Massive Music Updates (ft. The White Stripes, Dizzee Rascal, The New Pornographers, YACHT, Vampire Weekend, etc.

Sorry for the utter lack of posts this week. I’ve been thoroughly busy, lazy, and unmovitated. In this span however, I have become completely overwhelmed by the new music coming in recently, so consider this massive post my way of finally making a dent in the emails full of music sitting in my inbox. Here we go:

I’m sure most all of you have already heard “Icky Thump”, the newest single and title track off of The White Stripes newest effort. I defy anyone to find a song on the radio right now that is more authentically rock and roll. Jack and Meg have the incredible ability to recreate new and original sounds while still using a familiar format that gave them their reputation as a quality, innovative, and downright awesome band. Check out “Icky Thump”.

MP3: The White Stripes – “Icky Thump”

I really have no idea why I haven’t written about YACHT yet, seeing as how the music has been all over the place recently. YACHT is Jona Bechtolt, AKA the beats of the The Blow, an ATG favorite. While Jona recently quit The Blow (amicably), both he and Khaela Maricich will continue making music, with Khaela keeping The Blow and Jona performing under the alias YACHT. YACHT is quite similar to Jona’s former band, yet the new music is much more electronica and dance-oriented, as evidenced by the two songs below. Check out “See a Penny (Pick it Up0”, the first single of YACHT’s debut, I Believe in You. Your Magic is Real. Also check out a song Jona recently released for free; “The Summer Song” featuring Claire L. Evans. If you get a chance to catch YACHT on tour (they are touring with LCD Soundsystem, then Architecture in Helsinki, then Au Revior Simone), consider yourself lucky.

MP3: YACHT – “See a Penny (Pick it Up)”
MP3: YACHT – “The Summer Song (ft. Claire L. Evans)”

I just got a copy of Vampire Weekend’s self-titled debut. I first heard about these guys through Derek, and have absolutely fallen in love with them. Their vibe is absolutely indescribable, and I’m dying to see them when they come to DC on July 6th. Please listen to these songs (and “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” which I put on the Adorable mix), and let me know if you love them even half as much as I do.

MP3: Vampire Weekend – “Oxford Comma”
MP3: Vampire Weekend – “Walcott”

I’ve loved Dizzee Rascal ever since I laid ears upon his masterpiece, “Fix Up Look Sharp”, so I was obviously psyched when I came across a copy of Maths + English, his newest, which just recently hit stores with predictably positive results. The highlight of the album is Dizzee’s collabo with Alex Turner, “Temptation”, which demonstrates Dizzee’s intriguing British accented flow and his versatility. Also be sure to check out his duet with Lily Allen, which is more Lily than Dizzee, but still maintains it’s street cred, somehow.

MP3: Dizzee Rascal – “Temptation (ft. Alex Turner)”
MP3: Dizzee Rascal – “Wanna Be (ft. Lily Allen)”

If the rest of Challengers, The New Pornographers next album (set to be released in early August) sounds anything like “My Rights Versus Yours”, it will definitely find a spot in my best of 2007 albums. TNP is one of those bands that I fall in love with every time a song makes it onto my iPod, and causes me to listen to their entire library, which in turn causes me to feel all good inside.

MP3: The New Pornographers – “My Rights Versus Yours”

Lastly, the MUBA awards (or Music Blog Awards) are up and ready to be voted on. Actually, they’ve been up for a couple of weeks, but I’ve just completely forgotten to post this information. I contributed to the nominations and am one of the blogs that are affiliated in the awards, but sadly I wasn’t nominated for blog of the year. I guess I’m just not cut out for this blog business. Make sure you vote for your favorite music of 2006.

Phew. I doubt any of you read through all of that, but if you did; thank you and congratulations. Expect more frequency as I’m finally getting into a steady routine and will be starting my job on monday.

The White Stripes :: Official Site :: Buy Icky Thump
YACHT :: Official Site :: Myspace :: Buy I Believe in You. Your Magic is Real
Vampire Weekend :: Official Site :: Buy Vampire Weekend EP
Dizzee Rascal :: Official Site :: Buy Maths + English
The New Pornographers :: Official Site

Love,
Zack