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New Music Tuesday
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Before Kady Malloy was the judge's favorite on Fox's American Idol, she was a fan favorite on Amie Street! Today we're re-releasing her self-titled debut EP featuring remastered versions of hits like "Nobody Knows," "Beyond The Wall," and "Unwanted" (with updated lyrics in response to her experiences on Idol) as well as a brand new track, "You Can't Hurt Me Anymore." For this week only, get Kady Malloy for only $3!
Today we're rounding out our Belle and Sebastian catalog with 2003's much-celebrated Dear Catastrophe Waitress, an album that takes cues from '60s pop and garage rock. Unlike much of their earlier lo-fi music, the album features sleek production (thanks to Trevor Horn, former member of the Buggles and producer for Yes) and a radio-friendly sound. After breaking into the pop market with this album, Belle and Sebastian found their most successful release to date with The Life Pursuit, and have been featured in movies like The Devil Wears Prada and Juno.
Throughout his prolific career, Morgan Page has remixed tracks for Stevie Nicks, Tegan & Sara, Regina Spektor and Korn. In 2006 alone, three of his remixes reached number one on the Billboard Club Play charts. Released today, Elevate features several of Page's own original tunes, as well as remixes of tracks by The Submarines, Leigh Nash, Jenny Owen Youngs and Nelly Furtado. Regardless of the origin of the song, Page's knack for melody and danceability is impeccable.
Jonah Bechtolt (also known as YACHT) and Khaela Maricich recorded two albums together as The Blow, producing some awfully cute electro-pop. Their sound is a bedroom parody of the often-sleazy genre, with fun vocals and beats that Cokemachineglow calls "minimalist Prince." From cartoony, almost-Swizz Beatz tracks to breezy, '50s pop, their albums definitely cover a lot of ground. But they're always endearing and entertaining (even if kinda schizophrenic).
Influenced by ambient masters like Brian Eno, Texas duo Stars of the Lid make wonderfully expressive music without relying on any beats or vocals. Their most recent album, And Their Refinement of the Decline, shares much more in common with modern classical music than with modern rock, featuring instruments like flugelhorn and cello and using silence as a deliberate counterpoint. After nearly two hours, the album concludes with their longest track, what Pitchfork calls "17 heavenly minutes... without a tedious moment." This isn't anything you'll be humming the next day, but it might be the most relaxing listen you've had this year.
Rainer Maria's 1999 album Look Now, Look Again, their second for Polyvinyl Records, is a bright light in the history of indie pop. They'll no doubt be remembered when people look back for "that '90s indie sound": female/male harmonies, mellow guitars, charmingly simple production. Stephen Malkmus once said of the band, "They kill me with their slow-core poetry. The sound is pure just like biology." Listen to Malkmus and check out the album!
After years of honing his craft at open mics in Texas and New York, Tody Castillo is finally receiving well-deserved recognition for his introspective and melodic songs. He's been nominated for several local music awards in Houston, including "best local artist" by the Houston Chronicle. Additionally, his song "Not That Kind Of Girl" was featured on MTV's The Real World: Sydney. Released today, Politics is an album which the Houston Press calls “first-class modern pop-rock of a very high order" and is sure to establish Tody Castillo as a songwriter whose accessibility extends well beyond his hometown.
It's rare to find an artist as multi-faceted as Black Spade. In addition to writing and producing his own music, Spade also raps and sings on his own tracks. On To Serve With Love Black Spade brings together his wide range of musical influences from classic soul to psychedelic rock creating unpredictable beats and smooth melodies. It's this approach that has earned him features in URB's "Next 100," HBO's Entourage, and the Fader's "Cornerstone Comp" and has convinced Daz-I-Kue (Bugz in the Attic) that Black Spade is "definitely the future of hip hop."
