New music releases have been dropping like fall leaves,
filling up another playlist ready for consumption. There are selections from albums by steadfast
indie bands such as MGMT, Yuck and of Montreal plus iconic masters Sigur Rós
and Moby. New bands HAERTS and Generationals impress with debuts while Gauntlet
Hair unfortunately call it quits. Plus check
out teaser singles from Arcade Fire and TV on the Radio while waiting for full
releases to appear in the coming months. Link to listen here, enjoy!
1. “FOH” – Superchunk
This veteran indie rock group was founded by Mac McCaughan
and Laura Balance back in 1989, along with the beloved Merge Records in Chapel
Hill, North Carolina, to provide a vehicle for their songs and music by
friends. They just released their tenth
studio album ironically called I Hate
Music, since this group clearly still loves the band lifestyle as detailed
in this raucous tune.
2. “Your Life Is a
Lie” – MGMT
This sardonic song is from the self-titled third album by American
psych rock band MGMT, formed by Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWygarden
during their college days at Wesleyan University in Middleton,
Connecticut.
3. “Reflektor” – Arcade Fire
“Reflektor” is the title track of
the upcoming fourth studio album by this indie rock band based in
Montreal. The intertwining vocals of husband
and wife Win Butler and Régine
Chassagne create swirling layers, until a cameo by music legend David Bowie.
4. “Rebirth” – Yuck
This U.K. indie rock band released
its second album, Glow & Behold,
with guitarist Max Bloom taking over vocal duties for this young band. The dreamy “Rebirth” is the single for the
new collection.
5. “Put a Light On” – Generationals
Generationals is an indie rock duo
formed by New Orleans natives Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer, who have a fondness
for vintage dance music recorded on analog 24-track equipment. The lush
soundscape of “Put A Light One” is from their third album, Heza.
6. “The Perfect Life” (featuring Wayne Coyne) – Moby
This collaboration is just one of
many on Moby’s eleventh studio album, Innocents.
“The Perfect Life” channels the feel good sing along mantra of The Flaming
Lips, as Moby joins forces with congenial frontman Wayne Coyne.
7. “Pagiaccio” – Barbarossa
London’s James Mathé croons over an old Casio keyboard,
drum machines and analog synths for a sound inspired by 70s soul. (He is also a touring member of Junip.) The pulsing “Pagiaccio” is from the artist’s
third album, Bloodlines.
8. “Wings” – HAERTS
This indie synth pop quintet is
based in Brooklyn, with roots over in Germany.
The powerhouse single, “Wings,” is the single off their debut EP, Hemiplegia.
9. “Confidence” – The Dodos
Indie rock duo Meric Long and
Logan Kroeber continue a percussion-centric musical journey in their fifth studio
album, Carrier. Long’s self-assured yet laidback vocals warmly
introduces a melodic element in “Confidence.”
10. “Bad Apple” – Gauntlet Hair
Before Gauntlet Hair called it
quits, the group released its second studio album, Stills (produced by Jacob Portrait of Unknown Mortal
Orchestra). Founded by high school
classmates Craig Nice and Andy Rauwach, this noise pop band concocted a funky
groove for “Bad Apple.”
11. “Fugitive Air” – of Montreal
of Montreal is an indie pop band
from Athens, Georgia, was founded by frontman Kevin Barnes in 1996. With a
wavering creative trajectory for each release, this lead track off the twelfth
studio album, Lousy with Sylvanbriar, presents a country twang.
12. “Little Moments” – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
“Little Moments” is the title
track off Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s new EP, rebooting the band with vocalist Alec
Ounsworth and drummer/music producer Sean Greenhaulgh. This duo based in
Brooklyn and Philadelphia added electronic instruments into the mix, as they
prepare a full album for next year.
13. “Ísjaki” – Sigur Rós
Icelandic band Sigur Rós
has released its seventh studio album since 1994, Kveiker. The new songs are being
described by the group as more aggressive, but the haunting falsetto of Jón
Birgisson (a.k.a. Jónsi) adds a familiar sweetness.
14. “Million Miles” – TV On the Radio
This single from an upcoming album from Brooklyn indie
rock band TV On the Radio, swells with emotion led by Tunde Adebimpe’s vocals.
The sextet’s diverse influences, from soul to electronica, serve as only a starting
point for the song.
15. “The Truth” – Dr. Dog
Dr. Dog just released its eighth
studio album, B-Room, recorded in a
newly built studio outside of Philadelphia. The band delivers their trademark fusion
of 60s psych rock and lo-fi 90s in this lead off track for the collection.
16. “Bad Kingdom” – Moderat
Moderat is the electronic music
project of a trio of artists based in Berlin: Sascha Ring (of Apparat), Gernot
Bronsert and Sebastian Szary (of Modeselektor). This pulsating single is from the group’s
sophomore release, II.