Today's Hotness: French Leisure, Dark Blue, Fury Things

>> Following great bands pays dividends in a number of ways, and one of these is getting turned on, by association, to excellent record labels or other bands. Case in point is the French label Beko, which we first encountered sometime in the past year because of its releases by Mooncreatures and The Bilinda Butchers [zing! pow!]. Indeed, the label has been mining some serious quality recently, and thanks to the almighty push notifications of the indispensable Bandcamp we know that one of its latest releases is among its most thrilling to date. We speak of the single #2 from French indie rock trio French Leisure. Band principals Laurent, Elsa and Gaël previously played in the long-running and influential Parisian indie rock concern Acetate Zero, which split in 2011. The trio rotate instruments on the regular, apparently, and hail from various cities -- or have together moved around quite a bit -- as their brief bio notes the act is from "Paris, Nice, Brest, Montpellier, wherever... whatever." The A-side of #2 is the mid-tempo, crisp guitar-driven ballad "Curtains," which calls to mind the patient and melodic indie rock masterpieces of Bettie Serveert or Karl Hendricks Trio. The flip side is the peppy, seemingly Versus-inspired rocker "Inner Shark." It's no stretch to surmise that French Leisure derives a fair amount of influence from classic American indie rock: in a recent interview, the trio reports that its favorite albums include Pedro The Lion's Control, Bedhead's Transaction De Novo and the epochal What's Up Matador? comp from 1997. It is little surprise that French Leisure's first single was titled #1, but what is more surprising is that it was released by Beko only a month ago. Although the band bemoaned in the interview linked supra the slow pace at which they are able to complete material (or at least we think they do -- our command of the French language is abominable), it would seem they are working pretty rapidly to bring the rock music to the people. Beko released #2 May 28; both of its singles for French Leisure are download-only and are available for free, meaning there is really no reason for them to not be in your life. Don't be a dumbass.



>> There's a side of Philly that's never been kinder and gentler, that prides itself on never having been kinder and gentler. And although it is important to note that it is not its only side, perhaps nothing embodied that in the music scene of the City of Brotherly Love in the last decade more than provocative punks Clockcleaner. Confrontational, loved and loathed equally, the band -- which Wikipedia claims was named after a nasty batch of heroin -- nevertheless blazed a wide path over the course of a relatively prolific, six-year career that ended with mercurial fronter John Sharkey reportedly splitting for Australia unexpectedly in 2008. All of that feels long ago and far away, even more so now that Mr. Sharkey has returned with a thrilling new trio called Dark Blue, which appears to have sprung from the ashes of another project called Puerto Rico Flowers. Dark Blue is set to release via Jade Tree July 15 a terrific, sophomore single that is surprisingly reverent to certain postpunk sounds. The waste-of-breath shorthand we've seen on the band so far focuses on Sharkey's baritone and lazily compares it to that of Ian Curtis. But if we're going to make lazy comparisons, folks, let's at least come correct: Dark Blue sounds a hell of a lot like a tougher version of the excellent, Morrissey-approved but sadly defunct UK guitar pop combo The Boyfriends (ploing!), which released its only full-length in 2006. Dark Blue's Jade Tree single features the anthemic, midtempo basher "Just Another Night With The Boys" on the A-side, and a riveting cover of John Cale's "Hungry For Love" on the flip. Both tunes were recorded by Philadelphia's Jeff Zeigler, who seems to have touched every excellent sound recording that has come out of the city for the last few years; a full-length Dark Blue LP is planned, and we're hopeful that Mr. Zeigler's name will appear on the back of that one as well. You can stream both cuts from the single below; we highly recommend that you do. Pre-order "Just Another Night With The Boys" b/w "Hungry For Love" from Jade Tree as a 7" vinyl single or digital download right here. Dark Blue's debut single was issued by the Brooklyn-based label Katorga Works and it can be downloaded gratis right here.



>> Minneapolis-based fuzz-pop dynamos Fury Things have a gift for crafting big, glossy melodies (and also, apparently, covering Hole songs). On its new, three-song release simply titled 7", Fury Things make a dense and gloriously glossy racket. Shoegazy guitars on opener "Leave Winter Behind" shimmer and bend along the crest of a sturdy, tambourine-studded beat. The tune is equal parts sugar and crunch, and it gentle vocal harmonies -- which recall the cracking melodicism of Scottish indie heroes Teenage Fanclub -- work to accent the former. The tempo and energy level steadily increase across Fury Things' three tracks, such that closer "Follow" feels almost out of control, given its peppy pace. Despite the short set's title, we can find no information about a pending vinyl release of the three songs, which are all new. With hooks this sharp, a vinyl issue would certainly seem to be a solid idea, but presently the music is on offer only as a digital download. The aforementioned 7" is not Fury Things' first release: the threesome issued a demo EP in late 2012, and followed it up quickly with a second, self-recorded short stack several months later simply titled EP 2. We'll keep our eyes open for additional information about 7", but don't let the question of its availability keep you from its glorious bash 'n' dazzle: stream the entire deal via the Bandcamp embed below. Fury Things play St. Paul's Amsterdam Bar and Hall June 15 before heading across the border to Calgary for a few dates surrounding the 2014 Sled Island music festival.

Review: Bettie Serveert | Oh, Mayem!

 

Some bands write half of their album in, or just on their way into, the studio and it really sounds like it: half-assed ideas, dumb lyrics, and generally rushed recordings that just don't work.

Other bands - experienced and confident bands like Bettie Serveert- revel in the pressure. Using the energy fueled by expensive studio hours ticking away to create the direct songs they've been hardwired to deliver. The songs don't need editing, because they're not loaded up with anything extraneous.

So it is with their new album, Oh, Mayhem!, out today in the USA on Second Motion Records. Apparently still propelled by 2011's reinvigorated Pharmacy of Love, they've banged out a quick (under 35 minutes!), dirty, and worthy follow-up. Much of the album was reportedly recorded live in the studio and written under the gun and Bettie Serveert do sound like a well-oiled rock machine here. From the driving, urgent opener "Shake Her," the chaotic "Tuf Skin," and culminating in the Stoogefied "Receiver,"Oh, Mayhem! is packed with rockers (the latter of which was wisely re-appropriated to anchor the new album from a 2011 side project that singer/guitarist Carol van Dyk and lead guitarist Peter Visser led called Me and Stupid, which you can download for free over here). To the album's benefit, they continue to hold at bay the experimental tendencies that caused them to stray a bit from their path in the 00's.

It's hard not to give a lot of credit for this to drummer Joppe Molenaar's continued presence behind the kit. His playing on the title track, in particular, making the case that he's a huge part of this act in the band's career. He's a caffeinated powerhouse who bashes when warranted but knows just when to hang back. Guitarist Peter Visser is assertive as ever, launching power chords and dealing simple hooks, like on "LoserTrack," with equal effectiveness. Carol van Dyke's voice is more commanding than ever, the sweet, shy charm of Palomine now augmented by conviction and nerve - all at once on tracks like the lead single "Had2Byou." And her guitar work with Visser may not be as audacious as the interplay between Television's Verlaine and Llyod or Big Dipper's Waleik and Goffrier, but there's something comforting about the blanket of warm, strummy jangle they lean back on from time to time.

All of those parts come together on the soaring set closer "D.I.Y.," which answers question asked back on the title track - "can you peel off the past?" by showing how vital Bettie Serveert still are.

- Michael Piantigini



Previously: Review: Bettie Serveert | Pharmacy Of Love


BETTIE SERVEERT: Intertubes | Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud | YouTube
More fun video: Bettie Serveert perform Palomine in its entirety.

Michael Piantigini's Top 10s of 2010 | We Have Assumed Control

[Chart toppers Superchunk live at Royale, Boston, MA. 9/21/2010. Photo by Michael Piantigini. More here.]

Here it is, New Year's Eve, and I'm finally turning in my year-end list. TO MYSELF! As you may have read, El Jefe Jay Breitling will be on hiatus for a few months tending to undercover work for his secret, non-blogging identity and I'll be attempting keep up with the entire universe of music (or at least some subset thereof) for the duration. I appreciate Jay's trust that I won't turn this into some weirdo NFL coach-spouse fetish site (I won't).

Anywhos, my top 10 (Jay's is here). This has been a hell of a year for those of us who came of musical age in the 90's. My list is dominated by some great new albums by 90's heavyweights, many of whom happen to be on the Merge label. And it was hard not to be nostalgic when you find yourself standing up against the stage hanging on every "NOOOOOOO!" of "Slack Motherfucker" once again.

So here's my TOP 10 ALBUMS:
1. Superchunk - Majesty Shredding (Merge)
This album was an incredible gift. They never actually broke up, but the longer that gap between albums was, the more we got frighteningly used to a world without Superchunk. So, yeah, it's mere existence made it a contender. That it contained songs like the opening pair, "Digging For Something," and "My Gap Feels Weird," that would become instant Superchunk classics brought tears to the eyes and a spring in one's step.


2. Bettie Serveert - Pharmacy of Love (Second Motion)
As I said back in March, Pharmacy of Love rivals the Betties' 1992 debut Palomine for best of catalog honors. Driven by some especially energetic drumming, it's focused, direct, and rocking - and doesn't wander off on some of the tangents of their recent work.




3. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Brutalist Bricks (Matador)
Speaking of energetic - speaking of focused - speaking of rocking... The Brutalist Bricks IS Ted Leo and the Pharmacists finest front-to-back album yet. And let's all watch the great Tom Scharpling-directed video for "Bottled In Cork" again, shall we?




4. Versus - On The Ones And Threes (Merge)
In the near decade since Versus guitarist/vocalist Richard Baluyut disbanded the band and left New York for the San Francisco he only produced a single album (on Blackball in 2006, with his band Whysall Lane), as did bassist/vocalist Fontaine Toups (in 2004 on Teenbeat). Both have their moments, for sure, but On The Ones and Threes makes clear that the sum is greater than the parts (and near-original lineup drummer Ed Baluyut returns for good measure as well). And it's all here: the Richard/Fontaine harmonies, the the proto-indie chiming jangle, and distortion for miles. Soul-nourishing distortion.

5. Ty Segall - Melted (Goner)
I know nothing of how this San Fran garage-rocker makes records, but they certainly feel like they must just fall together. They're casual and comfortable, like slipping into your loafers or something (can we please make this a new hipster trend? OK, fine: let's say it's like throwing on your favorite hoodie). Melted is poppy 60's garage pop with one foot squarely on the distortion pedal that's as good at first listen as it is after 100.


6. Teenage Fanclub - Shadows (Merge)
It is all too easy to pine for the distortion (there's that word again) saturation of Bandwagonesque, but that was the grunge era, and hey, we've all grown in the 18 years since, right? Shadows has more than a couple of tracks that that future compilers will need to make room for on the next best-of, at least one of which ("When I Still Have Thee") is one of those inspirational Teenage Fanclub songs (like, say, "Ain't That Enough") that should have been a #1 hit on some fictional chart that mattered. These Scotsmen are multi-continental now (Norman Blake married and moved to Canada), so the recently long stretches between albums seem likely to slow even further, so treasure them while we can.

7. Bobby Bare, Jr. - A Storm - A Tree - My Mother's Head (Thirty Tigers)
Country scion Bobby Bare, Jr. has professed as much love for (and has covered) the Pixies and The Smiths as for any of the country music that underpins his style. His roots give him more heft than much of the alt-country pigeonhole he gets lumped in with - he pulls off riffing guitar orgies like "Swollen But Not The Same" equally as well as he does the old-fashioned murder ballad "One Of Us Has Got To Go." The latter co-written with his father and begins with a regretful sigh and ends with a mouthed gunshot that tips Bare's sense of humor. His last album, 2006's The Longest Meow, was recorded live in the studio (as his website puts it, "1 day 11 songs 11 people 11 hours"), but A Storm... feels a bit more studio crafted - many of the songs incorporating more synths, including for the bass parts (as in recent tours), but it seems to work more naturally for Bare than it did, say, for that last Steve Earle album.

8. The Parting Gifts - Strychnine Dandelions (In The Red)
The announcement for this collaboration with the The Ettes' Coco Hames (with Raconteur Patrick Keeler on drums) came as we were still anticipating Greg Cartwright's visit to Cambridge with his Reigning Sound, now we're hoping for a visit by the Parting Gifts too. This doesn't stray very far from either band's wheelhouse, but it's yet more great songwriting from Cartwright with performances by people who love music. Simple as that, really.


9. New Pornographers - Together (Merge)
There's a certain tightness to New Pornographer's songs that feels a little stiff to me when it isn't hitting right, but Together doesn't seem to have this problem. It still has the meticulous arrangements, of course, but also there's also a warmth and inspired vibe emanating from this one. (And it's soon to have its own Scharpling-directed video too).



10. Robert Plant - Band of Joy (Rounder)
Now here's an album that addresses something I've been complaining about. Why do yesteryear's mega-rock bands insist on having to have everything they do be so huge? Every Stones tour, for example, has to be a massive stadium production extravaganza or they just won't bother, ditto Roger Waters and/or Pink Floyd, etc., etc. The music isn't nearly as satisfying as the paycheck or the ego stroking that apparently comes with it. (I'm going to grant Paul McCartney an exemption to this complaint). The pressure was on Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant to jump into a massive tour after their successful 2007 one-off reunion, but he declined. Instead of trying to sing like he did 35 years ago, he's singing songs he's more interested in now (TWO Low covers?) like he sings now. It's more musically satisfying and a modest acceptance of the limitations and the judicious use of his voice.

TOP 10 SHOWS:
1. Superchunk with Versus, 9/21/10, at Royale, Boston, MA
See above. The audience couldn't have been more ready for this show. We NEEDED it. In an interview somewhere earlier this year, one of the band said that it seemed like people were really rooting for them on this tour. It really felt that way, and they responded in kind. (My earlier coverage).

2. Yo La Tengo with Mission of Burma, 12/5/10, at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ
My New Year's resolution: try to spend every Hanukkah with Yo La Tengo in their home base. (My earlier coverage).

3. John Roderick, 8/20/10, at Montague Books, Montague, MA
Such a cool night in a cool setting in the middle of nowhere. With artisanal pencil sharpening. (My earlier coverage).

4. Bettie Serveert, 11/2/10, at TT the Bear's Place, Cambridge, MA
Finally, after an immigration delay, Bettie Serveert blew the roof off of TT's. (My earlier coverage).

5. Grant Hart, 1/11/10, at the Middle East, Cambridge, MA
Grant Hart returned to Cambridge in the beginning of the year with an excellent new album and an upbeat show! (My earlier coverage).

6. Come, 9/26/10 at TT the Bear's Place, Cambridge, MA
Original lineup tune up for the Matador 21 Vegas fest sounded like they never left. Mesmerizing. (My earlier coverage).

7. Reigning Sound, 6/18/10 at TT the Bear's Place, Cambridge, MA
Classic 50's and 60's rock and roll/soul/R&B songcraft without an ounce of bullshit: a Gretsch, plugged straight in, some great melodies, and one of those great rock voices. Three minute gems delivered with punk rock efficiency.

8. Feelies 3/19/10, at the Middle East, Cambridge, MA
Epic two-set night from the Feelies, who previewed tons of great stuff from their upcoming album.

9. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists with Obits and Screaming Females, 4/10/10 at the Paradise, Boston, MA
Ted Leo and the always explosive Pharmacists brought the punk rock spirit back to the Paradise. Can't not leave his shows with an adrenaline high. (My earlier coverage).

10. Wrens, 1/16/10, at the Middle East, Cambridge, MA
Still managing to ride the wave of of a seven year-old album. Their chaotic live shows have been good enough to carry them for this long, but it might be about time to get moving on that new record fellas. (My earlier coverage).

Happy New Year! See you in '11.
-Michael Piantigini

Rock Over Boston: Bettie Serveert | TT's | 11.02.2010

[Bettie Serveert at TT the Bear's Place, Cambridge, MA 11/2/2010. Photos by Michael Piantigini.]

Fantastic.

(See my review of their excellent 2010 album Pharmacy of Love here.)

Bettie Serveert - "Deny All" - Pharmacy of Love
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[buy Pharmacy Of Love from Newbury Comics right here]

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Today's Hotness: The Lodger, Bettie Serveert, Superman Revenge Squad

>> Leeds, England-based pure-play indie pop concern The Lodger are back next week with a delightful new piece of aural heaven, the single "Have A Little Faith In People." The track is culled from the quartet's forthcoming third long-player Flashbacks, which will be released at the end of April. "Have A Little Faith In People" makes us long for the early days of MTV, a time when the rising television channel was heavily attuned to the new wave of music coming out of the UK. Of course, The Lodger is likely more interested by the underground, Postcard Records sounds of that era rather than the stuff that actually made its way to American teevee screens. But even so, there is something about The Lodger's fresh, clean and unadorned (save for some tasteful, buoyant brass) guitar pop here that makes us nostalgic. "Have A Little Faith In People" will be issued in the UK 5 April on This Is Fake DIY and in the U.S. the following day digitally via Slumberland Records. The Lodger's debut Grown Ups was released in 2007, and it was followed by Life Is Sweet in 2008. Catch the stream of the forthcoming single below.



>> Dutch indie rock lifers Bettie Serveert have always been fond of presenting their songs in different styles, or at least running through them as simple acoustic versions. Heck, their last album, 2006's Bare Stripped Naked, was based in part around this notion. It recast a few songs from their past -- and future, since "What They Call Love" is remade as a rocker on their new album. So here we have this rough-and-ready take of their new Pharmacy Of Love track,"Semaphore." It may be stripped of the studio sheen and killer drums, but it still retains its urgency. Read our review of Pharmacy Of Love right here. -- Michael Piantigini

Bettie Serveert -- "Semaphore (Acoustic Version)"
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[buy Bettie Serveert records from Newbury Comics right here]

>> According to this blog post top English songwriter Ben Parker's Superman Revenge Squad is preparing the release of Dead Crow Blues EP, which will apparently include the songs "Playing God Games," "An Old Man Flicking Through A Pornographic Magazine," "The Summer We Finally Cut Our Hair" and "An Endless Bottle Of Blood-Red Wine... Whistling Into The Abyss." Superman Revenge Squad recently performed those and the older cut "I’m Gonna Go To Bed And When I Wake Up I'm Gonna Be Someone Else" for a video podcast, the details of which podcast are still being sorted. But Superman Revenge Squad's planned EP sounds very exciting, not only because it will include recent collaborator Martin on cello, but also because Mr. Parker hopes to feature his brother and former Nosferatu D2 bandmate Adam on drums on one track. Artwork for Dead Crow Blues has already been secured from Dave Broadbent, whose work you will know from the 2009 Nosferatu D2 release We're Gonna Walk Around This City With Our Headphones On To Block Out The Noise [review here]. Parker and Martin have also been asked to soundtrack a film, but there are few details available about that.

Review: Bettie Serveert | Pharmacy Of Love [MP3]

Bettie Serveert takes just long enough between albums that every one feels like a comeback. This one especially, because it is so fantastic. Let’s just establish this right off the bat: Pharmacy of Love (Second Motion) is easily the best front-to-back Bettie Serveert album since their 1992 debut, Palomine.

It is true that they can never re-create the soundtrack-of-my-life nostalgia that I have for that album (and 1992 generally, since it was such a major formative music year for me, it being the year of Let Me Come Over, Tossing Seeds and Slanted And Enchanted, among many others), and it wouldn’t be fair to ask or expect it. Even still, Pharmacy gives it a run for its money: it’s sharper, more focused, and more driven.

I’ve always thought of these Dutchpersons as a great guitar band. Palomine’s warm strummy jangle just felt and sounded real, like you were there in the basement with them. Dust Bunnies’ “Geek” amped it up and still takes my breath away. I guess that’s why I got impatient with some of some of the band’s more meandering mid-period, especially when they brought in more electronics (like on some of 2005's Attagirl, say) . The songwriting was a bit less consistent – though there were certainly plenty of gems throughout. It feels like they’ve been searching for something, and Pharmacy of Love seems to bring it all into focus.

Driven, yes, by those beloved, though sharper, guitars, but especially by explosive new drummer Joppe Molenaar – the Betties sound more like a hungry young band with something to prove and less like a band 20 years and 8 albums in (the rest of the band, singer Carol van Dyke, guitarist Peter Visser and bassist Herman Bunskoeke, have all been on board since the beginning).

I could highlight each track from this album of energy and spark, but I’ll settle on three: If there were any justice (but I know there really isn’t), the album’s single and leadoff track, “Deny All,” would be the giant hit of the summer. The propulsive rhythm (with the aforementioned explosive drumming), the catchy chorus – isn’t rock and roll due to come back again? “The Pharmacy” feels epic, though more by its drama than by its length. Driven (yes, again) by an insistent drum pattern, the track starts otherwise sparse, adding tension by synth before finally resolving into a driving beat topped by guitar freak-out. And “Change4Me,” with van Dyke’s sweet vocals and its laid-back, strum could have been on Palomine.

I friggin’ love this record.

Also: don’t miss the iTunes-only “Deny All” EP – there’s a non-LP track and a couple of alternate versions that are worth the extry couple bucks.

They seem to be doing lots of touring, but no word on a US trek just yet. In looking at their schedule, I wouldn’t count on it until the fall. And, say, that's when Teenage Fanclub are supposed to hit the US in support of their finally-announced new album, Shadows. Just sayin'. -- Michael Piantigini

Bettie Serveert - "Deny All" - Pharmacy of Love
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Muxtape No. 10: The Same Records, The Same Shoes

Here is the long-promised explication to the most recent Muxtape, which we posted over the weekend. You can listen to it right here. And in fact we highly recommend that you do.

1. Elvis Costello and The Attractions -- "Welcome To The Working Week" -- My Aim Is True
(The most obvious mix starter ever? Ah, but it took us until Wednesday to post this, so it is likely you've already been welcomed to the working work by someone else. Short, sweet, hooks, social criticism. Why is this song never covered? It's dynamite. And it's got some great "oohs" in it).

2. Embrace -- "Building" -- Embrace
(The original emo band -- unless Rites Of Spring or Faith formed first? No matter. Embrace was Ian Mackaye's project between Minor Threat and Fugazi. This is one of the act's better tracks, although "Last Song" is probably their defining statement. Mackaye's singing in the first two verses is, well, a little wimpy, although we suppose the whole point was about being direct in dealing with emotional material. Anyway, things gradually build -- no pun intended -- and eventually we're treated to the Mackaye howl we've all come to know and love.)

3. Loomis -- "Conquistador" -- You're No Tiger, Meow, Meow, Meow
(Amazing post-hardcore track from midwestern act that reformed late last year for one reunion show. This number opened the band's 1996 set, and is an incredibly satisfying rocker in that "bad things happen to me" or "I am ill-equipped to thrive in contemporary society" sort of vein. "Conquistador" has a vocal melody that is never far from our memory.)

4. Bettie Serveert -- "Kid's Alright" -- Palomine
(Such a delicious guitar riff opens this one. We love the high bending pull that signals things are coming around again, and we were particularly thrilled when we figured out the tuning for this as a relatively new guitar player. Highlight from an amazing record whose execution seemed effortless. Palomine is the last rock record to have really amazing dynamic range, which is a weird thing for us to note when we consider the album, what with all the remarkable tracks it contains. This veteran act still soldiers on, but we're always most inspired by the electric sunshine on this set.)

5. Fields -- "Isabel" -- 7 From The Village
(Now London-based Fields is about to return to playing live at the end of this month with a new lineup. The quintet -- which may or may not be a quintet any longer -- led by Nick Peill released this remarkable EP in 2006, and we wrote about it recently here as part of our guest blogging stint over at Keep Hope Inside. This is one of the hotter numbers from the set, and we are eager to hear what the act's new record will sound like, despite not being that into some demos we hear earlier this year.)

6. Gastr Del Sol -- "Eight Corners" -- Unsorted
(This song should be the whole Muxtape. No, no, we should just go to Half.com and buy all the Gastr Del Sol records we don't have. Anyway, this song name-checks Western Avenue, and many other avenues. Given Gastr's Chicago orientation, we don't imagine the Western Avenue that is a couple blocks from where we are typing, but even so our ears perk up every time this number shuffles on. After the brief lyrical introduction this turns into a hypnotic, spare piano exercise that draws you further and further down the rabbit hole. And then suddenly, woodwinds and electronic bleeps. Astonishing.)

7. Dosh -- "The Magic Stick" -- Wolves And Wishes
(Here we are at the center of the concept we were most interested in exploring with this Muxtape: that the new Dosh record -- which is excellent and which we fear we'll never find the time to review -- rests somewhere along a heretofore unimagined axis between Gastr Del Sol and Caribou. Doesn't this Dosh track seem of a piece with the Gastr number? We think so. Dosh is Martin Dosh, sometime sideman to Andrew Bird and an accomplished multi-instrumentalist in his own right. Dosh has released a number of records, but prior to hearing a track from the new record on WMBR some weeks back we'd never heard of him. We need to "get out more," musically.)

8. Caribou -- "Eli" -- Andorra
(Not sure if this song sells the whole axis idea we posit above, but it is one of our favorites from Andorra. The guitar lick it rides in on really sounds like the beginning of The Notwist's song "Neon Golden." Speaking of, The Notwist record came out Tuesday, and we hope to get out of the office at lunch tomorrow to score it at Newbury Comics.)

9. Creeping Weeds -- "Long Way Down" -- Creeping Weeds EP
(An odd Southern California '70s rock vibe permeates the verse of this very nice rocker from this Philadelphia-based act discovered via Jon Solomon's roundly excellent This Is Local Support podcast. Creeping Weeds also have a full-length called We Are All Part Of A Dream You're Having out; this EP was from 2004, if we recall correctly. We think the west coast psych/respectable Eagles feel makes it a nice pairing with the Caribou track.)

10. Archer Prewitt -- "Final Season" -- White Sky
(Mr. Prewitt never executes the way we'd like him to. This is primarily because his gentlemanly pop doesn't have much edge to it. But darn it if the songs don't stick in our head all the time. We just recently re-ripped In The Sun to our hard drive and listened through it for the first time in years. We bought the disc along with Wilco's Being There on a business trip to Kansas City 11 years ago and whiled away many, many autumn hours in a downtown office building listening to those discs. Strangely happy memories, perhaps because this is strangely happy music.)

11. Johnny Foreigner -- "Absolute Balance" -- Waited Up Til It Was Light
(We had to include this track, which we singled out in our review of the record last weekend. When singer Alexei Berrow starts shouting in the middle distance at the end of the track it gives us goose bumps. Johnny Foreigner trades almost exclusively in anthems, and few of them get more anthemic than this. Five solid minutes of joy.)

12. Diagram -- "Remember The Days" -- History Of The White Flag EP
(We thought we'd round out the mix by extending the ethereal joy of the Johnny Foreigner track with even more shoegazing electronic brilliance. Diagram broke up a couple years back, and we did this blog item in February where we caught up on what music the various members are making now. Which reminds us -- we think another similar and very good Philly act Relay is opening the Frightened Rabbit/Oxford Collapse show here in Cambridge, Mass. July 1. That's a hell of a bill).