We've been waiting for this for a couple of years now... Model/rocker Lissy Trullie created quite some buzz in 2008 with her self-released debut EP "Self-Taught Learner", which helped her land on the Downtown Records roster. But then the first official release under the new label didn't materialize as soon as we had hoped. Today her name finally reappeared in our inbox, accompanied by news of her debut album, scheduled for release in March 2012. Produced by John Hill (Santigold, M.I.A., Shakira) and David Sitek (TV On the Radios, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Liars), the record was entirely produced in LA, but from the velvety first single "Madeleine" her sound seems to retain a very NYC quality. Beside the obvious improvement in the production and songwriting departmentd, this song displays a more confident vocal performance compared to the EP - definitely an important sign.
We've always been big fans of Luke Temple, and it's good to see that, together with the Here We Go Magic crew, the man is keeping at it with increasingly beautiful records and videos. The band's new album "A Different Ship" (stream it here) will be out on May 8, and betrays at least a partial return to Luke Temple's more intimate and melodic sound from his solo repertoire - in this regard, lend a ear to "Hard to Be Close," "Alone but Moving" and "Over the Ocean". This is welcome news for fans like us who always thought that in most HWGM material Luke's noteworthy songwriting skills seemed a little sacrificed on the altar of textural experimentation. This doesn't mean that the band's signature hypnotic, impressionistic sound is lost - it's just that these two elements work together better than they did in past records, and this is what makes this album one of the NYC highlights of the year so far. Indeed, this collection also features songs more in line with the band's past releases ("Make Up your Mind", "I Believe in Action"), which follow on the steps of brainy-pop icons like Brian Eno and The Feelies, but there's definitely a balance here, also betrayed by the almost perfect alternation of melodic songs and less traditional ones.The just released video of "How Do I Know," telling the story of a rejected dancing robot that ends up revitalizing an older man's appreciation for life, seems to reflect on this brain/heart, mechanic/organic dichotomies and somehow bring them to unity. - PDG
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