bat for lashes - two suns

Natasha Khan and her music get compared to a lot of other musicians, but whatever you think of her has to be set aside so that you can appreciate what her songs have to offer. There’s a lot of going on in there and while, it sometimes borders on sounding like Neverending Story soundtrack outtakes, her instrumentation always gets me thinking. The songs below are off the new, sophomore, album Two Suns due out in April.. ‘Daniel’ is the single and the obvious favorite, but listen to ‘Siren Song’ all the way till the end. Holy Fuck. And Glass is totally amazing too. I would post the whole album for you guys, but I think you should all go out and buy this shit. This album is too precious not to own - for the art and photography alone. Enjoy!

Bat For Lashes - Daniel
Bat For Lashes - Glass
Bat For Lashes - Siren Song
Bat For Lashes - Good Love

for mr thomas farnsworth....

Bon Iver:
For Emma Forever Ago
Blood Bank

Grizzly Bear:
Yellow House
Friend

Deerhunter:
Microcastle
Weird Era Cont.

Santogold:
S/T

and check out this guys collection of albums on Mediafire. He has everything:
Albumwash Forum A-Z

Deerhunter - Microcastle / Weird Era Cont.

Deerhunter’s 2007 release Cryptograms was undeniably great. But it was also very noisy, built upon a foundation of spacey feedback drones and dense guitar textures. 2008 sees a poppier and altogether different Deerhunter, though they retain tangible links to their penchant for ambience and soundscapes. Earlier this year frontman Bradford Cox revealed his poppier side with a release as Atlas Sound. Split into two discs, the Microcastle half of this release seems to follow on from what was established on the Atlas Sound record. Weird Era Continued however is a more natural progression, falling somewhere between the noise of Cryptograms and Atlas Sound’s more melodic slant. The mildly nihilistic tone of Microcastle sees a shimmering instrumental opener give way to Agoraphobia, in which Cox sings plaintively about a desire to be imprisoned. Conversely Weird Era Cont. opens with the rather sleek and Interpol-like Backspace Century before shifting into the very catchy Operation. Instrumentals like "Weird Era" and "Slow Swords" return to the droning soundscapes of Cryptograms but are more engaging. Whether this release is to be interpreted as a double album or two single albums packaged together is ambiguous, though the albums are linked by a sharing of the song "Calvary Scars"; on Microcastle as a brief interlude, and as a powerful ten-minute finale on Weird Era Cont. It does feel a lot like the Bradford Cox Show and Microcastle especially is hard to differentiate from Atlas Sound, but nonetheless Deerhunter have released two consistently excellent albums here. Bow down, peasants: Deerhunter are indie rock royalty.

Click Album art below to download album for free:

Deerhunter - Microcastle (1st disc)


Deerhunter - Weird Era Cont. (2nd disc)

Genre: Indie, Ambient, Shoegaze
Label: 4AD, Kranky

Bang! Bang! Eche! - s/t ep, The Rapture - Tapes, Pete & the Pirates - Little Death

Lots of fun new released to talk about - and some shows you should check out too!

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Bang! Bang! Eche! - S/T EP

The music of this five-piece electro-pop-indie-rock band from Christchurch, New Zealand grabbed my attention immediately with their shouty vocals and dance-punk synth stabs. This band is known more for their noise-filled, high energy shows than their recordings, but this 5 song EP, including the hits "4 to the Floor" and "Time Mismanagement", captures their live energy well and opens up the lyrical aspect of their songs, which are clever and seem a lot more mature than the band look – or maybe I’m just getting old (?).For me, BBE sound like a junior version of genre favourites The Rapture, Moving Units and !!! but with a lot more pop.

However, if you want to catch Bang! Bang! Eche! in action and see how crazy they are live, then you are in luck this week if you are in the Jersey/New York area. They are only playing 2 more shows before leaving the country. Heres the deets:

Tuesday, November 11th

BBE showcase @ PIANO's

158 Ludlow Street, NYC

Thursday, November 13th

Court Tavern

124 Church St. 

New Brunswick, NJ

Click below on artwork for their new S/T album for free, courtesy of the band!!

Label: Unknown

Genre: Dance-Punk

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Pete & The Pirates - Little Death

First things first: there'll be no 'aarrrs', 'm'lads' or references to wooden legs and scurvy, if you please. Pete & the Pirates may have a nautically-themed moniker, but cheap cliches are the preserve of those with little originality or flair - something that this Reading band are thankfully bristling with. Besides, P&tP deserve better, quite frankly. Why? Well, because they've released one of the best bloody albums you'll hear all year, that's why. Little Death is the quintet's debut full-length release. A 35-minute-long collection of brief, guitar-based indie-punk-poplets, the Gareth Parton (of Go! Team fame) -produced album may sound like your average British indie at first - but go away, clean your ears out, and then come back and revel in the sheer brilliance of this record.

Click album artwork below to download for free.

Label: Stolen Recordings
Genre: Indie

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The Rapture - Tapes

When I heard that The Rapture came out with new album Tapes, I was excited to say the least. My excitement soon turned to disappointment when I realized that instead of some new studio material, it was merely a glorified mixed tape. But as I put on my headphones and pressed play, my disappointment quickly turned to joy and I found myself lost in the musical journey that is Tapes.

Starting with the all too brief opener “Earthquake Shake” by 70’s psychedelic soul quintet The Undisputed Truth, The Rapture have compiled a collection of classic grooves and rare gems from the late 70’s to ‘08 and blended them into an 80 minute party-friendly mix of funky house music, disco, electronica and hip hop.

From the funky roller disco grooves of the Bar-Kays "Holy Ghost" to the electro fuelled "Where’s Jason K" by Syclops, and stand out tracks by Ghostface Killah, Armand Van Helden, DJ Mujava, Paul Johnson (anyone remember the late 90’s club hit “Get Get Down”?) and Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangaltar, Tapes has the potential to provide a soundtrack for pre-club drinks on a Friday night or a lazy Sunday afternoon with friends. That said, it works just as well on a quiet night at home with a glass of red wine, a dark room and a pair of headphones.

Click album artwork below to download for free.

Genre: Mixed

Label:!K7

Crystal Stilts - Alight of Night

Alight of Night is the debut album by Brooklyn’s Crystal Stilts. There has been a huge amount of buzz about Crystal Stilts lately, and it is well-deserved. They have a totally unique sound that blends minimal post-punk (Velvets go to Dunedin by way of Manchester) with a classicist guitar twang and radiant pop appeal that would not sound out of place on an early Mary Chain b-side. Way more than just a sum of cool influences, the Stilts have managed to forge something new and vital from timeless chunks of rock’s primordial source material. Alight of Night is a brilliant album full of mystery, fuzz, croon, twang, throb and oh those tunes. An absolute corker.

Crystal Stilts - Alight of Night

Label: Slumberland / IODA
Genre: Shoegaze, Indie

Mount Eerie w/ Julie Doiron: Lost Wisdom, Fucked Up: The Chemistry Of Common Life, Dr. Dog: Fate

Hello all. Some fun releases this week/month that i wanna catch up on. 

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On his second album It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water, the Microphones Phil Elverum recorded a cover of Eric’s Trip’s "Sand," paying homage to one of his favorite bands. Eric’s Trip was, by nature, hard to pin down, incorporating harsh, industrial-strength feedback, aggressively lo-fi production and bubblegum pop melodies in a volatile mix of sounds. After the band broke up, bassist Julie Doiron went the solo route, both under her own name and as Broken Girl, often exploring a delicate, acoustic, obliquely confessional aesthetic not too far removed from Elverum’s own. On Lost Wisdom, the two work together for the first time, with Doiron singing 10 Elverum songs.

Elverum wrote all these songs, some specifically for the record and others earlier, and his lyrics have the same pristine, unpremediated grace as the music. "What I find will be found easily / and only when I’m not looking for it," he sings, in close tandem with Doiron in "Oh My Heart." It is a lovely, unfussy, unslaved-over line in an album that is full of them, a testament to being in tune with your muse.
Click below on album artwork to download Lost Wisdom! (mediafire)

Mount Eerie w/ Julie Doiron: Lost Wisdom

Genre: Lo-fi Folk
Label: PW Elverum & Sun

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Toronto’s Fucked Up have been heralded by many fans and critics alike as ‘the future of punk rock’. The obvious signs all seem to point in this direction - the lewd name, the confrontational and often shut-down shows and the general mystery surrounding the band all highlight the bands punk aesthetics.

The Chemistry of Common Life, the bands first release on Matador Records, is the bravest and most interesting take on hardcore in years. Rather than following the genres typical rules and tools of beatdowns and stolen Converge riffs, Fucked Up have made an album full of innovation. There are organs and wind instruments alongside guitars and drums, and female singers drifting above vocalist Pink Eyes’ gruff and abrasive tones. This is one of the most inventive punk albums I have heard since Refused came out with A Shape Of Punk To Come.
Click on below artwork to download The Chemistry of Common Life! (mediafire)

Fucked Up: The Chemistry of Common Life

Genre: Hardcore/Punk

Label: Matador

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This album came out a couple months ago, but i just got the chance to sit down and listen to it this past weekend and all i have to say is......HOLY SHIT. I was seriously missing out on something huge these past couple months! Philadephia's own Dr. Dog is who i am referring to. They recently (august 08) came out with their new album Fate.

The sound is what separates Fate from every other indie-pop album out there. It is like nothing out today, but more of a blast from the past. “The Breeze” is a quaint track, reminiscent of a Beatles track between the vocal harmonies and overall style. Most tracks on Fate contain a fair amount of unique instruments whether it be a horn section, pianos, or woodwinds that encapsulate the albums grandiose production. It makes “Hang On,” which is a combination of older soul tracks and edgy indie-pop, so enjoyable. Conversely, “The Ark” is paced like a war march with a rough western feel, showing the true diversity of Fate. Its all over the page....in a good, great, AMAZING way. 

Click on album art below to download Dr. Dogs Fate! (rapidshare)

Dr. Dog: Fate

Genre: 60s Pop, Folk, Psyche 

Label: Park the Van

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Thats all kids, have a good weekend!

Love is All @ maxwells, Fucked up @ Rogan Store & on Issue Oriented

Hey Kids - Quickie update to mention a few shows to keep you busy this week. 

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Tonight @ Maxwells (11th and Washington, hoboken, nj) Swedish band Love Is All is playing! Im very excited.. I've never seen them before and I always wanted to. Click below to download their new album A Hundred Things To Keep Me Up At Night 

In case you didnt know, Love Is All, a quintet formed by members of lesser-known indie group Girlfrendo, add a saxophone to the recognizable voice/keyboard-guitar-bass-drum lineup.  Lead Singer, Josephine Olausson yelps in a shout that has drawn inevitable Karen O comparisons, but it’s higher-pitched/more girly and easily breaks into the band’s signature all-sing-together choruses. You will enjoy it, I promise. And everyone in the tri-state area should try to make it out tonight to see them @ Maxwells!

Love Is All - A Hundred Things 

Genre: Indie, Punk

Label: What's Your Rupture?

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Ok, next i just need to mention to everyone that Toronto hardcore band,  Fucked Up, is playing a free show in nyc @ Rogan Store tomorrow, 10/14, to celebrate the release of The Chemistry of Common Life. And what better way to celebrate then to play for 12 hours straight? No, thats not a typo..... they are playing for 12 hours straight! Special guests will be joining the band on stage to help them through this marathon, including the Vivian Girls, John Joseph, Matt Sweeney, Chain Gang, Mobb Deep, Ryan Sawyer from Tall Firs, Jeff Jensen, David Cross, John Cale, K-Taro, Chris Doherty, E.K., DJ Chris, DJ Anarki, Michael Gira, members of the Australian Scapa Flow, Jeanne Bovet, Gods & Queens, Akon, The Edge, Ben Blackwell, Russell Simins, the Boogie, and some megastars not announced yet. :) So, if you are in the NYC area - or within 12 hours of it - how could you miss this?

Rogan Store

91 Franklin St

NYC

Also, make sure you check out Issue Oriented Podcast towards the end of the month to hear a interview with the band - Issue Oriented Podcast!

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Thats all for now.