Friday Random Five (#10)

The end of the week is upon us once again and, maybe since it's such a dead-looking time of year, this week's five has more or less all newly-birthed material. In addition to the music, it's a random geographic assortment this week as well with New York, Chicago, North Carolina, Austin and (gasp) Utah all represented. Here's to your weekend....

1- First up is a band called Soft, who have just released their debut, The Soft EP. Although Soft's members hail from geographically disparate locations, they appear to make New York City their base having played numerous shows there over the past year or so. If there's indie lo-fi, there must be indie hi-fi-- "Higher" (MP3) most definitely falls into the latter.

2- Full of Light & Full of Fire is the seventh full-length from the consistently excellent and generally underrated Mendoza Line. As usual, Timothy Bracy and Shannon McArdle trade off on vocal duties, with hers lending that Chrissie Hynde thing to the mix. Take "Mysterious in Black" (MP3) for example. The album drops on Misra later this month.

3- Yet another kickass compilation from Chicago's Bloodshot records was recently released. For a Decade of Sin: 11 Years of Bloodshot Records collects 42 tracks over two discs worth of new and previously unreleased material from Bloodshot artists past and present, as well as some who've never been on the catalog. Blanche is one of many Chicago-based acts on the compilation, and contributed the macabre "Redhead" (MP3).

4- North Carolina's Kingsbury Manx are currently touring in support of their recent Yep Roc release, The Fast Rise & Fall of the South. The band's fifth release includes "Ruins" (MP3).

5- The Happies come to us out of the not exactly vibrant Salt Lake City local music scene with a nod to the likes of Belle & Sebastian, The Boy Most Likely To and Stereolab. The CD release party for their second release, if we were really here, happens this weekend at Kilby Court. "Wahaka" (MP3) comes from last year's Meet the Happies self-release.

enjoy. rinse. repeat.