AA Bondy — Believers
[soundcloud]http://soundcloud.com/fatpossum/aa-bondy-the-heart-is-willing[/soundcloud]
Well, he’s done it. He’s gone and changed his signature style. You know the one: stripped-down recordings, acoustic guitars, that voice of his. Thankfully, the change really is quite good: Believers is lush, evocative, and most importantly, an enjoyable 40 minutes of great songwriting.
Girls — Father, Son, Holy Ghost
[soundcloud]http://soundcloud.com/artsandcraftsmx/sets/girls-father-son-holy-ghost/[/soundcloud]
I reviewed this album last week because I’ve been consistently impressed by the band and thought the new album would probably be worth a go. I think that may be the understatement of the year (though perhaps that’s an overstatement). Anyway, the album’s quite good. I’d parrot a bit of my review, but why don’t you just read it? Girls — Father, Son, Holy Ghost review [http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/2011/09/05/father-son-holy-ghost-sees-girls-reaching-toward-new-styles]
Mates of State — Mountaintops
[soundcloud]http://soundcloud.com/matesofstate/maracas-mountaintops-2011[/soundcloud]
If more husband-and-wife indie pop, male and female harmonies leading the way, is what you want, Mates of State have predictably done it again. By their seventh album, they’ve got a very clear idea about how to do this sort of thing, and they aren’t straying too far from the ground they helped to establish in the genre.
Wild Flag — Wild Flag
[soundcloud]http://soundcloud.com/mergerecords/wild-flag-romance[/soundcloud]
Wild Flag are sort of this indie rock female supergroup featuring some names you’ll probably recognize — and one you’ll most definitely recognize (apologies if you don’t recognize her name!): Carrie Brownstein, best known for her work in Sleater-Kinney — though her sketch comedy show Portlandia is certainly growing in name recognition as well. Anyway, this album’s really, really good. Listen to it.