Midweek Round-up #29/4 - Peter Wolf Crier, Baths, Sleigh Bells, Interpol

Peter Wolf Crier have been around for a while but my awareness of them certainly hasn't - they've only really become real to me in the last week or so, at a time where I've been fairly busy with creating my own album releases and trying to keep my head above water with the mounting levels of things I need to catch up on in time for this Summer. The new song from Minnesota folk-pop duo is called Hard As Nails, and joins an already very strong repertoire of material for a band who only formed in August 2009. Peter Pisano you may know from Wisconsin's very own Wars of 1812 - but when this quartet's hiatus commenced, he began spending his days teaching at a local primary school, continuing to write folk songs. When he felt confident enough to share them with drummer and producer Brian Moen, of Laarks and Amateur Love, the duo signed to Jagjaguwar Records. For this reason, I instantly associated this band with all those fellow labellers Odawas, Volcano Choir and The Besnard Lakes, but this band aren't quite so murky in the recording - they are more clear cut and confident than withdrawn and introspective, they showcase the exact kind of enthusiastic indie-folk charm you would expect from a band dropping a full-length album so quickly. Inter-Be hits stores in the US and UK on May 25, 2010.

Peter Wolf Crier - Hard As Nails (MP3)
Buy Peter Wolf Crier's Inter-Be, due May 25, 2010 via Amazon.com

The second major update of this week is to do with the 21 year-old producer and remixer Baths, whose latest remix, this time of Fol Chen's new(ish) track In Ruins - is dubbier and darker than anything he's dropped before. I posted two tracks from his upcoming album 'Cerulean' last month, check the post out here to hear for yourself the kind of variety i'm talking about. The album is out on Anticon records on June 22, 2010.

Fol Chen - In Ruins (Baths Remix) (MP3) (previous posts on Baths)
Buy Fol Chen's Part 1, out February 2009, via Amazon.com

As if M.I.A hadn't created enough stir this week already with her comical anti-ginger video (which was removed by Youtube on Wednesday) - her fellow N.E.E.T labellers Sleigh Bells announced officially that they would be releasing their debut album, entitled Treats, on the already overcrowded May 11, 2010. The bone-shatteringly loud Tell 'em is being released as the bands promo single, made downloadable from yesterday via the duo's rather excessive website. Its loud as ever, and still has that distinctive M.I.A sound to it that I just can't place.

Sleigh Bells - Tell 'em (MP3) (previous Sleigh Bells posts)
Buy Sleigh Bells' Treats, due May 11, 2010 via Amazon.com


Sleigh Bells weren't the only band to release a new track from their latest LP - Interpol followed suit, unveiling Lights from their as of yet untitled fourth album. The band, based in New York, revealed that they will be releasing a drip feed of information concerning the new album including tracklisting, MP3s, tour dates and album art. Post-punk influenced and reverb drenched as every - Lights is available to download either from their website or below.

Interpol - Lights (MP3) album TBC

Bloc Party lead singer Kele Okereke's solo project took its first outing this week when 'Tenderoni' premiered on Radio 1 - and I have to say, my view that Bloc Party are well on the way out has been just about confirmed. For a band who had the courage but not the creativity to create music different from Silent Alarm, the latest offering mixes what sounds like post-2007 Bloc Party, David Guetta and the music from that Citroen C4 advert with the dancing car which garnered so much Youtube attention in 2005. Not a great track, but Reading Festival friendly (about as much as I expected). Judge for yourself below.

Kele - Tenderoni (Radio Rip) (MP3)

Finally, I hate to self promote but I'm going to do it anyway - embedded below is the debut EP 'Blood, Its On Every Wall' of my own band, Kinnie The Explorer. This is our first EP and we only unveiled it yesterday night. Its available for download on bandcamp (and in the side of this blog) at name your price download until next week. Check out the original blog post, myspace and please, have a listen below. (Sorry!)

Kinnie The Explorer - Sleep (MP3)
Kinnie The Explorer - From The Floor (MP3)
Kinnie The Explorer - Blind Spider (MP3)
Kinnie The Explorer - Fairy Lit Hung Flowers (MP3)


from the Blood, Its On Every Wall EP - 28/4/2010

via Bandcamp