LP Giveaway details at the end of the review. Yeasayer Odd Blood Secretly Canadian out February 9th 89/100 [Rating Scale]
Yeasayer’s sophomore release, Odd Blood, kicks off with an awful track. Let’s just put it out there. “The Children” is the weakest song on the album – a plodding, strange, positively uninteresting tune with only slightly better lyrics. You may hear people try to tell you that it’s actually a good song. Or that you don’t “get it.” Those people are ridiculous. It’s a bad song. It ignores everything Yeasayer does well, and consequently pays the price. It sounds like a something made on GarageBand in about half an hour.
It is followed, however, by nine tracks of near perfection. Continue reading →
Following up on last year’s irresistibly charming “All Yr Songs“, Toronto’s Diamond Rings offers up “Wait & See”. Instantly you will notice that the fluffy cheese that was so warmly welcomed with its predecessor is pretty much gone. It’s grounded, more serious, yet you can’t help but feel it’s still filled-up-to-here with charm, fully equipped with the ironic cheapo drum machine that had initially pulled us into “All Yr Songs”.
John O’Regan, the man behind the drum machine, will be releasing “Wait & See” on a 7″ single, backed with “On Fire” via Tomlab. You can stream “Wait & See” below; I’d recommend it:
Sigur Rós frontman, Jónsi, will be releasing his solo album, Go later this spring. If you recall, back in December, Jónsi gave away the gorgeous first single from Go, “Boy Lilikoi“, which you can still download if you follow that link.
The sunny and lively musical arrangements on Go are credited to Nico Muhly, who worked with Grizzly Bear on the gorgeous arrangements on Veckatimest; he is also responsible for the arrangements on Antony & The Johnsons’ The Crying Light. Jónsi and Nico’s brainchildren are a dream to listen to. “Go Do”, the latest one to sprout out, is cacophony of banging drums and other rattling percussion that is being lifted by the light and subtle beauty of a flute; it epitomizes the coming of Spring. So then it makes perfect sense that Jónsi will be releasing a Go Do EP on March 15th, a month prior to Go’s release. I really can’t think of a better way to usher in spring.
Over a year after “Solid Gold” first blew up on everyone’s radar, the Golden Filter have announced that they will finally release an album. “Hide Me”, the first official track to appear on their forthcoming, Voluspa LP (no word on “Sold Gold” or “Thunderbird” being on the album), has just been released as a free mp3 single.
This is the moment Golden Filter fans have been waiting months for, download it below. Voluspa is out April 26th through Brille records.
LP Giveaway details at the end of the review. Hot Chip One Life Stand Astralwerks out February 9th 70/100 [Rating Scale]
One Life Stand is like that drinking buddy you used to go out with every weekend until he met the girl of his dreams, became inseparable, and now only comes over to drink one or two beers then insists on going home early knowing he doesn’t even have to try anymore. And while you can’t help but be happy for him, you have to admit he was a lot more interesting before falling in love.
Hot Chip scales back in One Life Stand with sparser arrangements for a more cohesive, organic, and mellower sound. And as life often reflects art and art life, frontmen Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddard have made it explicit in interviews that this album is a result of their being more “settled and happy.” The lyrical content includes some of the band’s most personal songs yet, with songs about family members (“Brothers”), parents (“Alleycats”), aging (“Slush”), and, as the album title’s campy pun suggests, an overall theme of having found true love. Continue reading →
One half of Chiddy Bang, producer and sample mastermind, Xaphoon Jones sprinkled some of his magic over Birdman and Drake’s “Money To Blow” to massively effective results. This free MP3 is another leak from his anticipated follow-up to The Xaphoon Jones Mixtape Vol. 1. Grab it below:
Birdman & Drake "Money To Blow" (Xaphoon Jones Remix): Play Now | Download (863)
Warp records is giving away this non-album Flying Lotus track, “Quakes”, for free, probably in light of Flying Lotus’ highly anticipated Los Angeles follow-up Cosmogramma — which will feature guest-vocals from Thom Yorke. Furthermore, Steven Darlington (who is Flying Lotus) has also collaborated with Outkast arranger Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. Laura Darlington, who appeared on Los Angeles highlight, “Infinitum” will also lend a hand in Cosmogramma, which is out May 3rd.
Yeasayer’s inspired new album, Odd Blood is out on Tuesday and anticipation has been steadily growing for the past few months with every free mp3 single (download “Ambling Alp” and “O.N.E.”) and insanely awesome music video hit the interwebs. Now, one of the most prominent remixers around, XXXChange (of the Spank Rock crew), has flipped “O.N.E.” on its head, trading in Merriweather Post Pavilion-esque springs and blips for Spank Rock-ready bass and synth lines, together with handclaps and shakers.
“O.N.E.”, Odd Blood’s official second single (called it), is out on March 23rd, but like I said, you can already download it for free. The single will include XXXChange’s infectious dance floor filler, which Yeasayer are also giving away, download it below: Continue reading →
Yeasayer
