Discovery is Vampire Weekend keyboardist-singer-producer extraordinaire Rostam Batmanglij and Ra Ra Riot frontman Wes Miles. The new tracks on the coyly-named LP, might not be for indie fans that scoff at unapologetic club jams. Auto-Tune, crunchy synths, and monstrous, skittering 808 beats recall early '00s radio hits and "Orange Shirt" is not an exception. The track follows the simple tale of majorly crushing lovers sending "so-so serious" texts and the boyfriend trying to sneak out of the house before his main squeeze's mom wakes up. And it's actually pretty dang good. You can stream "Orange Shirt" and three other songs from LP on the duo's website. LP soundtracks your next trip to da club July 7th, via XL. If you recall, Vampire Weekend's self-titled debut was one of Under the Radar's top three albums of 2008.
Rex the Dog's slamming reimagining of Fever Ray's new single, "Triangle Walks," from this year's self-titled debut, doesn't stray too far from the original's moodiness. Rex injects the track with some dancefloor shake and a few electronic effects here and there. Karin Dreijer's voice is thankfully still high up in the mix though. Fever Ray was featured in Under the Radar's Spring '09 issue. (via PopJustice)
Cocteau Twins
“Cocteau Twins Fever” (September 19, 1985 News Report on WBNS) Video
When I lose my faith in YouTube andallitsfinerqualities, it's hidden gems like this that keeps me coming back. The gem in question this time is a dual September 19, 1985 news report about a Cocteau Twins Newport concert in Columbus, Ohio. In the second broadcast, Mr. Tom Amchorman spends a bit too much time discussing the clothing styles of Cocteau Twins' fans, but the clip is a perfect time capsule of the era. It's also intriguing to hear that such an underground band (at least in the States at the time) got a voice from one dude publishing a worldwide newsletter from his hometown. This makes me pine for a CT reunion.
"An Anniversary Away" is worth a listen for you Broken Social Scene addicts out there. Calgary, Alberta's Reverie Sound Revue (killer band name!) is fronted by Lisa Lobsinger of BSS and it has that same wall-of-sound aesthetic. The cooing Lobsinger is joined by the propulsive rhythm section of John Marcel de Waal and Bryce Gracey, and the lounge-y guitar combo of Marc De Pape and Patrick Walls. As a result, "An Anniversary Away" is a pleasant mind meld of Britpop's melodies and New Wave's tumult. The fivesome's self-titled album is due June 23rd on Boompa Records.
Josh Epstein crafted some beautiul indie-pop gems on last year's The Globe. The Silent Years' founder and lead-songwriter returns with his Detroit-based outfit July 14th. That's when SideCho Records is releasing the Detroit-based band's latest EP, Let Go. That's the black-and-white cover below. On the delicious preview track, "Madame Shocking," a string quartet swirls around few a few bars and then the full band opens up into a summery, xylophone and piano-driven jam. Epstein may say he "was born in the '80s" but this is timeless pop music, regardless of the season.
Three girls (maybe they're in bands, they sure like Teenage Age Jesus and The Jerks) infiltrate a haughty rooftop soirée, and paintball bomb the hell out of it. We really hope Sonic Youth's speaking from experience in this latest video for The Eternal's "Sacred Trickster."
Camera Obscura
“French Navy” (Live on “The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson”) Video
Last night on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson, Camera Obscura played the charming single "French Navy," a song from their equally charming recent album, My Maudlin Career. There's a Camera Obscura Detection feature in the current issue of Under the Radar. It's funny watching Craig get all excited when he announces that the Camera Obscura crew is from Glasgow, Scotland, his cherished homeland. The swinging seven-piece is currently wrapping up the final leg of their U.S. tour.
Modest Mouse
“Autumn Beds” MP3 Stream
Jun 16, 2009
Modest Mouse are keeping up the recent stream of new tracks. After their recent post-Record Store Day single "Satellite Skin"/"Guilty Cocker Spaniels" here's another, a 7-inch featuring "Whale Song" and "Autumn Beds", the latter of which you can hear below at Spinner. "Autumn" harkens back to the group's ramshackle banjo jams on break-out smash Good News for People That Love Bad News. The 7-inch will be available in independent record stores this Saturday, June 20, for the Record Store Day's Vinyl Saturday.
