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Beach House – Norway (Live)

A third album from Beach House is on the way and after a couple of listens, I can already tell that there are some future classics on there: namely ‘Zebra’, ‘Norway’ and ‘Walk in the Park’ (songs you’ll have heard if you’ve seen Beach House in the last six months). In fact all the strongest tracks come in the first half, which will make for a great Side A, before the momentum slows and tapers off somewhat into the band’s template of old. In that sense Teen Dream is more of a renewal than a departure, but this one might be their best yet. Continue Reading »

Popularity: 52% [?]

Wavves – Weed Demon

After having this song rattling around in my head all evening, I checked to see if I had featured it before only to find that I hadn’t blogged about Wavves at all, which I can’t explain. I’m astonished. Given how long I’ve had the self-titled album, the fuzzy bedroom pop of Nathan Williams should have warranted several mentions by now.

Williams is based in San Diego, signed to Fat Possum (Bella Union in the UK) and has enough tracks of lo-fi ‘beach punk’ to produce  various different versions of his debut album – all of which have been generating buzz through the blogosphere since 2008. Continue Reading »

Popularity: 2% [?]

The Low Anthem – To Ohio

The last year or so had been good for Bella Union and their nack for spotting the best American indie acts and signing them before any other UK label looks set to continue with their latest aquisition, Rhode Island’s The Low Anthem. Formed when a folk-loving painter met a jazz bassist who treated baseball as an academic subject (literally), they’ve drafted in bluesmen and classical composers to produce wistful Americana in a similar vein to The Felice Brothers. Though they’ve already released three albums, their upcoming appearances at Bonnaroo and the End of the Road festivals will be the perfect platform for their most recent critical success, Charlie Darwin. A tour with Ray LaMontagne follows in September. Continue Reading »

Popularity: 1% [?]

[audio http://www.filefreak.com/pfiles/50153/White%20Winter%20Hymnal.mp3]

Fleet Foxes – ‘White Winter Hymnal*‘

I’ve been waxing lyrical about these guys since the day they signed to Bella Union. Now I can exclusively reveal that Fleet Foxes have recorded their very own Take Away Show at Noise Pop just yesterday, and given that Pitchfork have just stamped n 8.7 on their new EP Sun Giant (released today), I think their forthcoming appearances at SXSW could see these guys being the most talked about band over the coming months – the kind of hype that can often make people wary before they’ve even heard a note.

[audio http://www.filefreak.com/pfiles/50153/English%20House.mp3]

Fleet Foxes – ‘English House’

As for the music itself, it’s rich in the kind of uplifting harmonies Grizzly Bear are known for, though with a very pronounced gospel influence. Saying that, the dynamics repeatedly shift, hitting peaks and highlights when you thought there could be none left, their shimmering baroque arrangements (which will inevitably draw comparisons to the likes of CSNY) feeling like a much needed release of endorphins. Continue Reading »

Popularity: 7% [?]

I’m excited to say that I think I may have found my favourite new band. It’s a feeling that, when it does manage to come along, rewards all the daily music hunting a thousand-fold.* Judging from the fact that Fleet Foxes have garnered over a quarter of a million listens on MySpace without even releasing any material, perhaps I’m not alone in this feeling…and given that I found it tough to pick just one track out as a ’song of the day’ seems to only underline Fleet Foxes as a significant discovery. Expect to hear plenty more gushing praise very soon. No further information is needed; just head over to said MySpace site and let the music do the rest.

Continue Reading »

Popularity: 4% [?]