Hurrah for Slumberland!

The last time I talked to Mike from Slumberland, he said that it was crunch time over there, and boy he wasn't kidding! Next week (October 28th to be precise) will see the release of full length albums from CaUSE Co-MOTIONS and Crystal Stilts!


Crystal Stilts sound like they were fans of Joy Division and The Jesus and Mary Chain as well as some more southerly groups and decided to mix these influences together to make some sort of awesome hybrid pop. Their new album Alight of Night is 11 tracks of popapunkajanglebilly genius with each track building where the last left off: aka a superbly made album.

Crystal Stilts .mp3

CaUSE Co-MOTION must have really liked 90's DIY crash pop, and they wouldn't be out of place throwing candy to the crowd with Calvin. It's Time is 14 jams in under 20 minutes to scratch that Pastels/Comet Gain/anything crashy, jangly, and awesome itch.

This Time Next Year .mp3

And speaking of Slumberland I should hopfully have a little treat from Mike sometime soon, so keep your eyes open, because it'll be epic.

Half Dreaming Redux

I received my copy of Half Dreaming from Quince Records last night, and it's even better than I was expecting (and I was expecting it to be fantastic). It sounds like those fall days where even though it's a sunny day, it's still not blindingly bright outside and you have a coat to protect you from the cold, and the wind is blowing leaves everywhere and it just feels so refreshing and comfortable. You know? Enveloping without overwhelming would be another way to describe it. And the build-up as the album progresses is just perfect for an hour long fall travel soundtrack.

Here's the opener:
See Her Fall .mp3

And the closer:
April and You, March and I .mp3

NEW Asobi Seksu!

I'll keep this short and sweet. Asobi Skesu have a new single streaming over at Pitchfork. I'm not really a fan of Pitchfork, but I (and everyone else) will just have to make do. The track is entitled "Me & Mary" and it's amazing. One of the reasons I like Asobi Seksu is that you can hear Yuki Chikudate's absolutely lovely voice really well over all the fuzz. This track is no exception. It's got its shimmery moments. It's got its noisy moments. And you could totally dance the shit out of it. So go and stream it for yourself over at Pitchfork.

UPDATE:

Me & Mary .mp3

And if you're over 18 and in New York on Nov. 8th Asobi Seksu "and special guests" will playing be at Santos House Party. So super excited.

Veronica

The Manhattan Love Suicides have not been sitting idle. March saw the release of the Clusterfuck EP, and this Wednesday (that's October 8th) we'll be treated to the Veronica 7"on good ol' Squirrel Records. Sounding as loud and fuzzy as ever, the recently unveiled "Veronica" reminds lots of people of Darkness era Jesus and Mary Chain, while "The 10th Victim" (which you can go stream from the MLS myspace) is slower, more droning, and definitely darker than what we've heard in the past. That's not to say it's not the noise-pop The Manhattan Love Suicides are so gifted at making; it's just slower noise pop. And about it being darker, well The MLS were never exactly cheery to begin with. The Veronica single is available for pre-order over at Squirrel Records' website.

And here's the creepy-as-fuck video for "Clusterfuck" to get you in the mood.



And if you haven't downloaded it already, Matt from Skatterbrain made an amazing mix a couple days ago. I highly recommend it, especially if you're looking to dance your pants off.

The Lovely Feathers are still alive!

So Hind Hind Legs was a really awesome album. Loads of fun. And their live show is even better. I know I have any single song off Hind Hind Legs stuck in my head for weeks after listening to it. If you don't start dancing and jumping and singing and having all sorts of fun listening to them you should probably reevaluate your life. And throw out that electric ice-cream scooper. From what I've heard of it, their new album Scherezadian it's a little more rockin' than Hind Hind Legs and every bit as fun. And what's more they're going to be in New York this month for CMJ.

CMJ MARATHON @ Ace of Clubs. 8:00
New York, New York

Lowiza .mp3

Alligator Skin!

It's no secret that I love Tilly and The Wall a whole lot. I always have. "We say 'oh!'" "You say 'fuck'!" "Oh!" "Fuck!" Good times...Anyways! Team Love posted the Tillies newest music video a couple weeks ago and I've been neglecting it. Off their most recent album, "0," here's Alligator Skin! Like all of their songs it's a good fuckin' time!
TILLY & THE WALL - ALLIGATOR SKIN from Team Love on Vimeo.

And in case you don't have "0" (which you should most definitely purchase as soon as possible) here's the .mp3 for Alligator Skin.

You can watch a whole bunch of other Tilly videos over at Team Love's website.