(Photo via thisisnthappiness ) MP3: Diego Garcia - "You Were Never There" It's supposed to be a scorcher here in Baltimore today. We spend so much of the winter pining for the heat of the summer, but when it arrives we're on the other side of the fence asking for some colder weather. In this heat, we can't relax unless we're hiding inside with air conditioning cooling our skin. In some other part of the world, the heat is still there, but it's not unbearable -- in [...]
Well, you got funked up on Tuesday, and now it's time to go on a visual and mental odyssey. Check out the absolutely, trippy-epitomizing video for Flying Lotus' "MmmHmm". Whether you're floating through space, following a character through a level of "Mario" (yeah, the video game), watching an arrowhead cut through what looks like the world of Tron, or watching the man grow out of the virtual reality graphics, this Special Problems-directed video is one interesting piece of art. So, as far as I can tell, this all took place [...]
Imagine the best elements of your favorite indie bands in one place. That's basically the simple description for Toronto's stellar Strider Hero. Singer Art Imperial has soothing vocals that pack just the right amount of grit. With his brother Michael, Strider Hero exudes a confident sound predicated on warm, shimmering melodies and thoughtful, eclectic arrangements. The dark and light in their sound serves as a perfect thematic counterbalance for Art's lyrics. It all comes together to help make the band appeal to a wide range of tastes. Hear and download three tracks after the hop. [...]
Phil checking in here. This is a list of five albums I have enjoyed from this year. Off we go, after the jump: 1) Beach House - Teen Dream In September of last year, I recognized and struck up a conversation with Alex Scally, the guitar player for Beach House, while working at an unnamed boutique hotel in downtown Portland, Oregon. During our conversation, he mentioned that he is looking forward to the new [...]
Ra Ra Riot "Too Dramatic" (Preview) from Barsuk Records on Vimeo . I, for one, am impressed with this teaser campaign. It's about damn time people started readjusting to the way music circulates on the interwebs. This is the second installment. Good video, good music, album out on August 24. We started covering this album with the first teaser video for "Keep it Quiet". See Quinn's post, here. Also, you can check out Ra Ra Riot.com
Drumroll please. I don't do this very often, or ever really, but here's a look at the Top 5 albums that have wowed my pants (so far) this year. I'm happy to say that there's a wide range on here. 1) Spoon- Transference [...]
You're about to get funked up! If you click on that "Read more" down there, you're gonna get real funked up. Jamie Lidell - "I Wanna Be Your Telephone" Directed by Lindsey Rome It's only the slightest, slightest bit NSFW. Hard not to groove to that, right? "I Wanna Be Your Telephone" is from Jamie Lidell's latest album, Compass [...]
This past week, the Morning Benders came to Paris to play two shows; the first at the local equivalent of the 9:30 club, Nouveau Casino, and the second in an apartment as part of the Blogothèque's Soirée de Poche series. Warming up for the intimate apartment gig, the band worked out vocal harmonies for their terrific new song 'Virgins,' captured here by Blogothèque mastermind Chryde on the new iPhone. Enjoy and keep your eyes peeled for the full performance!
I can't remember the last time i was part of a crowd as entranced, as taken with a musician as the one assembled at the Maroquinerie Monday night to see Conor O'Brien's second performance of the day. In the course of ten songs, the Villagers frontman converted a room full of strangers to believers; you could feel it in the absolute silence that fell with the first chord of each song, in the applause that rang with the excitement of discovery. O'Brien's voice is arresting, never staying in the same place for too long. He murmurs and yells, [...]
Owen Pallett - "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt" It must be your lucky day. The latest single from Owen Pallett's Heartland is "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt," now available on 12" and digitally. You can download the entire Lewis Takes Off His Shirt EP for one week only right now. That's right, you can get all of this for FREE: Side A 01. Lewis Takes Off His Shirt (album version) 02. Lewis Takes Off His Shirt [...]
Oh, David Bazan. You are so talented and yet so underappreciated. So, hopefully the masses come out this fall as you head out on tour (w/ a band). I'm pretty sure it's not something you (reading this) will want to miss. Mr. Bazan's most recent album, Curse Your Branches , was released back in September of last year through Barsuk. You can buy it right here . If you're all, "David who?" you can download "Bless This Mess" from Curse Your Branches below. MP3: David [...]
This week, we'll all be posting our "Top 5 Albums of 2010 (so far)," one writer each day. In the past, I never could get myself to actually rank my top albums, just because I find it rather difficult. Plus, I feel as though it shouldn't really come down to a "who's better than who?" or anything. These lists are just a culmination of opinion, so let's not get all carried away. Based on their content, I felt like I should arrange my choices in the following order. [...]
The timing couldn't have been better. A cloudless Sunday afternoon, nowhere to be and no obligations to keep. A quick train ride out of the city proper to the sprawling Bois de Vincennes, home to ponds overflowing with lilies, sun-dappled paths, and a summer-long jazz festival. I had come to see Hyperactive Kid. I knew absolutely nothing about them, but was hooked by their name; more fitting for strung-out kids making music on Gameboys in a dorm room than three well-dressed young Germans, playing their heartfelt, unique brand of jazz to hundreds of retirees in a park outside of Paris. [...]
(Photo: Abbey Drucker) MP3: School of Seven Bells - "Windstorm" I feel as though making music with a sibling provides the process of writing with something special. Identical twins Alejandra and Claudia Deheza (formerly of On! Air! Library!) and Benjamin Curtis (formerly of Secret Machines) make music that sounds, at times, quite heavenly, with a mix of shoegaze and dream pop. "Windstorm" is a perfect illustration of how all three members are in tune with each others' musical inclinations. The arrangement is nothing terribly complex, but with the [...]
Stuart Newman - "Oscar" Oscar by Stuart Newman Stuart Newman - "Head Hurts" (Studio Demo) Head Hurts by Stuart Newman There's a raw honesty in Stuart Newman's melancholic acoustic music that most people tend to hide deep inside themselves. We're all vulnerable in some way or another, but we usually try to mask our fears and weaknesses. Newman sings with a wounded tone -- at times nearly in a whisper -- that assumes a [...]
The Silver Seas - Chateau Revenge! MMM I'll be honest, I've been waiting for this one. Since we reviewed "Another Bad Night's Sleep" back in June, I've just been excited to hear the whole product, with new band name included. The Silver Seas have a great idea going here. Besides the album opener of previous mention, there's a lot to [...]
♩♪ Head bone connects to the neck bone Neck bone connects to the arm bone Arm bone connects to the hand bone Hand bone connects to the Internet Connected to the Google Connected to the government ♫♪ Oh, just streaming the new M.I.A. album over at her MySpace !
If you're anywhere in the 21-25 demographic, you've got memories from the early 90s. For me, they're darn hazy, but not so fogged that I don't remember the PBS classic kids show Ghost Writer and it's wacky 90s animation. And hey, guess what? !!!'s new video takes a few nods from that graffiti-inspired animation and feeds it a few sheets of tab acid teamed with a much groovier tune (although there isn't a chorus of kids saying the name of the song over and over again at the end of phrases; just doesn't have the [...]
Get it? Got it? Bueno. Have you seen Rodrigo y Gabriela do their thing live? Well without the roaring crowd, flashing lights, and stage, this video is a pretty damn good show. Even so, as they tour around the US this summer, they'll hit Red Rocks Amphitheater in CO, which could look basically like this video, but prettier. It's just a lot more epic in person though, trust me. They opened at Bonnaroo 3 years ago (headlined this past June) and blew my mind. And guess what? When you yell it, they actually will cover Stairway . [...]
Out of town this week. Hope everyone in the States had a great 4th of July. Have an awesome week, everyone. Quinn
Mixtape Muse
Sexy Track // “Devil Or Angel” // Lou Doillon
HAERTS: “All The Days”
Daft Punk - Lose Yourself to Dance (Simøne Remix)
