new arrivals: non-wmg

(photo by SyGuildmistress

In addition to the deluge of WMG and affiliated titles on the site yesterday, I wanted to call out a few indie releases well worth your time and credits!

Vijay Iyer Trio, Historicity: Unanimously chosen as one of the best jazz records of 2009 (but, sadly, arriving on the site too late to make our poll), Iyer & co. deliver a set of smart, restless piano jazz, the most intriguing of which is a spin through MIA’s “Galang” (!) “Smoke Stack” is another gem, giddy, restless piano lines and darting-all-over bass. Sounds great even to these untrained ears.

Laura Veirs, July Flame: Latest lovely outing from Oregon singer/songwriter Laura Veirs. This one really stuck with me: her voice reminds me of Kristen Hersh — smoky and oaky and mysterious. eMusic’s Melissa Maerz sez:

After seven albums of rootsy folk hymns carefully plucked on a nylon-string guitar, it’s about time the Portland singer-songwriter is finally getting recognized, just in time for her best album yet. Recorded in a barn, July Flame feels as organic as a Fair Trade coffee bean, with banjo, piano and guitar wicking together a woodsy, fresh-air sound. These are naked love songs, though they’re less boy-meets-girl than girl-falls-hard-for-the-world stories. Exulting in tiny moments of beauty, Veirs celebrates the firecracker-orange of a summer peach (“July Flame”), the rustle of snakes in the grass (“I Can See Your Tracks”), the sight of sap that drips like “blood trapped inside the maple tree / the sunlight trapped inside the wood” (“Make Something Good”).

Owen Pallett, Heartland: He used to be Final Fantasy, now he’s just Owen, but that hasn’t changed the nervous sprawl of his music one iota. Heartland features Pallett’s usual intricate orchestration in the support of prim and stately pop songs. Rich in little details, Pallett comes through with another weird winner.

Billy Bragg Reissues: In addition to Bragg’s Anti- record, Mr. Love & Justice, we’ve also got Billy’s whole back catalaog remastered and reissued with bonus tracks. Bragg is a songwriter without equal, and this is the perfect opportunity to explore his stubborn, singular work.

Cold War Kids, Cold War Kids at Fingerprints: Short, live EP from indie faves CWK.

Mike Hale & Mike Reed, s/t: I don’t know anything about this pair of Mikes, but this single is rustic and rich — fans of acoustic folk and country would be well advised to invest a pair of downloads in this one.

Anything else we missed?