Best of July

Album of the month

Arthur & Yu – In Camera

July hasn’t been an amazing month for new albums, but there has still been some good stuff out there. This is one of these records that I ‘discovered’ all of a sudden without knowing anything about Arthur & Yu. An impulse buy which has turned out to be a bit of a firm favourite already. Read more in my previous album review.

Download: Arthur & Yu – Lion's Mouth


Songs of the Month

Lightspeed Champion – Galaxy of the Lost

A lovely detour into Americana from Dev Hynes, a former member of noisy rock kids Test Icicles, now branching out solo as Lightspeed Champion. The single is just out this week, so I won’t post the song – instead you can grab a live version by clicking on the link above.

The National – Pretty in Pink

I know I’m not supposed to post this (Daytrotter don’t like that), but The National Daytrotter session from earlier in the month was brilliant, and nothing more so than their covers of the Psychedelic Furs classic. And you know what? I think it’s better than the original. But then again, I love The National. [this will only be here for a few days, after that go here for the track and the rest of the session]

Vampire Weekend – Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

Click the link for my previous post on these so-hot-right-now New York indie kids, as they mix infectious melodies with shrill post-punk riffs and African rhythms. A bit to Paul Simon’s Graceland for some? Maybe, but that’s probably a good thing.

Adrian Crowley – Bless Our Tiny Hearts

One of two beautifully understated seafaring songs released by Irish folkie Adrian Crowley on the ever-excellent Fence Records. Simple, but oh so effective. Again, the link takes you back to my previous review and the mp3.

No Age – Every Artist Needs a Tragedy

I can’t really leave this post without a track from my other album of the month, the debut long player from LA’s No Age. This one nicely captures the things they do best – dense guitar noise and fuzzed-up distorted punk – all in one song.

Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit – Eyeless in Holloway

The second single from a long-time Daily Growl favourite – the super-talented young Mr Flynn and his Sussex Wit buddies. Is it good? You bet. Two great tracks, but I’m going with this one, which sees Johnny going even more country than before, which is funny given that the titular Holloway is a none-too-pretty part of north London. Still, who’s complaining when the music’s this good.