New Releases: February 2011

A selection of some of the most interesting releases of February 2011:

Albums

PJ HARVEY - Let England Shake
RADIOHEAD - The King of Limbs
THE TWILIGHT SINGERS - Dynamite Steps
BRIGHT EYES - The People's Key
LYKKE LI - Wounded Rhymes
LA SERA - La Sera
THE BABIES - The Babies
YUCK - Yuck
…AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD - Tao Of The Dead
MOGWAI - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
ASOBI SEKSU - Fluoresence
FRANKIE & THE HEARTSTRINGS - Hunger
DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS - Go-Go Boots
CHAIN AND THE GANG - Music's Not for Everyone
RAINBOW ARABIA - Boys and Diamonds
TORO Y MOI - Underneath The Pine
DEMDIKE STARE - Tryptych
NICOLAS JAAR - Space Is Only Noise
JAMES BLAKE - James Blake
THE STREETS - Computers and Blues
CUT COPY - Zonoscope
PURO INSTINCT - Headbangers In Ecstasy 
YOUNG GALAXY - Shapeshifting
TELEKINESIS - 12 Desperate Straight Lines
GRUFF RHYS - Hotel Shampoo
PAPERCUTS - Fading Parade
AKRON/FAMILY - S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT
EAST RIVER PIPE - We Live In Rented Rooms
THE LOW ANTHEM - Smart Flesh
DAVID LOWERY - The Palace Guards

Singles & EPs

DUM DUM GIRLS - He Gets Me High  
VIVIAN GIRLS - I Heard You Say
LA SERA - Devil Hearts Grow Cold
THE BABIES - The Wilds
THE STROKES - Under Cover Of Darkness
THE KILLS - Satellite
LYKKE LI - I Follow Rivers
THE DUKE SPIRIT - Kusama EP
BRIGHT EYES - Singularity
BEACH FOSSILS - What a Pleasure EP
CAT’S EYES - Broken Glass EP
HOLD KISS KILL - Our last waltz
YUCK - Holing Out
J MASCIS - Not Enough
OKKERVIL RIVER - Mermaid
THE THERMALS - Not Like Any Other Feeling
MOGWAI - Mexican Grand Prix / Slight Domestic
CHRISTMAS / SELECTOR DUB NARCOTIC - Namiot
KEEP SHELLY IN ATHENS - Hauntin' Me
TORO Y MOI - Still Sound
CUT COPY - Sun God
GRUFF RHYS - Sensations In The Dark
GLASVEGAS - Euphoria, Take My Hand
MILES KANE - Come Closer
YOUNG BUFFALO - Catapilah / Only We Can Keep You From Harm
RINGO DEATHSTARR - So High
MONA - Teenager
PETER BJORN AND JOHN - Second Chance
KANYE WEST - All Of The Lights
LUPE FIASCO - The Show Goes On

The big event of the month in the singles department was the return of The Strokes with their first new track in five years "Under Cover Of Darkness", a first taste from their eagerly anticipated comeback album "Angles", which surfaced as a free download for a couple of days for subscribers of their mailing list.

But as you might expect if you've been following this blog for the past year, the highlight of the month for us is the release of the brand new Dum Dum Girls EP "He Gets Me High", out this Monday for Europe and Tuesday for America from Sub Pop. The band who was at the top of our year-end Singles list for 2010 with the awesome "Jail La La" is returning with 4 new tracks including a stunning cover of The Smiths' classic "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out". Production duties were handled by front-woman Dee Dee along with girl group sound expert Richard Gottehrer (best known for composing the classics "My Boyfriend’s Back" and "I Want Candy" but also the co-producer of Dum Dum Girls debut LP "I Will Be") and Sune Rose Wagner of the Raveonettes (their new album is coming in April). Get it here.

Another girl-related highlight in February's single releases is the first offering from Vivian Girls forthcoming album "Share The Joy". The track "I Heard You Say" is one of the girls' best moments so far and it certainly raises our expectations for their third full length which is expected in April from Polyvinyl (get the free mp3 here). But that's not all the Vivian Girls-related fun in store for us this month! La Sera, Katy Goodman’s side-project, just released a fine self-titled debut LP accompanied by the 7" "Devil Hearts Grow Cold", while Cassie Ramone along with Woods’ Kevin Morby just released their first full length as The Babies, a  lo-fi supergroup of sorts which also includes Bossy drummer Justin Sullivan and Stupid Party’s Nathanael Stark on bass.

Here's the video for "I Heard You Say" via P4K:

Vivian Girls - I Heard You Say

(audio via stereogum, pitchfork , altered zones, spin and the relevant record labels)

Listening Habits 11-12.2009

A brief break to the presentation of our Top 20 albums of the '00s for a look (and a listen) at the latest additions to our favorite albums and tracks of the year. November was the month of Nirvana for us, thanks to the release of the CD/DVD "Live at Reading". It was recorded on August 30, 1992, when Nirvana headlined the Reading Festival for the first and only time. The weather was terrible, mud was everywhere and rumors abound that the band was going to cancel. None of this mattered when Cobain took to the stage on a wheelchair, wearing a hospital robe, to kick-start with "Breed" an amazing show that turned out to be Nirvana's last ever performance on British soil. This CD/DVD combo is the document of that historic night, a night that yours truly had the privilege to witness first hand, and it is undoubtedly a necessary addition to the collection of every fan of 20th century's last great rock band.

The news of the release of Raekwon's "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt II" were certainly intriguing for hip hop fans everywhere, as the first part was one of the best rap albums of the '90s. What's even greater is the fact that the new album lives up to the expectations and it's an indisputable addition not only to the year's top releases but to the decade's greatest hip hop albums as well.

Other noteworthy recent releases included Vivian Girls' excellent sophomore effort "Everything Goes Wrong", a highly addictive noise trip where the Ramones are reimagined as a shogaze girl group, Brendan Benson's richly melodic "My Old Familiar Friend", the hi-octane rock of Alberta Cross and Them Crooked Vultures (the second album in our Top 10 featuring the mad drumming skills of Mr. Dave Grohl), the latest efforts of The Raveonettes and The Cribs (time for album number four for both bands who keep up the good work without managing to surpass their previous efforts) and solo works for Lou Barlow and Julian Casablancas. Barlow revisits his lo-fi roots with "Goodnight Unknown", presumably to take a breather from all that Dinosaur noise he helped create earlier in the year, while Casablancas finally tries his luck without The Strokes with "Phrazes for the Young". Synthesizers and dance beats in tracks like the single "11th Dimension" differentiate Casablancas sound from that of his group, but it's the more Strokesian tracks like "Out Of The Blue" and "River Of Breaklights" that do the trick for me.

Top 10 Albums

1. Live At Reading - NIRVANA
2. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt II - RAEKWON
3. Everything Goes Wrong - VIVIAN GIRLS
4. My Old Familiar Friend - BRENDAN BENSON
5. Broken Side of Time - ALBERTA CROSS
6. Them Crooked Vultures - THEM CROOKED VULTURES
7. Phrazes For The Young - JULIAN CASABLANCAS
8. In And Out Of Control - THE RAVEONETTES
9. Ignore The Ignorant - THE CRIBS
10. Goodnight Unknown - LOU BARLOW

Top 12 Tracks

1. Ambling alp - YEASAYER
2. I was born - HIGH PLACES
3. Keep slipping away - A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
4. River of brakelights - JULIAN CASABLANCAS
5. Can't get over you - VIVIAN GIRLS
6. ATX - ALBERTA CROSS
7. Planting seeds - BUILT TO SPILL
8. Feel like taking you home - BRENDAN BENSON
9. One machine, one long fight - LOU BARLOW
10. House of flying daggers - RAEKWON
11. Dead end friends - THEM CROOKED VULTURES
12. We were aborted - THE CRIBS

And here are the videos for two of the singles of the year:

Yeasayer - Ambling alp (the album "Odd Blood" is coming in February)

High Places - I Was Born from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.

Primavera Sound ’09: Day Two Review (May 29, 2009)

The second day of the Primavera Sound ’09 festival turned out to be my favorite. There was no big name headliner (surely Bloc Party are big enough but they certainly don’t have the status of My Bloody Valentine or Sonic Youth) but there were plenty of great performances from both older, legendary acts like Throwing Muses or Shellac as well as from brand new names (The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, Vivian Girls etc) .

Some of the hottest bands of the current Brooklyn scene were playing together at the Pitchfork stage, starting with Crystal Stilts and their mix of ’60s garage and mid ’80s, C86-style, indie pop. The band gave props to the Barcelona festival for the perfect weather and its location by the Mediterranean seaside and proceeded with tracks from their fine debut album “Alight of Night”, including recent single and personal favorite “Departure”. It’s certainly not easy being psychedelic this early in the afternoon but the band made a good effort.

Crystal Stilts live@Primavera Sound '09 (May 29, 2009)

The second performance we saw on Friday was certainly one of the highlights of the festival. Taking a break from the Brooklyn party at the Pitchfork stage, we headed to the nearby main stage where Bat For Lashes was the opening act. Natasha Khan and her band, featuring ex-Ash guitarist Charlotte Hatherley, were in top form, playing most of the brilliant “Two Suns” plus highlights from debut album “Fur and Gold” (“What’s a girl to do”, “Prescilla”, “Sarah”). Bat For Lashes were able to recreate beautifully the unique mix of ethereal and upbeat pop of the two albums and Natasha’s voice was simply amazing. Dressed in zebra colors, dancing round the stage or playing keys and other unusual instruments, she was certainly one of the stars of Primavera.

Bat For Lashes live@Primavera Sound '09 (May 29, 2009)

The enchanting Bat For Lashes performance kept us at the main stage until its very last song (“Daniel”, one of the singles of the year), so we missed most of The Vivian Girls set back at the Pitchfork stage. From the 15 minutes that we did get to see, I have to say that I was duly impressed. The lo-fi production of their noisy Shop Assistants-meets-The Ramones self-titled debut mini LP didn’t prepare us for this dynamic performance which ended with the three girls swapping instruments as they were playing, taking photos of the audience and jamming in a Sonic Youth style. On this evidence, I’m looking forward for “Everything goes wrong”, their second album scheduled for a September release.

Vivian Girls live@Primavera Sound '09 (May 29, 2009)

After a bit of relaxation at the stands of the sun-drenched Rockdelux stage watching Spiritualized, we returned to the Brooklyn party to catch the 30-minute fired-up performance of up and coming newcomers The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. Their set may have been brief but they managed to play, in a breathless manner, all the highlights from their recent self-titled debut, bringing the indie pop sound of the mid ’80s-early ’90s back to the limelight.

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart live@Primavera Sound '09 (May 29, 2009)

Back on the main stage, Art Brut were presenting their new material from “Art Brut vs. Satan” as well as the older hits in their usual, entertaining style, preaching the gospel according to Eddie Argos and urging their audience to form a band. Crystal Antlers raised the decibel levels at the Pitchfork stage with their psych-rock, but now it was time for us to move on to the Rockdelux stage for the performance of one of our all-time favorite bands, Throwing Muses. When Kristin Hersh reunited the band for the first time in this decade, for the 2003 self-titled album and the subsequent tour, I traveled all the way to the other side of Europe (from Athens to Dublin) to see them play. So, this was my second Throwing Muses close encounter but the experience was just as exciting as the first time. Why this band never got to be as popular as The Pixies, The Breeders or at least Tanya Donelly’s Belly is beyond me - songs like “Bright yellow gun” or set-opener “Shark” sound like massive hits to my ears but the world wouldn’t listen. Maybe they’ll get luckier this time around. Other highlights of the powerful hour-long set (which you can download by going here) included the astonishing “Vicky’s box” from the 1986 debut album, a fiery rendition of “Bea” and the set’s grand finale with “Mania”, both from 1989’s “Hunkpapa”.

Throwing Muses' Kristin Hersh live@Primavera Sound '09 (May 29, 2009)

Midnight of Primavera’s Day Two found us sitting at the stands of the ATP stage, catching our breath after all the Throwing Muses excitement, and checking out Australia’s noisemakers The Drones before moving on to the Ray-Ban Vice stage for the hardcore punk explosion of Canada’s Fucked Up. Front man Pink Eyes spent most of the set among the audience or climbing the speakers while the band played super fast and super hard. Exactly what we needed to warm up for the next highlight of Day Two; Shellac’s performance back at the ATP stage. The trio of Steve Albini, Bob Weston and Todd Trainer is one of the tightest punk rock units in existence and the material they have recorded in the last 16 years includes some of the most incendiary, hard-hitting songs you’ll ever hear. Their amazing set included tracks from all their years together, from the classic “Crow” off 1994’s debut “At Action Park” to “Steady as she goes” and the spectacular “The end of radio” from 2007’s “Excellent Italian Greyhound”. The speed at which they dismantled their equipment while still playing the final notes of their last song was also impressive.

Shellac live@Primavera Sound '09 (May 29, 2009)

For the end of the festival’s second day we got to listen to a few tracks from Joy Division contemporaries A Certain Ratio (including the pioneering dance punk anthem “Shack up”) before moving on to the main stage for the finale of Bloc Party’s set. “Like eating glass” was the track that stood out for me in the twenty minutes of their set that we managed to attend, but hopefully we’ll have the chance to see them again soon as they are scheduled to play in Athens on July 1st.

Live action from Primavera Sound '09 - Day Two (May 29): Bat For Lashes ("What's A Girl To Do"), The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart ("Everything With You") and Crystal Stilts ("Departure")

Watch this space for our complete report from the third and final day of the festival.