Over the weekend, electronic noisemakers (and possible wizards), Sparklebomb and YesYes released a collaborative single to mark YesYes' departure from the city. "Our Blood is Made of Eagle$" is a short burst of amazing ideas, a wonderful cacophony barely contained by a droning beat. Garbled tape samples of vocals (possibly from Sparklebomb's enviable archive of lost phone calls) intersperse, gradually building in intensity until the track ends in a crash while also somehow vaguely reminding me of the disappointment I feel whenever I lose a game of Missle Command. Early 2014 looks to be a busy time for Sparklebomb as she recently announced the completion of her upcoming debut cassette. Funeral Beats. Stay tuned!

On Tuesday, Austin's The Impossibles released new material for the first time in twelve years. Let me repeat that. On Tuesday, Austin's The Impossibles released new material for the first time in twelve years. This was a momentous occasion in the Moretti household, where I spent the evening downing Lone Stars, imitating Jack Topht's signature shoulder bounce, and playing air guitar to seven minutes worth of material in my customized Impossibles softball jersey. You see, this band molded my teenage years. The Impossibles weaned me off of my Blink-182 obsession and immediately became my comforting companion to numerous breakups, breakdowns, road trips, and overall good times of growing up. 

Without being overtly sentimental, "Come Back," combines the formula of past Impossibles releases, with upstroke ska verses a la Anthology, the crescendos and choruses of Return, and finally the anthemic aura of 4 Song Brick Bomb. Singer Gabe Hascall's vocals are just as sweet and sincere as they were in 1999, Rory's powerful delivery of the chorus is spot-on, and Craig's bass lines have gotten better with age, like a fine wine. 

Rory, Gabe, and Craig- I've missed you. Thank you forever for the come back. 

     

When Broken Bells, the duo of Shins frontman James Mercer and mega-producer Brian Burton aka Danger Mouse, debuted a couple years back, the results were a good, but not great collection of spacey pop music. Despite the Shins returning with a very good come back album in 2012, the pair maintained that Broken Bells was not a one off project and further releases would come down the line. Well, Mercer and Burton are back with a new album, After the Disco, and today, released the sophomore album's first single "Holding On For Life." The duo has maintained their space synth sound, but has injected some serious falsettos of Bee Gees proportions into the new tune. Listen to the track below. After the Disco will be released on January 14th.
 

Last April, between Okkervil River album releases, front man Will Sheff debuted Lovestreams, a sort of bedroom side project of the literate songwriter that allowed him to dabble with less organic instrumentation. The project allowed Sheff to take those wonderful synths that were sprinkled over the nostalgia heavy The Silver Gymnasium (an ode to Sheff's New Hampshire hometown), and go in a very different direction than what fans of the band have come to expect over 7 studio albums. 

Given the Lovestreams remix treatment, "Stay Young," the latest single from the new album, is now a shimmering, arena ready pop song, sounding like something that could easily fit in a Phil Collins set list. Distant and echoing vocals, drum machines, and saxophones, which may or may not have been stolen from "Pseudio," result in something that is heavy in its cheese factor, but so was most of the 80s. Enjoy.

A message from Sydney, Australia made its way into my inbox this morning, signed Love Reece and Russ. Reece Cooper and Russell Smith make up Bon Chat, Bon Rat, an indie-electronic duo with a new single titled after their upcoming EP Burning Palms, named after a beach in southern Sydney. The release has only been active for seventeen hours, but already has 143 plays.

Nothing assaulting can be attributed to the single "Burning Palms;" a few elements include the clanking of water glasses, a booming and slightly ominous bass line, a steady drum beat, and ghostly choral chants. The feeling of the song is slow and sorrowful. Burning Palms tells, briefly, of the experience both members had leaving their parents' nest at an early age.

Cooper explains, "Originally it was about leaving home at a young age and disregarding your parents love and trust. This idea was paralleled by the idea of human kind, perhaps, being in a similar situation with Mother Nature."

The single, Cooper and Smith feel, expresses the struggle of the "dichotomy between analogue and digital", something they are exploring in their newest project.

Lost in all of this Reflecktor hype is that 2013 still has another much anticipated release, at least for this writer, in Cut Copy's Free Your Mind. The band has been building some hype of their own after dropping the great title track, in addition to a handful of interesting remixes which includes one from J Spaceman himself. On the album's latest single, "We Are Explorers," the Australian synth poppers continue to dabble in their much welcomed Madchester influences as they mix tribal beats with spacey effects, vintage psychedelia, and naturally, massive synths. Free Your Mind, the follow up to 2011's Zonoscope, will be released on Nov 5th.

Matthew Houck, better known as alt-country singer/songwriter Phosphorescent, recently submitted a fragile, stripped down cover of Vampire Weekend's "Yah Hey," over Cal State radio. While not the most obvious choice at first glance, given the similar religious themes that hang heavily over both acts most recent albums(Muchacho and Modern Vampires of the City, respectively), and not too mention Houck and VW frontman Ezra Koenig don't sound all that different from each other, I think the selection works perfectly. The bare bones cover (just a man and his guitar) can be heard below.

After dropping the lovely, 80's soft rock influenced Kaputt in 2011, the natural thing for Dan Bejar's Destroyer to do would be to release an all Spanish sung EP right? Well, not exactly. But Five Spanish Songs, which is set to drop later this month, seems to work, at least judging by the first single "El Rito." God knows what they are saying (I took French in high school!), but the retro power pop riffs and cheery tambourine are exactly what I was in the mood for on this deary Buffalo Monday. Fans of the Spanish language, the New Pornographers (one of Bejar's many bands), and even Sloan should be all over this. Five Spanish Songs will be released on November 29th.

I rarely write about remixes so leave it to Wisconsin experimentalists, Collections of Colonies of Bees, one half of the Justin Vernon led Volcano Choir, to give me a remix I actually like. Well, maybe remix is not the right word for this, but rather retelling. The triumphant "Comrade," the current single off of the group's steller Repave, is stripped away of Vernon's vocals, letting the instrumentals settle into a driving, prog rock groove until an aggressive coda takes the song to equally gripping heights of the original. The new take is part of a collection of remixes for the song, naturally titled Comrade Remix EP. You can download all four tracks via Soundcloud.

Rarely does one think of CEOs when they think of musical inspiration. No offense "International Business Community" but you guys don't have a reputation for being a group ripe with artistic material beyond complaining about your less than scrupulous habits. With that in mind, today's song from Thundercat is a bit of surprise, a tribute to the recently deceased former Nintendo CEO Hiroshi, Yamauchi.

And yet, this tribute is not as surprising as it first may seem when you realize that Yamauchi took Nintendo from a simple playing card manufacturer to the massive video game company it is today. And, if we have finally begun to recognize games for their creativity and artistic merit (which we should be doing because they are one of the largest examples of what Keat's called "negative capability," or the ability for a person to imagine a world seemingly ex nihlo (from nothing) that we can point to) then Yamauchi's business leadership is commendable and maybe even a little visionary (during his tenure the company published Super Mario, Legend of Zelda, Metroid, etc. etc.). So, why not?

Thundercat's tribute is in the spirit of the time of the 8-Bit era, which I should also point to as producing some incredibly catchy and worthwhile songs as well. "Bowzer's Ballad" is a stirring chip tune with all the grandiosity of a video game loading screen (I mean that sincerely, I get goosebumps the minute someone fires up a Legend of Zelda cartridge in my proximity).

Rest in peace Mr. Yamauchi, hopefully you are comfortable in that Princess's Castle in the Sky (don't worry, she isn't in another castle either. Man, that Toad can be a jerk).

Having already released one of my favorite albums of 2013, the rustic New Moon, The Men are prepping an acoustic companion EP titled Campire Songs. Featuring stripped down cuts of select tracks from New Moon, the EP also contains a new song, the Kurt Vile-esque "Turn Your Color." Backed by a soothing drone and contemplative acoustic strumming, this beauty of a tune is another great change a pace for the band, who continue to move away from the aggressive garage territory of their early recordings. Campfire Songs will be released on October 15th.

Coming off their career's best release, 2012's Shields, Grizzly Bear will be releasing an expanded edition of said album, along with a second accompanying record, Shields B-Sides, of outtakes, remixes, and one very good unreleased demo. That demo, the Ed Droste led "Will Call (Marfa Demo)," begins as an atmospheric, downtempo number with minimal percussion until a frantic and driving breakdown comes out of nowhere. As with most of Shields, Daniel Rossen and Christopher Bear's signature guitar and drum work really shines through. Shields B-Sides will be released on November 12th.

So The Killers are releasing a greatest hits album, Direct Hits, next month. I remember when I worked for my college radio station (WSUC or W-Suck as some cleverly referred it) at SUNY Cortland and had to review the single, "Somebody Told Me," for our rotation deck. I enjoyed the track well enough I guess, but never thought at the time that the band would go on to become one of the biggest acts in the world. Yet, here we are today, and while it seems a bit early in their career to be releasing a best-of (I mean I wasn't in college THAT long ago) the band does have a long list of hits (check out the track listing here). I can't stay I blame them.

The best-of features a brand new single. After all, why else would you buy an album full of songs you already have. The song, titled "Shot At The Night," has something pretty interesting going for it, and that would be that it was produced by none other than M83. In what is perhaps the least surprising move in music released this year, the song is HUGE soundwise, shooting for the stars huge. Never being much of a fan I am thankful that the massive power ballad sounds more like Brandon Flowers fronting M83 than a straight up Killers song. Even the title sounds like something M83 thought of. It's so over the top, but I love it. I think.

Direct Hits will be released on November 12th.

With the recent disco rival and strong year for dance pop led by releases from Daft Punk, Holy Ghost!, and Empire of the Sun, I was happy to see that Chromeo is prepping the release of a new album, titled White Women, in the near future. After recently revisiting the duo's Business Casual album last week, I forgot how much fun that album was. The fun continues on their new single, "Over Your Shoulder," as the group returns with a mid tempo jam of soulful falsettos and groovy, funk riffs. They certainly don't reinvent the wheel on this one, but why complain when the outcome is that smooth. White Women's release is TBA.   

Normally, we try to post songs right as they get released. Now, this worked well during the summer when everyone seemed to be putting things out at a trickle; however, summer is quickly careening to a halt. Mac and I looked around this week and noticed that everything was suddenly coming at a rapid clip. Actually, Mac looked me dead in the eye, pointed a gun right between my eyes and told me to go make a multiple song edition of Listener's Digest. There is no way we can keep up with the sheer bulk of new and worthwhile songs. So, being the selfless man I am (please don't ask my friends to confirm this) decided to round up some new stuff for your thursday. Also, Mac has gotten a bit extreme with his editorial coaxing.

Glasser - "Design:" A jittery synth pop song from Glasser's upcoming album,  set to be released on October 8. The video features Glasser, aka Cameron Messirow, anxiously dancing around a sparse room (tastefully furnished), her movements focused around a shifting computer animated object on a pedestool. The whole thing comes off as a racey video directed by a young Frasier Crane. The song is great though, it is pop music for the terminally anxious and uptight.




Jacco Gardner - "The End of August:" Gardner, a Dutch baroque pop musician, seems to be working from a playbook for songs I will gravitate towards. A spacey 60s' inflected song, "The End of August" capitalizes on the weirdness that permeates the air during the end of summer. It is a mix of melancholy and strangeness that I have trouble resisting. "The End of August" is the title track to a recently released 7'.



Blood Orange - "Chamakay:" Dev Hynes, aka Blood Orange, might be a time traveler. How else can I fully explain how pitch perfect 90s' this new video for "Chamakay" is. Look at it, this was made in 1995 and remained unreleased until this week, I am sure of it. Anyway, the video features Hynes going back to his mother's hometown of Georgetown, Guyana and meeting many family members for the first time.  Hynes dances in random places and generally employs 90s' dance moves throughout. The song, a haunting R&B song, features Chairlift lead singer, Caroline Polacheck on backing vocals.

After the much buzzed about bringing on board of producer James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem) and some sneaky viral marketing, the title track to Arcade Fire's 4th LP, Reflektor, finally arrived this afternoon. Since the band's The Suburbs triumphantly won Album of the Year at the Grammys a few years ago, something Barbara Streisand seemed a bit confused about, the band's follow up has been eagerly anticipated. So after all of those Instagram clues have settled, what about the actual song? Was it worth all of this hype?

The answer is pretty much yes. In "Reflektor," Arcade Fire has released its most danceable song since "Sprawl II." While not as immediate as "Sprawl II," the new dark single (this is still Arcade Fire you know) moves at a meticulously tense pace, fleshing out over nearly 8 mins with horns, nervy synths, and even a David Bowie cameo(!). This isn't a barn burning LCD Soundsystem-esque jam, but James Murphy's influence is certainly felt as the song settles into an infectious groove, with bouncy pianos and shimmering ambiance adding just the right touches to a song that owes as much to Holy Fuck and !!! than to those Talking Heads' nods the band mentioned last week.

Watch the Anton Corbijn directed clip below, and the check out its incredible interactive video here. Reflektor will be released on October 29th.

"Against a Wall" is the latest from rising producer/artist Ryan Hemsworth. Taken from his upcoming album, the single quickly demonstrates why Hemsworth has been gaining increased recognition over the last year. "Against the Wall" mixes fluid, cascading beats with wistful vocals by Lofty305. Hemsworth's production lends the track an addicting and flawless groove (I have listened to it nonstop since hearing it earlier this morning). The full length, Guilt Trips, will be out on October 22nd, further proof that an abysmally dull summer for new music is giving way to an exciting autumn.

I wasn't the biggest fan of TV on the Radio's album-less single, "Mercy," when it was first released. It's not that it was awful, it just was. The song lacked any of the unique characteristics that make the Brooklyn art rock band so dynamic. This morning, the band released another stand alone track, this one going by the name of "Million Miles." Now this, this I like. The lush, mid tempo track recalls the beauty the band unveiled on their last album, Nine Types of Light. I have said this before and I will say it again: No one does falsettos like this band, not to mention the always perfect touches of horns. You can listen and watch the song's accompanying video below.

Trent Reznor, poster boy for industrial angst, has survived and tried everything. The shocker is that he sounds pretty damn happy about it.

A while back Mr. Reznor swore that he was going to resurrect the dead, NIN branded horse by kicking it repeatedly. He also promised to reinvent and re-imagine Nails, which gave hope to fans that were tired of the band's previous direction.

Then NIN released "Came Back Haunted," which (to some) tasted like the same stale cracker. It involved a spastic music video directed by renowned filmmaker David Lynch. Watching the video guaranteed you a grinding headache, and not in the typical Lynchian way.

As of August 19th, NIN has thrown another new song into the groins of diehard Nails fans everywhere. The song is titled "Everything," and it's catchier than the flu. You'll hear it on the radio a lot, and it's more refreshing than "Came Back Haunted."

Why? Give it a listen. The musical backbone is similar to recent Nails. It has the right amount of fuzz, electronic pulse, and a decent beat. What makes it different are Reznor's vocals and lyrics.

He sounds euphoric as hell. The song is drenched with nostalgic value. He tells the listener flat out, "I've become something else. Just as well." Just as well indeed. The song has been mislabeled by some press as 'pop punk,' purely because it's a Nails song you wouldn't want to listen to while beating your head into silly putty.

Fans that expect Reznor to be perpetually shrouded in darkness and instrument smashing rage should listen to "The Downward Spiral" on repeat and rock back and forth in the corner of their basement.

A lot of musicians get shit for doing the same thing ad nausea (See the beginning of this piece.)  What Mr. Reznor is doing is attempting to further his growth as an artist. He can't always scream about broken hearts and heroin addiction, especially since he's a squeaky clean family man now.

Let him have his peace. He's screamed enough for it.