Music Director Picks of the Week #2

Each week, the music directors of WESU, Jesse Brent and Adam Isaacson will be picking out our favorite new releases from the big pile we sort through at the station. Here are four recent records that jumped out at us:

Mountain Goats – Transcendental Youth

The new Mountain Goats album made quite a splash on the blogosphere. Here’s what the Wesleyan Argus had to say: “a testament and tribute to the strife of the depressed, the destructive, the addicted, the hopeless and an unflinching and triumphantly empathetic paean that ranks among John Darnielle and company’s best work.” We recommend track #3 (“Cry for Judas”).

Stereo Total – Cactus versus Brezel

Kudos to Forced Exposure for sending this irresistibly fun album from established Franco-German electro pop duo Stereo Total. Their 11th studio album delivers cheesy English lyrics and basic French vocab on top of playful melodies. We recommend the first two tracks (“Jaloux de mon succès”, “Pixelize me”) and more.

Jack of Heart – In Yer Mouth

Where did this band come from? And who did the album art? We know that Jack of Heart hail from somewhere in the south of France, which is surprising enough considering their psych-rock tendencies that hearken back to its heyday – with a little Serge Gainsbourg thrown in for good measure. They sing about Oscar Wilde: awesome. Check out #1, 3 and 4 (“Baby B****”, “Lady Wilde”, “Joh Jett III”). 

Night Moves – Colored Emotions

JB calls Night Moves a more psychedelic My Morning Jacket. The Minneapolis Star Tribune called this album “slow-grooving, neo-twangy, cosmically baked.” Whatever you liken these guys to, be sure to give Colored Emotions a listen. Here’s another great band out of the Twin Cities. Song #1, “Headlights”, could have been on the Drive soundtrack if the movie had been more trippy than brutal. Play the whole dang thing.