Tuesday is here and it’s bringing the gift of some great new music. Speaking of great music, when I interviewed Butterfly Boucher last week she told me that Amazon is running a $5 special on her great self-titled album until the end of May – so get it while you can! Also, Gossip‘s new album, A Joyful Noise, doesn’t come out for another week but you can stream it in its entirety over at Spinner.
I had been waiting for the debut album from Rye Rye for ages and now that it’s finally here, I couldn’t be happier. What I like most is the combination of dance beat styles. She can slow it down to a casual disco funk beat but keep her flow fast and strong like the M.I.A. collabo, “Sunshine”. Or, she can speed it up with the military-style harsh beats and rhyme spitting with the contrast of her own sweet-sounding singing voice in, “Hotter”. Each song has an element to it that put a smile on my face. As an added bonus – I saw her perform with M.I.A. on her last tour and she got the whole crowd dancing. I’m psyched she’s finally got a full album to take on the road with her.
This is such a great and unexpected addition to my “getting ready for summer by taking long walks around the city in a good mood” playlist. The album sounds to me like the musical equivalent of Feist, Cat Power and Zooey Deschanel doing a Freaky Friday switcharoo. Bell Choir Coast has an odd ability to exude happiness without the tell-tale signs of cheering or overwhelmingly sappy lyrics. I can picture Sydney sitting on a stool with a guitar and a hint of a grin peaking through the side of her mouth. This is exactly what I needed right now. If you don’t have access to the Spotify player below, make sure to check out her Soundcloud page to hear her songs.
I didn’t think I was in that spectacular of a mood today but so far each of these albums have hit the spot even though they are all very different. I’ve always liked Best Coast – hell, I even ventured out from my hiding spot and stood in the pouring rain at last year’s Lollapalooza just to see them play – but my appreciation was more for some of their singles and not an entire album’s work. The ’60s seaside instrumentals playing beneath vocal harmonies on The Only Place has struck a chord with me. It’s as though Bethany Constantino is singing out all of the frustrations and life lessons of growing up and figuring out your shit needs to change because what seemed important before suddenly seems stupid. Oh life, you are a fickle bitch sometimes. Stream the album over at Spinner.
Bloom’s opening track, “Myth”, reminded me so much of a Billy Idol‘s “Eyes Without A Face” that I was put into a happy distraction trying to listen for the similarities and differences (of which there are many) for a good half hour. What’s great about this album, and the band’s softly-swelling indie-gaze music in general, is how well each song flows right into the next without sounding as though you’ve left one song on repeat for the past forty minutes. Stream the album over at NPR.
Warning: If your life situation makes you want to punch happy couples on the street – stay far away from the first couple of songs on this album and maybe skip “I’m Not Sorry” (depending on how you feel about a line like, “I’m not sorry for saying I need you to come and make a woman out of me,” in reference to her dream of being a housewife). This is a very literal album – there’s nothing too complex and you definitely don’t have to scratch your head wondering what hidden meanings are behind the lyrics. Meiko has a really nice voice and when you’re in the mood for looking on The Bright Side, this wouldn’t be a bad album to put on. Check out The Bright Side here.
It’s been seven years since the last Garbage album and it’s as though they haven’t aged. The lead single, “Automatic Systematic Habit” sets the tone to get excited for the brand of glam alt-rock that only Shirley Manson and her boys can bring. Standouts include infectious rockers like, “Control”, “Felt” and “Man On a Wire”, and the more electro-rocking “I Hate Love”. Stream Not Your Kind of People in its entirety. Unfortunately I couldn’t find a soundcloud to embed so
Honorable Mentions: Lisa Marie Presley (not a lot of range but there is at least one track I really enjoyed), White Fence, Reggie Watts, CHAPPO, Krizz Kaliko, Adam Lambert (I kind of love the Queen/disco realness of the album’s title track, “Tresspassing”), Willie Nelson, Craft Spells (EP), Godsmack.
In other music news: Check out the awesome MCs from the Doomtree collective – including the incredible Dessa – performing live for NPR’s Minneapolis station, The Current.
Diana Ross has a DVD out today, Live in Central Park, which was originally recorded and broadcast back in 1983. It features a day and a half of Ross singing her heart out and rocking a bedazzled orange number that only could’ve come out of the year this was recorded and this all took place through what ended up being a torrential downpour. The concert had to be cancelled thirty minutes into the set but she came back and performed the following day and the DVD shows it all. Now I’m thinking I need to borrow the copy I gave my stepmom for Mother’s Day.
Screaming Females covered Sheryl Crow for The A.V. Club:
Screaming Females cover Sheryl Crow
Check out and download the first single from Amanda Mair‘s forthcoming debut:
That’s all for this week’s batch of new music, I hope you find something to enjoy!
