Bears and Bullets

2012-02-02T22:18:00.001-05:00

John McCauley of Deer Tick - Out On The Weekend (Neil Young) from Rollo & Grady Sessions on Vimeo.

Thursday Bears: New Beach Fossils - Shallow

2012-02-02T16:48:00.000-05:00

Beach Fossils are planning the release of their newest single "Shallow" later this month (February 21, via Captured Tracks), which is also expected to be on the band's next LP. Listen below.

New Daniel Rossen - Silent Song

2012-02-01T16:35:00.000-05:00

While Grizzy Bear may be prepping for a new album later this year, members of the band have been doing a lot in the mean time. Ed Droste was recently married, Chris Taylor released his first studio album as CANT last fall, and now Daniel Rossen is set to release his own solo studio effort. We heard Rossen's first song "Saint Nothing," off the upcoming Silent Hour/Golden Mile EP a few weeks back, but "Silent Song" is more assuredly worth your time. Listen below.

Wednesday Bears: Trailer Trash Tracy's video for "Engelhardt's Arizona"

2012-02-01T16:15:00.000-05:00

There shouldn't be much of a reason why I ask you to watch the new Trailer Trash Tracys' video for "Engelhardt's Arizona." The 'Here-there-everywhere' imagery play, spliced with the song's languid, off-center pace combine for a deceivingly memorable output. You watch.

Tuesday Bears: New Weeknd video - Montreal

2012-01-31T17:26:00.000-05:00

Earlier today, High 5 Collective, the group that premiered their unofficial video for The Weeknd's "The Morning" a few weeks back, released another unofficial video for "Montreal." Watch below.

New Pretty Lights - We Must Go On

2012-01-30T18:25:00.001-05:00

Pretty Lights debuted his newest video for "We Must Go On" earlier today, another particularly well-done trip hop cut set with street shots. If you're trying to recognize where the video is, don't bother. The shots come from all across North America and Europe. Watch below.

New Shabazz Palaces video - Are You ... Can You ... Were You? (Felt)

2012-01-30T17:55:00.000-05:00

Shabazz Palaces debuted their new video for (and this is the title) "Are You ... Can You ... Were You?(Felt)" earlier today, a spectacularly well-shot and well-paced video directed by Maikoiyo Alley-Barnes. The video features an incredibly attractive woman dealing with somewhat normal problems, placated by slip-ins of Shabazz-centric imagery. Watch below.

And it goes without saying that Black Up, Shabazz Palaces' latest album, is available now and must-listen.

Monday Bears: New Jack White - Love Interrupted

2012-01-30T17:24:00.000-05:00

It's been a long time coming. Ever since the effective end of the White Stripes, it's all been a matter of the waiting game until Jack White would truly release some real solo material. And while I can't imagine this will hault the eventual work of The Dead Weather and The Raconteurs, it's better than five-minute shots on Storage Wars.

Listen to White's first single "Love Interrupted" below, and grab his first solo album Blunderbuss this April.

2012-01-28T15:57:00.000-05:00

Friday Bears: BADBADNOTGOOD and Tyler, The Creator

2012-01-27T17:15:00.000-05:00

Forgive me for not knowing too much (okay, anything) about BADBADNOTGOOD. There's not a ton of information out there, but from what I can tell from the group's Youtube channel, is that they're fairly high-caliber hip-hop instrumentalists. Most of the videos are worth a viewing, but the video for "Orange Juice" below featuring Tyler, The Creator is pretty fucking spectacular. Watch below.

New Tennis - My Better Self

2012-01-26T17:56:00.000-05:00

Tennis' new song "My Better Self" has pretty much made its way around the internet already today, but in case you haven't gotten a chance to listen yourself, it's available to stream below.

Thursday Bears: Album Stream: Of Montreal - Paralytic Stalks

2012-01-26T17:41:00.000-05:00

Of Montreal, which took me until now to find out they're actually from Athens, Georgia, are consistently chaotic, offbeat, flamboyant, and flat-out interesting, both live and in studio. That being said, Paralytic Stalks should be worth your time.

You can stream the entire album over at Pretty Much Amazing, and listen to the album's first single "Wintered Debts" below.

Wednesday Bears: New Le Sera video - Please Be My Third Eye

2012-01-25T17:13:00.000-05:00

Watching the Le Sera video for "Please Be My Third Eye," you may recognize red-headed girl as Katy Goodman (Kickball Katy) of Vivian Girls fame. She released her self-titled debut last year, but it pretty much came off as more Vivian Girls songs, so this sounds like a good change of pace. Watch the video below and grab the song download here, via Gorilla vs. Bear.

New Dr. Dog - Lonesome

2012-01-24T20:33:00.000-05:00

With the release of Be The Void early next month, Dr. Dog have released their first single from the album, "Lonesome." Listen to the track below, and grab the new album February 7, via Anti-Records.

Wilco on Conan

2012-01-24T19:47:00.000-05:00

The days when Wilco is performing on late night TV still seem incredibly far away for the Chicago veterans. Last night, the band appeared on Conan to promote their new iTunes session (available now), performing two tracks from their latest release, The Whole Love. Watch them both below.

Tuesday Bears: Fiona Apple comes out of the shadow world

2012-01-24T19:28:00.000-05:00

Fiona Apple is an American myth. She rarely does shows, is perpetually 24-years old, has only a few albums, but is still very popular, despite the relatively light work-load in her two-decade career. So when the Manhattan native announced her first album (for real this time) since 2005's Extraordinary Machine, it was meant to be noticed.

According to sources, we're at the least expecting a new album "soon" without any regard of when exactly, or what it could be. Stay tuned for that.

2012-01-24T00:33:00.002-05:00

Violent Femmes - Add It Up

Monday Bears: New Andrew Bird - Eyeoneye

2012-01-23T14:38:00.000-05:00

Three years after the release of Noble Beast, Andrew Bird released "Eyeoneye," the first official single from March's Break It Yourself. Alongside the release, Bird will be going on a short tour through the U.S. with stops in Philly and New York. As an added bonus, if you plan to see Bird live, you'll also receive a digital copy of Break It Yourself and two additional live EP's. Check the tour dates at Bird's site, and listen to "Eyeoneye" below.

Eyeoneye by Andrew Bird

New Justice video - On'n'On

2012-01-20T17:46:00.000-05:00

Maybe Justice's latest release, Audio, Video, Disco, wasn't what I had hoped, but videos like these make the so-so tracks a little more appealing. Check out the newest one for "On'n'On" below.

Friday Bears: The Chieftains are 50

2012-01-20T10:10:00.000-05:00

The Chieftains, the legendary Irish folk group, have hit their active 50th anniversary. Let that sink in. The Chieftains are now 50 years old. And while the band members continually changed over time, which isn't that strange given the circumstances, sticking together in any form for that long is a certain testament to resilience.

To celebrate the achievement, the group is planning to release Voice of Ages; a compilation effort which includes help from Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, The Decemberists, The Low Anthem, and more.

Listen to the group's collaboration with Bon Iver on "Down By The Willow Garden" below, courtesy of Pretty Much Amazing.

New Miike Snow - Paddling Out

2012-01-19T18:39:00.000-05:00

Last month, Miike Snow (not a single guy, remember) debuted "Devil's Work," the group's newest work since 2009's self-titled release. And in anticipation for the release of Happy to You, which is due out very soon, but still doesn't have a specific date, the group released "Paddling Out." Listen to it below, and catch the band's upcoming tour (dates listed here.)

Paddling Out by miikesnow

Thursday Bears: New Bleached video - Searching Through the Past

2012-01-19T17:08:00.000-05:00

Sister duo Jessica and Jennifer Clavin, alongside Jon Safley, make up Bleached, which premiered their aptly aged "Searching Through the Past" video earlier today. The single is also available on 7" via Suicide Squeeze Records, which you can find here.

Not Today

2012-01-18T17:02:00.000-05:00

Tuesday Bears: New Madlib & Freddie Gibbs video - Thuggin'

2012-01-17T18:14:00.000-05:00

I hadn't mentioned Madlib and Freddie Gibbs' collaboration a few weeks ago with "Thuggin'" making Bears and Bullets top songs of 2011 list (at #12), so it's fitting that a video for the song finally made it's way around. Check it out below.

Happy MLK Day

2012-01-16T15:04:00.002-05:00

Well, since you're all off, I'm off too.

Friday Bears: New Star Slinger video(s) - Dumbin' (ft. Reggie B)

2012-01-13T17:00:00.000-05:00

If you read my work for The 405, this post is a little redundant. Yesterday, Green Label Sound released two alternate video's for Star Slinger's newest single "Dumbin'" (ft. Reggie B). Both of which involve two sexy European people (let's say, French), and their iffy long-distance relationship.

The second version, which has a bit of an angrier ending, is remixed by Diplo. Watch both videos below.

Thursday Bears: New Kills video - The Last Goodbye

2012-01-12T18:39:00.000-05:00

Samantha Morton, Oscar nominated actress (yes) made her music video directorial debut with The Kills' solemn "The Last Goodbye," which is essentially just Allison and Jamie acting out in a photo booth to sad music.

Wednesday Bears: Shut Up And Play The Hits trailer

2012-01-11T18:00:00.000-05:00

Earlier today, Pulse Films premiered their trailer for Shut Up And Play The Hits, a documentary surrounding the final days of LCD Soundsystem, whose final show was April of last year. It's somewhat due for the group, who didn't slump through the late-career doldrums and finished on top of their game, maybe a little too soon for those that really appreciated them.

The film will premiere at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Watch the trailer below.

Tuesday Bears: New King Khan and The Shrines - Bite My Tongue

2012-01-10T17:37:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, we heard Fucked Up's "I Hate Summer," an exclusive short single for 2012's Bruise Cruise, which if you can figure out from the context, is a cruise with punk music on it. King Khan and The Shrines - not the BBQ show - also made the billing, which takes place next month from February 10-13.

The band's single "Bite My Tongue" will be released on the first day of the cruise, February 10. Listen below.

King Khan & The Shrines - Bite My Tongue by Bears and Bullets

Coachella 2012 Lineup Revealed

2012-01-09T21:13:00.000-05:00

As you probably have already heard, the first big music festival of 2012 released its lineup early today, and as you can see from above ... Coachella looks to the biggest event of the year. Not only has the Indio, California festival has enlisted Radiohead, The Black Keys, and Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg as the three primary headliners, but recently reunited At The Drive-In, Pulp, Justice, The Shins, Bon Iver and a crap-ton more have also made the list. Which, by the way, is a bit different this year.

If you haven't heard already (as I had no idea), Coachella is going to take place over two weekends. The lineups won't change from the weekends of April 13-15 to 20-22, but the artists will be playing twice because of overwhelming ticket sales.

Before I get into whatever inclinations this will have for Lollapalooza later this summer, I will affectionately say that this is absolutely the best festival lineup I've seen since Lollapalooza 2008. It's really just astonishing to look at.

Anyway, Coachella usually has a heavy layover of acts for Lolla. Last year, 31 of the 170-plus Coachella acts ended up playing both festivals, with roughly an 18 percent carryover rate. However, of those acts, none were considered the headliners. That doesn't bode fairly well for those hoping that Radiohead would make the Chicago date, but it doesn't completely rule them out.

If there are any tickets left, do your best. They'll be gone fast.

Monday Bears: New Shins - Simple Song

2012-01-09T17:24:00.000-05:00

Only a few months from the release of The Shins last album since 2007 (really), the Portland group have released the first single from the upcoming Port of Morrow (available tomorrow for pre-order tomorrow with exclusive versions of "Simple Song"). There isn't much of an aesthetic departure from 2007's Wincing the Night Away, despite the changes in the group. "Simple Song" is incredibly catchy and engaging, or, James Mercer-esque. Listen below.

2012-01-06T18:54:00.001-05:00

Bears and Bullets Top 25 Songs of 2011: Part V

2011-12-30T18:35:00.001-05:00

We'll continue our countdown today with songs #5 through #1.

#5: The Rapture - How Deep is Your Love?
There's a strong, clear attempt at profound meaning in Luke Jenner's wailing on "How Deep is Your Love?," the Rapture's love-cry to loss, both in this world and in Jenner's spiritual one. It's a sound difference from the band's previous stops, who are clearly focused on the religious side of things. In that, it's hard to make a band sound good when they look to religion for most of their material, but forgive the pathways to "How Deep is Your Love?" was made. It sounds good enough so no one on either side of the spiritual spectrum pays any mind.

#4: Bon Iver - Holocene
It's hard to not find something that resonates in Bon Iver; the soft-lulled sensibilities, the unconscious, yet artful construction, and Justin Vernon's ease to cast light on enlightening visual elements. "Holocene," the center-piece of Bon Iver, still sounds like Vernon circa 2007, but there's a level of depth that takes a few listens. The subtle instrumental movements take a quiet, serene song, and make it sound more lavish, almost contextual with nature, than it seems. Vernon's reliable falsetto paces through soft horns and marching drums, slowly carrying the air under "Holocene" up to a point where it seems majestic. And while some songs have an uncharacteristic ability to mimic nature, Bon Iver truly sound immersed in it.

#3: Dum Dum Girls - Coming Down
Dum Dum Girls have effectively cornered the Mazzy Star aesthetic on "Coming Down," which blasts heroically through the aforementioned Star-like vocals and Jesus and Mary Chain drum snares. While the influences do rain heavy, the band sounds surprisingly huge here, especially for a group that teetered on the fence of "which indie girl group is that again?" The four-piece set themselves apart with "Coming Down," effectively standing their ground on something that can be called as beautiful as it is memorable, going on for nearly seven minutes, without losing a step any way through.

#2: Tyler, The Creator - Yonkers
"Yonkers" should effectively go down as 2011's "Holy Shit" moment. Here's Tyler, The Creator, the head-piece of Odd Future, the biggest up-and-coming group in hip-hop, rapping about killing Bruno Mars, Columbine, cartoons, and being a totally non-understood rapper. "Yonkers" screams anti-rap, almost to a rounded punk nature. Rather than take the music too seriously, the 20-year-old Tyler opts to fuck with it, laughing in the game's stereotypes and coming through as a generally fucked-up mind. Maybe it's all in character, but "Yonkers" isn't just a showcase for an all character, no substance artist. Sometimes genuinely weird people make genuinely weird, interesting music.

#1: M83 - Midnight City
It feels like a cop-out, I get that. The same song that was on my #1 Album of 2011 and Pitchfork's pick for song of the year, makes it as #1 on Bears and Bullets Top 25 Songs of 2011. But that decision was made months ago when "Midnight City" leaked - before Hurry Up, We're Dreaming was released and before the Victoria's Secret ad caught a bit of national attention. "Midnight City" has all the proponents of a visionary M83 piece; the roaring, romantic vocals, stand-out synth work,and memorable hooks. But the wailing, off-beat chorus of what sounds like animal shrieks blended in between and the totally out of nowhere sax solo during the climax make "Midnight City" stand out far, far more than any other track released this year. How all of those components were put together to make something not only memorable, but insanely invigorating, is something to be admired.

We'll that makes Bears and Bullets last post of 2011. Have a happy New Year, everyone, and I'll see you in 2012.

Bears and Bullets Top 25 Songs of 2011: Part IV

2011-12-29T23:23:00.000-05:00

We'll continue our countdown today with songs #10 - #6.

#10: Big K.R.I.T. - Country Shit (Remix ft. Ludacris and Bun B)
Return of 4Eva, while Big K.R.I.T.'s true breakout album, isn't totally single-minded. For Justin Scott, the 25-year-old breakout Mississippi rapper, every southern rap anthem is met with self-conscious ones. But forgive me for not ignoring "Country Shit (Remix ft. Ludacris and Bun B)," a heavy souvenir of modern southern rap; dirty, party-minded, and as unapologetic as it is enjoyable. Rap music needs real voices now and again, but no one will argue against this change of pace.

#9: Black Lips - Family Tree
Arabia Mountain's defining moment, "Family Tree" is the product of a well-placed production snarled in between the Black Lips now effortless messy pragmatism. It's inherently sloppy, but consciously put together, combining what the band had already perfected, and what it desperately needed work on. There's something to love about the Black Lips and their renown stage persona, but it seems ill-needed for any band who doesn't sound like they're drunk seven days a week. And maybe now they're still drunk six of those days, but they figured out something right in between those chaotic moments.

#8: The Weeknd - The Morning
The world's true introduction to The Weeknd, "The Morning" is the expertly crafted new-wave hip-hop soul, in a drilling, real-world sense. The production, as I've repeated several times over, is something to be in awe of. But rather than staying stuck on the ethereal sounds spiraling through the background, Tesfaye's soft, but wrenching vocals of high-style dejection eventually stick out. Parties, women, sex, and nothing to show except the human that comes out of it. It's richer than it sounds, but not because of the subject matter, but the sly attempt of spilling his guts out enriched in a glorious "ambiance."

#7: Battles - Ice Cream (ft. Matias Aguayo)
The long march of "Ice Cream's" sexually-addled introduction - brimmed with soaking, short-breath "oh" and "ahs" - is a eyebrow raising mark, not only for a song, but for a band like Battles that settles so often without any kind of vocals in their work. And while no member of the three-piece progressive group actually puts their time into the singing (that's what Aguayo is for), it speaks louder than most of their instrumental work on Gloss Drop. The group's tread the pop-prog territory before with 2007's "Atlas." And while "Ice Cream" isn't "Atlas," in terms of off-hand oddball structure and unpredictability, it comes through with that same level of insane enjoyment. Also, the best video of 2011 helps.

#6: Radiohead - Lotus Flower
When the video for "Lotus Flower" debuted on an early February morning, a calm sense of pre-hype hysteria rose. Fans had only heard of Radiohead's The King of Limbs roughly a week before the release, and almost knew nothing about it aside from a few sparse live performances from Thom Yorke's solo work. The video was instantly transfixed as internet-rattled gifs and t-shirts with Yorke's "choreographed" dance routine, but mostly in fun of what Radiohead has become to the internet community. But in honesty, "Lotus Flower" is a monumentally complex rendition for the veteran group, filled with dual percussion, Johnny Greenwood's quietly chaotic sound bites, and increasingly skillful sound arches that sound unfamiliar even to a band as accomplished as Radiohead. The King of Limbs may have not been the flaunting standout that many hope from the band, but "Lotus Flower" clears the temporary uneasiness.

We'll continue our countdown tomorrow with the top five songs of 2011 ...

Bears and Bullets Top 25 Songs of 2011: Part III

2011-12-28T17:08:00.000-05:00

We'll continue our countdown today with songs #15 through #11.

#15: Danny Brown - Monopoly
"Monopoly" sounds genuinely like Danny Brown, born poor and raised in Detroit, generally deals with dangerous shit. The beats are strong, sullen, and dirty, with Brown noting that he's been through a lot to get where he is. But in reality, "Monopoly" is nothing more than a take to shit on his opponents, and if there's any doubt of it, he goes to length to emphasize that he'll "literally" shit on their mixtapes. It's the perfect blend of what makes XXX so great; deceivingly intelligent rhymes split between Brown's desire to be understandably weird.

Danny Brown - Monopoly by Bears and Bullets

#14: Smith Westerns - All Die Young
The centerpiece to Smith Westerns' sophomore release Dye It Blonde, "All Die Young" takes the lighter, lo-fuzz surf-rock aura of the group's first work and blows it up in front of multi-layered keyboards and Max Kakacek's slow-tuning guitar solos to the "everyone join together" climactic finale. But more so than what it is, "All Die Young" is the sound of a band actually getting their heads together and figuring out what's great instead of what is just good.

#13: Fucked Up - Queen of Hearts
"Queen of Hearts" is your true introduction to Fucked Up's long-winded tail of David, the protagonist in David Comes to Life. But rather than space out an all-too long story to fit every finite detail of David's exploits, the group had enough sense to try their hand at hardcore story telling, I.E., lead-singer Pink Eyes still gets to spit his throat-scathing wails behind messy, sonic guitars. But the story doesn't necessarily wrap up the listener, as it shouldn't. It's Fucked Up's perfected method that still comes through on top.

#12: Freddie Gibbs and Madlib - Thuggin'
Freddie Gibbs and Madlib joining up is just a good idea. It had to be said. The eponymous track from the collaborative duo's Thuggin' EP, features Madlib's well-renown super-rich sampled beats and Gibbs' best work of the year (that includes a lot of cameos along the way). A lot of the songs on these lists have well-detailed reasoning behind their unreal quality, but when it comes to "Thuggin'," there isn't much more to say than just, goddamn, listen to how good this is. It might be a cop-out, but man if it isn't correct.

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Thuggin' by Rappcats

#11: FIDLAR - Wake Bake Skate
Pot doesn't need an anthem. It's had enough artists striving to bow to the temple of getting high and hanging out since the 50s, but we have to admit that there's something stupidly endearing about it. FIDLAR's "Wake Bake Skate," an ode to being broke, lazy, and smoking, doesn't strive to collect the ever-growing range of metaphor's of contemporary American laziness, but knows how to make it seem a lot more fun, despite the depressing reality of what they're saying.

We'll continue our countdown tomorrow with songs #10 - #6 ...

Bears and Bullets Top 25 Songs of 2011: Part II

2011-12-27T21:00:00.000-05:00

We''ll continue our countdown today with songs #20 through #16.

#20: Rustie - Ultra Thizz
Glass Swords, Scottish producer Rustie's first full-length debut, is full of songs like "Ultra Thizz," which takes a smart man's look in between dubstep and electro pop. In that regard, however, it rarely sounds like either of those genre's take collective footing in Rustie's underrated technique. "Ultra Thizz" simply does what Glass Swords does best; putting together recognizable pieces into something completely different.

Rustie - Ultra Thizz by Bears and Bullets

#19: Real Estate - It's Real
There's nothing demonstratively complex about "It's Real," Real Estate's most endearing and memorable take to date. The band sounds, if anything, lush here, breezing through soft guitar and "Ohh" choruses, it makes the more unnecessarily produced tracks of the year seem somewhat preposterous in comparison, taking a page from Kurt Vile's book. There's nothing a song needs sometimes than a memorable hook, solid timing, and the ability to take itself less seriously.

#18: The Weeknd - The Knowing
The finale to The Weeknd's pretty fucking good debut House of Balloons, "The Knowing" is Abel Tesfaye's six-minute epic to clearly being cheated on. For all of memorable moments on House of Balloons, or even Thursday or Echoes of Silence, the two follow-up albums, none are nearly as personal or as easily to relate to as "The Knowing." But there's nothing tedious or petty that comes through, regardless of however Tesfaye really dealt with it.

#17: Bon Iver - Perth
Bon Iver's emphatic opener, "Perth" sets the unreal pace for the rest of the album that, for the most part, does its best to match it. Justin Vernon and the rest of Bon Iver sound deceivingly huge, backed by multiple drums, horns, and a rhythm section, but still manage to keep the quiet allure of the group and Vernon's intimate vocal style close at hand. It speaks volume for the rest of the album, the band keeping itself in tact with its large world sensibilities and small world sounds.

#16: Mastodon - Spectrelight
The Hunter, Mastodon's latest effort, wasn't what most fans wanted from the group. The idea of the Atlanta metal band becoming too radio-friendly can't be good for their image, regardless of whether that notion has any true merit. Maybe songs like "Curl of the Burl" were a bit too soft for the Leviathan fans at heart, but "Spectrelight" sounds like prime Mastodon any way you shape it. The song burst through the opening like every crash of thunder cliche you can call it, drums and guitar roaring, almost unstoppable, making you forget any of the album's lighter moments.

We'll continue tomorrow with songs #15 - #11 ...

Bears and Bullets Top 25 Songs of 2011: Part I

2011-12-26T17:15:00.000-05:00

With less than a week remaining in 2011, it's finally that time again for Bears and Bullets to unleash its 25 favorite songs of the year. As it was for the previous three years, there are certain rules that qualify a song for the list.

1.) The song must have been released during the calendar year.
2.) Even if the song was technically released during 2011, if it was leaked prior to January 1, 2011, then it also does not qualify for the list.

Last year, Vampire Weekend, in a decision that surprised even me, landed the #1 overall spot with "Giving Up the Gun." Something tells me that this time around it'll be a little more predictable. Let's see.

#25: Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire - The Last Huzzah! (Remix - ft. Despot, Das Racist, Danny Brown, and El-P)
Maybe it's the extensive collaborative effort put forward by Youtube rapper Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire that makes "Huzzah!" stand out more than anything else. Maybe it's the fact that the aforementioned eXquire lets the more well-known names stand up to the plate first, including El-P, who just flat out steals the scene with his '16-Step' verse that makes everyone take a little more notice. Maybe the points are drowned out through the sheer number of people getting their voice out here, but damn if every voice has something worth-while to say. Having one of the best videos of the year helps too.

#24: Kurt Vile - In My Time
"In My Time" seems split on itself. On one side, Kurt Vile ranges through the memories of his youth, both in a positive light as "young and crazy" hinting at "discreet mistakes," but never finding solace in his adult life. On the other, he isn't concerned with why he was who he is. It's the kid in all of us (or at least the adult version of one we try to be), flailing between responsibility and self-inflicted reality. There's no definite answer, as "In My Time" drifts endlessly toward the end, repeating its cycles. The question doesn't need to be answered. It never has.

#23: The Field - Then It's White
Not every good song needs emphatic moments of resound brilliance. For The Field's "Then It's White," the surrounding stills of looping echoes and piano seamlessly gravitate through the nearly eight minute session. There's a feeling of emptiness throughout, but not because the listener is waiting for something else, but because "Then It's White" reminds what those empty moments mean. The people, the sounds, the movement. It's all there without a word to be said.

The Field - Then It's White by Bears and Bullets

#22: The Joy Formidable - Whirring
Everyone's favorite surprise act from last August's Lollapalooza, The Joy Formidable made heads turn (or faces bleed) with "Whirring," a jarring, near-seven minute blast that spends nearly half of its time cruising through wonderfully surprising shoe-gaze. There's a bit of nostalgia here, to more-attuned versions of My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth playing through, but to an audience that doesn't expect it. It may not be the genre's prime anymore, but songs like "Whirring" make you forget what you're missing.

#21: Wavves - I Wanna Meet Dave Grohl
With Wavves Life Sux EP, Nathan Williams (slightly) ditched the super-DIY attitude of the group's previous work to something with a little more form behind it. That isn't to say that the band has completely ditched their "who gives a fuck, let's smoke" sensibilities (they wouldn't be Wavves without it), but just tried to sound them out a little more clearly. The song isn't totally about Dave Grohl, sans the chorus, but rather Williams deferring to his childhood dream while meandering through life's daily misery of living with his mistakes. I'm not gonna go out on a limb and say he's growing up, because I doubt it too, but it sounds like it for a minute.

Wavves - I Wanna Meet Dave Grohl by Bears and Bullets

We'll continue tomorrow with songs #20-#16 ...

Bears and Bullets Albums of the Year: Pt. V

2011-12-23T16:41:00.000-05:00

We'll continue today with our top 25 countdown with albums #5 through #1.

#5: Fucked Up - David Comes to Life
In all honesty, the concept album isn't my thing. Too often the ideas of a concept album sweep away what could have been multiple tracks of endearing music, instead playing the hand of a story that isn't terribly interesting to begin with it. That's why 'essential' records like Tommy, Quadrophenia, The Wall, and Sgt. Peppers, for all their massive critical acclaim, don't truthfully pass through time as well as their super-fans would like to admit. Daring? Sure. But so was the first 'Tron' movie, and that looks terrible now.

So, I had every right in my mind to be skeptical of Fucked Up's David Comes to Life project; a huge double-album about the omniscient David character and the pre-meditated sequence of events that follow upon meeting Veronica (both are identified in the album's second track "Queen of Hearts"). The problems that the band avoids is in their hardcore nature. While the song-writing is vital to the idea, Fucked Up thankfully understood that their punk sounds come first and foremost, not endlessly dragging through the four parts that make up the album. It almost feels like David Comes to Life destroys the concept of the concept album, playing with hearts instead of just minds.

#4: The Weeknd - House of Balloons
The man who should be on everyone's shortlist for Best Artist of 2011, Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, released three free records this year as part of a trilogy. Thursday and Echoes of Silence (released two days ago) were the final pieces, but it was his February debut House of Balloons that truly came out of no where to land him where he is right now, the best new voice in pop. Luckily, Tesfaye's edge isn't simply his voice, but his drippy, enriching production setting the pace for all three albums. The sampling is noticeable, like Beach House's "Master of None" on the seven-minute-plus "The Party & The After Party," but aren't the the most attachable portions of House of Balloons. That's Tesfaye's job, which comes through effortlessly and is hard to match.

#3: Shabazz Palaces - Black Up
Hip-hop too often settles with good, or just good enough. While some parts of the product remain pre-eminently consistent, truly pushing the boundaries isn't thought of as a necessary notion of the genre, it seems. For every great record that leaks through, there's another that just seems good, or passable, but not terribly imaginative. With the combined work of Ishmael Butler (ex-Digable Planets member) and Tendai Maraire, Black Up, the first studio release from Shabazz Palaces, is some of the smartest, most intricate, and deeply profound work the genre has seen in years. The narratives are existential tomes of race, materialism, and atmospheric elements only engraved in the deepest caverns of thoughtful construct. Combined with the other-worldly sounds the duo work with, and Black Up proudly comes out as one of the most imaginative efforts in recent memory.

#2: Bon Iver - Bon Iver
If there's one phrase that works for Bon Iver's self-titled release, it's "embarrassingly good." From the album's roaring opening, "Perth," to the slightly confusing, but heartwarming "Beth/Rest" (some won't agree with that), Bon Iver is too good even for the common cynic to thoughtlessly ignore. The sounds are too rich, Justin Vernon's voice is too sentimental, the craft is too perfect, the consistency is ... too consistent.

Every album has it's impossibly high moments ("Perth," "Holocene"), but rarely do they truly separate from the rest of the record, as it does here. From "Michicant" to "Calgary" to the aforementioned "Beth/Rest," fanfare is split to where the record stands tallest. But that distinction says more for Bon Iver's overall quality than anything else. It's a question worth asking, even if there's no direct answer.

#1: M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
Expectations were pretty high for Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, M83's sixth studio release in ten years. The previous records were consistently formative, but usually ended up plateauing after a couple remarkable singles ("Run Into Flowers," "Kim & Jessie," etc.) There always seemed to be an innate ability for Anthony Gonzalez to not only replicate those stand-out moments, but captivate them with something bigger, something that required more time. And it's pretty easy to see how big Hurry Up, We're Dreaming is; nearly 80 minutes and two albums worth of material. You'd figure Gonzalez would fizzle somewhere.

The album scorches in the opening, with "Intro," "Midnight City," and "Reunion" - three tracks that have already marked their way through the past few weeks as singles, and the expectations are pretty much met. That pitch-perfect manifestation of imagination and childhood enchantment Gonzalez has a complete knack for are packaged in what could be perceived as a deluxe issue, unrelenting and unconscious. It's hard not to get completely lost on the first or second listen, but that's what a perfect record should do. It needs to be so good you don't care about anything else.

We'll continue next week with our Top 25 Songs of the Year ...

Bears and Bullets Albums of the Year: Pt. IV

2011-12-22T18:54:00.000-05:00

We'll continue today with our top 25 countdown with albums #10 through #6.

#10: Iceage - New Brigade
And all of you said there's no way anyone will talk about Danish punk music. Well, no one said that, but before Iceage's New Brigade, no one was thinking of it either. The messy, cathartic, and often disheartening record has no common pulse, just launching forward with unpolished, grimy sheen. The fact that Iceage are Danish teenagers does little to put New Brigade in a clever niche. It's carefully all over the map, from garage punk to polished underground new wave, in a tinge all its own.

#9: Danny Brown - XXX
Collectively speaking, 2011 was somewhat of a disappointing year for music in general, full of less-than expected album releases and a slew of band breakups. With that in mind, however, hip-hop came through stronger than it has in years with a new class of rappers garnering national attention. Danny Brown, the often overlooked, off-beat Detroit rapper, and his latest XXX comes through as a dirty, close to death last-call. Brown proudly retells his kinda disgusting instincts in porn-riddled tracks like "I Will," but fills you in on his less-than stellar ambitions like how he wants to, "Party like Chris Farley" on "Die Like a Rockstar." XXX, like the title, is indulgence and the underscored after-effects, crushing and killing the soul without resolution.

#8: White Denim - D
Psychedelia has uncomfortably addled itself next to 'boredom' in a music sense. The long-winded emphasis on musicianship strangling anything of the idea of new age virtuosity has, no matter how stereotypical, constantly attached itself to the genre. Enter White Denim, Austin's answer to a generation of music listeners who never try to confide their time in the aging music movement. For every guitar-driven episode on D, the group's fourth studio album in only three years, there's a change of pace to softer, pop sounds. So while "At the Farm" sounds like every other early 70s jam piece, "Street Joy" comes through unlike anything else on the album at that point. Guilty indulgence on all-too long instrumental pieces are fine, but White Denim puts out consistently strong albums because they understand that it isn't the end-all, be-all of music, and for very good reason.

#7: Black Lips - Arabia Mountain
The Black Lips have made a career resting on the laurels of garage punk. Little to no instrumental showmanship has ever showed up on the group's studio releases, and if you ever experience the group live, you'll understand that the instruments are merely a tool to help them wade through and project their collective insanity. Knowing that, the band's previous albums haven't tried too hard for craft, true garage punk by its most modern means. But on Arabia Mountain, arguably the group's best work yet, the band comes to understand that the grime of their early years can still exist, but not necessarily present it in such a meager way. There's a necessary polish on the album that fits the band well, but never hinders the joyful, careless nature of the message. Call it growing up for people who were always cooler when they were kids.

#6: James Blake - James Blake
The dubstep genre has been mangled by misguided, preconceived stereotypes and club aesthetics to the point where artists like James Blake are hardly identifiable in the oft-ridiculed movement. In part, because the construction of Blake's work is hardly aligned with those misgivings - slow, soulful, and delicately moving through the London-natives harping voice. The electronic architecture of Blake's self-titled album are merely means of conveying his deceptively artful songwriting, rather than the distracting centerpiece.

We'll continue our countdown tomorrow with albums #5 - #1 ...

Bears and Bullets Albums of the Year: Pt. III

2011-12-21T12:28:00.000-05:00

We'll continue today with our top 25 countdown with albums #15 through #11.

#15: Destroyer - Kaputt

Dan Bejar is somewhat off-putting at times. The super-literate and carving intellectual drive of his work with Destroyer and The New Pornographers, mixed with his Gordon Gano-like vocal renditions were a constant confinement to me; respectful of the craft and ethic, but disappointed often in the execution. As it is, Kaputt, Destroyer and Bejar's best output yet, kinda curves the perennial temperament. The free-flowing jazz inspirations aren't terrifically overwhelming (good), and play a common chord in the back on songs like "Suicide Demo for Kara Walker," placated by Bejar's indelible song-writing, that finds its place comfortably. And for all the profoundly intellectual moments that tended to make or brake the Bejar status quo, they stand firmly on Kaputt. Pitchfork found a word for the album, "redeeming," that in a very strong sense, fits well. If anything, after all my biased notions, I'm underrating it.

#14: Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde
Dye It Blonde could be effortlessly tagged as a less-egotistical glam rock staple of the early 70s, with all its wistful keyboard back-pulls and single-string guitar riffs, and it'd probably be remembered much more fondly then than it would be now. That isn't to say that Smith Westerns self-titled debut is anything like Dye It Blonde. There's confounding maturity and technical prowess that allows itself to be taken seriously, even if the songs come out like dripping call-outs to love and all its nurtured positives. It's a proud leap from the band's 2009 debut, but still comes out fun.

#13: The Antlers - Burst Apart
Two years ago, The Antlers emerged out of the woods with Hospice, a charming, if not too delicate of an album. Lead-singer Pete Silberman's vocal were swept in downplayed and underwhelming pieces, which tends to work fine if there's little directive promise for much else. Burst Apart, however, allows Silberman to show that his high falsetto's can blend and carve a much more grandiose effigy in front of sparkling spirals of slow, decadent outputs. I'm not calling this anything close to stadium-esque profoundness, but the extra effort the Antlers push through is welcomed.

#12: Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo
Philadelphia-native Kurt Vile rarely sounds like he's trying, whether he wants to or not. The majority of the tracks on Smoke Ring For My Halo and the rest of the Vile catalog are essentially easy progressions of the prolific singer-songwriter; loneliness, emptiness, feelings of more, etc. It's a deceptive measure of people like him, who aim not to show their tirelessness, even if their reputation says the opposite. Smoke Ring For My Halo is full of tracks that sound carelessly stacked, even behind cleverly displayed layers of musical prowess. And for musicians, maybe that's the correct mindset: work, work, work until getting it right just comes naturally.

#11: Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost
How can a band like Girls that in all rights doesn't sound like they're doing anything terribly new, also sound like they're completely in their own world? Father, Son, Holy Ghost are borrowed pieces: surf rock, 60s pop, West coast garage rock, mixed with tempered sides of psychedelia and soul, that can be found anywhere in pop history, but really it's Christopher Owens that makes it stick. His well-documented background as an effeminate singer-songwriter raised in a cult (true) make him endearing as if he were some kind of well-read movie character. Maybe that's why Father, Son, Holy Ghost continues to surprise, replay after replay. You figure at this point you'd know Owens, but he surprises you with catchy, elaborate rock tracks like "Die" and you forget everything you suspect about what's next. Some albums are good because they make sense; their structure, songwriting, and progression. But here, you aren't supposed to suspect much, and it creeps forward even better that way.

We'll continue tomorrow with albums #10 - #6 ...

Bears and Bullets Albums of the Year: Pt. II

2011-12-20T16:13:00.000-05:00

We'll continue today with our top 25 countdown with albums #20 through #16.

#20: Tom Waits - Bad As Me
If I told you that Bad As Me starts off like a "roaring train," you'd have every right to disregard whatever I have to say about it. Of course it sounds like a train - it's Tom Waits; the man who in his decades of work has become a physical manifestation of a midnight train and a misty back alley. From "Chicago" to "Hell Broke Luce," Bad As Me sounds in every way like Waits' machination: gritty, plunging yelps pacing an industrial pounce, making you wonder if the world is much worse than you ever thought.

#19: Big K.R.I.T. - Return of 4Eva
Justin Scott, the 25-year-old Mississippi rapper, hasn't totally made it. Building a reputation on free mixtapes, an all-the-more common internet era version of handing out your demo on the corner, Big K.R.I.T.'s biggest moments on Return of 4Eva skip the southern-rap regularity and shine through pitch-perfect sampling (also done by Scott). That being said, "Country Shit" with Ludacris is all too fun to ignore. There's a future here.

#18: Radiohead - The King of Limbs
There's a well-documented subsequent frustration with The King of Limbs. In all, it's hard to say it stacks up well against any of the landmark records the band has put out since their emergence with The Bends in 1995. Going back 16 years on a band that has become crowned the kings of the current era was certainly confounding for some who expect nothing less than titular perfection from the band of evolving (and aging) perfectionists. But for all its retractions (mull vocal styling, length, etc.), Radiohead have yet again pushed through something that doesn't totally replicate anything from their previous years. And once you get yourself past the fact that it's not an awe-inspiring mountain of perfection, there's definite value that goes over head.

#17: The Roots - Undun
The latest entrant in the list, The Roots have to be forgiven for what could be called a "tired" pass. Undun, the (almost) concept album of the morally righteous criminal drafted into a world where he doesn't want to belong. You have to forgive it because much like the rest of what the Philadelphia band has crafted since in the late 90s, it comes out too beautifully, too resonating. And those moments come collectively crashing with the band's final movement; a four-song lashing that makes you wonder if there's something more that The Roots can do.

#16: Real Estate - Days
Days lingers. It comes off like an entrapped memory long distant in those teenage years - the forgetful moments where no one says a word because no one knows what to say. It's a lot to say from Real Estate, who may not come across as anything more than another member of the new class of indie bands worth your attention. The details of Days are hardly profound, but that's part of the backwards endearment. Call it toned-down fuzz rock for anyone who isn't apt to a predictable title, but it's still one of the finer products of 2011.

We'll continue our countdown tomorrow with albums #15-#11 ...

Bears and Bullets Albums of the Year: Pt. I

2011-12-19T19:12:00.000-05:00

With only two weeks remaining in 2011, it's that time of the year where all the music sites and publications dole out their annual 'Best Of' lists. Likewise, Bears and Bullets has stuck with that tradition as well, with an annual 'Top 25 Songs of the Year' list. But with the addition of the Albums of the Month feature on the site this year, I thought it wouldn't be fair to just stick with songs from here on out.

So, I present to you Bears and Bullets first ever Albums of the Year edition.

#25: The Horrors - Skying
Most people were somewhat uncomfortably introduced to The Horrors four years ago with their "Sheena is a Parasite" video; a minute and a half jumpy, barely in English audible that grew their reputation fairly well in England. And while the band's name grew within the NME crowd, fanfare was mull in the states. Skying, however, was the unsuspected breakthrough that pushed them over, full of inspiring and mature crafted songs that, Hell, most of us never saw coming.

#24: Julianna Barwick - The Magic Place
At some point in the past few years, Julianna Barwick has come to own the genre of atmospheric music. The majority of The Magic Place, a largely wordless drift of beautiful, if not cavernous sprawls, that would do well in most movie trailers, makes the serenity of distant sounds all the more important. Aptly titled, The Magic Place seems to present itself in a world that would only disappoint the real one

#23: Ty Segall - Goodbye Bread

Ty Segall, up until Goobye Bread, has been slightly controlled noise, full of static and fuzzy bumps in the road, rarely concerned with feel or pace. But with his major label debut, the moves are tighter, and the songs don't just stream through a similar jumble. Take "The Floor," a song that wouldn't be confused with The Violent Femmes at certain points, as the clearest most of us have heard Segall. Juxtaposed against quick-minute stomps like "California Commercial," and the San Francisco-native has learned where his pace fits best - everywhere.

#22: Mastodon - The Hunter
Maybe I'm too big of a Mastodon fan. After all, The Hunter, next to the band's previous work like Crack The Skye and Blood Mountain, is regarded as one of their weaker efforts. That isn't to say that it's a poor outing or anything, just falling short of the aforementioned achievements. Fan response aside, The Hunter still provides some of the year's stand-out efforts, like "Spectrelight," a track that would fit anywhere in the Mastodon catalog. Maybe I'm just still in awe how these guys don't put anything bad out.

#21: I Break Horses - Hearts
Breaking through like M83 did in the early 2000s, I Break Hoses' Hearts is an incredibly lush, broad, and detailed album, covered in dense layers of drippy and heroic synths charging through the backdrop. It's not hard to gets a sense of unreal beauty in Hearts, only seconds into the opening track "Winter Beats," in what feels like plunging into one of those metaphorical lakes that everything seems to come together in. It's hard to describe.

We'll continue the countdown tomorrow with albums #20-#16 ...

Friday Bears: Arcade Fire's "Sprawl II" videos

2011-12-16T21:53:00.000-05:00

It's been a while for Arcade Fire, who are duly taking a break after a litany of summer music festivals, touring, and championing The Suburbs. Earlier today, the group released their newest video from the album, "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)," more than a year after The Suburbs initial release, which is another in a series of interactive videos. If you have a webcam of any kind, you can play around with it here.

If you can't (or won't), check out the video and some kind of apology for its lateness below.

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

Thursday Bears: New Four Tet - Moma

2011-12-15T16:34:00.000-05:00

Alongside a cluster of other well-known acts, such as Deerhunter and Blonde Redhead, Four Tet (Kieren Hebden) is helping with the We Are the Works in Progress compilation. The collective effort is supported by the Japan Society and Architecture for Humanity to help the tsunami relief.

Listen below and contribute today.

Four Tet - Moma by Four Tet

Our newest obsession: Guadalupe Plata

2011-12-14T15:59:00.000-05:00

Generally, I'm fairly ignorant of international music. It's not an anomaly or something I actively try to avoid, it just generally falls off the wayside if it isn't anything I can familiarize myself with. And outside of Sigur Ros, I can't name five non-English speaking artists that have been followed with due diligence in the past few years. And I don't know how, but I feel like an asshole.

Glazing over the litany of year-end lists that are pretty much everywhere at this point, I came across Spanish band Guadalupe Plata and there ridiculously engrossing single "Casino El Camino (Parte 2)," thanks to Rollo & Grady. And although the feeling may be temporary, for some reason I feel like I've done something better by genuinely liking what I was hearing.

Straight-forward, Guadalupe Plata are a blues band, and not much else. But whenever that distinction is noted, it usually comes across as some half-blend of the 1950s definition - you know, boring. And while the Spanish band's sounds are fairly familiar, that isn't to say they aren't genuinely enjoyable.

You can download the band's self-titled album over at their Bandcamp page for free, which includes a very NSFW video in the download. See for yourself, or listen below.

Guadalupe Plata (2011) by Guadalupe Plata

SNL recreates Call Your Girlfriend

2011-12-14T01:02:00.000-05:00

During the regular writing process for last weekend's Saturday Night Live, Taran Killam and the writers of the show decided to recreate Robyn's video for "Call Your Girlfriend," which the Swedish bob-cut icon performed on the show. It's worth your time.

New Danny Brown video - Monopoly

2011-12-13T20:45:00.000-05:00

Very subtly, Danny Brown was all over 2011, with an awesome album and more guest spots than I can remember. And in case you haven't familiarized yourself with him yet, watch Brown's newest video for "Monopoly," off the aforementioned XXX album - courtesy of Rolling Stone.

Danny Brown - Monopoly

Tuesday Bears: New Radiohead (sort of) - The Daily Mail

2011-12-13T16:14:00.000-05:00

Up until this point, we've only heard "The Daily Mail" and "Staircase" as live performances from Radiohead, separate from The King of Limbs entirely, but always played within the others. Nearly ten months after the album's release, fans will have their first chance to actually have the two songs, which are set to be released next Monday, December 19. Listen below, courtesy of We All Want Someone to Shout For.

Monday Bears: Radiohead perform Supercollider in that basement

2011-12-12T15:50:00.000-05:00

A few months back we caught our first live (whole) live performances of Radiohead's The King of Limbs on BBC's From the Basement series, which any Radiohead fan has become familiar with at this point.

Well, not all the songs from that performance were released, including "Supercollider," which will be available of the DVD/Blu Ray release. Watch below.

Radiohead - Supercollider (Live From the Basement)

2011-12-12T02:25:00.001-05:00

Friday Bears: Dirty Beaches on Take Away Show

2011-12-09T16:25:00.001-05:00

As part of the Pitchfork Paris Music Festival last October, Pitchfork and La Blogotheque (the people who make the awesome Take Away Shows) have released of series of intimate performances from artists who appeared at the fest, including this intensely bizarre sax+handclap performance from Dirty Beaches under a Paris bridge in the middle of the night.

Seriously.

Dirty Beaches - Untitled (Live on Take Away Show)

EDIT: Embedding doesn't particularly work for this one. Watch it here.

Thursday Bears: New Major Lazer video - Original Don

2011-12-08T15:52:00.000-05:00

Regardless of whatever holiday it is any where in the world today (Lennon anniversary doesn't count), it's Original Don Day now. No exceptions.

The newest video from the Diplo and Switch side project that everyone loves put out a video for "Original Don." I would say it's action-packed, but I think that meaning might be skewed. See for yourself.

Major Lazer - Original Don

The Roots perform (for real) on Fallon

2011-12-07T15:00:00.000-05:00

I imagine there had to be at least a few people in the crowd who were slightly disappointed when they heard the musical guest for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon was the band that's there every night anyway. Regardless, the Roots performed two songs from their new (and stellar) album Undun on the show, including part of an amazing "Redford" medley inspired by the Sufjan Stevens' song.

The Roots - Tip the Scale/Redford Medley (Live on Fallon)

The Roots - The OtherSide (Live on Fallon)

Black Keys on the Colbert Report

2011-12-07T14:09:00.000-05:00

After last weekend's so-so showing on Saturday Night Live, the Black Keys performed on last night's The Colbert Report with the same two songs from their recently released El Camino album, "Lonely Boy" and "Gold on the Ceiling." Watch them both below and grab the new record, out now via Nonesuch Records.

The Black Keys - Lonely Boy

The Black Keys - Gold on the Ceiling (Web Exclusive)

Wednesday Bears: New School of Seven Bells - The Night

2011-12-07T11:54:00.000-05:00

Lots of goodies popped up while you were sleeping (if you do that) last night, including "The Night," the newest track from School of Seven Bells. The single will be featured on the group's third album, Ghostory, which is due out February 28 courtesy of Vagrant Records. Listen below.

School of Seven Bells - The Night by Vagrant Records

Late Night Bears: New Miike Snow - Devil's Work

2011-12-07T01:30:00.000-05:00

More than two years after the release of Swedish group Miike Snow's eponymous debut, we get our first taste of the trio's upcoming sophomore campaign with "Devil's Work," which is due out sometime early 2012.

Listen below courtesy of Exclaim.

Devil's Work by miikesnow

Tuesday Bears: New Air - Seven Stars (ft. Victoria Legrand)

2011-12-06T16:04:00.000-05:00

Aside from the French duo's 2009 release of Love 2, one of their less-than well-received collections, Air have been quiet for some time. So word that the duo's next album, Le Voyage Dans La Lune (the 1902 film) will also feature help from Beach House front-woman Victoria Legrand gives some hope.

Check out the first single from Le Voyage Dans La Lune, "Seven Stars" with Ms. Legrand over at NME. The new album will be available February 6 (world) and 7 (states) via Astralwerks.

Monday Bears: New Shabazz Palaces - Black Up

2011-12-05T16:18:00.000-05:00

Normally, I'd be posting about the Black Keys performance from last week's Saturday Night Live, but judging on how it seems like EVERY live performance on that show just sounds sub-par, I'll skip it (by the way, Robyn will be the guest next Saturday).

Instead, check out Shabazz Palaces wonderfully shot summation of his most recent album Black Up, available now via Sub Pop. If you aren't familiar with the album that already is, or soon will be, on the top of all the end of the year lists, this five minute video sells it well.

Shabazz Palaces - Black Up

Friday Bears: New Sleigh Bells album, Reign of Terror, teaser

2011-12-02T13:27:00.000-05:00

Hey, remember when Sleigh Bells all-of-a-sudden mysteriously dropped out of last August's Lollapalooza to record more music? Well, now we can actually confirm it without soft-hand bullshitting.

The band released this pretty awesome two and a half minute teaser for Reign of Terror, which is suspected to drop sometime around mid-2012. Watch the teaser below.

Sleigh Bells - Reign of Terror from Mom+Pop on Vimeo.

Albums of the Month - November 2011

2011-12-01T16:25:00.001-05:00

Albums of the Month - November 2011

Only one month remains before our annual (now expanded) end of the year lists. But for now, here's my three favorite albums for the month of November.

3. Thee Oh Sees - Carrion Crawler/The Dream
Parts messy punk interludes, part downtrodden midnight white boy blues, Carrion Crawler/The Dream is the most recent joyful (and mysterious) jab by Thee Oh Sees at a genre they seem to patent. There's a casual knuckle-splitting feeling throughout the album, particularly in the first half with gems like "Contraption/Soul Desert" which very often forgets to find itself, in the very best way.

Thee Oh Sees - Carrion Crawler/The Dream (Insound)

2. A$AP Rocky - LIVELOVEA$AP
Really? The super-drug addled breakout New York mixtape from a guy who has a dollar sign in his name? Unfair perception. No one's jumping out saying the A$AP Rocky's LIVELOVEA$AP is the best rap album of the year, because it isn't. He doesn't match the visceral thrill of Kendrick Lamar's Section.80 or Big K.R.I.T.'s Returnof4eva, or the utter fantastic weirdness of Danny Brown's XXX, but there's always something to be made of the case of a rapper that just does the part right. No mask of fake attitude, no presumptions, damning and memorable beats (constructed by Clams Casino), and a kid who has true potential. It may come a little empty for some, but for others, this is how modern rap should be built.

A$AP Rocky - LIVELOVEA$AP (Download)

1. Atlas Sound - Parallax
If Brandford Cox's second prominent project, Atlas Sound, is confusing anybody with Deerhunter, Cox's more well-known outfit, don't worry. As the years and sheer volume of Cox's work continue to pile on, the collective sounds begin to aesthetically merge: subtle strings of synthetic noise effortless in the background of his echoing (yet quiet) vocal style, letting his songwriter play the forefront. "Te Amo," one of Parallax's more stellar outputs, sounds particularly akin to the final track on Deerhunter's previous album Halcyon Digest, "He Would Have Laughed." From then on out, however, the album builds itself as a particular outlier, collectively unique to the new, crafty Bradford Cox. The album's final calls drift into a dark, ethereal sound, that is until you hear "Lightworks," the most upbeat thing in the man's endless catalog. One of which will continue to grow and perfect itself.

Atlas Sound - Parallax (Insound)

All the Bon Iver deluxe videos

2011-11-30T18:07:00.000-05:00

As mentioned Monday, Bon Iver is planning to release the deluxe edition of last spring's self-titled mega album (mega in quality, not quantity) with new pairing videos for each of the album's ten tracks. For those not looking for any of that pricey crap, the band released all of the videos today on their Youtube page. Or, you know, watch them below.

Bon Iver - Perth

Bon Iver - Minnesota, WI

Bon Iver - Holocene

Bon Iver - Towers

Bon Iver - Michicant

Bon Iver - Hinnom, TX

Bon Iver - Wash.

Bon Iver - Calgary

Bon Iver - Lisbon, OH

Bon Iver - Beth/Rest

Wednesday Bears: Dodos (and Neko Case) play Fallon

2011-11-30T15:51:00.000-05:00

The Dodos got some help from their friend Neko Case, who everyone just loves, last night on the band's appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. It's a fairly impressive performance, especially considering I usually have a hard time getting into the Dodos. Maybe it's Neko. Man I love Neko.

The Dodos - Don't Try and Hide It (ft. Neko Case)

EDIT: Something shitty with the embedding, watch the video here.

Fucked Up - I Hate Summer

2011-11-29T19:58:00.000-05:00

Timing aside, Fucked Up have released "I Hate Summer" through Matador Records a few months prior to the band's scheduled Bruise Cruise trek - a punk rock cruise line that I'll let you figure out for yourself. This time, the band takes a step back from the David Comes to Life message and just shits out good music.

Fucked Up - I Hate Summer by Bears and Bullets

Tuesday Bears: The Das Racist debate

2011-11-29T15:35:00.000-05:00

Das Racist made their late-night TV premiere last night on Conan with "Michael Jackson," the lead-single off the group's first official studio album Relax (that doesn't include their first two mixtapes, which are still available for free on their website) and, well, it was terrible. No one who saw this performance just became a Das Racist fan.

The NYC trio looked too weird to be interesting or clever, and methodically out of place. Their reputation for their other live shows isn't much better, and with the release of Relax and some Youtube promotion, they've garnered there fair share of detractors. For almost every fan praising their lyrical depth and subtle creativity, there are those who see them as nothing more than a hipster-branded joke rap band that doesn't joke about the things they think are funny.

Makes sense. The mere fact that Das Racist is most people's first exposure to a rap group that isn't white or black is something incredibly rare in the states, and it spins off an unfair perception. That being said, super-intricate rapping with sole focus on lyricism never truly caught on, just like it never caught only completely with ... any genre really.

However, Das Racist (Twitter) seem to revel in it, frequently posting anytime someone says something negative about the group and just truly not trying to give a shit. In a way, they live off the aesthetic extreme of what we consider rap music: not black or white, but racially based; intricate and profound, but comical. It's to a point where you can't take them too seriously, and that's even to the point where you took them seriously in the first place.

Will it last? It's been almost two years since the release of their first mixtape Shut Up, Dude. And if there's any consent, they're more popular now than ever. Your call.

Stop dating bitches

2011-11-29T01:54:00.001-05:00

Might as well turn a little personal side from this point.

This is my blog. It's been my blog. At this point, aside from the very, very rare self-centered rants, I've kept it strictly business style - in another essence, boring.

After after last weekend's mythological debacle of me trying to date someone that no one (and barely me) liked, I had to have learned some concerning lesson somewhere. It's completely over, and so far, what I've got is Stop Dating Bitches.

And like fun stuff.

Monday Bears: New Bon Iver video - Hinnom, TX

2011-11-28T15:52:00.000-05:00

As part of the deluxe-edition re-release of last spring's self-titled effort, Bon Iver has accompanied each of the album's ten tracks, including this new one for "Hinnom, TX," of a snowy setting sun. Which is also the first time I've said that phrase.

Bon Iver - Hinnom, TX

Friday Bears: New Weeknd video - The Knowing

2011-11-25T15:35:00.000-05:00

Late last night, as some kind of Black Friday special (I made that part up), The Weeknd released a near-eight minute super video for "The Knowing," the final track on his spring album House of Balloons. It's about this futuristic dystopian universe, or someone getting cheated on. Either or.

The Weeknd - The Knowing

Wednesday Bears: Kendrick Lamar's "Rigamortus" remix

2011-11-23T16:40:00.000-05:00

I haven't paid my fair dues to how good Kendrick Lamar's Section.80 is. So if you haven't heard the original version of "Rigamortus," the newest remix with Busta Rhymes is worth your time.

Oh yeah, it's fast. Like, really fast.

Tuesday Bears: M83 on Fallon

2011-11-22T18:00:00.000-05:00

Anthony Gonzalez and the rest of M83 performed Hurry Up, We're Dreaming standout "Midnight City" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night. You know, the song from the Victoria's Secret commercial and B&B Album of the Month for October 2011 (REMEMBER??)

Sax included.

M83 - Midnight City (Live on Fallon)

Lollapalooza Brazil lineup released

2011-11-21T22:40:00.000-05:00

With yesterday's release of the Lollapalooza Chile lineup, promoters have also dished out the newest Lolla expansion - Lollapalooza Brazil - Sao Paulo, specifically.

For those familiar with the Santiago, Chile lineup, the Sao Paulo version isn't much of a shock. The majority of the well-known names (Foo Fighters, Arctic Monkeys, MGMT, others) are on both billings with only a few minor alterations. Instead of Bjork, the festival's second headliner will be the Perry Farrell-led (there's some kind of theme here) Jane's Addiction, which performed in Santiago last spring.

You can see the whole lineup and grab tickets here.

Monday Bears: New Fleet Foxes video - The Shrine/An Argument

2011-11-21T16:48:00.000-05:00

Fleet Foxes released an absolutely wonderful eight minute-plus video for "The Shrine/An Argument," one of the standouts from the group's last release Helplessness Blues. It's an oddly familiar song even for those who never heard it before, but it's the Sean (Robin's brother) Pecknold-directed video that really sells it together.

Fleet Foxes - The Shrine/An Argument

Lollapalooza Chile 2012 lineup announced

2011-11-20T23:12:00.000-05:00

It's been over three months since the 20th annual Lollapalooza commenced and the Perry Farrell brand continues its new tradition of expansion. Last April, the festival launched it's first non-Chicago venue since its mid-2000s hiatus in Santiago, Chile, and luckily enough is making its way back.

Lollapalooza Chile 2011 saw previous Lolla performers Kanye West, Jane's Addiction, and The Killers headline alongside acts like The National and Flaming Lips. And while those acts have performed at multiple Lolla's in recent past, of the 57 artists who performed there last year, only four were also found on the next Chicago billing (roughly .07 percent turnover rate). So those looking for early clues to the August 3-5 lineup may not find much.

Regardless, the 2012 lineup was released just a few moments ago, and the model is similar to last year. Several artists from the last Chicago event are on the billing, including; headlining act Foo Fighters, Arctic Monkeys, Cage The Elephant, Skrillex and more. Alongside Dave Grohl and Co., Bjork will be Santiago's other headliner, marking the very first Lolla-anything that Bjork will be performing. If that's worth any clue, you can expect her to make the billing on at least one other major concert festival next summer.

You can read the entire lineup and look for tickets here.

Our Newest Obsession concerts

2011-11-18T19:01:00.000-05:00

Misleading title? Hell yes. But, I'd like to think Our Newest Obsession is making some kind of obscure difference.

Previous ONO featured artist Vintage Kicks will be celebrating their record release party for King Geek, the group's first album, December 9 at the Legendary Dobbs bar on 304 South St. in Philadelphia. Cover is a mere $10 with doors opening at 8 p.m. Check here for more details and download King Geek at Vintage Kicks' Bandcamp page.

In addition, Vulture Shit, alongside Robot Death Kites and Ulitek, will be performing will be performing at the Lit Lounge in New York City Saturday, December 3 for $6. Brought to you buy the unbelievably awesome named Absolute Bull Fucking Shit Productions.

We're relevant!

Friday Bears: New Pujol video - Mayday

2011-11-18T17:17:00.000-05:00

Pujol is a name that should be jumping around a bit more soon. The Nashville group has been ever-so-slightly under the radar since last year's Jack White-produced "Black Rabbit" 7". Check out "Mayday," from the group's Nasty, Brutish, and Short EP below.

Thursday Bears: Our Newest Obsession: WU LYF

2011-11-17T17:16:00.000-05:00

It's not too often that the Our Newest Obsession series highlights a band or artist that already seem to have a grasp of success, in some forms. But Manchester, England band WU LYF (all caps) still have an air of mystery about them.

Having already gotten press in NME, Rolling Stone, and other publications, there isn't terribly much to say about the band. How that's possible for a seemingly popular band is pretty miraculous, so take their anonymity right now as some odd blessing.

The group's first album Go Tell Fire to the Mountain was released last June to wide critical appeal, yet the band's quiet distinction still let them go unnoticed. It's about time you did, though.

WU LYF - We Bros

Wednesday Bears: New Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77 - Church of Noise (ft. Dennis Lyxzen)

2011-11-16T16:44:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, "Church of Noise," the newest venture of Sir Bob Cornelius as part of the Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77 (the rock electro outfit of the original Bloody Beetroots) was released.

With Refused's Dennis Lyxzen doing the vocal work, as he previously had with the group, "Church of Noise" is a slight departure from the familiar Beetroots' sound, although the group has played with scream vocals before. But clearly, this style won't be for everyone - especially the spoken part at 1:30.

Aside from the awkward pause, the idea of this being performed live is exhilarating, especially considering how exciting the group already is in a live setting.

Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77 - Church of Noise (ft. Dennis Lyxzen)

2011-11-15T23:04:00.002-05:00

Tuesday Bears: New (Again) Black Lips video - Raw Meat

2011-11-15T16:49:00.000-05:00

Today marked the release of the Black Lips fifth (!) video from they're Mark Ronson-produced Arabia Mountain. "Raw Meat" times itself pretty well with last nights cop explosion in NYC over the OWS protests.

Black Lips - Raw Meat

Monday Bears: New J Mascis - I've Been Thinking

2011-11-14T16:31:00.000-05:00

"I've Been Thinking," originally included on J Mascis' Japanese version of Several Shades of Why, will also be featured on Sub Pop's B-Side of Mascis' upcoming single release "Circle." I'm still trying to figure out why the Japanese get more bonus tracks than others seem to.

Thursday Bears: New Friendly Fires video - Hurting

2011-11-10T16:26:00.000-05:00

Just a good damn video every once in a while is nice for a change of pace. Friendly Fires' latest video for "Hurting," off the group's second album Pala, features Ed Macfarlance (donning his usual Hawaiian button-up and dancing) memeing (a thing now) everywhere.

Friendly Fires - Hurting

Wednesday Bears: New Girls - Lawrence

2011-11-09T17:18:00.000-05:00

Girls released their four-minute instrumental "Lawrence," dedicated to the Felt frontman of the same name. The track had leaked yesterday, but you can now officially grab a copy. Quantities are limited, so pre-order now from True Panther.

Tuesday Bears: New Tom Waits video - Satisfied

2011-11-08T15:18:00.000-05:00

Not enough old-man saloon poetry yelping happening in your backyard? Try Tom Waits' in his new video for "Satisfied," from his latest, spectacular album, Bad As Me. It may not, or ever, be for everyone. In that case, fuck everyone.

Tom Waits - Satisfied

Monday Bears: New Sigur Ros - Lúppulagið

2011-11-07T16:48:00.001-05:00

It's not quite a trick, but when I say "New" next to the Sigur Ros track, it's pretty much a lie. "Lúppulagið" doesn't feature any of Jonsi's vocals, just a six-minute atmospheric instrumental in another realm of existence. Something I'm slightly sure Sigur Ros coined.

Sigur Ros - Lúppulagið

Friday Bears: The National - High Beams

2011-11-04T17:29:00.000-04:00

For independent label Brassland's 10th anniversary, one free track a week will be released every day this week. Yesterday, the label released an old, unreleased "High Beams" from the National, which is very, very different from the band's recent work. You can grab the download at Brassland's website or stream below.

Albums of the Month - October 2011

2011-11-03T19:03:00.000-04:00

Albums of the Month - October 2011

Like we started last month, here's how I rank the best albums for the month of October.

3. Real Estate - Days
Since 2009, with the Ridgewood, NJ band's self-titled debut, Real Estate seemed destined for Pitchfork-aura supremacy. With Days, an intrepid trek through the crew's soft lo-fi exteriors, Real Estate confirm they were never a group for the truly visceral at heart. There is, instead, a truly multi-layered scope to the songs, like in the eerily accurate "Wonder Years," with its patterning guitars and soft lulls transgressing seamlessly into the next track - a clever pattern you don't even need 10 songs to notice.

Real Estate - Days (Stream at Insound)

2. Tom Waits - Bad As Me
Tom Waits is in an invincible pantheon. Everything he touches turns into dirty Zatarains gold. With Bad As Me, Waits' first true studio album since 2004's Real Gone, Waits new work is a snarling, spit-stomping (an idea that only exists in Waits World, the most depressing theme park in town) anthem wedged in between the dreary soul four decades into his storied career. There are very, very few, if any, that can touch the level of poetic drag, again and again, that Waits so easily sneers at.

Tom Waits - Bad As Me

1. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
In some ways, M83 was due. It's not as if Anthony Gonzalez's previous efforts weren't good - they were, very good in fact. But Hurry Up, We're Dreaming had a varying degree of hype surrounding it after Gonzalez three-year in between period. And with everyone's first listen to "Midnight City," the double-album accrued an even higher potential appeal. And what we have is a daunting, 74-minute slow climb of M83-esque haunting beauty immersed in the soft, ethereal atmosphere that was, in a way, expected. Going through each side it's easy so see, for me at least, why it's #1 for October.

M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming (Stream at Insound)

M83 - Midnight City

Tuesday Bears: New Washed Out - Call It Off

2011-11-01T16:56:00.000-04:00

The B-Side to Washed Out's November 14 single "Amor Fati," "Call It Off" is another sleekly produced product from Ernest Greene. Listen to the stream below courtesy of Pretty Much Amazing.

Within and Without, Greene's latest album, is available now via Sub Pop.

Monday Bears: Hallobear

2011-10-31T13:48:00.000-04:00

Take the day off, eat candy and don't beat children.

Glass Candy - Halloween

Friday Bears: EL-P - Rush Over BKLYN

2011-10-28T15:21:00.000-04:00

Recognize the title? If you do, you may recall El-P's "Drones Over Brooklyn," part of Adult Swim's 2011 Singles Program. This version has El-P versing over Rush's "Tom Sawyer" (you know, "do-da-do-do-do, do-da-do-da-do-do) - legally, might I add.

The mix was a sample-based push put through Legitmix, which lets DJ's and others legally sample things, for whatever reason I haven't figured out.

Also, BUY the single. It'll help fellow DJ Mr. Dibbs who has liver disease. Listen below.

Thursday Bears: New Deer Tick - Main Street

2011-10-27T17:50:00.000-04:00

It's not some topical offshoot of the Occupy movements, which I'm sure will be taken seriously in song anyway, so no worries. "Main Street" is the first single off Deer Tick's recently released Divine Providence, courtesy of Partisan Records. And just like a lot of what Deer Tick does, it's still kinda underrated.

Listen below via We All Want Someone to Shout For.

Wednesday Bears: New Black Keys - Lonely Boy

2011-10-26T16:51:00.000-04:00

Part of Black Friday's Record Store Day promotion (November 25 this year), the Black Keys will be releasing their new "Lonely Boy/Run Right Back" 7". In addition, check out the duo's new video for "Lonely Boy," below. It gets it going.

The Black Keys - Lonely Boy

New Summer Camp video - Down

2011-10-25T20:24:00.000-04:00

Ryan Adams on Later ... With Jools Holland

2011-10-25T18:25:00.000-04:00

Ryan Adam's recent break from his super-prolific stretch in the mid-late 2000s is over. With the release of Ashes & Fire, the 13th in Adams' 11-year catalog, the Jacksonville, NC native right back into old familiar form, as you can see in his performance of "Lucky Now" on Jools Holland, below.

Ryan Adams - Lucky Now (Live on Later ... With Jools Holland)

Tuesday Bears: Beirut on Fallon

2011-10-25T18:00:00.000-04:00

This is easy. Beirut performed The Rip Tide standout "Santa Fe" on Fallon last night, effortlessly. Watch below, via The Audio Perv.

Beirut - Santa Fe (Live on Fallon)

Monday Bears: New Duck Sauce video - Big Bad Wolf

2011-10-24T17:32:00.000-04:00

In all honesty, A-Track and Armand Van Helden had to do something after "Barbra Streisand" to catch people's eyes. And well, "Big Bad Wolf" isn't the best song selection - like, at all - but this new NSFW video is goddamn incredible. Watch below via Rolling Stone.

Duck Sauce - Big Bad Wolf

Friday Bears: New Summer Camp - Down

2011-10-21T16:58:00.000-04:00

Earlier today, courtesy of We All Want Someone To Shout For, we got our first listen to Summer Camp's "Down," off the band's upcoming November release Welcome to Condale. Name befitting (or, the opposite), October may not be the best place for a Summer Camp release, but it's still awesome.

Listen below and grab Welcome to Condale November 8, via Apricot and Moshi Moshi Records.

Thursday Bears: New King Khan - I Got Love

2011-10-20T16:08:00.000-04:00

Not part of the Shrines, BBQ Show, or anything else King Khan stretches his name to, Arish Ahmad Khan is releasing an EP with Scion A/V (which does this more often than you'd think). You can grab Scion A/V presents the King Khan Experience next Tuesday, October 25, and listen to the EP's first single "I Got Love" below.

Wednesday Bears: Massive Attack and Burial - Paradise Circus

2011-10-19T18:06:00.000-04:00

This doesn't happen too often.

Yesterday, we got our first listen to Massive Attack and Burial's 12" collaboration B-Side "Paradise Circus," a 12-minute ethereal urban harmonic glossed over through sheering vocals and distant rain. As if all Burial's takes didn't somewhat sound like that already.

The Four Walls 12" is available in very limited quantity (1,000 copies), which you can order here.

Massive Attack and Burial - Paradise Circus

Bon Iver on Jools Holland

2011-10-18T22:29:00.000-04:00

Last we heard from Jools Holland it was Girls' frontman Christopher Owens going off about how his band gets frequently denied play opportunity and how Lana Del Rey got a spot for no reason. But, that doesn't matter, Bon Iver's performance of "Towers" does.

Bon Iver - Towers (Live on Jools Holland)

Tuesday Bears: Real Estate of Tunnelvision

2011-10-18T17:40:00.000-04:00

Real Estate's new album Days was released today, and to celebrate the litany of positive reviews, check out this old New Jersey backyard rendition of the band on Tunnelvision (via Chocolate Bobka). Enjoy.

Monday Bears: New M83 video - Midnight City

2011-10-17T16:43:00.001-04:00

"Midnight City" is, deservedly so, beginning to get around everywhere. With the release of Hurry Up, We're Dreaming tomorrow via Mute Records, M83's first single from the new album was given the X-Men children's story video treatment, which is a good change of pace from the band's previous litany of attractive teenager's hanging out and doing teenage things series of videos.

Listen to the entire Hurry Up, We're Dreaming stream here and watch the video below.

M83 - Midnight City