a place to bury strangers - "self titled"

alright so i'd been sitting on this post for a while and i guess pitchfork stole my thunder this morning. oh well. a place to bury strangers feature former members of skywave and create some crazy drugged out shoegazer/darkwave tunes. just imagine joy division meets the jesus and mary chain and you'll have a pretty good idea. their self titled debut was released a couple weeks ago on killer pimp records. it's limited to 500 copies so if you want one you better order it soon.

mp3 | a place to bury strangers - to fix the gash in your head
mp3 | a place to bury strangers - i know i'll see you
mp3 | a place to bury strangers - my weakness

the felice brothers - "tonight at the arizona"

the felice brothers are a folk/blues/country band based out of new york and consist of...you guessed it, three brothers. back in may the band released their first proper full length "tonight at the arizona" as a vinyl only release on loose. in june they finally made the album available via cd and digital download. these guys have a very traditional sound and have been compared to the likes of bob dylan, woody guthrie and the band. highly recommended.

mp3 | the felice brothers - your belly in my arms
mp3 | the felice brothers - ballad of lou the welterweight

coliseum - "no salvation"

fast and heavy. that seems the be the only way coliseum knows how to play. last tuesday marked the release of their new album "no salvation" on relapse records. if you're unfamiliar with these guys well i guess it's best to tell you that the band is lead by ryan patterson who used to play in the national acrobat and is currently also in black cross. anyways if you like no frills hardcore/punk with a bit of metal then you need to give these guys a spin.

mp3 | coliseum - defeater
mp3 | coliseum - the fate of men

empty orchestra - "here lies...empty orchestra"

empty orchestra (english translation of the japanese word 'karaoke') is an alt-country band from flint, michigan. recently they released their first full length entitled "here lies...empty orchestra" on thinker thought records. if you're into wilco or son volt then make sure you give these guys a listen. i promise you won't be let down.

mp3 | empty orchestra - always already
stream | empty orchestra - "here lies...empty orchestra" (full album)

the pains of being pure at heart - "self titled" ep

new york's dream-pop/shoegaze outfit the pains of being pure at heart deliver an impressive self titled debut ep. released on their own painbow records, it's 5 songs of fuzzy pop music that won't disappoint fans of the radio dept or my bloody valentine. here's a couple tracks to enjoy.

mp3 | the pains of being pure at heart - doing all the things that wouldn't make your parents proud
mp3 | the pains of being pure at heart - the pains of being pure at heart

jeff buckley - "so real: songs from jeff buckley"

i've had a copy of jeff buckley's "so real: songs from jeff buckley" (sony) sitting around in shrinkwrap since it came out back in may. i guess i never got around to listening to it because i thought i already had all these songs on their original albums. but then i read somewhere that 2 exclusive tracks are on the disc and one of them is a cover of the smiths so i had to open it up and give it a spin. anyways, it's a pretty decent collection of his unfortunately short career and serves as a good introduction to one of the best singer/songwriters ever.

mp3 | jeff buckley - i know it's over (the smiths)

alcest - "souvenirs d'un autre monde"

both shoegazers and metalheads should pay close attention to this one. alcest is really just a french multi-instrumentalist named neige that makes really epic beautiful music. his debut album "souvenirs d'un autre monde" was released here in the states this month via profound lore records. if you like jesu or nadja then you're going to want to check this guy out.

mp3 | alcest - les iris
mp3 | alcest - souvenirs d'un autre monde

black moth super rainbow - "dandelion gum"

i think more people have recommended black moth super rainbow's new release "dandelion gum" to me than any other album this year. it was released back in may via graveface and to be honest i had only heard of the band but never got around to listening to them. well, needless to say i've been missing out. their style can best be categorized as electro-psychedelic i guess but whatever you want to call it, it's fucking good.

mp3 | black moth super rainbow - forever heavy
mp3 | black moth super rainbow - sun lips
stream | black moth super rainbow - "dandelion gum" (full album)

no river city - "wolves and fishes"

back in april of this year no river city, a georgia based 5 piece alt-county outfit, self released their sophomore album "wolves and fishes". it's unfortunate that a band this good can't find a label to call their home. if you're a fan of whiskeytown or the byrds then you're going to want to check these guys out. oh and if you like what you hear then you can purchase the album from the band at shows or online here.

mp3 | no river city - two sad horses
mp3 | no river city - jacy farrow

aa bondy - "american hearts"

wow, i just can't stop listening to this album. "american hearts" is the debut solo release from aa bondy, former frontman of verbena. it's a good mix of folk, blues and country with hushed vocals and an extremely honest approach. the album is being released by superphonic records on september 4th but if you want it now then you can order it and they'll ship it out early. highly recommended if you like iron and wine or m ward.

mp3 | aa bondy - there's a reason
mp3 | aa bondy - vice rag
stream | aa bondy - "american hearts" (full album)

the new pornographers - "challengers"

canada's indie rock super group the new pornographers are set to release their new album "challengers" next tuesday. if you didn't already know, the band is fronted by ac newman but neko case and dan bejar also play and sing lead on a couple tracks. along with the regular single disc version of the album matador is also offering an 'executive edition' of the album which will feature 3 bonus discs. one will have b-sides and demos, the second will be a live recording and the third will have videos and photos. the album is very solid and should please anyone looking for some poppy indie rock.

mp3 | the new pornographers - my right versus yours
mp3 | the new pornographers - myriad harbour

pinback - "autumn of the seraphs"

pinback returns with their new album "autumn of the seraphs" due to be released on september 11th by touch and go. considering how busy their frontman rob crow (the ladies, goblin cock, solo work) has been, i didn't know when we could expect new material from this mathy indie rock band. the album pretty much picks up where they left off so if you're familiar with these guys then you already know what you're in for.

mp3 | pinback - good to sea
mp3 | pinback - from nothing to nowhere

ghastly city sleep - "self titled" ep

ghastly city sleep is a brooklyn based post-rock band that contains members of gregor samsa and city of caterpillar. their debut self titled ep was released this month by robotic empire and though it may only consist of 4 songs, it runs around the 30 minute mark. each song builds slowly like an approaching tidal wave and crashes down once it reaches it's peak. have a listen for yourself.

mp3 | ghastly city sleep - ice creaks

jesu / eluvium - split 12"

a mammoth pairing if ever there was one, temporary residence and hydrahead have teamed up jesu and eluvium to deliver possibly the best collaboration you'll hear all year. this split, which is vinyl only, has jesu delivering 3 wonderful tracks of neo-shoegaze and eluvium contributing a single track of epic ambient bliss. even though it's not officially released until later this month, if you're looking to pick this up then i suggest pre-ordering it from hydrahead because temporary residence is already sold out of their copies. here's one of the jesu tracks.

mp3 | jesu - farewell

the weakerthans - "reunion tour"

it's been over 4 years since canada's the weakerthans graced us with their indie/rock/country sound. on september 25th the band will be releasing their latest opus entitled "reunion tour" via epitaph records. why this band isn't huge is beyond me. each song is like a short story filled with intelligent lyrics and catchy melodies.

mp3 | the weakerthans - tournament of hearts
mp3 | the weakerthans - night windows

lightning dust - "self titled"

lightning dust consists of amber webber and joshua wells, both of whom are members of black mountain. lately i've been spinning their self titled debut which was released this past june by jagjaguwar. it's a syrupy blend of soul and folk that begs to be listened to while on a front porch late one warm summer night.

mp3 | lightning dust - when you go
mp3 | lightning dust - listened on
video | lightning dust - highway

cloak/dagger - "we are"

yea that's right, i'm back and to start this revival i'm gonna give you some tunes from richmond, va's cloak/dagger. their debut album "we are" is coming out september 11th on jade tree and it's fucking awesome. they play raw and ferocious punk rock kinda like drive like jehu meets black flag. if you're looking for a more modern reference point then i guess hot snakes or the bronx. anyways, enjoy these tracks and add me back to your blogrolls.

mp3 | cloak/dagger - bended knee
mp3 | cloak/dagger - runways
stream | cloak/dagger - "we are" (full album)