There's always a moment for fervent music followers and artists where they begin to tire of certain genres and scenes. They believe all complex possibilities have been explored and that nothing new can be created. That word new is a tricky thing. Music is not created in a vacuum and people's enjoyment of it depends greatly on certain expectations that have been conditioned in them from a very early age. So, the struggle of an artist to be new and remain grounded in some tradition while not being outright derivative begins. This struggle leads to identity crisis within artists and sometimes intense [...]
Before I begin this review, I'd like to file a professional complaint against the members of Deerhunter, Deer Tick, and Deerhoof. There are too many of you. Figure it out, guys. Someone needs to be Beer Tick or Fearhoof or something. Deerhunter is a strange confluence of things. Songwriterly noise-rock that's both mellow and ecstatic, melodic and dissonant, old and new, electric and acoustic; Bradford Cox and company can't seem to settle on one sound. In other bands this might sound precious or distracting, but Deerhunter manages to pull of the melange without phoniness or stale [...]
Perhaps I am making a wild generalization (in fact I definitely am) but Welsh bands really do seem to have an affinity for blending psychedelic nostalgia with idiosyncratic sonic mysticism. The latest Welsh act in the vein of psychedelic wizards like Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and Super Furry Animals are relative newcomers Islet. Their latest, a song that is of course called “Triangulation Station,” vacillates between Os Mutantes and an outer space psych raga not so far removed from the likes of CocoRosie. The production quality of “Triangulation Station” keeps the song in a swampy hollow at the end of the 1960s, [...]
Former Emeralds member, Mark McGuire shared a little taste of what he's been working on since the group's dissolution in January. "In Search of the Miraculous", a beautiful, sprawling track is an excerpt from his upcoming album, Along the Way. Complete with a wall of delayed guitars, warm analog synth bass, and a harp, the track slowly builds upon the meditative harmonic progression. It induces a sense of excitement, nostalgia, and wistfulness, with increasing intensity across the tracks' six minutes before settling into a spacious drone.
We'll start off with Jean Tonique's Remix of Jabberwocky's "Photomaton." This should make your Monday feel a little better. Jabberwocky - Photomaton (Jean Tonique Remix) by Jean Tonique Meanwhile, this CHVRCHES remix is awesome. MS MR - Hurricane (CHVRCHES remix) by msmrsounds A-1 the Emcee spruces up this otherwise ok Lana Del Rey track. Summertime Sadness - Prod. Ryan Hemsworth by [...]
The psychedelic lo-fi duo Phedre released their first, cracked out album over a year ago now and I've been craving more ever since. Their latest, "Zenith," popped up on SoundCloud yesterday and it's about the most dancey thing they've spit out so far. Though not as memorable as "In Decay" or "Aphrodite," I can't say my excitement about this bacchanal band has ebbed in the slightest.
In the past, Brooklyn-by-way-of-St. Louis producer Phaseone- aka Andrew Jernigan- has provided carefully-crafted remixes for Panda Bear, Burial, and Grouper, among others. If Phaesone’s latest LP If I Tell U is any indication, though, the future holds the promise of a lot more excellent new solo work. Displaying a diverse offering of bold, heavy synths, dreamy atmosphere, and mysterious, delicate cracklings of sound, If I Tell U represents some of Phaseone’s best work yet. A few months ago, the cloudy, cool “Blood Spirit I” provided our first, fitting introduction to If [...]
Mikal Cronin is a Ty Segall collaborator who now has two albums of sweet, summery power pop under his belt. MCII follows the same kind of glory days revitalizing that Segall has made a name for himself with, though Cronin skews a little closer to a modern understanding of indie pop. One way to look at MCII is as MC5 meets Belle and Sebastian, with those particular reference points continually trading off at the forefront of MCII 's sound. There is the ever-looming threat of visceral and prodigal guitar attacks, but fortunately nothing ever comes of this; [...]
Run The Jewels is the "nom de plume" for the collaborative efforts of Killer MIKE and El-P, who worked together on Killer Mike’s 2012 bombshell R.A.P. Music . Hot off the heels of a critically acclaimed album of his own (2012’s Cancer 4 Cure ) El-P maintains his glorious professional momentum with some "Oreo milkshake gritty" (as in: it's pretty smooth, but there are little delicious chunks of Oreo rock in it) vocal delivery and stellar beat-craft on “Get It.” Killer Mike is as lyrically jubilant as always – he sounds like someone who just loves the feel [...]
This Jay-Z gem is off the upcoming Great Gatsby soundtrack, which bodes well for the upcoming Baz Luhrmann picture... JAY Z - 100$ Bill by ByTheMinute This one isn't as catchy as many of his hits, but a Louis La Roche release is always news, so here it is. Ruckus Roboticus - The Phantom's Theme (Louis La Roche Remix) by Louis La Roche
For anyone enamored with the Manhattanite guitar raga of Vampire Weekend’s debut LP, the affected dance-inclinations and lyrical pensiveness of follow-up Contra was probably at least somewhat disappointing. Vampire Weekend are pressing on in terms of their commitment to house beats and their neglect of snappy guitar playing, but the emotional evocation present in the lyrics has never been more profound than on "Ya Hey." "Ya Hey" deals with the complexities, both social and personal, of developing a relationship with the idea of god (or so I think - Ezra Koenig’s muddled refrain does kind of sound like [...]
Centipede Hz standout "New Town Burnout" gets the Shabazz Palaces remix on Animal Collective's Monkey Been to Burn Town EP. The diverse remix collection features reworkings of tracks from Animal Collective's latest LP by Teengirl Fantasy, Gang Gang Dance, and Traxman. I'm partial to this sleek, slinky take on "New Town Burnout," which is really trippy (and that's really saying something when it comes to Animal Collective).
!!!'s peppy, groovy duet "One Boy/One Girl" sure does bring back a lot of memories. Remember the time when bands started shelving their guitars in favor of straight-up dancing? It was a historic turning point in music, but it's ultimately become (for the most part) forgotten. Stirring Sacramento dance collective !!!- pronounced as "chik chik chik," in case you need reminding- helped usher in a moment which, at the time, felt like nothing short of kismet; thanks mostly to James Murphy and his freshly-formed DFA Records, all of New York City's coolest kids hit the dance floor at the exact [...]
RAC's take on Pheonix's "Trying to be cool" is predictably catchy. RAC doesn't seem to stray much from his sound, but if it ain't broke... Phoenix - Trying To Be Cool (RAC Mix) by RAC
London based dreamsters Quimper contribute "Soft Bodies" to the compilation Soft Bodies Don't Bleed available here . It sounds like maybe what Beach House would have sounded like had they joined a traveling carnival act instead of signing to an indie label. The creepy synths sound even spookier next to the innocent child-like vocals. If you listen closely though it is striking and beautiful how they contextualize Beethovenian counterpoint and harmony into a hip dream pop song in 2013. Right on Quimper.
Akron/Family have dropped many of the already marginalized experimental and field music tendencies of their earlier output in favor of what could more broadly be defined as “indie rock” for their seventh album, Sub Verses . In the interest of constant creative momentum a step in any direction can often seem like the right one, and there is the occasional indie guitar payoff on Sub Verses ; in a sense this is the bigger, roomier, and less corrupt version of an album like Cults . But given their psychedelic pedigree and non-standard lineup, Akron/Family are more easily held [...]
This one is a fantastic edit of Daft Punk - normally these are a dime a dozen, but Vanderway has hit on something here. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories (Vanderway Edit) by L'ordre This slow instrumental hip-hop track is drawn from Kendrick Lamar's "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe." BDKMV Refix feat. The Clubcasa Chamber Orchestra by IAMNOBODI [Official] Myron and E mix a Marvin Gaye Motown vibe with a [...]
"Hexxy" made its first appearance as the opening track on Speedy Ortiz's debut release, The Death of Speedy Ortiz . Back then it was called "Hexxy Sadie" (a particularly witty Beatles reference—the lead singer's name is Sadie) and it was a lo-fi bedroom recording with sloppy and distant drums and poorly recorded vocals. It was awesome back then and it is still awesome now, with Justin Pizzoferrato's (Chelsea Light Moving, Dinosaur Jr.) engineering. The song still has teeth but now they're sharpened to a point. "Hexxy" is the B-side to their just released 7-inch which also includes "Ka-Prow!". Get it [...]
I'm usually weary of songs that seem to force-feed the sound of an upbeat summer jam. No one needs another Hot Chelle Rae to happen. That being said, I did not get what I was expecting from Tommy and the High Pilots' new single. They waste no time diving chorus-first into "Outta My Head." Aside from having an interesting choice of band name, they provide a great balance between something pop-rock and indie. Give their song a listen and, as they suggest, you may not "feel so bad." "Outta My Head" is a catchy addition to the upcoming album, [...]
UK electronic group Rudimental is clearly on a mission to drive all of their listeners in the world into a foot-tapping, neck-breaking frenzy. Here's the video to their latest cut "Baby" featuring frequent collaborator MNEK and Sinead Harnett . This tune was first heard last year on the live stream BBC session at Maida Vale Studios (clip below) and personally, I've had it on my mind since. The versatility of this group is beyond belief, as their highly anticipated debut album, Home , contains electronic music in the [...]
AudioCred
[Listen] Daft Punk - "Horizon" (Japanese Bonus Track)
Coma Cinema: Burn a Church
MP3: Daft Punk – “Horizons” (RAM Japanese Bonus Track)
