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New Music Tuesday: 2-7-2012

We’ve made it to another Tuesday and this week one of my favorite artists has a new album out and it’s got me amped up. My excitement level is especially impressive considering my lack of sleep over the past few days and my having just flown back home to Chicago from New York during this morning’s early hours.

This is the last week to put in your suggestions for what our AfterEllen Twitter hash tag should be so we can all play “Gay Pocket DJ” for each other. At the end of this week, I’m going to choose one and run with it so chop chop.

What is it about Sharon Van Etten that makes her so special? Is it the way she can so succinctly put emotions into a perfect chain of words better than anyone else can? Is it the lilt of her voice making her seem just fragile enough to make a perfect stranger comfortable enough to want to put their arms around her? It’s so difficult because at face value, she is just another guitarist with a pretty voice. There is nothing about her that should be extraordinary and yet every time I go back to listen to past albums or past performances, I am taken aback by how powerful of an effect her music has on me. So far, Tramp, is picking up where Epic left off, which is to say clutching my heartstrings and making a puppet out of my emotions. If you’re in the mood to be feeling things today, head on over to NPR and stream the album in its entirety and grab a free download of the album’s first single, “Serpants.”

Singer Lisa Papineau and bassist Juan Alderete (from The Mars Volta) have put together a gorgeously dark album in Before Gardens After Gardens. According to Lisa, much of the album was written while contemplating mortality and coming to terms with the realization we aren’t on this earth forever.  Unfortunately, both Lisa and Juan have had to think about life and death lately, as both of them have been diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses. As I’m sure you can imagine even without listening, this is not a feel-good album. The ethereal nature of Lisa’s voice contrasts sharply with the ominous overtones of each song’s instrumental or electronic elements and when combined is hauntingly beautiful. Stream the album over at Spinner.

This is a solid release from indie electronic duo, Silver Swans, and would mingle well with the likes of Ladytron, Warpaint and a somewhat gloomy day when you need a cinematic soundtrack to give you inspiration to mope productively inside or outside of your mind. Stream the album at Spinner.

This sugary pop four-piece is one part Guster,one part Controller. Controller. and one part Tilly and the Wall — not a bad combo if you ask me. While this isn’t exactly what I would call a female-fronted album, two of the band’s members, Johnny Roberts and Shaun Huberts, are part of Tegan and Sara’s touring band — making them, at the very least, lesbros. It’s a sweet album that has a lot of youthfulness to it, punctuated by singer Laura Smith’s soft soprano vocals. Hat tip to Janay for giving me the head’s up!

Combine the Southern bayou horn section with a jazzy cabaret vocalist, eat a bowl of porridge and you’ve got a unique recipe for musical success. O, Devotion! is just the right amount of uniquely artsy-fartsy without polarizing the listener. Grab yourself a free download of “Displacement Song.”

Honorable Mentions: Of Montreal, Battles, Mux Mool, Ben Kweller, Air, A Place To Bury Strangers, The Twilight Sad, Pretty Good Dance Moves and Lindstrøm.

That’s all for this week! As always, feel free to follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook or check out what I’m listening to on Spotify.

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