New Music Tuesday
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We're not trying to get "Lovefool" stuck in your head again (oops! too late), but The Cardigans are so good. A Camp is the side project of lead singer Nina Persson, whose smoky, '60s-movie vocals deserve all the singling out they can get. Colonia is her second album; Spin calls it "beguiling, gorgeous stuff -- and smartly funny, too." Get the album for $5 with the free track "Love Has Left The Room"!
For fans of: The Cardigans + Jens Lekman + Cat Power
Florence and the Machine is a garage-soul outfit from London that's been burning up the British music press. This February, they collected the Critic's Choice Award at the Brit Awards (last year it went to Adele), and in addition to playing a ton of festivals this summer, they're supporting Friendly Fires, White Lies and Glasvegas on the 2009 NME Awards Tour. A Lot Of Love, A Lot Of Blood is their debut EP, featuring the single "Kiss With A Fist" and a stomping, hollering, fantastic cover of Cold War Kids' "Hospital Beds."
For fans of: Adele + The White Stripes + Lily Allen
Various Artists
Celebrating 20 years of Lookout! Records, the iconic Berkeley, CA indie label that brought you Green Day and Rancid, this compilation includes 28 killer tracks from artists like The Donnas, Ted Leo/Pharmacists, Pretty Girls Make Graves, The Mr. T Experience, and Mary Timony. Here's to 20 more years!
For fans of: Green Day + Ted Leo/Pharmacists + The Hold Steady
Named a "Band to Watch" by Stereogum and one of the best new acts by lo-fi allstars No Age, Crocodiles is a scuzzy new duo from San Diego. Like their city-mate Wavves, they've just signed a two-album deal with Fat Possum Records, the first of which is out now. Summer Of Hate is a pretty lil' mess of distortion, feedback, and acid-washed electronics; check it out while the band's on the road with Ladytron and The Faint!
For fans of: Wavves + The Jesus & Mary Chain + No Age
The Hard Lessons is a three-piece rock band from Detroit, called "the hardest working band in town" by Detroit Metromix for their grueling cross-country touring schedule, playing shows with OK Go, Motion City Soundtrack, Blues Traveler and Rusted Root. Their latest album, Arms Forest, is likely to get a boost this Thursday, when their music will be featured on the finale of Grey's Anatomy!
For fans of: The Von Bondies + Motion City Soundtrack + The Black Keys
Nashville's Los Straitjackets have built up a cult following for their tight live performances, where they play instrumental surf rock dressed as luchadores. (Just go with it.) Their fourteenth studio album, The Further Adventures of Los Straitjackets, is packed with more riffs than a Tarantino film, and is just waiting to soundtrack that big summer heist you're planning.
For fans of: Dick Dale + The Ventures + Chuck Berry
Into The Presence is a new band composed of drummer Tim Alexander (Primus, A Perfect Circle) and singer/guitarist Luis Maldonado, with influences ranging all over the rock map. They've cited Queen, Led Zeppelin, Jeff Buckley, Pink Floyd, and even Peter Gabriel as inspirations for their self-titled debut, which evidently was surrounded by some creepy vibes: "We experienced some stuff in the studio," said Alexander, "some weird sightings, bottles of water freezing for no reason, whispers everywhere... Lots of interesting energy."
For fans of: My Chemical Romance + Muse + A Perfect Circle
Denver quintet The Photo Atlas has had their high-adrenaline dancepunk featured in racing games like Burnout Paradise, and now they're back with a new five-track EP. Produced by J. Robbins (Against Me!, Ponytail), To Silently Provoke The Ghost was described as "raucous, jittery dance punk anthems" by Absolute Punk, who said "The Photo Atlas are getting better with every release."
For fans of: The Faint + At The Drive-In + Fugazi
