The Secret Love Parade - “The Victorians Are Here”

This is the jaunty chillwave indie pop of The Secret Love Parade. It’s Janna Coomans from Amsterdam joining forces with Aino Vehmasto from Utrecht. Turn it up and it blows your sucks off. “The Victorians Are Here” is the second single from the band’s new album Mary Looking Ready. They are signed to the Dutch indie label Snowstar Records. Stream the album here or viddy what they do down under.

Andrew Bird - “Give It Away”

Where’s the line between an innate musician or a professional chemist for Andrew Bird? That I’m yet to decipher. His new album Break It Yourself is probably what The Antlers’ Burst Apart was to Hospice. I cannot find the accessibility of Noble Beast and Playfulness of Mysterious Production of Eggs in it. But somehow it was destined to sound like this. “Give It Away” though is one of its more surfaced humble works and is therefore my pick from the album.

Levon Helm - “Kingfish”

This sad news just in. Levin Helm, The Band’s drummer, left us today at the age of 71 due to throat cancer. He had the countirest of voices. It carried the scent of haystack and the tipsiness of a fine bottle of bourbon in Marvell, Arkansas. This is a fabulous cover of Randy Newman’s “Kingfish” from his 2009 full-length Electric Dirt. Rest in peace indeed.

Hospitality - “Betty Wang”

I don’t know who Betty Wang is. But the 60s-infused pop tenderness of this song so much brings me back to another character Camera Obscura referred to i.e. the American poet Dory Previn who died only two months ago at 86. I have some glittering memories from that song that has to do with an unforgettable trip to Thailand. Out of its vintage quality shell, it also shares some precious moments with the likes of Rilo Kiley.

This eponymous effort is the first thing you hear since the band’s hiding since their 2008 EP.

Turtle Giant - “Germany I & II”

Yet another needle in the hay I discovered somewhere in China. Last time if you remember it was The Offset: Spectacles. I’m inadvertently caught under the spell again. Though these guys started out in São Paulo, Brazil and are currently residing in the country that apparently enjoys an analog rebellion neath the city asphalt. And by city I mean Macau. Never mind! This alt-rock charmer drags you from the emotionalism of Grizzly Bear’s “While You Wait For the Others” to the reverb summit of Dinosaur Jr. in a seven minute run.

Turtle Giant will release their sophomore EP called All Hidden Places as of May 5th. You can stream it in its entirety here and believe me when I tell you “Germany I & II” is not the only good song on it. Click here for a short promo.

Black Dice - “Pig”

Very hard for me to avoid this. But I have my own reasons. Justified. Animal Collective called these insane avant-garde noise rockers the best band in the world. You don’t believe me? Here. They’re inevitable. And in my complete denial of their existence I delved deep into their psyched up difficult math.

Reason two: Remember LCD Soundsystem’s “Losing My Edge”? Well, there’s this list James Murphy shares with us, right? And guess who’s there mentioned amongst Modern Lovers, Sexual Harassment, The Human League and The Sonics?

“Pig” is the only thing I’ve heard so far from the new upcoming BD album Mr. Impossible due any day from now. If you’re not having a great day, say, your best friend turning her back on you, girlfriend seen with someone else, ketchup bursting on your new Levi’s rushing you for an emergency laundry service, don’t try this! It only adds up to your wilderness. Otherwise, here’s my latest old discovery. A bit embarrassed I am to be honest not to have heard of them before. Now I’ve got the whole discovery right here in my windbreaker pocket.

Update: This is what happens when you queue posts. See? See? This just in. Stream Mr. Impossible in it’s entirety via PlayGroundMag.