Keep Shelly In Athens covers Jesus And Mary Chain

UK blogcast Just Like Honey have compiled a collection of covers of their Jesus and Mary Chain namesake.  Check out Keep Shelly In Athens' version below and go here to buy the songs (all the proceeds go towards breast cancer research, and we like boobs around here).

Jack White

After the official announcement that The White Stripes were kaput, it was only a matter of time before Jack White went the solo route.  "Blunderbuss" is due in April from Third Man, but you can check out the first single, "Love Interruption" below.  Pre-order the 7" or buy the mp3 here.

Flaming Lips meet Erykah Badu

The Flaming Lips have been the busiest of beavers lately, collaborating with a slew of different artists last year on a string of self-released EP's.  They continue into 2012 with a Record Store Day release in the works, featuring songs with Neon Indian, The Plastic Ono Band, Bon Iver, Nick Cave, and Erykah Badu among rumored others (Ke$ha).  Check out the awesome "Now I Understand" below, featuring Badu.

M.I.A. - Bad Girls

A year ago, we heard an early version of M.I.A.'s "Bad Girls" from the "Vicki Leekx" mixtape.  It was an awesome highlight.  Check out the full version below.  It's available everywhere tomorrow (digitally i would suppose).

Twin Sister at Waterloo Records

What do you get when you take a mellow, softly sung group like Twin Sister and place them into an intimate setting like an in-store performance?  And what do you get when said performers are sick and we're drinking beers?  Sleepy-time lullabies, that's what.  Bravo.  Here are a few pics below.

Pye Corner Audio

"Black Mill Tapes, Vol. 3" is the latest release from Pye Corner Audio, a collective (i think) of experimental electronic musicians, synth-enthusiasts, and tape-manipulators.  At times, the jams come off as back ground music for an old movie you've never seen.  Sometimes, it's ambient bliss.  At others, the loop and synth experiments sound like evil electronica (why is this not a genre?), but that still doesn't do it any justice.  Grab all the tunes from the group's bandcamp page, and listen to "Inside The Wave" below.

More War

So, just the other day, we posted about War, the side project of Iceage's Elias Bender Ronnenfelt and Sexdrome's Loke Rahbek.  Turns out they've got more music up their collective sleeves.  Check out "Somme, Maggio," their side of a split 7" with Lust For Youth, coming soon from Avant!  It's got a similar vibe to "Brodermordet," and that's a good thing.  These guys are awesome.

Kuedo

Ah, the Brits really dig their synthesizers, whether they be minimal, or darkwave, or dancey, or droney, or crazy robot sex music.  Enter Kuedo, a mix of house jams, quasi-futuristic washes of sound over neon cityscapes, and enough bleeps and bloops to get the droids moving.  "Severant" is available from Planet Mu, and you can listen to "Truth Flood" below and go on pretending that you're not really a replicant.

Janka Nabay and The Bubu Gang

How do you like your butt-shaking dance jams?  On the off chance you said African, then check out this great cut form Janka Nabay's upcoming EP from True Panther, "An Letah."  This time around, the Sierra Leone musician teams with a bunch of New York artists (hereto for known as The Bubu Gang) to get the cocktails clinking and the asses jiggling.  Word.  Listen to "Eh Mane Ah" below.

Coyote Clean Up

Take a listen to "Seventeen," Coyote Clean Up's latest smooth house jam from the upcoming "FROZEN SOLID," out soon in cassette form from 100% Silk.

Vaura

New York's Vaura make beautiful heavy metal music.  The fourtet (featuring members of Dysrhythmia, Secret Chiefs 3, and more) combine elements of psychedelia, black metal, shoegaze, synth-driven rock, post punk, and a dash of prog to make something that's jarring and wonderful.  It's like an uglier Jesu.  Listen to "Obsidian Damascene Sun" below and grab the "Selenelion" LP from Wierd Records.

Trust

Looking for some Canadian electro-goth jams?  Probably not, but you should check out Toronto's Trust anyway.  Featuring Austra's Maya Postepski, the neon sleaze just oozes along like a drunk lecher before last call.  Check out the radio edit of "Sulk" below, and grab "TRST" from Arts & Crafts.

Trust - Sulk (Single Edit) by Arts & Crafts

War

War is the side project of snot nosed Danish punk Elias Bender Ronnenfelt of Iceage and also-snot nosed Danish punk Loke Rahbek of Sexdrome.  Their debut "At War For Youth" 7" comes out in February, courtesy of Sacred Bones.  Pre-order here.  Check out B-side "Brodermordet" below, a crackly, dubby noise track about Cain and Abel.  It's mesmerizing.

War - "Brodermordet" by AwkwardSound2.0

Leila

Being the protege of both Bjork and Aphex Twin, things are bound to be interesting and all over the board.  Enter "U & i," the latest record from Leila and Warp Records.  Electronic tones and drones fold over loops both smooth and piercing.  German performance artist Mt. Sims provides "vocals" here and there as the album jumps from melancholy IDM to warped noise to dark, European club-ready jams.  Listen to "Boudica" below.

Leila - Boudica by DemianRe

Zebra Katz - Ima Read video

Whoa.  Totally dig this, but feel a tad disturbed at the same time.


Zebra katz - Ima Read from Mad Decent on Vimeo.

Expo '70

Hailing from Kansas City, experimental, multi-instrumentalist Justin Wright delivers cosmic music to drown us all in the ether.  As each subsequent Expo '70 release takes us farther and farther into an all-devouring black hole, it's only a matter of time before we crack the god-equation and reset the whole damn thing.  "Hovering Resonance" is the latest 12" release, available from Sound of Cobra.  Listen to "Moon Raga" below.

Expo'70 - Moon Raga by soundofcobra

Windbreaker

I don't know anything about Windbreaker other than that they make driving synth music for German people to go to work to.  Or, tinny electro-jams to fight off a level full of mini-bosses and save the day.  Hooray high score!  Listen to "Astral Projected Gunship" below, and pick up their split 12" with Gelset from SEEHRS.

Astral projected gunship by windbreaker

Zammuto

Nick Zammuto, one half of the always interesting The Books, has been piecing together jams for a solo project over the last year.  The songs combine elements of everything and anything.  The album is supposed to be out in April from Temporary Residence.  Listen to "F U C-3PO" below.

Crabbing - F U C-3PO - Album Version by zammuto

Tourist

Brighton, England producer/remixer Little Loud now makes beats under the moniker of Tourist.  "Placid Acid" is his first release (due in March) from Make Mine Records, and the title track soothes as it makes you bounce.  Listen below.

Cloud Nothings

Cloud Nothings have all the ingredients to make something the incubator should be a huge fan of:  bedroom DIY aesthetic, sad bastard lyrics, and a run of singles, albums, etc. geared towards the record nerds.  And yet, i've always been a little underwhelmed, even catching them at small, intimate performances (a la SXSW 2010). Well, that's changed.  Now that Dylan Baldi is backing himself with a great full band and recording with Steve Albini, the result is the awesome "Attack on Memory" from Carpark Records.  It's louder and more guttural than any prior release (more than likely a result of Albini's hands off approach) and throbs with the doom and gloom of something Mark Lanegan or Greg Dulli would have loved in the 90's.  But, the album is not a throwback.  It's just raw and beautiful.  Check out "No Future/No Past" below.

Hooray name-dropping!

Cloud Nothings - No Future/No Past by Carpark Records

King Khan & The Shrines coming soon!

Punk/garage rock/soul stalwarts King Khan and The Shrines are making their way back to Austin on February 4th to wreak havoc upon The Mohawk. One of the funnest bands i've ever seen.  Watch the video for "Land of The Freak" below.

Justice - On 'n' On

Check out the awesome video for Justice's "On 'n' On."  Take a gander at the single cover art above, and you can probably guess that the video is what they call "NSFW."  But it's still pretty rad.

Schoolboy Q & A$AP Rocky

Here's a pretty groovy track from Schoolboy Q's latest, "Habits & Contradictions."  A$AP Rock guests.  Listen to "Hands on The Wheel" below and spark one up.

ScHoolboy Q ft. ASAP Rocky - Hands On The Wheel by Sparkhop.com

Lord Boyd

Brevity in dance music?  Dare we dream it?  We dare.  And so does Lord Boyd.  Perfect pop-sized nuggets of laid back, chilled out electro-fussiness.  I dig.  Listen to "Shark Dad" below, and grab the "Beyonce EP" from Lord Boyd's bandcamp page.  Hooray!

SBTRKT

For some reason or another, i haven't really gotten into SBTRKT, but the Mum-sampling "Atomic Peace" is the perfect thing for a lazy Saturday or Sunday morning as you recuperate from the mistakes made the night before.  Listen below.

RIP Etta James

Etta James passed away tonight.  Goodnight Madam.  It's too bad we're never gonna get to see you throw down with Beyonce.

Pyramids

Initially released in 2008, Pyramids self-titled album gets the vinyl re-issue treatment from Hydra Head Records, and just in time too.  The record is a swirling mix of noise, experimental drone and ambience, shoegaze, and black metal.  And it all comes together perfectly.  Pre-order the record here (it's due to drop in February), and take a listen to the calmer album opener, "Sleds," below.  Check out the band's bandcamp page to listen to the rest of the record.

Lana Del Rey & Clams Casino

Ah, Lana Del Rey.  People love you.  People hate you.  Even NBC's Brian Williams has an opinion about you for some reason (dude, just report the fucking news).  In the last few months, i've witnessed an indie backlash occurring at speeds to rival that of The Strokes backlash after "Last Nite" came out, and her record hasn't even come out yet.  At any rate, the debut drops in 2 weeks, and producer Clams Casino just remixed the title track.  Listen to his "Born to Die" remix below.  It's cool.  And regardless of what the hipsters think, manufactured or not, i dig the tunes.

Lana Del Rey - Born To Die [Clams Casino Remix] by PurplePR

Santigold - Big Mouth

Check out the video for Santigold's latest, "Big Mouth."  It's crazy.  Download the track for free here.

Mike Wexler

Brooklyn's Mike Wexler's second album "Dispossession" is set to crawl and invade its way into your ear canals and make itself comfy in the crevices of your brain stem through its hushed mix of soft prog, gentle city folk, and remnants of bedroom krautrock.  It reminds me of staring out the passenger window on a long road trip, observing the farmland, decaying urban sprawl, and mile after mile of telephone lines.  Look for it in March from Mexican Summer and listen to "Pariah" below.

Mike Wexler - Pariah by Mexican Summer

Lower Dens - Brains

Why i didn't realize that former Austinite Jana Hunter was front woman for Baltimore's Lower Dens, i have no idea.  I've even seen them live.  But, what can i say, i like beer.  Anyway, check out and download their driving new jam, "Brains," from their new album, "Nootropics," due in April from Ribbon Music.

Lower Dens - Brains by Ribbon Music

Tape3000

Tape3000 is Nadine Platzek with Sebastian Rasche on drums.  I don't know any more about the duo, except that they sound extraordinarily European.  Elements of The Cure, Sigur Ros, witch-house, 80's minimalism, post punk, new wave, and good old fashioned techno prevail on newest album "TROR."  You can listen to the whole album below and go here to download it all for free.

Tape3000 - TROR by Tape3000

Yasiin Bey

Otherwise known as Mos Def, Yasiin Bey is tearing it up on a new project called "Top 40 Underdog," freestyling over big radio hits.  Listen to "Niggas in Poorest" below (Yasiin over Jay-Z and Kanye's "Niggas in Paris").  If this jam is testament, the whole project should be pretty cool.

Organs of Love

What's been missing from minimalist synth music you might ask?  Sleaze.  And Glasgow's Organs of Love bring the sleaze in waves like spilled cheep beer in a smutty nightclub, or like Suicide fronted by some sultry vixen who insists on showing you what's underneath her skirt.  Get "Bone" from Optimo Music and give a listen to "Facefuck" below (my vote for best song title of the year).

Organs of Love - Facefuck by Optimo Music

Sun Araw & M. Geddes Gengras Meet The Congos

RVNG Intl. keeps scoring again and again with their FRKWYS series, pitting a number of different artists together to create interesting music.  On the ninth installment, experimental psychedelia weirdos Sun Araw and M. Geddes Gengras travel to Jamaica to jam it out with old school reggae act The Congos.  The result is an awesome mix of warped-out, dubby beach-psychedelic jams with some floating, laid back and groovy vocals.  Listen to "Happy Song" below and get ""ICON GIVE THANK" from the label in April.  Hooray!

Azealia Banks - NEEDSUMLUV

Here's a new jam from Harlem's reigning hip-hop queen Azealia Banks, featuring production from Machinedrum.  Check out "NEEDSUMLUV" below.

Wu-Tang pics

Here's a couple of pics from Saturday's Wu-Tang Clan show.  It was crowded.  I was drunk.  These are the best of the bunch.  My wife got some good pics though, so if i feel so inclined, i may post those later.  In the meantime, "cash rules everything around me."

Wu-Tang

More Wu-Tang

Even more Wu-Tang

Wu-Tang tonight!

Bring the ruckus tonight at Emo's East.  Wu-Tang Clan!  Live!  Tonight!  (Not) Sold Out!

Wavves cover The Misfits

Wavves just recently offered up a on the spot cover version of The Misfits' classic "Hybrid Moments."  It's fun. Listen and download below.

Wavves - Hybrid Moments (Misfits Cover) by Ernestime

Pictureplane gets remixed...a bunch

Granted, Travis Egedy of Pictureplane looks like a douche bag, but he crafts some pretty fun and groovy electro-pop jams, as well as some excellent remixes.  And now, a plethora of like minded artists have reworked a number of his songs courtesy of DISmagazine.  Listen below, and download the whole thing for free here.  (Especially cool are the mixes from Grimes and Extreme Animals.)

Pictureplane - Dimensional Rip 7: Thee Physical Remixes by DISmagazine

Ku Klux Glam

Art pop weirdo Ariel Pink has been working on a collaborative project with elder statesman art pop weirdo R. Stevie Moore called Ku Klux Glam.  Lo-fi bedroom pop experiments abound.  It's amazing this team-up didn't happen years ago.  No word on when an official record is due, but for the time being, the two have posted up a 35-track "unfinished" version of the album on Soundcloud.  Take a listen to the whole thing below.  Hooray!

Ariel Pink R. Stevie Moore ~ Ku Klux Glam (2011) by kukluxglam

Francis Bebey

Looking for an awesome mesh of European minimal synth experimentations filtered through traditional African pop sensibilities?  Probably not, but you're missing out still.  Born Bad Records has compiled several African synth jams from artist Francis Bebey and you can get it here.  Take a listen to "The Coffee Cola Song" below and just try to stay in a bad mood.  I dare you.

Francis Bebey - The Coffee-Cola Song by S - A

Roxy Music remixed

Art rock stalwarts Roxy Music get the remix treatment courtesy of Todd Terje and Lindstrom & Prins Thomas.  Grab the 12" from The Vinyl Factory and listen to Terje's disco dub version of "Love Is The Drug" below.

Amateur Best

Amateur Best is UK producer/songwriter Joe Flory and his latest project of smooth pop music that "tells the story of James Best, a sometime London DJ, latent alcoholic and lifelong amateur," a mini concept album in 7" form.  And there's a bit of a Damon Albarn vibe going on here too (that's a good thing).  Get the record from Double Denim and listen to A-side "Be Happy" below.

On a side note, doing a google search for "Amateur Best" brings up a ton of porn.  Just saying.

DD010 A1: Amateur Best // Be Happy by Double Denim Records

Porcelain Raft

Italian Londoner Porcelain Raft finally seas a proper full length release for his lovely, catchy bedroom pop jams.  "Strange Weekend" is out in 2 weeks from Secretly Canadian.  Check out the awesome "Unless You Speak From Your Heart" below.

Jane & Jeff Hudson

Ah, the 1980's and the wonderful synth-centric music it unleashed upon the world like so much confetti.  Jane & Jeff Hudson, electronic musicians who played with everyone from Suicide to The Clash, get the reissue treatment courtesy of Captured Tracks.  Get it here and sample the minimalist bliss of "Help Me" below.