Dirty Beaches – “Sweet 17”
Badlands EP
This music sounds like “you have to be there” music — kind of the way I loved seeing Les Savy Fav live but don’t really enjoy their albums. But I can imagine being in some hot, dark venue and having this guy just hit this demented surf groove for all he’s worth, and everyone in the place just going nuts, though they’ll be unable to recall why afterwards. (insound)
Lia Ices – “Daphne”
Grown Unknown
I still haven’t heard the rest of this album because I can’t get past this song. It’s like a hybrid of the best parts of Joanna Newsom, Bon Iver, and Fleetwood Mac. I’m not messing with you. It’s really, really good. Whoever produced this should get a medal. Also: I have no idea whether this is popular already or not. (insound)
Songs:Ohia – “Hold On Magnolia”
Magnolia Electric Co.
Long known for his stark, dark compositions using little more than guitar and his voice (such as Pyramid Electric Co.), Jason Molina really only made use of a full band starting with this album, which he later retconned, if you will, from a Songs:Ohia album to a Magnolia Electric Co. album. This, the last song, is also the best, and although the rest of the album is good, this one stands out in dusty, lonesome grandeur. (insound)
Disasterpeace – “Ensis”
Rise of the Obsidian Interstellar
Caution: chiptune. I decided to check this guy’s albums out after I saw he provided the interesting background music for the Fez trailer (and will score the game) – and it turns out he’s awesome. I don’t listen to a lot of chiptunes as a rule, but this and his previous album Level are just too awesome to pass up. They’ve got the slow-build and powerful instrumental payoff of post-rock and prog, all through this fantastic chiptune lens. “Ensis” follows a primer track (“Beta’s Brilliancy”) that sets up its massive seven-minute travels, which are equal parts Daft Punk and Mega Man. This is the original, pure product that winds up being cut with commercial productions and sold as pop music. I like mine unadulterated. (more info)
My Education – “A Man Alone”
Sunrise
Sometimes, when you discover an incredible sound as a musician, you can’t help but build an entire song around it. This is certainly the case with “A Man Alone,” which doesn’t travel so much as just layer and intensify that shocking guitar sound, or whatever it is, sending shivers up my spine.
The Ivytree – “The Book Of Job”
Winged Leaves
This extraordinarily low-key and low-fidelity album sounds as if it was recorded in the lee of a rock, a thousand miles from civilization, and only discovered by accident 20 years later. Completely unaffected and simply beautiful all the way through. It’s a Jeweled Antler Collective thing, and only a thousand were made; it’s nearly impossible to find.
Kinski – “New India”
Be Gentle With The Warm Turtle
I class this song among the loudest ever recorded, along with The Psychic Paramount’s “Para5,” Crystal Antlers’ “Parting Song for the Torn Sky,” and the Red Sparowes “The Sixth Extinction.” The fun thing about “New India” is that you keep thinking they can’t add any more to it, and that’s just when yet another guitar comes in. Kinski has mellowed out quite a bit since this album; I wish they’d stayed monstrous.
Smog – “Palimpsest”
A River Ain’t Too Much to Love
I’d scratched Smog off the list after being disappointed some years ago, but after hearing this album at a cafe recently, I decided to give it another shot. Despite its simple singer-songwriter nature and plain instrumentation, it’s hard to pin down, mostly because of the delivery. His wry and subtle writing is hard to decode, but in this song it’s at least pretty easy to appreciate. (insound)
Ambulance LTD – “Helmsman”
Heavy Lifting 7"
This track and “Straight A’s” (from the same single) are just two fabulously well-crafted songs – the preferred genre of Ambulance LTD, whose 2003 LP remains one of the most solid collections of discrete indie-rock songs of the decade. The sound may not be original, but the frequency with which this band bests their influences is impressive.
The Intelligence – “Like Like Like Like Like Like Like”
Males
A raw, basic, and fun album with the charm and energy of The Lovely Feathers and the stripped-down aesthetic of Japandroids. The songs are simple and bite-sized, the longest track (“Males”) running just 4:47, with more than half being an instrumental breakdown and a full minute of glorious, unaccompanied distortion.
