New Music Tuesday - August 12, 2014

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

New Full-Length Releases

FKA Twigs - LP1 FKA Twigs has made a name for herself over the past couple of years, both with her music and her unique look. Since 2012, she's released of a couple of EPs and a few singles. LP1, as the name suggests, is her first full-length album. She's made her way up from a back-up dancer to one of the most anticipated and exciting artists of the past few years. She plays a bit like a female counterpart to artists like The Weeknd, many of her songs are about sex, but her music seems so much more mature and sensual. Watch: "Two Weeks" Watch: "Pendulum"

Mirel Wagner - When the Cellar Children See the Light of Day Wagner is a Finnish-by-way-of Ethiopia singer and songwriter, and this is her second album; first since signing with Sub Pop Records. Her voice is haunting, the lyrics are dark, instrumentation is sparse. Her style has gained her comparisons to a variety of other musicians, including (take this as you may) Lana Del Rey, Mark Lanegan, and Nick Cave. The comparisons are well-deserved, the young performer makes music that sounds like its been around forever and even she seems beyond her years. Watch: "The Dirt" Watch: "Oak Tree"

Willis Earl Beal - Experiments in Time Beal was gaining a lot of traction in his career when he released his sophomore album, Nobody knows., last year on XL Recordings. Turns out he wasn't very happy signed to a label and broke away from them earlier this year, feeling that the label didn't support the types of people that he made his music for. He hasn't resigned to a new label, but is releasing his latest effort independently. It is available digitally through CD Baby. Listen: "Traveling Eyes" Listen: "Until We Die"

Other New Releases

Architecture in Helsinki - Places Like This Picture Disc Places Like This was Architecture in Helsinki's third studio album and my first introduction to the band several years ago. It's getting re-released today on vinyl as a picture disc. Watch: "Like It or Not" Watch: "Heart It Races"

Blur - Live at the Budokan This was Japan-only live album from the iconic Britpop band. It was recorded during a show in Tokyo almost twenty years ago. The album was initially released in 1996, but is now seeing an international release. Watch: "Yuko & Hiro" Listen: "Girls & Boys"

Lucki Eck$ - "Weightin' On" (featuring Danny Brown) Lucki Eck$ is a rapper out of Chicago. He's worked with another artist releasing new music today, FKA Twigs, and even features on one of the album's tracks. For his new single, he gets some help from the more established Danny Brown. Listen: "Weightin' On"

New Music Tuesday - April 1, 2014

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

New Full-Length Releases

Architecture in Helsinki - NOW + 4EVA NOW + 4EVA is the fifth studio album from this Australian indie pop band. I first heard the band sitting in a friend's living room back when I lived in Bloomington. While they can, at times, be a little too quirky for my tastes, their music is often good for a quick pick-me-up! Watch: "Dream a Little Crazy" Listen: "In the Future"

Band of Skulls - Himalayan Bonnaroo is a great place to hear new music, and not necessarily just those artists performing at the festival. Band of Skulls was playing on loud speakers while another band was setting up to play. I immediately loved their sound (at the time, the male lead singer's voice reminded by of Jaill). They've continued to prove their worth with this latest album with an awesome garage rock-revival sound. Watch: "Asleep at the Wheel" Watch: "Nightmares"

The Body - I Shall Die Here Last year was the year that I really got into hip hop and it's starting to look like 2014 will be my year for metal music. The Body is a sludge metal band and this is their fifth studio album. The record is a collaboration with The Haxan Cloak, who I became intrigued by last year following mass critical acclaim for his own record, Excavation. Watch: "Hail to Thee, Everlasting Pain" Watch: "At the Mercy of It All"

Cloud Nothings - Here and Nowhere Else Cloud Nothings became an easy new favorite band with 2012's Attack on Memory, which became one of my favorites for the year. I always have some nervousness when the artist that produced a favorite album gets ready to follow it up. At first listen, this one didn't quite strike me as living up. On subsequent listens, however, I've become more convinced that this is a great one, as well. Watch: "I'm Not a Part of Me" Watch: "Now Hear In"

Kaiser Chiefs - Education, Education, Education & War Kaiser Chiefs were a part of the post-punk revival wave that start in the early 2000s. 14 years after the band got together, they are still going strong when many of their contemporaries have since disbanded. Education, Education, Education & War (a reference to a quote from Tony Blair) is the band's fifth album. Watch: "Coming Home" Watch: "Misery Company"

Mac DeMarco - Salad Days Mac DeMarco is quickly becoming indie rock's favorite goofball. He released his second studio album, 2, a couple of years ago to a fair amount of acclaim and things aren't very different with this release. His goofball status is mainly a result of skits and collaborations he has done with groups such as Odd Future. He doesn't take himself too seriously, but is able to put out some incredible work. Listen: "Passing out the Pieces" Listen: "Treat Her Better"

Manchester Orchestra - Cope This band first caught my attention, and that of many other fans and critics, with the release of their sophomore album, Mean Everything to Nothing, in 2009. For their fourth album, they wanted to deliver something more "brutal" and guitar-heavy. I think they've done that, it's certainly a rocking album, but I don't think they've fully lost the emotion that became a signature aspect of their sound. Watch: "Top Notch" Listen: "Every Stone"

Millie & Andrea - Drop the Vowels Millie & Andrea is a side project of producer and musician Andy Stott and Miles Whitaker. This is their debut album, following a series of 12" releases over the past few years. Their sound together holds to the dark electronic music put out by both musicians as solo artists. Listen: "Corrosive" Listen: "Back Down"

Nickel Creek - A Dotted Line Nickel Creek went on a hiatus in 2007, which seemed, at the time, like it would be permanent. The time apart was to allow the band members to explore other musical projects, which they did; Chris Thile in Punch Brothers, Sara Watkins as a solo artist and Sean Watkins with Fiction Family. They've done some great work apart, but having them back together is a treat and the album feels like a true return. Listen: "Love of Mine" Listen: "Destination"

S. Carey - Range of Light S. Carey started his career the drummer and backing vocalist for fellow Wisconsinite Bon Iver, who band he joined shortly after the release of For Emma, Forever Ago. He quickly embarked on his own solo career, though. This is his second album, the first was 2010's All We Grow, and while his sound is similar to that of his other project, he brings his own unique style to the table. Watch: "Fire-Scene" Watch: "Crown the Pines"

Split Single - Fragmented World Britt Daniel has kept himself very busy recently. He became known as the primary singer and songwriter for Spoon, but released an album with Sam Brown and Dan Boeckner as Divine Fits two years ago. Before any new Spoon material, we get another side project from the prolific musician. Here, he's not contributing vocals, letting that task go to Jason Narducy. Daniel plays the bass in this project. Listen: "Waiting for the Sun"

Thievery Corporation - Saudade Thievery Corporation has made a name for themselves by combining various musical styles from around the world. Perhaps most pervasive in their sound has been bossa nova, but they've also incorporated jazz, reggae and Middle Eastern sounds. They've also made a habit of enlisting other notable artists as vocalists on their work. This latest album features contributions from Shana Halligan, Natalia Clavier and Lou Lou Ghelichkhani. Listen: "Depth of My Soul" (featuring Shana Halligan) Listen: "Claridad" (featuring Natalia Clavier)

Timber Timbre - Hot Dreams This is my new music risk of the month! I love exploring new music, but know that I don't have the time to listen to everything mentioned by every blog I read. I try to wait until artists hit a certain "critical mass," meaning that they're talked about (and praised) by more than one trusted source. Timber Timbre hit that mass and, on first listen, I loved it as well. They remind me a bit of 70s singer-songwriters or, more recently, Phosphorescent. Watch: "Hot Dreams" Listen: "Run from Me"

Other New Releases

Friendly Fires & The Asphodells - "Before Your Eyes"/"Velo" I loved Friendly Fires' 2011 album, Pala, and have long been hoping for a follow-up. That's not quite here yet, but we do now have a collaborative single with The Asphodells (Andrew Weatherall & Timothy J. Fairplay). Listen: "Before Your Eyes" Listen: "Velo"

Kim Deal & Morgan Nagler - "The Root"/"Range on Castle" Kim Deal was an early member of the Pixies, playing bass for the band starting in 1986. She joined her bandmates when they reunited in 2004 and stayed until last year. Since leaving that iconic band, she has released a few solo singles, the last was "Are You Mine?" in August of last year. Watch: "The Root" Listen: "Range on Castle"

Klaxons - "There Is No Other Time"/"Children of the Sun" It's been four years since the release of Klaxons' previous album, Surfing the Void. They're readying a follow-up, Love Frequency, for June, with a couple of singles here to tide us over. Watch: "There Is No Other Time" Watch: "Children of the Sun"

Small Black - Real People EP Small Black is band out of Brooklyn who have become known for a chilled-out, synthpop sound. They released their second studio album, Limits of Desire, last year and are following it up with an EP. They got a little bit of help from fellow Brooklynite Frankie Rose. Watch: "Real People" (featuring Frankie Rose) Listen: "Lines of Latitude" (featuring Frankie Rose)