It may be that the music of 2010 will be remembered as a time when maturity in music is considered a good thing. In the past, a new release branded as “more mature” usually was a nice way of saying either “not as good” or “didn’t sell as well.” But many of the releases of the new decade have proved otherwise. Yeasayer, for instance, updated their raw, catchy hippy jams with Odd Blood, a gathering of even catchier electronics-heavy synth-pop gems. The new songs slowly leaking out of Arcade Fire’s Suburbs show, like this one, a less frenetic but more concentrated style. And the same can be said about Foals latest, Total Life Forever, out today on Sub Pop, which our own Music Director called “a remarkably mature work that’s more adventurous and expansive while also containing much more emotional depth.”
The other new releases this week come from bands in various stages of ripening. The more seasoned acts include Pernice Brothers, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Cowboy Junkies, and Shinyribs, which although is a relatively new project, it’s really the pseudonym of The Gourds’ Kevin Russell. Veteran punk guitarist Stephen Egerton (The Descendents) brings in old friends on his first solo album, The Seven Degrees of Stephen Egerton, and Austin-based Latin funk orchestra Grupo Fantasma celebrate a decade together and their fifth studio release. And although The Gaslight Anthem is only on their third LP, lead singer Brian Fallon is about as “old soul” as there is in music today. Check out their “mature” new album, American Slang.
Check out all of these and more, including the Oasis retrospective singles collection, Time Flies... 1994-2009, on Largehearted Boy’s list and sample these fine tunes before heading out to your local record shop:
Blood Feathers - Don’t Know You At All (MP3)
from Good Gracious on Philebrity Label
Cowboy Junkies - Cicadas (MP3)
from Renmin Park on Razor and Tie
John Cunningham - You Shine (MP3)
from John Cunningham 1998-2002 on Ashmont Records
Stephen Egerton - Our Last Song (feat. Dan Andriano of Alkaline Trio)
from The Seven Degrees of Stephen Egerton on Paper + Plastick Records
Foals - Balloons (MP3)
from Total Life Forever on Sub Pop
The Gaslight Anthem - The Making of... (part 1)
from American Slang on Side One Dummy
Grupo Fantasma - Telarana (MP3)
from Existential on InGrooves
The Guggenheim Grotto - The Universe is Laughing (MP3)
from The Universe Is Laughing on United for Opportunity Records
The Hot Toddies - Keep on Runnin’ (The Vampire Song) (MP3)
from Get Your Heart On on Asian Man Records
Kacey Johansing - Oh, Brother (MP3)
from Many Seasons on Porto Franco Records
Jonny Rumble - BRZRKR (MP3)
from JR on Rock Proper
The Like - He’s Not A Boy
from Release Me on Downtown Records
Locks - The Sergeant’s Daughter (MP3)
from Suicides Don’t Commit Themselves on Static Station Records
People Like Us & Wobbly - Giant Love Ball (MP3)
from Music for the Fire on Illegal Art Records
Pernice Brothers - Jaqueline Susann (MP3)
from Goodbye, Killer on Ashmont Records
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Jefferson Jericho Blues
from Mojo on Warner Bros
Pineapple Thief - Nothing At Best
from Someone Here Is Missing on Kscope Records
Shinyribs - Who Built the Moon (MP3)
from Well After Awhile on Nine Mile Records
Sleep Good - Schlitterbahn (MP3)
from Skyclimber on Autobus Records
Sunglasses - Whiplash (MP3)
from Sunglasses EP on Lefse Records
Telepathic Butterflies - Circle Man (MP3)
from Wow and Flutter! on Kill Beat Music
Venice is Sinking - Falls City (MP3)
from Sand and Lines: The Georgia Theatre Sessions on One Percent Records
We Are Scientists - Nice Guys
from Barbara on Red General Catalog
2 Comments
That Jonny Rumble MP3 rocks!
Blood Feathers is on Philebrity Label. Thanks for the post. We’ve got a lot of friends in KEXP land.