Greetings from the music desk! We return in the midst of a record-releasing, tour date-announcing frenzy. Honestly, it’s become overwhelming. I can only get excited so many times in a day before it gets weird. But I’m duty-bound to serve you guys, so I’m battling the stress of listening to great new releases and attending excellent shows. Whew.

Due to the sheer volume of aural pleasure, we have to take it one day at a time. Check out some of today’s releases and see the concert of the evening after the jump…

Cut Copy [Zonoscope; Modular]                                                                                           Australian quartet Cut Copy is ready to party like its 1979…and 1989. Their 3rd album, Zonoscope, makes a musical sundae with disco, synthpop, New Wave and a Kraftwerk cherry on top. Tropicalismo rhythms and melodies make an appearance throughout the album; fitting, since it’s currently summer Down Under. “Where I’m Going” is a toe-tapping throwback to the 1960s, perfectly suited to one of those surf parties where everyone is wearing uncomfortable-looking swimwear. In short, Zonoscope is: a) perfect for driving with the windows down b) the next thing I’ll be dancing to in my underwear c) to put it simply: fun.

Caveat: if you did not enjoy the music of the 1980s, you will not enjoy this.
Stream the album here.

Esben and the Witch [Violet Cries; Matador]
The original “Esben and the Witch” is a decidedly non-Disney fairy tale involving a boy, a witch, attempted cannibalism and multiple homicides. It’s also an English trio that is about to drop its debut album, Violet Cries. Oh, what a gothic debut they’ve made! With her haunting voice, singer Rachel Davies would have been Edgar Allan Poe’s greatest muse. Violet Cries is built upon Davies’ disconcerting, melancholy vocals layered over distortion and reverb. The music video for “Marching Song”, the first single, rivals Royksopp’s “The Drug” in creepiness. Esben and the Witch are dark, there’s no doubt about that. But they do it so well.
Stream Violet Cries over at Stereogum.

Jessica Lea Mayfield [Tell Me; Nonesuch]
Oh my. The first time I heard “Our Hearts Are Wrong”, the single from Ohio chanteuse Jessica Lea Mayfield’s new album, I was hooked. With a sensual Midwestern drawl, Mayfield’s stripped-down, soul-baring lyrics suggest that she knows what she’s talking about. The rest of the album is equally captivating, ranging from the spunky electronics of “Grown Man” to the percussive smorgasbord of “Nervous Lonely Nights” (seriously: organ, Asian instrumentation & more). Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys produced Tell Me, and you can hear the gritty influence of his own Brothers. Despite the fact that she seems jaded, at 21, she’s younger than most of our staff.
Stream the album over at Rolling Stone.
If you like what you hear, Ms. Mayfield will be playing at the Earl in Atlanta on March 26th!

What are you doing tonight? Nothing? Wild! Coming to Atlanta tonight is Wild Nothing, touring in support of spring 2010 full-length Gemini and fall 2010 EP Golden Haze. The man behind Wild Nothing is Jack Tatum, who has proven to be a master of the shoegaze-dream-pop genre. Yes, that is a genre. Golden Haze is a sort of time travel, beginning with dreamy, melancholy synth-pop of the ’80s and ending with  “Vultures Like Lovers”, a triumphant example of today’s MIDI-wizardry.
Listen: “Vultures Like Lovers”
TONIGHT: Wild Nothing, Abe Vigoda, Roman Photos; the Drunken Unicorn; $10/18+ doors 9 pm

(Allegra Yeley, UGA)