Fall is quickly approaching and before we know it, influxes of new autumn albums are going to drop with the leaves. The beginning of summer and beginning of fall are some of my favourite times to discover new music, because whether or not you realize – you immediately associate your overplaying of the fresh tracks with those strongly felt season changes. The first leaf turns a mahogany brown and falls at your toes or a pedal sprouts from a hibernated plant from under the newly warm sun – and those novel tunes are so very present in your head. And every year with the change of the seasons, the entrance of those songs into your life will be something you’ll remember.
So, let the musical ants come marching in. Several of today’s biggest acts are getting ready to sock it to us in the form of exciting new sounds that may re-define or re-affirm their greatness. Or, like some unfortunate releases in the past, we might sit there with the new LP’s in hand, puzzled and waiting for one of the songs to even mildly intrigue us.
So, with that – I’m going to take a glimpse into some new and leaked tracks that (in my mind) are fairly representative of albums we should be highly anticipating as the cherries on top of 2011. The leaves are about to drop, and let’s hope they bring some equally as colourful tunes down with them:
Feist – How Come You Never Go There?
Off of our national indie sweetheart’s upcoming third LP, the sultry jangle of the buzzing guitar behind her flawless croons make this one of the hottest jams out of her collection in awhile. Don’t be alarmed – unlike many of her trendy, soulful releases, you’re not getting an uppity jam fit for a smart-phone commercial with this one. In all of its coolness, the low-down vibe still aims to target the feelings of despondency and downheartedness associated with the question in the song title. New album Metals to be released October 4th
Headlines – Drake
Drake knows he’s successful…surprise, surprise. On top of a strobe-light beat, Drake sing-raps his way back into the portion of our brains where we keep catchy jams for up to 24 hours. Admitting things like “And they sayin’ I’m back, I’d agree with that…I had someone tell me I fell off, oh, I needed that,” the superstar’s cocky talk of the high life still manages to have my attention. Although anti-climactic in its chilled-out state, and almost lacking a hook, the narrative is still interesting – and something tells me the taste is an appropriate appetizer for a main course that might just knock our socks off. New album Take Care to be released on October 24th
Mumford and Sons – Untitled
Everyone’s (apparently except for actual Londoners themselves) favourite group of grassroots-folk boys are back with another loop to tie onto our heartstrings…and tug. Beautiful accordion, plucked bass and Marcus Mumford’s accented growl make up this heartwarming unnamed ballad, picking up as the seconds pass and becoming yet another sweeping jig that would bring down a wedding reception. New album release date unknown, soon we hope!
Same Mistake – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Definitely what I find to be a more bearable CYHSY tune in its sunny and calmer state, the first single out of this band in almost five years is quite a treat. The optimistic-sounding vocals are charming and not over-the-top (normally the case with Alec Ounsworth’s spastic pipes), while the indie-pop melody takes a page out of an early 90s upbeat ballad and pick-me-up book. It’s actually a page I might re-visit time and again over the years, because although stylish, the song is friendly enough to stand the test of time. New album Hysterical to be released September 20th
Oh Fortune – Dan Mangan:
Dan Mangan’s fortune is told – he will be a timeless, wild success. Mangan’s lazy Johnny Cash-esque vocals, the crash of a flashing kick drum and sliding country guitars echoing from afar are the perfect title track ingredients for this little piece of art. After the official release, anyone who was unaware of this Canadian folk-rocker will hopefully soon have come to the realization that we have the musical wise man equivalent of Fleet Foxes and Justin Vernon here on our home turf. New album Oh Fortune to be released on September 27th