Death Cab for Cutie - Codes and Keys

A couple months ago I heard that we should expect a new album from Ben Gibbard and Death Cab for Cutie around May... then Gibbard announced the release date via his new twitter account. Well more than a month in advance, the album has leaked. I've given it a first listen, and it seems to have more of a Transatlanticism feel to it than Plans or Narrow Stairs. I may be in the minority but I prefer the latter two albums. That said, it's a beautiful album from one of the best indie songwriters out there. Check it out here.

The Strokes - Angles

The eagerly anticipated new album from Julian Casablancas and The Strokes has leaked. I've given it a couple listens and I am highly impressed with the evolution of the band's sound. Give this album a listen and then listen to their debut LP Is This It and you can't be unimpressed with their ability to create songs and sounds that are unique and complex but highly accessible. Check out Angles here.

Robin Pecknold (of Fleet Foxes) (and Ed Droste of Grizzly Bear to boot!)

One of the best albums of 2008 was the eponymous debut album from Fleet Foxes. Their sophomore effort Helplessness Blues, and its lead (and title) single, has generated the usual anticipation that accompanies any buzzband’s second album. Will it be buzzworthy? Will they be lauded by lamestreamers like Mumford & Son were last year? What do you want this album to sound like?

In an effort to generate more buzz, and perhaps to satiate our aural appetite before the album’s inevitable leak [edit - the album has leaked now, so there goes that.] Robin Pecknold released a 3 song EP aptly named Three Songs.  The Fleet Foxes guitarist and lead vocalist pairs up with Grizzly Bear’s Ed Droste on one track. Check out the EP here (via Stereogum) and the lead single from the new album here. [Link has been updated for access to the entire album] 

I've only just found this link now, so we can all give it a first listen together! Enjoy!




EDIT: It turns out that it was a fake floating around the interwebs. Sorry for the false alarm, I wrote the blog yesterday and as is my usual routine, I did a file search before posting to ensure that I wasn't missing an entire album leak... I got duped, what can I say? It happens. Here is the lead single from Helplessness Blues, also titled Helplessness Blues. Enjoy, and I promise the next time I tell you this album is available, it actually will be. Carry on now.

Renovations

This blog started with what is essentially a placeholder background and layout, and before I knew it, you guys actually started visiting this site on a regular basis. Over the next little while I will be experimenting with the layout a little bit, so if you stop by and the blog appears unreadable refresh often because it probably means I'm in the process of changing it.

Thanks for understanding, and thank you for visiting.

Happy EP Day

I try not to post individual songs on here for a number of reasons, chief among them is that I don't want to overhype a new band based on one song. Today I'm posting two new EPs that are of the "must-listen" variety. First is a band called Foster the People whose first single "Pumped Up Kicks" is one of the catchiest tunes I've heard in a while - and the best song about Reebok Pump shoes of all time (are there any others?). Recently, Foster the People released their self-titled EP that includes two other tracks, both of them excellent, "Houdini" and "Helena Beat". Which you can download here.

The other EP is somehow even more impressive. The band is called Awolnation and their sound is something like a cross between LCD Soundsystem and Peter Gabriel. I like it, especially the songs "Guilty Filthy Soul" and "MF". Their song "Sail"has been getting the most airplay and is undoubtedly a solid track though it misses some of the energy that the others have. "Burn it Down" is also solid but certainly less refined, although I love the remix that they included on the EP because it brings the WOMP, dubstep styles. Download their EP "Back from Earth" here.

Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes

This incredibly hyped-up album leaked over the weekend, although it will officially be released next week you might as well get a head start on it now. I have only listened to it once, so I'll reserve judgment on it for now but I would love to hear what you guys think of it! It's been long-awaited, and here it is.

Alexander

Remember Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros? Well there is no one named Edward Sharpe in that band, in fact Edward Sharpe is the "alter-ego" of Alexander Ebert, whose new solo effort is upcoming. That's the cover art up there ^^^ The first track to find it's way to the interwebs was the incredibly catchy "Truth", and in the last few weeks, three more tracks have been released to various blogs. Download this zip file to get all 4 tracks. I can't say that I'm a huge fan of "Glimpses" but the other two new ones "A Million Years" and "In the Twilight" are absolutely outstanding, with one of my friends commenting that it's "Bob Dylan meets Belle & Sebastian." I can't disagree. Listen. Love.