Stream Laura Gibson's La Grande in Full

[mp3] Laura Gibson: "La Grande" 

Long has Laura Gibson been the purveyor of hushed folk melodies imbued with a distinct poignancy and maturity that set her apart from her peers. Gibson does not deviate from this formula on her new record for Barsuk, La Grande, that comes out next week (1/24). There's a stillness to these songs, that makes the record accessible only to those with the patience to actually listen. While that may not garner much attention in the world of 30 second streaming sound bites, well rewarded are the consumers that choose to sit with this record on a quiet morning or late evening and enjoy it for all of its quiet charms. Stream La Grande in full at NPR. Laura Gibson plays The Mercury Lounge in NY on 1/30. Tour dates after the jump.

New Phantogram: "Don't Move"

[mp3] Phantogram: "Don't Move" 

Not sure how we missed this one come across our radar, but above is the new track "Don't Move" from Phantogram's upcoming (and tragically under-hyped) new mini-release Nightlife - dropping October 25 on Barsuk. Their last record Eyelid Moves was a strong debut, and true to form Phantogram have updated their sound, with some oh-so-trendy dub beats that are subtle enough to really work here and add some bounce to the mix. This is a strong track with compelling melodies and solid instrumentation. Looking forward to hearing more.

Laura Gibson Signs to Barsuk

 
Laura Gibson has been quietly amassing a stellar catalog of well-crafted albums, filled with hushed laments and sharp as a razor songwriting. We're very happy to hear this news! Below is a brand new tune recorded for Mason Jar Music. "Milk-Heavy, Pollen-Eyed" will be part of her next album

Barsuk is proud to announce the addition of Laura Gibson to their family. They’ve been fans of her enchanting voice and otherworldly songwriting for quite some time, so it’s with happy hearts that Barsuk gets to help share Laura’s music with the world. She's a unique and sincere personality with boundless creativity, and is lovingly welcomed into the Barsuk roster.

New Menomena (Finally)

It feels like we've been waiting forever for new music from Menomena, a group that crashed the indie party with their fantastic album Friend and Foe in early 2007. In a world where new content reigns supreme, a lay-off of three years can often spell doom for a band. It's a testament to their quality that folks are still clamoring for new material after that long a break. Yesterday, we got news of their new LP mines, due July 27th via Barsuk in the US. Their first track is above. In the interest of helping the band capture emails, and out of fear of the infamous 'delete blog' blogger feature - we've embedded their mp3 topspin widget below (ew). Yes, that is the cover art, and as p4k noted: "It's actually a stereogram, a 3D optical illusion (kind of a simple version of those magic eye things)."