Youth is not wasted on the talented. Between ABX and STV SLV, the young prodigies of Neon Indian, the future of music becomes clear: it’s weird, it’s capable, and it’s so unpredictable that you cannot help but be excited. Traditional harmony, rhythm, pop melody don’t matter; only the notion of what sounds cool. It may be shocking, surprising, even uncomfortable, but in the end so good that you may not notice it tonight, or on XRT tomorrow, but these brains are far enough ahead of their time that you should be lucky to see them in a small venue now before the rest of their world realizes their talent. It’s not a deadbeat summer; it’s a new season altogether.
Side-effects of 6-hour winter days: See also 'Champaign'
One of the most popular rock bands in Sweden and yet relatively unknown outside the country. Here are a couple off their newest offering, Röd. You can hear both sides of their emerging style: Half Radiohead-inspired rock on the first track, half synth-heavy power pop on the next two.
For those unfamiliar, Chicago-based The Hood Internet consists of Aaron Brink and Steve Reidell, better known as ABX and STV SLV, two DJs unafraid to mash just about anything together. Best known for their outrageously good mixtapes, Volume Four is no exception.
Find full singles, the rest of this mix, and a bunch of other good stuff on their website. If you haven’t had the chance to catch these guys live, do so ASAP. They play a lot of shows around Chicago, including The Vic on November 27th and Canopy Club (for you U of I alums and students) on December 4th.
UK indie band The Heavy just came out with their second studio LP, The House That Dirt Built …like woah. Difficult to know where to begin on this album with a schizophrenic sound that jumps track to track from garage punk to reggae, Mo-Town soul to Zeppelin-era rock. At times it’s amazing to think a five member band could produce such a wide variety sounds, and more impressively, all of them good.
Nothing says “time to hang out with my friends” like a new album from People Under The Stairs.
This is the group that, for me, revived hip-hop in the early 2000s when it was for all intensive purposes, dead. Coming out of L.A. and bringing all of laid back sunshine, chill vibes, and green smoke you’ve come to expect from the easy-livin land to the west.
PUTS (Thes One and Double K) came out in the late 90s with The Next Step and 5 albums since have been regarded as one of the top acts in underground hip hop along with other acts such as Aesop Rock, Hieroglyphics, Digible Planets, Pharcyde. and so forth.
In short, this is what hip-hop is supposed to be. Smooth, melodic instrumentals, carefully crafted beats, and rhymes about nothing else than hanging out with friends, sipping on some cold beverages, examining the green documents, and seeing where the night takes you. And so, a People primer for the weekend.
There’s nothing quite like taking stab into the endless ocean of new music and coming up with your hands full of great stuff.
So Seek Magic is a great new EP from a great new band, Memory Tapes. Equal parts Cut Copy and Fleet Foxes, with a little more jazzy feel. These guys have great vocals over a smooth synth backbone. While a little less poppy than their Australian counterparts, some of these songs are just screaming to be remixed.
DISCLAIMER: Yes, this is a Modest Mouse post. Yes, you can probably find this elsewhere as they are popular, easily found on the Internet, and typically much less obscure than the stuff we normally like to toss up here.
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will blog for food
That being said, this is a new Modest Mouse album and it is awesome. Awesome in all the ways that made you like them in the first place; catchy, folksy, occasionally depressing, and altogether redeeming.
More than enough songs in an 8-track release that you’ll find yourself listening to as you discuss worldly issues with your friends at 3am.
More than enough songs that will have you listening again and again.
Shit happpens. Like exploding your car while racing a McClaren Mercedes at 4am at speeds exceeding 200 miles an hour.
The key is not to panic. Chill out, collect yourself (literally), listen to The xx, and run as fast as you possibly can.
But seriously, xx by The xx is a great way to take a few minutes and get it together. Equal parts Chris Issac, Marcy Playground, and Interpol; just what the doctor ordered to escape your flaming wreck of a Wednesday.
Y’know, just hours ago I was complaining that all of the best new music I’ve found was so depressing / couch inducing (see previous post). Depressing music is ok and all, but goddammit it’s hump day and I need something to get through the rest of the week. Maybe it’s not Friday rage inducing (see upcoming megamix), but good enough to get get excited for tomorrow.
Luckily, someone in the vast world of the Internets was listening, and down came Wild Beasts to pull me out of the mid-week vacuum. A pleasant surprise of an album through and through, reminds me at times of VHS or Beta + female vocalist (see song 2) and other times a whole different…animal.
Might as well enjoy it while we still got the taste dancing on our tongues
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