New John Vanderslice Video: "Forest Knolls"

From John's excellent new record Romanian Names out now on Dead Oceans

Friday Blog Reel

Woods: "Get Clean" [mp3]

Animal Collective: "Summertime Clothes"

John Vanderslice: "Too Much Time" [mp3]

Today our featured video comes from the fantastic new-comers Woods, who we've written about numerous times. Sometimes, a video is able to give you a new perspective on a song. While, videos have largely become obsolete as a form of discovering new music, they still exist as a great way to give fans and listeners a new way to envision your music. For a band like Woods, their music can sometime seem a little dark. Yet, this video for their song "To Clean" shows a brighter side to the tune, even though there are lots of knives and fake blood. Fun times with Woods. Good song too. The rest are after the jump.


Animal COllective: Summertime Clothes

John Vanderslice "Too Much Time" from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

Tuesday Release Day: Passion Pit, Au Revoir Simone, John Vanderslice, Others

Artist: Passion Pit
Album: Manners (Frenchkiss/Columbia)
mp3: "Moth's Wings"

Today is full of great releases. Our favorite this week is Passion Pit's Manners. Passion Pit has been crafting excellent club-style indie pop since the release of their amazing Chunk of Change EP. They have signed to a deal with Frenchkiss and Columbia and today released Manners, their full- blooded dance rock LP that Vince raved about a few weeks ago. We missed them on the booze cruise last night in NY, but keep your eye on this band as they are poised for crossover success this year i.e. MGMT. Manners seems to lack a driving power single such as "Time to Pretend", but the consistent level of quality throughout this record should not be missed. See the rest of our picks after the jump...

Artist: John Vanderslice
Album: Romanian Names (Dead Oceans)
Mp3: "Fetal Horses"

Consistency is the word when it comes to John Vanderslice. Today, he offers up his seventh release Romanian Names, which is yet another example of this fine singer/songwriter's talent for crafting well developed and mature compositions. While we haven't heard the album in its entirety yet, the songs we have heard don't stray far from his previous output, but when it comes to John Vanderslice that's not a bad thing at all.

Artist: Polly Scattergood
Album: Polly Scattergood (Mute)
Mp3: "Nitrogen Pink"

London-based singer Polly Scattergood releases her self-titled debut record today on Mute. While there are some inconsistencies on this release, Polly Scattergood's potential shines brightly on this album. Standout tracks such as "Nitrogen Pink" demonstrate her talent for writing catchy songs that grow and develop around a unique voice that can recall anyone from Keren Ann, to Kate Bush orTori Amos. She puts her emotion clearly on display, sometimes to a fault, but the confessional style of her writing succeeds on more than one occasion, leading us to believe that as she continues to develop she can be a true standout on the scene.

Artist: Au Revoir Simone
Album: Still Night, Still Light (Our Secret Record Company)

Au Revoir Simone release their third, and arguably best record Still Night, Still Light, today. From what we've heard, there isn't much departure here from their previous efforts, but they have stepped up the songwriting quality a touch, delivering a more fully formed picture of the trio's sound. While incorporating elements of disco backed by drums tracks and synths, Au Revoir Simone still manage to convey an underlying emotion of pensive sadness, which gives Still Night Still Light an edge and a quality that brings it above their more pop oriented peers who often lack emotional depth. Au Revoir Simone will be touring with the Antlers in the coming weeks, making it a bill not to be missed.

Artist: Magnolia Electric Company
Album: It's Made Me Cry (Secretly Canadian)

Last and most certainly not least is the digital release of Magnolia Electric Company's Record Store Day exclusive 7" It's Made Me Cry EP. It's vintage Jason Molina songwriting here, and if you've ever read this blog before, you know that he's one of our favorite current songwriters. While they may not be the pumping the spring weather jams you are looking for right now, these slow country burners do well for any evening or gray rainy day. All proceeds from the sale of the EP benefits go to the Evan Farrell Memorial Fund, which was set up for the two sons of the former Rogue Wave bassist, who died from injuries sustained in a house fire a couple years back.

New John Vanderslice

[MP3]
John Vanderslice "Fetal Horses"

Really exciting news today in the form of a new John Vanderslice song and record coming this spring. Stereogum premiered the track earlier today and sure enough the press release followed. Vanderslice's output has always been stellar, but his albums seemed to have lacked sustained continuity throughout. Dead Oceans makes a bold statement calling Romanian Names "the best record he’s made to date... a career-defining moment, a pitch-perfect collection written and recorded with the utmost care and attention." Ok yes, that is his publicist, but still pretty bold and exciting assertions. They go on to say: "The album is subtle and lush, with a lyrical approach less concerned with narrative and cohesion than previous JV records, leading to a new tone that feels self-assured, natural, and unafraid. The results come in the way of killer sing-along choruses, memorable and punchy hooks, and knock-out atmospherics." Groovy. Romanian Names comes out May 19th. Cover and track list ATJ.


Romanian Names:
Tremble And Tear
Fetal Horses
C&O Canal
Too Much Time
D.I.A.L.O.
Forest Knolls
Oblivion
Sunken Union Boat
Romanian Names
Carina Constellation
Summer Stock
Hard Times

"A coast-to-coast-to-coast tour is in the works following John Vanderslice's Gone Primitive Tour with The Mountain Goats. The tour will kick off in California mid-May. Many more tour dates to be announced in the coming weeks, and British and European fans can expect live dates in the autumn."

5/17/09 Merced, CA - The Partisan
5/19/09 San Francisco, CA - The Rickshaw
5/21/09 Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
5/22/09 Seattle, WA - Easy Street
5/24/09 George, WA - Sasquatch!
5/27/09 Provo, UT - Velour
5/28/09 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
5/29/09 Denver, CO - Hi-Dive
5/30/09 Omaha, NE - Slowdown Jr
6/06/09 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
6/09/09 Pittsburgh, PA - The Warhol Museum
6/12/09 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williambsurg