More music picks for your Monday. If you like what you hear, use the links provided to snag it for yourself from Amazon. Doing so through us gives us kickbacks, and those help pay for stuff like more bandwidth. And also so we can buy more music.
We begin with Modestep, whose debut album, Evolution Theory, is apparently out in January. Here, they enter the BBC Live Lounge last year to cover some Coldplay with excellent results:
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Their current stuff is available via Amazon.
Next up is a duo, Bad Veins, another mystery acquisition that entered my iTunes playlist via cosmic osmosis. This is “The Lie,” from their debut self-titled album from 2009. While this is a nice stripped out acoustic version, I urge you to seek out the studio version for the expanded vocals and string additions. You know how I am about strings. (Bad Veins from Amazon: CD / MP3.)
The next group is one of those annoying and talented one-man groups, How to Dress Well. This is “& It Was U” from his latest album Total Loss, which is impressive for two reasons. First, the video was produced by Urban Outfitters as part of a music video series they’re doing. I have no idea if all the clothes in the video are available for sale at your local store. Don’t care. Second, normally song titles too damn lazy to be “And It Was You” properly just piss me off. But, well, this is just smooth enough where I will overlook it. But that’s an exception to the rule, so nobody get any ideas. (Total Loss from Amazon: CD / MP3 / Vinyl.)
Now a pair of tracks for you. Peaking Lights has released a dub mix EP, Lucifer in Dub, which contains “My Heart Dubs For You”–and yes, I know elsewhere I’ve seen it written lazily, but I’m going to pretend that’s not happening. This is the sort of good background music I need when writing and I don’t want full-on dubstep to try and crack my head open. A mild pummeling as opposed to being assaulted by baboons with plastic baseball bats. You know what I mean. (Lucifer in Dub from Amazon: MP3.)
And then we have Pillowfight, which is what happens when Dan the Automator of Gorillaz and elsewhere fame teems up with vocalist/musician Emily Wells. And this track, “Get Your Shit Together” is what happens when you get the sensibilities of the title mixed with a majestic, striding background. Smooth and groovy, sounds fantastic. This is from their self-titled album, due out in January. (Pillowfight from Amazon: CD / Vinyl.)
And last but not least, The Blenders have a very special message. For each and every one of you.
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Widge, you’ve had three weeks now to suggest “King Animal” by Soundgarden. Shame. This album is a healthy reminder to us all that both excellent musicianship and rock still exists. Solid album, just skip track 10. I did enjoy the Metric shout out a while back.
Steve: Weird, I thought I had posted a comment to this already. What I thought I had said before was I cracked open KA (short for King Animal, not the Cirque show) and it didn’t immediately grab me, so I fled, afeared it would go the way of other “comeback” albums recently, in that the thrill would just not be there. Skunk Anansie, Kula Shaker–a bunch of bands I dug the shit out of back in the day, I just think they’ve lost their edge. But based on your comment I went back, listened through the album, and think you’re right: it’s solid. It’s no Superunknown or Badmotorfinger (then again, what is?), but it’s most assuredly musically sound. Apart from “Rowing,” nothing really cranked my tractor a huge amount, but it is solid. Thanks for the info and the nudge.