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Wednesday, October 05, 2005
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![[Weekly Newsletter!]](http://209.208.248.108/newsletter/images/smallball_bot.gif) |
INDIE ROCK JOCKS
PASS INSOUND'S QUIZ AND GET 25% YOUR ORDER!
RELEASE OF THE DAY:
Broken Social Scene
NEW RELEASES:
Franz Ferdinand, My Morning Jacket, Make Believe, The Go!Team, Ladytron
PRE-ORDERS:
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, The Constantines, Explosions in the Sky, Silver Jews
RESTOCKS:
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Hot Chip, Iron & Wine/Calexico, Sigur Ros, Wolf Parade
SOUND SAVER:
Indie Rock Classics Under $10
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Welcome back to This Week in the IRW (Indie Release World). Stepping up to the plate, Broken Social Scene. I tell you what; you can just feel the electricity on this one, can’t you? It’s obvious this Canadian collective came out to play and gave 110% to this record. Franz Ferdinand also goes between the lines again and serves up a new album. And what an ace it is! After taking the league by storm, these once-rated rookies knew it was gut check time and more than delivered in the clutch. No talk of a sophomore slump here. And hey, how about My Morning Jacket? These grizzled veterans prove they can still go the distance with, “Z.” They knew what they had to do, and they went out there and did it. You won’t catch Make Believe resting on their Joan of Arc laurels. On “Shock of Being,” the band brought a real sense of urgency, played their hearts out, and shocked the world. A total team effort. Dungen certainly brought their A-game to, "Stadsvandringar." (Phew! You sure don’t learn how to pronounce names like that in Broadcasting school.) Sure, this album may only be a reissue, but a W is a W.
But really, all of the players in this week’s IRW are class acts and deserve to be crowned champions. And let’s not forget all of you. After all, it’s you fans that buy their albums, see their shows, and drink their $8.00 beers. Truly, it is you guys who were these guys' 12th man today.
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BACK TO SCHOOL 25% OFF SALE! |
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 It's hard to believe it's Back to School time again. The start of September marks the beginning of test taking, and at Insound it's no exception. Answer our Daily Pop Quiz correctly and receive a coupon for 25% that day's order (code expires at midnight). Answer wrong and you'll have to study harder and try again tomorrow! Study soon because the Daily Quiz ends October 31st.
Take the Pop Quiz!
If you passed, congrats! Not sure what to buy with your discount? Let the Insound's Indie Rock 101 course syllabus be your guide for the essential, must-own albums.
Study the Syllabus!
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BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE
'Broken Social Scene ' (Arts & Crafts)
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| The first pressing of the album will come with a limited edition, seven track EP called EP To Be You And Me. Praise be to Arts & Crafts for once again bringing onto the world the divine sounds of the one and only (yet ever-evolving) Broken Social Scene. The self-titled new release features 14 tracks of what's sure to be pure sonic bliss by the core BSS collective network and other guests - including members of Stars, Apostle of Hustle, Metric, Feist, Do Make Say Think, Raising the Fawn, and The Dears, as well as k-os, Jason Tate, and Julie Penner. |
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DELIA GONZALEZ & GAVIN RUSSOM
'Days of Mars' (Astralwerks)
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| The debut full-length from underground DFA superstars Delia Gonzalez and Gavin Russom (also of Black Leotard Front). Days of Mars is a lushly atmospheric listening experience, at once immersive and structured. Featuring pulsing sequences that build into powerful crescendos and subside into mesmerizing electronic whispers, the album at times recalls the work of 1970s electronic pioneers like Tangerine Dream, Brian Eno, and Manual Gottsching. Beautiful.
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DUNGEN
'Stadsvandringar (reissue)' (Astralwerks)
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| REISSUE. This was Dungen's follow up to their fantastic debut LP release. This is amazing Swedish psych/prog/pop/folkrock from the wonder kid Dungen The new LP contains more totally stunning musicmanship, spellbinding Swedish folk pop psych inspired by the soulful Swedish folk music and the country's vast forests. No 'neo-psych' bullshit..this is THE real thing! Beautiful vocals, Hammond B-3 organ, flute, violin, groovy bass, swinging drums, electric and acoustic guitars and fuzz. Dungen is the next big thing from Sweden! What ever… he just made the best record we've heard in years! The LP is released by the Swedish Xotic Mind/Subliminal Sounds label that brought you artists like Parson Sound, S.T. Mikael, Word of Life and Adam.
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FRANZ FERDINAND
'You Could Have it so Much Better ' (Epic)
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| A couple of years ago Bob, Alex, Nick, and Paul got a group together. They said that they wanted to make girls dance or something. Domino put out their first record Franz Ferdinand and they spent a year zipping around the planet, playing their tunes to millions of people. They picked up loads of prizes - Ivor Novello, Mercury Music, Brits, Grammy nominations, MTV awards etc, but more importantly, they made pop music a wee bit exciting again. They've just recorded a new record: You Could Have it so Much Better. YCHISMB sounds like Franz Ferdinand, but not like their first record. They didn't want to repeat themselves. They've gone a bit further in a few directions they hinted at before. -There's more passion and emotion. This album has more width and depth. It's better than their last one and anything else you'll hear this year.
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GHOSTLAND OBSERVATORY
'delete.delete.i.eat.meat...' (Indierect)
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| The Ghostland Observatory is a mixture of warm orange, browns, forest greens, and maybe some baby blues poured on the body by two cosmic seeds that, when ingested, make love to your soul while you are sleeping. With their spectral blend of buoyant electronics, frantic-yet-precise drumwork, cleanly hyper driven guitar, and a sometimes gasping, sometimes ecstatic vocal delivery, the Ghostland Observatory have birthed a sound that can only be described as a dripping-wet sexplosion of instant addiction.
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HIGH STRUNG
'Moxie Bravo' (Future Farmer)
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| The High Strung's road-band lifestyle may be Nuggets-era retro, but Moxie Bravo, the sophomore effort by the Detroit-via-Brooklyn three-piece, is thoroughly forward-looking. Moxie Bravo's guitar hooks, well-crafted three-part harmonies and sprawling song structures can recall Village Green-era Kinks, Brian Wilson, or the Zombies, but the High Strung's sensibility links them more closely to contemporaries like past tourmates the Rosebuds and Brian Jonestown Massacre. Moxie Bravo's tightly melodic songcraft is part Motown, part Grandaddy minus the robots, with psychedelic guitar interludes recalling Built To Spill's best and power-pop choruses that could make Teenage Fanclub jealous.
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JAMES BLUNT
'Back to Bedlam' (Atlantic)
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| Simply put, James Blunt is the most successful debut artist of the year in the UK! However, he isn’t one of those guys who finished school and set off to become a musician. The onetime British army captain (and latest in a long line of Blunts in the armed forces) served stints as a peacekeeper in Kosovo and guard at Buckingham Palace before hanging up his uniform. His days of carrying a gun behind him, Blunt quickly began turning heads with his soaring vocals and stirring songs. His debut album, Back to Bedlam, has earned widespread praise, inspiring comparisons to the likes of Damien Rice, David Gray and a young Elton John.
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KISS ME DEADLY
'Misty Medley' (Alien8)
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| Kiss Me Deadly is a Montreal-based quartet that has progressed from an early Dischord influenced emo/math-rock sound to an epic, deeply melodic, danceable style of music. Their sophomore effort, Misty Medley, is brimming with intoxicating pop songs that blend the anthemic power of indie rock with dance music. Kiss Me Deadly consists of Emily Elizabeth on vocals and guitar, Adam Poulin on guitar, vocals and programming, Mathieu du Montier on bass and vocals, Erik Petersen on drums and Sophie Trudeau on violin. Kiss Me Deadly has just completed a well-received American tour with UK sensations Bloc Party.
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LADYTRON
'Witching Hour' (Ryko)
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| Serenely beautiful at times and noisy and disturbing at others; like all the best records should be. These Electro-Clash pioneers return with their stunning new album! In pop folklore, bands were allowed three full-lengths to become themselves, yet the labeled third album is an increasing rarity in this low-attention span era. It comes as a rare treat to find that Liverpool-based boy/girl four-piece Ladytron have reached this mythical milestone with Witching Hour, their best album yet, and one that fizzes and sparks with the band's own idiosyncratic charms.Witching Hour reaches further than its predecessors: warm and dense, there is a feeling of susceptible magic wrapped within its thirteen tracks.
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MAKE BELIEVE
'Shock of Being' (Polyvinyl)
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| The debut full-length offering from this Chicago band comprised of former members of Joan of Arc, Owls, Ghosts & Vodka, etc.). An emotional and energetic mix of unorthodox guitar riffs, fierce drumming, skronking and squelching Wurlitzer organ, and Tim Kinsella’s pointedly spit vocals. In 2003, members of Joan of Arc toured as a four-piece for several months, then returned to Chicago and decided to form Make Believe. This is their debut, recorded by Steve Albini. They've toured nationally with Hella, mewithoutyou, The Good Life, and The Paper Chase.
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MUGISON
'Mugimama, Is This Monkey Music?' (Ipecac)
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| There's a first time for everything... introducing Ipecac Recordings first singer-songwriter Mugison. Hailing from Westfjords Iceland (a stone's throw from Bjork and Sigur Ros), Mugison is a one-man band. He plays abstract psychedelic melodies intertwined with heart wrenching lyrics conjuring such deep emotions it's unbelievable English isn't his first language. He’s been compared to Tom Waits, Beck, Will Oldham, but Mugison is truly one of a kind.
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MY MORNING JACKET
'Z ' (ATO / RCA)
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| Z is a richly varied 10-song collection encompassing carefully wrought ballads like "Wordless Chorus" and "Knot Comes Loose," multi-genre jams such as "Off The Record," the silvery country-soul of "Lay Low," and high-energy rockers in the form of "Anytime" and "What A Wonderful Man." The album concludes majestically with "Dondante," a seven-minute opus that weaves together several threads of Louisville-fueled creativity and engagement. MMJ has developed a reputation as one of today's most exciting rock acts and are perhaps the most acclaimed new group to emerge from mid-America in the past few years.
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NEW BLACK
'Time Attack' (Thick)
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| Chicago's art-damaged post-punks New Black return with a sophomore CD that's a modern hybrid of the new-wave/no-wave pop/punk dynamic. What might just be the album the x-ray spex never wrote, has a visceral undertone that's drugged out and creepy. Playing with frenetic beats and frantic riffs, there's a duality here that both decadent and distorted. At times dance-y and flamboyant, others fast and flagrant, always on the razors edge. The dueling girl/boy vocals of Patti Gran (guitar) and Liam Kimball (bass), where innuendo meets evil genius, is equally savage and sexy. 11 tracks that bump and grind and feel so good.
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THE MAGIC NUMBERS
'The Magic Numbers' (Heavenly / EMI)
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| UK IMPORT. The sound of The Magic Numbers revolves around the brilliant songwriting and guitar playing talents of singer Romeo. Born and raised in Trinidad (where his mother had her own opera show on TV) the family moved to New York when he was teenager and later moved again to Ealing in London. There he met drummer Sean and started making music. Consequently, these days the two are to be found sitting in the sound-proofed front room of the family’s terraced house, without natural light or air, surrounded by instruments, prolifically penning as yet unheard classics.
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THE OCCASION
'Cannery Hours' (Say Hey)
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| H.P. Lovecraft would have loved this band -- as would Pink Floyd, Dead Meadow and The Doors. It's a little surprising, then, to learn that The Occasion don't hail from the misty, mysterious English countryside, or even from a creepy little hick town in middle America. Rather, they're from New York, a town that's supposed to produce bands full of skinny, cynical, VU-worshipping hipsters. Geographical trend-buckers The Occasion may be, but there's no question that their chosen band persona works: filled with enveloping atmospherics, strange and soothing psychedelia, and deeply felt appreciation for scale and grandeur, Cannery Hours will take you to places that are as familiar and welcoming as they are disquieting and exciting. - Splendid Magazine
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GET THE UPCOMING ANIMAL COLLECTIVE FOR DIRT CHEAP! |
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 We like cheap things, and we like good things. We especially like cheap good things. Which is why we're offering you this special pre-order price on the Animal Collective's new album, "Feels." From now until its October 18th release date, we are offering the CD and LP for only $10.99. That's 4 bucks off the normal list price! Snatch it up while you can -- prices will increase after these dates. So PRE-ORDER NOW!
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Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
'Summer in the Southeast PRE-ORDER' (Drag City)
| Explosions in the Sky
'How Strange Innocence PRE-ORDER' (Temporary Residence)
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 ![[ buy preorder ]](http://209.208.248.108/newsletter/images/buypreorder.gif) |
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NOVEMBER 15TH RELEASE DATE. Will Oldham returns under his Bonnie 'Prince' Billy moniker with a brand new live album featuring his best BPB songs. Seventeen songs that move from the rocking and raging to the whispered and lilting, all with different arrangements and drop-of-the-hat improvisations than heard on the studio recorded albums. |
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OCTOBER 11TH RELEASE DATE. This Texas band evolved quickly, and recorded what would be their breakthrough, Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Live Forever" less than a year after 2000's How Strange Innocence, which was limited to 300 CDRs, produced to sell on the road. The original CDRs fetch over $200 on eBay, while a 300-edition vinyl version nears $500! This reveals a clamorous demand for the album among the band's legions of fans, so we're happy to accommodate. |
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The Constantines
'Tournament of Hearts PRE-ORDER' (Sub Pop)
| The Silver Jews
'Tanglewood Numbers PRE-ORDER' (Drag City)
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OCTOBER 11TH RELEASE DATE. Having wandered across our world's vast oceans and mountains, having discussed the truths of love with saints and with swine, Toronto's Constantines have returned with Tournament of Hearts, their third release for Sub Pop Records. A record in filthy communion with mermaids and disorder, betrothed to the world with a sweetheart's tender touch. |
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OCTOBER 18TH RELEASE DATE. Brand new material from Silver Jews, Tanglewood Numbers is their first album in 4 years. Oh yeah, did we mention Malkmus is back? "The Silver Jews sound bigger. Not just because Tanglewood Numbers incorporates some Nashvillian arrangements, or because Dave Berman actually attempts a vocal range, but rather because this latest album is something fuller and more consistent than even the Jews' 1998 near-masterpiece American Water. " Harp |
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In honor of the Chicago White Sox, the soon-to-be World Series champions, we're selling a bunch of our really good 7"s at crazy reduced prices. We're talking wholesale cost here. Get these for cheap while you can, because this sale will only last until the White Sox are crowned kings! (or until they lose)
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DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979
'Blood on Our Hands 1' (679)
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| VINYL FORMAT. UK IMPORT BLOOD RED VINYL. Featuring Death From Above's first UK single from their debut full-length You're a Woman, I'm a Machine 'Blood on Our Hands' backed with previously unreleased 'Better Off Dead.'
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![[ buy 7 inch ]](http://209.208.248.108/newsletter/images/buy_7.gif)
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EARLY DAY MINERS
'Southern Myth / Room and Pillar' (Zeal Records)
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| From overseas come two 7" doses of Early Day Miners' trademark Midwest post-goth. The resultant sound is not unlike a cinematic postcard; the words are there to serve as visual guides, the sound is camerawork. Recorded by Daniel Burton at Grotto Home Studio in Bloomington, IN, Southern Myth / Room and Pillar is delivered via Zeal Records based in Belgium, and "The Last Snow" / "Marauder" from the Swiss imprint Tricycle Evolutif. Both are available in very limited quantities. These treats should tide over all those fans who await EDM's next full-length, All Harm Ends Here.
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ERASE ERRATA/NUMBERS
'split 7' (Troubleman)
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| Erase Errata and Numbers are the anchor of the ever growing San Francisco experimental underground scene and have been critically acclaimed by everyone from Punk Planet to MTV. This is the vinyl pressing of the split 3-inch CD version originally released on Tigerbeat 6 Records last year. The cover art is new, featuring an original piece by Ana of the band Les George Leningrad, and the vinyl is pressed on marble wax to compliment the insane artwork. Weasel Walter of the Flying Luttenbachers re-mastered the songs.
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GLASS CANDY
'Brittle Women' (Troubleman Unlimited)
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| VINYL FORMAT. This is a re-press of the highly
sought after debut, originally released by the band
in 2000 in an edition of 500 copies. Since then,
Glass Candy has become one of Troubleman
Unlimited's most popular bands and this is one of
the labels' most requested re-issues. Limited
edition of 750 copies.
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LIARS
'We Fenced Other Gardens With the Bones of Our Own' (Mute)
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| VINYL FORMAT. Second single from their "They Were Wrong..." record. You get the album track, "We Fenced Other Gardens With the Bones of Our Own," you get a fantastic cover of the Germs' "Sex Boy" and the unreleased "Fountain and Its Monologue."
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LOU BARLOW
'Holding Back the Year' (Domino UK)
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| VINYL FORMAT. UK IMPORT. Lou Barlow releases his new single 'Holding Back The Year' taken from his great album Emoh, backed with an exclusive b-side track, "'Refused'. ‘Refused’, features Wally Gagel (Folk Implosion producer) on bass and keyboard and Russ Pollard (Sebadoh/Folk Implosion) on drums and keyboard.
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MUM
'Nightly Cares' (Fat Cat)
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| 7" FORMAT. Nightly Cares could not under any circumstances be described as anything other than beautiful . A Haunting piano line, the feel of something lost and forgotten, simple dusty instrumentation and even the typically charmed icelandic lyrical construction and kindergarten delivery all working together in life affirming solidarity : fragile, flawed, sublime, breathtaking. The exclusive track on the flip ‘Once a Shiny Morning Puddle’ is a more upfront, instrumental piece – guitars, horns, drums and electronics working to deliver a slightly baroque, post-rockish number that counterpoints the A-side beautifully with a lonely-hearts rub-off between a lonely melodica and a frustrated roll of the drums.
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REVL9N (REVLON 9)
'United' (Torncrantz)
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| VINYL FORMAT. Revl9n from Sweden are back with a brand new offering. United is sparse and robotic electro pop with pulsing synths and deadpan female vocals. Think Grace Jones fronting a gang of cheerleaders through the back catalogue of Le Tigre. The second track is an Engine One remix which gives the track extra bounce. Limited to 400 copies
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SPOON
'I Turn My Camera On' (Matador UK)
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| VINYL FORMAT. UK IMPORT. "I Turn My Camera On" is the first single from Spoon's highly praised Gimme Fiction. This 7" features two tracks: the album version of "I Turn My Camera On" backed with the demo version. Aslo features beautiful artwork by wider-than-pictures.
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THE ROGERS SISTERS
'Check Level/Fantasies are Nice' (Troubleman Unlimited)
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| VINYL FORMAT. Check Level is the lead single off their new record, Three Fingers. Instead of releasing a traditional single, the band re-recorded the songs and sang in foreign languages. "Check Level" is sung in Japanese, while "Fantasies Are Nice" is sung in French. Limited to 750 copies on color vinyl with colorful covers designed by Kayrock.
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INDIE ROCK CLASSICS UNDER $10 BUCKS |
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Classic indie albums shouldn't cost a lot and they should be played often. Insound's SOUND SAVER collection features bands like Joy Division, My Bloody Valentine, Olivia Tremor Control, Cat Power, Mogwai, The New Pornographers and much more! All are under $10. All are classic. All are a must own.
Below is a special Sound Saver sampling. View all of Insound's Sound Saver titles HERE. Check often as more titles are being added all the time!
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AMERICAN FOOTBALL
'American Football' (Polyvinyl)
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| SOUND SAVER. American Football's first album showcases cleanly picked guitars, intricate drumming, and sincere vocals. The band, made up of Mike Kinsella (Owen, Cap'n Jazz, Joan of Arc), Steve Holmes and Steve Lamos (The Geese) rooted itself in Champaign and recorded this album at a local studio, Private, with Brendan Gamble (Braid, Moon Seven Times). Despite little touring and with only an EP behind them, these nine songs showcased the trio's uncanny songwriting abilities. Here, American Football created the kind of songs that held new discoveries upon each listen.
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NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL
'In the Aeroplane Over the Sea' (Merge)
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| SOUND SAVER. There's a sadness in these songs that floats in from behind the music, hiding in the melody, convincing you that you're the one feeling all weepy. Don't be fooled - it's not you, it's them.
Neutral Milk Hotel, and more importantly singer and songwriter Jeff Mangum, have grasped the nostalgic, melancholic powers of melody with an ease that would turn Brian Wilson green. Like Wilson, Mangum sings of his lost childhood, albeit through surreal, foggy memories that recall the confusion as well as the innocence of the preteen years. Magnus' strength as a writer is that he doesn't work to make his words make sense, rather he lets the music make sense of them for you.
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SPOON
'Series of Sneaks' (Merge)
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| SOUND SAVER. "With A Series of Sneaks, Spoon became one of the unsung heroes of the guitar-driven post-punk tradition inhabited by bands such as Wire, Gang of Four, Husker Dü, and the Pixies. These were the guitar wizards who could package a variety of taut, terse, and inventive guitar sounds and unpredictable melodies into short, tight bursts one could still consider pop songs. Lead singer and guitarist Britt Daniel acts as the overachieving honors student of this tradition, flushing the spaces in between with an expansive melodic vocabulary comparable to Robert Pollard's." --All Music Guide
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SUPERCHUNK
'Here's Where the Strings Come In' (Merge)
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| SOUND SAVER. On HERE'S WHERE THE STRINGS COME IN, Superchunk finally slows down enough to allow the audience to steal a peek behind the wall of guitars and hear Mac McCaughan's lyrics float comfortably above the mix. The actual content of the songs has always mattered less to Superchunk than the setting of a mood. This album takes the usual Superchunk combination of boyish charm and regret to new extremes. Whether sarcastic ("Here's Where the Strings Come In"), yearning ("Detroit Has a Skyline"), or simply hyper ("Hyper Enough"), Superchunk packs more complexity into one song than anyone working within the indie pop genre. With this effort, Superchunk didn't merely slow down, but clarified its vision.
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THE MAGNETIC FIELDS
'The Wayward Bus/Distant Plastic Trees' (Merge)
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| SOUND SAVER. The Magnetic Fields' first two albums, available on one CD, differ from the band's later work in that it is not songwriter Stephin Merritt who is singing his tales of wounded hope, starry-eyed romance, and quiet desperation. 1990's less-is-more DISTANT PLASTIC TREES is directly indebted to early-'80s minimalist-pop geniuses the Young Marble Giants, especially on the hypnotic "You Love To Fail" and the tremendously affecting "100,000 Fireflies," perhaps Merritt's most heartbreakingly beautiful song. By comparison, 1991's THE WAYWARD BUS is downright lush, combining Merritt's avowed love for Phil Spector, ABBA, and '60s French pop into keyboard-based two-minute pop classics like the Ronettes homage "When You Were My Baby" and the swinging "Suddenly There Is A Tidal Wave." Taken together, both albums are the perfect introduction to Stephin Merritt's magical pop world.
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SILVER JEWS CATALOG SALE! |
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THE SILVER JEWS
'American Water' (Drag City)
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| Even as an unapologetic anti-metallite, I still can’t escape the call of this band’s silvery gleam. Still pleasant, still clever, still all the good-great pop action David Berman and Stephen Malkmus can dream up o’er the course of an album’s time. Twelve chuckle-along songs hitting red on your geekest hip-o-meter.
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THE SILVER JEWS
'Bright Flight' (Drag City)
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| When the Silver Jews first appeared in the mid-'90s, the band's singer-songwriter David Berman was backed by some of his pals from Pavement, whose sound helped define the sonic parameters of the first couple of Silver Jews releases. In short order, though, the group weaned itself of Pavement connections both aural and physical, and developed its own sound, which seems to reach an apex on BRIGHT FLIGHT. Berman's lyrics are sharper than ever, encompassing everything from death and time to alcohol and an admiration for Royal Trux.
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THE SILVER JEWS
'Natural Bridge' (Drag City)
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| "Charlottesville, Virginia poet David Berman specializes in folksy, hungover country-rock: twinkling jangle pops through the melancholy, only to be beaten down like the little plastic rodents in a carnival `Whack-a-Mole' game..."
Option (1-2/97, pp.104-105) - "...Berman's deep voice is mixed way up front, like he's leaning out from the speakers to talk to you, and the musicians...are flawless and enthusiastic. His poetic lyrics are some of his best and funniest ever....pensive, religious, history-laden songs..."
Alternative Press (2/97, p.69) - 4 (out of 5) - "...just sing along to feathery, non-wilting folk-drawlers of high order whose simple rants are fun along the lines of Tom Petty, Gordon Lightfoot or, um, John Coltrane's ballads..."
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THE SILVER JEWS
'Starlite Walker' (Drag City)
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| David Berman and Stephen Malkmus, the principal Silver Jews, met at the University of Virginia in the late '80s, around the same time Malkmus was flying home to California on vacations and starting Pavement. The Silver Jews' first two EPs shared Pavement's noise-straddled, lo-fi aesthetic; on them, the Jews sounded like a scaled-back, literary Pavement. (Pavement, in turn, took on the Silver Jews' sense of lyrical exploration, and has continued traveling down that road deep into its career.) STARLITE WALKER is the Jews' first proper album, and it benefits from Pavement's concurrent emergence as an indie-rock powerhouse. Berman's songs have a novelistic flow, with meanings cast behind lyrical stories full of historical detail and rhymes that spin out of easy control.
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THE SILVER JEWS
'Tennessee' (Drag City)
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| Finally! SILVER JEWS are back among the living. Culled from the album, "Blight Flight," this four-tracker finds the gang in Tennessee, literally. DAVID BERMAN has been living and rockin' in Nashville for the last couple years writing these high-wattage, radio-friendly heartbreakers. Pop one in and feel the buzz.
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It's true. We're not cyborgs. We're human. We bleed. And we need help. We need interns! Badly. If you live in the New York City area and can commit 12+ hours per week and like working very hard for almost no money (travel and food stipends) and free records, then you sound like a good candidate to us. Travel Stipends available for those who work 18+ hours a week. We also encourage internships for school credit. If you're interested, we're interested. Join the greatest team of music know-it-alls ever assembled. Work for Insound!
Email PATRICK for more information.
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 Insound Clips is a bi-weekly blog-type email that collects semi-personal ideas and awesome and odd information that will make you smarter, more interesting and cooler for sure. These are short and sweet and fun. Look for them in your inbox and let the hilarity commence.
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Help spread the Insound gospel and get prizes for your dutiful efforts. Join our fancy online street team and help us take over the world. You can earn points by participating in challenges (and redeem them for prizes), find out about exclusive Insound promotions and contests, chat about your favorite bands on the discussion boards, test your indie rock knowledge with trivia questions, and so much more.
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