A little before AraabMUZIK released his remix of Sleigh Bell's "Never Say Die" (the two are currently touring together), the MPC impresario released this supremely heavy track "Runway Bass." There's no word of more original material coming out soon, but this just might be our first taste. You can listen to both cuts below.
A few days back when Animal Collective stopped by Conan to perform Centipede Hz's first single "Today's Supernatural," the results may have not been a solid as they hoped. Last night, changing the scheme up a bit, the band performed "Rosie Oh" on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, complete with their touring decorations. And the results came out a lot smoother. See for yourself below.
This infectious new track comes from Darkstar's upcoming 12" release, which will also include what they call 10 "locked-groove loops" entitled "News #1-10." You can pre-order the 12" here, and expect a new album from the group some time next year.
There's a frenetic pace to this brand new demo from rapper Cities Aviv, produced by newfound workaholic Star Slinger. The difficult to type titled "G A L L E R Y G U R L Z" doesn't even stretch to two minutes, and with so much going on there's barely enough room to breathe. Expect a cleaner version in the near future.
We highlighted Montreal garage-rock revivalist Mac DeMarcoa few weeks back with his singles "My Kind Of Woman" and "Freaking Out On The Neighborhood" from his upcoming album 2. Now you can listen to another new, slower track "Ode To Viceroy." Grab the album October 16 via Captured Tracks.
Following up their 2009 album Axe To Fall is this brand new album from supreme post-hardcore speed metal group Converge. Throaty, apocalyptic chaos your thing? Well, listen to All We Love We Leave Behind Below and strap in.
Yesterday marked the release of Connecticut garage punk band Fins' newest EP Lawn Mower. You can grab the EP here via Obscure Me Records, and listen to the A-Side "Foxfire" below.
The Kendrick Lamar hype machine just keeps on moving. Last night, the Compton rapper dropped by Late Night With Jimmy Fallon to perform one of his earlier 2012 hits "Swimming Pools (Drank)" alongside The Roots. Check out the performance below, and don't forget to grab good kid, m.A.A.d city October 22. You probably didn't forget.
London producer SBTRKT dropped this brand new track "Terminal" before his weekend curating duties at Manchester's Warehouse Project. Check the track out below, and see SBTRKT with acts like Caribou and Rustie this Saturday at the sold out Warehouse Project show.
Inaudible, furious garage punk your thing? Well then you're in supreme luck with lo-fi London band Year Of Birds' Knock Language C16 tape released back in July. It's a collection of messy, throaty demos that do well in any setting (or not). Stream the whole thing below, or buy it here.
There's a chaotic warmth in Woodpecker Wooliam's off-putting single "Gull." An immediate listen draws an easy contrast to Joanna Newsom, but there's a vibrant life to this. The single will be officially released November 26, via new label Robot Elephant. Check it out for yourself below.
Sub Pop has released an early stream of King Tuff's upcoming Screaming Skull 7" A-Side. You can check it out below, grab a pre-order, and see him when he comes to Philadelphia October 22 to Johnny Brenda's.
Last night The Shins performed "No Way Down" and an exclusive performance of "The Rifle's Spiral" on Conan in support of their ongoing Port Of Morrow tour. Check out both performances below.
Kendrick Lamar'sgood kid, m.A.A.d city is less than a month away, and now we can finally get a real look at the shape of his major label debut.
Along with the album's newest single "Compton," featuring frequent Lamar collaborator and mentor Dr. Dre, a tracklist for the album is finally available. Check it out below after the "Compton" stream, and grab the album October 22 via Top Dawg/Aftermath/Interscope.
1. Sherane a.k.a Master Splinter’s Daughter 2. Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe 3. Backseat Freestyle 4. The Art of Peer Pressure 5. Money Trees (feat. Jay Rock) 6. Poetic Justice (feat. Drake) 7. good kid 8. m.A.A.d city (feat. MC Eiht) 9. Swimming Pools (Drank) [Extended Version] 10. Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst 11. Real (feat. Anna Wise) 12. Compton (feat. Dr. Dre) 13. The Recipe (feat. Dr. Dre) * 14. Black Boy Fly * 15. Now or Never (feat. Mary J. Blige) * 16. Collect Calls * 17. Swimming Pool (Drank) * (* iTunes Exclusives)
Monday, October 1, 2012
Albums Of The Month - September 2012
Alright, I missed August. If I was searching for excuses I'd say, "Well, I was on vacation and ..." But in reality, there just wasn't a ton that I loved from last month. Is that a good enough reason to skip it? Probably not. But it happened and we all have to deal with it. So lets recap September and act like we didn't miss anything.
3.) Jens Lekman - I Know What Love Isn't
Jens Lekman is one of those names that comes with easy indie music familiarity. He's consistently producing solid records, but never anything that launches his name to the next recognized level. Basically, he's easy to accept and appreciate, but hard to genuinely love.
So does I Know What Love Isn't necessarily separate itself from the rest of Lekman's catalog? Not totally. The songs are serene, thoughtful, and sweet - just as you might expect - and have a warm kitsch to it all. It's a knocking reminder of the tender swill that comes through the best of Belle & Sebastian, hitting notes of gentle strings and full harmony on tracks like "Become Someone Else's." In terms of a grand scope, I Know What Love Isn't isn't flourishing with daring experiments - you can throw this anywhere in the Lekman discography and it'd fit in shockingly well - but that reminds you more and more how consistently good he has been over the years.
2.) The Killers - Battle Born
Shocking? Maybe.
Despite the booming careers of one of the most popular bands in the U.S., I have been shadily disinterested in The Killers. There's a somewhat guilty part in my heart of my profound appreciation of past tracks like "When You Were Young" and "All These Things That I Have Done," but there was never a personal fondness for their albums. Maybe the fact that Battle Born is actually good is more of a relief than anything; a vindication for why the band can be so popular. But I'd like to think that my praise has some sort of merit.
The album's opening half is surprisingly strong. Yes, there's a lofty exploration of unnecessarily big ideas from Brandon Flowers that can come off as vague cliches, but hell, it's being worked into damn good, catchy music. That description is fairly apt for the album's lead single "Runaways," which - just like "When You Were Young" and "All These Things That I Have Done" - reminds you how amazing the band can be, even though a lot of us don't like to admit it.
1.) How To Dress Well - Total Loss
Tom Krell, aka How To Dress Well, usually fit in a comfortable niche of soulful electro. Never terribly profound or otherwise, he fit into an expanding catalog of internet sub-genres that tired of explanation. So it may have been surprising how well Total Loss comes off, despite adhering to those same aesthetics.
The album, up and down, is terrifically engaging. Combing through Krell's light vocals and warm electronics, it's numbing and sweet, but still daring and exploratory. Take "Cold Nites" and "Say My Name Or Say Whatever"; the former acts as a straight up R&B single, but it bleeds into a dreary sample of someone reminding you that, "The only bad part about flying is having to come back down to the fucking world." And then, splash, you're back in Krell's romantic light. Jarred, but loving it that much more when it's there.
