Time for another big round up of just a few of the many quality tunes that have found their way into our in-box and into our ears. We have not had enough time over the past few weeks to do them proper justice, but we promise all are worth some of your time to get to know them better.
Enjoy.
First up are Banded Stilts, who, while still delivering a few folk romps on their new LP Little Village, sonically veer away from their previous folky formula and feature some upbeat pop and sparse piano ballads. The tales of mystery, tragedy, wonder and lost love that unfold within the album are stories that could have been told in any and every little village.
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The You’re Getting Close split 7” from Beached Out and The Reference Desk is a peach. Beached Out are one half surf-pop and one half angular guitar singing you love songs from the underground. This husband-wife duo pride themselves in short, sweet songs that are rife with hooks and a dynamic live show. The split features two self-recorded gems that showcase the band’s reverb-drenched guitar, delicious harmonies, and longing for the ocean.
The Reference Desk are a three-piece drums-and-guitar outfit with a songwriting mission statement of simple, loud, and catchy.
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Elephant’s new release is Shapeshifter. A sumptuous missive of love lost and lessons learned, that sparkles with charm, optimism, and the sort of lush swoonsome string arrangements that reach into your chest and wring your heart dry. It is backed by the sparse and stretched out Snowday, as icily cool as it sounds, full of chiaroscuro contrasts and flickering atmospherics,
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Leeds-based five-piece AUTOBAHN have announced themselves to the world with their unapologetically sinister and aggressive self-titled debut EP. Set for release today, it’s a record that conjures the dystopian nightmare world of 80s post-punk across three unrelenting tracks.
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Medium Wave is the latest song to be taken from Empty Pools’ debut album Saturn Reruns, also set for release today on Battle Worldwide.
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Last month Maybird released their debut album, Down & Under. The name comes from the imaginary title of a rare Leonard Cohen album that lead singer Josh Netsky heard about in a dream (and speaks of in the title track, which is an homage to Cohen). The dream motif is prominent on the record with a mood that begins bright and descends, as the title track suggests, as the album progresses. Try the spacey, hazy Call You Mine.
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Long time MM faves The Parson Red Heads have released their new album Orb Weaver and we have two tracks of their loose, country inflected folk-rock that showcases just how good this band is.
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Jeremy Squires doesn’t write the happiest of songs, but you do know that they’re always stunning. Releasing his new album When Will You Go… on November 9, Jeremy takes this record down a darker path exploring themes of death and the fear of losing loved ones. With help from Anna-Lynne Williams (Lotte Kestner) singing background vocals and Kalispell’s and Field Report’s Shane Leonard playing fiddle and organ, Jeremy is able to create songs that are haunting and ethereal like I’m Still Here.
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Hannah vs. The Many, led by Brooklyn based singer/songwriter/antiheroine Hannah Fairchild, will release Ghost Stories (EP) on November 12th. The single Poor Leander, (so called because of an unrequited love’s self-diagnosed Hero Complex) grew from a wistful hoedown into a sneering psychobilly kiss off, played at three times its original tempo.
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We are big fans of the noir folk-pop of Emily Jane White and we re looking forward to her new album Blood / Lines immensely. First single Faster Than The Devil features another MM fave in Marissa Nadler and showcases a much heavier and thicker sound.
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Young Norwegian talent Eline Thorp is releasing her debut album in January. Her very first single is The Game and comparisons have been made with artists such as Regina Spektor and Bat For Lashes, but she definitely stands out with her distinctive gloomy touch and fabulous voice.
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And lastly for now we have Mexico’s Has a Shadow who release their new album Sky is Hell Black on November 12th on Captcha Records. Sky is Hell Black hits you with a wall of sound that emanates from the darkest corners of the Mexican interior. Listening to this album is like being shrouded in a veil of fog at the moment a massive storm takes over a barren metropolis. Check out the lead track John Lennon.
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