Nov 20, 2009

Animal Collective - Fall Be Kind EP



320kbps / 63mb


Year: 2009
Label: Domino
myanimalhome.net

Similar artists: The Olivia Tremor Control, Islands, Gang Gang Dance, The Unicorns, Caribou, Passion Pit, Fuck Buttons, High Places, Grizzly Bear, Xiu Xiu, Fridge

Previously:
Animal Collective discography

Nov 19, 2009

tUnE-yArDs - BiRd-BrAiNs



VBR / 57mb

Preview:

Year: 2009
Label: Marriage
tune-yards.com
myspace.com/tuneyards

Similar artists: Nedelle & Thom, Dent May, Thao, Cryptacize, Tickley Feather

Pitchfork: 6.8
"When you talk about lo-fi more or less inspired by folk, the best stuff always carries with it a sense of discovery. Cheap and tinny acoustic music should feel like something you stumbled upon, like maybe you dug it out of an old drawer or rescued it from the freebee bin in the thrift store. And then the force of the music should sparkle through the grit and hiss and distortion and make you think you understand something about the person making it. It's a romantic notion, one not necessarily based in reality. But the best music in this vein manages to convey a sense of intimacy, as if it's a one-to-one conversation between the artist and the listener. That's how BiRd-BrAiNs feels."

Nov 18, 2009

Port O'Brien - Threadbare


VBR / 50mb

Preview:

Year: 2009
Label: TBD
portobrien.com

Similar artists: Devendra Banhart, Akron/Family, Grandaddy, M. Ward, Silver Jews, Shearwater, Rogue Wave, Band of Horses

AMG: 3.5
"Threadbare follows in its predecessor's wet footsteps, and the death of a bandmember's sibling casts a long shadow over the project that sadly meshes beautifully with the outfit's sparsely delivered, yet emotionally rich sound. [..] While the more upbeat tracks on Threadbare are competent and downright catchy, they're ultimately engulfed by the fog from which they "

Nov 17, 2009

Real Estate - Real Estate


VBR / 75mb


Year: 2009
Label: Woodsist
myspace.com/letsrockthebeach
Wiki

Similar artists: Yo La Tengo, Feelies, Ducktails, Best Coast, ganglians, Kurt Vile

Pitchfork: 8.5
"With the exception of the limp "Pool Swimmers", every part remains remarkably crisp. But what sets Real Estate apart from the rest of the herd is how evergreen its beauty can be. Despite the summery song titles and the beach balling associations that might follow these guys around, this music transcends the notion of seasons. Inside the overcast tenor of "Black Lake" and the airy upstrokes of "Green River", there's much more at play here than what goes on between the months of June through September. And impressionism aside, this is a band whose chemistry and technical gifts suggest there's more coming down the pipeline: more good times to be soundtracked, and more songs and records and sounds to communicate exactly that."

Nov 16, 2009

The Most Serene Republic - ...And the Ever Expanding Universe


VBR / 61mb

Preview:

Year: 2009
Label: Arts & Crafts
themostserenerepublic.com

Similar artists: Broken Social Scene, Handsome Furs, The Sea and Cake, Rosebuds, Badly Drawn Boy, Built to Spill, John Vanderslice, Death Cab for Cutie

AMG: 4+
"...And the Ever Expanding Universe is tuneful, and the sweetness of the harmonies that dot many of the songs is engaging, but the swing between the breathy voices and cruelly distorted instruments on "Phi" is the work of a group not content to simply sound pretty, and the layers of instruments that interact within a selection like "Catharsis Boo" show that fun and challenging are not concepts that cancel each other out. And there's a graceful balance in the arrangements and performances that keeps this music joyous and full of wonder whether it aims for simplicity or a baroque level of detail. ...And the Ever Expanding Universe is a small wonder that easily confirms the Most Serene Republic's status as one of the most impressive acts on a Toronto pop scene that is already producing a bounty of exciting music."

Previously:

Nov 13, 2009

Years - Years


VBR / 50mb

Preview:

Year: 2009
Label: Arts & Crafts
myspace.com/themusicofyears
yearsmusic.ca

Similar artists: A bedroom version of Do Make Say Think, GY!BE on prozac, Microphones in a funny mood, Four Tet circa Rounds

Years is a project from Ohad Benchetrit of Sphyr, Do Make Say Think and Broken Social Scene. Despite being a mostly one man's effort and lacking the grotesque of a full fledged orchestra, Years is still somehow managing to sound like a simplified version of a good 90's post-rock band.

BOAT - Setting the Paces


VBR / 56mb

Preview:

Year: 2009
Label: Magic Maker
myspace.com/boatmusic
Wiki

Similar artists: Tullycraft, The Shins, The Apples in Stereo, Neutral Milk Hotel, A.C. Newman, The Little Ones, Spoon

AMG: 3.5+
"BOAT's third album, Setting the Paces, sticks to the formula the band had previously utilized. Short, snappy tunes with rambunctious vocals and humorous lyrical content, with debts owed to Pavement, Television Personalities, and the Banana Splits, and with a bouncy energy that makes the album very easy to like, even when the words stray over the line from clever to silly. This time out, the band has tightened up the sound; the guitars have more bite, the beats are more propulsive, and the overall feel is more rock than pop. [..] If you are inclined to find songs about stalled minivans, muscular friends, and math skills kind of ridiculous, you may have trouble getting into the album. Anyone else will find the lyrics to be refreshingly off-kilter and occasionally moving in an odd sort of way. It's not easy to pull off this kind of humorous indie rock, but on Setting the Paces, BOAT come through like champs."

Magnolia Electric Co. - Josephine



VBR / 64mb

Preview:

Year: 2009
Label: Secretly Canadian
magnoliaelectricco.com
myspace.com/magnoliaelectricco


Similar artists: Anomoanon, The Watson Twins, White Whale, Joy, My Morning Jacket, Damien Jurado, Will Oldham

AMG: 4
"In sum, Josephine is radically different from Magnolia Electric Co.'s preceding records, but it doesn't need to be. Molina has a consistent -- if downcast -- view of the world in his songs, and the canvas he uses to express it does so perfectly."

Nov 10, 2009

Tom Waits - Bone Machine



192kbps / 74mb

Preview:

Year: 1992
Label: Island
tomwaits.com

Similar artists: Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Richard Thompson, John Cale, Nick Cave, Rod Stewart

Very hard to pick a favorite. Which's yours?

AMG: 4.5
"Perhaps Tom Waits' most cohesive album, Bone Machine is a morbid, sinister nightmare, one that applied the quirks of his experimental '80s classics to stunningly evocative — and often harrowing — effect. In keeping with the title's grotesque image of the human body, Bone Machine is obsessed with decay and mortality, the ease with which earthly existence can be destroyed. The arrangements are accordingly stripped of all excess flesh; the very few, often non-traditional instruments float in distinct separation over the clanking junkyard percussion that dominates the record. It's a chilling, primal sound made all the more otherworldly (or, perhaps, underworldly) by Waits' raspy falsetto and often-distorted roars and growls."

Nov 9, 2009

Bear in Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth



256kbps / 73mb

Preview:

Year: 2009
Label: Hometapes
bearinheaven.com

Similar artists: The Dodos, Suckers, The Ruby Suns, Yeasayer, Megafaun

Pitchfork: 8.4
"Bear in Heaven's greatest trick is creating music that evokes the sort of physicality and scope that could soundtrack a Hollywood film, but also works equally well at stirring up intimate bodily passion. Lush synth beds, warm electronics accenting polyrhythms, and Jon Philpot's yearning, boyish howl coalesce into a vibe that's muscular without being macho, and which strikes a rare balance between nuanced emotion and overwhelming sensation. Even when delving into more disconcerting subject matter-- dabbling in self-loathing on "Wholehearted Mess" or confronting paranoia on the slinky "You Do You"-- Philpot still manages to imbue the songs with an atmosphere of seduction and intrigue."

Los Campesinos! - There Are Listed Buildings CDS


Nov 7, 2009

Julian Casablancas - Phrazes of the Young



VBR / 81.3mb

Preveiew:

Year: 2009
Label: RCA

Similar artists: The Strokes

AMG: 4
"It may not have the sugar rush immediacy of the Strokes, and at times it's downright indulgent, but Phrazes for the Young shows that Casablancas has more than enough ideas for several albums on his own and with his band -- and perhaps most importantly, he sounds more enthused about making music on it than he has since Is This It."

Nov 6, 2009

Sleeping States - In The Gardens Of The North



VBR / 50mb

Preview:

Year: 2009
Label: Bella Union
myspace.com/sleepingstates

Similar artists: Shearwater, Elvis Perkins, Final Fantasy, Little Wings, Bon Iver, Handsome Furs, Sparklehorse

Pitchfork: 8
"If there's anything negative to say about Gardens, it's that it doesn't lend itself to casual listening. These restless and nearly immaculate tales of love and longing, when taken in as a whole, might blend together to form a tastefully indistinct blur."

Nov 4, 2009

A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Ashes Grammar




VBR / 94.5mb

Preview:

Year: 2009
Label: Mis Ojos Discos
asunnydayinglasgow.com

Similar artists: Autodrone, Pia Fraus, The Radio Dept., Soundpool, The Jealous Girlfriends

AMG: 4+
"Ashes Grammar is a far more confident and cohesive album than its predecessor. Scribble Mural's ambitious multi-layered approach tended to weigh the album down; Ashes Grammar's artsy audio explorations, on the other hand, are generally fashioned around solid skeletons of pop-oriented hooks, lightening the listening experience considerably. This album features some of ASDIG's most pop-oriented work to date; tissuey, ghostly tracks like "Shy" and "Ashes Maths" and the comparatively angular, My Bloody Valentine-esque "The White Witch" stand up well next to Scribble Mural's very best moments. Really, the only complaint to be had with Ashes Grammar is its size."

Pitchfork: 8.3
"Ashes Grammar draws you in by offering outstanding moments in strange contexts; you'll re-listen to hear specific pieces even though you're unable to remember exactly when and how they occur. Ashes Grammar often feels like the result of a band who took Martha Reeves & the Vandellas' "Come and Get These Memories" in the most abstract, art-damaged way possible: nostalgic, jigsaw pop music from a group of writers strong enough to keep you humming and courageous enough to make you guess."

Nov 3, 2009

Owen - New Leaves



VBR / 43mb

Preview:

Year: 2009
Label: Polyvinyl
myspace.com/mybandowen

Similar artists: Onelinedrawing, Mark Kozelek, Elliott Smith, Sparrow House, Vermont

AV Club: A-
"New Leaves--Kinsella’s fifth full-length as Owen--was influenced by marriage and fatherhood, and even if he overindulges now and again (if his bones feel old in his early 30s, imagine how they’ll feel at 50), it proves that emo can grow up and still sound wonderfully relevant."

Previously:
Owen - Owen

Nov 1, 2009

Devendra Banhart - What Will We Be



VBR / 68mb

Preview:

Year: 2009
Label: Warner

devendrabanhart.com

Similar artists: Akron/Family, Feathers, Wooden Wand & the Vanishing Voice


AMG: 4
"Banhart's persona emerges intact despite the mainstream sound, however, and What Will We Be becomes a pleasantly fresh album to follow the ponderous, sprawling Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon."

Previously:
Devendra Banhart - Niño Rojo
Devendra Banhart - Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon
Devendra Banhart - Rejoicing In The Hands
Devendra Banhart - Oh Me Oh My
Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow

Vic Chesnutt - At the Cut


VBR / 50mb

Preview:

Year: 2008
Label: Constellation
vicchesnutt.com

Similar artists: Mark Eitzel, Chris Whitley, Freedy Johnston, Shearwater, Beck, American Music Club

AMG: 4
"At the Cut reunites Vic Chesnutt with several of the collaborators who helped make his extraordinary 2007 album, North Star Deserter, and while you can't force lightning to strike twice in the same place, Chesnutt and this group of gifted musicians have managed to create something similarly powerful and affecting that also has a personality of its own. [..] At the Cut isn't as great a surprise as North Star Deserter, but if you thought the brilliance of that album was a happy accident, this confirms these musicians complement each other very well and hopefully will continue to do so for a long time to come."

Previously:

Oct 31, 2009

Amy Millan - Masters of Burial



VBR / 46mb

Preview:

Year: 2009
Label: Arts & Crafts
myspace.com/amymillan

Similar artists: Jenny Lewis, Cat Power, Frida Hyvönen, Joey Wright, Feist

AMG: 3.5
"Millan's "plain jane" delivery may be occasionally sleep inducing, but it's comfort, not boredom that delivers the serotonin."

Oct 30, 2009

Eulogies - Here Anonymous



VBR / 57mb

Preview:

Year: 2009
Label: Dangerbird
eulogiesmusic.com

Similar artists: Earlimart, Film School, Death Cab for Cutie, Silversun Pickups

Pitchfork: 6.3
"While I was probably expecting more from Anonymous than I got from it, I'm not disappointed. And while Eulogies seem to have the capacity to do more than the limited playbook they've shown thus far, it's also true that advising the band to strike out in one direction or the other, musically or texturally-- listen to "Progression", then listen to Grizzly Bear's "Two Weeks", for one example of a similar aura done more effectively-- would be recommending they abandon just what makes them unique."

Oct 29, 2009

The Hidden Cameras - Origin: Orphan



VBR / 69mb

Preview:

Year: 2009
Label: Arts & Crafts
thehiddencameras.com

Similar artists: Jay Brannan, Belle & Sebastian, Magnetic Fields, Final Fantasy, The Flaming Lips, The Polyphonic Spree

AMG: 3.5