RIYL: suburban rooftop blues, sunbaked daydreams, and the call of the beach

Real Estate - (s/t)

Putting the drift in driftwood on Woodsist records (2009)

There's something powerful and alluring about the thought of escaping to the beach. It's cliche for sure; yet its endlessly appealing all the same. Visions of careless backstrokes and sprawling atop warm beds of sand hold a promise of comfort that's a welcome relief from the drear of mundane daily life.

The New Jerseyans who make up the band Real Estate know this beach-longing well, as they've captured its sentiment in full on their striking debut record. On standout cuts like "Fake Blues" and "Beach Comber," melodic surf-guitar lines float alongside slack-jaw drums and lead singer Matthew Mondanile's wistful, toned-down singing. On its surface the music's sunny vibes evoke a youthful optimism for the possible. However, once the album's sedative pace fully sets in its clear there's just as much resignation here as hope. In other words, the good times are past and suburban ennui is here to stay---at least until summer returns next year. In the meantime, give this gorgeous record a spin.

RIYL: free and easy folk-rock, tea at sunrise, and a tamer Devendra Banhart

Vetiver - Tight Knit

Sub Pop records (2009)

After three steadily overlooked albums of sweet and gentle folk-jams, Andy Cabic took his San Francisco-based band on up the road to record their latest album under Sub Pop's illustrious black and white banner. The supportive backing of such a reputable label has certainly helped spread the reach of Vetiver's charming tunes, but the veteran quality of the band's music is still undeniable on its own. On Tight Knit, Cabic leads Banhart and the the rest of the Vetiver cast through acoustic songs that are mellow, rolling, and very well polished---never demanding or affronting in any way. Easy listening doesn't get any better than this.

RIYL: the ivories tickled, group singing, and the Basement Tapes of today

Bombadil - Tarpits and Canyonlands

on the Avett Brothers' Ramseur records (2009)

More Ketchup. Against the grain of fidelity-unconscious garage rockers that seemed the dominant musical trend of 2009, the North Carolina-bred Bombadil manage to still focus on substance over style, writing piano-led music that's difficult to classify but easily identified for its peculiar wit and magnetism. Some have even gone so far as to mention The Band in Bombadil's description. There's also something of the Mountaingoats and Ben Folds in their sound, although much less obnoxious if you ask me.

New Orleans' horns, bands big enough to fill a short bus, and old-world folkpop

Sgt. Dunbar & the Hobo Banned - Charles Mingus' Garbage Pile

blowin' worldly and woozy on B3nson records (2009)

Time to play catch-up.

Check out the new EP from this Albany, NY collective. Reminds me at times of Devotchka, Beirut, and even Neutral Milk Hotel. Sounds just like it's titled.

RIYL: childhood, and ambient psych-pop

Atlas Sound - Logos

growing up now on Kranky records (2009)

Excusing the awkward album cover, the newest record from Bradford Cox reaffirms two things: first, that the prolific and Midas-like songwriter has an apparently bottomless well of song material; and second, that his music---whether with Deerhunter or under the Atlas Sound moniker---is increasingly moving away from the inaccessible noise-experiments that first put him on the scene and more towards a hook-centric, dream-pop. As a huge fan of Cox's more recent output, this continuing gravitation towards pop bliss is more than welcome, and there's a lot going on with Logos that I'm excited about. Whether it's the genius collaboration with Noah Lennox of Panda Bear and Animal Collective on "Walkabout," the naive promise of "Sheila," the awesome arc and build of the epic "Quick Canal," or the haze of bleeps and loops on "Washington School," Cox has done it again with another rewarding batch of enigmatic and juvenescent pop songs.

RIYL: autumn's melancholy, meticulous guitar-pop, and Britishness

The Clientele - Bonfires On The Heath

out now on merge records (2009)

Another incredibly consistent autumnal brit-pop record from these underrated English tune smiths. Building on the successful past expansions of their jangly 60's sound into a now fully realized inclusion of string sections, steel guitar, and female backing vocals, The Clientele seamlessly move from seductive uptempo pop-jams to dreamy and lonesome suburban melodies---everything guided by the band's tight precision and sense of arrangement. Maybe their best record yet.

RIYL: equatorial dance parties, paradigm shifts, and afro-pop positivity

The Very Best - Warm Heart of Africa

overcrowding dance floors everywhere on Green Owl records (2009)

The Very Best are a transcontinetal collaboration of Malawian singer Esau Mwamwaya and the English production duo known as Radioclit. The euphoric jams they make together are a celebratory and hybrid mix of African harmonies and dance-ready electro beats that explode conventional 'world music' cliches with their appeal to that something which precedes any exclusion by way of race, language, cultural membership, or niche understanding: the human impulse for gettin' down.

I had a chance to catch their live show last night at the DC 9, and it blew minds. As always, the music is its own best spokesman, so check out the record and see what I'm getting at. If Warm Heart of Africa leaves you wanting more, your next move should be to download the free mixtape The Very Best released as a promo record sometime last year.