This has it's benefits. Occasionally I log onto the new releases section of Amazon or iTunes and it's like floating in an uncanny world of never-before-seen cover art. It's like traveling through time to the future and seeing what new albums famous bands have made. (Although one could make the point that living through the present is always a bit like traveling to the future.)
For some reason, the best albums by a given band always seem to have come out before I was a fan. New releases by a band I like tend to let me down; maybe this has to due with high expectations, or maybe I tend to prefer a band's early material. Let's focus on the positive, though, because this article is about new releases by artists I like.
I haven't heard most of this music yet, so I can't really vouch for it. I will, however, predict whether I think the album will be good based on listening to 20 second sound clips. If it seems like this article was compiled by quickly skimming a couple key music blogs, record store websites, and bookmarked myspace profiles, it's because that's exactly what I did. To be fair, this isn't your average new releases list, because it focuses on my own tastes, and I've included a lot of sweet shit that isn't often talked about.
Oh yeah, and if some of this is old news, it's just because I'm a bit old-fashioned.
New releases discussed by a normally oblivious fan
I'll begin with the most surprising tidbit I found: David Byrne has made an album with Fatboy Slim featuring a bunch of musical guests. How'd this happen? Who knows! I feel like I'm living in a bizarro world. Actually, the more I think about, it makes perfect sense that the creator of "Funk Soul Brother" should team up with the creator of "Making Flippy Floppy."
The collaboration is called Here Lies Love. Guests include Sia, Santogold, and a host of others. Is it any good? Probably. One can listen to clips of the whole album on David Byrne's website. I favored the track that featured vocals by Byrne himself, and the one with Natalie Merchant (note to self: acquire more music by 10,000 Maniacs).
I was delighted to discover that personal favorite I Am Robot and Proud has a new album of remixes from his awesome 2008 album Uphill City. I know remix albums tend to include a bunch of filler designed to cash in, but IARaP is kind of a master of the creative remix, infusing the original song with his own sense of rhythm and melody.
Furthermore, I know from previous collabs that IARaP tends to consort with other innovative musicians, and I get the feeling Robot brought in an assortment of his pals for this disc. That being said, I'll still probably only buy the 1st and last tracks off the album at $0.99 each (the ones done by I Am Robot himself) and run. These 2 tracks sound the strongest based on the clips (they sound pretty sick nasty, actually) and I just don't think I'd listen to a full remix album as much as I would Robot's original material.
Here's 401k Circuit by I Am Robot and Proud, off Uphill City (2008):
The National has announced a new album. I haven't heard a damn thing from it yet. Based on the cover, I have a feeling it will have a more cuddly indie sound with dreamy Broken Social Scene-esque atmospheres. That's precisely how I don't want The National to sound, so I'm hoping I'm wrong and that they're back with more moody, slow burning rock best-suited for dim bars and intimate clubs.
The band Braid has had all their albums re-issued on CD and Vinyl. This means it's the perfect time to start listening to Braid, something most people never did, and probably never will. I can't claim to be a fan, but have always found something tempting about their melodic brand of post-hardcore. I might check one of these albums out in some form. Much more my style is:
We Are Scientists. A band I love, for some reason. Probably because they can do no wrong in the field of technically proficient dance-rock with amusing lyrics and catchy hooks.
I might even buy this new digital single featuring 2 new tracks for $1.99. We Are Scientists are such masters of the over-the-top pop tune that they can release a measly 2 songs after 2 years of inactivity and I'll consider it a cataclysmic event.
I wanted to see if the relaxing electronic duo Freescha have any new releases either available or planned, because they haven't done anything since 2006's Head Warlock Double Stare which hit the spot, musically.
You can see what I mean in this YouTube video for 'Moving.'
It turns out they do have an album planned for 2010, with not much info available. Perusing their record label's site, I discovered that they released a rarities collection in 2007. It's called Freeschaland.
I haven't heard it, but I have no reason to assume it's bad, as Freescha has been solid from the get-go. Not that it matters. I'd forgive Freescha of nearly anything because their album covers are so nice.
While on the website for Attack Nine, Freescha's label, I discovered this crazy anomaly by Casino Versus Japan.
CVJ has apparently given their upcoming album "Night On Tape" the star treatment with a Limited Deluxe Edition. Featuring 2 colored LPs, a CD, a T-Shirt, Buttons, an embroidered bag, and some other stuff, I don't know who the hell could afford this. I'd be curious to know the price, but the label hasn't listed it yet. I always thought Casino Versus Japan seemed cool, as they have a similar aesthetic to Freescha and Boards of Canada, but I was never that blown away by their music. However, they seem to have a cult following, so creating this deluxe package may prove a good move on their part.
Speaking of electronic music, I recently discovered that Midwest Product released a digital EP on Ghostly international back in 2006. I had previously believed they only released 2 solid albums and disappeared, so it's nice to know I have something new to check out by them when I get a chance.
Midwest Product were a live electronic trio (ie: a live drum kit, electric guitar, and synthesizers) that did everything right. Their songs are grooving and anthemic with lots of interesting parts. Here's a song from their first album, Specifics.
I logged onto the myspace of the band Dartz! to see if they randomly decided to reunite after their crushing break-up this Fall. No such luck. However, I did discover that, even after they announced they were disbanding, they went into the studio to record three new songs dubbed "The Sitting Room Sessions." This is proof that Dartz! knew they were so destined for greatness that they didn't even want to break up. Two of the tracks "Nylon" and "Dedalus" are available on their myspace (http://www.myspace.com/darts).
In my research, it came to my awareness that Kele from Bloc Party has a forthcoming solo album.
See that object he's holding? That indicates that this album will be bad. Okay, that's a bit pessimistic. I'll remain open-minded until I hear the music, as I wouldn't mind hearing some good pop music from Bloc Party's frontman. I generally like his vocals and lyrics. However, I've always found it perplexing that Bloc Party became so obsessed with electronics and drum machines almost to the point of becoming a techno group. They had some serious chops on their real instruments, and they seemed like just the rock band that was needed in 2005.
Here's another amusing find. Not music itself, but music related:
David Gedge, singer of the Wedding Present and generally cheeky lad, is a guest editor of Magnet Magazine. He has a feature called "The Thing The Wedding Present’s David Gedge Likes Best," in which he writes about things he enjoys, including food, music, tea kettles, and comics. Quite amusing. Granted, you probably have to be a fan of the Wedding Present to be interested in this, and even then it's a stretch.
LINK (scroll down a bit to find David Gedge's ramblings).
Another band I like with a new album is Magnetic Fields. I listened to one of the new songs and it made me wish I wasn't just listening to one of the new songs, but to all of the new songs. It sounded like this:
0 lyrics:
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