New Songs: Junior Boys, M. Ward, Camera Obscura

February 11, 2009

We’re nearly a month and a half into 2009 and my music library has been growing steadily with good tunes.  Today, I have first singles from three highly anticipated upcoming albums, starting with one of my favorite songs of the year so far from electro-pop maestros Junior Boys.

MP3 Junior Boys – Hazel

Canadian synth-pop duo, Junior Boys have a new album which is titled Begone Dull Care (named after an animated short film from 1949). “Hazel” is the first single and it’s easily the band’s catchiest song since “In The Morning”. It’s a straight-up 80’s-influenced electro club banger with a killer mid-section breakdown and a total synth explosion at the end. I’m calling it right now, this will be the ”Ready For The Floor” of the 2009.

MP3 M. Ward – Never Had Nobody Like You

I wasn’t too impressed with She & Him personally (a little bit too much She and not enough Him), but I’ve been absolutely loving M. Ward’s new album.  Hold Time is easily my favorite from the artist, and his duet with Zoey (aka future Mrs. Gibbard), “Never Had Nobody Like You”, is one of the album’s clear highlights. Looking past the fact that the drum beat borrows heavily from “Rock and Roll Part 2″ (which, to it’s credit, doesn’t sound bad here), when the fuzzy blues guitar and Ward’s wispy vocals come in, the song takes off.  It’s dusty, soulful Americana at it’s finest.

MP3 Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career

Ever since hearing “Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken”, I’ve been entranced by the indie pop stylings of Camera Obscura and the band has been long due for another album. They are set to release My Maudlin Career this Spring and have made the title track available for download.   The track has a baroque-pop feel to match the David Bowie “Ashes to Ashes” era album art.  I’m loving the piano embellishments on this song and Tracyanne’s vocals are lovely as always.

Posted by Taylor in Track Review