Filed under: Uncategorized
Well hello all, Hope this finds you all in a state of enjoyment.
Here’s what I’ve been listening to:
Villagers – Becoming a Jackal
Villagers hail from Dublin, Ireland. According to frontman Conor J. O’Brien, this album began as a collection of poems. The album is an exquisitely written set of songs that bounce around through their influences and yet make for a strong cohesive album. My one complaint is that it feels like it is over too soon. But hey, that’s what a repeat button is for.
Check out the single Ship of Promises
Born Ruffians – Say It
This is the second full length that Born Ruffians have released and man is it catchy. A headnoddingly good time, with songs that will definitely get stuck in your brain for days.They’ve got a great sound that’s at times reminiscent of Talking Heads, which I don’t think you can really go wrong with. I can’t wait to see these guys when they come through town in October. Check out the track Oh Man.
Born Ruffians – Oh Man
The Mynabirds – What we Lost in the Fire, we Gained in the Flood
I heard this band thanks to MFR posting up a video of theirs. Of course there was a reason I liked this band so much immediately, Laura Burhenn was the female lead for Georgie James, one of my favorite one-off indie pop bands. This new record has some darkness. I mean, look at the title of it. It also is playful and powerful. The title track is a builder, with a powerful chorus with strong bar chords from the piano driving it forward. This album is soulful and strong and it makes me really wish that the Mynabirds had a date scheduled in the Twin Cities.
Check out the video for Let The Record Go
Maps and Atlases – Perch Patchwork
I’m still not sure how I feel about this album. It has a few choice tracks but the Chicago band kind of feels like its getting stuck in the same melting pot of world indie that a lot of other bands are these days. This isn’t to say that they don’t do it well but I feel that they’re going to get lost in a world with too many Vampire Weekend and Animal Collective type bands. Solid Ground is possibly the best song on this album. Its a track that layers itself really well. It starts out with a little bit of a Beatles synth line, vocals and a little bit of percussion before moving into a full blown rocking number.
Check it out here:
Solid Ground
As always, if you like it buy it.
-Jon
p.s. New things afoot, keep an eye out
Leave a Comment so far
Leave a comment
