New Friday Jams

hot as h e double hockey sticks outside, and it's just early June....i'm going to start blaming Global Warming for itself. it's hot, we need the AC on, which makes climate change worse...Global Warming, take a look in the mirror! anyway, in addition i drove a car to the CD store, and am also running all sorts of other electronic equipment, like the stereo:

Pelican - City of Echoes the worst thing about metal is usually the vocals. Pelican conveniently leaves that part out for your listening pleasure. heard a track on Salon and went out and got this one, their newest, and while it drags in places there are some really fantastic, heavy-but-pretty moments on here. reminds me of some of
Bitch Magnet's more epic episodes. damn wish i woulda seen this band at Primavera! along with...
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky i'm loving the gentle
Wilco mode, especially the first song "Either Way" and "What Light." i also like the "weird Wilco" of Ghost, Yankee, etc which wasn't really that weird at all, but much of this album sounds more natural to me. damn i wish i woulda seen this band at Primavera.
Tracey Thorn - Out of the Woods psyched to see this get a domestic release. ever since the Marine Girls , i've been pretty much "gimme some Tracey Thorn" from the wispy indie days through the Everything But the Girl (nice splash page there, btw!) disco nights til now. this is still on the electronic tip but some of the keyboard sounds could almost be tounge-in-cheek...a bit lighter in mood than some of the later EBTG. Thorn's voice always manages a great balance of detached and wounded. i just saw on the EBTG site that the b-sides to her new single are Magnetic Fields covers, you can hear 'em on her myspace page and they sound Magnetic Fields-y.
Electrelane - No Shouts No Calls whereas i often prefer my metal instrumental, i like my Electrelane with singing and there's more here than ever. earlier records i enjoyed but didn't engage me like this one, which seems less controlled, more propulsive, and with the aforementioned vocals carrying the hooks along. immediate and lovely.