Dartmouth Soundoff: Ten for Ten
Another term has come and gone, and the past ten weeks have seen dozens of album releases. Unfortunately Azealia Banks’ Broke With Expensive Taste was not one of them, despite the fact that she’s been teasing us with talk of a new release since February. Then again, maybe the music universe made up for it by leaking Daft Punk’s new album a week early, but I digress. Summer break is a prime time for exploring new music, and you will need some starting points before you get off Dartmouth Secure wi-fi and onto your torrenting. Here are 10 of what I found to be the most relevant and/or interesting albums released in the last ten weeks.
The Strokes — Comedown Machine (March 26): Receiving generally positive reviews and cracking the top 10 of U.S. Billboard charts, Comedown Machine is a mix of classic Strokes sound, like the leading single "All the Times" and experimenting with new things like neo-funk album opener "Tap Out."
Listen to "All the Times"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJC8zeu3MHk
Milk Carton Kids — The Ash and Clay (March 26): This album doesn't contain anything as angsty as the Milk Carton Kids track from last week's column. Instead, The Ash and Clay is an album of beautiful back-porch-at-night folk music. Mellow enough for studying, I just streamed the entire album in the 1902 Room.
Listen to "On The Mend"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OiBOH9OQtU
The Knife — Shaking the Habitual (April 5): I'm not going to beat around the bush, this album is out there, even for experimental music. YouTube music critic Anthony Fantanocalls the album "incredibly ambitious" and "difficult to digest." From the 10-minute long single "Full of Fire," which was accompanied with an equally bizarre short-film, to the almost tribal "Without My Life Would Be Boring," the 98-minute long release is full of crazy.
Listen to "A Tooth for an Eye"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W10F0ezCTIQ&feature=share&list=PLZqsyBiYZFQ08qAGghZcgIknwDroiY3I7
Yeah Yeah Yeahs — Mosquito (Apr 12): The fourth full-length release from the New York art-rock act, despite receiving generally positive reviews, proves to be sort of a grab bag when it comes to level of excitement. The gritty leading single "Sacrilege," is a highlight of the album, but other moments, like the rap solo in "Buried Alive," are examples where their weird wasn't quite pulled off. Their top five Billboard chart debut and their past notoriety was what won me over to get this album on the list.
Listen to "Sacrilege"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_dw3TZNIGE
Charli XCX — True Romance (April 12): Twenty year-old Charli XCX, whose greatest claim to fame perhaps is being featured on Icona Pop's "I Love It,” released her first major-label full length album last month. Catchy mid-tempo Euro synthpop with American appeal, this chick sounds like a Robyn-spawn.
Listen to "You (Ha Ha Ha)"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtrHH1BDlzk
Major Lazer — Free the Universe (April 16): The second full-length album with LA-based DJ Diplo behind it, Free the Universe is practically a slideshow of collaborations from Tyga to Shaggy to The Dirty Projectors. I talked about "Jessica" and how it featured Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend, but I think this album of trippy dancehall-with-a-drop-of-reggae is worth a second mention.
Listen to "Get Free"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgfuI3n8C1Y
Iron and Wine — Ghost on Ghost (April 16): The latest from singer-songwriter Samuel Bean sounds completely different than the artist that did "Naked as We Came" or "Boy With a Coin." While the full scale production including drums, bass and brass aren't entirely unpredictable after 2011's Kiss Each Other Clean, Ghost on Ghost still comes as a surprise to my Iron and Wine collection that consists of the hums along the lines "Cinder and Smoke."
Listen to "Grace for Saints and Ramblers"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R12yl4oGzMY
Vampire Weekend — Modern Vampires of the City (May 7): Receiving great reviews across the board, these guys seem to really have outdone themselves, especially after their almost equally critically-acclaimed Contra a few years ago. Pitchfork’s Ryan Dombalsays the album is “forcing one-time haters of this band torethinktheirentire lives,” and they are having the sales to prove it, debuting at the top of the Billboard charts.
Listen to "Step"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mDxcDjg9P4
The National — Trouble Will Find Me (May 17): The sixth full-length album from the dreary indie rock band doesn’t seem to deviate too much from their tried and true formula. Matt Berninger’s distinctive baritone voice meanders about the record that critics are eating up.
Listen to "Don't Swallow the Cap"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFnA-8H-5lo
Daft Punk — Random Access Memories (May 21): The fourth release from the French duo is essentially disco through the lens of the 21st century and the electronic production that has defined our musical era. “[Random Access Memories] is by far the year's most anticipated EDM set. The only issue is that it sounds almost nothing like EDM,”writes Rolling Stone reviewer Will Hermes.
Listen to "Get Lucky"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NV6Rdv1a3I