Direct Current Music News / New Music

Watch: Bon Homme (feat. Lydmor) - "The Optimist" (Acoustic Version)

2013-05-23T23:14:36Z

Bon Homme is the electronic powered alter-ego of Tomas Høffding, a Danish musician who also plays in the band WhoMadeWho. His recently released April EP Nighttripper is a lush, plush bit of twinkling electro-pop but it wasn't until we got our eyes and ears on the "acoustic" (ie., minus the heavy club beats) version of the EP's best track "The Optimist" that we really appreciated what was under all those blips and bleeps. The secret weapon here is Lydmor (aka Jenny Rossander), a fellow Dane and art/pop fancier whose vocals add an extra layer of sweet, dreamy goodness. We'll be looking for Bon Homme's next full length this fall as well as whatever the eye-opening Lydmor may create. Check out the video for her own "Lampost Light" as well as her sultry vocal work behind the video for "The Fire" from drum 'n' bass duo Bottled In England below...

DC Weekly New Release Recap

2013-05-23T19:23:42Z

In case you missed it, this is pretty much a Daft Punk week -- a time when hipsters around the world adjust their horn rims, stroke the chin scruff and meditate on what it would be like to get up and move their booties and throw their arms in the air like they just don't, like, care. But may we bend your ear with a few more worthy albums out this week? Like Trouble Will Find Me by those cerebral Brooklyn rockers The National. Or honey-sweet meditative folk/pop Apis Mellifera (that's Latin for honeybee) from L.A. songstress (and DC fave) Frally. Or the dark and lovely vs Head vs Heart sophomore album form Down Under alt-pop songwriter Emma Louise. Or the long-awaited U.S. release of A Is For Alpine by another Aussie export -- Alpine -- and one of the most interesting and accomplished albums of the past few years. Check out our full DC listing (with site links) along with the aforementioned artists' selected features below...

RADAR: Half Moon Run

2013-05-23T18:08:36Z

With a signing to the über-hip, red hot U.S. indie label Glassnote (Mumfords, Phoenix), Montreal-based Half Moon Run are primed for stateside success with a full-fledged re-rollout of their 2012 album Dark Eyes later this summer. Called "one of the most important bands debuting an album this year" by Mumford Son and Communion Records co-founder Ben Lovett (who signed them to his U.K. label), Half Moon Run juggle an intricate combination of folk and (sm)art/pop with a complex underbelly of jagged rhythmic turns and spot-on three part harmonies. A trio for most of their recent rise to success, the band became a quartet when Isaac Symonds recently rejoined Devon Portielje, Conner Molander and Dyan Phillips, all multi-instrumentalists and vocalists though Portielje takes lead on most songs. Their sound has been described as "Radiohead-meets-Fleet-Foxes", and the band's labyrinthine arrangements and turn-on-a-dime melodies make Dark Eyes an eclectic adventure in modern indie styles. But tracks like the twisty folk-rocking lead single "Full Circle" and DC fave "No More Losing The War" (stream after the jump) reveal a unique band that defies namedropped expectations. Watch HMR videos below...

Half Moon Run - 'Full Circle' (from Dark Eyes)

Listen: Jenny O. - "Opposite Island"

2013-05-22T20:57:21Z

The exquisite "Opposite Island" is one of those songs that keeps beckoning back for another listen just to prove, again and again, that, yes indeed, it's as great as we think it is. Written and performed by pixie-ish L.A. songstress Jenny O., the track is part bedroom piano/pop simple (for anyone with a piano in their bedroom) and part stunning theatrical showstopper, a pin-drop quiet ballad that's transformed into what we've described earlier as "something beautiful beyond words." While Jenny's girlish vocal charms play up the song's tender lyrical confessions of "a long day" and "a bad night" leading to something hopeful, "Opposite Island" is a song that resonates as a deeply affecting modern pop standard. Check out the lyrics after the jump. More on Jenny O. and her fine Automechanic LP on DC here.

Jenny O. - 'Opposite Island' from Automechanic)

Frally - Apis Mellifera

2013-05-22T19:41:03Z

A mix of both confessional reflection and spiritual observation -- all rendered with one of the most achingly lovely voices -- Frally Hynes' exquisite 2010 album The Light prevailed as one of our favorite albums of the year, one that we described as an "inspired masterwork of sensitive, sensual songcraft." Long-awaited new album, Apis Mellifera (Latin for "honey bee"), is yet another rare gem. Working again with multi-instrumentalist/producer Jeff Hill (Rufus Wainwright), Frally again taps into themes of redemption, relationships and renewal, Hill and a superb band adding subtle backing -- and an occasional buzz of electricity -- to songs that span chamber pop grace ("Peace"), melancholic mood pieces ("Devil") and tender folk ballads ("Take Your Time"). Tracked live in the studio, "California" (listen below) is a glorious country-tinged campfire classic, Teddy Thompson adding vocals and sweet harmony to a slow dance of pedal steel and acoustic jangle. "By Chance" carves out new space in her impressive repertoire, a slow-paced alt-pop minor-chord dirge that quietly builds it's own shadowy twists and turns, the tension of frayed electric guitar riffs sustaining an interesting counterbalance to Frally's vulnerable vocals and the chiming piano notes in the bridge.

Frally - 'By Chance' (from Apis Mellifera)

RADAR: Ef

2013-05-22T18:50:06Z

Maybe it's the chilly Scandinavian climate and legendary cool demeanor but Sweden's Ef sure know how to warm things up without getting too, well, sentimental in their quest for arty chamber/pop and post/rock grandeur. Everything sounds as big and crisply detailed as the starry winter night sky, a curiously compelling musical mix that echoes Sigur Ros, Explosions in the Skyand a touch of Denmark's orchestral wonders Efterklang. The band has been quietly been creating their lengthy, mostly instrumental compositions for a decade and new album Ceremonies (September 6) promises an even greater cinematic-sounding refinement with regal guitar lines, horns, strings, synths and thundering rhythms -- along with a stately vocal or two adding a little accessible icing to the cake. For a gloriously rich preview check out lead track "Bells Bleed and Bloom". More music on their Soundcloud.

Ef - 'Bells Bleed & Bloom' (from Ceremonies)

Eisley - Currents

2013-05-21T16:34:22Z

Self-produced fourth full-length from Tyler, Texas' all-in-the-family band Eisley finds the four siblings (and a cousin) further refining and expanding their sound. A mix of off-kilter but melodic pop choruses and a dollop of arty indie rock, Currents (May 28, Equal Vision) is both smart, adventurous and, says the band's Sheree Dupree-Bemis, "honestly the first time we’ve had total and complete free reign over the making of one of our records and it felt so liberating." Referencing the album's title, she adds, "The current is constantly moving and flowing no matter what and that’s what we’ve always done together and plan to keep doing.” New track "Drink The Water" displays the band's confidence in experimenting in the studio as interesting rhythmic time signatures, an angelic vocal chorus, darting orchestration and a haunting piano hook combine in a swirl of dense production. Stream the title track after the jump...

Eisley - 'Drink The Water' (from Currents)

Listen: Cary Brothers - "Disappear"

2013-05-21T15:22:02Z

L.A. singer/songwriter Cary Brothers teams up with the always wonderful Garrison Starr for "Disappear," a new song lifted from Brothers' recently released EP Let Me Be. The self-described "therapy record" following a painful breakup contains five new songs and is Brothers' first collection of new, original music since 2010's Under Control.

Cary Brothers - 'Disappear' (with Garrison Starr from Let Me Be)

The National - Trouble Will Find Me

2013-05-20T20:07:05Z

Fifth full-length Trouble Will Find Me from The National finds the critically acclaimed Brooklyn band arriving at a new inner-peace mindset that probably owes more to sheer exhaustion -- tours, children -- than anything else. Not to mention the re-immersion into the deep pool of classic songwriting from the likes of Neil Young, Roy Orbison and Cat Stevens that has brought their songs a less mannered more direct focus. The creative tension that accompanied the recording of The National's two most recent albums -- 2007's Boxer, 2010's High Violet -- has been replaced with a confidence and what the band's Aaron Dessner refers to as the band's return to a "free wheeling" approach adding, "It just feels like we've embraced the chemistry we have." That particular musical molecular structure remains grandly brooding with frontman Matt Berninger's baritone still commanding the spotlight. But there's a lighter touch and more simply laid out strategy this time around, fewer churning rock dirges, more crisply delineated lines. In the end an album that's "more fun", says Aaron, "or at least The National’s version of fun.” Stream "Don't Swallow The Cap" and watch the videos for "Sea of Love" and "Demons" below...

The National - 'I Should Live In Salt' (from Trouble Will Find Me)

RADAR: Fauntella Crow

2013-05-20T17:24:59Z

Piano-playing Sunday Lane and in-demand session and touring violinist Jessy Greene are the L.A.-based singer/songwriter duo who call themselves Fauntella Crow. Lane has released her own mostly sunny folk/pop recordings while Greene has graced the stage (and studio) with artists such as The Jayhawks, Wilco and Dave Grohl's recent "Sound City Players" project. Their promising new EP Lost Here combines strong melodies with an ethereal aural atmosphere, the combination of keys, strings and Lane and Greene's dual vocals making for an inviting chamber pop listen. Full bio and a stream (and video) of lead single "Just Try" below...

Fauntella Crow - 'Lost Here' (from the EP Lost Here)

Listen: The Parson Red Heads - "Times"

2013-05-17T15:46:49Z

The list of bands looking to channel the feel and sound of '70s Laurel Canyon folk/rock is long and growing longer but few can match The Parson Red Heads in their ability to sidestep soundalike retreads and bring their own songwriting -- and instrumental -- chops to the forefront. The follow up fall full-length to the Portland, OR, outfit's excellent 2011 Yearling is in the works and the new track "Times" is something of a preview arriving as part of a new six-song EP 6 due June 4. "This song was the first song we recorded in our sessions at Type Foundry with Scott McCaughey," says Evan Way of the Red Heads. "We had such a great time making this song come to life in the studio, adding elements, taking elements away, just trying to create a really specific and memorable atmosphere to the song. It was one that sort of wrote itself, coming together all in one night, and is maybe one of my favorite songs we've ever recorded." Watch the in-studio recording of the song after the jump...

The Parson Red Heads - 'Times' (from the EP 6)

The Boxer Rebellion - Promises

2013-05-16T19:30:29Z

Over the course of their first three albums, London's The Boxer Rebellion have tweaked the sound of what their bio refers to as "grand ambition" to find critical acceptance while building upon their staunchly D.I.Y. indie strategy. This is, it should be noted, the first band to break into the U.S. Top 100 albums chart for their breakout album Union without a physical CD release. But after tapping high-cred producer Ethan Johns for their dark, more organic-based The Cold Still, The Boxers have pretty much embraced their inner arena-rock gloss for their new aptly titled LP Promises. Produced by Billy Bush (Garbage) with the band, these eleven new songs are teeming with the big and the bright, epic anthems meant to rattle the rafters with sky-high melodies and rippling U2-meets-Coldplay riff-rock opulence. And guess what -- it works. No one will mistake the paint-by-numbers "Keep Moving" for overly edgy or arty adventure. But no one will deny the sheer rush of indulging in the comforts of that cool bassline intro, the Edge-like guitar pyrotechnics and vocalist Nathan Nicholson's perfectly pretty vocals. By the time the chorus hook drops it's almost an unnecessary embellishment. Stream the equally delectable "Diamonds" (and watch the video) below the digital fold...

The Boxer Rebellion - 'Keep Moving' (from Promises)

Dungeonesse - S/T

2013-05-16T17:14:47Z

Recreating the strobe-tastic, glittering energy of a 3am club scene would appear to be high on the to-do list of Dungeonesse , a dizzying, beat-heavy collaboration of Baltimore chums Jenn Wasner (Wye Oak) and John Ehrens (White Life). Marrying airy melodic hooks to some skittering drum-and-bass jolts and Wasner's headlong sprint into breathless, can-you-keep-up lyricism, Dungeonesse (word play on the oft-misspelled dungeness crab) keep things frisky and sugar-coated on their self-titled debut (May 14, Secretly Canadian). At first blush, "Drive You Crazy" (stream after the jump) is ultra-light to the point of empty calories. But like the similar smart-popping R+B tip of Channy Leaneagh's Poliça, the damn thing just sucks you in and you're off on some mindless -- but ecstatic -- little joyride. Even better is the gorgeous, early-Eurythmics-sounding "Nightlight." "Something that Jon and I talk about a lot is the idea of reclaiming pop music," says Wasner, "placing it squarely in the hands of, I dunno, say a couple of regular nerds from Baltimore."

Dungeonesse - 'Nightlight' (from Dungeonesse)

The Looking - Songs For A Traveler

2013-05-15T20:16:24Z

Whatever your mind conjures up when you hear the words "traditional folk songs" is about to get turned on its head with Songs For A Traveler, a genre-bending collection of vintage folk standards, 50's country gems and random lullaby and 19th-century logging song tossed in for good measure. The man behind the remarkable project is Todd Carter, a New York-based singer (phenomenal, actually) multi-instrumentalist and arranger who goes by the pseudonym The Looking. The concept of reinterpreting folk standards is nothing new but Carter's dramatic, occasionally operatic and densely orchestrated approach gives songs like "Wayfaring Stranger," "Long Black Veil" and Hank Williams' "Angel of Death" a powerful, goose-bump-inducing force. One of the album's best tracks is "River in the Pines", a Wisconsin logging song (and duet with Sasha Dobson) that Carter describes as "a wonderful old ballad" adding, "I kept hearing this REM-esque guitar lick that became the opening of the song." It's that kind of imaginative rethinking that makes Songs For A Traveler one of the most rewarding left-field surprises of the year. Stream "Black Is The Color" below and the full album at The Looking site.

The Looking - 'River in the Pines' (from Songs For A Traveler)

Alpine - A Is For Alpine

2013-05-15T15:01:00Z

The angular meets the angelic with Alpine, a Melbourne-based band of art-pop Aussies who have delivered one of the most original and eclectic albums of the year. Melding the dual-harmonied, pixie-ish vocals of frontwomen and longtime friends Lou James and Phoebe Baker with brisk, scattered beats and some ridiculously inventive guitar play, Alpine turn their A Is For Alpine (May 21, Voliv) into a collection of songs so imaginative and just plain different that the effect is as mindbending as it is mesmerizing. A 2010 EP Zürich and some quirky videos laid the groundwork, creating buzz and garnering airplay but nothing quite prepared us for the brash and audacious full-length debut (named iTunes Alternative Album of the Year). More than just a collection of literate and quirky love songs, the album works as an album -- not an easy thing to do, actually -- shifting from one odd tempo to the next, darting down one musical alley only to double back mid-stream on a whole new rhythmic twist or splendid out-of-the-blue chorus. In a word: brilliant. Watch videos below...

Alpine - 'The Vigour' (from A Is For Alpine)