Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream

Basia Bulat (pronounced BASH-a BOO-lat) may be from London, but she’s certainly not British. This London, Ontario native has just released her debut full-length album after a self-released EP in 2005. Oh, My Darling is a melodic, soulful, uplifting LP, complete with intricate hand drums and deliciously sweet guitar riffs. “Why Can’t it Be Mine” is a wonderfully intoxicating rhythmic piece that is sure to please, while the piano-heavy “Snakes and Ladders” is as beautiful as it is urgent.

From her achingly delicate vocals to the unpresumptious ukeleles spread throughout the record, Bulat has hit a perfect balance of legitimate songwriting and intriguing instrumentation. So go and check out Oh, My Darling.

Listen to “Why Can’t it Be Mine” (4.8/5)

Listen to “Snakes and Ladders” (4.7/5)

Swedish-UK electropop collective Pacific! has released their debut long player Reveries, a collection of soft-spoken but profoundly enjoyable pop delights.  Fans of The Softlightes or even Air will really derive some good-hearted fun from Reveries.  Hints of some old Southern riffs (see the bridge in “Silent Running”) and heavy doses of synths make Reveries  a booty-shakin’ wonder.

Grab a copy of Pacific!’s Reveries

Listen to “Hot Lips” (4.6/5)

Listen to “Sunset Blvd” (4.6/5)

Artist review to come later today, but pitchfork.com has got a great feature on upcoming album releases.

What I’m looking forward to:

4-01:

The Apples in Stereo: Electronic Projects for Musicians [Yep Roc]

Sun Kil Moon: April [Caldo Verde]

4-08:

Jim Noir: Jim Noir [Barsuk]

Richard Swift: Richard Swift As Onasis [Secretly Canadian]

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin: Pershing [Polyvinyl]

4-15:

Air: Moon Safari: 10th Anniversary Edition [Astralwerks]

The Kooks: Konk [Astralwerks] [North American release]

And that’s just for the next few weeks! So get excited ladies and gents.