Relax - that explosion you heard earlier was just the blogosphere blowing up over the release of “Norway,” the first blissful new tune from Beach House’s forthcoming (and mega-appropriately titled) Teen Dream. Strap yourself down before listening, kids - you might just get washed away in this gorgeously lush track.
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Oh, those cheeky Arctic Monkeys! Both darker and deeper, the group’s third album Humbug is a slowburner that rewards with repeat listens and proves that a young buzz band can, in fact, mature. Now, to support Humbug’s second single and album standout “Cornerstone,” the prolific group is releasing an EP of b-sides that are jaw-droppingly great. Take, for example, “Catapult” - co-written with co-producer Josh Homme, it’s hard to believe that this moody and choice cut got relegated to a b-side.
MP3:
Arctic Monkeys - “Catapult”
Arctic Monkeys - “Cornerstone”
Woah! The surprise cover of 2009 comes courtesy of Solange (y’up - Beyonce’s l’il sis) and her R&B twist on hipster fave “Stillness Is The Move” by the Dirty Projectors. Sure, “Stillness” was arguably the first Dirty Projectors song that actually sounded like a single and even quasi-club-worthy (if you found yourself dirty dancing in Williamsburg). However, Solange backed by a sample of Soul Mann and the Brothers’ “Bumpy’s Lament” could actually booty-bump this sexy cover on to commercial radio.
MP3s:
Solange - “Stillness Is The Move” (Dirty Projectors cover)
Dirty Projectors - “Stillness Is The Move”
Late last night, the title song from the new Michael Jackson documentary/concert film This Is It was released online for all to hear. Despite its upbeat title, the new track is a morose ballad that might disappoint fans expecting another “Billie Jean” or “Thriller.” Still, fans wanting more of the sadly departed Jackson can look forward to two versions of this track on the film’s soundtrack.
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Having already released one of Hypeful’s favorite albums from the first half of ‘09, London-based Fanfarlo have managed to keep themselves busy recording a series of covers in one of the band member’s living rooms. For the first of their self-dubbed “laptop sessions,” Fanfarlo has covered Bonnie Prince Billy’s “A Minor Place.” and the Smashing Pumpkins’ “We Only Come Out At Night.” (The Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie track is an especially apropos tune if you’re suffering from a rash of True Blood fever this summer…)
MP3s:
Fanfarlo - “We Only Come Out At Night” (Smashing Pumpkins cover)
Smashing Pumpkins - “We Only Come Out At Night”
VIDEO:
Better late than never, here are Hypeful’s picks for the top 30 albums of 2009 (so far). Although a best-of-the-year list may seem a bit premature, it’s mainly an opportunity to showcase some excellent albums that sadly may not make the final year-end rankings. In an attempt to keep things fair and not spoil the surprise of which albums might be reappearing in my final best-of-the-year list, I’ve decided to list the top 30 albums in the order of their release dates. Also, this list was put together in mid-July and belatedly published, so there are definitely some missing albums.
As always, feedback is anticipated! What albums are overrated? What albums are overlooked?
RELEASE DATE:
January 20
ARTIST WEBSITE:
Andrew Bird
MP3:
Andrew Bird - “Anonanimal”
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
RELEASE DATE:
January 20
ARTIST WEBSITE:
Animal Collective
MP3:
Animal Collective - “My Girls”
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
RELEASE DATE:
January 20
ARTIST WEBSITE:
Cymbals Eat Guitars
MP3:
Cymbals Eat Guitars - “And the Hazy Sea”
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains
RELEASE DATE:
February 3
ARTIST WEBSITE:
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
MP3:
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - “Everything With You”
VIDEO:
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - “Everything With You”
PURCHASE:
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
RELEASE DATE:
February 17
ARTIST WEBSITE:
Dark Was The Night
MP3:
Sufjan Stevens - “You Are The Blood”
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
Dark Was The Night
RELEASE DATE:
February 26
ARTIST WEBSITE:
Fanfarlo
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
Fanfarlo - Reservoir
RELEASE DATE:
March 3
ARTIST WEBSITE:
Neko Case
MP3:
Neko Case - “People Got a Lotta Nerve”
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
RELEASE DATE:
March 24
ARTIST WEBSITE:
The Decemberists
MP3:
The Decemberists - “The Rake’s Song”
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
RELEASE DATE:
March 24
ARTIST WEBSITE:
Peter Doherty
MP3:
Peter Doherty - “A Little Death Around the Eyes”
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
Peter Doherty - Grace/Wastelands
RELEASE DATE:
March 31
ARTIST WEBSITE:
Other Lives
MP3:
Other Lives - “Black Tables”
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
Other Lives - Other Lives
RELEASE DATE:
March 31
ARTIST WEBSITE:
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It’s Blitz!
RELEASE DATE:
April 7
ARTIST WEBSITE:
Bat for Lashes
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
Bat for Lashes - Two Suns
RELEASE DATE:
April 7
ARTIST WEBSITE:
The Felice Brothers
MP3:
The Felice Brothers - “The Big Surprise”
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
The Felice Brothers - Yonder Is The Clock
RELEASE DATE:
April 14
ARTIST WEBSITE:
Ida Maria
MP3:
Ida Maria - “Keep Me Warm”
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
Ida Maria - Fortress Round My Heart
RELEASE DATE:
April 14
ARTIST WEBSITE:
Pomegranates
MP3:
Pomegranates - “Corriander”
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
Pomegranates - Everybody, Come Outside!
RELEASE DATE:
May 5
ARTIST WEBSITE:
St. Vincent
MP3:
St. Vincent - “Actor Out Of Work”
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
St. Vincent - Actor
RELEASE DATE:
May 15
ARTIST WEBSITE:
Green Day
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
RELEASE DATE:
May 19
ARTIST WEBSITE:
Jarvis Cocker
MP3:
Jarvis Cocker - “Leftovers”
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
Jarvis Cocker - Further Complications
RELEASE DATE:
May 19
ARTIST WEBSITE:
Passion Pit
MP3:
Passion Pit - “Folds In Your Hands”
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
Passion Pit - Manners
RELEASE DATE:
May 19
ARTIST WEBSITE:
White Rabbits
MP3:
White Rabbits - “Percussion Gun”
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
White Rabbits – It’s Frightening
RELEASE DATE:
May 26
ARTIST WEBSITE:
Grizzly Bear
MP3:
Grizzly Bear - “Cheerleader”
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
RELEASE DATE:
May 26
ARTIST WEBSITE:
Phoenix
MP3:
Phoenix - “1901″
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
RELEASE DATE:
June 9
ARTIST WEBSITE:
Dirty Projectors
MP3:
Dirty Projectors - “Cannibal Resource”
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
RELEASE DATE:
June 23
ARTIST WEBSITE:
Dinosaur Jr.
MP3:
Dinosaur Jr - “I Want You To Know”
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
RELEASE DATE:
June 23
ARTIST WEBSITE:
Sunset Rubdown
MP3:
Sunset Rubdown - “Idiot Heart”
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer
RELEASE DATE:
June 30
ARTIST WEBSITE:
Wilco
MP3:
Wilco - “Wilco (The Song)”
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
Wilco - Wilco (The Album)
RELEASE DATE:
July 14
ARTIST WEBSITE:
Discovery
MP3:
Discovery - “I Want You Back”
PURCHASE:
Discovery - LP
RELEASE DATE:
July 21
ARTIST WEBSITE:
Starlight Mints
MP3:
Starlight Mints - “Zoomba”
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
Starlight Mints – Change Remains
RELEASE DATE:
August 4
ARTIST WEBSITE:
Japandroids
MP3:
Japandroids - “Young Hearts Spark Fire”
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
Japandroids - Post-Nothing
ARTIST WEBSITE:
The Antlers
MP3s:
The Antlers - “Bear”
The Antlers - “Two”
VIDEO:
PURCHASE:
The Antlers - Hospice
Apologies for the extended hiatus while I’ve taken care of some personal matters.
Fresh, daily updates coming super-soon. I swear!
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With Shadow Puppets and side projects put on hold, the Arctic Monkeys are finally prepping the release of their highly-anticipated Josh Homme-produced third LP, Humbug (Aug. 25th). Although the first single “Crying Lightning” has been a staple of recent live sets, the studio version is a promising sign of a moodier and less frenzied Monkeys sound. Give it a listen, won’t you?
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Sad news. In honor of the undisputed King of Pop, please enjoy these 50 covers of Michael Jackson’s greatest hits.
MP3s:
Mika - “I Want You Back”
Nickel Creek - “I Want You Back”
KT Tunstall - “I Want You Back”
Lightspeed Champion - “Thriller”
Ben Gibbard - “Thriller”
Speak Low - “Thriller”
TT - “Thriller”
Jason Webley - “Thriller”
Videogame Orchestra - “Thriller”
Ian Brown - “Thriller”
Petra Haden - “Thriller”
Ananda - “Thriller”
Pierce the Veil - “Beat It”
HEJ! - “Beat It”
Richard Cheese - “Beat It”
Dossie - “Beat It”
Fall Out Boy - “Beat It”
Amy Winehouse and Charlotte Church - “Beat It”
Señor Coconut And His Orchestra - “Beat It”
Agogo - “Beat It”
Supergrass - “Beat It”
Pop Ratio - “Man In The Mirror”
Chris Ayer - “Man In The Mirror”
Alex Arrowsmith - “Man In The Mirror”
James Morrison - “Man In The Mirror”
Shivaree - “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”
Keller Williams - “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”
Robert Randolph and the Family Band - “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough”
Jazztronik - “Rock With You”
Ben Deignan - “Rock With You”
John Legend and Stephen Colbert - “The Girl is Mine”
David Cook - “Billie Jean”
Chris Cornell - “Billie Jean”
Neil Finn - “Billie Jean”
Alex Cornell - “Billie Jean”
Shinehead - “Billie Jean”
Ian Brown - “Billie Jean”
Glenn Case - “Human Nature”
The Color Fred - “Human Nature”
J.Viewz - “Smooth Criminal”
Alien Ant Farm - “Smooth Criminal”
Chenard Walcker - “Remember the Time”
chewwinggum - “Dirty Diana”
The Music Of Matan - “The Way You Make Me Feel”
Ina-t - “Black Or White”
Irma - “Heal the World”
Sam Miller & Andy Smith - “Dancing Machine”
Kris Moyse - “Blame It On The Boogie”
The Moons - “I’ll Be There”
Transformer Di Roboter - “Stranger In Moscow”
Every Tuesday, Hypeful teams up with Salad Days Music to pick and preview the week’s best new album releases. Bend an ear to this week’s choicest selections after the jump!
Among the Oak & Ash - Among the Oak & Ash
The Builders and the Butchers - Salvation Is a Deep Dark Well
MP3:
The Builders and the Butchers - “Barcelona”
Clock Hands Strangle - Distaccati
MP3:
Clock Hands Strangle - “Desert Music”
Ha Ha Tonka - Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South
MP3s:
Ha Ha Tonka - “Walking on the Devil’s Backbone”
Ha Ha Tonka - “Close Every Valve to Your Bleeding Heart”
The Legends - Over and Over
MP3s:
The Legends - “Always the same”
The Legends - “Seconds away”
Major Lazer - Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do
MP3s:
Major Lazer - “Zumbi (Feat. Andy Milokanis)”
Major Lazer - “Lazer Boom 1 (Album Mix by Diplo)”
Rock Plaza Central - At the Moment of Our Most Needing
MP3:
Rock Central Plaza - “(Don’t You Believe the Words of ) Handsome Men”
Sarah Jarosz - Song Up in Her Head
MP3:
Sarah Jarosz - “Song Up in Her Head”
Spinal Tap - Back from the Dead
MP3:
Spinal Tap - “Big Bottom”
Street Sweeper Social Club - Street Sweeper Social Club
MP3:
Street Sweeper Social Club - “Clap For The Killers”
Those Darlins - Those Darlins
MP3:
Those Darlins - “Wild One”