1000x/minute

Empire Of The Sun | Alive

4 years later and Empire Of The Sun show every indication of continuing their joyous brand of electro-pop (complete with yet another great sci-fi-movie-poster-esque album cover). Ice On The Dune will be a welcome 12-track album that sounds like it’s going to be great alongside previous power-pop tracks like We Are The People & Walking On A Dream, which people have probably heard a million times in the past 4 years and never really knew who was behind it.

Alive, our first preview of the new album, is teeming with the same energy as anything the Australian duo has done before. Look for the album this June! (website)

Black Light Dinner Party | We Are Golden

Here’s another great one-off track from BLDP - previously we’ve heard Older Together and Small Boxes (now absent from their soundcloud page), both songs of which have been meaty enough to provide the wife & I with plenty of listening love. Seriously, the songs are fully embedded in our brains. Word from Knox Road (a friend of those behind the project) is that a full length is nigh upon us, hopefully by year’s end.

I think these guys have some seriously quality music. An LP, even if half-full of tracks we’ve thoroughly listened to, will still get some airtime around the 1000x/minute household. We Are Golden is a shining indicator that they continue to push out their best stuff. There’s a video and a video game for this track, too, which just blows predictability out of the water. Anyway, get to listening. Find & follow me on ex.fm for more of these guys when the album lands.

Caveman | In The City

There are 3 tracks available over at Caveman’s soundcloud off their upcoming self-titled sophomore album, each of them strongly indicating that this heavily synth-laden project is going to be something to contend with this year. In The City (my personal fav) is an immersive wave of sound straight from the get-go, filled with some great lines and somewhat Beach House-esque moments.

There is something tremendous going on here that could easily (but wrongly) be written off as a “same-old sound” at first listen - Caveman have a great handle on whatever it is that makes their music unique and compelling. I’m all in. Look for the self-titled album on April 2nd through their website and/or bandcamp.

Rogue Wave | College

Our first taste of Rogue Wave’s new album Nightingale Floors is College, freshly unwrapped from its cellophane package and exposed for the first time to the digital air just moments ago via the band’s facebook fan page. And what a sound! Fans of Asleep At Heaven’s Gate (to this day, Rogue Wave’s finest achievement, imo) will find a lot to like here.

The band also released a tracklist and announced a switch from Sub Pop to Vagrant for the recording. Check out their website for a better look at the crazy artwork. Nightingale Floors is due out June 4th and is (I’m guessing) a reference to the floors used in certain Japanese palaces to prevent intruders from sneaking in undetected.

Junip | Your Life, Your Call

Earlier this year we had the first taste of Junip’s upcoming self-titled album with the appetite-whetting track Line of Fire - a tune I’ve listened to quite a bit since then. Frontman José González’ patented vocals lead off another tremendous cut from the album (due out this April 22-23) in Your Life, Your Call and get me excited all over again.

This is one to look out for. Pre-order what you need over at Junip.net

(track via chewablevitamins)

Vampire Weekend | Step

Modern Vampires Of The City, the New York foursome’s 3rd album, probably doesn’t need a whole lot of additional PR from the likes of a small-time blogger like me, but I’m still riding the sugar high from first hearing this track. Step floats gently along with Ezra Koenig’s lyrics in their characteristically whimsical manner and provides one of the first glimpses into the band’s post-Contra phase (an album I still find myself regularly listening to & loving even with its subsequent ubiquity). Count me thoroughly excited.

New York fanatics’ll love this video too. Look for Modern Vampires Of The City on May 7th, and (for an additional pump of excitement) check out the equally-amazing track Diane Young, also released today.

Josh Ritter | In Your Arms Again

Welp, here’s the best album I’ve heard so far this year, no question. When I first read that The Beast In Its Tracks was written entirely in response to a divorce, I wasn’t sure how to approach it. But Josh does an absolutely masterful job at dealing with the weight of pain experienced in his life without resorting to the venomous - and I sincerely admire the tremendous album that resulted.

Every song on here feels like a clean break, but only the kind that can be experienced after a life-altering event. Even the bitter lines on this album are delivered with sweetness and a strong sense of moving on. There is simply not enough good I can say about this music - certainly divorce is a topic that will hit every person differently, but I think few will find it hard to admire Josh Ritter’s powerful take.

Listen to the album over at NPR’s First Listen, pick it up (next week) via his website, and spend a moment with my favorite track on the album below (New Lover).

Shout Out Louds | Illusions

Optica, the latest album from the swedish indie-pop group Shout Out Louds, lands today and is so far one of the year’s best. On that I’m not kidding - it looks like you can still check out their album stream on NPR’s First Listen, so go give it a whirl if you haven’t yet. I must’ve listened through 5 times last week - pure bliss.

I’ve had the band’s wonderful ‘08 track Impossible stuck in my head for 5 years, long surviving as one of my favorites from the last decade of indie music. Illusions reminds me of that great record Our Ill Wills in a lot of ways, but stands on its own as a superb album. Give it a go - pick up the album at their website. I have a feeling this album will show up again on these pages before the year is out.

Post War Years | Growl

My first encounter with Post War Years was through 2012’s The Bell EP, which foreshadowed their sophomore album Galapagos set to be released on Monday (the 22nd) - the whole EP felt dark but not depressing and gave me an overall great first impression of the london-based band.

Clash Music has an early stream of Galapagos and, from the first few tracks I’ve listened to, the band has something special on their hands. There’s not only a great mix of synths, drums, and vocals (which are like a mix of Win Butler & NewVillager at times), but also a strong impression of depth that comes from songs that feel like they’ve been painstakingly forged/crafted together over time. I’m likin’ it.

Check out a live vid for Growl performed below in 360°. And pick up the album Monday via the band’s website.

James Blake | Retrograde

Can’t stop listening.

(Starring: the Russian Meteor)

Look for the album Overgrown on April 8th.

HAIM | Falling

Another powerful punch of a song by the sister trio HAIM, which follows right in step with the track that completely caught me off my guard, Don’t Save Me. This is just incredible stuff.

We’re all still waiting for any news of a full-on record, but it’s okay for these things to take time if we get quality tracks like this thrown on us. If you haven’t had the chance yet, check out the 12-minute Sound & Vision Documentary (included below) for a little of the band’s backstory. Well worth it.