Posts filed under ‘Album Preview’
Modern Mystery’s Year End List 2011 (Albums & Songs)
Yes, we’re a little late on this, but here is our Year End List(s) in all of their glory.
TOP ALBUMS of 2011
1. Real Estate - Days
Literally the most beautiful album we heard all year. Everything about Days is near perfect. Haunting guitars and echoing vocals provide a stunning LP that will hold the test of time. Real Estate put out the essential record of 2011 and will hold a place forever in indie music history. Congratulations to these guys for pouring their heart and soul into a record, and letting the listener hear every beat, every emotion, and every ounce of perfection.
2. Beirut – The Rip Tide
A close runner up, Beirut proves that they have staying power on their highly anticipated second album. They certainly lived up to the hype and brought the indie rock game to a whole new level.
3. The Drums - Portamento
Catchy, and a little deeper, The Drums plunge into the ocean, not to go surfing this time but to get a little heavier. The outcome? Amazing.
4. Sloan – The Double Cross
Always a MM favorite, the best foursome since The Beatles provide another album of blissful harmonies and catchy riffs. Sloan manages to do it again.
5. The Strokes - Angles
It may have taken 5 years for this little gem, but it was certainly worth the wait. We hope the next album is a little more cohesive, a little more “Strokesy,” but hell, it’s still one of the best records our ears came across this year, not to mention the most anticipated.
6. Neon Indian – Era Extraña
An incredible sophomore effort, that had us dancing around the apartment, the office, the car, etc. Alan Palomo knows what makes our hearts tick, and it’s his infectious brand of chillwave.
7. Ryan Adams – Ashes and Fire
The second anticipated musical act out of retirement this year, Adams put out a tear jerking album of all acoustic material, this time without his infamous Cardinals. Gorgeous as always, that man cannot write a bad song.
8. Bright Eyes – The People’s Key
What may be the last album under the name Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst and company pull out all the stops on this intriguing and somewhat eerie album. Oberst is better than ever, just when you thought that was impossible.
9. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – Mirror Traffic
Stephen Malkmus albums always equals a win. Pretend to be surprised. The Beck produced record caught our ears this year. Nice one Malkmus, as always.
10. Sam Roberts Band – Collider
Another great album from SRB, the band is on a hot streak of great releases. Always a little under the radar, this cult favorite is winning over hearts and ears quickly. Jump on in.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Atlas Sound – Parallax
Toro Y Moi – Underneath the Pine
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
St. Vincent – Strange Mercy
Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost
Destroyer – Kaputt
Youth Lagoon – The Year of Hibernation
Cults – Cults
Fucked Up – David Comes to Life
Panda Bear – Tom Boy
James Blake – James Blake
Top Songs of 2011
1 The Strokes – “Undercover of Darkness”
2 Neon Indian – “Hexx Girlfriend”
3 Real Estate – “Green Aisles”
4 Bright Eyes – “Shell Games”
5 Chairlift – “Amanaemonesia”
6 Sloan – “The Answer Was You”
7 The Drums – “Money”
8 Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – “Senator”
9 Beirut – “Santa Fe”
10 Washed Out – Amor Fati
11 Joy Formidable – Whirring
12 Girls – “Honey Bunny”
13 Unknown Mortal Orchestra -”Ffunny Ffriends”
14 Real Estate – “It’s Real”
15 Cass McCombs – “Country Line”
Ryan Adams To Release New Album On October 10th
Ryan Adams will release a new album next month! Ashes and Fire, which will be released through Adams’ own PAX-AM label and Sony’s Columbia Records, will be available for you eager fans to purchase on Monday 10th October. This will be the first solo album he puts out through his own company and in that spirit, it seems he chose his team to reflect that homey feeling. The album was recorded in LA at Sunset Sound in Hollywood and produced by Glyn Johns. While the producer is known for his work with the likes of The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Clash, The Who and The Rolling Stones (not too shabby), he also happens to be the father of Ethan Johns, who produced Ryan Adams’ albums Heartbreaker, Gold and 29. Other notable people who appear on the album are Norah Jones and the organist from Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers Benmont Tench. In other exciting news, a tour in preparation so stay tuned!
September 21, 2011 at 11:21 am Sedera Ranaivoarinosy Leave a comment
Oberhofer Premiere “Gotta Go” On Pitchfork, Sign To Glassnote Records
Brad Oberhofer is on a roll. Recently signed with Glassnote Records, Oberhofer will be releasing their debut album in the early months of next year. While we wait for that, he just premiered on Pitchfork the single “Gotta Go,” which will be released through White Iris and will come out physically on October 4th. You can get “Gotta Go” HERE.
On top of that, the band will be joining Les Savy Fav on stage on September 6th at the Music Hall Of Williamsburg in New York after a year touring with bands like Twin Sister, Sleigh Bells, Neon Indian and Bear In Heaven. Needless to say, the Tacoma native has the indie music scene at his feet.
September 20, 2011 at 11:23 am Sedera Ranaivoarinosy Leave a comment
Surfer Blood Make Tarot Classics
On October 25th, West Palm Beach based Surfer Blood will release Tarot Classics, an EP that marks the band’s first major release since their 2010 debut Astro Coast. Down below you can take a listen to the EP’s lead single “Miranda” and look over the band’s upcoming tour dates.
Tour Dates
8/31 Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
9/16 Echoplex – Los Angeles, CA
9/17 – The Getty – Losa Angeles, CA
9/21 Crowbar – Tampa, FL
9/22 Double Down Live – Gainesville, FL
10/27 The Wellmont Theatre – Montclair, NJ *
10/28 Asbury Park Convention Hall – Asbury Park, NJ *
10/29 Palace Theatre – Waterbury, CT *
10/30 Hampton Beach Ballroom – Hampton Beach, NH *
11/1 State Theatre – Portland, ME *
11/2 The Armory – Rochester, NY *
11/3 State Theatre Center for the Arts – Easton, PA *
11/5 Paramount Theatre – Huntington, NY *
11/6 Grand Opera House – Wilmington, DE*
11/7 Ottobar – Baltimore, MA
11/8 War Memorial Auditorium – Greensboro, NC*
11/9 Louisville Palace Theatre – Louisville, KY *
11/10 Tennessee Theatre – Knoxville, TN *
11/11 North Charleston Performing Arts Center – North Charleston,SC*
12/8 The Brixton Academy – London, UK ^
12/9 ATP – Somerset, UK
* w/ The Pixies
^ with The Vaccines
September 12, 2011 at 12:08 pm wesleyambrecht Leave a comment
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin Announce New Album
Springfield, MO’s Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin have a put together a special release to celebrate their 10 year existence. After releasing three LPs, they were bound to have some extra material that never made it to the record stores. Those songs will now be getting their time in the spotlight with the release of Tape Club, a 26-song double album that brings you best of the SSLYBY archives. It will be available October 18th on limited edition 180-gram maroon 2xLP, CD, and digital formats via Polyvinyl, but can already stream it on the band’s bandcamp page now. The album’s title is a direct reference to a subscription service the band started in late 2005 to raise money for tour while copies of their debut Broom; things have come full circle! The next 10 years for SSLYBY can only go up from here!
August 31, 2011 at 11:00 am Sedera Ranaivoarinosy Leave a comment
Real Estate Announces New Album
People don’t always think very much of New Jersey, especially when its standout celebrities right now are the cast of Jersey Shore. Real Estate proved that not all that comes out of the Garden State is terrible with their first self-titled album released in 2009. Can they keep it up? We’ll find out on on Tuesday October 18th, 2011 when they release the follow-up, Days, which was recorded in Upstate New York through the late winter/spring of 2011 with Kevin McMahon.
For now, we know the album is made up of nine new recordings and a revisit of last year’s standalone single “Out of Tune.” You can listen to the first single off the record, “It’s Real,” HERE. It’s due out on September 27th in the US and October 10th in the UK. In the meantime, the band is touring around the US and Canada for the rest of July so check below to see if they’re headed near you!
August 29, 2011 at 9:08 pm Sedera Ranaivoarinosy Leave a comment
Life Size Maps Release New EP
Brooklyn based alt-rockers and friends of the site, Life Size Maps, have officially released their new EP, Magnifier. The EP represents an evolution of sound for the band, as this new grouping of tracks is both noisier and more complex.
The band kicked things off with a release party at Monster Island Basement in Williamsburg with Dino Walrus, Total Slacker and Soft Black. Visit the band’s myspace page MySpace page. And, in the meantime, be sure to listen to our exclusive preview of the band’s new track “This Same House,” down below.
Cut Off Your Hands Announce Release Of New Album In August
New Zealand band Cut Off Your Hands have announced that they will be releasing the follow up to their 2008 album later this summer. The album entitled Hollow will be a mixture of new sounds and a rediscovered passion for playing music from band front man Nick Johnston. After 2008′s release of You & I, the band embarked on a three year tour and endured many personnel changes within the band, all of which left Johnston feeling a little disillusioned about music and wondering what his future would be.
“Something clicked in the time off between records,” says Johnston. “As I stopped worrying about what we should be doing, I began listening to records out of pure fun again and they ended up really influencing my writing.”
The result is a masterful sound of melancholic guitar riffs and melodies influenced by bands such as Echo & the Bunnymen, the Byrds, Bob Dylan and fellow countrymen the Bats and Bird Nest Roys. This time out, the band knew which direction they wanted this album to go and how they wanted this album to sound.
“A big thing for me was getting out of that songwriting slump,” explains Johnston, “realizing that making music is still meaningful for me.”
Hollow will be released on August 16th via Frenchkiss Records. There are plans for a US tour following the release.
Tracklisting
You Should Do Better
Hollowed Out
Fooling No One
Nausea
By Your Side
All It Takes
Oh Hell
Down and Out
Buried
VHS or Beta Announce New Album And Single
VHS or Beta will release their fourth album, Diamonds And Death, on September 27th via Krian Music Group/Chromosome Records… That’s a long time from now. It’s already been four years since the band’s last album, Bring On The Comets, was released; no doubt you’re getting impatient. While you wait for that day, you can already get warmed up by listening to “I Found A Reason,” the first excerpt from the album that just premiered on AOL Spinner. The track is bound to light any dance floor this summer and sets the bar pretty high for the rest of the album. Listen to it HERE.
July 25, 2011 at 11:00 am Sedera Ranaivoarinosy Leave a comment
CSS Reveal Cover, Tracklist, and Title for Upcoming Third LP
Now that CSS have finished making the rounds on their co-headlining tour with Sleigh Bells, it’s back to the business that got them there. The Brazilian dance rock outfit will release La Liberación (cover art above) on August 22nd, at the peak of the Summer season — as if they weren;t the cause for enough perspiration already. The album will feature cuts like “I Love You” and “Fuck Everything,” so don’t think you know what to expect. La Liberación also features collaborations from Ratatat, Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie, and Mike Garson (the guy who played piano on David Bowie’s “Aladdin Sane”). Check back for the eventual preview track.
La Liberación Tracklisting:
I Love You
Hits me like A Rock
City Grrrl
Echo of love
You Could Have It All
La Liberación
Partners In Crime
Ruby Eyes
Rhythm To The Rebels
Red Alert
Fuck Everything
The Rosebuds Return With Loud Planes Fly Low
After The Rosebuds released Life Like, their fourth album on Merge Records, the marriage that inspired the band ended. Ivan and Kelly were done, and The Rosebuds (Merge’s buoyant pop-rock couple who’d youthfully named their first album The Rosebuds Make Out) were in limbo.
Still, after much debate and agony, cooler heads prevailed and the duo were able to craft their new album Loud Planes Fly Low, a sad-eyed and bright new start born of the struggle to define their relationship as bandmates—and more importantly, friends—outside of the context of marriage.
Spin.com is currently streaming the new record, which is set for release next Tuesday. The site also sat down with Kelly to discuss the album’s dark subject matter and why making it was a cathartic experience for her.
This summer, The Rosebuds will hit the road for a nationwide tour, including certain dates with Bon Iver. Check out a full list of their upcoming shows down below.
The Rosebuds Tour Dates
July 14 Boise, ID The Neurolux
July 15 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
July 16 Denver, CO Hi-Diver
July 19 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
July 20 Eau Claire, WI House of Rock
July 21 Madison, WI UW Union Terrace
July 22 Riverside Theatre- Milwaukee, WI #
July 23 Riverside Theatre- Milwaukee, WI #
July 24 Chicago Theatre- Chicago, IL #
July 25 The Murat Theatre- Indianapolis, IN #
July 27 Ryman Auditorium- Nashville, TN #
July 28 Cobb Energy Performing Arts- Atlanta, GA #
July 29 Raleigh Ampitheatre- Raleigh, NC #
July 30 The National- Richmond, VA #
August 1 9:30 Club- Washington, DC #
August 2 9:30 Club- Washington, DC #
August 3 Tower Theatre- Upper Darby, PA #
August 5 House of Blues- Boston, MA #
August 6 Mountain Park- Holyoke, MA #
August 8 The Sound Academy- Toronto, ON #
August 9 The United Palace Theatre- New York, NY #
August 10 Celebrate Brooklyn, Prospect Park Bandshell- Brooklyn, NY #
# With Bon Iver
eMusic Set To Host New Army Navy Album
eMusic, the digital music service for independent music lovers, has tapped Army Navy as their latest eMusic Selects artist. As such, until July 12, 2011, the band’s newest album, The Last Place, will be available exclusively on eMusic.
“We proudly welcome Army Navy to our roster of eMusic Selects artists,” said eMusic Editor-in-Chief, J. Edward Keyes. “Their first album was a huge success with our members. Because of this, we’re particularly excited to bring this indie-pop outfit’s second album exclusively to eMusic, while giving Army Navy a forum to really connect with more music fans.”
The eMusic Selects program was launched in 2008 to spotlight talented, unsigned bands and has served as a launching pad for some of today’s most sought-after indie bands. Best Coast, the Rural Alberta Advantage, Crystal Stilts and Julianna Barwick are among the artists who have released some of their early material through the eMusic Selects program.
Melissa Nastasi
Eric Phipps
Jen Verzosa
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