At this pace, 2014 is well on its way to outdoing 2013 in new releases. The streak continues this week, topped by a terrific new album by Future Islands, which our Music Director, Don Yates, calls "a masterful set of impassioned, ‘80s-steeped electro-pop with glittering synths, streamlined guitars and driving rhythms accompanying Samuel T. Herring’s dramatic, emotion-wracked vocals". And if you've haven't seen the viral video of "Seasons (Waiting on You)" live on Letterman, don't wait any longer! Other great new albums this week, which you'll hear in our regular rotation, come from long-time KEXP favorites The Hold Steady, whose sixth album, and first with second guitarist Steve Selvidge, "features a heavier, more muscular and guitar-oriented sound for their anthemic, classic-steeped rock, which helps provide more punch to Craig Finn’s colorful, anxiety-ridden narratives"; LA trio Liars, who change up their sound on their seventh LP by favoring "a more brash, dance-floor sensibility with pounding beats, buzzing synths, pulsing rhythms, gloomy, often-distant vocals and dark lyrics"; Melbourne duo Big Scary, newly signed to Seattle's own Barsuk Records, whose second album "is a mostly slow-burning set of brooding indie-pop inflected with hip hop and R&B, featuring a polished, piano-driven sound with heavy percussion, numerous samples, yearning vocals and melancholy melodies"; you Minneapolis band Howler, whose sophomore effort "is another impressive set of punkish power pop with a diverse set of smartly crafted songs ranging from scrappy Replacements punk and, surf-inflected garage-rock to anthemic folk-rock and motorik psych-rock"; and Ontario’s Tokyo Police Club, who return with their third "well-crafted, tight-as-a-drum set of hook-filled, New Wave power pop combining jangly guitars, dance-friendly rhythms and bright pop melodies juxtaposed with lovelorn lyrics".
Local artist producer Grieves has a new LP out on Rhymesayers, while the Felice Brother's Simone Felice returns with his second album. You'll also want to look out for new releases from Portland's Ages and Ages, lovers of the great American pastime The Baseball Project, up-and-coming group James Supercave, and Edinburgh artist Dan Willson, a.k.a. Withered Hand. There's also a great new collection of indie artists covering Bob Dylan in the 80's. Check out a section from this week's new releases here:
2014 kicks off April with another great batch of new releases, including the fourth album from Cleveland trio, Cloud Nothings. KEXP's Music Director Don Yates describes the release as "a ferocious, consistently engaging set of anthemic punk-pop with raw, distorted guitars, relentless driving rhythm…
It's an excellent week for new releases, led by the latest from Philly-based psychrockers The War on Drugs. KEXP Music Director Don Yates describes their third album, Lost In The Dream, as "another expansive blend of psych-tinged guitars, atmospheric keyboards, occasional horns and other instrument…
