Illuminator - "Gulf Hymn"

Remember that Conveyor track I posted about a week ago? Well I forgot to mention that "Mukraker" is to be released as a split single with none other than the ever mind blowing folks of Illuminator. Their contribution to the split is a metamorphic little ditty by the name of "Gulf Hymn". It mixes parts of "You Are Overgrown" (the auto-tune, mostly) with the soulfulness of "The Child The Voice" while also straddling this genre-bending line with an ephemeral spark of something vaguely resembling R&B. By the time you get to the end of "Gulf Hymn", you're not sure exactly how you got there but appreciate the journey.

Sharon Van Etten - "Serpents"

I have a confession to make. For as universally acclaimed as Brooklyn based singer/songwriter Sharon Van Etten is, I have only heard about two of her songs. No idea why. I actually own Epic. Well all of this is about to change. Last night a bout of curiosity led me to her Late Night on Jimmy Fallon performance.

"Serpents" is way different than what I expected from Van Etten. If only because she's been lauded as some sort of heartbreak maestro. "Serpents" is downright venomous. Amped up and accusatory but not whiny or out of control. I suppose it's the natural progression after singing songs about being in love and heartbroken, but color me impressed - especially with her delivery. "Serpents" has an "over it" air, while containing just the right amount of fiery, bitter resentment. It's a real doozy. And arguably one of my first can't stop listening tracks of the year. Congratulations Sharon Van Etten, you just sold a record sight-unseen.

 Sharon Van Etten - Serpents by All Around Sound Blog

Her latest record Tramp is due out February 7th on Jagjaguwar.

Pitstop: Illuminator

I'm not exactly sure how it happened, maybe it was my incessant shower of ARMS love all over my social media sites but one day I got a follow request from Brooklyn band Illuminator. Considering that several member of the band are also a part of ARMS, it's no surprise that I checked them out.

Illuminator's music is quirky, yes but while you might not necessarily understanding everything that's going on that doesn't take away from its enjoyment value. Illuminator fuse psychedelic electronics with a larger than life grandeur. Illuminator's Answer Voice the Child is practically symphonic, with recurring themes and melodies and an elevated instrumental importance. Since three of the songs are composed of the same lyrics ("Hey Crazy (inhale)", "Hey Crazy (cough)", and "Rorschach Mucus Butterfly"), your focus is instead drawn toward the change in tempos, delivery, and arrangement. But Answer Voice the Child also has some catchy upbeat tracks with a inherant poppiness like "You Are Overgrown", and  brass-laden "Hey Crazy (inhale)". There's also more of that compositional prowess in "Message from Land" and "Message from Sea" and how they perfectly tie together. Answer Voice the Child proves that Illuminator isn't your garden variety rock band - they're creative innovators with an unrestrained vision

While complete understanding of Illuminator might very be beyond my reach (and probably tied to the secrets of the universe or something), Illuminator create music that not only is enjoyable but provokes thought and an advanced level of listening - music that grabs you from start to finish and leaves you satisfied but still wanting more. It's not your run of the mill band or record but it's certainly worth the listen.

Check out Illuminator's Answer Voice the Child on Bandcamp:

Teletextile - "I Don't Know How to Act Here" video

I may have only discovered them less than a week ago but Brooklyn foursome Teletextile is shaping up to be one of my favorite new bands. Today, the brand new video for "I Don't Know How to Act Here" came out and it's just amazing. The band trades in oppressive storytelling for a beautifully shot video of the band being themselves performing. It blends the line between mysterious and otherworldly with fun and the pop sensibilities that spice up the group's evocative textural landscapes.


I Don't Know How to Act Here by Teletextile from teletextile on Vimeo.

Pitstop: Dry the River

(Photo by Tom Oldham)

My discovery of British folk quintet Dry the River is due massively in part due to Spotify's feature that lets you know what your friends are listening to. One night I noticed Sam of Middle Class White Noise and Frank of Listen Before You Buy listening to extensive amounts of Dry the River and intrigued I figured I'd give it a listen as well. Turns out I had heard of Dry the River before - they were the openers on The Antlers' European tour late last year and are soon to join one of my all time favorite bands Bowerbirds on their upcoming North American tour. Sold and sold.

Despite their latest single "No Rest" peaking my interest, it wasn't until I heard "No Ceremony" that I knew for sure Dry the River would be a band I would follow to the end of their days. With big rock licks, Dry the River wouldn't be out on place in some of the UK's big stadium venues and yet their arena rock moments are grounded by a folky sincerity and intimate attention to detail all anchored by intricate, infectious melodies and agile wordsmithery. I haven't heard a song by them yet that I didn't like.


Dry the River's debut album Shallow Bed is due out in the UK on March 6th with a US date hopefully soon to follow just in time for their US tour with Bowerbirds. Until then you can listen to their tunes on their Soundcloud

Get a taste of Dry the River with my favorite track "No Ceremony":
 Dry the River - "New Ceremony" by Dry the River

Also check out the music video for "No Rest", the first single off their upcoming album:

Dry The River 'No Rest' from Academy Films on Vimeo.

Of Monsters and Men - Into the Woods EP

Back in August when I heard "Little Talks", Iceland folk-pop sextet Of Monsters and Men's debut album My Head is an Animal became one of my most anticipated albums. The album was released the month after as a Iceland only release with news of regional releases soon to come.  Well now that Of Monsters and Men are set to make their true US debut, we're getting more news of their upcoming releases starting with their Into the Woods EP which came out last month.

It should be noted that the Into the Woods EP doesn't offer anything new to those who ordered the album - it's several of the album tracks put onto a smaller release. And yet, it's not really meant for those who were devoted enough to have the album shipped from Iceland. Into the Woods is for new or at least unfamiliar ears. An introduction to a band who very well should be a household name. Each song is an outpouring of emotion, brilliant arranged to be more evocative - like sparse ballad "Love Love Love". And yet, each track isn't a slow burning emotion-spewing ballad, there's rousing, shout vocal-laden "Little Talks" and "Six Weeks" and "From Finner" is a delightful mix of the vivacious energy of "Little Talks" and the emotional oomph of "Love Love Love".

Into the Woods is tragically short, there's no getting around that, but it's a great introduction to a band worthy of so much attention. In four songs (and whatever else you can find on the internet), the band is sure to win you over and crave more. Luckily for those wanting more, 2012 will see the US/Canadian release of My Head is An Animal with an all new tracklist and some tours so you can see the sextet at work. Here's hoping that's soon.

Get a taste of Of Monsters and Men with this live video of "Six Weeks":

Pitstop: Waterstrider

Like the majority of my great finds in 2011, my introduction to Berkeley California sextet Waterstrider happened during a late night Turntable.fm session. The sparse intro of "Midnight Moon" similar to Bibio's "Lovers' Carvings" made me immediately pay attention. Waterstrider's music is composed of an intricately layered foundation and swooping melodies with just the right amount of variation in the form of congas, flutes, and other unexpected instrumentation choices. Waterstrider spice up their standard indie rock with occasional forays into balmy tropical pop stylings and complex, attention-grabbing rhythms that are just the right kind of flashy.

Get a taste of Waterstrider with this live acoustic video of newer track "Tile Mountains":


Also you can listen to more Waterstrider with their recently released 4 song Constellation EP