Iggy and the Stooges - Ready to Die [Fat Possum] 4/30
10. Iron & Wine - Ghost on Ghost
Ive heard a lot from the Iron & Wine naysayers as of late. Sure, I was among those thinking they hit their stride in the mid to late '00s, that is, until I saw Sam Beam and his ten-piece ensemble perform at Town Ballroom back in the spring of 2011 in support of their excellent fourth studio record Kiss Each Other Clean. The album went largely understated, even as Beam expanded his instrumental output, taking stylistic risks, but meeting every expectation I had, and then some. Concerning the new album, Beam says that he’s gotten rid of some of the “anxious tension” in his songwriting and that the new record “felt like a reward to myself after the way I went about making the last few.” The first cut from the record “Lovers’ Revolution” certainly sounds like nothing we’ve heard from the songwriter before, as it relies heavily on a broader range of jazz-tinged instruments. This is something that could really come to life in a live setting. Listen to the track below.
9. Young Galaxy - Ultramarine
Synths are getting old...again. We've heard our fair share of mediocre synth-pop bands in the past five years or so, and the last thing we need is another drop in the bucket, right? And yet, somehow Canadian synth-rockers Young Galaxy have their own unique stylings to add to the pool. Their third single off the forthcoming Ultramarine record, "New Sumer," offers withering synth textures, and while it employs a pretty simple melody, there is a certain directness that becomes widely appealing about the song; it's truly a summer anthem that grows catchier and warmer with each new listen. Check out "New Summer" below and look for Ultramarine to hit stores on April 23.
8. IO Echo - Ministry of Love
Coming off a robust string of shows at SXSW, and after having released their self-titled debut EP last year, LA shoegazers IO Echo will release their debut LP Ministry of Love today via IAMSOUND. If you stream the record over at the Pitchfork Advance platform, you’ll notice the album has a lot of weight to it with lead singer Ioanna Gika dishing out some powerful vocals over feathery synth and percussion splashes. Listen to "When The Lilies Die" below.
7. Rilo Kiley - rkives
The video for Rilo Kiley's latest track "Let Me Back In" off their new compilation of rarities rkives, is a special ode to LA. The video is soaked in nostalgia and strikingly pleasant, featuring old road footage from past shows. No, this isn't technically new material, but for those die-hard Rilo Kiley fans out there this is the first unheard music from the band in six years, and that's something to be excited about, especially when the first cut off the record sounds like it does. rkives is out today. Watch the video for "Let Me Back In" below.
6. Merchandise - Totale Nite LP
Tampa DIY indie-rockers Merchandise have slowly been boiling out of obscurity since they formed in 2008, and recently just broke ground with their well-received LP Children of Desire released by the modest Katorga Works label back in July. Announcing their forthcoming album Totale Night (out April 8) earlier this year, the group dropped a pretty excellent single with “Anxiety’s Door,” a upbeat post-punk anthem. Listen to the track below.
5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Mosquito
When I first saw the album artwork for Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ new album Mosquito, it was a classic case of judging a book by its cover. Holy shit is that artwork bad. I ignorantly decided for an instant that Yeah Yeah Yeahs were no more, until I heard the wonderful first track off the record “Sacrilege.” Karen O’s vocals are soulful and build with an unfurling choir of singers and as she repeats the title over and over. As the track bustled in its sonic irony, I forgot all about how terrible the artwork is. The album comes out April 16. As for me, I’ll be picking up the record via iTunes, ‘cause there’s no way I’ll be able to physically take that record off my shelf and expose it to my delicate pupils. Listen to "Sacrilege" below.
4. The Flaming Lips - The Terror
I had the opportunity to see The Flaming Lips a few weeks ago play a packed show at SXSW, but I have to admit, it was not at all the amazing performance that I was expecting. When frontman Wayne Coyne first came out on stage decked-out in a strange outfit that featured tubes of light and a baby doll strapped to his chest, I was pretty stoked, until he mentioned to the thousand’s attending the show at Austin’s Auditorium Shores that he would be playing all new songs from the forthcoming record The Terror. I don’t know what it is about shows where a band plays only material nobody has heard yet, but they tend to be pretty underwhelming in my experience, especially when they’re of the experimental, hard-to-translate-live, brand of music that The Flaming Lips have been going for lately. While the show wasn’t exactly stellar, it was mostly interesting for its weirdness, and for the fact that it seems that Coyne’s songwriting is only getting trippier, which is good, right? The Terror is out on April 16 in the US via Warner Bros. Records.
3. James Blake - Overgrown
James Blake captivated us back in 2011 with his excellent debut self-titled LP, and with his forthcoming record Overgrown set for release on April 9, it’s hard to know what to expect for the UK musician. And while 2011’s Enough Thunder EP provided some highlights with a collaborative track with Bon Iver entitled “Fall Creek Boys” and a truly gorgeous cover of Joni Mitchell’s perennial “A Case of You”, other tracks proved to be more unimpressive with a closer focus on a more downtempo, minimalist approach. However, Blake’s latest single, the soulful “Retrograde”, shines brightly though the clouds, and provides enough hope that his sophomore full-length will be worth our while. Watch the video for "Retrograde" below.
