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10 of the Most Underrated Bands of the 21st Century

By Tom Hawking on

This week sees the release of a new album by The Veils, who have a special place in our hearts as one of those bands that we absolutely, wholeheartedly believed at one point would be massive. Everyone has a band like this — a band they tipped for greatness, a band that they can’t quite believe the world never cottoned onto. And sadly, the best part of a decade later, The Veils remain a band whose charms are appreciated by a select group of fans but have largely evaded the rest of the world. So in the interest of celebrating their music and other, similarly under-appreciated groups, here are some of the most overlooked bands of the 21st century; make your additions in the comments.
… Read More

Music

10 Great, Unexpected Mixtapes by Musicians Who Aren’t DJs

By Tom Hawking on

This week sees the release of the soundtrack to British psychological thriller Berbarian Sound Studio, a soundtrack that’s notable for being a) creepy as hell and b) the last thing ever recorded by much-missed British duo Broadcast before singer Trish Keenan’s death from pneumonia in 2010. Keenan’s death robbed the music world of a distinctive voice and a singular talent, and the release of Berbarian Sound Studio has got us listening again to the fantastic mixtape a friend of Keenan’s released in her memory a couple of weeks after she died. This in turn got us thinking about other artist-made mixtapes that have brightened up our iTunes over the last couple of years, eclectic selections made by musicians you wouldn’t necessarily expect to dabble in DJ mixes — we’ve shared a few of them after the jump. … Read More

Music

The 10 Albums You Need to Hear in January

By Tom Hawking on

January has historically been a bit of a fallow month for album releases, but that’s changed in recent years with some notable records (most memorably Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion ) dropping early in the year, and the first month of 2013 is certainly looking reasonably well stocked for worthy new records. We’ve selected the ten records we’re most looking forward to hearing, along with a roundup of all the other stuff — good and bad — that’s due out over the next four… Read More

Music

Our 15 Most Anticipated Albums of 2013

By Tom Hawking on

We have good vibes in general about the year to come, and we’re hoping that it holds as much musical goodness as 2012 did. The early part of the year is certainly shaping up well, and we’ve put together a kind of extended edition of our regular monthly album release preview, looking at the 15 albums (with confirmed release dates) that we’re hanging out for in the new year, in addition to a roundup of records that are rumored/don’t have firm release… Read More

Music

10 Albums You’ll Love If You Like The xx

By Tom Hawking on

The xx’s understated, minimal approach to pop music has been one of the pleasures of recent years — in an era of turning everything up to 11, it’s rather heartening to see that a band can sell a heap of records with a sound that’s built on the virtues of subtlety and restraint. Their second album, Coexist, which dropped yesterday, isn’t a dramatic departure from the template they set out on their 2009 debut — it’s a record that provides subtle refinements of their sound, and works very well in doing so. And while that sound is distinctive, it certainly isn’t unique, so we thought we’d celebrate the release of Coexist by pulling together a selection of albums that will sit nicely next to it in your record collection — albums that have informed The xx’s sound, or that we think share stylistic similarities with it. Let us know if you have any to add! … Read More

Music

The CMJ Music Marathon Guide: The Showcase Artists 6 Word Reviews + MP3 Downloads

By Stelios Phili on

New York’s CMJ music marathon is an epic display of music journalism and indie street cred. From October 20-24, over a thousand under the radar bands will perform, hundreds will be blogged about, and a dozen will be become semi-obscure household names (see: Passion Pit) in the aftermath. The 22 initial showcase artist have been announced today, and so we have compiled a guide for your listening pleasure. Six word artist descriptions and song downloads — enjoy!

1. Broadcast
Pensive electro performed by benign fembot.
Sample Song: “America’s Boy” [Download Now] via The Decibel Tolls

2. School of Seven Bells
 Easy listening indie pop cures insomnia.
Sample Song: “Conjour” [Download Now] via Stereogum

3. Zac Brown Band
 Truckers enjoying cold bear and trucks.
Sample Song: “Toes” [Listen Now] via MySpace

View the rest after the jump. … Read More