na: shearwater, field music

Later today than usual, but the new stuff is here in force….let’s go through some of it together!

Shearwater, The Golden Archipelago – Newest from art-pop’s premiere ornithologists. We already gave you a sample Melissa Maerz’s review last week, so I’ll leave you with Maris’s succinct summation: “It’s like Rook, except better.”

Field Music, Field Music (Measure) – The Sunderland brothers are back, and they’re going for it big time, with a sprawling double album. eMusic’s Michaelangelo Matos sez:

Peter and David Brewis, the brothers who co-lead Sunderland, England’s Field Music, seem to hear in widescreen while thinking in miniature. It’s what gives Field Music (Measure) its appeal: songs like “All You’d Ever Need to Say” or “Them That Do Nothing” reflect a principled approach to lyric writing and melody making — nothing too flashy, nothing you wouldn’t want to stand behind, lest it make you look like Gene Simmons or something — nestled into unapologetically meaty guitar hooks.

Excepter, Presidence – The latest warped, tribal mind-fuck from Brooklyn’s psych-proggers. This one sounds like one long smear of beatless, grooveless atmosphere to me — I’m going to move on.

Local Natives, Gorilla Manor – The recently BNM‘ed L.A. band hits the US site.

Declaime, SomeOthaShip – Dudley Perkins and Georgia Anne Muldrow collaborate on a woozy, freaked-out boho-rap album, with production from Black Milk, Flying Lotus (!), and Oh No, and guest raps from Kool G Rap, Oddissee, Big Pooh, and others. This sounds fantastic.

Alborosie, Escape from Babylon – Some killer reggae for your bleak February.

Various Artists, Reggae Anthology: Henry “Junjo” Lawes – Volcano Eruption – Aaaaand more killer reggae for your bleak February.

Angus and Julia Stone, Black CrowSome nicely hushed and weary-sounding country/folk from Nettwerk Records.

Clem Snide, You Were A Diamond – Ramshackle and raw first album from Clem Snide. Very pretty.

Georgia Anne Muldrow, Kings Ballad – And…another Georgia Anne Muldrow record? This woman is not fucking around. Keep your third eye open, Erykah.

Eat Skull, Jerusalem – Dirty, dirty lo-fi grunge psych on Siltbreeze. Like, scurvy-and-rickets dirty.

Crusaders of Love, Never Grow Up – Beefy, real-deal power-pop riffs, a la The Boys or In the Red Records. If you dug Bad Sports, check it out.

The Art Museums, Rough Frame – New from Woodsist — tiny, birds-egg fragile little indie-pop songs tufted with fuzz and cruddy distortion. For fans of Television Personalities or cause Co-Motion!

Overnight Lows City Of Rotten Eyes – Spazzy, itchy-footed pogo-punk from Goner Records.

Robert Pollard, We All Got Out of the Army – More scraps from Uncle Bob’s bottomless song chest.

Reverend Douglas Bell, The Stage Cruisers – Fantastic-sounding, dirty juke-joint-infused gospel. As earthy as any Otis Redding/Steve Cropper workout.

Wu Tang, Mathematics Presents Return of the Wu Friends – Another in a long, long line of Wu knock-offs brings a dependable amount of uncut-and-raw Wu to keep heads from dismissing it completely. These guys have not lost their ability to play directly and shamelessly to their lifer fanbase.

Vasaeleth, Crypt Born and Tethered to Ruin — Gut-rumbling, subterranean grindcore that doesn’t even seem to vary in tempo or dynamics –it just churns and pounds endlessly, with vocals that okay, I know this is metal and accepted genre traits and all that, but that seriously just do not sound human. Not even cookie-monster-core here; whatever is vocalizing on this came from somewhere lower than Hell and probably reeks of sulfur and decay.

Trayer, One Over Zero – Dank, clammy electronic music, full of vertiginously swooping pitch bends that punctuate the gloom with unreal little light shafts.

Son Lux, Weapons EP – New from anticon — a gorgeous, fevered wash of ripe, late-Romantic strings that gets all kinds of different remix treatments, including one from indie-classical golden boy Nico Muhly.

Soul Jazz Orchestra, Rising Sun — Rollicking, sultry, and full-bodied jazz-funk.

Motion Turns It On, Kaleidoscopic Equinox – Nicely freaked out, sinewy math-rock madness scarred with digital noises for an extra dash of abrasiveness.

Dr. Dog, Shadow People – New single from eMusic’s favorite purveyors of earnest, bouncy 60s pop.

What about you?