Kit Sebastian

Fusing elements of European pop, jazz, psychedelia, and more, French and Turkish by way of London duo Kit Sebastian have crafted a fantastic debut album of worldly influences with their "Mantra Moderne" LP.  It sounds like something unearthed by some crate digger with more musical knowledge than any normal person could ever hope to attain.  Check out the title track below and get the album here from MR BONGO.

Angel Olsen - All Mirrors

I saw the wonderful news last night, whilst trying to ignore televised debates, that Angel Olsen has a new record entitled "All Mirrors" heading our way in October via Jagjaguwar.  Watch the video for the synth-laden and dramatic title track below and pre-order the album here.  It's excellent, and the sound is something that she's hinted at moving towards in the past.  Plus, the record's got some engineering/production work from the indispensable John Congleton which is always a good thing.

Daily Jam - Goldfinger

Not to be confused with Shirley Bassey's Bond theme song of the same name, "Goldfinger" is lovely piece of '90s reverb layered guitar pop from Irish band Ash.  I've probably been humming this song since 1996.  Check it out below, our Daily Jam.

Black Marble

Black Marble's latest, "Bigger Than Life," is heading our way in October via Sacred Bones.  Check out the Motorik cold wave synth pop of "One Eye Open" below and pre-order the record here.

Daily Jam - City Girl

I remember way back in 2003 when we were 12 years removed from "Loveless," and still had a decade to go before we'd get "m b v," and the excitement generated by the handful of new (mostly instrumental) tracks My Bloody Valentine front man Kevin Shields recorded for the "Lost in Translation" soundtrack.  We were getting a new album?  A follow up to "Loveless?"  A solo project?  Anything?  The answer was ultimately "no" until 2013, but speculation is fun i guess.  Anyway, here's "City Girl," our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Outdoor Miner

Post punk band Wire have been around for over 40 years now, an extensive discography left in their wake that's pretty much all great.  But those first three albums are perfect from start to finish.  Anyway, here's "Outdoor Miner" from 1978's "Chairs Missing," our Daily Jam.

Orange Hell - Hybrid Moments

While digging around for music last night, i came across this release from last October, a short collection of drifting dreampop Misfits covers from a project called Orange Hell.  I couldn't find any info listed for the band other than it consists of some "guys you probably know," but whatever.  These songs are gems.  Listen to the wistful, hazy version of "Hybrid Moments" below and download it here from Funeral Party.

Night Sins

And here's some more dark synth pop for us on this Monday morning, this time around from Philadelphia artist Night Sins.  Check out the industrial tinged "Annihilator" from the upcoming "Portrait in Silver" LP below and pre-order the record here from Funeral Party.

Silent EM

Here's dark, moody, and propulsive coldwave synth pop from New York artist Silent EM.  Check out the video for the kind of menacing "Wraith" below and pick up the new "The Absence" LP here from the always wonderful New Orleans label Disko Obscura.

Mahr

Here's some eerie, cacophonous, and cinematic music from mysterious, atmospheric black metal artist(?)/band(?) Mahr.  "Soulmare I," the first of an epic, 2-part EP sounds like end times music, souls marching towards an afterlife while everything is left in dust and ruin.  Cool huh?  Listen to it below, download both parts here via Prava Kollektiv, and be on the lookout for cassette and vinyl versions later this year on Amor Fati.

Weeping Icon

Here's some noisy, raucous punk rock from New York band Weeping Icon's forthcoming self-titled album.  Layers and layers of fuzz and feedback.  Listen to "Ripe for Consumption" below and pre-order the record here from Fire Talk.

Daily Jam - My Heart Is Empty

Before her untimely death in 1988, Nico's music had evolved into this dark and gothy synth pop kind of thing.  It was glorious.  Anyway, here's the dour "My Heart Is Empty," from 1985's "Camera Obscura," our Daily Jam.

Stranger Things 3

Say what you will about "Stranger Things," as it certainly has its ups and downs and i can understand and sympathize with every piece of criticism leveled at it, but the score from S U R V I V E's Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein is still lights out.  The soundtrack for the series' third season is available for download now, here from Lakeshore, with a vinyl release forthcoming in October.  In the meanwhile, listen to the poppy and incredible "Starcourt" below, an ode to the mall.

Daily Jam - Julie and Candy

I have a very vivid memory of hearing Boards of Canada's "Julie and Candy" for the first time, sitting at an old, wooden, and beat-up table in an A/V supply room at The University of Texas, surrounded by racks of outdated gear and my fellow bored coworkers, surfing the web for music on the old PC we had back there, and anxiously waiting for the day to end so i could go home.  Or, so i could run by the record store to buy this trippy piece of electronic work and then go home.  Listen to the kaleidoscopic sound of it all below, our Daily Jam.

Friday Horror Trailer - The Dorm That Dripped Blood (AKA Pranks)

Daily Jam - #1 Crush

I'm relatively certain every single girl i went to high school with owned this album.  Anyway, here's the slinky, sexy "#1 Crush" from Garbage, our Daily Jam.

RIP Rutger Hauer

I genuinely loved this guy in every single thing i ever saw him in.  Cue the "Tears in Rain" monologue.  RIP Rutger Hauer.

Daily Jam - If I Should Explode

It certainly sounds a little dated these days, but when i was in ninth grade, i loved the shit out of Machines of Loving Grace's "Concentration" album.  The Tucson, Arizona band's brand of electronic industrial music was apparently just what 15-year old me needed to get through those long days of high school.  So, dated or not, i still love it.  Check out "If I Should Explode" below, our Daily Jam.

Munya

Here's a lovely new synthy French pop jam from Montreal's Munya, whom i'm still irritated that i didn't get to see perform last March during SXSW.  Anyway, check out "Dove" below and just fade away into the sunset sky.  Then get it here via Luminelle.

Carla dal Forno

Experimental electronic pop artist Carla dal Forno is readying her latest LP "Look Up Sharp" for October release on her label Kallista Records.  Listen to the oozing, echoing "Took a Long Time" below and pre-order here.

TR/ST

With the relative brevity of last April's "Destroyer - 1" LP from darkwave synth pop artist TR/ST (nee Trust), i figured it was just a matter of time before we got even more new jams from the man.  And that brings us this Fall's "Destroyer - 2."  Check out the moody "Iris" below, and pre-order the album here from House Arrest Distribution.

DIIV

I haven't thought about indie darling band DIIV in a long time, though i do remember seeing them perform at SXSW many years ago (so long ago that they may have even still been going by Dive) and feeling like an old fart because they looked like kids.  Anyway, October brings us their latest LP, "Deceiver," and all of the shoegaze and alt-rock tinged pop that entails.  Check out the excellent "Skin Game" below and pre-order the album here from Captured Tracks.

Daily Jam - Horizon

Here's a haunting and mournful track from the enigmatic Japanese folk artist Doji Morita.  From her 1975 debut "Goodbye," the eerie and beautiful "Horizon" floats in a kind of detached, dreamlike state, mysterious vibes to match the artist's own elusive nature (she donned a wig and big sunglasses for all public appearances to hide her face and stopped performing in 1983).  Check it out below, our Daily Jam...

Sault

Last night i came across the music of the mysterious band(?), artist(?), project(?), producer(?) Sault and was absolutely floored.  A fusion of soul, funk, krautrock, world beat, alt-rock, and more more more, the songs on debut album "5" sound like they're simultaneously from the past and the future.  I want to inject this directly into my brain.  No word on a physical release yet, though they are tied to something called Forever Living Originals, but you can stream the whole thing here, and in the meantime listen to the phenomenal "Let Me Go" below.

Justine

Unearthing some long lost and forgotten jams for our ears, the good folks at Left Ear Records just released two tracks of funky, jazzy, soulful R&B from Australian artist Justine.  She recorded one album in 1979 and it was never released, but now we get a taste.  Check out "Wordless Songs" below and get the 12" single here.

Goon

LA band Goon have been making '90s indebted alt-rock with a psych rock tint for a little while now, releasing a string of singles and EPs over the last couple of years, and now we've got a full-length release in the new "Heaven Is Humming" LP.  Listen to crunchy "Check Engine Light" below and get the record here from Partisan.

GHUM

"Post punk ghost grunge" you say?  Of course i'm going to check that out.  Here's some gothy post punk music from London's GHUM.  Check out "Saturn" below and get the "Coldest Fire" EP here from Everything Sucks Music.

Antoni Maiovvi

Synth wave artist Antoni Maiovvi is back with a new album of horror score riffs for the imaginary soundtrack "Where Dreams Go to Die."  Listen to the tense and sinister "An Encounter with a Friend with Sharp Teeth" below and get the the album here from Spun Out of Control.

Pilotpriest - No Choice

Toronto's Pilotpriest makes film soundtrack tinged synth and electronic music that sways and pulses and is equally as cinematic as the visual images that inspire it.  New single "No Choice" wades in some new agey "Pure Moods" waters and channels some serious Vangelis vibes to create a piano driven piece of melancholy.  It's dramatic and heart wrenching and it instantly moved me.  Listen to it below and get it here from the artist.

Daily Jam - Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyon)

I've always had a soft spot for The Mamas & The Papas, their '60s sunshine folk putting a peace and love kind of sheen atop something a little darker beneath the surface.  Maybe it's because the four of them were a complete fucking mess.  Anyway, here's "Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyon)," a song that will now be in my (and maybe your) head all day now, our Daily Jam.

Russian Baths

After a couple of excellent EPs and singles, Brooklyn band Russian Baths, who were one of my favorite performers from this year's SXSW, have a full-length album heading our way in November.  Check out the crunchy, noisy title track from the upcoming "Tracks" LP below and be on the lookout for it this Fall on Good Eye Records.

Daily Jam - Communiqué

As a record collector, one of the"Holy Grails" i've been searching for for a long while now is the 1988 "Communiqué" EP from the crunchy, industrial new wave band Lucky Pierre.  The record's claim to fame is the appearance of a pre-Nine Inch Nails Trent Reznor providing keyboards and backing vocals for the Kevin McMahon lead project.  The two would later work together again when Reznor produced and released the debut album from McMahon's Prick project.  The title track from this '88 EP ended up rerecorded for that album, but let's check out the original today.  "Communiqué," our Daily Jam.

Penelope Isles

We're deep into the summer, and the debut release from Brighton's Penelope Isles feels like the perfect soundtrack to ride us out the rest of the way.  Alt-rock with blasts of surf, hazy, and cool melodies play like a warm sunset at the beach.  Check out "Chlorine" below and get the "Until the Tide Creeps In" album here from Bella Union.

Daily Jam - Bittersweet Symphony

We listened to the sample it's built around yesterday, so i figured why not?  Here's "Bittersweet Symphony" from The Verve, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - The Last Time

For some reason, i had never sat down to listen The Andrew Oldham Orchestra's instrumental version of The Rolling Stones' "The Last Time" until earlier this year.  You know the song even if you don't know the song, it being the source of the sample for The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony."  Turns out it's great.  Listen below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Murderer

I love the long-running, indie rock slowcore band Low, and had completely forgotten about their song "Murderer" from the 2007 album "Drums and Guns," until the song played during the final scene of last year's "The Night Comes For Us" to wonderful effect.  So here's "Murderer," our Daily Jam.

Friday Horror Trailer - Next of Kin

Daily Jam - Dead Skin Mask

Doing a cover song today for our Daily Jam with the droney, experimental metal duo Nadja taking on Slayer's "Dead Skin Mask."  From the band's "When I See the Sun Always Shines on TV," the 2009 cover record featuring an eclectic mix of tunes from My Bloody Valentine to Swans to A-ha, their take on the Slayer classic practically oozes and crawls, a dread inducing din of noise that sounds like the encroaching end.  Check it out below.

Mall Grab

Here's some synthy techno from the UK's Mall Grab.  Sounding like something that might have accompanied a Danny Boyle movie from 25 years ago, "Sleepless" pulses and moves, a club ready siren's call.  Check it out below and get the "Growing Pains" EP here from Looking For Trouble.

Daily Jam - Ascendant

UK darkwave synth/shoegaze/industrial/black metal duo Zetra's "Demo One" EP has quickly become one of my favorite releases of the year, its moody mix of genres being a daily staple for me the last couple of months.  I anxiously await a full length of more music hopefully sooner than later.  In the meantime though, i'm gonna keep blasting that EP.  And here's the closing track, "Ascendant," an instrumental that sounds like dread, horror movie music for dark times.  Listen to the track and check out the video below, our Daily Jam.

Squid - The Cleaner

One of my favorite acts from SXSW earlier this year, Brighton band Squid have a new EP, "Town Centre," heading our way this Fall on Speedy Wunderground.  Listen to the groovy, quirky, B-52s riffing "The Cleaner" below and pre-order the record here.

Vivian Girls

Good news!  It looks like Vivian Girls are reuniting and releasing some new music.  Their particular brand of "girls in the garage" punk rock is an aesthetic i've been missing for a while now.  Anyway, the "Memory" LP is due in September.  Listen to "Sick" below and pre-order the album here from Polyvinyl.

Purple Mountains

It's been a hot minute since we last heard from David Berman.  The former Silver Jews member is now fronting a project called Purple Mountains.  Listen to the alt-country and Spaghetti Western tinged "Margaritas at the Mall" below and get the self-titled debut here from Drag City.

Daily Jam - Theresa's Sound World

Thinking about what my favorite Sonic Youth album is and coming to the conclusion that it's "Dirty," and also that it's not even close.  What's yours?  Anyway, here's "Theresa's Sound World," your Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Even Time Ghost Can't Stop Wagner

Pretty damn exhausted today, after my flight back from Washington was cancelled last minute, delaying my imminent arrival in Austin by about 11 hours.  I'm achy.  I'm sweaty.  I'm pretty sure i stink.  So here's the kinda proggy, weirdo, and epic "Even Time Ghost Can't Stop Wagner" from the seemingly now defunct Chicago by way of St. Louis band 90 Day Men, the opening track of their 2004 swan song "Panda Park."  Current mood.

Jenny Don't & The Spurs

I spent the weekend in Spokane, Washington with some old friends, drank a ton of great beer, and managed to snag a couple records from local shop/label Resurrection Records.  One of particular note was the wonderful "What Can I Do b/w Still As The Night" 7" from Jenny Don't & The Spurs, two audio slices of cowpunk alt-country featuring members of The Wipers and Dead Moon.  Cool stuff, and the guy running the shop/label used to live in Austin.  Check out "What Can I Do" below and get the record here.

Daily Jam - 4th of July

My Washington trip comes to a close later today, with a scenic drive back to the Puget Sound and flight back that puts me in Austin at the crack ass of dawn tomorrow.  Finishing up the "big 4" is Soundgarden, and the absolutely dread and doom soaked "4th of July."  Love you Washington.  Some day we'll be together again.

Daily Jam - Shame in You

Day 3 of 4 on my '90s grunge trip is a deep cut from Alice In Chains' self-titled album, known in some circles as "Tripod."  "Shame in You" is kind of an unassuming track, a lament more melancholy and less addiction fueled than other tunes.  It's always been one of my favorites.  Listen below, your Daily Jam.

Friday Horror Trailer - Images

Daily Jam - Do The Evolution

Continuing this tribute of sorts to Seattle's big 4, here's either my favorite or second favorite Pearl Jam song.  It kind of goes back and forth with "Corduroy."  But today, it's "Do the Evolution."  Check it out below, our Daily Jam.