Mount Eerie is back with a new album after last year’s devastating and heartbreaking A Crow Look At Me this week. Also, releasing this week are albums from the Decemberists and Stone Temple Pilots, and new singles from Courtney Barnett and Leon Bridges.
Albums:
Smalltalk – Tacit
Mumbai-based debutant quartet Smalltalk have released their EP ‘Tacit’. Having won prestigious competitions like Mood Indigo’s Livewire in Mumbai and Bandcubator in Pune last year, they have received a decent amount of acclaim in the independent circuit. They experiment with different sounds, but have their roots in R&B/Soul. ‘Come Back’ is a must listen.
The Ragamuffins – Tell Me
The Ragamuffins’ indie-rock sound is refreshing, yet familiar. They released the four track EP Tell Me along with a bonus track called ‘Best Damn Memory’ last week. Since then, they have managed to create quite a bit of buzz, and for good reason. It is always pleasant to hear a strong female lead in a rock band, and Pranati does a great job of lending the vocals to the record.
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The Decemberists – I’ll Be Your Girl
The Portland based indie folk-rock band have released a new album, I’ll Be Your Girl. This is their eighth album and it is the follow up to the 2015 studio release, What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World. In 2011, the track “Down By the Water” from the album
The King Is Dead was nominated for Best Rock Song at the 54th Grammy Awards.
Mount Eerie – Now Only
Mount Eerie, the project of Washington-based songwriter and producer Phil Elverum (formerly of The Microphones) have released a new album named Now Only. This is the ninth studio release from the project and follows last years’ deeply personal and devastating A Crow Looked At Me, which explored the death of his wife, Geneviève Castrée. The album follows and explores the same themes as the last album, which was critically acclaimed by critics for its starkness and emotions.
Yo La Tengo – There’s A Riot Going On
The veteran Hoboken-based band Yo La Tengo, have released their fifteenth studio album, There’s A Riot Going On. This follows their 2015 release, Stuff Like That There, an album (and “a sequel of sorts to Fakebook“) of re-recorded versions of some of their old songs as well as covers, including songs by The Cure, Hank Williams, and Sun Ra. Their new album nods to the Sly and The Family Stone.
Hot Snakes – Jericho Sirens
The American post-hardcore band, Hot Snakes mark their official in-studio return with the album, Jericho Sirens. This is their first album in nearly fourteen years following their 2004 release, Audit In Progress before breaking up in 2005. This is also their first album after signing on to Seattle-based record label Sub Pop.
Stone Temple Pilots – Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots are back with new self-titled studio album, their first in eight years. This is the first album since main singer Scott Weiland’s death in 2015 and is their first album with new lead singer Jeff Gutt. One of the most commercially successful band of the 90s, their evolution throughout the 1990s and early 2000s involved periods of commercial highs and lows, brought about in part by Weiland’s well-publicized struggles with drug addiction.
Fun Fact: Chester Bennington fronted the band temporarily between 2013 and 2015, releasing an EP titled High Rise.
Songs:
Sunit Zadav – Mush
Produced by veteran jazz guitarist Sanjay Divecha, Mumbai-based Sunit Zadav’s single, his first release as a solo artist, has been creating ripples since the day of its release. The sound of ‘Mush’ is essentially acoustic pop and gives a very light, pleasant vibe. Sunit manages to bring something new to a genre that is arguably overdone in the Indian independent industry and consequently, the song stands out.
Courtney Barnett – Need A Little Time
Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett has released another single for her upcoming album, Tell Me How You Really Feel. This is the second single off the album, and starts off similarly to the last single ‘Nameless Faceless’ but is a much dreamier affair with her voice hitting higher registers later in the song.
Leon Bridges – Bad Bad News
The Fort Wayne singer is back with two singles in accompaniment to the announcement of his second studio album, Good Thing. While his first album, Coming Home was an homage to 50s and 60s gospel and blues, a throwback to Otis Redding and Sam Cooke, this new track is a much more modern take on soul and R&B, with 70s and 80s influences and with ritzy saxophones and icy smooth synths.
Eels – Premonition
The California based rock band, Eels have released another single off their upcoming album, Premonition. Fronted by singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mark Oliver Everett, this song is very sombre affair, with only a guitar and backing vocals accompanying Everett’s voice with E’s lyrical wit rubbing up alongside a rich seam of melancholy.
The Vaccines – Surfing In The Sky
The London band, the Vaccines have shared another track from their forthcoming album, Combat Sports. The band, who are set to release their fourth album later this month on 30th March, have offered up ‘Surfing in the Sky’, their fourth single off the album. This a typical Vaccines styled rocker, with the bass and percussion driving the song’s energy, and is packed into a compact two-and a half minute affair.
