Still Corners - New Music "introducing"

http://www.myspace.com/stillcorners
http://stillcorners.bandcamp.com/

If you were to look Still Corners up in the dictionary it would say something similar to "beautifully hazy indie-pop gems".
Comparisons to Beach House are immediate with the dreamy, ethereal quality of their tracks.

Their debut EP is almost sold out, so if you want one, get it quick. On sale from Norman Records :
http://www.normanrecords.com/cd/99177-still-corners-remember-pepper

They support the wonderful Je Suis Animal at The Drop (Stoke Newington) Friday 20th August: I tend not to go to gigs on Friday, but I think I might make an exception: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/86363

Here's a reason why I'm excited by this group:


Here's a lovely video for their all-too-fleeting dream of a track“Wish,” released on August 20.


Wish from Still Corners on Vimeo.

Cults - New Music "Introducing"

http://cults.bandcamp.com/
http://forestfamilyrecs.com/

As normal with these things, it takes me three months to finally listen to something, and by the time I'm a bit late. That's certainly the case with Cults. A Boy/Girl Duo from New York who've caused a bit of a whirl with the powers that be, by all accounts anyway.
Their limited debut 7" is long since sold-out.

An instant review of the wonderful "Go Outside" would have to be glockenspiel-tastic! It really is a gorgeous pop song with a wonderful retro melodic vibe, the b-side Most Wanted is another 60's esque girl-pop song.
I'd say buy it now but it's sold out so instead download all their songs on their bandcamp for free.

You can download another song "Oh My God" by going to the adultswim singles club, yes it's free and it retains the same cute twee vibe although not as instantly "wow" as Go Outside.

Listen to Cults below:



Here is a video of Go Outiside live (great video but audio not the best):

No Joy - New Music "introducing"

http://www.myspace.com/nojoy
http://nojoy.bandcamp.com/
http://www.mexicansummer.com/shop/no-joy-no-joy/

I finally got hold of the No Joy debut 7" today.
I'd been meaning to order it before but I tend to take advantage of Rough Trade's free postage on orders over £40, thus being a tightarse, I waited until I had a batch of things to purchase...

I've been listening to the tracks for a while now, both songs are great. Full of Psychedelic / Shoegaze sounds. No Joy is the song that has me jumping up and down the most of the two - layer upon layer of fuzzy vocals and a thumping frenzy of shredding and feedback. Love it. No Summer slightly more melodic with hushed vocals but with a thunderbolt of an ending. Joyous.

An album is due on Mexican Summer soon-ish. Promising indeed. Very promising, really cannot wait to hear more.
Listen to it:

Best of 2010 So Far - My Favourite 12 Releases of 2010 (to date)

A post I was meant to do at the end of June, finally appears in August. Sounds about right:

I kind of abandoned 'This Month in Music' posts in February, I might bring them back if there is a call for them. Anyway, here is a list of a dozen albums you really should own from 2010, clearly a bit of repetition on some recent posts, for that I can only apologise:

Sleigh Bells: Treats
Listen: http://www.myspace.com/sleighbellsmusic
Previously: http://www.justmusicthatilike.com/search/label/Sleigh%20Bells
My Favourite Tracks: Rill Rill, Infinity Guitars, Tell 'Em

Caitlin Rose: Own Side Now
Listen: http://www.myspace.com/caitlinrosesongs
Previously: http://www.justmusicthatilike.com/search/label/Caitlin%20Rose
My Favourite Tracks: Own Side, For The Rabbits, Sinful Wishing Well

Arcade Fire: The Suburbs
Listen: http://www.myspace.com/arcadefireofficial
Previously: http://www.justmusicthatilike.com/search/label/Arcade%20Fire
My Favourite Tracks: Month of May, Ready to Start, We Used to Wait

The National: High Violet
Listen: www.myspace.com/thenational
Previously: http://www.justmusicthatilike.com/search/label/The%20National
My Favourite Tracks: Bloodbuzz Ohio, Conversation 16, Terrible Love

Mountain Man - Made The Harbor
Listen: www.myspace.com/mountainmansquint
Previously: http://www.justmusicthatilike.com/search/label/Mountain%20Man
My Favourite Tracks: Buffalo, Soft Swin, Babylon

Scary Mansion: Make Me Cry
Listen: www.myspace.com/scarymansion
Previously: http://www.justmusicthatilike.com/search/label/Scary%20Mansion
My Favourite Tracks: Scum Inside, No Law, On My Mind

Holly Miranda - The Magician's Private Library
Listen: http://www.myspace.com/hollymiranda
Previously: http://www.justmusicthatilike.com/search/label/Holly%20Miranda
My Favourite Tracks: Waves, No One Just Is, Joints




Caribou - Swim
Listen: www.myspace.com/cariboumanitoba
Previously: Nada
My Favourite Tracks: Odessa, Sun, Found Out

Gayngs - Relayted
Listen: www.myspace.com/gayngs
Previously: Nada
My Favourite Tracks: Cry, The Gaudy Side of Town, The Walker

Beach House - Teen Dream
Listen: www.myspace.com/beachhousemusic
Previously: http://www.justmusicthatilike.com/search/label/Beach%20House
My Favourite Tracks: Norway, Zebra, Take Care

These New Puritans - Hidden
Listen: www.myspace.com/thesenewpuritans
Previously: http://www.justmusicthatilike.com/search/label/These%20New%20Puritans
My Favourite Tracks: We War War, Hologram, Three Thousand

Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can
Listen: www.myspace.com/lauramarling
Previously: http://www.justmusicthatilike.com/search/label/Laura%20Marling
My Favourite Tracks: I Speak Because I Can, Devil's Spoke, Rambling Man





That's my twelve so far. No real order apart from near the top.
One guaranteed entry for the end of year charts will be Wildbirds & Peacedrums 'Rivers' but that isn't out as a full album until August 23rd so I've left it out, for now.
Other candidates from releases I know are due in 2010:
The Joy Formidable - TBC
Zola Jesus - Stridulum II
I LIKE TRAINS - He Who Saw The Deep
Warpaint - TBC
The Strange Death of Liberal England - Drown Your Heart Again
HURTS - Happiness (might be '80's but I love what I've heard).

There are probably some more that I've forgotten too, of course if all else fails, JLS have an album due in time for Christmas!
Yes, one thing for sure (and don't let anyone tell you anything different) is that 2010 has been an amazing year for music

Holly Miranda #4 - Live on NPR World Cafe + Vino in Vino, New York

Photo by Anika in London - check out her amazing website, a lady with exquisite taste who has turned me onto a few artists through her site.

I had to post Holly again for a few different reasons. Mainly because I'm in love with her amazing music and live performances. Make sure you check out my previous posts for more of them. Her Etta James cover is simply too beautiful for words, as I said here.

The first half of this post is her set for NPR World Cafe, a 25 minute interview / 4 song session. Wonderful too (of course!):

DOWNLOAD: mp3 LINK

Setlist:
"High Tide"
"No One Justice"
"Nobody Sees Me Like You"
"Waves"

Still want more? Good: NYCTaper has posted more Holly here - part of the Vivo in Vino concert series, which matches artists with winemakers for a night of music and vino (which sounds fun, if messy)...
Head to NYCTaper and make sure you get a piece of Holly's set, which was primarily an acoustic cover set - it's wonderful, as you'd expect - what a great voice.

Holly Miranda - 2010-08-08, Vino In Vino,New York, NY USA
Setlist:

[Total Time 48:12]
01 [introduction/wine discussion]
02 Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want (Smiths)
03 Waves
04 I’m Your Man (Leonard Cohen)
05 Secret Identity
06 Glass, Concrete & Stone (David Byrne)
07 [set break + introduction]
08 I’d Rather Go Blind (Etta James)
09 I’m On Fire (Springsteen)
10 God Damn the Sun (Swans)
11 Lover, You Should Have Come Over (Jeff Buckley)
12 [banter/audience participation practice]
13 Ex-Factor (Lauren Hill)

Holly Miranda - Pelican Rapids from maddi murphy on Vimeo.

Age of Giants - New Music "Introducing"

http://www.myspace.com/ageofgiants

Without doubt, the band that I am most anticipating is "Age of Giants". The reason is simple. It's the new band of David Caggiari, lead single of "Apartment" (Very, very sadly no more it seems).

Now if you've been reading this blog for a while you'll know I think Apartment have one of the best albums of the last decade or so, The Dreamer Evasive is nothing short of phenomenal and I'm not quite sure why they never found the success they'd should have.

Songs like "People", "Pressures", "Ghosts of an Unforgivable Past" and the infectious "Fall into Place" do not deserve to be confined to the memories of so few.
Check back on my links for an introduction to Apartment if you don't know them.

Anyway, looking foward, Age of Giants only have one song up on their myspace so far.
You can stream it below.
Called "In Veils" it highlights a much different sound to Apartment, but like very much everything Mr Caggiari has done, for me it's a great track. Cannot wait for more to follow soon and hopefully some gig news too... Watch this space.

Age of Giants - In Veils by morrisday

Here is a live performance of what was originally a David song, which has no been re-done as an Age of Giants song: