A sunny day here in NYC but still mighty cold and I had a bunch of songs leftover from last week's mix — plus some new stuff I got this week — so here's another mix. I might just make this go through February. We'll see. Lot of good stuff on this one I think. Enjoy.
Tracklist:
1. Austra – The Beat and the Pulse
2. Fugiya & Miyagi – Minestrone
3. Toro Y Moi – Still Sound
4. PJ Harvey – The Glorious Land
5. Two Wounded Birds – Night Patrol
6. The Dears – Unsung
7. Det Vackra Livet – Viljan
8. Beach Fossils – What a Pleasure
9. Ringo Deathstarr – So High
10. Mind Spiders – No Romance
11. Robert Pollard – Something Strawberry
12. The British Public – Bears
13. Obits – You Gotta Lose
14. The Raveonettes – Forget That You're Young
15. Dirty Beaches – Lord Knows Best
16. Lower Dens – Batman
17. White Fence – Art Investor Collector
18. Tim Cohen – The Tunnel of Love
19. Acid House Kings – Would You Say Stop?
20. Destroyer – Downtown
No shuffling! Liner notes after the jump.
1. Austra – The Beat and the Pulse
Katie Stelmanis was already making gothy ice princess music under her own name, for quite a while, but as Austra she's gone electronic and suddenly people are taking notice. Knife comparisons are inevitable, but this has more of a beating heart.
2. Fugiya & Miyagi – Minestrone
After a difficult second album that found that band in retread mode, Fugiya & Miyagi got it right again with their third album Ventriloquizzing. This is probably the best song on the record…and it's about soup! Kind of.
3. Toro Y Moi – Still Sound
I never really bought into the whole chillwave scene — was a little too lazy for me — but Toro Y Moi I liked. His new record, Underneath the Pine, is a major step forward into rock, pop and funk. "Still Sound" is one of the best summer singles ever to be released in January.
4. PJ Harvey – The Glorious Land
Still singing in that upper register she switched to on White Chalk, PJ Harvey gets more agressive on the autoharp-driven Let England Shake, her most interesting album in ages. She sounds pissed off, and that's almost always a good thing. I don't really understand the politics here but that never stopped me from liking the Fall either.
5. Two Wounded Birds – Night Patrol
London band that sounds like something out of 1964 California: drag races, hanging ten, being misunderstood. These guys (and one girl) get the mood just right.
6. The Dears – Unsung
The Dears were one of my favorite bands in 2005 (and one of the best live bands period) but their next album, Gang of Losers, had great songs but muddy sound, and then the band fell apart and the next album, Missiles, just didn't have the tunes. I am pleased to report that with Degeneration Street the Dears are back in fine soaring, anthemic form.
7. Det Vackra Livet – Viljan
Why yes, this does sound a lot like the Mary Onettes. That's because it's Philip and Henrik Ekström who are the core of that band and go more electronic while singing in their native tongue.
8. Beach Fossils – What a Pleasure
New EP from Beach Fossils and they continue to more further and further away from the reverb and ohter effects pedals. Still kinda sounds like R.E.M.
9. Ringo Deathstarr – So High
Yes, their name is dumb but Austin's Ringo Deathstarr have made a seriously great album, Colour Trip, that will have shoegaze fans going mental. Wow.
10. Mind Spiders – No Romance
We keep the adrenaline running with this from Mind Spiders, an offshoot from Marked Men's Mark Ryan. This is revved up garage, with skills and talent and big hooks to back it all up.
11. Robert Pollard – Something Strawberry
Robert Pollard cranks out the records and I imagine him writing this song and being like "I should call it something Strawberry" and him never figuring out what that something shoulda been, and he just left it like that. You know like "title tk" or something. Good tune!
12. The British Public – Bears
The '90s revival continues with The British Public who to me sound a lot like BOAT. Ridiculously catchy indie rock.
13. Obits – You Gotta Lose
Obits are soon to drop album #2, Moody, Standard and Poor, which is another fine slab of cranked-up, bile-spewing rock and roll.
14. The Raveonettes – Forget That You're Young
Super excited for the new Raveonettes album, as their last one was one of my favorites of 2009. This is a mellow, very lovely first taste of Raven in the Grave which is out April 5.
15. Dirty Beaches – Lord Knows Best
The pseudonym of Montreal artist Alex Zhang Hungtai, Dirty Beaches sound like a band invented by David Lynch (or maybe Jim Jarmusch), like a half-remembered dream infected by an oldies station playing on a vintage transistor radio. Dirty Beaches' forthcoming album, Badlands (out March 29 and pictured above), is at times pretty, twangy and vaguely sinister.
16. Lower Dens – Batman
New single from one of 2010 more underrated bands, there's kind of a Feelies vibe going on here. Can't figure out what it's got to do with the caped crusader, though.
17. White Fence – Art Investor Collector
This is a side project of one of the Darker My Love dudes and is in the Fresh & Onlys/Sic Alps sort of vein, poppy but kinda f-ed up and skuzzy at the same time.
18. Tim Cohen – The Tunnel of Love
Speaking of the F&Os, here's frontman Tim Cohen who has two new solo records out on Captured Tracks right now. If you like his band you'll like this too which is a little more varied instrumentally. This is from the album Magic Trick. There's an EP too.
19. Acid House Kings – Would You Say Stop?
Yay, Acid House Kings are back! First new album in six years, though Johan has stayed busy putting out records as The Legends, Club 8, Pallers and probably three other groups I'm forgetting. He also runs Labrador Records. AHK are pure indiepop and this song is really really really really really catchy. I think it's the handclaps that put it over the edge.
20. Destroyer – Downtown
Pretty sure Destroyer's Kaputt is my favorite album of 2011 so far. I've never really cared about Destroyer much, to be honest. But this, which is deep in '80s widescreen pop territory (think Prefab Sprout, Blue Nile, Triffids) with that little dose of Al Stewart he usually bring to the table. If you own a turntable, get Kaputt on vinyl. Double gatefold with the second disc being a whole side of songs not on the CD or digital versions.
We must listen to the same radio station.
The new Destroyer album is the first one I've really liked since Your Blues.
Can't stop listening to the Ringo Deathstarr album…and watching Spaceballs.
Like Dirty Beaches but how come nobody mentions how eerily similar it sounds to Suicide. Maybe it's just me…
Or, maybe a one with lots of side pockets for all the things you need put inside the bag.