crystal castles

As a result of that Crystal Castles mention yesterday, I received a bunch of emails demanding that I check out their other stuff. Not sure how to describe it, but I will say that the above image pretty much captures their sound perfectly: kind of like the noises that emanated from your old NES when you played it for too long, which I used to fucking love. Plus I think my dog hates it.

mp3:
Crystal Castles She Fell Out
Crystal Castles vs. Health Crimewave (via missing toof)

Crystal Castles are playing Pitchfork's little SXSW happening. Check 'em out.

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elsewhere:

According to our friends at Big D Little D and the Dallas Observer, the Gypsy Tea Room will be shutting down for good as of March 31. If this is indeed true, it's a sad day for Dallas' music scene.

new white denim

Head over to White Denim's myspace page to hear their new song, "Sitting." It's still an unfinished demo at this point, but we've had it on repeat around here the last couple of days. The final 1:35 is particularly triumphant. Expect to be blown away by these guys on a gorilla vs. bear-related bill at SXSW.

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elsewhere:


Transparent Things

I'm painfully late to the game when it comes to Fujiya & Miyagi, and I still don't have much to say about their new album Transparent Things, but this song is genius. Any time a band can chant their own name over and over and make it thoroughly enjoyable, i'm impressed:

Fujiya & Miyagi Ankle Injuries mp3

"Young Folks" on Conan

this is not what i had in mind

A few things we like today:



We're becoming quite fond of Madeline's new album The Slow Bang, produced by Phosphorescent's Matthew Houck (who also contributes his talents on piano and percussion to the record). It was released late last year on limited vinyl via Valiant Death records (which has since sold out), and was released earlier this month on CD by Orange Twin. Madeline's been called "a cross between The Softies, Kimya Dawson, and the Carter Family," which is probably pretty accurate:

Madeline Good Houses mp3

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elsewhere:



Pitchfork posted this version of The Little Ones' "Lovers Who Uncover," featuring a welcome, dance-floor-ready reworking by Crystal Castles.

mp3:
Crystal Castles vs. The Little Ones Lovers Who Uncover

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Finally, here's a track from the new Thee More Shallows record, due out in April on Anticon.

Thee More Shallows Night at the Knight School mp3

i want to show to my girl that i need her

Here's the latest installment in our ongoing obsession with Panda Bear's new material. We're thinking of making this a regular weekly column*:


Panda Bear

I've been listening to this amazing Portuguese radio session that Panda Bear recorded earlier this month nearly as much as I've been listening to Person Pitch. This song, which Noah says he hasn't named yet, is a reverberated Motown shuffle, complete with afro-soul melodies buried in a densely percussive wall of rumbling, dub-inflected beats. This is newer than the Person Pitch material, so it won't appear on the record, but it's amazing nonetheless:

Panda Bear Untitled New Song mp3

*just kidding about that weekly column stuff. maybe.

D.A.N.C.E.

Here's a new track from the upcoming Justice record, due out in March. This version of D.A.N.C.E., which features a children's choir, is ripped from BBC Radio One, who have apparently been playing the shit out of it lately. Almost sounds like a Jackson 5 song reworked by the Go! Team, which is to say I can't imagine anyone not liking it. Justice included a 27-second snippet of this as the B-side on the "Phantom" vinyl single, complete with these lyrics engraved on the record:

Do the D.A.N.C.E.
1 2 3 4 fight
Stick to the B.E.A.T.
Get ready to ignite

You were such a P.Y.T.
Patching all the lights
Just easy as A.B.C.
That's how you make it right

Justice D.A.N.C.E. (BBC Radio rip) mp3

Vashti Bunyan to play SXSW

Vashti Bunyan

I don't know if this has been reported elsewhere, but according to Jana Hunter's myspace page, Vashti Bunyan will be playing at least one show at SXSW. This'll take place at Austin's Central Presbyterian Church on March 15 at 8 PM. The lineup:

March, 15 2007 at (SXSW) Central Presbyterian Church:

Vashti Bunyan
Nina Nastasia & Jim White
Tom Brosseau
David Karsten Daniels
Jana Hunter

Vashti Bunyan Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind mp3

As big fans of Ms. Bunyan's, this is great news. And Jana Hunter's new-ish stuff is completely insane, so I can't wait to see her play too. Her new record is due out in April on Gnomonsong.

i'm your eagle kisser

Pitchfork reported today that the Animal Collective's Avey Tare and Mum's Kria Brekkan are collaborating on a new project, entitled Pullhair Rubeye, due out in April on Paw Tracks. This interesting little number is apparently a b-side from the Pullhair sessions, so it might give us a bit of an idea of what we're in for:

Avey Tare & Kria Brekkan I'm Your Eagle Kisser mp3 (link removed)

poor aim

Just received an email informing us that The Blow will be issuing an expanded version of their 2004 EP Poor Aim: Love Songs, via K Records on April 24. The reissue will include a disc of assorted remixes, including this banger, which wouldn't have sounded out of place on Paper Television:

The Blow Hock it (Yacht remix) mp3

The band will also be playing assorted tour dates with Of Montreal starting in L.A. on Jan. 28. Here's video of the band performing "True Affection" for Fader:



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elsewhere:

Rogue Wave just sent out an update about drummer Pat Spurgeon's kidney operation. Pat's a great guy, this was really good news:

We are very pleased to announce that Pat Spurgeon has finally received a kidney! On Friday January 12th, Pat underwent kidney transplant surgery, and it was a great success. He is now in the process of resting and recuperating with friends and loved ones and is on the road to a full recovery.

cryptograms

Deerhunter's Cryptograms (out Jan. 29 on Kranky) is a classic "study in duality," due mostly to the fact that it's divided into two distinctly opposing parts. The record's first half is notably more experimental, droning, and less focused, the product of some turmoil that the band was experiencing at the time, including the death of a band member.

The best song on the album, "Spring Hall Convert" marks the beginning of the album's stellar second half, which the band calls "...a set of focused psych-pop songs fixating on adolescence, illness, and failing connections..." Deerhunter admits that the album's second half "represents the band in an entirely different state," and the result is beautiful:

Deerhunter Spring Hall Convert mp3

Here's the video for the first single, and perhaps the most accessible track from Cryptograms, "Strange Lights":



Check out the band's myspace page for hilarious "actual testimony" from people who can't stand Deerhunter, then buy Cryptograms here.

what else?

Excuse the Panda Bear overload the last couple weeks (you know how we get), but we're not even going to pretend we've been listening to anything other than Person Pitch lately. Here's video of Noah performing "Bros" live in London over two years ago. I realize it's nothing more than a dude and a sampler, but the song is so spectacular that you can't help but be transfixed:

heretics

Just a quick addition to today's earlier post about Andrew Bird: apparently "Heretics" will be the official mp3 from Armchair Apocrypha available on Fat Possum. I'm assuming this means it's also the first single, and while it's far from my favorite track on the new record, it makes sense given its upbeat and infectious violin melody:
Andrew Bird Heretics mp3

twist myself again

Thanks to P4k's new mp3 blog Forkcast for drawing our attention to Booji Boy High, which is essentially the dudes from Hot Chip going by a different name. According to DFA Records, Booji Boy High "...comes on strong with the bounciest bounce of the next year, New Rave left dead in its grave, replaced by the rainbow rhythms of the New Age." Whatever, listen to "Twist Myself Again" and tell me that's not a Hot Chip song. You can purchase Booji Boy High's debut 7" here for only $5.99.

Back on the topic of Forkcast: we feel no shame in admitting that since p4k dumped the track reviews and launched Forkcast a couple weeks back, it's been one of the best mp3 blogs on the web, and an essential daily visit for us. Today's selections alone included mp3s of unreleased stuff from Malajube, Eluvium, Rosie Thomas (feat. Sufjan) and more. Now if they'll just bring back the 5-star scale, and admit that it's an mp3 blog, we'll be all set.

bird

Andrew Bird's new record, Armchair Apocrypha, is starting to make its way onto the internets. And, while it's no Person Pitch, it definitely has its moments, like the heart-achingly gorgeous "Spare-Ohs." Anyone know who the female vocalist is on that one? EDIT: I think it's Haley Bonar.

One of the best songs from the new record, "Simple X," is a collaboration between Bird and Martin Dosh. Here's a video of the pair performing the song (starting at about the 1:20 mark):



Armchair Apocrypha comes out March 20 on Fat Possum.

beach house live

Beach House, one of our favorite new artists of 2006, performed last week on PRI's Fair Game. mp3s ensued, and we've been listening to them all evening.

mp3s: Beach House, Live on Fair Game

Beach House Master of None
Beach House Tokyo Witch
Beach House Childhood

Beach House will play some shows in March with Grizzly Bear, before heading to Austin for SXSW.

get up. get down.

Busdriver

I've been a fan of L.A. emcee Busdriver since I saw him play to a crowd of maybe 20 with Th' Corn Gangg at SXSW a couple years ago. Kevin from So Much Silence has been raving about his new album, Roadkill Overcoat (out Jan. 30), non-stop lately, and for good reason. Busdriver's flow is startlingly unique and original, without ever crossing into "gimmicky" territory, mostly because he's one of the most astounding lyricists in hip hop. Here's our favorite song from the new record, featuring a sped-up Yes sample, courtesy of producer Nobody:

Busdriver The Troglodyte Wins mp3

In one of more inspired tour-pairings in a long time, Busdriver hits the road with Deerhoof starting tomorrow night in L.A. Here's a short promo video for Roadkill Overcoat, featuring the sounds of "The Troglodyte Wins":

papercuts

I recently noticed that San Francisco's Papercuts will be touring in February with Grizzly Bear (including a Dallas stop on Feb. 27), and that Vetiver's Andy Cabic contributed vocals to a few tracks on their new LP, Can't Go Back. I haven't had a chance to fully absorb the whole record yet, but this track has been on repeat for the last couple days. Such a great song:

Papercuts John Brown mp3

Listen to more at the Papercuts' myspace page.

Here's the Grizzly Bear/Papercuts tour poster (click for larger image):

person pitch

Person Pitch

We finally received our promo copy of Person Pitch over the weekend, and it would be an understatement to say that the record far exceeds even our loftiest expectations. From the ridiculous and sublime Agnes Montgomery album art to Panda Bear's life-affirming "Liars meets Pet Sounds spirit music" (to paraphrase 20 Jazz Funk Greats) there's nothing we don't love about it. I know it's early, and it's no secret we're prone to dishing out superlatives, but this one is going to be tough to supplant as album of the year. In case you missed these the first time around:

Panda Bear Bro's (edit) mp3
Panda Bear Comfy in Nautica mp3

20 Jazz Funk Greats has the amazing album track "Good Girl/Carrots" available for download here.

Also, check out this absolutely amazing Panda Bear live radio session over at Ma Fama, which includes a great interview w/ Noah as well as a few new songs.

breaking news...

Did you know that our favorite Illinoise-maker Katrina Kerns has a myspace page for her solo folk project (and she only has like 40 friends so far)? We have no comment on the actual music at this point, as the myspace player keeps freezing up on us, and frankly, it's really taking away from our time playing Wario Ware. So for the time being, we're going to pretend that it's the greatest thing ever.

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also:

Thanks to Jax for the tip about this article, which reports that Bjork, the Arcade Fire, Interpol, Sonic Youth, the Roots, Air, Busdriver, Willie Nelson, a reunited Rage Against the Machine, and more will be playing this year's Coachella.

Arcade Fire: Live in Montreal

photo via this guy

The Arcade Fire played a secret/surprise live show last night at St. Michael Catholic Church in Montreal, and via the magic of the internets, a high-quality recording of the show is already floating around. Here's last night's recording of one of the new songs from Neon Bible, and a song from Funeral in case you need to be reminded why the Arcade Fire is the best live band in the world:

mp3:
The Arcade Fire The Well and the Lighthouse (live)
The Arcade Fire Rebellion (Lies) (live)

Listen to a few more songs from the show at the Torture Garden, view more photos here, and read a review of the show here.

Pre-order your deluxe-edition copy of Neon Bible now from Merge.

didn't I?

I was completely oblivious to the greatness of Darondo before I read this post on Aquarium Drunkard. He released three 45 singles in the 70s, then stopped recording and disappeared. His rationale? "It was mostly me, just having a good time with a real good hobby...Maybe your dream is to be a James Brown or Frank Sinatra but those were just mostly dreams to me." Fair enough. But luckily for us, Ubiquity Records released a compilation of all his tracks onto one CD last year, entitled Let My People Go. Here are some interesting facts about the the man:


kiss the ring, bitches

• He has been called "A street savvy Al Green"

• He used to roll in a white Rolls Royce, complete with "Darondo" license plate.

• Back in his day, he opened up for James Brown and was boys with Fillmore Slim.

• Yo Darondo, how'd you get your name?
  
  "Folks would say 'Daron got that dough'...Daron Do...that's how I got the name. I used to get my suits tailor made, one of a kind, like my rings. A player can't have the same ring as someone else. Got my rings specially made with diamonds and stones. But in order to get yourself together you had to get away from all the fastness. I was driving around in a Rolls Royce, I was a fast young man..."

mp3:
Darondo Didn't I

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Also, if you need some help with the ladies, let Darondo help. He ain't never led you wrong:



Get the ridiculously awesome Let My People Go on eMusic.

slow day

I don't know how you guys feel about this band or this song...in fact, the video is basically an extension of that Cadillac commercial featuring the track. But dudes, it's Iggy Pop!



Related: Iggy and the Stooges are playing SXSW. Good luck getting in.

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elsewhere:

Tomorrow night at Zubar:


(click flier for larger image)

Our boys from The Party present NYC's Miss Roxy Cottontail. Nice flier, guys.

Oxy Cottontail Mind Your Own Business mp3

podington bear

"I'm just a regular bear. But, by the end of the year I want to be amazing."--Podington Bear



Portland's Podington Bear plans on releasing 3 songs a week in 2007 via his podcast (every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; that's 156 in a year). I typically am not a fan of overly-ambitious projects such as these, because they inevitably end up sounding forced and watered down. But, Podington Bear's warm little instrumental gems are better than you might expect, with compositions ranging from Album Leaf-ish atmospheric soundscapes to glitch-pop to practically danceable numbers with hip-hop beats. Some are obviously better than others, and I'm sure many of you will dismiss this as overly cutesy or twee before you hear a note. But if you give it a listen I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Highly recommended, especially for fans of bands like Tunng or the Octopus Project:

mp3:
Podington Bear Elephants on Parade
Podington Bear Frogs in Tuxes

If you enjoyed these tracks, listen to more at Podington Bear's myspace, and click below to subscribe to his podcast:

sweet dreams

Thunderheist

Thunderheist is Isis (the MC) and Grahm (the DJ). I found these kids over at the Mad Decent blog, and it turns out they've been getting quite a bit of love in their native Canada, including a song of the day nod on CBC Radio 3 and a nice little writeup in the Montreal Mirror. Plus, now that Diplo's a fan, we'll probably be hearing a bunch more from these guys (see CSS and Bonde Do Role) So the moral of this story is nothing but good things can happen when you throw down this Eurythmics sample:

Thunderheist Suenos Dulces mp3

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In further Mad Decent news, they've announced their official SXSW showcase, featuring Flosstradamus, Bonde Do Role, Amanda Blank, Diplo, and a "very special guest." See you there.

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elsewhere:

Menomena's excellent Friend and Foe was named "Best New Music" by Pitchfork, scoring an 8.5 and garnering the title of the "first great indie rock record of the new year." Make sure to pick it up this Tuesday.

Menomena Wet and Rusting mp3

The question is, what is a "menomena"?

now i'm gone like yesterday

NYC's The Shivers have finally released their highly anticipated (by some, including us) new LP, Phone Calls. This track is almost more a painfully short interlude than a full-fledged song, but its resonance can't be denied. A friend of mine, who happens to be a big Devendra Banhart fan, commented that on "The Road," the Shivers' Keith Zarriello sounds like "Devendra, if he had more soul." Much like "Beauty", this song's simple production and emotional complexity recall the recordings of early American folk and soul artists who never hoped for success, instead focusing on the cathartic release of raw emotion:

The Shivers The Road mp3

You can order Phone Calls now, and while you're at it, pick up Charades too, which features this unexplicably overlooked gem:

The Shivers Beauty mp3

Recommended for anyone that didn't like that song by the Laughing I posted earlier.

introducing: the laughing

The Laughing comes to us highly recommended by many of our favorite esteemed Austin hipsters. Car Stereo (Wars) calls them their "favorite new band in Austin", and our boys over at Party Ends say they're like the Unicorns (but more talented) or Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (if CYHSY were any good). Allegedly, these guys just started playing only 4 months ago, and just got done recording their debut EP, Tiger Cry, with Eric Wafford (who recorded all three Voxtrot EPs). It has also been alleged that these dudes rock a glockenspiel, but that hasn't been confirmed as of press time:

mp3:
The Laughing Wearing the Colors
(via Party Ends)

Derivative and possibly entirely too self-aware, sure, but they appear to be lacking any of the pretense that might make their somewhat schtick-y presentation (check the outfits) annoying. But then again, I've only heard a couple songs, and they're both kinda awesome. Check out another track from The Laughing at the band's myspace page.

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elsewhere:

Hey Pistons fans, how in the hell are we supposed to feel about this?

cowbell

Another reason why Paris' La Blogotheque rules. Matt Kretzmann on the foosball table, ladies and gentleman:



Watch additional video of the band performing "Insistor" here.

superhero fantasy dub

We were excited to learn about Jonny Greenwood Is The Controller, an upcoming reggae/dub compilation curated by none other than Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, due out March 6. Thankfully, and not surprisingly, the dude went with some extremely obscure choices, including this odd but exceedingly awesome selection. I'll let our resident dub expert David tell you about this track, which originally appeared on 1982's Scientist and Jammy Strike Back!:

"On this particular cut we find two proteges of dub pioneer, King Tubby, rollicking through some Rastafari's purgatory between Mongo and Dagobah, where they imagine two highly gifted super heroes of sorts meeting for tea and scones in some mutually convenient reverb/dub chamber. Scientist (aka the Dub Chemist) and Prince Jimmy temper this upbeat Roots Radics' classic with the sort of hypnotic, percussive swagger that made these dub revolutionaries such a force in the early 80's, and continues to make their sound so utterly futuristic and revelatory to this day. Highly recommended."

--David

mp3:
Scientist & Jammy & Roots Radics Flash Gordon Meets Luke Skywalker

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elsewhere:


Isaac Brock

Here's a screen shot from Modest Mouse's new video for "Dashboard"...watch a somewhat pointless behind-the-scenes look at the video by clicking here. Um, it's only 12 seconds long, but Isaac Brock dressed up as Santiago is kinda funny.

the world is stranger than i can take

Serkus is the striking* solo debut effort from Snakes Say Hisss's Sam Skarstad. I chose to post this song because, although it's one of the shortest on the record, it illustrates Sam's uncanny knack for creating an otherworldly, frigid mood through his amazing use of imagery and eerily moving/scary arrangements. Either that, or I guess it's possible that he actually wrote and recorded this in a real ice cave.

Sam Skarstad Ice Cave mp3

Give a listen to another song from Serkus at Said The Gramophone. You can purchase Serkus here, and befriend Sam here.

(*added mostly for alliterative effect)

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Speaking of Snakes Say Hisss, check out the Anchor Center's awesome video track review of their song "Laser Beam."

what a beautiful place

"Produced by legendary jazz pianist Bobby Scott, the album is a pastoral blend of English countryside folk and London orchestral pop, not unlike Bryter Layter..."



Responsible for releasing the stellar Eccentric Soul compilations, Numero Group can do no wrong in our eyes. It amuses/amazes me to some extent that their catalog is mostly ignored by the blogosphere, mainly because what they're doing is as interesting as most current in