"Since the beginning of TV On The Radio’s year-long hiatus last September, I’ve been itching for some activity on their part. However, and to my dismay, the solo projects that have taken shape since then haven’t been very interesting. Tunde Adebimpe’s project, Fake Male Voice, sparked some interest but left as quickly as it arrived in the form of a sole 7″ single. Kyp Malone’s Rain Machine album was pretty mediocre, convoluted, and a tad desperate for attention-at least in my opinion. So, when I first saw news of Dave Sitek’s solo project, Maximum Balloon, I wasn’t exactly jumping for joy. I mean, he’s a brilliant producer and an integral part of TVOTR’s songwriting process but given what I’ve seen from his peers, I wasn’t expecting anything to appeal to me very much.

Maximum Balloon is, at it’s essence, an experiment in collaboration that lets Sitek spread his songwriting wings. He lays the sturdy groundwork for a song and calls on a friend to ‘give the already delicious cake some icing’, if you will. So far, his songs have featured Yukimi Nagano of Little Dragon, Aku of Dragons of Zynth, and Theophilus London. That leaves the songs featuring Karen O, Holly Miranda, Kyp Malone, and Tunde Adebimpe unheard and open to speculation…until now.

“Absence of Light”, the track featuring Adebimpe on vocals, has just been released online and the reason that this is significant is because TVOTR began as a simple collaboration between Sitek and Adebimpe making silly songs that they found fun (Ex. “Robots”). Now, take a listen to how far these two have come."  (via Guerolito Music)

"We don’t write songs anymore, we write anthems! Booom!” I kinda had to to grin quietly to myself a little when I heard Matt of Matt & Kim saying this during an interview with MTV at Lollapalooza last month. He was talking about their new single “Cameras” and seemed so happy and proud that they have new songs to present to the world. They’ve been working almost the whole year on their new album and are now giving us a first listen. “Cameras” is a little bit slower than the old stuff, but still heavy on the drums and the synths, including a great sing-along chorus. Matt might have been right: This really is a little anthem!

Matt & Kim’s highly anticipated 3rd record Sidewalks is coming out November 2nd."  (via Guerolito Music)

"When it comes to a new release from Canada, we are always hoping for the best. Especially when it has to do with an amazing band/artist such as Winter Gloves. We missed this band's debut back in 2008, when they released the amazing dance/pop/electro About a Girl (which should have been in our top 20 list of that year). Thankfully, the band was brought to our attention one year later by our fellow blogger/pop-producer Zeugolator. Now the band is back with their follow-up albums All Red, which we got our hands on before it hits the stores on September 7 from Paper Bag Records. Exactly as last time, the albums is under 30 minutes and it delivers punchy, wicked pop/electro tracks with an endless dance urge. However, this time the album stands out even better as a whole, with tracks seamlessly blending in and out. I've also found myself liking most of the tracks, as opposed to their debut which had a couple of weaker ones. Influences from LCD Soundsystem to Datarock and even Radiohead can be heard in some tracks, yet the distinctive Winter Gloves style is still there. All in all, another great album by a band that still hasn't had the success they deserve."  (via Athens66)

"I like Land of Talk. I liked their first full-length, Some Are Lakes. Catchier than My Brightest Diamond, not as quaint as Feist, and more straight-forward-rock than St. Vincent, the band places pretty high when ranked in the list of female-fronted indie outfits also associated with greater indie acts.

While the band's leader, Elizabeth Powell, is, in fact, a member of the ever-expanding Broken Social Scene and that whole musical collective, her work with Land of Talk holds it's own against their Canadian contemporaries. Plus, their aforementioned debut LP was produced by Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver). Yeah, I just indie-folk name-dropped.

Powell and her band have a new record, Cloak and Cipher, and "Swift Coin" only wets my appetite for more songs of the guitar-driven, female-vocalist variety. Fun fact: Powell wrote the album while recuperating from a hemorrhage vocal polyp. Whoa."  (via The Citizen Insane)

"I have been adoring Sufjan Stevens’ recent All Delighted People EP – it’s 60-minutes of beautiful music that is both completely new and unmistakably Sufjan. He’s tinkering more with electronic instruments and drum machines, and his recent turn at symphonic scoring shines through brilliantly on several of the songs (see “Djohariah” and the title-track). It’s called The Age of Adz (pronounced Odds), loosely named after the apocalyptic paintings of the eccentric Louisianan artist Royal Robertson (1930-1997), and it’s coming October 12th. While Robertson seems to be the inspiration for the general tone of the album (that’s his work on the cover), it’s not based on him per se – or on any other specific theme for that matter. According to Asthmatic Kitty, this new album is not built around any conceptual underpinning (no odes to states, astrology, or urban expressways). So a state-project this is not. Here’s our first taste off The Age of Adz - the electro-thumping “I Walked”. I like it. Take a listen."  (via Whale In A Cubicle )

"Back in the days of historically bad break-ups, broken hearts and the occasional restraining order, I dreamed of a song that would combine the cavity-inducing bubblegum smarts of the Grass Roots, the urgency of primal rock and roll and the screaming soul chops of Otis Redding and Little Richard all wrapped in an exuberantly profane chorus that focuses on the one word that gets daily workouts from all walks of life, but still maintains it's hard-earned bad boy image.

That song has finally arrived and "Fuck You" by Cee-Lo Green is the best song you'll hear all year, and it'll be despite the saucy chorus, and because it imagines that Terence Trent D'Arby had fulfilled the promise of his debut and decided to mash 50 years of soul music into 3:45 of spleen splitting, piano driven, loaded with oh-oh-oh's call and response euphoria. And it's even better than that."  (via Teenage Kicks)

"Glitter" is about feeling alienated, which is a topic No Age have dealt with before. In the middle of "Teen Creeps", a shitkicking standout from 2008's standout-packed Nouns, Dean Spunt promises, "I won't end up like them at all". While that statement seethed along with the song's monolithic wall of guitar thrash, the first single from Everything in Between takes a more introspective tone. "I don't fear God/ I don't fear anything at all," Spunt sings, adding, "I've been wondering/ When is it my turn to get a win." There are no promises to be found here-- just the feeling that even if you could change your luck, you're ultimately powerless. 

The lyrical mood is uncertain, but the basic musical foundation of "Glitter" is classic indie rock, more so than just about anything we've heard from Spunt and Randy Randall to date. These guys aren't going soft, though: the underbelly of "Glitter" is all low rumble and screeching ambient noise, with only a few guitar stabs and stray tones acting as any sort of counter-melody. Even at their most accessible, No Age still sound punk."  (via Pitchfork)

"With a band name like Grouplove, you automatically think positive thoughts and for good reason. After all 5 band members met on the small Island of Crete in Greece, their musical inspiration and ambition to create something together was without a doubt what they wanted to do. They made music the entire summer in Crete and realized they all had a very strong bond together and thought of returning to their respected cities seemed like such a waste. Shortly there after they all decided to continue on this music journey together and the other 4 members moved to LA where one of the members already lived. You can read their story on their myspace. Grouplove's single, "Colours" is all over the blog scene and it's another great tune that has a fun summer feel to it. The self-titled EP came out on May 4. The lead singer, Christian Zucconi's voice reminds me a little bit of Isaac Brock from Modest Mouse which brings back some great old memories for me. Grouplove is another new indie band that is sure to keep climbing the charts with attention they have already received from "Colours" and their EP."  (via Off The Radar)

"What says summer better than three major chords and a shit-ton of enthusiasm? Enter Roanoke, VA’s Eternal Summers and their self-described dream punk. Nicole Yun and Daniel Cundiff are members of the Magic Twig Community, a loose-knit collective akin to the much-lauded Elephant 6 gang, and while their debut full length Silver (coming September 28 on Kanine Records) purportedly takes listeners on ride that alternates rave-ups with ethereal noise-squall balladry, the duo has opted to introduce itself with something frothy. "Pogo" is the s’mores of pop music, calling to mind the stuff of like-minded outfits such as The Raincoats, Beat Happening and even The Shaggs, but only if your WABAC Machine is appropriately configured. Have a listen. If you approve, mark your calendars for the release of the "Pogo" digital single b/w The Beatles "All I’ve Got To Do" on August 31st."  (via My Old Kentucky Blog)

"Hailing from the burgeoning music scene in Calgary, Alberta, Women’s 2008 self-titled debut impressively harmonized tunes the likes of the Velvet Underground, Pavement, and the Zombies on a boombox like outback wilderness to deliver a well-received album. Recorded with fellow Calgary native Chad VanGaalen, its lo-fi quality was in part cultivated by an interesting blend of recording spaces, apparently ranging from a crawlspace to a culvert. Patrick Flegel, Matt Flegel, Chris Reimer, and Michael Wallace have returned with much of the same bravado to hammer out their second album, Public Strain, out September 28. While their first album smashed nostalgic good vibrations with a ravaging brashness, Public Strain takes a few steps away from this juxtaposition, focusing on a heavier, darker sound... The Beach Boys vibe from the debut is not lost on Public Strain, as evidenced by ‘Eyesore’, a smooth tapestry of 1960s Venice Beach with a Canadian roughness, a trend appearing in several young bands. Those unfamiliar with Women’s style may have to listen with patience as the harsher guitars often overpower the vocals, requiring several replays to catch the lyrics. While Public Strain is more cohesive than Women, the album as a whole will still be difficult for the average radio listener to appreciate. Nevertheless, it is a solid round two for the group and will be perking a few ears very soon."  (via Ca Va Cool )

"You can argue about whether !!! (pronounced as “chk chk chk”) is a good band name or not, but the success of their dance-punk vibe is unimpeachable.  For over a decade, this unique musical collective have been bringing a driving rock beat to dance-floors everywhere, from their formative years in Sacramento, California to the bright lights of New York City. For their 4th full-length album, Strange Weather, Isn’t It?, they recorded in Berlin as well, just to add another geographical backdrop to their sound, as David Bowie, Iggy Pop & Depeche Mode have previously sought themselves in the German capitol.  There is something about the place that adds a cool edge to artists soaking up the city’s energy, and !!!’s latest is no exception.  Strange Weather, Isn’t It? makes for nine tracks of scintillating grooves, such as the hit single, “AM/FM.”  The album’s lean and mean jams are well suited for either pumping from monstrous sound-systems at the clubs or throbbing your MP3-player’s earbuds while you’re on the move."  (via KCRW Blog)

"Tim Presley is the lead singer/guitarist of the garage-soul band Darker My Love. He's also a member of The Strange Boys, and apparently a very talented solo artist. Presley's solo musical efforts fall under the name White Fence, and earlier this year he released a highly praised album via Make a Mess/Woodsist. The self-titled White Fence album is full of distorted, fairly minimal bedroom psych that also happens to show quite a few moments of brilliance. Among the many sixties influences that bleed from this record, it reminds me most of the first time I ever heard Piper at the Gates of Dawn. There's definitely some Syd Barrett in Presley's record collection. Be sure to check out some of his artwork at whitefenceartcollective.blogspot.com."  (via Covert Curiosity)

"Cloud Nothings is Dylan Baldi, a 19-year-old from Cleveland that creates music his buddies would probably call outdated, if only for the fact that it hearkens back to a time when record stores were relevant. His interpretation of power-pop is not without its modern traits, but overall the result is one of throwback excellence in finding comfort in a sound where repetition is allowed – if not encouraged – when it bears worth repeating. Sure, that sounds like a Yogi-ism, but power-pop’s history has found several constants that separates it from the psychedelic, operatic, and neo-classical work of artists like The Beatles, who are certainly influential in the genre’s sound but are not precisely the most effective example to show what power-pop sounds like (apart from their early material, of course). Contemporary power-pop in the vein of Matthew Sweet, Teenage Fanclub, and The Apples in Stereo has retained part of that original formula, never branching out too ambitiously yet still producing freshly-sounding power-pop. Baldi has some experimental tendencies, so his success will likely be judged on how he is able to juggle ambition and stylistic dependency. Baldi’s new 7″ single, Didn’t You, shows both his love for nostalgic power-pop and contemporary indie-rock."  (via Obscure Sound)

"Athen, Georgia-based band, of Montreal, is a band almost everyone enjoys. What’s not to enjoy about danceable neo-psychedelia pop music? However, I’ve had a personal battle with my preferences in regards to the band’s sound. I only really got into of Montreal after they took a turn for the dance realm (which would be The Sunlandic Twins album) but once I discovered their older material (the Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse album) which was more reminiscent of Frank Zappa and The Beatles I was sure I liked the original of Montreal sound better. Once I saw them at Pitchfork Music Festival three years ago and noticed that they were going for a bit too much of shock factor, I stayed grounded in that opinion.

However, they’ve recently released two singles in anticipation of their new album, False Priest, and I can’t help but fall back in love with their danceable pop anthems again. “Coquet Coquette” is irresistible and their latest single, “Hydra Fancies,” is bumping so much funk I have to ride along. Kevin Barnes revealed that the album was going to have a prominent R&B vibe and it makes sense since songs such as “Hydra Fancies” have been mixed by Chuck Lightning, who is also Janelle Monae‘s producer. As for that whole shock factor issue I had, I’ve just learned that it’s expected of Barnes to rock out in a thong and for the band to throw balloons of red paint out on the audience."  (via Wild Tonic)

"Autolux have not released a record in six years. It almost seemed as if the band had just thrown in the towel and given up. After releasing 2004’s Future Perfect the dark shoegazey band set out on multiple tours letting them share stages with everyone from The Secret Machines to the Nine Inch Nails. The band built up a live reputation mostly due to their homemade light set-up, which they then liquidated after their touring had finished. A few years ago the band were hyping up what was to be their second record, Transit Transit, and with a new single, the then instrumental “Audience No. 2” available as a free download, it seemed as if the record would be on its way. 

Flash forward two years, and Transit Transit is finally here. “Supertoys,” their latest single, is right in the band’s comfort zone. “Supertoys” contains Sonic Youth like progression until the track hits a super-focused chorus sung by drummer Carla Azar. To be honest in the last six years I haven’t listened to much Autolux, I still eagerly awaited another record. By the sound of this track, it seems as if Future Perfect wasn’t just a fluke."  (via The New Gay)