Not that we had a winter this year on the East Coast, but Spring is in full bloom here in Brooklyn. Post-bloom actually, which is a good thing for you allergy sufferers. And so thaws my blog which has been on deep freeze since February. So here we are with this year’s Spring Fever mix and I think it turned out pretty good! Lots of great new sounds, covering a lot of sonic territory (well, within a certain pale milieu, let’s face it). Anyway, here you go, do enjoy.
TRACKLIST:
1. Shrag – Tendons in the Night
2. Veronica Falls – My Heart Beats
3. Django Django – Life’s a Beach
4. Allah-Las – Tell Me (What’s on Your Mind)
5. Scraps – Secret Paradise
6. Hollie Cook + Prince Fatty – And the Beat Goes On
7. Dent May – Best Friend
8. New Build – Do You Not Feel Loved?
9. Bear in Heaven – Cool Light
10. Tanlines – Green Grass
11. Craft Spells – Sun Trails
12. Violens – Sariza Spring
13. Dive – How Long Have You Known?
14. Lotus Plaza – Strangers
15. Lightships – Stretching Out
16. Ex Cops – You Are a Lion, I Am a Lamb
17. Crocodiles – Psychic Conversation 9
18. Ty Segall & White Fence – Easy Rider
19. Paperhead - Pictures of Her Demise
20. Spiritualized – Hey Jane
21. Richard James – Magical Day
In case you forgot how I do things, these songs are mixed together so please don’t listen to this on shuffle. It’ll sound wrong. Liner notes are after the jump
1. Shrag – Tendons in the Night
We open Spring Fever 2012 on a shouty, snarly note courtesy Shrag who have now graduated to Fortuna Pop which is kind of the UK’s Slumberland. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Slumberland is releasing their new album Canines. It’s just a guess.
2. Veronica Falls – My Heart Beats
Speaking of Slumberland, it’s the new Veronica Falls single which is probably the most immediately catchy pop song the band have released yet. It reminds me of the Primitives. It’s a good ‘un.
3. Django Django – Life’s a Beach
Their album remains unreleased in America, but Django Django are starting to catch on over here. They played Brooklyn right before SXSW and it was one of the most fun shows I’ve seen this year. What I like about DD is their songs are deceptively simple, but if you listen there’s a lot going on. Or you can just dance around the room to a song like this and not worry about it.
4. Allah-Las – Tell Me (What’s on Your Mind)
Keep things surfy, we swing over to the Allah-Las who are busy turning back time to when L.A. bands wore fringe leather and all played 12-string Rickenbacker and VOX guitars. Produced by throwback prodigy Nick Waterhouse, this single sounds like a lost classic from 1966.
5. Scraps – 1982
We go halfway round the world now for Scraps which is a girl named Laura from Brisbane, Australia. I don’t know much about her but this waltz-time love song to a computer has stayed in rotation for sometime.
6. Hollie Cook + Prince Fatty – And the Beat Goes On
While it didn’t make my Favorite Albums of 2011 list, I really enjoyed Hollie Cook’s debut album from last year that had great production (courtesy Prince Fatty) and breezy charm. The same can be said for Hollie’s new single, a cover of The Whispers’ 1979 disco classic.
7. Dent May – Best Friend
Throwing his signature ukulele out the window, Dent May has turned to funk. White nerdy funk, so it sounds like Orange Juice basically. I could use a little more Chic guitar in this, but overall I approve of Dent’s makeover.
8. New Build – Do You Not Feel Loved?
Side project for Al Doyle and Felix Martin of Hot Chip, New Build are great musicians in search of some great songs. I think the album is fun but on the weak side, but they nailed it with “Do You Not Feel Love?”
9. Bear in Heaven – Cool Light
It’s more apparently when they play live, where the drummer goes crazy with the rototom fills, but Bear in Heaven are kind of like the entire Miami Vice soundtrack condensed into one band. This is my favorite song off their new album, I Love You It’s Cool.
10. Tanlines – Green Grass
Initially riding the chillwave, uh, wave of two years ago, Brooklyn duo Tanlines have wisely ditched the gauzy synths and muffled beats (not that they did that much anyway) for a cleaner sound. They’ve got the hooks, no need to hide them. “Green Grass” is almost a rock song, in a 1982 kind of way.
11. Craft Spells – Sun Trails
Staying in that year, Craft Spells are totally channeling early New Order on their new Gallery EP which is out in a couple weeks on Captured Tracks. The temptation was just too easy to throw in one of those Bernard Sumner patented “woo’s.” They do it well.
12. Violens – Sariza Spring
Reworking songs from last year’s digital singles project and adding some terrific new songs (like “Sariza Spring”), Violens have finally figured out their sound for their second album, True, which is coming out on Slumberland. It’s groovy, ethereal and melodic and hints at influences without being slaves to them.
13. Dive – How Long Have You Known?
Dive’s Cole Smith is also in Beach Fossils and, initially, it was hard to tell the difference between the bands. But through near constant gigging, Dive have developed their own sound and have become a genuine force live. I’m anxious to hear their debut album…out sometime later this year on Captured Tracks.
14. Lotus Plaza – Strangers
I saw Lotus Plaza last night open for Disappears and, though there was not a lot to watch, Lockhart and crew sounded great. My biggest problem with the band is all their songs sound the same. But in single-serving doses — say, one song on a mix — they’re great.
15. Lightships – Stretching Out
Do you have a favorite Teenage Fanclub member? Mine is Gerry Love who is the first of TFC to put out a solo album, here under the nom-de-jangle Lightships. Stretch out and dig the warm breeze, man.
16. Ex Cops – You Are a Lion, I Am a Lamb
My new favorite NYC band. A little shoegaze, a lot pop. This is the debut single for the band, as well as the newly formed Other Music Recording Company who will put out the band’s album this fall.
17. Crocodiles – Psychic Conversation 9
I really didn’t think I’d still be listening to Crocodiles three years on in their career of aping the Jesus & Mary Chain and Spacemen 3 but… they do it so well. This new single from their upcoming album just sounds joyous. Love it.
18. Ty Segall & White Fence – Easy Rider
This collaborative album between Ty Segall and Tim Pressley is, to my ears, mostly White Fence and just a little Ty. But this one is very much a Segall jam, and a good one.
19. Paperhead - Pictures of Her Demise
Nashville’s paisley-wearing time travelers drop a single worthy of Nuggets, out now on Trouble in Mind.
20. Spiritualized – Hey Jane
It seems impossible that in the band’s 21 year existence, Spiritualized haven’t had a song with “Jane” in the title until now. Maybe my favorite thing they’ve done since the first album? Maybe.
21. Richard James – Magical Day
We end Spring Fever 2012 with a track from the new album by former Gorkys Zygotic Mynci member Richard James. Most of it is 1972 style pastoral folk but here we get a VU chugging rocker with a wah wah lead that seems to run through the entire song nonstop.
