thus spake drake: devendra banhart

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

We're quickly approaching the point of no return as far as significant releases go, before the tide turns to that of gift-oriented, so we have to savor what morsels are thrown our way. This week that means the latest from The Swell Season, Devendra Banhart, Tegan & Sara, Wolfmother, Gemma Ray, Broadcast And The Focus Group, Boat, a live release from R.E.M., a compilation from The Breakaways and deluxe reissues of U2's The Unforgettable Fire and James Brown's Live at the Garden: The Expanded Edition.

Playlist: New Releases 10.27.09

The Swell Season - Strict Joy
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

As wrong as it is, it's hard not to think of this album as a sequel to Once, where Glenn Hansard and Marketa Irglova have broken up and are putting it to song. Of course The Swell Season existed before Once, with many of the songs from their debut ending up in the film, so this technically is a follow up to that release, but for the vast majority of the record buying public, Once is the starting point. I'm not sure what Hansard & Irglova are thinking putting their Van Morrison impersonations front and center (opening songs "Low Rising" and "Feeling The Pull"). The rest of the album has worked wonders as a sincerity tonic, cleansing my palate of all the irony and sarcasm in indie rock that are part of my usual diet, and for that I am grateful.

Tegan and Sara - Sainthood
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

The transition from folk to minimalist new wave pop is almost complete for Tegan and Sara, with this their sixth album, Sainthood. Their past two releases both signaled the change, but the subject matter was a little dark on So Jealous and The Con. Here, there's a lighter feel to go with the witty banter the sisters showcase during their live set, and it just feels a bit more relaxed, confident... and yes, fun. And when your opening single is titled "Hell," that's saying something.

Free AOL Album Stream

More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
Devendra Banhart - What Will Be
Wolfmother - Cosmic Egg
Gemma Ray - Lights Out Zoltar
R.E.M. - Live at the Olympia
Broadcast And The Focus Group - Broadcast And The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age / Free AOL Album Stream
Yo Gabba Gabba: Music Is Awesome
Boat - Setting the Paces / "Lately (I've Been On My Back)" [mp3]
The Breakaways - Walking Out on Love: The Lost Sessions / Free AOL Album Stream
Junk Culture - West Coast / "West Coast" [mp3]
Los Lobos - Los Lobos Goes Disney
Deleted Waveform Gatherings - Ghost, She Said
The Mother Hips - Pacific Dust / Free AOL Album Stream
Chet - Chelsea Silver, Please Come Home
Chuck Prophet - ¡Let Freedom Ring!
Del McCoury - Family Circle
Gov't Mule - By a Thread / Free AOL Album Stream
Awesome New Republic - Hearts / Free AOL Album Stream
I Love You - Bell Ord Forrest / "The Colloquialism Is Simply 'Gas'" [mp3]

REISSUES
U2 - The Unforgettable Fire (Deluxe
Reissue)
James Brown Live at the Garden: The Expanded Edition

tags: music, album review, the swell season, devendra banhart, indie rock, new releases, rhapsody

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

I'm afraid my new release posts are getting the short end of my attention span of late, with all the writing demands that have come my way via Film.com. It's a big day for 'New Folk' and I'm going to take the (still not very) easy way out here and refer to my post yesterday on new releases from Jose Gonzalez and Devendra Banhart, while focusing here releases from Iron & Wine, Two Gallants, and the solo debut from A.A. Bondy. There's folk then just that, though, there's more traditional folk from Joni Mitchell, and AA Bondy, and the US release of (somewhat folk-y) Loney, Dear's 2006 album Sologne (entered erroneously in Rhapsody,) one of my faves from last year (#24).

Playlist: New Releases 09.25.07

Album: Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog

Sam Beam has been hinting at the coming expansion of sound for Iron & Wine, with the EPs Woman King and his collaboration with Calexico, In the Reins. Both from 2005, the recordings were a few rows up from the minimal lo-fi sounds of the excellent first two albums, utilizing a whole band and new experiments with sound. The Shepherd's Dog is a fully realized album, with intricate attention to detail in how the songs fit together, and I'm always a sucker for that kind of thing. There's a richness here that Beam has shied away from, but always seemed ready to do in the near future. There's a Hammond organ here, a vibraphone there, backwards guitars, African rhythms ("House by the Sea ,") even vocal effects ("Carousel"). It would be a shocking change in less delicate hands, but Beam knows the sounds he wants you to experience, and it's a revelatory experience.

Download: "Innocent Bones" (Sub Pop)
Download: "Boy With a Coin" (Sub Pop)

Album: Two Gallants - Two Gallants

Like Liars previously, Two Gallants have curiously decided to go the self-titled route several releases into their career. Two Gallants continue their Grapes of Wrath tales of Americana, making a more focused disc then last year's somewhat disappointing What the Toll Tells. Their debut, The Throes, is still the album to get, but TG is a welcome return to the depth of that debut.

Download: "The Hand That Held Me Down" (Saddle Creek)

Album: A.A. Bondy - American Hearts

This one has been out for a month alreadIt's hard to believe this is the artists formerly known as Scott Bondy, the frontman for the rocking band Verbena. Here he takes a sort of Ryan Adams turn, or better yet, for those that remember, a Gerald Collier right-turn from his days of rocking in Best Kissers in the World. It's got a Dylan Freewheellin' vibe to it, and the album is a welcome respite from a lot of noise that's in my head right now.

Free album stream from AOL

thus spake drake

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Now Downloading: New Releases 10.27.09

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Now Downloading: New Releases 09.25.07