Here is a compilation of the latest new music we have received in the past week.
Free Energy- Stuck on Nothing
Sounding closer to Thin Lizzy and Cheap Trick, Free Energy emits a fun, upbeat, guitar heavy album.
[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7OE3W0VSZs
Drive-by Truckers- The Big To-Do
Probably the best southern rock album you'll listen to this year. Imagine Dinosaur Jr. with a country slant --if you haven't listened to one of their other nine excellent albums. Get out your lighters y'all.
[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un9jmeLNBqY
Love is All- Two Thousand and Ten Injuries
High energy Swedish pop. Eccentric album with a collage of traditional and not so traditional rock instruments, i.e. saxophone. The female vocals can get annoying at times but the excellent clash of sounds make up for that.
[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl1PqiluWic
Arctic Monkeys- My Propeller (single)Solid B-sides that play of of the similar down tempo beats from Humbug. Although they don't do anything revolutionary for the band, they are still quite enjoyable for the fans.
[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5vZovv8cPk
She & Him- Volume Two
Pop favorite Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward are at it again with another charming album. This time it's more she than him. Really sweet and endearing, although after the first few tracks you start to lose your sugar high.
[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ3cTwI9bIw
Slow Club- Yeah So
This UK indie-duo has sweet lyrics, simple guitar melodies and interesting harmonies. They take turns with lead vocals and never disappoint. Every song is interesting, up-beat and give you that feeling of: I want more more more.
[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2dZSHToVGc
Pavement - Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement
Well, hot damn. Listening to this compilation, it's remarkable to hear how genius Pavement's music is--their low-fi aesthetic perfectly melds with Stephen Malkmus's lazy, idiosyncratic wordplay . This compilation is absolutely essential--it's sequencing is flawless and the track choice balances their singles with album gems.
[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoMdkyeZOqE
Jason Collett - Rat A Tat Tat
More good stuff from the Arts & Crafts Label. Collet's tunes are impassioned with twang and swagger and his music walks the line between alt-country, 60s pop, and the more soulful dispositions of indie rock.
[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsQP_1U-sDg
One For The Team- Ghosts
Catchy, unpretentious, and unabashedly fun power pop. It sounds like Mates of State with punk grit or the New Pornographers playing Something Corporate. Lots of crunchy guitars and incessant harmonies.
[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_16ziKaaWc
Josiah Wolf- JetlagI really like this album! Here we have the solo album from the drummer of WHY? Seeing as I am not a huge fan of WHY? I was somewhat skeptical, however I was totally wrong. I am really into this folky Paul Simon-esque experience.
[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjZHiYmbYGg&feature=related
Goldfrapp- Head First
You know I love this. Rocket might be the catchiest song ever. Think Xanadu meets David Bowie, a mixture of '80s glam rock and '70s disco.
[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjcTUmipxZY&feature=related
Drink Up Buttercup- Born and Thrown on a Hook
Psychedelic mixture of the Beatles and Man Man. A weird pop experience for sure.
[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRaLxVaD5Ic
Let's Wrestle- In the Court of the Wrestling Let's
Scrappy British punk music. They are on Merge Records and have been getting a lot of press.
[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc5HnZP5v6s
Dum Dum Girls- I Will Be
This is sort of a mixture between '60s girl pop and shoegaze buzz garage rock. Sort of falling the trend of most of the bands out right now, but this one is surprisingly good.
[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bwck4XOp1vQ
Black Tambourine- Black Tambourine
This band has pretty much influenced every popular band out right now. Shoegaze pop that resembles A Sunny Day in Glasgow, but a lot darker.
[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wva074MGZi8
The mini-festival, which will hit Raleigh July 22 and 23, will be bringing some huge names in both Local and nationwide artists to the area. Working alongside the fine people at Hopscotch Music Festival, the free two-day event will bring the likes of Hooray for Earth, Free Energy, Wye Oak, Surfer Blood, and much more.