Their Collema EP offers more goodness from Swedish rockers Humfree Bug Art, who wowed in October with their first EP, Old Chairlene. Their second EP sees the group expanding upon their already-rich meshing of folk and post-rock; it was apparent early on that Humfree Bug Art have the power to unleash huge, anthemic tracks. The four-song Collema shows it, too. The closer is a twinkling little gem with hazy synth pads and a clinking cuteness, so to say, but the other three efforts are fierce and grandiose.

The aptly titled “Dancing Kites” weaves ominous guitar stabs and a trickling sort of intermezzo backing. The vocals increase in intensity toward the chorus’ havoc, marked by a twinkle of keys and a more upbeat guitar taking over. The vocals launch into jubilant form, the track leaping from anxious chaos to infectious glee in a heartbeat. “Flowers” evokes a dramatic sound with its repeated whirring sample, and produces a nicely arranged rock song that bustles with a pleasant push. It’s sure to remind some of The Killers, even if the chorus resembles slightly grander acts like The Frames.

The six Swedes are offering the EP in full on Soundcloud. Listen to it below:

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The theme of clinging onto nostalgia, and the ensuing repercussions, runs freely throughout Trouble Will Find Me. “I am secretly in love with everyone I grew up with,” Berninger sings with a deadpan smirk on “Demons”, which almost resembles late-era Springsteen in its nonchalant narrative approach. The chorus’ transition, where Berninger ticks his range up just enough for discretion, subtly advances for grand effect. It’s a practice the group is familiar with. “Humiliation” succeeds on a similar level, with mounting ambient effects co-existing alongside a chugging guitar rhythm. When the chorus hits with its warm organs, Berninger emits a wordless croon of sorts every few moments, providing resounding melodic impact to a track that already reaps from a strong initial presentation.

The National are one of the best in the biz at transitioning moody hooks. However, even in their impressive catalog, few can compare in overall beauty to the breathtaking “This is the Last Time”, which has an extremely moving string-laden interlude where Berninger’s vocals are accompanied by angelic female harmonies. Its coda is one of The National’s finest hours; Berninger pleas to “Jenny” as the female vocals gradually reflect his own, singing “it takes a lot of pain to pick me up.” It begins to resemble the most heartrending rock opera known to man, before it fades suddenly on the heels of melancholic strings. This is an absolutely stunning effort; it’s one of the finest examples of the group’s songwriting, as well as Berninger’s vocals – which have much more range than initially let on.

Tales of lost love, and those who have forgotten past feelings that one still values, continue to resonate throughout the album. “Don’t Swallow the Cap” touts a fascinating instrumental arsenal led by downtempo keys and string flourishes, both allowing Berninger to express some of the most dramatic vocals on the album. “Everything I love is on the table, everything I love is out to sea,” he sings, the line usually accompanied by strings. On the more delicate side, “Heavenfaced” is laced with whole-noted piano droplets, yet again allowing Berninger to stretch out his vocals. “If you lose me, I’m gonna die,” he croons here, again touching on feelings of loss and remoteness. Just as the track seems like it’s going nowhere, a transition at 02:15 marks an upbeat transition to soaring relief, where words of optimism like “believer” take over as guitar crackles and pianos converge for trickling beauty.

Such narrative twists may seem necessary to advance a track, but The National’s execution is so masterfully thought-out that their roles as poetic punctuations remain one of the band’s strongest suits. “Loss” or some variation continues to be repeated, but rarely without a twist that shifts the mood into one of optimism, or at least retrospective hope. These twists help maintain the album’s accessibility and thematic delivery, even on those that suffer some melodic inadequacy. Despite not a truly bad track on Trouble Will Find Me, there are several efforts that stray within a safe zone for too long. “Graceless” remains overly idle with its percussive stutter, and although a final minute victory lap results in heavier emotions and consequential distortion it isn’t enough to stand up to other, stronger efforts throughout Trouble Will Find Me. And there are many of them, from the stunning heartbreak of “This is the Last Time” to the twangy tell-all “I Need My Girl”, where Berninger seems proud to wear his eroding emotions on his sleeve. This is nothing new for The National, who have the ability to turn feelings of loss, inadequacy, and longing nostalgia into poetic and spine-tingling memoirs. And like the greatest texts, there are a variety of twists and hooks to keep things enthralling below the surface. The subtext within The National’s compositions continues to mesmerize.

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Throw me on a cloud and blast “Pendulum” by Pure Bathing Culture. The feeling would be akin to a complete escape, a calm respite from the day’s chaos. This Portland-based group has something entirely entrancing with “Pendulum”, its jangly effervescent guitar bursts meshing perfectly with Sarah Versprille’s soothing vocals. It’s almost as if Fleetwood Mac and Bananarama got together and scoped over recent electronic-infused trends. The result is brilliant. The track is off Pure Bathing Culture upcoming debut full-length Moon Tides, out August 19th (20th in U.S.). It follows up their 2012 self-titled EP. “Pendulum” has ‘summer hit’ written all over it, so the timing is apt.

Below is a highlight, “Ivory Coast”, from their debut EP last year:

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It’s great to be reminded of Tunng, the London-based folkies whose 2007 album Good Arrows wooed me several years ago. Their new track, “The Village”, does much of the same. As a contagious effort from Tunng’s upcoming album Turbines, due out June 17th (18th in the U.S.), “The Village” combines electro-acoustic stutters with marimba-like key bouncing, all over a tranquilly convergent male-female lead. Some superb sampling work is done around the 01:30 mark, and then again at 02:42, when warbled guitar stretches halt for just a moment as an exotic vocal sample peeps in; this allows for the entry of a fuzzy organ to embrace the melodic lead before the lighter keys return, which is when male and female vocals alternate turns as the lead before combining their talents. It’s a structurally engaging effort with the oddball folk-infused infectiousness that Tunng have made staples of their sound by now. I am greatly anticipating the group’s fifth album, Turbines, on June 17th.

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With loudly pulsating ‘80s-inspired guitar blasts and a funk-tinged rhythmic backing, “Give Life Back to Music” jump-starts Random Access Memories toward instantly infectious territory, as Daft Punk have a tendency of doing with openers. This is an album opener full of danceable rhythms and a repeating vocoded catch phrase, per usual. It’s not an effort with much structural advancement, but there’s plenty to cherish in the initial idea alone; this is Daft Punk comfort food, something entirely expected but satiating nonetheless. The funk rhythms and crowd-like party ambience toward the end provides just the amount of variation necessary to jump into the subsequent effort, the more retrospective “The Game of Love”. With chilled-out twinkling shifting hazily over a robotically melancholic lead, it’s in sharp contrast to “Give Life Back to Music” in tonal direction. Still, it’s a fitting one-two punch that reminds fans of Daft Punk’s diverse touch.

While the album starts out pleasant enough with “Give Life Back to Music” and “The Game of Love”, the next few tracks on Random Access Memories make some questionable production choices. The vocoder on “Within” gradually becomes grating, with the poppy fluctuations hardly justification for the tired production choice. With slight piano alterations, the initial verse repeats with minimal impact. Chilly Gonzales’ piano melodies are pleasant, but it’s not enough to carry the track. “Within” begins a section of tracks in the key of B-flat minor, but its introduction to a key is no excuse for weak execution. “Within” is followed by another high-profile collaboration in “Instant Crush”, which features The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas on vocals. It sounds more like Casablancas’ solo work than a Daft Punk collaboration, yet manages to successfully incorporate vocoded synth-pop effects with a slick garage-rock whimsy to result in an engaging sound. The same can be said for “Touch”, which transforms from a Paul Williams standalone to one of Daft Punk’s greatest epics.

“Touch” initially drags slightly as Paul Williams’ vocals aren’t served by much of an accompaniment, but the energetic burst of excitement just past the three-minute mark lifts it into dizzying heights. “Touch” takes awhile to get started, but once it does it blasts until a cathedral of sound that marks one of the best moments on Random Access Memories. It’s a collaborative experience that is very inspired, in the middle of an album where the collaborative efforts are a mixed bag. Some sound phoned in, like the Panda Bear add-on “Doin’ It Right”, which makes over-use of a repetitive vocoder lead, much like “Within”. Panda Bear’s vocal lead adds nothing at all, and it all seems very novelty. “Giorgio By Moroder” is novelty as well with its spoken-word sample stroking the concept of a synthesizer, but Daft Punk follow it up with seven minutes of exciting minimalist-inspired electro that recalls their early works. If they plan to incorporate collaborations just for attention, Daft Punk should go a route more akin to “Instant Crush” and “Giorgio By Moroder”, and not the dull “Doin’ It Right”.

Pharrell Williams has the pleasure of appearing on two tracks here, one a dismal confusion and the other an infectious gem. It’s a perplexing mixture, to say the least. The disco-tinged funk of “Lose Yourself to Dance” is cheesy, plain and simple. Even an ascending vocoder sample can’t save the cumbersome guitar licks and title-referencing vocal lead. Daft Punk show off their innate ability to implement robotic vocal samples toward the conclusion of “Lose Yourself to Dance”, but it serves as a technical demonstration more than an actual song. Williams’ chops are better utilized on the scratchy funk-tinged “Get Lucky”, which recalls neon-lit soul and funk in delectable fashion. Alongside “Touch”, it’s one of the best on Random Access Memories.

Excluding the Panda Bear collaboration, the second half of the album deserves plenty of praise.  “Touch” and “Get Lucky” are wonderful epics, but a very spacey section of the album begins with “Beyond”. Along with “Motherboard” and “Contact”, Daft Punk show a truly unique atmospheric touch that meshes futurism and the unknowns of space, the latter particularly evident on the stimulating closer “Contact”. “Motherboard” is a stunner that develops an ominous sci-fi atmosphere through nocturnal acoustic guitar trickles, hypnotic woodwind samples, and a gargling bass lead. The whirring synth arpeggios present throughout the second half promote tranquility and the unknown rather than the urgency felt throughout the first half. This is a tactfully patient section of the album that closes it in grand fashion; it seals an album with a multitude of stunning moments, with several showing Daft Punk at their best. Although occasionally weighed down by excess collaborations and vocoded dependence, Random Access Memories is a success that balances idiosyncratic sampling and natural instrumentation with the utmost brilliance.

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Every summer, Cartoon Network’s nightly, older-skewing Adult Swim block, popular with college kids, stoners, and everyone in-between, releases a free sampler of exclusive music by up-and-comers. In the past, the project has featured singles from Best Coast, the Rapture, and others who have broken free of the indie underground and seen some commercial success.

It could be said, then, that it serves as an incubator for bands on the rise, albeit unintentionally. For the music fan who likes to claim they were a fan of a band before they got big, these samplers are always good to pay attention to. This year’s line-up is an especially exciting one. Garage Swim is heavy on the lo-fi, featuring bands like King Tuff, Thee Oh Sees, and Black Lips. Mississippi’s Bass Drum of Death’s “Dregs” is one stand-out, perfectly encapsulating the sampler’s concrete summer theme. Its fuzzy, far-away vocals hide underneath a droning guitar that marches towards the “Oh no”s and “Oh yeah”s of the chorus. It’s a unique brand of summer that goes along perfectly with the Adult Swim aesthetic – a little lackadaisical, a little too cool to care, and easily amused by the simplest and driest of jokes.

The song lives in the world of the sampler’s title; it’s the band’s version of a day at the beach, only trade in the surfboards for skateboards and the sand for the concrete of Dad’s garage. The sun might be shining, but Bass Drum of Death is wearing sunglasses, and they’re inside and out of the heat, anyway. “I keep moving ’til I find your love/oh no/oh yeah,” vocalist John Barrett sings, non-committal as his guitar trails off underwater to join the rest of his garage swimmers.

You can download the entire free sampler from Adult Swim (and co-sponsor Dr. Pepper) here.

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Wild Ones by blackprairie

Since I haven’t read Jon Mooallem’s environmental novel Wild Ones, I can only tell you that Black Prairie’s soundtrack is exactly what you would expect from a band that includes four members of The Decemberists. Mooallem, also a writer for NY Times Magazine, asked the band to write the soundtrack for his imaginative wildlife epic, and the result is 27 minutes of folk-infused bluegrass, country barrel whistle-crackin’ melodies, and an homage to the accordion by phenomenally talented fellow Decemberist Jenny Conlee. According to the band’s official website, this the title of the soundtrack (which is digitally available now):

Black Prairie Performs Wild Ones: A Musical Score for the Things That You Might See in Your Head When You Reflect on Certain Characters and Incidents That You Read About In the Book.

You can stream the soundtrack here. Whistle along, because I did…

Five albums in, the Dodos are ready for a change. The San Francisco duo, known for their aggressive acoustics and relentless heart-pounding percussion, have recently signed to Polyvinyl (after leaving former label Frenchkiss) and are preparing their latest, Carrier, for a late August release.

Polyvinyl, home to bands as diverse as STRFKR, Japandroids, and Owen, seems to be a perfect fit for the Dodos’ new, darker direction. Inspired by the death of Christopher Reimer, who toured with the band in 2011 and previously played with the band Women, the album’s first single, “Confidence”, finds lead singer/guitarist Meric Long’s vocals fighting to be heard behind a surging electric guitar. While the electric guitar has featured increasingly heavier in the Dodos discography, “Confidence” abandons the idea completely that this band is unplugged at its core.

A statement accompanying the album announcement and single release details the particulars of Reimer’s influence, namely the aforementioned heavy electric guitar and a “patience to let a song develop and a judgment-free enthusiasm for sound.” This enthusiasm imbues the duo with a new-found “confidence” (excuse the pun), and while the single does convey a more deliberate and dialed-back sound than the shouting, reckless nature of breakthrough Visiter, it also is suggestive of a more mature, thoughtful approach.

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