I get a ridiculous amount of mail sometimes from bands, their management, their pr, whomever, asking me to hear new songs or talk about a tour. I don't necessarily mind this unsolicited mail because every once in awhile a real gem pops up. I do however feel guilty sometimes for how long it takes me to get through the clutter of press releases and mp3s in my inbox. So today I'm setting out to listen to what I can and put up anything I think has something special...
Stars - The Night Starts Here
Alright this is a bit of a cheat but to be fair the press release is at the top of my inbox. Of course I love the new
Stars single. It's fantastic to hear Amy sounding like Amy again and not like a Neko Case or Emmylou Harris impersonator. Ooh did I just say that? Sorry but the crunchy guitars and keyboards are a fantastic return to form. The timing on an anticipatory mp3 release couldn't be better either... after the fantastic performance I saw from
Memphis a few weeks ago I am definitely on a "Yay Canada" high. The new record
In Our Bedroom After The War will drop September 25.
Jesse Harris - Feel
I was going to pass on
Jesse Harris, but when the song ended my itunes immediately went into a Pernice Brothers song and it made me pause. I think my standard for singer-songwriters is a bit unrealistic. After hearing this song a few more times I could see him becoming a hit amongst television music programmers... his sound is pleasant, unassuming, a bit MOR but not bad really. Someone to watch out for and I wouldn't be opposed to hearing the rest of his debut record
Feel (which comes out July 10).
Oh No! Oh My! - The Party PunchAustin's
Oh No! Oh My! are back this summer touring and releasing a new single
Between The Devil and The Sea. I've been a supporter of the band for awhile now as they were one of the bands that made Lollapalooza worth it for me last year. This new song seems a bit heavy on The Magnetic Fields influence but really, is there something wrong with that?
Rumble Strips - Alarm Clock (Sportsday Megaphone's Stereo Adventure Remix) - m4a
Received in an email from
Sportsday Megaphone this aneurysm - inducing - tempo remix of a
recently posted song by the UK's
Rumble Strips. It makes my brain hurt a bit, kinda in a good way.
Sly Hats - Vampire Sips
Now we're talking... although to be fair this one was sent to me by a friend. I know very little about
Sly Hats other than they hail from Australia, recently played with The SoftLightes and are probably way too wimpy for you to love as much as I do. Oh well, give a listen with an open mind.
more "From The Mailbag" soon...
Buy some: Stars, Jesse Harris, Oh No! Oh My!, Rumble Strips, Sly Hats