It’s safe to say that Kevin Devine probably ain’t gonna win any vocalist of the year awards, but he sings with such raw emotion and gut-wrenching honesty that I just had to pass along this song from his new album, Brother’s Blood, due out at the end of the month. When his Neil Young-like, sorta-out-of-key vocal fades away half-way through and lets the positively hypnotic guitar run take over, you really get to see how damn good this song is…and then he comes back…angrier than ever, to finish you off! Give this one some time…it took me four or five plays before I was totally hooked…but it’s so worth it! Kevin Devine is from Brooklyn and you can check him out on MySpace
Finn Andrews and a mostly new gang of friends still calling themselves The Veils, are back with a wonderfully mopey, happy, overwrought & complex offering of Rock & Roll theaterics. ‘The Letter’ is off of Sun Gangs, the first Veils album in almost three years. I say new gang ‘cuz after only three records, the only constant has been Andrews, but maybe all the lineup changes are paying off, since I think this is the tightest thing he’s ever put out. The lush, layered arrangements and slightly syncopated rhythms highlight everything that’s great about his voice…think of Coldplay’s Chris Martin but without all the self-important pomposity! Diggin’ it!!! Check out The Veils over on MySpace
In our continuing efforts to ROCK the joint up, we here at the Song of the Day List got all goosebumpy today when we heard that Rancid has a new album…their first new full length since 2003’s ‘Indestructible’…ready to drop this June and that the first leak, ‘Last One to Die’, is hitting the blogosphere. Often compared to The Clash, a fact they don’t seem to mind (check out their cover of The Clash’s ‘Cheat’ on YouTube), this song is actually the most accessible Rancid song I think I’ve ever heard…the snarly vocals from Tim Armstrong, the shout-it-out anthem-like chorus, the crashing guitars and thumping basslines, the streetpunk attitude…..if the rest of ‘Let the Dominoes Fall’ comes close to this song, I think Rancid just might win over some new fans! Check ’em out at MySpace
A slinky guitar slides into this song, followed by a few high-hat crashes…and I’m hooked. But if you need more, trust me…as soon as lead singer Emma Richardson’s riveting voice slips in with her primal, sexy growl you’re gonna fall in love…if not, you’re dead! And the thing ROCKS…I think I’ve been guilty of tossing out some pretty arty stuff lately, so this is a great way to kick off the week and rectify the level of softness The List has been in. You can pick up Band Of Skulls debut, Baby Darling Doll Face Honey, over on iTunes for the recession special price of only 6 bucks…and you can check out the band on MySpace
It’s surprising at the speed which a fresh indie act can go from being completely unknown to being anointed supremely worthy, but that’s kinda what’s been happening over the past couple of months to Lissy Trullie. After all this time together, you’ve probably figured out that I keep my ears open when it comes to finding new indie music, but I was only barely aware of her…she was one of photographer Ryan McGinley’s friends who would happily pose naked whenever he asked and she apparently DJ’d around the New York club scene…and yet after releasing a debut EP, Self-Taught Learner, and playing a few well-chosen gigs in all the right clubs (including well-received shows at CMJ and her release party at The Mercury Lounge), this week New York Magazine dubbed her the “future of New York rock”…!!! I figured with all that hype, I had better give her a listen to see what all the fuss is about…and I gotta say, it’s kinda cool. There’s a healthy dose of muscular drum work and a solid array of post-punk riffs to back up her self-aware songwriting and Chrissie Hynde-like snarl vocals and that’s good enough for me to pass on to you guys. As always, you can check her out on MySpace
The Pipettes were one of the many quirky, slapped-together novelty groups that popped up in England a couple of years back trying to get in on the retro-60’s nostalgia that brought us Amy Winehouse, Adele, Candie Payne and a lot other less talented wanna-be’s…they lasted all of one album, We Are The Pipettes, and got a few people listening with a lo-fi version of the old Tommy James & the Shondells hit, ‘I Think Were Alone Now’, before they faded into obscurity. However, the one bright thing I remember about the band was the voice of Rose Elinor Dougall…it alternates between the warm, husky quality of Cass Elliot, but then there is that lovely warble in the higher register that absolutely has me hearing Siouxsie Sioux…..it’s really quit amazing, but the musical arrangement of this song and even her use of the heavy black eye liner owes a nod to Siouxsie & the Banshees! Anyway…Ms. Dougall has a solo album set to drop in June and you can check her out further on MySpace
Since the early 90’s singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist/psychedelic-rock guru Robert White (Ex-of Ring, Levitation and Zag And The Coloured Beads) has quietly shuffled along with a little side project he called The Milk & Honey Band…a mixture of pastoral English psychedelic rock, easy-flowing acoustic pop and space rock. A few years ago, XTC’s Andy Partridge convinced White to make the project his full-time job and signed them to his Ape Records label. Despite what some say are obvious similarities between XTC and the Milk & Honey boys, I don’t think Partridge had designs on turning them into XTC-version 2.0…he probably just fell in love with their sound! In fact, he said they were “…a bit like The Moody Blues but with more energy and better songs…!” And while we’re comparing their sound, I think it’s easy to say there’s a bit of Crowded House, Elliot Smith, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Teenage Fanclub, and Nick Drake in their DNA as well. They just dropped Dog-Eared Moonlight, their second album on the Ape label…..check ’em out on MySpace
I guess I gotta get back on the horse and send somthin’ out to you guys, lest you forget I’m here! I was shuffling through my favorite indie sites this morning and came across the new single from Charlene, a shoegaze outfit from Newton, Mass, that seriously reminds me of early Mercury Rev! The shimmering guitars, the lazy, almost narcoleptic phrasing of the vocals, the melodic & ornate fuzzy wall of sound…it all filters down into a beautiful, noisy song. Check out Charlene over at MySpace or on their WEBSITE where you can download selected cuts (click on the ‘Music & Merch’ link) from their previous releases!
Maybe it’s the recession, but the Song of the Day List’s #1 go-to girl, Kate Tucker, has pared down The Sons of Sweden and went to SXSW to debut a new side project…Honeydove. Featuring Son of Sweden Ed (Potatoes) O’Brien on guitar and Lucas Carlyle on drums, Kate says the new group will allow her to ‘explore darker themes and textures’…the first demo cut, ‘All My Love’, has an almost narcotic effect from the start with the slow-tempo, shimmering guitar and Kate’s poetic vocal imparting a sirenlike sensuality…the feeling of world-weariness and intense melancholy is a stark contrast to to her cover of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘I’m On Fire’ for the recent Starbucks “Sweetheart” release that previously showed up on The List. I don’t know how far Kate is going with Honeydove, but why don’t you head on over to MySpace and make friends…
No…this isn’t an April Fool’s joke…you’re actually seeing a Bob Dylan song on the Song of the Day List! ‘Together Through Life’ will be Bob Dylan’s forty-sixth album since his storied career began in 1962, and will be his first studio album since Modern Times was released in 2006 and ‘cuz all the kids are doin’ it these days, he’s offering the first single, ‘Beyond Here Lies Nothin’, as a free download. Now, it might be because I just saw Cadillac Records last weekend and I’m feelin’ the Blues, but to me it sounds like Mr. Zimmerman must have been listening to a few Chess Records from the fifties before he laid down this track…the bluesey guitar licks, the squeeze-box accordion, the bone-dry trumpet crying out in the background, all coming together and wrapping around Bobby’s gutteral growl…..it’s almost like he’s sending out a love letter to Muddy Waters! The album drops April 28th and you can learn more by visiting his Website or head on over to MySpace to stream a few more songs.
The most anticipated indie release of the year…the new Silversun Pickups album, Swoon…isn’t due out for a couple of weeks, but the number one request on college radio and alt/shoegaze stations across the country is ‘Panic Switch’, the first single that got leaked a few weeks ago. At nearly 6 minutes, the anthemic, feedback-heavy, Smashing Pumpkins-like opus has lead singer Brian Aubert’s desperately pleading vocal sounding like he’s ready to pick up where last year’s smash hit ‘Lazy Eye’ left off, with his voice rising above the band’s signature guitar distortion over a steady thumping bassline and car-crash drums. There’s just a hint of self-indulgent rock-God posturing where it quiets down and meanders about two-thirds of the way in, but they redeem themselves by storming back with an awesome, energetic finish. Check out Silversun Pickups over at MySpace
I’m gonna add some movement to the blog today with a wonderfully weird video (directed by Martin de Thurrah who has previously shot vids for Röyksopp and Futureheads) from the amazing debut album from Fever Ray
New York Pop-Fuzzsters, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, who previously graced The List with ‘This Love Is Fucking Right!’, finally got around to compiling a bunch of the 7-inchers they’ve released since forming two years ago into their first, self-titled full-length album. Often called the happy offspring of My Bloody Valentine and Teenage Fanclub, what distinguishes POBPAH from a lot of their shoegazing peers is a true sense of musical craft and not screwing things up with overwrought production and unnecessary bells and whistles. And a good friend asked that I get outta the musical doldrums I have been in lately and toss out something more up-beat & up-tempo that he can listen to on his morning jog…this shoud do the trick! You can check out more POBPAH over on their MySpace page
My previous post on the new album from Fever Ray got me thinking…I usually find these leaks well in advance of the album’s release, pass them along to The List, but rarely revisit the artist after the album drops. So I went deep into my iTunes folder to see what other Songs of the Day from the past few months have lived up to the hype I bestowed upon them. One obvious choice is the album Me And Armini, released last Fall from Emiliana Torrini…
When I first passed along the reggae-tinged ‘Me And Armini’, the melancholy charm and blend of wistful nostalgia won me over immediately, but it didn’t really prepare me for what I was to hear on the rest of the album with it’s simple, stripped down instrumentation that allows Torrini’s irresistible vocals to reveal sharp jolts of beauty, delicate little flourishes and unexpected oddities hidden in the simple song structures. ‘Gun’ is both the album’s most musically and thematically divergent track…and possibly the darkest song Torrini’s ever released. With the stark atmospherics and the reverby guitar riff, it’s a haunting homily to a jilted lover’s weapon of choice. The final passage is particularly chilling…. “Hey look me in the barrel and tell me that you love me, Yes this is a kiss that I swear will blow your mind…”
Me And Armini is one of the most appealing records I’ve listened to all year and for all you fans of The List it’s a must-buy. Check out Emiliana Torrini on MySpace or at her Website
Back in January when I first dropped ‘Now’s The Only Time I Know’, the first leak off the solo experiment of Karin Dreijer Andersson (former singer of 90’s pop group Honey Is Cool and one-half of The Knife) and her brother Olaf Dreijer, I was completely taken by her voice and the somber, haunting melodies and complex electronic constructions that I heard…and the fact that I’m a sucker for anything with a Glockenspiel in it! Now that the album has been released I strongly advise anyone within earshot to search it out…this is a magical, storied World of primal, minimalist beats and unexpected instrumentation…almost like electronica filtered through an African wilderness. I’ve been sitting here for hours, deskbound…retouching…..and have played it over and over and over…..the intriguing ghostly harmonies taking the edge off of my Photoshop-induced headache…..
Full credit for today’s song goes to Channel 25 on my Sirius Radio…the Little Steven Underground Garage channel…I’ve been listening to so much great new stuff over there lately that I’ve barely had to look at the online indie music blogs to find anything worth tossing out to you leeches! Audrye Sessions is an Oakland quartet who just dropped their self-titled debut last month and have been getting major notices for the raw, emotional quality to their songs, but especially for lead singer Ryan Karazija’s amazing vocals which one minute can resemble Bono with his plaintive, suggestive cries, then he’ll slide into a Thom Yorke vibe with a wailing falsetto. And any U2 reference you notice might have something to do with the fact that the album was produced by Andrew Scheps, who has previously worked with Bono and the boys….as well as the Chili Peppers, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash and an armload of other A-List acts. The gorgeously anthemic ‘Turn Me Off’, with it’s wall of crystal-clear guitars and crashing drums, was written after Karazija saw a television show where returning Iraqi-War veterens talked about being “so messed up that you want to be shut off”. The rest of the album covers all the musical food-groups, from power-pop and guitar-heavy arena rock, to deeply introspective ballads. This is one extremely impressive debut! Check out Audrye Sessions over on their MySpace page.
Longtime devotees of The Song of the Day List will certainly know of my affection for Azure Ray and Maria Taylor…as recently as this past January I dropped a cut from Maria’s new album, LadyLuck, on The List (pre-blog), so today when I found out that the other half of Azure Ray, Orenda Fink, will be dropping her debut as O+S next week. She’s apparently taken recordings from around the world and turned them into loops and beats to incorporate into her new songs…and despite how that might sound, the result isn’t the typical electronic background trickery you might expect. Her new collaborator, Cedric LeMoyne (AKA: Scalpelist…Orinda + Scalpelist = O+S, get it?) and producer Michael Patterson, with their hypnotic drum loops and backwards-masking, have created a controlled and elegantly weird musical landscape for Orenda’s airy, harmonious vocals. Check ’em out on MySpace
Today’s song is a brand-spankin’ new version of a song The Idle Hands released on a rarely heard U.K. EP back in 2006 (I own it)…but the two Irishmen and three Americans are now based in Minneapolis and they’re recording their first American release and they just leaked this smokin’ re-do of ‘Loaded’ that has me got me on my feet and clawing my way back to reality this afternoon…I just had to pass it on. Still too soon for a name or release date on the new album, but you can stream more songs and follow the gang over on MySpace and for those of you SXSW-heads in Austin this week, they’re playing tomorrow night at 7:45pm at the Irongate Lounge…..
I kinda knew I was gonna like this right from the jump…..I didn’t even care if the lyrics ever turned up, I was so enthralled with the tap-tap-tap of the lone cymbal and the thump of the bass…..but when Faris Badwan’s vocal slides in it’s like a bastard-child cross between Peter Murphy and Ian Curtis…tres cool! ‘Sea Within a Sea’ is off their new album, Primary Colours, which is set to drop May 4th. You can head on over to MySpace or their website for more black eye-liner goth goodness.
With some of the songs I’ve dropped on The List lately (from Our Broken Garden…Pete Yorn…The XX…Young Galaxy, to name a few), ya might think I’m stuck in a deep hole of melancholy…I dunno…it’s not like turning on the news offers anything even remotely cheery these days…but I just find the music, I don’t make it! I think this current wave of aural depressants says a lot about the state of things overall…
Anyway, now that I’ve dropped us all into an even darker mood than we were in a few seconds ago…..the L.A.-based electro-acoustic popsters known as Lemonwilde just dropped their new EP, Red Room, and it’s damned nice, even if it does fall into that Glum Rock category. I really love how vocalist Joseph Murray has a little Ian McCulloch/Bunnymen thang goin’ on with the way his trembling voice goes up and down the scales. They’re giving away the whole EP on MySpace…CLICK HERE and check it out!
Damn Ugly Photography 
