Galadh Othui

GOLDFRAPP – SEVENTH TREE
The fourth album from duo Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory is refreshingly unlike the previous two albums. I think it is always admirable for a band to explore new territory, and even more so when it would be easier to follow the proven formula of success. Somewhat similar in feel to the debut “Felt Mountain,” SEVENTH TREE fully embraces a warmer, woodsy atmosphere, gentler and more folk-tinged than its predecessor. If Alison Goldfrapp were an elf, and “Felt Mountain” was recorded in a forest, it would have been Taur-nu-Fuin, while SEVENTH TREE would find its home in Eryn Lasgalen. In case you don’t speak Sindarin, those would be names for Tolkien’s Mirkwood Forest, before and after the reign of Sauron. That would also be possibly the nerdiest analogy ever penned.

Check out a track here:


Get a copy for yours-elf here.

It's pronounced, "M-G-M-T"

“MGMT is: Andrew Vanwyngarden and Ben Goldwasser, two psychic pilgrims whose paths first intersected in the green pastures of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, circa 2002. Andrew and Ben realized that -- despite their opposing views on methodology (one is spontaneously practical, the other is practically spontaneous) -- they shared a common love of mystic paganism (ironic indeed on a campus named for the founder of Methodism), psychotropic sounds, and the belief that a joke (or a joke song) could be sad, profound, and funny at the same time. 40 years after the Summer of Love (and 30 years after the Summer of Hate), MGMT is celebrating the grand re-opening of the third eye of the world with ORACULAR SPECTACULAR, the duo's much-anticipated first full-length album, an enigmatic and prophetic collection of hallucinatory sounds and hook-riddled pop tones for the new millennium.”

Check out the track "Kids" here:


Get your own copy of "Oracular Spectacular" here.

S.W. + R.F. = TLF (Return of the Crimson Porcupine)

PORCUPINE TREE – NIL RECURRING
A four track EP, “Nil Recurring” is a companion to Porcupine Tree’s full length “Fear Of A Blank Planet.” Again featuring the expert noodlings of diabolically dextrous wizard Robert Fripp!

Check out a track here:


Get your own copy of "Nil Recurring" here.

Hot Chip on a silver platter

One of my favorite bands of recent times, Hot Chip, is back with their third album, “Made In the Dark.” Expanding upon the ideas and styles presented on 2005’s “Coming On Strong” and perfected on 2006’s “The Warning,” “Made In the Dark” showcases the band’s ability to kick out the slow jams as well as fire up the oscillators for some blazing electro. Regular or Deluxe Edition with DVD!

Vampire Weekend

A four-piece band from NYC, Vampire Weekend is hard not to enjoy, unless you’re perhaps one of those people who never smile. Despite the name, expect to find no gothy vampirism here. Reminiscent of the Police and Talking Heads, it’s pure, afro-pop influenced fun. They get extra points from the Green Machine for name-dropping Peter Gabriel, Lil Jon, and the Oxford Comma (which I just used, in case you didn’t notice).

GET ONE!!!!!!!!

Here are my two favorite tracks:

Future Sounds

BLACK MOUNTAIN – IN THE FUTURE
Stephen McBean and company are back with the much anticipated follow-up to their 2005 self-titled debut. “In the Future” delves into deeper, proggier territory. Deep, sonic dimensions and stoner rock atmospheres abound. The limited double-CD edition comes with with a bonus disc, “Future Sounds.”
CD or LP

Check out a track here:

Slithery Trinkets

MEET THE EELS: ESSENTIAL EELS VOL. 1, 1996-2006 spans the first decade of the EELS with 24 selections on CD and 12 previously unreleased videos on DVD. ESSENTIAL EELS includes 2 previously unreleased tracks - the Jon Brion remix of "Climbing To The Moon," and a cover of Missy Elliot's "Get UR Freak On."
EELS USELESS TRINKETS: B-SIDES, SOUNDTRACKS, RARITIES AND UNRELEASED 1996-2006 includes 2 CDs and a DVD, featuring "Living Life" from the Daniel Johnston tribute album, a cover of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put A Spell On You," and Prince's "If I Was Your Girlfriend." USELESS TRINKETS also includes live versions of "Novocaine For The Soul" and "My Beloved Monster." The DVD features six performances from the EELS' Lollapalooza 2006 performance.

Check out a couple of tracks here: