I first got into Super Furry Animals around 2001. Back then I was really into the British rock magazine Mojo and I remember reading a little blurb about a band called Super Furry Animals that simultaneously released an audio and DVD album called Rings Around the World. It sounded awesome, so without hearing anything by them, I ordered the Rings Around the World DVD from Amazon.com.uk since it hadn’t been released in the states. When it arrived I was all excited only to realize European DVD’s don’t work with US DVD players. I finally ordered a new copy when it got released in the states. As an album, Rings Around the World infused electronica, beach boys harmonies, Beatles Pop and straight up rock and roll into a satisfying eclectic album. As an “album music video”, it mixed in strange animations, high quality cinematography from around the world and visual psychedelic freak outs.

“Receptacle For The Respectable” from Rings Around The World DVD:
Fun Fact - This tune features Paul McCartney on “carrot and celery rhythm track” (a homage to his performance on the Beach Boys’ “Vegetables”).

After Rings Around the World, Super Furry Animals released 3 albums, Phantom Power, Love Kraft and Hey Venus!, which are all very solid, but I think their just released album Dark Days/Light Years is their best since ROTW. Check it out!

On of my favorite tracks from Dark Days/Light Years, a fun little funky dance jam:
MP3: Super Furry Animals: Moped Eyes from Dark Days/Light Years

A Tender Praise has been a big fan of the Michigan based collective NOMO for a while now after seeing their high energy shows and digging into their awesome LP’s. With that said, we are getting excited for their new album Invisible Cities, which is set to be released on May 5th.

NOMO:

NOMO is not just a band of thieves, garbage pickers, drifters, jammers, and players. In their soul, NOMO truly is a party band. From their roots, rocking sweaty basement shows in Ann Arbor and Detroit, to their current gig, rocking sweaty basement shows and the occasional jazz festival in Brooklyn, Chicago, New Orleans, London, Sevilla, or Montreal, the band has developed its own form of celebratory dance music owing as much to Can, Eno, and MIA as it does Kuti, Francis Bebey, and Funkadelic. They’ve upped the energy level on recent jaunts and it’s impossible to find a stationary body in the house. This music moves people, and it’s refreshing to see teen hipsters get down with crate diggers, jazz heads nod along with the noise kids at a NOMO show. The band crams three drum sets into the silver Ford Econoline, along with enough electric kalimbas to pull-off all of the two hour marathon sets, plus a few extra to sell to the audience. Horns and guitars fit on top of the amps, and it’s a touring six-piece-sonic-arsenal that packs a pretty heavy punch.

DOWNLOAD:
MP3:  NOMO:  Invisible Cities from their Forthcoming album Invisible Cities out May 5th.

Visit their MySpace

Domino Records is giving away The Dirty Projectors first single from their forthcoming album “Bitte Orca” for free on their website.

“Bitte Orca” comes out June 9th. A Tender Praise has been fortunate enough to have given it a listen and it is killer.

LISTEN:
MP3: The Dirty Projectors: Stillness Is The Move

Click here to download the song for free on Domino’s website.

See more after the jump.

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One of my favorite music blogs, the fantastic Aquarium Drunkard has released a high quality cover compilation of my favorite post-Beatles solo album, Paul McCartney’s Ram. Featuring cover versions of all the songs off of Ram by well known Los Angeles artists and lesser known’s, Ram on LA is a fun listen.

I have gone back and forth between what is my favorite Beatles Solo album. Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band and Imagine and McCartney’s Ram and Band on the Run all all amazing. While my favorite Beatle has always been John, I have come to realize I tend to be drawn more to Paul’s solo output. I remember being 11 or 12 years old digging through my parent’s record collection and coming across Ram. I was first drawn in by the colorful album cover but soon realized I couldn’t stop listening to Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey.

Check out Ram on LA at Aquarium Drunkard.

Is anybody excited for the new Grizzly Bear record? If the above song “Two Weeks” is any indication of what the album will sound like, I think we can all be pleased.

The new album is called Veckatimest and comes out May 26th on Warp Records.

Veckatimest Tracklist:

01 Southern Point
02 Two Weeks
03 All We Ask
04 Fine for Now
05 Cheerleader
06 Dory
07 Ready, Able
08 About Face
09 Hold Still
10 While You Wait for the Others
11 I Live With You
12 Foreground

I have been a fan of the Black Lips ever since Good Bad Not Evil came out in 2007. I never realize what albums I like the most or what albums I listen to the most until I look at my iTunes Play Count and realize how much I play a certain album. This was situation with Good Bad Not Evil.

With that said, I am pretty excited for their new album, 200 Million Thousand which comes out February 24th.

The following is on 200 Million Thousand and is called Short Fuse. Enjoy.

DOWNLOAD:

MP3: Black Lips: Short Fuse

(via Born to be Nervous)