The Orwells are a young lot from the suburbs of Chicago and are readying the release of their debut album, Remember When. It drops August 7th via the wonderful Autumn Tone Records.
They recently tore through LA playing house parties, venues and showcases... creating a wave of buzz that they'll likely be riding for awhile.
Brooklyn's Dirty Projectors are readying the release of their new album, Swing Lo Magellan.
For the occasion, the NY Times is currently streaming the record and has a nice interview with musical wiz and frontman David Longstreth.
Upon first listen, I'm drawn to the dichotomy of straight forward, listenability and their signature complicated song structure. The majority of the tracks seem to stay in the pocket a bit longer...leaving the listener room to find melody and nuance that might have been sacrificed when Longstreth et al flashed their chops. See: the title track and Just From Chevron.
In the interview, Longstreth reveals that both Neil Young and Lil Wayne played a part influencing the writing process. Listen with that in mind as flourishes of acoustic leads standout and club ready beats step in.
The band continues to evolve their sound and it's no surprise they've gathered fans in doing so. I expect this release to be both critically lauded and commercially embraced; as they've definitely honed in on the delicate balance of off-beat and accessible.
Tunes have been a tad bit slow for me the past few weeks. Luckily, the lads from Grizzly Bear have given us a glimpse into what they've been doing the last 3+ years.
The quality of production and detail on this track is mind-blowing (even by GB standards). Daniel leads with some killer guitar work (again, even by GB standards) and they leave plenty of space throughout the lilting jam just to pique your interest and raise the tension... It works.
I expect big things from their yet to be named new album, out September 18th via Warp. They are a true example of a band that has progressed and strengthened their sound with every release...and Veckatimest ain't gonna be easy to top.
But rest assured, given the quality and direction of Sleeping Ute - it's fair to say, their hibernation has been time well spent.
See them in their natural habitat (the stage), October 10th - Greek Theatre
