[Reviews Roundup] September 2012

With all the craziness of music blogging, from concerts to press releases to interviews to festivals, it can be hard to find time to sit down, listen to an album and give it an honest, thorough review. With that in mind, we came up with the Reviews Roundup, a way for us to look back at all of the major releases in the past month and give them an on-the-spot review. Whether we like them or not, we'll spout out a quick blurb about the album to give an overall impression of what makes it good or bad along with a score based out of five.

This month, we've had majors releases from Animal Collective, The xx, G.O.O.D. Music, Grizzly Bear, The Raveonettes, Mount Eerie, The Presets, The Vaccines, and many more. After the jump, you can read our quick thoughts on this month's offerings.

September 4th:

Animal Collective - Centipede Hz:

AnCo deliver an elaborate exploration of spacey sounds and psychedelic soundscapes.

SCORE: 4.0

Mount Eerie - Ocean Roar:

Phil Elverum's second album of the year is a beautiful-yet-eerie emotional journey, exploring the ideas of order and chaos.

SCORE: 4.5

Cat Power - Sun:

Chan Marshall returns after six longs years of dark hibernation with a sun-soaked gem.

SCORE: 4.5

The Vaccines - Come of Age:

The UK outfit's sophomore album is a grittier, more raucous outing than their debut, a welcome maturation for the band.

SCORE: 3.5

Stars - The North:

One of Canada's indie stalwarts offers up a catchy blend of electronic sounds and sprawling instrumentation.

SCORE: 3.5

Two Door Cinema Club - Beacon:

The band's sophomore outing retains the catchiness of Tourist History, but feels a bit forced at times.

SCORE: 2.5

September 11th:

The xx - Coexist:

This sophomore effort shows a great progression for the band, who have an incredible talent for evoking vast depth through subtle minimalism.

SCORE: 5.0

The Helio Sequence - Negotiations:

The Portland duo explore the intricacies of themselves and their instruments, building layer upon layer of delicate and engrossing instrumentation.

SCORE: 4.0

The Raveonettes - Observator:

Observator is an intriguing venture into the allure of Los Angeles, a mental journey in despair and loneliness amidst lush instrumentation.

SCORE: 3.5

David Byrne & St. Vincent - Love This Giant:

The ever-lasting talent and creative drive of David Byrne mixes beautifully with Annie Clark's undeniable charisma.

SCORE: 4.0

The Presets - Pacifica:

Pacifica is an electronic gem, weaving grandiose synthesizers around a complex tale of the future.

SCORE: 4.5

Thee Oh Sees - Putrifiers II:

The San Francisco psych rockers put all they've got into this diverse, hazy psychedelic package that shouldn't be missed.

SCORE: 3.5

The Avett Brothers - The Carpenter:

Yet another exploration into the intricacies of death from a band obsessed with the notion. With soft, solemn moments and charming, upbeat arrays of acoustic goodness, fans will feel right at home here.

SCORE: 3.0

September 18th:

G.O.O.D. Music - Cruel Summer:

The G.O.O.D. Music crew feels fairly disjointed here, with a lot of different artists and styles to take in, but a few solid performances help it from falling apart.

SCORE: 3.0

Grizzly Bear - Shields:

Grizzly Bear delves into a myriad of dream-like sounds, moments later being swept into an uproar of chaotic instrumentation. This expansive array constantly tears apart and rebuilds itself, struggling constantly in a beautiful war.

                                        SCORE: 5.0

September 25th:

Django Django - Django Django:

This Scotland quartet knows how to do harmony right, blending their vocal stylings with an addictive and quirky blend of spacey sounds and psychedelic influences.

SCORE: 4.0

[Watch] The Avett Brothers - "Live and Die" Live on Kimmel

At the end of August we got to digest the new album from The Avett Brothers, The Carpenter, but we've not seen them on the late night circuit for a while. That changed last night as they made a visit to the stage of Jimmy Kimmel to perform "Live and Die". Watch it at the top courtesy of The Audio Perv.

The Carpenter is officially released today via Universal.

[Listen] The Avett Brothers - 'The Carpenter' (Full Album Stream)

The Avett Brothers are preparing the release of their brand new album, The Carpenter, following up 2009's I and Love and You. The Rick Rubin-produced album isn't set for release until the 11th of September via Universal but if you make the jump over to NPR.org you can stream it right now.

[News] The Avett Brothers Reveal Artwork, Tracklist for 'The Carpenter'

The Avett Brothers made an announcement earlier this year that they would be releasing their sixth album this fall, and that the famed Rick Rubin would be carrying out production duties. Now, more details regarding the album, which is set for release on September 11th via Universal, have arisen. The official artwork for The Carpenter is pictured above, and the official tracklist for the album can be seen after the jump.

Also after the jump, you can check out the band's full tour schedule, along with a stream of the first single from the album, titled "Live and Die".

The Carpenter Tracklist:
01. The Once And Future Carpenter
02. Live And Die
03. Winter In My Heart
04. Pretty Girl From Michigan
05. I Never Knew You
06. February Seven
07. Through My Prayers
08. Down With The Shine
09. A Fathers First Spring
10. Geraldine
11. Paul Newman Vs. The Demons
12. Life

The Avett Brothers 2012 Tour Dates:
08/22 – Chico, TX @ California State University
08/24 – Jacksonville, OR @ Britt Pavilion
08/25 – Troutdale, OR @ Edgefield
08/26 – Troutdale, OR @ Edgefield
08/29 – Palmer, AK @ Alaska State Fair
08/31 – Quincy, WA @ Gorge Amphitheatre *
09/01 – Quincy, WA @ Gorge Amphitheatre *
09/02 – Quincy, WA @ Gorge Amphitheatre *
09/12 – Toronto, ON @ Molson Canadian Ampitheatre
09/14 – Fredericton, NB @ Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival
09/15 – Burlinton, VT @ Grand Point North Festival
09/16 – Boston, MA @ Bank of America Pavilion
09/18 – New York, NY @ Rumsey Playfield
09/21 – Atlanta, GA @ Music Midtown
09/23 – Baltimore, MD @ Pier Six Pavilion
09/28 – Chicago, IL @ Charter One Pavilion
09/29 – St. Louis, MO @ Fox Theater
09/30 – Indianapolis, IN @ White River State Park
10/11 – Tuscaloosa, AL @ Tuscaloosa Ampitheatre
10/12 – Memphis, TN @ Mud Island Ampitheatre
10/14 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits
10/16 – Fayetteville, AR @ Arkansas Music Pavilion
10/21 – Charleston, SC @ Southern Ground Music and Food Festival
10/21 – Clearwater, FL @ Clearwater Jazz Festival
10/26 – New Orleans, LA @ Voodoo Experience

* = w/ Dave Matthews Band

[Listen] The Avett Brothers - "Live and Die"

Despite dipping into their back catalogue during their recent performance on Conan, The Avett Brothers quickly returned to deliver some new material on NPR. "Live and Die" is our first taste of the band's upcoming sixth album The Carpenter, which was produced by Rick Rubin and will be released on September 11th via Universal Records. Stream the song below.

[Watch] The Avett Brothers - "Murder in the City" Live on Conan

The Avett Brothers paid a visit to Conan O'Brien last night to perform a track we probably didn't expect them too. They dived into their back-catalogue and performed the track "Murder in the City" from 2008′s The Second Gleam. It was a pretty impressive performance and can be enjoyed again at the top courtesy of The Audio Perv.

[News] Bonnaroo 2012 Lineup Announced

After a fantastic 10th year for Bonnaroo 2011, the festival is back for year number 11 and ready to rock your face off from June 7-10, 2012. This year's festival lineup is packed to the brim with a ton eclectic artists including: Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Phish, Bon Iver, The Shins, The Avett Brothers, Skrillex, Aziz Ansari, Childish Gambino, Alice Cooper, Fiest, Black Star, tUnE-yArDs, Bad Brains and more. Additionally, The Beach Boys will be performing as part of their 50th Anniversary Tour. The final lineup for Bonnaroo will total over 125 bands and over 20 comedians performing on 13 stages during the four-day fest. So far they've released a nice chunk of the lineup, but we can excpect more to be revealed over the coming weeks.

Tickets for the festival go on sale this Saturday, February 18th at 12pm EST over on Bonnaroo.com.

You can watch ESPN's John Anderson announce the lineup below and peep the full list of the first chunk of the lineup after the jump.

2012 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival Confirmed Artists:
 
Radiohead
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Phish
The Beach Boys Featuring Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David
Marks
Bon Iver
The Avett Brothers
The Shins
Foster The People
Skrillex
Aziz Ansari
Dispatch
Feist
The Roots
Alice Cooper
SuperJam
Black Star
The Word featuring John Medeski, Robert Randolph and North Mississippi Allstars
Ludacris
Ben Folds Five
Flogging Molly
Spectrum Road featuring Cindy Blackman Santana, Jack Bruce, John Medeski, and Vernon Reid
Mac Miller
Childish Gambino
Major Lazer
tUnE-yArDs
Afrocubism
Flying Lotus
Umphrey's McGee
Little Dragon
St. Vincent
City and Colour
The Civil Wars
Young The Giant
Two Door Cinema Club
Punch Brothers
NEEDTOBREATHE
Fitz & The Tantrums
Bad Brains
Yelawolf
Dawes
Battles
Danny Brown
The Black Lips
SBTRKT
Phantogram
Kendrick Lamar
Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires
The Kooks
The Joy Formidable
The Antlers
Kathleen Edwards
Mimosa
Kurt Vile & The Violators
Alabama Shakes
Das Racist
Delta Spirit
Gary Clark Jr.
Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk
Laura Marling
Trampled by Turtles
Mogwai
The War On Drugs
Ben Howard
Grouplove
Blind Pilot
ALO
The Devil Makes Three
White Denim
EMA
Here We Go Magic
K-Flay
The Lonely Forest
Mariachi El Bronx
Big Freedia
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
The Soul Rebels
Kvelertak
SOJA
Steven Bernstein's MTO Allstars Plays Sly
Big Gigantic
Sarah Jarosz
Orgone
Darondo
Fruit Bats
Moon Taxi
 
More artists to be announced soon.

[Watch] The Avett Brothers - "One Too Many Mornings" (Bob Dylan Cover) Live on Fallon

Last night The Avett Brothers were the musical guest of choice for Jimmy Fallon and they brought along an excellent sounding cover of Bob Dylan's "One Too Many Things". The cover appeared on the Amnesty International compilation that features tonnes of talent playing Dylan covers including QOTSA, Cage The Elephant and Silversun Pickups. More information on that release can be found over here but right now you can check out the Avett Brothers performance at the top via The Audio Perv.