Is This Thing On?

Been a while; anybody still out there? Here's a list of some things that don't suck. Been a pretty decent summer:

Bon Iver Bon Iver*

Battles Gloss Drop

The Cars Move Like This

Explosions in the Sky Take Care, Take Care*

Foo Fighters Wasting Light

Junior Boys It's All True

Maritime Human Hearts

Release the Sunbird Come Back to Us

Mock Orange Disguised as Ghosts

The Sea and Cake Moonlight Butterfly

Washed Out Within and Without

The Wooden Birds Two Matchsticks

Fringe

Friday Night Lights* (TV) - May not be new to you, but it is to me.

Shark Week

Captain America: The First Avenger

Super 8

Have given in to the realization that Cowboys & Aliens isn't going to be mind-blowingly awesome, but I'm holding out hope it's going to be fun. Let you know after tomorrow...

*If you don't like this Album/Show/Movie, listen to/watch it again, and try harder. If that doesn't work for you, get your head checked.

BTW...

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TVOTR are back!

Booyakasha. They're dropping their new album Nine Types of Light "this spring".

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What's Up, Planet Earth?

Life has refused to move out of the fast lane for the past couple months, hence, not much action around here. Nonetheless, 2010 has kept on trucking (although the ridiculousness of the weather here in the midwest was starting to make me wonder whether or not we were ever going to make it to fall), and the onslaught of great artists releasing new material has continued. So as of right now, I'm kinda feeling like I just crawled out from under a rock (no disrespect to the guy who actually did spend a ton of time under a rock). Here's what I've been "surviving on":

• For me, the new Deerhunter album flat-out has to be in the conversation for album of the year. Bradford Cox is on one abnormally filthy roll. So far, two singles have been released. "Revival" is classic Deerhunter/Cox in all their poppy, reverb-dredged glory. "Helicopter", while definitely from the same family tree, is a more ambient, slow-burning track, but ultimately just as satisfying.

Deerhunter: "Revival"

Deerhunter: "Helicopter"

• There's a pretty good possibility Sufjan Steven's first new album in half a decade is going to be in that same conversation before it's all said and done. It's all Sufjan, yet nothing like the rest of his catalogue. Whereas all of his previous output has been meticulously constructed with kid gloves and orchestral, The Age of Adz is more raw, emotional, and electronic. I'd also deem it less of a "grower" than Illinois, Michigan, etc. "Too Much" is pretty much a perfect snap shot of all of that.

Sufjan Stevens: "Too Much"

• Junip, José González' full band project, is obviously not in the business of writing checks that they can't cash. Fields delivers on the promise of "Always" in a big way. In fact, it's in many ways more satisfying than a similar project from a similar artist, Justin Veron's Volcano Choir. Hope this isn't a flash in the pan for González...

Junip: "Always"

• Maximum Balloon is the solo project of David Sitek, guitarist and production mastermind behind TV on the Radio. This is more so the Dr. Dre-type solo project rather than say, that of Jeremy Enigk. In other words, Sitek handles the production and instrumentation, but incorporates a slew of guest vocalists rather than taking that on himself. In many ways it feels like a TVOTR record, which is to be expected with Sitek's production along with Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone handling the vocals on a couple tracks. But it is different. The entire album would sit on the extreme tech-y-ness edge of TVOTR's musical spectrum, incorporating very little live instrumentation. All that being said, it's really, really good. Case in point: "Groove Me" is destined to be stuck in your head when you wake up tomorrow.

Maximum Balloon: "Groove Me"

• This is the tastiest piece of musical candy since "Hey Ya":

Cee-Lo: "Forget You"

• Albums from earlier 2010 that are in it for the long haul:

1. Arcade Fire The Suburbs
2. Band of Horses Infinite Arms
3. Broken Bells Broken Bells
4. Gorillaz Plastic Beach
5. Jónsi Go
6. The National High Violet
7. Spoon Transference
8. Sleigh Bells Treats
9. Big Boi Sir Lucious Left Foot
10. The New Pornographers Together

• Albums from earlier 2010 that aren't:

1. Minus the Bear Omni (Hoping this is an anomaly)
2. MGMT Congratulations (Probably too ambitious)
3. Yeasayer Odd Blood (Too... odd)
4. Ratatat LP4 (Part of a very gradual decline since Ratatat)
5. Weezer Hurley (Somewhat sincere, but ultimately still forgettable)

What's everyone else been chewin' on lately?

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TGIF: Chromeo's "Don't Turn the Lights On"

It's Friday, and I feel like dancing. Hence, a track that's more than a month old from professional "party-starters" Chromeo. To be fair, it dropped during our little "hiatus", so I was just looking for a reason to share this one anyway. They'll be rolling out their third album, Business Casual, September 14. Until then, turn this one up to 11, and hit "repeat":

Chromeo: "Don't Turn The Lights Out"

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Clubfeet's "Edge of Extremes"

Hit "Play". Commence Dancing.

Clubfeet: "Edge of Extremes"

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Junip (Feat. Jose Gonzalez): "Always"

Junip is basically José González' answer to Justin Vernon's Volcano Choir Project. Almost to a "T", actually. These guys have been playing together off and on since the late '90s, but have never really dedicated themselves to the project until now. No doubt it's been worth the wait, but be forewarned: listening to "Always" will most likely lead to a tormenting couple of months until the 27th of September, when their first full length, Fields, is finally released. Doubt my warnings at your own peril:

Junip: "Always"

You can also head on over to the band's website and download a free copy of their under-the-radar Rope and Summit ep in exchange for handing over your email address, etc., which José González will most likely encase in a small seashell and wear around his neck in an attempt to bolster his vocal prowess.

Junip: "Rope and Summit"

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Delorean's "Real Love"

If x = The opposite of sucking, then 10x¹⁰ = Delorean.

Delorean: "Real Love"

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Spoon Find a Way to Get Even More Funky Than Usual

Wow, the coolest band around took advantage of an opportunity last night to incorporate members of what is possibly the second coolest band out there into their live performance of slow burner "Nobody Gets Me But You". And the results are absolutely filthy good. Dueling bassists, ?uestlove providing auxiliary percussion, and the massive payoff when they all finally cut loose result in something that is flat out too spectacular not to watch at least twice. Sorry about the advertisements, but this is flippin' awesome:

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Holy Crap, Cap'n Jazz Are Awesome

"Little League" is so much better than actual Little League it's not even funny.

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Daft Punk Don't Care That You Think Tron Is Stupid

So what if the movie is based on an overblown game of laser-tag? Daft Punk are bringing their "A" game, and that's almost enough to make this endeavor legitimate in itself. Based on this 10-minute musical teaser, they are wisely making a shift back towards the glory days of Discovery. In other good news, it's sounding like there's a very real possibility that this is going to involve some sort of double-album. Lucky us:

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Ratatat's "Drugs" Video: Creepiest Thing Ever?

Good luck getting this out of your head...

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Arcade Fire's "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"

Perhaps it would have been more fitting for Arcade Fire to name their 16-track, hour (plus)-long album after this single instead, but that's a forgivable offense when these guys (& gals) have reeled off their 3rd ridiculously good album in as many tries. In fact, their uniqueness and ability to turn out such consistent greatness have planted them firmly in territory that is inhabited by very few artists these days. The Suburbs is out tomorrow. Go get it.

Arcade Fire: "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"

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Bizzarro Interpol is Dead, Long Live Interpol

Lofty ambitions aren't for everybody (I'm looking at you, ...Trail of Dead), and it appears Interpol have come to this realization before swerving too far off their own beaten path. They've defected from the evil empire (Capitol Records), ditched the artsy record covers, and put away the unnecessary instrumentation. Not sure if this return to the comforts of home (they're back with Matador) or the back to basics attitude will pay off, but at least there's hope.

"Lights" has been out there for awhile, but it's new around here, so enjoy if you haven't already. And if you're a diehard, a super ghetto leak of the whole album found its way into cyberspace last weekend. Just be warned: it's really bad. Not the "it's .03kbps lower quality, so don't cheapen the integrity of our band's artistic vision" kinda bad. I mean the "listening to a scratched up copy of the vinyl through a pillow" kinda bad. Personally, I shut it down 2 songs in. That's your call, but Interpol drops on Tuesday, anyway. Oops. Turns out that's the "Barricade" single that's being released Tuesday. The album isn't due until September 14.

"Lights":

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Fugazi Currently Google Trends' Daddy

Fugazi is currently #1 on Google Trends. Why? I don't really know, although their level of hotness right now is "spicy". I guess that's just as good a reason as any to watch/listen to this:

What better way to start off your Tuesday? After hearing that pick slide, I know I'm ready to take on the world. Come on and get up, Planet Earth.

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Les Savy Fav: "Let's Get Out of Here"

It can be a difficult task to take these guys seriously at times. Lead singer Tim Harrington is a flat-out squirrel, and he looks goofier than he acts. But there's no question that Les Savy Fav can turn out an old school, straight forward indie rock song with the best of them. If you need proof, look no further than the new single from Root For Ruin, "Let's Get Out of Here." Give a listen below, and enter your email even further below if you'd like to get a free copy for yourself to take home and show your parents. The new album rolls out September 14th on Frenchkiss.

Les Savy Fav: "Let's Get Out of Here"

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Com Truise's "Sundriped" & "lwywaw"

Someone else has thrown their hat into whatever ring that Neon Indian, Memory Tapes, and Washed Out belong to ("Chillwave" gets tossed around quite a bit, anymore). Whatever you call it, Seth Haley prefers to call himself "Com Truise". Don't worry, the music's better than the moniker. And not only is the music good, it's free. You can get the entire 7-song Cyanide Sisters ep at his website at no cost, and you don't even have to compromise your personal information to do so. Go for it!

Com Truise: "Sundriped"

Com Truise: "lwywaw"

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The Tracks are Back!

We've been through a bit of a dry spell when it comes to posting new tracks here, due in large part to our preferred flash mp3 player, blogcastone, passing through a cyberspace wormhole into oblivion. But, thanks to Yahoo! putting together it's own nifty little Media Player, we're back in the game. It even has a built in playlist window that includes all of the tracks that are posted on that particular page. Anyone who has use for such a thing should definitely check it out; it's extremely user friendly.

So thanks for coming back and reading/listening. Here's a nice little throwback for all your patience:

The Appleseed Cast: "Steps and Numbers"

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Ra Ra Riot: "Boy"

If you can get past all the Vampire Weekend associations - they're tight with each other, have lent band members to the same 80s synth/electro-pop/pseudo hip-hop collaboration, and flat out just sound similar at times - these guys are legitimately a really enjoyable band in their own right. In fact, if you've been drinking the hatorade when it comes to VW, there's a solid chance that you'll enjoy Ra Ra Riot, anyway. They're just that... pleasant. If, on the other hand, Ezra Koenig & Co. light your fire, then you need to accept my apology for wasting your time and just hit play already. The Orchard is due out August 24th, and for now you can download "Boy" if you're willing to go to the band's website and declassify your email address.

Ra Ra Riot: "Boy"

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The Return of Deerhunter

After Cryptograms, I probably would have thought it more likely that I'd get excited about a Ron Artest rap album than anything Deerhunter could ever produce. But time heals all wounds, and so do transcendently awesome albums, two of which have been released by Deerhunter/Bradford Cox over the past two years. So here I am, pumped for September 28, 2010, and all the coma-inducing, reverb-drenched awesomeness that's coming with it. To kick off the festivities, "Revival" has been released as the first single from Halcyon Digest. Enjoy.

Deerhunter: "Revival"

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Dr. Funke's 100% Natural Good-Time Family-Band Solution

Not really sure if anyone has ever actually taken this band seriously. They really are something to admire. The glue that holds these people together is something stronger than just the music. Stronger than love. Stronger than blood. Nobody can really quite put their finger on what it is but we all should feel lucky to have them around. They just keep it simple. Simple like one of those old blues artists where it was just one person-one guitar. Its just so easy to feel the joy, the pain, or the chemically induced sense of joy. See and hear for yourself.

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