Justin Vernon and James Blake collaborated on this track called “Fall Creek Boys Choir” and I don’t know whether it’s any good or not. I like the mood, and I like that it escapes a really easy description, and I like that owl-hoot thing that is some percussion instrument because on my old synthesizer I could press E5 and it would play that owl-hoot thing. In fact, that owl-hoot is the one thing I’m confident is good in that track. It reminds me of my old synthesizer, it’s some instrument that other people know the name of that I don’t, and it stands alone and repeats so many times in the song. Sometimes that’s all it takes for a track to be good, just one little thing. Vernon’s auto-tune lyrical mush and Blake’s down-tempo thumb-twiddling beat don’t do it for me — but that lone owl-hoot thing does. Kind of like in Panda Bear’s “Bros”. Hey owls? Good work.
-Jeremy D. Larson
Content Director
Atlas Sound – “Terra Incognita”
Bradford Cox won’t sit still for a single second. One minute he’s making heads explode with one of last year’s finest releases, Deerhunter’s Halcyon Digest, the next he’s back in the saddle attempting to best the incredible bar he set for himself on his last solo effort. Oh, and did you forget all that free music he was giving away much to Sony’s dismay? The man sweats music. Profusely. Good thing for us, it’s heavenly. -Winston Robbins
Wondering what Florence + The Machine has been up to lately? I wasn’t. In fact, when Lungs went by in 2009, I avoided the hype wave like the plague. She rubbed me the wrong way on a late night performance or something. But I’m here to say that I was in the wrong, and corrective action is being taken. Mostly in the form of listening to “What The Water Gave Me” on repeat. Her stunning vocals and eerie soundscapes have captivated the heart of this cynical bastard. You might be next. -Winston Robbins
Girls – “Honey Bunny”
Having a hard time putting your finger down on Girls’ new record? It’s an odd collage, but here Christopher Owens and J.R. White fall back into their wheelhouse with heavy-surf guitars and lovelorn morsels. You can get close and sway with your main squeeze and Go Go dance with them all in the same song! -Jeremy D. Larson
James Blake & Bon Iver – “Fall Creek Boys Choir”
Come on. Did you think for a second we’d not include this track? 2011 has belonged to Justin Vernon and James Blake, which was a problem for us for a longtime as it faced us with a tough question: “Who deserves the crown?” Well, now we can spare ourselves that stress, as the two seem willing to share the responsibility. “Fall Creek Boys Choir” is exactly what you’d expect by multiplying the brilliant folk falsetto-ist with the post-dub stud, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less breathtaking to hear the two in action. As they moan in and out of the electronic swirls, we’re thinking the same thing you are: “Joint tour! Joint tour! Joint Tour!” -Winston Robbins
Lightouts – “The Eloise Suite”
That Bon- delay on the vocals, that Pulp swagger, those eye-liner guitars — Lightouts is going yard here. Hailing from Gowanus, these guys offer up something so enjoyably eager you just have to let it get all up in your face and tackle you. Oh, and the B-side for this single is a David Bowie/LCD Soundsystem mashup so yeah they’re swinging for the fence. They knock em both out of the park so here’s a Daily Double. -Jeremy D. Larson
When you’ve got a voice as pure as Memoryhouse’s Denise Nouvion, you’re usually singing in a choir. Fortunately she decided dream-pop was a better fit for her. Memoryhouse is trending in my life, and in the lives of many other all too hip music consumers. Couple that with the gig they’ve got opening up for M83 this fall, and you’ll see that their rise is inevitable. Better hop on this wagon now before it’s too late. -Winston Robbins
Callous, cool, and unkempt, Mr. Dream flip another trashy bird our way. It’s a bit more welcoming than tracks off their debut Trash Hit (and how has no other album been named this already? Man, that’s a great name for an album), but still has enough Pixies dust on that Shellac shell to scream out of the speakers in all sorts of old and new ways. -Jeremy D. Larson
Not that I don’t respect an artist for, like, trying shit, but sometimes comfort comes in the shape of the past, and my favorite Ryan Adams stuff are the bummer jams of yore. The reflective stroll Adams takes here amounts to the best song he’s released in years. -Jeremy D. Larson
This little guy didn’t get picked for kickball last week, but after a week of playing it ad nauseum, I have to admit that the SBTRKT’s “Wildfire” — the unparalleled jam of the summer — looks just as good in this Drumma Boy remix outfit. Couple that with the inimitable Palceer Lazero of Shabazz Palaces on the mic and you have a consortium of forward thinking artists who keep it on the good foot. -Jeremy D. Larson
Looks like Macca and Ringo’s offspring are slacking a little. John Lennon already produced the one hit tailcoat rider, Julian, and the Albert Hammond, Jr.-approved Sean, to varying degrees of success. It now appears as though George Harrison’s seed has the music bug as well. Aside from being part of the supergroup of sorts Fistful of Mercy, Dhani records with his own band, thenewno2, who have an EP coming this fall. The lead track from the effort features the RZA, and is all kinds of impressive. -Winston Robbins
