But he’s relatively under-celebrated as a great soloist, in part because he puts an equal if not greater premium on songwriting, often muting his instrumental capabilities to serve his literate, lacerating songs. At times this has led to albums that can appear a little dry, easy to respect but short on the kind of goosebump-inducing peaks he’s capable of conjuring in concert.

With “Dream Attic” (Shout! Factory), he attacked that problem by recording his latest batch of originals on the road with his touring band. Coincidental or not, the setting opens things up considerably for Thompson the guitarist, his songs gaining an immediacy and intensity that sometimes gets refined away in his sometimes too-careful studio recordings.   Read the full review

Disturbed – Asylum
Don’t let this first track fool you. The album opens in a rather disappointing fashion with “Remnants”, which is an extremely weak and effortless instrumental offering. As one of the few rock bands with a defining instrumental capability at their disposal, Disturbed really disappoints with this one, as the intended opening to “Asylum”. Sure, it might pay some homage to their senior rock inspirations, but it pales in comparison. It’s one thing to include nearly a minute of near-silence somewhere on the album as a brief respite, but I find it to be another thing entirely when you start your album off with nearly a minute of near-silent filler.

Luckily, “Asylum” quickly kicks up the gritty bass drum and guitar work that I’ve come to know and expect from the band. My interest is rewarded: the album really starts with Draiman passionately intoning, “Release me!”. At first, I didn’t like this track. It felt a bit too one-dimensional for an opening track, but after listening to it a few more times with my system turned way up, I began to peel back the layers. This one is definitely for fans of Indestructible. I found myself repeating the hook to myself after listening: “And the loneliness is killing me.” Don’t be too surprised if this hits your radio – HARD – as the second single. Read the full review

Jenny  & Johnny – I’m Having Fun Now
Jenny & Johnny represent a different situation. In this couple, the woman is the powerhouse and the man, though forceful in his own ways, rises to her challenges. Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice have been creatively and romantically involved for half a decade; the lady, one of indie’s most successful thinking beauties, is the bigger star. Maybe that’s why this project, though lighthearted, has some of the prickliness of a real day-to-day relationship. The title may be “I’m Having Fun Now,” but there’s room for wisecracks, bitterness and worry amid the lovey-dovey stuff. Read the full review

Welcome to Witch House....

Yes, I know that Tanner already brought attention to this new genre on the Pure Pop blog back in April.  However, seeing as Witch House has kind of been exploding lately (or at least making the transition from the web underground to the fringe, just-at-ground-level mainstream), I thought it might be an appropriate time to do an overview for those not in the know.  This part of the article will deal with the origins of Witch House, exploring the genres and artists that influenced it, and discussing the genre’s conflict relationship with the internet.  In part two, we will explore some of the genre’s key artists and labels, as well as discuss some of the exciting new Witch House releases coming in the late summer & early fall.

As is true of many genres in their infancy, Witch House is still trying to define itself, on many different levels.  There’s even a lot of disagreement as to what to call this style of music (which in itself is pretty schizophrenic, as we’ll discuss later).  While it has been tagged as “drag”, “ghost drone” and several other names (some unpronounceable), the brand of “Witch House” has really stuck for some reason.  Most likely, because it captures the dichotomy of the genre quite accurately and succinctly--dark, yet danceable.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISub-86SHAE

So now that we’ve decided on a name (at least for the sake of this article), what is “Witch House”?  That, my friends, is a very difficult question to answer.  There’s a lot of disagreement as to what constitutes the “Witch House” sound, and you often find artists who label themselves as witch house being accused of not being appropriate for the genre, while several key figures and founders of the witch house “movement” have tried their best to distance themselves from the tag altogether.

A good reason for this is that a big part of the Witch House philosophy thrives on the being anti-genre specific, sometimes even anti-auteur.  It’s one of the most post-modern popular music formats, in that its combines a wide variety of genres (ranging from coldwave to post-punk goth rock to dubstep to experimental hip hop to lo-fi noise to mainstream pop and beyond) into a grand pastiche of sounds.  While the end result is usually always dark and beat heavy, releases by different Witch House artists seldom sound even remotely similar.  Even tracks by the same artist on the same album can sound incredibly disparate and eclectic.

Further expanding this concept of anonymity and collaboration is Witch House’s penchant for remixes and unpronounceable band names.  The remixes certainly show an allegiance to the long history of sampling and collaborative reinvention in hip-hop production.  In particular, there seems to be an allegiance (seen most blatantly with acts like SALEM and Balam Acab) to the “chopped and screwed” style of DJ Screw, with samples and rhythms slowed to completely warp the source material into a narcotic acoustic fog.

Alec Koone, aka Balam Acab

While Witch House is often referred to as one of the first “internet-born” genres, there seems to be a love-hate relationship between its artists and the web.  On the one hand, the Witch House sound did gain initial distribution and prominence almost solely through MySpace sites, SoundCloud, download blogs, fan-created unauthorized “mixtapes”, etc.  This is certainly nothing all that unique in itself, seeing as nearly every artist gets their first 15 minutes of fame from download blogs these days.  The difference, however, comes in the intention and the distribution formats.  While artists in other genres tend to record EPs or LPs, produce a physical and/or digital release, and then inevitably have the albums posted online (either with or without their consent), Witch House artists have (until just recently) used the internet as the primary, and almost exclusive,  means of distribution.  An artist would often just create one or two songs (or even just remixes of other artists’ songs) and post them on their MySpace page, and within a matter of days, hundreds of fans would download them, distribute them and create mixes with them.  Several years after the genre began, you can still only count on two hands the number of artists with actual physical releases, even just extremely limited edition ones.  (This is about to change, as we will discuss in part two of this article)

Making things even more interesting, most of the growing numbers of Witch House fans were not even discussing the individual artists amongst themselves…mainly because many of the bands releasing these tracks had utterly unpronounceable names.  Try chatting with your buddy at work about ▲ or oOoOO or ///▲▲▲\\\ or GR†LLGR†LL.  Believe me, I’ve tried; it’s no easy feat. What’s the reasoning for such nonsensical nomenclature?  I think author Warren Ellis put it better than I ever could:

It occurred to me last night that having a name that Google can’t process well might actually be entirely deliberate. On the internet, there is no real underground anymore. So if you wanted to create an underground for yourself, the first thing you might do is generate a sort of lexical darknet by using keyterms search engines can’t parse.

A pretty astute observation on the bizarre relationship between Witch House and the internet that helped define and popularize it. In a lot of ways, it’s a genre biting the hand that fed it.  Pretty punk, I guess.

So that’s it for part 1 on your intro to Witch House.  In part two, we will discuss some of the genre’s founding artists, top labels, key releases so far and explore some of the influencers of the genre in more depth.   Also, we will explore whether Witch House has the potential for growth or if this is just another flash-in-the-pan genre (as many predicted after SALEM’s disastrous performance as SXSW this year).  Best of all, we’ll discuss some upcoming physical releases from some of Witch House’s top artists, some of which may end up on your “Best of 2010″ lists.  Stay tuned!

(Jay Blanchard is the founder of MARS PYRAMID Records, an experimental record label run out of Burlington, VT.  He also performs as VIKOMT).

Nothing’s worked perfectly. But on this new effort, self-produced at home with his touring band on hand, LaMontagne made the good decision to not worry much about packaging. “God Willin’ & the Creek Don’t Rise” has a natural feel, comfortably ranging from bar-band rave-ups to contemplative acoustic numbers, with master pedal steel player Greg Leisz leading several tracks into the expertly unfussy territory of blue-chip Nashville country rock. Read the full Review

Esperanza Spalding – Chamber Music Society
A classically trained bassist, Esperanza Spalding made her jazz debut in 2008 and became something of an overnight sensation, with bookings on Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel and an invitation from President Obama to perform at the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony and concert. As its title suggests, her new album draws on both her jazz and conservatory impulses. The result is an intimate, heady mix. Read the full review

NOFX – The Longest EP
“The Longest EP” is for fans of NOFX. Outsiders just wouldn’t get it. Plus, if you’re into punk and don’t already know NOFX, you seriously better wake up and smell the Valuum (lame joke, sorry).

It’s been referred to as the sequel to 2002’s “45 or 46 Songs That Weren’t Good Enough to Go on Our Other Records”, and all other NOFX EPs are going out of print on release of this album.

The artwork itself is a gift from the piss soaked Gods. It features a person or item from every one of the band’s previous releases, including Nubs, Timmy the Turtle, the nurse from “Pump Up The Vallum” and the George Bush clown. It was created by the genius behind the “Longest Line” EP artwork. Read the full review

Los Lobos – Tin can
Recorded in the East L.A. neighborhood where Los Lobos were birthed in the early ‘70s, there’s plenty of scruff in the stories on “Tin Can Trust.” The 11 tracks are all carefully decorated, be it the vintage guitar strut of “On Main Street” or the sparse atmospheres of “27 Spanishes,” where the hand drums, rhythmic clanks and jagged guitars reverberate as if they were laid down in an alley. Read the full review

New Releases:

Arcade Fire – Suburbs $26.97

Best Coast – Crazy for You $16.97

Books – The Way Out $19.97

Budos Band – III $16.97

Crowded House – Intriguer $19.97

Cut Chemist – Sound of the Police $18.97

Department of Eagles – Archive 03-06 $17.97

El-P – Weareallgoingtoburninhellmixxx3 $24.97

Endless Boogie – Full House Head $19.97

Brandon Flowers(Killers) – Crossfire(picture 10″) $6.97

Four Tet – Angel Echoes Remix $9.97

Herbie Hancock – Imagine Project $27.97

Jaill – That’s How We Know $15.97

Seu Jorge – Almaz $18.97

Lady Gaga – Remix $17.97

Lost in the Trees – All Alone in an Empty House $16.97

Love Language – Libraries $17.97

The McGarrigle Hour $18.97

Menomena – Mines $19.97

School of Seven Bells – Disconnect From Desire $24.97

Stars - Five Ghosts $19.97

Torche/Boris – Chapter Ahead $15.97

Next Stop Soweto Vol 3 – 24.97

Versus – On the Ones & Threes $24.97

Wolf Parade – Expo 86 $19.97

Recent Releases that finally got issued or we finally got in:

Big Boi – Sir Luscious Left Foot $15.97

Devo – Something For Everybody $22.97

Eminem – Recovery $15.97

Gogol Bordello – Trans-Continental Hustle $21.97

Indian Jewelry – Totaled $15.97

JJ – N 2 $16.97

LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening $19.97

Meshuggah – Alive $24.97

Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More $15.97

Matt Pond PA – Dark Leaves $17.97

Punch Brothers – Antifogmatic $24.97

Robert Randolph – We Walk This Road $26.97

Sleigh Bells – Treats $19.97

Surfer Blood – Astro Coast $14.97

Rokia Traore – Tchamatche $28.97

Reggae Gold 2010 $17.97

Reissues:

Hawkwind – Hawkwind $17.97

Michael Hurley – First Songs $17.97

Metallica – Reload $29.97

National – Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers $18.97

Radio Birdman – Radios Appear $17.97

Santana/John McLaughlin – Love Devotion Surrender $24.97

Robin Trower – Bridge of Sighs $24.97

Tom Waits/Crystal Gayle – One From the Heart Sdtk. $19.97

So the links send you to our download site, thinkindie.com, so you can sample and/or download.

Contact us if you would like to purchase vinyl online , our standard charge for shipping vinyl is $3.

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
The metrics of The Suburbs are misleading: At 16 tracks, including interludes and multi-part songs, it might seem like Arcade Fire are shooting for their Sandinista!, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, or Sign O’ The Times– a band at the peak of their powers reacting against the walls closing in by blowing everything up and trying anything. But the album actually plays out more like Bruce Springsteen’s The River, a generously paced collection of meditations on familial responsibility, private disappointments, and fleeting youth, much of which takes place in moving vehicles. It also reintroduces much-needed levity to an act that can be overbearingly self-serious. On the deceptively chipper chamber pop of “Rococo”, Win Butler borders on patronizing, evoking Nirvana’s “In Bloom” and using the title word as a sword to skewer an easy target: the hipster more concerned with following trends than locating a genuine understanding in the world around him. But the point is that Butler values directness and truth, and throughout The Suburbs, what he lacks in poetry, he makes up for with honesty. Read the full review

Gov’t Mule – Mulennium
December 31, 1999 ushered in a new century and millennium and called for something truly magical–and that night’s Gov’t Mule show at Atlanta’s historic Roxy Theatre delivered it. What made this New Years Eve show so extraordinary? For starters, Little Milton, one of Warren Haynes’ most important influences, joins Gov’t Mule for six songs including “I Can’t Quit You Baby” and “It Hurts Me Too.” Mulennium also marks the 10th anniversary of Allen Woody’s death and is the first official release featuring the original Gov’t Mule trio issued since his passing. Read full review

Black Crowes – Croweology
whether you’re already a fan or just now discovering the band, Croweology will be a great addition to any music collection. It gives you a look at one of the greatest rock bands in the last 20 years, it is a blueprint for what Rock n’ Roll was, is, and could be, and the music ain’t half-bad, either. You can play this record when you’re down, you can play it when you’re looking for a reason to live, you can play this record when you want to blame someone, and you can play this record when you’re wanting to forgive. It covers all the bases… all in a 20-song package. Read the full review

Blue Giant – Blue Giant
When Conor Oberst went from angsty indie to twangy country, he sounded ridiculous in foreign territory. But when Kevin and Anita Robinson of the psychedelic Portland rock duo Viva Voce expanded to become the rootsy country quintet Blue Giant, the transition seemed much smoother. The Robinsons have roots in their blood, originally coming to the Northwest from Nashville by way of Alabama. Their new self-title full-length is a collection of full and folksy songs deeply steeped in the blues. Read the full review

Our good friend and Pure Pop compatriot Herb has left the building -- and though he is gone, the emotional trauma he inflicted his memory lives on, namely in the music he played instore -- and a faint mildewy odor that still lingers on around the bathroom. Below is a list of songs that that have that watery smack of herb we’ve all come to love, albeit in that way you love a retarded child.

Richard Harris -- McArthur Park

www.youtube.com/watch?v=su3JdzUUuH4

Sparks -- Equator

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjDtYiyn6pY

Husker Du -- Eight Miles High

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeqyCwAeT3I

Guided By Voices -- My Valuable Hunting Knife

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A8LyAqtaa0

Prefab Sprout -- When Love Breaks down

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeZkLV3ZjeI

Pulp -- Common People

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnoqjLI5Nfs

Daft Punk -- One More Time

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH-0s0pRleg

New Order -- The Perfect Kiss

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRqdOyMnnxM

Thanks buddy, you’ll be missed.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjbidrzuazg

This month marks the end of my six year run at Pure Pop. I’m moving to San Francisco where I will most likely move in with my recently-widowed best friend and his brother-in-law to help him raise his three adorably precocious daughters.

I got my first music-retail job fourteen years ago and the majority of my time since then has been spent in this wonderful business. It’s bitter-sweet to be leaving the game. If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to submit one-last rambling “Pop Five” for this website:

The 5 Things I’ll Miss Most About Music Retail

1. The Pipeline -

Through this work I have been exposed to countless bands and albums I’ve come to cherish. Many were recommended by coworkers. Often, a visible interest by our customers has brought something to my attention. Other times I’ve simply taken a chance on something that looks interesting. The sum result is that on what feels like a daily basis this job has consistently provided me with the joy of musical discovery.

2. There Are No Standards of Appearance at a Record Store -

Don’t feel like shaving for a couple of weeks? Is your hair matted and greasy? Do you dress in clothes most people wouldn’t lower themselves to wear if they were painting their house? Music retail is for you. The only time I ever got shit for my outfit at Pure Pop was when I wore a ratty button-down I came to find bore a striking resemblance to the “puffy shirt” of Seinfeld fame.

3. I Believe in Music -

I don’t think it’s cynical to say a lot of people don’t love their jobs. For most of us, it’s a means to an end. I’ve had plenty of jobs that have left me unfulfilled, unstimulated and a little guilt-ridden. For example, I spent a summer working a movie concession stand and felt awful selling buckets of value-less popcorn to obese people for way too much money. At Pure Pop, I believe our product has value, and I’ve been proud to sell it.

4. The Customers -

It would be disingenuous to suggest that every person who walks through the door at Pure Pop is an expert conversationalist with immaculate taste in music, but by and large the people who walk through our door are an intelligent, agreeable and discerning bunch. I’ve struck up more conversations with strangers here than I’ve had hot meals. Pure Pop customer base, you will be missed.

Not pictured: Our customers

5. My Coworkers -

I’m not one for sentimentality and neither are my coworkers, but dammit, they are a lovable bunch. Pure Pop has its share of slow periods, and thanks to the kind of company our staff provides, what would otherwise be unbearable is rendered as pleasant as most social activities. I’m really gonna miss those fuckers.

I think I’m gonna let Roky Erickson take me out with a song that’s more melancholy than the situation merits.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BosCo9tEHlw

Books – The Way Out
The Books have a terrific sense of humor– and it makes The Way Out, an album built on eccentric vocal samples, a good-natured discovery instead of a cheap piece of mockery. Imagine if a blog had posted these clips of goofball hypnotherapist and meditation consultants, or found a tape of a boy and a girl swapping violent threats with each other: You’d chuckle and move on. But when the Books use these samples, they give them integrity. You find yourself engrossed with people who are alien but also familiar. The flotsam and jetsam of American culture aren’t a cheap joke to the Books, but a source of endless discovery and joy. Read the full review

Sheryl Crow – 100 Miles From Memphis
If anything, 100 Miles is a sort of spiritual tribute to the Memphis soul and R&B Crow grew up with in the 70s, an album that conveys much of the sensibility and the mindset of those albums without painting itself into the corner of strict emulation. It’s clear from the outset that Crow considers this to be a vital extension of her own art– not, to return to the Detours metaphor, a side trip– and that the album is as much about exploration as it is winning radio hits. Read the full review

Dept of Eagles – Archives
This collection goes some way to confirming why Department of Eagles was seen as the less-important outlet for Rossen in the period between The Cold Nose and Yellow House. While sporadically as magical as the material on In Ear Park, Archive 2003-2006 is more a curio for converts to Grizzly Bear’s superb psych-folk/baroque-pop sound than an album proper. It’s a fragmented listen, several Practice Room Sketches breaking up the finished arrangements. Much doesn’t work – but there’s certainly ambition aplenty on show, which would later be refined into the In Ear Park experience. The first track here actually bypassed the Department of Eagles catalogue altogether until now, achieving completion as Yellow House’s opener Easier. Read the full review

So this is what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna give em to you. Two tickets to see Of Montreal at Higherground on July 31st, to one lucky person, cause we love our fans and we know our fans love Of Montreal. We’ll be choosing the winner at random from our Facebook Fans, so if you’re a fan, thank you – all you need to do is comment on our facebook wall that you want the tickets to be eligible! – if you’re not a facebook fan you might want to be!

The Winner will be decided early next week!