July Listening Habits

July saw the ascension of a pre-release copy of Beirut's newest, The Rip Tide (set for release on Pompeii Records on August 30) to top the lists, following the pattern set by the previous number one; Okkervil River's I Am Very Far. It's been three years since Beirut released The Flying Club Cup and I was hugely surprised and pleased by the latest. It looks like they perform these bays as a band of only five, but they still achieve that full orchestral sound that has been the hallmark of the previous releases. I'm hooked.

I Am Very Far continues to keep me playing all the other Okkervil River albums. Particularly fond of the Black Sheep Boy album which is from early in their career, but new to me.

The other new releases include Release the Sunbird by Zach Rogue of Rogue Wave, who performed the new material at an impressive set at Hotel Cafe last week (July 28) and the incredible new Rademacher album, Baby Hawk Part I of III, which I gave a rave review to here, and I haven't changed my mind. Claire Mckeown released her own band's gorgeously choral Summer Night Hours, by Dirt Bird, (also reviewed at Radio Free Silver Lake, here) and I suspect it will figure in my August listening.

I bought the Blu-Ray disk of Topsy-Turvy and that is why the soundtrack showed up.

Week of July 22 - 28, 2011

1. Beirut - The Rip Tide (Pompeii Records)

2. Dirt Bird - Summer Night Hours EP (self release)

3. Rademacher - Baby Hawk Part I of III (self release)

4. Rupa & the April Fishes - Extraordinary Rendition (Cumbancha)

5. Release the Sunbird - Come Back To Us (Brush Fire Records)

6. Rogue Wave - Permalight (Brush Fire Records)

7. Okkervil River - I Am Very Far (Jagjaguwar)

8. Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy (Jagjaguwar)

9. Chad VanGaalen - Diaper Island (Sub Pop)

10. Topsy-Turvy - original soundtrack (Sony Classical)

Week of July 15 - 21, 2011

1. Beirut - The Rip Tide (Pompeii Records) pre-release

2. Rademacher - Baby Hawk Part I of III EP (self release)

3. Okkervil River - I Am Very Far (Jagjaguwar)

4. Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy (Jagjaguwar)

5. Chad VanGaalen - Diaper Island (Sub Pop)

6. Topsy-Turvy - original soundtrack (Sony Classical)

7. Blitzen Trapper - Destroyer of the Void (Sub Pop)

8. DeVotchKa - A Mad and Faithful Telling (ANTI)

9. Elbow - Build a Rocket Boys (Polydor)

10. Low - C'mon (Sub Pop)

Week of July 8 - 14, 2011:

1. Beirut - The Rip Tide (Pompeii Records) pre-release)

2. Beirut - The Flying Club Cup (Ba Da Bing)

3. Okkervil River -I Am Very Far (Jagjaguwar)

4. Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy (Jagjaguwar)

5. Elbow - Build a Rocket Boys (Polydor)

6. Tenlons Fort - Shelters (self release)

7. Elbow - Leaders Of The Free World (Polydor)

8. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues (Sub Pop)

9. Torches In Trees - Torches EP (self release)

10. Rademacher - Baby Hawk Part I of III EP (self release)

Week of July 1 - 7, 2011:

1. Okkervil River - I Am Very Far (Jagjaguwar)

2. Torches In Trees - Torches EP (self release)

3. Chad VanGaalen - Diaper Island (Sub Pop)

4. Low - C'mon (Sub Pop)

5. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues (Sub Pop)

6. The Belle Brigade - The Belle Brigade (Reprise Records)

7. Chad VanGaalen - Skelliconnection (Sub Pop)

8. Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane (Sub Pop)

9. Okkervil River - The Stand Ins (Jagjaguwar)

10. Beirut - The Flying Club Cup (Ba Da Bing

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