Wednesday, May 25, 2016

First Listen, Part Two: New Releases for May 20

A little late today, but here are the rest of this week's new releases!


Artist: B-17
Album: Goodbye
Quick Description: Garage-flavored Canadian punk.
Why You Should Listen: It's brash and loud and quite good.
Overall Thoughts: I liked this a lot, it's got some good melodic instincts to go along with its muddier presentation. The vocals might be the only downer for me, but that's more personal preference than anything else, and those who have a love of this genre will probably find this to be a new bright spot in your collection.
Recommendation: Absolutely worth a listen.


Artist: Tiger Army
Album: V
Quick Description: Genre-hopping alt-rock.
Why You Should Listen: It's a fun, interesting album for this week.
Overall Thoughts: I find that this is an album that defies a lot of description for me. A song like "Firefall" is loud and melodic, while "I Am the Moth" has a more traditional trajectory. The result is an album that kept me on my toes, and that's something I appreciated. I'd recommend giving this one a go. If one part doesn't get you, another part will.
Recommendation: One of the more fun albums of the week.


Artist: Mutual Benefit
Album: Skip a Sinking Stone
Quick Description: Dreamy, ethereal indie folk.
Why You Should Listen: You need more pretty music in your life.
Overall Thoughts: This is beautiful and complicated, and that really makes it great. One of the solid listens of the week, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and if you're looking for something a little on the softer side, this is for you.
Recommendation: A must listen this week.


Artist: Car Seat Headrest
Album: Teens of Denial
Quick Description: Some solid indie rock from a very prolific band.
Why You Should Listen: It has some great punk elements along with some great melodies.
Overall Thoughts: I feel like I'm repeating myself a bit, but this is another one of those albums that kind of straddles the line between Tiger Army and B-17, which means it's a good thing overall. Songs like "Vincent" might get stuck in your head pretty fast, so be wary, but this is another quality album if you're looking for something like it.
Recommendation: A good listen!


Artist: Misha
Album: All We Will Become
Quick Description: Danceable indie pop music with a lot of interesting influences.
Why You Should Listen: It's sort of like if Thao Nguyen liked dance music.
Overall Thoughts: Misha tries to defy description a bit for me as well, but I loved a lot of what was happening here. It's got a great groove going for it, throws a ton of curveballs our way, and the result is an interesting and challenging album. It's really good, but you need to hear it to be sure.
Recommendation: A great listen, worth your time.


Also out:

* Hacov and The Alchemist - Silent Partner
* Wolf Parade - EP 4 (first EP in a LONG time from this band)

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