Pantha du Prince - Black Noise
Wow, I must be really neglecting my latest music acquisitions if I'm just now writing about this one. I've been wearing Black Noise out for awhile. Minimal electronic soundscapes usually done with a slow build. There's a hypnotic style to a majority of the tracks - get 'Stick To My Side' for a fine example.
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Roy Ira - Roy Ira
This is my friend Keith's band. I give him a hard time about it because he knows that country music is not my thing. He swears it is not country. Have no doubt about it.. it IS country. However, the lyrics are memorable and the performance is solid. I particularly enjoy that it's a live recording to one mic; just like the good ole days.
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Yppah - They Know What Ghost Know
I've found myself more and more drawn to instrumental music as of late. Lyrics / vocals just manage to screw things up far too often. Yppah is one of those albums that works perfectly well as background music or entertaining if you give it your full on attention. Lots of upbeat tracks, spacey sounds and a fine mixture of rock sensibilities in the electronic context.
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Aloha - Home Acres
I was super excited when I heard the first track from Home Acres as it sort of signified that the band had returned more to their sound of Here Comes Everyone as opposed to the, in my opinion, flop of Light Works. My excitement continued on once I'd procured the whole album and my suspicions were confirmed.. the band has re-embraced their upbeat style a whole lot more. It's still languid and reminiscent of late 90's indie pop but that's the Aloha appeal. Hopefully they continue in this vein, as they do it quite well.
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Beach House - Devotion
Since accepting the new Beach House record as being as worthwhile as everyone told me it would be I decided to dive into the previous releases to see what I'd missed. Honestly, it's more of the same but in a good way.. it's not radically different but you can tell they've progressed forward ever so slightly. If you like Teen Dream, there is absolutely zero reason why you wouldn't like this.
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Hands Off Cuba - From Arrival to Surival
Nashville based instrumental group that has always caught my ear. They put this album out exclusively on vinyl but have since entered the world of digital releases. I have listened to this album on repeat and find something newly great about it everytime I listen to it. I suggest you snag it.
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Jaga Jazzist - One-Armed Bandit
It's difficult to tell someone that you're listening to a ten piece experimental jazz band from Norway but that is the case with Jaga Jazzist. Fortunately, that awkward description really just translates into meaning long form instrumental tracks with a myriad of traditional and modern instrumentation with an energy that makes your day better and brighter. Seriously, the title track may be over seven minutes long but I could listen to it on repeat for days. An incredible mixture of electronic sounds, horns, microbeats, strings and worlds colliding properly when you wouldn't think such a thing is possible.
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Beach House - Teen Dream
Everyone ranted and raved about this album so much I was convinced I was not going to like it before even cracking into it. I hadn't heard previous releases and whenever an album gets the amount of hype this has gotten I am almost always confused where the excitement has stemmed from. I will admit to being wrong in this particular case; Teen Dream is a solid record. I think it's a bit of the same sound throughout the record - very similar tempos, sounds and pace for every song. However, that sound is an enjoyable one; atmospheric, forelorn, a bit melancholy and perfectly engaging.
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Lux Perpetua - How to Tell a Lie With...
Reminds me of college in many ways - lo-fi recordings, heartfelt lyrics intermingled with goofiness, emphatic vocal delivery, etc. Fortunately, it's not a one trick pony - there's lots of instrumentation throughout and a good peppering of tempos and styles. Released in 2004; this feels like an album I missed out on when it was first released and am glad to have caught up with.
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Shearwater - The Golden Archipelago
Shearwater has always struck me as one of those bands that is superbly artistic, extremely creative and a tiny bit dramatic. This is mostly due to the delivery of the falsetto vocals of Jonathan Meiburg. This record, as with their others, feels conceptual and should be listened to from top to bottom. Overall, there's more energy and tension here than the previous albums I've heard and I really like it. It's an epic record that takes energy to listen to but rewards you in the end.
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Jookabox - Dead Zone Boy Remixes
Not quite as good as the original Dead Zone Boys album but some interesting takes on some of my new favorite songs of the year. The songs have a lot of space to take into new directions and they certainly get taken there. AND it's a free download, so how you gonna complain about it?
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Fol Chen - Part I: John Shade, Your Fortune's Made
Recommended by a friend and difficult to describe. Elements of indie rock, a little dance and a healthy dose of electronic instrumentation. Overall the thing to remember here is that it's a really FUN record. Feels like a legit summertime record without delving into the brainless pop music category. High relistenability.
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Zeus - Say Us
Picked this up because I've always had faith that Arts & Crafts was one of those labels that you could trust to put out the best music, even if you had no idea what you were getting into. I've been burned on that mindset in that past but this time it pulled through. Say Us is a fun pop/rock record that could easily be on constant rotation for many months to come. No gimmicks, no overt stylistic leanings.. just a fun, upbeat record. There are far too few of them these days.
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The Secret Machines - Like I Can
I always had ultra high hopes for The Secret Machines. They seemed poised to be a band that could take the best parts of loads of different styles of bands and combine them into a new super-effective work horse. They sort of fell off from their last album and I was a bit hesistant to buy a two-song single that could fall flat as well.. but it seems that they're back on their game now. It's nicely textured, great layered vocals and has that rising tension that I always wanted for them. The b-side is even better than the a-side as they embrace the darker tone that are so good at.
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Holopaw - Oh, Glory. Oh, Wilderness.
At first listen this reminds me of Conor Oberst or Kind of Like Spitting - the somewhat overly affected vocal stylings that evoke a desperation and sadness from the singer that comes across a bit put on. It can get a bit tiresome at times but it feels authentic; particularly on the first track. Overall, I like it and it's got some strong tracks throughout but I wouldn't tell ya to buy it.
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Megafaun - Gather, Form and Fly
A varietal mix of strings, piano, alt-country leanings and a solid foundation in instrumental / classic rock. If you gave me this and said it was released in 1974 but never got the proper press it deserved, I'd likely believe you. I put it in the same category of music as Dr. Dog, Plants and Animals, etc but sort of the more experimental version of them. It's a very pleasant listen, perfect for whiling away the hours.
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Zaza - Cameo
Truth be told I've had this little EP laying around for awhile and keep meaning to listen to it so I can give it a proper review. I was told it was sorta Broken Social Scene-esque and that I would like it. Whenever I queue it up I like what I hear but it's so atmospheric and languid that I sort of forget about it. It is a good record, seemingly perfect for quiet summer nights but since it is not summer yet, it doesn't get the proper rotation.
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Junk Culture - West Coast
Extremely difficult to properly describe this - instrumental, ADD riddled, dance-y, lo-fi, laid back at times, really upbeat other times, spacey, etc. etc. I suppose the proper word here would be 'eclectic' but even that seems to be a disservice. Grab the title track somewhere and if that doesn't hook you, don't even consider anymore. I, for one, love it and recommend you snag it all.
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Glossary - Feral Fire
I remember buying the first Glossary record back in the early days of college and thinking that they weren't a band that I would keep up with because it was too steeped in alt-country leanings. Fortunately, since then they've downplayed the country and upped the rock a bit.. Feral Fire is a great example of the new balance they've accomplished. It's a rock record with some alt-country flourishes throughout.. instead of the opposite.
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XTC - Drums and Wires
It is next to impossible not to love "Making Plans for Nigel." The rest of this record is a quality entry in anyone's catalog.. they have such a unique production sound and the vocals are always pleasing to my ears, even when they're being weird.
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ELO - Time
Why haven't I owned this for years? What's been wrong with me? Why didn't anyone tell me how great this was? I blame all of you for depriving me of this for so long. I'm just happy that I picked it up on my own and bestowed such a gift to ME.
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Midlake - The Courage of Others
Expectations are a real bitch. I loved Van Occupanther. A lot. A whole lot. So my anticipation for the followup was quite high. Surely they'd bust out some new jams like Young Bride or Roscoe, right? Right?! No. No they will not. They will focus on their more somber, self-reflecting side and love of the MASH theme song for their followup. Is this album disappointing? On the first few listens, you bet it is. However, I believe my expectations will fade away and I'll come around to this.. but it's no Van Occupanther 2, which is really all I wanted.
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The Hotrats - Turn Ons
Gaz and Danny from Supergrass doing a bunch of their favorite cover songs while being recorded and produced by Nigel Godrich. If that sentence alone isn't enough to sell you on this, then forget about it. It is what it is, a covers record by half of Supergrass. As an SG fan, it is great.. very very high re-listenablility.
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Spoon - Transference
I totally went into this record thinking this was it, this was going to be the first Spoon record I was legitimately disappointed in. I figured there track record has been so good for so long now (with me) that they had to trip up at some point and this was likely it. Turns out this is probably my favorite record from them in years. On the whole, it sounds like Spoon demos - dirtier production than normal, abrupt song stops and an unpolished side to it that works extremely well.
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Tape Deck Mountain - Ghost
My expectations for this album is that it would be a bit of a dirty, straight forward, somewhat forgettable rock record. Turns out it is a dirty, somewhat subdued, intriguing bit of shoegaze-y rock. It's pretty withdrawn on the whole but it makes for some nice build ups; though not in a math rocky way. Get 'On My Honor' it will be your jam.
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