Midlake release "The Courage of Others" on Feb. 2nd

Hello there, my name is Mike. I’m the guy who, for the past… god, two years, I guess, brought you the Cheat Sheet, a monthly column going over the biggest news stories and record releases of the previous month. It was meant to serve as a one-stop shop for anyone whose eyes maybe weren’t glued to their computer screen looking for music news at all times.

Funny thing, though: Those people don’t actually exist. Everyone knows everything as soon as it happens, and they need to be told what to think about it immediately. So they turn to the blogs, who are competing with one another for page views, which you need about a gazillion of in order to sell an ad anyone. Then blogs do something called Search Engine Optimization in hopes that when some sad sack loser Googles “I like Lady Gaga’s hilarious costumes,” their blog will be the first site that shows up. So then the blogs start covering really stupid things because people are generally really stupid and perform internet searches for really stupid things. So it’s a race, basically, to see who can cover the dumbest thing the fastest, on a site that’s most conducive to search engines. You know, journalism.

Anyway—and this is not to bitterly imply that what I was doing had anything to do with journalism—no more Cheat Sheet. But! Now, every Monday, I’ll tell you about all the records being released that week. Because in 2010, nothing matters more than release dates, since records never leak and are never available months before they’re officially available to be purchased.

So without further ado, this weeks releases! Which happen to be not all that exciting!

Midlake — The Courage of Others
This isn’t the most anticipated record of the year, by far, but a handful of people completely lost their shit over this band’s 2006 album, Trials of Van Occupanther. It’s a slow-burning record that’s alternately intense and breezy, rooted in American folk music but constantly referencing laid-back 70s radio pop. I’ve only given The Courage of Others one close listen at this point, but early word–from me, and others, is that its more of the same, only better. For me, the highlight of the week.
Listen: Various Tracks [at myspace.com]

Aziz Ansari — Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening
This counts, I guess, because Aziz Ansari used to make jokes about Pitchfork? I don’t know. I’ve never thought his stand-up was very funny, but his character on Parks and Recreation is one of my favorite on television at the moment.
Listen: Various Tracks [at myspace.com]

The Album Leaf — A Chorus of Storytellers
The Album Leaf is the long-, long-running project of multi-instrumentalist James Lavalle. He makes gorgeous, atmospheric pop records that you sometimes wish were a little more pop and a little less atmospheric. He’s traditionally played almost every instrument on his own, but this time around he’s joined by a full band.
Listen: Various Tracks [at myspace.com]

The Soft Pack — The Soft Pack
The Soft Pack is an LA band previously known as The Muslims, who released one really great EP full of charming, too-cool garage rock before changing their name and making basically the exact same record, only not as well. It’s fine, fun even, but not particularly promising now that we know they’re a one-trick pony.
Listen: Various Tracks [at myspace.com]

The Brunettes – Paper Dolls
A New Zealand band that’s always had an affinity for studio-enhanced pop music that incorporates as many instruments as they can get their hands on. Think Shins and Beulah.
Listen: Various Tracks [at myspace.com]

Like this article? DIGG it and sign up for our RSS feed!