Matmos, 'Supreme Balloon' (Matador)

A killer set of sonic punch lines from blip-blop raconteurs.
Matmos / Photo by AJ Farkas
Matmos / Photo by AJ Farkas

Legions of Kraftwerk wannabes miss the band's secret weapon: From their man-machine fashion to their preference for dinky beats, the self-described showroom dummies could always tease out a good joke. And although they're purely instrumentalists, Matmos can too, with a charm that sets the laptop duo apart from lesser lights for whom chilly beats and icy synths are ends in themselves.

Los Campesinos!, 'Hold On Now, Youngster...' (Arts & Crafts)

Wales-based whiz kids drop a sparkling, hyper-referential debut.

"Knee Deep at ATP" perfectly distills the Los Campesinos!

Sun Kil Moon, 'April' (Caldo Verde)

Tonight's the Night fetishists stagger down Zuma Beach.

Powered by mordant but melodic vocals, authoritatively finger-picked guitar, and what sounds like a lifetime supply of sleeping pills and booze, Sun Kil Moon may be the most convincingly bummed-out '70s-era Neil Young tribute band ever assembled.

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, 'Real Emotional Trash' (Matador)

Hard-to-grok guitar jams from former indie kingpin.

Time to finally face the music, Malkmus mavens: Your hero may not make a great post-Pavement disc.

Sons and Daughters, 'This Gift' (Domino)

Scottish quartet still at their best when they trash the place.

With propulsive pogo-worthy rhythms and singer Adele Bethel's insistent vocals, these rough-edged folk punks go for a quick knockout on their poppier second album (produced by Suede's Bernard Butler).

Xiu Xiu, 'Women as Lovers' (Kill Rock Stars)

Feisty post-punks slip pretty sounds into screechy packages.

Careening between luxuriant melodies and irritating noise, Xiu Xiu albums are iffy by design. On Women as Lovers, closely miked vocals vie for attention with arpeggiated guitar ("F.T.W."), aggressive whistling ("Child at Arms"), random percussion ("The Leash"), and what sounds like air escaping from an overblown balloon ("F.T.W." again).

Syndicate content