Kanye West, Disclosure, The Flaming Lips, Death Cab For Cutie, CHVRCHES, Chromeo, Jenny Lewis, Flume, Tycho, Trails and Ways, Lykke Li, Cut Copy, Mikal Cronin, Gardens & Villa, Haim, & more. More artists will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets go on sale Thursday, April 10, at 10 a.m. PDT, here.
In These Arms Of Love/Like Any Other Day 10″ vinyl will be available on Record Store Day 2014 (April 19) via Modular People.
A few of my favorite new releases this week…
Cut Copy//Free Your Mind
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David Bowie//The Next Day Extra
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Kronos Quartet with Bryce Dessner//Aheym
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M.I.A.//Matangi
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A few more worth a listen
Bob Dylan//The Complete Album Collection Vol. One
Bright Eyes//A Christmas Album (reissue) (Holiday Tunes)
The Melodic//Effra Parade
Midlake//Antiphon
More new music at Larghearted Boy
If you know me at all, then this first track might surprise you a bit.
R&B, particularly 90s R&B, might be my least favorite genre of music and I normally wouldn’t feature a track by the likes of 90s R&B/vocal group H-Town. But if there’s one producer that can make bad music good, it’s UK producer Star Slinger (aka Darren Williams). Star Slinger put out a lot of top notch remixes this year, including Childish Gambino’s “Freaks and Geeks”, Alex Winston’s “Sister Wife”, and Washed Out’s “Eyes Be Closed”, but his remix of H-Town’s “They Like It Slow” is easily my favorite of the year. It’s pretty incredible that a song I really don’t care for can be transformed into a legitimate favorite of mine. Maybe that’s why it’s a Star Slinger Refix, rather than a Remix, but either way, my hat goes off to you, Mr. Williams.
♪ H-Town – They Like It Slow (Star Slinger Refix)
More Star Slinger:
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American trip-hop duo, Phantogram, treated us to one the best EPs of the year, Nightlife. I pretty much love every single track on the EP, but the single “Don’t Move” is a definite must listen. NPR sums it up best — “Many bedroom producers adopt a “more is more” approach and stuff a track full of as many sounds as possible without any apparent editorial process, but Phantogram has enough good taste to piece together an array of sounds into an arrangement that makes sense. The duo has been playing to this strength more with each successive release, and it seems likely to help Phantogram endure: The band isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel, just searching for new ways to make it spin smoothly.”
♪ Phantogram – Don’t Move (from Nightlife EP)
More Phantogram:
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Australia’s Cut Copy released Zonoscope this year, the band’s third studio album. The album’s second single, “Need You Now”, is the album’s standout track (at least in my opinion). I really love the way it builds and builds and keeps you wanting more. If it doesn’t draw you in right away, be patient and give it a chance, you won’t regret it. I should also add that the album’s cover art, created by the late Japanese photo montage artist Tsunehisa Kimura, is amazing. Definitely my favorite of the year.
♪ Cut Copy – Need You Now (from Zonoscope)
2011 is more than half-way through and in a mere seven months, a boat-load of fantastic new music has hit the airwaves (we’ve also survived yet another prophesied apocalypse…not too shabby plant earth).
Anyways, I did this last Summer and it was fun to look back and see what albums held up when “Best of” season was full effect. So without further ado, I’m pleased to present my favorite albums of 2011 (so far) and be sure to check back in on December 15th to see if any of these picks make my Top 10.
(in alphabetical order)
Acid House Kings – Music Sounds Better With You
♫ Are We Lovers or Are We Friends ♫
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – It’s A Corporate World
Telekinesis – 12 Desperate Straight Lines
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Unknown Mortal Orchersta
The Vaccines – What Did You Expect from The Vaccines?
