Cloud Nothings – INDIE ROCK CAFE

Best New Releases, Jan. 2012 – Cloud Nothings, Porcelain Raft, The Big Pink, First Aid Kit, Nada Surf

Posted on 01/30/201201/15/2022 by Max Hammer

There have been so many notable new releases that dropped in the past week that music lovers have plenty of great, new music to keep them busy, and which explains partly why we’re late with this post (this week’s releases will be posted soon, but first the really good stuff).

The quantity and quality of releases over the past couple of weeks, plus the releases that drop tomorrow, Jan. 31st, are helping to kick 2012 off to a pretty good start music-wise.

The new albums and singles profiled in this playlist post include Cloud Nothings, Porcelain Raft, Cardinal, Rodrigo y Gabriela, First Aid Kit, Nada Surf, and many others. This post features 20 MP3s from these new releases. For more releases, plus links to band sites, see the end of this post.

Fans of Cleveland indie band Cloud Nothings are likely to be baffled by the bands’ choice to release the track “No Future/No Past” as the first lead single from their new, and highly anticipated, album (Pitchfork’s first “Best New Music” designation of 2012). Officially released last week, Attack of Memory is the band’s third album since they became an indie rock sensation in 2009 with the single, “Hey Cool Kid.”

Actually, the seedling of Cloud Nothings started with Dylan Baldi‘s recording of the track on his computer in the basement of his home in Westlake, Ohio, while he was attending Case Western Reserve University. The track went viral on the web and within weeks, “Hey Cool Kid,” was as close to a hit record as a DIY indie track could be.

When a concert promoter in New York City asked Baldi to play a gig in the city in December of 2009, Baldi hurriedly put together a band together and it just snowballed from there.

Cloud Nothing’s first album, Turning On was really more of a compilation, but in January of 2011, the band released their first proper, self-titled album with the help of Baltimore producer Chester Gwazda.

It was a huge success. By the time the band entered the studio to record their new album, they were one of the biggest fresh indie rock bands in the world. While Attack of Memory is significantly different – it’s a heavier, darker, harder than the catchy melodic tracks of the previous albums. The twee poppers will just have to love or leave it – and if they leave it, then they don’t deserve to be a fan of the band anyways. We know who you are.

For a limited time, you can get the MP3 album of Attack on Memory from Amazon for only $5.99

Double-shot: “Stay Useless” – Cloud Nothings from Attack on Memory

The Big Pink Drop Follow-Up Album Album to Stunning 2009 Debut

British synth rock duo The Big Pink took the indie music world by the horns in 2009 when they released their spectacular debut LP, A Brief History of Love , which was easily one of the best debut albums that year, and arguably one of the best overall albums of 2009 – a year that was full of impressive releases from bands like Phoenix, Animal Collective, The xx, The Flaming Lips, Grizzly Bear, Grils, Real Estate, Neon Indian, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bon Iver, Neko Case, Yo La Tengo, and so on.

Last week, The Big Pink released their long-awaited follow-up sophomore album, Future This . One of the things that we realized after hearing the album a couple of times is that it will not reach the fame that their debut did. There is a sense that the band are perhaps trying too hard to replicate their debut success, and for the most part, they fall short of the target. Future This is packed with electronica synth rock that fans have come to expect from the duo, heavy bass lines and lyrics that, in many places, show less imagination and creativity than its predecessor. But it’s more uptempo and sunnier than A Brief History of Love

That said, it’s incredibly difficult for a band to follow-up the success of a widely acclaimed debut, and that’s what The Big Pink are, in part, up against. Still, the first official single, “Stay Gold,” that was originally released back in November as a 7-inch, is worth adding to your MP3 player if you’re a fan, and another track, “Hit The Ground Superman,” is also worth mentioning. Ultimately, no matter what the critics and bloggers say – whether they love it, or are indifferent – it’s the fans’ call, and we think it’s worth purchasing.

“Stay Gold” – The Big Pink from Future This

New IRC Artist to Watch, Porcelain Raft, Releases Brilliant Debut LP

Brooklyn music prodigy Mauro Remiddi really has a lot of people talking about his just-released debut album as Porcelain Raft, the 10-track LP, Strange Weekend. In fact, Porcelain Raft is easily one of our first ‘new’ Artists to Watch in 2012, thanks not only to the two singles featured below, but, more extensively, the amazing and talented artistry of Remiddi’s brilliant musicianship, from the opening track, “Drifting In and Out” to the last track, “The Way In.”

If you love the synth-soaked lo-fi, you’re going to enjoy, perhaps cherish, this album. Don’t just take our word for it; the thumbs up reviews of Strange Weekend are popping all over the web. From Drowned in Sound and Consequence of Sound to NME and All Music Guide, the consensus is pretty much the same. In our opinion, it’s a must-have album, and will probably be on many year-end ‘best albums’ lists for 2012.

Strange Weekend is the kind of album that gets played and played and played; it’s so rich, enticing, and caked with layers of instruments, sounds and choruses that you’ll hear different elements and lyrics stand out each time it’s spun. KEXP, the popular Seattle radio station, wrote on its blog: “[Porcelain Raft is] psych-tinged electro-pop, with a woozy, reverb-drenched sound combining trippy synth textures, glitchy beats, shoegazerish electric guitars and strummed acoustics with Remiddi’s high, layered vocals and dreamy pop melodies.”

Perhaps as interesting as his musical past is the life experiences Remiddi has had. From CMJ: “…Remiddi traveled from his native Italy to London, Berlin, North Korea, and finally New York. Along the way, he caravanned with the Berlin Youth Circus performing gypsy Klezmer music, created reinterpretations of traditional North Korean folk songs and played piano for an Off-Broadway tap show. He hasn’t even had his 30th birthday yet, but Remiddi has more musical experiences under his belt than many artists attain in the length of an entire career.”

The first single, “Put Me to Sleep” is not really the dreamy, mellow track that the title suggests; instead, it’s a song with a big sound and a lot going on: dripping with hazy, melodic synthesized pop, strong, regular drum beats and reverb-laden, high-pitched vocals, among other sonic elements, and just one of the album’s numerous highlights.

On “Unless You Speak From Your Heart,” there are swirling synths, steady, hard beats crashing together with cymbals and tambourines that blend with angelic-like choruses.

“Put Me to Sleep” – Porcelain Raft

Double-shot: “Unless You Speak From Your Heart” – Porcelain Raft

Unsung Pop Heroes Return with Sophomore Album After 18-Year Hiatus; First Aid Kit and Nada Surf

We are so thrilled with the surprise return of the little known duo, Cardinal, the unsung chamber pop heroes of the mid-1990’s, that we created a separate post to review their sophomore album, Hymns, arriving nearly 18 years after their stunning 1994 self-titled debut. Click here to read about Cardinal’s latest release and hear some tracks from their now legendary debut.

Swedish sister act First Aid Kit are back with The Lion’s Roar, the title track from their forthcoming record. Slightly more country-influenced than their previous work, The Lion’s Roar features the band’s trademark vulnerable-yet-world-weary vocals, a reminder of just how young this obscenely talented pair are. Perfect for fans of Fleet Foxes and Laura Marling, The Lion’s Roar [was first] available [as a MP3] download November 8 [2011]. via MusicNinja.net

“When I Was Young” – Nada Surf from The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy

Fresh Tracks from New Albums by Rodrigo y Gabriela, Chairlift. Pop. 1280, Laura Gibson and Others

The following tracks are also great singles from new albums out this week from artists like Rodrigo y Gabriela, Chairlift. Pop. 1280, Laura Gibson, Big Deal, Dana Falconberry, Cheyenne Marie Mize,

“Juan Loco (feat. CUBA)” – Rodrigo y Gabriela from Area 52

“Bodies in the Dunes” – Pop. 1280 (via Pitchfork) from The Horror

“La Grande” – Laura Gibson from La Grande

From Belfast, Ireland, indie rock band Unquiet Nights sent us a couple of tracks from their new album, 21st Century Redemption Songs. In 2011 they enjoyed considerable national radio airtime in the UK on Absolute/Virgin Radio, Amazing and the BBC, and opened for popular bands like Bloc Party in London, Toploader and The Answer. The band names among their top musical influences Tom Petty, The Hold Steady!, Gaslight Anthem, Springsteen, Rolling Stones, The Verve, Bobby Womack, Roy Orbison.

Miscellaneous Singles from New Releases Dropped Jan. 24 – Jan. 30

This section of Best New Releases contains tracks from new releases that we are either on the fence about, indifferent to, or just not “feeling it,” however, we are including them anyways because it’s ultimately up to the individual listeners to decide.

“Gimme A Kiss” – Madi Diaz from Plastic Moon

“Berlin Heart” – Brokaw from Interiors

“Josie” – The Darcys (via Rolling Stone) from AJA

“Honolulu Blues” – Craig Finn from Clear Heart Full Eyes

“Heir Looms” – Imbogodom from And They Turned Not When They Went

Best Coast in Landslide Vote Is Latest ‘Best Break-Through Band’ in Poll 5; Runner-Ups Twin Shadow, Horse Feathers, Cloud Nothings

Posted on 01/06/201112/18/2019 by Max Hammer

Best_Coast_bestcoast452 — Best Coast were one of the hottest new bands of the past year

In the fifth and final poll for the Best Breakthrough Band of 2010, readers overwhelming selected Los Angeles lo-fi surf rock pop trio Best Coast with 42% of 520 votes. The band was started by songwriter and front woman Bethany Cosentino (formerly of Pocahaunted) and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno. After going through a couple different drummers, the duo officially signed on former Vivian Girls member Ali Koehler as drummer.

After a couple of successful EPs in 2009, Best Coast released their debut LP, Crazy For You, in July 2010, and it quickly became a hit, so much so that the album even peaked at No. 36 on the Billboard Top 200. The LP was released on the indie record label, Mexican Summer. Apparently, Jerry Seinfeld, Bruce Springsteen and Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth) are fans of Best Coast. Here are some of our favorite Best Coast tracks, but first here is the band’s newest track that was recorded with Wavves and released last month and included in our new Christmas Songs playlist.

“I Got Something For You” – Wavves & Best Coast – Nov. 2010

“Boyfriend” – Best Coast from Crazy For You

“Sun Was High (So Was I)” – Best Coast from s/t single, 2009

breakoutbandsof2010 — In the latest poll in Break-Through Bands of 2010, Best Coast won by a landslide

At a distant second place is the one-man chillwave star, Twin Shadow (12%), followed by Horse Feathers (10%) in third place. Even though Best Coast are such a huge new breakout band of 2010, we’re surprised that such huge new talents like Cloud Nothings and Twin Sister only registered 6% of votes apiece to round our the Top 5.

We have to say that for this latest poll, it was expected that Best Coast would take the top spot – we just didn’t realize it would be with such a steep landslide. Then again, Best Coast have been selling out shows from coast to coast, and packing in crowds at music festivals as well as garnering approval from their contemporaries, the mainstream press, bloggers, and most importantly, fans. Can’t wait to our fingers on the next Best Coast release – you can bet you’ll hear about it first on IRC.

Twin Shadow Does The Drums and Hooray for the Earth

Nowadays in the indie music mixers world the name George Lewis Jr. might not be immediately recognizable, but when follow-up and say he is the man behind Twin Shadow, most indie followers know who that is. Not only did he place No. 2 to Best Cost in this latest poll, he also did a recent remix of Hooray for the Earth’s “A Place We Like” and The Drums’ “Me And The Moon.” Twin Shadow’s terrific debut, Forget, is one of the best debut’s of the year.

“A Place We Like”- Twin Shadow with Hooray for the Earth vs. The Drums

“Slow” – Twin Shadow from Forget

“Thistled Spring” – Horse Feathers from Thistled Spring

Bonus: “Drain You” (Nirvana) – Horse Feathers

“Even If It Worked Out” – Cloud Nothings

“All Around and Away We Go” – Twin Sisters from Color For Life

“Vendela Vida” – Dinosaur Feathers from Fantasy Memorial

Stay tuned for the final poll. We’re going to take the top two voted bands for each of the five polls to create a Top 10 poll in which all of you will decide the Top 10 Break-Through Bands of 2010. Take a look at the previous four polls, containing dozens of the best new bands and best new songs of 2010.

Poll One Winners: Local Natives and Surfer Blood.

Poll Two Winners: The Drums and Freelance Whales.

Poll Three Winners: Broken Bells and Two Door Cinema Club.

Poll Four Winners: Bikini and Beach Fossils.

Poll Five Winners (this one): Best Coast and Horse Feathers.

Fresh Tracks from Bright Eyes, Swim Party, Cloud Nothings, Duchess Leo, The Brute Chorus, Emanuel & The Fear, Daft Punk

Posted on 01/05/201101/11/2022 by Max Hammer

Some of you may have noticed the lack of Best New Releases posts in December. That was directly the result of an unusually short list of new releases to write about. It is a pretty standard practice in the recording industry for labels and bands to hold off releasing new albums in December until the new year.

Did you listen to our No. 1 Songs of 2010 playlist and vote for your favorite song? Please do. Poll closes on January 13th.

For one, most people are too busy with the holidays to pay attention to new releases, and perhaps more importantly, labels and bands understandably want to wait until the new year to drop a new LP to qualify for that year’s various music awards, as well as mainstream media and entertainment blogs year-end “best of” lists. Plus, because more young people have money given to them during the holidays than any other time of year, January is a good time to release an album.

bright-eyes-the-peoples-key — Even thought they've been together for five years, Swim Party are an IRC Band to Watch in 2011

Nothing like starting off a playist mix with a new track from Bright Eyes. We’ve also got a few singles from December’s limited new releases to share with you in this post, and a couple of hot new tracks from this week’s new releases by acclaimed San Diego indie rock band, Swim Party. Even though they’ve been garnering praise from bloggers, newspapers and major entertainment sites since 2005, Swim Party are still completely DIY and unsigned.

“Shell Games”– Bright Eyes from The People’s Key – due out in March 2011

We think, based on their new album, and the slow, but steady building up of their discography and fan-base, not to mention all kinds of praise via the press, that 2011 might be the year for Swim Party to hit it big, especially if the ‘chillwave’ fad takes a hit that some bloggers and music fans hope it will (what do you think?). Also, check out new songs from Deadhorse and Mr. Dreamland.

swimpartyband — Indie artist Perfume Genius will be one to watch in 2011

Stay tuned for Top Songs of 2010 mix, plus our guide to the best new music in 2011. If you haven’t listen to the playlist mix of the Top 50 No.1 Songs of 2010 on IRC, and cast your vote for the best No. 1, please do so. Voting closes Jan. 13th.

“The Glory of Economy” – Swim Party from There Is Too Much Wood in My Coffin – Jan. 4th

“Interstellar Remedies” – DeadHorse from DeadHorse – Jan. 4th

There are boat loads of new singles from new and upcoming albums coming at us from every direction. So, the first batch of new songs from 2011 albums include awesome new tracks from recent or upcoming releases by Bright Eyes, Cloud Nothings, The Brute Chorus, Emmanuel and The Fear, Duchess Leo, and others.

Artist to Watch Cloud Nothings Releases Singles Ahead of New, Debut LP

One of our break-through artists of 2010, Cloud Nothings, has a couple of recent tracks worth checking out; first, a recent track via Mineo Records, “Understand At All” ; listen to it below. On January 25th, Cloud Nothings, aka Dylan Baldi, will drop his debut LP for CarPark Records. For a producer, Dylan chose Baltimore’s Chester Gwazda, known for his work with Dan Deacon and Future Islands. In October 2010, Cloud Nothings dropped an MP3 Amazon exclusive titled No Turn containing 14 new, demo and previously released tracks, like the starter hit “Hey Cool Kid”.

“Understand At All” – Cloud Nothings from Cloud Nothings

Recorded this past August in a warehouse studio in Baltimore‘s famed Copycat Building (home to the original Wham City and many of the city’s best musicians and artists), the self-titled Cloud Nothings album is full of energy, precision, and catchy bits. Dylan plays all the instruments on the album, but this time without the lo-fi scuzz.

The Brute Chorus Channel Rockabilly with a New Twist

Here’s an interesting track from a band to watch called The Brute Chorus. The track that the band recently sent to us, “Birdman”, is so many things at once – it’s freaky, it’s foot stompin with jyrations, it’s attitude, unnerving, quirky, intense. We love when raw talent emerges from obscurity with an arsenal of no frills, eclectic rock, and completely refreshing at a time when glo-fi and chillwave (and we love them) are such a force of the indie scene.

“Birdman” has an unmistakable influence and likeness of the 50’s ground-breaking rockabilly of Jerry Lee Lewis, mixed with dashes of Jack White’s guitar and drum intensity. It’s hard to not be enthralled by frenetic energy and force of the band’s songs. “Birdman” is the perfect starter track for people who are just learning of this rising UK band. There’s no question that The Brute Chorus’ upcoming release of the sophomore album, How The Caged Bird Sings, is on our 2011 music purchasing list.

“Birdman” – The Brute Chorus from How The Caged Bird Sings

Fresh Track from Emanuel and The Fear’s Upcoming Debut

Earlier in 2010 we introduced you to Emanuel and The Fear, and many of you liked the band’s music. Now, they (which means anywhere from 6-30 members depending) have a new and catchy track “Dear Friend” that will appear on EATF’s 2011 full-length debut; release date TBA. The band has toured Europe and U.S., sell-out shows regularly in New York City, were a hit at 2010’s CMJ and are in the process of completing a “live in studio” EP as well.

“Dear Friend” – Emanuel and The Fear from untitled debut, TBA

Brooklyn’s Duchess Leo Release New Single from Debut Album

This is a brand new track from the Brooklyn ambient electroindie band Duchess Leo. While the duo’s two members, Dan Ryan and Todd Buchler, have kept busy working on other music projects. Now, however, they’ve assembled a great bunch of great melodic tracks for their upcoming Jan. 25th LP debut, Golden Gray. The Village Voice said of the Duchess Leo: “they are a decidedly cohesive Drizzly Bear, a pair of rainy-day swooners obsessed with churning melodies and bliss-drenched textures.” Here is the first track from the debut, “Bloom”. You can stream Golden Gray via the band’s BandCamp page.

“Bloom” – Duchess Leo from Golden Gray – Jan. 25th

Stayed Tuned: We have a series of posts coming out soon looking at the most anticipated albums of the winter of 2011. You can also follow IRC on Twitter, Facebook or via RSS.

If you missed any of the other few December 2010 new releases, there are some awesome MP3 singles from Sufjan Stevens, Perfume Genius, Daft Punk, Acid House Kings, Sonny Smith with The Sandwitches and The Transients, and more.

“Mr. Peterson” – Perfume Genius from Learning

“Are We Lovers Or Are We Friends?” – Acid House Kings from Are We Lovers Or Are We Friends?

“Throw My Ashes From This Pier When I Die” – Sonny Smith and The Sandwitches and The Transients from 100 Records EP – Dec. 11th

“Learn The Language” – Mr. Dreamland from Never Elaborate – DIY Release, Dec. 1, 2010

“Derezzed” – Daft Punk from Tron Legacy

“Cool Jumper” – Wavves, advanced single

Jack White Produces Nashville’s Rising Artist PUJOL

Chances are that if Jack White is involved with a music project, it’s going to be something a lot of people will want to hear. Such is the case with White’s newest collaboration, as the producer of Nashville musician PUJOL, who is also known by some as the “Philosopher King of the Nashville Scene”.

The track, “Too Safe”, was released as a double seven-inch on Dec. 11th via White’s Nashville label, Third Man Records.

“Too Safe” – Pujol from Black Rabbit 7″ – Dec. 11th

Best New Indie Releases, 2010 – Sufjan Stevens, Beach Fossils, Real Estate, Cloud Nothings, Wild Nothing, Wolf People, Gold Panda

Posted on 10/13/201012/18/2019 by indierocker

This week in best new releases is one of the most diverse, and largest (37 songs), mixtape reviews of the second half of 2010. The reason is simple: there are so many fantastic new singles and albums out this week from indie rockers, chillwave (omg, we said it) artists, buzz bands, unknown bands, new artists of the year, country and folk musicians, dance-oriented artists, exclusive tracks, and big buzz releases from, of course, Sufjan Stevens and Belle and Sebastian. Both of those artists were featured in the recent post, Five Anticipated Autumn Releases.

[zbplayer]

We are really digging Sufjan’s popular new single, “Too Much”, a track that has some of the elements of the chamber pop of Illinoise and orchestra, electro experimentation of The BQE, the latter of which Stevens told The Irish Times last week: “[BQE] was really exhausting and all-encompassing. I went beyond my means creatively and lost my way in the process.” We love Sufjan’s music, but still can’t help but to feel betrayed that his much anticipated “states album” project was just a “joke.” So, we started something similiar to that last year, called the State of Music playlists. We have been building new mixtapes for the State of Music playlists which we hope to start publishing by the end of the year and well into 2011.

The Age of Adz, so far, sounds terrific, from introspective tracks like “Now That I’m Older” to the wonderfully rich and multi-layered orchestration and chorus singing of “Vesuvius”, and other fantastic songs that you’ll just have to get the LP to discover – because this album, like many of Sufjan’s previous works, is a personal journey and an amazingly involved and complex project that is affirmation that he has found his niche again. Plus, as profiled in Five Anticipated Autumn releases post, we’re still also absorbing the new Belle and Sebastian, but so far, it sounds like the cerebral folk pop and story-telling we enjoy so much, especially after four years since the band’s last release. We’d love to hear what you guys think of Adz or any other releases the Comments section.

“Too Much” – Sufjan Stevens from The Age of Adz

Download for free a new MP3, “I Walked,” (from Adz) from Sufjan’s BandCamp page.

Also, LA’s JumpClubb released today this cover/remix of “Futile Devices” that appears on The Age of Adz.

One of our favorite new bands from this year’s South by Southwest, Brooklyn’s Beach Fossils, have released a new seven-inch vinyl single this week titled, “Face It”. The track continues on the band’s reputation for delivering summertime-like tracks, and reaffirms the band’s rising stake in the dreamy, sunny, sandy sub-genre of “chillwave/glo-fi” – a movement that has been a mainstay within the indie music domain for the past 18 months or so.

Beach Fossils’ new single is not a break-through for the band, but combined with their self-titled debut LP that dropped earlier this year, it’s enough to keep fans tied over, we think, until the ever-so-stressful sophomore album starts to leak out. While Beach Fossils is mostly the work of the wonderfully prolific Dustin Payseur, band members accompany him on tour and other live shows. In fact, after this weekend’s performance at the Brooklyn Bowl, Beach Fossils will set off next week for an extensive, month-long tour of Europe.

“Write About Love” – Belle & Sebastian from Write About Love

“Face It” – Beach Fossils from Face It/Distance 7″ via I Guess I’m Floating

One of the reasons were especially excited by this week’s best new releases is the fact that there are so many bands that will be on many best new bands lists by the end of this year. Two more to add to that list are Cleveland band Cloud Nothings and Milwaukee‘s indie outfit The Goodnight Loving. Cloud Nothing’s memorable lo-fi pop punk style mixed with the so-called chillwave sound has translated into blogger buzz and then a fan following. The band enjoyed praise for their live shows and their fuzzed out riffs and melodic pop hooks. Turning On is basically a collection of already released songs from their singles and tracks off their debut album that came out in June.

Another band that will likely be on a good number of top bands lists over the next few months is The Goodnight Loving with their debut, Goodnight Loving Supper Club. Although the band is not necessarily a new band – they received good reviews as far back as 2008 – they didn’t come on to many folks radar until this year with the promotion surrounding their newly released debut. The track here, “Doesn’t Shake Me” sounds just like a pop-rock radio hit from the 1970s, with Big Star being the band we thought of first when reviewing this track. But it also reminds us of more recent bands, such as Free Energy and The Rassle.

“Leave You Forever” – Cloud Nothings from 12 inch EP

“Hey Cool Kid” – Cloud Nothings from Turning On

“Doesn’t Shake Me” – The Goodnight Loving from Goodnight Loving Supper Club

Another break-through band of 2010, New Jersey‘s sunny, surf popsters, Real Estate, drop a new seven-inch single this week to keep fans engaged until their sophomore LP is released. Plus, the debut release from boyfriend/girlfriend outfit, Houses, is out with the lead single, “Reds,” bringing more sunny, warm vibes – so it’s no surprise that their home base of Hawaii served as the nest for the writing and recording of the LP. And, of course, the electro ambient pop of Gold Panda.

“Out of Tune” – Real Estate from Out of Tune/Reservoir 7″ double single

“Reds” – Houses from All Night

“Same Dream China” – Gold Panda from Lucky Shiner

The lead track from Wolf People‘s new album, Steeple, is an audio time machine back to the late 1960s/early 1970s. “Tiny People” might as well have been released 40 years ago with its psychedelic folk rock jam reminiscent of Traffic and The Yardbirds, and complete with Jethro Tull-like flute infusions and solos, bluesy guitar riffs and heavy percussions.

“Tiny People” – Wolf People from Steeple

A quiet new release this week that we probably wouldn’t have known about if the band didn’t contact us, is the debut album from Soft Landing, the new project from Beirut members Paul Collins and Perrin Cloutier. They teamed up with producer Griffin Rodriguez (Beirut, Need New Body, Icy Demons) for their self-titled debut, out now digitally and on vinyl. Stay tuned to us on Twitter for CD/MP3 album giveaways and ticket contests for Soft Landing and many others.

“Baptism” – Soft Landing from Soft Landing

The band Suuns brings the electro dance pop on the track, “Arena”, which sports a long instrumental intro until the lead vocals and blazing reverb guitar licks take hold. Following Suuns, is the band Starf*cker, who the FCC doesn’t allow us to print their entire name – even though everyone knows what it says!

Anyways, Starfcker keep the dance beats going, and crank up the synthesizers, on their new dream-pop single, “Julius” – a song that is just bursting with glistening keys. Gears shift just a bit on the next track, “I Have Seen Everything,” from Climber‘s new LP, The Mystic. While it’s more pop-oriented, the track keeps in step with the dance-influenced trio of Suuns-Starfcker-Climber, not to mention it’s intriguing lyrics: I’ve seen you naked/ all of your hidden flaws exposed…You’re not embarassed/is that your problem?

“Arena” – Suuns from Zeros WC

“Julius” – Starf*cker from Julius 7″

“I Have Seen Everything” – Climber from The Mystic

We’re getting low on ink, but you’ll definitely want to check out the following bands’ new singles from bands to watch and bands on radar, including the fantastically catchy music of Fox in the Henhouse, Great Lakes, Sunset, So So Glos, Fox in the Henhouse, Fresh and Onlys, Envy, Ten Million Lights, The Brute Chorus, and others.

“Fears” – Fox in the Henhouse from Fox in the Henhouse

“Late Night Dawning” – Sunset from Loveshines but The Moon Is Shining Too

“Five” – Young Man from Boy EP

“Lindy Hop” – So So Glos from Low Back Chain Shift

“Four Days Straight” – Scattered Trees from Four Straight Days 7″

“Kill Your Idols” – Ten Million Lights from Ten Million Lights

“Heaven” – The Brute Chorus from How The Caged Bird Sings

“Waterfall” – The Fresh and Onlys from Play It Strange

“A Breath Clad in Happiness” – Envy from Recitation

Now, our readers might see why we’re a bit late putting out this week’s Best New Releases mixtape review. If you just finished listening to the songs above, there’s still more. The best way, at least for us, to listen to the huge mixtape/playlists we published on IRC, is to click on the first song and let the Yahoo Media Player stream through all the songs automatically so you can do other things, instead of clicking from one song to the next. As promised, there’s more:

Updated 10/14: There was such a strong reaction to IRC’s exclusive new track from the band Take Care that we decided to post another track in addition to “Halfway House.” We think that if you liked that song, you’re probably going to enjoy the Take Care track, “Trips.” Let us know and see more – and download the Demo 2010 EP at Take Care’s website.

“Trips” – Take Care from Demo 2010 – IRC Exclusive

“Halfway House” – Take Care from Demo 2010 – IRC Exclusive

We’re not so sure about the title track from Violent Kin‘s new release, Velvet Hideout, so if any of you would like to write up a mini-review in the Comments section, please do, for the world to see. In fact, comment about any song – it’s a great way to share your thoughts with thousands of other people. Some folks may also enjoy the under-the-radar band, Carissa’s Wierd,and songwriter-singer Brandie Emma.

“Velvet Hideout” – Violent Kin from Velvet Hideout

“Fluorescent Lights”- Carissa’s Wierd from Ugly But Honest (vinyl reissue)

“Let Go” – Brandie Emma from Photographic Memory

A musical substitute for Prozac comes in the form of the blissful, floating ambiance of the single, “Over There”. As with Cloud Nothings, today’s release from Banjo or Freakout contain previously released songs; so “new” in this case finds itself in a bit of a snafu. But seriously folks, is this song not somehow heavenly? To keep a good vibe going, let the stream go for Manzanita y su Conjunto‘s “Agua”, from a compilation of psychedelic music from Peru, plus Simian Mobile Disco and Cheyenne Marie Mize.

“Over There” – Banjo or Freakout from Way Slow Series; Volume One: Banjo or Freakout

“Agua” – Manzanita y su Conjunto from Roots of Chicha 2: Psychedelic Cumbias From Peru

“Nerve Salad” – Simian Mobile Disco from Is Fixed

“The Spirit Was Gone” (download) – Antony and the Johnsons from Swanlights

“Best” – Cheyenne Marie Mize from Before Lately

The final tracks in this release are all ones we like or ones that we think a lot of our regular readers/listeners would like. In a way to keep all of these tracks more organized, we’re trying to group them as much as possible, like the way the more ‘dance’ tracks above were grouped. The same thing was done for the country and folk rock singles, from bands like The Moondoggies, The Black, The Black Heart Procession, Whitey Morgan and The 78s, and others are grouped together below. Plus, we have a number of exclusives that we’ll be interested to see the reaction to.

“It’s A Shame” – The Moondoggies

“Love Don’t Need A Reason” – The Black from Sun in the Day, Moon at Night

“Blank Page” – The Black Heart Procession from Bloody Bunny/Black Rabbit

“I Ain’t Drunk” – Whitey Morgan and The 78′s from Whitey Morgan and The 78′s

“Summer Fruits” – Great Lakes from Ways of Escape

More New Releases This Week (compiled by Pitchfork):

10-11-10

A Band of Bees: Every Step’s a Yes [Fiction] Antony and the Johnsons: Swanlights [Rough Trade] [European release] Benoit Pioulard: Lasted [Kranky] Dexys Midnight Runners: Searching for the Young Soul Rebels [EMI] Esben and the Witch: “Marching Song” 12” [Matador] [UK Release] Josephine Foster & the Victor Herrero Band: Anda Jaleo [Fire Records] Paul Smith: Margins [Billingham]

10-12-10

Antony and the Johnsons: Swanlights [Secretly Canadian] [U.S. release] Badly Drawn Boy: It’s What I’m Thinking: Photographing Snowflakes [The End] Banjo or Freakout: Way Slow [Lefse] Beach Fossils: “Face It”/”Distance” 7″ [Captured Tracks] The Beets: Stay Home [Captured Tracks] Big Search: Lay of the Land [St. Ives] The Black: Sun in the Day Moon at Night [Moon Records] The Black Heart Procession: Blood Bunny/Black Rabbit EP [Temporary Residence Ltd.] Blank Dogs: Land and Fixed [Captured Tracks] Blue Water White Death: Blue Water White Death [Graveface] Breathe Owl Breathe: Magic Central [Hometapes] British Sea Power: Zeus EP [Rough Trade] [Vinyl Release] Callers: Life of Love [Western Vinyl] Cloud Nothings: “Leave You Forever” 7” [Carpark] Cloud Nothings: Turning On [Carpark] The Dead C: Patience [Ba Da Bing] Die Antwoord: $0$ [Cherrytree/Interscope] Doug Paisley: Constant Companion [No Quarter] Envy: Recitation [Temporary Residence Ltd.] Esben and the Witch: “Marching Song” 12” [Matador] Florence and the Machine: “Dog Days Are Over (Yeasayer Remix)” [Island] The Foreign Exchange: Authenticity [Foreign Exchange Music] Franz Nicolay: Luck & Courage [Team Science/Sabot Productions] The Fresh & Onlys: Play It Strange [In the Red] Gangrene [The Alchemist and Oh No]: Gutter Water [Decon] Gold Panda: Lucky Shiner [Ghostly International/NoTown Recordings] Hauschka: Foreign Landscapes [130701] Heavy Times: “No Plans” b/w “Ice Age” 7” [HoZac] Holy Sons: Survivalist Tales! [Partisan] Houses: All Night [Lefse] Idle Times: Idle Times [HoZac] Jane Birkin: Di Doo Dah [Light in the Attic] [reissue] Kedl Winter: Apple Core [Steeple] Kelly Stoltz: To Dreamers [Sub Pop] Lil Wayne: I Am Not a Human Being [Young Money] [physical release] Maserati: “Pyramid of the Moon” 12” [Temporary Residence] Peter Gordon: The Love of Life Orchestra [DFA] Purling Hiss: Public Service Announcement [Woodsist] Real Estate: “Out of Tune” b/w “Reservoir” 7” [True Panther] Silje Nes: Opticks [FatCat] Simian Mobile Disco: Is Fixed [Defend Music] Starf*cker: Julius [Polyvinyl] Styrofoam: Disco Synthesizers & Daily Tranquilizers [Nettwerk] Sufjan Stevens: The Age of Adz [Asthmatic Kitty] Suuns: Zeroes QC [Secretly Canadian] Various Artists: Jackass 3D OST [Epitaph/ Kings Road Merch] Various Artists: From the Land of Ice and Snow: The Songs of Led Zeppelin [Jealous Butcher Records] White Moth: White Moth [Angel Oven Records] Wolf People: Steeple [Jagjaguwar] Zola Jesus: Valusia EP [Sacred Bones]