3/20 new arrivals

Another Very Big Tuesday of new releases. Here’s the cream of the crop.

Andrew Bird, Armchair Apocrypha: I’ve been perplexed by Andrew Bird’s seamless segue into indie-pop singer-songwriter. See, I really loved his Big Bowl of Fire and the Squirrel Nut Zippers, and I’ve always thought of him as a gypsy, someone who grooved on weird sounds and instruments, not “just another” indie dude. But I totally misjudged him, because he’s equally adept at the indie stuff, and Armchair is a really wonderful record. I am predisposed to dislike this sort of thing, but this one has been a major exception for me the past few months. Highly recommended. And don’t forget the eMusic exclusive bonus track, “Self-Torture,” which user HarkJohnny calls “possibly better than even anything on the new album.” I can’t go quite that far, but it is close.

The Ponys, Turn the Lights Out: I adore the Ponys. No other way to put it. I was a bit scared of this record after the first single, “Double Vision,” which sounded a bit generic to me. But the whole record has really been a grower, and I’ve heard it rightly compared to Ride and that era of Brit-pop (adjective, not genre). Start with the title track and “1209 Seminary.”

Panda Bear, Person Pitch: Pretty much unanimous, unbridled praise for this album from the Animal Collective dude. I like it a lot, but I can’t seem to get through it. I dunno, somewhere in the haze and Brian Wilson-ness of it I get distracted and bored. This probably has more to do with me than the record itself, but I thought I’d mention it. Personally, I liked Young Prayer more, but this one is very accessible. (”Take Pills” is killer.)

Ted Leo / Pharmacists, Living with the Living: In our eMusic review, the incomparable Ira Robbins (he of Trouser Press) calls Ted’s newest “remarkably loud and fast, a headlong rush that would have sent needles skittering in the vinyl age, but Leo never loses his cool, and that only adds to the power. The balance of ferocity and control, of commitment and tolerance, of love and anger, never feels like tension here. It feels like life.”

The Rakes, Ten New Messages: If you had bet me a million dollars on whether or not I would like this record, I would’ve taken it in a heartbeat: I have little patience for British “rock” music of the modern era (some occasional exceptions are made), and nothing these guys have done in the past has come even close to convincing me otherwise. But this album, shockingly, has completely changed my mind. The melodies are so effortless, the playing nicely understated. This is shaking my belief system to its core!

El-P, I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead: It’s interesting that Def Jux or El-P or whoever decided not to flaunt the guest spots on this one, because that would certainly be a hook for our type of site: Trent Reznor, TV on the Radio, Cat Power, Yo La Tengo, Chavez and Mars Volta. Of course, it’s also somewhat honest, as, aside Reznor, it’s hard to really hear what those folks are bringing. In any event, this will probably be the year’s big indie/hip-hop crossover record.

J Dilla, Ruff Draft: Two more discs of Dilla productions. Haven’t listened to this much at all yet, but maybe either of the Joes can comment.

Peel, Peel: So on the same day the Ponys go shoegaze we get Peel, a new Peek-A-Boo band, to take their place in the garage/indie-pop canon. This debut is really good, and really fun. I’ve listened a few times and I can’t even recall there being gaps between songs — it’s just a free-flowing record that doesn’t ask for your attention, just your feet.

Audion, Mouth to Mouth Remixes and Lusine, Hodgepodge: Two new Ghostly releases, both of which are hurt by poor metadata. For a list of the remixers on the Audion EP, go here, for the Lusine remixers, go here. The lists for both are impressive, and they will most likely sway you if you’re on the fence about downloading.

The Zincs, Black Pompadour: Joe wrote on 17 Dots about his SXSW experience, “the fabulous Thrill Jockey band the Zincs previewed material from their stellar upcoming Black Pompadour for an rapt audience of 10. The Zincs write lovely songs that recall the best parts of the Chills’ and the Bats‘ catalogs.”

The Locust, New Erections: Okay, so the All Music Guide review is one of the dumbest I have ever seen: the whole thing only talks about their ability for naming songs, but not what the songs themselves contain. Wuh? Useless! Unfortunately since I haven’t listened yet, this won’t be of much more help…

Venetian Snares, Pink + Green: I believe this is the first new drum ‘n’ bass I have listened to in years, but things haven’t changed much, have they? In any event, I’m liking this EP.

King Kong, Buncha Beans: A couple months ago, a friend was sharing a hypothesis that indie rock has turned its back on amateurism, that there are no Beat Happenings, for instance, today. I couldn’t disagree with him, and see it as an inevitable result of indie’s mainstream-ization. Still, some of it persists in some pockets, of course, with K (obviously) and Drag City being two of them. I first listened to King Kong because of the Slint connection (my devotion knew no bounds), and really haven’t listened since. This record is very much in the Beat Happening vein.

Potpourri:

Wailing Souls, Most Wanted: Solid, 12-track roots reggae best-of.

DJ Vadim, Like the Wind: I like the title track lots.

Hail Social, Modern Love and Death: Something tells me these guys will get a bit big this year.

Datarock, Datarock Datarock: They played SXSW at least 7,423 times a day, and I didn’t see them once. After listening to the album, I’m still not sure whether I made the right decision or not.

Para One, Midnight Swim Remixes: Ladies love Para One. Little known fact.

Adult.: Number three on the list of phrases that you should never name an album: Why Bother.