New Music & 2010 Songs, Pt. 2

On that same night, Lets’s Wrestle was touring with Titus Andronicus and although the latter could have been the night’s own headlining act, they played second with their exceptional musical ability. Before the show, a few of the member sat around some of the couches at their merchandise table and humored me as I hovered over all of their music. They had both of their albums – including their latest triumph, The Monitor – available, as well as a few 7” and one special, tour-only 12”. Amy Klein would sit on one of the couches and cutely smile when someone approached her and asked about an album but even though I was there to hear everyone, lead singer Patrick Stickles showed up to deliver wonderful comedy interspersed between asking for a drink, speaking to fans or even, checking out Let’s Wrestle.

If you go to their site, you can read Stickles’ entire thoughts on the first phase of their tour and you can read about how much he loved Nice Nice (more on that later) but as for his band’s own show, let’s just say that they owned it. Musicianship is always a top priority for me and this band has multitudes of it. It was amazing hearing their studio songs come to life underneath the band’s rolling energy. And everything is done with such emotion and passion that even just as a member of the audience you feel the need to jump in. Highlight of the show: singing, “You will always be a loser” about forty times straight, as loud as possible, with the band. Below is the opening song to that aforementioned album, there’s a reason why they’re one of Rolling Stone’s “Top 10 Bands of 2010.”



And here is a taste of what Gorillaz conquered with their newest album, Plastic Beach. One of the best songs of 2010 is their song “Empire Ants” that features Little Dragon. Starting off tranquil but with a cloud of foreshadowing, Damon Albarn softly sings before leading into an explosion of synths. It manifests into a towering electronic display of tremendous strength with Yukimi Nagano’s fantastic voice riding on top of everything. - Bryan

March 9: Amazing Release Date & Two Cool Videos

2010 has already gotten off to a tremendous start in terms of music. For many, including yours truly, it has already surpassed all of what 2009 had to offer. I’m working on a list that covers the best releases for the first quarter and that should be up around the beginning of April. But now, March 9 features a slew of albums that are all very deserving of listens.

The cream of the crop (and the crop is immense) is Gonjasufi’s A Sufi and a Killer. An electronic feel with hip-hop beats and roots, the singer’s voice is an unbelievably enigmatic presence. The beats are fuzzy and cracked out with Sumach Ecks’ mesmerizing vocals; think of Flying Lotus’ work (he also produces some of the stuff here) with otherworldly vocals and this is it. The full album (personal favorite so far is “She Gone”) is streaming for free here.

Here is a small list of what comes out tomorrow:
Gorillaz – Plastic Beach
Liars – Sisterworld
The Besnard Lakes – The Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night
Titus Andronicus – The Monitor
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Beat the Devil’s Tattoo
Broken Bells (Shins frontman James Mercer and Danger Mouse) – Broken Bells
Frightened Rabbit – The Winter of Mixed Drinks
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – The Brutalist Bricks

Here is the excellent video (in HD!) to the superb opening song off the new Gorillaz album, Plastic Beach. It’s gripping, moving and sets the album up perfectly.



I’ve been meaning to bring up Joanna Newsom for quite some time now. She’s a beautiful harpist that combines classical music with the experimental side of pop, along with exceptionally written stories. Her first two albums were easily two of the finest releases of the entire last decade and her new one, Have One on Me, is a triple album featuring eighteen songs of sublime music.

I’d encourage you to check it out and to take it all in sections, starting with one disc/record and then slowly moving on to the other ones. Her voice is as gorgeous as ever but the arrangements are tighter with everything retaining a far more focused sound. She’s always shied away from exposure and the limelight but she actually took the stage for Jimmy Fallon’s show, here is that performance. – Bryan

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

I’m not sure if he did this intentionally or not but it’s fitting of a Gorillaz post during this time. Their new album is less than a weak away and it should be awesome. I was a big fan of their last album, Demon Days and always considered it a far better album than their debut. Then again, I really enjoyed Danger Mouse’s production on it as well.

With that said, Gorillaz have defeated the system and were, somehow, able to get their album out there on their own terms. The album is set for a release next week, March 9th, and they were able to avoid a leak of the album entirely. NPR is proudly streaming the album for free and it can be heard in entirety by clicking here.

I’m only halfway through but it sounds especially great, so far. By the way, the “Orchestral Intro” is gorgeous and its segue into the funky bass and keyboard with a proper introduction from Snoop Dogg is fantastic. And the third song features music from The Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music, nice! - Bryan

New STYLO

This is in no way a plug for XM/Sirius radio, but ridding in the car with a plethora of great stations at my fingertips is amazing. 9 times out of 10 I got it tuned to SOULTOWN, which plays non stop soul sounds from Motown and beyond. One of the other great stations I usually listen to a lot is XMU, which is basically college programing (god damn hipster kids). While mentioning the lineup for what should be a pretty amazing Cochella 2010 the XMU dj played "Stylo", The Gorillaz new track from their forthcoming album "Plastic Beach". The track has a 80's throwback feel to it and features not only rapper MOS DEF, but soul crooner BOBBY WOMACK to boot!! --nick
in a post about rockers The Gorillaz I still find a way to connect the dots back to some funky soul music...here's a monster of a Bobby Womack cut!