There’s something infectious about James Mercer’s voice that makes me like the Shins despite my best efforts not to. Here they are, performing “Simple Song” from their new album Port of Morrow, which will be out on March 20.
This video by Mirel Wagner, whom I discovered today via a tweet by my friend Chris, is going to haunt me all day. Especially since her CD isn’t available in the US until March 27.
I wasn’t planning on liking J. Tillman’s new band Father John Misty but then you throw in Aubrey Plaza and suddenly things change.
I may be tired of the entire roots Americana movement, but the Head and the Heart still impress on a near-daily basis.
How does OK Go continue to outdo themselves? Seriously. They’ve come a long way since dancing in their back yard in 2005, but every video since that first one has been captivating.
And every one of them puts a HUGE smile on my face.
The Magnetic Fields have a new album coming out on March 6 called Love at the Bottom of the Sea. “Andrew In Drag” is the first video to be released from it.
And in case you’re sitting at work not working, you should know that this video has nudity in it.
/via NPR
You may remember Perfume Genius from such countdowns as the 2010 Bacon Musical Calendar.
This video, for “Hood,” from his new album, Put Your Back N 2 It, (out February 21 on Matador) doesn’t do anything to make him more likable by the mainstream — but that’s pretty much his shtick and I’m ok with that. The music is some of the most emotionally wrought stuff you can put in your ear holes.
Here’s a promising song from Hospitality, a nice little indie-rock trio. “Friends Of Friends” is the first video from their upcoming self-titled debut album, out on Tuesday, January 31.
“Comeback Kid,” Sleigh Bells’ first video from their soon-to-be-released 2nd album Reign of Terror shows that the band is definitely not changing much. This is a good thing.
Jonathan Coulton - “Nemeses” (ft. John Roderick), 2011
What a wonderful record.
What is it about John Roderick’s voice that makes me more obsessed for his works over others? I really wish I could define it. Here he is, singing with the mountain man himself, Jonathan Coulton, on Jonathan’s song “Nemeses” from his new record Artificial Heart.
Fascinatingly dark video for The Rural Alberta Advantage’s “Tornado ’87,” from one of my favorite albums from the past year, Departing. Not sure what it means, but I like it.
They Might Be Giants - Cloisonné
I don’t know if I’ve ever liked a They Might Be Giants song unironically. Sure, I love their kids stuff, and Flood is one of my favorite albums of all time, but I don’t think I could ever turn around and recommend it to anyone. But this song is here to prove me wrong. Wonder if the rest of their new album Join Us is as good as this is.
Pretty much exactly how I felt when I first heard this song last year. Congrats to Yellow Ostrich on their very first official Barsuk Records music video!
Watching the previously mentioned Battles video sent me down a long dark path of watching more videos by Daniels. This video, for “Simply Math” by Manchester Orchestra, is particularly moving, as the lead singer’s life story flashes before his eyes during a car crash.
Fantastic new video for Battles’ “My Machines,” directed by Daniels
One of my favorite bands, Noah and the Whale, performed an NPR Tiny Desk Concert, and here’s the video to prove it. Love these guys. Keep an eye out for their third album, Last Night on Earth, to make an appearance on the Top 31 of 2011.
Just stumbled across this this evening. Had no idea Built to Spill had any music videos, let alone for one of their best-ever songs, “Untrustable Part 2,” from their best album Perfect From Now On. Granted, it’s a truncated version of the song, but it’s still quite amazing that this got produced. Thinking the band had watched Tool’s videos from Undertow one too many times when they dreamt this one up.
Fascinating new music by James Blake:
With vocals that fall somewhere between Bon Iver‘s Justin Vernon and an auto-tuned Aaron Neville, on top of down-tempo, sparse electronic bleeps, bloops and digital beats, Blake is heading into uncharted territory.
Read a little more about it over at Another Rainy Saturday.
Me, over at Another Rainy Saturday:
After the Broken West became permanently broken in 2009, Ross Flournoy languished in obscurity for about a year. According to the Apex Manor page over at their label Merge Records, Flournoy was inspired to get back into songwriting by participating in a weeklong write and then record contest over at NPR’s Monitor Mix:
Now feeling inspired for the first time in months, Flournoy began writing at a feverish clip, penning more than 25 songs, nearly a third of which were co-written by Adam Vine. Flournoy then teamed up with former Broken West bandmate Brian Whelan to record some proper demos, and Apex Manor was born.
Haven’t had a chance yet to purchase the new Apex Manor album, which debuted on January 25, but if it’s anything like the above song, I’m all over it.
UPDATE: We would be remiss if we didn’t mention that Apex Manor plays at the Tractor Tavern tonight with Red Jacket Mine and Spanish For 100. It’ll be $8 at the door, 21+.
One of my favorites from 2009 is finally releasing a second album. Rural Alberta Advantage, the young threesome out of Canada, put together some of the best original indie rock stuff out there. Jaw-dropping drumming (listen closely to it on the above video upon your second time through the song), piercing and powerful vocals, and desolate lyrics born out of rural Canadian upbringing: a winning combination that I just can’t get enough of. Their new album, Departing, comes out March 1 (or Feb. 15 if you order from the Saddle Creek website) and they’re coming to the Tractor Tavern on April 10.