With Memorial Day the official start of summer, it’s time
for another playlist to indulge in over the long weekend (along
with the long awaited, new episodes of Arrested
Development). Highly anticipated
albums by Vampire Weekend and The National, were released this month, along
with new music by Deerhunter and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. Newcomers such as CHVRCHES and Hands fill out
the list with new tunes from Yo La Tengo, Foals and Telekinisis and more. Time to fire up the grill and crank the
tunes. Link to listen here, enjoy!
1. “Varsity” – Smith Westerns
Chicago-based band Smith Westerns returns with their
sophomore album in June, called Soft
Will. This teaser single “Varsity”
shows the songwriting chops of brothers Cullen and Cameron Omori, as they
embrace a classic pop ethic with their indie rock quartet.
2. “Argonauts” – The Little Ones
The Little Ones is a six-piece indie pop band based in L.A.
“Argonauts” provides a quirky, memorable tune for their sophomore album, The Dawn Sang Along.
3. “Ghosts and
Creatures” – Telekinesis
Telekinesis is the musical project of Seattle native Michael
Benjamin Lerner. For his third album of
indie rock, Dormarion, he traveled to
Austin, Texas to record with Spoon drummer Jim Eno. (Eno’s studio is on
Dormarion Lane.)
4. “My Number” –
Foals
English indie rock band Foals recently released a third
album, Holy Fire. Singer Yannis Philippakis leads the charge
over tightly wound layers of percussive instruments in “My Number.”
5. “Penny” – Hanni El
Khatib
Hanni El Khatib grew up skateboarding in San Francisco and
wrote music on the side while working at the skateboard fashion label HUF. Now
a singer-songwriter based in L.A., he continues a cool skater vibe for his
second album, Head in the Dirt (produced
by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys).
6. “If You Didn’t See
Me (Then You Weren’t On the Dance Floor)” – Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
Detroit’s indie pop songwriting duo, Daniel Zott and Daniel
Epstein, expand their band to a four piece for their Patterns EP. This single
showcases their vocal harmonies and electronic embellishments plus a welcome
sense of fun.
7. “Diane Young” – Vampire
Weekend
NYC’s alt rockers Vampire Weekend released their third
studio album this month, Modern Vampires
of the City. The four-piece made a
deliberate decision to expand into other genres for drawing influences, evidenced in
the rockabilly attitude of “Diane Young.”
8. “Never Seen Such
Good Things” – Devendra Banhart
Prolific singer-songwriter and visual artist Devendra
Banhart has released his eighth album of folk-inspired rock, Mala.
His minimalist approach showcases the vocals and carefully edited
instrumentation.
9. “Trouble” – Hands
Hands is an indie rock band from L.A. formed by Geoff
Halliday and Ryan Sweeney in Philadelphia, before switching coasts. “Trouble” is the catchy single for their
debut full-length, Synesthesia, full
of swirling synths and intertwining melodies.
10. “Demons” – The
National
Indie rock royalty The National just released its sixth
album, Trouble Will Find Me, with
“Demons” showcasing Matt Berninger’s melancholy baritone. Backed by two sets of brothers, Berninger and
band are now based in Brooklyn after finding each other in Cincinnati in 1999.
11. “Holy Roller” –
Thao & The Get Down Stay Down
“Holy Roller” is the stand out single from San Francisco-based
Thao & The Get Down Stay Down’s fifth album, We the Common. Thao Nguyen’s
eccentric vocals playfully provoke within the alt folk/rock
continuum.
12. “The Missing” –
Deerhunter
Deerhunter’s sixth album, Monomania, contains a collection of ambient noise rock along with
shoegazing tunes such as “The Missing.”
The indie band was founded in 2001 by drummer/keyboardist Moses
Archuleta and singer Bradford Cox (who also has a solo project, Atlas Sound).
13. “Recover” –
CHVRCHES
Scottish electro pop trio CHVRCHES (pronounced Churches)
has already made an impact with their debut EP, Recover. The song "Recover" charges
along with breathy vocals by Lauren Mayberry, with bandmates Iain Cook and
Martin Doherty to complete the sound, recorded in a Glasgow basement.
14. “Before We Run” –
Yo La Tengo
Indie rock stalwarts Yo La Tengo released its thirteenth album since forming back in 1984, called Fade. “Before We Run”
provides closure as the last track, a floating meditation sung by Georgia
Hubley, sweetly building with percussion, horns and strings.
15. “Here I Am” –
Adam Green & Binki Shapiro
“Here I Am” is the first track from the duet album by Adam
Green (of the Moldy Peaches) and Binki Shapiro (of Little Joy), appropriately
titled Adam Green & Binki Shapiro. Their minimalist approach recalls a 1960s
baroque pop, their voices melting together effortlessly.
16. “Plastic Cup” –
Low
Indie rock band Low formed in 1993 with a “slowcore” mantra
of slowed down tempos and minimal instrumentation, manifest here in “Plastic
Cup.” Based in Duluth, Minnesota, the
group has released their tenth album, The
Invisible Way (produced by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco).