New Releases: February 2016

Round-up of the most interesting new albums and singles of this month:

Albums

Is The Is Are

DIIV - Is The Is Are
ANIMAL COLLECTIVE - Painting With
SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS - SVIIB
WILD NOTHING - Life Of Pause
QUILT - Plaza
MASS GOTHIC - Mass Gothic
SUNFLOWER BEAN - Human Ceremony
PORCHES - Pool
FLOWERS - Everyone's Dying to Meet You
WITCHING WAVES - Crystal Cafe
STEVE MASON - Meet the Humans
FIELD MUSIC - Commontime
THE I DON'T CARES - Wild Stab
YOU SAY PARTY - You Say Party
THE PRETTIOTS - Fun's Cool
DRESSY BESSY - Kingsized
CAVERN OF ANTI MATTER - Void Beats / Invocation Trex
SANTIGOLD - 99¢
KANYE WEST - The Life of Pablo
JUNIOR BOYS - Big Black Coat
ESSAIE PAS - Demain Est Une Autre Nuit
MEMORYHOUSE - Soft Hate
ME AND MY DRUMMER - Love is a Fridge
TELEGRAM - Operator
SO PITTED - neo
MOTHERS - When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired
PINKSHINYULTRABLAST - Grandfeathered
SENNEN - First Light
RA RA RIOT - Need Your Light
BARRY ADAMSON - Know Where To Run
DAN STUART WITH TWIN TONES - Marlowe's Revenge
FREAKWATER - Scheherazade
NAP EYES - Thought Rock Fish Scale
CROSS RECORD - Wabi-Sabi
MOUNT MORIAH - How to Dance
ABI REIMOLD - Wriggling
SIOUX FALLS - Rot Forever
PINEGROVE - Cardinal
TWO INCH ASTRONAUT - Personal Life
GUERILLA TOSS - Eraser Stargazer
DAN SARTAIN - Century Plaza
LNZNDRF - LNZNDRF
LUSHLIFE - Ritualize
MATMOS - Ultimate Care II
CFCF - On Vacation
THE 1975 - I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware

Singles & EPs

The Wheel

PJ HARVEY - The Wheel
THE FALL - Wise Ol’ Man EP
MASSIVE ATTACK - Ritual Spirit EP
THEE OH SEES - Fortress 
THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE - La Facon Dont La Machine Vers l'Arriere
ROSTAM - EOS
SUN SEEKERS - Georgia Dust
PINKSHINYULTRABLAST - The Cherry Pit
PANTHA DU PRINCE - The Winter Hymn 
SELF DEFENSE FAMILY - Superior
BLOSSOMS - At Most A Kiss
FRUIT BOMB - It Don't Matter
BABA NAGA - Somos Lobos / Odmience
PALEHOUND - Molly
VENN - Rune001
PURLING HISS - Something EP 
AMTHST - Euphoria EP
MR DAN featuring GUILTY SIMPSON - Firewater

DIIV - Is The Is Are

Blast From The Past: The Long Ryders - Looking for Lewis and Clark

"Looking for Lewis and Clark" is one of the finest tracks recorded by The Long Ryders. It was released as a single in 1985 and was the lead track of their second album, "State of Our Union".

The Los Angeles based four-piece had made its debut two years earlier with the EP "10-5-60", mixing psychedelic and garage rock with country and folk influences. They were considered part of the '60s psychedelic-rock influenced Paisley Underground movement, along with fellow L.A. bands like The Dream Syndicate and Rain Parade. The strong country and folk rock elements of their sound makes The Long Ryders one of the key bands in preparing the way for the alternative country movement which flourished in the '90s.

Along with "State of Our Union", the band's discography includes two more excellent albums, 1984's "Native Sons" and 1987's "Two-Fisted Tales". All the material from these three LPs and the EP, as well as singles, demos and rare live recordings can be found in the new, 4-CD box set "Final Wild Songs", released a few weeks ago by Cherry Red Records. Highly recommended!

The Long Ryders -  Looking for Lewis and Clark

Check out The Long Ryders tour dates here.

#BestNewMusic 2016 Vol.2

The second installment of #BestNewMusic 2016, our new section featuring some of the most exciting releases of the year, kicks off with "The Wheel", the first single off P.J Harvey's new album "The Hope Six Demolition Project" (expected April 15th) and continues with Poliça's "Wedding" from their upcoming third album "United Crushers", Black Mountain and their long overdue return with "Mothers of the Sun", the first taste off their fourth album "IV", and "A Woman's Wisdom", another fine track off Wild Nothing's third album "Life of Pause", out on February 19th. For the finale we have the brand new and utterly groovy cover of The Rolling Stones' "Emotional Rescue" by St. Vincent, taken from the soundtrack of the film "A Bigger Splash". Enjoy:

P.J. Harvey - The Wheel

Poliça - Wedding

Black Mountain - Mothers of the Sun

Wild Nothing - A Woman's Wisdom

St. Vincent - Emotional Rescue

Listening Habits 01.2016

January's new releases schedule was pretty strong (as you can see here), but for our first Listening Habits post of 2016 we are going to focus on albums and tracks from 2015 that we have come by between December and January: the late discoveries of 2015, some of which made it in our Albums of the Year list at the very last minute, while some were left out only because they came in our possession slightly late. But, of course, it's never too late to discover and enjoy good music, regardless of release date or inclusion in any year-end list.

The album we've enjoyed the most over the last couple of months was "Half Free", the 4AD debut by U.S. Girls, the recording project of Illinois-born, Toronto-based artist Meghan Remy. She has been releasing experimental, lo-fi electronic music for several years, for various smaller indie labels, but it is 2015's "Half Free" the record that finally gives her the wider acclaim she deserves. 60's soul and girl-group influences mix with dub-pop and hip-hop inspired beats, while Remy sings about the everyday struggles of characters whose stories were inspired by the work of director John Cassavetes and Bruce Springsteen. It's a captivating listen from start to finish, shifting musical shapes and styles and creating some of the most fascinating pop we've listened to in 2015, with highlights including "Damn That Valley", "Window Shades" and "Woman's Work".

Here's what else we've been listening to lately from the tail end of 2015:

Top 12 Albums

1.  Half Free - U.S. GIRLS
2.  Fading Frontier - DEERHUNTER
3.  Silver Bullets - THE CHILLS
4.  Return To The Moon - EL VY
5.  Divers - JOANNA NEWSOM
6.  Holding Hands With Jamie - GIRL BAND
7.  Why Choose - SHOPPING
8.  Abyss - CHELSEA WOLFE
9.  Cranekiss - TAMARYN
10. Feels Like - BULLY
11. Rough Trade Shops Counter Culture 15 - VARIOUS ARTISTS
12. Why Pay More? - THE SOFT PINK TRUTH (download here)

Top 12 Tracks

1.  Snakeskin - DEERHUNTER
2.  Damn That Valley - U.S. GIRLS
3.  America Says Hello - THE CHILLS
4.  Return to the Moon (Political Song for Didi Bloome to Sing, with Crescendo) - EL VY
5.  Pears For Lunch - GIRL BAND
6.  Straight Lines - SHOPPING
7.  Leaving the City - JOANNA NEWSOM
8.  Carrion Flowers - CHELSEA WOLFE
9.  Cranekiss - TAMARYN
10. Trying - BULLY
11. Patchwork - DEMDIKE STARE
12. What's A Computer? - THE SOFT PINK TRUTH

U.S. Girls - Damn That Valley