First Listen: New Releases for October 1

Nothing long-awaited outside of Haim's debut album has dropped this week, but it's still a surprisingly robust week for new releases. Let's dive in:

Tired Pony - The Ghost of the Mountain: Tired Pony is a side project/supergroup headed up by Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody and R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, and including members of Belle & Sebastian, producer Jackknife Lee, and so on. The first album was a quieter, folksy affair that didn't exactly fit in with anything any of the members have done, and The Ghost of the Mountain certainly feels more complete, but still suffers from that same sort of quiet quality where nothing catches your ear enough to really give it full attention. As a complete unabashed R.E.M. fanboy, I will give this more of a shot, but it's not really catching my ear.

Moby - Innocents: I hate to say this, but I didn't realize Moby was still making albums. The last I had recalled was 2005's Hotel, and he apparently has a few albums in between. Innocents is closer to what I've liked from Moby in the past even if it feels more relic-like than anything else. The highlights for me were the song with Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips and the two tracks that featured Cold Specks, but overall, this feels less like an album and more like a weird curiosity from a time when electronic music was very different.

Haim - Days Are Gone: I admittedly wasn't on Team Haim after listening to their earlier EP, but the amount of hype they're getting across the board means the album deserves a listen. The album is pretty solid from a standpoint of what they're trying to accomplish - most of this album would fit in very well on 1980s mainstream radio. It's solidly retro while not feeling like it's trying to be or being retro for the sake of irony. At least for me, though, I haven't been clamoring for "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" Whitney Houston revivals in my modern music, either. With good reviews and a lot of buzz, it's worth a listen, but it's really not for me.

Elf Power - Sunlight on the Moon: While many people hold up Of Montreal, Neutral Milk Hotel, or Apples in Stereo as their favorite Elephant 6 bands (assuming they have a favorite), Elf Power has always been mine. Their last few albums haven't really worked so well for me, though, but Sunlight on the Moon is definitely the most Elf Power-y Elf Power album I've heard in a while. Is it to the heights of Creatures or Walking With the Beggar Boys? No, not at all, but it's still quite good.

Blitzen Trapper - VII: I've enjoyed Blitzen Trapper for some time now, mostly impressed by their ability to jump genres so easily. VII is probably their most straight-rootsiest effort thus far, and it absolutely works because of how solid the songwriting is and how good the band has been for so long now. If "Black River Killer" was your jam like it was mine, this album's going to make you very happy.

Yuck - Glow and Behold: Yuck's self-titled debut was awesome. A great, grungy throwback album that kind of came out of nowhere, the band got some good buzz but the lead singer left the band. Glow and Behold is the first album since losing their singer, and...it's different. Is it still a 1990s alt-rock throwback? Absolutely. Does it have the same impact? I don't think so, but your mileage may vary. Proceed with caution.

Those Darlins - Blur the Lines: I'll be honest, I have a lot of trouble pinning down what Those Darlins are doing. Their first effort was fairly rootsy, the second more throwback girl band, this one...somewhere in the middle? Maybe? I don't know. There's not a standout song on first listen, but that doesn't necessarily mean much. It's an interesting release at that, but I'm withholding further judgement.

Quasi - Mole City: Quasi, with Sleater-Kinney/Wild Flag drummer Janet Weiss, is a strange band that tries a lot of interesting stuff. Sometimes it works, but, early on, this longish Mole City isn't grabbing me. I can't quite place what it is that isn't doing it for me (it might be the shorter songs that break things up), but I'm not so sure about this one.

Basia Bulat - Tall Tall Shadow: Basia Bulat burst onto my scene with "In the Night," from her debut album that I remember having a very difficult time finding at Newbury Comics when it came out. This album continues the quieter pacing that her second album started out on, and it's a very pleasant listen, for sure, but (especially with the glut of new releases) might get caught in the shuffle in the grand scheme of things. I just want more people to notice Bulat, though, so a new album is always a good thing.





Other albums of note:

* Deltron 3030 - Event II (Ken will be covering this soon, but it's pretty awesome)
* The Sadies - Internal Sounds

Highlights in Amazon's October mp3 Sale

Every month, Amazon.com puts up 100 albums for $5 each. Ones that may be of interest to readers:

* Modest Mouse - No One's First and You're Next
* Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
* Simon & Garfunkel - The Best of Simon & Garfunkel
* Foster the People - Torches
* Depeche Mode - The Best of Depeche Mode
* Superchunk - I Hate Music
* Kanye West - Graduation
* The Avett Brothers - Emotionalism
* First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar
* Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes - Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes
* Bass Drum of Death - Bass Drum of Death
* AlunaGeorge - Body Music
* The Roots - Things Fall Apart
* Queens of the Stone Age - R
* Amos Lee - Amos Lee
* Benjamin Gibbard - Former Lives
* Feist - The Reminder
* Dent May - Warm Blanket
* Ra Ra Riot - Beta Love

Lee Ranaldo and The Dust - "Ambulancer"

A little more than a week before Lee Ranaldo's 2nd post-Sonic Youth album comes out, there's a new song to help build excitement before Last Night On Earth comes out. "Ambulancer" heads down the direction that Sonic Youth had been heading with A Thousand Leaves and Murray Street. It's equal parts post punk noise and psychedelic jam band rock. It's noisy while staying absolutely lovely, and might just be the perfect jumping on point for Deadhead friends you may have. Lee Ranaldo has always been Sonic Youth's George Harrison (less songs than the ones you get most of the credit, but with some of the most solid songs in the catalog) and Last Night On Earth is shaping up to be his All Things Must Pass. It's unfortunate this album will get less attention than Body/Head or Chelsea Light Moving because it lacks the potential for tabloid-like lyric analysis when it's shaping up to be such a solid release.

Last Night On Earth is due out on 10/18 on Matador Records. Listen to "Ambulancer" below, and find Lee Ranaldo and The Dust's current tour dates here. As always, head over to Lee's portion of the Sonic Youth website for more details.


Oct 8 — Hudson, NY — Club Helsinki
Oct 9 — Buffalo, NY — Tralf Music Hall
Oct 11 — Toronto, ON — Horseshoe Tavern
Oct 12 — Detroit, MI — Trinosophes
Oct 13 — Chicago, IL — The Empty Bottle
Oct 14 — Madison, WI — High Noon Saloon
Oct 15 — Minneapolis, MN — Triple Rock
Oct 17 — Iowa City, IA — Gabe’s
Oct 18 — Omaha, NE — The Waiting Room* (w Built to Spill)
Oct 19 — Lawrence, KC — The Bottleneck* (w Built to Spill)
Oct 20 — St. Louis, MO — The Firebird* (w Built to Spill)
Oct 22 — Nashville, TN — Exit/Inn 
Oct 23 — Asheville, NC — The Grey Eagle
Oct 25 — New York, NY — Terminal 5 w/ Kurt Vile
Nov 10 NL GRONINGEN – VERA
Nov 11 DE HAMBURG – KAMPNAGEL
Nov 12 DE BERLIN – TBC
Nov 13 DE COLOGNE – GEBAUDE 9
Nov 14 FR METZ – acoustic show at le musée de la cour d’or
Nov 15 FR METZ – CAVEAU DES TRINITAIRES – MUSIQUE VOLANTE FESTIVAL
Nov 16 Barcelona, Spain – Barts – PrimaveraSound Touring Party
Nov 17 CH LAUSANNE – LE ROMANDIE
Nov 18 FR FEYZIN – Epicerie Moderne
Nov 20 FR VILLENEUVE D’ASQ – FESTIVAL TOUR DE CHAUFFE AT LA FERME D’EN HAUT
Nov 21 UK LONDON – THE GARAGE
Nov 22 UK CAMBER SANDS – ATP FESTIVAL at Camber Sands
Nov 23 FR PARIS – Boulogne Billancourt BB MIX FESTIVAL
Nov 25 FR POITIERS – CONFORT MODERNE
Nov 26 FR TOURS – TEMPS MACHINE
Nov 27 Bordeaux, France – Rock School Barbey – PrimaveraSound Touring Party
Nov 28 Bilbao, Spain – Kafe Antzokia – PrimaveraSound Touring Party
Nov 29 Valencia, Spain – Wah Wah – PrimaveraSound Touring Party
Nov 30 Madrid, Spain – La Riveria – PrimaveraSound Touring Party
Dec 6 — Portland, OR — Doug Fir Lounge
Dec 7 — Vancouver, BC — Biltmore Cabaret
Dec 8 — Seattle, WA — Barboza
Dec 11 — San Francisco, CA — The Chapel
Dec 13 — Los Angeles, CA — The Echo

Sebadoh - Defend Yourself

This is a great album that is being unjustly criticized. I’ve been spending the past two weeks trying to determine why. It’s new Sebadoh! New Sebadoh! It’s also Lou Barlow’s divorce album. Considering he met his now ex-wife because of a song (“Poledo”) and won her back because of a song (“Willing to Wait”), how could the relationship not end in song? I think this is where the problem lies: The album isn’t filled with standard break up songs. The theme of break up songs either go along with “get out of my life” or “I’m so sad you’re gone.” However, when a truly long term relationship (Barlow’s was 25 years) ends, especially when there are children involved, it’s not as black and white. You have feelings of both relief and regret. And when you add children to the mix, you don’t get the luxury of cutting the person out of your life forever. Somehow I don’t think most music bloggers have the life experience to understand that.

Which brings us to the music. The album starts off “I Will,” a song about moving on from a relationship. With lyrics like “’Cause someone else / Has found her way into my soul” and “No longer need to be with you,” it’s one of the best songs about moving on without hate I’ve ever heard. Even Jason Lowenstein’s songs have the same feeling. On the Kreative Kontrolpodcast, Barlow mentioned that between the two of them, three songs have lyrics with some variation of “Defend yourself.” My favorite Lowenstein song is “Inquiries.” It’s country in the way that the Meat Puppets are country, and sounds like a trucker’s speed addled ramblings.

Defend Yourself is also Sebadoh’s return to home recording. Technology has progressed far beyond their 4-tracks, so don’t expect the lo-fi sound they pioneered. Plus, they’ve been recording their own stuff for almost 20 years now, so they’ve figured it out. It fits in a perfect middle ground between their early home recordings and their late 90s major label albums.

Defend Yourself is out now on Joyful Noise Recordings. Head over to their website for more information, or their Bandcamp to order it. Below you’ll find the new video for “I Will,” along with their current tour dates.

OCT. 15- Manchester, United Kingdom @ Manchester Academy 3

OCT. 16- London, United Kingdom @ Scala

OCT. 17- Lille, France @ Le Grand Mix

OCT. 18- Brussels, Belgium @ Le Botanique

OCT. 19- Luxembourg City, Luxembourg @ Den Atelier

OCT. 21- Berlin, Germany @ Lido

OCT. 22- Cologne, Germany @ GEBAUDE 9

OCT. 23- Endingen, Switzerland @ Bad Bonn

OCT. 24- Paris, France @ La Maroquinerie

OCT. 25- Utrecht, Netherlands @ Tivoli de Helling

OCT. 26 - Nijmegen, Netherlands @ Doornroosje

OCT. 27- Groningen, Netherlands @ Vera

OCT. 28- Frankfurt, Germany @ Zoom

NOV. 1 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom

NOV. 2 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's

NOV. 3 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat

NOV. 4 - Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair

NOV. 5 - Montreal, QC @ Il Motore

NOV. 7 - Hamilton, ON @ Casbah

NOV. 8 - Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern

NOV. 9 - Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop

NOV. 10 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern

NOV. 11 - St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club

NOV. 13 - Indianapolis, IN @ Radio Radio

NOV. 14 - Columbus, OH @ The Basement

NOV. 15 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe

This is a Thing That Exists: Madonna Covering Elliott Smith

Maybe there was a time when Madonna was cool or relevant. I guess I have some respect for her early period, maybe. I mean, Sonic Youth covered her and wrote a song about her and Sean Penn. She even handpicked The Stooges to perform her songs when she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But lately, she's just been embarrassing herself with trying to stay relevant. This cover of Elliott Smith's particularly gorgeous "Between the Bars" might be the nail in her proverbial cool coffin, because, well, yikes. It's awful. It takes all the beauty and pain of the original and just bastardizes it. Sure, it's supposed to be a protest of the prison system, but it still sucks.

Way Over Yonder Preview

Here in the Northeast, festival season is officially over. The Newport Folk Festival is always a consistent highlight, and I hate having to wait an entire year between festivals. I know some of you aren't local to New England, or weren't able to get tickets since this year sold out months in advance. Luckily for you, there is finally an alternative. Next weekend (October 5 and 6) marks the inaugural Way Over Yonder Festival. This will take place at the world famous Santa Monica Pier. Way Over Yonder is definitely starting out smaller than Newport, but the line up is fantastic, at the very least. I mean, seriously?

Saturday, October 5                                         Sunday, October 6

Neko Case                                                         Conor Oberst

Brett Dennen                                                      First Aid Kit

Justin Townes Earle                                           The Felice Brothers

Calexico                                                             Jonathan Wilson

Shovels & Rope                                                 Thao & the Get Down Stay Down

Eagle Rock Gospel Singers                              Joel Rafael  

And playing on an acoustic stage in a carousel (A CAROUSEL!):

Dave Simonett                                                  Hurray For The Riff Raff     

Jessica Pratt                                                     Spirit Family Reunion

Neal Casal                                                        Aaron Embry

Jenny O.                                                           Frank Fairfield

Unfortunately, we won't be covering the festival this year, but hopefully next year. If you're going, we expect reports. It also promises to be a crazy weekend, since the L.A. Podfest is happening just down the street. For more information, check out the Way Over Yonder website.

First Listen: New Releases for September 24

This week brings at least three new releases I've been waiting on for some time.

Sarah Jarosz - Build Me Up From Bones: Sarah Jarosz keeps getting better and better. Her second album, Follow Me Down, was one of my favorite releases from 2011, and her follow-up, out today, continues being expansive and interesting. No one is doing what she's doing with bluegrass instruments and such stark, shadowy undertones. Plus, the album has its mandatory cover toward the end, with a version of Joanna Newsom's "The Book of Right-On," that meshes perfectly with everything Jarosz is doing. Early on, this is quickly becoming another candidate for best of the year.

Mazzy Star - Seasons of Your Day: The last we heard from Mazzy Star was a European tour about 13 years ago, so the announcement of a new album was pretty exciting. I've enjoyed lead singer Hope Sandoval's music with the Warm Inventions, but there's something specific about the tone and mood of Mazzy Star that hasn't been replicated in some time. Considering it's been 20 years since "Fade Into You," it's great to hear some new stuff.

Icona Pop - This Is...Icona Pop: ALL HAIL EUROPOP. Icona Pop had a super addictive song in "I Love It," and the album is more of the same, with some really driving anthemic pop songs from start to finish. I absolutely loved this album on first listen, and while I know I'll probably get sick of the bubblegum in due time, I won't have any trouble wearing this one out in the short term.

The Watson Twins - Pioneer Lane: The Watson Twins haven't had a full-length album since the poorly-recieved 2010 Talking to You, Talking to Me, and while this is positioned as an album in some circles, Pioneer Lane is 9 tracks under two minutes each of pleasant, inoffensive folk. I loved their first album, Fire Songs, as well as their work with Jenny Lewis, so I just keep waiting for something more from them. This is nice, but it's really not doing it for me.

Au Revoir Simone - Move in Spectrums: I was first exposed to Au Revoir Simone when they opened for Peter, Bjorn, and John back whenever. They're a very synthy, dreamy-sounding group that hasn't had a new album in a while, and the new album definitely feels a little more modern without abandoning the sound that works for them. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing yet, but it's an interesting record to listen to, especially in the context of where electronic music has been going lately.

Deer Tick - Negativity: Deer Tick is another interesting band that I've kind of struggled to get into. Semi-local, both Ken and I saw Those Darlin's open for them a while back and they put on a great live show (and do great live things), the new album is actually a little grungier and alt-rock than I expected from them. It's an interesting listen given that I have them in a more folk-rock place in my brain. Will definitely be giving this one more time.

CHVRCHES - The Bones of What You Believe: After a few successful, interesting EPs, CHVRCHES finally releases a full-length. If Depeche Mode had a female lead singer and came about today, they'd probably sound a lot like this. In terms of "synthy dark pop with female vocalists," I'll probably still choose MSMR over this, but considering how long-awaited this was on a whole, it's worth a good few listens for when I'm in the right mood.




Also out this week is a new release by Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band if that's your thing.

Bunny's A Swine - "Greetings From the Bottom"

Western Massachusetts is overflowing with fantastic new 90s tinged indie rock bands. Bunny's A Swine released their fourth album, Calling Out (which you can stream here). They just released a video for the single "Greetings From the Bottom" which is bursting with Northampton, MA area goodness. Filmed partially at Northampton rock club Elevens and mostly in a cornfield, the video also features other Northampton area indie rock luminaries such as Sadie Dupuis of If It's Too Loud... faves Speedy Ortiz. "Greetings From the Bottom" is a cheery blast of 90s influenced indie pop, kind of a noisier Papas Fritas.

Check out the video for "Greetings From the Bottom" below, as well as Bunny's A Swine's website for more info.

10.12.13 | A House in Sunderland

11.02.13 | O’Briens (Allston, MA)

11.03.13 | The Montague Bookmill (Montague, MA)

Deltron 3030 featuring Zack de la Rocha - "Melding of the Minds"

The excitement over the impending new Deltron 3030 album continues to grow with the release of "Melding of the Minds," a new track from the forthcoming album featuring Zack de la Rocha of (formerly of?) Rage Against the Machine. Unless I've missed something, it's the first officially released music featuring Zack since 2008's One Day as a Lion album, so that alone makes this track a big deal. Zack's intensity makes for an interesting contrast to Del the Funky Homosapien's chill style, and neither tries to conform to the other at all. Add that to the Deltron 3030 signature futuristic funk sound, and it's pure alt hip hop gold.

The new album from Deltron 3030 will be out on September 30. Head over to their website for more details. Listen to "Melding of the Minds" below, and after that you can find their current tour dates.

10-08 Boston, MA - Paradise
10-09 Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl #
10-10 Washington, DC - Howard Theatre
10-11 Charlottesville, VA - Jefferson Theater
10-13 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of the Living Arts #
10-14 New York, NY - Highline Ballroom #
10-16 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Concert Theatre
10-18 Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue
10-19 Chicago, IL - House of Blues #
10-20 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
10-23 Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
10-25 Asheville, NC - Mountain Oasis Festival #
11-10 Austin, TX - Fun Fun Fun Fest #
11-15 Denver, CO - Boom Fest #

# with The 3030 Orchestra

Bad Brains featuring Angelo Moore of Fishbone - "Ragga Dub"

If you had asked me yesterday if Fishbone and Bad Brains had recorded together, I would have responded with a hearty "Yes." Unbelievably, "Ragga Dub" marks the first time these punk legends have, which makes this track a must hear for virtually everyone. Off the recently released Dub Rockers Vol. 1 collection, which presumably pairs Jamaican reggae acts with American and British ones. I say presumably since Bad Brains is from D.C. and Fishbone is from California. Also, Slightly Stoopid is on it. But who truly cares, when we get a pairing from two of the most important bands of the past 30 years? "Ragga Dub" is much more chill than what I would expect/hope for from this pairing, but it's still a must listen.