I've been syndicating my radio & crtl sites to here for awhile now, but I'm not entirely happy with the way its working out... So I'll post stuff when it matters, or maybe just put the feeds into widgets over there > GUESS YOU'LL HAVE TO WAIT AND FIND OUT! /nerdism
When I originally discovered the music from the solo project of Paris songwriter Stéphane Milochevitch I described Thousand (his musical nom de guerre ) by stating that his music exhibits all of the qualities of a glass of fine red wine: it is bold, smooth, and a little spicy. I'd add that like a good red wine, his music also demonstrates a subtle complexity of flavor that makes it particularly satisfying. Milochevitch's baritone is woodsy and cedar-infused and the songs he composes are blended together with the thoughtfulness of a master vinter to reveal the mystery of [...]
I've always thought it was cool that The Walkmen were one of those bands that earned their chops as musicians by playing together , having played in bands alongside each other since the 5th grade or earlier. For example, Bassist/organist Walter Martin and vocalist/guitarist Hamilton Leithauser are cousins and grew up across the street from one another. Like Leithauser and Martin, the rest of the band also grew up in Washington, D.C., and even attended the same school with the sole exception of bassist/organist Peter Bauer. As a result, it probably wasn't surprising that they formed together [...]
Neil Young's On The Beach was originally released in 1974 as the follow up to the commercially and critically successful Harvest . It was raw and loose, and from the lyrics and sparse production, it's clear that Young was in an emotionally dark place at the time. For a modern equivalent, you could compare it's emotional bleakness to Kanye West's 808 & Heartbreaks , except that where 808s was overproduced with autotune, On The Beach was underproduced (also: On The Beach is just a better record). We find Young here [...]
It has been said that all art is a product of its context. That is certainly true of the self-titled third album by New Zealand songwriter Annabel Alpers who records solo albums and performs live as Bachelorette . Bachelorette was recorded while Alpers was living a somewhat transient lifestyle with parts of the album recorded in Libya, Virginia, New Zeland, NYC and the UK. Each of these settings left a mark on the album. For example, the album's final track "Not Entertainment" features a sampled Muslim call to prayer that would ring out in her neighborhood while [...]
My earliest awareness of the iconic Frank Sinatra came from watching classic Looney Tunes cartoons from the early 40's. In those cartoons Sinatra was depicted as skinny and sickly, often attached to various medical apparatuses as women swoon in increasingly ridiculous fashion as a result of hearing the buttery tones of his hypnotic croon. I always found the juxtaposition of this figure on the brink of death provoking such rapturous responses somewhat disturbing yet very compelling. The indelible croon of 17-year-old Archy Marshall won't soon be mistaken for that of Old Blue Eyes, but the bleak jazz inflected sound that [...]
EVFA & ArtDontSleep ramp up for the third installment of its Homage concert series, to take place on February 23, 2012, with a second free download from the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble entitled "Starfighter." Check the previous releases on Hypnotic Brass Ensemble's SoundCloud Page The Homage concert series pays tribute to great musical giants who have continually shaped the way contemporary music is sampled, felt and heard. For their contributions and influence on jazz, soul, hip-hop, R&B and neo-soul, this upcoming Homage features back-to-back live performances by Phil Cohran accompanied by [...]
New music from Azealia Banks, Deerhoof (feat. David Bazan), The Dø and M.I.A.! That is a lot of great new music for one Single Serving. Thankfully, I think you can take it. What you waiting for: give 'em a play. Azealia Banks - Bambi Uhm, so the new Azealia Bank's track is mind-melting (and, uhm, very N.S.F.W.)! As it stands now, Banks only offers up only a brief, but fiery, rap in the center of the track surrounded by giggling and small talk-like narration, but Pitchfork reports [...]
Stan Lee, creator of Spider-Man, Hulk, Thor, The Avengers and The Fantastic Four is on the cusp of launching his own official website – TheRealStanLee.com on Tuesday February 7th 2012 A sneak preview of what's in-store on the site will include: exclusive scoops on Stan's latest projects, behind-the-scenes looks at the worldwide events that Stan attends, games, contests and lots more! For fans signing up onto the site in time for launch day, they will be in with a chance to win some cool signed Stan Lee items. [...]
Elliott Smith wrote some of the prettiest pop songs ever written. Of course, writing a pretty pop song isn't the same thing as writing an upbeat pop song. "Between the Bars" is a perfect example. The melody is touchingly beautiful and unthreateningly gentle. The lyrics, however, are undeniably troubled. Although the song could double as an unorthodox love song (a popular interpretation of the track), the most likely read is that it's about the threat of impending alcoholism. As the track opens, Smith sings ruefully about "the potential you'll be, but you'll never see / the promises you'll only make." [...]
In a way, Zach Saginaw became an electronic producer by accident. As a self-taught drummer with a love for jazz and hip hop, Saginaw hadn't begun composing electronic music until around 2003. Although his drumming was excellent, his self-taught technique was hard on his body, eventually resulting in chronic tendonitus in both arms. He had to quit playing. When he related to his brother that he missed creating music, his brother installed Reason 2.5 on his computer and suggested he give it a try. Saginaw soon discovered that he loved the freedom that creating music electronically offered, so [...]
Everyone's favorite furious fowl, Angry Birds, is coming to Facebook on February 14! Join in on the fun and mark this date on your calendar. Help make this the biggest Facebook event ever !
Stoney Roads is a fantastic blog based in Australia. They're one of our favourite blogs and have been for years now, and we have nothing but a whole lotta respect for them. If for some reason you haven't heard of them then I strongly urge you to like them, follow them, tweet them, RSS them and sign up for their newsletter. Today they posted an opinion article about SoundCloud titled Is Soundcloud the new Myspace? , and I'd like to reply to their post with a post. And because this is a reply, it would obviously [...]
Ghost is easily one of the coolest online music projects I've come across in a while. So cool, it's difficult for me to categorize. Is it a song? Is it a music video? Is it something else? Spearheaded by Andrew Huang, this project basically functions via a series of self-shot videos featuring musicians performing various instruments. All the performances remain in the same key, but it seems they have free reign to explore whatever ideas they'd like to outside of that single constraint. All of these videos get featured on the project's website, which you [...]
I'll probably be experimenting with the formatting of the Single Servings posts for the next few weeks to find something I like. However, instead of featuring one new track per post, I'm planning on featuring a collection of new singles in each Single Serving post. I really really feel compelled to try to keep tings neat and orderly, so I may try to lump all the Soundcloud-hosted tracks into one Single Serving post, all of the Bandcamp tracks into the following Single Serving post, and then the free downloadable tracks into another. Anyways, if you have any feedback [...]
Twilight Singers began in 1997 as a side-project for Afghan Whigs frontman Greg Dulli. When the Whigs disbanded in 2001, Twilight Singers became the primary vehicle for releasing Dulli's new material. Released in 2004, She Loves You was Dulli's third release under the Twilight Singers moniker, collecting eleven sultry, slightly debaucherous covers. Dulli is known for both his fondness for reinventing other popular songs, and for his ability make even a simple love song sound like a naughty come on. Indeed, Dulli sounds like the type of guy who just might be pretty good at convincing sweet, [...]
The Clash's "Guns of Brixton" is probably one of the greatest rock songs ever written. Anyways, it is certainly one of the best rock tracks ever fused with another genre (considering it is maybe more reggae that rock). I love the way it just oozes defiance, rebellion and urban menace. The three covers I collected here are all pretty unique and really shine a light on different aspects of the source material. It's also just really interesting to see what the covering bands took from the original and what they discarded. Arcade Fire's live version pretty much strips the reggae [...]
I won't lie. I didn't really see this one coming. Cloud Nothings' Attack on Memory is the first great record of 2012. Cloud Nothings, if you aren't familiar, is the project of Cleveland, Ohio rocker Dylan Bald. I enjoyed Baldi's lo-fi, self-titled debut record from last year, but I didn't love it. I's also liked many of the demos and singles he'd released (I even used them on a few of the monthly mixtapes) but, again, they didn't really leave me salivating for his next release. On Attack on Memory , Baldi puts away the lo-fi canvas [...]
Twenty-twelve is already off to a strong start in terms of good music. Although there haven't been a lot of great albums yet (after all we are only a few weeks in), there have been a host of intriguing singles popping up left and right. If these singles are a sign of what's to come this year, then my prediction is that 2012 is going to be a great year for music. Not everything here was released in 2012 - some of these tracks have been floating around for months even - but now just felt like a good time [...]
Many of my favorite college-era music-related memories were set at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. I wasn't a student there. In fact, it was a two hour drive from the University of Dayton where I was enrolled. Nonetheless, I would visit friends there often enough that I could likely qualify for an honorary degree. Initially, I'd go there to visit my friend Stacey when she was a freshman. Later on, my friends James, Megan and Lindsay all were enrolled there - providing me even more reasons to make the drive. Beyond those preexisting friends, after only a few visits, many [...]
Dubcomm - The Toronto Teknopusher
Turntable Kitchen
The Word Is Bond
THE FIRE WIRE
REMIX86
The Needle Drop
The Shins: “September” (b-side of “Simple Song” 7”)
St. Vincent - 'Cheerleader'
Jay-Z & Kanye West - Ni**as In Paris (Explicit)
OK Go - Needing/Getting - Official Video
M.I.A. - Bad Girls (Official Video)
James Blake – Live Album
Childish Gambino - "Heartbeat" (Official Music Video)
Gang Colours – Fancy Restaurant
