Major Bands, Minor Labels 01.18.12: A Golden Shower Incident
Posted by Nick Krenn on 01.18.2012
This week's MBML has news on new albums from Lower Dens and Odd Future. Also, I've got new downloads and music videos featuring Cursive, Peasant, Austra, and Trash Talk. Plus, a new artist to keep your eyes on and music recommendations worth your time. All this and MORE!
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This week's MBML has news on Lower Dens and Odd Future. Also, new downloads from Cursive and Peasant; music videos for Trash Talk and Austra; and a new artist to keep your eyes on. And of course, music recommendations worth your time.
Let's get started...
Lower Dens Announce New Album
Baltimore's Lower Dens have announced their next album to release May 1st (April 30th outside North America). The new album has a puzzling name -- Nootropics (pronounced No-eh-tro-pics for the people that care). Following their 2010 debut Twin-Hand Movement, Nootropics deals with the band's interest in transhumanism, or the use of technology to extend human capabilities. Think how our mobile devices allow us to communicate with one another at any time, unless AT&T is your provider.
Tracklisting is as follows:
1. Alphabet Song
2. Brains
3. Stem
4. Propagation
5. Lamb
6. Candy
7. Lion in Winter Pt. 1
8. Lion in Winter Pt. 2
9. Nova Anthem
10. In the End is the Beginning
Listen to Nootropics' first single "Brains" below.
Lower Dens are Jana Hunter (Vocals, Guitar), Will Adams (Guitar), Geoff Graham (Bass, Vocals), Nate Nelson (Drums), Carter Tanton (Synths, Guitar, Vocals).
The Future Gets Odder
Although they've been busy with various side projects, the Odd Future collective hasn't come together for a proper release since their 2008 debut mixtap, The Odd Future Tape. On March 20th, the upstart rappers plan to release their long-awaited follow-up, OF Tape Vol. 2. Featuring all new music from Tyler, the Creator, Frank Ocean, Hodgy Beats, Left Brain, Domo Genesis, Syd the Kyd, the Internet, and Mike G, the new mixtape preludes a 10-city US tour and the collective's Adult Swim television show "Loiter Squad", premiering on March 25th.
In other Odd Future news, Tyler the Creator will release Wolf, the follow-up to last year's Goblin, later this spring.
Bad Weather California
On March 6th, Bad Weather California will release their new album Sunkissed through Akron/Family's Family Tree Records. The band's sound combines elements of all their favorite alt rock bands that they discovered in Thrasher magazine during their youth.
Bad Weather California's music is both unpredictable and fun. Chris from BWC explains "as a kid, I used to have this intense nervous feeling when I would go watch punk bands play. Like anything might go down. Like it was unstable. I'm looking for that again. Striving for it".
Tracklisting
01. I'll Reach Out My Hand
02. When You Smile
03. Stand In My Sunshine
04. Big Yellow Ball
05. Skate or Try
06. Freaks and Geks
07. Let It Shine
08. I'll Reach Out My Hand pt 2
09. I Feel Like Dancing
10. I'll Sing Along
11. You're My Friend
In the download exchange, I will give you some cool downloads to check out (all legal, of course!), and all that I ask for in exchange is that if you enjoy the music, then support the artists by picking up their album, buying some songs, or checking them out on tour.
Cursive - "The Sun and Moon"
Cursive have released the first single from their upcoming new album I Am Gemini out February 21st through Saddle Creek. You can download the new song, "The Sun and Moon" below.
According to the press release: 'I Am Gemini' is the surreal and powerful musical tale of Cassius and Pollock, twin brothers separated at birth. One good and one evil, their unexpected reunion in a house that is not a home ignites a classic struggle for the soul, played out with a cast of supporting characters that includes a chorus of angels and devils, and twin sisters conjoined at the head.
How did Tim Kasher come up with this one? Check out the track listing below.
I Am Gemini Tracklist:
01. This House Alive
02. Warmer Warmer
03. The Sun and Moon
04. Drunken Birds
05. Lullaby for No Name
06. Double Dead
07. Gemini
08. Twin Dragon/Hello Skeleton
09. Wowowow
10. This House a Lie
11. The Cat and Mouse
12. A Birthday Bash
13. Eulogy for No Name
Peasant – "The Flask"
Peasant is the project of singer/songwriter Damien DeRose. On April 17th, he will release his third album Bound for Glory via London-based Schnitzel Records. You may be saying, Who gives a Schnit?, but I kid you not that the guy has unbelievable talent, drawing comparisons to Elliot Smith. Still want to joke around? In case you need more convincing, download the first Bound for Glory single, "The Flask", below via the Soundcloud embed. I guarantee you'll be hooked.
Indie Vids features the latest videos created by some of the independent artists that I'm watching or already love.
Trash Talk – "Slander"
Thrash punk rockers Trash Talk have released a video for the track "Slander" off their EP Awake that dropped back in October. Watch the Jim Dirschberger directed, Jay Howell illustrated video for "Slander" below. That laughing homeless guy gets me every time. Has anyone else experienced an unfortunate golden shower incident after ingesting narcotics?
Austra – "Spellwork"
Austra have released a new video for their song, "Spellwork", off their 2011 release Feel It Break. The video's director, Yelena Yemchuk, has past video credits that include the Smashing Pumpkin videos for "Zero" and "Thirty-Three". Check out the video after the jump that Yemchuk describes as a "surreal fairy tale".
"The music videos that Yelena made with the Smashing Pumpkins in the 90s are some of my favorite videos of all time. Having the chance to work with an artist with so much energy and originality was inspiring and a huge honor for me and my band!" said Austra's Katie Stelmanis.
Music Recommendations
My music recommendations feature the latest stuff that I and the writers at Earbuddy have checked out recently.
Cate Le Bon - CYRK
It's easy to understand why St. Vincent's Annie Clark asked Welsh singer Cate Le Bon to join her on tour. Le Bon possesses the same experimental songcraft as Clark. However, the two artists differ in their sound. St. Vincent's albums are polished through tight production whereas CYRK sounds like it was recorded live. The band certainly treats it like one while taking instrumental detours in many of the songs before finishing them off. Many of these moments feel improvised, but they payoff in exciting fashion to make CYRK a pleasant surprise in early 2012. Read the Cate Le Bon - CYRK Review.
"Headcage", the title track to Matthew Dear's newest EP is what can only be described as evolution. Electronic music is one of the hardest sells on casual music listeners not familiar with the genre or its nuances. And many times I will side with them on certain acts in the genre with no redeeming human elements. It's hard to find a connection with expansive collages of synths, drum loops, and bass without a human voice to guide you through them as they stretch into infinity. Headcage doesn't lack for accessibility. Only one track on the Headcage EP runs past the 4 minute mark, and all of them feature Dear's vocals. And, as the opening title track can attest, electronic music hasn't sounded this cool or exciting in a long time. Read the Matthew Dear - Headcage EP Review.
Todd Terje - It's the Arps EP
Todd Terje is well known for his production and remixes in the electronic music genre. Following his 2011 EP Ragysh, It's The Arps marks a new period in Terje's career as the first release through Terje's newly created label, Olsen, that will likely provide Terje with more creative flexibility. For his latest EP, Terje created the its four tracks solely using the ARP 2600 synthesizer, a vintage analog synthesizer that's been used by musicians for over 20 years now. The resulting album is a half-and-half mix of old school electronica with the dreamy electro-pop music that many bedroom duos use behind their vocals. Read the Todd Terje - It's the Arps EP Review.
On Future This, The Big Pink rectify my main qualm with their first album. Dropping the noise and haze of their debut and taking a more electro-rock stance, Future This shines with ten tracks that rival the pop demeanor of "Dominos". Many songs are stand-outs that will remain memorable until year-end, an impressive feat considering the album's January release. The band instills this notion immediately with the opening track and first single, "Stay Gold". Blending soaring guitar riffs with bouncy synths that meet in harmony for a sing-a-long chorus, The Big Pink may be staking a claim as the next arena rock gods. Read the The Big Pink - Future This Review.
Expensive Looks - Dark Matters
Expensive Looks is the project of upstart DJ Alec Feld. Growing up on a variety of influences -- house, Motown, and "trashy 90's dance" -- Dark Matters seeks to blend all of those influences into the debut Dark Matters. While he may not pull off the feat of introducing us to an innovative voice of the electronic genre, Dark Matters more or less marks an interesting debut with nine seamless songs that could please any fan of last year's M83 album Hurry Up, We're Dreaming. To Feld's advantage, Dark Matters isn't bloated with filler, and the album works as a whole experience rather than as a song here and there. Read the Expensive Looks - Dark Matters Review.
If you like my album reviews on 411mania, be sure to check out reviews done by me and my buddies on my blog Earbuddy and check out my blog's Facebook for more news and stories on artists featured in MBML:
Comments are always appreciated, and I would really like to hear from you guys through email (earbuddymusic@gmail.com) or Twitter. You can follow me @earbuddy so that we can chat about all kinds of things. Thanks for reading.
