New Sufjan Stevens Material:”It’s going to be incredible. It’s going to probably blow people’s minds.”

So it sounds like Sufjan Stevens is finally going to be releasing a proper followup to his highly acclaimed album, Illinoise. And he has been recording with none other than The National. According to The National’s Bryce Dessner, the album is “going to be incredible. It’s going to probably blow people’s minds.” Unfortunately, there is no set release date so until then, we will have to be content with what is out there on youtube. Here are a couple new songs performed in NY…I definitely see a trend of leaning to electronic music, which I’m liking. These songs sound pretty amazing on youtube, so I can only imagine that they are going to be “mind blowing” on an album. And for you Portlanders that need your Sufjan fix, check him out live…he’s performing at the Schnitz on Oct 29th

More Menomena

Menomena played on Jimmy Fallon a couple nights ago which not only meant getting to see one of my favorite bands on tv, but also getting to see my music crush, Brent Knopf, complete with his awkward mannerisms, beautiful voice, and his “magic machine” (aka synthesizer).

Check them out:

Also, I have to admit I’m not a big fan of air instruments, but I LOVE this music video for Dirty Cartoons,

MFNW 2010 Ad

Check out this year’s Musicfest NW ad …love the sponsors

Arcade Fire – Rococo

Arcade Fire just released their newest album, The Suburbs, this past Tuesday.  While I instantly fell in love with their sound on the past two albums, I’m finding their newest stuff a little more slow evolving.  I think this is going to be an album that grows on me with each listen…here’s one thats rising fast

Summer recap

So its a been a good long while since I last posted, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t come across any great or noteworthy music… Here are some musical highlights of the past couple months

Menomena recently released a long awaited album called Mines.  This album is a little darker and more low key than past albums, but still an excellent album.  Its hard to choose favorites, but here are a couple.

Langhorne Slim – For A Little While:  I recently became a big fan of this guy after seeing him put on a great live show  at the Crystal Ballroom.  Here is one of my favorites:

And I don’t now how I made it 27 years and never had the pleasure of listening to VanMorrison’s Astral Weeks…what an amazing album.  I have been really enjoying this album and the sound is absolutely timeless.

The song, Beside You is a really beautiful song…and for all you Twilight fans, you might be interested that this is one of Robert Pattinson’s all-time favorite songs

And I know I already gushed about The National on a previous post, but their newest album, High Violet is a really stellar one and has been on repeat lately.  I’m also excited about how many new National fans I have met recently.  I’m so excited that the band is getting more coverage and gaining new fans.  I’m also really excited I get to see them perform at MusicFest NW this year along with another one of my favorite bands, The Walkmen.  Here is their song, Sorrow

And speaking of The Walkmen, here is a pre-release from their new album due out in September called Stranded.   As you can hear, the horns play a prominent role in this song, which I’m really digging. I’m looking forward to hearing their new album in its entirety when it comes out

Josh Ritter – So Runs the World Away

Josh Ritter just released his 5th album, So Runs the World Away.  Ritter has been repeatedly compared to music legends including Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, yet on this album, not only does it  showcase these similarities, but it also highlights Ritter’s own unique sound.  This album is amazing from start to finish.  Some of the melodies also remind me a lot of one of my favorite local Portland artists, Nick Jaina.  In addition to releasing a great album, this guy puts on a fantastic live show.  My first time seeing him was one of the best concerts I have ever been to.  I have never seen someone so genuinely happy on stage.  The first time I saw him was at the Doug Fir,  he had this huge smile on his face during the entire show.  I saw that same smile all the way up in the balcony of the Schnitz the 2nd time I saw him…his energy is infectious.

A couple album teasers followed by the song, Change of Time

The National – High Violet

The National will be releasing their newest album, High Violet, on May 11th…Can.Not.Wait.  Take a listen to a few preview tracks below.

First single off the album:

A cool Pitchfork film of The National performing “Terrible Love”

Another good song, “Afraid of Everyone,” about 3:30 in is my favorite part of the song, amazing percussive beat