Wednesday, January 27, 2010

New Tanlines+Memory Tapes



Up and coming Brooklyn-ers Tanlines have a new 12" coming out on truepanther/matador! It's called "Settings" and it is going to bring that trop-ical pop. You can pre-order right from Matador's site.

Also, they have teamed up with another one of my favorite new dance(Glow-fi?) artists Memory Tapes on a hot hot remix, which I have for y'all.

mp3 Tanlines Real Life (Memory Tapes Remix).

Basically it's only a matter of time until tanlines get big, so get the 12" and get to this show, while they are still playing places for only $5
Brooklyn Bowl on Fri. Feb. 5 @8pm

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Gorillaz: Stylo



IS THAT BOBBY WOMACK????? I have a weird fascination with Damon Albarn. Definitely loved his production on the Amadou and Mariam record, and have enjoyed previous Gorillaz stuff. This one is sort of weird, but I like the foreboding synths. It must be fun to have a shit ton of studio money.

Plastic Beach will be out in March on Capitol.

mp3 Gorillaz Stylo ft. Bobby Womack and Mos Def

Underwater Peoples' Winter Comp, Andrew Cedermark



Hey y'all. I am sort of bummed that p4k got to this first, but that's what I get for being lazy.

The good folks at Underwater Peoples got out a nice "Winter Review" that is still available for free download.

Andrew Cedermark's "Ad Infinitum" is the highlight for me. The man really knows how to tell a good story with his guitar. Delicate as a snowflake (there are bells!), yet still abstract enough to sound 2010, it is a real nice song to wake up to in the morning. Open your eyes, stretch out your back, and look out the window. You might need a jacket, but it is still going to be a lovely day.

oh and somewhere Ariel Pink is all like "I told you so."

mp3 Andrew Cedermark Ad Infinitum

Monday, January 18, 2010

jj no. 3


Now simultaneously on secretly canadian as well as sincerely yours, jj announced a march 3 release date, and are giving away 2 mp3s: "Let Go," a track from the album, and "my way," a bonus.

I have wanted to actually WRITE about music for a while, and jj are a pretty provocative group. I'm sure the crusties will sort of wring their hands about "post-modern irony" and lack of any real message or conviction. Thankfully, these people are cowards and totally wrong.

It seemed as if, on no 2, that jj had a pretty specific mixture in mind, namely hip-hop combined with hedonistic balearic. The quotation of lil Wayne's "lollipop" as the background of jj's haunting "ecstasy" was characteristic. From the first moments of no 3, it is clear that jj are in much more complex territory. The free track "let go" begins with lone harmonica, evoking folk, or even country, before the synths and drums even enter. From this first moment, jj signal that they are no longer limited to the hip hop/balearic combo, and are instead casting an ever widening net for source material. It is an exciting step, and this track should make jj no 3 a release to watch for 2010. Radical Freedom.

mp3 jj Let Go

Tune-Yards 4AD video

Awesome live studio sesh from a talented lady.



She will be at the Bell House in Brooklyn on February 5 before leaving for a Europe so make sure to check it out!

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Show of the weekend? Real Estate at St. James Church


Got an email yesterday from the folks at Less Artists More Condos announcing a pretty nice show this friday at in Chinatown at St. James Church (directions).

The 5 band lineup will kick off at 8, with Total Slacker, Beach Fossils, Tony Castle, the Beets, and Real Estate going all night. The cost is 10 bucks, but that includes an open bar from 8 to 9, so I guess you can make that worth it. It'll probably be the last chance to catch Real Estate before a European tour. Check it.

mp3 Real Estate Green River

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Dum Dum Girls Play: Jail La La 7"


Yo! In preparation for their upcoming full-length on Sub-Pop, LA garage (what else?) group the Dum Dum Girls are releasing a 7" with the single Jail La La. I can totally relate to the lyrics. This shit is chill as fuck. I think it's about waking up in jail or something.

pre-order the 7" @ Insound
mp3 Dum Dum Girls Jail La La

RIP Jay Reatard


Damn....


mp3 Jay Reatard Searching for You

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Oh no ono: eggs

"Swim" Danish fantasy, mixed with some nice psych-pop

Oh No Ono Swim from Adam Hashemi on Vimeo.



Album "Eggs" out soon! Preorder @insound

mp3 Oh No Ono Helplessly Young Beatles-esque!

Joy Orbison: The Shrew Ep



the hot hot hyph mngo man, Joy Orbison is back with a new EP available on Simple, where you can stream the tracks. Dude already has major critical momentum going, so you are going to want to check it out before it's gone. The new tracks don't have the jaw-drop effect of the hyph mngo, but are growers. Enjoy.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Video: Big Wave Rider by Rainbow Bridge



I'm sorta on the edge of surfrock backlash, but the boogey-boarding in this vid makes it a-ok.

mp3 Rainbow Bridge Big Wave Rider

Belated: Pearl Harbor "Something About the Chaparrals"


California Dream/Teen pop that is related to but not quite chillwave (they are label mates with the excellent Washed Out). Definitely worth a listen. The band will be playing SXSW this spring, so with a little bit of luck they might blow up there.

I missed the 12" release of "Something About the Chaparrals," and I think it is sold out most places. But you can get an mp3 version at Mexican Summer pretty cheap. You should also probably stream the tracks there too. I don't really want to post one because Mexican Summer came down pretty hard when I put up a Washed Out Track.

Oh and wtf is a chaparral? Some sort of shrubby Californian plant habitat...that we ain't got on the right coast.

Friday, January 8, 2010

LOOK @ all this shit I didn't know about HARLEM


Matador's blog came out with some hot news today regarding Austin Garage-ers Harlem, whose 2008 record "Free Drugs" is totally good (Psychadelic tits!!!!). I think you can get that one on vinyl at Insound

Not only did we recently get news that they will be releasing a followup, "Hippies" this April, but also, they will be playing some shows in NYC in the coming months!!!


Wed, 2/10 – Mercury Lounge (early show) $10 :(
Fri, 2/12 – Monster Island: 128 River St @ Metropolitan Ave, Williamsburg L-Bedford, G-Metropolitan, JM-Marcy (with Frankie + The Outs, The Siberians)
Sat, 2/13 – Union Pool -(with Jemina Pearl)

All those lineups sound cool and Harlem definitely is, so you would be all set to be at any of these happenings.

cool see you out there.

mp3 Harlem Friendly Ghost
via matador, from the upcoming album "Hippies"

International: Panama


Not a recent release (nov of last year) but Soundway records deserves a shout-out for its national compilations, especially its Panama! series. With new stuff available almost as soon as it gets recorded, Soundway's approach of careful research and restoration is refreshing and rewarding.

The most recent release is the third in a series of recordings chronicling Panama's music scene which I can attest from first-hand experience is vibrant. Panama city in particular has an incredible atmosphere. In the middle of grand but crumbling colonial buildings you can always find some sort of live music, or at least an impromptu salsa party coming out of someone's living room or terrace.

mp3 Los Dinamicos Exciters Let me Do my Thing.

A little taste of the anglo-influenced Panama scene, which was active in Bocas del Toro. Many Panamanians there have Jamaican or Trinidadian ancestry and grow up speaking English as their first language. The third installment in Soundway's Panama! series is available here.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

what to think about that new knife thing



With the semi-shock caused by the release of this new Knife track, I thought it might be useful to have a little more information about the principal actors involved.

1) The Knife: probably the second most famous name on this list. Karin Dreijer Andersson and brother Olof Dreijer. Swedish. Authors of the masterpiece Silent Shout. Made the music behind the forthcoming opera, Tomorrow, In a Year with the help of collaborators (see below). Olof attended a field workshop in the Amazon to gather inspiration for the project.

2) Mt. Sims aka Matt Sims: an American DJ and artist living in Berlin. The Guardian says, "A lot of bands like to think they sound like Depeche Mode in their prime. Matt Sims (the man behind the Mt.) actually does and, yes, that is a good thing."

3) Planningtorock aka Janine Rostron: also a Berlin resident. Self proclaimed "musician and video master." Her first EP, appropriately title EINS, is a self(?)-conceived opera, so she has some experience in the field.

4) Hotel Pro Forma: A Danish theater group that, like all good Northern Europeans, appears to have quite highly developed design and architectural sensibilities. Commissioners of the opera. "Because space, concept, collaborators and performers vary from one production to the next, all Hotel Pro Forma's performances are distinct and unique. As a "nomadic theatre" Hotel Pro Forma is in constant motion and always approaching reality from an other angle. Reality is staged. "

5) Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882) : British natural scientist whose book, On the Origin of Species is the subject of the opera, Tomorrow, in a Year.

More info here

Given the above, the significance of the name of the released track, "Colouring of Pigeons" is self-evident.

mp3 The Knife in Collaboration with Mt. Sims and Planningtorock Colouring of Pigeons

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

New Love is All: Two Thousand and Ten Injuries


Swedish polar bears Love is All have a new album coming out on Polyvinyl on March 23. I am sure it will be fun.

Rock that pre-order direkt from the source

mp3 Love is All Kungen

Kurt Vile Meet the Philly Elite 7"


If there was some sort of graph for how much i like an artist on the x axis with how many times I have written about him/her on the y, then Kurt Vile's point would be way off to the right somewhere down low.

Dude's output is both prolific and consistent. You can basically type his name into the computer and always find something new, or something old to re-discover.

He is currently on a nice Philadelphia comp put out by the good people at Kraak records back in the summer. Check it out here. Other heads on the record Jack Rose, U.S. Girls, and Meg Baird are also worth a look.

Here is a live version of the track

mp3 Kurt Vile I wanted Everything live at WFMU

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Prison Break EP


Has it been a month already? Holiday work schedules, preparation for a move, and new school have taken their toll on the blog. BUT we are packing up and moving to Bushwick, so lots more exciting stuff should be on the way.

For now, how about an unexpected New Year present grace aux good folks at Sincerely Yours. A nice little remix package of Tough Alliance jamz. Blow away those winter blues on a tropical breeze.

Get It


mp3 The Tough Alliance First Class Riot a Touch of Jules and Jim (aka jj aka real good)

oldie but goodie

mp3 The Tough Alliance and Taken By Trees Taken Too Young