New Music Friday - February 18, 2022

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

	Alice Glass - PREY/IV Watch: "FAIR GAME" Watch: "BABY TEETH"
	Beach House - Once Twice Melody Watch: "Once Twice Melody" Watch: "Pink Funeral"
	Hurray for the Riff Raff - LIFE ON EARTH Watch: "RHODODENDRON" Watch: "JUPITER"S DANCE"

Other Full-Length Releases

Metronomy - Small World Watch: "It’s Good to Be Back" Watch: "Things will be fine"

Shout Out Louds - House Watch: "Sky and I (Himlen)" Watch: "As Far Away as Possible"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Blue Hawaii - My Bestfriend’s House Watch: "L.O.V.E." Watch: "Butterfly"

Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono Watch: David Byrne & Yo La Tengo - "Who Has Seen the Wind?" Watch: Japanese Breakfast - "Nobody Sees Me Like You Do"

Tame Impala - The Slow Rush Deluxe Box Set Watch: "Breathe Deeper" (Lil Yachty Remix) Listen: "The Boat I Row"

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) Listen: "Sledgehammer" Listen: "Every Last One"

New Music Friday - June 17, 2015

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

The bird and the bee - Recreational Love The bird and the bee were a beloved band before the release of 2010's Interpreting the Masters, but it was that collection of reinterpreted Hall & Oates tracks that sealed my love for them. It's been a long wait between records from the band, who were dropped from their label and started families in the years since. This is a very welcome return! Watch: "Will You Dance" Watch: "Los Angeles"

Iron and Wine & Ben Bridwell - Sing into My Mouth I didn't know this before this album was announced, but Sam Beam (aka Iron & Wine) and Ben Bridwell (lead singer for Band of Horses) grew up together in central South Carolina. Though they've gone in slightly different musical directions, they were able to find time to get into the studio together to record this album of covers. The record collects songs originally by Talking Heads, El Perro del Mar, and Spiritualized, just to name a few. Listen: "Bullet Proof Soul" Listen: "No Way Out of Here"

Tame Impala - Currents Tame Impala had a lot of work to do to follow up on 2012's Lonerism (it was a favorite of mine and one of the best reviewed records that year). In a move that has the potential to alienate some fans, they're moving away from their psychedelic rock sound in order to incorporate synthpop and R&B. Frontman and songwriter Kevin Parker expressed a desire for the album to be a dance floor album, despite the personal nature of the songs' lyrics. Watch: "Cause I’m a Man" Watch: "Let It Happen"

Wilco - Star Wars Dad rock, sci-fi movies, flowers and cats...it's a combination that makes perfect sense, I guess. In a move that had previously been the domain of hip hop and R&B stars, Wilco surprise-released this album in mid-July for free. In explaining the interesting choice for the album's title, frontman Jeff Tweedy stated that he was not actually a fan of the films; he just liked how the words looked juxtaposed against the image of the cat. Listen: "Random Name Generator" Listen: "You Satellite"

Other Full-Length Releases

Bad Bad Hats - Psychic Reader Watch: "Midway" Listen: "Fight Song"

Camera Shy - Camera Shy Watch: "Your Only One" Listen: "Colors Radiate"

The Chemical Brothers - Born in the Echoes Watch: "Go" (featuring Q-Tip) Watch: "Sometimes I Feel So Deserted"

Future - Dirty Sprites 2 Watch: "Where Ya At" (featuring Drake) Watch: "Kno the Meaning"

MS MR - How Does It Feel Watch: "Wrong Victory" Watch: "Painted"

Ratatat - Magnifique Watch: "Intro" Watch: "Cream on Chrome"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Continental Drifters - Drifted: In the Beginning & Beyond Listen: "The Mississippi" (Early Version) Listen: "Side Steppin' the Fire"

Disclosure - "Holding On" Watch: "Holding On" (featuring Gregory Porter)

Wavves - "Way Too Much" Listen: "Way Too Much"

New Music Tuesday - December 10, 2013

New Full-Length Releases

Brendan Benson - You Were Right Brendan Benson has has as long a career as his Raconteurs bandmate Jack White, having released his debut in 1996. However, he's  flown under most people's radars. You Were Right is his sixth album and his sound continues to be rewarding. Listen: "Rejuvenate Me" Listen: "Red White and Blues"

Robert Pollard - Blazing Gentlemen Pollard's insane prolific-ness will not be stopping anytime soon. With Guided By Voices, he released English Little League in April and will release another, Motivational Jumpsuit, in February. In the meantime, we get another solo release from him! Listen: "Blazing Gentlemen" Listen: "Return of the Drums"

Other New Releases

!!! - "And Anyways It's Christmas" Every year the list of artists putting out Christmas songs or albums seems to get stranger and stranger. This year's most prominent Christmas release comes from !!! (chk-chk-chk), who released a full-length album, Thriller, in April of this year. Listen: "Any Anyways It's Christmas"

Arctic Monkeys - "One for the Road"/"You're So Dark" The Arctic Monkeys made a lot of people very happy (myself included) when they released their fifth album, AM, in September. To follow up that release, they're releasing a single from the album with a great new song that didn't quite make the cut. Watch: "One for the Road" Listen: "You're So Dark"

Eric Clapton - Give Me Strength: The '74/'75 Recordings "Give Me Strength" is one of the tracks from Clapton's iconic 1974 album 461 Ocean Boulevard. This new release features the recordings from that album, along with a broader collection of Clapton songs recorded live in Long Beach, Nassau and London. Listen: "Motherless Children" Listen: "Give Me Strength"

Jeff The Brotherhood - Past 7" Recordings This brother duo has released a series of 7" singles throughout their 12-year career. This box set brings those various releases together into one collection. Listen: "Cancer Killer" Listen: "The Tropics"

Mexican Summer: Five Years Mexican Summer is an independent record label that has put out releases from Best Coast, Daniel Lopatin, Tamaryn, No Joy, Kurt Vile and many others; and they are celebrating their five-year anniversary. To commemmorate, they have released a limited-edition book, which comes with an LP with songs from some of the label's artists. Listen: Autre Ne Veut and Fennesz - "Alive"

Peter Morén - Broken Swenglish, Vol. 1 EP Peter Morén has become known as the lead singer of Peter Bjorn and John, and has three albums to his name as a solo artist. Starting this year, he will be putting out a series of solo Broken Swenglish EPs. Listen: "Constant Reaction"

Serengeti - C.A.B. Serengeti is a Chicago-based alternative rapper who I became familiar with when he worked with Sufjan Stevens and Son Lux as S / S / S. He has also had long solo career. Just in time for Christmas, he is releasing a free followup EP to last year's C.A.R. Listen: "In Love with a Woman" Listen: "Find My Peace"

Sides of Chaz - "Sweet Tea"/"Take My Car" Sides of Chaz is a new project from Toro Y Moi's Chaz Bundick. I guess he would like us to see a new side to him apart from his synthpop main act. It's just a couple of songs right now, but it will be interesting to see how it may expand as a project. Listen: "Sweet Tea"

Tame Impala - "Be Above It" (Erol Alkan Rework) Tame Impala released an absolutely incredible album, Lonerism, last year. Rather than giving the full album the remix treatment, they are teasing us with just one song, remixed by London producer Erol Alkan. Listen: "Be Above It" Listen: "Be Above It" (Erol Alkan Rework)

You Be My Heart You Be My Heart is a benefit album for 826, which focuses on creative writing skills for kids. The release features tracks from the likes of Bowerbirds, Mark Kozelek, Maps & Atlases and Marissa Nadler. Listen: Marissa Nadler - "Half as Much" Listen: Maps & Atlases - "She's Like a Hologram"

Young Turks 2013 Throughout the year, the label Young Turks put out a series of split singles from its various artists. The finish off the year, they are compiling those tracks into one release. Featured here are Sampha, The xx and SBTRKT. Listen: The xx - "Reconsider" Listen: SBTRKT - "IMO"

Tame Impala in Columbus

When: March 8, 2013
Where: Newport Music Hall (Columbus, OH)

The Show:

I had originally intended to go up to Columbus for a weekend to see Tame Impala and Tegan & Sara. After some plans fell through, and I waited too long to get tickets for the second show, I turned it into a day trip for just this show. I was not disappointed; Tame Impala was an awesome band to catch live.

I (somewhat intentionally) missed the opening act and arrived at Newport just in time to get a position that wasn't so close to the stage that I went deaf, nor so far that I couldn't see. The band's Beatle-esque psychedelic sound translated extremely well to a live show (the crazy visuals also helped). I've seen them once since this incredible show and would gladly watch them live again.

Mini Setlist:

"Solitude Is Bliss"
"Elephant"
"Mind Mischief"

Pictures: