Friday Tunes 5

Last Friday was a bust, so I hope everyone enjoys this Friday’s music. As always, it’s a mix of things that I’m really enjoying right now, and a video. Next week, I’m going to start working on the Christmas mix CDs that you all sent me your addresses for a while back. If you didn’t get your address to me, now is the time! I want them to be out in the mail in time for everyone to enjoy them before Christmas Day. You can email your address to me: flux-rad(at)gmail.com.

Denmark’s Mew is one of my favorite finds this year. Their October release of the album And the Glass Handed Kites has been met with great critical success, but I have yet to notice many people writing about them in the blogosphere. Glass Handed Kites is an epic, theatrical work in the vein of M83, My Bloody Valentine and Rollerskate Skinny. Off time percussion, angelic vocal structures and (literally) dream-induced choruses pervade the album, and the results are stunning. It’s hard to pick just one song, since the album streams together as a singular piece of music, so I’m including two tracks that are meant to be listened to back-to-back. If you only download one artist this week, make it Mew.

Mew: Chinaberry Tree

Mew: Why Are You Looking Grave? [Featuring J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr.]

Soft, a NYC-based band fronted by John Reineck, envision their songs as “being played in a soccer stadium filled with 80,000 fans”. Even if that dream is never realized, Soft have succeeded in creating a blissfully sweet and rock-rich EP with The Soft EP, and the song “Higher” has made it to heavy rotation with me the last couple of weeks. Reminiscent of Britain’s indie-pop hey-day, The Soft EP channels Keane and Coldplay, featuring dreamy vocals and immensely singable lyrics.

Soft: Higher

If you haven’t purchased Spoon’s Sister Jack single yet, do it. In the meantime, check out John McEntire’s [Tortoise, Sea & Cake] remix of “I Turn My Camera On”.

Spoon: I Turn My Camera On [John McEntire Remix]

Everyone loves Jose Gonzalez, and soon everyone will love Junip, too. If you enjoy Gonzalez’s solo work, you’ll love hearing him surrounded by a band. Beautiful stuff. Purchase the Black Refuge EP from Amazon. Big thanks to M at RobotPolisher for the music!

Junip: Turn to the Assassin

Jose Gonzalez: Born in the USA [live]

Video: Broken Social Scene: Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)

Bonus! Bright Eyes covers Feist:

Bright Eyes: Mushaboom

Have you seen the video for “I Turn My Camera On” ever? It is so creepy and lame. I cringed.

HEY, HOW DOES ONE PUT SMART QUOTES INTO THE HTML? CAN YOU FORCE THEM? “This is amazing,” Alice said. “I am really only doing this to see lovely little smart quotes appear on the page, because it’s fascinating.”

“It really is,” said someone else. “Really.”

Alice - I saw that video, yeah. I think from the Matador site. It’s so funny to me, for some reason. It’s filmed in Austin so I’m like “Oh hey!” every time I see something I recognize, but I have to admit I have no idea what the nun is supposed to be.

Why do indie bands make such shitty vidoes??

found this blog through stereogum.

that mushaboom cover still breaks my heart. but also thanks a ton for posting about mew. i can honestly say i haven’t heard of them, but those 2 songs made me go investigate. good stuff.

i don’t think i’ll check out that spoon video now. i feel like i should drink beer at some shitty bar whenever i hear one of their tunes, anyway. yeah, i hate good. i hate the spoon.

Mercator:

I don’t know if I’ve met anyone that doesn’t like Spoon before! That’s ok, though. You don’t like Spoon, and I don’t like Sufjan Stevens.

Glad you liked the Mew - they’re my new favorite thing evar.

The Mew tracks are brilliant! I’ll be buying some of their CDs pronto. Thanks for posting them.

if you like mew’s new album you HAVE to get hold of “frengers”, which has really stunning songs on it (the new cd is better as a whole but doesnt have as great singular songs). and danish music rocks. yay.

Thanks for introducing me to Soft! Higher is now stuck in my head.