Featuring Faunts, Michna, Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Monks and The Hylozoists. Listen atIODAcast.com or iTunes.
Stuck in the Sound
“Shoegazing Kids”
Discograph
Alternative: Rock
UPC: 3700426907095
This four-piece French-pop group is well known in their native country for their energetic live shows. Drawing from the early 00’s dance-rock sensation, Stuck In The Sound creates an upbeat album that makes you want to move while simultaneously proving that the contemporary French music scene is more than just an electronic juggernaut.
Ben Benjamin
“The Many Moods of Ben Benjamin Vol. 1.5”
Ghostly International
Electronic: Indie
UPC: 804297901305
Ben Benjamin’s The Many Moods of Ben Benjamin Vol. 1.5 EP is a five-song epilogue to his Ghostly debut, The Many Moods of Ben Benjamin, Vol. 1, and a fine testament to the artist’s production savvy and songwriting skill.
Willie Nelson, Asleep at the Wheel
“Willie and the Wheel”
Bismeaux Records
Americana: Swing
UPC: 20286128724
Asleep at the Wheel has been “reviving” western swing music for almost forty years and Willie Nelson has been playing, well, just about every type of music for well over forty. The two acts come together on February 3 to salute the western swing sound on Willie and the Wheel.
Melinda Doolittle
“Coming Back to You”
HiFi Recordings
Pop : R&B
UPC: 796019818247
“Her solo debut, Coming Back to You, connects her to venerable elders like Gladys Knight and, yes, early Aretha, but instead of sounding trapped within an antique box, Doolittle comes across as vital and vibrant. Now is the time for listeners to remember that this gospel-bred former backup singer has an earth-shaking gift.” – LA Times
Various Artists
“Ghostly Swim”
Ghostly International
Electronic : Indie
UPC: 804297997506
A genre-busting 19-song collection, stretching the entire Ghostly International galaxy, Ghostly Swim explores the Avant-Pop style that the Ann Arbor/New York City label has been been championing for the past 9 years. Ghostly Swim features Matthew Dear, Dabrye, Tycho, Aeroc, The Chap and Michna.
The Hylozoists
“L’île de Sept Villes”
Outside Music
Alternative : Classical
UPC: 623339904322
L’île de Sept Villes, the third record by The Hylozoists brain-child Paul Aucoin, is a sonic dream that provides an ongoing background for one’s voyage in reverie. It solidifies The Hylozoists as Canada’s indie-art orchestral mavens.
The Hylozoists were conceived by producer/multi-instrumentalist Paul Aucoin in 2001 when he wrote and recorded the debut album La Nouvelle Gauche at his studio in Nova Scotia. A Halifax-heavy line-up of backing musicians was then assembled to perform the songs at a variety of festivals and other dates. However, the project was soon relegated to the backburner as Aucoin turned his focus to responsibilities both in the studio and on stage with The Sadies.
Relocating to Toronto in 2004, Aucoin drafted a new compliment of Hylozoists from bands such as The Weakerthans, FemBots and Cuff the Duke. Having already commenced production on a sophomore effort, he ultimately abandoned the work-in-progress. For Aucoin, it was essential that he start fresh and capture the collective sound of his new legion of collaborators. At that point, The Hylozoists shed the shackles of “solo project” and blossomed into a full-blown supergroup.
Back a new, fuller sound, The Hylozoists’ third album, L’Île des Sept Villes‘ music surrounds and transports you to a lush and complex forest. Each instrument carefully adds to the overall tone of a song, thus describing a single “sound” for the Hylozoists would be almost impossible. Every song expresses emotions so complex and personal that even on a first listen, one realizes this isn’t your stereotypical instrumental band. Yes, it has some of the epic builds and swells of Explosions in the Sky, but imagine that matched with a playful Sigur Ros, and a great jam band with an enchanting strings section and a lighthearted vibraphone. This truly is a band you have to hear to understand; it’s almost meaningless to describe all the different textures that compose their fantastic and original songs. It sounds wonderfully instrumental without forgetting that it’s also a band. Anyone can find something unique and intimate in this awesome record and what surely must be an unforgettable live show.
You can preview much of the new album via their myspace.
Faunts
“Feel.Love.Thinking.Of.” (mp3)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album
Michna
Willie Nelson, Asleep at the Wheel
Buy at Willie and the Wheel Website
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
Buy at mTraks
The Monks
The Hylozoists
