More new vinyl from Javelin. The last two pieces of wax released by these boys moved with a quickness, so if you want some I advise you to wrangle a pre-order in at luakabop.com. Hey, isn’t that David Byrne’s label? Maybe these guys actually are cool.
Yep, they are.
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While I’m on the topic of party starting albums for people wearing ironic sunglasses, here’s something that may or may not turn out to be a complete piece of shit: a new 2xLP from MGMT. There aren’t supposed to be any singles released, so if you believe that this band has another great album in [...]

Javelin bring the boombox rhapsody back to your turntable platter for a second round on their second 12″ released on Thrill Jockey, befittingly entitled 2. Persisting beyond mere hipster irony and rocking harder than the party down the street, this is bound to sell out as fast as the last one did seeing as how [...]

Olde English Spelling Bee is quickly becoming one of my favorite labels in the universe, and this new trio of releases only reinforces my feelings.  First up is one of the most exciting things I’ve heard lately, Forest Swords’ “Dagger Path” LP.  This shit is being called, ready for this…drone-step.  You can imagine already that [...]

We seem to get really lucky with the albums we are sent to review, this one from The Most Powerful Telescope in the Universe is a very nice surprise.  It is a melting pot of modern influences – post-punk, space rock, 90’s indie, and post-rock, to name a few.  That probably doesn’t sound like the [...]

Thanks to a reader for tipping me off about Deep Space Recordings’ vinyl version of the self-titled album from Bristol’s The Fauns.  This is a beautiful shoegaze record, one that can’t make it through a review without being compared to Ride, Chapterhouse, and Lush.  I’ll take this over most of the modern gaze-inspired stuff anyday [...]

Slumberland Records is about to reissue the complete recordings of the short-lived rock band, Black Tambourine.  Reigning from 1989-1991, this band played reverb-drenched pop-rock.  The canned description always includes a passage about them being influenced by both bands like Jesus and the Mary Chain and Phil Spector 60’s vocal groups.  Here’s the deal, if you [...]

I know that in our realm of weirdo music, this probably won’t come as much of a surprise, but Pill Wonder’s “Jungle/Surf” doesn’t sound much like jungle or surf.  Lucky for you, it does sound like some undeniably catchy pop music that is loud, jangly, raucous, and blown-out.  The solo project of Will Murdoch is [...]

Three new vinyl releases have just been made available on the Arbor Catalog. The sounds from this label are always interesting and experimental, if not exactly tailored for mass consumption. First up is Pale Blue Sky with Shades of Grey, a 12″ EP limited to merely 400 copies. Pale Blue Sky is none other than [...]

Following their enormous recent success, Heart Break Beat Records has reissued the debut self-titled album by Beach House.  It was originally VERY limited (like, 500), and goes for big bank on eBay, so this is definitely a welcomed repress.  This record finds the duo at their dreamiest, popiest, and most original.  The new vinyl pressing [...]

I know Spencer wrote about the Pavement records yesterday, but Matador just dropped a load of other good stuff too.  First up is the new album from Okkervil River offshoot, Shearwater.  “The Golden Archipelago” is another beautiful, operatic piece of indie rock.  If you’re into this sort of thing, it will sweep you off your [...]

I like getting records from Stumparumper, it’s always stuff that sounds refreshing and new.  This one, “Mission Creep” by Banned Books, is some bonafide awesome, bombastic art-pop.  I saw some other reviewers that compared them to The Flaming Lips or Deerhoof, but I’ll have to say here that they genuinely sound like almost noone else [...]

I guess this is the week for hugely influential 90’s post-hardcore, huh?  Polyvinyl has put up a preorder for FIVE new vinyl reissues by the legendary Illinois band, Braid.  The pack includes “Frankie Welfare Boy Age Five” (2xLP, 180 gram white vinyl, edition of 700), “The Age of Octeen” (LP, 180 gram blue vinyl, edition [...]

Wow, this is an insane load of new records from the always-awesome Woodsist label.  The first (and most exciting) release is the debut full-length album from the Wooden Shjips side-project, Moon Duo.  This project has a much stronger krautrock influence than the Shjips stuff, but should still quench your thirst for some otherworldly grooves.  $15 [...]

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but last I had checked, these three reissued albums were only available as some sort of boxset and, let’s be honest – all we really want here is The Mollusk. No disrespect to one of my favorite frat boy jam bands of all time but… srsly. Anyways, [...]