Album Review: Radiohead - The King of Limbs

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Now that last week's shitstorm of hype concerning the new Radiohead LP The King of Limbs has calmed down, we can all take a breath and wipe the expectation out of our bleary eyes. The pre-narrative for their eighth studio album is already been exhaustedly retold. This is the band's second self-release after dumping Capitol Records. It is following up the brilliant 2007 LP In Rainbows where the band allowed the buyers to pay what they felt the new album was worth. Not only did they send the big labels scrambling for innovation or cowering in fear, they forged a road for independent musicians to follow. In 2011, they take a different route to market by releasing an album with only four days of notice and no teasing single, clip or promo video to fan the flames of hype. This not only caused the groundswell of excitement by its suddenness, but acted as another sharp stick to the eye to record companies showing that their methods of marketing are even less necessary. So here we are with The King of Limbs, a strange and introspective collection that is less about grand themes or Radiohead's place in history as World's Greatest Band than ever before.

The King of Limbs opens with the weight of the world being shaken off in "Bloom" where the anarchic drum beats and medicinal pulse signposts an impossible moment being brought to life. Thom Yorke moans from the depths of space, opining about "The Universal Sigh" to perhaps reference the mundane nature of being so expansive. There is an intentional disconnect here and the distance does not close throughout the first half of the album. The jittery nature continues on the caffeinated "Morning Mr. Magpie" where Radiohead begins to approach accessibility, if only with a careful step. This Beatlesque title is anything but pop, a heated rant at no one or everyone. The gasps for air are desperate while a bristled guitar carves out a safe place for the music to retreat and breathe. "Little by Little" also creeps forward with a never-ending staircase of bass and a metronomic tick-tock coming from one of Salvador Dali's dripping clocks. It is sensual but still distrustful, wanting to touch but blocked by "Obligation, Complication, Routines and Schedules". It is a great dose of reality before the fearful track "Feral" where Yorke's manipulated grunts and howls are slathered with studio tricks and a frantic scampering of instruments. This plays out as the audio accompaniment to the band's full retreat from their stratospheric status.

The drops that fill the ambiance of "Lotus Flower" convey a restored openness through the new warmth in Yorke's vocals. It is a grand gesture of love that stands out from this uneasy album, yet fits with its awkward clutches for closeness. This spills into the emotive piano piece "Codex" that reminds of the murky depths of "Pyramid Song", complete with matched references to a fateful dip turned into a welcome drowning. Acoustic guitar finally finds its place in "Give Up The Ghost" where they keep it simple yet lush as they gradually let go of that heavy cumbersome past. Finishing with "Separator" is an aching hum, tapped out percussion and the dreamily woven lyrics that gets back to the notion of escape that started The King of Limbs. The guitar causally noodles through the rest of the dynamic as the band floats away back into orbit, unreachable but never quite out of view.

Their has been a lot of hypotheses floating about based on this stark and atypical album. So many have questioned whether this was just an amuse-bouche before the main course where fans would have appetites sated. The band has previously stated that the making of a new album, with the need for an adhered and focused theme, is something they are not interested in making any longer. Still The King of Limbs seems to have many themes, whether they are contradictory or just more reasonable. The common element in the music with all of its twitches and tension sets the mood of the band's discomfort with their station. The eight songs could be split into two EP's with the first half being telescopically distant while the second is a warm yet tentative embrace. The music is an exercise in repetition and a statement of rejection, being anti-pop, anti-structure, anti-perfection. Here on The King of Limbs, we have a band who still enjoy that they are just that, but are relinquishing their accountability to create anything of bombast or expected greatness. There is a common motif here and that is that they are finished with common motifs.

Purchase The King of Limbs here.

Radiohead - Little By Little


Radiohead - Give Up The Ghost

New Sloan Song Available For Free, Album Available May 10

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Canadian power pop outfit Sloan has been at it since their shoegazing infancy back in the early 1990's. They eventually morphed into a band with chameleon qualities who could change from a Beatlesque melody maker to a 70's arena rock force simply by skipping to the next track. Their tenth studio LP The Double Cross will be available May 10 on Outside Records. A new track from the new album has hit the internets recently and it fills the gap nicely since their 2008 album Parallel Play. "Follow The Leader" feeds early on the glam-rock staples of a stomping drumbeat and freeform bass, adding some hard strumming acoustic guitar that gives way to a dramatic bridge that screams of an old school AM radio nugget. Toward the end, the mood shifts to a groovy piano packed shakedown and finishes abruptly not unlike the tracks from their rock opera double LP Never Hear The End Of It. It will be interesting to see what the rest of the new album delivers.

Right-click to download "Follow The Leader" here.

Follow The Leader



Bonus discovery: All of Sloan's albums are available for purchase or for full song streaming via their website. I am posting their 2005 singles comp A Sides Win as a decent cross section of their best stuff. Rock on!

New Discovery: Save The Clocktower

Chicago's own Save The Clocktower has been rattling the cages of some local bloggers recently with a blend of quirky keys, restrained beats and delicate guitar that accent the subtly soulful vocal work. Their sound has been evolving from their earlier tracks to their new album Carousel. The songs given below ably represent their range, from the simple beauty on "Drip" that gets broken up by moments of thick grooves to the pop sensibility of "The One Thing" that channels the spookiness of The Knife while still capturing an element of sugary innocence. The trio is putting on a huge record release party for Carousel on February 26 at The Hideout with many openers and a rip roaring dance party afterward courtesy of Carrie and Mary of Smashing Time. Come check them out with me and don't be too shy to stop over and say hi.

Click here to link to a free download of "The One Thing".

Drip


The One Thing

Album Review: Yuck - Yuck

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Forgive me, but I am someone who does not carry fond memories of 90's music. Just the phrase itself is weighty with the tepid shrugs of a decade's tremendous potential and subsequent lost opportunities. Specifically, this is in reference to the explosion of alternative rock music in that era. So many bands from that time period, deserved or not, scooped up the benefits of the major label money grab in their desperate search for the next power chord providers for Generation X. For those listeners that dug a little deeper in our musical excavations, we knew that the best stuff never quite made it to the mainstream. Because of their independent battle scars, bands such as Dinosaur Jr., Superchunk, Sebadoh, Yo La Tengo, Guided By Voices, Teenage Fanclub, et al., all receive detailed and deserved chapters in the indie rock canon. When a band such as Yuck strolls into this modern day landscape making music accurately referencing a two decade old sound without a shade of irony, your inner skeptic may immediately bristle. If this is you, take the following words as a reassuring hand on your shoulder. This foursome of practiced youngsters from London and their self-titled release on Fat Possum is not a joke. They are a serious band adding sensible imperfection to a pristine package, giving reason for this curmudgeonly former "alt-rocker" to relive all of the great moments of my musical past.

I just discovered this band a short time ago, but they have been gathering blog support for many months on the backs of some great singles. However, their first album is a coming out party, containing a dozen songs of deep hooks of prototypal lo-fi. In fact, you can literally connect the dots from all of the cross-referencing of their source material. Opener "Get Away" is a Superchunk nugget with a Dinosaur Jr. squall and lazy chorus. "The Wall" could be a Yo La Tengo Painful era b-side that rumbles and squeals with another big crowd pleasing finish. When Yuck brings it down a notch, they still source with loving nostalgia. "Shook Down" has Teenage Fanclub harmonies and acoustic-electric dynamics. "Suicide Policemen" features cute tropicalia flourishes and male-female vocal sweetness that remind of an Evan Dando/Juliana Hatfield collab for the Lemonheads big label debut. "Operation" is a literal hogpile of the afore-mentioned bands coated with a ragged Sebadoh distortion. Finishing up with a seven minute calamity in "Rubber", the grungy memories spill from this storm of noble noise and muffled vocals like those drawn out encores for concert goers that never wanted that ear-buzzing evening of brilliance to end.

I was trying to find that line that divided Yuck from the their old school resource material. Everything is there from that era in music: lusty guitar jams, catchy hooks, sassy lyrics and the purposeful absence of studio sheen. Heck, even their moniker Yuck could have been a song name or an album title from any one of those bands. Then it struck me. The difference is identical to the ones my generation has with much of the twenty-somethings that are coming of age now. These bands of the past carried their independence like a membership card and battled the mainstream with a cynical humor and sneering skepticism that only allowed entry to the ones who are in on the joke. The songs of Yuck are bursting with an all-inclusive optimism and confidence that comes an outfit unrestrained by the constructs of yesterday. Bands are no longer marketing, recording, touring and struggling to get heard at such a weighted disadvantage to major record label interests. To that, I say good tidings to these upstarts who took the time to study their history before passing their big exam with flying colors.

Purchase Yuck here.

Bonus: Listen to the full album below, download a couple of tracks and watch the low-budget horror flick send-up video for "Holing Out". Warning: Video is NSFW containing some nudity and graphic bloodiness.

Right-click to download "Georgia" here.

Right-click to download "Suicide Policemen" here.

Right-click to download "Rubber" here.

Yuck - Yuck (6 tracks)

Album Review: Cut Copy - Zonoscope

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Australian gents Cut Copy have been on a tear since their 2008 breakthrough In Ghost Colours. Lots of love from critics spun into a huge worldwide tour including an early evening spot at Lollapalooza. Their trademark blend of new wave, disco, pop and techno was as inspired as it was addictive. For the next album, staying the course could mean a faded, shady facsimile of what they have already perfected. Using too much of one genre's influence could be that heavy-handed ingredient that throws the whole blend off balance. For their third release on Modular Records, Zonoscope brings vast possibility with the added pressure of deeper expectation.

The positivity that flooded from In Ghost Colours carries over in Zonoscope with the slow build of "Need You Now". Playing out like nouveau redux of the theme to Chariots Of Fire, the joyous energy is only restrained for full impact upon the bursting finale. "Take Me Over" is an airy pop ditty featuring lively piano fills, congo drums and disco bass that could be wedged into your "Lost Tracks of the 80's" mixtape. The overlap spills into the pre-release track "Where I'm Going" that begins to fill the Cut Copy prerequisite for dance anthems. The insistent march spurns the freeing sing-a-long that begs for a crowd led chant. The organ pulse and swirl is fresh and full of life, showing early that Zonoscope has found that true equilibrium measuring all of Cut Copy's influences while making something completely autonomous from their earlier albums.

There are a lot of bands who wear their new wave influences well and can ably back it with catchy dance bass and beats. What sets Cut Copy apart is their never-fail structure of an undeniable introducing hook that gets bandied about like a joke until the song's crescendo swells and pops like a balloon full of confetti around the 2/3 mark. "Pharaohs and Pyramids" is great example of their acumen. The groovy snyths and clap tracks definitely keep the ear busy, but it could have been lost on the listener before it was remembered. At the 2:54 mark, the change drops and you realize that the previous piece was just a distraction for this song's true purpose. This rope-a-dope style of affixing two separately enticing elements into one whole runs throughout Zonoscope. "This Is All We've Got" is another Cut Copy anthem featuring a drill sargent tempo that lifts the hyper-general lyrics to grandiose heights. Of course, they are simply working a pop music staple that lyrics should never overreach or get too deep. "Alisa", for example, could be anyone with only the name to tip the listener off on the gender. This is of little consequence as Cut Copy rolls out their most guitar-based track. It is a varied and welcome addition to Zonoscope and perhaps it's only missing element. Where it lacks in rock, it generously provides in dance beats. Finishing up is the techno-inspired "Corner of the Sky" that nags for countless remixes to fulfill all the micro-genres in the widespread wilderness of club music. The ambient traffic noise is a break before the Madchester homage "Sun God" that features house key sweeps and a Happy Mondays chorus that stretches on for ten extra minutes and establishing their concert encore for years to come.

Upon many listens to Zonoscope I am reminded of what a friend said about LCD Soundsystem's This Is Happening. When I was struggling to enjoy it, he said that it was their one true "album" where the other releases were more of a collection of songs. Zonoscope has a similar tenor in that it is unquestionably a great album and very different from the previous efforts. Only the process of time will help me decide which one album I like the best.

Right-click to download "Where I'm Going" here.

Purchase Zonoscope here.

Cut Copy - Zonoscope (full album)


Bonus x2: Cut Copy recently released a free mixtape available for download that includes such diverse fare as A Guy Called Gerald, Happy Mondays, Fleetwood Mac, The Rolling Stones and Kiss. Below that is the sports-themed video for "Need You Now". Feel the joy!

Right click to download A Tale of Two Journeys here.

A Tale of Two Journeys (Mixtape)

Ponytail Deliver Promo Video For New Album

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In a short time, Baltimore four-piece Ponytail has cemented a reputation as the spazziest of all spazz-rockers. After two albums and some of the most talked about live performances, the rumors began to swirl that this vital band had called it quits after extensive touring in support of their 2008 LP Ice Cream Spiritual. Not only were the stories summarily squashed, but they have a new record ready for launch. The appropriately titled Do Whatever You Want All The Time is scheduled to drop on April 12 on We Are Free Records. At this point, there is no freebie from the new album. However, they have put together a video featuring a nameless new track that is certainly enticing. Check it out below, then give a listen to a couple of older tracks as well.

Pre-order Do Whatever You Want All the Time here.

Right-click to download "Celebrate The Body Electric" here.



Beg Waves (from Ice Cream Spiritual)

Eleventh Dream Day Give Away New Song, Album Out March 15

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Chicago-based unsung musical force Eleventh Dream Day have been making blistering and woefully under-appreciated rock for well over 20 years. After going through many lineup changes, the core members Rick Rizzo, Janet Beveridge Bean and Douglas McCombs are still present and joined by multi-instrumentalist and former Cocktails member Mark Greenberg. Their tenth LP Riot Now! is due out on Thrill Jockey March 15 and a track has finally found its way into my lap. As a long time fan of this band's raw and uncompromising sound, I am truly piqued for this album after hearing this fiery single and obvious throwback to their inspired heyday.

The low rumble beginning the new track "Satellite" sets the mood as the heavy drums and thick bass are laid like concrete under the sturdy guitar riff. Rizzo cuts in to spit out his opaque words and the sober tone slowly becomes even more serious. It is the undeniable storm of synth work and feedback cracking through the song's foundation that builds these gale force winds into a raging tornado. This was the kind of power propagated on albums such as Prarie School Freakout and Beet, then was flecked throughout their later, more matured works that kept me a dedicated follower for all of this time. In 2011, the art of the power chord throwdown has either been abandoned or obscured by effects and studio tricks. I am not sure what could bring this brand of guileless, pure rock & roll back, but Eleventh Dream Day still stands as an ad hoc reminder that the roots of indie sprouted from this kind of passion.

Right-click to download Satellite here.

Preorder Riot Now! here.

Eleventh Dream Day - Satellite

Radiohead To Release New Album February 19, Record Labels Get Schooled Again

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Without a snippet of a new track or a teasing soundbite from a band member, early this morning Radiohead announced that their eighth album will be available for purchase on Saturday. The new LP The King Of Limbs will be available in either digital format or in what the band is calling Newspaper Format. There is no track information, but the physical form will include both vinyl and compact disc copies of the album, a digital download in either mp3 or CD quality format and, by description, some incredibly ornate packaging. This will be Radiohead's first album since 2007 In Rainbows where the album was offered by the band in a "pay what you want" scheme as a response to the proliferation of illegal downloading of copyrighted music and to the shedding of the oppressive dead weight of their record label Capitol Records. Besides for a couple of odd singles released in 2009, this is the first new music heard of any sort by Radiohead.

It is interesting how a band of this magnitude is more concerned with having complete control over their material and trailblazing a new path of truly independent methods of promoting, marketing and selling their product. Instead of wasting gobs of money suing individual consumers and foreign entities such as torrent sites (whose cost gets deferred back to the legal record buyer), Radiohead seems to have accepted and even embraced new technology with all of its flaws and does what it can to still make (more than) a few bucks. Where today's new model is to give away at least the single of a popular album at least one month before an official launch, Radiohead scrapped the method they fostered and rewrote the rules by using the all-enticing methods of exclusivity, product quality and well-kept secrets. Of course, only a band this popular could do this on such a grand scale. But the tenets are now well in place for other independent artists to choose their best method to make a living without settling for big label record support. Even if you are not a fan, please tip your hat to Radiohead for keeping the standard lofty and unwavering.

Pre-order and find out the full details about The King of Limbs here.

Radiohead - These Are My Twisted Words


Radiohead - 15 Step

New Discovery: Houses

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Chicago-based duo Houses did not actually start making music here. According to the bio on their website, partners in life Dexter Tortoriello and Megan Messina decided to rid themselves of the daily grind and move to a remote area of Hawaii to pursue their artistic directives. In an effort to live life simply the pair had a home with no working plumbing or electricity and were "cultivating indigenous microorganisms and learning the basics of sustainable living". Their computer ran on solar power and they used candles to conserve their precious energy. The collective adventure of a few months of solitude resulted in the 2010 album All Night. The slight nature of the acoustics throughout the LP is striking as the thick underbelly of keys and beats gives backbone to the initial fragility. Houses is presently on tour with Baths and Braids, playing the Subterranean in Chicago on February 26. Enjoy two songs from All Night and a video for non-album track "This Is War". Tip of the hat to my cousin Paul who brought Houses to my attention.

Right-click to download "Soak It Up" here.

Purchase All Night here.

Houses - Soak It Up


Houses - Sleeping

New Strokes Track Available For Free Download, Album Out March 22

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Well, the hype is over. If you are one of the many music nerds out there who waited with anticipation on the free release of the new Strokes single, you were initially frustrated by the site fail, then annoyed by the presence of two gate keepers (in an email address solicitation AND a need to register with Sony directly) then, depending on your tastes, undeniably pleased or had another reason to be snarky.

The track "Under Cover Of Darkness" is truly solid and reminiscent of their debut Is This It. The nearly four minute is all bounce and shuffle, featuring an off-key, couldn't-be-bothered guitar intro that sets up Julian Casablancas slacker croon that builds into excited chants and passioned howls through the entire steady rocker. There are not one, but two build up and break downs that causes one's head to bob and hands to clap involuntarily. The second crest delivers a trademark Albert Hammond Jr. guitar solo that brings the goosebumps just like the old days. Only the coldest hearts, tinniest ears and most jaded sensibilities would not enjoy this track. To the rest of you, the long delays and tiring wait on The Strokes fourth album "Angles" was worth it.

Right click to download "Under Cover of Darkness".

Pre-order Angles here.

The Strokes – Under Cover of Darkness

Free Download From Belong, Album Out March 21

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Belong is a duo hailing from New Orleans that makes music in the ambient traditions of early shoegaze, the darkest reflections of present day chillwave and the godfather of said genre, Brian Eno. Their first album October Language was born from their home city's tragic flooding and the hardship that followed. Now with a firm backing from present label Kranky, Belong is preparing their third LP Common Era for release on March 21. The first track is now available for your ears below.

"Perfect Life" is a step forward in the band's repertoire that adds a thick Joy Division-inspired beat and gauzy vocals that never distract from the delicate synths that still wash over the listener. The new song feels like a cautious exercise, creating only new possibilities for Belong on this new effort. Check out the new track next to an old one from October Language to witness the growth firsthand.

Right click to download "Perfect Life".

Purchase October Language here.

Belong - Perfect Life


Belong - October Language

Stream The New PJ Harvey LP, Album Out February 15

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The new album from PJ Harvey Let England Shake is due out in approximately one week from this post date. However, you can stream her entire eighth album over at NPR for that week. The 12 songs feature a sparse production and much less vitriol than many of Polly Jean's previous efforts. Nonetheless, that trademark foreboding nature that is woven through her entire catalog is still a common thread here. Instead of listening to low quality radio rips, give this a listen. My first listen personal favorites are the opening title track, "The Last Living Rose", "The Words That Maketh Murder", "On Battleship Hill" and "In The Dark Places". For you lazy clickers out there, check out the listening and viewing material below.

Preorder Let England Shake here.

PJ Harvey - Written On The Forehead

Album Review: Fujiya & Miyagi - Ventriloquizzing

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Brighton's Fujiya & Miyagi is a band built on contradictions with a penchant for the cryptic and cavalier. With their breakthrough 2006 singles comp Transparent Things, the trio's ubercool indifference and calculated minimalism permeated the mainstream via beer commercials and dancefloor culture through the mashup blogosphere (listen below). Tracks such as "Collarbone", "Ankle Injuries" and "In One Ear and Out the Other" have had enough legs to stay relevant five years later. Their followup Lightbulbs had moments but the lack of a grabber single was glaring. In 2011, the band as aesthete has become a fully functioning construct on their new LP Ventriloquizzing, emphasizing their Krautrock influences and stark minimalism by grinding their sound down to a microscopic tip then etching their marks and flourishes faintly on the fresh page.

The opening title track is a good reflection of Ventriloquizzing in its entirety. The influence of Kraftwerk and Can are omnipresent, yet Fujiya & Miyagi don't stray too far from the their hip swaying roots. What is different is the dark nature that shrouds the new LP. Where the previous releases strove for sweetness and light, the new tracks are featuring minor keys and omninous lyrics. It works best on first single "Sixteen Shades of Black and Blue", whose dirty tone slinks around while the descriptive lyrics are downright erotic with their deadpan delivery. "Minestrone" tips a hat to late 70's Talking Heads as the nonsensical ramble weaves through the funky mix. The atmosphere of cool continues on "Yoyo" where the exercise in repetition and minutiae is the draw without the extended drone that bands like Stereolab have perfected over the years.

There lies the missing element in Ventriloquizzing. Where Fujiya & Miyagi choose brevity in their minimalism, some tracks would have benefited from some sonic exploration. "OK" has a smooth simplicity and uses delicate piano plinks to make an impression, but the dark synth fills could have been pushed even further. Things become even more elementary and enigmatic on tracks like "Taiwanese Roots" which can be best described as a silly scat about eating. Ventriloquizzing gets gains its footing again on extended jam "Tinsel & Glitter" that throws in a spacey organ groove that almost breaks their "less is more" rule. For the most part, the choices that Fujiya & Miyagi were well advised and calculated. I am not sure it is going to sell any beer, but there is always the next album.

Purchase Ventriloquizzing here.

Fujiya & Miyagi - Ventriloquizzing


Fujiya & Miyagi - Sixteen Shades of Black and Blue


Fujiya & Miyagi- Yoyo


Bonus: Chicago mashup masters The Hood Internet love Fujiya & Miyagi and always seem to find the right balance with their hip-hop counterparts. Check out their website for oodles of free party starting mixes.

The Hood Internet - The Next Collarbone (Dr Dre x Fujiya & Miyagi)


The Hood Internet - What U Know About Transparent Things (TI x Fujiya & Miyagi)

New Low Track Available For Free Download, Album Out April 12

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A couple of weeks ago, I typed up the details on the new album due out from Low. The Duluth, MN trio's ninth studio LP (by my count) C'mon will be here April 12 on Sub Pop. Sadly I had no new music at the time to share... Until now.

"Try To Sleep" is the opening track for C'mon and a interesting departure from their previous efforts. The deliberate build opens into a sweetness and, dare I say, positivity that gleams through the band's trademark elegy. It plays like a lullaby with a tenderness that has not been seen from Low for some time. The restless lyrics could center on a person with a heavy heart who can find no rest or someone patiently waiting to take their last breath. In any case, the story is in the capable hands of Low, who flush the austere subject with warmth and humanity. "Try To Sleep" can be heard in its entirety by clicking the middle of the widget below. The download will cost you an email address, which is a definite bargain.

Preorder C'mon here.

Two New Tracks From Toro Y Moi, New Album Out February 22

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When music historians consider the chillwave explosion over the past two years, the name that will be heading up the first chapter is Chaz Bundick (aka Toro Y Moi). His release last year, the future-is-now, zero gravity bliss of Causers Of This, became the best example of the genre. Icy beats collide with sunny melodies as the vocals straddle the wall between soul and robotics. Now one year later, the new album from Toro Y Moi entitled Underneath The Pine will be out February 22 on Carpark Records. The first leaked track "Still Sound" dropped in mid-December and a second teaser, "New Beat" is now available to whet your appetites.

Compared to Causers Of This, there is a huge shift in style and presentation on Underneath The Pine. Both tracks are deep soul grooves showcasing funk bass lines and smooth vocal performances with minimal effects. "New Beat" has a disco tempo and early 80's Prince keys that cry out for your sweetest dance moves. "Still Sound" is also slick and seductive with some falsetto balladry without the bravado typical of R&B. It seems that Chaz Bundick is making a statement with Underneath The Pine that his reach goes way beyond the composed circuitry of chillwave, arriving with a more organic and accessible sound that gives a larger tent for his growing fanbase. Listen to and download the new tracks below, then enjoy the bonus video for "Still Sound".

Preorder Underneath the Pine here.

Right-click to download "Still Sound" here.

Right-click to download "New Beat" here.

Toro Y Moi - Still Sound


Toro Y Moi - New Beat

New Fleet Foxes Hits The Internet, Album Available May 3

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Scruffy folkies Fleet Foxes were huge in 2008, releasing both the Sun Giant EP and a self-titled LP whose earnest vocals, soaring melodies and delicate instrumentation made all the indie girls swoon and the indie boys grow unkempt beards. It has been a long time coming, but the guys from Seattle have released another charmer. Below is "Helplessness Blues", the track from the upcoming sophomore album of the same name. The album will be out May 3 on Sub Pop, so get to the preview below.

Starting with an anthemic strum of acoustic warmth, the vocals follow steeped in classic pop-folk traditions. The imagery of nature butting against modern life theme in the lyrics is moving as the dueling harmonies grab hold. The build is deliberate with the first half of the track feeling like a Simon & Garfunkel Graduate outtake. Then the change happens and the en vogue homaging of CSNY in today's indie folk follows through with unsullied beauty and passion, a lost virtue in an angry world and a cynical recording industry. I am no folkie, but I really, really like this.

Preorder Helplessness Blues and download various free tracks here.

Purchase the Sun Giant EP here.

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues


Bonus: Fleet Foxes - Drops in the River (from Sun Giant)