UK duo The Big Pink has released a new single “Hit the Ground (Superman)” off their upcoming sophomore album, set to release in January. It’s a synthtastic landscape and it’s massively catchy. Check it out.

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Stay Gold

Sweet Dreams (Beyonce Cover)

Bradford Cox has a keen ability to turn his personal tragedy into melodic gold. Best known as the frontman of indie-rock four-piece Deerhunter, Cox recently released his third solo EP as Atlas Sound. Classified as pop, “Parallax” really occupies a space of its own. It’s otherworldly and dreamy yet somehow manages to find footing in something very relatable. His genius lies in mastery of texture. Cox beautifully surges digitalism and classicism with submerged vocals but without hiding behind his sonic effects. There’s something more confident about “Parallax” than his previous stuff. As emotionally driven as his music is, it emanates a unique and personal positivity, leaving you feeling more energized than broken.

Tracklist

1. The Shakes
2. Amplifiers
3. Te Amo
4. Parallax
5. Modern Aquatic Nightsongs
6. Mona Lisa
7. Praying Man
8. Doldrums
9. Angel Is Broken
10. Terra Incognita
11. Flagstaff
12. Lightworks

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Atlas Sound – Criminals
Deerhunter – Nosebleed

Manhattan duo Cults’ self-titled debut is all things brilliant and beautiful and awesome compacted into 11 distinct songs. It finds its catchiness in its old-timey-but-still-kinda-new-agey sound that reinvents itself 11 times over. It’s one of those albums that hooks your ears from the get go but gradually as you listen to it draws you in and almost brainwashes you. The lyrics and the vocals sweetly compliment each other amongst melodies that echo from a 1950’s bubblegum pop dream. They brilliantly incorporate subtle sample recordings of cult leaders speaking to their followers, but do so in such way that it doesn’t overwhelm the music but compliments it. The album is a slice of sunshine. It’s an escape. Buy it. Now. You’re missing out.

Tracklist

1. Abducted
2. Go Outside
3. You Know What I Mean
4. Most Wanted
5. Walk At Night
6. Never Heal Myself
7. Oh My God
8. Never Saw the Point
9. Bad Things
10.Bumper
11. Rave On

Even if you don’t have a thing for punk-kick anthems and rock n’ roll guised folklore, Frank Turner’s third and most recent release “England Keep My Bones” is an album to live by. In 12 adreneline-infused tracks (18 if you splurge on the deluxe edition), Turner manages to leave you feeling somehow stirred. The album bears the motifs of homeland and England and belonging but ultimately it’s about living your life to the fullest. It’s a reminder that life is a gift you must make the most of. Yet it’s daring and offensive enough to deliver this message realistically without sounding tweenish. In fact it’s anything but tweenish. There are no subtle undertones; it doesn’t beat around the bush. It’s just as bold and audacious lyrically as it is instrumentally and these combined efforts make the album really powerful. Turner artfully puts life into perspective, “‘Cos love is free and life is cheap/ As long as I’ve got me a place to sleep/ Clothes on my back and some food to eat/ I can’t ask for anything more” (If Ever I Stray). Each song is packed with its own wisdom. This is an album for the mind. It’s the rare kind of album that brings you to your feet and calls you to action. I for one am inspired. YOLO.

Tracklist

1. Eulogy
2. Peggy Sang the Blues
3. I Still Believe
4. Rivers
5. I Am Disappeared
6. English Curse
7. One Foot Before the Other
8. If Ever I Stray
9. Wessex Boy
10. Nights Become Days
11. Redemption
12. Glory Hallelujah

12FV

To plagiarize myself (yet again): I think it’s a real measure of someone’s skills not only as a musician but as an artist when they are able to take someone else’s work and make it their own, while still remaining reverent to the original piece. My iTunes library is stuffed with covers, simply because I like to see how artists remaster music that isn’t theirs.

I’ve been compiling playlists of covers, old and new, some from the depths of my iTunes and others as I stumble across them on the interwebs. Below is my third installment. Enjoy yo’self.

Indie Covers Playlist, Part III

^click to download

1. 1979 (RAC ft. Liz Anjos Cover) by Smashing Pumpkins
2. Only You Know (Alex Turner Cover) by Dion
3. Yours To Keep (Alex Winston Cover) by Teddy Bears
4. All My Friends (Tokyo Police Club Cover) by LCD Soundsystem
5. A Minor Place (Fanfarlo Cover) by Bonnie “Prince” Billy
6. Here Comes Your Man (Meaghan Smith Cover) by Pixies
7. The Wall (Porcelain Raft Cover) by Yuck
8. Despite Everything (Yuck Cover) by Porcelain Raft
9. Where Is My Mind (The Vaccines and Noah and the Whale Cover) by Pixies
10. Wake Up (Paolo Nutini Cover) by Arcade Fire

BONUS

New Zealanders The Naked and Famous recently did this remix of fellow Kiwis UMO’s “Ffunny Frends.” I think it’s in the same vein as a cover. They amped up the pace and added a bit of an adrenaline kick to the original. It’s pretty well done.

Ffunny Frends (The Naked and Famous Remix) by Unknown Mortal Orchestra

I’ve written about London-based indie-rock outfit Yuck quite a bit this year. Probably because–go figure–they’re one of my favorite breakout bands of 2011. They’re cool mostly because they’re doing their own thing without asking for anyone’s opinion. Their music has been repeatedly described as lo-fi, 1990’s-inspired rock but it really stands out in its own way; they’ve got great synergism. And the drummer has an awesome fro. Their videos are weird as hell but the music is great and that’s what matters. They recently released the b-sides of their self-titled debut. While these tracks are very typical Yuck (but not yucky in any way ha-ha-ha) it’s easy to see how they wouldn’t fit in with the rest of the album. If you haven’t listened to the full length album I’d highly recommend doing so. Once you’ve whet your taste buds to their sound, download the songs linked below.

Soothe Me

Cousin Corona

Milkshake

Doctors in My Bed

B-Sides

^click to download

It’s difficult to imagine Youth Lagoon’s debut album “The Year of Hibernation” as something recorded in a bedroom. Futuristically epic, it seems to occupy a space beyond the constraints of gravity. What’s more it’s lonely and esoteric, but in a sort of way that you want to find a common ground with it. Youth Lagoon is the creative endeavor of 22-year-old Trevor Powers. His debut is the sort of thing you could write a dissertation on. And honestly it wouldn’t surprise me if people do years down the road. “The Year of Hibernation” is the sort of album that makes a profound mark on all possible levels. Its individualism is initially evident in the steady melodic build-up of each song. Each track is similar in that manner. At first it sounds like something you could drown in, but as it continues it builds strength through drum machines and synth. The vocals have this sunken quality about them, like Powers is speaking through a tin can, giving them a subconscious affect. Perhaps what makes this album so beautiful is how evident it is that he made this album purely for himself. Like he had to let something he’d been holding in for years out; this becomes further evident through the lyrics. It’s clear he’s dealing with a lot. This is one of those rare albums that manages to be both catchy and profound. It may even be ahead of its time.

Tracklist

1. Afternoon
2. Cannons
3. Daydream
4. July
5. Montana
6. Posters
7. Seventeen
8. The Hunt