Have a great Memorial Day weekend? Enjoy a family barbecue or an exciting music festival? Whether you were relaxing or being entertaining, it’s now time to get back to your responsibilities, which include keeping up with all the new music that’s coming out each week. The new releases you’ll find here and on Largehearted Boy’s list include a few highly anticipated albums of the summer, namely from My Morning Jacket and Death Cab for Cutie. Both bands are hugely popular and their fans are eagerly waiting to hear what the new songs sound like, but certainly MMJ fans have to be more than curious if Jim James and the band are still up to their weird tricks as on 2008′s Evil Urges. (Thankfully, they’re not.) And will DCFC’s ever-widening fame keep them from writing good songs. (Thankfully, it won’t.)
Nor should you neglect your duty to seek out new bands and artists, like local lo-fi lovers Seapony, who debut with a terrific album of breezy beach-pop this week. They’ll be live KEXP on Thursday at 12PM, by the way. Also, you won’t want to miss the Greg Vandy-documented, old-time music lovin’ Frank Fairfield, who is releasing his second album this week.
And there’s a lot more to discover, including new albums by Kate Bush and Guided By Voices’ Robert Pollard (though no surprise there, as he should have released at least three albums this year by now), as well as a fun debut from British band The Vaccines. Look for newer KEXP-friendly discoveries by Ocote Soul Sounds, Kids On a Crime Spree, and The Black Swans. Check out a few samples right now and then get back to work... you’ve got some record shopping to do!
The Black Swans - I Forgot to Change the Windshield Wipers in My Mind
from Don’t Blame the Stars on Misra Records
Kate Bush - Deeper Understanding
from Director’s Cut on Fish People
Death Cab for Cutie - You Are A Tourist
from Codes and Keys on Atlantic
Flogging Molly - Don’t Shut ‘Em Down
from Speed Of Darkness on Thirty Tigers
Kids On a Crime Spree - Sweet Tooth (MP3)
from We Love You So Bad on Slumberland Records
Mando Diao - Dance with Somebody (MP3)
from Give Me Fire! on Subjective Records
Miwa Gemini - Goodnight Trail (MP3)
from Fantastic Lies of Grizzly Rose on Rock Park Records
My Morning Jacket - Circuital (download)
from Circuital on ATO Records
Robert Pollard - In a Circle (MP3)
from Lord of the Birdcage on Guided By Voices, Inc.
Ocote Soul Sounds - Pirata (MP3)
from Taurus on ESL Music
Seapony - Dreaming (MP3)
from Go With Me on Hardly Art
Son Lux - Rising (MP3)
from We Are Rising on Anticon
JD Souther - I’ll Be Here Till Closing Time
from Natural History on eOne Music
The Vaccines - If You Wanna
from What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? on Columbia Records
Eddie Vedder - Can’t Keep
from Ukulele Songs on Monkeywrench Records
