Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Spoek Mathambo
SONG (MP3): “Mshini Wam”
FILE UNDER: hip hop, world
LABEL: BBE/Boys Noize/Citinite/Pottymouth/TopBillin
INFO: Spoek Mathambo and his band Mshini Wam (trans=my machine [gun]) were on the bill of our Youth Day concert in Soweto a few weeks ago, and if you watched the video, you may have wondered what the jam was. It is this, the title song of his upcoming solo album, which—and we’re trying to stay calm here—is going to make you lose your mind it’s so good. People literally went insane at this show. One dude got choppered off the roof and rappelled directly into the chimney of President Zuma’s house and then they just sat there staring at each other for like seven hours.
read more from the source...
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Diego Garcia
ARTIST / BAND: Diego Garcia
MP3: You Were Never There
FILE UNDER: Pop, Indie
LABEL: s/r
INFO: Diego Garcia led the indie band Elefant for a decade before the group broke up earlier this year. One thinks it must be because Garcia was itching to break out of the rock band format and explore new sounds. For his solo debut, Garcia drops the Strokesy New York rock and delves into his Latin roots with a softer, more contemplative sound that plays with South American rhythms and textures. The single we’re premiering today, “You Were Never There”, exemplifies this new artistic direction and luxuriates in rich strings and a deeper musical palatte.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Emil & Friends
ARTIST / BAND: Emil & Friends
MP3: Passion Pit "Sleepyhead" remix by Emil & Friends
FILE UNDER: Indie / Electro /
LABEL: Cantora Records
INFO: New York's by-way-of-Boston-native Emil & Friends joins the Cantora roster. We've been keeping this guy a secret, but now the fruit is fully ripe.
Emil & Friends' "Downed Economy" EP debuts next week, on August 24th. It features 7 slammin jams and one of the most radical album covers we've seen in a while that makes you want to pack up and get stoned with the person next to you (thank you Mark Brickman!).
Thursday, August 26, 2010
THE MOANERS
ARTIST / BAND: THE MOANERS
MP3: Humid Air
ALBUM: Nocturnal
FILE UNDER: Rock / Folk / Experimental
LABEL: Holidays For Quince Records
INFO: Head south past the Mason-Dixon line and into the swamp-hot humidity of North Carolina’s summer months, and a porch-swing singalong with The Moaners starts to sound very appealing. Melissa Swingle (formerly of alt-country darlings Trailer Bride) and Laura King (formerly of Grand National) have been conjuring the spirit of the South for over five years and two records with the ambitious goal of “[capturing] the feeling of … Faulkner’s South, O’Connor’s South.” With Nocturnal, their spell is stronger than ever.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Betsy Franck & The BareKnuckle Band
ARTIST / BAND: Betsy Franck & The BareKnuckle Band
MP3: Lowdown
ALBUM: Still Waiting
FILE UNDER: Blues / Country / Rock
LABEL: s/r
INFO: Betsy Franck and the BareKnuckle Band are an Athens, Ga. institution whose music artfully blends dirty Blues/Slide guitars, busy solid bass lines, booming velvety gospel/country vocals, and rock & roll drummin’. Betsy and her beloved BareKnuckle Band have become a mainstay in the world famous Athens, GA music scene since they formed 7 years ago. The band’s first record in seven years, Still Waiting, will see it’s release on September 14th.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
The Depreciation Guild
ARTIST / BAND: The Depreciation Guild
MP3: My Chariot
ALBUM: spirit youth
FILE UNDER: Pop / Experimental
LABEL: Kanine
INFO: For starters, the Depreciation Guild is not Slowdive’s second-coming. While Feldman and guitarist Christoph Hochheim also play in the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, they founded The Depreciation Guild two years prior to the Pains’ formation. The two bands complement one another, with Pains teetering on the twee side of things and The Depreciation Guild building its very own blend of 8-bit beats, clanging chords and heady hooks.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Oh No Ono
ARTIST / BAND: Oh No Ono
MP3: “Internet Warrior” / Eleanor Speaks (Caribou Remix)
ALBUM: Eggs
FILE UNDER: experimental pop
LABEL: friendly fire recordings
INFO: Oh No Ono is an experimental pop quintet from the tiny Danish town of Aalborg. Their music, intricate and otherworldly, defies conventions and expectations (and sometimes gravity). The ten dense, hypertextured sour-sweet-sad opuses found on their US debut album, Eggs, are truly breathtaking to behold; the band creates bewitching pop symphonies that unfold themselves more with each successive listen.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Lovers
ARTIST / BAND: Lovers
MP3: "Figure 8"
ALBUM: Dark Light
FILE UNDER: Indie Pop
LABEL: Badman Recording Co.
INFO: Loud and proud, Portland, OR based Lovers is a band of emotional intensity and complexity. Their new album Dark Light begins with singer Carolyn Berk’s confession, “every time the music starts, I can feel my aching, shaking heart,” and from there, Lovers embark on a spiritual journey of inspired three-part harmonies, deep introspection, and next-wave humor. Since 2001 songwriter Carolyn Berk has established her unique voice as Lovers with four acclaimed, haunted and heart-broken previous albums.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Abner Trio
ARTIST / BAND: Abner Trio
MP3: "You're Gorgeous, Believe It!"
ALBUM: The Giant Crushes You
FILE UNDER: Indie / Experimental
LABEL: Joyful Noise
INFO: There is nothing more annoying in music today than hearing an up-and-coming band described only in terms of what city they're from. "This is New York PUNK at its finest!" or "The DEFINITIVE freak-folk band of Austin". Perhaps there are sounds you can imagine hearing from these cities, but truly such descriptions mean nothing if you do not reside in such metropolitan hotspots. True, spirited music, especially rock 'n roll, has no boundaries.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Clean Equations
ARTIST / BAND: Clean Equations
MP3: Buried Translations
ALBUM: People/Variables
FILE UNDER: Indie
LABEL: State Capital Records
INFO: Clean Equations began as the solo project of vocalist / guitarist / keyboardist / general noisemaker Mike Nyhan. Between constant travel as a full time chemical engineer, Mike managed to compile a plethora of poorly recorded demos from his life on the road. Upon returning to Philadelphia in early 2009, Mike and long time friend / producer / State Capital Records guy Dan Hewitt began crafting the best of these demos into what would become Clean Equations first proper release, a six song, 21 minute self titled EP...Clean Equations.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Arcade Fire
ARTIST / BAND: Arcade Fire
MP3s: “The Suburbs” / “Month of May”
ALBUM: The Suburbs
FILE UNDER: Indie Rock
LABEL: Merge
INFO: The Suburbs is the third studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire. It was released on August 2, 2010 in the United Kingdom and August 3, 2010 in North America.[1][2] Coinciding with the announcement the band released a limited edition 12-inch single containing two tracks from the album, "The Suburbs" and "Month of May".[1][3] The album debuted at #1 on the Irish Albums Chart on August 5, the UK Albums Chart on August 8, the U.S. Billboard 200 chart on August 11,[4] and the Canadian Albums Chart on August 11, 2010.[5]
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Sun Airway
ARTIST / BAND: Sun Airway
MP3s : "Oh, Naoko" / "Casual" (Here We Go Magic Remix)
ALBUM: Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier
FILE UNDER: Shoegaze / Indie Pop
LABEL: Dead Oceans
INFO: The first time Sun Airway's crackling pop sounds made their way through our speakers, we heard what felt like the lost soundtrack to the next Sofia Coppola film; atmospheric yet catchy, hazy but somehow vital and immediate. Sun Airway has hit on the sweet spot where infectious hooks and cerebral electronic pop intersect, pulling textural sound and pop songcraft into one. It is hard to imagine namedropping both the Strokes and Animal Collective when describing a single band, but that is exactly what Pitchfork has done with Sun Airway, while describing "Put the Days Away" and "Infinity," two tracks from the band's debut album, Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier.
Latest tracks by Sun AirwayMonday, August 16, 2010
Elk City
ARTIST / BAND: Elk City
MP3s:Nine O'Clock in France"(Pocket vs. Ray Ketchem Remix)
Album: House Of Tongues
FILE UNDER: Rock, Pop, Soul
LABEL: friendly fire recordings
INFO: With House of Tongues, New York's Elk City re-invent the seductive sophistication of 1970's FM radio pop - but never shy away from their formidable rock power.
The striking blend of rock, folk, soul and jazz on their newest release separates Elk City from their peers in terms of ambition and expertise. Not since the brilliant American Music Club has a popular band so fully metabolized this range of influences to such masterful effect. The band shows its strength with elegance and ease on House of Tongues.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
Social Studies
ARTIST / BAND: Social Studies
MP3: Holler Boys
ALBUM: Wind Up Wooden Heart
FILE UNDER: Indie Pop
LABEL: Antenna Farm Records
INFO: Social Studies crafts intricate songs that combine angular indie rock and classic twee-pop. What distingishes the San Francsico-based group is their eclectic, complex song writing: unusual structures and mathy beats are tempered by soft edges and danceable casio hooks. Moody, defiant and hopeful, the lyrics celebrate duality through themes of discontent, violence, innocence, renewal, nostalgia, regret and joy. All these elements take shape in unpredictable, catchy songs that burrow into your consciousness and demand repeat listening and a critical reading between the lines. Combine this imaginative songwriting with a consistently high energy live show, and it is no surprise that Social Studies has generated a loyal fanbase and strong buzz in the SF Bay Area and beyond.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Cashes Rivers
ARTIST / BAND: Cashes Rivers
MP3: "As I Drift"
ALBUM: Cashes Rivers
FILE UNDER: Indie, Rock
LABEL: Estamos Records
INFO: Cashes Rivers is a singer, songwriter, and artist - prolific in each aspect. When you ask Rivers what influences him the most you are amazed at his diversity. Citing bands like Fleetwood Mac, Neutral Milk Hotel and ELO in the same breath shows his willingness and curiosity to look both backwards and forwards for inspiration yet staying absolutely present. Cashes Rivers began his musical career at the age of 13 playing in basement bands with friends but soon ventured into the studio to work on his solo/self released album titled, "the trees will clap for us..." Thanks to his innovative marketing strategies, support from his family and friends, and above all - the creative forces behind the writing and arrangement, “the trees will clap for us...” was released to a group of fans and was received with high acclaim. After the release of his EP, he performed for the first time at a local cafe drawing in promoters, musicians and venue owners eager to hear the 'kid' who was Cashes Rivers. Based on just a handful of shows, Rivers was asked to open for bands such as The Academy Is, Eric Hutchinson and The Envy Corps. The EP, with its diverse musical and vocal arrangements, attracted attention of podcasts around the country, radio stations and local music festivals such as the Gross Domestic Product, 80/35 and DogTown Fest. In May of 2009, Cashes Rivers was picked up by a new independent label, Aqui Estamos Records, and began the recording of his second album due for release in March of 2010. This highly anticipated album will reassure his fans of his ability to keep us in his moment and follow him wherever he wants us to go. Cashes Rivers----modest, simple, truthful, talented, wishful, hopeful, ambiguous and mysterious.... His words entice and haunt us but most importantly, his words invite us.
Sunday, August 08, 2010
EMANUEL AND THE FEAR
ARTIST / BAND: EMANUEL AND THE FEAR
MP3: Dear Friend
ALBUM: Listen
FILE UNDER: Indie Pop
LABEL: paper garden records
INFO: With a sound that derives itself from composers and songwriters across the board, Emanuel & the Fear is an extraordinary 11-piece orchestra-rock band that focuses on intertwining the modern day pop song with extravagant and complex composition.
Saturday, August 07, 2010
EFREN
ARTIST / BAND: EFREN
MP3: Stay High
ALBUM: Always Been A Bleeder
FILE UNDER: Folk Rock / Indie / Psychedelic
LABEL: Slo Pro
INFO: Efren is a folk group hinting on the psychedelic, from areas around Athens, GA. Reaching out into the musical world with introspective lyrics and brooding energy, Efren has composed an EP of new broken heart strung songs and stories. Bleeding on the stage with over 45 shows in 10 months, learning who you are and finding the comfortably challenging sound, Efren is searching for the right vehicle of song expression.
Friday, August 06, 2010
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
The Migrant
ARTIST / BAND: The Migrant
MP3: "The Organ Grinder"
ALBUM: Travels In Lowland
FILE UNDER: indie pop
LABEL: s/r
INFO: Denmark's The Migrant invites you on a journey into the underworld of beautiful pop songs and psychedelic folk. For last couple of years, musician Bjarke Bendtsen has traveled around the United States with his guitar and suitcase as the only steady companions. On September 21st, 2010, he is releasing his first album Travels in Lowland.
Monday, August 02, 2010
Frederik Teige
ARTIST / BAND: Frederik Teige
FILE UNDER: Indie Pop
LABEL: Bad Panda
INFO: Frederik Teige is known for being a live-band member of danish group Efterklang. He is a multi-instrumentalist (singer, guitar, sax, bass, etc) based in Copenhagen and as a result has since 2007 toured all over Europe & North America.
Between tour dates Frederik enlisted the help of some of his close musician friends from other bands in Denmark ( Howl Baby Howl, Peter Broderick, A Kid Hereafter, Chimes and Bells) and recorded his debut full length – ‘Body God’.
Frederik Teige - What Is New? [BadPanda41] by Bad Panda Records