ScatterPoints: Mid/Late May

Heres some cool stuff I've found over the past few weeks. Enjoy!

MidPoints Top 5: Start of Summer Songs

If you don't like 'em, comment with your own!

5. "Summer Girls" - LFO

4. "Summer of '69" - Bryan Adams

3. "Deadbeat Summer" - Neon Indian

2. "Summer Babe (Winter Version) - Pavement

1. "Constructive Summer" - The Hold Steady

TRACKS

"Gold Skull" - Miniature Tigers

So my friend Kristie has been telling me about Miniature Tigers for a while but I was foolish and never really gave them a chance until I saw that Neon Indian has started producing their stuff. They have a new album, F O R T R E S S, dropping later this summer and you can download the Neon Indian produced first single "Gold Skull" right here.

Wolf Parade - Expo 86 preview

A pair of new tracks from the band's forthcoming third album were recently released and fans of the bands previous material won't be dissapointed with either. You can download them both for free right here:

"Ghost Pressure" - Wolf Parade

"What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had To Go This Way)" - Wolf Parade

VIDEO

"Afraid of Everyone" - The National w/Sufjan Stevens on Letterman

"Higher Than The Stars" - The Pains of Being Pure At Heart

"Next Girl" - The Black Keys

"Zebra" - Beach House

ONE-SENTENCE REVIEWS

Note: This has easily been the best month of new music releases that has happened since I started this blog. This stuff is really good, I'm just sayin'.

LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

Rating: 90/100

By drawing heavily from many of the most innovative artists of the past half-century, James Murphy aka LCD Soundsystem has once again synthesized countless familiar sounds and textures together with his own dance-production prowess to create a profoundly emotive, ridiculously danceable and brilliantly constructed album experience.

High Point Tracks: "Dance Yerself Clean", "All I Want", "I Can Change"

The Hold Steady - Heaven Is Whenever

Rating: 72/100

With out any of the urgency, heart, nostalgia or drunken poetics of their previous releases, The Hold Steady have disappointed me for the first time with a very average and unfortunately forgettable record.

High Point Tracks: "Hurricane J", "The Weekenders", "We Can Get Together"

The Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards

Rating: 87/100

Everything I said about their debut album holds true with their sophomore effort but more so; its grittier, scarier, bluesier, more distorted and it flat out rocks harder.

High Point Tracks: "The Difference Between Us", "Die By The Drop", "Gasoline"

MIDPOINT OF INTEREST

The National - High Violet

Rating: 98/100

With four consecutive nearly flawless albums under their belt, The National continue to take strides towards being one of the greatest bands of this generation and High Violet proves that they can remain true to their core sound while wildly expanding their scope with a batch of 11 songs that dig deeper and soar higher than just about anything the band has previously released. This album delivers their loudest, most distorted guitar-rock anthems as well as their softest most desperate, heartbroken orchestral ballads; the crazy thing is that they are often the same song. Frontman and songwriter Matt Berninger isn't quite as mumbly as he was on Boxer and he doesn't yell as much as he did on Alligator or Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers, but the middle ground of High Violet translates to what is probably the most direct and melodic National record yet. With each release, he seems to expand his nuanced lyrical honesty and in my opinion, this album proves that he is more than just a great modern songwriter but a great modern poet. However, the quality of a record or a band isn't determined simply by lyrics or guitars or melodies, but in their ability to weave all of these elements together to create something innovative, moving and transcendent and that, above all else, is what makes High Violet more than just a great rock record, its the closest thing to perfection I've heard in years.

High Point Tracks: "Terrible Love", "Afraid of Everyone", "Lemonworld", "England"

Some Crazy-Ass Stuff for a Wednesday

M.I.A. - "Born Free"

New super-super-NSFW and extremely violent music video

M.I.A, Born Free from ROMAIN-GAVRAS on Vimeo.

Also, this is cool and weird:

EMINEM - DESPICABLE (FREESTYLE)

REGINA SPEKTOR - "NO SURPRISES (RADIOHEAD COVER)"

SOUNDS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM

Have you ever wondered what the solar system sounds like? Some dude made a scale-music box thingy that lets you hear the music of the planets. Its crazy. Check it out here.

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM - DRUNK GIRLS MUSIC VIDEO

BRAND NEW STARS SINGLE - "FIXED"

Download the MP3 for free right here.

MGMT vs SNL

(SPOILER ALERT: MGMT wins)

"Flash Delerium"

"Brian Eno"

ScatterPoints: Late April/Summer Preview

Here are some cool things that I've found over the past week.

I don't have a whole lot to report on the past week but I do have some cool things for you. Its almost summer time and that means that music will continue to come out at a slightly accelerated pace. Lots of good indie stuff on the way, and lots of it is available for a sneak peak now.

SUMMER ALBUM PREVIEWS:

LCD Soundsystem is one of the most innovative and exciting acts out there and the mastermind behind the whole shebang James Murphy has decided to stream the forthcoming This Is Happening on the groups website right here.

Broken Social Scene's highly anticipated return to albumdom Forgiveness Rock Record is streaming on the NPR website now. Check it out here.

The Hold Steady are also showing NPR (and us) some love by streaming their forthcoming Heaven is Whenver here.

Man, NPR is all about music I love. They also have the full album stream of The New Pornographers' Together. It is here.

MUSIC VIDEOS:

THE XX - ISLANDS

This video doesn't seem to be to much at first, but I find myself haunted it. It seems repetitive but I promise you its not. Every shot is a little bit different and its super artsy and really emotional in some strange intangible way. I can't put my finger on it but there is really something to this video. Let me know if you figure it out.

ONE PARAGRAPH REVIEWS:

Broken Bells - Broken Bells

Rating: 80/100

This collaborative project consisting of James Mercer, lead singer of the Shins, and crazy-ass producer Danger Mouse is a simple and upbeat affair that doesn't sound too far removed from either ones body of work. To put it simply, it mostly sounds like a Danger Mouse produced Shins album, though even that makes it sound a little crazier than it actually is. What the album lacks in surprises, it more than makes up for in execution. All ten tracks are beautifully crafted to create a very fluid album experience that is emotional, accessible and layered in such a way that each listen reveals something new. Ultimately, its not an earth shattering record, but it feels as though it was intentionally crafted to be straightforward with few unexpected turns and to that end both creators have succeeded in creating a wonderfully enjoyable set of tracks that won't change your life but you won't soon forget either.

ScatterPoints #2: Late October/Early Novemberish

Here is a breif recap of this past weekish in the world of MidPoints music...

ScatterPoints #2: Late October/Early Novemberish

Welcome back to ScatterPoints! This week I've got some hot new track downloads, music videos and a handful of reviews. Lets go!

DOWNLOAD THIS ISH:

"Mirrors" - Wale ft. Bun B (Produced by Mark Ronson)

Hey Wale, this song is awesome. I've been on a crazy Bun B/UGK kick lately, so way to time your leaks with my mood. Can't wait for your new album!

"Bye Bye Bayou" - LCD Soundsystem (Alan Vega Cover)

Long, bizarre and dancey as shit "Bye Bye Bayou" is typical LCD Soundsystem in the best way possible. New album drops in March of 2010 and it can't come quickly enough.

WATCH THESE VIDEOS:

ONE SENTENCE REVIEWS:

Lil Wayne - No Ceilings

Rating: 77/100

It's been a while since Weezy has released anything really noteworthy and it looks like it could be years before we get Rebirth or Tha Carter IV, but until that day arrives No Ceilings serves as uncharacteristically sleek and focused addition to the Lil Wayne mixtape canon.

High Point Track: "I Gotta Feeling"

Michael Jackson - This Is It (Special Edition)

Rating: 95/100

Contrary to what it would seem This Is It, is NOT the live recordings from the film or the rehearsals but rather just the original recordings of the songs that appear in the film making it essentially another greatest hits collection although the new song "This Is It" and the surprisingly incredible bonus disc demos make this a must-have for serious MJ fans.

High Point Track: "This Is It"

FILM REVIEW:

Michael Jackson's This Is It

So I went and saw This Is It this past weekend and it offered an immensely fascinating look inside the final months of the legendary entertainers life. The film is entirely comprised of rehearsal footage for MJ's 50 show residency at London's O2 Arena and clearly was never meant to be an actual feature length film as much of the footage is lo-fi and incomplete. That being said, the film perfectly illustrates the eccentric genius of Michael Jackson. As I walked out of the film I came to the conclusion that he is essentially a mad scientist; as bizarre and bat-shit crazy as he is meticulous and intelligent. His approach to his music and his show was unlike anything I have ever seen. The film outs Jackson as a perfectionist (to put it lightly) but it simultaneously shows us that the results of his process are truly unparalleled in popular entertainment. In one of the most insightful and intriguing scenes, Jackson discusses his music with the show's sound director and he explains that the music must sound exactly as he wrote it. Rather than updating or reorganizing his timeless compositions, MJ wanted to his show to be a flawless replication of the original recordings; demanding that the audience hear it precisely how they have been listening to it for years (this explains why the This Is It album is the just original recordings). Had the This Is It concert series ever actually made it to the stage, it would have been everything he promised: a show that is entirely dedicated to the fans. Decades after his prime, the man still could dance and sing exactly as he was able to in the 80s and he even looked pretty much the same although I have a sneaking suspicion that he has had some work done. Overall, the film was enormously satisfying and anyone who has ever enjoyed his work would be wise to see what he was planning for his own personal finale. Unfortunately, This Is It ends essentially the same way Jackson's life did: abrupt, unexpected and sadly incomplete.