It's another busy fall week, but KEXP's Music Director Don Yates definitely spots some highlights, like the latest from NYC's The Juan Maclean. Now "officially" a duo, producer/musician Juan MacLean and vocalist Nancy Whang share "a strong set of muscular disco, house and related styles, combining bright synths, occasional fiery guitars, propulsive rhythms and Whang’s crisp, confident vocals."
Lia Ices shares her third album, "a bolder, more expansive and wide-ranging sound than her previous releases, blending elements of electro-pop, hip hop, dub, Middle Eastern music and a variety of other styles into vibrant, adventurous pop." You can hear her preview some of those songs LIVE on KEXP from the Cutting Room Studios NYC tomorrow morning at 8:30AM.
Oklahoma trio BRONCHO are back with "a more polished and New Wave-influenced take on the band’s hook-filled garage-pop, combining fuzzy guitars and energetic rhythms with an abundance of catchy song hooks." Texas band This Will Destroy You release "another solid set of shoegazer-tinged post-rock instrumentals with dynamic songs that often begin as gentle, melancholy space-rock before building to epic rock crescendos." Generationals release another album "of bubbly electro-pop with bright synths, bouncy rhythms and sunny melodies juxtaposed by often-melancholy lyrics." Spencer Krug, formerly of Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown, shares a new release under the moniker Moonface, "a solid set of somber, piano-based ballads." LA band Allah-Las serve up "another well-crafted blend of ‘60s-steeped psych, surf, garage and folk-rock with jangly reverbed guitars and dreamy pop melodies."And Shellac, a long-time project of legendary producer Steve Albini, releases their fifth album Dude Incredible on Touch & Go. Their amusing press release notes, "Other than the informational sheet you hold in your hand (or virtual hand), this record will have no formal promotion. There will be no advertisements, no press or radio promotion, no e-promotion, no promotional or review copies, no promotional gimmick items, and otherwise no free lunch." Dude, incredible.
It's the first day of Autumn, and the new releases are falling all over the place. The sophomore release from Alt-J is finally officially out. KEXP's Music Director Don Yates notes, "this English band carries on with their second album, a generally more subdued, organic and atmospheric take on the …
Oh, hey, lookie here, U2 sprung a new album on us! The Irish superstars surprised the world with the release today at an Apple press conference for the new iPhone 6, which concluded with a performance of the opening track "The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)." The thirteenth album (and their first in five…