Tullycraft - Every scene needs a center (Magic Maker/ 2007)

Every Scene Needs a Center is exactly what you would expect from Tullycraft. Their fourth and latest album is fun, super-catchy twee pop. Singer-songwriter Sean Tollefson celebrates and gently tweaks the ephemera of the indie pop scene in songs such as "The Punks Are Writing Love Songs" and "Bored To Hear Your Heart Still Breaks," a sardonic gibe at mopey emo singers like Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes. A new expanded version of the band adds more musical muscle to Tollefson's catchy, tongue-in-cheek tunes.

Tracklist

1.The punks are writing love songs
2.Fangs on bats
3.Georgette plays a goth
4.Bored to hear your heart still breaks
5.Clique at night vandals
6.Dracula screams of tiger style (Parts 1&2)
7.The lonely life of the UFO researcher
8.A cursed miss Maybellene
9.If you take away the Make-Up (Then the vampires they will die)
10.Misgiving
11.The neutron
12.One essex girl
13.The secret history of devil's paw
14.We know you're cute, you told us

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Math and Physics Club - Baby I'm yours EP (Matinée/2007)

Standard sun-dryed indie love pop by the way of Saturday Looks Good To Me or The Lucksmiths, Seattle's poppers Math and Physics Club release their third Ep that really should be released mid-Spring rather than late Autumn, this is a re-recording of a demo sent to Matinée in 2004. Baby, I'm Yours is twelve minutes of sweet guitar tunes to contest with their stupendous full-length debut from last year. Enjoy!

Tracklist

1. Baby, I'm yours
2. Nothing Really Happened
3. In This Together
4. Do You Keep A Diary

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Phosphorescent - Pride (Deep Ocean/2007)

It's almost unreal how the Athens, GA independent scene keeps providing us amazing artists, i'll don't even start talking about the Elefant 6 cast and their annual Popfest 'cause if i do so it'll take the whole post, but just to name some besides that: the decent post rock bands Japancakes and Maserati, the hip-hop producer Danger Mouse and so much others come from the little town down south of the U.S.

Phosphorescent is Matthew Houck's alias to make what i kindly call alt-country on acid, that was the first thing that came on my mind when i listened to Pride for the first time, it's so similar, but so different from his first EP and album (The Weight of Flight from 2004, and Aw Come Aw Wry from 2005) where you could hear Will Oldham and Neil Young all over them. On Pride, well you can also hear these but, you can be sure that Houck been listening to Wooden Wand and Animal Collective a bit, and i can say that he hitted a pretty good spot in this one, Pride is surely one of the best albums of 2007.

Tracklist
01. A picture of our torn up praise
02. Be dark night
03. Wolves
04. At death, a proclamation
05. The waves at night
06. My dove, my lamb
07. Cocaine lights
08. Pride


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My Sad Captains - Bad Decisions CDSingle (Fortuna Pop!/2007)

My Sad Captains are making inroads into the mainstream consciousness, but they're doing it with little in the way of condescension, keeping a sharp kind of pop virtue . Their ultra-melodic debut single is the sound of a perfect summer, all hooks, harmonies and handclaps. Ed Wallis' vocals mesh perfectly with Cathy Lucas' voice in a pop confection that combines the bright jangle of the Go-Betweens and the dark majesty of the Silver Jews. They spoil you with their flipside too (any less talented band would have put these out as separate A sides). 'Here And Elsewhere' is slower but just as gorgeously harmonic as the top side, containing all the pop nous of a band like Sparklehorse (who they've just covered for a forthcoming tribute album). As I write this, my lunchtime drink sums them up perfectly: naturally sparkling.

Tracklist

1. Bad decisions
2. Here and elsewhere

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The Black Kids - Wizard Of Ahhhs EP (Self-Released/2007)

Black Kids are an unsigned four-piece who have never been on tour but are suddenly being hailed as the next big thing. In fact, although the buzz only began about some weeks ago, it's fast becoming the sort of din that greeted Arcade Fire back in 2005, even the White Stripes in 2002 - if John Peel was still alive, he'd be issuing wild proclamations and making outlandish comparisons with the all-time greats. With songs that sound like The Cure vs My Bloody Valentine, this Florida quintet wowed everyone at the recent Athens Popfest and are currently getting lusty reviews everywere.

Tracklist
1. Hit the heartbreaks
2. I'm not gonna teach your boyfriend how to dance with you
3. Listen to your body tonight
4. Designs on aka you
5. I wanna be your limousine
6. Hurricane Jane
7. Love Me Already
8. I've Underestimated My Charm (Again)

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Burial - Untrue (Hyperdub/2007)

Following up the highly acclaimed eponymous album from last year, the electronic producer estabilished in London, Burial has dropped a new masterpiece. Untrue keeps the same formula of the first album, soulful vocals (with massive effects), hypnotic electro-dub melodies and the major beats that makes him one of the most promising acts of the England's dubstep scene.

Tracklist
1. Untitled
2. Archangel
3. Near Dark
4. Ghost Hardware
5. Endorphin
6. Etched Headplate
7. In Mcdonalds
8. Untrue
9. Shell Of Light
10. Dog Shelter
11. Homeless
12. UK
13. Raver

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Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Ask Forgiveness EP (Drag City/2007)

Another effort from prolific singer/songwriter/actor/number one weirdo Will Oldham which this year has collaborated with plenty of artists such as Scout Niblett on her fantastic album, This Fool Can Die Now.

Ask Forgiveness is mainly a covers EP, with one new studio track from Billy. And well, one thing that he's really good at is doing weird covers, in this one he reworks Danzig, Frank Sinatra, Björk and uhm, yet another R. Kelly cover.

Way to go, boyo.

Tracklist
1. I Came Here to Hear the Music (Mickey Newbury)
2. I've Seen It All (Björk)
3. Am I Demon (Danzig)
4. My Life (Phil Ochs)
5. I'm Loving the Street (Will Oldham original)
6. The Way I Am (Mekons / Merle Haggard / Sonny Throckmorton)
7. Cycles (Frank Sinatra)
8. The World's Greatest (R. Kelly)

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After-School Sports - A Short Melodrama EP (Cosy Recordings/2007)

Bedroom pop, known for its simple charm and... high school-ish spirit, is done quite a bit of justice by this Swedish mystery-tet (who's in this band???). While the similarities to other fixtures of indiepop stardom such as Pipas or The Clientèle may be nearly crippling at various moments, "A short melodrama" is diverse, beautiful, executed well, and most certainly re-playable. Also involved are production values to rival Daniel Johnston, case in point; "Sweet Catrin Dannenmaier". Not a bad thing in either case. The collection includes a cover of Lily Allen's "Smile". I'd like to say this is what that song should have sounded like in the first place. Forget the original. The twee pop community will greet After-School Sports with open arms.
- Paul Bredenberg

Tracklist
1. A Short Melodrama (intro)
2. Charlie's 18th Birthday
3. Ebay Love
4. Smile
5. Almost Left my BF for His Casio
6. Sweet Catrin Dannenmaier
7. Roe Deers, Cats and Mice
8. Wind Up
9. The Good Night Fable (outro)

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