Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros - Up From Below

http://www.mediafire.com/?b5navh2da0oyawk

The lead singer of Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Alex Ebert (Edward Sharpe is supposedly his childhood alter-ego), began his musical career fronting a rather unsuccessful power-pop band. While my reservations about the merits of power-pop are legion, they are not within the scope of this review, so let me just say that I was not particularly optimistic about the quality of Ebert's songwriting capabilities. But his band's debut album, Up From Below, happily dispels all criticism I envisaged myself levelling at it. The band display a craft that many indie bands nowadays seem to have eschewed; throughout the course of the album we see songs as expansive and triumphant as 'Home,' to the baroque/cabaret stylings of 'Black Water,' to the alt-country offerings such as 'I Come In Please.' Perhaps the most pleasing facet of the album is Ebert's commitment to creating pop songs that do not dissolve into formulaic repetitions of the same chords, ad infinitum (I'm looking at you, Mumford & Sons). Make no mistake, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros are not breaking new ground as far as indie-folk goes, and they aren't as good as bands such as Fleet Foxes (but you'd be hard pressed to find a band that are FF's equal), they are still well worth a listen.

7.2

Benoît Pioulard - Lasted

http://www.mediafire.com/?6t1gx09dmr2k2i4

So, as I promised, here is the new Benoît Pioulard album, Lasted. I first got to know of Pioulard (real name: Thomas Meluch) from a friend of mine who gave me a copy of his debut LP for Kranky, Précis. Since then, he released his sophomore album, Temper, and while it was still a good record, it didn't capture my imagination in the same way Précis did. Lasted sees, in my opinion, Pioulard's return to form; the record is 40 minutes long, in my opinion the perfect length for an album; long enough to sustain its main themes but not so long as to alienate and bore the listener. Stand-out tracks here include 'RTO,' 'Shouting Distance' and 'Ailleurs.' This looks to be a contender for my album of the year, or at the very least a top 5 of 2010 record. Get this, now.

9.2

Benoît Pioulard - Dakota/Housecoat

http://www.mediafire.com/?vzo03vk490au1gw

On the eve of Benoît Pioulard's new album Lasted being leaked (I'll probably post that up soonish as well), figured I'd share this extreme rarity from back in 2006. Dakota/Housecoat sees Pioulard adopting a more experimental tone, a far cry from his current niche of delicate laptop folk. Recommend for fans of ambient/drone music; don't expect anything like what you've heard on his albums Précis and Temper.

7.3

8tracks Mixtape - Method Acting

http://8tracks.com/perversity/method-acting

Tracklist:

1. William Fitzsimmons—Funeral Dress

2. Cursive—From The Hips

3. Flowers From The Man Who Shot Your Cousin—I Do Not Love You Anymore

4. Bright Eyes—Nothing Gets Crossed Out

5. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds—Your Funeral, My Trial

6. Elliott Smith—Between the Bars

7. Joie De Vivre—Sundays

8. The Frames—Fake

9. The National—Fake Empire

10. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds—Stranger Than Kindness

11. Okkervil River—Calling and Not Calling My Ex

12. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova—When Your Mind's Made Up

13. Radiohead—Black Star

Artwork by SnnR @ dA: http://snnr.deviantart.com/art/Lonely-Soul-71932287

8tracks Mixtape - Warped

http://8tracks.com/perversity/warped

Tracklist:
1. Gonjasufi—She Gone
2. Grizzly Bear—Fine For Now
3. Harmonic 313—Problem 7
4. Flying Lotus—Table Tennis (ft. Laura Darlington)
5. Maxïmo Park—A Cloud Of Mystery
6. Vincent Gallo—When
7. Hudson Mohawke—FUSE
8. Boards of Canada—Amo Bishop Roden
9. Bibio—Fire Ant

8tracks Mixtape - Old School Rules

http://8tracks.com/perversity/old-school-rules

For those of you who don't know, 8tracks is a website that allows users to create their own mixtapes. This is my first tape, a collection of 60s/early 70s folk, rock and pop music. Check it.

Tracklist:

1. Bob Dylan—The Times They Are A-Changin'

2. The Beach Boys—Wouldn't It Be Nice

3. Nick Drake—One of These Things First

4. The Beatles—With A Little Help From My Friends

5. The Doors—Twentieth Century Fox

6. The Jimi Hendrix Experience—All Along The Watchtower

7. Neil Young—Cinnamon Girl

8. The Who—Love, Reign O'er Me