June Music Wrap-Up

The Music Wrap-Up is a monthly summary of my favorite and other notable new releases. The songs are for sampling purposes only. Artists or labels notify me with any complaints and I will remove the song as soon as possible. Please support these musicians as that's the reason I'm featuring them in the first place.

June was chock-full of great music. So much so, that it almost rivals last months April/May dual Wrap-Up. I would have been happy if only Stars and Devo had come out this month, but as usual with these posts, I discovered plenty of great new music in my constant search for more music to feature. That's the reason I love doing these, and I hope why you love reading them.

Unfortunately, as of right now, July is looking kind of slim. I'll cruise around again and see if I'm missing some new releases of note, but I might have to go in another direction for next month's Wrap-Up -- Unless you've got some suggestions you want to leave in the comments. For now, we've got The Villagers, The Chemical Brothers, Ariel Pink, Tokyo Police Club, Blitzen Trapper and much more ahead, so hit that jump and get listening.



The Villagers - Becoming a Jackal
#1 - I Saw the Dead - #2 - Becoming a Jackal


All it took is one listen to I Saw the Dead when played on All Songs Considered and I knew I had to listen to The Villagers. For the most part, that song is a bit misleading for the rest of the album, but it is a great CD either way.

DEVO - Something for Everybody
#3 - What We Do - #4 - No Place Like Home


You might only know Devo from their "one hit wonder" song, Whip It. Sadly, most do, but they are a wonderful band that put out a lot more music and have influenced countless other musicians. Still, given that this is their first release in 20 years, I was pretty wary of how good it could possibly be. Amazingly, it delivered, at least for me.

Stars - The Five Ghosts
#5 - I Died So I Could Haunt You - #6 - How Much More


Stars quickly became one of my favorite bands, and with each new release got even better. With this one, they've stayed still instead of stepping forward again. It's still an excellent pop album though, and if you've never heard of them before, don't be dissuaded from giving it a listen. Set Yourself on Fire might be a better starting point, though.

The Chemical Brothers - Further
#7 - Another World - #8 - Horse Power


I'd obviously heard of The Chemical Brothers before, but never given them much of a chance. What with my newfound love of LCD Soundsystem, I'm really starting to get into this electronic music all you kids seem to enjoy, so this fits right in.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today
#9 - Round and Round - #10 - Little Wig


Ariel Pink almost pioneers the whole lo-fi movement by being so steeped in the past. When you listen to his music, it is easy to mistake it for decades older than is really is. I'm almost more fascinated by it than I am a fan of it, but it always makes a great background for performing menial tasks. Before you know it, you're in love.

Blitzen Trapper - Destroyer of the Void
#11 - The Man Who Would Speak True - #12 - The Tree


When Blitzen Trapper's Furr came out, I had to drive up North to pick up my cousin. If you've never been up North of Michigan, anywhere past Grand Rapids or Lansing is pretty wide, open, and wilderness covered. The album served as the perfect soundtrack to that environment, and this one continues that same feel.

Tokyo Police Club - Champ
#13 - Wait Up (Boots of Danger) - #14 - Frankenstein


I've never been in love with Tokyo Police Club, but their CDs are always pretty entertaining. If anything, you can't go wrong with popping one of them in and bouncing along for awhile. It's pretty much the perfect running music as well.

Sleigh Bells - Treats
#15 - Tell 'Em - #16 - Rachel


Sleigh Bells is an assault on pop music. With only two members, they manage to barrage you with a wall of distortion and guitar. Even after multiple listens, I'm having trouble taking it all in, but I keep coming back because it's fascinating. My only real gripe so far is it pretty much has to played loud as some of the overly distorted songs sound awful when quiet, and when it's blaring from my car and sounds a little too clubby for my tastes, I get a bit embarrassed.

Wolf Parade - Expo 86
#17 - Cloud Shadow on the Mountain - #18 - Little Golden Age


Wolf Parade is always pretty solid, but something about me rubs me the wrong way enough that I've never got into them very much. I don't think I can put my finger on it, but either way they're enjoyable to listen to.

Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come (Deluxe)
#19 - The Deadly Rhythm - #20 - Tannhauser/Derive


More than a decade after they broke up, Refused's final album is still better than a vast majority of metal/hardcore/other heavy genres of music out there now. I'm not a very big fan of heavy music normally, but Refused blended so many influences into this CD that I was naturally drawn to it. If you've never heard this album, go buy the new deluxe version bundled with the DVD right now. Everyone should listen to it.