Midweek Round-up #15/4: New Deer Tick, LCD Soundsystem, The National, Crystal Castles + More

I spent the first half of this week locked-up at The Ranch Recording Studios in Southampton recording my band's first EP (more news on that coming soon), but despite this minor pre-occupation taking up twenty four hours of my last three days - what filtered through the blogs and news services in terms of new music certainly didn't pass me by. Monday saw the fantastic announcement from Reading Festival organisers that Surfer Blood, Girls and Wild Beasts were to be added to the already improved 2010 line-up; one which has already seen Yeasayer, Crystal Castles and Phoenix booked in on the Radio 1 Stage. The festival was at no point going to compete with the provisional Glastonbury, Great Escape, or even Bestival line-ups for this Summer, but perhaps in the light of these further announcements, my vain and naive hope that Reading Festival might become a collection of great musicians as well as a festival of under-age drinking, becomes ever so slightly more realistic.

Surfer Blood - Floating Vibes (MP3) from Astro Coast - Out Now

On the subject of Girls, in the lead up to Mates of State's projected release of 'Crushes (The Covers Mixtape)' - they've dropped us a cover of Laura from 2009's 'Album' to wet our appetite - and although slightly cringey at times, the boy-girl harmonies from the Peter Katis produced duo certainly bring out a different side to the surf-pop anthem. The National, yet another band on that coveted Katis roster, had news of their own this week when they revealed the star-studded collaboration list that May's High Violet will feature. According to The Quietus Justin Vernon is the main harmony on 'Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks' and Richard Reed Parry from the Arcade Fire also features heavily on the record. Sufjan Stevens also personally revamped 'Afraid of Everyone' on what is promising to be The National's strongest instalment yet.

Mates of State - Laura (Girls Cover) (MP3) from Crushes (The Covers Mixtape) - Summer

The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio (MP3) from High Violet - May 11

In terms of new tracks, the biggest news of the week came from LCD Soundsystem, whose new songs are sprouting up across the blogosphere. A radio-ripped version of erratic dance track Dance Yourself Clean politely reminds us that James Murphy belongs with Hot Chip, and official single I Can Change is sounding equally as good, if a bit Caribou-esque. Murphy has stated that 'This Is Happening' is most likely the last LCD Soundsystem album. As mentioned in the post title, Deer Tick also dropped a new track last week from his upcoming album, The Black Dirt Sessions. 20 Miles features a twangy acoustic guitar and soulful blues/country vocals. The new one is out May 8, 2010 via Partisan Records. 

LCD Soundsystem - I Can Change (MP3) from This Is Happening - May 17
Deer Tick - 20 Miles (MP3) from The Black Dirt Sessions - May 8.


As pictured at the top, my next update deals with new London based band The Shimmer, who have already created quite a stir with their lo-fi rock tracks No Surprise At All and Lovers Void. In return for your email address, they've agreed to hand over another free download - Crash. Its not got quite the same pop-vibe as the former tracks, but with a dark overdriven bassy sound, and distant vocals - The Shimmer use the Kasabian electronica formula to create captivating shoegaze pop music.

The Shimmer - Crash (MP3)

Crystal Castles aired their new track Doe Deer on Radio 1 this week, and I found a Radio 1 Rip this morning on We All Want Someone To Shout For. The post has got it pretty spot on, its short, bad sound quality and tagged up by Radio 1 DJs - but at least its food for thought for those of us too eager and intrigued to wait until Record Store Day to find out what the band have been up to musically since 2008. The song sounds like electro-thrash, with a short repetitive riff clipping the sound quality joined by aggressive and inhuman screams from Alice Glass. You have to hear it to believe it, the new album is definitely going to be interesting. Joining Doe Deer is the Midnight Conspiracy Remix of Crimewave, an airy French Disco influenced take on the 2008 hit from the Chicago-based remixers.


Crystal Castles - Doe Deer (MP3) (Radio 1 Rip via We All Want Someone To Shout For) from Crystal Castles - June 7, 2010.

Crystal Castles - Crimewave (Midnight Conspiracy Remix) (MP3)

Search Amazon.com for Crystal Castles

Finally, if you're a regular reader, you'll appreciate my love for Technoir MA. This week, they've dropped a new video for their track 'Sparks', shot in Boston and Somerville, Massachusetts by Evan Ragon. You can watch it below or read my 2/B EP Review, which the duo released themselves in 2010.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbXvPwhwGRU (for some reason Youtube's embedding is failing today, however the link is well worth a click)

3 More To Watch - Islet, The Shimmer, Chapel Club

 picture courtesy of ShakerRecords

#1. Islet (Indie Rock/Math-Rock/Post-Punk)
The saying goes here as much as ever "you want what you can't have", and its definitely the curiousity described here that makes me as determined as ever to get hold of some online material about Islet, a band who's live show i've heard so much about. They've ended up gaining as much industry attention for their publicised 'shun' of the internet as they have for their music, exchanging their online promotion for wowing audiences in person. There's two main members and often two drummers to accompany, and although i've never had the pleasure of seeing them live - a couple of enthusiastic fans have gone about collecting all the information they can on this band @ thisisislet.com. Its on that blog that you're going to find about as much information as there is, including Islet's first ever BBC Cardiff session. The indie rock band includes members JT and Mark from Them Squirrels and Attack+Defend respectively, as well as Emma formerly from Victorian English Gentleman's Club.

  
#2. The Shimmer (Shoegaze/Psychedelic-Pop/Noise Pop)
London band The Shimmer make fast-paced dance/newgaze music with an Ian Curtis/MBV vocal dubbed low behind euphoric dance beats and a distinctively Dandy Warhols recording style. Ths result is a huge emalgamation of styles including psychedelia, dance, shoegaze and noise pop into music short, simple and extremely accessible. The Shimmer is a band you can put on in the background, on the dancefloor, in the car - anywhere. Pick up No Surprise At All below.

 The Shimmer - No Surprise At All (MP3)

#3. Chapel Club (Indie Rock/Alternative/Britrock)

Chapel Club are a post-punk band formed in 2008 in the shadow of St. Luke's Church, London. They sing songs of love, lust, anger and frustration beneath thunderous guitar work, intricate lead lines and reflective lyricism. "Oh Maybe I, should settle down into a quiet life, Or maybe I, should chance it all on a perfect night." They're currently unsigned, but with the clear echoes of contemporaries such as White Lies there to be heard within their music, its a matter of time, not a matter of further musical development, before these guys make it big to some degree. They've booked themselves up a huge UK Tour next month (match up your local venue via myspace) and currently have three tracks for streaming. You can pick up "O Maybe I" below.


Chapel Club - O Maybe I (MP3)