Another week, another slew of good music that has zoomed through our hands here at The Futurist. Here are our respective choices for the week of April 13th.

Mike Taylor - Joan As Police Woman - “Real Life”, from the CD Real Life

Joan Wasser is a talented multi-instrumentalist who used to be with 90’s alt-rockers the Dambuilders prior to becoming an in-demand musician, playing with the likes of Joseph Arthur, among others. In fact, she played with him during one of our earliest Lounge Act sessions in November 2004, signing our autograph wall JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN, giving us an indication that she wasn’t planning to stay in the background for long.

Released last year to rapturous reviews overseas, Real Life is the Maine native’s debut full-length, an intimate and candidly personal record that highlights her smoky voice with lyrics that lay it all out there. On the title cut, she implores her desired to match her intentions:

It’s true what they say about me
That I’m out of my mind but I think that you like it
So take the chance
Be reckless with me

Guests include Arthur and recent Mercury prize winner Antony Hegarty (of the Johnsons). Real Life will be released in the US on June 12th.

Joan As Police Woman - Real Life

Matt Shiv - The Dead Bodies - “In Heaven, We All Are”, from the CD Mr. Spookhouses Pink House.

Groups like Canada, The High Strung and Mason Proper have been representing the Michigan indie rock scene here on the WOXY airwaves for awhile. I want to introduce you to another great band from the Great Lakes State called The Dead Bodies that we’ve recently started playing. Their new disc is called Mr. Spookhouse’s Pink House and it is one of the most original albums to cross my desk in some time. This song would fit in on the soundtrack to a David Lynch movie. I don’t know if the guys in the band are fans of his flicks, but something tells me that this track has a little “Eraserhead”
inspiration in it.

The Dead Bodies - In Heaven, We All Are

Joe Long - The Twilight Sad - “That Summer, At Home, I Had Become The Invisible Boy”, from the CD Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters.

There is just something about the way a Scottish accent rolls over top of a song. Especially when that song has a pounding percussion heartbeat, haunting accordian and moving lyrics. This is what you get from the tune with a very long name from The Twilight Sad. “That Summer” begins innocently enough, with soft and reflective lyrics, only to explode in a wave of instrumentation and emotion that begs for repeated listens. The entire album, Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters has a very Mogwai like feel due to the heavy wall of sound and of course, the similar country of origin. But overall, this track stands above the rest for me. The full album will be in stores stateside next week on April 17th.

The Twilight Sad - That Summer, At Home I Had Become The Invisible Boy

Mike Taylor - The Bees - Got To Let Go, from the CD “Octopus”

I’ve never bought into calling these guys A Band of Bees as they are legally named in the US. I mean, did you ever buy into “London” Suede? Their second disc, 2005’s Free The Bees, was one of my favorites that year (in addition to #49 on the 97 Best countdown) yielding the funky yet near-novelty “Chicken Payback”. They’ve just released Octopus in their native UK, and it’s another disc of 60’s-informed psych-pop. “Got To Let Go”, however, has more of a breezy Brasil ‘66 vibe, with its jazzy Latin brass section driving the beat. A US release should happen before the year is out but should you seek out the import, make sure this is one of your go-to tracks.

The Bees - Got To Let Go

Matt Shiv - The Eames Era - Both Hands Full, from the CD “Heroes and Sheroes.”

Straight out of Baton Rouge, this indie pop quintet are self-releasing their second album “Heroes and Sheroes” on April 17th. The disc is already available from all the major digital download services and I’ve probably
listened to the full disc over 50 times since getting an advance copy. The new album is just as catchy as their debut “Double Dutch”, but it finds them getting a bit more experimental in their instrumentation.

You’ll hear that on “Both Hands Full”, which begins with a catchy riff, begins to layer in harmony background vocals, and then shifts gears with the help of an odd electronic loop effect. It all comes back into focus quickly
and, by then, the song will be lodged in your brain and you’ll be singing along to every word.

The Eames Era - Both Hands Full

Joe Long - Feist - My Moon, My Man, from the CD “The Reminder.”

Welcome to “Song Of The Week” a special weekly feature here on “The Futurist” that will allows you to get into the heads of the DJ’s here at the station. Mike, Shiv and myself will choose a different song each Friday and give you some extra commentary about it. Also, we will provide either a free download of our song, a video or some streaming audio to allow you to listen while you read if you like.

Mike Taylor - Klaxons - “Golden Skans” from the album “Myths Of The Near Future.”

“Here’s the truth about my listening habits: I’m fairly ADD. There’s usually so much music I want to get through for station purposes that I rarely sit with any one CD for any appreciable length of time. I will, however, get stuck on individual songs that I can keep repeating in the car. This track from the UK trio Klaxons is a slice of audio cotton candy that recalls European synth bands from the ’80s like Alphaville or even A-ha. It’s a pretty lean pop song that boasts some slick production and brings it home in just under 2:45.

Check out the video of the song which, I must say, may be about the gayest clip I’ve seen since, well, some European synth-pop band from the ’80s. It’s pretty catchy, though.”

Matt Shiv - Palomar - “Our Haunt” from the album “All Things, Forests”

“On their 4th album “All Things, Forests”, Palomar have perfected their craft. I’ve been a fan of this band for years and my first listen to the new album far surpassed any expectations I had. This song builds up with an infectious bass drum beat, a riff that you can’t get out of your head, and gives us impeccable harmonies to boot. “Our Haunt” is one of many gems on this record and a prime example of an indie band at the top of their game.”

Palomar - Our Haunt

Joe Long - The National - “Fake Empire” from the album “Boxer”

“The new album from The National could very well be the most anticipated release of 2007 for me. It was an easy choice after the first two full lengths from the band “Alligator” and “Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers.” This song starts off with the baritone vibes of lead singer Matt Berninger and slowly builds into an absolute gem. It’s hard to detail all of the instruments that jump into the song, and I could be wrong about this, but I do know that Bryce is playing a wicked classical flute somewhere on the new album, am I hearing it faintly here? At any rate the percussion and horns are a great addition and help the song really soar. Can’t wait for the full album.”

The National - Fake Empire