While it’s not officially the next season, at least
we’ll be springing forward with Daylight Savings Time to warm our freezing cold
hearts (especially here in the Northeast). Songs of love lost and love found — or
just being a fool for love — encourage traditional thoughts of the season with
new tunes by Father John Misty, Lord Huron and Emile Haynie. Dance floor
favorites Hot Chip and Dan Deacon are on the playlist, ready to get the party
going, while veteran bands Blur, Death Cab for Cutie and Sleater-Kinney return
to the scene proclaiming their distinct sounds. Check out this and more on Spotify or as a YouTube playlist.
1. “Huarache Lights” – Hot Chip
British electronic band is ready to release its
sixth album, Why Make Sense? As
introduced by a robotic vocal, “Huarache Lights” has all classic vigor of a
pulsating light show staged by this group that has been ready to party since
2000.
2. “First Light” – Django Django
Django Django, an arty rock band based in London,
brings a playful approach with layered vocals, electronics and hand percussion.
“First Light” is a teaser single for its sophomore album, Born Under Satan.
3. “Go Out” – Blur
A cancelled festival in Tokyo brought the band
together with time to kill, so lucky Blur fans can look forward to the first
new album since 2003, The Magic Whip.
Guitarist Graham Coxon provides the magic ingredient to the original U.K. line
up in the searing song, “Go Out.”
4. “A New Wave” – Sleater-Kinney
Riot grrl trio Sleater-Kinney is back with its intensity intact after a ten-year absence with an eighth album, No Cities to Love. The band was
originally formed in Olympia, Washington back in 1994.
5. “Waiting Around For Grace” – POND
Australian band POND is ready with a sixth album, Man It Feels Like Space Again, produced
by Kevin Parker of Tame Impala (the two groups actually share members). This collaborative music project has an
ever-changing line up which embraces all things psych rock in “Waiting Around
For Grace.”
6. “California Nights” – Best
Coast
“California Nights” is the title track of the third
album by L.A. surf pop duo Best Coast. The band has encompassed lo-fi
production and the warm vocals of songwriter and guitarist Bethany Cosentino
since 2009.
7. “Black Sun” – Death Cab for Cutie
“Black Sun” is the first single for the eighth
studio album from Seattle’s Death Cab for Cutie, Kintsugi. The band began in
1997 as a solo project for singer/songwriter and guitarist Ben Gibbard, with
his signature story telling vocals still paving the way.
8. “Multi-Love” – Unknown Mortal Orchestra
“Multi-Love” is the title track for the third album
by this Portland trio, started by singer and guitarist Ruban Nielson in 2010.
His falsetto soars over an accessible yet trippy psych rock vibe.
9. “Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins)” – Father John Misty
Father John Misty is the pseudonym of Josh Tillman,
who just released a concept album called I
Love You Honey Bear. This sophomore album is filled with heartfelt stories
of finding love—the slightly fictionalized couple in “Chateau Lobby #4 (in C
for Two Virgins),” for example.
10. “Little Ballerina (featuring Rufus Wainwright)” – Emile Haynie
Grammy-winning L.A. producer Emile Haynie pulls from
personal experiences of love lost for his debut album, We Fall. The release is full of guest appearances to bring the
songs to life, such as the warm, playful vocals of Rufus Wainwright in “Little
Ballerina.”
11. “Falling from the Sky” – Calexico
“Falling from the Sky” is the melancholy single for
the upcoming ninth studio album from Calexico called Edge of the Sun, featuring Ben Bridell of Band of Horses. The
group, based in Tucson, Arizona, formed in 1996 to create Americana indie rock
music with Latin and Southwestern country music influences.
12. “Fool for Love” – Lord Huron
L.A.’s Lord Huron is ready to release a sophomore
album, Strange Trails, with this
teaser single “Fool for Love,” showcasing the band’s American folk leanings
since 2010. The group vocals and dense instrumentation infuse this breezy tune
about giving into love.
13. “Reconfiguration” – Other Lives
Oklahoma band Other Lives (now based in Portland)
brings its folk rock bent to this song from the upcoming third album since 2004,
Rituals. Singer Jesse Tabish's vocals
weave in and out of the sparse, experimental arrangement in “Reconfiguration.”
14. “I Don’t Want to Let you Down” – Sharon Van Etten
Brooklyn based singer/songwriter Sharon Van Etten
has used her powerhouse voice as a musical calling card since 2009. This stand-alone single crafts an interlacing
melody over a steady foundation of strumming guitars and drums.
15. “Last Rites at the Jane Hotel” – of Montreal
Since founding the band in 1996 in Athens, Georgia, of
Montreal frontman/singer Kevin Barnes manifests an instant scene with glam-rock
sensibilities tapping into many genres. “Last Rites at the Jane Hotel” is a
rambling psych pop song off the thirteenth studio album, Aureate Gloom.
16. “Feel the Lightning” – Dan Deacon
Baltimore’s composer, electronic musician and dance
party master Dan Deacon has released an eighth album since 2000, Glass Riffer. He sings and uses vocal
manipulation over a confluence of EDM influences, bringing a human element to
the track as well as to his popular live shows, so full of audience
participation.
17. “Current Carry” – Vetiver
San Francisco’s indie folk band Vetiver will release
a sixth album later this month, Complete
Strangers. Singer/songwriter Andy
Cabic’s laidback style and introspective lyrics has given the group a voice
since 2002.
18. “Courage” – Villagers
Irish folk band Villagers will release a third album
in April, Darling Arithmetic. Singer/songwriter Conor O’Brien’s vulnerable
vocals carry the message for the single “Courage.”
