It's been a long three years at this here blog, but I believe that Brian's album review of Cut Off Your Hands' debut album, You and I, got the ball rolling around here. Actually, I went back and perused the review, which you can do HERE. The band has been completely off of my radar over the last couple of years, and here we meet again with the freshly released track, "Hollowed Out" from their forthcoming sophomore release, Hollow (August 16 via Frenchkiss). Perhaps the best part of Brian's review two years ago is when he refers to COYH's music being completely poised for an old-school John Hughes film (his intention is utterly complimentary). This first track is right in line with this sentiment. It's filled with shiny pop hooks and a touch of guitar crunch that sends me spiraling right back into the mid-80's quickly. It's hard to dislike You and I, and even in the long interim between records, we're still jamming to a couple of tunes from that record. Listeners can probably expect more of this on Hollow.
Cut Off Your Hands – Hollowed Out
Cymbals Eat Guitars will hopefully prove themselves as a band with some staying power with their upcoming sophomore release, Lenses Alien. Two years ago, Why There Are Mountains hit the ground running and was in nearly ever hipster's vinyl back pocket. Truth be told, I never got too far past "And the Hazy Sea" or "Wind Phoenix" before feeling like the album loaded me up with filler. Those two tracks, however, are still repeatedly on my playlists. Equally important, the band dropped the hammer hard in 2009 at the annual Pitchfork Festival, and their live show absolutely boosted them in my favorable opinion. All this to say that we're excited over here for Lenses Alien, and curious where this ship is headed. "Rifle Eyesight (Proper Name)" is the first cut released from the record, which will hit the shelves via Barsuk Records on August 30th. This track is an odyssey of sorts, weaving in and out of familiar territory into noise rock freefalls and complete tonal collapse in two spots of the 8 minute jam. Importantly, this is the CEG I saw live in 2009, and while this isn't an easy song to digest, it's filled with plenty of gutsy attitude; I'm excited for the new album.
Cymbals Eat Guitars – Rifle Eyesight (Proper Name)
