What Else Is There?

..:: The War On Drugs - Come To The City ::..

File this one under: Road trip music. “Come To The City” is so full of wistful restlessness and discovery (with a touch of nostalgia) that I can’t help but think it was written in the passenger seat of a car while cruising past and small towns and farmhouses. The progressive folk rock jaunt is soaring, expansive, and singer Adam Granduciel sounds strangely similar to former bandmate Kurt Vile (but don’t worry, this is a good thing.) Definitely a song to keep around for the next time you feel like hopping in the car and driving as far as you can.

..:: Fountains Of Wayne - Cold Comfort Flowers ::..

Forget for a minute that Fountains Of Wayne is the band that subjected us to that “Stacy’s Mom” song every hour on the hour on every rock station in the summer of 2003. Those of us in the know still remember the days when FoW was at their best, writing power pop gems like “Radiation Vibe” and “Hey Julie”. While their new album Sky Full Of Holes comes up way short of their previous four releases, there’s still one moment lurking in the mediocrity that deserves a listen. “Cold Comfort Flowers” seems unassuming at first, but once Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger launch into the chorus and bathe us in waves of euphoric harmonization, aesthetic chills are practically guaranteed.

..:: DJ Shadow - I’ve Been Trying ::..

While the unwashed masses keep wishing DJ Shadow would re-make Entroducing… everyone’s favorite instrumental hip-hop artist has gone on record saying that it just isn’t going to happen. However, it does sound like a little bit of the past has resurfaced on The Less You Know, The Better. “I’ve Been Trying” is reminiscent of The Private Press’ lost-in-time sounding “Six Days” — A lonely guy with a guitar get’s retrofitted by Shadow’s downtempo/trip-hop styled snare, descending chimes and warbled bass. Of course, the most amazing thing is that everything is done so seamlessly, one might have trouble believing that there are no instruments involved here. It’s all just a bunch of samples stitched together.

..:: Feist - How Come You Never Go There ::..

Everyone knows that breakups are good for music. (Anyone remember Beck’s Sea Change? Yeah, exactly.) So while it might feel rather heartless to be glad about Leslie Feist’s recent entrance into the ranks of the single and heartbroken, we can at least rest easy knowing that the world is probably getting some good new tunes out of the deal. “How Come You Never Go There” finds Feist blues-folk’ing as hard as she can. And even though her voice is laden with sorrow as she tries to piece together why her last relationship went south, it still seems effortless and even boasts a bit of swagger. Recommended for when you’re feeling slightly somber, yet determined to power through to the other side.