And sure, the harmonies are really a nod to Brian Wilson and the sound he is most known for, but to simply stamp that label on a group like The Besnard Lakes and walk away is really not fair at all. Their 2007 album, …Are The Dark Horse was just that, a underdog type of record that gained quite a following over time. The record seemed to reward fans for patience as it payed off in a big way if you actually took the time to listen to it and discovered all it had to offer.

And now here we are in 2010, and The Besnard Lakes are back. Although this time, they won’t creep up and surprise, but instead are placed on the crowded shelf along with other bands we fell for and then were disappointed by when they followed that effort. However, I’m here to tell you right now, that not only is the new album from The Besnard Lakes not a disappointment, but it’s an album that very well could separate them from the underdogs and push them to the front of the pack.

All the things that made the last album great are present, but there is an epic quality to tunes like “Like The Ocean, Like The Innocent” as it builds and crescendos and then builds right back again. The press release claims the album is more Dennis Wilson than Brian, and I tend to agree after repeated listens. It just carries that quality that makes me want to hear it again, and again. And in this age of new music every minute to distract the listener and create a fickle attention span, ..Are The Roaring Night makes me want to put on the LP and only move to turn it over when it’s done playing.

The album gets an official release from Jagjaguwar Records on March 9th, but you can listen to and download the excellent song “Albatross” right now.

The Besnard Lakes – Albatross

Because of all that, it’s no simple task to tackle a new Sonic Youth album, but we just write opinions here anyway, right? There are those that feel they have not released much worth caring about in 10 years, and others that lap up every song on every album with the SY name splattered across it. Well, take into account first that I am a Sonic Youth fan, but have only considered myself a fan for a handful of years. I mentioned in a review for their 2008 biography Goodbye 20th Century that “casual fan” was a good way to describe my respect for Sonic Youth. That said, the book caused me to dig into more of the back catalouge and go from “casual fan” to “avid fan” pretty quickly, so this release was high on my list of anticipated albums this year.

Not only had Sonic Youth broken ties with longtime label Geffen Records after fulfilling their historic contract with their last Geffen release Rather Ripped in 2006, but the band jumped to “biggest fish in the indie pond” Matador Records for album number 16.

The Eternal is not that different from several other recent Sonic Youth albums, at least in the past 10 years or so, or since Murray Street, which seemed to be a return to form for the band whos renewed energy has carried them fairly consistently since. John Agnello is once again behind the decks, retained after his excellent work on Rather Ripped, and new to the fold is former Pavement bassist Mark Ibold, who has been playing live with the band since 2006, but contributes to a studio recording for the first time.

There is still plenty of stunning guitar work, mostly courtesy of Thurston Moore. Lee Ranaldo writes and sings quite a bit on this album, and his influence is probably the underrated, yet essential heartbeat for the entire thing. And Kim Gordon once again provides the sex appeal and very necessary grit that every Sonic Youth album needs, especially on here call and response “Anti-Orgasm” with Thurston. I still have a hard time with Gordon’s voice the first few times through, then I can’t imagine the song without it.

There are even moments of mid-tempo beauty on tunes like “Malibu Gas Station”, which shows a bit gentler side of Gordon and is driven by the always precise beat of percussion wiz Steve Shelley. Moore pays homage to the late punk pioneer Darby Crash (aka Booby Pryn) on the stunning tune “Thunderclap” and all three band staples take their turn on “Poison Arro”w, which has that desert rock punk feel to it that would fit comfortably alongside anything from the SY back catalog.

It could be one of the best albums I have heard so far this year, what do you think? Decide for yourself by grabbing the record June 9th from Matador. Until then, enjoy the albums first tune, “Sacred Trickster.”

Sonic Youth – Sacred Trickster

Such was the case with Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, whos name I had heard a couple times, and with a name like that, you kinda remember it quickly. So when I got hold of the full length album recently, I paid attention. And I am really glad I did, because this is quickly becoming one of my favorite new albums this year.

As for the aforementioned back story, well the gist is that the band started to release PSA’s via myspace before they even had music to offer and in a strange way caught the attention of some in their hometown of Seattle. We find out a bit more about the band just after this, when they revealed that their drummer, is the adopted brother of the lead singer, Benjamin Verdoes , and is 13 years old. Ben also has enlisted his wife to be in the band, and she sings backing vocals. And oh yeah, the album was co-produced by Scott Colburn (Arcade Fire, Animal Collective). Not a bad little story eh?

And now, we know that Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band will be releasing their debut full length album on the Dead Oceans label March 10th, and touring with Bishop Allen this spring. So, what about the music? Well, its not ground breaking, but as far as indie rock goes, it hits the sweet spot. With some great guitar work and pleading vocals, there is no reason that these guys won’t be a blog darling before long (if they are not already).

Get a taste of the new record right now with this tune, “Anchors Dropped”….

Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band – Anchors Dropped

Tour dates listed after the jump…

02/26/09 San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Shop w/ Goblin Cock and Warship
02/28/09 Salem, OR – IKE Box
03/06/09 Seattle, WA – Neumos w/ Visqueen and Say Hi
03/12/09 Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church w/ Bishop Allen
03/13/09 Washington DC, – The Black Cat w/ Bishop Allen
03/14/09 Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506 w/ Bishop Allen
03/15/09 Asheville, NC – The Rocket Club w/ Bishop Allen
03/16/09 Memphis, TN – Hi-Tone w/ Bishop Allen
03/17/09 Little Rock, AR – Sticky Fingerz Chicken Shack w/ Bishop Allen
03/18/09 Dallas, TX – House of Blues – The Pontiac Garage w/ Bishop Allen
03/23/09 Los Angeles, CA – Troubador w/ Bishop Allen
03/24/09 San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Shop w/ Bishop Allen
03/26/09 Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court w/ Bishop Allen
03/28/09 Denver, CO – Hi-Dive w/ Bishop Allen
03/29/09 Lawrence, KS – Jackpot Saloon w/ Bishop Allen
03/31/09 Chicago, IL – Subterranean w/ Bishop Allen
04/01/09 Grantham, PA – Messiah College – Larsent Student
04/02/09 Northhampton, MA – Iron Horse Music Hall w/ Bishop Allen
04/04/09 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Bishop Allen
04/05/09 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom w/ Bishop Allen

Fast forward to 2009, some seven years since The Moon Boys, when the new Iran album shows up in my mailbox, and I casually put it on a day or two later to hear what new sounds and experiments the boys have cooked up in the lab for this go-round. What I found though, is nothing short of an excellent overall record. Dissolver still has the sounds and eccentricities that the previous records had, (see “Digital Clock & Phone” for proof) but seems to really be more focused on lyrics, and just feel more fleshed out overall than anything I have heard from Iran.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have another TVOTR member helping with production in Dave Sitek, who seems to bring some of the focus to the recordings, while not sacrificing everything that made Iran edgy, which, as artists, is right where they want to be.

Songs like “I Can See The Future”, “Airport ‘79′”, & “Buddy” feel a bit disconnected at first, but after a couple more listens, it just clicks, and in a big way. The shifts in musical sound and direction nothing short of sharp but feel like a ride in a luxury car. This is not something that is achieved easily and is a testament to the talent of the parts that make up Iran and this album.

Dissolver is out tomorrow from the Narnack label and should not be ignored.

Iran – I Can See The Future

(article originally appeared on The Futurist)

Royal Bangs are one of the bands from the midwest that I am most excited about of late. It started with their debut album, We Breed Champions, which caught the attention of Patrick Carney of The Black Keys, who re-issued it on his Audio Eagle label last year, and gave it the stage it deserved to turn some more heads, and that it did. But I was really won over during their session at WOXY.com last fall, when the band played a great set full of energy, rock, funk and new material. So, I figured, if they could pull it off like that in front of 3 of us, I’m certain it would translate to something special in concert.

So, despite Cincinnati on a Thursday night in the dead of winter, which can be tough for the most established bands in town, Royal Bangs was mostly unfazed by a small crowd, half of which had come along just to see the two openers, Come On Caboose and Vanity Theft.

The boys launched into their set, which included lots of new songs, and a couple favorites from their debut, like “New Scissors” and “Cat Swallow.” My personal favorite though is “Brother”, and judging the the fact that the band closed their set with it, some others must be addicted to the song as well.

Royal Bangs is the type of band that is every bit as exciting as the hip bands starting to turn heads on the coasts that get so much blog love, but for some reason being in the midwest seems to be holding them back a bit. I look forward to a new record from these guys some time in 2009, and if you get a chance to catch them live you should, thank me later.

In addition to the great photos by Keith Klenowski in this post, check out a very amatuerish video I took of the sets closing song below.

View Keith’s entire photoset here.

Royal Bangs – Brother Live @ Southgate House from Joe on Vimeo.

I can’t help but be drawn in to the storytelling qualities of lots of solo songwriters, but artists like Peasant stand out a bit for me because their songs reveal so much about them as people, whether they intend to do so or not. You get a real person with a very thin space between himself and you, the listener. But like most artists who fall into this category, don’t expect to be blown away one pass through the album. To truly appreciate a record like On The Ground, you need to follow a “apply, rinse and repeat” method of listening.

Of late, Peasant has drawn comparisons to Bon Iver, whose own style of delicate songwriting won many over last year, but I think he lands alot closer to Elliott Smith, who I have always been a big fan of. Even so, maybe Peasant can be the Bon Iver of 2009?

Peasant put out his second full length album last year, On The Ground, a great follow up to his debut long player, Fear Not, Distant Lover and the album is getting a more official release this month. I’m hoping it reaches lots more people and they can appreciate the talent that Damien possesses.

Listen to Peasant below in a recent WOXY.com session…

Peasant – Live On WOXY.com

The record itself certainly stands the test of time on its own, and unveils the dark inner core of Zevon’s songwriting. The themes throughout the album are grimy and bleak, and even with the sunnier production qualities of Browne present, Zevon’s unfiltered storytelling clouds up any shiny studio post production.

And what is so great about this release is, not only do you get the original album, but an entire disc of previously unreleased songs accompanies it and features rarities from alternative versions of classics like “Frank & Jesse James” to demo recordings from sessions as far back as 1974. And for hardcore fans, the second disc gives a very cool WMMS radio session song recorded in 1976 of “Mama Couldn’t Be Persuaded.” The Collector’s Edition is available today from Rhino Records, and is a must purchase for all fans of the late great Warren Zevon.

Enjoy this video of Zevon and Browne performing “Mohammed Radio” in December of 1976…

In addition here are some tracks for you to listen to…..

Listening Party

Track List:
1) Poor Poor Pitiful Me
2) The French Inhaler
3) Desperados Under The Eaves
4) Frank & Jesse James (Solo Piano Demo)
5) Carmelita (1974 demo)
6) I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead (Alternate version)

Quicktime Listening
Windows Media Listening
Real Player Listening

Full album tracklisting after the jump…

‘Warren Zevon’ (Collector’s Edition)

Track Listing

Disc 1

1. Frank And Jesse James
2. Mama Couldn’t Be Persuaded
3. Backs Turned Looking Down The Path
4. Hasten Down The Wind
5. Poor Pitiful Me
6. The French Inhaler
7. Mohammed’s Radio
8. I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead
9. Carmelita
10. Join Me In L.A.
11. Desperados Under The Eaves

Disc 2 (Previously Unissued)

1. Frank And Jesse James (Solo Piano Demo)
2. The French Inhaler (Solo Piano Demo)
3. Hasten Down The Wind (Band Demo)
4. Carmelita (1974 Demo)
5. Mohammed’s Radio (Solo Piano Demo)
6. Backs Turned Looking Down The Path (Take 1 – 1/28/76)
7. Join Me In L.A. (Take 2 – 11/20/75)
8. Poor Pitiful Me (Alternate Version)
9. Frank And Jesse James (Alternate Version)
10. Mohammed’s Radio (Take 2 – 11/6/75)
11. The French Inhaler (Take 1 – 1/13/76)
12. Carmelita (Alternate Version)
13. Desperados Under The Eaves (Take 2 – 1/13/76)
14. Mama Couldn’t Be Persuaded (Live WMMS 10/13/76)
15. I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead (Alternate Version)

It’s A Musical is a duo that has ties to both Germany and Sweden and is musically tied to the sweet tones of indie pop. Indie pop that is so sugary you almost are left with a toothache. Robert Kretzschmar and Ella Blixt are the duo that prefer keys to percussion and harmonies to solos. At times throughout this disc it is hard to shed the Mates Of State comparision, and at other times it’s hard to push them into any corner at all. In the end, this is an album that is an easy fun listen, and yet another win for the Morr label.

Check out a song from the new album below…

It’s A Musical – Bad Day

The sound of the album is not much of a departure however, from thier 2006 gem, Gang Of Losers, which took a step back from their Brit-pop leanings into a darker, more atmospheric landscape. And Murray continues to have a voice that is as smooth and silky as anyone swimming in the indie pool these days. While some are sure to scoff at the drawn out builders like “Disclaimer”, “Lights Off” and the nearly 12 minute affair at the end of the album that is “Saviour”, each Dears song requires repeatedly listening.

To use the word “grower” is almost not fair for this album actually. The first four songs alone are as good as I have heard from The Dears and I would not have said that even 3 full times through. So I am replacing the word “grower” in this review with “builder” (as if that is much better) because I firmly believe that each song builds off of one another and breaks itself back down again, much like The Dears have as a band.

So do yourself a favor and pick up this new album, lock yourself in for the weekend and listen to nothing else if you truly want to appreciate one of The Dears best albums to date.

The record is out now from Dangerbird Records.

The Dears – Berlin Heart

In addition, check out this new video for “Money Babies”…

Daniel and Fred’s early collaborations consisted of a couple 7″ released put out by southern California indie Isota Records, which also released their debut full length album, The Whitey On The Moon (which was also the band name at the time) in 2003. Not long after that release, Daniel began to play full time with the Grizzly Bear boys and suddenly had little to no time for his project with Fred as the Bears became a nearly overnight success.

However, always lurking in the background was the music he innocently crafted with Fred back at NYU and the desire to return to that landscape never went away. The Whitey On The Moon album had been re-issued in the UK and was a critical hit, which prompted the duo to get back together for a new album. And during breaks from Grizzly Bear activities, Daniel and Fred began to fine tune the new album, which in parts had been written as far back as their friendships beginnings, and chose a new name as well, Department Of Eagles, which is a reference to artist Marcel Broodthaers’ Institutional Critique.

The result is a beautifully crafted folk/ pop record titled In Ear Park. Daniel and Fred combine 60’s pop melodies and vocal styles with a delicate layer of folk instrumentation to make this album really soar. (excuse the soaring eagles pun) Some songs will sound like they belong on a Grizzly Bear album, as this record does not stray too far from the music Daniel creates with his “other” band, but the lyrics are of a much more personal nature. Daniel has said that the album as a whole is in memory of his father, who passed away last year. The album’s title is the fictional name of a park and Daniel and his Dad would regularly spend time walking through. And you can feel the nostalgia throughout the album, which Daniel also said had a tone and emphasis that was too personal for a Grizzly Bear album.

So while fans of Grizzly Bear will certainly find a lot to love on In Ear Park, the personal touch that Daniel and Fred have placed on this new Department of Eagles record is bound to gather others as well.

Department Of Eagles – No One Does It Like You

Department Of Eagles On Conan O’Brien recently (amazingly, this was their first live performance ever!)