Now Downloading: New Releases 02.01.11

While no match for the weight and girth of last week's mother lode, there are at least some new releases this week worthy of your ears. The third release from Brighton's The Go! Team headlines the week, along with the debut from Seattle's Campfire OK, and new releases from David Lowery, The Dirtbombs, Bardo Pond, MEN and North Mississippi Allstars.

Playlist: New Releases 02.01.11

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The Go! Team - Rolling Blackouts
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

The Go!Team's Ian Parton is less a DJ than some kind of master of sound collision. The soundscapes he conjurs up for each release often sound more akin to a mixtape than an album, and Rolling Blackouts is no exception. Parton and vocalist Ninja again build on the blueprint of their surprising debut, Thunder, Lighting Strike, but unlike their last offering (Proof of Youth) the emphasis is more indie rock than hip-hop for this round. To that end, they have guest turns from Deerhoof's Sartomi Matsuzaki ("Secretary Song") and Best Coast's Beth Costellino ("Buy Nothing Day") and Ninja only really throws down a couple of times throughout. It's a caffeine-infused pop wonder that's only weakness is with a couple instrumentals that just take the momentum out of the proceedings. The worst offender being "Lazy Poltergeist" which begs to end the record. The two songs that follow (the shoegazing title track and the inventive "Back like 8 Track") feel like bonus tracks as a result, when they deserver

Download: "T.O.R.N.A.D.O." [mp3]

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Campfire OK - Strange Like We Are
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Seattle's beard rock scene has really taken off in the past few years, thanks in part to Fleet Foxes, The Cave Singers and, more recently, The Head and the Heart. Campfire OK is part of the same mold, mid-paced folk rock with emphasis harmonies, but add a more diverse instrumentation to the mix for something that has the potential to even make you forget there's a new Fleet Foxes record on the way. They're the perfect Doe Bay Fest type band, so it's no surprise their record release party is at Columbia City Theatre this Friday night, given it's history. It's a strong out-of-left-field debut that is already leaving me hungry for what they come up with on their next release.

Download: "Strange Like We Are" [mp3]

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More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
David Lowery - The Palace Guards / Free AOL Album Stream / "The Palace Guards" [mp3]
The Dirtbombs - Party Store
Bardo Pond - Bardo Pond
MEN - Talk About Body / Free AOL Album Stream
North Mississippi Allstars - Keys to the Kingdom
Cowboy Mouth - Mardi Gras
The Civil Wars - Barton Hallow / "Barton Hollow" [mp3]
Bridges & Powerlines - Eve / "Mirabell"
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - Go Down Under EP
Enjoy Your Pumas - Commonality / "Weight of the Circles" [mp3]
Hotel of the Laughing Tree - Terror and Everything After / Free AOL Album Stream
Bobby Long - A Winter Tale / Free AOL Album Stream
Tristen - Charlatans at the Garden Gate / Free AOL Album Stream
REISSUES
Giant Sand - Long Stem Rant (25th Anniversary Edition)
Giant Sand - Swerve (25th Anniversary Edition)
George Michael - Faith (Remastered)

tags: music, album review, the go team, wire, campfire ok, indie rock, new releases