Although the official release date isn't until the end of May, Grizzly Bear’s third full-length has gotten 'round. And with something this highly anticipated…of course it would. The good news is that the recording basically lives up to the hype. In my view, it’s a marked improvement from their last—more assured and generally a more satisfying listen on every level. Definitely recommended.
I never-ever thought I’d use the words restrained and Black Lips in the same sentence. But thankfully, the bad boys from Atlanta have shown just a little with their latest release. That is not to say there’s not debauchery, there’s plenty to go ‘round, but I just feel like they really put some thought into their sound and resisted the temptation to clean it up too much given what’s at stake. I appreciate it, and you will too.
Sweet, sugary, noise-pop. And it’s probably been awhile since you had the proper dose of it. On their full-length debut, POBPAH manages to draw heavily from their influences (potentially lots of them), yet whip it all up into their own dreamy confection without overdoing it. They make it all sound effortless—and that’s a hard thing to do.
This new two-part EP is an interesting experiment. March finds Zach Condon continuing his M.O. of mining exotic musical influences—this time Mexican funeral marches with help from a couple bandmates and a local 17-piece orchestra. Pretty decent. 
I admit that I wanted to love the new Andrew Bird album. What I can report is that I really, really like it. It’s atmospheric and warm with the quirkiness you’d expect, if you’ve spent some time with his earlier releases. Unlike 2007’s infectious Armchair Apocrypha, it requires more patient listening. But I find myself returning to it frequently—with his gentle hooks finding purchase in my mind.
As I was going through my iTunes, these songs bubbled up for some reason. No real theme here, except that they’re all reasonably old and somewhat obscure (not unlike yours truly).
The Verlaines are one of my favorite New Zealand bands from the storied days of the Flying Nun label. Founded and led by classically trained guitarist Graeme Downes, the band is known for their literate vocals and complex song structures—not surprising, given Downes actually attained his PhD between recordings, and has maintained an academic life with regard to his day job. 
