New Leader for Best Album of 2012...

It's early, I know, but I can safely say this is the most significant album I've heard so far this year and yet another album that further establishes the greatness of Jagjaguwar and Spencer Krug.

Moonface : With Siinai: Heartbreaking Bravery

For those unfamiliar, Moonface is the latest project from Sunset Rubdown's & Wolf Parade's Spencer Krug. He's teamed with Siinai, an instrumental outfit from Helsinki, for this album.  I think I've already annoyed all my friends about this song so much that they'll probably write it off due to overhype.

Everyday Is Record Store Day!

I turned my Presidents Day into Record Store Day! Check out my haul...

1) Favorite Album of 2011 : Black Lips : Arabia Mountain


2) One of my 2010 favorites : Sunset Rubdown : Dragonslayer

This isn't on 'Dragonslayer, but you should know it!


3) One of the all-time greatest albums : T. Rex : Electic Warrior

It was out of line, but it was fun...

With Wolf Parade's & Sunset Rubdown's Spencer Krug set to release a new album under his solo moniker, Moonface, I felt myself craving some Krug... All of the following songs are ones that force me to zone out completely and start singing. Look out conversations with friends and speed limits, you don't stand a chance!

Exhibit #1 : Wolf Parade : I'll Believe In Anything : Apologies To The Queen Mary (2005)
"Give me your eyes. I need sunshine. Your blood your bones your voice and your ghost.'


Exhibit #2 : Sunset Rubdown : Silver Moons : Dragonslayer (2010)
'It was out of line, but it was fun. Didn't you love the part right before the dawn?'


Exhibit #3 : Sunset Rubdown : Dragon's Lair : Dragonslayer (2010)
'You're such a champion.'


Check out the new Moonface track on this coming week's show!

The Unknown & Unheard Show 249!

PAPA - Ain't It So - A Good Woman Is Hard To Find EP (2011)

-          Led by the drummer for the band Girls.

-          Upbeat, a touch beachy and sun-drenched pop and a perfect fit for the end of summer.

MySpace : HypeMachine

Peggy Sue – Long Division Blues – Fossils and other Phantoms (2010)

-          2nd album from UK trio.

-          Dark vibes soak this track and I love it.

Official Site : Amazon : HypeMachine

The Pack A.D. - Take - Unpersons (2011)

-          3rd album

-          Big White Stripes and Kills vibes here.

Official Site : Amazon : HypeMachine

The Raveonettes – Oh, Stranger - Batman: Arkham City Game OST (2011)

-          Contribution for a new Batman video game.

-          4^th album from this Danish rock duo

-          Sound is heavy with feels of the Velvet Underground.

-          Also some Black Mountain and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club missed in there too.

-          this one is blatantly laden with Lou Reed/VU sounds.

Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine

Richard Swift – Whitman - Walt Wolfman EP (2010)

-          4^th full length

-          Finally this thing is coming out! Been in the works for over a year.

-          Hops from genre to genre

-          This track has some serious vintage sounds, Motown in particular, and was released on a primer EP that was filled with similar feels.

Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine

Man Man – Spooky Jookie – Life Fantastic (2011)

-          Forthcoming 4^th album

-          Manic and energetic big band sound.

-          I always think they bring the sound and style that Franz Nicolai (formerly of the Hold Steady) is aiming for on his solo work, but never achieves.

-          They were great at SXSW!

-          Leader of Man Man is also in the collaborative project called Mister Heavenly with folks from Modest Mouse and the Unicorns.

Official Site : Amazon : HypeMachine

Wooden Wand and the Briarwood Virgins - Big Mouth USA - Wooden Wand and the Briarwood Virgins (2011)

-          Latest single from this James Jackson Toth project's forthcoming album

-          Also released music as WAND after his band left him.

-          He conducted a pretty awesome fundraiser for this album. Check it out here!

MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine

My Brightest Diamond – Be Brave - All Things Will Unwind (2011)

-          Shana Worden’s debut album was out in 2006

-          Previously with Awry and Sufjan Stevens

Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine

Futurebirds - Wild Heart - Via Flamina EP (2011)

-          Forthcoming EP

-          Debut full length was out in 2010 and called Hampton's Lullaby.

Official Site : MySpace : HypeMachine

ARMS - Fleeced - Summer Skills (2011)

-          2nd album

-          Harlem Shakes' member Todd Goldstein.

-          The song Tiger Tamer from their debut album is a brilliant track

-          SXSW Performer

Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine

Mark Kozelek – Up To My Neck – The Finally LP (2008)

-          an album of covers

-          This is an AC/DC cover

-          He has done several albums like this… dedicating entire albums to AC/DC, Modest Mouse, John Denver and Kris Kristofferson

-          The Modest Mouse album is fantastic.

Official Site : Amazon : HypeMachine

Desertshore - Mercy - Drawing of Threes (2011)

-          2^nd album. 1^st was out in 2010

-          Collaboration of former members of the Red House Painters, a band led by Mark Kozelek.

-          Kozelek is now best known for his other band Sun Kil Moon

Official Site : HypeMachine

Sunset Rubdown – Dragon’s Lair – Dragonslayer (2009)

-          4^th album

-          Eagerly awaiting this album

-          One of Spencer Krug’s many bands

-          This album has some epic sounding tracks.

-          Longest song on the show by 56 seconds!

Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine

Sunset Rubdown : Dragons Lair

Who could possibly turn down a 10+ min sunset rubdown?

Ok... that lady was pretty creepy. I could probably turn down one from her.

The Best of the Unknown & Unheard 2009! Part 1!

Stream & Download The U & U Show 159 Right Here, Right Now! (MediaFire) Rock Plaza Central - Oh I Can - …At the Moment of Our Most Needing Or If Only They Could Turn Around, They Would Know They Weren’t Alone (2009) - 2nd album from the Chris Eaton led rotating group of musicians - Another track that packs a boatload of intensity. - Strained feel to the song that you get from The Builders and the Butchers and even the Mountain Goats… comparable vocals as well. Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine Free Energy – Dream City – Free Energy (2009) - Forthcoming debut full length. - formerly known as Hockey Night - Produced by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. - Will likely be on the 2010 Best Of list. MySpace : HypeMachine Black Lips – Short Fuse – 200 Million Thousand (2009) - 5th album… out February 24th - Velvet underground/Guided By Voices - Known for their wild live shows - Added just enough polish on this album. Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine Richard Swift – Lady Luck – The Atlantic Ocean (2009) - 4th full length - Hops from genre to genre - This track has some serious vintage sounds, Motown in particular, and was released on a primer EP that was filled with similar feels. - 2009 Kyle Kaufman Look-A-Like Contest Winner! Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine M. Ward – Epistemology – Hold Time (2009) - Latest album. - makes me think of when I heard the fleet foxes in early 2008… this will end up being one of the year’s best albums. - this track features his She & Him counterpart, Zooey Deschanel. - This was a leader right out of the gate for one of the year’s best. Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine Suckers – Easy Chairs – Suckers EP (2009) - debut EP - big pounding, distorted anthem with a couple huge builds - loads of hype around this short 4 song release… deservedly so! - Love this Song! - Like Free Energy, the music world is eagerly anticipating the full length from this band. MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine Sunset Rubdown – Silver Moons – Dragonslayer (2009) - 4th album… out June 23rd - Eagerly awaiting this album - One of Spencer Krug’s many bands - This album has some epic sounding tracks. Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) & Aaron Dessner (The National) – Big Red Machine – Dark Was The Night (2009) - star studded charity compilation for The Red Hot Organization (AIDS & HIV) - it seems weird to want to pick a compilation as one of the year’s best albums but the talent and quality of these tracks is undeniable. - Almost every artist on the 2-disc album is responsible for a great album on their own. Bon Iver MySpace : Dark Was the Night MySpace : Amazon Magnolia Electric Co. – It’s Made Me Cry – It’s Made Me Cry EP (2009) - From his Record Store Day Release - Josephine is his forthcoming full-length - Jason Molina’s current moniker he’s releasing music under. - Also released music in his name and Songs: Ohia Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine The Avett Brothers - Incomplete and Insecure - I and Love and You (2009) - Latest, and best, album - follow-up to their break out ‘Emotionalism’ - this is the exact type of track that makes me love this band. - Easy Americana Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine Langhorne Slim – Back To the Wild – Be Set Free (2009) - 3rd album - His self-titled second blew me away. - the best folk singer/songwriter out there for my money. MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine Benjy Ferree – Fear – Come Back To The Five And Dime Bobby Dee, Bobby Dee (2008) - 2nd album - Concept album inspired by Bobby Driscoll, the boy who played Peter Pan for Disney in the 40’s & 50’s - After hearing a couple old time pop songs (‘Fear’) I wasn’t expecting to hear a track like this one… sounds like it could be found on a Raconteur’s record. - He’s getting comparisons to Jack White, Freddie Mercury and Marc Bolan… pretty accurate and pretty good company! Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine Matt & Kim - Good Ol' Fashion Nightmare – Grand (2009) - 2nd album, debut out in 2006, Self-titled. - just added to the Pitchfork Music Fest, which is one of the more relevant festivals you’ll find - keyboard & drums that sound like much more than that… sum of the parts - Big indie rock sounds without a doubt… the sound of the vocals scream it. - This track thunders along and build very enjoyably Official Site : Myspace : Amazon : HypeMachine Animal Collective - What Would I Want? Sky - Fall Be Kind EP (2009) - follow up EP to Merriweather Post Pavilion, as album widely considered one of the year’s best. - This track expands on a sample from the Grateful Dead’s ‘Unbroken Chain’ - When it comes to the nerdiest of the nerdy in the music world, the more a band is ‘different for the sake of being different’ the better they are received and the more they are praised. This annoys me greatly, but these guys seems to always be experimenting without seeming like they are trying to do it to win over critics. - They have some quite approachable songs and they have some wildly different and potentially off-putting songs. This track is half of each and gives a great representation of what they offer. Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine Japandroids – Young Hearts Spark Fire – Post-Nothing (2009) - Debut, critical praise is pouring down on this album. - raucous post punk rock - huge energy and distortion. You’ll want to see this song live and as loud as possible Official Site : Myspace : HypeMachine

The Unknown & Unheard Show 156!!! We're Three!!!

Stream & Download The U & U Show 155 Right Here, Right Now! (MediaFire) King Khan – Three Hairs & You’re Mine – Three Hairs & You’re Mine (2002) - Debut album. Latest with the Shrines is 2008's 'The Supreme Genius of…' - Has released albums with King Khan & the BBQ Show and the Almighty Defenders this year. Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine Matt & Kim - It's A Fact (Printed Stained) – Matt & Kim (2006) - Debut album. Latest and 2nd is ‘Grand’ - keyboard & drums that sound like much more than that… sum of the parts - gigantic stage presence for a drum and keyboard outfit. Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine Hockey Night – Rebel Fever (Who We Are) - 2nd album - This is that band that’s grown into Free Energy - You can really feel the same big glam rock vibes here as you can in Free Energy’s music. - Really wanting to hear the entire Free Energy, but they have only released an EP. Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine M. Ward – Duet For Guitars #2 / Beautiful Car – Duet For Guitars #2 (2004) - debut album. - Latest, ‘Hold Time’, is one of the year’s best. - He was much more mellow and acoustic here. Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine The Avett Brothers - Kind of In Love - The Avett Bros. EP (2000) - Debut EP. Latest album is 'I and Love and You' - Their break out was ‘Emotionalism’ - Easy Americana Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine Thao Nguyen - Hills - Like the Linen (2005) - Debut album. Srd and most recent is 'Know Better, Learn Faster' - if you are unfamiliar with Thao you need to correctly that quickly - Her last album, We Brave Bee Stings And All, was highlighted by the track 'Bag of Hammers." - Female M. Ward? + some Modest Mouse-y guitars Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine Grizzly Bear – Deep Sea Diver – Horn of Plenty (2004) - Debut album - The hype and anticipation surrounding their latest album, Veckatimest, was huge. - Great eclectic band Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine Quinn Walker - Plenty of Water For Mud – Lion Land (2008) - Debut from the leader of the Suckers - The Suckers’ full length debut is not out yet, but their EP is one of the year’s best. - big pounding, distorted anthem with a couple huge builds MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine Sunset Rubdown – The Dust You Kick Up Is Too Fine – Snake's Got A Leg (2005) - Debut album. 4th album is 'Dragonslayer' - One of Spencer Krug’s many bands Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine The Decemberists - Oceanside - 5 Songs EP (2003) - Debut EP. Latest album is 'The Hazards of Love' - Colin Meloy, leader, said he had initially envisioned this album as a musical. - distinct folk band that at times brings in some Jethro Tull sounds Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine The Builders and the Butchers – The Night Pt. 1 – The Builders and the Butchers (2007) - Debut album - 2nd album is out this year. - Tense energy can be felt through out their music. Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine : DayTrotter Langhorne Slim – Feather Bed - Slim Pickens (1999) - Debut albums. 3rd album, 'Be Set Free', is out this year. - His self-titled second blew me away. - the best folk singer/songwriter out there for my money. MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine Lucero –Little Silver Heart - Lucero (2001) - Debut album. New is ‘1372 Overton Park’ - They have always seemed like the quintessential bar band, they hoarser and rougher their sound the better. Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine Benjy Ferree – In the Countryside – Leaving the Nest (2006) - Debut album. 2nd album is a brilliant concept album inspired by Bobby Driscoll, the boy who played Peter Pan for Disney in the 40’s & 50’s - He’s getting comparisons to Jack White, Freddie Mercury and Marc Bolan… pretty accurate and pretty good company! Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine Japandroids – Couture Suicide - All Lies EP (2007) - Debut EP. 'Post-Nothing' is their debut full length and out earlier this year. - raucous post punk rock - huge energy and distortion. You’ll want to see this song live and as loud as possible. Official Site : MySpace : HypeMachine : RCRDLBL.com The Black Lips – Throw It Away – Black Lips! (2003) - Debut album. '200 Million Thousand' is their latest and 5th - Their sound started out incredibly rough and distorted Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine