But first, a cheat. My favorite new album of the week has been out for several months, but I only just discovered the band on this week's 120 Minutes. So apologies if all you cool kids have been listening to it for so long it is now passe. "I like their older stuff," you'll say. Too damn bad. I try to stay current, but it's tough, and this band is too good to not share.
Sleeper Agent - Celebrasion
Everyone give at least the track "Get Burned" a chance. Just trust me: it's fun, bouncy, and catchy in a way that reminds me of the first time I heard the Strokes' "Last Nite" (this is not a comparison between the two songs so much as a comparison to my reaction to the two songs). This band from Bowling Green, KY is really young (their youngest member dropped out of high school to go on tour with the band), and this debut album is raucous, infectious, and fun, alternatively making the band sound like the Strokes, the Pixies, and the White Stripes (one of their singers does a pretty good Jack White impression). Personally, I think just about every track off of this is worth listening to, but "Get Burned" works as a good litmus test. This is up there for one of my favorite spotify discoveries: I will be playing this loudly this summer.
Selections:
Get Burned
Shuga Cane
That's My Baby
Tanlines - Mixed Emotions
This is a nice debut by an electropop band that has drawn some comparisons to Gotye. I'm not sure how valid the comparisons are: Tanlines and Gotye have undoubtedly listened to the same Peter Gabriel records, but Tanlines hasn't come up with a song near as strong as "Somebody I Used to Know," which could prove problematic, as you need that one really great song to attract the diehard fans who will then convince themselves that other inferior songs on the album are better than the one big hit, because they're "theirs." But it is undoubtedly unfair to hold not having a song as good as what has arguably been the song of the past year against Tanlines, and this album has some good catchy moments: several of the songs remind me of Temper Trap, and I like Temper Trap just fine. It's a good not great album from a band who is worth keeping an eye on.
Selections
All of Me
Green Grass (Peter Gabriel better have gotten some f'in royalties for this one)
Not the Same
The Shins - Port of Morrow
I'm not sure I need to say much about this Shins album: if you like James Mercer, you'll like this album, and if you don't, this won't change your mind. Myself, I find Mercer pretty remarkably consistent; I'm not sure there's a skippable track on any of the albums he's recorded, but since Garden State, I don't think he's ever really surprised me either. I'd say this album sounds a little more like the 2007 album Wincing the Night Away than the earlier two albums, but I'm not sure it's really that big of a distinction. I don't know where this ranks in their oeuvre, but it's plenty enjoyable.
Selections
Simple Song
September
Daniel Rossen - Silent Hour/Golden Mile
This is actually an EP from one of the dudes in Grizzly Bear, a band that has never really connected with me. The tracks on this album (which started off as potential songs for Grizzly Bear's forthcoming album) may make me reevaluate the band. This EP is nothing I'm gonna crank on the radio or nothing, but it's pretty AM Gold music that makes me occasionally think of Crosby, Stills, and Nash, as well as George Harrison.
Selections
Silent Song
Return to Form
Lee Ranaldo - Between the Times and the Tides
Anyone here like Sonic Youth? ... ... ... No? I'd probably be a little surprised if anyone did. Anyway, this is their guitarist, and he released a solo album today. The nice thing about this album is it is similar in bad-assitude to a Sonic Youth album, but without the arty weirdness. In some ways, it may actually be a better entry point into the now-defunct band than any of their actual albums. It's a pretty decent grown-up rock album.
Selections
Off the Wall (sadly not a Michael Jackson cover)
Alright, that's it for the new stuff I listened to today. Definitely give Sleeper Agent a spin; it's worth it.
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