SnobCast Season 4

EPISODE 5 - NUMBER 5 IS ALIVE

Artist: Niki and the Dove

Song: Tomorrow

Album: Instinct **

Great song. The closest thing to a perfect single I've heard all year. Arrangement, performance, melody, production. Just straight up goodness. I liked one other track enough to buy in an otherwise pretty competitive release week. I won't say which in hopes that you'll find more than just the one. Looking forward to the followup.

Artist: Twin Shadow

Song: 5 Seconds

Album: Confess ****

The biggest track from the highly anticipated to the vinyl-worthy, Chris Taylor (of Grizzly Bear)-produced debut LP 'Forget'. Self produced this time. New vocal range on display, more edge, more chrome. One of the best of the summer so far.

Artist: Blanche Blanche Blanche

Song: Fireworks

Album: Wink With Both Eyes ***

New record of music that sounds like Ariel Pink meets Broadcast. Makes me smile. Some article I read asked 'What planet are Blanch Blanche Blanche from?' The planet late night experimental indiepop on university radio in the late 90s. Love it.

Artist: The Mae Shi

Song: Young Marks

Album: Hlllyh ***

Another record that drove the original Snob nights back in '08. Sounds more or less like this. Best served with The Death Set, Ghostland Observatory, and a jug of hazer fluid.

Artist: Grandaddy

Song: Stray Dog and Chocolate Shake

Album: Sumday ****

Y'all know Grandaddy? Of course you do. Sure. Who didn't love The Sophtware Slump? Have you heard this record? Has some of my favorite Grandaddy lyrics. "The guy in limousine don't care / with his cheap cologne and his magic hair". It's magic. Underrated and essential.

Artist: Deerhunter

Song: Never Stops

Album: Microcastle/ Weird Era Cont'd ****

After asking a friend about these guys a while back I remember the conversation going something along the lines of:

Me - "Do you listen to much Deerhunter?"

Him - "Which one? There's 2 bands … Deerhunter & The Dear Hunter. One sucks shit."

Me - "Oh. Well….the good one then, i guess."

Also, for all our vinyl snobs, the LP version also comes with the bonus disc 'Weird Era Cont' that was recorded just after the Microcastle sessions. Gotta love that.

Artist: Beach House

Song: The Hours

Album: Bloom *****

What an album. Front to back, side to side this release is poised to floor you. It provides everything I / We / You loved about Beach House already, and picks up precisely where Teen Dream left off. If you hated Teen Dream, well….suffice to say….maybe give In Bloom a skip, but for the rest of you, I can't recommend it enough. For sure going to be my soundtrack to those warm summer nights. Just beautiful.

Artist: Frank Ocean

Song: Thinkin Bout You

Album: Channel Orange ****

Frank's behavior (treatment of his monitor mix guy) at weekend 1 of this year's Coachella was the basis for my rants earlier this summer about the problem with hype launching unproven, immature acts to headlining gigs before they've earned it. But then Bunsen sends me the new cover art for Episode 5 the day after I see what all the Channel Orange hype is about, and it's a done deal. This is the first track to grab your attention on this astonishingly fresh'n'good soul record, but definitely not the last. Nice when you can believe the hype. Definitely give it a try.(still... not cool about coachella).

Artist: Dirty Projectors

Song: Gun Has No Trigger

Album: Swing Lo Magellan *****

Fuck. I thought I loved the Dirty Ps BEFORE I saw them live. I might be in love with Dave Longstreth. Maybe it's just been a long time since I had a musical hero... and the first time I've been older than the hero. Watching Dave do what he does makes you love music more. Fucking visionary. Believes in what he's doing. That he's trying to do pop records for us (and seems to be enjoying it) is more than I could ask. Sometimes it's hard to be sure, but it looks like we can look forward to many more DP LPs. Good news.

Artist: Electric Company

Song: The Purveyors of Delusion

Album: Creative Playthings ****

I heard this in London Ontario Hipster Hangout music retail outlet 'Grooves' a week before it came out. Offered $40 if the clerk would sell the promo copy to me pre-release. He accepted. Worth it. Oldie but a greaty. Playing especially well lately. A good sign.

Artist: Grandaddy

Song: A.M. 180

Album: Under the Western Freeway ***

The Grandaddy double-play's been in the snob-schedule for a looooooong time now. Best needle drop in 28 Days Later. Yeah - that one scene where the scarecrow, the girl, and mad-eye go cart-coasting through the grocery store? Grandaddy. Good record. Trying to make sure people hear more than Sophtware Slump. K, so that was the only album without balls for album art, but still.

Artist: The Chain Gang of 1974

Song: Undercover

Album: Wayward Fire ***

Fun Fact: The main man behind TCGO1974, Kamtin, used to be a writer / reviewer over on absolutepunk.net many moons ago. Now because of this, I must say I was a bit skeptical at first about these guys, and it took me a while to finally get around to listening, but I was pleasantly surprised. They've taken the synth-pop sound back to something that doesn't just SOUND like a 2012 band's take on an 80's new wave band….. if you didn't' know better, you'd believe they WERE an 80's new wave band. Now take that as you will, good or bad, but it's a bit of a refreshing album in these times where everyone's got a synth and Garageband. Although, the vocals at times seem a little too forced, in trying to get that Joy Division deepness, overall the album is a good listen, and I would recommend giving it a spin.