Album Review: Mighty Tiger's Western Theater

What's in the Inbox: Stat Quo "Success (Back to U)"

Insulinfunk Mix 2: Go Rest, Young Fan

Those adorable Swedes Shout Out Louds will soon embark on a tour of the United States to promote their latest LP, Work. The album is now available in North America via Merge Records; the tour begins on May 2 in Washington.

The group documented their Work recording sessions and put together a documentary, which is embedded below. Read on after the jump for their tour itinerary.

Shout Out Louds “At Work” from Ted Malmros on Vimeo.

…Shout Out Louds Announce US Tour Dates, Release Documentary

Seattle-based Mighty Tiger create faux-vintage studio rock (like Field Music, Real Estate, and Fleet Foxes) on their debut for Paper Garden Records, Western Theater. Throughout the LP, a noticeable analog warmth is audible, but the motif occasionally feels contrived, like a thrift-store blazer over an Ed Hardy tee.

The opening two tracks exemplify this shortcoming as the band attempts a caffeine-fueled Apples in Stereo pace, even though they appear at home with a more reserved tempo. The other noticeable mistep occurs when ”Hands in Holy Water” forsakes lyricism to make a point. The anti-suburban-hippie rant is witty but barely musical, at least until the bridge.

When the band does succeed, the results are impressive. “33 1/3″ is a catchy pop masterpiece and by far the album’s strongest moment, complete with a string-backed hook, percussive piano, and a bouncy bassline.  The synth foundation, persistent picking, and vocal harmonies… … Album Review: Mighty Tiger’s Western Theater

Big Red & Barbacoa, the new, Dan Auerbach-produced LP from South Texas’ Hacienda, will release on April 6. The music contained on this disc is described as “Tex-Mex roots rock, retro-pop and R&B” and “South Texas Soul” by the press release we received. Comparisons to the Beach Boys, The Band, Graham Parsons, and Paul McCartney were also made, which we’re sure will pique some of our reader’s interests. If that sounds like your thing, click here for a taste of the record. Be sure to drop us a comment and let us know what you think.

(We occasionally get things tossed our way that don’t exactly fit within our demographic (nerds). So, for the few that might be interested in things like Lionel Richie’s Greatest Hits, we thought we’d share them with the group.)

Stat Quo – Success (Back To U) from Stat Quo on Vimeo.

Saint Bartlett, Damien Jurdao’s collaboration with Richard Swift, will be released by Secretly Canadian on May 25 (May 24 in the UK). According to the press release, the album carries a Phil Spector-ish vibe which is quite a departure from the tunes we’ve come to expect from Jurado. Here’s a free download of “Arkansas,” the first single from the album. Take a listen and let us know what you think.

If making one amazing video for their latest single ‘This Too Shall Pass’ weren’t enough, the band OK Go decided to make another one.

Two posts on one band in a single day may be heresy for most, but the Gorillaz deserves such attention. The first video for the single Stylo has been released and well… it certainly sets the mood for the upcoming album.

Here’s Stylo by the Gorillaz, featuring Mos Def and Bobby Womack (along with a cameo of a certain actor…).

The Insulinfunk Mix is finally back to rock your socks (or flipflops, if you prefer) off. We’ve got eight hot tracks for you to enjoy, so let’s go! (Click the track name for the download or link.)

1. The debut single from the upcoming Western Harbor Blues by The Sonnets wreaks of cocky prep insincerity. But the Montauk remix of “Sebastian Said” turns it into an emotional retro ballad. It’s like morphing “Close to Me” into “Plainsong.” (In case you were wondering, that’s a good thing.)

2. If The Jealous Sound hadn’t reunited for the Sunny Day Real Estate tour, The Lonely Forest easily could have taken their place. “We Sing In Time” is what you should be listening to, you know, after you play Pinkerton for the third time in a row. Except to hear them opening for We Were Promised Jetpacks(!) and playing at SXSW to promote the re-release… … Insulinfunk Mix 2: Go Rest, Young Fan

The next album for the Gorillaz, Plastic Beach, isn’t due out for another week or so, at least not for those in the United States- Another eight days to go before its release date on March 9th (other countries get it earlier, however). In wait for Beach, NPR has served up the third opus from the band on its site.

Check out the album in its entirety (no snippets here, just fifty-six minutes and fifty-three seconds of genre-clashing bliss) on NPR’s site, or check the full post to find an embedded version ready to go.

Like what you’ve heard? The album is available for preorder at iTunes in regular and deluxe versions.

The Sarah Silverman Program is a fine, fine program and the music of said program is some fine, fine music. Somebody thought it was so fine that they made a CD of the it and we have clips for you to preview below.