The sun’s shining high in the sky, and the New Music Monday picks for December 7 are sure to please even the most jaded ear.
Pleasant Grove‘s near 10-year hiatus has made the February 5 due date for The Heart Contortionists worthy of a big ol’ notation on your calendar, in screaming sonic red. Marcus Striplin’s still got stories to tell, and nearly ten years after the release of their debut, this Dallas quintet is back again and ready for your ears. And one can never, ever go wrong with assist from the cream of the Dallas producer’s cabal — John Congleton, Stuart Sikes and John Dufilho, right? Right!
We’re seriously starting to think there’s something in the water in the Land Down Under. The varied and supremely tuneful offerings and abundance of Australian artists hitting our shores for the past couple of years — exemplified by the likes of Courtney Barnett, Fraser A. Gorman, Tame Impala — have been an absolute treat. So with that, we’re happy to bring you Melbourne’s King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, whose charming and gently trippy romp “Paper Mâché Dream Balloon” takes you out there, then delivers you safely back home, just in time for your curfew and the perfect goodnight kiss.
The beloved Minneapolis outfit Poliça makes their mighty return on March 4 with Urban Crushers, and we couldn’t be more jazzed because the soothing tones of Channy Leaneaugh could be enough stop World War III. Get cozy with “Lime Habit,” the deliciously hypnotic instant-grat track from the album, and catch them at The Loft on March 12!
We like Miike. Miike Snow, that is. March 4 heralds the release the Swedish electro-trio’s long-awaited third album, iii, and here’s this punchy track, “Genghis Khan,” to tide you over until then. Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg moonlight as production duo Bloodshy & Avant and helped Britney Spears snag the Grammy for “Toxic,” while Andrew Wyatt has shown up on a host of collaborations, including his recent work with Emile Haynie and Brian Wilson on “Falling Apart.” Nice to hear Miike Snow getting back to their pop-tastic roots.
XOXO
Gini.
