Downright Dynamite Downloads Of The Week: Johnny Clegg & Juluka, Sufjan Stevens, Hopewell…

Back in the day music wasn’t quite as accessible as it is today. Sure, maybe it was good and all, but you could only take it with you if you fought and conquered a bard, and bards can be deadly in combat. We know because our office assistant had words with one 90 minutes ago, rest her eighty-year-old soul.

But today, music is everywhere, especially right here! These are the tracks we recommend you hunt, catch and hear anyway you can - the good of the world depends on it. We’re recommending titles from - Hopewell, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Tailgunner, Eels, Sufjan Stevens, and Johnny Clegg & Juluka. Click below for specifics.

Hopewell: Sugar in the Honey off The Birds of Appetite
(Sounds a little bit like the Flaming Lips,
and a little bit not like the Flaming Lips. Recent reports state it
actually makes listeners better looking. We listen to it constantly,
and we’re here to tell you we’re not that ugly anymore.)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Gold Lion off Show Your Bones
(Yes, this track is much hyped at the moment, but it’s well deserved. It sounds like a rocking mix between Cyndi Lauper and Tegan and Sara, to the latter of which we’d like to emphasise we really are better looking now.)

Tailgunner: Blow-Up off Tailgunner
(This
album’s from a few years back. They were a supergroup of sorts,
consisting of members you’re probably all too aware of. They burned
brightly for one full album then had a meltdown. This track’s so loud
it’ll make your eyes pop out.)

Eels: The Other Shoe off Blinking Lights and Other Revelations
(hecklerspray
is juiced to see Eels in concert come June. They never cease to amaze,
and this track is included in the never. It’s pulled off the first
disc of their most recent album and it’s got it’s share of what we like
to call umph.)

Sufjan Stevens: A Loverless Bed (Without Remission) off A Sun Came
(Did
you think Sufjan’s musical prowess suddenly started with his Illinois
album?  Nope - apparently he’s had it since the womb.)

Johnny Clegg & Juluka: Gijim Beke off African Litany   
(If
our math is right - and it might not be - this track is from 1981.
It’s straight out of Africa, it’s not in English, and it’s got that
international chorus filled pop mentality. It’s by far our favorite
find of the week.)

[story by Shawn Lindseth]