Yes, we've reached August. And while the summer is fleeting past, there's still plenty of time for new music to find it's way to your ear canals and then to any subsequent barbecues, frisbee golf tournaments, or Sunday afternoon naps. Let's face it though, this has already been such a substantial year for new music; I still find myself catching up on past releases. Just wait 'til December when we come out with our "Best of 2012" lists. It's going to be insanely difficult.
Niki and The Dove are Malin Dahlström and Gustav Karlöf of Stockholm, Sweden. The electro-pop duo, who formed in February 2010, were signed by Sub Pop late last year and have released their debut record, Instinct, today. The folks at Sub Pop have explained their sound as being “...full of magic and light but with an unsettling darkness hidden beneath the surface. It’s pop music but a world away from the production line aesthetics of much modern chart music.” There’s really no better way to describe these guys sonically, especially after listening to their track “Tomorrow” as it begins with Dahlström's brittle, cutting vocals and slowly builds to a spellbinding chorus via organ blips and a rustling electro-drum roll. You can watch the video for "Tomorrow" here, which consists of Dahlström flying through space, and landing on a distant planet that resembles earth.
9. Poor Moon - Poor Moon
Way back in March Poor Moon actually topped this list with their debut EP, Illusion. The 5 song EP was good, but didn’t exactly live up to the wild expectations I had for it, which were probably a little premature in the first place. So sorry Shins, you deserved that #1 spot... But in good fun I’m giving these guys another sporting chance, but certainly not a #1 spot. I think the reason Poor Moon gets and deserves my attention so much is because two of the members, Christian Wargo and Casey Wescott, did such an incredible job as members of Fleet Foxes, who released one of the best albums of 2011 with Helplessness Blues. And while Poor Moon doesn’t maintain every sly attribute of the afforementioned Foxes, they do grasp the wistful folk-factors in songs like “Anyplace” which stick to desperate harmonies and twangy telecasters. The self-titled LP is due out 8/27 via Sub Pop.
8. Teengirl Fantasy - Tracer
Ohio dream-pop duo Teengirl Fantasy who released their 2010 debut 7AM, are back with their sophomore effort Tracer, which will be out on August 21 via True Panther. A couple singles from the new record have been released including "End" which starts with harrowing keys and gives off similar effervescence as a Strawberry Jam era Animal Collective track. Listen to "End" here.
7. Jessie Ware - Devotion
Before releasing a strand of singles this past year including, “Running”, “110%” and “Wildest Moments”, Jessie Ware was known little more as a contributing backing voice on the futuristic London producer SBTRKT’s works. Ware herself might have been previously unaware of her songwriting and singing talents which bind sensuous melodies and seizing pop vocals into dazzling focus. Her songs are catchy and easy to dance to; they possess diva-esque attributes that tow the line of commercial, but intelligently so. Her debut album Devotion is out on 8/20 via PMR.
6. Anthony and The Johnsons - Cut The World
5. Matthew Dear - Beams
4. Dan Deacon - America
3. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Mature Themes
2. Yeasayer - Fragrant World
1. Wild Nothing - Nocturne
I admit it. I’m in love with the music of Wild Nothing, aka 22-year-old Virginia (no, not Brooklyn) native Jack Tatum’s hazed-out, Instagramized indie-rock jams. His 2010 debut full-length, Gemini, is up there (for me) as one of the best albums of the past 5 years. When tracks like “Summer Holiday” and “Chinatown” come blaring through car speakers on the ride to work, Tatum's freewheeling, reverb-loaded vocals and guitar buzz could make one forget all stressful obligations and play eternal hooky, driving 'cross endless senery. It’s no surprise that Tatum is back with more of the same stylings with the latest track, “Shadow,” exhibiting a similar lo-fi coo, but set amid a steady kick drum and sirens of droning guitar riffs. Wild Nothing is currently touring with a group that captures a very similar style, DIIV, who recently released their latest LP, Oshin, also via Captured Tracks. Nocturne is out Augiust 27. Find out how to get a free poster from the band and pre-order your copy here.
Ohio dream-pop duo Teengirl Fantasy who released their 2010 debut 7AM, are back with their sophomore effort Tracer, which will be out on August 21 via True Panther. A couple singles from the new record have been released including "End" which starts with harrowing keys and gives off similar effervescence as a Strawberry Jam era Animal Collective track. Listen to "End" here.
7. Jessie Ware - Devotion
Before releasing a strand of singles this past year including, “Running”, “110%” and “Wildest Moments”, Jessie Ware was known little more as a contributing backing voice on the futuristic London producer SBTRKT’s works. Ware herself might have been previously unaware of her songwriting and singing talents which bind sensuous melodies and seizing pop vocals into dazzling focus. Her songs are catchy and easy to dance to; they possess diva-esque attributes that tow the line of commercial, but intelligently so. Her debut album Devotion is out on 8/20 via PMR.
Chances are you’ve already read a review for Anthony and the Johnsons’ new record Cut the World, which was released today. This is either due to my lack of punctuality or the amount of music/media blogs you follow on Twitter. Either way, Cut The World looks to be an equisite piece of music-making. It's out now on Secretly Canadian.
When you listen to Matthew Dear’s latest track, “Her Fantasy” you relaize why his album is so faultlessly entitled Beams. Better yet, the music video might actually do the title more justice as you're melodically tripping-out over your morning coffee. This dude is seriously strange. And seriously, so very talented. His 2010 LP Black City was a critical success for all the same dark, fascinating reasons. You can pre-order it now over at Matthew Dear's website and expect it at your local record store on 8/27 via Ghostly International.
The jack-of-all-trades, composer and experimental electro-pop artist, Dan Deacon, is back with his latest and tenth LP, America, which will be released on Domino records on 8/28. The Baltimore musician has always had a knack for curating peculiar, uber-creative music, but what might be most compelling about Deacon is his ability to sync his music to video, so much that he even wrote the film score to Francis Ford Coppola’s Twixt. His latest track “True Thrush” presents a compelling music video where Deacon and members of Baltimore’s Wham City art collective, among other groups, play a drawing game similar to ‘telephone’, only using video. Read the introduction at the beginning of the video and you’ll see what I mean. Watch it here.
On 4AD’s website, the record label has described Ariel Pink’s new album as “Vomit on fine Italian marble. A jet-shot of beautiful glowing puke on something recently mopped and shined.” As disgusting as that sounds, could we expect anything less from an artist who notoriously plays his armpits? All grotesque images aside, Ariel Pink has proved his musicianship over and again, and is coming off his sensational 2010 release, Before Today, which was named to many end-of-year lists. Now Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti are back with more lo-fi lovin' with Mature Themes, which might be the group’s cachtiest yet, especially on the latest cuts, “Only In My Dreams” and “Baby”. The record is out 8/20.
Yeasayer has been making quite the stir at buffaBLOG as of late. Coming off a unanimously stunning performance at Town Ballroom, the Brooklyn four-piece is only increasing their kinetic energy, fuled by laser lights and wild, electro-world-music rythms as they ready their third studio collection, Frangrant World, out 8/20 via Secretly Canadian. While those who attended the show probably heard most of the 11 tracks from the latest LP, there is still time to pre-order the record for those of you who weren’t able to come out last week. Listen to the first cut off the record "Henrietta" here.
