Mentifacts

Weird Dreams - Coreography

[Matteo] A lone blogger’s plea for a band to attain fame is one of the least resonant and most pitiful things on the internet, but sometimes I can’t help myself.

Weird Dreams are an english group, and another in a recent wave of acts that seem obsessed with the subject matter of the suburbs. As we all know, boring places harbor great talent, and it seems like the suburbs worldwide are the new Scandinavia [no offense to scandinavians]. Except whereas we’re used to suburban bands trading in escapist fantasies, nowadays the strife for authenticity has led them to dwelling on their surroundings, plucking the beautiful out of the mundane. Real Estate come to mind when hearing Weird Dreams’ debut record Choreography,  but also the more punchy and ‘british’ Smith Westerns. 

Read More

[Matteo] We all know what they are. Captchas have become a staple of pop culture, like Nutella or the conspicuous absence of colored people in sitcoms. For those of you who don’t know what they are, we’re talking about those mangled sets of letters and numbers you need to insert when prompted, mostly when you’re trying to download something illegally.

Read More

[Joey] If you haven’t heard Japandroids, then I feel really sorry for you.  For those who are unfamiliar, long story short, in 2008, this band broke up, got lured back in to playing by small record label execs, decided to temporarily get back together, released the absolutely raw and powerful Post Nothing in 2009, and they’re putting out a new album this June.

The band released their first single from the upcoming Celebration Rock, “The House That Heaven Built”, a few days ago.  If the single is any indication, there’s going to be a lot of celebrating going on.  At the risk of sounding a little like I’m exaggerating, this might be one of the most uplifting power songs that I’ve heard in years.  It’s very fitting that the album is coming out in the summer, since this song sounds like it could be on the soundtrack to an absolutely epic adventure.  Hell, this song is going on the soundtrack to my life.  Just give it a listen.  If you don’t feel anything, get your pulse checked.

[Matteo] The artwork is basically identical to that of their debut album. Feels good man, like they never left us in the first place, yet it was 2009. 

http://soundcloud.com/polyvinyl-records/7-the-house-that-heaven-built

Delaney & Bonnie and Friends - Motel Shot (1971)

[Joey] Whether anyone wants to truly admit it or not, we’re all influenced by the music our parents listened to.  I was pretty lucky.  My parents never had me listen to the kiddie filth that so many kids listened to.  They treated me like an actual human, and I’m sure a lot of it was for selfish reasons.  Does any parent really want to listen to silly song kiddie crap?  I’m about 99% positive that my parents felt the same way.

Read More

[Yuval] High-energy-Zef-side-self-acclaimed superstars put the pedal to the metal for the second time, releasing an anticipated follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut album. While Die Antwoord have only been around for a couple of years, they have made waves in the music world, breaking through the ‘interweb’ humdrum with an eclectic flavored style of rap that turned many heads.

Read More

[Matteo] So, the Walkmen have announced that they have finished work on their new album, produced by Phil Ek [who produced Helplessness fucking Blues]. They describe the recording process as being much more rigorous than what they were used to, but what really matters is the sound, which was described as follows:

Read More

The So So Glos - Tourism/Terrorism [2008]

[Joey] I’ll be the first person to admit that my writing is generally direct, and I guess it’s oddly influenced by the music I have listened to throughout my lifetime.  I’ll also be the first to say that I’m not one to wax poetic about the glory days of rock or indie or any other scene.  Certain things aren’t as good as they used to be, but let’s be honest, there’s still a lot of quality music out there.

Music is an auditory Constitution, an ever changing document that bends to reflect the current state of the world.  I could wax poetic about Neutral Milk Hotel, Refused, Joy Division, Hüsker Dü, Pavement, and the dozens of albums and artists that influenced my emotions and tastes.  There will never be another band like any of those mentioned.  So to try and compare what’s currently going on to these icons is a losing battle.  I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have those “whatever happened to the good ole days” thoughts, but an album from 2008 always brings me back into perspective.

Read More

[Matteo] So, the Shins’ impossibly anticipated new album, Port of Morrow, is now streaming over at Drowned in Sound. Like most streams, it’s a measly 128 kbps (don’t ask how I know), but hey, it’s the goddamned new Shins album. It’s coming out on the 25th of this month.

[Matteo] Young Magic are very apt at blending together some of the most fashionable sounds of the past few years (notably Animal Collective, Neon Indian, Bear In Heaven), consisting of lo-fi electronica tinged with psychedelic flourishes -  and they partially manage to sound like themselves, except a lot of what’s on their debut LP, entitled Melt, qualifies more as impressive soundscapes than actual songs. In this part of the universe, Bear In Heaven are better songwriters, even though Young Magic make a terrific first impression.

[Joey] Thank Christ (note: I have no religious affiliation, so I can get away with such blasphemy) for bands that aren’t afraid to grab their balls and rock out.  Is it something you want from every band?  No, because it would get old after a while.  And yes, two of my favorite albums from this year are steeped in folk and Americana, but they can gladly go take their respective seats in second and third place.  The Men have entered the forum.

After last year’s criminally underrated Leave Home, The Men have recently released their latest “aggressive” indie rock album Open Your Heart.  When I say aggressive, think of the word in the Dinosaur Jr. sense.  It’s just solid, guitar driven indie rock that’s not afraid to induce head-nodding seizures. 

Read More

[Benjamin] Beach House are one of the champions of the fast rising (freak/nu-)folk(tronica) acts. Sure their debut was a bit slow, but now it’s big news that a new album will be coming in a couple of months. It’s appropriately named ‘Bloom’ and the first song we have the pleasure of listening to sounds very confident and a bit more forward than the mind-candy they produced initially. In other words, as expected after Teen Dream. Enjoy.

[Benjamin] Team Me, a Norwegian indiepop band, just released their debut album, called To the Treetops!, internationally. It’s a quintessentially contemporary effort, which hits many of the right notes of originality. So, OK, in this day and age what does that mean we hear? Treefight for Sunlight, Sufjan Stevens, Choir of Young Believers, Arcade Fire, and a lot of fashionable rhythmic references, and yet Team Me seems to survive all the references and To the Treetops! leaves me pleasantly satisfied and slightly hungry for me.

Read More

[Matteo]

5. Perfume Genius - Put Your Back N 2 It

I didn’t jump on the Perfume Genius bandwagon back in 2010 when it would have been considered ‘cool’, but this intoxicating mix of Sufjan Stevens and Anthony and the Johnsons captivated me from the very beginning. It’s a long relentless funeral dirge, a kind of cohesive piece that I don’t hear very often anymore.

4. Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself

Andrew Bird’s material has become more and more introspective as time progressed, becoming downright obtuse with Noble Beast in 2009. Break It Yourself sees him become less cerebral and more humane, and let’s all rejoice for that.

3. Magnetic Fields - Love At The Bottom Of The Sea

The anticipation behind this record was so incredible you would have thought they were returning after a decade-long hiatus, and yet the Magnetic Fields have put out consistently good records without cease. What’s new about this record is that it sees them returning to the more electronic sound that gave them a name in the early 90s. Stephen Merritt is at his best lyrically: Andrew In Drag, no-brainer of a choice for lead single, has some of the finest couplets you’ll hear in 2012, but there’s plenty of quirky, hilarious, but also earnestly romantic material to go through here

2. Grimes - Visions

Grimes’ new record is a perfect marriage between atmosphere and pop appeal, between darkwave and RnB and all kinds of unlikely influences blended together. The emphasis is on rhythm at all times - the chord progressions are often little more than an afterthought, which actually helps the ambient mood set in. We’ll hear more of Grimes: the girl has got a kick-ass personality.
And some thick-ass eyebrows. 

1. Damien Jurado - Maraqopa

I already raved at this record earlier this year, and my impression has only gotten stronger since then. The way this record mixes pupil-dilating psychedelia with the best brand of intimate singer-songwriting never ceases to amaze me: it feels like Jurado is constantly floating between fairy tale places and real ones, in and out of consciousness. It’s a strange and beautiful world you’ll want to inhabit.