RSSIt may only be mid-November, but if you’re one of those who does best-of lists, you’ve probably already started thinking about everything that’s come out. World’s Fair has had a big year in 2008, with releases from all our labels. Here they are, in chronological order.
British Sea Power: Do You Like Rock Music (Rough Trade)
“Listening is like riding a beast; BSP’s unvarnished, delightfully meandering anthems sound larger than life. Bring on foliage and military uniforms, lads, we’re prepared to salute…” – The Los Angeles Times, Buzz Bands
“The glorious sound of a unique band going for broke….” – The Guardian (4/5 stars)
DOWNLOAD “Waving Flags”
The Autumns: Fake Noise From A Box Of Toys (Bella Union)
“Los Angeles’ the Autumns have been a reliable source of brooding, dreamy pop since 1994, appealing to fans of shoegazers like Cocteau Twins and goth titans the Cure. For their fourth full-length, founders Matthew Kelly and Frankie Koroshec have sharpened their teeth and made some decidedly authentic noise. ‘Boys’ signals newfound aggression for these underground darlings.” – Chicago Sun Times
“Succulent dream pop collides with fast and racy indie rock.” – Exclaim
Daptone 7″ Singles Collection, Vol. 2 (Daptone Records)
“Few top Brooklyn’s R&B champs Daptone Records, which compiles the cream of its DJ-friendly 45s for a second volume of the label’s Singles Collection. The reverb is delicious and soulful (Lee Fields’ ‘Could Have Been’), the guitars snarl (The Mighty Imperials’ ‘The Matador’) and everything grooves.” – RELIX
“From start to finish, this compilation of rarities represents first-rate soul music.” – UR Chicago (4.5/5)
DOWNLOAD Charles Bradley & The Bullets’ “Now That I’m Gone”
Peter von Poehl: Going To Where The Tea Trees Are (Bella Union)
“von Poehl’s slow-burning singing voice puts him on another planet.” – SPIN.com
“The swedish singer-songwriter has a warm honey voice like that of Sebastien Tellier. ‘Going to Where…’ is perfect for those lazy winter mornings tucked up in bed” – NME (8/10)
WATCH “The Story Of The Impossible”
The Upsidedown: Human Destination (Beat The World Records)
“…dedicated to the power of the strummed-guitar drone…garage rock [that’s] just beginning to discover the joys of echoey guitar effects.” – The New York Times
“Slick and cool and sexy and psychedelic.” – Willamette Week
The Dandy Warhols: …Earth To The Dandy Warhols… (Beat the World Records)
“Throughout [...Earth...] the band creates a deep, dense sonic haze that could have blown in from a debauched, funnier, lazier future – or, indeed, another planet entirely. It’s a solid collection that offers the band’s customary twisted strolls through blue-eyed funk, country and alt-rock as well as many trips through psychedelia – past, present and future.” – Washington Post
“Totally sonically massive. This record is as big as a rocket.” – FILTER Good Music Guide
DOWNLOAD “The Legend Of The Last Of The Outlaw Truckers AKA The Ballad Of Sheriff Shorty”
COMO NOW: The Voices of Panola County, MS (Daptone Records)
“This is — by far — the best album I’ve heard this year.” – No Depression
“…the album…exudes austerity, uplift and release.” – The New York Times
DOWNLOAD The Como Mamas “Trouble In My Way”
Apollo Sunshine: Shall Noise Upon (Headless Heroes)
“…this album represents a certain maturation of [Apollo Sunshine's] ability to construct a record. Don’t read mature to mean dry or dull, though– this is still exuberant music that celebrates its sudden shifts in direction. Shall Noise Upon is a great record, and an impossible one to digest in just one sitting. That’s hardly a problem, though, because coming back to it is so rewarding.” – Pitchfork (8.0)
“Apollo Sunshine’s third album…revels in the trappings of a time-stamped delirium: echo-trippy vocals, analog keyboards, British accents, fuzz-tone guitars…Playing many different instruments, sometimes switching off to one another, [the band members] forge a slippery continuity out of messy glory. Sometimes they also manage beauty.” – The New York Times
WATCH “Singing To The Earth (To Thank Her For You)”
Colourmusic: f, monday, orange, february, venus, lunatic, 1 or 13 (Great Society)
“Every harmony is pitch-perfect, every solo is executed flawlessly, and the band’s slightly askew pop sensibilities are always in full force. I don’t think it a stretch to call it one of the best albums of 2008 so far.” – Prefix Mag (9/10)
“And on numbers like, ‘Spring Song’ and ‘Circles,’ old rubs up against new – think the drive and drama created by Starsailor and the whimsical psychedelia captured on Piper At The Gates Of Dawn or Sgt. Pepper. But whatever inspires Colourmusic has resulted in something wholly original. Their…debut is a parting of the clouds in a smog-heavy pop sky.” – Amplifier Magazine
DOWNLOAD “Put In A Little Gas”
Menahan Street Band: Make the Road by Walking (Daptone/Dunham Records)
“Most of the all-instrumental tracks waver between Motownish and Stax/Volt-esque flavor; the mood is very ‘Soulsville’-era Isaac Hayes-meets-The Funk Brothers. Crisp, tight ensemble playing defines tracks like ‘Tired of Fighting’ and ‘The Contender’…this is a must-have” – XLR8R (8/10)
“This debut LP of steam-of-conscious instrumentals presents an inviting take on the genres of funk and soul with the most unobtrusive delivery imaginable: The gentlemen sand their sound into smooth, minimal waves of swelling horns, tumbling bass lines and ricocheting wah-pedal beats that fade in so gently, it’s hard to tell when one escapes out the back window or one creeps in the front door…It’s seamless and beautifully effective.” – Paste
DOWNLOAD “Make the Road by Walking”
The Secret Machines: Secret Machines (TSM Recordings)
“If David Lynch were to direct a remake of the Victorian romance Wuthering Heights, he wouldn’t need to commission a soundtrack: Secret Machines have recorded it…On ‘Have I Run Out,’ theatrical kettledrums and tense strings introduce a beautiful sense of dreamy anguish and ‘The Walls Are Starting to Crack’ showcases the power of their new identity as apocalypse-heralding romantics…” – Blender
“Their third full-length to date, the New York–based trilogy seems complete — sounding more brooding than ever. The band’s new third element probes into otherworldly licks that saturate atmosphere and generate a seemingly flawless transition for the band.” – Venus Zine (5 stars)
DOWNLOAD “Atomic Heels”
Curumin: JapanPopShow (Quannum Projects)
“[The album]…is easily one of hip-hop’s finest releases of 2008. That is, if you consider a mash of samba, funk, soul, rap, jazz and bossa nova to be hip-hop…It is, literally, all good.” – Metromix
“Brazilian musician Curumin’s second album is hard to classify, but in the best way: funk, psychedelic rock, hip-hop, reggae, dub, and more all co-exist on this album, sometimes even within the same track. The mix is a smart one, and it makes sense, considering Brazil’s history as a melting-pot nation. There’s enough influence from Brazil’s musical past to keep traditionalists listening, but enough forward thinking to take the album into new territory. Hard to pigeonhole, but easy to enjoy.” – XLR8R (8/10)
DOWNLOAD “Sambito (Totaru Shock)”
Spindrift: The West (Beat The World Records)
“A mix of psych-rock and the Spaghetti Western sound of Ennio Morricone equals the perfect soundtrack for your next trip to a ghost town.” – Paste Online
“I’m not quite sure what parallel universe Spindrift’s music belongs in — maybe a post-apocalyptic landscape where art movies are projected across the desert sky while what remains of the flora comes to life, wielding double-neck bass guitars and autoharps. But I’d love to visit.” – Buzz Bands
The Postmarks: By-The-Numbers (Unfiltered Records)
“Despite the variety of genres that are being drawn from, the result is a cohesive and hauntingly beautiful work of art…In less talented hands their style would be banished to elevators and lobbies, but The Postmarks have created something transcendent…Even when performing covers, The Postmarks are an instant classic.” – CMJ
“A good cover version is just good, but it’s great when someone flips it over and cleans the sheets. The Postmarks do that and in return shine a mirror on any and all musicians who should take that same kind of originality to make something that makes the familiar sound brand new. No doubt that originality will be something that they’ll carry on with future releases.” – The Run-Off Groove
DOWNLOAD The Postmarks’ cover of Blondie’s “11:59″
Soulwax: Part Of The Weekend Never Dies ([PIAS])
“The first great documentary about the nu rave scene” – Big Shot
“They have a gift you cannot bottle, imitate or fake. Their remixes have an undeniable quality that says, ‘Listen up, young’un, school is in session.’” – BPM
WATCH the trailer to Part Of The Weekend Never Dies
