New Music Roundup: 1/16/08

Did you know that TNG loves music? I bet it never occurred to you. It's not like we write about it all the damn time or anything. Though we regularly cover bands in What We're Listening To and our interviews and our monthly live music roundups, we still receive many high quality CDs that never get reviewed on the site. To make up for this I am introducing a new weekly feature to give you the rundown of all the new music I've picked up in the last seven days. Not all of it is amazing and not all of it is released yet, but I do hope you that you find one or two in here that pique your interest.

Artist: Antony & The Johnsons
Album: The Crying Light
Who the hell they are: New York band led by queer, androgynous singer Antony Hegarty, who is currently best known for his ultra-warbley vocal work with Hercules and Love Affair.
Sounds like a combination of: A tranquilized angel and Bryan Ferry making a bowel movement.
For example: Her Eyes Are Underneath the Ground
Recommended?: Yes. It can take a while to differentiate his songs from one another, but the whole experience is so beautifully mournful that it doesn't matter.
Release date: Jan. 20

Artist: Cotton Jones
Album: Paranoid Cocoon
Who the hell they are: A side project of the band Page France, which I haven't heard of either.
Sounds like a combination of: The Doors and Luna.
For Example: Gotta Cheer Up
Recommended?: Yes. The Jim Morrison plagiarism is short lived. After that it's all pretty groovy.
Release Date: Jan. 27

Artist: Francois Virot
Album: Yes or No
Who the hell they are: Frenchman who sings, plays guitar and looks really dreamy
Sounds like a combination of: The Dodos and The Dodos
For Example: Not The One.
Recommended? I guess, but only if you're already familiar with The Dodos.
Release Date: Already out.

Artist: Harlem Shakes
Album: Technicolor Health
Who the hell they are: New York band who I once saw open for Deerhoof.
Sounds like a combination of: Arcade Fire and The Kooks
For Example: Strictly Game
Recommended?: Yeah. This album's a lot of fun, especially the title track... which isn't yet available anywhere for me to link to. But I promise it rocks.
Release Date: March 24.

Artist: Human Highway
Album: Moody Motorcycle
Who the hell they are: Nick Thorburn, from The Unicorns and Islands, and some other guy.
Sounds like a combination of: The Unicorns and Neil Young
For Example: The Sound
Recommended?: Yup. I dare you to listen to "The Sound" only once.
Release Date: Already out.

Artist: Various
Album: Guilt By Association, Volume 2
Who the hell they are: A compilation of contemporary indie rockers covering Cozy FM staples like "Lady in Red" and "If You Leave."
Sounds like a combination of: Uh, indie rock and cozy FM Staples?
For Example: My Brightest Diamond covering Tainted Love. (Myspace player, third track.)
Recommended?: Not essential by any means, but the covers are pretty good.
Release Date: Feb. 17

Artist: Dent May & His Magnificent Ukele
Album: The Good Feeling Music of Dent May and his Magnificent Ukelele
Who the hell they are: Mississippi native who might or might not play ukelele
Sounds like a combination of: Tiny Tim and David Allen Coe
For Example: Oh, Paris
Recommended?: Not in good conscious. It's pretty gnarly. (Though even as I'm writing this it's growing on me. You gotta give him credit for that.)
Release Date: Feb. 3

Artist: The Naked Hearts
Album: These Knees EP
Who the hell they are: New York based male/female duo
Sounds like a combination of: Mazzy Star and The Kills
For Example: Call Me
Recommended?: It's alright for hangovers, Sunday mornings or remembering the 90s.
Release Date: Jan. 22

Artist: Passion Pit
Album: Chunk of Change EP
Who the hell they are: Boston band, which began recording as a musical Valentines Day gift from a member to his girlfriend
Sounds like a combination of: Hot Chip and the Postal Service
For Example: I've Got Your Number
Recommended?: Highly. I've already got my tickets to see them at the Black Cat Backstage on Feb. 3rd.
Release Date: Already out.

Artist: Pepi Ginsberg
Album: Red
Who the hell they are: Brooklyn-based musician. Who has ever heard of such a thing?
Sounds like a combination of: The Cowboy Junkies and Dusty Springfield
For Example: The Waterline
Recommended?: Oh yeah. I've already listened to it five times. She's great.
Release Date: April 22nd

Artist: These Arms Are Snakes
Album: Tail Swallower and Dove
Who the hell they are: Seattle-based thrashers
Sounds like a combination of: The Deftones and my mom yelling "turn it down!" through a closed bedroom door.
For Example: Red Line Season
Recommended?: If you like that sort of thing.
Release Date: Already out.

Artist: The Volunteers
Album:Spectrophilia
Who the hell they are: Swaggery Brooklyn bar-rockers
Sounds like a combination of: Louis XIV and Crucial Taunt
For Example: Rock and Roll (Will Kill You.)
Recommended?: Yeah, it's actually pretty fun.
Release Date: Already out.

Artist: The Weight
Album: Are Men
Who the hell they are: Alt-country, without the alt.
Sounds like a combination of: The Jayhawks and Toby Keith
For Example: Closer Than a Friend.
Recommended?: For country fans.
Release Date: March 10