Thursday, September 22, 2011

Someone Tell Me Why

I'm convinced that Guided By Voices is one of the only bands that could actually release the rare and elusive perfect pop album. The problem -if it is one- is that they have the knack for creating unfinished masterpieces not unlike McCartney in the mid-70s. Macca used to stick three unfinished tunes together to make a medley pretending to be one song. GbV however happily releases their one minute gems as stand-alones. So I was a bit bummed hearing they had called it a day, but after touring together again we should've seen this coming...

GbV's "classic" lineup is releasing a brand new LP likely full of 21 brilliant half-songs called Let's Go Eat the Factory on 1/1/12. Paste has the tracklist. Get ready to relish in the fleeting perfection.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Closer To Your Side

Fifteen years is a long time to wait. Henceforth every passage of time totaling 15 years shall be known as Mockingbird Time thanks to The Jayhawks. The new album released today is the first in that time to feature founding members Mark and Gary - truly the heart and soul of the band. Personally I'm partial to the pop joy of Smile, but that album seriously offended many Jayhawks fans.

From initial listens Mockingbird Time will heal all wounds for those damaged by Gary's audacious foray into memorable hooks and melodies. The nerve.

iTunes
Amazon MP3

Preview (via Rolling Stone)

Art of Almost

Wilco's newest album The Whole Love comes out next Tuesday, but thanks to the magic of public broadcasting you can preview the whole darn thing here. Special thanks to those socialist hippies at NPR who have willfully divided Wilco fans into two camps sandwiching their brilliant career peak Yankee Hotel Foxtrot! Choose your allegiance or you are no longer allowed to be a fan.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Beautifully Fucked Up

Matthew Sweet's latest album Modern Art is back to streaming online before its official release on 9/27. Rolling Stone has the exclusive stream here and calls it "artier" and "more abstract."

Musically it's as good as anything else he's done yet perhaps not quite as catchy, which bodes well for its longevity. Can't wait to spend more time with it, again. Cool!