MSTRKRFT - Beards Again

I have to admit, when Death From Above 1979 announced they were playing Coachella and additional dates, I really wondered what would come of MSTRKRFT. With little to no output since 2009's Fist of God and very few shows, I really thought they would get lost. Add to that a solo set by Al-P at Spybar and a JFK show at The MID, and you have a duo that isn't really hitting the scene that hard. Thankfully, the guys dropped a new song this week titled Beards Again and I love it. Gone is the fuzzed out bass, replaced with a building guitar and drums. Could they be taking a cue from Death Crew 77? I want more... Download it for free at the band's site.

Junip - In Every Direction Video and Ep

Junip just released an Ep & video for their great song, In Every Direction. The Ep features remixes from Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr & Morgan Kibby of M83 aka White Sea, along with three new songs. You can preview one of the tracks on their Soundcloud player, an instrumental titled Nackrosdammen. In even better news, they will be making their way back to Chicago for a show at the Empty Bottle, April 23rd. If you follow me at all, you know I have been praising their release Fields for a while and even reviewed their show at Lincoln Hall. Please pick up the new release or get a ticket.



The video was directed by band member, Elias Araya.

Iron & Wine - Tree By The River

With recent releases by Radiohead and Bright Eyes, I sort of feel like Iron & Wine's new album Kiss Each Other Clean got lost in the shuffle. If that's the case, hopefully some of you will watch this video and pick up a copy of his best work yet. As an added bonus, a limited number of tickets for his show at the Riviera have been released. The show is this Friday, so get them asap...

Foo Fighters New Video and Album Details

The Foo Fighters have announced their 7th album will be titled Wasting Light and released on April 12th. The boys have been busy lately, playing the entire album at tiny clubs in the LA area. Dave Grohl brought in Butch Vig to produce the new record and has said it's the "heaviest album they have ever made". Need some proof? Check out the video for "White Limo", a thrashing song that sounds more like Queens of the Stone Age than anything the Foo have put out in years...

Bright Eyes - The People's Key

Tomorrow Bright Eyes will release their 7th studio album, The People's Key. I'll admit, when I first heard A Collection of Songs... over a decade ago I would have never guessed they would make it this far. Since then, Conor Oberst has built quite a following with his ability to turn 3 minutes into a story. Lyrically, The People's Key is as good as it gets, which should be expected. However, it's the textures and production that make this their best album yet.

Many artists do not have the luxury to mature in today's declining industry. In fact, very few would be releasing a 7th album without ever producing a hit single. But with Saddle Creek Records, a label founded by Oberst and others, there has never been a demand for anything but good music. As you listen to the album, you can't help but notice elements from almost every previous release. All the comforts, the nuances that made songs unforgettable, they all find their way into a confident and mature record.

Continuing the tradition of opening with a narrative, we find ourselves listening to Denny Brewer as "Firewall" builds in the background. If Cassadaga was someone lost and looking for answers; The People's Key is the guiding light. It doesn't matter what you believe or who you think is in charge, everyone needs to hear that "love has always been the message".

For those of you looking for a folk record, it never appears. Well, maybe at the end. Instead the album in general is very upbeat using synthesizers to add energy and pop. "Jejune Stars" with the great line "Come fire, come water, come karma, we're all in transition" has a keyboard solo, something I cannot wait to see live. Look no further than "Triple Spiral" with clapping drums and busy keys for a glimpse at how far they've come.

"The Beginner's Mind" begins and ends with an acoustic guitar, working so well to show you the simplicity and bare bones of the album. "Ladder Song" is even more stark, a piano ballad reminiscent of "Breezy". Lastly, "One For You, One For Me" could easily be a hidden track from Digital Ash in a Digital Urn. The constant loop had me thinking of "Easy/Lucky/Free" and that's not a bad thing.

In all the interviews I read about this release, I kept hearing about "space" and leaving room "to breathe". How some albums had been "left too long in the oven" or might have been too monotonous. Very few bands with such an adoring fan base would even admit to such mistakes or go over critically acclaimed albums for errors. But these guys did and it pays off. Bright Eyes will play a SOLD OUT show at The Riv, March 15th.