A Crispy Realization

I am enamored with Jacco Gardner’s debut album. Cabinet of...

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 23:40:00 -0500

I am enamored with Jacco Gardner’s debut album. Cabinet of Curiosities is a lovely collection of neo-psych/baroque songs that can be likened to the Zombies and Love.

If you haven’t listened to the new My Bloody Valentine album, you are missing out. I basically...

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 21:48:00 -0500

If you haven’t listened to the new My Bloody Valentine album, you are missing out. I basically ignored the Superbowl because I am mesmerized by this ethereal gem. It took them 20 YEARS to release this album, but it’s shoegaze perfection and worth the wait. Stream m b v on their YouTube page.

"I used to answer “What kind of music do you like?” with silly generalizations along the..."

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 13:14:00 -0500

“

I used to answer “What kind of music do you like?” with silly generalizations along the lines of “Oh, you know, sad-bastard music, by and for emotionally stunted men in their 30s,” or “Anything in which bearded men have feelings while a woman from Portland plays a cello” — if nothing else, that sort of gag deflects from the conversational expectation that you’re going to start listing and ranking obscure bands, in order of coolness.

But these days, I often revert to sweeping generalities — “Anything that evokes intense emotions,” “Any music I can feel in my blood,” that sort of thing. Mostly, that particular kind of question is a litmus test in only the most general sense: The person, whom you’ve likely just met, is usually just looking for any answer that doesn’t boil down to, “Music? Bleh.”

”

- NPR, All Songs Considered

I cannot get enough of this new track by Unknown Mortal...

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 00:21:00 -0500

I cannot get enough of this new track by Unknown Mortal Orchestra, entitled So Good At Being In Trouble.

New Music Round-Up

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 00:01:00 -0500

New year, new releases!

First & foremost, I cannot recommend the new Foxygen album enough! We Are the Ambassadors of Peace & Magic is psychedelia perfection and has been at the top of my playlist queue for quite some time. Stream it on Pitchfork Advance immediately, and if you haven’t seen them live, I’d highly recommend buying tickets to one of their upcoming shows before they hit it big. After seeing them 5+ times in concert, I can honestly say, I still never know what to expect! Their antics are entertaining, but more importantly (?), their music is excellent.

Almanac by Widowspeak is full of dreamy hooks and atmospheric tracks. I am hooked on their shoegaze sound and Molly Hamilton’s captivating vocals. Check it out on NPR First Listen.

Christopher Owens released his first solo album this week, entitled Lysandre. The internet has been abuzz for months about his sudden departure from the critically aclaimed band, Girls. Unfortunately, I do not think this album is nearly as good as anything released by his former band. I appreciate the attempt to create a concept album that intergrates the same musical motif on each track, and there are certainly beautiful moments (namely, A Broken Heart), but I find it to be a relatively uneventful collection of songs overall. Musically, it reminds me of the About a Boy Soundtrack by Badly Drawn Boy, without the charm.

David Bowie released a new song this week after TEN YEARS. I was reticent to listen to it, as Hunky Dory and The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars are two of my favorite albums of all time. Surprisingly, Where Are We Now? is a lovely track that manages to be age-appropriate and nostalgic, without losing Bowie’s identity as a songwriter. I am looking forward to his upcoming album, to be released later in 2013.

Here are my Top 25 albums (in order) + Top 10 EP’s (in...

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 20:41:00 -0500

Here are my Top 25 albums (in order) + Top 10 EP’s (in order) + 25 Honorable Mentions (alphabetized, in no particular order) of 2012! It’s all aggregated in the above Spotify playlist for your listening pleasure, so sit back and enjoy!

Top 25 Albums

Tame Impala -Lonerism
Father John Misty - Fear Fun
Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellan
Sharon Van Etten - Tramp
Beach House -Bloom
Fiona Apple -The Idler Wheel
First Aid Kit - The Lion’s Roar
Lower Dens - Nootropics
Grizzly Bear - Shields
Mac Demarco - 2
Purity Ring - Shrines
Frankie Rose - Interstellar
Bat For Lashes - The Haunted Man
Shearwater - Animal Joy
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Mature Themes
A.C. Newman - Shut Down The Streets
Matthew E. White - Big Inner
The Walkmen - Heaven
Will Stratton - Post-Empire
Angel Olsen - Half Way Home
Jessica Pratt - S/T
Allah-Las - S/T
chris cohen - Overgrown Path
Damien Jurado - Maraqopa
Ty Segall/Ty Segall Band/Ty Segall + White Fence

Top 10 EP’s

Foxygen - Take the Kids Off Broadway
Dum Dum Girls - End of Daze
Daniel Rossen - Silent Hour/Golden Mile
Guards - S/T
Poor Moon - Illusion
Lana Del Rey - Paradise
Dirty Projectors - About To Die
Sky Ferreira - Ghost EP
FIDLAR - Don’t Try EP
Pure Bathing Culture - S/T

Honorable Mentions (alphabetized, in no particular order, among LP’s)

Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls
Andy Burrows - Company
Animal Collective - Centipide Hz
Ava Luna - Ice Level
Chairlift - Somthing
Dan Deacon - America
Eternal Summers - Correct Behavior
Frank Ocean - channel ORANGE
Grimes - Visions
King Tuff - S/T
La Sera - Sees the Light
Lotus Plaza - Spooky Action at a Distance
Melody’s Echo Chamber - S/T
Nick Waterhouse - Time’s All Gone
Parquet Courts - Light Up Gold
Patrick Watson - Adventures in Your Own Backyard
Pond - Beards, Wives, Denim
Poor Moon - S/T
Porcelain Raft - Strange Weekend
Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light
Tennis - Young & Old
Thee Oh Sees - Putrifiers II
Weird Dreams - Choreography
Wild Nothing - Nocturne
Young Magic - Melt

The newest album by Bat For Lashes is absolutely ravishing....

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 14:05:27 -0400

The newest album by Bat For Lashes is absolutely ravishing. Reminiscent of Kate Bush, The Haunted Man is ornately orchestrated and full of lush melodies.