Over the last two or three weeks we’ve probably received more tracks to MM than ever before. Not that we’re complaining, especially when the quality has been really high. It does mean we’re struggling to do everything justice though and while (in a perfect MM world) many of these tracks deserve their own post, we’ve decided to round up a bunch in one go for … Continue reading New Releases Round Up
As Nightlands, Philadelphia multi-instrumentalist David Hartley makes what we would call ‘big music’, it is warm and thunderous, and very very good. Nightlands will be releasing its debut album Forget the Mantra on Secretly Canadian in early November. Hartley has been a prolific sideman in many Philadelphia ensembles most notably, MM faves The War On Drugs. Here though, the music he creates in his bedroom … Continue reading Nightlands prepare new album Forget The Mantra
Suuns play blistering, dark electro and arena-sized psych complete with droning guitars and pulsing synths that call to mind the best of Suicide, Clinic and Can, and all simultaneously delivered with a youthful swagger and an assured restraint. Their forthcoming debut album is called Zeroes QC, and is out on Secretly Canadian in October (early 2011 for the UK). The band have made the second single, Up Past … Continue reading Introducing…Suuns
We were delighted this morning to find an e-mail from Emily Reo in our in-box. She is one of our very favourite experimental/ambient/darkpop songstresses, and had dropped us a line to send us a brand new collaboration with the highly regarded Blackbird Blackbird. It was a combination to whet the appetite: sampling her unique vocal style and phrasing and then looping it firmly over spectacular icy beats and … Continue reading New from Blackbird Blackbird featuring Emily Reo
Here is our usual round-up of the best songs we’ve posted in August together with a couple of our favourite covers and three new songs to tempt you. Another perfect mix tape we think. Black Angels – Telephone mp3 Gentler psych-pop approach from new album calling to mind classic era Zombies Dreamend – Magnesium Light mp3 Superb psych-folk from the loosely joined and hellish story … Continue reading MM’s Best of the Month: August
Abe Vigoda’s new album Crush is due out in September on Bella Union. Citing “cold wave and minimal stuff” as an inspiration, rather than the “tropical punk” they had been labelled with, they have already given us lead track, the repetitive and chilly, Throwing Shade as evidence of a new direction. Now, new taster To Tears also certainly lives up to the new direction. It has … Continue reading New from Abe Vigoda
All Tiny Creatures is the side project of Thomas Wincek, who is also in Collections of Colonies of Bees, which is the band that collaborated with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver fame to form Volcano Choir. Confused? Don’t be. All you need to know is All Tiny Creatures have released a track from their forthcoming album, Harbors, which again features Justin Vernon, and is titled An … Continue reading Mad Mackerel Recommends…All Tiny Creatures
Soft Moon is the work of one Luis Vasquez from San Francisco. He produces lush, creepy, sometimes delicate soundscapes with sparse vocals, if indeed there are vocals at all. Our favourite release so far is the throbbing, synth-led Parallels that sounds like it was born from the dark heart of the 80s musical underworld and escaped into a future somewhat akin to the vision of … Continue reading Mad Mackerel Recommends…Soft Moon
We have featured the wonderful Emily Reo a few times on MM and it is always a pleasure to get something new from her in our in-box. And so it was today when we received this track called Turn Into Feathers. It is a collaboration with Truman Peyote and will feature on his forthcoming split release with Attached Hands on Post Records. Starting like something … Continue reading New from Truman Peyote featuring Emily Reo
Well we couldn’t let these two ‘biggies’ pass could we? Fever Ray’s cover of Peter Gabriel’s Mercy Street is superb, it is as though the song was just waiting for a makeover using the spooky, icy electronica that is Karin Dreijer Andersson’s trademark. Check out the freaky cover too… And this week The National unveiled this new, suitably downtempo piano led track on Minnesota Public Radio … Continue reading New from Fever Ray and the National
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