Road Records Monthly Album Club
One of the country's finest independent music shops, Road Records have launched an exciting new
venture on their website.
The "Album of the Month
Subscription Club" is kind of a unique idea which will see people
subscribing to their club on a yearly basis and they will send them out their
recommended album of the month. As simple and genius as that!
We think it will be a great idea for people who
don't have the time / energy to seek out new music, also something that will
appeal to people coming up to Christmas as a present.
Check out all the detail below.
Road Records Album Of The Week
Road Records Album Of The Month for June is...
Various Artists - 'Popical Island'
Popical Island are a collective of bands and musicians who have little in common with the glut of Dublin music.
The first fruits of the Popical Island terrain is Popical Island Compilation #1 featuring songs from Squarehead, Yeh Deadlies, Land Lovers, Groom, So Cow, Feed The Bears, No Monster Club, Pantone 247, The Walpurgis Family
and more. 15 songs in total representing a fresh Irish sound. It’s a
testament to the collection that there is a cohesive strip to these
songs, much more than most compilations – this feels like everyone
involved got together to make it in unified indie-pop solidarity.
There’s lots and lots of promise in these bands which bodes well for
Popical’s future.
Road Records Album of The Month for May is The Villagers - Day Of The Jackal
Villagers’ gorgeous debut album, Becoming a Jackal, which will be released on 24th May 2010 on CD and LP.
Villagers is the brainchild of Conor J. O'Brien, who has already toured Ireland, the UK and US and opened for Neil Young, Wild Beasts and Cass McCombs amongst others. Becoming a Jackal introduces us to Villagers’ vivid narratives, gripping poetry and melodic depth. Conor J. O’Brien’s
clear and distinctive voice weaves a remarkable spell, delivering an
album of rare, alarming beauty. From restrained to unleashed, from a
whisper to a literal howl, Becoming a Jackal mutates, intrigues and beguiles in equal measure.
Road Records April's Album Of the Month - Bonny Prince Billy & the Cairo Gang ' The Wonder Show Of The World'
Keeping himself admirably busy over recent times, Will Oldham returns with yet another new full-length for Drag City/Domino, a studio-recorded follow-up to last year's acclaimed Beware. For The Wonder Show Of The World, Oldham is joined by his frequent collaborator, guitarist Emmett Kelly, who on this occasion steps up to the position of "first mate and then some", as the album credits would have it. The album starts impishly with Oldham hinting at some nefarious nocturnal activities: "I once loved a girl, but she couldn't take that I visited troublesome houses" he laments during the opener, with a very capable Kelly performance at his side. Kelly features more prominently still on 'Teach Me To Bear You', which comes with wonderfully fluid, bluesy guitar soloing and reverberating vocal harmonies. After the comparative expanse of albums like Beware and The Letting Go, this record reverts to a more self-restrained instrumental palette, concentrating on the song at hand and the two central performers; their voices and guitars. Consequently there's a ramshackle, intimately lo-fi country feel to the recordings, with just a couple of extra players cropping up: Mt. Eerie's Phil Elverum assists on vocals during 'Go Folks, Go' and 'Kids', while prolific session player Shahzad Ismaily provides bass and occasional percussion. The lyrical, pared down arrangements serve these songs wonderfully well, and the tirelessly high quality of Oldham's writing seeps through every measure of mournful rustic ballads like 'Merciless & Great' or 'Someone Coming Through'. Although it takes a different angle on Oldham's music, The Wonder Show Of The World continues with the same strength of form that made Beware such a highlight of last year.
Road Records March Album Of The Month- The Besnard Lakes - 'Are The Roaring Night'
The Besnard Lakes are an indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They were formed by the husband and wife team of Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas, and they have released two albums.
The band are currently a four-piece centered around the atmospheric
songs of Lasek and Goreas, whose expansive sound draws from numerous
aspects of rock 'n' roll history. The band's name comes from Besnard Lake in North-Central Saskatchewan. The band's second album, The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse was recorded at singer Lasek's own Breakglass Studios, with members of Stars, The Dears and Godspeed You! Black Emperor/Silver Mt. Zion making guest appearances.[1] It was nominated for the 2007 Polaris Music Prize. Many songs on The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse are prefaced by recordings from shortwave radio number stations as first made popular in recordings such as The Conet Project.
The upcoming film Sympathy For Delicious, from actor/director Mark Ruffalo, will have a score composed by The Besnard Lakes.[2]
A third studio album,
The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night will be released on Jagjaguwar on March 9th, 2010. A 12" record featuring the single "Albatross" from
The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night
will be featured on Side A with the exclusive song "Four Long Lines" on
Side B. This 12" will be released on February 9th, 2010.
January's Road Records Album of The Month is...
OWEN PALLETT [FINAL FANTASY] HEARTLAND
The artist formerly known as final fantasy returns with his third solo outing to date, he is now recording under his own name due to some stupid legal case taken against him for using the final fantasy name. his first album came out way back in 2005 [has a good home] and was followed by the exceptional second album he poos clouds in 2006. it may be nearly four years since his last album but its fair to say pallett has been busy with other projects in the meantime. along with touring as a one man band pallett has also provided string arrangements for several bands including grizzly bear, arcade fire, beirut, last shadow puppets and mountain goats. this is his first album to be released on the domino label. this is an album of true orchestral beauty, probably one of the most lush collections your are likely to hear all year round. known for his superb violin playing this album features what sounds to my ears like a full blown orchestra at times, full of dramatic string and horn bursts. its an album the flows seamlessy through many genres with such each too. sometimes you think you could be listening to some modern take on steve reich or phillip glass and before you know it things turn into some kind of indie broadway musical [ala sufjan stevens maybe]. its highly intricate and joyously catchy at the same time, full of layered string sounds and palletts gentle almost hushed vocal delivery. its one of those rare albums that comes up with something new each time you listen to it, sometimes classical pop and sometimes just pure classic quirky indie pop. its got to be said this is something truly original. january 2010
domino cd
11.99