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What to Download: New Music on iTunes

BuzzSugar — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:34:20 -0700

Tuesdays are big in entertainmentville: Not only do all the new DVD releases hit Netflix, but new music also pours into stores, including iTunes. So I take a spin through each week's iTunes music releases and pick out some albums and tracks worthy of a download. Here are today's selections:

My heroes: The Gym Class Heroes' new album is a little less edgy than previous LPs (sounds like they've started to enter Black Eyed Peas territory) but I'm still digging it. Probably not worth downloading the whole thing but their duet with Estelle, "Guilty as Charged" is great and I love that Busta Rhymes shows up on "Peace Sign/Index Down"!

Just a little bit country: Well, J Simp's first country album has arrived and the reviews are lukewarm. Idolator has a helpful round-up of reviews but even the Houston Chronicle described it as "mostly generic Nashville flavor." From what I've heard so far I wouldn't say it's bad, just not great. The song "Remember That" contains some powerful vocals and it's clear her heart and soul are in it when she belts the lyrics to "Might As Well Be Making Love." It's mostly when she has some Dixie Chick-like girl power oomph behind her lyrics that she's at her best, and has me (more or less) sold on her country transformation.

Two more good ones up next so read more.

Reflections on being in a band: The new Okervill River album is pretty great. So I downloaded the whole thing. I adore the gritty, crooning vocals of Will Sheff and am enjoying the diversity of these new songs. For example, "Singer Songwriter" sounds like a great traditional rock song, whereas "Pop Lie" sounds very new wave complete with claps. I've talked about "Lost Coastlines" before, but it's worth a reminder to download it because it's so good (it's one of my jogging songs!).

Cocktail party: I read that this new Calexico album was meant as a "travelogue about a Los Angeles scribe on a road trip during the recent Writers Guild strike" which is neato, but it's so pretty and atmospheric I keep thinking this is exactly what I'd put on in the background of a dinner party. The Latin flavor in "Inspiracion" is quirky and fun and "House of Valparaiso" is gorgeous.

BuzzSugar's Must Haves for September

BuzzSugar — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 05:45:53 -0700

All right, September is here! Let the good times roll! I know that sounds awfully cheery given the end of Summer, but from an entertainment perspective, this time of year is exciting. For my must haves this month I chose a book that intrigues me, several albums coming out from some of my favorite artists, a bunch of TV shows that will be out on DVD, and one of the most anticipated movies of the year that's soon to be yours to own! Ready for Fall? Just hit "Start." Source

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Song of the Day: "Lost Coastlines," Okkervil River

BuzzSugar — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:30:47 -0700

Admittedly, Okkervil River has made it onto my song of the day feature quite a bit. But every time the band releases a new song, there's just no way for me to resist it. When I heard this first track from Okkervil's upcoming fifth album, The Stand-Ins, I interrupted about a dozen or so of my friends' days with an email that implored them to stop and take a listen to this.

And, well, you too should stop and take a listen to this. "Lost Coastlines" has some gorgeous vocals from lead singer Will Sheff, layered on strings and even horns. If a Spoon song had a baby with a track from The Decemberists, it would sound like this. The album drops on Sept. 9, but you can get this track now on iTunes or take a listen if you read more.

Lost Coastlines - Okkervil River

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Music Video: Okkervil River, "Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 15:25:39 -0700

I already posted the MP3 of "Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe," but if you're still not listening to Austin's Okkervil River, maybe this awesome music video will convince you.

For the first single off of the new album, The Stage Names, the band heads into a '70s era motel room dominated by a flickering TV set, a Honeymooning couple, and some retro porn stylin'. All the while, frontman Will Sheff and the rest of the dudes are scattered about, strumming guitars, drinking wine, and pounding on a typewriter. As the song title suggests, it's all very meta; I love the aesthetic and the song, so to watch, read more

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Song of the Day: Okkervil River, "The Stage Names"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 11:22:42 -0700

Amid the slew of highly anticipated albums this year, I keep forgetting to get excited about Okkervil River's latest, The Stage Names, which hits stores today. But if the Austin band's other records are any indication, this album is one that will keep me company for quite some time. I find Okkervil River's blend of heartbreaking tenderness and raw angst nearly impossible to resist.

Of the songs I've heard off of the album, I still probably like "Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe" better. But then again, I've been listening to that one for months, so now I'm moving on to "The Stage Names." The title track off the new album is a surprising ballad that alternates between haunting strings and heavier rock. To listen, read more

via Pop Tarts Suck Toasted

Photo by Mary Sledd

Song of the Day: Okkervil River, "Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe"

BuzzSugar — Wed, 23 May 2007 09:01:00 -0700

If you're partial toward angsty rock-anthem melodrama and elegantly grungy vocals but you haven't yet been introduced to Okkervil River, allow me to play matchmaker. Since its outstanding 2005 album Black Sheep Boy, this Austin band has hovered somewhere between below the radar and above. As its name suggests, Okkervil River has an earthy, fierce folk sound, but it's filtered through the eyes of "a kid in the big city," like the one frontman Will Sheff sings about on "Our Life Is Not a Movie."

The song, which premiered yesterday on Pitchfork, will be first track off the band's next album, The Stage Names, which Jagjaguwar is releasing on Aug. 7. And while two years later, I'm still not the least bit sick of Black Sheep Boy, this excellent song makes me giddy to hear the rest of the album. Seriously, you should listen when you read more

Photo by Mary Sledd

Song of the Day: Okkervil River, "The President's Dead"

BuzzSugar — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 06:20:30 -0800

I often find myself revisiting Okkervil River's 2005 album, Black Sheep Boy, so I was psyched to see the band release a single this year to hold me over until its next full-length. I finally got a chance to hear the title track from the vinyl-only release, The President's Dead, and I'm sort of torn. On the one hand, it has all of the delicate acoustic melodrama and seething rock outbursts I've come to expect from Okkervil River, but I miss the more opaque lyrics of the band's other work. What do you guys think?