Oh boy, I haven't posted anything in here in a few weeks I think. Good think for things being cataloged on RYM. Let's start with the downloads/streams (pt. 1):
Krill -
A Distant Fist Unclenching (2015)
I expected to like this more. The first time I around I seemed to like it, but on my second play I realized how bad the vocals are. Not sure I can return to it, which is unfortunate because musically I liked it.
of Montreal -
Aureate Gloom (2015)
A bit more inflated than the last album, which had a very welcome stripped-down approach. It's more electric, but not overly electronic as the rock instruments are dominant. I've still only played it once but I can see myself returning to it. I do wish it was as stripped down as the last album though, which I enjoyed very much.
Siskiyou -
Keep Away the Dead (2011)
Having really enjoyed the band's latest release,
Nervous, I decided to check out some older material. This is their second of three albums, and is much more Indie Folk than
Nervous, which has more energy and a lot more going on musically - sounding like a cross between
Arcade Fire and Spencer Krug projects like
Moonface and
Sunset Rubdown (due to the vocals). On this one, the connection to
Great Lake Swimmers is much more obvious (two members of GLS started this band). Not sure I cared for this one too much, I'll stick to
Nervous.
The Dentists -
Some People Are on the Pitch They Think It's All Over It Is Now (1985)
These Brits seem to blend the jangle/power pop and post-punk influences of their era with 60s psychedelic pop. I learned about it via Trouble in Mind records, who reissued the vinyl in 2013. Quite a good album I've played 3-4 times in the last two weeks.
Budos Band -
Burnt Offering (2014)
I'd previously heard many of these songs while shuffling my queue, but finally listened from start to finish. It's good, but I don't really think it's that dark compared to their previous albums, as I've seen mentioned in some reviews. After 4 albums, I enjoy Budos Band on shuffle with other things but I don't really need to hear an entire album. Although that's when you can actually tell that the songs are different...
Slam Dunk -
Welcome to Miami (2012)
This is a fun dose of indie rock/punk/something, with hints of garage and surf. Doug Martsch (
Built to Spill) recently mentioned them in an interview, saying that not much in music was inspiring him recently and he was getting a bit disillusioned by music. But then he heard Slam Dunk and it helped change his attitude, and he's been working a lot. So I took note, of course. On subsequent listens, I was reminded a bit of a less gypsy version of
Man Man on certain tracks.
The Miseries -
The Miseries (2015)
Quite an enjoyable punk/indie rock album from Netherlands.
Will Butler -
Policy (2015)
Debut solo album from the
Arcade Fire synth/percussion/vox guy, brother of Win Butler the Arcade Fire guitarist and singer. I played this in the office a while back but it was just background music, it wasn't loud and I wasn't paying much attention. I've played it twice on headphones in the past few weeks. Most of it is unlike what you'd expect when thinking of Arcade Fire. The album seems overwhelmingly New Wave, though so far RYM has unanimously voted it as Indie Rock - go figure. Some songs are quite good, some less so, but I think overall it could amount to something.
The Black Tambourines -
Chica EP (2011)
British garage rock that sounds more like they're from California than the UK. Brief and fun to listen to - I particularly like the song "White Album". I really like the cover on this EP.
Thee MVP's -
Thee MVP's [EP] (2014)
Another British garage/punk band, this one less beachy/surfy than The Black Tambourines, a bit more noisy.