Friday, 27 February 2009

New and noteworthy

Here is my own very personal selection of new bands and records that have been recently/will soon be released and/or that will tour and play in Coachella/Primavera spring festivals in US/Europe.

Franz Ferdinand (see my previous posting)

Yeah Yeah Yeah - new album in April (NME says YYY goes disco)

Animal Collective - new album hailed as instant classic

Beastie Boys - rumored new album first semester 09

Prodigy - new album out now (don't expect much)

Grand Duchy - new Frank Black project with his wife as a singer (expectations neutral....)

Arctic Monkeys recording with Josh Homme of Queen Stone Age in "desert Sessions" studio- expect kick ass (new songs played during NZ tour in January)

The View: new album

Art Brut: something new F. Black to produce

Jay Retard: good songs with high replay value

Alela Diane: new album - repeats previous

U2 - zzzzz

Trail of dead - new album (not sure what to expect) - always great live

Of Montreal - may not listen to their records every single day - but really fun and interesting - on its way to new American classics section (see below)

Interesting bands: Titus Andronicus, Crystal Antler, Deerhunter, Crystal Stilts, School of seven bells, Bat for lashes, Secret Machines, Wavves

Mainstream but good: Shearwater, Last shadow puppets, Glasvegas, Lykke li, Department of Eagles,

Worth checking out - but wouldn't start a hunger strike for them: The Bronx, Pain of being pure at heart, Mae Shi, Vivian girls, Gang Gang Dance, place to bury strangers, the drones,

Electro, DJs etc: Presets, the Bug, Squarepusher, Holy Fuck,

Back from the grave section

Expect the worst but may pull out a competent performance live. Of course new material sucks. Nostalgia trip for bands that never really had a huge fan base but managed to develop a influential reputation. The best recent examples are the Pixies reunion tours 2004-2006. Also the Wire new albums and tours are interesting. Best come back is for me Dinosaur Jr.

In this category: A certain ratio, Throwing Muses, the Buzzcocks, Jesus Lizzard, Throbbing Grissle, the X

Totally unknown but worth checking out: Parts and labor, horse feathers, le chat noir,

Not so hot anymore: Band of horses, Fleet Foxes, Beirut, Peter Bjorn and john,

New american classics: Bloc Party, TV on the Radio, Hold Steady, Cold War kids, King of Leon

Really good: Black Mountain, Black Angels, Decemberist, No Age,

Really suxs: Killers, white lies, Anthony and the Johnsons, the kills, Hercules love affair, Ting Ting,

Praised but don't really dig: Calexico, Connor Oberts, Fucked up, Okervil River, Bonnie Prince Billy

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