thus spake drake: atlas sound

Showing posts with label atlas sound. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Top 50+ Albums of 2011: Featuring Destroyer, Girls, tUnE-yArds, M83, Bon Iver

Top 10 includes Destroyer, Girls, tUnE-yArds, M83, Bon Iver, James Blake, PJ Harvey, St Vincent, Shabazz Palaces, Real Estate

If 2010 was 1993 all over again, 2011 seemed to ignore this trend (and all the corresponding 20 year anniversary reissues), instead reaching back a decade prior. Releases from Destroyer and M83 mined that decade to make great albums, while several bands of that era (Gang of Four, Wire, The Feelies) returned with new releases. Another minor trend we noticed here was artists absolutely obliterating the tired "sophomore slump" myth, with Girls, tUnE-yArds, Bon Iver, Real Estate, Fleet Foxes, Male Bonding and Smith Westerns all having strong follow ups to their hyped debuts.

2011 also marks the second year in a row where anyone of my top 5 could have nabbed the top spot, but Destroyer's Kaputt edges out the aforementioned sophomore releases from Girls, tUnE-yArds and Bon Iver along with a career defining release from M83.

As a side note, I've had this Top 50+ Album list done for weeks now, but it's been a real bear to get formatted and find time to write. And since I want to get it out before the year ends, some of the writing is TBD (look for more in the coming days). But the albums are the meat of the matter, right? Here's the list. Hate it, debate it, relate it, whatever -- in the end, I'm just another jackass with a blog and a list.

Playlist: Top 50+ Albums of 2011

1. Destroyer - Kaputt
Stream / Purchase [mp3]
Every once in awhile, an album comes along that makes you rethink your past listening habits -- a re-evaluation of what is kitsch and what is genuine art. The smooth 80s sax solo, for instance, has long been filed in the 'bad idea' folder (and I'm a sax player!), but in the hands of Dan Bejar, it's a revelation. Much like listening to Steely Dan back in the day, you feel like your hearing something much greater than the smoother-than-smooth parts making up the song. Kaputt does that and more. I didn't know what in the Hell was going with it when I first heard it a year ago, but it quickly became the 'go to' listen for nearly all of 2011.

(Review, January 25, 2011)

2. Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost
Stream / Purchase [mp3
Frontman Christopher Owens was raised in a cult, and with every stellar release, he's unwittingly creating his own. Father, Son, Holy Ghost not only beats the sophomore slump, it's miles beyond and not looking back. The nods to 70s rock abound, with all the modern touches you can't do without -- like Elliott Smith fronting Pink Floyd, with even a nod to Deep Purple ("Die") thrown in for good measure. Required listening.

(Review, September 13, 2011)

3. tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l
Stream / Purchase [mp3]
Another impressive sophomore long player, w h o k i l l is a brilliant anti-pop pop masterpiece that mixes R&B, folk, jazz, afro hop and funk for an addictive concoction. And Merrill Garbus does it mostly herself, even live, sampling drums, guitar and all her vocal calisthenics. One of the few truly great odd albums that is enhanced tenfold in a live setting.

(Review, April 19, 2011)

4. M83 - Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
Stream / Purchase [mp3]
Anthony Gonzalez continues to mine his childhood for nuggets of nostalgia, and his fifth release ups the ante to a double album. Hurry Up We're Dreaming mixes up the best parts of his previous releases and throws in some Peter Gabriel-like vocal squalls in case you didn't get the 80s decade reference in the music.

(Review, October 18, 2011)

5. Bon Iver - Bon IverStream / Purchase [mp3]

Bon Iver's gotten a lot of love during this year-end list season, and with good reason. With his eponymous sophomore release, he's injected his gorgeous sound with some of the adventure of the side projects he's dallied in (Gayngs, Volcanic Choir), making the songs on Bon Iver reach for, well... more. I didn't find myself returning to this album as much as the other top four, so that's why it's here, but there's a greatness here that provides ample reason for it's near consensus "album of the year" tag that you'll find elsewhere.

(Review, June 21, 2011)

6. James Blake - James Blake
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review, February 8, 2011)

7. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review, February 15, 2011)

8. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review, September 13, 2011)

9. Shabazz Palaces - Black Up
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review June 28, 2011)

10. Real Estate - Days
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review, October 18, 2011)

11. Atlas Sound - Parallax
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review November 8, 2011)

12. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review May 3, 2011)

13. Black Lips - Arabia Mountain
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review June 7, 2011)

14. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring for My Halo
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

15. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Live recap, July 27, 2011)

16. Cut Copy - Zonoscope
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review, February 8, 2011)

17. Male Bonding - Endless Now
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review, August 31, 2011)

18. Radiohead - The King of Limbs
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review, February 22, 2011)

19. Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

20. Wild Flag - Wild Flag
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review, September 13, 2011)

21. Fucked Up - David Comes to Life
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review, June 7, 2011)

22. Yuck - Yuck
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

23. Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review, January 18, 2011)

24. Ty Segall - Goodbye Bread
Purchase [mp3]

(Review, June 21, 2011)

25. Thee Oh Sees - Carrion Crawler / The Dream
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review, August 11, 2011)

26. Wilco - The Whole Love (Review September 27, 2011)
27. The Antlers - Burst Apart (Review, May 10, 2011)
28. Tom Waits - Bad as Me (Review October 2, 2011)
29. Beirut - The Riptide (Review October 2, 2011)
30. Mastodon - The Hunter (Review September 27, 2011)
31. Drake - Take Care (October 15, 2011)
32. Cults - Cults (Review June 7, 2011)
33. Dawes - Nothing Is Wrong
34. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong (Review March 29, 2011)
35. Panda Bear - Tomboy (Music on TV preview, )
36. White Denim - D (Ear on TV preview for July 11, 2011)
37. Battles - Gloss Drop
38. Toro y Moi - Underneath The Pine
39. Elbow - Let's Build a Rocket, Boys! (review March 8, 2011)
40. EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints
41. Campfire OK - Strange Like We Are (Review February 1, 2011)
42. Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - Mirror Traffic (Review August 23, 2011)
43. Thurston Moore - Demolished Thought (Review May 24, 2011)
44. Wire - Red Barked Tree (review January 11, 2011)
45. Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact
46. Wye Oak - Civilian
47. Washed Out - Within Without (Review July 12, 2011)
48. Eleanor Friedberger - Last Summer (Review July 12, 2011)
49. Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes (Review March 1, 2011)
50. Das Racist - Relax (Live recap + photos)
John Maus - We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves
Dum Dum Girls - Only In Dreams
Raphael Saadiq - Stone Rollin'
Okkervil River - I Am Very Far (Review May 10, 2011)
Boston Spaceships - Let it Beard (Review August 2, 2011)
Peter Bjorn and John - Gimme Some (Review March 29, 2011)
Thao & Mirah - Thao & Mirah
Handsome Furs - Sound Kapital (Review June 28, 2011)
Cass McCombs - Wit's End (Review April 26, 2011)
Charles Bradley - No Time for Dreaming (Live Bumpershoot recap with photos -- September 20, 2011)
Shelby Earl - Burn the Boats (Live recap with photos from Doe Bay Fest -- April 26, 2011)
Times New Viking - Dancer Equired (Review August 25, 2011)
Megafaun - Megafaun (Review September 20, 2011)
Richmond Fontaine - The High Country (Review September 20, 2011)

Would you believe this is the 16th Top Albums of the Year list that I've done? Here's links to the lists still out there on the web: Top 50+ Albums from 2010, Top 50 Albums from 2009, Top 50 Albums from 2008, Top 100 Albums from 2007, Top 100+ from 2006, Top 50 from 2005, Top 10 from 2004

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Now Downloading: New Releases 11.08.11 - Atlas Sound, Thee Oh Sees

Amidst all the holiday-geared releases that are beginning to overtake new release day, a couple 'year-end list' candidates slide in to stake their claim: Atlas Sound and Thee Oh Sees. Other releases of note include the latest from Cass McCombs, Summer Camp, Cass McCombs,

Playlist: New Releases 11.08.11

Atlas Sound - Parallax
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Deerhunter's Bradford Cox has been Robert Pollard-like in his prolific songwriting in the past four years, releasing nine albums between Deerhunter and his solo project Atlas Sound. With every release, Cox seems more and more comfortable in his own skin, and never more so has this been the case than with Parallax, his most focused and accessible collection of songs to date. Here Cox blends 50s reverb-rich sounds with For Your Pleasure-era Roxy Music, ambient moods and themes of emotional distance, to great effect. "Mona Lisa" (previously released in demo form in Cox's massive dump of free treasures last year, Bedroom Databank I-IV) is the pop song that Cox has always threatened to release, and first single "Terra Incognito" mesmerizes with its repetitive acoustic guitar, bringing Cox closer to the traditional role of singer/songwriter than one ever imagined him.

Download: "Te Amo" [mp3] via Pitchfork
Download: "Amplifiers" [mp3] via Pitchfork
Download: "Modern Aquatic Nightsongs" [mp3] via Pitchfork

Thee Oh Sees - Carrion Crawler / The Dream
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

I almost missed this, the latest from John Dwyer's Thee Oh Sees, coming so quickly on the heels of Castlemania this past May. That album had a few folks, including this one, scratching their heads. The navel gazing garage psychedelica wasn't what was expected (even if it does grow on you), so it comes with great excitement that I can tell you that Carrion Crawler / The Dream is almost a 180 from the introspection. Dwyer wanted the album to pummel the listener, and while it doesn't necessarily reach that extreme, in comparison to it's 2011 counterpart, it goes a long way toward that goal. After the lazy psych opener, "Carrion Crawler," the album puts the pedal to the metal and never looks back.

More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
Cass McCombs - Humor Risk
Laura Veirs - Tumble Bee
Summer Camp - Welcome To Condale / Free AOL Album Stream
Caitlin Rose - Own Side Now
Jonathan Coulton - Artificial Heart / Free AOL Album Stream
David Lynch - Crazy Clown Time / Free Album Stream via NPR / "Crazy Clown Time" [mp3]
Band of Bees - Every Step's a Yes / Free AOL Album Stream
Brian Eno - Panic of Looking EP
Esben and the Witch - Hexagons EP
Kele - The Hunter
M+A - Things.Yes
Gold Panda - DJ-Kicks / Free AOL Album Stream
Owen - Ghost Town / Free AOL Album Stream
Dad Rocks! - Mount Modern / Free AOL Album Stream
Rush - Moving Pictures: Live 2011
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Pt 1 (Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Reissues
Billy Joel - Piano Man (Legacy Edition) / Free AOL Album Stream

tags: music, album review, atlas sound, thee oh sees, indie rock, new releases

Friday, October 23, 2009

Now Downloading: New Releases 10.20.09

Like last week, those who'd already made their top albums list for the year (or decade, eh, P4k?) are out of luck, as another couple releases can slide right in. First one being Logos from Atlas Sound (Deerhunter's Bradford Cox) and another being the latest from the UK duo F*ck Buttons. Other new releases of note come from Flight of the Conchords (which I reviewed with videos), Russian Circle, Spiral Stairs, El Perro Del Mar, Alec Ounsworth (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah), Maps and soundtracks from Sufjan Stevens (from a musical production), Jay Farrar & Ben Gibbard, and the much anticipated New Moon soundtrack.

Playlist: New Releases 10.20.09

Atlas Sound - Logos
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

In his first release as Atlas Sound, Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel, Deerhunter's Bradford Cox sounded like we'd interrupted a private moment in his bedroom. With this second release, Cox has taken us out of the bedroom and into... the living room, I guess. Regardless, it's a great album of found sounds and pop wonders wrapped head-to-toe in guaze, like a pop rock mummy. The standout track is the collaboration with Animal Colelctive's Noah "Panda Bear" Lennox, "Walkabout," which samples the Dovers' "What Am I Going to Do". Elsewhere, when Cox buries his vocals, it feels like Deerhunter's more shoe-gaze-y moments, but somehow more artful in it's presentation. With an album like Logos, it's going to be hard for Cox us to convince us that Atlas Sound is a side project anymore.

Flight of the Conchords - I Told You I Was Freaky
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

See the track-by-track video review from Tuesday.

Download: Sugalumps" [mp3]

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Now Downloading: New Releases 02.19.08

Like most folks, I love getting days off, but when they happen on a Monday, my week kind of gets messed up -- the first casualty usually being the weekly new release post. Turns out Rhapsody had a delay in getting some of this week's new releases into the library as well, so it all works out in the end. I can see why it took so awhile, though, as there's so many good releases -- it's a deep pool to dive into. New ones from The Mountain Goats, American Music Club, Throw Me The Statue, the Raveonettes, Headlights and the much anticipated debut full-lengths from Atlas Sound and Grand Archives head the list, along with a new single from Gnarls Barkley.

Playlist: New Releases 02.19.08

Album: The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride

Knowing that John Darnielle is a fan of death metal, I'm always looking for it in his music. Finally, he throws a bone with the title, Heretic Pride, which is taken from metal band Aura Noir's song "Black Deluge Night." While the latest from The Mountain Goats isn't likely to draw any death metal fans, the inclusion of Superchunk (and Robert Pollard tourmate) drummer Jon Wurster into the mix nudges Darnielle ever closer to the rock sound. Wurster's presence is immediately felt, with his driving hard hitting on opener "Sax Rohmer #1." Fittingly, his four-stick count is the first sounds on the album, and he's in lock step with Darnielle's sense of rhythm on "Autoclave" and the imaginateive "Lovecraft in Brooklyn," and the production of John Vanderslice and Scott Solter fully realize what he Wurster brings to the party. When Wurster isn't playing, the anchor falls to composer Eric Friedlander on cello. This is the first album in a long time that doesn't have a unifying concept, but it still feels as a collective work, and thanks to the tag and trade of Wurster and Friedlander, it's Darnielle at his most vibrant.

Download: "Sax Rohmer #1" [mp3]

Album: Atlas Sound - Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel

Bradford Cox steps outside the post-punk experiments of his fronted Deerhunter here to conquer pop atmospherics. Deerhunter always seemed to me to hold the listener back at arms length, but with Atlas Sound, Cox invites us in to see the springs and gears behind his craft, which fits more with Cox's love of 'lifting the curtain.' impressively, save one small sample on "Cold as Ice," Cox is behind nearly every single sound on the album. The shoegazer ballad "Bite Marks" has me mesmerized and the slow build of "Quarantined" continues to stop my in my tracks. While I hope Deerhunter isn't done, Atlas Sound sure makes that painful possibility a lot easier to bear.

Free album stream from AOL

Album: American Music Club - The Golden Age

Mark Eitzel and guitarist Vudi recently picked up and moved to LA, ending AMC's 25 years of being in SF. As a result, The Golden Age is the first album without bassist Dan Pearson, but with Mark Eitzel at the helm, it's still vintage AMC. Songs like "The Decibels And The Little Pills" and "Windows on the World" are some of Eitzel's best work, while the angry waltz of "I Know That's Not Really You" guarantees some variety. While the war in Iraq, in a sense, brought AMC back together for 2004's angry Love Songs for Patriots, our boys are still overseas nearly four years later, and as a result, Eitzel may sound a little more weary and resigned. Luckily, he's one of the few artists out there who can make weary sound so visceral and necessary.

Free album stream from AOL

Album: Grand Archives - The Grand Archives

I heard someone recently describe this album as one big hug in album form, and it's a pretty apt phrase to use. Matt Brooke, formerly of Band of Horses and Carissa's Wierd, helms this totally agreeable Sup Pop act. It's far more pop-oriented than Band of Horses, with a restrained vocals complete with sweet harmonies. Aside from the couple times it lapses into sugary sentimentality, it's an alright record, but I'm holding out to see where Brooke and co. take this thing. If Brooke manages to stick around, that is.

Not in Rhapsody but streaming for free on AOL:
Mike Doughty - Golden Delicious

More on the radar this week
Headlights - Some Racing, Some Stopping / Free album stream from AOL - just arrived... have high hopes for
Throw Me The Statue - Moonbeams
Gnarls Barkley - Run (Single)
The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust / Free album stream from AOL
Gary Louris - Vagabond / Free album stream from AOL
The Big Sleep - Sleep Forever / Free album stream from AOL
Panther - 14kt God
Allison Moorer - Mockingbird
Apes - Ghost Games
Cryptacize - Dig That Treasure
Kula Shaker - Strangefolk
Megafaun - Bury the Square
A Cursive Memory - Changes
Crushed Stars - Gossamer Days
Ray Davies - Working Man's Cafe (Deluxe edition)
Monade - Monstre Cosmic
Morcheeba - Dive Deep
Flowers Forever - Flowers Forever
The Epochs - The Epochs / Free album stream from AOL
Paul Thorn - A Long Way From Tupelo
Republic of Tigers - EP
Growing - Lateral
Nick Lowe - Jesus of Cool (REISSUE)

tags: music, album review, atlas sound, american music club, mountain goats, indie rock, new releases, rhapsody