[New Releases 8-25-09] Blitzen Trapper, Spider Bags, Mellowdrone, Mew, David Mead

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Trying to keep up with what is new. Will try to do this every week. Below are five albums I picked out of the new releases for August 25th, 2009. Arctic Monkey's Humbug was also released on the 25th. But, I decided not to post about it since about a million other bloggers have beat me to the punch. It's actually a decent album and I have nothing against the band. So, every week, on Wednesday or Thursday I will highlight some of the new releases for that week. This will be a new weekly series. On to the music:


Blitzen Trapper's seven track EP Black River Killer is intended to be a companion piece to their highly praised 2008 LP Furr. Now, as I said before, I am not well versed in the Americana style of music but I am getting more into it as of late. The EP shows the bands strength on more of the folk side of things rather than their sometimes inclination to do "psychedelic Southern indie rock jams". Both Wilco and Fleet Foxes had the band as their support act mainly because the Portland, Oregon band's sextet music incorporates some of their traits. "Shoulder Full Of You" is a wonderful introspective song supported by acoustic guitar and piano. Eric Earley (guitarist/vocalist) paints striking images with his lyrics on the track. It is quite clear that the Pacific Northwest is establishing a path for Americana music in the 21st century.

mp3 Shoulder Full Of You

Blitzen Trapper - Black River Killer (2009)


This is my first exposure of this band so bear with me. North Carolina's Spider Bags 07's release titled A Celebration Of Hunger was infused with "bawdy sing-alongs and bar anthems". Goodbye Cruel World, Hello Crueler World has the band toning it down some from their earlier release. To me, this music is a strong hybrid of rock and country/roots influences. Call it alt-country or bar band music and I think you have hit the mark. A nice change of pace for me. "Que Viva El Rocanroll" (Quevivaelrocanroll as the press writes) is a sweaty, anthemic song complete with drums in a march-like beat. It is a standout track on the LP and gives us a view of the "next step in the bands evolution".

mp3 Que Viva El Rocanroll

Spider Bags - Goodbye Cruel World, Hello Crueler World (2009)


Mellowdrone's Angry Bear has the band return to independent label status after their 2006 release Box on Columbia Records. For me, Box was a polished, stand out LP combining both dance beats and blistering rock 'n' roll. One of my favorites of that year. Angry Bear has more of a DIY feel, shedding some of the gloss of their previous release. Actually, it works, and not a bad direction for the band to take. The whole album has more of a heavy rock feel to it which I like. "Lady In Her Underwear", for me, is one of the standout tracks. It incorporates some of the "old" Mellowdrone but more importantly brings forth a newer refined sound. The song has bandleader Jonathan Bates repeating the line "This could be the last time" mimicking the looping techniques that he so well employs in his music. My personal feel is that Angry Bear should propel this band into the limelight, something that they really deserve.

mp3 Lady In Her Underwear

Mellowdrone - Angry Bear (2009)


For diehard Mew fans, they have been known to say that Mew is the best band in the world. A strong statement indeed. Mew's fifth full length comes with an absurdly long LP title name, which I will shorten to No More Stories Are Told Today Sorry... and is a strong follow-up to 07's Half The World Is Watching Me. On No More Stories, the Danish indie rockers present a well crafted and very melodic piece of music. Mew are masters of space rock, dream pop, and straight forward indie rock. And they stay true to form on this LP. And as one reviewer put it - "Simply put, No More Stories… is accessible without being overbearingly so, experimental without sounding too abstract and ridiculous, and most importantly, one of the year's most endearing records". The closer and Yes band inspired track "Reprise" is an elegant piece with a wobbling riff and warm electronic tones. I don't know if Mew is the best band in the world but I sure do like this LP.

mp3 Reprise

Mew - No More Stories Are Told Today Sorry... (2009)


Why David Mead is not very well known is a mystery to me. Almost And Always is Mead's fifth full length release. Mead has been making music since 1999 and subsequently released four critically-acclaimed albums and a highly praised EP. He is a very talented singer and songwriter. Mead creates soulful 21st century pop songs in surprisingly strong classic arrangements. Almost And Always is "his most intimate work to date, the album examines life after marriage and the promise of things to come". Mead is a master of classic pop. "Sleeping In Saturday" describes life's simple moments and shows that "rock" is not totally absent on this LP. The song is a Beatles influenced track recalling McCartney at his best. Let's hope that David Mead finally gets the real recognition he so strongly deserves.

mp3 Sleeping In Saturday

David Mead - Almost and Always (2009)