
A recent addition to the "top played" list around here at macktronic is the new album by Ladyhawk. Their second LP, titled Shots, is out now on Jagjaguwar , is a raucously enjoyable affair. See for yourself. ::: Ladyhawk - I Don't Always Know What You're Saying ::: Ladyhawk - S.T.H.D. You can purchase the new album (and others) here . For you Bay Area folks, word on the street is that local faves The Parish will be opening for Ladyhawk on May [...]

Thanks again to Hunter at Macktronic and Gold Robot Records for (a) sending me vinyl (always welcome) and (b) introducing me to another great Bay Area band in the Parish . The latest goodie from Gold Robot – the label's fourth 7-inch release – is the four-song Storm Driven Bird EP from the Parish. The group is led by husband-wife tandem of Zac and Kim Stanley, but they brought in a full band for this EP, including Graham Hill (aka Roman Ruins ) on drums. [...]
Burial : "Ghost Hardware" [mp3] from Untrue other Burial music blog posts: @lhb @hype @elbo.ws Dean Martin : "Jingle Bells (Dan the Automator remix)" [mp3] from Christmas Remixed - Holiday Classics Re-Grooved other Dean Martin music blog posts: @lhb @hype @elbo.ws French Miami : one [...]

Gold Robot Records is pleased to announce the newest addition (GRR004) to their catalog. This vinyl/digital release is an EP by The Parish (out of Oakland) titled Storm Driven Bird . Here's the stats: + limited edition (500) + 33RPM 7-inch record (pilsner colored translucent vinyl) + officially drops on December 18th, but you can pre-order it now . + all artwork done by Ian Umlauf (Brooklyn, NY) Venerable online mag Deli SF recently described their sound: "The Parish have an interesting blend of new(er) and old, that [...]

Over the past few years, it has been exemplified that marriage and music go quite well together. Just like the varied process of marriages, we've seen some come out successful and others come out flawed. From the fun catchy pop The Rosebuds and Mates Of State to the deep musicianship of the Arcade Fire, husband and wife collaborations have often proved to be effective in mixing romantic and musical chemistry with a little help from some friends. The Parish is another example in the recent trend, with husband and wife duo Zac and Kim Stanley writing most of [...]
As you can imagine, we here in North Central Wisconsin are feeling a healthy dose of the winter storm that has been ravaging the central part of the country this weekend. Felicia was supposed to work today, but when I looked out into the driveway and noticed a snow drift had almost reached up to the hood of my car I thought better of the trip, and she called in. Hopefully spring is not too far around the corner. Photo courtesy of Us [...]

Download "I Was Only Kidding" (mp3) from "Split" by Meanest Man Contest / Languis Sneakmove Buy at iTunes Music Store Buy at RealNetworks / Rhapsody More On This Album Download "Left At the Party" (mp3) from "Yes Yes To You" by The [...]

So there's been some changes around here at Macktronic. The focus and design have slowly been evolving, and probably will continue to do so throughout the history of this project. One offshoot of the endeavor is that I've decided to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak, and start a record label...... Gold Robot Records . The focus of GRR is small run vinyl releases with a focus on independent musicians, artists, printmakers, and designers. It's a non-profit project, with all proceeds going to the making of the next release. [...]

A couple months back I posted a track by Oakland's The Parish . Well, a couple big things are on the horizon for this band. First, their debut full-length release titled The Way We Bend should be ready by mid-November. Secondly, they're opening for Beach House ( see post here ) on November 14th at the Hemlock Tavern in San Francisco. I like this, coming off their myspace page: "This record puts sound in a place that is not quite romantic, not quite nervous." It's [...]

There's a tone (autumn) and a color (orange) to the music of Beach House inside of my head; whereas this summer consisted of Brightblack Morning Light, a more yellow hue. These two oft-compared bands certainly share many similarities, but while Brightblack's songs tend to be more of a sonic experiment (where will it end up?) , Beach House takes care to craft exquisite tracks that progress in a less skewed manner. Take a listen. ::: Beach House - Apple Orchard ::: Beach House - [...]

Busy weekend highlighted by (what i thought was) a great World Cup final. Ran across the picture above while cruising FlickR, which is where I get most the images for this blog. Sometimes the accounts don't share the images so I can't link to the pictures directly, which sucks. So, I thought this'd be a good chance to float a couple great Flickr Photo Gallery links your direction: gAntico ---> fanatastic italian victory shots merkley ---> shoots some dang pretty girls (bay area!) roidrage ---> dude [...]