Shout Out Louds Get To ‘Work!’ (Video)
Shout Out Louds came storming out of the gate with their 2003 debut, Howl Howl Gaff Gaff, one of the finest records in a year rife with great music. Unfortunately, the Swedish band stumbled a bit with their follow-up, 2007’s overly-polished Our Ill Wills. With its high-production sheen and Cure-esque posturing, the sophomore effort was listenable but frustratingly sterile and derivative. Thankfully, the band seems poised to return to their former glory with the upcoming album Work!
Set for release February 23 on Merge Records, the album forgoes ornate strings and percussion in favor of a more stripped down sound. Work! is produced by Phil Ek, who has done right by bands like The Shins, Fleet Foxes, and Band of Horses in the past. The first video from the album, entitled “Walls”, gives further cause to be excited; its driving guitar, inviting vocals, and perfectly placed piano leave no doubt that the band is in fighting form. If you like the song, you can download an MP3 of it here.
The band will be playing a special album-release show on March 1st at the Music Hall of Wlliamsburg in Brooklyn before embarking on a tour for most of 2010.
Download: Fleet Foxes – November 22, 2008 (DVD)
Soundboard (TV)/README/Download
Sub Pop’s highly-acclaimed Fleet Foxes just finished a gig with Neil Young at his 23rd Bridge School Benefit, but now they’re taking a break. Fleet Foxes band member J. Tillman, however, is about to start a U.S. tour—with plans to stop December 1 at San Diego’s Casbah. We’ll definitely be in attendance. Full list of dates are after the jump.
Downloading tips: Visit our FAQ for information on how to download these files. If you don’t like to right-click/download files individually, check out DownThemAll, a handy Firefox plugin that allows you to do it in bulk. If you like the downloads, let us know in the comments. Also, requests (for your favorite bands, not specific shows) are always welcome. (more…)
Review: The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You
The Avett Brothers are all about feeling. On Emotionalism, their last proper full length, the Avetts certainly didn’t shy away from feeling; they celebrated it. The songs from Emotionalism were mostly led by banjo, upright bass, occasional strings and the just-twangy-enough vocals of one or both brothers. Everything about that setup said these guys were playing bluegrass music, but what came out of the speakers felt different.
That element, that unique style of bluegrass that sounded more like an alt-country-influenced indie band, clearly set the Avetts apart from anything I’d ever heard before. But there was more to them than that. There were also those straightforward and heartfelt lyrics, melodies that felt nostalgic and comforting, and an overall sense that these guys grew up loving American music and wanted to make it their own, to take it somewhere new while keeping everything that was great about it intact. (more…)
Download: Fleet Foxes – April 21, 2009 (FLACs)
We haven’t done a non-Wilco download in a little while quite some time. Is this something that you ladies and gents want us to do more often? It takes a bit of time and effort, which is why these downloads tend to get the back burner treatment when we’re busy with our various other projects.
If you would, take some time to let us know if this is something you like. If nobody responds, then, well, I guess we’ll just keep it sporadic.
For more non-Wilco downloads, check out the Owl and Bearchive.
Sub Pop Records Sampler (MP3s)
Amazon is offering a free MP3 sampler of current music from the legendary record label, Sub Pop records.
Featured bands include Flight of the Conchords, Vetiver, Handsome Furs, Obits, Red Red Meat, Vaselines, Blitzen Trapper, Fleet Foxes, Iron & Wine, Daniel Martin Moore, and Chad Vangaalen.
Lots of good stuff here; you should definitely check it out.
[Amazon]
Download: Owl and Bear’s Top 20 Albums of 2008
Owl and Bear writers’ favorite albums of 2008. (more…)
Promise to Vote, and Get Free Wilco/Fleet Foxes
From The Onion’s Audio/Visual Club:
The A.V. Club is delighted to point you to a free download of a new live collaboration between Wilco and Fleet Foxes, a cover of Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” which was recorded in Bend, OR on the recent Wilco tour. Wilco’s working with Headcount.org, “a nonpartisan, non-profit organization dedicated to voter registration and inspiring participation in democracy through the power of music.” So when you download this track, you’ll be asked to click a simple button, pledging to vote in the upcoming national election on November 4. And if you’re feeling particularly generous, Wilco’s also suggesting you make a donation to Second Harvest/Feed America.
Without further ado: Go here to download the track!
The New Up – Broken Machine
2008, Evil Cherise
It is often said that you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. But sometimes it goes the other way, and you don’t know what you’ve been missing until you finally get it. Some bands strike a chord with fans because they fill a void that the fan hadn’t even realized was there. Whether it be in the form of Fleet Foxes’ ethereal harmonies, Cut Copy’s intense synth-pop, or the Adam-Duritz-on-spin-cycle vocals of Frightened Rabbit, sometimes a band will just feel immediately, intimately familiar. The same sensation can be felt when hearing San Francisco band The New Up—the scratching of an itch you didn’t even know you had.
On their new five song EP, Broken Machine—the first in a series of three EPs by the band set for release over the next year—The New Up bring their moody dance-rock to a boil and keep it there. From the first moments of lead track “Ginger Tea”, the EP oozes smoky atmosphere, as if Metric and My Bloody Valentine had collaborated on the soundtrack to a David Lynch film.
