New Releases: Carsick Cars, The Horses, Noise Arcade, JUE Festival

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Springtime (ha!) is bringing plenty of treats, including non-stop festival related goodness, renovations galore, and of course new releases from an array of artists and bands. This week we have the latest from the one and only Carsick Cars,  an EP from Shanghai electronic producers The Horses, the latest dose from drone-magnet Noise Arcade, and a special sneak preview CD from the folks behind JUE Festival. Check it out.

Carsick Cars threw down hard last weekend at Yugong Yishan to celebrate the release of their third full-length album, aptly named 3. The show was a clusterfuck in the best sense, chalk full of guest performers, big numbers, and that good ol’ Carsick Cars sound. But, question is, how does their latest hold up?  Not too shabby. It’s bursting with youthful energy that’s hard not to get swept up in, coated with guitars that look to leave their mark, and an impeccable sense of structure. Yet at the same time, it almost feels like a hodgepodge of power pop singles, which by themselves work beautifully, but when stacked up against one another lose their luster and cohesiveness. So while songs like ’15 Minutes Older’, ‘Wei Cheng’, ‘Wild Grass’ and the epic ‘White Song’ (which takes many cues from Shouwang’s other band white +) are great entries to the bands’ extensive catalogue they’re surrounded by filler, missed opportunities, and previously released material. By no means a failure, just not the roaring success I’d been hoping for. Give it a listen here and here, and buy the sucka over at Indie Music.

Grab your pitchforks boys and girls, the drone heavy electronic headtrip that is Noise Arcade is back with another one – eight hours behind – recorded in a jet lag haze and continues the artist’s descent in cathartic tweaker mode. Layers of sounds sneak in, collide, and bleed into one another creating a patchwork of subtle audio instability, without ever diving off the deep end or giving one whiplash. As the great Brain Eno said, this is music which awards close attention but doesn’t demand it and that definitely applies here. There\’s a groove to this Frankenstein’s monster and I\’ll be damned he\’s gonna get down whether you like it or not. Grab it here. And check out Noise Arcade at XP this Thursday.

Clement Pony and Laura Ingalls, also known as The Horses, the duo behind the producer team Acid Pony Club, have just released a sexy little EP entitled My Love, which has the two artists take a stab at remixing the ‘most minimalist song ever’ ‘ centered around Laura Ingalls’ signature pitched out vocals’. Nice. The team also invited Modstand and DJ Doggy to provide their funky and techno takes on the single. All four tracks can be previewed and purchased over at Juno Downloads here. Catch Laura Ingalls this Thursday at XP and with Acid Pony Club at Dada Friday night.

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With the JUE Festival kicking off this weekend, and coverage from every corner of the city spilling forth, the Split Works’ team has decided to release their annual compilation showcasing the best of what\’s ahead. Last year, the compilation came in USB form, the year before in CD form – however this year the crew has decided screw it and released this baby xiami-style. So for all you silly willies out there, give this baby a spin, find what wets your whistle and then track said artist down like the stalker you\’d always wished you could be. Or not…amateurs.

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