Artist Spotlight: The Dodos Might Be Returning to Form

I've been onboard The Dodo's bandwagon since "Jodi" made its way onto the blogosphere way back in February 2008 (proof!).

Then I was completely let down by the duo's junior effort, 2009's Time to Die. They all but abandoned their rhythmic, finger-picked guitar & drum sound in favour of more fleshed out nonsense, completely stripping away what made the band so interesting in the first place.

While I've got a little hope for their forthcoming record, No Color, "Don't Stop" is a pretty promising first single, sounding like a return to good form (I hope). Since it's a coin flip whether or not their next album will be any good, I'm hosting the new track, plus some older Dodo favourites.

I still spin my double-vinyl copy of Visiter when the weather get warm. Listen to "Jodi" first.

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The Dodos - Jodi
The Dodos - Don't Stop
The Dodos - Horny Hippies
The Dodos - Fools
The Dodos - Park Song

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Artist Spotlight: TJ Says Relax, Listen to Some More jj

The general response to my recent jj entry was pretty much, "More please," and since I'm a man of the people, I thought, "Yes," and decided to host five of the Swedish duo's strongest, chillest tracks.

EDIT:// Download jj's excellent mixtape, Kills, by clicking here...

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Ecstasy - jj
My Life - jj
Things Will Never Be the Same Again - jj
Let Go - jj
CEO Birthday - jj

Previous MP3s...

Let Them - jj
I'm the One / Money on My Mind - jj

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Artist Spotlight: James Blake Is All Sorts of Awesome

James Blake, London's 21-year-old wunderkind producer, has released four EPs since 2009 and his latest, Klavierwerke, is a micro-masterpiece. Blake is one of many UK exports touting skills in the dubstep/electronic genres, but while so many of his peers hover around four-on-the-floor rhythms, Blake's jams are much more challenging.

Let's start with the basics: Blake's music is normally rooted in R&B, soul, and avant-jazz. In only four releases, Blake's created his own recognizable style -- his songs are mid-tempo and cut between sampled/manipulated vocals (usually his own) and bass tics, stuttering cymbals, timid handclaps, and other nondescript electronics. The point being, Blake practices minimalism. His goal isn't to get you on the dance-floor; it's a exercise in digital subtly. The CMYK EP, released in May, is the most straigtforward take on Blake's warped R&B sound; think Autechre meets Burial.

His latest, the Klavierwerke EP, was released earlier this month. Each of its four tracks find Blake stripping down his slow-burn sound and relying more heavily on his piano. "Tell Her Safe" recalls the isolation of Bon Iver, while "I Only Know (What I Know Now)" turns electro-convention on its head, playing with silence and irrhythm more than sub-bass and snare-drum.

On top of all that, Blake just dropped "Limit to You Love," a Feist cover and the first we're hearing from his forthcoming debut LP. The track's interesting because A: It's a Feist cover by James Blake and B: We hear Blake's voice, free of any manipulation. The album cut is stirring in it's simplicity, shifting between Blake's voice and piano and skittering bass beats.

It's all headphones music for sure, but a little patience reveals an artist challenging what electronic music can be. Or maybe's he's just a overly-trained classical music major using Ableton as a pallet. That's for you to decide.

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CMYK - James Blake

I Only Know (What I Know Now) - James Blake

Tell Her Safe - James Blake

Limit to Your Love - James Blake

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New Blonde Redhead, "Here Sometimes"

Whoa, Blonde Redhead have been together since 1993. In indie-rock years, that makes them ancient (indie-rock years function like dog years, duh). Despite totally being old enough to be my parents*, the shoegaze-y trio have delivered the goods with each new release and their forthcoming yet-to-be-titled LP will probably be no exception.

I first heard of the gang something like four years ago. I was on vacation, snowboarding in Colorado, when I met some high school senior. She must've been impressed by the Minor Threat and Pixies stickers on my board, because we struck up a musical conversation on the tram. Being a few years older and in college, she was obviously outgunned ("Wait, you've never heard of Sufjan Stevens?!?"), but she was able to enter at least one new band into my music lexicon: Blonde Redhead. I bumped into her again back at the hotel and before we parted ways, she slipped me her burned copy of Misery Is a Butterfly. Cool girl. I don't remember her name.

Anyways, here's their latest single, "Here Sometimes." It's a little more electronic and trip-hoppy than the band's usual efforts, but a solid listen. It's also an excuse to to post a few standout tracks from the band's 17-year-long catalog...

* Pretty sure that's not not accurate.

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Here Sometimes - Blonde Redhead

Violent Life - Blonde Redhead

23 - Blonde Redhead

Equus - Blonde Redhead

First Rate People Are a Little Less Mysterious

It's been four months since I last blogged about Toronto's First Rate People and their groovy debut single, "Girls' Night." Here's what I had to say...

Sounding like a mash-up of the Tom Tom Club and Stars, First Rate People's “Girls’ Night” is my newest pre-game jam. It’s back-and-forth guy/girl vocals, dribbling-over, heavy bass, an over-produced beat, and twangy guitars, could easily score your amateur mixology or that ugly-duckling/swan montage from She’s All That. [... But] the true charms of “Girls’ Night” are buried in that breezy melody.

When trolling Hype Machine for new tunes, it's easy to find something you like and even easier for some freshmen band to slip into the cracks of your hard drive, collecting dust until you end up forgetting about them altogether, barely noticing their 5.9 MB blip of disc space.

This is (hopefully) not the fate of First Rate People. Calling "Girls' Night" infectious just about sums it up and that I still have it on heavy rotation says something about the band's staying power.

While they have only one other track on their Myspace, a full-length album was reported to be right around the corner, so I decided to do a little digging. Here's what I found:

Their debut LP will be titled It's Never Not Happening. It's seven songs long. The tracklist is down below. The emo-ish album art looks like this. The band looks like this.

Luckily, I stumbled upon three new tracks that are in excellent condition (320 kbps) -- Album opener "Orion," the folky, heartbreaking "It's Never Not Happening (Pt. 1)" and disco-pop-anthem "Charlie Kaufman." Grab them (alongside "Girls' Night" if you haven't yet) while they're hot.

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Girls' Night - First Rate People
Orion - First Rate People
It's Never Not Happening (Pt. 1) - First Rate People
Charlie Kaufman - First Rate People

Wavves Cleans Up His Act, Drops Post Acid

In a sort of recent interview with indie demigods P4k, Wavves' Nathan Williams discussed his forthcoming record, King of the Beach. He talked about how it was recorded in an honest-to-God studio and how it sounds "clean as a whistle," meaning, the tracks on King of the Beach have been stripped of their typical Sebadoh-ish, lo-fi charms.

A few days ago, Wavves had Mountain Dew's Green Label Sound imprint release the first track off said record, "Post Acid." Is it cleaner? Yes. Can you actually hear Williams' voice? Yep. Is it good? Definitely.

While I'm bummed to see Williams abandon the lo-fi trend he helped re-popularize, it nice to hear actual talent behind all the tape hiss and guitar fuzz -- it's almost like vindication for all the blog backlash he's received. Plus, "Post Acid" still sounds very much like the Wavves you know and love, three chords and all. And it's not like it's that clean...

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Post Acid - Wavves

Previous MP3s...

To the Dregs - Wavves

Summer Goth - Wavves

So Bored - Wavves

New Sleigh Bells To Blow Yr Speakers To

If you don't remember me blogging about Brooklyn's Sleigh Bells and/or don't have the teeth-rattling pop of "Crown on the Ground" on your hard drive, please take a moment to click here and check out my previous entry. For those who did, here's a small, quoted, refresher:

"Every one of [their tracks] soar into the red. It's not hip-hop, but to call it indie rock is a stretch. At the heart of every song is a dirty beat -- Lead singer Alexis' vocals and fuzzed-out guitars take a back seat to one powerful drum machine. Despite being incredibly minimalist, Sleigh Bell's manage to keep things damn catchy."

Well, yesterday the speaker-blowing duo released the (literal) first track off their 2010 album, Treats. The new song, "Tell 'Em," is in line with everything the twosome's done before; it's as loud as it is catchy. And for some unexplainable, but awesome, reason, the louder you play it, the better it comes off. Download it below, max out those tinny MacBook speakers, and hear for yourself.

Treats is due out May 11th on Mom + Pop and M.I.A.'s N.E.E.T. record label. And in true in-case-you-missed-it fashion, I'm posting all of the band's original demos down below, plus that wild mash-up with Weezy F. Baby.

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Tell 'Em - Sleigh Bells

Demos:

Crown on the Ground - Sleigh Bells

A/B Machines - Sleigh Bells

Infinity Guitars - Sleigh Bells

Ring Ring - Sleigh Bells

Beach Girls - Sleigh Bells

Fireman on the Ground (Sleigh Bells vs. Lil Wayne) - Sleigh Bells

Best Coast Should Be Your Sound of Summer

So out of all the lo-fi, SoCal-sounding, all-girl (or close to it) pop groups out there (Vivian Girls, Dum Dum Girls, et al.) my favourite has always been Best Coast. Something about solo songstress Bethany Cosentino (the lady behind the moniker) and her retro beach-ball tunes stick with me and seem to tint everything a soft yellow.

In 2009 alone, Best Coast released two sunny 7"s (for download below) and two groovy EPs (that you can download by clicking here).

But now it's 2010, the weather's getting warmer, and like clock-work, Bethany is dropping more sun-dripped pop onto the interwebs. "Our Deal" is her doo-wopping latest and it's off her forthcoming, yet-to-be-named, debut LP.

(And, um, sorry about all the hyphens and parentheses.)

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Our Deal - Best Coast

When I'm With You 7":

When I'm With You - Best Coast

This Is Real - Best Coast

Best Coast 7":

Sun Was High (So Was I) - Best Coast

So Gone - Best Coast

Gold Panda Wants "You"

I first became aware of Gold Panda last year when he released his Quitter's Raga EP and P4K did some commentary on the title track. Since then I've inhaled everything the London-based producer has dropped onto the internet, including his newly minted You EP.

Having heard what he's capable of so far, "You" has got to be one of the strongest songs in his catalog. It's not dubstep (note: he's from the UK), not quite IDM, almost dance-floor-ready, and features some incredibly catchy vocal/sitar samples that, when combined with the EP's artwork, sound like they're straight out of Sri Lanka.

When is this guy going to release an album already? Check out the new track, plus two older goodies, below.

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You - Gold Panda (Link removed by request, but you can still hear the track by pressing play above.)

I Suppose I Should Say Thanks or Some Shit - Gold Panda

Back Home - Gold Panda

New National; Creative Headline Unnecessary

While "Bloodbuzz Ohio" was leaked a few weeks ago, The National just issued another promising cut from the soon-to-be-released High Violet, "Afraid of Everyone." Thus, it is now time for me to blog about it.

I'll be honest, there's really not much for me to say here in this space; let your ears be your guide and download both songs below. Now.

Still here? Well then, I can't say I'm surprised that the tracks are great. While neither truly departs from The National's shtick, it's nice to hear new songs from a band whose catalog is so solid. "Bloodbuzz Ohio" retreads the footsteps of previous up-tempo tracks like "Brainy" while "Afraid of Everyone" comes off as the improved ghost of "Secret Meeting." That being sad, both freshly released songs are two signs that High Violet (due May 10th) will be every bit as good as its predecessors*.

EDIT:// According to Stereogum, "Afraid of Everyone" also features background vocals from Sufjan Stevens**.

*In case you didn't know, The National's previous two LPs, Alligator and Boxer, are Best of the Aughts-caliber good. If you don't have them already, get your hands on them ASAP.

**Bonus!

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Bloodbuzz Ohio - The National

Afraid of Everyone - The National

Brainy - The National

Secret Meeting - The National

Joanna Newsom Wants You to Have One on Her

The first time I heard Joanna Newsom, I was a sophomore in college procrastinating on a paper for a class on the sociology of religion. Apparently Ys had just been released and after reading the 9.4 review on P4k, I opened up SoulSeek and downloaded the record immediately.

I remember listening to a lot of Tapes 'n Tapes, Holy Fuck, and Sufjan around then and wasn't at all prepared for Ys' madrigal poetry -- just look at that album art. But the nuanced record quickly grew on me. While so much of Newsom's brand of folk music can make for a difficult listen (12-minute-long songs, her sharp voice, et al.), I soaked it up like your stereotypical sponge. Listening to "Emily" still takes me back to that cramped single dorm room and living with my stowaway cat.

And so I snatched up the rest of her discography (and scored a t-shirt from a radical friend who saw her live) and wasn't disappointed. The far less epic The Milk-Eyed Mender leaned heavier on traditional folk and Newsom's early self-released EPs adequately showcased her promise. If you're patient and willing, there's a wealth of beauty and substance to be mined from any of her records.

Which brings me to the status quo. After a three year drought, Newsom is finally releasing new material. Come Feburary 23rd, we'll all be treated to the three-disc Have One on Me. So far, her label, Drag City, has streamed but two tracks. "'81" delivers typical Newsom harped storytelling, but "Good Intentions Paving Company" shows the most promise. It finds her in full-on Joni Mitchell-mode, at her most accessible, and backed by banjo and full percussion. If this is the new direction she's heading, count me in.

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Good Intentions Paving Company - Joanna Newsom

'81 - Joanna Newsom

Sprout and the Bean - Joanna Newsom

It's Gucci, Gucci Everywhere

So Gucci Mane is in jail. He'll be stuck there for twelve months, but I doubt that will stop him from setting the blogosphere ablaze. So far this year he's released eight hundred and forty-three mixtapes, dropped his major label debut album yesterday, and inspired Diplo to create the shirt above in his honor.

Thankfully, Diplo's not stopping there. Word slipped a few days ago that the DJ extraordinaire is remixing Gucci’s Cold War mixtapes with a bunch of his friends at Mad Decent, the first track of which leaked Tuesday. Yeah, it's pretty great, but would you expect less from a remixer who claims, "Gucci Mane is an underdog and a divisive artist"?

To do my part, I'm posting some quality Gucci, including the aforementioned remix and two from the brand new The State vs. Radric Davis. BURRR, BURRR.

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Danger's Not a Stranger (Diplo Remix) - Gucci Mane

Lemonade - Gucci Mane

Throw Money - Gucci Mane

Diamonds - Gucci Mane

Overboard - Gucci Mane

Wasted feat. Lil Wayne (Remix) - Gucci Mane

Shine Blockas (feat. Gucci Mane) - Big Boi

Sleigh Bells Have Burst My Eardrums

If there's one thing I can appreciate about music, it's pure volume. Turn it up to eleven and all that nonsense. If there's a new band getting buzz and all I'm reading about them is that they're loud, I'm hunting down those MP3s like a bloodhound. It's why I love acts like A Place to Bury Strangers or Times New Viking. It's why I'm as far up front as I can be at any given show. It's why I require a speaker pointed directly at my face when I DJ. It's why I'll probably be deaf at fifty.

Brooklyn's Sleigh Bells fit nicely into this just-built niche. Every one of the tracks I'm posting soar into the red. It's not hip-hop, but to call it indie rock is a stretch. At the heart of every song is a dirty beat -- Lead singer Alexis' vocals and fuzzed-out guitars take a back seat to one powerful drum machine. Despite being incredibly minimalist, Sleigh Bell's manage to keep things damn catchy. It all kind of reminds me of a slowed down Big Black, they just need to label their drummer Roland.

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Crown on the Ground - Sleigh Bells

A/B Machines - Sleigh Bells

Infinity Guitars - Sleigh Bells

The Soft Pack Can't Think of a Clever Headline

I've been listening to The Soft Pack for a while now, back when they used to call themselves The Muslims. Even scored myself a first pressing of their limited run, shot-to-hell debut LP.

It's been about a year and a half since I've heard anything from these up-and-comers. You can't imagine the sighs of relief I breathed when I learned their follow-up release was right around the corner.

What do they sound like, you ask? It may sound cliché by now, but I liken the San Diego boys to The Stokes, just cut out the New York mod and replace it with Californian sun. Yeah, that sounds about right.

Anyways, their second record is due out January 2nd of next year, but who wants to wait that long for catchy garage pop? Not me, or you, presumably. That's why I'm hosting two new songs and a couple of Jurassic MP3s to round out your iTunes library. Those oldies might actually be stronger than the new tracks, but I'll leave that for you to decide.

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New...

Answer to Yourself - The Soft Pack

Down on Lovin' - The Soft Pack (Removed by Request)

Old (Better?)...

Right and Wrong - The Soft Pack

On My Time - The Soft Pack

Bright Side - The Soft Pack

Said Yes to Michigan!

Yesterday night, I was of the lucky attendees of the Sufjan Steven's show in the Crofoot Ballroom of Pontiac. I'd seen Soof before, but never with a backing band so sparse or in a space so intimate. Playing with only five others, Sufjan nonetheless sounded amazing.

This, however, is not blogworthy news. What's worth mentioning is Soof's performance of a few new songs. If my approval means anything to you, note that they're fantastic. For more info on the new tunes, check the fleshed out Stereogum article. Otherwise, download the at times avant-garde, Sonic Youth/Miles Davis-tinged bootlegs below.

Though that big news broke on Thursday, I also got my hands on Sufjan's beautiful, not-yet-released BQE album.

Down below you'll find three new MP3s from The BQE, and in case you missed it, Sufjan's experimental "You Are the Blood" from Dark Was the Night, as well as two of my favourite rarities.

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New bootlegged material...

There's Too Much Love (Live) - Sufjan Stevens
Impossible Souls (Live) - Sufjan Stevens
Age of Adz (Live) - Sufjan Stevens

From The BQE...

Movement I: In the Countenance of Kings - Sufjan Stevens
Movement IV: Traffic Shock - Sufjan Stevens
Postlude: Critical Mass - Sufjan Stevens

From Dark Was the Night...

You Are the Blood - Sufjan Stevens

Rarities...

Borderline - Sufjan Stevens
Lakes of Canada - Sufjan Stevens

Pavement Reuniting: The Biggest News of '09 Comes in '10...

Come 2010, the oft-rumoured Pavement reunion is happening. For me, and the entire indie rock community, this is gigantic news. Rather than blather my excitement, here are the facts: Word first leaked via Brooklyn Vegan regarding a reunion show (singular) at 2010's Central Park Summerstage. Then, the Matador Blog let is slip that Malkmus & Co. would be playing multiple shows (plural) around the US.

So far, only the Sept. 21st Summerstage date has been announced, but as 2009 comes to a close and 2010 kicks off, expect to hear more announcements trickle out.

Suck on that, Zeppelin reunion.

EDIT:// The Matador Blog announced a second show on Sept. 22nd and a third on Sept. 23rd, seeing as how the first sold out in two minutes.

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Shoot the Singer (1 Sick Verse) - Pavement
Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite at :17 - Pavement
Gold Soundz - Pavement
At & T - Pavement
Blue Hawaiian - Pavement
Carrot Rope - Pavement

Editor's Note: Yes, I have my tickets.

This Is a Prison for Penguins

I first heard of Penguin Prison when his remix of Marina & The Diamonds' "I Am Not a Robot," found its way onto the blogosphere. The NY electronic producer/musician has released little since then, but he's working on a double A-side for Neon Gold, due out in the fall.

Moving on up from solely producing, Penguin Prison's solo work finds him singing, writing absurd lyrics about Mike Tyson, and clapping his hands, with great proficiency I may add.

The label is pretty proud of their "one man pop machine" and thus shared one of the single's elevated tunes before autumn stakes summer in its sleep. Listen to "Animal Animal" and the remix that started it all down below.

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Animal Animal - Penguin Prison

I Am Not a Robot (Penguin Prison Remix) - Marina & The Diamonds

Javelin Has Both Jamz and Jemz

Yes, their CD-R has been out since 2008. Yes, they scored a "Best New Music" stamp of approval from P4K. Yes, their mixtape Jamz n Jemz is one of the best releases to get attention this summer. Their name is Javelin. Yes, they're good.

Who is Javelin? They're a New York duo made up of George Langford and Tom Van Buskirk. Together they produce an electronic pastiche of schizphrenic styles, from disco to R&B and new wave to hip-hop.

Their aforementioned CD-R mixtape, Jamz n Jemz, is aptly titled; as their surpirsingly well-written Pitchfork review states, "almost every [song] a gem, many of them certifiable jams."

I hesitate to refer to the collection of songs as an album. Twenty-five tracks long with only three floating above the two-minute mark, the collection is no more than a mixtape. Jumping frequently between musical styles, every song is an instrumental genre stab lacking any sort of sonic cohesion.

While this fosters a fragmented and seemingly random listening experience, the band's stylistic cut-and-paste playfulness is their strong suit. Whether its the summer pop of "Vibrationz" or the
electroclash-inspired (and fantastic) "STD Fury," the duo manages to produce songs that warrant more than a few repeat listens.

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Vibrationz - Javelin

STD Fury - Javelin

Too Many Feelings - Javelin

Lindsay Brohan - Javelin

Y Chromosomes Guest on The xx

The xx's debut album, XX, is out now in the UK. For those stuck in the States, it's only available digitally on iTunes or Amazon.co.uk, which is unfortunate considering the record is shaping up to be one of the best of '09.

With back-and-fourth, Stars-like male/female vocals and heavy rhythms, "Crystalised" defines the band's sound: dance music with indie rock sensibilities. Luckily for listeners, "Islands" and "Heart Skipped a Beat" proves that everything else on XX is just as groovy and good.

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Crystalised - The xx

Islands - The xx

Heart Skipped a Beat - The xx

New (Shorter Titled) Le Loup

On my favourite releases of 2007 was the long-titled The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations' Millennium General Assembly from D.C.'s Le Loup. It was a record filled with drum loops, banjos, acoustic guitars and Sufjan Stevens influences.

Le Loup’s primary songwriter, Sam Simkoff, never let his bedroom project become over indulgent; gentle melodies and hushed voices fostered aural intimacy and songs were often kept brief. In terms of song structure, Simkoff would set his instrument loops early, supplicate with folk vocals, and then let them wash into his next wave of tender banjo plucking, guitar harmonics, or keyboard arpeggio.

Given how well that 2007 LP was put together, it’s no surprise Le Loup’s “Beach Town” is a success. Since their debut album, four other full-time members have rounded out the band, yielding a fuller, richer sound.

Banjos and finger picked guitars are absent in “Beach Town,” but in their place are string sets and reverberated guitars. Thankfully, Le Loup retains its most significant sonic element: soaring vocals. By the song’s climax, wave upon wave of voices and effected guitars crash onto the listener.

Grizzly Bear and Sufjan comparisons be damned, this band can hold it’s own.

“Beach Town” is the second track off Le Loup’s upcoming LP, Family, due out on September 22nd on Hardly Art.

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Beach Town – Le Loup

From 2007’s The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations' Millennium General Assembly…

Le Loup (Fear Not) – Le Loup

We Are Gods! We Are Wolves! – Le Loup