Anticipated for '08.
Jan. 12th, 2008 01:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
urgencytobleedOh no! I was supposed to post this yesterday, but I'm a couple hours late. I'm sure no one will notice. :P Anyway, I've already developed quite a list of 2008 releases I'm looking forward to and for some unknown reason, I've been downloading almost every leak I've been able to find, even of artists I have never listened to previously. Hmm. I guess I just want to outdo my "up-to-date-ness" in 2007 with even more in 2008. It's yet to be seen how that actually works out as of all of those leaks I've downloaded, I've only listened to one or two completely so far. Anyway, onto the actual music! Some of these songs aren't 100% confirmed as being on their singers' upcoming albums but I tried to pick ones that were pretty likely. Also, I'm bound to only the music I have on hand as I don't want to be searching around for crappy live versions for ages, so this isn't nearly representative of everything I'm excited about. (You can see more of those after the downloads, but even that's most likely not close to a complete list.)
Who Killed Amanda Palmer? was originally set to be released in spring, but according to Amanda, she's completely putting her musical life on hold for awhile, and it's looking more like a fall release right now. The longer wait sucks but I'm sure the album will be amazing enough to make it worth it. Produced by Ben Folds and featuring appearances by former Rasputina cellist Zoe Keating along with a slew of other talented backing musicians, it'll be a bit strange to hear Amanda without Brian, but the solo songs I've heard so far have all been excellent and very classic Amanda, lyrics and music-wise. This song is more rocking than a lot of the others and I'm sure will feature more of a "band" sound in its studio incarnation. Still, with just her crazy piano-pounding, it manages to rock out pretty hard here, too. You can even hear the sound of her microphone stand crashing to the ground at the end.
Biirdie's sophomore album, Catherine Avenue, saw a digital release late last year, but is due out on disc January 22nd. It's pretty solid indie rock type stuff with enough ethereal and experimental qualities to make it stand out (though their debut, Morning Kills the Dark, is sounding like the better album still). And with my penchant for girl/boy vocals, it definitely satisfies: Jared Flamm's rough, slightly out of tune vocals are complimented very nicely by Kala Savage's sweet, childlike accompaniment. Plus, some actor guys you may have heard of, Fred and Ben, just happen to be her brothers. And they have a song on their first album in tribute to Jenny Lewis. So that means they are automatically awesome.
I first got into this girl/boy duo (shocking, I know!) last year through their I'll Be Your Eyes EP, was obsessed for awhile, and promptly almost forgot about them. I just recently heard about their debut full-length, tracked down a leak, and haven't listened to the whole thing yet, but I have a feeling my fondness for them will be rekindled. It's called Box of Secrets and is scheduled for an April release. The music is in the garage rock vein, akin to Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but maybe more angular and less art-y (which probably makes no sense, but I tried). It's also catchy as fuck and you know how much I love catchiness.
It was literally just announced that the Dolls are planning a b-sides release for the summer, but it's definitely confirmed. There's a bit of confusion as to whether it will be an EP or an LP, but either way, it's sure to be completely awesome. Not as awesome as a new album would be, but hey, maybe there'll be one next year or at the latest, 2010, after Amanda's solo jaunt is over. (I refuse to believe that her going solo plus a b-sides release means the end of the Dolls, as some people seem to.) Anyway, back before the release of Yes, Virginia..., it was announced that this song, among others, had been recorded but didn't make the album and seeing as how it's one of my very favorites, I really hope to hear a better quality, studio version of it soon. Of course, I'm game for anything Dolls-related, period.
This is Derek Pressnall of Tilly and the Wall's solo project and the self-titled album is due for release on Team Love February 19th. Now, granted, Derek doesn't have the best singing voice (or close to it) and I like the girls more, but this is at least worth looking into. Team Love has posted three songs (the other two here) and they're catchy, catchy, catchy if slightly unmemorable. This one is brilliant for it's chorus of "Holy shit! Holy fuck!" alone. I mean, who doesn't like screaming curse words at the top of their lungs? The new Tilly will probably be a hundred times better but this deserves a bit of attention, too.
Oh, Los Campesinos!, how I love thee, despite the fact that this love has only occurred over the past couple of weeks. Since it took me so damn long to realize how utterly fantastic they are, I've been making up for lost time majorly. I've already heard Hold On Now, Youngster... (set for April 1st in the US) and it's completely taken over my brain with how crazy good it is. Believe me, you people need to hear this! It's full of handclaps, group shouting, dueling boy/girl vocals, clever and fun lyrics and so much more! Okay, like, three or four of the songs have almost the exact same basic melody, but who cares? It's so good! It's not even halfway through January and, though it has some potential stiff competition, I'm already guaranteeing that this will be in my top ten of 2008, no questions. Anyhow, to clarify, the version of this song I posted last week is an older demo and this is the final version as it will appear on the album. It's a bit quicker-paced and more punchy along with more shout-along-ing, which is always fun.
I've been checking the official Pretty Balanced site pretty regularly throughout 2007, waiting for them to announce the release of their second album, Conical Monocle. This band is still really little known and should be getting more attention. I guess they're kind of like the Dresden Dolls, but not nearly as angsty. Actually, they don't really sound that much like them, aside from the drum/piano duo thing and the occasional foray into cabaret-esque territory. From the sounds of this song and general chatter about the album, this seems like it will be more electronic than their first, Icicle Bicycle. Plus, I get a pretty big kick out of the cleverly punctuated title. I've already pre-ordered and you should, too. The expected ship date is January 15th.
She and Him is the recently announced moniker that actress/singer Zooey Deschanel, in collaboration with singer-songwriter M. Ward, will be releasing her debut album Volume I under. This song doesn't make me extremely excited, but it's got a nice vintage-y vibe to it and Zooey's voice is very beautiful with an old-fashioned quality, so I'm definitely interested in hearing how the rest of the album turns out. Plus, I've always found something oddly endearing about her. It's currently set for a March release.
Tilly! I can't wait to hear this album since their first two are practically perfect. They've been performing this song live for awhile now and it didn't do much for me at first, but thanks to this better-quality recording, I now love it. It's a bit more punky and hard-edged than their older stuff, while still retaining that Tilly-esque fun and whimsy. Plus, I think they're one of the very few bands who can make a line like "I'm gonna burn this motherfucking party down", and having a huge potty-mouth in general, sound totally adorable. The latest news I've heard about this indicates a late spring release, but hopefully there'll be some more concrete info soon.
Another expected spring release, Veda will be bringing us This Riot Life. I've grown out of her a bit over the past year or so, but I'm still really interested in hearing it. Of the tracks I've heard so far, this one stands out to me the most. It's got a nice driving piano melody and Veda's lovably plain voice. It's nothing life-changing but it's definitely pleasant to listen to. Not quite as intense as some of her older stuff, but I'm thinking I'll like this album more than what I've heard of her last, Return of the Kildeer, which apart from a few exceptions, I found quite bland. It starts to get especially good at about 2:30 in.
I still hate their band name and Morgan's voice is slightly terrible (though in a very adorable way) but they make some pretty great little indie pop tunes. And if you haven't learned by now, Rilo Kiley-endorsed = automatically cool. I'm not sure when exactly they're releasing a new album or really anything about it at all except that they've been recording and the record is apparently almost done or completely done right now. Anyway, this song is from a Daytrotter session they did awhile back, and who knows if it's actually going to make the cut but it's a strong possibility. It's really short but very catchy (again, I can't seem to find another word to use besides catchy!) with pretty entertaining lyrics.
What else is coming out in 2008:
Biirdie's sophomore album, Catherine Avenue, saw a digital release late last year, but is due out on disc January 22nd. It's pretty solid indie rock type stuff with enough ethereal and experimental qualities to make it stand out (though their debut, Morning Kills the Dark, is sounding like the better album still). And with my penchant for girl/boy vocals, it definitely satisfies: Jared Flamm's rough, slightly out of tune vocals are complimented very nicely by Kala Savage's sweet, childlike accompaniment. Plus, some actor guys you may have heard of, Fred and Ben, just happen to be her brothers. And they have a song on their first album in tribute to Jenny Lewis. So that means they are automatically awesome.
I first got into this girl/boy duo (shocking, I know!) last year through their I'll Be Your Eyes EP, was obsessed for awhile, and promptly almost forgot about them. I just recently heard about their debut full-length, tracked down a leak, and haven't listened to the whole thing yet, but I have a feeling my fondness for them will be rekindled. It's called Box of Secrets and is scheduled for an April release. The music is in the garage rock vein, akin to Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but maybe more angular and less art-y (which probably makes no sense, but I tried). It's also catchy as fuck and you know how much I love catchiness.
It was literally just announced that the Dolls are planning a b-sides release for the summer, but it's definitely confirmed. There's a bit of confusion as to whether it will be an EP or an LP, but either way, it's sure to be completely awesome. Not as awesome as a new album would be, but hey, maybe there'll be one next year or at the latest, 2010, after Amanda's solo jaunt is over. (I refuse to believe that her going solo plus a b-sides release means the end of the Dolls, as some people seem to.) Anyway, back before the release of Yes, Virginia..., it was announced that this song, among others, had been recorded but didn't make the album and seeing as how it's one of my very favorites, I really hope to hear a better quality, studio version of it soon. Of course, I'm game for anything Dolls-related, period.
This is Derek Pressnall of Tilly and the Wall's solo project and the self-titled album is due for release on Team Love February 19th. Now, granted, Derek doesn't have the best singing voice (or close to it) and I like the girls more, but this is at least worth looking into. Team Love has posted three songs (the other two here) and they're catchy, catchy, catchy if slightly unmemorable. This one is brilliant for it's chorus of "Holy shit! Holy fuck!" alone. I mean, who doesn't like screaming curse words at the top of their lungs? The new Tilly will probably be a hundred times better but this deserves a bit of attention, too.
Oh, Los Campesinos!, how I love thee, despite the fact that this love has only occurred over the past couple of weeks. Since it took me so damn long to realize how utterly fantastic they are, I've been making up for lost time majorly. I've already heard Hold On Now, Youngster... (set for April 1st in the US) and it's completely taken over my brain with how crazy good it is. Believe me, you people need to hear this! It's full of handclaps, group shouting, dueling boy/girl vocals, clever and fun lyrics and so much more! Okay, like, three or four of the songs have almost the exact same basic melody, but who cares? It's so good! It's not even halfway through January and, though it has some potential stiff competition, I'm already guaranteeing that this will be in my top ten of 2008, no questions. Anyhow, to clarify, the version of this song I posted last week is an older demo and this is the final version as it will appear on the album. It's a bit quicker-paced and more punchy along with more shout-along-ing, which is always fun.
I've been checking the official Pretty Balanced site pretty regularly throughout 2007, waiting for them to announce the release of their second album, Conical Monocle. This band is still really little known and should be getting more attention. I guess they're kind of like the Dresden Dolls, but not nearly as angsty. Actually, they don't really sound that much like them, aside from the drum/piano duo thing and the occasional foray into cabaret-esque territory. From the sounds of this song and general chatter about the album, this seems like it will be more electronic than their first, Icicle Bicycle. Plus, I get a pretty big kick out of the cleverly punctuated title. I've already pre-ordered and you should, too. The expected ship date is January 15th.
She and Him is the recently announced moniker that actress/singer Zooey Deschanel, in collaboration with singer-songwriter M. Ward, will be releasing her debut album Volume I under. This song doesn't make me extremely excited, but it's got a nice vintage-y vibe to it and Zooey's voice is very beautiful with an old-fashioned quality, so I'm definitely interested in hearing how the rest of the album turns out. Plus, I've always found something oddly endearing about her. It's currently set for a March release.
Tilly! I can't wait to hear this album since their first two are practically perfect. They've been performing this song live for awhile now and it didn't do much for me at first, but thanks to this better-quality recording, I now love it. It's a bit more punky and hard-edged than their older stuff, while still retaining that Tilly-esque fun and whimsy. Plus, I think they're one of the very few bands who can make a line like "I'm gonna burn this motherfucking party down", and having a huge potty-mouth in general, sound totally adorable. The latest news I've heard about this indicates a late spring release, but hopefully there'll be some more concrete info soon.
Another expected spring release, Veda will be bringing us This Riot Life. I've grown out of her a bit over the past year or so, but I'm still really interested in hearing it. Of the tracks I've heard so far, this one stands out to me the most. It's got a nice driving piano melody and Veda's lovably plain voice. It's nothing life-changing but it's definitely pleasant to listen to. Not quite as intense as some of her older stuff, but I'm thinking I'll like this album more than what I've heard of her last, Return of the Kildeer, which apart from a few exceptions, I found quite bland. It starts to get especially good at about 2:30 in.
I still hate their band name and Morgan's voice is slightly terrible (though in a very adorable way) but they make some pretty great little indie pop tunes. And if you haven't learned by now, Rilo Kiley-endorsed = automatically cool. I'm not sure when exactly they're releasing a new album or really anything about it at all except that they've been recording and the record is apparently almost done or completely done right now. Anyway, this song is from a Daytrotter session they did awhile back, and who knows if it's actually going to make the cut but it's a strong possibility. It's really short but very catchy (again, I can't seem to find another word to use besides catchy!) with pretty entertaining lyrics.
What else is coming out in 2008:
- Agent Ribbons?
- Arrah and the Ferns (spring)
- Cake Bake Betty - To the Dark Tower (was supposed to be 2007, never happened, hoping it will be soon)
- Headlights - Some Racing, Some Stopping (February 19th)
- The Hush Sound - Goodbye Blues (March 18th - I'm totally stoked!)
- Imogen Heap?
- Joanna Newsom?
- Mates of State
- Metric (early '08)
- Neko Case?
- Sarah Slean - The Baroness (March - also totally stoked!)
- Slow Club?
- The Weepies
