New Arcade Fire

The Arcade Fire made available two new tracks this week that have been all over the blogosphere and will be regurgitated here. The new tracks are from the forthcoming album The Suburbs to be released on August 3, 2010. The first track, title track "The Suburbs" has a bit of a poppy guitar and piano riff while track "Month of May" has a bit more of a punk rock feel to it. Neither are what one might expect from the Arcade Fire. Should be interesting to hear what direction the new album will take.

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs


Arcade Fire - Month of May

The National

I haven't been blogging a lot recently since the man keeps unpublishing my posts due to copyright infringement or whatever. Not cool. Anyways, I have been listening to the new The National album on repeat since it came out. This is their fifth full-length album, but my first time experiencing them. Not sure where they have been this whole time. High Violet is easily the best album of 2010 thus far.

Sun Run

I mixed this for last year's Sun Run and had a personal best. I stashed it away for a while forgetting how good it had turned out. I've rediscovered it and am going to run to it again this year and see if I can duplicate last year's success.

Sun Run Mix 2009

Deepsky - Talk Like a Stranger (Markus Schulz Remix)
Kamaya Painters - Summerbreeze
Rui Da Silva - Touch Me
Jes - Imagination (Tiesto Remix)
Fonzerelli - Moonlight Party
Randy Katana - In Silence (Reset)
Max Linen - Flashback
Duncan Sheik - On A High (Gabriel & Dresden's Love From Humboldt Remix)
Gabriel & Dresden - Tracking Treasure Down (Club Mix)

Mix Time 50:16
Run Time 41:47

Omni-bear

Minus the Bear recently released their fourth full-length album OMNI. Full disclosure, I'd been waiting patiently for this one. The transition between OMNI and their last album 'Planet of Ice' induces all forms of fire and ice analogies that I'll spare you, but it's true that MTB have picked up the pace considerably. OMNI, produced by Joe Chiccarelli (The Shins - Wincing the Night Away), displays the bands infinite ability to remain unbored with their instrumental choices....cue Omnichord.

Jake Snider continues the lyrical imagery, which is probably my favorite component to MTB. What girl wouldn't want 'Secret Country' written about her?

The album has flickers and hints of inspiration from across the musical board....70's funk guitar riffs (ala Shaft), why not? Animal Backwards comes outta nowhere like an impromptu mid-album dance party. It packs an especially booty shaking punch as it comes from Minus the Bear, a band you wouldn't typically associate with that kinda bass.

You can stream the new album here but it's certainly worth the purchase.

I'm an especial sucker for the guitar line on Hold Me Down

Kettering

New stuff, and stuff I like

The music world continues to please us with plenty of new tracks to explore. Interpol are out with a new album later this year. 'Lights', taken from sessions for their fourth album, is available from the band's official site. According to the band, the song will be the first of several to be released in the next few months and when complete, we should expect the new record to have a more "orchestra feel."

I have really been digging Japandroids a lot recently. Japandroids are a two-piece band from Vancouver, who got their start at the University of Victoria in 2006. Their 2009 debut Post Nothing was one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the year and the band has continues to please us with the release of the first in a series of 7" singles. I am not typically into loud guitar, but as a two-piece Japandroids are able to achieve rock riffs that don't come off as over-bearing, but rather as hooky and infectious.

Tunng is a folktronica (for lack of a better term) band from England. To date they have released four albums, the most recent of which is 2010's ...And Then We Saw Land. Land is probably the most accessible of the bands releases as they have steered away from the the impromptu electronic asides. "Hustle" is the lead track and first single from the new album and best exemplifies what Tunng are all about - smoothe melodies and hooky guitar riffs.


Interpol - Lights


Japandroids - Art Czars


Tunng - Hustle