CD Releases: Week of 29/01/08

Make sure to visit your local record shop this week as there are some really good releases. Among them are Vampire Weekend and The Mars Volta. If anything, pick these two up.

Notable CD Releases
ABBA - "The Best of Abba"
Sarah Brightman - "Symphony"
Johnny Cash - "The Best of Johnny Cash"
Eels - "Useless Trinkets 1996-2006"
Louis XIV - "Slick Dog and Ponies"
Shelby Lynne - "Just a Little Lovin' "
Lynyrd Skynyrd - "The Best of Lynyrd Skynyrd"
The Mamas and Papas - "The Best of Mamas and The Papas"
The Mars Volta - "The Bedlam in Goliath"
Willie Nelson - "Moment of Forever"
Protest the Hero - "Fortress"
Vampire Weekend - "Vampire Weekend"
Hawksley Workman - "Between the Beautifuls"

Album of the Month - Vampire Weekend

The self-titled album from Vampire Weekend is released this week on January 29th. The New York based band signed to XL Recording for their debut, one of the most anticipated album's of the first half of the year (at least for me it is). The song 'Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa' made Rolling Stones' Top 100 Songs of 2007, coming in at #67. The band even got an opening slot with The Shins this past year. Not bad considering their album has not been released yet and the track was released only as a digital EP.

Vampire Weekend, who met while studying at Columbia University, formed in 2006. The band describe their music as "Upper Westside Soweto," a reference to their Afro-pop sound. The first single is called 'Mansard Roof' and it was released on October 28th, 2007. The next one is 'A-Punk' and for some reason I absolutely love their video for it. If you get a chance check it out. However, my favourite song has to be 'Bryn.' It's short but sweet and the slick guitars will stick in your head. Other songs include 'Oxford Comma,' 'Campus' and 'M79,' all very good songs. Here is a full tracklisting:

Tracklisting
1. Mansard Roof
2. Oxford Comma
3. A-Punk
4. Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
5. M79
6. Campus
7. Bryn
8. One (Blake's Got a New Face)
9. I Stand Corrected
10. Walcott
11. Kids Don't Stand a Chance

Vampire Weekend are currently touring North America and play the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto on February 11th. Check their MySpace page for a full listing.

FYI: At the moment you can stream Vampire Weekend's new album in its entirety on MuchMusic.com. Sample it, you'll probably love it.

Download: Vampire Weekend - Bryn [mp3]

MySpace: Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend: Official Website

Buy Vampire Weekend

You Should Be Listening To: ROGUE WAVE - LAKE MICHIGAN

Rogue Wave released their third studio album this past September. It's called Asleep At Heaven's Gate and features the catchy first single 'Lake Michigan.' This release, like many others, seemed to pass me by last year. Still, better late than never I guess. Anyways, 'Lake Michigan' was a great choice for the first single. It has a great melody and the drumming is powerful and complements the heavy acoustic strumming. The album was produced by lead singer Zach Rogue and Roger Moutenot, who has work with Yo La Tengo in the past.

The band are currently in the middle of a U.S. tour before they head over to Europe in February to play some shows. Check their MySpace page for upcoming dates.

Download: Rogue Wave - Lake Michigan [mp3]

MySpace: Rogue Wave

Official Website: Rogue Wave

Buy Asleep At Heaven's Gate

CD Releases: Week of 15/01/08

The Magnetic Fields release their new album Distortion today on Nonesuch Records. Pretty good album and worth picking up in my opinion. The band will embark on a mini tour of the U.S. in February playing several cities on multiple nights. Check out their MySpace page for a list of dates.

Download: The Magnetic Fields - California Girls [mp3]

MySpace:The Magnetic Fields

Official Website: The Magnetic Fields

Buy Distortion

Notable CD Releases

Econoline Crush - "Ignite"
Hayden - "In Field and Town"
The Magnetic Fields - Distortion

Nana Mouskouri - "The Ultimate Collection"
Frank Sinatra - "Beautiful Ballads and Love Songs"
Ringo Starr - "Liverpool 8"
Rhonda Vincent - "Good Thing Going"
Matthew West - "Something to Say"
Wisely - "Wisley"
Pete York - "Pete York and Friends"

You Should Be Listening To: JENS LEKMAN - THE OPPOSITE OF HALLELUJAH

Night Falls Over Kortedala, the second release from Sweden's Jens Lekman, was released this past fall on October 9th, 2007. It's described as a collection of songs/recordings from 2004-2007. I'm guessing that means the album contains some old and new tunes written within that span of time but it doesn't really matter. The album has gotten all around great reviews and for good reason, the music is fantastic.

'The Opposite of Hallelujah' is one of the singles off of the release. It's a great song. You can never go wrong with a little bit of Swedish indie pop. Simply catchy. If you head over to his label site Simply Canadian, you can also download the first single 'Friday Night At The Drive-In Bingo.'

Download: Jens Lekman - The Opposite of Hallelujah [mp3]

Jens Lekman: Official Website

Simply Canadian: Jens Lekman

Buy Night Falls Over Kortedala

CD Releases: Week of 08/01/08

No big releases this week. Actually scratch that, Sia's pretty good. Buy that album this week

Bangles - "All Over the Place"
Bangles - "Different Light"
Bangles - "Everything"
Glen Campbell - "Classic Campbell"
Johnny Cash - "The Best of the Johnny Cash Show"
Bobby Darin - "Swing N Slow"
Andrew Heller - "Broadway Love"
Elvis Presley - "Viva Las Vegas Soundtrack"
Sia - "Some People Have Real Problems"

Download: Sia - Electric Bird [mp3]

MySpace: Sia

Sia: Official Website

Buy Some People Have Real Problems

New Song From City and Colour

City and Colour aka Dallas Green from Alexisonfire has posted a new song for previewing on his MySpace page. It can also be purchased on iTunes Canada. The song is called 'Waiting...' and it's the first single off City and Colour's upcoming album entitled Bring Me Your Love. It is set to be released on February 12, 2008 on Vagrant and Dine Alone Records.

City and Colour is the acoustic side project of Green. It is very different than Alexisonfire, a wonderful Canadian band but there are some similarities. While the music is a lot more mellow and subdued, Green's melodies and vocals are still strong, if not better. He has one of the strongest voices in music and seems to be one of Canada's best kept secrets. His first release, Sometimes, was one of the best albums of 2005. 'Casey's Song,' 'Comin' Home' and 'Sam Malone' are fantastic tracks. If you haven't purchased this album yet, the time is now. It's simply beautiful and I expect the same will be said of Bring Me Your Love.

MySpace: City and Colour

City and Colour: Official Website

Buy Sometimes