Hi, Everyone! I’m finally back from the dissertation-/conference-/bacon-hangover-induced departure from blogging, and I’ve decided to catch up old-school. So, in the spirit of the blog’s past, here’s a quick round-up of some of the things we missed while I was away. Come on in to see and hear Wye Oak, Telekinesis, St. Vincent, and more!
This week’s releases in NPR’s First Listen Series feature two of the most-anticipated (at least for me) albums of the Spring. First up, Wye Oak’s third album: Civilian (out 3/8). Add to that The Mountain Goats’ All Eternals Deck (out 3/29), and it’s going to be one heck of a week! Follow those links to check them out, and don’t forget to listen to R.E.M.’s Collapse Into Now on Tuesday at 2 p.m!
We’ve mentioned Wye Oak and Luxury Wafers here before. Now, comes the excellent news that Wye Oak have visited the fine folks over at Luxury Wafers to lay down some live tracks. You’ll find two live videos (including an unreleased track “My Neighbor”), and four live mp3 tracks for download on their site. I’ll put a small taste after the cut, but you should head on over and check it out!
From Stereogum comes word about Maryland’s Wye Oak and their forthcoming My Neighbor/My Creator EP. Included in the announcement is a free download of the EP’s fourth track: “I Hope You Die.” The song is a sparse, hypnotic demonstration of shoegaze splendor, filled with dreamy vocals and enough reverb to keep a Pong machine working for ages. But the track also expresses a hidden depth, as Merge and Stereogum note, soon blossoming with saxophones and keyboards. (And hey, if you one more reason to like them, my girlfriend just wandered into the room and said: “Hey, what’s that music? I really like that…” She never does this – for what it’s worth…) But rather than pepper you with adjectives, I’ll let you have a listen for yourself. Grab some headphones and strap in for something swoony and awesome…
The album is currently out only on the Merge Records site, and will be available electronically, everywhere on April 20th, and then everywhere on June 8th. Follow me: