Cold War Kids, definitely one of the better bands and band names of recent years, will be releasing their sophomore album Loyalty to Loyalty on September 23. Fans and fans-to-be should definitely check out their website, which is chock full of new videos and music. They’ve made a low quality version of the song “Something Is Not Right With Me” from the new album available for download on their homepage, check it out below:
Has anyone been feeling a particular lack of sweet summer tunes this season? Quite a letdown after I spent months last year with Miracle Fortress‘ “Five Roses” on repeat, and 2006 was a tie with Phoenix’s “It’s Never Been Like That” and “Puzzles Like You” by Mojave 3. Maybe it’s just me living in relative isolation from pop music and hipster culture, but I’m not feeling any particular surge of interest toward one artist.
Since it’s not looking like I’m going to find my summer musical blockbuster analogous to The Dark Knight, I’ve taken to sampling artists fervently and settling quickly one a decent song or two. It’s not the love affair I would like, but it’s a love-’em-and-leave-’em world sometimes. Here’s a few decent tracks:
She & Him - Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?
I hemmed and hawed about this track back when it was available as a live video, and I finally decided I like it. You got me, Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward. Well, M. Ward had me at End of Amnesia….
I find this album is a bit hollow and fluffy (as Nigel would say from So You Think You Can Dance, “like cotton candy: sweet, but no substance”), but this track is slick. Yes, I quoted SYTYCD. And yes, I just used the acronym. Wanna fight?
Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - Buriedfed
Now, this CD with the extended moniker holds some potential for me. Soulful, dense, unique, lovely. Check his myspace.
Mates of State have always been my favourite two piece. They’ve done a lot with just an organ and some drums. None of their records have sounded too much like the last, they’ve always kept it fresh. On their new album, Re-Arrange Us, they decide to throw some more instruments to the mix.
Out is the organ, and in comes a grand piano, and synthesizers. They flesh out their sound with strings and guitars, and even some guest backup singers. On their first couple of records, I always felt their singing felt very DIY, but their harmonies were so perfect and charming it didn’t matter. But on this album Kori’s voice has never sounded better.
All the aspects that make me love Mates of State are still there, the back and forth singing, the harmonies, and that charm that just radiates through them. This album sounds like Mates of State growing up. With 2 kids now, I guess they kinda are. Or they’re just getting better. Get Better! yeah…
The Stills’ 3rd album, Oceans Will Rise, is on its way this August, and the first single, ‘Being Here,’ has made its way onto the interweb. After Dave Hamelin assumed the majority of vocal duties on Without Feathers, it’s refreshing to hear Tim Fletcher’s voice taking centre stage again. Hopefully that trend continues on the new album. Though Without Feathers grew on me somewhat, it still doesn’t hold a candle to Logic Will Break Your Heart. The song harkens back to those days with the soaring guitars and whatnot. I like this.
These fuckin Apple ads are infectious. They haven’t changed up the way they’ve marketed the iPod in like 5 years, yet everytime I see those white headphones on those colorful backgrounds, I know I’m about to see some sweet Indie-kid dance moves set to some song that I haven’t heard yet, that I’m going to love soon. Case and point:
You have no idea how badly I want to be the chick in the fedora.
The song comes courtesy of The Ting Tings, a British electro/indie-pop duo which formed in 2006. They’re about to release their debut LP (We Started Nothing) next week, and so far I’ve heard three tracks which I spend half my days dancing to in my living room.
Here’s some tracks from the LP and one remix that I’m enjoying:
Forgive me hipsters, indie scenesters and other high-brow readers of the blog. I’m about to commit a cardinal sin of the underground blogosphere - I’m about to blog about … Coldplay.
I wouldn’t typically, but I’m a huge fan of their new song Violet Hill, and have been listening to it on repeat for the last 28 hours (when it was posted on the band’s site for free download, Radiohead styles, for a week only).
As always, Chris Martin’s lyrics are a combination of poetic, meaningful, meaningless and singalongy:
Clearly I remember
From the windows they were watching
While we froze down below
When the future’s architectured
By a carnival of idiots on show
You’d better lie low
If you love me
Won’t you let me know?
The song, like the rest of the band’s upcoming album, was produced by legend Brian Eno, who has time and time again been enlisted by bands, like U2, to change their sounds and styles. Violet Hill is definitely somewhat of a departure from Coldplay’s typical style, and it kind of excites me for their upcoming album (Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends) due June 17th.
Since being posted 24hours ago, the song has been downloaded 600,000 times, and Last.fm has pointed out that the Coldpay figures are a record, exceeding even the most popular track from the Radiohead album that was streamed for free back in October. That notched up 22,000 listens in 12 hours. Ok - that’s all I’ll say about Coldplay - promise.
Nada Surf make perfect pop songs. And they’re really great songs too. I’m always surprised that they aren’t bigger than they are.
They hit huge in ‘96 with their massive single “Popular”, than they were dumped by their major label. 7 years later they came out with Let Go and have been working their way back up in the indie music scene.
Their new album Lucky is my new soundtrack for this summer. Each song just bounces with catchy hooks and pretty interesting turns. It’s very easy to listen to, but has enough depth to keep bringing you back, not revealing everything at first listen. The album’s center track, “Are You Lightning?” is one of my favorite love songs written in the past few years.
I also got the chance to go see them a few weeks ago at the beautiful Opera House. First thing i noticed was the much older crowd. I’m guessing most of them have been following them since 1996… I even spotted a couple of The Barenaked Ladies in the crowd. But anyways, it was a pretty solid show, of almost 2 hours of pop rock perfection.
Have a listen, and pick their music!
http://www.barsuk.com/shop/nadasurf
Anyone who knows my music taste (or has heard me talk non-stop about what I’m into) knows that I love The Lodger. Love. Their first album Grown-Ups was to me the best album of 2007. It’s perfect guitar pop for anyone who’s ever wondered if “this is what life is all about” while listening to “Wan Light” by Orange Juice.
But sometimes I never want a sophomore album to come out because it just diminishes my holy view of a debut. I don’t know if Life Is Sweet, The Lodger’s second album due out May 19, will be as perfect as its predecessor, but the first single “The Good Old Days” has got me excited. It’s being released by Bad Sneakers Records, home to the equally excellent Wild Beasts, whose debut album is sure to be overplayed on my stereo when it finally comes out. But back to the good old days. Imagine if the Mystery Jets tried to record a Saint Etienne song. Nuff said.
College campus heroes Ra Ra Riot and Vampire Weekend have been buddies for years. Ra Ra spent 06 and 07 opening for the Editors, Art Brut and Tokyo Police Club. The release of their debut LP got delayed after their drummer, JR Pike, died last year. His untimely death inspired the song “Dying is Fine,” which is probably the band’s most interesting song yet. Vampire Weekend on the other hand has been all over the place this year, including here. Both bands are typically categorized as “Indie Rock/Pop”, although I’m going to have to check with Sabrina to make sure they’re not Lo-Fi Math Rock with a hint of Twee. Given this, it came as a surprise to me to hear the sound and style of the new project “Discovery”.
Rostam Batmanglij (the brains behind the VW sound) went to his buddy Wes Miles (lead singer of Ra Ra) and told him that he wanted to make an EP that sounded like a collaboration between The Album Leaf and T-Pain. The baby of this collabo is the “Discovery EP” which can be heard on the pair’s Myspace page. Rostam has Wes singing through an auto-toner on one song, uses fatter synths than DJ Toomp laid down on Kanye’s Flashing Lights on another track, while dropping poppy romantic lyrics like “Oh baby baby baby babe, how long am I supposed to wait, I think about you nightly, can you tell I’m nervous every time you speak?” over sweet sweet electro-pop beats.
The three track EP is sweeet and features three songs that I can’t download anywhere. So head over to their Myspace page and enjoy:
To go along with the rest of the blogosphere, here is a track from Islands’ forthcoming Arm’s Way. Islands really turned me off a few years back when they played a show here in London. Perhaps it was Nick Diamonds/Thorburn/ Whatever-he’s-calling-himself-these-days being aloof, a bit of an ass, and the general lack of staying power of Return to the Sea that irked me, but I’m really feeling this new song. A darker turn from the previous sugary pop, more Humans than Rough Gem (which they’ve apparently disowned), Creeper somehow manages to be the catchiest song about a stalker I can remember.
