Easily one of the better performances during Sasquatch! this past weekend came from New York band The Walkmen. On stage, the boys looked snazzy and were dressed appropriately for the sharp numbers they played from Heaven -- that’s their sixth studio album which, according to our Music Director, Don Yates, is “an impeccably crafted set of widescreen indie-rock combining the anthemic power of classic U2 with occasional echoes of ’50s doo wop, Buddy Holly, the Everly Brothers and other vintage signifiers of early rock & roll at its most warm-hearted.” Adding depth and a Northwest tinge to the band’s signature crooning vocals and ringing guitar pop is Seattle’s own Phil Ek, who produced the album at the local Bear Creek Studios, and Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold, who appears on a few songs. The new album is in stores today, along with a bunch of other exciting new releases.
Valtari, the latest from Sigur Rós, which we debuted earlier this month, is a must for fans of epic rock. The Icelandic band’s sixth album combines “stately piano, celestial synths, sweeping orchestration, angelic wordless harmonies and Jonsi’s soaring falsetto into tranquil hymns of pure beauty,” and its glacial majesty will provide the perfect roadtrip soundtrack for your summer time travels. Sigur Rós may help you cool off, but Lemonade will make you hotter. The Brooklyn-via-San Francisco trio’s latest, Diver, “is an impressive set of ‘80s-influenced electro-pop incorporating elements of Balearic house, trance, ‘90s R&B and more on impeccably crafted songs with warm, bright-sounding synths, tropical percussion, a variety of funky dance beats, smooth, yearning vocals and blissed-out, summery melodies.” Keep those warm vibes going with the second LP from Vermont-based artist King Tuff, also one third of the band Happy Birthday, whose self-titled new album is “a fun set of catchy garage-pop blending elements of ‘70s glam-rock, ‘60s beach-pop, ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll and other vintage styles into fuzzy, hook-filled pop gems with buzzing guitar riffs, nasal vocals and summery melodies.”
You’ll find a lot more music to fill you summer mixtapes in record stores today, including the first album in 20 years -- and a “surprisingly strong” one at that -- from John Lydon’s Public Image Ltd., and the new album of “skittering post-punk” mixed with 60′s girl group harmonies from Grass Widow. Pick up those and the latest from Marissa Nadler, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, among others. Be sure to sample the songs collected here first:
Broken Water - Drown (MP3)
from Tempest on Hardly Art
Cadence Weapon - Conditioning
from Hope in Dirt City on Upper Class
CITIZENS! - Reptile
from Here We Are on Kitsune/Co-Op
The Doc Marshalls - Here They Come (MP3)
from Look Out, Compadre (self-released)
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - Man On Fire
from Here on Vagrant Records
Grass Widow - Goldilocks Zone
from Internal Logic on HLR Records
King Tuff - Keep on Movin’ (MP3)
from King Tuff on Sub Pop
Lemonade - Softkiss (MP3)
from Diver on True Panther/Matador
Marissa Nadler - The Wrecking Ball Company (MP3)
from The Sister on Box Of Cedar Records
Public Image Ltd. - One Drop
from This is PiL on PIL Official Limited
David Ramos - Hollow Days (MP3)
from Sento La Tua Mancanza on Fake Four
Gemma Ray - Runaway (MP3)
from Island Fire on Bronze Rat
Sigur Rós - Ég anda
from Valtari on XL Recordings
Regina Spektor - All The Rowboats
from What We Saw From The Cheap Seats on Warner Bros. Records
Sun Kil Moon - Sunshine In Chicago (MP3)
from Among The Leaves on Caldo Verde
Tassels - Shake Them Shackles (MP3)
from Pressure Mounts on Pour Le Corps Records
The Toxic Avenger - Never Stop (MP3)
from ANGST on Little Owl Recordings
The Walkmen - The House You Made
from Heaven on Fat Possum
White Lung - Take the Mirror (MP3)
from Sorry on Deranged Records
