Okay, I’m a little late on this month’s countdown, so bare with me. Luckily, many of the albums on this list won’t be seeing record store shelves for a couple weeks, so the list can stay relevant for a bit. We’re only a week into May, but it already feels like we’ve entered into summer. When you live in a city that gets overcast by the never-ending shadow of seasonal lag, it’s hard to define months like spring and autumn. I heard once that Buffalo really only has two seasons: snow and construction. Yeah, a bit pessimistic. Still, I'd much rather have an awesome new mix of music to listen to while stuck on the I-90 due to road work instead of a blizzard.
10. Teen Daze - All of Us, Together
Two years ago
Teen Daze got our attention with the bedroom-wave EP
Four More Years. The formula for seaside music might've been perfected that summer, but there's always room for nuance, even in the most nailed-down of music genres, which is why Teen Daze is back with full-length LP
All Of Us, Together out May 22 via
Lefse Records.
9. White Fence - Family Perfume
As of late, garage-rocker Tim Presley of White Fence has been working around the clock. He released a split LP, Hair, with touring mate Ty Segall (who I will be seeing play in Toronto this weekend) just a few weeks ago, and is due to release his forthcoming double-album Family Perfume, out May 15 via Woodsist. But hold up, that's not all! He’s also releasing a 7” called “Green Balloon” which is out May 22 via CMRTYZ.
8. Craft Spells - Gallery EP
Last year, Craft Spells, i.e. synth-poptimist Justin Vallesteros, released his first LP Idle Labor. It wasn’t album of the year material, but still had a lot of notable washed-out anthems like “After the Moment” and “You Should Close the Door”. The new single from Gallery, “Still Left With Me”, follows suit with blissed-out guitars and synths galore. Gallery is due out May 15 on Captured Tracks.
7. Here We Go Magic - A Different Ship
I had always heard of Here We Go Magic, but never actually got around to listening to them. I actually listened to lead singer Luke Temple’s self-recorded collection, Don’t Act Like You Don’t Care, released last year, before I heard anything from the band he is known for. I found that the two styles are very, very different, both in great ways. Temple’s solo music is more serene, and predominantly acoustic, while HWGM dabbles in the realm of electro-pop. After listening to the dazzling “Make Up Your Mind” and finding out that their latest release, A Different Ship, was produced by none other that Nigel Godrich of Radiohead fame, I must say, I am thrilled about this release, which is due out May 8 (tomorrow) via Secretly Canadian.
6. Lower Dens - Nootropics
Batlimore synth-rockers,
Lower Dens’ new release
Nootropics also came out on the first of the month. And while I’ve mentioned I’m a little late than I normally am with this list, I have to tell you, I still haven’t gotten around to listening to this album in-full yet. I’ve only heard the track “Brains,” a crisp little ditty that is gently entrancing in all of it’s basket-woven facets of vocals, drums, and synth. Have a listen below:
I have to admit, Fleet Foxes’ success with Helplessness Blues last year really makes me want to propel Fear Fun to the number one spot on this list, but I can’t in good conscience do that. First off, I feel there are a few more releases that are much more anticipated, and I’m also a few days late. The album has already come out (May 1) and I feel like I would have been cheating putting it where it doesn’t belong. Don't get me wrong, J. Tillman has produced an intriguing collection of songs here, which you can listen to below. Also, check out buffaBLOG's review of Fear Fun for more details.
4. Best Coast - The Only Place
With, “We were born with sun in our teeth and in our hair,” as the opening line of Best Coast’s new track “The Only Place”, off their new album Crazy For You, there is little doubt that this won’t be a summertime favorite. The song is essentially an ode to the west coast, a theme that Best Coast has embarked on before. The record’s due out May 15 via Mexican Summer. You can stream the full album over at NPR now.
Just last week we got some awesome news. The Walkmen decided they'd move up the release of their latest effort, Heaven, from june 5 to May 29. Sure it’s just a week, but the sooner the better! The latest track from the album, “Heartbreaker” sounds great, wrought in classic Walkmen fashion with the catchiest lyrics and retro guitars a-blaze.
Sigur Rós are back with some new digs since their last full-length, 2008’s Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust. Ever since the icelandic rock group announced they were going on a short hiatus, there were also many rumors that they were in and out of the studio as well. They released a double CD live album in November called Inni, and announced the release of a new record in Spring 2012. Members of the band have hinted that the new album "Promises to be as exceptional as the best of the band's catalog,” and that it is a lot more “floaty and minimal.” It’s hard to argue with this commentary in light of the hushed, ambient track “Ekki Múkk”. Valtari is out May 28 and can be pre-ordered on the band's website.
The most talked about dream-pop duo in the game, Beach House, are back with their fourth studio album, appropriately titled Bloom, which will be out via Sub Pop on May 15. 2010’s Teen Dream saw much critical acclaim and was hands down the band’s best yet. Their latest single off of Bloom is called “Myth” and has just as much of the drowsy guitar and echoed vocals that we’ve come to expect from the Baltimore duo. A track list of Bloom is available on the band's website.
Memoryhouse. This mixed media dreamwave act from Toronto faced a different problem: having to follow up an ethereal and magnificent 5 song EP with a more substantial debut LP. The results was , which featured Denise Nouvion and Evan Abeele broadening their sound with a few uptempo songs that retained the dreamy haze that made The Years so enjoyable. I also enjoyed their show at Soundlab last October, a swell evening of tastefully curated visuals and potent yet very dreamy dream pop. I still think they're a band to watch.
Beach House. After the release of their fourth album Bloom in May, the world is Beach House's oyster. Indeed for my part, their dream pop is the best: a perfect melange of tight songwriting, Alex Scale's Lindsey Buckinghamesque guitar virtuosity, and Victoria Legrand's ethereal yet dynamic vocals and organ. Beach House burst onto my radar in 2010 with Teen Dream, an album whose magic I thought they couldn't possibly recapture, but on Bloom, not only did Beach House recapture that magic, they expanded on it. It should also be said that Beach House is magnificent live. The world IS Beach House's oyster, and deservedly and justifiably so.
