Blog: One Thirty BPM

In their native Kingston, Ontario, PS I Love You keeps a reasonably low profile. Despite their homegrown allure, they are confined to playing shows in pubs at Queen's University, and are underappreciated by their target demographic. The larger venues are saturated with DJs from abroad, almost all of whom pander to the student body by playing music to drink, drop and smoke to. In this sense, PS I Love You's home turf is unfriendly to their cause of building chirpy, hummable tunes in their garages. PS I Love You's first record, 2010's Meet Me at the [...]

Malcom Lacey, the Portland based bedroom producer behind Arrange, has released "Caves" today, a track from his forthcoming album New Memory . The album was funded primarily through a Kickstarter program, and if you pre-order it over at his Bandcamp then you get an instant digital download. If "Caves" is any indication, then New Memory will be quite similar to the heartbreaking beauty of this year's Five Years With The Sun and 20112s Plantation . Listen to "Caves" below and check out the album artwork above. [...]

British female duo 2:54 have a lot of buzz around them right now as the May 28th release of their debut self-titled album on Fat Possum looms near. Their single "You're Early" is getting plenty of chatter on blogs and plenty of play time on indie radio stations, and if that song is popular then we have no doubt that this new cut, "Creeping," can be just as big. "Creeping" has been floating around the internet in demo form for about a year and it was already a great song, but the final cut is an absolute [...]

A year ago, not too many avid music fans would have considered Usher all too relevant. True, he'd still come around with the hits, but most would agree the Atlanta crooner hadn't been at his best since 20042s Confessions . All that changed with a simple Valentine's Day release, when Usher's Diplo-helmed "Climax" set the music world aflutter. True, there was the accusation of sound-stealing from The Weeknd, but considering Abel's own borrowing from The-Dream's playbook, quite frankly, who cares? It's all about who releases the best tune, and aside from Usher's move into more electronic territory, [...]

Just earlier this afternoon, Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group held a press conference, revealing a wealth of information regarding the record label. A number of powerful figures in the music business were present, with CEO of Warner Bros. Music Lyor Cohen even speaking on Ross' behalf, the first time he'd done so since introducing Roc-A-Fella nearly two decades ago. Among the revelations, foremost was the slew of release dates officially unveiled. Ross' own much hyped, but delay-plagued, God Forgives, I Don't , was given a drop date of July 31st. Also revealed were the dates for MMG's [...]

Just earlier this afternoon, Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group held a press conference, revealing a wealth of information regarding the record label. A number of powerful figures in the music business were present, with CEO of Warner Bros. Music Lyor Cohen even speaking on Ross' behalf, the first time he'd done so since introducing Roc-A-Fella nearly two decades ago. Among the revelations, foremost was the slew of release dates officially unveiled. Ross' own much hyped, but delay-plagued, God Forgives, I Don't , was given a drop date of July 31st. Also revealed were the dates for MMG's [...]

The true resurgence of Earl Sweatshirt has only just begun. Since the young MC returned from his boarding school sojourn, he's recorded verses with the rest of his OF collective, reached out to Santigold, and so on. Now, however, he's making real moves. The Times reports that Earl has signed with Columbia Records for an imrint of his own, dubbed Tan Cressida. The MC claimed he passed on other, higher paying, offers, in order to remain associated with his Odd Future brethren. Also of note, is the fact that prior speculation as to whether his time abroad [...]

Among the celebratory moments of Comedy Bang Bang's 3rd year anniversary podcast, it goes without saying that the most interesting guest appearance was a mini performance from none other than Annie Clark. She performed three of her St. Vincent tracks, "Surgeon", "Cruel", and, of course, "Cheerleader". Check all three out below.

Many have been wondering - for quite some time now - when The xx will roll around with their sophomore album. It appears that time may finally be upon us. Well, almost, at least. The restrained British indie rockers have announced a slew of shows throughout Europe, which, we can only hope, means they have an album to tease or promote. Also shared by the band, via their facebook, was the ambiguous image above. A sliver of the album cover, perhaps? 05-14 London, England - Electrowerkz 05-15 London, England - Chats Palace 05-18 London, England - [...]

Jack White has accomplished something in his lonesome that his band's never could: he's debuted at the top of the Billboard charts. You'd think White Stripes would have managed this feat, but their highest peak was with Icky Thump , which scored a #2 spot. Blunderbuss , on the other hand, reportedly debuted with 138,000 copies sold, besting an ever-present Adele. This sales debut bests all expectations, and sheds a bright light on hopes for a successful, long lasting solo career from Mr. White.

Scoring The Roots was, frankly, Jimmy Fallon's greatest victory. Ever since the hip hop band has graced Late Night , musical guests tend to have more interesting televised performances than you may expect from your typical talk show. Even when the band takes a back seat, as they essentially do here, their very presence inspires a more musical atmosphere within the typically awkward and forced nature of an artist dunked into the world of late night comedy. The latest in line is Santigold, promoting her sophomore album (out now), performing "Disparate Youth".

Niki & The Dove are all over the internet right now, with their debut record Instinct set for a May 14 release via Sub Pop/Mercury Records, and new tracks appearing each day. Earlier this week their debut mixtape dropped, yesterday NME premiered "All This Youth" and today the Guardian premiered "Taylor". You can listen to the mixtape over here, and both "Taylor" and "All This Youth" are bonus tracks taken from the deluxe edition of the album, and they're frankly just amazing. Niki & The Dove are seemingly unable to [...]

"I'm wondering if I've already heard all the songs that will mean something," Elizabeth Morris ponders near the middle of Europe , the second album from the London-based indie pop band Allo Darlin'. And, though the sentiment resonates (especially considering the lightning-fast, disposable nature at which it seems we consume our music these days), the listener can't help but snicker at the thought with regards to the very nature of the album. Europe is built around songs that could, and should, mean something to the music fans that stumble upon it, heavily indebted to the alternative pop [...]

Metric certainly took a big stride towards arena rock with their last album, 2009's Fantasies , but "Youth Without Youth," the lead single from new album Synthetica , takes that idea and expands further. The guitar that opens the song, and stays the same throughout, is ripped straight out of a blueprint of a Muse song, to the point where you can imagine swarms of people fist-pumping along with the bombastic riff. In the song commentary that accompanies the track, singer Emily Haines describes how the song started off as a single verse that they had for a [...]

OFF! seem to be quite interested in the fervor that can be afforded to their particular style of punk. Their first record wasn't even twenty minutes long, yet it captured a fierceness that belied the age of the band's members and the era that they were playing in. They sounded like punk with a timestamp that was finally seeing the light of day over three decades later. OFF! works with the same stark contrasts, and serves up the musical equivalent of an espresso shot. OFF!'s blueprint is modest: Wire-like simplicity and a penchant for the morose, [...]

Rejoice MBV fans, reissues of Loveless , Isn't Anything , and a rarities compilation from EPs 1988-1991 are out next week, May 7th, via Sony. Those too impatient to get the remasters in their hands can hear both versions of Loveless over at the Guardian website . Disc 1 is mastered from the original tapes and disc 2 is mastered from original 1/2 inch analogue tapes. Stay tuned next week for our comprehensive review of the reissue set. Loveless [Reissue] Tracklist: [...]

Here's some more absurd music from Kanye West and G.O.O.D. Music. We're not sure if it's part of the G.O.O.D. Friday collection — seeing as it randomly leaked — but it looks like this outrageous remix of Chief Keef's "I Don't Like" may make it to the upcoming G.O.O.D. Music album. Let me just quote editor Chase McMullen and say that "Chief Keef makes 2 Chainz sound insightful."

Now that he's officially Def Jam material and rapping on tracks with Kanye West, the long saga that has brought 2 Chainz (aka Tity Boi) to genuine fame is beginning to unfold in earnest. In what's becoming the dull standard, Drake gets on board, insistently trying to fit in with the gangstas and trappers. As far as these tracks go, it's not as painfully bad as "Tony Montana", however, nor is it as obnoxiously memorable. Essentially, you'd be better off just spinning Trap-A-Velli 2 again, but check it out below regardless.

As promised, Metric have today released the first single from their upcoming album Synthetica . The song is called "Youth Without Youth" and can be purchased from iTunes . If you'd like to hear it for free though, you can stream it below. Let us know what you think, our initial impression is that it's a little Muse-y. Synthetica will be released through their label MMI on June 12th.

For those other than this writer constantly thirsting for new material in any way related to Top Dawg Entertainment, today you need look no further. Schoolboy Q linked up with TiRon of The Cafeteria Line, a fellow Californian duo, for this meeting of lover's woes. Chuck Inglish offers up some pretty effective stuttering strings, and the package is complete, listen to or download the track below. ScHoolboy Q & TiRon - Love Me Not (prod. by Chuck Inglish) by The Cafeteria Line