John's New Music Blog

After a long-ish break from finding new music, we're back with a some new bands and a contest (more on that later). First, today's featured band is London's Still Corners, a 1960's influenced four piece consisting of founders Tessa Murray (vocals) and Greg Hughes (songwriter) and Leon Dufficy (guitar), Luke Jarvis (bass) and Paul Mayhew (drums).

Photo by Cat Stevens (Thanks, Sub Pop)

Still Corner's first full length album is Creatures of an Hour and the first single is the gauzy, lo-fi dreamy track "Into the Trees." The track evokes the retro sound that have been the common theme of the past year made popular by Cults.





The second track is "Cuckoo," a shoegazy song that sounds a bit like M83 and Blouse.


Cuckoo from Still Corners on Vimeo.

Still Corners' Sub Pop debut album, Creatures of an Hour, is available from Sub Pop, and for download from iTunes, and Amazon. They are currently on tour in the UK and will hopefully be in the US before too long.

This is the new video from Cults for their excellent song, "Go Outside." I'm not sure how I feel about it, it's a great song, but the video is more than a little disturbing. The video features clips from NBC's coverage of Congressman Leo Ryan's ill fated trip to The People's Temple in Jonestown with bandmembers Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion digitally added to the scenes.





Go Outside, by Cults from Boing Boing on Vimeo.

I think the video is too clever by half, the band and the director are making a statement about the power of cults (get it, cults and get outside?), but by inserting the band into the clips, the message is muddled and Jonestown might be considered ancient history by their fans (if they even know what Jonestown was).

I love the band and the song, but the video just doesn't work for me. Go get the album from iTunes and Amazon and listen for yourself.

The latest track to leak from John's New Music Blog's favorite band, Cults, is "Make Time." It continues the Phil Spector meets lo-fi beach rock sound that has come to define Cults.



(Original Soundcloud hosting of track was taken down, click here to go to The Hype Machine to hear it)

Cults debut album, Cults, drops on June 7, preorder from iTunes and Amazon.

(h/t: Beachtapes)

If John's New Music Blog had a house band, it would be Cults in a rotation with Best Coast, The New Division and Tennis (Allo Darlin' and The Standard Fare on alternate Tuesdays and Thursdays). The only reason why we don't have a house band is lack of space and budget (plus the neighbors might have something to say about indie bands playing in the basement).




In honor of Record Store Day, Cults released a limited edition vinyl 7" single of "Abducted" and, thanks to Weekly Tape Deck, here's the song set to the 1967 French film Anna with Marianne Faithful and Anna Karina, created by director George Tanasie.



Cults - Abducted from George Tanasie on Vimeo.

If you didn't pick up your copy of "Abducted," you're out of luck, but Cults' album will be available on May 30th in the UK and June 7th in the US on Columbia Records (Amazon pre-order here, CD/vinyl).

If the year were to end today, I would proclaim Cults, and their track "You Know What I Mean" as the band and track of the year. Their debut album isn't being released until May, but several tracks have made their way onto the blogs, and of the tracks I've heard, "You Know What I Mean" is a stomp the floor, pound the table, certifiable hit. It's a '50's throwback Phil Spector "Wall of Sound" meets lo-fi song and at the 49 second mark, be prepared to be blown away. You will be listening to this over and over again.