Taking a look at MBV's list of upcoming releases in the next quarter, summer looks to be pretty quiet. A few albums out this week or in the next couple of weeks, but beyond that not a lot that has me saving my pennies. Anything on the list that has you excited?
Wilco, Wilco (The Album) (June 30)
Haven't heard a single track off this record yet. I was scared off of Sky Blue Sky by a few tepid reviews when it came out in 07, only to pick it up in early 08 and be pleasantly surprised by about half of it. It hasn't proved to last in my ongoing rotation—I still prefer Summerteeth whenever I'm in a Wilco mood—but if anything it reminded me never to second-guess Tweedy & Co.
Spoon, Got Nuffin' EP (June 30)
Just announced last week and just released yesterday, this quickie EP will likely wind up in my collection though perhaps not right away. Despite finding Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga to be, arguably, the best album Spoon has done to date, I'm just not one to get excited for singles and EPs, comp appearances, or any other sort of non-album miscellanea. If I'm missing out, let me know.
The Fiery Furnaces, I'm Going Away (July 21)
I heard a track off of this album about a month ago and then decided to lay off until the record itself comes out. The Fiery Furnaces are a band of such detail that I find listening to anything other than a full album may miss the point. I've heard enough to know that it's not going to sound like Widow City, which is fine with me—another Widow City would be tiring right out of the gate. I trust that whatever they do, it'll be worth hearing. The Fiery Furnaces are one of the most interesting bands of this decade and I'm happy to follow them wherever they go.
Joe Pernice, It Feels So Good When I Stop (August 6)
I'll always have a place in my heart for Joe Pernice. Though I haven't been too keen on his last couple albums, there was a time when I preached the genius of Joe the way I've lately done for Andrew Bird. The guy, for a good five or six records in a row, could do no wrong. Since 2003's Yours, Mine and Ours I've felt that most of the Pernice Brothers' albums have been redundant, even if they do each contain one or two A+ tracks. It Feels So Good When I Stop looks to be an odd one, and I don't know if that will be a good thing or a bad thing. For one, it's a solo album—a good thing! Part of why the last couple Pernice Brothers albums have bored me is because the instrumentation, composition, and orchestration has become rote. The idea of Pernice keeping things stripped down is attractive, if indeed that's what he's done. On the other hand these are all covers and the album is meant as a "soundtrack" to the novel Pernice will be dropping on the same day. The novel is clearly the thing he's thrown the weight of his mind into, and this record seems more like a publicity stunt than an album to be taken seriously. Again, though, a tossed-off record might actually be a refreshing change of pace if it's a little rougher around the edges. (More good news: there's a couple of old-school country songs on the track list; does that mean we'll get a couple throwbacks to Pine Box-era Scud Mountain Boys? I hope so.)
Kings of Convenience, TBA (late September)
The Kings of Convenience made a brief announcement a week or two back letting people know their third album is finally done and is slated for release at the end of September. This excites me. I still listen to both of their other albums with some regularity and there will always be room for more of their Nordic Simon & Garfunkelisms. These guys take forever to make an album, but whenever one comes along I'll welcome it into my collection.
You might have caught some hype on the Antlers album Hospice. The August 18th date is a re-release, they self-released it earlier this year. I'm interested in your thoughts about it, although you probably won't like it since you hate Bon Iver (similar style, but I think the Antlers are better). Still, I'm digging it.
Posted by: Jim | July 02, 2009 at 06:34 PM
ooooooh. I was all about to thank you for the tip and then you had to go and throw Bon Iver out there. Yikes! I've seen their name floating around my rss reader--I'll check out some songs. Thanks for the tip.
Posted by: scott pgwp | July 02, 2009 at 07:19 PM