Last night Gorilla vs. Bear wrote about a wonderful group named Elk City. I highly suggest you check out the post and the song “Los Cruzados.”

Edit: Since it’s not allowing me to link to the exact post, below are the two Elk City songs posted on Gorilla vs Bear. If you’d like to read what Chris wrote about them, it’s the post titled “New Belivers.” Their album, by the same name as GvB’s post, is due out next Tuesday.

Elk City: Los Cruzados

Elk City: Cherries in the Snow

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Is it just me or does Ghosts’ new single “Stay the Night” remind you a little of Guillemots’ “Trains To Brazil” ?

Ghost: Stay the Night

Guillemots: Trains To Brazil

More album reviews from the campus paper.

Rehab and musicians go hand-in-hand — just ask Britney Spears. But, when it comes to transforming that refusal into a hit song, and then into a solid album, Amy Winehouse wrote the book. Seamlessly channeling Motown of the 50’s and 60’s, Winehouse’s Back To Black is a modern day soul classic steeped in boozy, Eartha Kitt-ish vocals about sketchy acquaintances, alcoholism, her beau causing her to miss a Slick Rick concert, and womanhood. For the near trainwreck that her life is depicted as, Winehouse managed to keep things from derailing to create one of the best soul and R&B albums released in years.

Grade: 8/10

Amy Winehouse: Rehab

Amy Winehouse: He Can Only Hold Her

Amy Winehouse: You Know I’m No Good [ft. Ghostface Killah]

While punk-pop will forever be associated with sophomoric acts like Blink 182 and Good Charlotte, Ted Leo + the Pharmacists wield the style like a razor-sharp machete, mixing in a little reggae for extra punch. The trio’s fifth album, Living with the Living, is a power-pop whirlwind featuring politically-savvy lyrics and punked-out glockenspiel. While Living could easily be bogged down with serious tracks (“Bomb. Repeat. Bomb.” and “CIA”), Ted Leo + Rx keep things from becoming too politically congested by splicing in some fantastic light-hearted numbers like “A Bottle of Buckie” and “La Costa Brava” Welcome to intelligent punk-pop.

Grade: 8/10

Ted Leo + the Pharmacists: A Bottle of Buckie

Ted Leo + the Pharmacists: Bomb. Repeat. Bomb.

Ted Leo + the Pharmacists: Me and Mia

The Ponys Turn the Lights Out may not be life-changing, genre-defining, seizure-inducing or any other hyphenated compound, but it is thoroughly enjoyable record that recalls the feedback and psychedelia of 60’s rock.

Grade: 6/10

The Ponys: Double Vision

The Ponys: Kingdom of Hearts

Packing more snap, crackle and pop that a box of Rice Krispies, the 29 member band that is I’m From Barcelona have released one of the happiest most poppy records of the year. Every song is packed full of horns, choir harmonies and enthusiasm that make songs about getting the chickenpox, building a treehouse and collecting stamps seem fun.

Grade: 7/10

I’m From Barcelona: Barcelona Loves You

I’m From Barcelona: We’re From Barcelona

One positive that can be said about the goth-jock-pop hipster’s fourth album, songs titles let you know that what you see is what you get. “Misery.” “Dance Floor Anthem.” “Victims of Love” — this album’s got it all. Coupled with the often infectious and irritating tunes are intense lyrics like “Don’t you know, misery loves company/Yeah I heard, misery was looking for me/…/Woah, misery’s my company/Woah, misery is looking for me,” that somehow feel like the 27 year old Madden twins have swiped from countless high school blogs. While dim wittingly appealing at times, Good Morning Revival is as fun as a urinary infection.

Grade: 2/10

Good Charlotte: Just turn on the radio

One of the year’s most abstract and off-putting albums that will likely grace store shelves this year, Person Pitch is a perfect example of imagination and careful craftsmanship. Soaked in psychedelia and freak-folksiness, Person Pitch drifts over you like a duvet of mood-stabilizing drugs.

Grade: 9/10

Panda Bear: Bros [edit]

Panda Bear: Comfy In Nautica

Animals in indie band names go together like peanut butter and jelly. Two years ago, there was a big outbreak of the word “wolf,” and last year it was “bear.” Currently, the trend seems a bit unfocused, but there’s still some tride and true “bear” groups emerging. The latest appears to be Bear Colony from Little Rock, Arkansas.

Despite the fun looking Foster’s Home-themed cover (cartoon bears and creatures are shown mingling), their debut, We Came Here To Die, is a pretty dark affair, and rightfully so. The album came after member Vince Griffin was mis-diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, and spent several months bedridden, writing songs about his life being over. Griffin’s friends from other bands came together to form what is now Bear Colony.

As mentioned above, We Came Here To Die is expectedly dark lyrically, but musically it often evokes something poppy with its harmonies and layered synths. It’s a musical paradox that surely represents a past Griffin has trouble shaking off and a bright future to look forward to.

Bear Colony: Hospital Rooms Aren’t For Lovers

Bear Colony: I’m Not Brave

Half of the album is available to stream from here. You can also be the boys’ MySpace friend by clicking here.

I’d love to see the reaction of Beanie Sigel, Young Buck, Jay-Z and all of the other rappers that were used in Ratatat’s latest remix project when they find out that their lyrics were sampled so indie kids could bounce to their rhymes.

Remixes, Vol. II, Ratatat’s long-awaited and long-overdue follow-up to 2002’s Remixes, Vol. I, will finally be released tomorrow in all its glory. Copies will be available from the boys at locations on their US tour as well as online.

Having listened to the album, I find it interesting that a couple of tracks found on their leaked 9 Beats show up here on Vol. II. Nice.

Z-Ro, Devin the Dude & Juvenile: “The Mule [Ratatat Remix]“

Young Buck, T.I. & Ludacris: “Stomp [Ratatat Remix]“

Dizzee Rascal: “Fix Up Look Sharp [Ratatat Remix]“

You can pick up a couple of other songs over at Gorilla vs. Bear. For a list of Ratatat’s tour schedule, go here.

One of the newest trends that seems to be emerging in music is to have an adorable, neurotic, matter-of-fact girl with an accent fronting a two or three member band. While Sweden’s been holding the corner on this market, France has decided to answer back with SoKo.

This is normally the part of the post where I’d mention some background about the band, but since every site seems to be in French, your guess is a good as mine about them. Other than having two members, Boy SoKo and Girl SoKo, the duo will release a five song EP April 11, and another EP in June. Both will be available on MySpace and iTunes (I assume the US store is included in there).

Their single “I’ll Kill Her” is an oh-so-tender message to Girl SoKo’s ex-boyfriend about the future they would have had together if he hadn’t started dating that bleach-blonde girl. Now, there’s nothing left to do… but “keel her.”

SoKo: I’ll Kill Her

To listen to some other songs from their upcoming EPs, click here.

I realize I’ve already posted My Three Songs for the week, but I really want to point out one that I should have posted, for it’s from one of my most anticipated albums of 2007. “Fake Empire” is the knockout first track off of the National’s Boxer, which is due in stores May 22 via Beggars Banquet. The Abbey Drucker cover photo sums up the song perfectly. It’s one of those half-drunk late night songs that warmly lulls you into a sublime happiness. Oh, and when the horns come in, oh my…

That’s just my opinion. What do you all think?

The National: “Fake Empire”

Even though we’re nearly four months into 2007, I’m still stumbling across overlooked gems from the previous year. Case-in-point: Gotye’s Like Drawing Blood.

Gotye (pronounced “gore-ti-yeah”) is Australian singer/songwriter/producer Wally DeBacker, and is insanely talented. His album, which was recorded in various bedrooms around Australia, was nominated for an ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Music Award) for the best independent release, the land down under’s equivalent of Britain’s Mercury Prize.

Like Drawing Blood style-hops nearly every genre of music in its 11 tracks, never once sounding like a forced amalgamation. The closest thing I can relate it to is an updated version of Odelay by Beck. Yup, it’s that incredible.

Gotye: Heart’s A Mess

Gotye: Learnalilgivinanlovin

Gotye: Puzzle With A Piece Missing

I’ve also got a thing for the “Heart’s A Mess” video, which features animation that evokes images of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Beetle Juice.”

Nathan Asher & the Infantry: “Turn Up the Faders”

A staple as the opening track on some of my mixes, the variable mix of anxiety and frustration in the vocals over synths and the twinkling piano give “Turn Up the Faders” a wonderful late night vibe. If I was to describe this song with imagery, I would say it’s like being in a damp parking garage at 2:30 in the morning, a soft rain outside, and the car headlights making a ghostly red haze over falling water droplets.

Feist: “I Feel It All”

Another late night song brimming with lovely vocals, harsh electric acoustic guitar and a sparkling xylophone.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: “The Sword Song”

I wish I could say I was a bigger fan of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, but I just can’t get into their whiny vocals and often peaked-out song production. With that being said though, “The Sword Song” is easily the best thing they’ve ever written, which is a shame since it was cut from the US release of their latest album, Some Loud Thunder. Again the sound levels are maxed out (not nearly so much as in other songs), but the melody is really catchy, and becomes even more so when the “doo doo doo” bridge comes in over a strange guitar riff. The stuttering at the end is what really sells it, though.

Maia Hirasawa’s debut, Though, I’m Just Me, has me thinking a lot about the movie “Me and You and Everyone We Know,” which shouldn’t be that surprising considering there’s a song on her album of the same name. The thing is, it’s not making me think so much about the plot, but rather that concept of “me and you and everyone we know,” quit simply because Hirasawa’s lyrics involve a large cast who seemingly know each other through another character.

Hirasawa herself may even sound like someone you, either because of Hello Saferide or for the fact that vocally she sounds remarkably similar to Regina Spektor and a more restrained Joanna Newsom. If you’re a fan of either of these artists, especially Spektor, or just catchy acoustic and piano tunes in general, Maia Hirasawa’s definitely someone you’ll want to know.

Maia Hirasawa: Crackers

Maia Hirasawa: Parking Lot

Maia Hirasawa: And I Found This Boy

Maia Hirasawa: Roslin

The video for her single “And I Found This Boy” should not be missed either. It’s not every day that you’ll witness a full-on choreographed musical in a men’s bathroom, complete with a giant rat in a bridal dress and bubbles floating from a urinal.

You can pick up Maia’s Though, I’m Just Me on Razzia Records April 4.

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On another note,

As some of you may have noticed (at least I hope so), Audictive got a new look, complete with that banner I’d been promising. Several tweaks were also fixed, along with that pesky problem I’ve been having since day 1 of enlarging post titles without enlarging the titles of the content on the sidebar. The only other major thing I’d like to fix is eliminating the sidebar indentions for Internet Explorer users. Any suggestions?

For nearly a week now, my diet has consisted mostly of Seabear’s The Ghost That Carried Us Away, which undoubtedly will be one of my favorite albums of 2007. It’s an exquisite indie-folk-pop schmorgusboard that resembles something of a less experimental Animal Collective, more understandable Sigur Rós, poppier Kings of Convenience, cheerier Great Lake Swimmers, and Simon and Garfunkel sans the harmonies. In short, they’re absolutely stunning.

Other than the fact that they’re an Icelandic outfit that went from one to three members, I don’t know much about Seabear. Few Google posts exist about them, and their MySpace page says something about the band working under a bookstore that smells of rotten apples. Curious about their name, I inquired with my Wikipedia of words, Urban Dictionary. I’m told that ‘Seabear’ is “[a] sweet ass animal. A Bear with gills.”

The band posted their entire 2006 EP Singing Arc here for download. Seabear comes with my highest possible recommendation, so be sure to check them out and pick up their debut The Ghost That Carried Us Away from Morr Music.

MP3s

Seabear: I Sing I Swim

Seabear: Arms

Seabear: Sailors Blue

You can be Seabear’s virtual pal and/or listen to more of their songs on their MySpace profile.