New Release Tuesday: Drive By Truckers & Motel Motel

Brooklyn-based Motel Motel do indeed have ties to Denver, but their sound is lost somewhere in the corn fields of the Midwest. Their sound is gritty and Americana-influenced, but Eric Engel's nasally vocals and dark lyrics are unmistakably indie rock. This is easily one of the most interesting self-released records of 2009; the band flitting between Pavement-esque meanderings ("Cigarettes") and lush country-inflected tunes ("Mexico"). There's lots to digest here: strings, layered vocal harmonies, guitar and pedal steel all stake their claim through the record's 13 tracks. They won't be for everyone, but for fans of the dirty south's affection towards old country soul, they'll be a perfect fit.

Motel Motel [MySpace] [Official] [Daytrotter Session]

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900x: Library Catalog Music Series: Music For Lubbock, 1980
Against Me!: The Original Cowboy (vinyl)
The Alchemist: Chemical Warfare
All Time Low: Nothing Personal
Allen Toussaint: The Bright Mississippi (2-LP vinyl with CD)
Animal Collective: Summertime Clothes (vinyl)
Barry Goldberg: Barry Goldberg (reissue)
Barzin: Notes To An Absent Lover
Berlin: All the Way In
biLLy bOy on poiSon: Drama Junkie Queen (vinyl)
Bjork: Voltaic (3-LP, 2-CD & 2-DVD box set) (1-LP vinyl)
Black Keys: The Big Come Up (vinyl)
Bob Marley: Catch a Fire (vinyl reissue)
Bob Marley: Exodus (vinyl reissue)
Bob Marley: Legend (vinyl reissue)
Bombadil: Tarpits/Canyonlands
Bowerbirds: Upper Air (vinyl)
Broken Records: Until the Earth Begins to Part (vinyl)
Cage: Depart from Me (vinyl)
Captain Beefheart: Safe as Milk (reissue)
Casey Foubert: Library Catalog Music Series: Music For Drums (vinyl)
Cass McCombs: Catacombs (vinyl)
Cat Power: The Covers Record (vinyl reissue)
Ceu: Vagarosa
Chris Garneau: El Radio
Cobra Starship: Kiss My Sass (vinyl)
Donnas: Greatest Hits Volume 16 (vinyl)
Dr. Dog and Floating Action: Don't Stop (Loving Me Now) (vinyl)
Drive-By Truckers: Live from Austin Texas (CD & DVD)
Duckworth Lewis Method: Duckworth Lewis Method
Ellen Allien: Ondu Caress EP (vinyl)
The Fools: Sold Out / Heavy Mental
Genesis: Live in Poland
Gentlemen: Candid History of Faith Hope Love
Hatcham Social: You Dig the Tunnel, I'll Hide the Soil
High Places / Soft Circle: High Places / Soft Circle Split 7" (vinyl)
Holly Throsby: A Loud Call
Iron Maiden: Flight 666 [Blu-ray]
Jackie-O Motherf**ker: Ballads of the Revolution (vinyl)
The Jayhawks: Music From The North Country: The Jayhawks Anthology (3-disc deluxe edition)
Jorge Ben: Tudo Ben
Junior Boys: Begone Dull Care (vinyl)
Junior Boys: Hazel (vinyl)
Kiss Kiss: The Meek Shall Inherit What's Left
Kris Kristofferson: Border Lord/Jesus Was a Capricorn (reissues)
Kris Kristofferson: Spooky Lady's Sideshow/Shake Hands with the Devil (reissues)
Kris Kristofferson: Surreal Thing/Easter Island (reissues)
Kris Kristofferson: Who's to Bless and Who's to Blame/To the Bone (reissues)
La Roux: La Roux
Law of the Least Effort: Library Catalog Music Series: Music For Measurements )vinyl)
LMFAO: Party Rock
The Lovell Sisters: Time To Grow
The Low Anthem: Oh My God Charlie Darwin (vinyl)
Mannequin Men: Lose Your Illusion, Too (vinyl)
Marcy Playground: Leaving Wonderland...In a Fit of Rage
Marillion: Live From Loreley (remastered)
Marillion: Recital of the Script (remastered)
Marillion: The Thieving Magpie (remastered)
Maxwell: BLACKsummers'night
The Minus 5: Killingsworth
Motel Motel: New Denver
Nebula: Heavy Psych (vinyl)
New Pornographers: Electric Version (vinyl reissue)
Night Horse / Dirty Sweet: Night Horse / Dirty Sweet Split 7" (vinyl)
Nurse with Wound: Surveillance Lounge
Oneida: Rated O (vinyl)
Owen: The Seaside EP
Pat Metheny: Day Trip/Tokyo Day Trip (3-LP, 2-CD box set)
Paul Oakenfold: Perfecto: Vegas
The Pine Hill Haints: To Win or To Lose
Rock Plaza Central: At the Moment of Our Most Needing (vinyl)
The Rumble Strips: Not the Only Person
The Rural Alberta Advantage: Hometowns
Screaming Blue Messiahs: Bikini Red (reissue)
Screaming Blue Messiahs: Gun Shy (reissue)
Sleepy Sun: Embrace (vinyl)
Son Volt: American Central Dust
Stellastarr*: Civilized
Swell Maps: Sweep the Desert (vinyl reissue)
Those Darlins: Those Darlins
Tiny Vipers: Life On Earth
UuVvWwZ: UuVvWwZ
Various Artists: Dillanthology, Vol. 2
Various Artists: Dirty French Psychedelic
Various Artists: The Present (soundtrack)
Various Artists: Poet: A Tribute to Townes Van Zandt
We Were Promised Jetpacks: These Four Walls
Yo La Tengo: Electr-O-Pura (vinyl reissue)
Yo La Tengo: I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One (vinyl reissue)
Young Fresh Fellows: I Think This Is
Zs: Music of the Modern White (vinyl)