Rolling !New Music! Thread

[hypehat]

I am serious about picking up and listening to as much new music this year as I possibly can. I am embarrassingly out of touch. Doesn't matter if it's by old bands, of course, but I only picked up two or three 'new albums' in 2011 and I'm ashamed of myself. But this is going to change. And you can play along! 

So this week, I have listened to....

The new Macca standards album, as already detailed, and as stupid a start into my regime of 'new music' as I can get  . Pretty good arrangements, but his voice seems like it's shot or his higher register is failing him a little. Mad props for doing Ink Spots songs, though.

Lana Del Rey's Born To Die. Which is f*cking awful. I really wanted to like it, but the production makes little sense, the songs are flimsy, and her delivery of the terrible lyrics makes me cringe. I still love Video Games.... just a little less.

Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas. This is incredible! Dude still has it. The production is sublime, and his voice.... ooo, his voice.

And right now I'm listening to the new Air soundtrack, La Voyage Dans La Lune, which is amazing and beautiful and eerie. Makes me so want to see the film.

What new stuff are you listening to?

[SMiLE Brian]

Lana Del Rey makes me fall asleep when I try to listen to her.

[hypehat]

You're not missing out on much

[MyGlove]

I am listening to a lot of roots rock and older country bands such as CCR, The Band, The Byrds, Cream, The Doors, Yardbirds, Flying Burrito Brothers, and Bob Dylan. I've become obsessed with the country guitar sound. Not of new country, but like in the link i'll post below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o64m6K-ufoM

I'm really trying to figure out how to do that.
Also as usual I'm listening to a lot of Psychadelic music but trying to get into this "neo-psychadelic" like MGMT and Animal Collective. I really wanna get those two bands' discographies this year.

[rab2591]

I got a taste of AIR's new album from a promo I watched online - I'm still on the fence about it....I was kinda turned off by the 'eerie' sound you mention.

Does the beauty overshadow the eeriness?

[Ron]

I am listening to a lot of roots rock and older country bands such as CCR, The Band, The Byrds, Cream, The Doors, Yardbirds, Flying Burrito Brothers, and Bob Dylan. I've become obsessed with the country guitar sound. Not of new country, but like in the link i'll post below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o64m6K-ufoM

I'm really trying to figure out how to do that.

You realize that's a pedal steel guitar, right?  You can do it, just buy one though, if you play slide it doesn't sound anything like it. 

Here's a great one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5ve5Hr_M6E&feature=related

Intro's great, Solo's great, and they film it.  Everybody in the band is pretty much masterful at what they play. 

[MyGlove]

I am listening to a lot of roots rock and older country bands such as CCR, The Band, The Byrds, Cream, The Doors, Yardbirds, Flying Burrito Brothers, and Bob Dylan. I've become obsessed with the country guitar sound. Not of new country, but like in the link i'll post below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o64m6K-ufoM

I'm really trying to figure out how to do that.

You realize that's a pedal steel guitar, right?  You can do it, just buy one though, if you play slide it doesn't sound anything like it. 

Here's a great one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5ve5Hr_M6E&feature=related

Intro's great, Solo's great, and they film it.  Everybody in the band is pretty much masterful at what they play. 

I had no idea! Thanks Ron! How much do those usually go for?

[hypehat]

1985?! What part of New Music* don't you guys understand? 

*Maybe listing Macca and Laughing Len in my OP mislead you. But they have both released albums this year, which is what this thread's about! #pedant

[hypehat]

I got a taste of AIR's new album from a promo I watched online - I'm still on the fence about it....I was kinda turned off by the 'eerie' sound you mention.

Does the beauty overshadow the eeriness?

It does - there's also so much cool stuff too (great half 'synthetic'/half orchestral beats at the start), although my internet kept crapping out on the stream so I haven't been able to listen to it all. The songs with the guest vocalists were very good, although unsettling. If there's any sense in me, I'm going to pick it up and watch the film too.

[rab2591]

I got a taste of AIR's new album from a promo I watched online - I'm still on the fence about it....I was kinda turned off by the 'eerie' sound you mention.

Does the beauty overshadow the eeriness?

It does - there's also so much cool stuff too (great half 'synthetic'/half orchestral beats at the start), although my internet kept crapping out on the stream so I haven't been able to listen to it all. The songs with the guest vocalists were very good, although unsettling. If there's any sense in me, I'm going to pick it up and watch the film too.

Thanks! Yeah, I'm eagerly waiting for the 7th to roll around (you all across the pond may get it sooner than us yanks though). The iTunes album download comes with the movie I do believe. Should be a real treat!

[hypehat]

This album is beautiful. Two Scandinavian girls singing harmonies! Produced by Mike Mogis! Killer songs! It's called The Lions Roar, by First Aid Kit.

http://open.spotify.com/album/3zmPFx2ilVB0nx2XKVH5Qc

[hypehat]

Also, I just put on this mix and it's bloody cool! (stream or dl). Think I'm finding a new fave label.

http://theminimalbeat.blogspot.com/2011/11/mixtape-amanda-brown-100-silk-3943.html

[SMiLE Brian]

This album is beautiful. Two Scandinavian girls singing harmonies! Produced by Mike Mogis! Killer songs! It's called The Lions Roar, by First Aid Kit.

http://open.spotify.com/album/3zmPFx2ilVB0nx2XKVH5Qc

This duo is awesome, two scandinavian girls singing harmony=Heaven.

[Alex]

I am serious about picking up and listening to as much new music this year as I possibly can. I am embarrassingly out of touch. Doesn't matter if it's by old bands, of course, but I only picked up two or three 'new albums' in 2011 and I'm ashamed of myself. But this is going to change. And you can play along! 

So this week, I have listened to....

The new Macca standards album, as already detailed, and as stupid a start into my regime of 'new music' as I can get  . Pretty good arrangements, but his voice seems like it's shot or his higher register is failing him a little. Mad props for doing Ink Spots songs, though.

Lana Del Rey's Born To Die. Which is f*cking awful. I really wanted to like it, but the production makes little sense, the songs are flimsy, and her delivery of the terrible lyrics makes me cringe. I still love Video Games.... just a little less.

Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas. This is incredible! Dude still has it. The production is sublime, and his voice.... ooo, his voice.

And right now I'm listening to the new Air soundtrack, La Voyage Dans La Lune, which is amazing and beautiful and eerie. Makes me so want to see the film.

What new stuff are you listening to?

I haven't heard any of Lana Del Rey's stuff yet, but according to Rolling Stone, she grew up about an hour away from me.

[the captain]

I only just heard her single "Video Games" within the past few weeks--maybe two weeks before her notorious SNL performance--and I thought it was pretty good. Not great or anything, but memorable in an eery kind of way. Looked into who she was, found a few other tunes, found them pretty bad. Found out she has had quite a bit of buzz and don't quite see why. Then saw that SNL performance and was taken aback by how bad she was. And now she's everyone's target. Weird how that goes. So I still think "Video Games" is a decent single. And I still don't like whatever else I've heard.

[the captain]

Contrary to the couple reviews I've read of it, I think the new Of Montreal album Paralytic Stalks is pretty good. There are at least several songs on it I think are good, with Dour Percentage particularly cool. I know some people (not surprising considering the band to whom this message board is dedicated and the obvious tastes that would attract) prefer their more '60s influenced early material, but I am always at least interested by Barnes' developments. And often really excited by them.

[hypehat]

I only just heard her single "Video Games" within the past few weeks--maybe two weeks before her notorious SNL performance--and I thought it was pretty good. Not great or anything, but memorable in an eery kind of way. Looked into who she was, found a few other tunes, found them pretty bad. Found out she has had quite a bit of buzz and don't quite see why. Then saw that SNL performance and was taken aback by how bad she was. And now she's everyone's target. Weird how that goes. So I still think "Video Games" is a decent single. And I still don't like whatever else I've heard.

Yeah, I am actually surprised by how dreadful the album is. The buzz is mostly down to Video Games (still will rep for that song) and the careful marketing of Interscope - courting 'indie' blog/youtube hype into record sales. This isn't helped by the fact she comes across as at best, laconic, or at worst incredibly confrontational in interviews, which serves to make her extremely nervous and amateurish live performances even more baffling. And so, backlash. I think it's some record company experiment gone drastically wrong - she's dropped hints she might not record a follow up album, and is cancelling tour dates across the board. What a strange little phenomenon.

[Awesoman]

I got the new McCartney album, and I think I've only listened to like 2-3 tracks on there.  I'm not really all that into it; more or less about as indifferent to it as I was with Brian Wilson's Gershwin/Disney albums.  I'm not so sure that McCartney's voice is *shot*; he still sounds pretty good at his live concerts (considering he's nearly 70 years old).  I just think that McCartney's voice doesn't really fit the material he's singing to begin with.  Supposedly he's readying a more proper studio album he's been working on with Dave Grohl to be released later this year; I'm looking more forward to that one. 

[the captain]

Contrary to the couple reviews I've read of it, I think the new Of Montreal album Paralytic Stalks is pretty good. There are at least several songs on it I think are good, with Dour Percentage particularly cool. I know some people (not surprising considering the band to whom this message board is dedicated and the obvious tastes that would attract) prefer their more '60s influenced early material, but I am always at least interested by Barnes' developments. And often really excited by them.

Their Fallon performance of the aforementioned Dour Percentage.

http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/blogs/2012/02/of-montreal-plays-dour-percentage/

[the captain]

I bought the new Leonard Cohen, the new Charlie Haden/Hank Jones, and the relatively new (both 2011) Hawk and a Hacksaw and Cass McCombs. Reports to follow once I've listened to them.

[Alan Smith]

I am serious about picking up and listening to as much new music this year as I possibly can. I am embarrassingly out of touch. Doesn't matter if it's by old bands, of course, but I only picked up two or three 'new albums' in 2011 and I'm ashamed of myself. But this is going to change. And you can play along! 

What new stuff are you listening to?

Take care with that venture  .  I took on the same resolve a couple of years ago, and then completely lost touch with the old scene (and missed out 2 significant pieces of free collectable vinyl).

See if you like the stylings of this young lady: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh8dAlix4ho

This chick is set to rule the world soon; the style grinders are paying some serious attention to her - I'm not a fan, but I seem to be a majority of 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec_lw2JXeIY&feature=related

And sorry if you mentioned these dudes already, have you seen them? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBmkZl860mY&feature=related

[the captain]

Really liking the Hawk and a Hacksaw album mentioned before. I've got several of theirs, and this is certainly no let-down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYjfBZxhUzU

[Alex]

This Hack and a Hacksaw talk is just making me want to find Jeff Mangum and tell him to just get Neutral Milk Hotel back together already!

[the captain]

Just bought, and am listening to for the first time, the s/t album from Hospitality: I think it is their debut LP, though they had an EP a few years ago. It's a trio that is mostly catchy pop music, but with just enough quirky cuteness to the vocal, garage production feeling, and curveballs to make it interesting.  Here are a couple on youtube.

"Betty Wang"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsax0a_9Tu0

"Friends of Friends"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wATaFzMIMHo&feature=related

[hypehat]

I'll check that out, Luther.

Listening to the new Sleigh Bells record. Think I should post it to the 'Is Rock Dead?' thread, tbh.

http://open.spotify.com/album/1QJsT9ZXcBp9fWpx4cAMIz