Now Downloading: New Releases 05.11.10

Still experiencing some technical difficulties (some in part due to Rhapsody's database overhaul), but it's another quality week for releases and so the show must go on. Highly anticipated releases from The National and Jack White's The Dead Weather grab the headlines, but the real find this week is the Sub Pop debut of UK's Male Bonding, which has some Best of 2010 potential all over it. Also of note this week are the latest releases from cocorosie, Phosphorescent, Holy Fuck, Sage Francis, Gayngs and the unexpected return of Australia's Hoodoo Gurus. Have at it.

Playlist: New Releases 05.11.10

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The National - High Violet
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Going on five albums now, The National has masterfully delivered dark material in a manner similar to warm jets in a hot tub, and High Violet might just feel the most comfortable. There's nothing at all flashy about what they do, writing songs about white collar melancholy, but nobody does it better. Some have dubbed it "Dad Rock," which sounds a bit trite (coming from one Dad who's a fan of the band), but this time out, there's indeed a song about becoming a father ("Afraid of Everyone"), and it's great. Meanwhile, "Bloodbuzz Ohio" and "Anyone’s Ghost" are the accessible singles, uptempo (relative, of course, to the National's poetic plodding) and lyrically distilled enough to go down easy on the general public. It's not just for indie rock dads anymore.

Free AOL album stream
Download: "Bloodbuzz Ohio" [mp3]

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Male Bonding - Nothing Hurts
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Listening to Male Bonding's debut Nothing Hurts for the past week has been an exhilarating experience. At times, the driving guitars reminds one of Nirvana, but then the shoegaze-y vocals come in and it's suddenly an over-caffeinated Ride in the headphones. The songs are all minimal bursts of salty-sweet joy, the place where punk and pure pop bliss meet. And they're over at just the right time, leaving you wanting more. "Nothing Remains" is the highlight here, but really, there's no filler here to be had and the band keeps the listener on his toes with just enough variety (including an acoustic-based closer, "Worse to Come," featuring the Vivian Girls on vocals). Sub Pop has scored another gem, and, if pressed right now, Nothing Hurts could just be my album of 2010.

Download: "Year's Not Long" / "Franklin" [mp3]

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More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
The Dead Weather - Cracked Love & Other Drugs / Free NPR Stream
Holy Fuck - Latin / "Latin America" [mp3]
Phosphorescent - Here's to Taking It Easy / Free AOL album stream / "Mermaid Parade" [mp3]
Cocorosie - Grey Oceans / Free album stream / "Mermaid Parade" [mp3]
Sage Francis - Nobody's Daughter
Gayngs - Relayted / "Faded High" [mp3]
Hoodoo Gurus - Purity of Essence / Free AOL album stream
Cool Million - The Tom Moulton Session
Salteen - Moths / "Hallowed Ways" [mp3]
Keane - Fever

REISSUES
Fela Kuti - Expensive Sh*t / He Miss Road (Bonus Tracks) / Free AOL album stream

tags: music, album review, the national, male bonding, dead weather, indie rock, new releases, rhapsody

Now Downloading: New Releases 07.14.09

Jack White's latest project, The Dead Weather, headlines this otherwise thin week, which also features the latest from The Most Serene Public, New Roman Times, Baby Teeth, and a great compilation from songwriter Emitt Rhodes.

Playlist: New Releases 07.14.09

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The Dead Weather - Horehound
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Between his work with Loretta Lynn and The Raconteurs, I've found myself preferring Jack White's projects outside White Stripes, as it finds White working with other artists who push him a bit more and, more importantly, he's no longer working within the blues-rock box he and Meg built to work inside. With his latest project, The Dead Weather, White is straddling both the collaboration of his non-White Stripes work and that blasted aforementioned box. Even with White stepping out of the spotlight (instead playing his first instrument, the drums), his fingerprints are all over Horehound, sounding very much like the blues-rock w/ John Bonham-like drums that we've come to expect from the Stripes. This here is a much darker beast, though, with Alison Mosshart (The Kills) snarling out lyrics about a horse named Lucifer and selling "you off to the devil." I'm still more partial to The Raconteurs, as far as White projects go, but this album has been growing on me.

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Emitt Rhodes - The Emitt Rhodes Recordings 1969-1973
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

The singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Emitt Rhodes has operated on the margins of rock history, which is due his recordings being nearly impossible to find. Hopefully now, with this collection of his solo work (on Hip-o Records), more people will discover his genius, expanding his cult status. From 1969-1973, Rhodes released three albums for ABC/Dunhill Records, writing, singing, and playing every instrument, sounding every bit like the nickname he acquired during this time - "the one man Beatles." Soured on the music industry after a bad contract (one that dictated he release six albums in three years w/ ABC/Dunhill, a schedule impossible for him to meet), Rhodes called it quits and hasn't released an album since, even though he's continued to record. Part of the timing of this collection has to do with Rhodes returning to the studio with a new band and new material, which is good news indeed. Fitting also that it comes in conjunction with Paul McCartney popping his head up stateside this week as well, given Rhodes uncanny vocal resemblance (w/ a dash of Harry Nilsson for good measure). While the closest thing Rhodes go to a hit was "Fresh As a Daisy," there are plenty of tracks that 'woulda coulda shoulda,' including "Let's All Sing," "Pardon Me," or even "Live Till You Die." Those who love the film The Royal Tenanbaums are already familiar his song "Lullabye," which appeared on the soundtrack as well.

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More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
The Most Serene Republic - ...And The Ever Expanding Universe / Free AOL Album Stream
New Roman Times - On the Sleeve / "Smoke in Your Disguise" [mp3]
Baby Teeth - Hustle Beach
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros / Free AOL Album Stream / "40 Day Dream" [mp3]
The Dandy Warhols - The Dandy Warhols Are Sound
[500] Days of Summer
Care Bears on Fire - Get Over It (AOL Stream)
David Bowie - VH1 Storytellers (AOL Stream)
Miss Derringer - Winter Hill (AOL Stream)

REISSUES
Beastie Boys - Ill Communications / Free AOL Album Stream
Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Everybody Knows That This Is Nowhere
Neil Young - Afer the Gold Rush
Neil Young - Harvest

tags: music, album review, the dead weather, emitt rhodes, indie rock, new releases, rhapsody