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Other Music Exclusive Digital Downloads
One of the most exciting aspects of working at Other Music is coming across a new artist that, even early into their career, is truly great and stands out from the hundreds of local bands who call New York City home. So this week we thought we’d feature three such acts -- Vampire Weekend, Federale and Standing Nudes -- and are thrilled to be able to offer these as exclusive digital downloads. (Vampire Weekend and Federale aren’t even available on CD yet.) We are certain that you’ll be hearing a lot more from these bands in the future. 

Vampire Weekend
EP
Vampire Weekend
$2.99
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Every once in a while you just happen to be in the right place at the right time. Such was the case a few months back, when I caught Vampire Weekend playing on a multi-band bill in Brooklyn. I had never even heard of the group and certainly had no plan of lending them my undivided attention, but as soon as these four mild-mannered gents took the stage and began tearing through an absolutely infectious, high-energy set, there was no doubt that I was catching an early glimpse of New York City’s next breakthrough band. Sure enough, Vampire Weekend have been garnering a lot of buzz of late. And while we all hear about a new “next big thing” almost every other week, the group is a refreshing anomaly. Comprised of four clean-cut Columbia grads, their brand of idiosyncratic pop music sets them apart from the plethora of cookie-cutter bands struggling to fit into the various of-the-moment scenes.

What really makes Vampire Weekend stand out is their effortless fusion of sounds which, when all put together, results in some of the catchiest, literate pop music that we’ve come across in ages. British indie and new wave influences from Orange Juice to the English Beat to Teardrop Explodes (singer Ezra Koenig’s voice is particularly reminiscent of a young Julian Cope) converge with African high life guitar lines (dare we say Graceland), and twist through delightfully unpredictable rhythmic shifts. Their breezy songs conjure memories of the days when artists like the Talking Heads and the Police began exploring and incorporating non-traditional influences from the far reaches of the globe into their pop sounds. Vampire Weekend’s music, however, doesn’t look backward or forward, but simply exists in the form of timeless and delightfully catchy songs. Even when singing about punctuation (“Oxford Comma”), Koenig’s agile melodies are the sort that you’ll find yourself humming along with, reaching for his elastic, high falsetto ohhhhhs, or calling back to his hey-hey-heys.

Needless to say, we are very excited to offer you this exclusive EP download from Vampire Weekend, their first official release. These three songs, which first appeared on a CD-R that the band handed out at their shows, have been remixed and re-mastered, and they sound fantastic. Moving from mbaqanga-influenced “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” to the bouncy, ska-infused “A-Punk” to the smart, Ivy League pop of “Oxford Comma,” this is a perfect preview of the group’s diverse range. Vampire Weekend will be spending much of the summer touring throughout the country, so keep an eye out all you non-New Yorkers. It’s almost guaranteed that by this time next year, you won’t be seeing them on the small stage.

-Gerald Hammill

Federale
Federale
Federale
$8.99
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Exactly when was it that all hard rock bands became so lame? The Groundhogs didn’t suck. Zeppelin, Sabbath…hell, I love ZZ Top! But so many heavy rock and roll bands today seem like they’re acting more than rocking. Catsuits, studied screams and well-rehearsed abandon somehow misses the point, and in 2007, only extremists like Boris manage to sound sincere in their squall. Federale are not trying to innovate, however, and simply rely on the oldest tools of the trade: loud guitars, pounding drums, great musicianship and hooky songwriting. Their self-released debut is a triumph of twisted blues and boogie played loud and fierce and frenetically…this is not a record of dark and sludgy dirges, this is rock and roll. So is it Other Music? That question is getting harder and harder to answer these days, and less and less relevant, but I know that I want to rock, and Federale deliver.

-Josh Madell

Standing Nudes
Ghost Story
True Panther
$9.99
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With a long-standing reputation as one of New York's most exciting live bands, Standing Nudes finally drop their debut full-length. Anchored by Molly Shea's slightly raspy voice and glistening guitar work courtesy of Shea and Jason Maartens Klauber, the music on Ghost Story is a mixture of early-'90s indie rock (Sonic Youth and Helium come to mind) and the '70s stylings of, say, Shocking Blue. Shocking Blue as a post-punk band, maybe? There's something very casual and effortlessly catchy about the songs, yet they sound highly detailed and strangely askew. We predict great things for Standing Nudes.

-Andreas Knutsen