Monday, July 27, 2009

First Listen: A Bevy of Bands


I'm going out of town later this week. So, it's time for a little house cleaning of leaked songs and music news. Let's start with Nick Diamonds' catchy synth-pop band Islands. You may remember Diamonds from the quirky band Unicorns. Islands, if you haven't heard them, is much more listener friendly. I really got into Islands' debut, 'Return to the Sea', back in 2005, but I couldn't get into their last one, 'Arm's Way'. If the first released song from their third album, 'Vapours', is any indication, I think I'm going to dig these guys again. You can get the album from Anti- on Sept. 22.

Islands - No You Don't (mp3)

You may remember me touting the Aussie band Crayon Fields on my Best Songs of 2009 list a few weeks ago (No. 7, to be exact). Well, I like the second leaked song from their upcoming sophomore record even more than the tune that got them on my list in the first place. The band's label, Chapter Music, still doesn't seem to have the name of the new album, the tracklist or a release date anywhere on their site, but I have read in a couple of places that we can expect the LP in September. Get ready for a shot of Zombies.

Crayon Fields - All the Pleasures of the World (mp3)

Matador released a couple of new songs last week that caught my ear. After a 20-year hiatus, post-punk gods Mission of Burma made an incredible comeback earlier this decade. I highly recommend their 2006 release, 'The Obliterati'. I swear, these guys may be graying around the edges, but it sure doesn't sound like it. That goes double for the first song from 'The Sound The Speed The Light', set for release on Oct. 6.

Mission of Burma - 1,2,3 Partyy! (mp3)

I feel like I have written about Yo La Tengo's 'Popular Songs' quite a bit already, but consider this your reminder it will be out Sept. 8. Here is a second song that has found its way to the blogosphere. I don't like it quite as much as "Periodically Double or Triple", but you won't be too disappointed.

Yo La Tengo - Here to Fall (mp3)

In music news, Oscar winners Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova from the film 'Once' have a record coming out through Anti- on Sept. 29 through the band name Swell Season. Neil Finn's son Liam has an EP followup to his debut album 'I'll Be Lightning' coming out on Sept. 4. The five-song 'Champagne in Seashells' was done with bandmate Eliza Jane-Barnes, and her name will appear on the name of the record alongside his, in part, because of her increased role and lead vocals on one of the tunes. The first 250 preorders will receive an autographed copy from Yep Roc. I'll pass along songs from Swell Season and Finn as soon as I can get my mitts on them.

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