I can't tell you how happy I am that we FINALLY have enough copies of the Drums' debut mini-LP, Summertime, to be able to feature it in the Update. The Drums have been tearing the blogs up since mid-2009, and have quickly become New York's most buzzed about indie-pop band, garnering fans worldwide with their songs and converting the masses with their stellar live shows. Their faces (and phenomenal '80s hair) have been on the cover of the NME, and they have been touted as 2010's best new band, resulting in a furious worldwide tour and an A&R bidding frenzy. Well, what does the album sound like? Summertime is a gloriously joyous romp through C86 pop and the early Factory and Postcard Records sounds. Think the Wake, the Smiths, Orange Juice and contemporaries like Tough Alliance, Legends, and pretty much any band on Slumberland. "Don't Be a Jerk, Jonny" is probably the most twee track that I've heard in a long time; with its Casio drum beat, boy/girl vocal, and ultra-catchy chorus, it brings a smile to my face every time it comes on the iPod. "Let's Go Surfing" is a sunny California jam that evokes the Wake at their best -- it's a great tune, and the obvious single that has had the masses drooling since it was released. Summertime is filled with seven great songs that will have you longing for fun times, ocean waves, and summer sun. This one is self-released, so pick it up before it's gone and you have to scour eBay for a copy. Don't say I didn't tell you so. [JS]

the indie beach-pop fad of the last couple of years.

No discussion of the new RJD2? Or am I late to the party and/or hipster backlash? I dig it, return to previous form - nice horns in 'Let There Be Horns' and 'Crumbs Off the Table' as well as (non-skin) flute in 'Tin Flower'.

Downloading now

No discussion of the new RJD2? Or am I late to the party and/or hipster backlash? I dig it, return to previous form - nice horns in 'Let There Be Horns' and 'Crumbs Off the Table' as well as (non-skin) flute in 'Tin Flower'.

"Brooklyn trio The Octagon (display) punk tendencies but eschew the layered psych for purposefully lo-fi raw intensity. Unlike certain young lo-fi punker upstarts, the members of The Octagon are accomplished musicians of their own right (drummer Will Glass, for example, has performed with sound sticklers Dirty Projectors), and they never let the limitations of their 4-track cassette recorders hinder their punchy melodies. Most songs punch out at less than three minutes, and there’s enough variety here to ever keep you from feeling bored."
KEXP Blog

umm. WTF is this?

There's some kind of prog or overwrought rock opera influence here. I don't know that I will listen to it enough to grasp the overarching themes, though. Not bad, just not grab you by the ears good either.

Nobody ever accused Jersey punks Titus Andronicus of being unambitious. They are, after all, the type of band who included a song called "Upon Viewing Brueghel's 'Landscape with the Fall of Icarus'" on their first album. But when then band returns with their sophomore album, they will leap full-on into the weird universe of the concept album. Brave souls!

The Monitor, the band's follow-up to The Airing of Grievances, will drop March 9 on XL. According to singer Patrick Stickles in a press release, the LP is "sort of" a concept album about the Civil War: "It doesn't take place in olden times, nor does it necessarily feature any characters that participated in that conflict. Really, it is a record about how the conflicts that led our nation into that great calamity remain unresolved, and the effect that this ongoing division has on our personal relationships and our behavior and how they're all out to get us (or maybe not?) and yadda yadda yadda."

The band recorded the album last August in New Paltz, New York with Airing of Grievances producer and engineer Kevin McMahon. Members of the Hold Steady, Wye Oak, Ponytail, and Vivian Girls all appear on the album. Also of note: some of the songs here are long. One track lasts 14 minutes, and first single "Four Score and Seven" runs nearly nine. And no, the track "Theme From 'Cheers'" is not a cover of the theme song from the tv show "Cheers".

UPDATE: The band's publicist has dropped us some info on a few of these guest appearances. Apparently, the album features a few spoken-word interludes in which various people portray Civil War-era historical figures. So: Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn plays Walt Whitman, appropriately enough, while Vivian Girls leader Cassie Ramone plays Jefferson Davis, absurdly enough. Meanwhile, someone named Okey Canfield Chenoweth plays Abraham Lincoln, and Double Dagger frontman Nolen Strals (who also designed the cover art) is William Lloyd Garrison.

The band will release "Four Score and Seven" as a double A-side 7" on February 9, splitting the track into two parts so it'll fit on the vinyl. We've got both parts to stream or download below. The first part is a stately, rootsy march with enough brass and harmonica to call up pleasant memories of Bright Eyes' epic "Road to Joy". Part two gets a whole lot messier and more anarchic, and that closing "It's still us against them" mantra is going to make for a hell of a cathartic singalong when they play it live.

Speaking of playing live, Titus will tour the U.S. around the time of The Monitor's release, and they'll stop off at SXSW. They'll also play New York's Mercury Lounge on New Years Eve.

this is very nice, I heard it twice today and it I still don't really know why I like it. It's worth to listen through proper headphones.

Downloading now

crappers! link died.

i'm liking the new jj.

did i miss the rjd2 link? we def, need to bring back the "all pages" feature so i can search easier.