Justin Vernon comes by this project name--sorta-French for "good winter"--honestly, having cut his LP in the snowy isolation of rural Wisconsin. There's a reason we mythologize such outings. This is pristine lo-fi, run through with icy acoustic guitar and fragile vocals.
If we just take it as a given that all post-punk bands are imitating Gang of Four, we can move on to who does the fairest impression. Certainly this New Zealand act is in the running. Razor-sharp guitars, Brixton vocals, and the trademark tricky rhythms are in perfect balance.
A quick followup to my post yesterday on the top ten vinyl sellers of 2008: I just called my local record (I do mean record) store, Sonic Boom, to reserve a copy of the new Animal Collective record, Merriweather Post Pavilion, on vinyl. It came out on Tuesday, January 6. The clerk laughed and said he'd never seen such a hot-selling LP. Not only were Sonic Boom's copies one by the end of the 6th, they can't order more because their distributor's out, and they can't find another distributor because the label's out. They'… Read more
From Nielsen Soundscan by way of the LA Weekly and Rolling Stone, here are the top 10 vinyl sellers in 2008. I've added the years they were originally released, and what I imagine was going through the mind of vinylphiles when they bought it.
10. Radiohead, OK Computer, 1997. Great production, trippy artwork looks great under the lava lamp. 9. Metallica, Death Magnetic, 2008. Maybe the vinyl version won't be overcompressed to death. 8. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes, 2008. Pitchfork likes it, it must be good. 7. Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon, 1973. Remember those posters? … Read more
The numbers are grim, all right, but the music industry still sells hundreds of millions of CDs each year. That's a lot of discs, and sales of downloads won't surpass silver discs for a while.
According to some industry sources, as recently as 2006, CDs represented more than 80 percent of the music sold in the United States. A recent report projects that it won't be until 2012 that download sales surpass CD sales. So fess up. A lot of you are still buying discs, and I want to know who you are.
I'm doing more … Read more
Indie rock's bards of the border continue their remarkable hybrid: old Southwest dirges cross-bred with a particularly dark and brooding folk-pop. Few bands in the scene pull off such a natural dignity--or intimacy. "Absent Afternoon" is exclusive release for Threadless.com
London's latest band-of-the-moment takes a "more is more" approach, exploiting producer Ross Orton to mix multiple local obsessions: sweaty post-punk, tetchy synth stuff, and a sort of postmodern soul. The result is loud and garbled and guaranteed to instantly make you hipper.
"Popular" earned Nada Surf heavy MTV airplay in the '90s, but the alterna-rockers have actually been recording their best stuff in the last several years for Seattle's Barsuk label. New '08 album "Lucky" (and their vinyl box set) showcases jangly, clever indie pop that's deliciously infectious.
In a time when '60s pop-soul is back in style, artists such as Amy Winehouse and Duffy are in high demand. Anjulie is right there in the mix with her catchy throwback single "Boom," which has enough bounce for the dance club yet is laid-back enough for headphone listening.
*From the Free MP3 archive* Though they left indie labels behind years ago, Death Cab's indie cred's still in full effect. Singer-guitarist Ben Gibbard's confessional, heartfelt lyrics come wrapped in meticulously placed arrangements and straightforward production that results in sturdy, melodic music.
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