VOLUME

Perhaps the master-stroke of this modest collection of songs is its unpredictability – not only do the songs cover a lot of diverse ground, but each passage in them is distinct from the others, helping to make this a consistently engaging, charming and memorable musical excursion. Keep an eye on these guys – the future’s looking bright.

The Line of Best Fit

Super-8  [3:55]

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Austin three-piece White Denim continue to make a case for the guitar-bass-drums trinity as rock’s holiest formation. They may not boast the sheer virtuosity of the Jimi Hendrix Experience – even if drummer Josh Block would probably give Mitch Mitchell a run for his money – but they do possess the telepathic rapport, economy and howling intensity of all the best rock threesomes.

Sam Richards, Uncut

I Start to Run [2:52]

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“Em Are I is an insightful collection on which Jeffrey Lewis takes stock of his place in the world, sorting through life’s random moments of love, loss and adventure. His songs prick up the ear with alliteration and clever wordplay—as found in the memorable meter of nursery rhymes—and are rife with sharp observation and emotional introspection.”

Chris W. Woods, Billboard

Good Old Pig Gone Avalon [2:45]

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Joe Henry’s original incarnation as a North Carolina pop merchant still emerges on tracks like the eye-popping “Dirty Magazines” and the fully-scoped “Animal Skin”. Big melodies, soothing rhythms and some neat jazz jerks: Tiny Voices makes a quiet noise that’s worth investigating.

Uncut

Flesh and Blood [5:34]

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Everyone from The Gories to Jay Reatard has attempted a similarly scrambled approach to garage-rock, but tracks like the acidly tangy “Grease” reveal The Master’s Bedroom to be the rarest of records: a pure pop album with a deep lust for noise, dirt, and the diseased underbelly of the rock ‘n’ roll canon.

Jason Heller, A.V. Club The Onion

The Coconut [3:10]

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The second LP from Supertramp, the group that went high into the charts their first time around with Crime of the Century, is another mix of rock, jazz and electronic instrumentation with unusual blends of lead and harmony vocals. One of the few groups with anything really new to offer to surface in the past years.

Billboard (1975)

Another Man’s Woman [6:16]

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If you’re a lifelong garage-rock purist or just enjoy the occasional Jay Reatard track, there’s a good chance you’ll get a lot of mileage out of The Oh Sees Help. It’s hard not to: This is like meat and potatoes prepared by a master chef– totally familiar but utterly delicious.

Joe Colly, Pitchfork

Meat Step Lively [2:47]

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On Magnolia Electric Co’s third album, the group takes things down a notch, not in quality but in distortion and intensity. The result is Fading Trails, a more intimate and thoughtful album that could serve as the soundtrack to the more bittersweet moments of a Western film.

Megan Frye, All Music Guide

Talk To Me Devil, Again [3:28]

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Let’s face it: there are hardly any truly original bands these days. It’s been said before, and it’s true; the best bands are rarely innovators in the sense that they create something previously unheard. But they know how to expand upon their influences’ ideas in a way that is uniquely striking. Menomena is one of these bands.

Kareem Estefan, Stylus Magazine

Strongest Man In The World [5:36]

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Bombon mallorquín, the second solo album of Antònia Font’s composer recreates the path that goes from childhood to the adult age. Joan Miquel Oliver has an extraordinary sense for melody and writes beautiful songs that are little stories for themselves. It’s astounding how he combines so different musical styles and the final result is still a homogeneous unit. Nostalgy and joy mixed will invade you while listening to the music. Bombon Mallorquín is moving. You’ll feel like at home…

Final Feliç [2:56]

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The cult of Dexys Midnight Runners, and this album in particular, were worshipped as the return of “soul” to English rock music at the dawn of Thatcherism. This is vibrant, alive, and unconcerned with perfection. Rowland takes a role that Morrissey would have in 1985 and Jarvis Cocker in 1995 — the unexpected but perfect voice to capture a time and moment in the U.K.

Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

Burn It Down [4:21]

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After emo seemingly ruined the syncricity of intelligence and despair, The New Year writes a melancholy album without sounding grating or whiny. The trick seems to be eschewing contrived, operatic swells, focusing on thought rather than feeling. This lack of pretense has always been the Kadane brothers’ strength, and their lyrics and music have always created indelible miniatures rather than panoramas.

Tom Zimpleman, Dusted Reviews

The End’s Not Near [3:43]

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“It’s a devastating debut…this album has struck me with a vengeance”.  Ian Birch, Melody Maker

There isn’t a Pere Ubu recording you can imagine living without. The Modern Dance remains the essential Ubu purchase. For sure, Mercury had no idea what they had on their hands when they released this as part of their punk rock offshoot label Blank, but it remains a classic slice of art-punk. The Modern Dance is the signature sound of the avant-garage: art rock, punk rock, and garage rock mixing together joyously and fearlessly.

John Dougan, All Music Guide

Humor Me [2:45]

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If there is one group that embodies both the best and the worst aspects of progressive rock (from the standpoints of both its supporters and its detractors), it is King Crimson. During its first five years of existence, from 1969 through 1974, in a variety of different lineups, this band led by guitar/Mellotron virtuoso Robert Fripp broke lots of new ground in progressive rock, stretching both the language and structure of the music into realms of jazz and classical.

Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

21st Century Schizoid Man / Mirrors [7:20]

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