The first new Chromeo song since the 2007 release of their sophomore album, Fancy Footwork! The sound of “Night By Night” is instantly recognizable as Chromeo: upbeat, synth-driven pop/electrorock with Dave One’s smooth vocals and Pee Thug contributing vocals through his vocoder. Lots of fun; you will surely want to put this on at your next dance party. If this song is any indication, their next album is going to be even more awesome than their past two (even if you didn’t think that could be possible).
Oct
14
CHROMEO – Night By Night (Single)
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Oct
11
While you may not recognize the name, if you’re familiar with the bands on CMJ’s charts, there’s a good chance you’ve heard the work of Todor Kobakov already. Born in Bulgaria, Kobakov emigrated to Canada when he was sixteen with many of his family members (his mother stayed in Bulgaria). Currently based out of Toronto, Kobakov has had his string arrangements featured on the second album by Stars, Set Yourself On Fire, and has played keys for Luke Doucet, Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton, Small Sins, and many others. Pop Music is his solo debut and showcases his chillingly beautiful classical piano compositions. The album is instrumental save for two songs, “Carpe Diem,” which features the vocals of Emily Haines, and “Loving Hands,” on which Tunde Adebimpe of TV on the Radio provides vocals. If you enjoy piano, there’s a very good chance you will enjoy this album. Kobakov is a very talented musician and this release definitely demonstrates that.
Oct
02
Born in Bahrain, the London-raised punk rock troubadour presents his third full-length album. He’s released several other solo EPs and compilations and has played in the bands Kneejerk and Million Dead as well. He plays punk rock with mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation and meaningful lyrics. The sound is similar to that of Billy Bragg. I highly recommend this album, it’s great.
May
01
From Seattle, this is the debut album for Andy Werth and his band. The sound is pop rock/power-pop/rock with male vocals that are reminiscent of the sound of Aqueduct’s. I heard Andy’s Seeing Stars EP in 2008 and really liked that and I like this album, too. Fun, carefree tunes and many of the tracks have horns. Recommended if you like Aqueduct, Sloan, the New Pornographers.
Apr
30
California 3-piece gives us their fourth full-length. Fun, upbeat punk with ska influences. Recommended if you like new-school punk and The Clash (“Sad Story” even seems to have a reference to the Clash).
Apr
29
Second full-length for the Californian band. They might be on the Side One Dummy label, but they’re far from your average punk band; they combine elements of folk, country, classic rock, punk, and more to create a highly enjoyable sound. They have toured with bands like Flogging Molly, Dirty Pretty Things, and Gogol Bordello. Their singer often made me think of what Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler might sound like if he had grown up in the Southern United States. Cool stuff.
Apr
28
San Francisco band’s debut. Reverby 60’s influenced pop/garage rock/pscyh with male vocals and female backing vox. Overall really cool. Recommended if you like Thee Oh Sees, Raveonettes, and similar bands.
Apr
27
Ripper I, Ripper II, Ripper III, and Ripper IV are from Sardinia, Italy. Their newest album (to date) packs twelve songs into thirty-three minutes of kick-ass garage punk/rock, a bit of harmonica for some added awesomeness, and Ripper IV spewing out lyrics that are difficult to decipher. They seem like the kind of guys who might spit on you from the stage, then have a beer with you at the bar afterwards and laugh about it. Then somehow they would wind up going home with the girlfriends of you and your friends. They’re just that cool.
www.myspace.com/therippersinaction
http://spazioinwind.libero.it/therippers/index.html
Apr
24
This is the third album (and second for Wicked Cool) for the all-female band from Oslo, Norway. They play a mix of powerpop and garage rock with lots of girl-group harmonizing. Some of the artists they remind me of are the girls in the B-52’s, Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders, and the Pipettes – but the Cocktail Slippers are unlike the Pipettes because they play their own music, and have cooler names (Sugar Cane, Modesty Blaze, Rocket Queen, Squirrel and Bella Donna). Little Steven wrote the title track for the album and also “Heard You Got A Thing For Me” and contributed some bongo playing; this band is also further proof that he picks the coolest bands on the planet for his Wicked Cool label. Awesome!
Apr
23
Art Brut Vs. Satan is the British quintet’s third full-length; this one is produced by Frank Black aka Black Francis aka Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV aka the lead singer for the Pixies. We get eleven songs of fun, upbeat British rock/post-punk goodness filled with witty lyrics (many referencing other bands, songs, and music in general, along with several other pop culture references) that are delivered in singer Eddie Argos’ trademark deadpan talking style. I’ve liked this band since I heard them in 2005 on their debut, and this album is no exception to their awesomeness.
Apr
22
Born in France but raised in Los Angeles, here comes Fitz (and the Tantrums). This EP of 5 songs is said to have been recorded in Fitz’s living room using only one microphone and written about an ex-girlfriend. The sound is one of poppy soul with a retro vibe that recalls the 60’s heyday of soul. Even the album cover is made to look like it’s old. It’s a cool record and the songs are put together nicely.
Apr
21
The Swedish trio’s third album, following their debut, Writer’s Block and their instrumental album, Seaside Rock. This album is more on the experimental side of indie pop as they branch out into sparser, stripped down songs that still exhibit a decisive 60’s pop influence. Nothing on here is as poppy as their hits “Young Folks” and “Amsterdam,” but there is still plenty of good stuff to be had.
Apr
20
The fourth full-length for the Brooklyn-born, Canadian-raised quartet. This set seems very polished and glossy to me (maybe a bit too much?) and is quite heavy on the synths. They’re still in fine form and Emily Haines sure does have a good voice, but there aren’t many songs to dance to, which makes me sad.
Apr
17
Third full-length for the Canadian duo of Jeremy Greenspan and Matthew Didemus. It’s really laid-back electropop with lots of blips, bleeps, and bloops. The vocals are sung/whispered in a manner so that they sound very intimate. Recommended if you like Hot Chip’s slower tracks. The album title references the abstract animated film of Norman McLaren, a pioneering animator and also an electronic composer.
Apr
09
Wau Y Los Arrrghs!!! are from Valencia, Spain and sing mostly in Spanish, though they do have a few lyrics in English as well. They play garage rock, so far this is the best garage rock album I have heard this year! They rock. Awesome.
Mar
19
Dimensions is the Australian band’s fourth album. Frontman Matthew Tow was previously in the band Drop City, recorded several solo albums under the name Colorsound, and also played guitar for the Brian Jonestown Massacre on one of their tours and wrote two songs for the BJM’s album This Is Our Music. The Lovetones play psychedelic rock/pop that has a very distinct 60’s influence. They’re alright.
Mar
18
This is the debut EP from these four Californian boys, two of which are still in high school. They’re a very young band and have a lot of room to grow, but their first release shows them as a band that should definitely be watched. It’s fuzzy, rough around the edges, lo-fi garage/punk/rock. The singer has a punk-rocker’s voice that could be the make-it-or-break-it factor for you. Overall, this EP is a damn good way to spend 15 minutes and 39 seconds.
Mar
17
The boys from Pittsburgh (who have a British name, sound, and album title) present their first full-length album. Upbeat rockandroll/power-pop with a bit of a punk edge makes up most of the album, with a few slower tracks as well (including one that has a noticeable country influence to it). They’re fun and seem like the kind of kids you’d want to end up at a wild party with, yeah, why not? If you like rock music in the vein of The Fratellis, The Kooks, and their peers, you should like The Takeover UK.
www.myspace.com/thetakeoveruk
www.rykodisc.com/thetakeoveruk/bio
Mar
16
Oohs & Aahs is Say Hi’s sixth album, if you count the two under it’s current name, and the four released under the Say Hi To Your Mom moniker. Eric Elbogen played every sound that appears on this album, and every sound is very nice. The album is filled with wonderful indie pop that has just a touch of indie rock added in. Eric has a very pleasant voice which he uses to sing the clever lyrics he has written, usually telling a little story about a character in the song. The album is great and one of the best bedroom pop albums I have ever heard.
Mar
13
BEADS is the duo of Snow and Garnet Keim, two brothers who are also two-thirds of The Blakes. The record starts out with a drunk-sounding southern-rock/garage song, “Evil”, which is probably the best track on here. As the album continues on, they explore psychedelia, Britpop, and the lighter, acoustic side of things as well. The two made this album after returning home from a long tour with The Blakes, with very little money and the victims of theft. Snow Keim found solace in making music and recorded songs directly to tape, and eventually teamed up with long-time friend, Brian Brown, to produce an album. No One Knows was recorded in Brown’s home studio, and is a mixed bag; some songs work and others don’t. In the end, it’s an interesting look at how musicians cope with the difficult times in their lives.
Mar
12
<img src=”http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y278/arada112/clem.jpg” width=”250″ height=”250″></img>
This is the band’s sixth studio album and first in four years. They are led by a man with one of the best names ever: Eef Barzelay. Their sound on this record is one of indie/folk/country/pop, and it’s very mellow and easy-going. Eef has a unique voice that you will either adore or despise. I like it (he kind of reminds me of John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats with his vocal sound), so I found the album to be pretty good.
<a href=”http://www.myspace.com/clemsnide” target=”_blank”>www.myspace.com/clemsnide</a>
<a href=”http://www.clemsnide.com” target=”_blank”>www.clemsnide.com</a>
Mar
11
This is the second album from Jeremy Jay and his bandmates; it’s been less than a year since his first album, A Place Where We Could Go, came out in May 2008. Slow Dance seems to have a lot more synth than his debut did, and the songs seem to be a lot stronger as well. Many of them fit together through the use of similar lyrics and structure while still working individually. It’s a very nice pop album and should come with a bow wrapped around it because all the songs are so nicely packed on the cd, ready for your ears to unwrap.
www.myspace.com/jeremyjay
www.krecs.com/html/artists/artistbio.php?interest=101
Mar
10
The Brooklyn-via-Massachusetts band releases their third full-length album, and the second one to be on the Dead Oceans label. They had their song “Middle Management” off of their previous album, The Broken String, featured on the Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist soundtrack and also appeared in the film. This increased attention has not meant a decreased quality in their music. They still play delightful indie pop with great lyrics. RIYL A.C. Newman, This Is Ivy League, Nada Surf’s newer material, and similar artists.
Mar
09
They’re from Florida, and have been around since the end of the 90’s. Not Without A Fight is their sixth proper studio album, following the release of Tip of the Iceberg/Takin’ It Ova!, which featured an EP billed to NFG and a full-length by NFG masquerading as the International Superheroes of Hardcore. Not Without A Fight returns to the emo/pop-punk sound that New Found Glory is best known for, with most of the lyrics focusing on relationships. Singer Jordan Pundik sounds a bit less whiny on this album than he has in the past, though he still is recognizable (for better or for worse, depending on your feeling about his vocals). This is their first album on the Epitaph label and should please their long-time fans.
www.myspace.com/newfoundglory
www.newfoundglory.com (Currently redirects to their myspace site)
Mar
05
Debut album for the Brooklyn-based group that began as a solo project for Daniel Ignala, but has since evolved into the trio that it is today. They make cute indie pop/synth pop with very pleasant male vocals. Bleeps and bloops throughout. It’s fun, sugary goodness, and very well done. RIYL The Postal Service.
www.myspace.com/plushgun
www.plushgun.com
