My favorite psych rockers White Denim have released another track, which is good because I was itching for some new music from them after I realized I had listened to all of their previous material tons of times. This song is super laid-back and great to just chill out to.
Download/Listen to it below and if you live in the Austin, TX area, they’re playing at the Granada Theater. I’d definitely go, but I live on the East Coast. So yeah. Go to that.
Download HERE
Have a nice day!
HERE’S A BUNCH OF GREAT TRACKS CHECK EM OUT YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THEM TOO. Also, check out the new player! WordPress and Soundcloud are really stepping it up! Fancy shmancy up in here!
Woooooo album review time.
What we have here are three stellar albums that you should most definitely check out. The first album is sick rock & roll from New York City, the second is pristine pop music and the third is a washing, dream-infused rush. Let’s get into this, shall we?
The Men – Open Your Heart
I was introduced to The Men last year with their album Leave Home. My eardrums still haven’t forgiven me for that. That album was probably the loudest thing that I had listened to all year, characterized by hacking screams, ear-blistering guitar solos and just back-breaking intensity across the board.
This album, on the other hand, doesn’t contain the same amount of soul-shattering bluntness that that record contained, but it brings something totally new to the table. This album brings elements from not only hardcore punk from New York, but parts of classic country, post-punk and alternative rock from the early 90’s. This combination of genres come together to make one of the best albums of this year, dealing out something for everyone. This album is still intensely fun to listen to, since they do every genre so well. When they need to go hard, they go hard. When they need to bring it down a bit and relax, they do that well. Check this album out for sure.
SCORE: 88
REC’D TRACKS: Turn it Around, Oscillation, Please Don’t Go Away, Open Your Heart, Candy, Cube, Ex-Dreams
Julia Holter – Ekstasis
Julia Holter’s latest album, Ekstasis, is one of great mental capacity. Now you might be thinking, “Why are you putting it that way? How does an album have a great mental capacity?” Well friends, the reason why is because this is a very complex album to decipher. I’ll just give you the images that it conjures in my mind: imagine sitting in a Japanese garden, one that features young bonsai trees and a rock garden with intricate patterns drawn across the sand. You’re sitting there, in the middle of the garden, listening to the bamboo fountain “plunk” every so often. You’re at equilibrium, physically and mentally. But, this album is taking place about 100 years in the future. The music on here is hyper-modern in the way that Grimes created her album, by combining many styles into one fluid genre. Listen to this album. It’s worth it.
SCORE: 86
REC’D TRACKS: Marienbad, In the Same Room, Für Felix, Goddess Eyes II, Moni Mon Amie, Four Gardens
School of Seven Bells – Ghostory
Ghostory is a story of redemption. Not in the musical sense, but in the sense of the band. School of Seven Bells used to be a three-piece, but one of the members left, leaving a giant, creative rift within the group, leaving the other two members floating by themselves. They surged back with Ghostory, the band’s best release to date. This integrates elements of shoegaze (see “When You Sing,” is a blatant copy of My Bloody Valentine’s “Soon,” but I love it anyways), adds icy-synth pop waves that feel like snow-filled gusts blasting at you and some ambient-textural characteristics of lounging, electro music.
This is a great album that you should definitely check out if you enjoy being totally submerged in an icy world of electronics and warm, soothing female vocals.
SCORE: 83
REC’D TRACKS: The Night, Lafaye, Low Times, Scavenger, White Wind, When You Sing
It’s already about a fourth of the way through 2012! I’m four weeks away from being done with my first year of college! There are so many good releases still to come! Let’s check out 20 of my favorite songs of the year!
My favorite noise/distortion smeared, Jesus and Mary Chain evoking band, A Place to Bury Strangers, is returning to release another album entitled “Worship” on June 26th via Dead Oceans. A Place to Bury Strangers is known for their frontman, Oliver Ackermann and his knack for creating great pedals that make insane, distorted sounds unlike any others on the market. Their songs are characterized by goth pop vocal lines and giants washes of distorted guitars. The basslines are pretty good too, along with the drums.
In fact, you can hear a new song they’re releasing for this album entitled “You Are the One” which features all of the qualities I listed in said band description! Listen and download below via Soundcloud.
Have a nice day!
Today has been a fantastic day for music in general.
Previously today we had heard Jai Paul’s new song that I’m still recovering from and now we have a new song from abstract indie rockers Dirty Projectors, whose 2009 album, Bitte Orca, blew the socks off of many a music-listeners that year and won the hearts of the populous. They’re back again to release an album later this spring but first they’ve released a great track “Gun With No Trigger” that really showcases David Longstreth’s crazy ingenuity.
Listen to it below!
YES. FINALLY.
I have been waiting kind of unpatiently for some new Jai Paul material to drop ever since he laid down my second favorite track of last year, “BTSTU” almost a year ago. Well everyone, Jai Paul is back with “Jasmine,” a song that features a pulsing bass line, sexy-as-fuck guitars and Paul’s sweet voice. Like BTSTU, the song builds like crazy, coming in with gigantic, crunching synth washes that really drive the song home.
Please listen, I don’t want you to go through life without this song.
One of my favorite releases of last year, Elite Gymnastics’ Ruin 1&2 featured tracks with breakbeats and overloaded noise as well as cavernous, majestic remixes of all the previous tracks. The band has just released Ruin 3, which is a collection of remixes from Ruin 1&2. The band is also releasing Ruin 4, which includes the songs from Ruin 1,2 and 3, a t-shirt, a poster and three buttons. Wonderful. I would get it, but I am a poor college student. This is why I love free mp3s. Like this one.
This remix of “H e r e, i n H e a v e n 2” by CFCF is the most beautiful and my personal favorite off of the mix. CFCF takes the beautiful pitch-shifted vocals of the original track and puts it to piano and strings akin to those you would probably hear in a Hayao Miyazaki film. Paired with a few cheesy 90’s infomercial synth textures in the background, this track lifts you through a gorgeous, neon-lit environment filled with Anime-inspired sprites floating around you. Truly a magnificent experience.
Download Ruin 3 at Elite Gymnastics’ site
Hello all!
Well, another track from Beach House’s upcoming album, “Bloom,” has surfaced entitled “Lazuli.” This track is gorgeous, like all other Beach House material and features a driving, plinking synth melody, a solid, reverbed drum line and all of the things that are usually in Beach House songs (GREATNESS).
Stream it at exfm HERE
Have a great day!
Hey all,
The excellent Detroit rapper Danny Brown has released a new video off of his great album from last year, “XXX” for his song “Radio Song.” It features many Danny Browns, psychedelically layered all over a green screen. Pretty cool. Watch it below:
Have a nice day!
Warm Visions 