Vol. 5 Issue 39 March 2009
What? You thought a little snow storm could stop the BRM from bringing you this month’s new releases!? In the immortal words of Lil’ Wayne: “nah homie.” Although if you are reading this like three weeks from now, you’ll have to think all the way back to how the beginning of this Month started with a record breaking blizzard, and the whole thing will feel positively archaic. You have to love the internet. If it didn’t happen in the last five minutes, then it’s already passe. We can guarantee you these brand new Bank Robber releases are indeed Brand New and “did not happen in the last five minutes.” Check out the latest from Nick and Norah’s indie-popsters, Bishop Allen, African-tinged sounds from Extra Golden and the cryptically-titled but Fader magazine worshipped, BLK JKS, militant-shoegaze-hop from Dalek, schizzoid Zappa-rock from Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, swooning Bavarian accordion songs by La Strada, and much more!!!!
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Current Releases
- Click to see:
- Dead Oceans
- Secretly Canadian
- Misra
Dead Oceans
www.deadoceans.com
Bishop Allen
"Grrr..."
Fresh off their cult-status affirming performance in Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Bishop Allen are back with a new album of super cutesy pop-songs for ukeleles, thumb pianos, and French horns alike. “Cutesy” – I’m not kidding with this adjective people – the record is called Grrr... (Dead Oceans), afterall. But really, for any other band this overtly nostalgic childishness might come off as cloying or just plain silly, but Bishop Allen has always had a knack for writing songs with sophisticated enough hooks and melodies to rise about the pre-collegiate vibe of their recordings. BA fans have been waiting a long time for a new proper album from the Brooklyn-hailing co-eds (BA’s now-classic previous album, The Broken String was actually just a collection of independently recorded singles), and with tracks like the infectious “Oklahoma,” and the bouncy “True or False,” there is plenty to love about Grrr... Yes folks, the kids are alright. Check out “Dimmer”.
Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band
"Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band"
Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band are the latest signings to Dead Oceans Records. Their A&R owner guy, Phil, has some interesting and diverse tastes (see DO roster-buddies like Citay, Bishop Allen, Evangelicals, Explorer's Club). Now we've got the enigmatic Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band. Here's what we know about this band: They have five members. They are from Seattle. Their name invokes a famous volcano and a famous war. The drummer of the band is like a 13 year old that was adopted by two of the other Mt. St. Helens members, which is pretty incredible considering how much these guys love leftfield prog-y tempo changes and how mindbendingly incredible the “paradiddles” are on this thing. The band’s self-titled Dead Oceans debut sounds like Queen, emo acolytes Cap’n’Jazz, or sometimes even Fall Out Boy. Yes, that Fall Out Boy. In other words, there are enough flanging multiple-finger-tapping 80's guitar solos to inspire another 12 Joe Satriani records. Somehow, though, all this just works in an incredibly awesome way. In a year when everyone’s losing their minds over “atmospheric” “production-heavy” records, you cannot imagine how fresh it is to hear a band that just plays music with such a punch. And I say this unironically – it rocks.
Secretly Canadian
www.secretlycanadian.com
BLK JKS
"Mystery EP"
Hailing from South Africa, BLK JKS have created a mad hype-storm around themselves playing some kind of post-millennial reggae that has equal footing with politico-rappers like Dead Prez, avant-hip hop acts like Anti-Pop Consortium, lush and layered dub-pop like TV On The Radio, Black Uhuru, Radiohead, and even Peter Gabriel too. It’s no wonder the likes of Diplo, The Fader, and our dear label friends at Secretly Canadian have taken such a strong liking to the band. BLK JKS’ Mystery EP (Secretly Canadian) may only be 4 songs deep, but it’s 4 cuts of incredible playing, urgency, and dubby as hell production. “Lakeside” is one incredible jam - a sonic mutt of deliciously 80’s Tear For Fears-like vocals, spiraling Kenyan-guitar riffage, whistling, an epic build that Coldplay would approve of, and yes even a chanted chorus that I swear is saying “Obama.” In other words, throw out your demographics on this one people. Here’s a band that everyone can get behind. Is Johannesburg the new Seattle!?
Misra
www.misrarecords.com/
Southeast Engine
"The Forest To The Sea"
Southeast Engine’s 4th album, From The Forest To The Sea (Misra Records), is a sepia-toned exercise in retro pop music. Recording in a “forsaken middle school from the 1800’s,” you can actually perceive the “oldness” of the building, the history, on this record. Creaky boards and twinkly pianos, spacey muffled guitars and crooned vocals – these guys almost sound like a less-psychedelic Grizzly Bear. According to the press release, there’s a deep conceptual bent to this album involving the “hollowness of the American dream,” “selfishness,” and “faith.” We say do as Michael Phelps did, lay back, and let Southeast Engine trip you out 1930’s style. Check out “Black Gold.”
- Click to see:
- Thrill Jockey
- Ipecac
- Ernest Jenning
- Hugpatch
Thrill Jockey
www.thrilljockey.com
Extra Golden
"Thank You Very Quickly"
What was once just a side project is now a full-blown band. That’s the deal with Kenyan afro-popsters, Extra Golden. The official band’s new third album is called, Thank You Very Quickly (Thrill Jockey), and it’s definitely the best thing the group has ever done. Playing with a newfound confidence, perhaps the fact that much of the album was tracked in a “hallway/laundry room” added to the synergy on this thing. And look, we at the Bank Robber realize the whole Kenyan “guitar pop” sound is so hot right now thanks to a group with the word “vampire” in their name. That said, Extra Golden aren’t simply a trend or style – these guys are the real deal – the album features a sing-a-long with Kenyan school children ferchristsakes. Let it move you. Check out "Thank You Very Quickly".
Ipecac
www.ipecac.com/
Dälek
"Gutter Tactics"
Get your “Revolution” on with this one folks. Here’s an album that opens with an extended quote (read: rant) from the quite “animated” controversial preacher Reverend Wright. Dude almost brought Obama down, and I can’t say that I “dig” preacher-man’s guilt-laden cynical incendiary “America is doomed cause we’ve got so much blood on our hands” politics. I might ask Wright what culture doesn’t? But no matter, the grimy “insurgent” rhetoric suits the vibe of Dälek's Gutter Tactics just fine. Further cementing their following as the My Bloody Valentine of rap, Gutter is filled with one alienated, distortion-soaked, treble crackling jam after another. These guys are out for reparations by any means necessary. Or at least one iTunes download at a time.
Ernest Jenning
www.ernestjenning.com/
La Strada
"La Strada EP"
What is it with Brooklyn? There has to be something in the PVC vinyl-siding on the Williamsburg townhouses because so many of BK’s inhabitants are inspired by lush Balkan, vaguely Parisian, street-corner busking folk music. Perhaps Neutral Milk Hotel subconsciously birthed this genre, then Gogol Bordello made it fun to witness live, and then Beirut took it to the indie mainstream. Now we have Bklyn’s La Strada who dare I say have absolutely perfected the vagabond string-laden formula. Not only are La Strada’s live shows infamously incendiary, but the band's self-titled debut EP (Ernest Jenning Record Co.) is a moving brilliant affair. There is something less affected about these guys – that makes all the accordion and sing-a-longs go down easy. Less self-consciously bookish than The Decemberists or Noah & The Whale, but still retaining a kind of Wes Anderson-like peppiness (see the glockenspiel-laced, “Loved You All Along), and epic melodrama (see: “Starling”) La Strada are destined for major things.
Hugpatch
www.hugpatch.com
The Besties
"Home Free"
Brooklyn’s The Besties traffic in the kind of giggly upbeat yet slightly scraggly “indie pop” that the hipsters and the punks can both get down with. Maybe it’s the catchy as hell girl vocals or the basement show loving DIY spirit, or just the fact that everyone in this band is so damn cute, but it’s impossible not to think that The Besties are this close to getting noticed by everyone. The band’s new one, Home Free, is certainly their most focused and accessible jam to date and even manages to bring to mind BRM favorites The Eames Era. With songs straddling teenage dance parties and punk rock tour anthems, it's easy to get obsessed... like we are.