The calendar gave September a special treat this year: 5 Tuesdays fell into the month’s 30 days. Months with 5 Tuesdays worth or new releases give us a lot of music to listen to. Here is The Wheel’s Still In Spin’s list of favorite releases for the month of September:
Apollo Sunshine – Shall Noise Upon | Amazon CDVinyl
MP3
| Insound CD Vinyl
Download “666: The Coming Of The New World Government” (mp3)
August saw the digital and vinyl versions of this album released, but September was the month of the physical CD release. This album is probably best described as indie rock, but it mixes a diverse range of styles and instrumentation. There are flares of psychedelic rock, international music, folk, ambient music, and rock ’n’ roll throughout the album. It also perfectly mixes energy levels from soothing, mellow tracks to upbeat rockers. Overall, Shall Noise Upon is a diverse and thorough album.
Noah And The Whale – Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down | Amazon CDMP3
| Insound CD
Download “2 Bodies 1 Heart” (mp3)
This is a fanciful power pop album. With the prominence of violin, horns, and harmonium, the music leads to chamber pop during many of the tracks. The lyrics, mostly, are lamentations on love and growing up. As the contagious single, “5 Years Times,” shows, this is a band that is young and trying to balance the enjoyment of the moment and the unpredictability of the future.
TV On The Radio – Dear Science | Deluxe Edition CDCD
Deluxe Version MP3
MP3
| Insound Deluxe Edition CD CD Vinyl
This album mixes pop with indie rock, soul with punk, programmed beats with live instruments, and Afrobeat with chamber accompaniments. It is cerebral and danceably enjoyable. It’s edgy and pacifying. It is hard to unify so many genres and textures, but TV On The Radio have done so. They transcended boundaries and preconceptions and created an engaging and intelligent album.
Blitzen Trapper – Furr | Amazon CDVinyl
MP3
| Insound CD Vinyl MP3
Download “Furr” (mp3)
Furr is Blitzen Trapper’s fourth album and first for Sub Pop. After the success of last year’s Wild Mountain Nation, the band has released a cohesive and consistent folk rock album. This album is rooted in an almost haunting version of alt country with descriptive lyrics. The melodies on this album sound familiar and are reminiscent of the folk rock of the ‘70s.
Johnny Foreigner – Waited Up Til It Was Light | CDMP3
| Insound CD
Download “Salt Pepper And Spinderell” (mp3)
This album sounds like an amalgamation of Los Campesinos and Mates Of State. Waited Up Til It Was Light is punctuated with the energy and multifariousness of Welsh indie rock band, Los Campesinos, but with more cohesive. The vocal exchange between guitarist Alexei Berrow and bassist Kelly Southern and the occasional use of organ tones evoke the husband-and-wife duo, Mates Of State.
Okkervil River – The Stand Ins | Amazon CDVinyl
MP3
| Insound CD Vinyl MP3
Download “Lost Coastlines” (mp3)
The Stand Ins is both a companion piece and a stand alone album. Recorded at the same time as The Stage Names and addressing similar themes, this album continues the aural perfection of Okkervil River’s catalog. The toe-tapping arrangements, catchy melodies, and expressively vivid lyrics separate this album as a top-rate creation.
Mason Proper – Olly Oxen Free | Amazon CDMP3
| Insound CD
Download “Lock And Key” (mp3)
The second album for this band is intricate and selective. The music is somehow delicate, but rocking. It blends influences of Modest Mouse, Radiohead, and The Shins into is own unique indie rock sound.
Cold War Kids – Loyalty To Loyalty | CDVinyl
MP3
| Insound CD CD/DVD Vinyl
Download “Something Is Not Right With Me” (mp3 from RCRDLBL)
This album seems timely. The lyrics are pungent and political. Mixing that lyrical quality with the energetic, bluesy, and distorted indie rock sound, Cold War Kids have released a solid sophomore album.
Birdmonster – From The Mountain To The Sea | Amazon CDVinyl
MP3
| Insound CD
Download “Born To Be Your Man” (mp3)
The opening track of this album, “My Love For You,” has a retro feel. With Buddy Holly style vocals drenched in reverb and banjo accompaniment, the song sound like a countrified ‘50s rock song. After that opening track, the album takes a turn as the band borrows their sound from alt country and indie pop torchbearers like Son Volt and Nada Surf. This album doesn’t push the envelope; it seals it tightly.
The Broken West – Now Or Heaven | Amazon CD| Insound CD
Download “Auctioneer” (mp3)
Like the band’s debut, I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On, this album is a collection of power pop songs. Not as guitar-driven as their previous album, Now Or Heaven is a little less of the power and more of the pop.
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