Here's another playlist to catch up on new releases by fave bands such as Deerhunter, YACHT, Beach House, Yo La Tengo and more. There are also songs by new configurations of musicians (EL VY) plus solo work by Martin Courtney and Chris Walla. As always, there are a few newbies to welcome to the music scene fold: Maury and Legs. Listen on Spotify via this link or as a YouTube playlist.
1. “Return to the
Moon” – EL VY
The National’s Matt Berninger and Brent Knopf (Ramona Falls, Menomena)
have been talking about collaborating for years, and now a debut album by their
musical project EL VY is ready for a listen. This is the title track for the
collection, a bouncy, fun tune with rambling lyrics and sing along chorus.
2. “Breaker” – Deerhunter
Atlanta’s indie rock quartet Deerhunter has released its seventh
studio album since 2001, Fading Frontier,
written by songwriter Bradford Cox after he was hit by a car and the
accident became a musical turning point. The
song “Breaker” finds Cox sharing lead vocals with guitarist Lockett Pundt for a
lighter pop sound.
3. “I Thought the
Future Would Be Cooler” – YACHT
L.A. band YACHT was formed in Portland in 2002 by musician/producer
Jona Bechtolt and singer Claire L. Evans. They craft fun dance punk songs with
a lyrical depth as exhibited in this title track for the band’s sixth album.
4. “61
Cygni Ave” – Neon Indian
Neon Indian is the stage name of Alan Paloma, a Mexican born musician
from Denton, Texas. He recently released the third album since 2008, VEGA INTL. Night School, full of funk
influences and swirling dance beats as found in “61 Cygni Ave.”
5. “Pretty
Pimpin” – Kurt Vile
Kurt Vile is a former member of Philly band The War on Drugs who just
released his sixth album since 2008, believe
I’m going down… As a singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer,
Vile’s goal was to present songs that have a lo-fi sound, as if they're written
and played on his couch.
6. “Friends”
– Raury
Raury is a young musician from
Atlanta who fearlessly mixes soul, hip hop and folk. Last year he put together
a mixtape and soon signed with Columbia Records. This friendly, open
composition, “Friends,” is off his second album All We Need.
7. “Rickety”
– Yo La Tengo
Hoboken’s Yo La Tengo has released a mix of covers along with a few
originals like “Rickety” for its fourteenth full length album, Stuff Like That There. This memorizing tune
showcases the band’s strength in acoustic arrangements and sweetly sung vocals.
8. “Mountain
at My Gates” – Foals
Foals is an indie rock quintet from Oxford, England. “Mountain at My Gates” is a single from the
band’s fourth studio album, What Went
Down, with lead guitarist and vocalist Yannis Philippaki leading the band’s
driven sound.
9. “Falling”
– Here We Go Magic
NYC-based band Here We Go Magic is known for its buoyant songwriting and
energetic arrangements as witnessed in “Falling.” This tune is off the fourth
album since 2008, Be Small.
10.
“Northern Highway – Martin Courtney
Martin Courtney is a vocalist and guitarist for the New Jersey band
Real Estate, now based in Brooklyn. His
solo debut Many Moons strives for a
more personal level of songwriting that tilts towards pop, as achieved in the endearing
tune “Northern Highway.”
11.
“Jabberwocky” – Panda Bear
Noah Benjamin Lennox is the musical mastermind behind Panda Bear,
releasing five solo albums since 1999 while Lennox collaborated in Animal
Collective. This Baltimore native is now living in Lisbon, indulging in
experimental psych pop with this lush composition, “Jabberwocky,” off the EP Crosswords.
12. “Top
of the World” – Legs
Brooklyn indie quartet Legs has a tag line that it “makes music for
the body” as this song fuses soul and Nu-disco for an
instant dance party. “Top of the World” is off the band’s self-released debut album Altitud.
13. “Let It
Grow” – Maximum Balloon, Karen O, Tunde Adebimpe
Maximum Balloon is Dave Sitek’s side project when he finds time away
from being a producer/guitarist with TV on the Radio. This infectious single --
with a strummed rhythm supplementing the drums -- for an upcoming sophomore
album, “Let It Grow,” enlists a charming collaboration with vocals by Karen O
and TV on the Radio’s Tende Adebimpe.
14. “One
Thing” – Beach House
Baltimore duo Beach House, French-born singer Victoria Legrand on
keyboards and guitarist Alex Scally, released a second album this year called Thank Your Lucky Stars (the sixth full length
since 2004). The drifting tune “One Thing” is
emblematic of their dream pop music, imparting an elegant wash of sound.
15. “Doll’s
House” – Youth Lagoon
Youth Lagoon is the moniker of Boise, Idaho musician Trevor Powers,
who has released a third album since 2010, Savage
Hills Ballroom. His songs are always densely presented and deeply personal,
even in this instrumental song “Doll’s House.”
16.
“Kanta’s Theme” – Chris Walla
“Kanta’s Theme” is the enigmatic opening track for Field Manual, the first solo release
since Chris Walla left Death Cab for Cutie.
This change, along with a move with his family to Norway, found him
reflective and seeking musical renewal as he started plugging in tape machines
to create loops.
