Poor Moon Announce Debut LP, Share "Holiday" for Download

Photo by Kyle Johnson

Long before Fleet Foxes exploded into indie superstardom, two members of the band (bassist Christian Wargo and keyboardist Casey Wescott) formed half of a guitar-driven indie pop band called Crystal Skulls (they're currently the only remaining members). That group's 2005 debut album, Blocked Numbers, has always been one of my favorite under appreciated gems, always proving to be a most enjoyable listen. When Wargo and Wescott became members of Fleet Foxes, Crystal Skulls, understandably, was put on ice. While they never really broke up, there has yet to be any sign of new material on the horizon. But now, we have Poor Moon, which almost sounds like a more relaxed, reverb-coated version of Crystal Skulls (compliment!).

REVIEW: Father John Misty - Fear Fun

FATHER JOHN MISTY - FEAR FUN


Undoubtedly, Josh “J” Tillman’s latest outing under the new moniker Father John Misty is going to be met with comparisons to Fleet Foxes, or, at the very least, will be set up as an offshoot of Fleet Foxes. But that’s all so very wrong. Yes, Tillman was the drummer for that folk rock band for the better part of four years, but he’s been active as a songwriter for a great deal longer than that. If anything, Tillman’s 8th album, Fear Fun, is a testament to his maturity as a songwriter, musician, and performer over the past decade, and it’s one of this year’s most well-rounded records.

REVIEW: !!! & Shabazz Palaces @ The Talking Head Club, Baltimore, MD, 4/17/12

!!! @ The Talking Head, 4/17

On Tuesday night here in Baltimore, I hit The Talking Head Club (housed in Sonar) to see disco punk band !!! (aka Chk Chk Chk) and alternative hip hop group Shabazz Palaces perform. The room itself isn't particularly big, which made the turnout all the more surprising; it was a good turnout, but it seemed to be just under full capacity. These two acts are great on record, and, not surprisingly, put on great live shows, as well.

!!! & Shabazz Palaces Performing @ The Talking Head Club in Baltimore, 4/17

Yes, yes, and yes. Two of MM's favorite acts, !!! (or Chk Chk Chk) and Shabazz Palaces will be sharing the stage at the Talking Head Club (a part of Sonar) here in Baltimore this Tuesday, April 17th. Who came up with this bill? Whoever you are, you are wise and awesome. !!!'s most recent album is 2010's Strange Weather, Isn't It?, and Shabazz Palaces' most recent album is Black Up -- which was my #2 album of 2011. When it comes to great alternative, genre-leading artists, look no further than !!! and Shabazz Palaces. I highly recommend catching their show this Tuesday.

SEE & HEAR: Father John Misty - "Hollywood Cemetery Forever Sings"

As you may have already heard, Baltimore native* Josh (or J) Tillman recently left Fleet Foxes. It would appear the move was made to pursue is solo career full-time. Tillman has already released seven full-length albums under his own name and is now gearing up to release his debut LP for Sub Pop as Father John Misty. The album, titled Fear Fun, will be released on May 1st.

Beach House to Release New Album 'Bloom', Hear New Song

Photo by Liz Flyntz

Baltimore-native duo Beach House -- which let's face is pretty much one of the most lovely and magical duos of the past decade -- will release their highly-anticipated fourth album, Bloom, on May 15th via Sub Pop. The record was co-produced with Chris Coady (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio, !!!, Grizzly Bear, Blonde Redhead), who worked on the band's great, critically-acclaimed breakthrough record, 2010's Teen Dream. It sees the band continuing to explore a more fleshed out, a much richer, sound. It sounds like Beach House, but it also sounds like something entirely new, too. It is more than just a collection of songs. As guitarist/keyboardist Alex Scally says, "Many songs were omitted or dropped because they lacked a place within our vision for this album.”

Shearwater Share "Breaking the Yearlings" From New LP

Shearwater are set to release their eighth (!) album, Animal Joy, on February 14th through Sub Pop. Why wait to check out the album when you can download a cut from it right now. Get a taste of the forthcoming 11-track long player below.

SEE & HEAR: Dum Dum Girls - "Bedroom Eyes"

Dum Dum Girls just released their sophomore album yesterday entitled Only In Dreams. Despite 2011 marking only the band's third year of existence, Dee Dee Penny (nee Kristen Gundred) and co. have cultivated both a look and sound all their own. Visually and sonically, the band plays towards the aesthetic of '60s girl groups but wrapped in the black leather of garage rock, surrounded by the haze of shoegaze and psych. With moments of indie pop's infectiousness meeting their mix of '60s pop, garage rock, shoegaze, and psych, it's hard not to be taken by Only In Dreams. It's not surprising the band chose famed songwriter/producer Richard Gottehrer ("I Want Candy," "My Boyfriend's Back") and The Raveonettes' Sune Rose Wagner to produce the new album. Check out the video for album track "Bedroom Eyes" below.

REVIEW: Mogwai - Earth Division

Mogwai - Earth Division
MMM

Earlier this year, Mogwai released one of this year’s finest LPs with the brilliantly titled Hardcore Will Never Die But You Will. The album featured a consistent mix of crushing, distortion-heavy moments and more serene, uplifting moments. On their latest, Earth Division, Mogwai take four tracks to experiment a bit with the guitar-focused sound that has defined much of their catalog – it’s a noticeable creative departure.

REVIEW: Shabazz Palaces - Black Up

Shabazz Palaces - Black Up
MMMM1/2

Up until the past few months, Seattle hip-hop group Shabazz Palaces had been shrouded in a fair amount of mystery. Their initial, official promotional photo featured a man with what looked like a black hole – or a galaxy – for a face, seated in a sci-fi, CGI-generated planetary landscape. The image happened to be rather apropos when it came to representing the project. Following 2009’s self-released Of Light and Shabazz Palaces EPs, interest in the group only skyrocketed. While it’s not strictly a solo project per se, there is a particular individual who’s at the forefront of Shabazz Palaces ascent and music: Palaceer Lazaro (aka Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler of 90’s rap group Digable Planets). The latter fact will certainly be used to give context to Shabazz Palaces, but, honestly, there is nothing quite like this out there right now – Black Up, the debut album, proves it.

Shabazz Palaces Score "Tough Bond" Documentary

Experimental hip hop group Shabazz Palaces have provided the score for the upcoming Village Beat documentary Tough Bond. The film is about children sniffing glue to survive street life in Kenya’s disappearing villages and exploding urban slums. Below is the trailer, which features Shabazz Palaces' "Blast It."

Learn more about the film and cause 

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www.villagebeat.org

Shabazz Palaces is shrouded in mystery. The only recognized member of the group is Digable Planets member and Cherrywine frontman Palaceer Lazaro (aka Ishmael Butler). Back in March, we featured a track from the group's forthcoming album, Black Up. The effort was originally scheduled for release on May 31st, but it is now set to arrive on June 28th in the US and June 27th worldwide via Sub Pop. For those that missed it, check out the featured song below.

LISTEN: Obits - "You Gotta Lose" + "Shift Operator"

Last year, I caught Ted Leo & The Pharmacists at the 9:30 Club in D.C., touring in support of their recently-released The Brutalist Bricks. It's always a treat to check out who Ted & Co. bring along as openers, and the second opener did not disappoint. Said band happened to be Obits, who, at the time, I did not realize was actually a band with quite an impressive pedigree (Drive Like Jehu's Rick Froberg, Edsel's Sohrab Habibion, etc.). I left that evening with a hot slab of wax entitled I Blame You, their debut LP.

Obits can simply be summed up with this: authentic, old school garage rock 'n' roll. What's more, Obits stir in elements of surf and punk to create something with attitude, melody, and flavor. It's the sound of great American music that was criminally overlooked, but religiously worshipped; the kind of stuff that's archived on '45s and never loses its vitality. Obits capture the magic of those bands that played with such conviction, every passing second was just as important as the next. The urgency makes it infectious, but the commitment to the music makes it memorable. And now there's reason to celebrate, because the band just released a new album a few weeks back entitled Moody, Standard, & Poor through Sub Pop. Check out two tracks from the album after the hop.

SEE & HEAR: New Fleet Foxes Song "Grown Ocean"

As previously reported, Fleet Foxes will release their highly-anticipated sophomore album, Helplessness Blues, on May 3rd through Sub Pop. We've already heard the title track, and now we have a chance to hear another album track entitled "Grown Ocean" via a music video. The video is a snapshot documentary of the band's journey while making the new album, and it's a pleasing behind-the-scenes look at one of the most timeless and memorable bands of, at the very least, the past 10 years. The song is one of Fleet Foxes' more uptempo numbers, one that's about as spacious and grand as a valley is wide.

A letter about the album from frontman Robin Pecknold and more all after the hop.

LISTEN: Shabazz Palaces - “An Echo From the Hosts that Profess Infinitum”

What lies beyond the hypnotic? It's the kind of thing that penetrates the subconscious and fills the mind with something that surpasses haunting -- a certain inescapable entity. Whether it's the creepy, looped beat of children's voices or the overall cold aura that sits like a dark cloud, this song is less about a hook and more about its mood and texture. If the above picture -- the official promo photo -- is any indication, the mystery that shrouds Shabazz Palaces only amplifies the mystique of the music. What's more, this sounds like an international movement, like something that bridges cultures and connects people through sound. In an indirect way, it suggests that we must dig deeper and move past the surface of things if we ever want to really know.

Stream/download "An Echo From the Hosts that Profess Infinitum" below. The song comes from Shabazz Palaces new LP Black Up, out May 31 on Sub Pop.

Shabazz Palaces
Official Site
Sub Pop Page

REVIEW: Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
MMMM

Over the course of 15 years, Scotland’s Mogwai have said more with sound than anyone ever could with the utterance of a single word, proving music truly is a language of universality. The band’s ability to convey so much with just a single note or a wall of controlled feedback is nothing short of breathtaking, and, on their seventh studio album, Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will, the case is no different. And while it’s clear that Mogwai has never been, and continues not to be, overly dramatic in intent with song titles like The Hawk Is Howling’s “I’m Jim Morrison, I’m Dead” or this album’s “You’re Lionel Ritchie,” there’s no denying the band’s expressive power; they can lift you to the skies or pummel you to the ground with a flex of their sonic muscle.

The photograph that graces the cover of Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will is, intentionally or not, rather poetic and symbolic of the album’s mood. There’s an understated theme of man vs. nature at play, as on one side we see an active, congested city and on the other the brooding, dark onset of an impending storm – the trees even appear as though they’re consuming the architecture and life of the city. It’s hard to determine if any specific thematic meaning was attached to any one of the 10 songs that appear on the new album, but, both sonically and aurally, it sounds like Mogwai assumed the power of Mother Nature when making these songs.

Fleet Foxes Announce New Album Helplessness Blues, Share Title Track

It's official. Fleet Foxes will release their highly (that's HIGHLY) anticipated sophomore album, Helplessness Blues, on May 3rd through Sub Pop/Bella Union. The album is the follow-up to the band's critically-acclaimed 2008 self-titled debut. It was recorded over the course of a year at Avast Recording, Bear Creek Studios, Dreamland Studios, and Reciprocal Recording. The band co-produced the album along with Phil Ek, who also handled mixing duties.

May 3rd might seem like an awfully long time to wait, so why don't you go ahead and listen to/download the title track below. If you were wondering whether or not the band could match the strength of their older material while maturing, they did.

Fleet Foxes - "Helplessness Blues"


While material on the Sun Giant EP and self-titled LP was certainly majestic and moving, "Helplessness Blues" suggests the band was able to dig even deeper to produce something with stronger roots and more conviction. It's beautiful, uplifting, classic, and, in a way, life-affirming.

LISTEN: Mogwai - "San Pedro"

MP3: Mogwai - "San Pedro"

We've already heard "Rano Pano," and now we have a second track from the new, brilliantly-titled Mogwai album Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will. "San Pedro" isn't slow-building and moves with a buzzing freneticism, especially compared to its predecessor. It has more post-hardcore in it than post-rock, favoring texture over mood with its intertwining riffs. It's as if "Rano Pano" embodies the dark, foreboding skies on the right side of the album's cover and "San Pedro" captures the congested, bustling city life on the opposite side. This proposed contrast on the album is getting me excited to hear more.

Scope the tracklisting for Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will as well as the band's upcoming tour dates after the hop.

Crash Avenue Releases December Compilation "I Guess I'm Bloating" For Download

Yes, that is Paula Deen

It's a new month (already?!), which means there's another new Crash Avenue compilation available for download! Following on the heels of November's Aqua Buddha Drunkard compilation comes December's playfully-titled I Guess I'm Bloating. The title may be a a loving poke at music blog I Guess I'm Floating, but really, let's face it: it was just Thanksgiving and Christmas is upon us so our bellies might just be a little full. Anyways, this month's comp features an exclusive, home-recorded cover of PJ Harvey's "Down By the Water" by the wonderful Cheyenne Marie Mize, a lo-fi, spacey cover of Neil Young's "On the Beach" by Emily Reo, and many more killer jams. Stream the whole thing below.

While all the past Crash Avenue compilations have been absolutely free, December's has been set up as "name your price" for a very good reason and a very good cause. All proceeds from I Guess I'm Bloating will be going to the Andy Kotowicz Family Foundation. For those who don't know, Kotowicz was a beloved Sub Pop employee who was killed in a car accident at the end of October. For more information on Kotowicz and the foundation, head over to Sub Pop.

To grab all the past Crash Avenue compilations (for FREE), click here. For more information on this compilation, click here.

See New Mogwai Album Cover, Then Hear New Song From Said Album

Well, in case you didn't hear, Scottish post rock masters Mogwai are set to release a new album in February 2011, the brilliantly titled Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will. Today, the band unveiled the cover art, which you can see above. It's an incredibly captivating image, playing with a theme of man vs. nature as on one side we see the active, congested city and on the other, the brooding, dark onset of an impending storm. The photograph perfectly captures the album title's (playful) statement on mortality. Download the distortion and fuzz-heavy instrumental "Rano Pano" from the new album below. It hits about as hard as that impending storm is about to...

"Rano Pano" will be released as a 7” single on January 18 via Sub Pop, with the non-album track “Hasenheide” as the B-side.

See the band's massive tour itinerary after the jump.

LISTEN: No Age - "Fever Dreaming"

MP3: No Age - "Fever Dreaming"

It's swelling within the confines of your skin. You feel the throb, and you feel the heat covering your body in a warm sweat. Everything seems to be in order one moment, and in the next, it all starts to unravel; every little noise and every little sound makes it seem as though the world is crumbling and you're the next one to fall apart. In a delirium, it's all distorted -- wild but eventually something rather beautiful.

With a bit a fuzz and a distorted chord progression that hits like a hammer, "Fever Dreaming" moves fast and sounds as though it's about to self-destruct. It's precise and yet wholly rambunctious, boiling over with a mass of punk energy. A distorted wail slices through the verses with ease, like a sonic whip keeping the song in line. It frays and pulls itself together, again, until it finally casts itself off into the final moments of euphoric haze, a sonic texture of ambient/shoegaze.

BUY: "Fever Dreaming" is from No Age's excellent new record, Everything In Between, out now on Sub Pop. Pick it up on iTunes, here on Amazon MP3, here on CD, or here on vinyl.

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