There are plenty of Goth nights in San Francisco but unless you are way into industrial, you are probably going to be a little bummed out (no pun intended). Luckily Club Shutter hosts the best dark wave night this side of San Diego and they usually have it pretty well covered. Sure they throw in The Smiths every now and then, but a good dance party always beats playing by the rules and when you are cataloging all the best goth bands of the 802s you are bound to come across some crossover (*see the bonus section [...]
While I still maintain Jay Elec is hip hop's second coming, I would not be surprised to see Danny Brown at that last supper table somewhere. Detroit's rawest rapper always comes with something amazing to say and more importantly, always picks his beats with the utmost care. Every time his voice comes on I always hear the Andre3000 influence (which Danny admitted to being an influence along with Nas and Doom) but then he rolls it back a bit, throws a Tiger's cap on it and it becomes his own. After some pretty original music videos and the [...]
Detroit to the fullest. More about Danny Brown coming soon..
photo by jessica amaya Twin-Hand Movement was Lower Dens' release for 2010 and it hit the ground running pretty hard. Jana Hunter did her best to make everything hazy like she does best, with some pretty amazing build ups and crescendos. They have a couple of new seven inches out this year so far that get pretty regular play around the office (by which I mean.. my headphones on the BART) and with tourmates Deerhunter/Tara Jane O'Neil in tow - you should keep an eye out. Long live sharp knives and [...]
The power-trio line-up of the U.K.'s hard rock shredders Groundhogs hit gold with their 1971 release of the LP Split . Mostly consisting of a four part title track (apparently inspired by a panic attack lead axeman Tony McPhee had a year earlier), it was the track "Cherry Red" that earned the record a ton of attention and landed the band on tour with the Rolling Stones that year. Originating from the whitey English blues scene that birthed Cream and a bunch of other bands I can't stand, Groundhogs turned up the volume, dumbed down the riffs and went [...]
//click to download the mixtape Dang, apparently Toronto R&B has a sound now - primarily made up of Drake and The Weeknd apparently. I'm cool with that though, the combination of super pro vocals over minimal production is a pretty stark combo. Throw in a little dubstep, some smart sampling and you have dark, smokey, and non-challant R&B that is sexy as fuck. Do you know how hard it is to find actual sexy music - like music that makes you want to fuck? I think the last time I did was HTRK like [...]
My girlfriend never looks at my music blog. I have head it for like 4 years now and I think she has never been here once even though I blog right in front of her and tell her to check it out all the time. In fact I bet I could say whatever I wanted on here and she would never know. Anyways, she plays this song all the time and always sings along to the heartbreaking bridge. Now it's stuck in my head but I don't mind. I could listen to those 30 seconds on a loop forever. The [...]
//photo by rzz So the time has finally come to tighten the belt.. When we first started, our goal was to be the only blog with no dead links - since that's the most annoying thing to deal with when looking for music. However, after years of people direct linking to our songs and music sites mining our servers, the costs really started to add up. Lately our monthly costs have got so bad that we were faced with a decision - either cut the old mp3s loose or start hosting ads [...]
In keeping with the remix trend that I have been following these days, I happened upon Los Angeles' Sister Crayon the other day and was quietly impressed. Quietly in the sense that the songs are all very subtle, but were able to leave an impression that found me singing the tune in my head a couple days later (a rare feat for a non-pop song). Singer Terra Lopez's cooing keeps reminding me of Bjork's operatic whispers on Verpertine and I could easily see her break off on her own very soon. Sorry guys in [...]
Tonight at 111 Minna - T-shirts came out bananas - see you there! Download audio file (in_the_cut.mp3)
//photo by robert khoury Oh Spring weather.. you're here just in time. I can barely motivate to write this post after months of dark and stormy skies, but seeing a bit of sunshine has given me hope and reminded me of hot summer nights. That got me thinking about what music would be accompanying me on my warm San Francisco evenings and I decided that it would be SF's own Melted Toys . The first song I heard of theirs I swore was Beach Fossils, the second song I thought was Ariel Pink, but [...]
I'm having a really hard time getting this track out of my head. Originally done by the Shirelles and famously redone by The Yardbirds, this version by a little known 602s British girl group bowls me over with its gritty guitar jangle and raucous garage rock drums. Jean's swagger-filled, tough-broad delivery slaps the squeaky-clean original across its face and steals its cigarettes. Jean & The Statesides - Putty In Your Hands Download audio file (This_Sea_Is_My_Life.mp3)
These are the projects that make me happy in a small place just under my heart. When musicians get together and make EPs just for fun, as friends. Owen Holmes , bassist from Black Kids invited different friends over to his place in Jacksonville to record some duets, and the result just emanates good feeling. Owen's lo-key marble-mouth singing goes really well with regular vocalists like SoKo and Cassie Ramone. Note to all musicians, after you have a successful record, get together and make songs like this.. Gospel Music - Are Your Parents Still [...]
//photo by olivia crawford Despite my ongoing strange feelings towards Los Angeles, I'll have to admit they have been doing something right lately. And Tearist seems to be mark another mark on it's bedpost - or maybe it's the other way around. Every time someone sees singer Yasmine Kittles perform they seem to end up running home to write about it. Given her zero shame on stage with partner Will Menchaca, I can't say I blame them. With sharp vocals and a don't-give-a-fuck feel to every beat, the songs kick along frantically and sometimes [...]
Modular Records just released the best song from last year's Innerspeaker LP as a remix from Erol Alkan. Pretty sick except for the $20 price tag - what the fuck guys? Get a grip - It's a 123 and doesn't even include the original version? Anyways, whip out the old iPod to play this on at DJ night and go buy three 73 from Captured Tracks instead . Tame Impala - Why Won't You Make Up Your Mind (Erol Alkan) Tame Impala - Why Won't You Make Up [...]
//composure and undertow live at the independent Finally got to see Warpaint perform with Family band last week and I have say that they kind of killed it. Also want to point out that their newish drummer Stella Mozgawa left my fucking jaw on the floor (check out the end of the video). We have talked about them so much on here that I don't think we have to go into it anymore - plus it doesn't look like they need our help too much (their tour bus was the size of [...]
//photo by mike rosati Guerneville's Evacuee have put out a pretty sharp sounding record, must be due to the crisp air out there or something. Having perfected the warbling scream (which is actually pretty incredible to hear), they have developed a sound that draws references to equal parts Spoon and No Age, with just the right amount of melancholy mixed in for good measure. Just remember that before you jump in too quick with that No Age comparison, these guys have been around for going on five years now. Somewhere in that five years [...]
Dang.. sometimes it seems like I'll never have time to write up every single band I hear about before they get old and stale (in the blog world that's like 3 days). Anyways, please accept this list of bands that are super good and should be looked into in more detail. Also, this may have been the laziest blog I have ever written. Download audio file (swimsuit_sunlight.mp3) Download audio file (tamaryn_lovefade.mp3) Download audio file (suzan_ha.mp3) Download audio file (hr_pinkflowers.mp3) Download [...]
//photo by paul rosales Just found out that Colorado's Weed Diamond broke up back in the tail end of January - which is a damn shame because those boys were really starting to grow on me. Everything is there in it's place; the jangly guitar, the washed out vocals and the heart-wrenching chorus. Bury my heart in Colorado Springs. Weed Diamond - Oklahoma Weed Diamond - Mint In My Mouth Download audio file (oklahoma.mp3) [...]
This nautical themed little gem by Orange County's Fever B hit me like a ton of bricks, bricks made of pedal-to-the metal fuzzed out power-pop. Released as a limited edition 123 on Orange County's Burger Records, Fever B is a solo project by a dude in a bunch of local bands I've never heard of. With a one-man show this solid, I hope "B" kicks it into gear with a full band sometime this year. Fever B - This Sea Is My Life Fever B - Words That Make [...]
Unpiano
Avicii – Two Million
Beck – I Just Started Hating Some People Today
H&M Lookbook Mujer y Hombre Otoño 2012.
Amanda Mair
