We were torn this week when it came to Record of the Week. Some incredibly good albums came out and when it came down to it we found ourselves with two albums that were equally deserving of the honor. 
There was no question from the first listen that the new Dinosaur Jr. was going to be tagged for Record of the Week. This is without a doubt, the only band that can go into hibernation for years on end and then come back at it as thought they put out a record the week prior.
The sound here is unmistakbly Dinosaur Jr. From J’s blaring guitar solo and heart on his sleeve lyrics(it’s hard to believe this guy is 45 years old now) to Murph’s thunderous pounding of the drums this album sounds like it was recorded somewhere between Where You Been and Green Mind. If you don’t believe us, check out the song “I Want You to Know” that we posted on our last Weekend Listening feature.
To top it all off we have the deluxe version of the CD that features a second CD with four exclusive songs. This version is the same price as the normal version and very limited. We also have this on sale right now! An absolute essential this year.
Bibio really came into this week at an unfair advantage. Dinosaur Jr. had the Record of the Week award on lockdown from the moment the album was released so putting out anything else good(and good lord is there a lot of good this week) was really just shooting yourself in the foot. Bibio managed to stay head and shoulders above the rest though and put out an incredible record in Ambivalence Avenue.
Equal parts Boards of Canada(for it’s warbly folky, National Geographic film being projected in 7th grade sounding interludes) and Prefuse 73(for it’s glitch-pop main tracks that actually manage to be the best Prefuse 73 material that Prefuse 73 didn’t put out), Bibio weaves his own brand of folktronica over 12 tracks and is one of the best releases not just this week but this year. To celebrate how great it is, we have this on our listening stations right now for a SUPER cheap price. There is absolutely no reason not to pick this up right now.
Honorable mentions for June 23rd Record of the Week:
- Foreign Born – Person to Person (Secretly Canadian)
- A Hawk and a Hacksaw – Deliverance (Leaf)
- Sunset Rubdown – Dragonslayer (Jagjaguwar)
- Tortoise – Beacons of Ancestorship (Thrill Jockey)
