Sisters - Everybody

Another great recommendation courtesy of Jason out in Washington. Hailing from Olympia, this trio makes noise pop that could easily be mistaken for a lost Sonic Youth record from the mid 80's. The aforementioned indie rock godfathers could probably benefit from picking up a copy of Everybody and taking some notes. The music that Sisters make has the sort of bite that Thurston Moore & Co. haven't been able to capture in years.

- Steve

Download Everybody

Sore Eros - Second Chants

Another solid release from Shdwply Records. Dreamy, hazy, reflective reverb-drenched psych indie goodness via Connecticut. Heavily introspective, but I promise you won't want to kill yourself. There's quite a bit of experimentation throughout the record, and there's actually a few moments that reminded me of some of earlier Animal Collective. This LP is limited to 500 so get it quick before someone else does and therefore becomes cooler than you. I could see this one appearing on quite a few top 10 lists if it gets to the right ears.

- Dan

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Panda Bear - s/t

(Request)

Someone emailed a request for this one. It's not exactly an uncommon record on the internet, but self-titled albums can be a pain in the ass to find. Released in '98, this is the first ever Animal Collective related release, which means it's an essential to your AC collection. The album itself is nothing special, but still an interesting listen.

- Dan

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Lilys - The 3 Way

Ever since the Great Hard Drive Crash of 2008, I've been slowly rebuilding my musical inventory, which means re-ripping all of my old CDs. I had completely forgotten about this album, and had also forgotten how infectious it is. An earlier Lilys post from Steve can be found on this blog, but this release is my personal favorite. This 1999 album is probably Kurt Heasley's most blatently catchy album, but he has got the 1960s Brit-pop sound absolutely nailed. A fun throwback record with a large variety of instruments. I'm looking forward to resurrecting this album when the weather gets warmer.

- Dan

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Ecstatic Sunshine - Freckle Wars

Ecstatic Sunshine is a guitar duo hailing from Baltimore Maryland. No vocals, bass, drums, and oddly enough, no shredding either. Considering the band is more or less an excuse for two guys duel it out with their 6-strings, you might expect some Fucking Champs-esque wankery. Instead, Freckle Wars manages to be incredibly interesting and complex without seeming the least bit bloated.

- Steve

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The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - S/T

With arguably the world's worst band name and a mountain of music critic jizz heaped in steaming piles all around them, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart have found themselves in the comfortable position of being 2009's first "it" band. What separates this group from other flavor-of-the-month indie acts is the simple fact that this record isn't just another underwhleming fluff piece. Simple as they may be (and often masked by a healthy dose of fuzz) these songs are catchy as hell. Yes, this is not the most original thing you'll hear this year. But, if you're going to jack your sound from a bygone era, the sweet sounds of The Jesus & Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, and Slowdive are great influences to draw heavily from. Download this one and let it grow on you. I promise you the more time you spend with this record the more you'll enjoy it.

- Steve

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Next Life - The Lost Age

(LINK REMOVED 04/19/2009)

The Lost Age is the Norwegian duo's follow up to their 2006 full-length Electric Violence. Production value has certainly gone up, but there isn't very much that sets this apart from their last release, which isn't necessarily as bad thing (yet). By the looks of the album cover, and overall sound of the album, it sounds as if the duo was more concentrated on creating an improved and slightly more epic version of Electric Violence. They have managed to pull that off for this release, but they're going to need to develop their sound further in the near future. To be honest, if you were to play pieces of either album, I would have a hard time identifying which one I'm hearing. I don't mean for this to sound like a negative review. This is still highly enjoyable chiptune-ish metal, and the fact that the individual tracks rarely break the 2-minute mark keeps you on your toes, but I really hope they take it a step further for their next release. If you want to hear Electric Violence, I posted it a while back.

- Dan

Bibio - Vignetting the Compost

Vignetting the Compost is an understated and subtle gift to your ears from Bibio. His brand of electronic folk is as much nostalgic as it is contemporary. Looping guitars, field sounds, and static make this album on of the most genuinely beautiful albums I've heard in a while. It's an album made specifically for your gramophone.

- Dan

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Boredoms - Super Roots 10

This one finally hit the nets a few days ago, and I'm actually slightly disappointed, which is not something I'm accustomed to saying in regards to anything Boredoms related. It's one 9 minute track with 4 remixes by Alts, DJ Finger Hat, and Lindtrom. The whole EP still has that same heaven sent sound that Boredoms has been creating for 10 years now, and there's a little more synth action, but, overall, it seems less inspired than what I'm used to hearing from the band. The Lindstrom track is pretty solid, and will make you want to listen to Michael Jackson or play Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, but I think I'd rather listen to any of the other entries in the Super Roots series. Still a must have for Boredoms collectors though.

- Dan

Download Super Roots 10