This captivating video is for "Stripes" from the new album from Bell Orchestre. "As Seen Through Windows" is out now on Arts And Crafts.

This could be good. This could be bad. Maybe indifferent. I really don't know. If "Blueberry Boat" was one the greatest albums of the last decade, then the output from The Fiery Furnaces since that incredible release has been spotty to say the least. So, here is news of a new album that is due out on July 21 on Thrill Jockey. "I'm Going Away" contains 12 tracks, which I think is a good sign. More muscle, less fat. Let's hope so.

I'm Going Away Track Listing
1 I'm Going Away
2 Drive To Dallas
3 The End Is Near
4 Charmaine Champagne
5 Cut the Cake
6 Even in the Rain
7 Staring at the Steeple
8 Ray Bouvier
9 Keep Me in the Dark
10 Lost At Sea
11 Cups and Punches
12 Take Me Round Again

Yes! Yes! Yes! This song is huge. So natural, so wonderful, so glorious. Oh yes, there is glory there. "Vampire" is lifted from the soon to be available (May 5) new album from Pink Mountaintops. "Outside Love" is the name and Jagjaguwar are delivering the goods. Please listen to this song and fall in love.

MP3: Vampire-Pink Mountaintops


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Other music to enjoy...

MP3: First Daze-Pterodactyl
MP3: A Hand At Dusk-Swan Lake
MP3: Military Madness-Woods
MP3: Easy-Deer Tick
MP3: Pity Dance-DM Stith
MP3: Yours Truly, The Commuter-Jason Lytle
MP3: River-Akron/Family

Best win ever!!!

It comes in many colours. Dazzling red, luminous blue, deep green, bitter black. It pierces. It dazzles. It swirls and sways. It hits you in the face, soothes your soul. It will make you laugh, it just might make you cry. It will certainly entertain you. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you "Bromst", the ultimate candidate for THE most entertaining album of 2009. Damn it. It might just prove to be one of the best records you will hear this calendar year anyways.

So, is it possible to be wordy about a piece of music that is so visceral, so linked to movement and moving. Well, probably not. So this might be brief. This is Dan Deacon's finest moment to date. If "Spiderman of the Rings" was fun and engaging, but perhaps a tad lightweight, then "Bromst" is fun and even more engaging, but the music sounds important. Is important. It makes you dance, wildly, but with a certain gravitas attached. Here, in this time, the moments of fun are equally counterbalanced by the moments of tightly held beauty. So, it starts with something purely magnificent. "Build Voice" is simply superb, a song that climbs slowly through the stratosphere, shifting and changing as it goes. It begins so quietly that you barely know it's there. But by the end of the song it will inhabit your very existence. Songs like "Red F" and "Paddling Ghost" are ecstatic and joyous, memorable for the vibe that they create. Yes, this is electronic music, but it feels organic. There is a heart and soul beating in every song. These songs are complex and multi, multi layered. No simple beats here for the party crowd. But then there is also an accessible element to each song as well. These are songs for the community, they are not cold and austere. They are warm and vibrant and alive. Perhaps the centrepiece is the one two punch of "Snookered and Of The Mountains". These songs are delicate and full of nuance. There is tenderness and softness on display. They reach deep inside your heart, settling there for good. There isn't a dud song here at all. "Surprise Stefani" is eerily ominous, "Woof Woof" is jumping for joy, whilst "Get Older" closes things perfectly. This is an album for everyone to enjoy. It is everything and everyman. It is silly and vulnerable. It is childlike and moving. It is impossible to resist and designed to enjoy. Dan Deacon, we hug you.

May 5 sees the release of the new Akron/Family album on Dead Oceans. "Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free" is much anticipated around these parts and with good reason. They are seriously talented. Here is a new song off the upcoming album. "River" is simply gorgeous. Warm and inviting.

MP3: River

Here is the trailer for the new film from the great Jim Jarmusch. "The Limits of Control" stars Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Gael Garcia Bernal, John Hurt and Isaach De Bankole and opens in Australia in June. One to look forward to.

It begins with an idea. Then flowers. Immaculately. It speaks from places unknown. With great confidence and supreme talent. "Enemy Mine" knows no boundaries. It knows no limits. It is witheringly great and permanently wonderful. It is the work of three men. It is meant to be listened to carefully. It is greatness unfolding carefully in your hands.

If "Beast Moans" was a complicated riddle, then "Enemy Mine" is a complicated bewilderment. But it is greater. More succinct, more complex, more structured. The structure is this. Three men, three talents go into a studio and start from scratch. Swan Lake are truly a project. There are no live shows to hone their craft, no months spent on refining their songs. They start with a blank canvas and end up with something akin to a Kandinsky. It is actually quite remarkable that they have managed to produce something so wonderful, so complete. Many bands would spend years trying to produce something so unique and wonderful and still come up short. So, the music is equally spread amongst the three principles. Carey Mercer delivers some of his best work ever with three dollops of craziness and complexity. Spencer Krug yet again provides us with his unique brand of beauty, whilst Dan Bejar cajoles us once more with his ascerbic wit. Of the three it is possibly Mercer who reaches the highest. The opener "Spanish Gold, 2044" is wonderfully crusty and creaky, it aches under the weight of its import, building a singular momentum that purely slays. Then his closer "Warlock Psychologist" is strange and awestruck. A wonder track that also features Spencer joining in for some memorable wailing. That is a feature of the album as well. For even though each writer has three clearly defined songs as their contribution, there is definitely a collaboration going on as well, as each singer gives important vocals to each of the songs on display. This is best illustrated on Spencer's stand out song, the eerily beautiful "A Hand At Dusk", a miniature epic that features Krug's flair for drama. Then towards the end Mercer enters the scene with his trademark vocals delivered from the depths of his soul. Krug also provides us with the very tender and sweet "Paper Lace", a song of quiet beauty. Bejar's best moment is probably the dark and deliberate "Heartswarm". This is a totally rewarding and amply satisfying album. A rich tapestry of sound, a conglomeration of the abilities of three supreme talents. Maybe someday they will give us the pleasure of playing live for us, but for now the pleasures of this album will have to suffice. Album of the year? Well, yes. I am glad you asked...

MP3: Spanish Gold, 2044
MP3: A Hand At Dusk

And so the greatness begins....

MP3: Idiot Heart-Sunset Rubdown

This I only discovered today. Ohad Benchetrit (Broken Social Scene, Do Make Say Think) is releasing an album under the name of Years. It is a self titled album and it will be here soon. May 5 to be exact. On Arts and Crafts. Based on the label and on Ohad's pedigree I am assuming it is going to be excellent and worth looking into.

Years Track Listing
1 Kids Toy Love Affair
2 Don't Let The Blind Go Deaf
3 Are You Unloved?
4 Hey Cancer...Fuck You!
5 Binary Blues
6 A Thousand Times A Day (Someone Is Flying)
7 The Assassination Of Dow Jones
8 Lasantha Wickrematunge
9 September 5. October 21. 2007
10 The Fall Of Winter
11 The Major Lift
12 44

You can find a free download of track 2 right here.

"Bromst", the new album from Dan Deacon is simply stunning. If you don't own it by now, then what are you waiting for. Here, Dan plays "Snookered" in Philadelphia on his current tour.

Were The Unicorns good for you? Did that Montreal band's brand of skewered and melodic pop do it for you? Well then you might like Clues. Clues are the creation of former Unicorn Alden Penner and Brendan Reed. In formation for over a year, they now have a debut album ready to be unleashed. May 19 to be exact. On the always wonderful Constellation Records. The self titled release is eleven tracks strong and those songs that I have heard are quite outstanding. Rich and fulsome, exciting and extremely melodic. Trust me, this is going to be a standout album of 2009. No question.

Clues Track Listing
1 Haarp
2 Remember Severed Head
3 Approach The Throne
4 In The Dream
5 You Have My Eyes Now
6 Perfect Fit
7 Elope
8 Cave Mouth
9 Crows
1o Ledmonton
11 Lets Get Strong

MP3: Perfect Fit
MP3: Remember Severed Head

'Twas a night for beards. And loudness. And greatness. Fun. Yes, it was. I have seen the might of The Black Keys in concert a couple of times and so a night with their singer Dan Auerbach was one to look forward to. Monday night at The Basement I was not to be disappointed. In fact it was exhilarating. Robust, strong. Soulful. Dan Auerbach is pure Rock and Roll. Pure energy. Pure passion and excitement. I left satisfied.

Firstly, his solo album is very good. Although it doesn't sound unlike a Black Keys effort, it is nonetheless a solid, well made album. Full of that burning fire that we come to expect from Mr Auerbach. So, with a 'solo' tour I was expecting Dan in singular. Turns out he played with a full band. Texas band Hacienda to be exact. This foursome also acted as his support act and they were pretty good. Full of passion and energy, if not exactly very original. But what a backing band. They nailed it, playing tightly and swiftly. As an added bonus we had the one and only Patrick Hallahan from My Morning Jacket as an extra drummer and percussionist. This man lives in Drum City. He is quite a phenomenon. But it was Dan who was the leading light. He played just about everything off his new album, with a few well chosen covers thrown in. The man can wield an axe, his fingers burning the fret as he extracts chords that ring in our ears. Then there is his voice. Husky, smoky, completely earnest. It's truly one to be enraptured with. Highlights were the soulful opener "Trouble Weighs A Ton", the fiery "My Last Mistake", the thumping "Street Walkin" and the desolate "Heartbroken, In Disrepair". Well, that's just for starters. How about the brilliant "Whispered Words" or the slow burning "Keep It Hid". I also loved hearing Dan go solo with "Goin' Home" in the encore. I think though that the song that had me spinning was a cover. "Inside Looking Out", by The Animals tore the roof off. It was power times a thousand. Ferocious and incendiary. Which the whole show was. Totally. My only complaint was the sound. It was fine in the mix. But damn it was loud. Well, louder then most Basement shows. But hey, to have Dan Auerbach still ringing in my ears the following day ain't the worse thing that could happen.

Set List
Trouble Weighs A Ton
I Want Some More
The Prowl
When I Left The Room
My Last Mistake
Mean Monsoon
Oh Carol, I'm So Sad (Rocking Horse cover)
Real Desire
Money & Trouble
Street Walkin'
When The Night Comes
Whispered Words
Heartbroken, In Disrepair
Keep It Hid
Inside Looking Out (The Animals cover)

Goin' Home
Hidden Charms? (Willie Dixon cover)

Go Tar Heels!

Damn! This is such a good song. I only discovered it early this year, but it was taken from the band's excellent self titled album last year. The good news is that their new album is being released on Team Love Records next week. "Yonder Is The Clock" is the name of the album and it is excellent. The better news is that the album is already available in this country on Spunk Records. Please find it. Here is a track from the new album for you to enjoy.

MP3: Run Chicken Run-The Felice Brothers

You take what you can get at an Augie March show. I have been to two before last night and they were both wayward and unsatisfying affairs. Firstly, I am not a huge fan of the band. I recognise Glenn Richards as a great lyricist and powerful vocalist, but the music can be fairly mundane and lacking melody. But, if the band puts on a great show then a night with the band can still prove worthwhile. But, the band I have seen has been fairly lacklustre and fronted by a man who can be downright petulant and sour on stage. Glenn Richards is a wonderful talent, but he can quite surly and bitchy on stage, sucking all the joy out of the room. Would Wednesday night at The Basement prove any different? Well, yes and no.

Firstly, it was billed as low key and acoustic. Which it barely was. There were more acoustic guitars on stage, but the rocking numbers still rocked, barely changing a note. Except for one significant song. "One Crowded Hour" was broken down and slowed down, to its detriment. What works for this song is its unrelenting momentum and this new translation seem to lose all the majesty. My highlights of the night were definitely the slower, quieter songs. "Sunstroke House" was all burnt beauty, whilst "The Slant" was hushed and quite beautiful. The encore was great too, with a cover of The Kinks' "Days", followed by the closer "This Train Will Be Taking No Passengers" which was stunning. Basically just acoustic guitar and harmonica, it was slow and sublime. A great way to end the night. But it didn't start well. Glenn Richards, ever the perfectionist, was grimacing and complaining from the opening number and I really can't remember a song where he didn't have a pained look on his face. The sound was his main issue and he was not sparing in his disdain for the poor sound man. The sound wasn't perfect, but it was workable and I just feel that his attitude takes away a lot of the potential joy from an Augie March show. Funnily enough he might have realised he was being a bit of a brat, for halfway through he started apologising for his oubursts of petulance. So much so, that by the end of the night he was actually smiling and being quite gracious, showing that inside that restless perfectionist lives an interesting and vital human being. Maybe next time...

Set List
The Glenorchy Bunyip
Lupus
One Crowded Hour
City Of Rescue
Sunstroke House
Little Wonder
Pennywhistle
Stranger Strange
The Cold Acre
Rich Girl
The Baron Of Sentiment
The Slant
There Is No Such Place

Heartbeat And Sails
Days
This Train Will Be Taking No Passengers