Nothing in this post was written by me! These are all for reference!
Lullaby Arkestra 'Threats/Worship' (VICE)Lullabye Arkestra is Kat Taylor-Small and Justin Small. Brought together by love, they are bound by and to the music. It’s music by lovers, for fighters. When Kat picks up her bass and Justin gets behind the drums, the result is dirty, swaggering rock ‘n’ roll. The result is beautiful. The result is Threats/Worship. While past incarnations have found up to a dozen people adding to the sound, today the Arkestra is stripped down, back to the core. This is a duo who knows when to scream, when to pummel, and, at the perfect moment, when to let the vulnerabilities show. The paradox of the band’s name is intrinsic to the songs they sing. They scream and wail, but just when you think the onslaught is relentless, they turn on a dime and let Kat’s sweet voice take over. Or Justin (Do Make Say Think) lets loose with a string of “Baby, baby, baby…” The centre only seems softer because of the hardness that protects it. Now, after signing to VICE Records, they are unveiling their latest album, Threats/Worship. The first chords of “Get Nervous” are heavy, almost foreboding. It’s an introduction, but only a welcome for those willing to risk entrance. Track 6, “Fog Machine” as well as track 10, “Floating Graveyards” are great for getting the full on Arkestra experience. Their first single “We Fuck the Night” is a hard-hitting guitar-drone mélange that gives you a taste of the fire behind Kat’s yowl.
Chores 'The Subtle Politics of the Public Hammock' (Field Hymns)The definition of Portland pop music may never be the same with the release of Chores’ new debut full-length album, The Subtle Politics of the Public Hammock, on Field Hymns. With this release, Chores has crafted an innovative pop sound infused with noisy guitars in a post-punk psychadelic sort of way. The centerpiece of the record is the dueling vocals of Lou Thomas and Jada Pierce, giving the record straight-up rock and roll swagger. Standout tracks on the record include “Make The World Go Away” and “The New New Deal”, both illustrations of Chores’ political awareness and ideology. At times, Chores can be sound like the avant-garde love child of Yo La Tengo, and Pavement, but at its core, Subtle Politics is really the soundtrack to the Portland cityscape; sometimes noisy, but artfully designed and beautiful.
Os Mutantes 'Haih or Amortecedor' (Anti)Os Mutantes’ sound was forged in a tumultuous Brazil of the early 60s. The band, along with other musicians and artists, formed the Tropicália movement, mixing political criticism, prankster humor and an eclectic range of musical styles. Os Mutantes delighted in their role as cultural provocateurs, but when Brazil’s political situation further deteriorated, Tropicália ended. Eventually it was only Dias leading Os Mutantes until they disbanded in 1978. In 2006 the group reunited for a triumphant show at London’s Barbican Arts Center followed by high profile performances in North America opening for the Flaming Lips at the Hollywood Bowl as well as The Pitchfork Festival and they were awarded the Brazilian equivalent of a Grammy for best band. Their anticipated new album Haih or Amortecedor, with songs written by Dias and fellow Tropicália alumnus Tom Zé, brilliantly propels the band’s visionary sound out of the sixties into an uncharted exotic future. Still psychedelic, influential, political and playful after all these years - Os Mutantes triumphantly return with their first record in 35 years, their very first album to receive a worldwide release.
The Physics 'High Society' (Self-Released)Two years after the release of their critically lauded full length debut, Future Talk, Seattle-based hip hop group The Physics are back with High Society, an eight track EP of new material representing a natural progression both musically and personally. Steeped heavily in references to jazz and soul, Just D’Amato’s production (alongside Phee Dill & Dyalect) provides the smoothed-out backdrop against which lyricists Thig Natural and Monk Wordsmith (absent from Future Talk but a notable presence here) do their thing and do it with skill. Featuring guest appearances by beastly Seattle MCs Language Arts (“Back Track”) and Macklemore (“Good”) as well as one of the year’s most buzzed about local duos, the fresh-as-all-hell females of Thee Satisfaction (“Radio Head”), High Society dims the lights on the laidback aesthetic established in Future Talk and invites the listener to get real grown—and enjoy it.
David Bazan - Curse Your Branches - Barsuk - David Bazan is the heart and soul behind such projects as Pedro The Lion and Headphones. With the release of his first full length under his own name, “Curse Your Branches,” Bazan’s heart and soul is taking his listeners in a completely new direction. From structures, and Bazan’s signature vocals comprises his greatest masterpiece to date, keeping the listener wondering where this internal struggle will take him next. “From the epic six-minute opener “Hard To Be” to the synthesizer driven “Bless This Mess” and the stripped down, acoustic “Harmless Sparks” …Curse Your Branches sees Bazan reconciling all of his musical motifs into one cohesive collection of songs” - Jonah Bayer, AP RIYL: Leonard Cohen, Bill Callahan, Mountain Goats http://www.myspace.com/davidbazan
Amy Millan - Masters Of The Burial - Arts & Crafts - Amy Millan (also of Stars and Broken Social Scene fame) returns with Masters of The Burial, a wistful yet warm collection of songs and the follow up to her 2006 solo debut, Honey From The Tombs. Masters of The Burial includes interpretations of Death Cab for Cutie's "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" and "Old Perfume" by Sarah Harmer. Recorded at The Well and produced by Martin Davis Kinack (Broken Social Scene), the album features guest performances from Evan Cranley (Stars), Dan and Jenny Whiteley, Feist, and Liam O'Neil (The Stills).
RIYL: Stars, Broken Social Scene, Feist, Metric http://www.myspace.com/amymillan
Dappled Cities - Zounds - Dangerbird - When you listen to Dappled Cities you actually see things. Vivid colours, strange animals, story-book characters. It's as if a world that you didn't know existed, and all it's possibilities, is now within your grasp. Dappled Cities can take you there, as one respected reviewer put it, "by weaving between grandiose indie-rock, oddly bent pop and big-emotion, big-gesture music that seems refracted through a vaguely hallucinogenic mirror". After 2 years of ludicrously intense international touring and songwriting, Dappled Cities prepare for the release of their 3rd album, the art pop opus, Zounds. The work is the highest achievement of a ten year career traced back from their current home on US powerhouse label Dangerbird Records (also home of Silversun Pickups) to the teenagers first playing music together in their Australian childhood suburbs. First single 'The Price' is a political song forged in a disco inferno while 'The Night is Young At Heart', at an epic six minutes, is the band's longest ever track and the song Dave's most proud of. "Big, long, aggressive, weird: an in-ya-face sound people are either going to love or hate - and that's the mark of a great song, isn't it?" http://www.myspace.com/dappledcities
The Medders - The Medders - Self-Released - Jule Medders, a woodsman & songwriter (for artists like Diamond Rio, Pam Tillis, Billy Dean) and his pretty wife Joy had three sons (Cheyenne, Carson and Will) whom they raised on Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and Johnny Horton in Calhoun, GA. After three very different musical journeys, the brothers have found themselves in Nashville with the addition of piano player Joshua Stauter, prepping to release their debut album under the band name The Medders. Through the process of recording this album, the band received mentorship from Robin Eaton (Butterfly Boucher) and Lij Shaw (Autumn Defense) while all mixing was done by lead singer and songwriter Cheyenne Medders, who just so happens to have a day job as a sound engineer. The Medders self-titled album comes out September 1st. Preview the homegrown masterpiece with their song "Gunslinger" which has been cleared for free download.Speaking of "clear", did you know the estimated cost to end the World's shortage of water is $10 Billion? That's not much when you consider Americans spend an average of $450 Billion on Christmas every year. The Medders are part of a new cause called Will Play For Water where they play shows to build awareness and money to help bring clean water to countries who need it. They're currently looking to book shows on campuses this fall. But, their upcoming tour won't be their first time on the road. The Medders have travelled all around North America, from Seattle to Montreal and New York to LA with their different bands. The Medders have even performed with Aaron Robinson of Imaginary Baseball League, Beau Jennings of Cheyenne and Country Hall of Famer Merle Haggard. http://www.myspace.com/themedders
Arctic Monkeys - Humbug - Domino - They say that change is hard, but staying the same is torture. Arctic Monkeys must obviously have been aware of this when writing ‘Humbug’, as this is a clear step away from the first two albums. Casual fan is not going to find much to enjoy here past single ‘Crying Lightning’. An Arctic Monkeys album not stuffed with hooks!? Shocking! Shockingly good, too. Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age fame produced the bulk of the material on offer here, and he’s had a clear influence on the new direction: ‘Dangerous Animals’ and ‘Pretty Visitors’ are up-tempo rockers that are definitely QOTSA-inspired. There are slower moments here too, such as ‘Dance Little Liar’, which features one of the best choruses the Arctics have written to date, and the hypnotic second half of ‘Potion Approaching’, which shuffles along, driven by Matt Helders’ drumming (the man has seriously upped his game here, and he’s talented indeed) before reprising the opening riff and skidding to a halt. A markedly different side of Arctic Monkeys is on display here, on an album that may, in time, be considered their best. Patience is the key here. Much like the boiled sweet of the same name, as Alex Turner himself said, ‘You’ll just have to suck it and see.” (Garreth O'Malley).
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