bands they’ve never heard of before. Yet another hard rock band – self-proclaimed as metal – Arioc, from York, Pennsylvania, self-released a debut album this week, titled , Symphony of Demise. The band members, Matt Himes (guitar), Brent Zellers (lead vocals), Joe Werner (drums), Drew Jeffrey (keyboards), and Jeremy McCombs (bass, vocals) combined their love of metal, their musical talents and ambition to form Arioc in 2009, and have since been performing mostly in the York area.

According to their official bio: “The band enjoys writing complex rock pieces complete with technical guitar riffs, powerful vocals, and amazing drum work,” adding an unusually modest, and defiant, commentary: “Although not necessarily appealing to the masses, the band will continue stay true to their progressive roots and write pieces that complement their current style and improving musical skills as a band.” Whether you love, like or hate them, it’s hard not to respect their conviction and stick-tuitiveness, which is not a real word, but it gets the point across. The band members listed their major musical influences as Dream Theater, Opeth, Ayreon, Symphony X, Kansas, and Trivium.

“White Walls” – Arioc from Symphony of Demise

“Symphony of Demise” – Arioc from Symphony of Demise

The first single we heard from the Atlantic, Georgia DIY alternative rock band Faithless Town stood out among dozens and dozens of other DIY singles out this week. The song, titled “Ghosts of My Hometown,” sports a catchy rhythmic groove, punk-style guitar riffs, and excellent vocals and choruses. The band told IRC that they aim to “combine singer/songwriter sensibilities with a commitment to genuine, roots rock.”

Faithless Town have headlined at some of Atlanta’s finest venues, including The Earl, Smiths Olde Bar, Vinyl, The Drunken Unicorn, The Highland Ballroom and The Five Spot, and have previously opened for bands like Manchester Orchestra, Drivin’ N’ Cryin’, Chris Knight, Rachael Sage, and Connor Christian & The Southern Gothic.

Their new album, American Refugee, was produced by Dan Dixon (PLS PLS, Dropsonic, The Biters), and the results demonstrate his instincts were right on target.

“Ghosts Of My Hometown” – Faithless Town from American Refugee – Sept. 25th

London Band The Shallows Drop Debut EP; Featured on BBC

London is dropping plenty of DIY releases in the past week. We have yet another album that was sent to us this past week from London, but this one is on the lighter side of rock. The Shallows are an unsigned indie rock/pop band that just formed this year, and already they have a four-track EP out, About Time Vol. 1. The band sent in two tracks to share, “Fairly True” and “Win or Lose.” In July, “Fair True” was featured on the BBC Radio 6 mixtape series by Tom Robinson called “BBC Introducing,” an award-winning radio show. The song has a rhythmic groove with repeating guitar chords, and dynamic percussion.

The band consists of young musicians Tom Skelton (guitar, lead vocals), Russ Cragg (guitar), Michael Rendall (bass) and Timmy Rickard (drums). Their own website’s About page, the band offers no details about themselves, but rather some philosophical observations that basically say nothing substantive. The information we were able to find came from a few different sources, including IndieRockReviewer.com, which said of “Fair True”: “The chorus erupts…with soaring guitars reminiscent of bands like Kings of Leon, or the poppy Two Door Cinema.” Just so happens the band considers Two Door Cinema Club a major musical influence, in addition to The Strokes, The Bird and the Bee, and The Beatles. Visit The Shallows’ official website.

“Fairly True” – The Shallows from About Time Vol.1

“Win or Lose” – The Shallows from About Time Vol.1

Band Who Opened for Artists Like fun. and Good Old War Releases New LP

Pittsburgh‘s power pop band Instead of Sleeping released a new album, The Reds, The Blacks, The Grays, and sent in a couple of tracks to share with IRC listeners. While their polished pop sound leans more towards what we call commercial rock (think Taking Back Sunday) than it does alternative or indie rock, the young band does have their fanbase, and probably a good number of others – especially guys – who can’t admit to digging their sounds. The band’s multi-instrumental configuration consists of two drum kits, horns, keys, and a myriad of other sounds. In less than three years from the founding, Instead of Sleeping, have become fairly popular for an unsigned band, and have opened for other bands like fun., Good Old War and Hawthorne Heights. We’ll see when the Top 10 list is made for this week whether the band’s new singles generate any love from listeners.

“Black Light” – Instead of Sleeping from The Reds, The Blacks, The Grays

“Indian Giver” – Instead of Sleeping from The Reds, The Blacks, The Grays

Indieducing…Brooklyn Singer-Songwriter and Multi-Instrumentalist Charles Larson

Brooklyn and London were not doubt represented in this post playlist. Add another. Charles Larson is a Brooklyn-based American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who likes to mix pop, minimalism, and alternative rock in the vein of pioneering artists like Elliott Smith, Graham Coxon, and Thom Yorke. Larson’s new release, Shift, immediately sparks full of playful melodies with haunting electronic undertones to create what Larson himself describes as “gloom pop”. Showcasing his proficient songwriting abilities, Shift sets the stage for Larson’s transformation from a standard band outfit to a more minimalist approach that highlights his striking developments as a songwriter and performer.

“#4” – Charles Larson from Shift

Fifteen Years After Hitting It Big, Wanderlust Returns with Third Album

A couple of weeks ago, we feature Wanderlust in a Fresh Tracks installment. Now that the band has officially released their first album in 15 years, we have another track they sent us to share with IRC listeners, “Blow Away.” This year the band celebrates 20 years since they first got together, a whirlwind of a time when the Philadelphia alternative rock/power pop band quickly amassed a following of fans and plenty of love from radio DJs. Although it took three years, Wanderlust released their debut album Prize, on the RCA record label. By that time, they were one of the most popular power pop bands of the day, even opening for one of the biggest bands ever, The Who, as well as Ben Folds 5 and Collective Soul.

While their debut album was considered a success, the pressure to record a second album, and apparently disagreements with RCA, did not work out and they were dropped by the label in 1997 when the sophomore album failed to get off the ground. The unfinished album was later released by a small label, Not Lame a few years later, but by then fans moved on and Wanderlust were all but forgotten as a quasi one-hit wonder. Now, 15 years later, the band is back with a new album, Record Time, which officially dropped this week on Zip Records. Here’s the album’s first single, “Lou Reed,” which had a great reception from fans when we premiered it a few weeks ago, followed by the second single, “Blow Away.”

“Lou Reed” – Wanderlust from Record Time – via Zip Records

Bonus Track: “Blow Away” – Wanderlust from Record Time – via Zip Records

Best New Music Releases, Week of Sept. 25th – Frightened Rabbit, Mumford & Sons, Sera Cahoone, Dum Dum Girls

Posted on 09/27/201207/22/2021 by Max Hammer

While this is not as big of a week for new and anticipated album releases from a gaggle of stellar artists and bands as were the first three weeks of September, there are still plenty of new albums we’re excited about, along with the lead singles from those LPs. One theme that is consistent with the singles from this week is that many can be described as dark, sad and gloomy – it’s interesting how it worked out that way. To purchase fast and easy via Amazon just about any album or EP out this week, see the album list at the end of this post.

From Selkirk, Scotland, Frightened Rabbit tops of our list of new singles this week with “State Hospital,” a melancholic, slow, heartfelt song with a story to tell. As the story unwinds, so does the intensity of the music. The band is really tight and in sync while also standing out individually. By the three-minute mark of “State Hospital,” the tempo builds, and the void fills with a sprawling swirl of airy guitar riffs, epic synth notes, and Scott Hutchinson‘s superb, anguished, vocals.

Recently, Hutchinson told the Herald Scotland about the direction of his songwriting: “I’ve gone in depth with the lyrics and it has, as a result, been quite intense. It’s more interesting imagery when you’re being dark, it’s more difficult to be cheesy when you’re writing dark lyrics. It’s hard to write a happy song without coming across as a total cheese ball.” Do you think he was talking about the band Fun and their smash hit “We Are Young”?

“State Hospital” is the title track for the band’s new EP officially out this week, and also the first single from the band’s upcoming fourth LP, set to drop early in 2013. The EP contains outtakes from the band’s recording session for their upcoming album, and only “State Hospital” is slated to appear on the new album.

“State Hospital” – Frightened Rabbit from State Hospital EP on Canvasback / Atlantic

Mumford & Son’s Release Sophomore Album, Babel, Amid Mixed Reviews

England’s Mumford & Sons‘ new sophomore LP, Babel, is the follow-up to their award-winning debut, Sigh No More, released in 2009. Even though the band is not well-liked by many indie rockers, and even indie folk fans, the band’s debut album not only made them famous, it spawned a flurry of prestigious awards and nominations, including the Top Rock Album, Top Alternative Album, and Top Alternative Artist of the 2011 Billboard Music Awards, as well as The Brit Award for the British Album of the Year. The band also received four other nominations last year from Billboard, a nomination from the American Music Awards, two Grammy nominations in 2011 as Best New Artist and Best Rock Song (“Little Lion Man”), and earlier this year, four nominations stemming from the song, “The Cave,” which appears on Sigh No More. Other nominations over the past three years include MTV Video Music Awards, NME Awards and the Q Awards.

As of today, Babel is #1 on Amazon’s CD Albums chart (the CD version features three exclusive bonus tracks – get it here) and #1 in MP3 album downloads (for the deluxe edition; #3 for the regular MP3 download. Only the deluxe edition of the MP3 download version of Babel includes the three bonus tracks, one of which is a cover song of Simon & Garfunkel‘s “The Boxer,” featuring ironically enough, Paul Simon and Jerry Douglas. Babel is a manifestation of the band’s continued growth as one of the best good ‘ole folk indie rock bands around. Who knew that Londoners could sound so convincingly American? The band’s latest new single, “I Will Wait,” is an uptempo, foot-stomping romp with wild banjo playing, folksy harmonies and a driving beat.

“I Will Wait” – Mumford & Sons from Babel on Glassnote

Babel has received mixed reviews – it was slammed by The Los Angeles Times, Slant, Spin, The UK Observer, Q Magazine, and only given lukewarm receptions by the All Music Guide, The UK Guardian, NME, PopMatters, as well as plenty of thumbs up from Rolling Stone, Mojo, Clash Music, Paste, The Boston Globe and Billboard magazine. We’re not really interested in hearing the album, but we like some of the band’s songs – but still, considering the number of fantastic indie folk rock bands, Mumford & Sons have received more than their fair share of love and recognition.

Sera Cahoone’s Angelic, Aching Vocals, and Dum Dum Girls Hot New Single

Sera Cahoone, with her part angelic, part heart-aching vocals that are evident on the title track of her new album, Deer Creek Canyon, is one of the most talented female folk singer/songwriters that we’ve heard this year. Next, the new Dum Dum Girls‘ single, “Lord Knows,” is a grower – the more we listen to it, the more we like it. Isn’t it weird how some songs can do that? Like throw a monkey wrench into your head and make you doubt something that you eventually turn out liking, or even loving. “Lord Knows” is a drab, throbbing track that breaks out into a chorus while maintaining a gloomy sonic appeal. This is what we meant before about a dark theme in the singles this week.

“Deer Creek Canyon” – Sera Cahoone from Deer Creek Canyon on Sub Pop

“Lord Knows” – Dum Dum Girls from End of Daze EP on Sub Pop

Mysterious Singles from New LPs by Efterklang and Machine Birds

Efterklang‘s new single, “Apples,” is not light or cheerful as the title may suggest, but rather, the song has a mysterious, even mischievous, essence about it, like it could be on a soundtrack of a crime show on cable. We placed the lead single, “If I” from Norwegian duo Machine Birds new album right after the Efterklang track because they seem perfectly compatible, sequential tracks. Plus, the duo’s vocalist, Maria Skranes, is, like Sera Cahoone, yet another amazing female vocalist among this week’s new albums that we’d never heard of before, but are sure glad we have.

“Apples” – Efterklang from Piramida on 4AD

“If I” – Machine Birds from Save Yourself EP on Nabovarsel

Singles From New Albums by The Soft Pack, Danjo Danjo, Unnatural Helpers

By way of San Diego, the LA located indie rock band The Soft Pack rock it out on “Tallboy,” as does the Unnatural Helpers, both bands we’ve featured in the past, and both beneficiaries of the indie rock wave of popularity over the past five-plus years. The Soft Pack changed their name from The Muslims in 2009 after what they said were “ignorant and racist comments.” Plus, Ringo Deathstarr – that’s a great band name – bring it on the single, “Rip.”

“Tallboy” – The Soft Pack from Strapped on Mexican Summer

Danjo, Danjo draw on 60’s psychedelic rock and new wave influences on their foot-tapping, highly rhythmic new single, “Deleted,” featuring a mean bass line and the Talking Heads-vs-Devo vocals and chorus. It feels like a driving song, but then again, so do many of the songs we choose for our posts. Maybe it’s because it’s like a metaphor for driving, busing or railroading across the country (done them all and throughout the west coast – our favorite region of the U.S.; if you can, do it – it’s an amazing country) through the many wonderful and different landscapes, meeting all kinds of interesting and almost always friendly people, experiencing all kinds of weather and cultures, from small Midwest towns to the big cities of the east coast, from the swamps of Florida to the redwoods of California, from the mind-boggling views of the Grand Canyon to the lighthouses of Maine. One of the best part of road tripping is having a bunch of cool playlists – many of which you can create from songs downloaded for free on Indie Rock Cafe (shameless plug or just the truth?). Wow, look how this song manifested into a meandering tangent.

“Default” – Django Django from Django Django on Ribbon Music

“Rip” – Ringo Deathstarr from Mauve on Club AC30

“Lost River” – Murder By Death from Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon on Bloodshot Records

“Toil” – Unnatural Helpers from Land Grab on Hardly Art

“Where Things Go Wrong” – Jason Collett from Reckon on Arts & Crafts

“Nolchi” – Eight Belles from Girls Underground (self-released)

“Facemask” – Ungdomskulen from Secrecy on YAP Records

“I Have The Gun” – Crime and The City Solution from An Introduction To….Crime & The City Solution A History Of Crime – Berlin 1987-1991 on Mute

Amazon Links to Quickly Purchase This Week’s New Album Releases

You can purchase MP3, CD and Vinyl copies of this week’s releases at the end of this post. We’ve coded it so that you just click the version you want to purchase, and it takes you right to the Amazon (better and less expensive than iTunes; plus all Amazon MP3s are compatible with iTunes and all MP3 players). Plus, each time you make a purchase via IRC links, we get a few cents for each one, which if can make a difference over time in helping us pay our server costs so that we can keep bringing you the best new music out today. If you’re planning to buy an album, please remember we have them all organized and make it easy in a couple of clicks to do so.

Apollo Run – Here Be Dragons, Vol. III | MP3

As I Lay Dying – Awakened | CD Deluxe CD MP3

The Bad Plus – Made Possible | CD MP3

Rafiq Bhatia – Strata [EP] | MP3

Joe Bonamassa – Beacon Theatre: Live from New York [Live] | DVD Blue-ray CD MP3

Sera Cahoone – Deer Creek Canyon | CD Vinyl MP3

Jonas Carping – All the Time in the World | MP3

Caspian – Waking Season | CD Vinyl MP3

The Casualties – Resistance | CD Deluxe CD Vinyl MP3

Cave Painting – Votive Life | MP3

The Chevin – Borderland | CD MP3

Chris Cohen – Overgrown Path | CD Vinyl MP3

Jason Collett – Reckon | CD Vinyl MP3

The Crane Wives – The Fool in Her Wedding Gown [EP] | CD MP3

Deadmau5 – > Album Title Goes Here < | CD MP3

Dokken – Broken Bones | CD/DVD MP3

Dragonette – Bodyparts | CD Vinyl MP3

Dum Dum Girls – End of Daze [EP] | CD Vinyl MP3

Efterklang – Piramida | CD Vinyl MP3

Engel – Blood of Saints | CD MP3

Lupe Fiasco – Food & Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1 | CD MP3 Deluxe MP3

Fighting with Wire – Colonel Blood | CD MP3 Deluxe MP3

Frightened Rabbit – State Hospital | Vinyl MP3

John Frusciante – PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone | CD Vinyl

Gatekeeper – Exo | CD Vinyl MP3

Larry Graham & Graham Central Station – Raise Up | CD MP3

Green Day – Uno | CD Deluxe CD Vinyl MP3 Deluxe MP3

Steve Harris – British Lion | CD MP3

John Hiatt – Mystic Pinball | CD Vinyl MP3

Waylon Jennings – Goin’ Down Rockin’: The Last Recordings | CD MP3

Lucy Kaplansky – Reunion | CD MP3

The Kick – Tonight Changes Everything | MP3

Kid Ink – Up & Away | CD MP3 Instrumental MP3

Kingsfoil – A Beating Heart is a Bleeding Heart | MP3

The Late Call – Pale Morning Light | CD Vinyl MP3

Jim Lauderdale – Carolina Moonrise | CD MP3

Lavender Diamond – Incorruptible Heart | CD Vinyl MP3

Bettye LaVette – Thankful N’ Thoughtful | CD Vinyl MP3 Deluxe MP3

Levek – Look a Little Closer | CD Vinyl MP3

Machine Birds – Save Yourself [EP] | MP3

Rhys Marsh and the Autumn Ghost – The Blue Hour | MP3

Simon McBride – Crossing the Line | CD MP3

Michael McDermott – Hit Me Back | CD MP3

Medeski Martin & Wood – Free Magic | CD MP3

Melody’s Echo Chamber – Melody’s Echo Chamber | CD Vinyl MP3

Metronomy – Late Night Tales | CD Vinyl MP3

Cara Mitchell – Have You Ever Wondered [EP] | MP3

Jason Molina – Autumn Bird Songs | MP3

Gary Moore – Blues for Jimi [Live] | DVD Blu-ray CD Vinyl MP3

Murder By Death – Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon | CD Vinyl MP3

Murs & Fashawn – This Generation | CD

Mumford & Sons – Babel | CD Deluxe CD Vinyl MP3 Deluxe MP3

No Doubt – Push and Shove | CD Vinyl MP3 Deluxe MP3

Yoko Ono, Kim Gordon, and Thurston Moore – YokoKimThurston | CD

Outlaws – It’s About Pride | CD MP3

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band – St. Peter and 57th Street [Live] | CD MP3

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band – The Preservation Hall 50th Anniversary Box Set | CD MP3

Tarrus Riley – Mecoustic | CD MP3

Ringo Deathstarr – Mauve | CD Vinyl MP3

Reptile Youth – Reptile Youth | CD Vinyl

MP3

Rosco Bandana – Time to Begin | MP3

Richie Sambora – Aftermath of the Lowdown | CD MP3

Satellite Stories – Phrases to Break the Ice | MP3

Sillyboy – Nature of Things | MP3

Ricky Skaggs – Music to My Ears | CD

Sofa Surfers – Superluminal | CD Vinyl MP3

The Soft Pack – Strapped | CD Vinyl MP3

Ben Sollee – Half Made Man | CD Vinyl MP3

Angie Stone – Rich Girl | CD MP3 Deluxe MP3

Trouble Lights – The Endless Prom | MP3

Ungdomskulen – Secrecy | MP3

Unnatural Helpers – Land Grab | CD Vinyl MP3

Marry Waterson & Oliver Knight – Hidden | CD MP3

Wickerbird – The Crow Mother | MP3

Witchcraft – Legend | CD Vinyl MP3

Zucchini Drive – No Foods But Lots of Weapons | MP3

DIY Artist of the Week – Pittsburgh’s Electro-Dream Pop Artist Paul Thomas Zito

Posted on 09/27/201207/22/2021 by Max Hammer

Paul Thomas Zito of Pittsburgh is a particular stand-out DIY musician for us this week in the cafe, and we’re thinking may very well be for others too. From his new album, Darker Sea, Lighter Sleep, Zito recently sent us two singles.

While both tracks are fine songs, our favorite is “Cluster of String,” a sparkling composition oozing with warm, tropical-like synth melodies and soaring, echoey vocals – a perfect song for a sunny gold, blue-sky late summer afternoon. After a few spins of “Cluster of String,” it was clear we were hearing perhaps one of the best DIY artists on IRC this summer. That declaration was greatly enhanced by the second track Zito submitted.

“Cluster of Spring” – Paul Thomas Zito from Darker Sea, Lighter Sleep – Sept. 1st

“Bag” features steady, mechanical drum beats, waves of electronic dream pop that radiates layers of lush instrumentation, high-pitched synth keys and sound effects, of reverb, and vocals that evolve from melodic to harmonic while maintaining a cohesive confluence. That’s not an easy thing to pull off, and that’s another reason we picked Zito for this latest edition of the DIY Artist of the Week.

“Bag” – Paul Thomas Zito from Darker Sea, Lighter Sleep

Zito has been writing and recording his own music since 2004, and Darker Sea, Lighter Sleep is his first release since 2009. He told IRC: “I’ve been making music for about eight years now…[switching] between folk and electronic…I recently started getting into, what I call, ‘reinvention 80’s dream pop.’ It opened up something in my mind, and I’ve been trying to recreate that feeling ever since.”

We think he’s on to something.

The other two songs from the EP are available for purchase via his Bandcamp page

More Best New Music Releases & DIY Drops, Vol. II – The Whigs, The Sea and Cake, Sic Alps, Woods, Josephine Foster

Posted on 09/23/201207/22/2021 by Max Hammer

Volume One of the Best New Music Releases for the Week of Sept. 18th featured Grizzly Bear, Band of Horses, Dinosaur Jr., Menomena, Alt. J, and many others. This, Volume Two for the past week’s best new releases, includes singles from The Sea and Cake, Sic Alps, Woods, Josephine Foster, How to Dress Well, Catherine Irwin, JJ Doom. But first, here’s a double-shot from The Whigs‘ latest, Enjoy The Company.

“Waiting” – The Whigs from Enjoy The Company on New West Records
Double-shot: “Summer Heat” – The Whigs from Enjoy The Company

“On and On” – The Sea and Cake from Runner on Thrill Jockey

“Cali in a Cup” – Woods from Bend Beyond on Woodsist

“Glyphs” – Sic Alps from Sic Alps on Drag City

SoundCloud Songs from Sweet Lights, Turtle Giant, Josephine Foster, How to Dress Well, and Catherine Irwin

Some of the following SoundCloud links include available MP3s to download as well. Enjoy.

“Hundred Needle Pins” – Sweet Lights from Sweet Lights on Highline Records

“We Were Kids” – Turtle Giant from All Hidden Places (self-released)

“Blood Rushing” – Josephine Foster from Blood Rushing on Fire Records

“It Was U” – How to Dress Well from Total Loss on Acephale Records

“Save Our Ship” – Catherine Irwin from Little Heater on Thrill Jockey

DIY Drops from The Burning of Rome and The Cardinal Points

Surfdog recording artists, The Burning Of Rome, are a San Diego band known for their live show antics and blistering rock filled with melodic hooks – drawing from genres like gypsy punk, dance and rock. This week, the band drops their new album, With Us, from which we have two tracks to share. Their submission to IRC states: “If Pink Floyd, The Misfits and Danny Elfman [the famous film composer] plotted world domination, it would sound just like this.

The Burning of Rome have shared the stage with an impressive array of artist and bands since their formation in 2006, including Devo, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, The Black Keys, Saul Williams, MGMT, Jimmy Eat World, Pennywise, Rogue Wave, Skrillex, and The Whigs, among others.

“The Ballad of an Onion Sprout” – The Burning of Rome from With Us

Double-shot: “Norman Bates” – The Burning of Rome from With Us

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

Posted on 09/21/201201/09/2020 by 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 and September 11th, there were fresh albums from Animal Collective, Cat Power, Stars, The Raveonettes, The xx, David Byrne & St. Vincent, and in Part Two 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” – 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.

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.”

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” – 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.”

“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” – 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

“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. “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

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.

Band Of The Week: Hong Kong Shoegaze, Post-Punk Band, The Yours

Posted on 09/18/201212/18/2019 by Max Hammer

By Maxwell Silver
You probably won’t hear the latest singles from the band, The Yours, on any other major indie blog or website, but the Lona Records recording artist from Hong Kong got our attention with two tracks they sent us from The Way We Were, which officially dropped last Saturday, September 15th. In fact, a search of The Hype Machine found no recent entries for The Yours.

The Yours have been touted as one of the most promising bands in Hong Kong for quite some time, but it took seven years to deliver their debut LP. The band’s sound is an interesting mix of shoegaze, psychedelic rock, and post punk pop layered with melodic, fuzzy guitar licks, hard-hitting percussion and disaffected lyrics delivered with reverb-heavy vocals modeled after their favorite bands – Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins and My Bloody Valentine.

Hot and humid, bitter and sweet. The Yours translates the subtropical summer of Hong Kong into a rich wall of noise featuring raw, sprawling punk rock sensibilities. Having supported the likes of The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Drums, Yuck and British Sea Power following the 2005 release of their well-received debut EP, Abraham, the band’s lineup evolved alongside its composing structure where they derive inspiration from shared admiration of their favorite 80’s and 90’s alternative rock bands. Their debut is a 13-song album that “resonates the deviation and devotion of adolescent angst.”

The first track, “Honey Treats,” is undoubtably one of the stand-out tracks released in the past week (a week of incredible singles from new album drops). In an interview with Time Out, band members Jack Leung, Nic Wong, Tim Ng, Gwyneth Tang and Nelson Ko provided a brief introduction to each song on their long-awaited debut album. Regarding “Honey Treats,” it “could be the most radio-friendly song we have. We feel like we’re sucked into a spiral of nostalgia every time we play this guitar ‘solo’ part. Though we must have played this a hundred times, we still feel just as overwhelmed.”

“Honey Treats” – The Yours from The Way We Were

The band about “Straighthead,” the second single: “This is probably the catchiest song on the album yet it was created from the frustration we felt from people who just don’t ‘get it’. Music-wise, it’s our version of The Smiths trying to be like Dinosaur Jr.”

“Straighthead” – The Yours from The Way We Were

Bonus Track: “Slip Out” – The Yours from The Way We Were

The Yours on Bandcamp

The Yours on Facebook

Top DIY Releases This Week from City Brat, Sam Billen, Patchy and Qualms

Posted on 09/16/201207/22/2021 by Max Hammer

If you listened to Volume One and Volume Two of this week’s Best New Music Release singles playlist, you not only heard amazing singles from artists ranging from The Ravonettes to David Bryne and St. Vincent, but also a few superb singles from DIY artists like Hello Echo and Ethan Daniel Davidson. Yet there are even more DIY releases this week that you’re not likely to hear anywhere else.

Today marks the official drop of the debut EP, Strange Summer, by Brooklyn DIY duo City Brat. In a place like Brooklyn, which probably has more musicians per square mile than any other locale in the U.S., it’s hard to get noticed. But we have a feeling that once more electro indie fans get wind of City Brat’s sounds, the duo will start drumming up more attention for their new EP. City Brat features Jason Grad on vocals, guitar and synth, and Alex Fippinger on drums.

Strange Summer is a musical experiment that mixes electro, jungle, funk, and even new wave set against world beats coupled with guitars, bass, and vocals that create dream-like swells of sounds as arpeggiated synthesizers flow freely in the background. Grad’s vocal style is influenced by David Byrne, Robert Smith, Michael Jackson, and Freddie Mercury, at times encompassing six-part harmonies.

After graduating from Vanderbilt University in 2009, Grad lived in East Troy, Wisconsin, where he dedicated his free time to writing and recording some of the songs on Strange Summer. In 2010, he made a strategic move to Brooklyn where he met Fippinger. The two immediately discovered that they had mutual admiration for artists like David Bowie, The Talking Heads, The Cure, Arcade Fire, Michael Jackson, Queen, and Animal Collective, among others. Soon after, they began recording together, resulting in City Brat’s four-track debut EP, of which we have two singles here.

“Yeah It’s There” – City Brat from Strange Summer EP

“Moves” – City Brat from Strange Summer EP

Singer-Songwriter Sam Billen Goes DIY on New Album With Funds from Kickstarter

Even though he is only approximately 30 years old, Lawrence, Kansas resident Sam Billen is a veteran musician. We said approximately 30 years old because he answered the question of ‘Year Formed’ on the submission form with 1982, followed by ‘year of my birth?’ in quotations. He seems more certain that for the past 13 years, he has released various albums with his old band, Billions, and solo albums as well. This time however, Billen decided to release his latest album, Places, completely DIY style, with funds raised on Kickstarter. He sent in the new single, “Saltine”. As a solo artist and with the band Billions, Billen has shared the stage with bands like Of Montreal, Starflyer 59, Danielson Famile, Jonathan Richman, Mike Watt, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, and Half-Handed Cloud. Billen told IRC that his new album is the “closest I’ve come to expressing my deepest emotions – struggles and joys – in my music.”

“Saltine” – Sam Billen from Places

From Ashes of IPU, New Band Hjearts Arises

From Aberdeen, Scotland, the band Hjearts arose from the ashes of once booming International Pop Underground. Formed just months ago, the band dropped on us their first single, a catchy pop track inspired by their favorite bands, including The Vaselines, Guided By Voices, Nirvana, Beat Happening and others. The band describes themselves this way: “Bedroom superstars from a pop-geek universe, mixing schoolboy earnestness with an arch, bratty directness, and relishing in the rebellious innocence of primitive pop.” Together for less than a year, the oddly-spelled band recently dropped their catchy pop single, “Getting Calvin To Like You.”

“Getting Calvin To Like You” – Hjearts

UK’s Patchy and Boston’s Qualms

The peculiarly named Patchy is a DIY indie/alternative band from Bristol in the United Kingdom. In the four years that they have been together as a band, the members of Patchy have performed at festivals in Wales, appeared on the BBC, and this week released their debut album, Barrow Road. The album pairs honest, heartfelt lyrics against a variety of guitar-driven musical landscapes which are heavily influenced by the band’s stated musical heroes – Radiohead, Oasis, Death Cab For Cutie, and The Walkmen.

“White Chair” – Patchy from Barrow Road

Qualms is a synth dream pop project of Darin Thompson and Justin Mantell, who are primarily members of the Boston band Orca Orca. Now in their mid 20’s, Thompson and Mantell have been writing and recording music together since they were in high school. Last year they formed Qualms and shortly thereafter began recording in a homemade analog studio built by Mantell’s father, who used it to record local bands during the 1970’s and 1980’s. The duo sent in two simply-named tracks, “Pressure” and “Love,” and we’re definitely digging their synth pop sounds. We’re interested to hear what you think of these tracks; please leave your comments below and we’ll publish them.

“Pressure” – Qualms from Honeylung

“Love” – Qualms from Honeylung

More Best New Releases from Firewater, Field Report, Neal Halstead, Sea Wolf, Avett Brothers, Hello Echo, Solos, Helvetica

Posted on 09/13/201207/22/2021 by Max Hammer

This week’s drop of more than two dozen fantastic, and some highly anticipated, albums continues to deliver memorable new singles from a mesmerizing range of artists, styles and genres. Yesterday, we posted the first half of this week’s Best New Music Releases, featuring spectacular new singles from the latest albums by music giants like The Raveonettes, The xx, David Bryne & St. Vincent, Calexico, and lesser-known, but terrific, indie bands like Thee Oh Sees, Turbo Fruits, Seapony and many others.

You may wish to start with Volume One before diving in and listening to this second volume. Also look out for posts highlighting Bob Dylan, Band of the Week, and the Top Albums of September 2012. Plus, check out popular recent posts like Top 10 Songs Playlists for August; Week of Sept. 4th Releases (with Animal Collective, Cat Power, Two Door Cinema Club, Jens Lekman, Stars); In Dee Mail, Vol. XII; Thurston Moore’s Chelsea Light Moving, and DIY Artist of the Week Dalton, to pick out just a few.

This playlist features an impressive collection of new songs from artists and bands like Firewater, The Avett Brothers, Neil Halstead, Patterson Hood, Sea Wolf, Field Report, Hello Echo, Solos, Helvetica and others. This second part of the top singles from this week’s most notable albums was specifically designed to highlight what is clearly one of the best weeks for indie music in 2012. In fact, the past few weeks’ sleuth of excellent releases has helped restore some credibility to what many consider to have been somewhat of a lackluster summer for record releases. That being partially true, there were still plenty of impressive singles and albums dropped in the past eight months, which you can read about, stream and download by browsing through the Best New Music Releases archives for the entire summer.*

New York City genre-bending band Firewater kicks off this playlist post with a heavy groove of gypsy punk, ska and carabet on the new single, “A Little Revolution,” from the band’s seventh studio album, International Orange. It felt right to start this playlist with a bang, followed by the dark, melodic folk-pop of North Carolina bro band The Avett Brothers, before easing into a gorgeous trio of songs from Field Report, Neal Halstead and Sea Wolf.

“A Little Revolution” – Firewater from International Orange! on Bloodshot Records

Stream International Orange via Spinner

“Live And Die” – The Avett Brothers from The Carpenter on Universal

After Great Anticipation, Field Report Drops Their Stunning Debut LP

Chris Porterfield founded Field Report not long after the band DeYarmond Edison disbanded. His former bandmate from that band, Justin Vernon, went on to found and front the wildly successful folk group Bon Iver. It wasn’t long before Field Report began to attract its own praise from fans, bloggers and even the mainstream press of some of their early demos and singles. In the past year, Field Report has amassed widespread critical acclaim, growing their fanbase and packing venues. In the past few months, there has been a significant build-up of buzz in anticipation of the release of Field Report’s self-titled debut album, which officially dropped on Tuesday.

Man, was it worth the wait. We don’t want to give it away (stream the album here), but the lead single, “I Am Not Waiting Anymore,” is a gorgeous, mellow folk gem – complete with Porterfield’s nasally vocals and steel guitar slides. The song is presented in .wav format below, so the sound quality is greatly enhanced. The songs lyrics are compelling as well and delivered with a poetic narrative: I spent eight long years, working on my screenplay/It’s a teen movie with young actresses that plays to the middle aged/I’ve read between the lines, I have been wrong every time/Burn up on the altar, but I am fine. Here’s a little trivia for ya: Field Report is an anagram of Porterfield.

“I Am Not Waiting Anymore” – Field Report from Field Report on Partisan Records

Gorgeous New Songs from Neal Halstead and Sea Wolf

Singer-songwriter Neal Halstead‘s dreamy acoustic track, “Digging Shelters,” is a simple, short song that makes every second count. You may find yourself noticing moments in the song that beckon the spirits of Elliott Smith and Nick Drake; we’re not sure if that was on purpose, but if it’s not, well that just says even more about Halstead’s already solid reputation as a composer, vocalist and musician. As usual, Halstead delivers an enchanting, introspective sound. Next, it is only fitting to place Sea Wolf‘s latest single, “Old Friend” right after “Digging Shelters” because they just fit back-to-back so well. “Old Friend” is a nostalgic and romantic pop song, dipped in rich melodic hooks, deep, throbbing bass lines, a catchy drum beat and the soft, sensual vocals of Alex Brown Church. It’s easily one of 2012’s best love songs, and one that many of you will be listening to over and over – as we have and will. This song is destined, for better or worse, to be included in a major movie soundtrack, TV show or commercial.

“Digging Shelters” – Neil Halstead from Palindrome Hunches on Sonic Cathedral Recordings

“Old Friend” – Sea Wolf from Old World Romance on Dangerbird Records
Track via AustinTownHall.com

Drive-By Truckers Front Man, Patterson Hood, Snowblink and Helvetia

Drive-By Truckers‘ frontman Patterson Hood drops his newest roots-rock album this week which prominently consists of autobiographical musings about the troubled days of his youth, and the tumultuous evolution of growing up to discover who he is and to secure his inner peace. The single, “Come Back Little Star” is mellow and intimate thanks to his fine vocal work and the infusion of a range of instruments from guitar and piano to cello and banjo, giving the song a rich, full sound. Next, the single from Arts & Crafts recording artist Snowblink changes the mood to synth girl pop. And a band that we liked from the get-go, Helvetia, are back with a new album, and the terrific, catchy lead track, “RyBro.”

“Come Back LIttle Star” – Patterson Hood from Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance

“Black & White Mountains” – Snowblink from Inner Classics on Arts & Crafts

“RyBro” – Helvetia from Nothing in Rambling on Joyful Noise Recordings

New-To-Us Bands To Watch: Hello Echo and Solos

One of our favorite new-to-us bands this week is Santa Monica, California-via-Boston band Hello Echo. Their fantastic lead single, “Country,” from the self-released debut EP, Coffee Cups, features brilliant change-ups dominated by blazing 60s-like garage rock, psych-tinged guitar riffs that evolve into a full-on romp. The build-up to the song’s climax is a thrilling ride, where grooving rhythms, thunderous drumming and tambourine strikes give way to a ripping guitar solo that suddenly stops and eases into a mellow, lo-fi coda. The track is one of the best relatively unknown singles of the summer, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself listening to it again and again – as we have done at least a dozen times.

“Country” – Hello Echo from Coffee Cups EP (self-released)

Based on “Country,” and a couple other tracks we’ve streamed via MySpace, Hello Echo have enthusiastically been added to our bands to watch list, and their EP is one of our favorite DIY drops of 2012. Another track that has received a lot of play is “All The Time,” which again showcases spectacular guitar work. The band delivers, as KEXP wrote, an “east meets west coast sound.” Hello Echo is recommended for fans of bands like Good Old War, Cage The Elephant, The Black Keys and A Place To Bury Strangers. Another new band to watch, Solos, launches into a celebratory folk pop gem on the single, “All My Tribulations,” from the just dropped Beast Of Both Worlds. Don’t be surprised to find yourself singing along with the chorus. We’ll definitely be keeping tabs on these two bands.

“All My Tribulations” – Solos from Beast Of Both Worlds on Joyful Noise Recordings

New Singles from Albums by Will Johnson and Agent Ribbons

Will Johnson‘s new single, “You Will Be Here, Mine,” is a slow, mellow folk rock track featuring Johnson’s heart-aching vocals and introspective lyrics. Austin-via-Sacramento band Agent Ribbons label themselves as a “tree house club of post-feminist dreamers.” Their new single, “Family Haircut,” transitions from meandering, ghostly rhythms to feel-good garage rock with a heavy emphasis on vocal and chorus arrangements. The band’s songs have been featured on TV shows like Vampire Diaries, Revenge, and Cougartown.

Please take a minute to Tweet this post, Like it on Facebook or leave a comment in the Comments section below. Your comments and sharing on social media are important elements that help us better tailor the site to what our listeners like, and what they don’t particularly care for. We really enjoy reading your comments and feedback. And remember, we regularly pick Comments, Tweets or Likes that have something profound to say to win prizes like free zips from labels and sometimes even concert tickets, when applicable.

“You Will Be Here, Mine” – Will Johnson from Scorpion on Undertow Music

“Family Haircut” – Agent Ribbons from Let Them Talk on Antenna Farm Records

Los Angeles Metal Band Edge of Paradise Drops Debut LP, Mask

Los Angeles rock band and Shredock recording artist, Edge of Paradise, dropped their debut album, Mask, this week. While it was not included in most other music blogs that focus on new releases, the double set of tracks below from Mask demonstrate what many listeners who visit other indie webs are missing out on – IRC frequently posts music available almost nowhere else on the web.

Even though Edge of Paradise was only formed earlier this year, the band features the rhythm section of bassist Tony Franklin (Blue Murder, The Firm) and drummer Gregg Bissonette (David Lee Roth Band). Next, add the powerhouse vocals of Margarita Monet and the towering guitars of Dave Bates, and you have a pretty solid melodic metal band to reckon with. In fact, their debut recently ranked as the sixth ‘most added’ on national CMJ Radio, right behind bands like Machine Head and Five Finger Death Punch. Mask is chockfull of industrial-tinged metal coupled with soaring vocal hooks. Legendary Rock Interviews wrote: “Once in a while a new band comes along that not only has a unique sound of its own, but draws upon all the things we love about metal or rock to begin with. Edge of Paradise are one of the best independent bands to come out of L.A. in some time.”

“Thrown It All Away” – Edge Of Paradise from Mask

“Walk The Line” – Edge Of Paradise from Mask

*Note regarding MP3 song links: Unlike most blogs and sites, 90% of the song links we publish are still working, sometimes even months and years after they were posted. IRC is one of the few and free indie music resources on the Internet that doesn’t remove song links a couple of weeks following the original posting. However, many, if not most, of the indie blogs and sites we like and visit do just that. So, we know how annoying it is to be browsing through an older review or playlist only to discover that the song links have been removed. Of course we can’t control when bands and labels remove a song link they provided, but in our experience that only happens about 10% of the time for post younger than one year. We hear all the time from people that one of the things they like about IRC is that they can listen to a playlist that is two years old and all or most of the MP3 links are still working. While it costs us a bit more in bandwidth and resources, it’s worth it for our dedicated listeners and new visitors.

Best New Music Releases, Week of Sept. 11th – The Raveonettes, The xx, David Byrne & St. Vincent, Turbo Fruits, Seapony

Posted on 09/12/201212/18/2019 by Max Hammer

Much like last week’s stellar list of new releases, this is yet another blockbuster week for new albums, including highly anticipated releases from heavy-hitters like The Raveonettes, The xx, St. Vincent & David Byrne, and other popular artists such as Thee Oh Sees, Turbo Fruits, Seapony, Calexico, Amanda Palmer and The Grand Theft Orchestra. This is volume one of a two-part series. Volume Two provides at least a dozen more hand-picked singles from new albums by artist like Firewater, Field Report, Neal Halstead, Sea Wolf, Avett Brothers, Hello Echo, Solos, and Helvetia.

Denmark‘s celebrated indie rock duo, The Raveonettes, has made a name for themselves with a dark, fuzzy guitar-driven sound, that continues on their newest album release, Observator. But their new single, “She Owns The Streets,” is one of the duo’s most upbeat, pop-centric singles to date. The song has a feel-good, summertime pop essence, featuring layers of glistening guitars intertwined with soft vocals that echo bands like Galaxie 500 and The Cure. You can listen to Observator‘s first single the duo released in June, “Observations.”

“She Owns the Streets” – The Raveonettes from Observator on Vice Records

The xx Release The Long-Awaited New Album, Coexist

There was a tremendous amount of buzz leading up to this week’s official release of The xx’s new album, Coexist. After a whirlwind of worldwide success on the charts and on tour, The xx are back with new music, such as the stunning lead single, “Angels.” Most impressive is Romy Madley-Croft’s gorgeous vocals that are front and center, and which carry the song from start to finish.

“Angels” – The xx from Coexist

“Islands” – The xx (via Soundcloud)

Also, check out The xx video for “Chained” on the Best Music Videos page.

The Pairing of David Byrne and St. Vincent Produces Ace New Single and LP

The new single from David Byrne and St. Vincent has an addictive beat with the pair exchanging turns taking the lead and coming together in perfect unison for the chorus. The song, “Who,” has been on repeat for the past week here in the cafe. Even in his later years, the frontman of the iconic Talking Heads, Byrne’s uniquely identifiable voice still sounds great. The video for “Who” is also a must-see for fans of Byrne and St. Vincent.

“Who” – David Byrne & St. Vincent from Love This Giant on 4AD/Todo Mundo

Notable New Singles from Indie Bands Seapony, Thee Oh Sees and Turbo Fruits

Seattle band Seapony offer up more dreamy, lo-fi beach pop melodies and hazy vocals backed by guitar surf rock on their sophomore album. San Francisco psychedelic rockers, Thee Oh Sees, drop Putrifiers II, this week, featuring an array of styles from the spacey psych-pop to hard-hitting garage rock as the single, “Flood’s New Light” clearly demonstrates. From Nashville, a band that broke out during the excellent year for indie rock, 2009, Turbo Fruits released their junior album this week, featuring a comparatively diverse album as Thee Oh Sees, with a set of songs that range from psych-pop with a 60’s flair and plenty of hooks to grove on, to crunchy garage rock that sounds awesome via a good set of speakers.

“Prove to Me” – Seapony from Falling on Hardly Art

“Flood’s New Light” – Thee Oh Sees from Putrifiers II on In The Red Records

“Sweet Thang” – Turbo Fruits from Butter on Serpents & Snakes

helionegotiations — When an album cover artwork sucks, we just put in a photo of the band instead, which is the case for Helio Sequence's new release.

The Helio Sequence Drop Anticipated New LP, Negotiations

Two weeks ago, IRC featured The Helio Sequence’s new single, “Hall of Mirrors” in the latest Fresh Tracks Mix. Based on the number of streams and downloads from the post, and the numbers on Hypem and other aggregators, listeners really liked the song. Now, with the official release of the new album, Negotiations, another new single from the album, “October,” is out. This is one of the best tracks of the week and will definitely be included in a special playlist we’re putting together called Songs From The Calendar, which will highlight excellent songs about months, specific dates and days of the week. Keep an eye out for it. Check out the official promo video for Negotiations.

“October” – The Helio Sequence from Negotiations on Sub Pop

Calexico Returns with Dark Sound and Amanda Palmer Pairs with The Grand Theft Orchestra

As long-time Calexico fans, it took a few spins to connect with the band’s new single, “Para.” The song evokes a dark, haunting aura, with melancholic vocals and lyrics, a reverberating, spooky guitar, a Mexican funeral-like horn injection and a slow, deep percussion. “Para” sounds like a track that could have been on a Kill Bill soundtrack. Another song that is just in time for Halloween is the collaborative single, “The Killing Type,” from Amanda Palmer and The Grand Theft Orchestra. It’s more intense than “Para,” which is a stark contrast while also being alike in the sense that both songs are anything but upbeat and cheerful.

“Para” – Calexico from Algiers on Anti-
There is also a deluxe edition via Amazon

“The Killing Type” – Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra from Theater Is Evil on 8ft. Records

Another single out this week that would be fitting on a Halloween mixtape is the song “The Dogs Howl, The Caravan Moves On” from the self-released album by singer/songwriter Ethan Daniel Davidson .

“The Dogs Howl, The Caravan Moves On” – Ethan Daniel Davidson from Silvertooth (self-released)

Check back later for Part II of this week’s Best New Releases

Get MP3, CD and Vinyl Releases Out This Week From Amazon

Ben Arthur – If You Look for My Heart | CD MP3 Book eBook

The Avett Brothers – The Carpenter | CD Vinyl MP3

Marco Benevento – TigerFace | CD Vinyl MP3

Billy Talent – Dead Silence | CD MP3

Blaqk Audio – Bright Black Heaven | CD Vinyl

Boyfrndz – All Day Pass | MP3

David Byrne & St. Vincent – Love This Giant | CD Vinyl MP3

Calexico – Algiers | CD Vinyl MP3 Deluxe MP3

The Cutler – The Best Things in Life Aren’t Things | CD MP3

Daddy Yankee – Prestige | CD MP3

The Dandelion War – We Were Always Loyal to Lost Causes | MP3

DMX – Undisputed | CD Deluxe CD/DVD MP3

Bob Dylan – Tempest | CD Deluxe CD Vinyl/CD MP3

Field Report – Field Report | CD MP3

Firewater – International Orange | CD Vinyl MP3

Steve Forbert – Over With You | CD MP3

Guy Forsyth – The Freedom to Fail | CD MP3

John Galgano – Real Life is Meeting | CD MP3

Neil Halstead – Palindrome Hunches | CD Deluxe CD Vinyl MP3

Sean Hayes – Before We Turn to Dust | CD

The Helio Sequence – Negotiations | CD Vinyl MP3

Helvetia – Nothing in Rambling | CD Vinyl MP3

Brendan Hines – Small Mistakes [EP] | MP3

Hoobastank – Fight or Flight | CD MP3

Patterson Hood – Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance | CD Vinyl MP3

Hopewell – Another Music [EP] | CD MP3

Jack Beats – Careless [EP] | MP3

Will Johnson – Scorpion | CD Vinyl MP3

Chris Knight – Little Victories | CD MP3

Loscil – Sketches from New Brighton | CD Vinyl MP3

Sophie Madeleine – The Rhythm You Started | CD MP3

Kathy Mattea – Calling Me Home | CD MP3

Dave Matthews Band – Away From the World | CD Deluxe CD Super Deluxe CD/DVD Vinyl MP3 Deluxe MP3

Miggs – 15th & Hope | CD MP3

Mint Condition – Music @ the Speed of Life | CD MP3

Miss Shevaughn & Yuma Wray – We’re From Here | CD

Mister Loveless – Grow Up | MP3

NOFX – Self Entitled | CD Vinyl MP3

Amanda Palmer & The Grand Left Orchestra – Theatre Is Evil | CD Vinyl MP3

Paper Route – The Peace of Wild Things | CD MP3

Pet Shop Boys – Elysium | CD Vinyl MP3

The Pineapple Thief – All the Wars | CD Vinyl MP3

The Presets – Pacifica | CD Vinyl MP3

The Raveonettes – Observator | CD Vinyl MP3

Chris Robinson Brotherhood – The Magic Door | CD Vinyl MP3

Rumer – Boys Don’t Cry | CD MP3 Deluxe MP3

Sea Wolf – Old World Romance | CD Vinyl MP3

Seapony – Falling | CD Vinyl MP3

She Does Is Magic – My Height In Heels | CD Vinyl MP3

Snowblink – Inner Classic | CD Vinyl MP3

Joanne Shaw Taylor – Almost Always Never | CD MP3

Thee Oh Sees – Putrifiers II | CD Vinyl MP3

Those Poor Bastards – Behold the Abyss | CD Vinyl MP3

The Time Jumpers – The Time Jumpers | CD Vinyl MP3

Tom Tom Club – Downtown Rockers [EP] | Vinyl MP3

Turbo Fruits – Butter | CD Vinyl MP3

Stephen Wade – Banjo Diary: Lessons From Tradition | CD MP3

The xx – Coexist | CD Vinyl Deluxe Vinyl MP3

ZZ Top – La Futura | CD Vinyl MP3

Top Ten Songs Playlists for August 2012 – Divine Fits, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Black Pistol Fire, Blonde Summer, Red Kross

Posted on 09/08/201210/16/2021 by Max Hammer

Compared to July, the quality and quantity of new album releases for the month of August 2012 went a long way in saving this summer from being a bummer for new indie rock music.

There are still two weeks of releases until summer officially ends on the fall equinox of September 21st. This is important because there are some big-time releases for September, including this week’s new albums from Animal Collective, Cat Power, Stars, Two Door Cinema Club, among others, and the upcoming new albums from Grizzly Bear, Band of Horses, The XX, The Vaccines, and many others that we’ll be telling you about in our upcoming Anticipated Fall Album Releases feature.

Back to August. There were some great albums dropped in August, in case you missed them, including releases from Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Yeasayer, Bloc Party, Wild Nothing, Poor Moon, Divine Fits, Blonde Summer, Teengirl Fantasy, Dead Can Dance, and Bear Mountain.

Because of when August started and ended, there are a total of five week’s of Top Ten Songs playlists, with a little overlapping at the beginning with July and at the end with September. The Top Ten Songs playlists always span from a Tuesday to a Monday because Tuesday is the traditional day of the week that new albums are released in the United States. In the U.K. and many other parts of the world it is Monday.

August 28th – Sept. 3th

This week’s Top Ten Songs playlist mix is based on three separate posts – Best New Music Releases, Week of Aug. 28th, plus the latest Fresh Tracks mix and DIY Artist of the Week: Dalton.

But it was the spectacular new single from Divine Fits, “Would That Not Be Nice,” that beat out all of the competition for the No. 1 most streamed and downloaded song of the week. The new power pop single from The Raveonettes, “She Owns The Streets,” captured the No. 2 spot, followed by Cat Power‘s “Cherokee” at No. 3, and Wild Nothing‘s new track, “Paradise,” took the No. 4 slot. To round out the top five was Poor Moon‘s “Holiday.” Now that’s an impressive first half for any Top Ten Songs mix. The second half featured fresh album tracks from Matthew Dear, Teen, DIY artist Dalton, Richard Hawley and Dan Deacon, respectively. We were surprised to see Deacon’s off-the-wall techno dance trip out single, “Lots,” (No. 10) wasn’t higher up in the charts, but in the last four positions, there were often only one or two ‘votes.’

There are many other ‘keeper’ tracks from the three post playlist links above, so you might want to click through to each one individually. We try to make as many songs ‘keepers’ as possible – can’t satisfy all the people all the time, but if we can satisfy most of the people most of the time, that’s golden. Think of us as your new music filter because you don’t have time to go through hundreds of songs a month to pick out the best.

“Would That Not Be Nice” –Divine Fits from A Thing Called Divine Fits on Merge Records

“She Owns The Streets” – The Raveonettes from Observator – Sept. 11th

“Cherokee” – Cat Power from Sun

“Paradise” – Wild Nothing from Nocturne on Captured Tracks

“Holiday” – Poor Moon from Poor Moon on Sub Pop

“Headcage” – Matthew Dear from Beams on Ghostly International

“Electric” – TEEN from In Limbo on Carpark Records

“Breaker” – Dalton from Dalton EP

“Leave Your Body Behind You” – Richard Hawley from Standing At The Sky’s Edge on Mute

“Pieces of You” – Mad Planet from Ghost Notes on Planetary Fro Records

August 21st – August 27th

The last week of August, which often signifies the wind-down of summer for students and vacationers, for IRC included two main posts that were competing for the top singles of the week – a new Fresh Tracks playlist and the weekly Best New Music Releases. In the past, we would only count singles for the Top Ten Songs if there were part of the best new releases playlists. However, with efforts underway to include more Fresh Tracks and other such MP3 playlist posts, it only makes sense to also include those as well.

The last No. 1 single of the week, by only four ‘votes,’ was Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti‘s lead single, “Only In My Dreams,” followed closely at No. 2 by Yeasayer‘s new single, “Henrietta” from the new album, Fragrant World. Bloc Party’s new lead track, “So He Begins to Lie,” from their new album, Four, trailed Yeasayer by more than a dozen votes to grab the No. 3 spot. Three huge bands battled it out all week for the No. 1 spot, and APHG won. The No. 4 track for the week of August 21st, “No Sense,” is from a band we’ve never heard of before, Bailterspace. A buzz band of the past couple of years, Teengirl Fantasy, rounded out the top half of the playlist with their new single, “End.” The lower half of the Top 10 features new singles from Six Organs of Admittance, Grizzly Bear, Happy New Year,

“Only In My Dreams” – Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti from Mature Themes on 4AD

“Henrietta” – Yeasayer from Fragrant World on Secretly Canadian

“So He Begins to Lie” – Bloc Party from Four

“No Sense” – Bailterspace from Machine on Fire Records

“End” – Teengirl Fantasy from Tracer on True Panther Sounds/R&S

“Waswasa” – Six Organs of Admittance from Ascent on Drag City

“Yet Again” – Grizzly Bear from Shields (pre-order) – out Sept. 18th

“Twins” – Happy New Year from Happy New Year on Brooklyn’s Crikey! Records

“Another Stitch” – Gregory Pepper and His Problems from Escape From Crystal Skull Mountain on Fake Four, Inc.

“Pyrakantha” – Balmorhea from Stranger – Oct. 2nd

August 14th – August 20th

Our main focus for this week was the three-day outdoor music festival, Outside Lands, which celebrated it’s fifth anniversary with one of the best lineups in its five years. Headliners on two main stages in San Francisco‘s Golden Gate Park included Neil Young, Metallica, Stevie Wonder, Jack White, Beck, The Kills, Franz Ferdinand, Andrew Bird, Passion Pit, Silversun Pickups, and many others. See our pre-fest post, plus our coverage of Day Two and Day Three.

The indie rock band, Black Pistol Fire, released their new album this week from which the lead single, “Crows’ Feet” topped all others to take the No. 1 song of the week. Due to a thin week of releases, this is the first time we are a couple of songs short of a full Top Ten list, but they’re still great songs.

“Crows Feet” – Black Pistol Fire from Big Beat ’59

“Opium” – Dead Can Dance from Anatasia

“Wild Light” – Wild Cub from Youth

“I Can’t Stand to Be Refused” – Height with Friends from Rock and Roll on Friends/Cold Rhymes Records

“Bombs and Bruises” – Black Pistol Fire from Big Beat ’59

“If I Left Tomorrow” – Simon Joyner from Ghosts on Ba Da Bing

“Alone” – Asteroid Shop from Distance Luxury

“#1 in Heaven” – MNDR from Feed Me Diamonds on Ultra Music

August 7th – August 13th

The first August No. 1 of 2012 goes to the new title track off the new album by Redd Kross, Researching The Blues. The band Niki and the Dove came in with the No. 2 song of the week – voted by all of you by your streams and downloads – with the single, “DJ, Ease My Mind.” The indie folk rock band Bear Mountain secured the No. 3 position of the week, followed at No. 4 by an artist to watch, Erik Blood. The catchy, memorable track, “Mallrats (La La La)” from the indie band The Orwells rounded out the Top Five with the No. 5 song of the week. The lower half of this week’s Top Ten Songs playlist features, in order, Permanent Collection, Kid Smpl, Ormonde, Birds and Batteries and Koko Beware.

“Researching the Blues” – Redd Kross from Researching the Blues

“DJ, Ease My Mind” – Niki and the Dove from Instinct

“Two Step” – Bear Mountain from xo (self-released)

“Today’s Lover” – Erik Blood from Touch Screens (self-released)

“Mallrats (La La La)” – The Orwells from Remember When on Autumn Tone

“Escape Pod” – Kid Smpl from Escape Pod EP on Hush Hush Records

“Cherry Blossom” – Ormonde from Machine on Hometapes

“Let The Door Swing” – Birds and Batteries from Stray Light on Eightmaps

“Beach Babe” – Koko Beware from Something About the Summer (self-released)

July 31st – August 6th

The first No. 1 song of August 2012 went to Blonde Summer‘s new single, “Slow Days Fast Company.” The track is an uptempo indie pop anthem with jangling guitar riffs, echoey, reverb vocals, a catchy rhythm and a hook and infusion of airy synth layers that accompany the song’s climaxes- one of the finest ‘summery’ singles of the season. The relatively new band, Wildlife Control, released their self-titled, debut album, from which the lead single, “Analog or Digital,” took the No. 2 song of the week. Another fairly new band, Buttonhead, has the No. 3 track of the week with the single, “Champion Bread.” At No. 4 for the week is the new single, “Growing Pains,” from the band Junk Culture. Rising singer/songwriter Allen Stone’s lead single, “Sleep” from his self-titled, debut album, rounded out the Top Five at the No. 5 position. The lower half of the Top 10 features songs from NIKU, Shovels and Rope, The Black Swans, Sacred Caves and Jason Haywood, respectively.

“Slow Days, Fast Company” – Blonde Summer from Slow Daze EP

“Analog or Digital” – Wildlife Control from Wildlife Control

“Champion Bread” – Buttonhead from 3D Opera Whale

“Growing Pains” – Junk Culture from Wild Quiet
via MusicUnderFire.com

“Sleep” – Allen Stone from Allen Stone on ATO Records

“Broken Seashells” – NIKU from In the Tidelands

“Birmingham” – Shovels & Rope from O’ Be Joyful on Dualtone Records

“Basket of Light” – The Black Swans from Occasion For Song on Misra Records

“On The Outside” – Sacred Caves from Sanctuarium EP on hausKat Records

“The Longest Walk” – Jason Haywood from A Thousand Miles Since Yesterday