Lots of great local releases this week, including the sophomore full-length from Seattle supergroup Childbirth, featuring members of Chastity Belt, TacocaT and Pony Time. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls it, "a strong set of snarky garage-punk with primal, grungy guitar lines and pounding rhythms accompanying Julia Shapiro’s sarcastic vocals and the band’s biting, often-hilarious lyrics skewering sexism and lots more."
Seattle artist Paul Hiraga, better known as Downpilot, shares a "a fine set of well-crafted folk-pop ranging from jangly mid-tempo rock reminiscent of R.E.M. to sparse, atmospheric ballads." Portland band Blitzen Trapper release "a solid set of ‘70s-steeped folk-rock ranging from funk-inflected rock reminiscent of The James Gang to harmonica-laden folk." And new music from Queensrÿche! (Did you know they're from Bellevue?)
There's great releases from other places, too: the fifth album from Wavves, the LA-based band fronted by Nathan Williams, is "a potent, hook-filled blend of power-pop, garage-punk and grunge-pop, featuring consistently strong, sharply crafted songs juxtaposing angst-fueled lyrics with bright pop melodies." Brooklyn artist Arthur Ashin (a.k.a. Autre Ne Veut) presents "another adventurous set of arty, R&B-inflected electro-pop combining some jazz instrumentation and glitchy electronic textures and effects with his raspy, volatile vocals and intimate lyrics." Nashville band Promised Land Sound release "a well-crafted set of folk-tinged psych-pop with jangly guitars, warm harmonies and sparkling pop hooks." And Belfast band Girls Names put out "another potent set of dour post-punk with ominous, clanging guitars, eerie keyboards, hypnotic rhythms, sullen vocals and strong song hooks."
Air Formation – “The Wasted Days”
from Were We Ever Here on Club AC30
Alixander III – “Broken Promises”
from Heavy Friends, Pt. 2 on Forced Exposure
Allusondrugs – “Her Crown”
from Magic College on Too Pure
Alpaca Sports – “Just Like Them”
from When You Need Me the Most on Elefant
Attic Lights – “Future Bound”
from Reworked by La Casa Azul on Elefant
Autre Ne Veut – “World War Pt. 2”
from Age of Transparency on Downtown
Avicii – “Ten More Days”
from Stories on EMI / Island / Virgin
Bixiga 70 – “100% 13”
from III on Glitterbeat
Born Ruffians – “We Made It”
from Ruff on Yep Roc
The Bottle Rockets – “XOYOU”
from South Broadway Athletic Club on Bloodshot
Brad San Martin – “Lessons Left Me”
from Tell Someone on Jigsaw Records
Bryson Tiller – “Exchange”
from T R A P S O U L on Trapsoul
The Butterscotch Cathedral – “Flood Of Mendoza”
from The Butterscotch Cathedral on Trouble in Mind
Childbirth – “Nasty Grrls”
from Women's Rights on Suicide Squeeze
Children of Bodom – “Morrigan”
from I Worship Chaos on Nuclear Blast
The City – “Victim Of Circumstance”
from Now That Everything's Been Said reissue on Light in the Attic Records
Clap! Clap! – “Serendipity”
from SIMPLE EP on Black Acre
Clutch – “Psychic Warfare”
from Psychic Warfare on Weathermaker
Darkstar – “Pin Secure”
from Foam Island on Warp
Dead Heavens – “Adderall Highway”
from Adderall Highway on One Little Indian
Deafheaven – “Brought to the Water”
from New Bermuda on Anti
Dirty Ghosts – “Cataract”
from Let It Pretend on Last Gang Records
DJ Spinn – “All Day VIP”
from Off That Loud on Hyperdub
Downpilot – “Radio Ghost”
from Radio Ghost on Tapete Records
Duke Dumont – “Need U (100%) (James Laurence Bootleg)”
from Blasé Boys Club Part 1 on Virgin EMI
Eagles of Death Metal – “Complexity”
from Zipper Down on T-Boy Records
Editors – “The Law”
from In Dream on PIAS
Electric Six – “Roulette”
from Bitch, Don't Let Me Die! on A Special Thing
Emily Kinney – “Birthday Cake”
from THISISWAR on Universal
Express Rising – “Aylmeri Bracelet”
from Fixed Rope on Numero Group
Girls' Names – “Reticence”
from Arms Around a Vision on Tough Love
Helvetia – “Crumbs Like Saucers”
from Dromomania on Joyful Noise
Indian Handcrafts – “It's Late Queeny”
from Creeps on Sargent House
Janet Jackson – “No Sleeep”
from Unbreakable on Rhythm Nation
Joe Jackson – “A Little Smile”
from Fast Forward on earMUSIC
Kylesa – “Lost and Confused”
from Exhausting Fire on Season of Mist
Larry Gus – “NP-Complete”
from I Need New Eyes on DFA
Matt Nathanson – “Giants”
from Show Me Your Fangs on Vanguard
Mercury Rev – “The Queen Of Swans”
from The Light in You on Bella Union
Moon Taxi – “All Day All Night”
from Daybreaker on BMG / Universal
Ms. John Soda – “Hero Whales”
from Loom on Morr Music
The New Mastersounds – “Made For Pleasure”
from Made for Pleasure on The Royal Potato
Nils Frahm and Ólafur Arnalds – “Four”
from LOON EP on Erased Tapes
Promised Land Sound – “Otherworldly Pleasures”
from For Use and Delight on Paradise of Bachelors
Queensrÿche – “Arrow Of Time”
from Condition Hüman on Century Media
Rudimental – “Never Let You Go”
from We the Generation on Asylum
The Selecter – “Open Goal”
from Subculture on self-released
Sevendust – “Thank You”
from Kill the Flaw on 7Bros. Records
Shellshag – “Blowin' It”
from Why'd I Have to Get So High? on Don Giovanni
Shopping – “Straight Lines”
from Why Choose on Fat Cat
SK Kakraba – “Guun”
from Songs of Paapieye on Awesome Tapes From Africa
Squeeze – “Happy Days”
from Cradle to the Grave on Virgin EMI
Swim Deep – “Namaste”
from Mothers on RCA
Tamar Braxton – “Angels & Demons”
from Calling All Lovers on Epic
Trevor Jackson – “Scratch Video Megamix”
from Trevor Jackson Presents: Science Fiction Dancehall Classics on On-U Sound
All week long on the KEXP Blog (here and here), we've been celebrating the release of Israel Nash's latest, Israel Nash’s Silver Season. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls it "another impressive set of psych-tinged folk-rock reminiscent of Neil Young, featuring a warm, ‘70s-steeped sound with expr…
