Blog: Pretty Much Amazing

We're really into Trust , the chilly electro project of Austra drummer Maya Postepski and Robert Alfons (see: our obsession with their early single "Bulbform" ), so we're psyched about the release of the lead single from their upcoming debut record. "Sulk" is, like the band's best material, dark and hypnotically rhythmic, like how asphalt glows under streetlights after it rains, what with its percolating, winding new-wave synth lines and metronomic drum machine. Continue reading: New: TRUST - "Sulk" Read more articles like " New: TRUST - "Sulk" [...]

Brooklyn native Frankie Rose has drummed in three of the best reverb-soaked lo-fi bands her borough has to offer, but now she's taking frontwoman duties and cleaning up her act for the upcoming Interstellar . Continue reading: MP3: New Frankie Rose - "Night Swim" Read more articles like " MP3: New Frankie Rose - "Night Swim" " on PMA | Pretty Much Amazing . Tags: Frankie Rose

Hard Mix is 21-year-old Noah Smith's name for his hypnotic, homespun electronic experiments, which just happen to be so good he's already premiering new tracks via mixes for SiriusXM Chill. We're talking about "I've Got Them," his latest release, a vocal sample-heavy jam with some truly amazing electronic percussion and a dizzying, winding Midi riff that sounds halfway between '80s keyboards and steel drums - it doesn't really matter which, because whatever the case those waterfalling scales interwoven with that stuttering percussion will totally hypnotize you. Continue reading: MP3: New Hard Mix - "I've Got Them" [...]

Brooklyn native Frankie Rose has drummed in three of the best reverb-soaked lo-fi bands her borough has to offer, but now she's taking frontwoman duties and cleaning up her act for the upcoming Interstellar . Continue reading: MP3: New Frankie Rose - "Night Swim" Read more articles like " MP3: New Frankie Rose - "Night Swim" " on PMA | Pretty Much Amazing . Tags: Frankie Rose

We have to admit we were a little nervous when we found out Brad Oberhofer , the 21-year-old Brooklyn-via-Tacoma pop alchemist who makes catchy, schizophrenic songs under his last name, was going to clean up his raw, home-recorded, super-lo-fi demos for his upcoming debut on Glassnote (I mean, why would you try to improve on perfection), but then we heard the first single from his upcoming Time Capsules II and we're not worried anymore. Continue reading: MP3: Oberhofer - "HEART" Read more articles like " MP3: Oberhofer - "HEART" [...]

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've likely heard about South African rave-rap crew Die Antwoord's upcoming second LP Ten$ion . Until its release they're building up Internet hype the way they did on $O$ - dropping a bunch of solid pre-release singles. Next up is the rave-iest rave track they've released yet, "I Fink U Freaky," what with its "Sandstorm"-esque beats, explicit dance instructions ("jump, motherfucker, jump!"), and a typically chilly catchphrase from Yo-Landi Vi$$er: "I think you freaky, and I like you a lot." We highly suggest you listen to this with [...]

The Swedish sisters behind First Aid Kit may have made a name for themselves covering Fleet Foxes' "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song," but now they're making a brand of folky Americana that's all their own. Continue reading: Check Out: First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar Read more articles like " Check Out: First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar " on PMA | Pretty Much Amazing . Tags: First Aid Kit

New Sub Pop signees, THEESatisfaction popped up on our radar in early 2011 with their smooth, soulful DIY throwbacks. Since then, the ladies of THEESatisfaction , Stasia Irons and Catherine Harris-White have collaborated with their labelmates, the incomparable Shabazz Palaces , and recorded a proper record. Sub Pop will release it – their second hip hop release ever – on March 27. Check out the tracklist and non-album track "Do You Have Time" below Continue reading: THEESatisfaction announce LP: awE NaturalE Read more articles like [...]

Daniel Rossen has an absolute gift for crafting strange and beautiful chamber pop (case in point: his two bands, Grizzly Bear and Department of Eagles , and his staggering songwriting and guitar work for each), so we're psyched for the five-song solo EP, Silent Hour / Golden Mile , he'll drop March 20. Continue reading: Grizzly Bear's Daniel Rossen - "Saint Nothing" Read more articles like " Grizzly Bear's Daniel Rossen - "Saint Nothing" " on PMA | Pretty Much Amazing . Tags: Daniel [...]

Seattle's Mike Hadreas is prepping his upcoming album as Perfume Genius Put Your Back N 2 It with a stream of great tracks: first the breathtaking, expansive " All Waters ," now the mixtape-opening, short-and-sweet piano ballad "Hood," which comes with a great video directed by Winston Case and co-starring gay porn star Arpad Miklos (seriously) as Hadreas's sensitive, attentive other half. Continue reading: New: Perfume Genius - "Hood" Read more articles like " New: Perfume Genius - "Hood" " on PMA | Pretty Much Amazing . [...]

It's been too long since we've heard new material from Brooklyn-via-Philly electro-R&B princess Santi White, so we were so psyched last week when she confirmed to V Magazine that her new record, Master of My Make-Believe , would feature collaborations from Switch , Dave Sitek , Nick Zinner , and others. Now, we have a new track to listen to called "Big Mouth," masterminded by Major Lazer's quieter and perhaps more talented half, Switch and Buraka Som Sistema (who counts Diplo and M.I.A. as fans). [...]

Irish folk band the Chieftains have been around for literally fifty years, and to celebrate they're releasing an aptly titled record, Voice of Ages , which includes collaborations with folk artists of all ilk, including Bon Iver's Justin Vernon , who lends his silky falsetto to traditional Appalachian ballad "Down in the Willow Garden." Continue reading: Bon Iver & Chieftains - "Down By The Willow Garden" Read more articles like " Bon Iver & Chieftains - "Down By The Willow Garden" " on PMA | Pretty Much [...]

Chairlift's long awaited sophomore album, Something is finally available for full stream. Columbia will release the album on January 24th. Play it below, and if you don't know where to start, check out the irresistibly creepy "Sidewalk Safari," produced by Mark Ronson . Continue reading: Album Stream: Chairlift - Something Read more articles like " Album Stream: Chairlift - Something " on PMA | Pretty Much Amazing . Tags: Chairlift

After collaborating with approximately nine hundred other projects, Nick Thorburn is back with Islands and a new album, A Sleep and A Forgetting , coming in February, and after " This Is Not A Song ," now a second single, "Hallways." Continue reading: Islands - "Hallways" Read more articles like " Islands - "Hallways" " on PMA | Pretty Much Amazing . Tags: Islands

Youth Lagoon , who released one of your favorite albums of 2011 has been touring long and hard and has just announced some Spring dates with fellow dreamy up-and-comer, Porcelain Raft , as well as some dates with Death Cab For Cutie for their "orchestral tour." Check them out below: Continue reading: Youth Lagoon to Tour with Porcelain Raft, Death Cab For Cutie, Read more articles like " Youth Lagoon to Tour with Porcelain Raft, Death Cab For Cutie, " on PMA | [...]

Baltimorean songwriter Jana Hunter and her band of the haze-bending bearded dudes in Lower Dens are back after their fantastic 2010 record Twin Hand Movement and a well-deserved break with another equally fantastic lead-in single to their upcoming record Nootropics . "Brains" is five minutes of awesome Kraut-y, motorik groove, chugging, interlocking drums and bass underlying dizzying, hazy guitar interplay and Hunter's murmured, creepy-charming vocals. It's flawlessly layered, flawlessly mixed, a hypnotizing, immersive cut – we'll probably keel over dead if the rest of the record is so good. Nootropics is out May [...]

Secretive, maybe-Philly-based international collective CSLSX have been making multidisciplinary art for a while, and their newest release "Aeromancer" is a delicious introduction to their electric synth-pop. Continue reading: Check Out: CSLSX & Mountain Man - "Aeromancer" Read more articles like " Check Out: CSLSX & Mountain Man - "Aeromancer" " on PMA | Pretty Much Amazing . Tags: CSLSX , Mountain Man

On January 24th, the great Carpark Records will release Cloud Nothings' ballsy, engrossing new album Attack On Memory . The label have uploaded the album for your streaming pleasure. Listening party at our house. Check it after the skip. Continue reading: Album Stream: Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory Read more articles like " Album Stream: Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory " on PMA | Pretty Much Amazing . Tags: Cloud Nothings

One of this winter's most anticipated new albums, Porcelain Raft's Strange Weekend is available to stream in its entirety. The album is lush and opaque, brimming with gorgeous melodies that will keep you company for the rest of the day. If you're looking for a starting point, put track two, "Shapeless & Gone" on repeat for a while. Continue reading: Album Stream: Porcelain Raft - Strange Weekend Read more articles like " Album Stream: Porcelain Raft - Strange Weekend " on [...]

Frank Ocean's debut album is expected this Spring . Tyler, The Creator will follow up Goblin with Wolf , also in Spring. Mellowhype has a new one called Numbers out "soon" , too. Oh, and The Internet just dropped off their soft debut . The insanely successful and prolific Odd Future collective have nothing if not a full plate, but now group has added two huge projects to their agendas. They will be touring all the month of March, stopping at 10 cities [...]