MUZOЯAMA: February 2008

Friday, February 29, 2008

A Faulty Chromosome

ARTIST / BAND: A Faulty Chromosome

SONG (MP3): Them pleasures of the flesh

ALBUM: as an ex-anorexic's six sicks exit, ..."

FILE UNDER: Indie / Shoegaze / New Wave

LABEL: self-released.

INFO: a faulty chromosome is a slopbucket of shoegaze tremolo, hand-claps, 8-bit blips, water-damaged mister rogers records, mashed casio chords and drum machine'd beats--all bundled up in a warmish childhood memory of hiding beneath the kitchen table in 1986 with their uncle's overweight cocker spaniel (what was her name? keebo? keeno?).

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The Diggs

ARTIST / BAND: The Diggs

SONG (MP3): Recovery Forever

ALBUM: ctrl-alt-del

FILE UNDER: Rock

LABEL: Sugarspun

INFO: New York City's The Diggs are a three piece formed in autumn of 2003. Their sound coalesces guitar driven Mid-nineties Midwestern Indie Rock and Ethereal English Pop with a touch of Shoegaze. RIYL: Sunny Day Real Estate, Ride, and Sonic Youth.

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Brazos

ARTIST / BAND: Brazos

SONG (MP3): Mary Jo

ALBUM: Feeding Frenzy

FILE UNDER: Big Beat / Melodramatic Popular Song

LABEL: Autobus

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Kaki King

ARTIST / BAND: Kaki King

SONG (MP3): Pull Me Out Alive

ALBUM: Dreaming of Revenge

FILE UNDER: Shoegaze / Experimental / Indie

LABEL: Velour Recordings

INFO: As a child, her father encouraged her to be involved in music, and although she was first introduced to the guitar at a young age, the drums were her first serious instrument. King played in bands in high school with classmate Morgan Jahnig, upright bassist of Old Crow Medicine Show. Upon graduating, the two friends made their way to New York University. During her time there, King adopted the guitar again after years of neglect, and the 5'1" musician played a few occasional gigs, and busked in the New York subways.^[1]

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65 days of static

ARTIST / BAND: 65 days of static

SONG (MP3): Hole

ALBUM: The Fall Of Math

FILE UNDER: Experimental / Industrial / Electronica

LABEL: Monotreme

INFO: To describe 65daysofstatic is not an easy task. Indeed, most who have tried can merely hint at the depths these guys reach with their wide-open sounds, melding seamless guitar shapes with ferocious drum ‘n bass styled beats, live drums and c-c-c-computer g-g-g-g-glitch. A soundtrack to a new dimension, where rock, dance and electronica are equals. A refreshing glimpse into the future at a time when the music industry has arguably been far too obsessed with all things retro.
To describe a 65daysofstatic live show is an even harder task. Viciously euphoric, frenetic, overwhelming, bordering on chaos and really, really loud. It’s what the band thrive on and how they win armies of new admirers every time they go out on the road.

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Martinho Da Silva

ARTIST / BAND: Martinho Da Silva

SONG (MP3): Claustrofobia

ALBUM: Brazil Classics 2: O Samba

FILE UNDER: Samba / Brazil Pop

LABEL: luaka bop

INFO: Luaka Bop has been able to expand the shelf life of many record collections without any added chemicals or preservatives over the course of 20 years starting with the label-creating Brazil Classics Series. Featuring cross-sections of music from the Tropicalia, samba, forro and mangue beat scenes and the unrivaled originality of Tom Zé, each compilation has presented the origin of significant artistic developments in South America’s great musical innovator.
Having now delivered 7 packages documenting each scene, the most recent being 2008’s What’s Happening in Pernambuco, the label is proud to offer a limited edition vinyl compilation in April of some of the most defining tracks from each album. The selection will also be available exclusively through iTunes beginning February 26, 2008 with a slightly different track listing.

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Thursday, February 28, 2008

Pierre Aderne

ARTIST / BAND: Pierre Aderne

SONG (MP3): Mina do condominio

FILE UNDER: Bossa Nova / Acoustic / Tropical

LABEL: Inpartmaint/Japan Farol Musica/Portugal

INFO: A touch of fine quality cotton shirt - Pierre Aderne "Alto Mar" Text by Kyouichi Kuroda . Pierre Aderne is a Brazilian Singer-Songwriter, born in France and moved to Brazil in his childhood. His new album "Alto Mar" gives listeners a fresh feeling, with his guitar and live voices. All songs in this album, he sings so lightly, but music keeps its tempo - never fast to get spirited too much, never too slow to stop being in deep thought. All the popular music in the world should have nothing but its charming melody. On this point, Pierre's compositions are quite good. And the fully worked-out arrangements behind his voice are so effective that his vocal melody get its contrast deeply. Specially I've found a song "Zzzzzzz" is so peculiar, standing out among others by its tones of each instruments and rythm arrangements....

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Mike Doughty

ARTIST / BAND: Mike Doughty

SONG (MP3): 27 Jennifers

ALBUM: Golden Delicious

FILE UNDER: Indie

LABEL: ATO

INFO: In 1992, Doughty, then a doorman at the New York avant-garde club The Knitting Factory founded Soul Coughing (billing himself then as M. Doughty), and enjoyed the minor hit singles "Super Bon Bon" and "Circles".

Wearying of the band and addicted to heroin, Doughty broke up Soul Coughing in 2000, and was promptly dropped by Warner Brothers. A few years later, he beat his addiction and started touring as a solo artist. He drove around the country in a rental car, covering 9000 miles on his first tour, playing acoustic shows, often to crowds of Soul Coughing fans. After the shows, he would sit at the front of the stage and sell copies of his acoustic album Skittish — then on CD-Rs in plain white sleeves — a record that he had recorded for, and which was rejected by, Warner Brothers in 1996.^[1]

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Freddie Stevenson

ARTIST / BAND: Freddie Stevenson

SONG (MP3): Easy Now

ALBUM: All My Strange Companions

FILE UNDER: Folk Rock / Acoustic / Indie

LABEL: Juicy Musical Creations

INFO: Freddie is the eldest of three children born to Scottish artist and potter Charles Stevenson and children's television writer and producer Jocelyn Stevenson, co-creator of the popular programme Fraggle Rock.^[1] Freddie was educated at Harrow School in north-west London from 1993-1998 during which time he taught himself to play guitar before moving to RADA to study drama.

Stevenson originally trained as an actor at RADA. Upon graduating in 2002, he appeared in a number of television and stage roles^[2] including Cambridge Spies and State Of Play. Latterly he toured both the UK and USA in Sir Peter Hall's 2003 & 2004 production of As You Like It, which included significant runs at both Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Los Angeles Music Center, during which time he became involved in a long term relationship with co-star actress Rebecca Hall.^[3]

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Scissors For Lefty

ARTIST / BAND: Scissors For Lefty

SONG (MP3): Lay Down Your Weapons

ALBUM: Underhanded Romance

FILE UNDER: Indie / Alternative / Pop

LABEL: eenie meenie

INFO: Part Brit-pop and part indie rock, with a campy persona and dreamy lyrics to match, Scissors for Lefty are a great addition to the post-punk revival of the new millennium. Scissors For Lefty's story involves Malaysian pop songs and intense Beatles fixations, influential British indie labels and late night hot tub parties, '80s dance nights and KISS solo records. But mostly it's a story about friendship. "You find friends you like to hang out with, you need some glue, you need a reason to hang out and spend time together, and music is our easy excuse," says singer/guitarist Bryan Garza, 27.

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O! The Joy

ARTIST / BAND: O! The Joy

SONG (MP3): This Fault Is Not Mine

ALBUM: Zen Mode

FILE UNDER: Pop / Other / Fusion

LABEL: Distile

INFO: Sacramento's rock scene has long been a source for amazing bands. O! the Joy is the next big thing to come from this city of indie rock angels. This atypical band, born from the ashes of Mister Metaphor (former project of Justin Goings, O! the Joy's drummer), succeeds in creating a perfect harmony between a wide range of genres, from kraut-rock to emo. “Zen Mode” is their impetuous first album, the kind of record that you will keep in your CD player for years. There's something really catchy that grabs you when you first hear the abounding universe of O! The Joy. Their amazing tunes and musicality focus your attention on their talent. The melodies take over until the music rises and begins to lead you in some unexpected territories.

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Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Harrisons

ARTIST / BAND: Harrisons

SONGS (MP3):

Allen Ginsberg Said James Dean A Twocker

'Metropolis'

'Contract Killer'

ALBUM: Dear Constable / Demos

FILE UNDER: Punk / Indie / Post punk

LABEL: Melodic Recording Label

INFO: The band formed 4 years ago, Jubby and Ben were talking about starting a band when they were at college. They both knew Birch from school, he was a few years younger, a cheeky little kid who cadged fags. Jub and Ben used to go to the Deep End Pub in Hillsbrough, where there was a 'Can you Jam' night on a Tuesday. It was there where they first met Mark White, who was playing guitar with Birch on Bass in another local band, if you could call them that?!! By this time Jubb was up singing and playing and Ben just backing him every now and then. Jubb was too nervous to go up alone!
Ben and Jubby were looking for a bass player and a drummer, so they asked Birch if he fancied joining and pretty much straight away Birch quit and joined. Still without a drummer Birch phoned Mark White for their old drummer's number, Mark said he'd phone him. Mark phoned back saying that he couldn't get in touch... Mark was lying... he never did. He ended up coming down for a practice as a temporary drummer. Still to this day Mark White turns up and sits behind the drumkit, nobody really knows why! Bless him. That's how we ended up together making noise and pretending to be in a band

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EVANGELICALS

ARTIST / BAND: EVANGELICALS
SONG (MP3): Skeleton Man
ALBUM: The Evening Descends

FILE UNDER: Indie / Soul
LABEL: misra records
INFO: Sometimes Webster's says it best. There's joyousness, righteousness, an undeniable enthusiasm that just oozes from So Gone, the debut album from Norman, Oklahoma's Evangelicals. Formed just over a year ago, this youthful trio bursts with a vitality too rare in modern music. With an almost total disregard for tradition, Evangelicals have an uninhibited approach to making music that sounds spawned not from some scene or gaggle of influences, but a place that's otherworldly and totally of the moment. Recorded using various four track machines and broken-down computers, So Gone sometimes sounds like a happy accident of sounds and songs, a collision of melody and atonality, a battle between tunefulness and dissonance.
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Monday, February 25, 2008

Throw Me The Statue

ARTIST / BAND: Throw Me The Statue

SONG (MP3): About To Walk

ALBUM: About To Walk

FILE UNDER: Glam / Idol / Pop

LABEL: Secretly Canadian

INFO: Throw Me the Statue has been wow-ing audiences of the Pacific Northwest for the past year, earning a residency slot at Seattle's Chop Suey and a west coast tour with Jens Lekman. The release of his debut album on Secretly Canadian, "Moonbeams", is upon us! This Tuesday, February 19th, "Moonbeams" will be available in stores, and to celebrate, TMTS will be playing a cd release show in Bellingham, WA on February 22nd and the NoisePop! Festival in San Francisco on February 28th.

Following the international release of "Moonbeams", TMTS will begin their very first US tour, reaching both coasts and the magical music festival known as SXSW.

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Sunday, February 24, 2008

PLAYLIST MUZORAMA 24 FEBRUARY

AMERICAN MUSIC CLUB

RADIO MUZORAMA IS BROADCAST WEEKLY ON RADIO FORTUNA (FM106.9 , TBILISI, GEORGIA)
PRODUCED BY KOMUNIKATORI

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

NEW YOUNG PONY CLUB - THE BOMB

SUBTLE - UNLIKELY ROCK SHOCK

BAD FLIRT -HEART OF DARKNESS

VAMPIRE WEEKEND - M79

AMY WINEHOUSE - HEY LITTLE RICH GIRL (THE SPECIALS)

GRINGO STAR - ALL Y'ALL

SCHOOL OF LANGUAGE - IF THERE IS SOMETHING

HELVETIA - OLD NEW BICYCLE

HANNE HUKKELBERG - A CHEATER'S ARMOURY

MAN MAN - TOP DRAWER

FRANCIS AND THE LIGHTS - STRIKING

MODEL PHOTOGRAPHER - GONE

GRAND ARCHIVES - TORN BLUE FOAM COUCH

AMERICAN MUSIC CLUB - ALL THE LOST SOULS WELCOME YOU TO SAN FRANCISCO

OREN LAVIE - HER MORNING ELEGANCE

13GHOSTS - RIVERSIDE

PORTS OF CALL - WASHOUT

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Radiohead

ARTIST / BAND: Radiohead

SONG (MP3): Reckoner

ALBUM: In Rainbows

FILE UNDER: Radiohead

LABEL: self released

INFO: In Rainbows is the seventh album by the English rock band Radiohead. It was first released on October 10, 2007 as a digital download, followed by a self-released "discbox" on December 3, 2007. The album was released as a standard CD in most countries around the world during the last week of 2007, most commonly on December 31, 2007, while in North America it saw a release date of January 1, 2008.^[1] The first single from In Rainbows, "Jigsaw Falling into Place", was released in January 2008 in the United Kingdom.^[2]

The band had worked on In Rainbows for more than two years, beginning in early 2005. In between recording, the band toured Europe and North America for three months in mid-2006. The announcement of details about the album led to media attention centered around the band's decision to first release the album online as a digital download for which fans could decide the price they paid.

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New Young Pony Club

ARTIST / BAND: NEW YOUNG PONY CLUB

SONG (MP3): THE BOMB

ALBUM: Fantastic Playroom

FILE UNDER: New Wave / Electronica / Alternative

LABEL: Modular

INFO: New Young Pony club are a five piece indie/electronica band from London, England. Taking influences from New Wave bands such as Talking Heads and Blondie, and combining them with dance rhythms and synths, they are perhaps more deserving of the ironic "New Rave" tag than many other bands in the sub-genre. However, like other bands associated with the label, they are quick to dismiss it. ^[1]

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Subtle

ARTIST / BAND: Subtle

SONG (MP3): Unlikely rock shock

ALBUM: ExitingARM

FILE UNDER: Rap / Rock

LABEL: LEX RECORDS

INFO: Since its genesis in 2001, Oakland-based sextet Subtle has been home-recording its way to the far side of song. Drawing from a diverse palette of instruments: sampler, synth, guitar, cello, winds, electronic and acoustic drums, and the unmistakable voice and prose of doseone, the band fashions a self-sampled and live-micd honest to genreless music.
Not to be missed, their live performance parallels and elaborates on the complex and natural lengths of their recorded material. With painted backdrops, stage-props and a whole lot of middleclass mojo, it is in the midst of live performance that Subtles works of song complete themselves.

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Bad Flirt

ARTIST / BAND: Bad Flirt

SONG (MP3): Heart Of Darkness

ALBUM: Untitled 2008 LP

FILE UNDER: Indie / Rock / Black Metal

LABEL: SST

INFO:

Starting in the spring of 2002, White-Gluz performed extensively as a solo arist in Eastern Canada and the US using the name Bad Flirt. Bad Flirt shared the stage with One Candle Power and Jade Tree recording artist Onelinedrawing during an early performance in Montreal. Bad Flirt performed again with Onelinedrawing in 2003 and in the same year shared the stage with Victory Records' The Sleeping, Bayside and Glasseater as well as the now defunct group The Unicorns.

Bad Flirt released an EP in the summer of 2003 entitled The August Issues; a tour followed the release of this album. Bad Flirt played shows with Relapse Records band Buried Inside, Astralwerks dance punk group VHS or BETA,^[1] and played at the 2003 edition of POP Montreal.

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Sunday, February 17, 2008

Amy Winehouse

ARTIST / BAND: Amy Winehouse

SONG (MP3): Hey Little Rich Girl (The Specials)

FILE UNDER: Pop / Blues / Funk

LABEL: Island Records

INFO:

Amy Jade Winehouse^[1] (born 14 September 1983) is an English soul, jazz, and R&B singer and songwriter.

Winehouse's 2003 debut album Frank did well, both commercially and critically, in her native Britain. It was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Her 2006 follow-up album Back to Black led to six Grammy Award nominations and five wins, tying the record for the most wins by a female artist in a single night and becoming the first British singer to win five Grammys,^[2]^[3] including three of the "Big Four": Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year. On 14 February 2007, she won a BRIT Award for Best British Female Artist; she had also been nominated for Best British Album. She has won the Ivor Novello Award twice, among other prestigious distinctions.

Winehouse has created media buzz apart from her singing. Her distinctive style, most notably her former signature beehive hairstyle, has spawned imitators and been the muse for fashion designers, most notably Karl Lagerfeld. The struggle with drug and alcohol addiction, as well as self-destructive behaviour, of Winehouse and her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, has become regular tabloid news since 2007. The couple have also been plagued by legal troubles that have led to the cancellation of several tour dates.

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Gringo Star

ARTIST / BAND: Gringo Star

SONG (MP3): All Y'All

ALBUM: Gringo Star

FILE UNDER: Big Beat / Psychedelic / Southern Rock

LABEL: None

INFO: Hmm, a Spanish-language Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band tribute band? Not with a song title like "All Y'all". Formerly known as A Fir-Ju Well, Atlanta's Gringo Star put their octopi in a different garden, playing psych-tinged garage-punk with echoes of like-minded locals the Black Lips, with whom they have shared bills. The first single from a forthcoming album Gringo Star are recording with Ben H. Allen III (Animal Collective, Christina Aguilera, Gnarls Barkley, P. Diddy), "All Y'all" is an exuberant rush of early Kinks guitars, tambourines, handclaps, multi-part harmonies, and bits of tinkly piano, all catchy even if they don't reinvent the wheel. Frontman Nicholas Furgiuele's shouts have a crisp, Jack White-like swagger as he warns about a man who won't ever treat you right-- you being "all y'all, all y'all," I suppose.

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School of Language

ARTIST / BAND: School of Language

SONG (MP3): If There Is Something

ALBUM: Sea From Shore

FILE UNDER: Experimental / Pop

LABEL: Thrill Jockey

INFO: Since Field Music's final tour of the US last March, David Brewis has been busily piecing together this first School of Language record, which can perhaps be seen as the first test of the above proposition. Primarily recorded by David alone and consciously susceptible to the cut-and-paste, multi-tasking tangents induced by laptop recording, these constructions are resolutely un-band-like, veering between the intricate and unplayable and the solitary and unadorned, their cohesion stemming from an embrace of all that is most obtuse and personal.

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Helvetia

ARTIST / BAND: Helvetia

SONG (MP3): Old New Bicycle

ALBUM: The Acrobats

FILE UNDER: Other / Rock / Dub

LABEL: the stati ccult label

INFO: A year and a half after the release of Helvetia’s critically acclaimed debut record The Clever North Wind (The Static Cult Label/UP Records), the Pacific Northwest outfit are back with their sophomore release The Acrobats, due out March 24, 2008 on The Static Cult Label.

The Acrobats, is a highly unique, soulful and psychedelic informed pop excursion. The new record was recorded by Jim Roth (Built To Spill, Delusions, Apostrophes) at his home studio in Seattle after Helvetia’s extensive US tour with indie rock heroes Built To Spill in 2006 in support of The Clever North Wind.

Jason Albertini, a talented multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, founded Helvetia. In addition to his time with Helvetia, he’s known for his longtime involvement with UP records artists Duster and Mike Johnson. He’s also worked with such bands as xiu xiu and Built To Spill.

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Hanne Hukkelberg

ARTIST / BAND: Hanne Hukkelberg

SONG (MP3): A cheater's armoury

ALBUM: Rykestrasse 68

FILE UNDER: Alternative / Electronica / Experimental

LABEL: nettwerk (Europa, Jap) / propeller recordings (no)

INFO: Her sophomore album Rykestrasse 68, her first since signing to Canadian label Nettwerk, is a tribute to the six months she recently spent living in Berlin and is far less whimsical, with a moodier, more widescreen production. Like her debut, it was produced by Kåre Vestrheim at Propeller Studios in Oslo and features contributions from the cream of the Norwegian music scene, including members of Jaga Jazzist, Dinosau and Shining.
While it shares its predecessor's wide-eyed wonderment, Hukkelberg's experimentation reaches maturity here. The album is awash with inventive flourishes, with rhythm tracks constructed from the clacking of typewriters, kitchen utensils, a cat purring or the spinning of a bicycle wheel. Producer Vestrheim melds vibes, glockenspiel and theremin with wheezing brass and sonorous strings, giving the album a wonderfully creaky ambience akin to Emiliana Torrini, Múm and even Tom Waits. Opener “Berlin” is transformed by the addition of atmospheric street sounds, while “A Cheater's Armoury” is perhaps the most overtly jazz influenced track here and comes with a video directed by award winning MTV animator Andreas Palegolas (also included on the album).

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Man Man

ARTIST / BAND: Man Man

SONG (MP3): Top Drawer

ALBUM: Rabbit Habits

FILE UNDER: Experimental rock

LABEL: ANTI

INFO: Man Man is a band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Their musical style has been described as Viking-vaudeville, Manic Gypsy Jazz. Man Man is known for their exuberant live performances. When performing, the members of the band dress in white outfits and wear war paint. The band uses pseudonyms - the frontman is Honus Honus, and its other members are Sergei Sogay, Pow Pow, Critter Crat, and Chang Wang. Prior to settling on Man Man, the band was named Gamelon and briefly Magic Blood.

During 2007 Man Man opened up for Modest Mouse to on several shows during their U.S tour, gaining them a lot of public attention. Not long afterward, Nike began airing a series of commercials starring Rainn Wilson with Man Man's "10 lb Mustache" as the background music. That song along with "Feathers" and "Engwish Bwudd" were featured in season 3, episode 8 of the TV show Weeds.

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Friday, February 15, 2008

Francis and the Lights

ARTIST / BAND: Francis and the Lights

SONG (MP3): Striking

ALBUM: Striking

FILE UNDER: Indie Pop

LABEL: none

INFO: Francis and the Lights were like nothing I’ve ever seen before, a funky, jerky, percussive mix of early Peter Gabriel and Prince that’s simultaneously nervous and edgy and light and refreshing. They’re the musical equivalent of doing coke and drinking Fresca on the back of a yacht while wearing a white linen jacket.

The rhythm section is tight like the L train on a Monday morning, both drummers locked into each other perfectly with no room for error and every beat in the exact right place. Spare dual keyboards flow over and through the silky rhythms like robot bees flying over plastic flowers, and the singer’s high voice and ostentatious dance moves — delivered with occasional popped collar or shirtlessness — perfectly interact with the music to create something that is both self-consciously retro and very, very heartfelt.

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Model Photographer

ARTIST / BAND: Model Photographer

SONG (MP3): Gone

ALBUM: The Model Photographer LP

FILE UNDER: Indie / Rock / Pop

LABEL: June Records

INFO: The story of Model Photographer begins with Alex Rose, a musician and recording engineer from Albuquerque, NM. His previous bands Mistletoe and Bum Out Patrol had shared the stage with the likes of The Breeders, The Shins, Pedro the Lion, Enon, The Decemberists, and Supedrag. Despite the local success, a growing desire to escape the home state led to relocating to Seattle in early 2004, where he began playing bass in a band that consisted solely of relocated New Mexicans. He also began testing the waters for his solo material by performing at open mic nights around town. Deciding to take the plunge, he booked his first solo acoustic show at the prestigious Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles on June 17, 2004 and received a mention in the LA Times. This was encouraging, and more solo shows were booked in Seattle and New Mexico.

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Grand Archives

ARTIST / BAND: Grand Archives

SONG (MP3): Torn Blue Foam Couch

ALBUM: The Grand Archives

FILE UNDER: Rock

LABEL: Sub Pop

INFO: Seattle, WA is famous for many things. Sunlight is not one of them. Yet illumination and warmth suffuse the self-titled debut from Emerald City quintet Grand Archives. Dark times do not necessarily call for dark music. And, while singer/guitarist Mat Brooke’s previous ensembles – Band of Horses, Carissa’s Wierd – often shied away from light, he has changed direction with this band. To be clear, The Grand Archives is not escapist bullshit. But like the timeless classics of The Mamas & the Papas or The Turtles, it responds to the turbulent times of its genesis with hope, high spirits, and a sense of camaraderie.

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American Music Club

ARTIST / BAND: American Music Club

SONG (MP3): All The Lost Souls Welcome You To San Francisco

ALBUM: The Golden Age

FILE UNDER: Rock

LABEL: merge records

INFO: AMC moved from the Bay Area to Los Angeles.
The original members Danny Pearson(bass) and Tim Mooney (drums) still work in San Francisco and perform in various bands. Danny is releasing a solo record by the end of the year. Mark and Vudi started working with Steve and Sean about a year ago. The chemistry was great and so they continued with the project and called it the MacArthur Park Music Club but this work eventually became the new AMC record.

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Oren Lavie

ARTIST / BAND: Oren Lavie

SONG (MP3): Her Morning Elegance

ALBUM: The Opposite Side Of The Sea

FILE UNDER: Alternative / Acoustic / Indie

LABEL: BlueSmile

INFO: Oren Lavie is a Berlin based songwriter with curly brown hair, whisperish voice, green eyes and suspiciously cold feet. He was born in 1976, two minutes behind schedule, and has been trying to catch up ever since.
In 2007 Oren's debut album, THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE SEA, was released in Europe. If you happen to live in that particular continent - buy it around the corner, behind the bakery and next to the flower shop.
In January 2008 Oren has started his own label in the US, under the name of BlueSmile (after the title of the album's closing track). On the following Tuesday he has released THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE SEA on i-tunes US.
Later in the month the album was chosen to feature on the i-tunes Singer/Songwriter Spotlight.

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13ghosts

ARTIST / BAND: 13ghosts

SONG (MP3): Riverside

ALBUM: The Strangest Colored Lights

FILE UNDER: Indie

LABEL: Skybucket Records

INFO: The core of 13ghosts is duo Brad Armstrong and Buzz Russell, who trade off vocal and songwriting duties throughout the album and whose voices and influences often contrast dramatically. Russell's songs, including "Trodden Way" and "The Trouble With Actual Organs", pair strong pop melodies with spacey atmospherics, recalling bands like the Comas and Modest Mouse. Armstrong has a slightly wider range; in fact, I thought he was two different people at first. He alternates between a low-key, world-weary voice on tracks like "Just Got Dead" and "Song from Down Here" and a louder, brasher rasp on "The Storm" and "Worldshaker". His "Robert J." is the album's centerpiece; perhaps the most straightforward melody and arrangement on Cicada, it's a cautionary tale about a local singer scared of being swallowed up by his music, and it sounds like it could have been written by or about The Band. Armstrong doesn't romanticize or sentimentalize Robert J., but he and Russell clearly identify with him and certainly sympathize with his predicament, especially when 13ghosts' own music threatens to swallow them up.

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Ports of Call

ARTIST / BAND: Ports of Call

SONG (MP3): Washout

ALBUM: Like Thieves...

FILE UNDER: Indie / Psychedelic / Shoegaze

LABEL: unsigned

INFO: Ports of Call began in 2007 when former Aircrash/L'Envoi band mates Tom Fleischer and Thomas Mosher reunited and joined forces with former House of Fire drummer Daniel Salerno. The band began writing material at a feverish pace but knew that something was missing. The group began to search for a second vocalist and soon found a perfect match in Carolynne McNeel (also of Rarebirds, Grammar Debate, Roomtone and formerly April Disaster). McNeel added essential guitar, string, and keyboard elements as well as vocals as they entered Second Story Studios in West Chester, PA to record their debut album.

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Vampire Weekend

ARTIST / BAND: Vampire Weekend

SONGS (MP3): Oxford Comma / M79

ALBUM: Vampire Weekend

FILE UNDER: Punk / New Wave /

LABEL: XL Recordings

INFO: The name of this band is Vampire Weekend. They are specialists in the
following styles: "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa", "Upper West Side Soweto","Campus", and "Oxford Comma Riddim."
Vampire Weekend are Ezra Koenig (vocals / guitar), Rostam Batmanglij (keyboards / vocals), Chris Baio (bass) and Christopher Tomson (drums).
They live in New York and met while studying at Columbia University,
forming the band in the spring of 2006.
In June 2007 the New York Times wrote that "Even without an album,
Vampire Weekend have made one of the most impressive debuts of the year." In January 2008 XL Recordings will release Vampire Weekend's first full-length.

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Monday, February 11, 2008

MUZORAMA 10 FEBRUARY

DENGUE FEVER

RADIO MUZORAMA IS BROADCAST WEEKLY ON RADIO FORTUNA (FM106.9 , TBILISI, GEORGIA)
PRODUCED BY KOMUNIKATORI

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

THE TEENAGERS - STARLETT JOHANSSON

CASTANEDA - PIXELS

WYE OAK - WARNING

CHINA FORBES - EVERYBODY NEEDS SOMEBODY

BELA KAROLI - PRELUDE 2

CHARADES - EN NINGÚN LUGAR

SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU BORIS YELTSIN - GLUE GIRLS

DENGUE FEVER - SOBER DRIVER

DIE! DIE! DIE! - A.T.T.I.T.U.D.

BOB MOULD - THE SILENCE BETWEEN US

ANDY DAVIS - LET THE WOMAN

LO FINE - REMOTELY TOGETHER

THE REPUBLIC TIGERS - BUILDINGS & MOUNTAINS

DAWN LANDES - BODYGUARD

HOT CHIP - MADE IN THE DARK

REED KD - THE ASHES BLOOM

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Reed KD

ARTIST / BAND: Reed KD

SONG (MP3): The Ashes Bloom

ALBUM: The Ashes Bloom

FILE UNDER: Experimental / Folk / Folk Rock

LABEL: DLR

INFO: Take Sujan Stevens, but discard the religious shell and full orchestra. Add a Simon, a Garfunkel, some Joshua Radin, and a harmonica for flavor. Now let it simmer in your mind for a minute, and if all goes well, it should come out like Reed KD... His indie spirit floats through his songs, the sound of which can transport you onto a cross-country Greyhound, staring out the window at miles of cornfields, or to a rainy Sunday afternoon spent beneath a cozy blanket.

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Hot Chip

ARTIST / BAND: Hot Chip

SONG (MP3): Made In The Dark

ALBUM: Made in the Dark

FILE UNDER: Melodramatic Popular Song

LABEL: DFA

INFO: Hot Chip are a British electropop band. They have released three studio albums: Coming on Strong, The Warning, the latter of which was named Album of the Year by Mixmag and voted the fourth best album of 2006 by NME, and Made in the Dark. Mixmag have already awarded Made in the Dark the title Album of the Month in their January 2008 issue.

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Dawn Landes

ARTIST / BAND: Dawn Landes

SONG (MP3): Bodyguard

ALBUM: Dawn Landes

FILE UNDER: Indie / Folk / Pop

LABEL:cooking vinyl usa

INFO: Dawn's music comes from the mouth, mind and hands of New York-based singer-songwriter Dawn Landes. Reminiscent of the raw traditionalism of Woody Guthrie and the experimental alt-folk lyricism of artists like Joanna Newsome, the Louisville KY native plays a variety of instruments (8-dollar guitars! pink accordions! glockenspiels! optigons!).

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The Republic Tigers

ARTIST / BAND: The Republic Tigers

SONG (MP3): Buildings & Mountains

ALBUM: Keep Color

FILE UNDER: Experimental / Indie / Pop

LABEL: Chop Shop Records

INFO: The Republic Tigers out of Missouri are out with a self-titled EP (click for iTunes link) full of sweetness that will make you call up your dentist to check for cavities. It's airy and full of the promise your mom can't give you about the future of music. True story. If you want a small sample, they're gracious enough to give out one of their songs.

Lo Fine

ARTIST / BAND: Lo Fine

SONG (MP3): Remotely Together

ALBUM: Not For Us Two

FILE UNDER: Indie / Other

LABEL: Pigeon

INFO: Lo Fine has been winning over audiences from Boston to Seattle to Europe and back. With his penetrating lyrics and achingly hushed songs, Kevin O'Rourke lands his vocals on just this side of melancholy. Lo Fine creates expansive, beautifully literate songs that slip under one's skin with a welcome ease. Less is decidedly more, and the emotive resonance of the music speaks volumes.

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Andy Davis

ARTIST / BAND: Andy Davis

SONG (MP3): Let the Woman

ALBUM: Andy Davis

FILE UNDER: Acoustic / Rock / Pop

LABEL: bigHelium Records

INFO: Alternative pop songster Andy Davis returns this fall with his piano and soaring falsetto for his first full-band LP. Recorded in 10 days in Los Angeles with legendary producer Mitchell Froom (Sheryl Crow, Los Lobos, Elvis Costello, Crowded House, Randy Newman), "Let The Woman" is a collection of songs that separates Davis from the crowd.

Earning comparisons from Ben Folds to Paul Simon to Badly Drawn Boy, as well as the classic story-centered songwriting of Billy Joel, this Nashville-based 25-year-old embraces a range of times, influences and genres, his distinctive melodies and infectious layered vocals anchored by personal yet universal lyrics.

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Dengue Fever

ARTIST / BAND: Dengue Fever

SONG (MP3): Sober Driver

ALBUM: Venus on Earth

FILE UNDER: Alternative / Indie

LABEL: M80 Music / Birdman

INFO: Dengue Fever's uncommon pop/world music sound has garnered critical acclaim since “Escape From Dragon House” debuted. In 2005, the editors of online retail giant Amazon named their record 1 International release of the year. In 2006, Mojo (U.K.) named the same album into their Top 5 World Music releases of the year. The New York Times, Associated Press, Pitchfork, Los Angeles Times, BBC, Reuters Television, Spin, NPR and other influential outlets have praised the band's psychedelic Khmer Rock sound. More recently, European outlets such as French magazines Monocle and Chronic'art, the London Observer have extensively covered the band, while Italian Vogue and Song Lines (U.K.) features have been confirmed.

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SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU BORIS YELTSIN

ARTIST / BAND: SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU BORIS YELTSIN
SONG (MP3): Glue Girls
ALBUM: Pershing
FILE UNDER: Pop / Indie
LABEL: Polyvinyl
INFO: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, a band, couldn’t list a single music blog until their lo-fi MP3s and low-res JPEGs made them worldwide icons of Blogdom in 2005. Their debut record, Broom is an expertly crafted indie pop gem. Spin magazine read an SSLYBY blog, downloaded their music and declared the Missouri band “could succeed The Shins.” Then a slew of bloggers ranked them ahead of Wilco and Iron & Wine in Leafblower’s annual “Top Bands of America Today”.“Internet fame doesn’t make sense to us,” says drummer and main songwriter Philip Dickey. “I don’t think our lead singer has an e-mail address.” read more from the source...

Charades

ARTIST / BAND: Charades

SONG (MP3): En Ningún Lugar

ALBUM: En Ningún Lugar

FILE UNDER: Pop / Psychedelic / Roots Music

LABEL: B Core

INFO: In 2001 the band was formed in Madrid by three girls and a boy from different towns of spanish geography. Their first recording was "The only one" (H-Records, 2004), a four-song EP between Garage and guitar-pop which had excellent reviews and caught the attention of the prestigious american label Kill Rock Stars. That made them appear in the compilation "Tracks and fields" (2004), along with bands like Sonic Youth, The Gossip and The Decemberists.

After recording a second EP that was never released, "When Shinning blue" became their first album on Corea Discos in 2006. It was produced by Santi Garcia, responsible of the sound of half of the best spanish independent rock bands. They played around Spain in venues and festivals like Primavera Sound or PopXiriaPop and got excellent reviews from specialized press like Ruta66 or Rock De Lux and a lot of airplay in main spanish radio Radio3.

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China Forbes

ARTIST / BAND: China Forbes

SONG (MP3): Everybody Needs Somebody

ALBUM: '78

FILE UNDER: Pop / Rock

LABEL: Heinz Records

INFO: China Forbes is an American singer and songwriter, and the lead singer of Pink Martini. Born April 29, 1970 and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, she comes from a multiracial background. Her father is Cameron D. Forbes and her mother is Peggy Woodford Forbes. She also has a sister, Maya C. Forbes.

She attended Phillips Exeter Academy ('88), then studied visual arts at Harvard University ('92), where she met fellow student Thomas M Lauderdale, a classically-trained pianist. They became friends and met regularly to play music together, with her singing arias from operas by Puccini and Verdi while he accompanied her on the piano.

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Wye Oak

ARTIST / BAND: Wye Oak

SONG (MP3): Warning

ALBUM: If Children

FILE UNDER: Indie / Folk

LABEL: Merge Records

INFO: The Wye Oak stood for over 460 years in Wye Mill, Maryland offering shade and protection to those who stood beneath its imposing limbs. The oak became a symbol of Maryland, a small, fiercely independent state with characteristics of Northern stubbornness and just a hint of Southern gentility. Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack chose to name their musical partnership after the symbol of the state whose characteristics they embody.
Jenn and Andy have been playing music together and apart in Baltimore for most of their lives. Andy plays the drums and keyboard and sings while Jenn plays guitar and sings. On stage, they perform with raw energy and sophistication, creating a surprising amount of noise for two people.

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Friday, February 08, 2008

CASTANEDA

ARTIST / BAND: CASTANEDA

SONG (MP3): Pixels

ALBUM: 2007 EP

FILE UNDER: Pop / New Wave / Indie

INFO: Castaneda hails from the nestled hills of Los Feliz, California. The band consists of Vega on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Rob Derba on keys, Sasha Veneziano on drums, Dana Powers on bass and background vocals, and Warren Nelson on lead guitar. Together for less than a year, the five Los Angeles-based musicians were joined together from across the US (Boston/New York/San Francisco) by inimitable forces and a nexus of relationships. For the five guys, the common goal became simple: to create a new transmittable and distinguished sound that integrates the driving rhythms and haunting electronic rock-and-roll essence of the past with the future.

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The Teenagers

ARTIST / BAND: The Teenagers

SONG (MP3): Starlett Johansson

ALBUM: Reality Check

FILE UNDER: French pop / Rock / Pop

LABEL: MEROK RECORDS / XL

INFO: Consisting of three lovely French 20-somethings, lead singer Quentin Delafon, guitarist / synth man Dorian Dumont and bassist Michael Szpiner, The Teenagers are a band that could have only come from Paris. Their sound is built around a backbone of golden pop melodies, with a penchant for leftfield visioning - all enveloped in a sardonic wit and lingering Sofia Coppola soft focus. While the trio left their teenage years a few years ago, adolescence is a concept that cuts to the core of the group. They're in love with the idea of the dreamy teen, inspired by sunset walks through the park, clogging up shopping malls for no good reason, holding hands, and stolen kisses in the cinema.

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Die! Die! Die!

ARTIST / BAND: Die! Die! Die!

SONG (MP3): A.T.T.I.T.U.D.

ALBUM: Promises, Promises

FILE UNDER: Punk / Blues

LABEL: Etch and Sketch / SAF records /Tardus

INFO: Promises, Promises is the second full-length album by New Zealand trio Die! Die! Die!.

It was produced by Shayne Carter, member of New Zealand bands Straitjacket Fits and more recently Dimmer; Engineered by Kevin McMahoon and mastered by Howie Weinberg at Masterdisk. The cover art was designed and hand sewn by Mark Rutledge.

It was released on October 8th, 2007 on Tardus in New Zealand and has an unconfirmed release date for Australia on Etch and Sketch. The album is to be released in the USA and Candada on the 5th of February via SAF records.

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Bob Mould

ARTIST / BAND: Bob Mould

SONG (MP3): The Silence Between Us

ALBUM: District Line

FILE UNDER: Alternative/Indie/Rock

LABEL: Granary Music

INFO: Robert Mould (born October 16, 1960, in Malone, New York) is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for influential rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar in the 1990s.

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Yea Big & Kid Static

ARTIST / BAND: Yea Big & Kid Static

SONG (MP3): The Life Here

ALBUM: Yea Big + Kid Static

FILE UNDER: Indie / Post punk / Roots Music /Hip Hop

LABEL: Jib Door, Metal Postcard, fmsmprc

INFO: Yea Big & Kid Static are down with OCD! Together, they make retro futuristic comic book hip hop; the soundtrack for your next dance-off & the preamble to your next good times coup. When they're not hijacking your brain piece, Static travels the country jumping onto and flying off of buildings as a Hollywood stunt double; while Big practices mind control techniques over a pack of designer breed dogs. Separately, these two heroes are a force to be reckoned with but together, they are two ingredients in a recipe for world domination.

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