If you have anything more than a passing interest in music, chances are you’ll either be spending the better part of March cramming in as many of the impossibly awesome/numerous performances and showcases SXSW has lined up for this year (Jack White! The Jesus and Mary Chain! 50 Cent!) or crying profusely over the fact that you’re anywhere but Austin, TX. Regardless of how you’ll be spending the coming weeks though, this week has been a splendid one as far as new music goes, with new tunes from Sufjan Stevens/Serengeti/Son Lux, Free Energy and Beach House. How’s that for a consolation prize?
Oh and if you do happen to be in town for SXSW, don’t miss either CoSigns or our showcase.
Beach House – “Myth”
I think we can all agree it’s been way too long since Teen Dream, yes? Well, everyone’s favorite pair of Baltimore-hailing dream poppers are finally back with “Myth”, the brilliant first single off of their forthcoming fourth full-length, Bloom. Built around a mechanical drum pattern, Victoria Legrand’s throaty delivery and a shimmering guitar line courtesy of multi-instrumentalist Alex Scally, it’s a glimmering beauty that’s easily among the most memorable tracks in Beach House’s catalog, and one that’s likely to win them a place in many a beachside playlist come summertime. Bloom is out May 15th on Sub Pop. -Möhammad Choudhery
Bear In Heaven – “Sinful Nature”
Bear In Heaven’s sophomore record, I Love You, It’s Cool (due April 3rd from Home Tapes/Dead Ocean) has been streaming for a while, but in their massively slowed-down, droney, experimental take. The heavily reverbed vocals, stuttering synth, and digital haze of this properly sped “Sinful Nature”, though, is quite funkier. Frontman Jon Philpot’s lyrics throughout toe the line between the dark and the seductive, demanding that “you don’t deny me your sinful nature.” -Adam Kivel
