The 16 best tracks I’ve heard in the last two weeks. Lots of old friends returning, including Vampire Weekend, Low, Kurt Vile, The Knife and Laura Marling. ‘New’ A-grade tunes from the archives of Rilo Kiley and The Postal Service plus acid country from Minneapolis, languorous jangle pop form Melbourne, all-female post-punk from London and Neko Case with a tune from the Stephen King / John Mellencamp musical.

Vampire Weekend ‘Diane Young’
The first of two new tracks from their forthcoming third album Vampires of The City, this one is typically quirky and infuriatingly catchy. A blend of electronic pop, a bit of rumbling Link Wray guitar, distortion, and Ezra Koenig’s Elvis-pastiche pitch-sifted vocals, on the “Baby, baby, baby right on time” chorus. This is going to be everywhere.
[Vampire Weekend]


Low ‘Clarence White’
Two tracks from The Invisible Way were featured back at the start of the year (ITP #24). As the album finally got released this week, here’s another one of my favourites, Inspired by a flood in their hometown of Duluth, not quite sure why it’s named after the sometime Byrds guitarist.
[Low]

Savages ‘She Will’

London based all-female post-punk band prepare their debut album for Matador. Like a more visceral Warpaint.
[Savages]

Neko Case ‘That’s Who I Am’
One of my favourite singers with a track taken from a musical written by Stephen King and John Cougar Mellencamp, Ghost Brothers of Darkland County.
[Neko Case] [Ghost Brothers of Darkland County]

Kurt Vile ‘Never Run Away’

Second track from the John Agnello produced follow up to Smoke Ring For My Halo, Walkin’ on A Pretty Daze. Sounds like this will be one of the records of the year.
[Kurt Vile]

Rilo Kiley ‘Let Me Back In’

Some lovely guitar picking and Jenny Lewis’s voice at its most yearning and melancholy. Taken from the forthcoming Rilo Kiley outtakes album, this is head and shoulders above anything on their last album proper Under The Blacklight.
[Rilo Kiley]

Julian Lynch ‘Gloves’

Like something from the edges of the Elephant 6 collective, with added fretless bass. [Julian Lynch]

Web of Sunsets ‘Fool’s Melodies’
Acid country from Mineapolis – sounds like a lo-fi Tanya Donelly.
[Web of Sunsets]

Free Time ‘Nothin’ But Nice’
Langorous indie jangle rock in similar vein to Kurt Vile from New York based, Melbourne ex-pat Dion Nania.
[Free Time]

Laura Marling ‘Where Can I Go’
Deliciously soulful track taken from 23-year-old English folkie’s ’s forthcoming fourth album ‘Once I Was An Eagle’.
[Laura Marling]

Yellowbirds ‘Young Men of Promise’
Fuzzy psych pop from the band that was previously the solo project of New Yorker Sam Cohen.
[Yellowbirds]

Vampire Weekend ‘Step’
Baroque pop with harpsichord. Ostensibly the opposite of Diane Young, but clearly the work of the same band when you drill down to the use of distortion, judicious use of pitch-shifted vocals, treated drum sounds and sheer number of words per line.
[Vampire Weekend]

The Postal Service ‘Turn Around’

As Jimmy Tamborello and Ben Gibbard prepare to mark the 10th anniversary of GIve Up, they’ve leaked this previously unheard outtake.
[The Postal Service]

The Knife ‘A Tooth For An Eye’

Opening track from their forthcoming, long awaited follow up to Silent Shout, Shaking The Habitual. A superior track to the somewhat aimless first single, ‘Full of Fire’.
[The Knife]

GEMS ‘Pegasus’

From Washington DC, featherlight dreampop in a simlar vein to Beach House.
[GEMS]

Peals ‘Blue Elvis’

Instrumental chillout with a south pacific beach lullaby feel from Baltimore scenesters William Cashion (Future Islands) and Bruce Willen (ex-Double Dagger).
[Peals]

Takeaway

After the last indie rock-heavy instalment, ITP #28 sees a healthy dose of electronic pop while still finding room for plenty of guitars.

AlunaGeorge ‘Attracting Flies’
These guys can’t seem to do a thing wrong. Their fourth appearance on In The Pharmacy, with another 21^st century pop classic. “Little grey fairytales and little white lies / everything you exhale is attracting flies”.
[AlunaGeorge]

Eleanor Friedberger ‘Stare At The Sun’ I didn’t dislike the Fiery Furnaces’ singer’s first debut album, but I did find it lacking in memorable tunes. Here though, the scratchy indie rock matches her breathless vocal delivery and lyrics in both catchiness and charm.
[Eleanor Friedberger]

Little Boots ‘Motorway’ It seems to have been ages since Victoria Hesketh’s debut as Little Boots, an album that failed to live up to the promise of those early singles and YouTube videos. I vaguely recall an underwhelming house-y stand alone single last year that went in one ear and out the other. What a wonderful surprise then to hear ‘Motorway’, which melds classic pop and electronica to great result. Obviously indebted to St Etienne, which is no bad thing. Taken from forthcoming second album Nocturnes.
[Little Boots]

Smith Westerns ‘Varsity’ Wistful indie rock with a classic feel from the Chicago bands forthcoming third album Soft Will.
[Smith Westerns]

Yeah Yeah Yeahs ‘Sacrilege’
It’s Blitz while not a complete misstep, was disappointing in what is an otherwise faultless catalogue, songs and riffs sounded lacking and derivative especially when the previous Is Is EP had pointed towards the band’s signature sound evolving into something singularly their own. So this is not so much a step backward as a step back from inconsequentiality. Although the gospel choir seems a bit overdone, the experience of Nick Zinner’s 41 Strings project seems to have brought a freshness to the arrangement.
[Yeah Yeah Yeahs]

Yacht ‘Second Summer’
2011’s Shangri-La was easily Yacht’s best album so far. This the first taste of their forthcoming follow up album. Catchy Discotronica with a lyric as memorable as the music “can you stand by your man, as the shit hits the fan”.
[Yacht]

Colleen Green ‘Heavy Shit’
Lo-fi punky indie-pop with a post punk edge.
[Colleen Green]

Empress Of ‘Hat Trick’
Electronic dreampop with a woozy psychedelic edge. The work of one Brooklyn-based Lorely Rodriguez.
[Empress Of]

Iron & Wine ‘Grace For Saints and Ramblers’
Sam Beam continues his journey from stripped down troubadour to lusher forms of indie rock, with harmonies and handclaps, taken from his forthcoming fifth album Ghost on Ghost.
[Iron & Wine]

!!! ‘Slyd’
Slippery funky electronica from Thr!!!ler, the band’s forthcoming follow up to 2010’s excellent Strange Weather, Isn’t it?  Follow the link for a free download.
[!!!]

Big Black Delta ‘Side of The Road’
I was expecting this to be some swampy blues number, on account of the name. Rather. This solo project of lo-fi indie rockers Mellowdrone’s Janathon Bates is electronic pop with a 80s Italo disco feel and heavily treated / robotic vocals.
[Big Black Delta]

Roosevelt ‘Around You’ Irresistible electronic dancefloor pop from Cologne-based electronic producer Marius Lauber.
[Roosevelt]

Milk Music ‘Cruising With God’ Noisey indie with an 80s alt-rock feel.
[Milk Music]

Still Corners ‘Berlin Lovers’ Squelchy analogue electronic pop
[Still Corners]

Fyfe ‘St Tropez’
A little bit Beirut, a little bit psych pop, a little bit The National from 23 year old Londoner Paul Dixon.
[Fyfe]

The 17 best tracks I’ve heard in the last two weeks. Including a couple of tracks displaying a Go-Betweens influence and one honest to goodness Go-Betweens cover version. My favourite track from the new Atoms For Peace album, a lot of 90s slacker indie rock influences, a tune that sounds like Daft Punk, some trip hop, plus the return of CocoRosie, Thalia Zedek, Kurt Vile, Mogwai and The Men.

Atoms For Peace ‘Dropped’
One of many highlights from Thom Yorke’s slippery groove based supergroup’s debut album (not a dud track on it).
[Atoms For Peace]

Purling Hiss ‘Mercury Retrograde’
Philly band known for their lo-fi rock clean up their sound and deliver a lovely bit of 90s influenced, melodic, slacker  indie rock.
[Purling Hiss]

CocoRosie ‘Gravedigress’
Following on from last year’s superb ‘We Are On Fire’ with the first taste of forthcoming album Tales of A Grass Widdow.
[CocoRosie]

Scott & Charlene’s Wedding ‘Two Weeks’
A bit of that 80s Flying Nun sound  / a bit of The Go-Betweens from Brooklyn based expat Melbournite.
[Scott & Charlene’s Wedding]

Kurt Vile ‘Wakin’ On A Pretty Day’
More slacker indie. Nine-and-a-half languorous minutes from the chief Violator’s forthcoming similarly titled album Wakin’ on a Pretty Daze. “Even my cranky mom likes it” says producer (and legend) John Agnello.
[Kurt Vile]

La Luz ‘Sure As Spring’
Seattle outfit channeling those 60s surf rock / girl group sounds.
[La Luz]

The Men ‘I Saw Her Face’
More melodic, 90s influenced indie rock with that magical Crazy Horse slack vibe from the brilliant Santa Monica band.
[The Men]

Thalia Zedek Band ‘Walk Away’
Ex-Live Skull and Come legend returns five years after her last album, reassuring us that loss is still her muse and if anything, her voice is improving with age. Indie rock blues with the sort of wistful violin from David Michael Curry that wouldn’t have been out of place on latter period Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci.
[Thalia Zedek Band]

London Grammar ‘Metal and Dust’
Quite a few trip-hop influenced tracks surfacing lately. This one from the London based trio is particularly catchy.
[London Grammar]

Waxahatchee ‘Coast To Coast’
[Waxahatchee]

Mogwai ‘Wizard Motor’
I stopped paying attention to Mogwai after the superb Rock Action. Nothing personal, I just lost interest in instrumental post-rock. This (taken from their soundtrack to French TV show Les Revenants) has made me want to pick up where I left off.
[Mogwai]

Classixx ‘Holding On’
Sounds like classic Daft Punk. Therefore = good.
[Classixx]

Lady Lamb the Beekeeper ‘Bird Balloons’
Prolific 23-year-old self-releaser of bluesy indie rock revisits one of her oldest songs for her Ba Da Bing! debut. Intriguing.
[Lady Lamb the Beekeeper]

Shellshag ‘Face to Face’
Veteran Brooklyn du of John ‘Shellhead’ Driver and Jennifer Shagawat (see what they did there?) return with scuzzy, 90s influenced indie rock.
[Shellshag]

Dick Diver ‘Water Damage’
Like Scott and Charlene’s Wedding, Aussie Dick Diver has a taste for 80s-Flying-Nun-meets-The-Go-Betweens jangle pop with added quality songwriting.
[Dick Diver]

Steve Kilbey ‘The Wrong Road’
The Church’s frontman pays tribute to his friend and Jack Frost colleague Grant McLennan with a cover of one of GM’s best Go-Between’s songs. Recorded back in 2006 and only recently posted online by SK to mark what would have been GM’s birthday (Feb 13).
[Steve Kilbey]

The Weather Station w/Baby Eagle ‘Mule In The Flowers’
Canadian singer songwriter Tamara Lindeman records as The Weather Station and has embarked on series of Duets of which this is the second to surface. Recorded with former Constantines guitarist / Baby Eagle Steven Lambke, this is lovely slice of indie folk, with hushed vocals and simple picked guitar.
[The Weather Station]

Takeaway

NB: Atoms for Peace artwork taken from Lockheed Nuclear Products advert in Spet 1958 edition of National Geographic

The 16 best songs I’ve heard in the last two weeks. Definitely the best 14 days of the year so far. What you’ll hear: indie rock, electropop, indie-pop, Afro-pop influences, a Springsteen cover version, r’nb, dreampop, coldwave, trip hop, folk and jazz.

Chvrches ‘Recover’
Best track so far from Glaswegian electronic band clearly influenced by The Knife.
[Chvrches]

Veronica Falls ‘If You Still Want Me’
A personal favourite from the London indiepop band’s second album, ‘Waiting For Something To Happen’.
[Veronica Falls]

Divine Fits ‘Hungry Heart’
Indie supergroup, makers of the best album of 2012, take on Bruce Springsteen for Triple-J’s Like A Version.
[Divine Fits]

Young Dreams ‘First Days of Something’
Norwegian indie-pop with some nice West African guitar touches
[Young Dreams]

Laura Stevenson ‘Runner’
Long-Island based indie songstress.
[Laura Stevenson]

Melt Yourself Down ‘Fix My Life’
UK jazz collective follow up last November’s ’We Are Enough’ (ITP #21). Like Pigbag meets Holy Fuck in a souk.
[Melt Yourself Down]

Lust for Youth ‘Chasing The Light’
Coldwave /gothy electropop from Swedish producer Hannes Norrvide.
[Lust For Youth]

Dean Blunt ‘Papi’
Trip hop noir from male half of Hype Williams. Surprisingly Bill Callahan-like delivery.
[Dean Blunt]

Gun Outfit ‘Flyin’ Low, Maria’
Lo-fi Pacific Northwest indie with 80s/90s alt-rock influences. Hints of psychedelia in the guitars, hints of early Courtney Love in the vocals.
[Gun Outfit]

Mikal Cronin ‘Shout It Out’
Power pop with hints of early Ben Kweller meets Beaulah’s Miles Kurosky from the sometime Ty Segall collaborator.
[Mikal Cronin]

Elephant ‘Skyscraper’
Dreamy indie-pop.
[Elephant]

Sun Kil Moon / The Album Leaf ‘Caroline’
Second track to emerge from their eagerly anticipated collaborative album Perils From the Sea.
[Sun Kil Moon] [The Album Leaf]

Anaïs Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer ‘Willie of Winsbury’
Traditional song from the folkies’ collaborative album Child Ballads.
[Anaïs Mitchell]

Autre Ne Veut ‘Play By Play’
R n’b track which builds to a euphoric, killer refrain.
[Autre Ne Veut]

Vondelpark ‘California Analog Dream’
Surrey trio on R&S label re-record old track, strip away clunky UK Garage beat and polish up everything else into something altogether more interesting.
[Vondelpark]

Tourist ‘I Have No Fear’
Tourist’s instrumental head-nodder ‘Placid Acid’ was featured in ITP#1 back in January 2012. On first listen this seems more minimal, but reveals itself as just as much of an earworm.
[Tourist]

Takeaway

13 of the best songs from the last two weeks. The return of Devendra Banhart, a track that sounds like At The Drive-In meets The Hold Steady, a song that sounds like classic Neil Young and Crazy Horse, post-punk, indie-folk and electropop.

Blue Hawaii ‘Try To Be’
Chilled out pop built from BRAIDS’ Raphaelle Standell-Preston and fellow Montreal-based multi-instrumentalist Alexander Gowan. Sounds like a less saccharine, more mature Grimes.
[Blue Hawaii]

Wampire ‘The Hearse’
Portland indie pop with a hint of post-punk, new wave and power pop.
[Wampire]

Mozart’s Sister ‘Mozart’s Sister’

More 80s electropop from Montreal’s Caila Thompson Hannet who records as Mozart’s Sister. The ‘When Doves Cry’ worshipping ‘Don’t Leave It To Me’ was featured back in June last year in ITP #10.
[Mozart’s Sister]

Beach Fossils ‘Generational Synthetic’
After a year focussing on side projects (DIIV, Heavenly Beat) the Brooklyn melodic indie rockers return with a taste of their forthcoming second album Clash The Truth.
[Beach Fossils]

Waxahtachee ‘Peace and Quiet’
Brooklyn-based Katie Crutchfield, specialist in lo-fi sadness.
[Waxahtachee]

Doldrums featuring Austra ‘Anomaly’
More 80s-influenced electropop from the great white north. Austra’s Katie Stelmanis provides vocals.
[Doldrums]

Thao and the Get Down Stay Down w/ Joanna Newsom ‘Kindness Be Conceived’
Thao and Joanna start a hoedown. From Thao’s forthcoming album We The Common.
[Thao and The Get Down Stay Down]

Devendra Banhart
Freak folkster returns with a laid back tune that sounds like the beach at sunset. Effortlessly segues into a funk soul outro.
[Devendra Banhart]

Disclosure featuring AlunaGeorge ‘White Noise’
Two London based duos team up for dancefloor pop perfection.
[AlunaGeorge] [Disclosure]

Girls Names ‘Pittura Infamante’
Fourth track we’ve featured from Belfast post punk indie rockers. From their forthcoming album The New Life.
[Girls Names]

Single Mothers ‘Christian Girls’
At the Drive-In meets The Hold Steady.
[Single Mothers]

Dan Michaelson and the Coastguards ‘Sheets’
Like a seriously depressed The National (in a good way).
[Dan Michaelson and the Coastguards]

Retribution Gospel Choir ‘Seven’
RGC channel their inner Crazy Horse on this 21 minute monster.
[Retribution Gospel Choir]