ARMS - "Three Mile Island" live video

I don't need much of a reason to post about ARMS but every once in awhile a reason helps. A week ago, the Brooklyn quartet of my dreams celebrated the release of their sophomore album Summer Skills with a record release party at Glasslands Gallery. I was there and it was awesome. But just in case you weren't or want to take a trip down memory lane, Big Ugly Yellow Couch (who was also there) posted some goodies from the celebration. So meander over there when you're good and ready. Or you can watch this video of ARMS playing "Three Mile Island" right here. That works too.

ARMS - "Three Mile Island" (live at Glasslands) from Big Ugly Yellow Couch on Vimeo.

And if for some reason you haven't picked up a copy of ARMS' new album Summer Skills, do so. Like right now. On Amazon, iTunes, or Spotify. Or preview some tracks at their Bandcamp.

Princeton to release sophomore album

Today, Los Angeles indie pop band Princeton made the announcement I've been anticipating for the better part of the year. After the release of "To The Alps"/"The Electrician" single in February, and "Clamoring For Your Heart" this summer, the time has come for Princeton to release their sophomore record. The record, Rememberance of Things To Come, will be out February 21st of next year. So now that the mystery behind Princeton's tumblr name has been solved, we can all wait in anticipation for the album to come. Well that and enjoy this teaser, they were nice enough to prepare for us.

Princeton: "02.21.2012" from Hit City U.S.A. on Vimeo.

Two new Lord Huron tracks

I have missed Lord Huron every time he's come to New York. When Lord Huron was at CMJ playing the Paste Magazine day party at The Living Room, I was just next door at Pianos getting my face rocked off by ARMS. Do I regret my decision? No. But it is pretty unfortunate. So when I saw these live-ish videos that Lord Huron did for Rollo & Grady, I could just imagine that I was watching Lord Huron live and all is right with the world.

I've essentially been doing aural shots of Lord Huron's Mighty EP and Into the Sun EP so it's nice to hear something a little different. New track "Man Who Lives Forever" throws off the obvious world influence while still maintaining Ben Schneider's entrancing layers of sound and there are occasional hints of globe-trotting tropical pop sytlings with bongos, amped ukulele, and balmy open riffs.

Lord Huron - Man Who Lives Forever from Rollo & Grady Sessions on Vimeo.

Lord Huron - She Lit A Fire from Rollo & Grady Sessions on Vimeo.

Feist - "How Come You Never Go There" video

There should probably be some sort of rule against having any sort of expectations when it comes to Feist. Regardless of what you think about her new album Metals, "How Come You Never Go There" is one of its best tracks. And when she was doing album teaser videos I thought I had a fairly good idea what the video was going to be about. Wrong. That charming gentleman who danced his way into my heart in the teaser? Gone. Instead, Feist dons her longest, scruffiest wig and embarks on a forest adventure. There she spins and twirls - but in the Feist-y way where she's not actually putting much effort into it and the wind and trees bend to her will. Yup. Feist goes into the forest and gets in touch with her inner Earth mother. Expectations shattered.

Watch the video for Feist first single and video off Metals, "How Come You Never Go There":

North Highlands - "Benefits" video

When North Highlands released their debut album last month, there was far less of a big hurrah than I expected. The group kept busy playing various CMJ shows but there was no real record release, no press push, and that kind of saddened me.

But North Highlands' brand new video for "Benefits" kind of makes up for all that. It's one of the most entrancing videos without a plot I've ever seen. Directed by Nate Buchik, the video features a flickering image of the band's singer Brenda Malvini before small bits of the band playing get superimposed and thrown into the mix. It's some pretty artsy handling on a pretty hypnotic track.

Watch the video for "Benefits":


And don't forget you can still preview/buy North Highlands' debut album Wild One on their bandcamp here.

Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers - On Being (2011)

I mentioned in my intro post that Michigan folk-rock band Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers were a completely unplanned discovery for me. My CMJ was supposed to start at Spike Hill with a show by Baltimore duo Lands & People and then take me wherever good music beckoned me. But Joe Hertler and his band took the stage first, playing to a mostly empty crowd consisting of me, two of their friends, and then fashionable latecomers. From their first song, I was instantly captivated; they were energetic, fun, and had a blindsiding wealth of songwriting talent. So when I met them afterward and they told me of their upcoming album release, I added it to the definitely buying pile. A decision I couldn’t regret less than any in recent memory.

On Being is a soul-stirring set of wonderfully well played and even more wonderfully well-written songs. Hertler’s vocals are downright caressing but also jumping to heart-rousing highs that pack one hell of an emotional punch. Aided all the more by these absolutely fantastic vocal harmonies peppered throughout at all the right moments.

Considering how great On Being is, it seems to only get greater when you discover the fact that it is in fact a concept album: on existence. That’s some pretty heavy subject matter right there which Joe Hertler and his band do an amazing job of utilizing. The songs aren’t the kind that make grandiose statements on what it means to live but rather with are subtly colored with a feather-light touch that makes them all the more likely to resonate with listeners. There’s some religious themes but they’re juxtaposed with these sort of slice of life moments on the album (like “Devil, Don’t Steal My Bicycle” or “Carbon C-14”) that manages to both give them a bit of weight while also equalizing them a bit. On Being is an album that though it deals with all these big ideas doesn’t aspire to be much more than a good album. And that’s exactly why it’s so effective. An unbelievably great debut from delightfully talented group of musicians.

You can stream Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seeker's debut album On Being on their Bandcamp and buy it on most major online retailers.

ARMS - Summer Skills (2011)

This year there has been no more greatly anticipated album for me than ARMS’ Summer Skills. I was inadvertently introduced to ARMS via “Emily Sue, Pt. II” on online clothing website ASOS and immediately set up to know more about them. That was in February when their free five song EP had already been out for about a year and there was talk of the album being released in May. I can’t tell you how many repeat listens to this short EP occurred within the period of February and May but it could only be described as a certifiably unhealthy amount. Each milestone like my first ARMS concert, the release date announcement, the album trailer, first single, etc. has only added to the intense anticipation I had for the album.

Summer Skills makes good on the almost year-long promise of greatness. The concept – a sci-fi supernatural break up album was creative gold; innovative and if handled with the proper amount of care a feat of surefire genius. There was never any doubt. Beginning with energetic “Emily Sue, Cont’d”, you can’t help but marvel at ARMS talent for creating the odd, eerie mood that is so essential to the album's effectiveness. It’s your first introduction to their precise, cohesive style and features some rather grizzly visuals presented with throwaway concern and an eyebrow-raising sense of elation. It sets the stage for the emotional double-guessing positively bursting from each song.

Summer Skills is a rich, layered album with a permeating sense of mystique that gives the album much of its momentum; it’s deeply visceral but also an intensely intelligent endeavor. The songwriting is unbelievably nuanced filled with terrific shifts in emotions and a mind-blowing array of great musical moments on both a grand and minor scale (the return of the riff from “Emily Sue, Cont’d” in “Curtains“ was unexpected and deeply pleasing). The work of a talented group of musicians with an artist’s keen eye for details and a novel writer’s set of literary chops, ARMS blends diverse textures with such style and finesse they’re practically incomparable. There’s no struggling for words or identity here. Summer Skills shows a band fully at ease with their sound and unafraid to take risks. I don’t normally rate albums but ARMS' Summer Skills might very well be the greatest album of the year. For me at least. And it should be for you because the thing’s a freaking gem.

Make sure and grab ARMS Summer Skills, out today, here.