All the hype over Beach House's new album, Teen Dream, out today via Sub Pop Records, is more than well earned. We are not just going to jump on the BH band wagon (after listening to Teen Dream again and again for two weeks straight), but, we're willing to go a step further - regardless of what other sensational releases come out in the next 11 months, we think Teen Dream could be the best album of 2010 (although Midlake is poised to pose a strong challenge).

"Norway" - Beach House from Teen Dream (2010)

Stream Teen Dream on Spinner

Beach House on MySpace


Magnetic Fields - Realism

One of our favorite bands of all time, The Magnetic Fields, are back with their follow-up to Distortion, a folksy LP, titled Realism, which drops today via Nonesuch Records. Unlike the electric edge and reverbs of the appropriately named Distortion LP, Realism - meant to be a 'companion' piece' - centers more on acoustic strumming, folk sensibilities, flourishing keys and subject matter such as cults and shipwrecks. The blogger Spork wrote: "The Magnetic Fields continue their playful love-hate relationship with pop music with Realism, a new album full of love songs, un-love songs."

"Walk on a Lonely Road" - The Magnetic Fields from Realism (2010)

Magnetic Fields on Nonesuch Records

Magnetic Fields on MySpace

Magnetic Fields official website

Have You Seen This? Free, Legal downloads of Magnetic Fields' covers


Beastie Boys Vs. Alphabeat - "Intergalactic Spell"

White Panda Records sent us a mash up yesterday of The Beastie Boys vs. Alphabeat on a song called "Intergalatic Spell." Pretty cool; nice going White Panda - we're really starting to love you guys.

"Intergalactic Spell" - Beastie Boys vs. Alphabeat via White Panda Records from the Versus mixtape (2010)

No Through Road - Winner

Australian band, and Low Transit Industries recording artist, No Through Road, drop their second album, Winner, today. The songs, as evidenced by the "Girls Are The Devil" (but really, they're not) track below, demonstrate NTR's soaring, shredding and dark anthem-like rock, featuring elements of goth and punk - "like a Kiwi-distorted combo of Strokes, You Am I, Guided By Voices, Interpol and Pavement."

"Girls Are The Devil" - No Through Road from Winner (2010)

No Through Road on MySpace

Get Winner from Low Transit's Bandcamp page


Spirit Spine - Jungle Bridges

One of our top featured unsigned artists of 2009, Spirit Spine (aka Joseph Denny), who impressed us last year with his DIY home-recorded self-titled debut, is back with a new EP. In the span of less than a year, Denny has signed with Lovegiraffe Records and opened for well-known indie artists such as Neon Indian and Toro Y Moi.

"Slept Away" - Spirit Spine from Jungle Bridges (2010)

"Crashers" - Spirit Spine from s/t debut (2009)

Spirit Spine on MySpace


Retribution Gospel Choir - 2

Remember the spectacular slowcore band Low from Duluth, Minnesota? Well, they are one of the best 'underground' bands of the past two decades (and despite rumors, have not split up), and easily one of Minnesota's greatest contributions to the indie rock genre. Low's frontman Alan Sparhawk took some time off to form Retribution Gospel Choir in 2007 along with original Low bassist Steve Garrington and Eric Pollard on drums and vocals.

Their new album, 2, drops today via Sub Pop Records. RGC are currently on tour through mid-April, with jaunts throughout North America and Europe. Check the tour dates via their website link below or their MySpace page.

"Hide It Away" - Retribution Gospel Choir from 2 (2010)

Retribution Gospel Choir website


Woodpigeon - Die Stadt Muzikanten

Die Stadt Muzikanten is Woodpigeon's third full-length album and follow up to the internationally acclaimed Treasury Library Canada. The band's latest album was released on January 12 in Canada, via Boompa Records, and is available today in the States.

"Empty-Hall Sing-Along" - Woodpigeon from Die Stadt Muzikanten (2010)

Woodpigeon on Myspace



Citay - Dream Get Together

Surprisingly, a lot of music folks don't know about one of San Francisco's best bands - the psych pop rock outfit, Citay. The band's new album, Dream Get Together, is colorful, vibrant and full of fire and thrust, as demonstrated on the LP's opening track, the swinging, seven-minute psychedelic rock jam, "Careful with that Hat." The LP drops today, January 26th, via Dead Oceans Records.

"Cafeful with that Hat" - Citay from Dream Get Together (2010)

Citay on MySpace


Boy Genius - Staggering

Jason Korenkiewicz began writing songs in 2006 for what was then a two-man acoustic project. At a party one night that year, someone declared them, "neither boys, nor geniuses," and thus the name of the Brooklyn indie pop band came to be.

The band recorded their first two EPs, and their debut LP, Anchorage, with New York engineer Josh Clark, who is credited for his work with Beirut and the New Pornographers. For their latest album, Staggering - out today on Greenpop Records - the band worked with legendary producer and musician Mitch Easter, who is known famously for his work with bands such as Dinosaur Jr., REM, Pavement, Superchunk, Velvet Crush and many others.

Boy Genius consists of Korenkiewicz (guitar and vocals), Marisa Cerio (lead guitar), Lisa Klimkiewicz (drums), and Jeffrey Mensch (bass).

"Old New England" - Boy Genius from Staggering (2010)

"Ramona Saves The Day" - Boy Genius from Staggering (2010)

Boy Genius on MySpace


Other Releases Today:

"When You Walk in the Room" - Fyfe Dangerfield from Fly Yellow Moon (2010)

"Spy on the Floor" - Chicago Underground Duo from Boca Negra (2010)

"Hurried Feathers" - The Berndt from GBGBG (2010)

Better Late Than...

The following are tracks from other January releases that we missed for one reason or another.

"Lovely Weather" - The Vandelles from s/t debut (2010)

"City Kids" - Boy Without God from single release (2010)

This track is provided under the Creative Commons license via Bad Panda Records

"Poor Boy Can't Dance" - Barton Carroll from Together You and I (2010)

Check out all previous installments of Best New Releases of the Week

You Might Also Be Interested in These Posts:

Band of the Week: Boston's Elephantom Endorsed by Grizzly Bear; Blog Exclusive of Track for Upcoming LP

Best Rarely Heard Songs of 2009, Vol. I - Ex Norwegian, We All Have Hooks for Hands, Pistol for Ringo and Fredrik

Best New Releases This Week (1/19/10): Spoon, Surfer Blood, The Eels, Feral Children, Editors, Big Star, Dinowalrus & Len Price 3

Favorite Indie and Alternative Songs of 2009, Vol. III: Neko Case, Public Radio, Bishop Allen, Harlem Shakes, Deer Tick & More

In Dee Mail Special Edition Vol. VII - Essex Chanel, Scares The Daylights and The Binary Marketing Show

Favorite Indie and Alternative Songs of 2009, Vol. II - The Big Pink, The Thermals, Dan Auerbach, Telekinesis, Faunts & More

Labels: Beach House, New Releases, The Magnetic Fields

Just like any other genre of music, listening to the classics of indie rock is not only an education in and of itself, with lots of jems to discover on the way, but also a good lesson about a form of music that has only recently matured - that is indie rock (or alternative, whatever you want to call it).

This week's "Digging The Archives" featured album may have come out 11 years ago, but it still fresh and inviting - chock full of great, if not obscure, 'oldskool' indie rock.

With an indie star line-up that includes singers from Yo La Tengo and Luna, Wasps' Nest (1995), by The 6ths, easily ranks as one of the most influential records that emerged onto the indie scene during the still-very-underground genre.

Produced and composed by The Magnetic Fields front man Stephin Merritt, Wasps' Nest offers a collection of wonderfully diverse songs that somehow all fit together to form a classic album. Listening to tracks like 'San Diego Zoo', 'Falling Out' of 'Love, Winter in July' and 'Heaven In A Black Leather Jacket' conjures up images of bands like well, yeah, The Magnetic Fields, but also later day indie sensations like Built To Spill, Future Bible Heroes and Yo La Tengo.

Not so ironically, one of the indie artists performing on the album is Yo La Tengo's Georgia Hubley. It seems a natural collboration for Merritt and Hubley. Also lending their vocal talents to the indie classic are Barbara Manning, Dean Wareham of Luna, Mary Timony of Helium, Robert Scott of The Bats, Chris Knox, Lou Barlow.

Can you imagine if this talent-drooling experiment had taken the next step and become a permanent indie band? Talk about it using the Comments below.

Thankfully, and to the praise of many rock critics and indie fans, Merritt resembled and reconfigured The 6ths two years after Wasps Nest to produce a collection of songs he almost exclusively composed. Merritt and Magnetic Fields were reeling from the accolades of 69 Love Songs (a three-disc indie classic) when Merritt set out to conceive a follow-up to Wasps Nest debut, Hyacinths and Thistles, five years later. To help out, he commissioned the vocal gifts of Bob Mould, Sarah Cracknell, Gary Numan and Marc Almond.

The result was a yet another critically received work of pure indie genius five years after the release of Wasps' Nest. Indie rock critics and fans around the world praised it and some called it yet another indie classic.

Shortly after it's release, The 6ths unofficially disbanded. That's a bit strange since they were never officically an established band in the tradition sense, but more as an experiment.

Fans of The 6ths would love to hear more. Let's hope that Merritt gets the itchies to revive The 6ths and set out to recruit some of the best in the indie music world to collaborate on creating a potentially third classic indie rock band.

The result, which included Hot on the heels of the well-received Magnetic Fields project 69 Love Songs, Merritt was the 6ths second album, Hyacinths and Thistles, with vocal help from Marc Almond, Bob Mould, Gary Numan, and Sarah Cracknell, among others.

To think of the subsequent work they could release if the union reunited.

Meanwhile, each member continued on their road to making great music. Merritt, not surprisingly (and thankfully for MF fans and yet to be fans), returned to The Magnetic Fields and pump out some great work.

Take a look at the band's official web site discography [link]
Die-hard indie fans have ready heard this album or are trying to find it right now. Enjoy and get a sense of some of the pioneers of indie rock as we know it today.

Labels: Digging The Archives, Indie MP3s, The Magnetic Fields