New Song by Maximum Balloon, "Let It Grow" (From Upcoming Album)

Dave Sitek of Maximum Balloon has released a new song from an upcoming sophomore album, "Let It Grow," a sweet, melodic tune already getting airplay on my favorite online new music sources KEXP and KCRW.  There is no title or release date yet from Sitek's label, Federal Prism Records, so this will have to hold us for the moment.

Maximum Balloon is Sitek's side project away from being a producer and guitarist for TV on the Radio and straight up producing bands such as Beady Eye, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Foals. It is the first new material since a track from the self-titled debut landed on my Fall 2010 New Music Playlist ("Apartment Wrestling" featuring vocals by David Byrne). Sitek reenlists other collaborators on that album for "Let It Grow" -- Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and TV on the Radio frontman Tunde Adebimpe. The mood is all soft lighting and hushed singing as Karen O. performs in the love-soaked lullaby mode of her recent album Crush Songs or "The Moon Song" for the movie Her.  Adebimpe matches her tone, letting lyrical lines float gently into place. Take a listen here or on the label's SoundCloud page. It won't be the last time you'll want to hear the song.

Top Ten Releases of 2014 With Video Highlights

Here is my slightly ranked list of Top Ten Releases for 2014 -- with Spoon definitely taking the top spot.  The best thing about compiling such a list is revisiting these songs that became the soundtrack to my life this year, and remembering how these albums are all worth many more plays from start to finish.  I was also lucky to see three of the bands/artists over the course of the year so I've pulled videos from the  NMMatterscorp YouTube channel from those shows: Spoon, Beck, and Elbow.  For the others, I looked for live performances in order to imagine hearing the music being played live: from official gigs at CBS, an AMEX event, and Pitchfork festivals, along with studio sessions from my favorite online radio stations KCRW and KEXP. Check out anything you haven't yet, and enjoy!

1. Spoon, They Want My Soul
After taking some time off since 2010's Transference, Austin-bred band Spoon reconvened last year to put together what may be its best album yet.  With the strength of the singles "Rent I Pay," "Do You," and "Inside Out," I've heard more Spoon airplay than ever, never a band thing. Spoon opened up for Arcade Fire when we caught the final night of the tour in Montreal, where many in the crowd had not yet heard of them (thus the chatter in the video, but listen to the squeals of delight as uber frontman Britt Daniel approaches each side of the stage!) The guy next to us vowed to purchase the new album immediately and tell all his friends about Spoon when he returned home.

2. Beck, Morning Phase

When we first listened to this album (studio collection number twelve for this prolific musician), husband/music guru Paul exclaimed "Who broke Beck's heart?" It's that melancholy side of the guy heard back in 2002 with Sea Change, all slower meters and dreamy textures.  But at least it wasn't the folky Beck seen at festivals the last go around (still say he could loose the goofy black hat).  At least I could finally check him off my concert bucket list after a night at Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC -- a night split in half between the new and yes, all the old hits!

3. Elbow, The Take Off and Landing of Everything

The sound of Guy Garvey's voice brings warmth and depth of meaning to any lyric, so why not elongate the title of the group's sixth album too? Everything reads like a stream of consciousness travel journal after time Garvey spent in NYC where "folks are nice to Yoko."  I caught the U.K. band in May at Webster Hall NYC, where a couple took this romantic music to another level with a marriage proposal. 

4. Wye Oak, Shriek

Some Wye Oak fans didn't know what to make of the duo's fourth album, after singer Jenn Wasner learned the bass and layers of electronics were added without the signature guitar sound.  I gladly heralded this move into complexity and Shriek was on heavy rotation all summer.  

5. Conor Oberst, Upside Down Mountain 

Conor Oberst released his sixth album as a solo artist, connecting to his story telling vibe and touring with the band Dawes as backing musicians.  The sound is at once full yet immediate, baring his Nebraskan soul in songs about adult responsibilities and looking for meaning in the every day. 

6. Caribou, One Love

Canadian Dan Snaith released his sixth studio album as Caribou, expanding the electronica with genres such as hip hop and  R&B, plus contributions by Jessy Lanza and Owen Pallett.  When he plays live, Snaith takes over the percussion and performs with a live band clustered together in musical solidarity while the party in the audience carries on...

7. TV on the Radio, Seeds 

TV on the Radio released its fifth album in November, so I'm still uncovering the many attributes to each song. The band is now split between Brooklyn and L.A. but as a group remains as solid as ever. (This is the first album without their bass player Gerard Smith, who died of cancer in 2011.)

8. Hamilton Leithauser, Black Hours

When I fretted about The Walkmen taking a hiatus, it was really the idea of not hearing Hamilton Leithauser's ardent vocals without a solid band base that had me worried.  His solo album seemed a bit solitary in spirit, but not in musicianship. The entire collection appears ready made for a full listen seamlessly from song to song.  

9.  The War on Drugs, Lost In a Dream 

The mastery and wash of guitar reverb permeates this third album by Philadelphia's The War on Drugs. Singer/songwriter Adam Granduciel had trouble adjusting after the successful tour behind 2011's Slave Ambient, resulting in these profoundly emotional songs.

10. St. Vincent, St. Vincent 

St. Vincent's Annie Clark not only garnered attention for this self-titled fourth album, but for her choreographed stage shows performed with her usual epic shredding on guitar.  Her songs cut to the quick musically and lyrically, while remaining deeply ambiguous and intriguing at every listen. 

HONORABLE MENTION:
Future Islands, Singles

Vacationer, Relief

New Video for TV on the Radio's Single "Happy Idiot" (Plus live concert videos from the NMM archives)

TV on the Radio (Photo via Harvest Records)

TV on the Radio (TOTR) has released a video for the teaser single "Happy Idiot" starring none other than Paul Reubens, a.k.a. that iconic pop culture character Peewee Herman.  Reubens stars as a race care driver cruising past the band in white suits and Karen Gillen (most recently in Gaurdians of the Galaxy) in various female stereotypes offering come hither looks. It's a kicker of a tune, with the usual TOTR charged energy throughout. The group's fifth studio album, Seeds, is due November 18 from Harvest Records.

I have experienced this Brooklyn-based group as headliners at two festivals -- Crossing Brooklyn Ferry 2013 and Moogfest 2011.  Singer Tunde Adebimpe's smooth tenor floats above the sonic urgency provided by these over-qualified musicians, for an indie rock band at least.  Check out our live concert videos and listen up to the "Happy Idiot" below.

YouTube Playlist of Fall 2013 New Music Songs

Here's my Fall 2013 New Music Playlist in YouTube form for those of you who enjoy visuals while listening to this next compilation.  I was surprised to find Superchunk's "FOH" did not have any tour footage to accompany the song about life on stage as a band -- how easy would that be? Plus as the founders of Merge Records, you'd imagine they'd be hip to the idea of YouTube videos as a promotional tool (plus you wouldn't even need to film anything, just dive into the archived decades of these road warriors!)  

After that, the rest of the list mostly have official videos for each song. I enjoyed getting to know the Generationals on the screen in their natural habitat of New Orleans, since I know little about them. But I opted not to use the one for of Montreal's "Fugitive" since it had more than I ever needed to see of frontman (a very appropriate word in this case) Kevin Barnes.  Sigur Rós has a lyric video for “Ísjaki,” which is handy for all those wondering what Jónsi is singing about, if you know Icelandic anyway.

And I'm not sure what TV On the Radio was thinking with the intro scene before the song, but this band deserves all the creative freedom they want as long as they keep making such amazing music. Plus check out the drawings for Moderat's "Bad Kingdom" as imagined by Pfadfinkerei, credited as Director and for Production. 

Fall 2013 New Music Playlist

New music releases have been dropping like fall leaves, filling up another playlist ready for consumption. There are selections from albums by steadfast indie bands such as MGMT, Yuck and of Montreal plus iconic masters Sigur Rós and Moby. New bands HAERTS and Generationals impress with debuts while Gauntlet Hair unfortunately call it quits.  Plus check out teaser singles from Arcade Fire and TV on the Radio while waiting for full releases to appear in the coming months. Link to listen here, enjoy! 

1. “FOH” – Superchunk

This veteran indie rock group was founded by Mac McCaughan and Laura Balance back in 1989, along with the beloved Merge Records in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to provide a vehicle for their songs and music by friends.  They just released their tenth studio album ironically called I Hate Music, since this group clearly still loves the band lifestyle as detailed in this raucous tune. 

2. “Your Life Is a Lie” – MGMT

This sardonic song is from the self-titled third album by American psych rock band MGMT, formed by Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWygarden during their college days at Wesleyan University in Middleton, Connecticut.   

3. “Reflektor” – Arcade Fire

“Reflektor” is the title track of the upcoming fourth studio album by this indie rock band based in Montreal.  The intertwining vocals of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne create swirling layers, until a cameo by music legend David Bowie.

4. “Rebirth” – Yuck

This U.K. indie rock band released its second album, Glow & Behold, with guitarist Max Bloom taking over vocal duties for this young band.  The dreamy “Rebirth” is the single for the new collection.

5. “Put a Light On” – Generationals

Generationals is an indie rock duo formed by New Orleans natives Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer, who have a fondness for vintage dance music recorded on analog 24-track equipment. The lush soundscape of “Put A Light One” is from their third album, Heza.

6. “The Perfect Life” (featuring Wayne Coyne) – Moby

This collaboration is just one of many on Moby’s eleventh studio album, Innocents. “The Perfect Life” channels the feel good sing along mantra of The Flaming Lips, as Moby joins forces with congenial frontman Wayne Coyne.

7. “Pagiaccio” – Barbarossa

London’s James Mathé croons over an old Casio keyboard, drum machines and analog synths for a sound inspired by 70s soul. (He is also a touring member of Junip.)  The pulsing “Pagiaccio” is from the artist’s third album, Bloodlines.

8. “Wings” – HAERTS

This indie synth pop quintet is based in Brooklyn, with roots over in Germany.  The powerhouse single, “Wings,” is the single off their debut EP, Hemiplegia.

9. “Confidence” – The Dodos

Indie rock duo Meric Long and Logan Kroeber continue a percussion-centric musical journey in their fifth studio album, Carrier.  Long’s self-assured yet laidback vocals warmly introduces a melodic element in “Confidence.”

10. “Bad Apple” – Gauntlet Hair

Before Gauntlet Hair called it quits, the group released its second studio album, Stills (produced by Jacob Portrait of Unknown Mortal Orchestra).  Founded by high school classmates Craig Nice and Andy Rauwach, this noise pop band concocted a funky groove for “Bad Apple.”

11. “Fugitive Air” – of Montreal

of Montreal is an indie pop band from Athens, Georgia, was founded by frontman Kevin Barnes in 1996. With a wavering creative trajectory for each release, this lead track off the twelfth studio album, Lousy with Sylvanbriar, presents a country twang.

12. “Little Moments” – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

“Little Moments” is the title track off Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s new EP, rebooting the band with vocalist Alec Ounsworth and drummer/music producer Sean Greenhaulgh. This duo based in Brooklyn and Philadelphia added electronic instruments into the mix, as they prepare a full album for next year.

13. “Ísjaki” – Sigur Rós

Icelandic band Sigur Rós has released its seventh studio album since 1994, Kveiker.  The new songs are being described by the group as more aggressive, but the haunting falsetto of Jón Birgisson (a.k.a. Jónsi) adds a familiar sweetness.

14. “Million Miles” – TV On the Radio

This single from an upcoming album from Brooklyn indie rock band TV On the Radio, swells with emotion led by Tunde Adebimpe’s vocals. The sextet’s diverse influences, from soul to electronica, serve as only a starting point for the song.

15. “The Truth” – Dr. Dog

Dr. Dog just released its eighth studio album, B-Room, recorded in a newly built studio outside of Philadelphia. The band delivers their trademark fusion of 60s psych rock and lo-fi 90s in this lead off track for the collection.

16. “Bad Kingdom” – Moderat

Moderat is the electronic music project of a trio of artists based in Berlin: Sascha Ring (of Apparat), Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary (of Modeselektor).  This pulsating single is from the group’s sophomore release, II.

BAM's Crossing Brooklyn Ferry 2013, Closing Night April 27 w/Highlights Video

Striking a People Get Ready pose with Steven Reker afterwards

Upon arrival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music for the closing night of Crossing Brooklyn Ferry, I headed up the escalator to the BAMcafé for a set by People Get Ready.  But after checking the schedule via overhead projector, I learned that the band had been bumped up into the Opera House space -- right time, wrong venue. This simply made me proud of the Brooklyn group, who I saw during the festival last year as well as a performance at New York Live Arts.  On this much larger stage as a six-piece, the band could better incorporate the choreographic embellishments to music by Steven Reker, who entered the stage with a microphone over his shoulder, dragging the chord. His solo singing introducing "A Squandering” quickly made way for a joyous group aesthetic, which incorporates movement as part of the music making.  Catchy tunes such as "Windy City" and "Uncanny" were punched up an extra notch with an unbridled percussion. I could have done without the guitar solo however, (it was slung over a dancer's shoulder and banged around) as both the sound and thought of injuring an instrument pained me.

Projected schedule for handy reference

The larger crowd for a Saturday night made it more difficult to skip back and forth between spaces, so I opted to stay put for rest of the night.  Another Brooklyn-based band, Here We Go Magic, was next up in the Opera House.  The quintet began with a slow instrumental jam that launched into one of my favorite songs, “Make Up Your Mind.”  Loose live jams built into wild crescendos of sound, as the orchestra pit began to fill with people from their seats.  A cover of Robert Wyatt’s “Just As You Are” brought an impassioned plea by singer Luke Temple and a weighty emotional response from the band.  The group ended their set with the frenetic energy of “How Do I Know?”

Matthew Hauk of Phosphorescent followed, opening up with the alt-country twang of “Terror In the Canyons (The Wounded Master).”  He asked everyone how they were doing, flaunting his Alabama roots in a Southern drawl and nodding his head with the answer that came in applause.  Hauk admitted to having a cold but his voice’s raw power was still in evidence and there was quite a back up band behind his own guitar: organ, piano, drums, bongos, and bass. “Song for Zula” did not disappoint as an anticipated highlight of the set. Hauk presented this tale of heartbreak with storytelling gestures while spotlights swirled on stage until it all plunged into darkness at the end.  “Ride On, Ride On” followed with a thumping pulse and Hauk’s blistering guitar solo.  Another dream sequence appeared with the floating harmonies of “Sun, Arise! (An Invocation, An Introduction)” before the charge of “A Charm/A Blade.”  Hauk introduced the band with the flourish of a ringmaster, addressing the audience “Ladies and Gentlemen” and allowing each member to shine before ending the set.

Dance Party!

TV on the Radio also rose to the occasion as the headliner for the night, playing old as well as some new songs.  Filling the stage with seven members with ample equipment, the band lit into a hyper version of “Halfway Home” to kick things into high gear.  Singer Tunde Adebimpe strutted the stage to engage the fans immediately, flailing his long limbs and keeping that sinewy body in constant motion.  Hits such as “Wolf Like Me,” “Second Song,” “Will Do,” and “Caffeinated Consciousness” were rolled out like shiny trophies, before making way for a Prince cover and some “fresh cuts” as Adebimpe called them.  The music rumbled through the Opera House like a subway train, as both fans and band worked up a sweat.

Since this year’s crowd skewed a bit older, I was wondering if the dance floor at the after party in the BAMcafé would be very crowded but not to worry.  Baio (as in Chris Baio, bass player for Vampire Weekend) kept the music flowing, pulsing beats echoing the twinkling lights in the arched windows.  Members of Here We Go Magic looked like they had been celebrating in earnest since their set – their casual stage look now a rumpled mess.  Also on the floor were both curators for the festival, Aaron and Bryce Dessner, dancing while receiving earfuls from various well wishers.  I hadn't spied them since they bounded into the lobby on opening night, after playing a few songs with The National for Jimmy Fallon's "Late Night" show.  It was nice to see that they could actually relax a little bit, with another Crossing Brooklyn Ferry in the books.  Highlights video as well as one of a favorite moment from the festival, Phosphorescent's "Song for Lula," below.