The Raveonettes – Into The Night EP

When a band makes a career out of peddling songs full of dark lyrical themes of murder, drugs, betrayal, lust, crime and suicide, they usually aren’t heralded for releasing catchy pop tunes. Featuring healthy doses of The Jesus & Mary Chain and surf pop, The Raveonettes have enjoyed a lengthy career doing just that.

The duo’s ability to balance depravity and sadness with uptempo beats and fuzzy power chords has always resulted in enjoyable, slightly morose songs that deliver on a visceral level.

The band has stated that the songs on Into The Night are an ode to lost loves, but I had too much fun with this EP to think about a bunch of bitchy exes.

Artist: The Raveonettes
Album: Into The Night EP
Label: The Orchard

Buy The Raveonettes Into the Night

Yourself In Peace – Yourself In Peace EP

During my time at college I had a somewhat spotty track record in regards to the people I lived with. My first roommate was a chronic masturbator. My second roommate liked to get stoned and make grilled cheese sandwiches on his George Foreman Grill at 4am.

Thankfully, instead of being disgusted by each other’s lack of personal hygiene, the duo behind Yourself In Peace discovered a mutual appreciation for dreamy pop while studying in LA.

Their self-titled debut EP features ethereal hushed vocals against a backdrop of hazy beats and sparse electronic flourishes. Justin Corral and Westley Ulit have said that they “essentially make beats and whine over them.” In my opinion, they’re selling themselves a bit short.

Artist: Yourself In Peace
Album: Yourself In Peace EP
Label: independent

Name your price for Yourself In Peace Yourself In Peace EP

Dark Room Notes – Dark Room Notes

After being nominated for the Choice Music Prize (basically Ireland’s version of the UK’s Mercury Prize) for their debut album, We Love You Dark Matter, Dark Room Notes is back with their self-titled sophomore effort…and it’s more of the same.

The electro-synthpop that has become synonymous with the Dark Room Notes brand is in full effect on this record. Due to the departure of the band’s drummer, Darragh Shanahan, the album’s sound is even more polished, with every beat, texture and accent processed to the point of perfection. Ultimately, this inorganic approach makes everything seem a bit stale and robotic.

Kudos for having the balls to sample “What Is Love” by Haddaway, though.

Artist: Dark Room Notes
Album: Dark Room Notes
Label: BBE

Buy Dark Room Notes Dark Room Notes

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Here

It’s no surprise that many big name celebrities have undergone prefabricated makeovers in order to become famous.

Take Katy Perry for example. Before sporting a bra that shot out whipped cream from the nipple region, she was Katy Hudson, a rising star of Christian gospel rock. Or Margarita Carmen Cansino, who dyed her hair and had electrolysis to raise her hairline to become silver screen legend Rita Hayworth.

After spending a lifetime wallowing in the purgatory of the LA music scene, Alex Ebert reinvented himself as Edward Sharpe, the enigmatic leader of a group of hippy dippy folk musicians. Here, the second album from the band sporting membership in the double digits is nothing to write home about, but for an Age of Aquarius folk throwback, you could do worse.

Artist: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Album: Here
Label: Vagrant

Buy Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Here

Japandroids – Celebration Rock

Essentially Celebration Rock, the second album from Canadian duo Japandroids, is exactly the same as its predecessor, Post-Nothing. Same producer, same eight-song tracklist, (almost) the same artwork.

The same brazen attitude is there as well, as every song is drenched in the live-fast-die-young-leave-a-good-looking-corpse philosophy of youth.

It is appropriate that Japandroids bookend the album with the familiar pops of fireworks, as Celebration Rock is just that, a celebration of life, love and music.

Artist: Japandroids
Album: Celebration Rock
Label: Polyvinyl

Buy Japandroids Celebration Rock

The Verlaines – Untimely Meditations

The Verlaines have been releasing material for the past three decades as one of New Zealand’s most beloved indie rock outfits. With their ninth full-length album, The Verlaines wax philosophic in their twilight years, similarly to how Grinderman lamented the kick in the balls that came along with getting old.

The difference being that while Nick Cave complained about the inability to score chicks due to a receding hairline, liver spots, and shriveled testicles, The Verlaines grumble about losing their job to someone younger due to blatant ageism. The result is the equivalent of some crumudgeonly old bastard yelling at the kids to stay off his lawn.

Artist: The Verlaines
Album: Untimely Meditations
Label: Flying Nun

Buy The Verlaines Untimely Meditations

Howler – America Give Up

So here’s the thing, I want to dislike this record for a number of reasons.

Reason #1: Front man Jordan Gatesmith looks like a wanker, but this could be because I’m on the wrong side of 25 and he’s not even 20 yet.

Reason #2: The album reminds me of how much I miss The Libertines.

Reason #3: My first impression of the album was that it was rubbish, but upon repeated listens I have (reluctantly) changed my mind. So I’m disappointed in myself, really.

Artist: Howler
Album: America Give Up
Label: Rough Trade

Buy Howler America Give Up

Tim Fite – Ain’t Ain’t Ain’t

Ain’t Ain’t Ain’t, the latest offering from Brooklyn’s Tim Fite, will help you conjure up all of those long buried memories of high school, regardless of how much bong resin is clogging up those synapses or ecstasy related holes riddle your brain.

The album is a charming trip down memory lane, peppered with sentimental milestones of youth. The songs are all a bit tame, riding around in cars, boredom, ogling the developing breasts of female classmates. Nostalgia will make you chuckle, but it isn’t enough to carry the album.

Ain’t Ain’t Ain’t is like a Facebook acquaintance who gushes over photos of formals with comments like “best days of my lifeeee!”. When you realise that they’re serious, it’s all a bit sad.

Artist: Tim Fite
Album: Ain’t Ain’t Ain’t
Label: ANTI-

Buy Tim Fite Ain’t Ain’t Ain’t

Field Music – Plumb

Sounding like the bastard love child of Freddie Mercury and a pinball machine-obsessed Roger Daltrey; Plumb, the fourth album from England’s Field Music is getting rave reviews. I’ve read journalists describe the band as “exhilarating” and “brilliant”. If you want to seek out other reviews I don’t blame you, I’m not saying much.

In my defense, this album did nothing for me. It kind of sounded like the orchestral score to some Disney movie from the 40s. Fantasia, or something equally boring. I couldn’t even sit through the entire thing without doing something else. On a side note, I crocheted myself a hat for winter.

Artist: Field Music
Album: Plumb
Label: Memphis Industries

Buy Field Music Plumb

Trophy Wife – Bruxism

Some people “suffer” from being a cynical asshole.  This psychological condition usually manifests itself after puberty and renders everything that you thought was cool or “mainstream” as lame and insufferable drivel.

Trophy Wife, a band hailing from Oxford, England, are most definitely cynical assholes.  Their spacey synth-pop is like New Order in the pouring rain. The band presents vaguely danceable arrangements combined with laizze-faire vocals full of pessimistic lyrics.

Should I dance to this?  Should I be depressed?  I don’t know, hold on while I put on my Ray Bans®…let’s just do some speed and smoke cigarettes while lightly swaying back and forth.

Artist: Trophy Wife
Album: Bruxism
Label: Inertia

Buy Trophy Wife Bruxism