This is way late, but better late than never. Things have been crazy this week. Lots of noteworthy new releases. I've got about 10 of these already, but there are a few more I need to pick up. By the way, Matador recently reissued the first three Pavement albums on LP.Top Five New Releases:
All Smiles: Ten Readings of a Warning (Dangerbird) – Former LA resident, Jim Fairechild was the guitarist in Grandaddy (and Earlimart for a bit too). He does the indie singer-songwriter thing on this new album. He and his band are touring in support of Menomena soon (by the way, that Menomena record is really good). See them at the Troubadour on 6/12. Download “Moth In a Cloud of Smoke”
Arctic Monkeys: Favourite Worst Nightmare (Domino) – Their first album holds the record in Britain as the fastest selling British debut ever. They’re not all that (at least in my opinion) but they’re better than most overly-hyped British bands. Almost all the reviews are good. See them at the Troubadour on Sunday night.
Bill Callahan: Woke on a Whaleheart (Drag City) – The lead singer of Smog releases a record under his own name. I’ve always been a casual Smog fan, but sometimes it’s too depressing even for me (and I like some depressing stuff). Aquarium Drunkard has an MP3 if you wanna grab it. No local dates currently scheduled.
Cornelius: Sensuous (Everloving Records) – People used to call him the Japanese Beck, but not anymore. I’m a big fan of his album, Fantasma. My girlfriend and I have been arguing about the merits of this new one. She claims I need to give it another chance. It’s not that I dislike it, I just don’t hear many songs. He’s very good live however, so I encourage you to see him at Coachella on Saturday or the El Rey on Monday.
Dntel: Dumb Luck (Sub Pop) – Dntel is one of the many names under which Silver Lake resident Jimmy Tamborello releases albums. The lucky (and talented) guy has made so much money from Postal Service he could probably retire. This new Dntel record features a lot of guitar from Paul Larson (frontman of Minor Canon – who put out one of my favorite records of the year so far). The album also features guest vocalists: Jenny Lewis, Ed Droste (Grizzly Bear), Mia Doi Todd, Christopher and Jennifer Gunst (Mystic Chords of Memory), Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) and many others. My gripe is that he gathered all these talented singers and then had them sing in a disaffected monotone. The record ends up being a little bit of a bummer. You should go to Myspace and listen to the full album stream for yourself. The guy’s obviously talented, so you’ll probably disagree with me. Download “Dumb Luck”
Midnight Movies: Lion the Girl (New Line) – Local dreamy, psychedelic pop band. See them at the Glasshouse on 5/3 (with Autolux), Amoeba on 5/8, at Spaceland on 6/1 (with the Raveonettes) or the Echo on 6/8 (also with the Raveonettes). Download “Coral Den”
Other Noteworthy Releases:
The Band: The Best of A Musical History (Capitol) – Decent introduction to a very influential band.
Electric Soft Parade: No Need to Be Downhearted (Better Looking Records) – British band that’s on a local LA label in the US. Their new album’s more bouncy and upbeat. Download “If That’s the Case, Then I Don’t Know” See them at Spaceland on 5/30.
Charlotte Gainsbourg: 5:55 (Vice/Because) – She’s the daughter of pervy Serge and also starred in Michel Gondry’s last film. The Air guys wrote the music and Jarvis Cocker and Neil Hannon wrote the lyrics. Download “The Songs That We Sing”
Golden Smog: Blood on the Slacks (Lost Highway) – I dug their last album, but haven’t heard this mini-album yet. Tweedy’s not on this one. They cover Bowie and Dinosaur Jr.
Mando Diao: Ode to Ochrasy (Mute) – Swedish rockers. See them at Coachella on Sunday or the Troubadour on 5/22. It’s a little garage-y and a little brit-rock-y.
Melt Banana: Bambi’s Dilemma (A-Zap) – Japanese noise rockers.
The Nightwatchman: One Man Revolution (Sony) – Another release of local note. Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine does the Woody Guthrie thing. See him at Coachella on Saturday.
Part Chimp: Cup (Monitor) – Another British band on a local LA label. Abrasive noise rock. Download “New Cross”
Robert Pollard: Silverfish Trivia (Prom is Coming) – Ex-Guided By Voices frontman releases a mini-album. Download “Circle Saw Boys Club”
Patti Smith: Twelve (Columbia) – She covers 12 beloved tunes (Nirvana, Tears for Fears, Rolling Stones, Dylan, Beatles, Doors, Stevie Wonder). I hate to say it, but I totally agree with Pitchfork on this one. I thought maybe I was being harsh and put this on during the ride home from Pomona last night. The whole car was pretty stunned by how awful it was. Conversely, the LA Times gave it 4/4 stars. Download “Gimme Shelter” See her at the Roxy on 5/2.
Spank Rock: Fabriclive.33 (Fabric) – Mix tape with CSS, Daft Punk, Hot Chip and a lot of other stuff you’d probably hear at Cinespace on a Tuesday. See them at Coachella on Sunday and Pase Rock at the Echo on Monday (with Steve Aoki).
Thee More Shallows: Book of Bad Breaks (Anticon) – Indie electronic music on the well respected Anticon label. At the Echo on 5/9
Various Artists: A Tribute to Joni Mitchell (Nonesuch) – Sufjan Stevens, Bjork, Prince, Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello and others cover Joni Mitchell. Her voice is so distinctive I would imagine this is a mixed bag. If you don’t have her album Blue, you might start with that one.
Various Artists: Soul Resurrection Volume One: From Deep inside the Playground Vault (Rabbit Factory) – Here’s a cool vintage soul compilation. As I’ve said before, I’m a sucker for these things. Download Len Wade’s “Everybody’s Clown”
The Veils: Nux Vomica (Rough Trade) – British band that I don’t know much about. See them at Spaceland on 6/29.
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