This week’s round-up of streamable albums includes new releases from The-Dream, Mykki Blanco, Roomrunner, and more. Grab a set of headphones and enjoy:
1) The-Dream, IV Play. “Though his fourth solo effort may be a bit of a dip from his classic first three albums, IV Play has a number of killer tracks (‘Too Early,’ ‘Michael,’ ‘IV Play’) and will likely be one of the best R&B records of 2013.” — SPIN (via Vevo)
2) Mount Kimbie, Cold Spring Fault Less Youth. “The first thing that stands out about Cold Spring Fault Less Youth is the traditional drum kit. Sticks, snares and cymbals pop up in several of these tracks, usually in a low-key fashion that recalls Four Tet’s early post-rock act Fridge. The addition of languid vocals, including two appearances by young British crooner King Krule, is even more jarring yet works nicely, particularly in the album’s first single, ‘Made to Stray.'” (via NPR)
3) Laura Marling, Once I Was An Eagle. “[The devil] represents only one of the recurring threads woven into the fabric of a hypnotically pretty record that’s not easily unpacked: Its first four songs flow together so seamlessly, in word and sound, that they appear at first to belong to a single shimmering 16-minute relationship postmortem.” (via NPR)
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4) Tricky, False Idols. “With help from young British vocalists Francesca Belmonte and Fifi Rong, Tricky deftly balances sexy sighs and dub-influenced basslines… [His] best album since the halcyon days of the mid-’90s, when he could do no wrong, False Idols is one of 2013’s most pleasant musical surprises so far.” (via NPR)
5) Sean Nelson, Make Good Choices. “Now, eight years after [Harvey Danger’s last album], [frontman Sean] Nelson returns with Make Good Choices, a wonderfully catchy and quotable solo album to which he’d devoted years of intermittent tinkering. Recorded with an assortment of sure-handed all-stars, including R.E.M.’s Peter Buck and Death Cab for Cutie’s Chris Walla, Make Good Choices fits perfectly on the irregular-but-unimpeachable Harvey Danger continuum.” (via NPR)
6) Roomrunner, Ideal Cities. “On May 28, the Baltimore wrecking crew — [led by Denny Bowen and] rounded out by bassist Dan Frome, drummer Bret Lanahan, and guitarist Jeff Byers — will follow up their two EPs (2011’s self-titled effort and last year’s Super Vague collection) with nine tracks of meaty, feedback-gnarled noise rock. [Influences include:] Hot Snakes, Drive Like Jehu, Sebadoh, [and] the Foo Fighters’ The Colour and the Shape.” (via SPIN)
7) Brazos, Saltwater. “…A collection of nine deceptively complex pop tunes that recall the Shins at their most adventurous. Luckily, these chutes aren’t too narrow for [Martin] Crane’s engrossing wordplay (following his lyrics is like playing a high-stakes game of cat’s cradle) and robust, soft-edged melodies.” (via SPIN)
8) TEEN, Carolina EP. “[TEEN] have crafted five tracks of complex psych-influenced but wholly unique indie pop that was produced by Daniel Schlett, who was also responsible for DIIV’s Oshin. I would tell you ‘Circus’ is a stand-out, but I’d also tell you ‘Cannibal’ is a stand-out and so on. Each track exists in its own hyper-detailed, hypnotic space.” (via Stereogum)
9) When Saints Go Machine, Infinity Pool. “Like [lead single] ‘Love and Respect,’ [second single] ‘Iodine’ blends soulful, warped vocals with an off-kilter, cinematic groove, but unlike its predecessor, ‘Iodine’ sounds like a wounded plea, not a knuckle-cracking threat. On this one, When Saints Go Machine aren’t doling out the bruises; they’re recovering from them.” — SPIN (via Pitchfork)
10) Mykki Blanco, Betty Rubble: The Initiation. “Mykki Blanco’s Betty Rubble: The Initiation — the follow-up EP to last fall’s excellent, mixtape-era Weezy-like Cosmic Angel: The Illuminati Prince/ss, is an excellent example of testing boundaries. Here, Mykki stretches his already elastic personality even further, in just half the time. Don’t fret, Hot 97-freestyle-gone-totally-askew mania can still be found on ‘Angggry Byrdz’ and ‘David Blaine Bitches.’ While the darkwave-tinged hip-hop of ‘Crisp Clean,’ ‘Feeling Special,’ and ‘Bugged Out’ take on a vengeful, evil tone only teased on Cosmic Angel. It’s nothing you’ve not heard before from Mykki, but they’re all fascinating additions to the discography of one of rap’s most exciting personalities.” — SPIN (via Pitchfork)
