Tomorrow is the third Saturday in April, which means that independent record stores across the world will face an influx of limited-edition vinyl, avid fans, and rabid audiophiles. With myriad releases hitting shelves, we’ve provided you with some of our most anticipated picks to make Saturday’s shopping (relatively) quick and painless.
Domino
Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid: Intersecting Influences in an Urban Environment
In 2008, abstract electronic artist Kieran Hebden and legendary jazz drummer Steve Reid took to Reid’s hometown to record the full-length NYC, uniting disparate musical genres, eras, and audiences.
Morrow vs. Hajduch: Austra’s Feel It Break
Scott Morrow is ALARM’s music editor. Patrick Hajduch is a very important lawyer. Each week they debate the merits of a different album.
Austra: Feel It Break (Domino, 5/17/11)
Austra: “Beat and the Pulse”
[audio:https://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Austra_Beat_and_the_Pulse.mp3|titles=Austra: “Beat and the Pulse”]Morrow: A DIY advocate from the Toronto underground, singer/multi-instrumentalist Katie Stelmanis is the force behind Austra, a new electro-pop trio that incorporates an operatic flare. Stelmanis grew up learning the viola and piano while also singing in the Canadian Children’s Opera Chorus, and that vibrato vocal ability is what carries this Austra debut.
The musical complexity isn’t as pronounced here as it was on Stelmanis’ solo debut, Join Us, which preceded Feel It Break. But both albums channel a moody yet melodic dance/electronic sound — a style that’s sure to draw comparisons to The Knife.
100 Unheralded Albums from 2010
Among the thousands of under-appreciated or under-publicized albums that were released in 2010, hundreds became our favorites and were presented in ALARM and on AlarmPress.com. Of those, we pared down to 100 outstanding releases, leaving no genre unexplored in our list of this year’s overlooked gems.
Angel Deradoorian steps out of Dirty Projectors’ shadow on debut EP
Mind Raft is a trip into the ether of Angel Deradoorian’s mind — by turns spacey and beautiful, eerie and unsettling.
50 Unheralded Albums from 2009
ALARM leaves no genre unloved in our round-up of 50 albums that didn’t receive enough attention in 2009.