Monthly Archives: January 2012

Debut Album From The Adultery Brothers

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Debut Album From The Adultery Brothers.

We have been meaning to post this up for a little while and not sure why we haven’t managed it before now.

The Adultery Brothers first featured on MM back in May last year with a (now disappeared) free Bandcamp demo release called Let Me Think. They have now released an ‘official’ self-titled debut album which benefits hugely from being professionally produced. Thankfully, they have not sacrificed their penchant for hook laden, catchy guitar driven indie rock and this remains very much to the fore throughout the album.

Watch the video for What’s The Point, and here also are a couple of tracks to whet the appetite. The album can be bought from Amazon here or downloaded from iTunes. You can visit their Facebook page for more info here.

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Download The Adultery Brothers – Fill My Cup mp3 (from The Adultery Brothers)

Download The Adultery Brothers – Between The Kicks mp3 (from The Adultery Brothers)

New EP From Eux Autres

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New EP From Eux Autres.

 

Eux Autres write smart, infectious garage-pop imbued with indie jangle, a bit of cool French pop and gorgeous boy/girl vocals.

In fact, just close your eyes and imagine if you will, the Field Mice meeting Black Flag at a Françoise Hardy show. The songs they’d be humming together on the drive home might sound something like Eux Autres.

Although they have been around since 2003, we first became aware of them with the release of their Cold City album in 2007, from which their When I’m Up track became an established MM favourite. Their new EP scheduled for a February 28th release (digitally and on vinyl) is titled Sun Is Sunk and over its six tracks continues their happy knack of delivering contagious, whiplash smart tunes that shimmer and sizzle with a swagger and cool insouciance that is most captivating.

Download Eux Autres – Right Again mp3 (from Sun Is Sunk EP)

I See Hawks In L.A. Prep Acoustic Album

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I See Hawks In L.A. Prep Acoustic Album. I See Hawks in L.A. have released five critically acclaimed albums of classic Americana since they began writing songs in their Echo Park living rooms 11 years ago. The band’s sound layers Southern California psychedelia over acoustic guitars and rich vocal harmonies.

Meanwhile, fans have always treasured the Hawks’ acoustic shows, where Rob Waller’s rich voice, the band’s subtle guitar arrangements, and the dark, literate lyrics take the spotlight. A three-year one-mic acoustic series hosted by the band at Cole’s bar in downtown L.A., and memorable acoustic shows all over the U.S. with Ray Wylie Hubbard, Chris Hillman, and Dave Alvin, have honed the band’s sound.

So in 2012, I See Hawks In L.A. will finally release that much anticipated acoustic album, New Kind of Lonely, recorded live in a circle at Marc Doten’s Echo Park studio with lovely German microphones. Release date is set for February 28 on Western Seeds Records.

Grab yourself a couple from the record. Classic Americana indeed.

Download I See Hawks In L.A. – Bohemian Highway mp3 (from New Kind Of Lonely)

Download I See Hawks In L.A. – Dear Flash mp3 (from New Kind Of Lonely)

MM Shorts 86: Shrouded Strangers Video

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MM Shorts 86: Shrouded Strangers.

Shrouded Strangers have just leapt to the top of our New Discoveries Most Anticipated List (if we actually had one that is), but no matter, this is the video to skuzzy slacker anthem Featherbed, a glorious amalgam of surf guitars, krautrock rhythms and fuzzed up hillbilly stomp. Just brilliant.

It comes from new album Forever Lost which is described as a collection of disembodied pop songs and psych singalongs and is released via Izniz Records. Can’t wait – order from the band here.

The Cave Singers @ Daytrotter

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The Cave Singers @ Daytrotter.

The wonderful Cave Singers have just completed an outstanding session for Daytrotter offering up versions of Swim Club, Haller Lake, Clever Creatures and the brilliant Black Leaf.

Signing up to get this, and many other sessions (recently including Laura Marling, Wilco, Marnie Stern and The Parson Red Heads) costs just $2 per month which even in these troubled times is a ridiculously good deal – if you’ve not done it yet, sign up here.

Get the full Cave Singers session here

Download The Cave Singers – Clever Creatures (Daytrotter Session) mp3

MM Shorts 85: More From Night Genes

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MM Shorts 85: More From Night Genes. We’ve already posted about Night Genes and new album Like The Blood, which is out tomorrow and which, over the past few weeks, has been played on the MM stereo with ever increasing frequency.

To mark the occasion here is another standout from the album, the infectiously catchy, military folk stomp of Soaring Through The Chromosomes.

Download Night Genes – Soaring Through The Chromosomes mp3 (from Like The Blood)

Download Night Genes – Cyber Me mp3 (from Like The Blood)

New Single From Vacant Fever

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New Single From Vacant Fever.

Oregon duo Vacant Fever have a new release, Kill Kill Kill out on March 6th.

We posted about the band last year and they went on to make a couple of our guest Top Tens at the end of the year so we were excited to learn of a new five track EP. They hate genres and being pigeon-holed and so we’ll avoid going down that route – not that it is easy anyway as they are an eclectic, sometimes experimental pair, but still with an eye and an ear for rhythms and melodies that insistently burrow deep inside your head and refuse to leave.

The title track is a perfect case in point. It is quite a departure from the majority of previous (excellent) album Heparin And Saline (still available free here), and for us recalls some of the classic work of bands like Wire or Gang Of Four. It is jerky, minimal and, best of all, genre-defying! It is also excellent.

The EP will be available as a limited edition 7″ Vinyl (500) with mp3 downloads and on iTunes.

Download Vacant Fever – Kill Kill Kill mp3 (from Kill Kill Kill EP)

Mad Mackerel Recommends…Jenn Rawling

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Mad Mackerel Recommends...Jenn Rawling.

We have been enjoying Take The Air, an album of authentic, old-timey, soulful folk by Jenn Rawling, which she has now made available for free download via her Soundcloud page here.

From slow country to uptempo neo-folk, the gently weaving rhythms and honeyed harmonies are a delight. Here are a couple of our favourites, Big Old Lake and Lonely Owl should you want to sample the wares on offer first.

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Buy a physical CD from her Bandcamp page here.

New Solo Album From Mike Doughty

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New Album From Mike Doughty.

Mike Doughty releases his new album Yes And Also Yes on February 13th. Previously front man of Soul Coughing, he has also written a brutally honest and unflinching autobiography that catalogues the utterly dysfunctional nature of his band and his own descent into full-on drug addiction.

The album is his fourth as a solo artist and it is immediately apparent that the man’s scalpel sharp lyricism and wordplay have not deserted him – just listen to the opening lines of first track and single Na Na Nothing below. While a playfulness is undoubtedly evident throughout the album, and sometimes this almost spills over into frivolity especially in some of the shorter tracks (four clock in at under two minutes), it would be wrong to pigeonhole this as a happy album. In truth if you examine a little more closely, this surface joy is often only a flimsy mask for some of the darker, more disturbing thoughts and self-doubt at work elsewhere on the record.

What is clear is that inspiration and imagination is never in short supply on this record, whether it be in the sardonic lyrics, the restless instrumentation that alternates between the uptempo and the understated, or the shift between introspection and experimentation. It has a feel and style to it that calls to mind some of our very favourite songwriters – Eels, Vic Chesnutt and Sparklehorse.

I have to confess though that this is our first proper introduction to Mike Doughty – a clear case of better late than never. We have us a back catalogue to go get acquainted with.

Watch and / or listen to Na Na Nothing below.

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You can also read a superb extract from his autobiography, The Book Of Drugs here at The Arts Desk.

The Songs Of Leonard Cohen Covered For Mojo

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The Songs Of Leonard Cohen Covered For Mojo.

As is often their wont, Mojo magazine have produced another fine cover disc this month, with a tribute to Leonard Cohen’s masterpiece of a debut The Songs Of Leonard Cohen plus a ‘bonus’ of five extra classic tracks from his back catalogue.

The array of artists is mightily impressive from acclaimed new soul artist Michael Kiwanuka to Cass McCombs, Field Music and J Tillman recording under the name Father John Misty. The bonus tracks include Dan Michaelson, Diagrams and My Brightest Diamond.

As always, Mojo is available from all decent newsagents or like us you can subscribe via their website. Certainly worth it as it is one of the best music monthlies we have.

Here are two of our favourites from Bill Callahan and his version of So Long Marianne and the Low Anthem putting their stamp on Stories Of The Street.

Download Bill Callahan – So Long Marianne mp3 (from The Songs Of Leonard Cohen Covered)

Download The Low Anthem – Stories Of The Street mp3 (from The Songs Of Leonard Cohen Covered)