KEXP DJs have had nothing but soaring praise for the latest from British band Elbow, titled The Take Off and Landing of Everything. Music Director Don Yates notes their sixth album "continues in the vein of 2011’s Build A Rocket Boys! with a subdued, downbeat set of atmospheric prog-pop featuring mostly lengthy, slow-burning songs that gently pulse with spare amounts of tasteful orchestration."
Another album that's knocked our socks off is the debut full-length from local duo Iska Dhaaf, comprised of former Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band frontman Benjamin Verdoes and Nathan Quiroga (aka Buffalo Madonna of Mad Rad). Yates describes it as "a moody, well-crafted set ranging from propulsive post-punk to psych-tinged dream-pop."
The latest from Portland's Battleme is out today, which you hopefully streamed already on the KEXP Blog. Irish band September Girls release their impressive debut album, described by Yates as "a dark, atmospheric blend of ‘60s girl-group pop, folk-rock and psych-pop with fuzzy noise-pop, featuring a hazy, heavily reverbed sound with jangly guitars, eerie organ, distant vocals and haunting melodies." Former Galaxie 500-frontman Dean Wareham shares a self-titled solo album that's a "beautifully crafted set of dreamy psych-pop with softly chiming guitars, atmospheric keyboards and gentle vocals."
Notable soundtracks this week include Bradford Cox's (Deerhunter, Atlas Sound) score to the documentary, Teenage, out today as a digital-only release. The soundtrack to the film Divergent features tracks from M83 (as you can stream below), Tame Impala and Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, Ellie Goulding, and more.
Biblical - "Second Sight" from Monsoon Season on New Damage
Bill Pritchard - "Trentham" from A Trip to the Coast on Tapete Records
Bradford Cox from Teenage Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on Cinereach Music)
Champs - "Savannah" from Down Like Gold on Play It Again Sam )
Dean Wareham - "Holding Pattern" from Dean Wareham on Sonic Cathedral
Don Williams - "Talk Is Cheap" from Reflections on Sugar Hill
Elbow - "This Blue World" from The Take Off and Landing of Everything on Polydor
Iska Dhaaf - "Everybody Knows" from Even The Sun Will Burn on Brick Lane
Joan as Police Woman - "Holy City" from The Classic on Play It Again Sam
Johnny Foreigner - "WiFi Beach" from You Can Do Better on Alcopop!
Le1f - "Boom" from Hey digital EP on Terrible Records/XL Recordings
Max Cooper - "Impacts" from Human on Fields
Metronomy - "Love Letters" from Love Letters on Because
MØ - "XXX 88" ft. Diplo from No Mythologies to Follow on RCA)
Ozomatli - "Brighter" from Place in the Sun on Vanguard
Scraps - "Secret Paradise" from Electric Ocean on Fire Records
September Girls - "Heartbeats" from Cursing the Sea on Fortuna Pop
The Soft Hills - "Here It Comes" from Departure on Tapete Records
Tensnake - "Love Sublime" feat. Nile Rodgers and Fiora from Glow on Astralwerks / EMI
Tunabunny - "Different Jobs" from Kingdom Technology on Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records
M83 - "I Need You" from Divergent Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on Interscope Records
It's an excellent week for new releases, led by the latest from Philly-based psychrockers The War on Drugs. KEXP Music Director Don Yates describes their third album, Lost In The Dream, as "another expansive blend of psych-tinged guitars, atmospheric keyboards, occasional horns and other instrument…
One of the most exciting releases this week comes from Brooklyn-via-Jersey band Real Estate. KEXP's Music Director Don Yates describes their third album, Atlas, as "another masterful set of dreamy, surf-inflected indie-pop, featuring a more pristine sound this time around for their warm blend of ja…
