I picked up Andrew WK's "55 Cadillac" from Ecstatic Peace! yesterday, not knowing what to fully expect from an album of "spontaneous solo piano improvisations." It's actually very good, kind of jazzy, and all about cars. A far cry from partying hard, but worth a listen nonetheless, and proof that life's not all about doing rails of cocaine and practicing karate kicks.
RVNG's latest in their FRKWYS series (due July 17th) consists of a hodgepodge of synth-enthusiasts, namely David Borden, James Ferraro, Samuel Godin, Laurel Halo, and Daniel Lopatin. This thing's going to drone your ass off. Check out "People of The Wind Pt. 2" below. Hazaaaaaaaaa!
Welcome to week 4 of Adult Swim's summer singles series. The first three weeks were a little mellow, but head over to the site now to pick up "Deathbound" from Mastodon and feel your balls shake.
The latest release from Mexican Summer, Part Time's "What Would You Say?" is rife with synthesized pop fun, perfect for night drives through a neon city in a red convertible. Here's what the label has to say:
Slime is Will Archer, a UK based producer and musician who will release his debut EP "Increases" this week from Tough Love. It's pretty. Listen to the closer, "Next Time" below.
Seeing as i was too exhausted to make it to Half-Christmas last night, let's celebrate music that could serve as a soundtrack to other pagan rituals. Enter Loved Ones. Comprised of Nik Glover (Seal Cub Clubbing Club) and Rich Hurst (The Laze), Loved Ones create a hazy, yet pulsing kind of folk music with bowed guitars and vibrating vocals. Mellow stuff. Excellent for chanting and dancing around a holy rock, or for burning a virgin alive for harvest. "The Merry Monarch" comes out soon(?), but you can listen to the track "Hi Pressure" below.
Head over to Disco Naivete to listen to "Crysalline," the first song from Bjork's new album/I-Pad art project "Biophilia." Sounds like Bjork.
Dent May of Magnificent Ukulele fame is set to release a new 7" from Paw Tracks in September. Groovy psyche-pop. Hooray! Listen to "Fun" below.
Damon Albarn of Blur/Gorillaz fame (as well as the thousand other projects he's been involved with) is currently putting the finishing touches on his opera, "Dr. Dee: An English Opera," an opus about the medical and scientific adviser to Queen Elizabeth I. Heavy stuff, but also pretty good. It's set to premier at the Manchester International Festival in July. Check out the live, acoustic performance of "Apple Carts" on British TV.JOHN MAUS - Head For The Country (Official Video) from Upset The Rhythm on Vimeo.
For the next couple of days, Bodies of Water are offering up every song from their new album "Twist Again" for free on their Sound Cloud page. Throwback pop gems reminiscent of 60's West coast folk, French pop, and 70's AM gold...perfect summer tunes for a drive through the desert. Download here and then buy the LP from the band here.
French weirdo wunderkind Sebastien Tellier released one hell of a dance pop record back in 2008 called "Sexuality." With production from one half of Daft Punk, it was very good, and very French. One of the standouts was the jam "Divine" which just recently got a re-issue via Record Makers in 12" single form with some additional remixes, one from Australia's Midnight Juggernauts that tops the original. Listen to the remix below.
Go over to Adult Swim to download summer singles, week 3: How To Dress Well's "Us in The Sense of Forever." It's a super dreamy nappy time jam.
Denmark just loves to bring the noise. Danish post-punk quartet are no different. "New Brigade" is loud and abrasive like power tools on sheet metal in a dusty garage. It's music to make your heart sing and your ears throb and hum. Oh, and nose bleeds are ok. Take a listen to "White Rune" below and get the record from Dais.
Wild Flag, the super group consisting of members from Sleater-Kinney, Helium, and The Minders put out a really good 7" for Record Store Day earlier this year. Their new song "Romance," from the forthcoming LP due from Merge in September continues the fine track record. Crunchy chick punk rock. Hooray!
Today, i bought a pack of Upper Deck 1989 series baseball cards, but alas there was no Ken Griffey Jr. card in the pack. Damn you Kid! How do you continue to elude me for 22 years?
Berlin producer Holy Other released his fantastic EP "With U" via Tri Angle last week. And now the label will be offering up some remixes for the song, "Touch." Check out the Blood Diamonds reworking below.
I'm going to be honest with all of you and myself. Sometimes, i'll buy a record just because i think the cover is awesome, hence the above 7" from Schizophasia. Part of me was really hoping it would be a lot of Satanic chanting and stoner metal riffs, but what i got was far more destructive. It's a cacophony of experimental noise punk. Go here to read a better description than i can muster and sample and buy the record too.
IS TROPICAL - THE GREEKS (official music video) from EL NINO on Vimeo.
I can't believe i just started watching this. Freaking fantastic. Check it out at Adult Swim or buy the first two seasons on DVD. Hooray!
Here's the first new tune from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's forthcoming LP, "Hysterical." It's string-laden and produced by The Paperchase's John Congleton. Enjoy "Same Mistake" below, and download for the price of an email.
Adult Swim unveils summer single number 2 with Best Coast's "Gone Again." Get it here.
Beirut has a new 7" out on Pompeii Records to amp us all up for the next LP. The "East Harlem b/w Goshen" single lives up to pretty much any expectation you'd have for a new Beirut release. It sounds just like them. Listen to "East Harlem" below.
The Caretaker is British composer James Leyland Kirby. He will be releasing "An Empty Bliss Beyond This World" from History Always Favours The Winners. It's an ethereal, experimental, kind of classical, kind of jazzy, kind of droney opus about Alzheimer's patients and the sounds they can recall from before the disease set in. Pretty heavy stuff. At times it's entrancing. Listen below.
I love booze. Let me start over. I love drinks, be they beers, wines, or spirits. And, i'm not a good reviewer, so let's just make this short and sweet. If you're looking for a real cocktail and you're in Austin, hit up The Tigress. They've got a short menu of 10 mixed drinks and about a half dozen beers on tap. That's it. You want a rum and Coke? Make it your own damn self. You want a margarita? Go to one of this town's million Mexican restaurants. If you're looking for classic or original, then this is your joint. I had a "Root of The Matter" tonight. That's absinthe and root beer, and it's fucking phenomenal. And now i'm a happy tiger.
Nick Zammuto, guitarist and vocalist for the awesome experimental duo The Books, has been tinkering around a bit on his own and released a threesome of tracks on his blog yesterday under the title of "3 Tracks For Zach Miskin (For Your Safety)." Check em out below.
Crystal Antlers have a new record coming out on July 12th via their own imprint Recreation LTD. You can go there right now and download the first single, "Summer Solstice." You gotta love the sound of organized noise.
Here's another new tune from Washed Out's debut LP, "Within and Without," due in July from Sub Pop. Listen to "Echoes" below. (Not as immediately infectious as "Eyes Be Closed," but a good little mellow jam nonetheless.)
Thundercat is the alias of one Stephen Bruner, bassist for hardcore band Suicidal Tendencies. He also collaborates with producer Flying Lotus and will be releasing his debut record, "The Golden Age of Apocalypse" in August. The album will feature Erykah Badu and Sa-Ra among others, and thus, will sound nothing like Suicidal Tendencies. Check out the soulful rendition of George Duke's "For Love I Come."
Dreamy, poppy Twin Sister have hooked up with Domino to release their debut full-length LP in September called "In Heaven" (we like the title). Listen to and download the first single, "Bad Street," below.
The Black Lips recently recorded a session for Daytrotter. I love Black Lips. They do things like spit on their guitars and then let said spit drip back into their mouths. If you are or are not repulsed, check em out here. Garage rock is fun.
Here's a new jammy-jam from Vancouver producer Blood Diamonds. "Grins" is kind of haunting and uplifting at the same time, like watching a sunset as storm clouds role in. The 7" is due next month from Transparent. Listen and download below.
Last year, Adult Swim offered up a free mp3 a week for the summer. New jams from Washed Out, Madvillain, Cults, and more kept the summer afloat. This week they kick off round 2 with a new song from Ford and Lopatin. That's super kewl. Get it here.
Houston at night...with Weezer
Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears
Peelander Z
Peelander Z
Fucked Up
Fucked Up
Fucked Up (I gave him a high five after this pic was taken to cheer him up.)
Fucked Up
Beirut
The Black Angels
Caddywhompus
Health
Health
Neon Indian
Guitar Wolf
Cut Copy
Weezer