Music

Top 5 Indie/Rock/Pop Releases: June Edition

by Nicole Villeneuve

Each month, tons of new music from many taste-spanning genres is released into a fast-consuming, unforgiving audience; it can be tough to get a handle on what’s new before it’s on to the next. In an attempt to highlight the standout releases, at the end of each month, AUX staff re-cap the month in Punk, Metal, Indie/Pop/Rock, Hip Hop, Pop, and Electronica/Dance with the top five releases in each. Consider it your cheat sheet for year-end lists.

Top 5 Indie/Rock/Pop Releases: June Edition

 

Handsome Furs – Sound Kapital

If you had any worries that this album, widely touted as the first Handsome Furs album written entirely on keyboard, would subdue the electro-boom of the Montreal duo, fear not—Sound Kapital may well be one of the heaviest things the band has ever done. It’s true the static guitar racket of Dan Boeckner is scaled back almost entirely save the occasional background electric hum such as on “No Feelings” or as a ringing chord to close out the life-affirming banger “Repatriated,” but you barely remember they were ever there. Inspired again by their travels and the people met, Sound Kapital is itself truly inspiring. (Sub Pop)

Fucked Up – David Comes to Life

First things first, this will likely appear in the punk best-of as well, but I’m stealing it for the ‘indie’ and ‘rock’ portions of this list too because damned if these guitars and arrangements haven’t gotten even denser than before, with more elements of shoegaze, prog, commercial arena rock, and, yep, punk. But what else is left to be said of this modern opus? This unexpected masterpiece? It’s 18 tracks of ambition, skill, and creativity, and it all works, and works incredibly well—so well that, though they’ve often been divisive in the past, David Comes to Life is winning over sceptics and satisfying the fans who remain supportive of Fucked Up‘s overall vision. (Matador)

Bon Iver – Bon Iver, Bon Iver

No one could really have anticipated Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon to end up where he did after the breakthrough of his debut For Emma, Forever Ago—the painfully (like, you could actually feel that pain) heartbroken singer/songwriter who once holed up alone in a cabin in the woods was soon chilling in Hawaii with Kanye West, acting as a muse of sorts (and acquiring a whole new level of fame). On his new self-titled (x2), Vernon is no longer in solitude and instead creates a broad, complicated, and almost 80s-accessible collection of deep beauty. You’re going to need more than one listen—as opener “Perth” proves, it’s going to take some time to hear everything he put into this one. (Un)simply beautiful. (Jagjaguwar)

JEFF the Brotherhood – We Are the Champions

Huge kudos to JEFF the Brotherhood for picking up where Weezer left off in their glory days because gahhd knows Rivers was never going to do it. It feels like a million years ago that the real-life brother garage-rock Nashville duo was being hyped as a must-see or the next big thing; their ascent has been slow and it was only with Heavy Days in 2009 did it start to reach a feverish pitch. We Are the Champions slows the frantic pace a bit to reveal some pretty great fuzz-pop hooks, and in the process, the band lays some new foundation to build up from. Bottom line is it’s summer, and your summer needs these songs, especially demo-ish wrecking jam “Diamond Way” and total Blue Album-esque opener “Hey Friend.” (Infinity Cat Recordings)

Joel Plaskett – Emergencys, False Alarms, Shipwrecks, Castaways, Fragile Creatures, Special Features, Demons and Demonstrations

Joel Plaskett? More like Jewel Plaskett, because this guy remains a goddamned gem in Canadian music. After the incredible 2009 Polaris shortlisted triple-disc (!) Three, Plaskett decided to purge all leftovers before getting to work on his next album, creating this sprawling collection of unreleased songs and alternate versions, and even though it’s not all new, it’s one of the best things of the year so far. Demos of songs like “Please Don’t Return,” originally a “Clueless Wonder” (itself presented in ramshackle indie-rock form) b-side, show that his songwriting gift is one to be envied, revered, enjoyed. Talent runs deep in Mr. Plaskett, and this collection is more than we could ask for as a tide-over for the next record. (New Scotland Records)

Surprises, disappointments and albums to watch for next month

Surprise of the month: Maybe not such a huge surprise, but Ty Segall’s Goodbye Bread. The San Francisco wunderkind moved over the Drag City records to release this one after putting out tons of releases on smaller labels over the last handful of years. Nothing really new here, but Segall’s lo-fi is taking on a life of its own. A bit sleepy and psych-y at times, straight from another era.

Disappointment of the month: That the Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield show at NXNE wasn’t an album.

Out in July: July, you are looking DRY. Let me know if there’s something I’m overlooking, or this list could be really empty next month.