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Pile - Magic Isn't Real (2010)
I discovered these guys last month via their album Dripping on someone's Best of 2012 list (outside of this site) - and even mentioned it in this thread at the time. The album quickly became a favorite, and I quickly checked out their first two albums as well. This, their second, is pretty awesome. Not that their first one Jerk Routine isn't also, but this one picks up the pace and just seems more driven and engaging. If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were straight out of the Pacific Northwest - combining indie rock, post-hardcore and just a tinge of grunge influence (wait doesn't all indie rock and post-hardcore have a bit of grunge influence?) with great hooks, great riffs and a lot of fun. Well maybe fun isn't the right word. Well sort of - if you've heard Boat, an indie pop/rock band from Seattle, you might consider Pile a post-hardcore version of them. But more closely, they bring to mind Bear vs Shark and Harkonen - the lead singer sounding a lot like Ben Verellen from that band and his later project Roy. Bottom line, this album flat out rocks and if you like your rock raw, check it out.

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I Am A Bird Now - Antony & the Johnson's

Gave this record a shot one day, not knowing at all how this band sounded and was pleasantly surprised. The vocals, the lyrics, the production, all a breathe of fresh air.

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The Heads - Relaxing With... (1995)
Fuzzy, feel-good stoner rock 'n' roll. Apparently they have more psychedelic stuff than this but I figured their debut would be a great place to start. Next destination, Under The Stress Of A Headlong Dive.

I'm sampling this right now and like what I hear...I'll have to download it soon. Reminds me a bit of a stoner version of The Fall.

I've been really digging that Knife album sidewinder mentioned. I'm having the weirdest deja vu with it, though...I know I had never listened to it before but it sounds so damn familiar to me...

I've also been enjoying:

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Jamie Woon - Mirrorwriting

I'd describe this guy as James Blake minus the progressive edge. The weird thing about this album is every time a new song started, I started off thinking "meh...this is ok...I'm probably gonna change the album soon". Inevitably, however, each song would creep its way into my brain and I would think, "wait...no...this is awesome". That went for just about every track on this album.



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Depth and Current - Depth and Current

This is a pretty intense shoegaze album. I feel a lot of the songs could actually translate well into black metal (especially the opener Chkill). Wayne Coyne has talked these guys up a lot, so I figured they gotta be worth something. Sure enough, I can see exactly why he likes them. If the Lips got way more serious, I could see them making music like this.



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Unknown Mortal Orchestra - II

I was really looking forward to this release. I loved their self titled debut...it was quirky, psychedelic, and poppy all at the same time. That's no easy thing to accomplish. They haven't changed much for II...they've mainly just polished their sound and perfected the approach they used on their debut. I'll let that slide for now since the first album left me wanting more...but I'm hoping to see some growth on their next one.

And what's with the naked chick on the album cover trend? Bat for Lashes, Nick Cave, some album that got mentioned a while back with some naked diving girls...now this. Not that I'm complaining...just an observation.

I absolutely LOVE that album, start to finish. Fave song is this. Amazing horns:


I also love a song of theirs from another album: One Dove

Spoon. That was me all day in the cube. Got through: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Gimme Fiction, Kill the Moonlight, and Transference. This song is still playing in my head:

and this is in 2nd

and this one

Fellow Spoon afficianado, When I bring up Spoon, no one seems to have a conversation with me. Kill The Moonlight is still one of the best records I've ever listened. All their other one's are exceptional.

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Lot of really cool remixes on here, Ive been digging em alot.

:eek:
I'm sold