There's lots to love in the record stores this Valentine's Day week, like the aptly titled Hotel Valentine, the first release in fifteen years from New York City duo Cibo Matto. If you're in a more somber mood, check out the album Benji from Sun Kil Moon aka Mark Kozelek (ex-Red House Painters), featuring guest appearances from Will Oldham and Sonic Youth's Steve Shelley. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls the release, "a powerful set of dark folk-pop, featuring spare accompaniment comprised of guitar along with occasional other instrumentation fleshing out emotionally direct, mostly autobiographical songs of love and death."
More highlights for the week include the latest from Tacoma hard-rock trio Helms Alee, a live album from Band of Horses, Hands, the new side project from The Field's Axel Willner, a new EP from 90s-revival band Speedy Ortiz, a new solo album from Crowded House co-founder Neil Finn, and the latest from desert blues band Tinariwen.
The Casket Girls - Same Side from True Love Kills the Fairy Tale on Graveface
Cibo Matto - MFN (feat. Reggie Watts) from Hotel Valentine on Chimera
Deleted Scenes - Stutter from Lithium Burn on Park the Van/Nevado
Disco Doom - Rice & Bones from Numerals on Exploding in Sound
Doug Keith - You Can't Stand To Be Alone from Pony on The Village
Fanfarlo - Myth of Myself (A Ruse to Exploit Our Weaknesses) from Let's Go Extinct on Blue Horizon
Neil Finn - Divebomber from Dizzy Heights on Lester Records
The Glitch Mob - Can't Kill Us from Love Death Immortality on Glass Air
Noah Gundersen - Ledges from Ledges on Dualtone Music
Hands - Beelitz-Heilstätten pt6 from The Soul Is Quick on Ecstatic
Helms Alee - Tumescence from Sleepwalking Sailors on Sargent House
Hurray for the Riff Raff - I Know It's Wrong (But That's Alright) from Small Town Heroes on ATO Records
Illum Sphere - The Ghosts of Then and Now from The Ghosts of Then and Now on Ninja Tune
Let's Wrestle - Codeine and Marshmallows from Let's Wrestle on Fortuna Pop
Modern Baseball - Rock Bottom from You're Gonna Miss It All on Run for Cover
Solvent - Burn the Tables from New Ways on Suction
Speedy Ortiz - Everything's Bigger from Real Hair EP on Carpark
Sun Kil Moon - Micheline from Benji on Caldo Verde Records
Temples - Mesmerise from Sun Structures on Fat Possum
Thug Entrancer - Death After Life IV from Death After Life on Software
Thumpers - Unkinder (A Tougher Love) from Galore on Sub Pop
Tinariwen - Imidiwan Ahi Sigdim from Emmaar on Anti-
New York duo Phantogram release their sophomore album, Voices, today, which KEXP Music Director Don Yates claims is a, "sleek set of moody electro-pop with a dark, atmospheric sound featuring buzzing synths, spiky guitars, hip hop-influenced beats, breathy vocals and catchy pop hooks." Another high…
February is kicking off with lots of interesting stuff for your ears, most notably, the sophomore release from duo Broken Bells -- Danger Mouse and James Mercer of The Shins. KEXP's Music Director, Don Yates, describes the new album After the Disco as "a strong set of psych-tinged rhythmic pop that…
