
I feel that as soon Major Lazer's "Hold The Line" hit, the backlash began- like the same dayglo crew that gobbled every Santi electro remix like so much dick was suddenly too cool for a little airhorn and Nina Sky. But that- for me at least- is where the whole Mad Decent op really shines: cranking out artist after artist after jam after jam that don't give a fuck about what 728x90 sneaker ad you have at the top of your blog. It's about the beat. It's about the party. You can't dance and worry about looking cool [...]
We've made no secret of the fact that we (and, okay, let's be honest, everyone else) are smitten with Dirty Projectors ' new record Bitte Orca , so we were psyched to see that the band has dropped a video for the record's lead single, "Stillness Is The Move". The video (above) was filmed in Vermont, and features a variety of visual oddities, including a llama, semi-medieval costumes, siberian huskies, and Dave Longstreth rotating on a lazy susan. In short, it's loaded with enough eccentricities to be an unquestionable visual compliments to the [...]

Photography by Mezzanine Du Vinyl Finally Friday and there's usually a little truth to cliches, though I never understood what "God" had to do with Fridays (I think the "week" is a man-made invention of time measuring), but whatever, it produced a lovely fried foods chain restaurant and really, who can't go for a heaping helping of fried macaroni & cheese? I think my cholesterol just shot up a few points just by looking at that photo. Ah, [...]

You may have noticed, but last week I put a little "Donate" (via PayPal) button on the top of the right sidebar. Lately technology hasn't been my best friend. My computer crashed 2 weeks ago, and just yesterday my external hard drive containing all of my files crashed as well. I'm trying to get it fixed, but I don't have the kind of money to spend on getting it fixed. I have been blogging for more than a year, supplying you all with the latest music news and happenings. Hours are spent a day searching and posting awesome music, [...]

And now another installment of Stuck In My Head , where I post some mp3s that are um, stuck in my head. Downloadables: Little Brother (Electric) (mp3) by Grizzly Bear (Buy some Grizzly zeros and ones... here or here ) Twin Of Myself (Go! Team Remix) (mp3) by Black Moth Super Rainbow (Get more BMSR... here ) Useful Chamber (mp3) by Dirty Projectors (Pick up [...]

make a wish This month's playlist is going to veer off the path of April's mix , and playlists to come. The heavy concentration of upbeat, quirky, dance-worthy(or in my, white, case - head-bobbing worthy) music is perfect for a beach party, road trip, or anything else that encompasses "summer." Plus, June is my birthday month. So I can mix whatever I like. Some faves on the mix include new stuff from Danger Mouse , a mix of Santigold , a few LA-based bands who are getting plenty of buzz [...]

If you're in the Boston area and don't have plans tomorrow night, here are 3 shows I'd highly recommend checking out (and even if you're not in this part of the world, I'm posting a song from each band below for further investigation) Dirty Projectors at Somerville Theater, the Low Anthem at Brattle Theater (one of my personal favorites from SXSW) and Passion Pit at Paradise Rock Club (which I'll be attending and will post a review on Friday): DIRTY PROJECTORS w/ Vieux Farka Touré Thursday, June 18, 7:00 PM [...]

Whenever the moon is just right, the Vague Panther picks his favorite MP3s from the web to bring you the "In the Know" series. If you've got a tip that might pique his interest email him at vaguepanther(at)strangerdance. com. Yo La Tengo - "Periodically Double or Triple" Yo La Tengo recently set the release date of their 12th LP Popular Songs (Matador) for September [...]

Move over Veckatimist , there's a new sheriff in town for second best album of the year (yes, of course Merriweather is first). It's an album that's slightly underrated, never hyped like the beasts that Veckatimis t or Merriweather are, and often times dismissed because of The Dirty Projectors former albums. But Bitte Orca is so far from the solo David Longstreth era Dirty Projectors is nearly unrecognizable. Though Longstreth's amazing guitar work remains, Bitte Orca is a more original, more polished, more enjoyable Rise [...]

Dirty Projectors Bitte Orca Domino out June 9th [91] [ Rating Scale ] 9.1 out of 10 stars Notes on Dirty Projectors’ sixth full length album, Bitte Orca , spill out as if dumped from a bucket; they fall one after the other, [...]

Dirty Projectors have been wowing critics and fans with strong material for years, and have recently impressed with ther Dark Was The Night David Byrne collaboration. But now, they've released their latest LP, Bitte Orca , and it's nothing short of wonderful. What we have here is something sweet, melodic and experimental. Drums go from consistent to erratic almost randomly and the guitars seem to do the same. It's as if a seemingly average song is interrupted, in a good way, by inspired musical creativity. Songwriting [...]

It may be June and far too early to start talk of Album of the Year, but it seems this year has been carved into a couple definite camps full of people backing either Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion or Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest . It's time to add a third contender to the list with the release of Dirty Projector's impressive new album Bitte Orca . For years Dave Longstreth and company have toiled as an obscure indie band, making artistic statements and quirky concept records, but with the release of Bitte Orca they [...]

For the past seven years, Dave Longstreth has been releasing amazing, difficult, challenging, and inventive records under the moniker of Dirty Projectors . They have run the gamut of musical styles and influences, with arrangements that have varied from complex to simplistic, and recording techniques that have gone from tape deck to crystal clarity. As Longstreth has experimented, his band's sound and identity have slowly taken shape, and seem to have emerged in earnest with 2007's Rise Above . If Rise Above was the sound of Longstreth emerging from the woods with [...]

Right now I am in total Bonnaroo mode and getting very excited about the coming week. I've built my annual playlist of 'roo artists, but even if you aren't going, some of these will be swinging by Atlanta as well. Also, I've dropped some fun Bonna-links below to get you in the mood too. If you are still on the fence as to whether to go to this fest or not, I suggest you go big, but if you can't attend, you can go along vicariously with our total coverage. Grizzly Bear [...]

This week (and probably the next few) will be spent in absolute admiration for Bitte Orca - the latest album from the Dirty Projectors . The Brooklyn six piece has carefully crafted nine of the most boldest and independent tracks. Photo: Sarah Cass Amidst the ornate guitar work and falsettos of David Longstreth and the vocal layerings by Amber Coffman and Angel Deradoorian, there is clear concept no doubt present in Bitte Orca . Opening with “Cannibal Resource” (and the for [...]

I hadn't really listened to The Dirty Projectors before this year. That was mostly because their releases prior to this year have been mostly inaccessible, art pieces that never really caught my ear. When I first listened to Dark Was the Night , I found my self coming back to the summery-morning-feeling opener " Knotty Pine " with its enrapturing piano hook and vocal variety. This then piqued my interest about their forthcoming LP Bitte Or ca, which leaked quite some time ago. After the initial confusion about the frenetic song structures [...]

The Dirty Projectors' new album, Bitte Orca is fantastic! Stream it in its entirety on NPR here ! Download the album's first single, "Stillness Is The Move" below, it's quickly becoming one of my favorite new songs of the year. I have also included a couple of other MP3s for you. Author insert a music with WS Audio Player Download ( _Dirty Projectors - Stillness Is The Move ). Author insert a music with WS [...]

Della fortunata compilation benefica "Dark Was The Night" vi abbiamo già parlato a suo tempo, esattamente quando uscì sul mercato, ma non fa male stimolarvi la memoria. Sostanzialmente si tratta del lavoro di Aaron e Bryce Dessner dei The National che, assieme all'organizzazione che combatte l'AIDS Red Hot Organization , hanno raccolto un mucchio di artisti in due dischi a sfondo benefico. Dentro ci sono Antony Hegarty, Feist, Arcade Fire, Blonde Redhead, Beirut, Bon Iver, Cat Power, David Byrne e molti altri ancora. Però non si sono fermati qui: hanno messo anche in cantiere un [...]