Early September means the new releases are starting to arrive in a flurry ... I already feel far, far behind as there are at least 30 unlistened discs sitting in the new rack for me tomorrow morning.

Simian Mobile Disco - "Hustler"
The full-length from the band whose promo ep I discussed back in late July. My opinion hasn’t changed much, it’s tangentially related to the Daft Punk school of dance as the full-length is much friendlier with less emphasis on guitar or gritty beats and more playful with sharp electronics. This song lyrically is a defense of stealing records, I note I play it only for entertainment purposes and do not advocate the actions of the protagonist. Spun on 9/6/07.

Tunng - "Hands"
Only found a handful (haw-haw) of tracks on the new Tunng that excited me, though this particular selection is worthy of repeat spins. Lyrically it ruminates on the difference between death and the daily routine that is living, offering some life-goes-on moments in the face of death. The unanswered questions it offers all depend on the listener’s point-of-view, as we all find ways of casually dealing with the constant spectre of death while meandering towards our own end. This is all offered in the off-kilter words upon words folk style of Tunng, played on 9/6/07.

Taken By Trees - "Julia"
I always thought the lead singer was by far the weakest part of the Concretes’ package. So when she (Victoria Bergsman to properly introduce her by name) quit the band to take her own crack at Feist’s delicate audience I didn't anticipate genius. Also much like the Concretes there are a song or two on this release worth considering despite her weak attempts at carrying a tune. The mandatory ingredient for success is a requirement of a very limited vocal range, which this track does. Second requirement is she actually sticks to the plan, which she does.

Emma Pollock - "Paper and Glue"
Just when you thought the world was safe from the now-defunct Delgados, here comes a solo release from that band’s frontwoman. It could almost accurately be marketed as release from her former band - in tone, not personnel. If anything differentiates it, the production would take most of the blame. In my ledger it’s filed under "a bit too glossy." That’s to be expected from 4AD, and truthfully it won’t obscure any enjoyment of the disc for those late-period Delgados fans who are reading along. If you’re an early-period fan waiting for the return of the punk style, keep waiting. This is sumptuously poppy and effortlessly captivating. Spun on 9/6/07.

Matt Pond PA - "The Crush"
The truth is most MPPA albums do not impress me upon first listen. Only through repeated exposure are their charms subsequently revealed, resulting in multiple appearances on my year-end top 10 lists. So it should be no surprise that the story may be repeated here, as I’m not too sure about this latest MPPA release. The punchier production and increased instrumentation, especially the multiple strings, create a bigness that robs many of these efforts of their spontaneous charm. It’s like looking at a flower vs. a photoshopped portrait … the tweaked effort may contain more colors and sharper clarity but its attempt at perfection misses the point. All we really wanted was the pretty flower. Played on 9/6/07.

The Weakerthans - "Sun In An Empty Room"
I felt the Weakerthans played away from some of Left & Leaving's urgent punk strengths on Reconstruction Site, instead focusing on a more laid back DCfC style of smooth pop with more emphasis on nerdy vocals. This one moves in the same circles, so if you liked that last one you’ll probably be obsessing over a handful of songs on this new one. Not that I’m claiming Reunion Tour is a loser, just that it’s rather vanilla for me. Not French Vanilla either, which is my favourite Brigham's flavor. Played this tune on 8/30/07.

Via Audio - "Developing Active People"
This duet contains just enough soft rock goodness (check out the brightly wandering guitar and background vocal touches) to distract from the underwritten lyrics ("if you park your car close to the curb no-one will have to swerve" - I sure hope that isn’t a euphemism). Unfortunately the balance of the disc doesn’t carry the serve, usually requiring too much of the lead vocalist without much assistance from the capable bandmates.

Little Name - "This Was Your Place of Birth"
This is pure late-90’s indie-pop, with a simple strumming structure and awkwardly low male vocals. The inoffensive drums and slight wash of Felt-ish synths increase the sunny day factor. Has a late 60’s formulaic structure with much of the punch removed in a slightly melancholy delivery. Haven’t heard something this pure in awhile, played on 8/30/07.

The Pearlfishers - "Womack and Womack"
What a wonderful surprise to find the latest Marina release residing on our new rack, and we didn’t even have to pay for it! The Pearlfishers took 6 years off, not that anyone out there noticed. Luckily the time off was well spent copiously studying the complete works of Prefab Sprout, down to the northern soul references in the title of this tune. Quite sincerely someone could claim this was the comeback album post-Jordan circa 1993 or so and I’d believe the Paddy lineage 100%. In this case that’s as sincere and honest a compliment as I can offer this album. A must play (on 9/6/07) and a must-purchase when it’s officially released in late September.

Shout Out Louds - "Time Left For Love"
When I originally commented on their ep I accused Merge of trying to concoct some special ¾ Destroyer / ¼ Spoon hybrid formula with this band. Unfortunately the full-length doesn’t offer much more than that wan hope. It’s the kind of record I’d expect to show up on Epic after they contract one of their in-house producers to concoct a band that sounds like it’ll hit "that college market demographic." In other words, it’s a vague imitation of a certain sound with little else worthy of attention beyond the art direction.

Film School - "Two Kinds"
The new Film School is only a slight departure from their previous effort, and while there’s less emphasis on psychedelic and shoegazer rock here it still roams familiar territory. If anything it simply suffers from the sophomore slump of not-as-good songs, as they probably used up all their best ideas last year and then picked through the remnants for the follow-up. Eventually I found one song worth playing on 9/6/07.

Electro Group - Bikini States"
The Electro Group continue to explore their love of early to mid 90s shoegazer rock in this sharp follow-up to their debut disc. While most of the recent adherents to the genre stick with the mellifluous flowing tones of the Slowdive variety, Electro Group have not forgotten that there were plenty of pure noise / rock bands like Medicine and Drop Nineteens that had their own distinct version of the feedback sound. And that’s exactly what we get here, a distinct take from a well-done group. Played on 9/6/07/

The Go! Team - "Keys to the City"
If it works, why mess with it? Far too many outfits go for the abrupt left turn after a mind-blowing release, I guess to prove they’re diverse. Instead they end up abandoning the attributes that made them unique. No worries of that with the new Go! Team record, it could be accurately described as Thunder Lightning Strike part 2. To my ears the cheerleader rapping, horn blowing and booty shaking are all just as bracingly effective, which is a definite appendage up factor. A few songs incorporate some more traditional vocals for an almost twee-pop feel, and those work equally as well. Played this on 8/30/07, you’ll be hearing some more from it soon.

Meneguar - "Living In The White"
This is about as heavy as I can stand the attention-deficit style of punk rock, which is to say not very. The changes here are sharp and energetic, the vocals barking and nasal, but it’s still friendly in a frenetic way. This is not punk of 77, it’s punk of 97 which means it’s all skinny armed drums and fury. Still, I liked it enough to spin this one on 9/6/07.

Charlemagne - "You Are My Diary"
This is a rather nondescript release on a small label that offers a consistently enjoyable palette of indie-rock. Review copies will probably end up in cut-out bins around the country where it’ll go for $3 (or these days, a handful of your emusic download credits). Take away points for the diary reference in your title, add them back for the country-pop vibe plunked in between a few more classically (classic = early 90’s that is) indie-rock tunes.

True West - "Throw Away The Key"
Odd how this re-issue of an 80’s off-kilter Dream Syndicate / Television hybrid style country-rock outfit shows up on noise label Atavistic. In any case it’s a reissue of a few of their releases which are very much of their time with awkward vocals and solidly brawny yet still tuneful backing that’s produced with trebly guitar and drums and vocalist way up front. I’m always a sucker for nostalgia, even if I wasn’t conscious of them the first time around.

Hell on Wheels - "Gone Too Far"
Darla stuck this exclusive track from this Swedish band on their new label sampler. Not typically Swedish sounding in their vocals which are delightfully off kilter or their music which doesn’t try to sand off the rough edges to a glossy sheen (just listen to the doubled guitar solo on this one). I greatly enjoyed their album from late last year, it’ll probably end up on my year-end best of if I squint past the self-imposed date requirement.

Liars - "Sailing To Byzantium"
By far the most boring song on the new Liars records, which is probably why it appeals to me the most. Still trying to come up with a way to accurately identify this band OTA beyond spelling the name L-I-A-R-S or saying "the New York Liars" to avoid the confusion with the L-Y-R-E-S. In any case this one is slow and menacing which certainly distinguishes itself from the attention deficit disorder rock on the rest of the record.

Deer Tick - "Dirty Dishes"
A mostly ragged alt-country album with some pop leanings, this song is the most polished nugget in the pan. Normally I’ll reserve anything that catches my ear, this one sat on the line of "should I or shouldn’t I" for a long while before I finally decided that, if I can’t make up my mind then obviously I should keep it for further exploration. Still haven’t quite sussed out an opinion, which means it likely won’t get played.

Carpet Care - "Getting Older"
Well, I can at least relate to the title. This song was on a rather nondescript label sampler of some west coast regional music collective I had never heard of, most of the time these laudable efforts don’t yield anything playable. But amongst the ineptly recorded genre exercises is this languid slide-guitar and piano exercise with yearning vocals that effectively evokes a late summer evening reflection on the title.

Revolving Paint Dream - "Fever Mountain"
A new collection of rarities by this 80’s version of a 60’s throwback band, think of the Paisley Underground sound but English and therefore much more influenced by the sharp jangle of C-86 than Roback’s guitar ministrations. Admittedly this tune is one of the more torpid entries, still not sure why I selected it instead of an upbeat brother (or sister as some of the songs have female vocals). Played on 8/30/07.

Patrick Park - "Here We Are"
Our music director Patrick (of Subject 2 Change fame) sometimes attempts to predict which discs will receive only one solitary spin thanks to my half-hearted enthusiasm (and everyone else’s lack thereof). Patrick Park is a perfect example of this type of effort, a smoothly produced pop disc with slightly sad vocals and just enough production and jangle to keep everyone else away. Not quite commercial enough for the River, but far too pleasant for anyone else’s consumption. That being said, I still haven’t played this yet.