{"id":4001,"date":"2015-04-06T14:47:25","date_gmt":"2015-04-06T18:47:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/?p=4001"},"modified":"2015-04-06T16:12:39","modified_gmt":"2015-04-06T20:12:39","slug":"march-2015-music-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/2015\/04\/06\/march-2015-music-update\/","title":{"rendered":"March 2015 music update."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=http:\/\/klaw.me\/1Pb1XTO>My breakdown of the Craig Kimbrel\/Melvin Upton trade<\/a> is up for Insiders, as are my (for entertainment purposes only) <a href=http:\/\/klaw.me\/1xNCaLU>standings and awards predictions for 2015<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>My apologies for the delay on this month&#8217;s playlist, but I was on the move most of last week and didn&#8217;t have much writing time. This list is heavy on tracks from albums that came out in March, which was a fertile month for new releases from major alternative acts.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.spotify.com\/?uri=spotify:user:keithlaw1:playlist:4a7pKIloZ8dZIDI20TySGN\" width=\"300\" height=\"380\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Lord Huron \u2013 The World Ender.<\/strong> Lord Huron&#8217;s new album, <i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00SXRLP2O\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=B00SXRLP2O&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;tag=meadowpartyco-20&#038;linkId=MPAPPEUWKRYEDIN3\">Strange Trails<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=meadowpartyco-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B00SXRLP2O\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\" style=\"border:none !important; margin:0px !important;\" \/><\/i>, comes out on the 7th; I have an advance copy and have enjoyed it, although it doesn&#8217;t have a cross-over hit like \u201cTime to Run.\u201d This track&#8217;s dark, shuffling rhythm matches the macabre lyrics perfectly, and it&#8217;s the style I&#8217;d like to see vocalist\/guitarist Ben Schneider employ more frequently.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Of Montreal \u2013 Bassem Sabry.<\/strong> Of Montreal are actually of Athens, Georgia, and defy any easy characterization as their sound changes from album to album and sometimes from track to track. Their thirteenth album, <i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00RA3QZ86\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=B00RA3QZ86&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;tag=meadowpartyco-20&#038;linkId=JC2GAQY4ZU56SAMI\">Aureate Gloom<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=meadowpartyco-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B00RA3QZ86\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\" style=\"border:none !important; margin:0px !important;\" \/><\/i>, came out in early March, and returns the band to their rock roots, with some psychedelic-rock inflections that seem to come from the 1970s.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Purity Ring \u2013 stranger than earth.<\/strong> The Canadian duo&#8217;s second album, <i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00RXIA5HA\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=B00RXIA5HA&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;tag=meadowpartyco-20&#038;linkId=PPGYAOTDBXQJU2WB\">another eternity<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=meadowpartyco-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B00RXIA5HA\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\" style=\"border:none !important; margin:0px !important;\" \/><\/i>, also came out in March, and was stronger overall than their debut, lyrically and musically, although I wish the band didn&#8217;t push Megan James&#8217;s vocals through the effects board so frequently, as they make her otherwise gorgeous voice sound tinny and shrill.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Young Fathers \u2013 Shame.<\/strong> Winners of the 2014 Mercury Prize, Young Fathers will put out their second proper full-length, <i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00TSAPDH8\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=B00TSAPDH8&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;tag=meadowpartyco-20&#038;linkId=Y7ZTNOG53RDO2GEK\">White Men Are Black Men Too<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=meadowpartyco-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B00TSAPDH8\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\" style=\"border:none !important; margin:0px !important;\" \/><\/i>, on Tuesday the 7th. I can&#8217;t vouch for the title&#8217;s accuracy, but this lead single continues their trend of combining electronic sounds and world-music rhythms with sparse lyrics, some rapped and some sung, so that characterizing them strictly as a hip-hop group seems to fall well short of the mark.<\/p>\n<p><strong>San Cisco \u2013 RUN.<\/strong> Their 2013 track \u201cAwkward\u201d was my <a href=https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/2013\/12\/18\/top-100-songs-of-2013\/#more-3070>#18 song of that year<\/a>, and released a full-length album, <i><a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/album\/gracetown\/id964012507?uo=4&#038;at=11l9Rw\" target=\"itunes_store\">Gracetown<\/a><\/i>, early last month. The disc is solid with a number of upbeat, Aussie-pop gems, including this track and \u201cToo Much Time Together,\u201d yet another band leading the giant wave of great indie-pop acts from down under.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Modest Mouse \u2013 The Ground Walks, with Time in a Box.<\/strong> I was disappointed in Modest Mouse&#8217;s album, <i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00QR70Q2W\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=B00QR70Q2W&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;tag=meadowpartyco-20&#038;linkId=BOPIKGGLJEXS32K3\">Strangers to Ourselves<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=meadowpartyco-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B00QR70Q2W\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\" style=\"border:none !important; margin:0px !important;\" \/><\/i> which finds them kind of stuck in neutral, maybe even sliding backwards without Johnny Marr&#8217;s pop-rock sensibilities to keep Issac Brock from veering on to the shoulder. When the tempo&#8217;s up and Brock&#8217;s lyrics come at you like a deluge from an open fire hydrant, Modest Mouse&#8217;s music becomes fascinatingly bizarre, as in this track, which seems to be constantly spinning rather than moving in the typical linear fashion of a pop\/rock song, running six solid minutes of strangeness.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Death Cab for Cutie \u2013 Ingenue.<\/strong> Death Cab&#8217;s latest album, <i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00SCIDAO0\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=B00SCIDAO0&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;tag=meadowpartyco-20&#038;linkId=WM3KME5JTT5ORGZF\">Kintsugi<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=meadowpartyco-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B00SCIDAO0\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\" style=\"border:none !important; margin:0px !important;\" \/><\/i>, marks their first album since guitarist\/producer Chris Walla left the band, although his work appears on the album. The sound is different, however, more distinctly a Ben Gibbard record, with Gibbard&#8217;s trademark earnest lyrics and delivery but lacking something \u2013 a little acidity, or a pinch of salt \u2013 to balance out the preciousness he can emote when his voice is mixed to the front of a track. The flip side is that the album feels more accessible, perhaps even a bit more commercial, because Gibbard&#8217;s hooks stand out so much more.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Of Monsters And Men \u2013 Crystals.<\/strong> The new album is due June 9th. I can&#8217;t wait, but I&#8217;m also concerned we might just get more of the same, the way Mumford &#038; Sons underwhelmed with their second album.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Black Rivers \u2013 The Ship.<\/strong> The other two-thirds of Doves have formed their own group, and their sound is more like that of their original band than the solo work of singer\/bassist Jimi Goodwin. The Williams brothers bring some electronic elements into their music, more than we ever got on any Doves album, but whichever brother is singing isn&#8217;t quite up to the task.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Courtney Barnett \u2013 Elevator Operator.<\/strong> I reviewed <a href=http:\/\/klaw.me\/1aoRZhW>her amazing debut album<\/a> last week, and this opening track is one of my favorites, both for the story she tells in the lyrics and the way the music announces the shift in her style to a heavier, more rock-base dsound.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lower Dens \u2013 Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 Anonyme.<\/strong> Pitchfork loved this album, Julia from Sirius XM loves this album, but I do not love this album. It&#8217;s pleasant but tame, too light on hooks. \u201cTo Die in L.A.,\u201d the lead single, is its best track (with its most memorable riff); this song, the final track on the album, was my second favorite.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tame Impala \u2013 Let It Happen.<\/strong> Good song, but really, Kevin, seven freaking minutes? Who do you think you are, Opeth?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Grimes \u2013 REALiTi (Demo).<\/strong> It doesn&#8217;t have The Drop of her dubstep hit from last year, \u201cGo,\u201d but Grimes seems to have learned how best to deploy her childlike soprano over the electronic eclectica of most of her discography. This song is a demo from her fourth album, which she has reportedly <a href=http:\/\/www.stereogum.com\/1787656\/grimes-says-that-she-isnt-scrapping-music-because-of-negative-reactions\/news\/>scrapped<\/a> but might still release some day. She should, if this song is any indication of what it&#8217;s like.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Westkust \u2013 Swirl.<\/strong> Pitchfork comped Westkust to shoegaze, but the vocals are way too clear for that comparison to hold much water, and there&#8217;s more of a California tinge to their melancholy than the Oxonian sound of Swervedriver or Ride. The Swedish band&#8217;s debut album is due here in the U.S. in \u201cearly summer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Speedy Ortiz \u2013 The Graduates.<\/strong> I&#8217;ve reached the point where Speedy Ortiz could release a cover of John Cage&#8217;s \u201c4&#8217;33&#8243;\u201d and I&#8217;d put it on a playlist.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Joy Williams \u2013 Woman (Oh Mama).<\/strong> Williams was the singing half of The Civil Wars, and also the attractive half, but that group dissolved in apparent acrimony (you&#8217;d think the name would have tipped them off) last summer. Williams was a solo Christian contemporary artist before going alt-country in the Civil Wars, but this lead single from her album <i>Venus<\/i> is more like smart pop, a feminist anthem just waiting to be discovered.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My breakdown of the Craig Kimbrel\/Melvin Upton trade is up for Insiders, as are my (for entertainment purposes only) standings and awards predictions for 2015. My apologies for the delay on this month&#8217;s playlist, but I was on the move most of last week and didn&#8217;t have much writing time. This list is heavy on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[803,852],"class_list":["post-4001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-2015-in-music","tag-music","entry"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4001","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4001"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4001\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4005,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4001\/revisions\/4005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4001"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4001"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4001"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}