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Crystal Stilts – Shake the Shackles 7” (Slumberland)
Two song 7”, easily in the running for single of the year. Reminds me of The Bats with Adrian Borland singing. Low-fi indie punk with loud reverb drenched guitar leads, organs and gigantic drums. Disgustingly awesome.
Liz Harris – Divide (Root Strata)
Liz Harris is from Portland, Oregon. She plays guitar and sings under the name Grouper. Divide is a 7 × 7 book of her illustrations along with a DVD. The DVD is not a performance piece but a 25 minute ambient soundtrack. The book is the real highlight, and truly shows that she has the ability to move between the world which she has crafted with her music and our world. Liz has been recording and touring since 2006, and in my mind, she is creating some of the most visceral and important music of the decade.
Brian Eno – Small Craft on a Milk Sea (Warp Records)
Learn from the master. This record is a collaboration with Leo Abrahams and Jon Hopkins and is largely improvisational. Try to imagine that as you listen to this. Essential. Hasn’t left my stereo in over a week.
The Phantom Band – Wants (Chemikal Underground)
Scottish indie rock. I have no idea how to describe their sound. There is something very familiar about the execution, some nod to Failure or Brian Wilson or Sunny Day Real Estate, but I can’t quite figure which. But what really makes this stand out is the production and the use of electronic elements with the analog instruments. Groundbreaking.
Warpaint – The Fool (Rough Trade)
This record really blew me away, I was not prepared in any way for this. Warpaint combine elements of ambient, post punk and noise to give us something like Bjork or Exene Cervenka singing for Gun Club. Mesmerizing. Heavy percussion, swirling shoegaze riffs, unbelievable vocals. Essential!
Robin Walker – Oma Minor (Bird Seed Collective)
Robin grew up in Loveland, Colorado, a town that is on the news once a year. Every Valentines day, people route their letters through the Loveland post office just so they can get it stamped with the towns name. But make no mistake, this 12 song debut is not a record about Valentines Day and it’s certainly no fluff piece. The best way to see into her world is to surrender to her voice, used along side piano, drums, toy percussion and ukulele. Stand out tracks are “Before You” and “Where I Went Wrong”. Available for free here
British Sea Power – Zeus 12” (Rough Trade)
Brilliant post rock. I’m glad to see BSP finally comfortable enough with their sound to make a record that sounds this bold. Seriously. This sounds like a different band. Excellent indie rock in the vein of Arcade Fire and Radiohead. Miles away from their last LP.
Knife Fight – Isolated 7” (Painkiller)
Seven song EP from this California hardcore band, these guys just get better with every release. Fast riffs, gigantic choruses, great lyrics. Think The Abused, leather jackets, Discharge, chairs being thrown through plate glass windows. Ex-members of No Reply, Carry On and the almighty Annihilation Time.
Atlantic/Pacific – Meet Your New Love (No Sleep)
Mixed bag supergroup project from Garrett Klahn *, Ian Love *(Rival Schools) and John Herguth *. This record is really arranged well and sounds outstanding. Lyrically they are treading water, swimming between vague love songs and earnest confessions. It’s very quiet and mellow, reminds me a lot of *Elliott. The title track is an absolute monster. Impressive, but a little too predictable.
Who Is Harry Nilsson? (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him?)
Before watching this 2006 documentary, I didn’t know too much about Harry Nilsson or his life. I knew he wrote “Jump In The Fire”, which is might be the greatest rock song ever. I knew he was best friends with John Lennon. I knew he became reclusive. But the story behind those facts is far more interesting. Essential viewing.
