Demob Happy

Breezy brilliance from casual genius 8/10 FIRST PUBLISHED AT THE LINE OF BEST FIT Arthur Russell’s ‘Love Is Overtaking Me‘ compiles previously unreleased material from the critically regarded but somehow commercially overlooked artist’s archive. Ranging from Dylanesque folk, country and angular art pop from the 1970s through his final home recordings before death in 1991, [...]

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Second poor album in a row for once-great psych rockers 6.5/10 FIRST PUBLISHED AT THE LINE OF BEST FIT ‘Snowflake Midnight‘ is a departure from previous Mercury Rev records in that it is almost entirely dominated by electronics and glacial synths. A digital wonderland as sonically rich as Flaming Lips’ ‘Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots‘, [...]

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Jackson Toth waves his Wooden Wand goodbye? 8/10 FIRST PUBLISHED AT THE LINE OF BEST FIT: Previously leader of the New York-based experimental jazz-folk collective Wooden Wand & the Vanishing Voice, James Jackson Toth’s solo debut is a lush take on alt-country informed by blues, soul and, occasionally, punk. Whereas Wooden Hand … was very [...]

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MP3s that have caught my attention this month include Beach House’s ‘Gila’, taken from their new album ‘Devotion‘. Slowcore dream pop informed by The Velvet Underground and Nico, Gila is the highlight of an album of similarly melancholy and somnabulant tunes. Meanwhile, I am enjoying the obliquely titled ‘Recent Bedroom’ by Atlas Sound, from their [...]

Beach House - Gila [ 4:46 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Atlas Sound - Recent Bedroom [ 3:47 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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This month I’m enjoying several tracks from The Magnetic Fields’ new album ‘Distortion’, which appears to be an unashamed homage to Jesus & The Mary Chain. Luckily, they didn’t forget to write songs to match. ‘Old Fools’ has something of Nick Cave about the vocals, which resound strikingly over the layers of feedback and reverb, [...]

Magnetic Fields - Old Fools [ 3:00 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tacks, the Boy Disaster - Frozen Feet [ 4:03 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Magnetic Fields - Nun's Litany [ 2:57 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Melody days from the artist formerly known as Manitoba 8/10 It took me a long time to get over how mediocre Caribou’s last album ‘The Milk of Human Kindness‘ was. After the psychedelic onslaught of ‘Up in Flames‘ (recorded under previous moniker ‘Manitoba’), his sophomore record was an exercise in plodding 60s-infused futility. I tried [...]

Irene - Caribou [ 3:38 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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This month I’ve been beguiled by the latest side project by sometime DJ and Kings of Convenience member Erlend Oye. The Whitest Boy Alive hints at Oye’s interest in the hypnotic rhythmic concerns of house music but features the same Simon & Garfunkle-esque vocal style of KoC. Angular – but certainly not abrasive – guitars, [...]

Whitest Boy Alive - Burning [ 3:11 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Yeasayer - Many Waves [ 4:07 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Octopus Project - Bees Bein Strugglin [ 3:48 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Radiohead and the art of modern marketing 10/10 How much is music worth? Not the CD it’s printed on or the cover art, and certainly not the plastic jewel case – but the music itself? Or more precisely, how much is Radiohead‘s music worth? This is the question the band have asked fans to contemplate [...]

Radiohead [ 3:57 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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‘Central And Remote’ 8/10 I came across Grizzly Bear via Dan Rossen’s brilliant – but wholly different – earlier project Department of Eagles. I was initially underwhelmed and bemused, but I persevered and can back previous reviewers who have labelled this a grower. If like me you have come to Grizzly Bear via Department of [...]

Grizzly Bear - Easier [ 3:44 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Lost classic but will they make another? 8/10 I would be tempted to describe this album as a ‘lost classic’ since it started as a minor independent release by two college roommates in 2003 and has steadily developed a cult following. People will continue to look back to this album while one half of Department [...]

Dept of Eagles - The Horse you ride [ 4:20 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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