September certainly snuck up on us, didn’t it? Where the heck did summer go? To those of you starting classes again this week, here are a trio of debut albums (and one from a duo of veterans) to rock your commute / Labour Day / first day of Ramadan.
Straight out of Springfield, Missouri, Ha Ha Tonka‘s Buckle In The Bible Belt is full of foot-stompin’ roots rock about hardships in the Ozarks. While the rest of the album is great highway driving music, the track “Falling In” (embedded above) really stands out for its indie rock ballad sensibilities, strong vocal harmonies and overall catchiness. The bluegrass inspired “St. Nick on the Fourth in a Fervor” is also worth a listen.
I would place Apes & Androids‘ sound somewhere between the electric rock opera bombast of Muse and the low key funk of Beck. It’s a strange mix but they make it work. The track “Riverside” starts off with subdued folk guitar but crescendos into a cacophony worthy of a Final Fantasy boss fight. Their album Blood Moon is a mixed bag, but features gems such as “Hot Kathy” and “We Don’t Understand You.”
Love Is Where The Smoke Is is lead singer Jamie Fooks’ bedroom work of passion. The Calgary native taught herself to sing, play, compose and digitally record throughout the album’s creation. Jane Vain & The Dark Matter‘s debut is surprisingly well polished while maintaining the lyrical honesty of an enthusiast. Feist, eat your heart out.
Finally, I picked up David Byrne and Brian Eno‘s latest collaboration Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. While it’s more accessible than some of their earlier work (following the trend of the later Talking Heads albums), they’ve snuck in a few strange tracks such as “I Feel My Stuff.” The flash widget embedded above actually streams the entire album, a commendable move that certainly embraces the spirit of the digital music revolution.
