Monday's Leaky Faucet

Who: Various Artists
Title: The Twilight Saga: New Moon Soundtrack
Release Date:October 20th
Label: Chop Shop/Atlantic
Thoughts: Movie soundtracks aren't supposed to be the best records of the year, they're supposed to be an amalgamation of cast off b-sides and rare cover songs from artists we already know we like. It should be a little surprising that Alex Patsavas' New Moon soundtrack features a slew of up-and-coming, relative uknowns mixed in with a few bona fide big names, but if you know of Patsavas' past doing music placement for television shows like The O.C. then you won't be too surprised by it at all. The songs on the New Moon Soundtrack are of course brooding, moody pieces, meant to elicit some sort of emotional response at every turn, and Patsavas has done an excellent job assembling artists known for their emotional work on this soundtrack. Artists like Thom Yorke and Death Cab for Cutie mix perfectly with the likes of Grizzly Bear and the duet between Bon Iver & St. Vincent. As with any soundtrack there are a few clunkers on here most notably "A White Demon Love Song" by The Killers. Overall though the record shows off a very emotional musical side to a teen romance, so the music should play perfectly for the tweens and teens that will be lining up to see the new Twilight movie the first chance they get.
Listen: Death Cab for Cutie - "Meet Me on the Equinox"
Thom Yorke - "Hearing Damage"
Grizzly Bear - "Slow Life"



Who: Spiral Stairs
Title: The Real Feel
Release Date: October 20th
Label: Matador Records
Thoughts: With all the hysteria surrounding the 2010 return of Pavement it would be pretty easy to totally skip over Scott Kannberg's upcoming 2009 release under the Spiral Stairs moniker, but to do so would be a tragic display of overlooking something small and great for something that could wind up being hugely disappointing. The Real Feel is a genuine alternative album, with bits of alt-country, strips of post-punk, and a whole shit ton of other elements creating a wholly entertaining album. It is raw, built on the heels of a divorce, the album has a lot of revealing emotional lines and feelings that pour from the speakers. This is a great record, top to bottom that should not be overlooked or missed out on by anyone.
Listen: Spiral Stairs - "True Love"
Spiral Stairs - "Maltese Terrier"



Who: Former Ghosts
Title: Fleurs
Release Date: October 20th
Label: Upset the Rhythm
Thoughts: Consisting of Freddy Ruppert of This Song Is A Mess But So Am I, Nika Roza of Zola Jesus, and Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu, Former Ghosts is something of an electronic supergroup. As such the expectations for this record are extremely high and after a few listens I'm not sure that they manage to reach the lofty heights I originally thought they would. Not that the music is bad, it's not by any stretch of the imagination, but the band seems to stick to standard electronic sounds and progressions a little too much throughout Fleurs instead of pushing boundaries like their individual projects do. Ruppert is the main song writer here, composing and crafting the music in his image and using the contributions of Roza and Stewart to create something that is interesting and entertaining, but not wholly engrossing. Maybe this will wind up being more of a grower than something immediate, but for now I think it makes better background music than something I can actively listen to.
Listen: Former Ghosts - "Us and Now"
Former Ghosts - "Hold On"