best of june

Here's some of our favorite stuff from the past month (in addition to Animal Collective's "#1," which we're not at liberty to post yet) in no particular order...


bodies of water

mp3: Bodies of Water Doves Circled the Sky

I'm still enthralled by Bodies of Water's Mamas and the Papas-meets-the Arcade Fire new LP, Ears Will Pop & Eyes Will Blink. I know a good number of you are opposed to life-affirming sincerity, especially in your music, but this record is worth checking out.

mp3: Zach Condon (of Beirut) Venice

This brand new Zach Condon track from The Believer's free, Brandon Stosuy-curated, "Cue the Bugle Turbulent" compilation, has steadily grown on me all month, to the point where it's probably my favorite thing Condon has done. Hopefully this is indicative of what the new Beirut LP will sound like.


dirty projectors

mp3: Dirty Projectors no more

I was slightly bummed when I heard that Dirty Projectors new project would be a cover "re-imagining" of Black Flag's Damaged. Until I later heard that the band would be "recasting Damaged from memory, without re-listening to a single note or reading any lyrics." The first track to surface from the project, "No More," sounds like the Dirty Projectors' live show, which is the highest compliment I can give it.

mp3: Yeasayer 2080

Bands I've seen Yeasayer compared to so far: Fleetwood Mac, Roxy Music, TV on the Radio, Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, etc. And the record doesn't come out until this fall. "2080" is one of my most listened-to tracks of the year, and it's been a staple on our Sirius radio show since the first time I heard it.


France Gall

mp3: France Gall Laisse Tomber les Filles

This is an old one, but I just recently became acquainted with the Serge Gainsbourg-penned classic.

mp3: The Dukes of Stratosphear Vanishing Girl

Another older one. I love this song, but really, any track from their album will do.

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There were a bunch of great videos this month too, click the read more link to check out a few of our favorites...

Ghosthustler: "Parking Lot Nights"



Bat For Lashes: "What's A Girl To Do"



Sunset: "Sandy Says 'Zombies'"

no time for nos

Spine Magazine posted this new Neptunes-produced jam from Clipse's Norfolk homie, Fam-Lay. "No Time 4 Nos" features the Clipse and Pharrell; be amazed as Malice and Pusha-T rhyme about bitches and drugs (again) and make it sound kinda fresh (again).

mp3:
no time 4 nos (via Spine Magazine)

Saturday Night

flier by Dustin Coffey

We've already mentioned this briefly, but just a reminder for the Dallas kids, since this will inevitably be the highlight of your weekend: tomorrow night at the Granada Theater, we're helping Central Booking present Faux Fox , Ghosthustler, and The Party. FREE for 21+, and only $5 for under 21. Best party Dallas will see this summer.

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GHOSTHUSTLER:



FAUX FOX:

over

Here's a weekend jam for you, courtesy of Kathy Diamond's new LP, Miss Diamond To You. I can't seem to get enough of this one; not sure if it's Maurice Fulton's incredible "future-soul" electro-house production, or Miss Diamond's pitch-perfect disco vocals, but I love this song a lot:

mp3:
Kathy Diamond Over

Actually, most of Miss Diamond To You is pretty great, you should pick it up. Check out album-opener "Between the Lines" or "All Woman."

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Bonus:

Here's another classic Fulton-produced jam from his wife, Mu:

vanishing girl

"a brilliant psychedelic pop pastiche that lovingly combines morsels of early Pink Floyd, middle Beatles, Electric Prunes, Hollies, Kinks, and dozens of other, like-hearted bands..."--The Stranger



I'm a little embarrassed to admit that up until a few weeks ago, I was completely unaware of XTC's short-lived mid-'80s bizarro psychedelic alter-egos, The Dukes of Stratosphear. The Dukes were Andy Partridge and XTC's spot-on homage to the music they grew up listening to, and they've since been referred to as "the '80s equivalent to Olivia Tremor Control and Apples in Stereo."

My interest was initially piqued when White Denim frontman James Petralli mentioned that they were probably his single biggest influence, thus compelling me to check out their entire catalog, which consists of a grand total of 16 songs. Here are a couple of my favorite from the band's mind-blowingly great 1987 "anthology," Chips from the Chocolate Fireball, which sounds almost eerily like an authentic compilation of late-'60s garage-pop and psychedelia.

mp3:
The Dukes of Stratosphear Vanishing Girl
The Dukes of Stratosphear The Mole from the Ministry

Watch the video for "The Mole from the Ministry" here, then purchase Chips from the Chocolate Fireball here immediately.

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completely, utterly unrelated:

Weezy Jefferson presents Da Drought 4: I Am on Everything.

what's with the bird?

Here's the electronic press kit for Aesop Rock's upcoming None Shall Pass LP, due out August 28 on Def Jux. Coming at you straight from Dick Fishburgh's parents' basement, apparently, where we learn that Aesop Rock cheats on his wife every chance he gets, and his new album sounds like, "Mozart. At the circus. On acid."



mp3:
Aesop Rock None Shall Pass
The Knife vs. Aesop Rock We Share Our Mother's Jumper Cables*

(*mashup via thehoodinternet.com)

I Believe

As P4k reported the other day, Simian Mobile Disco's Attack Decay Sustain Release will see U.S. release in September. The record is packed with great singles ("It's the Beat," "Hustler," "I Got This Down") that make it one of the best dance records of the year (along with A-Trak's Dirty South Dance). The band recently finished up a video for "I Believe," which has become one of my favorite, and most played, songs on the record:

mp3:
Simian Mobile Disco I Believe

Bonus:

Here's the video for the original classic "Never Be Alone," back when the dudes were just Simian:

fur and gold

Bat For Lashes' Natasha Khan

Since posting their new video last week, I've been listening to a lot of Bat for Lashes' Fur and Gold LP, and it's now apparent to me why they're one of Thom Yorke's favorite new bands (I recommend picking up the limited--1000 copies--color vinyl of the album here). Here's a stunning live version of one of the LP's spookier, Portishead-esque standout tracks, via Bat for Lashes' website:

mp3:
Bat For Lashes The Wizard (live)

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elsewhere:



Check this new video from the Polyphonic Spree's homecoming performance at the Granada Theater here in Dallas this past weekend. As you can tell from that last frame, Tim DeLaughter got up close and personal during "Light and Day." You can also check out the videos for "Soldier Girl" and "Lithium", all courtesy of the Polyphonic Spree Forum.

what in the world?

shapes have fangs

Let's get this part out of the way first: on Shapes Have Fangs' song "What in the World," the Austin (via Gun Barrel City) band sounds almost exactly like Oh, Inverted World-era Shins:

mp3:
Shapes Have Fangs "What in the World" (link expired)

Not that this is a bad thing, because who doesn't love that record? I'm sure they get the Shins comparison a lot down in their hometown, and for good reason, but a quick listen to the other songs on their myspace page reveals a band with a pretty wide range of influences, and a strong penchant for the poppier side of '60s psych and garage, a la the Kinks or the Zombies. Check out the excellent "Sir Joshua" and the surf-garage influenced "Milk Fed" here.

blitzen trapper vs. roxanne shante

It's official: the Hood Internet can do no wrong. This time they took one of the best songs from Blitzen Trapper's universally acclaimed Wild Mountain Nation LP, turned it into what The Fader describes as "Ratatat meets the Go! Team," then laced it with the vocals from Roxanne Shante's extremely ill "Big Mama." And as usual, it somehow works:

mp3:
Blitzen Trapper Sci-Fi Kid (The Hood Internet remix)

new Miami Horror remix

We've mentioned before how much we like Australia's Miami Horror, mostly because the guy is doing his best to bring back the best parts of the '80s (the Miami Vice/Beverly Hills Cop/Prince parts). And he continues his dominance over that whole decade on his brand new remix of this track from Milwaukee's Codebreaker:

mp3:
Codebreaker We Don't Need No (EXILED) Miami Horror remix

Visit Miami Horror's myspace for more, and be on the lookout for his collaboration with Curtis Vodka, the awesomely monikered TIGRTRON.

kanye west's "stronger" video

I'm pretty sure Kanye West is one of the most overrated dudes ever, but this video is worth watching for the sheer absurdity of Daft Punk doing some weird robot shit to Kanye in what is likely one of the highest budget hip-hop videos ever. Also, the song isn't bad (again, thanks mostly to Daft Punk), and Kanye's glasses are sort of gangster:



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elsewhere:

I heard this monstrosity is the cover art for Animal Collective's upcoming Strawberry Jam. Anyone?

daniell in the sea

Seems like everyone is posting that jankles Interpol video today, but we've been sort of transfixed on this clip from Sigur Ros side-project Riceboy Sleeps. More an ambient instrumental composition than an actual song, I believe "Daniell in the Sea" was intended as a companion/score to the Riceboy Sleeps picture book. The video features familiar Sigur Ros-style imagery, and the song is perfect for soundtracking your late-afternoon nap (I mean that in the best way):

tonight in Austin

Tree Wave plays their final residency show tonight at the Mohawk. We've talked at length about why we love Tree Wave, and if you haven't seen them yet, you're really missing out. Tonight's show promises to be the weirdest residency show yet; the opener, {{{{{{Sunset}}}}}, will consist of Bill Baird (also of Sound Team), Sam Sanford, and Jordan Johns. Bill tells us he will be arranging a "daisy chain of amps around the room creating alternate spatial listening experience and natural delay." According to Bill, it's going to be "spacey, sludgy, and strange."

Here's the new video for Sunset's "Sandy Says 'Zombies'," which is featured on the 2nd installment of Bill's DVD series, "Candlelit Television Eyes." Shot in Super 8, and performed in, directed, and edited by Bill Baird:



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Tonight's Hot Freaks/Gorilla vs. Bear residency show was made possible by And/Or Gallery, KEXP, Austinist, and the Onion. Show starts around 9:30, and it's only $2.

pump up the volume

The Cool Kids have upped yet another brand new preview track from their upcoming LP, The Bake Sale, which is shaping up to be one of the more refreshing hip-hop releases of the year. They take us back to the summer of '89 on "Pump Up the Volume," an ode to cassette tapes, gold chains, and big-ass boomboxes, that samples the Eric B. and Rakim classic "I Know You Got Soul." Stream it at their space. The Bake Sale is due out any day now, barring further distribution issues, and you'll be able to catch the Cool Kids in July at the Pitchfork Music Festival.

related:

Atlanta's Klever rolls through Dallas tonight to spin at Suite with our friend Sober. Check the flier, and grab Klever's uptempo club remix of the Cool Kids' "Gold and a Pager":

mp3:
The Cool Kids Klever's Grill and a Pager

Black Lips/YACHT 7" Contest

Fader + Southern Comfort have hooked us up with a copy of the Black Lips/YACHT split 7-inch that Pitchfork says you'll probably never hear. They're right, as it's extremely limited (500 copies) and was only given to "top DJs, artists and influencers." Oh, and us. But we have to give ours away. Leave your email in the comments, along with the answer to this question:

Who will be the Number 3 pick in this Thursday's NBA Draft?

If more than one person guesses the right dude, I'll pick one of the correct guessers at random. The only stipulation is the winner has to let me know how the Black Lips' "Wild Man" cover is, I'm dying to hear it.

Download the latest issue of The Fader magazine for free here. You're on your own for the SoCo.

mp3:
The Black Lips Not A Problem
YACHT Summer Song

Jana Hunter at Good Records

Despite having all of her gear stolen this weekend, Jana Hunter will play a free acoustic set with Ray Raposa (with borrowed guitars, we hear) at Good Records in Dallas this evening at 6:30. Stop by if you can, and get yourself a copy of There's No Home while you're there.

mp3:
Jana Hunter untitled new song (live on Ma Fama)
Jana Hunter Valkyries

dirty projectors take away show

The Blogotheque guys have outdone themselves yet again with this one:



Check out the other part of Dirty Projectors' performance here.

genesis

Finders Keepers Records is set to release their Bearded Ladies compilation, which they describe as "forlorn and freakish female songsmithery from the past four decades...a B-music certified canon of femme-folk, laden with finger picked meandering melodies, ethereal harmonies and wistful psychedelic leanings" (buy it here). One of the many highlights of the comp is Wendy & Bonnie's "Paisley Window Pane," from their charming (and mostly unheard) sole release, Genesis, which they recorded in 1969 at the ages of 17 & 13, respectively:

mp3:
wendy & bonnie paisley window pane

This next track from Genesis does not appear on the compilation, but you might recognize it as the intro to "Hello Sunshine," from Super Furry Animals' Phantom Power:

mp3:
wendy & bonnie by the sea
Super Furry Animals hello sunshine

Buy Wendy & Bonnie's Genesis here. And speaking of SFA, the album art for their upcoming Hey Venus! LP might be the ugliest thing I've ever seen.

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elsewhere:

White Denim are our guests on today's gorilla vs. bear Sirius Blog Radio show, which airs at noon and midnight EST on Left of Center channel 26. Listen online with a free trial here. Here's an unofficial video for "Let's Talk About It," the title track from the band's new EP. Directed by Birds on Fire Films' Carlos LaRotta:

the polyphonic spree plays "Sonic Bloom"

I'm still reeling a bit from the Polyphonic Spree's incredible encore last night. In addition to a rousing version of "Lithium" that had the sold-out crowd of 1200+ bouncing in unison, the hometown heroes donned their old-school white robes and played Tripping Daisy's classic "Sonic Bloom" in its entirety for the first time. Our friends at the Polyphonic Spree forum posted this video of the recording. Not the best sound quality, but you'll get the idea:

jana hunter and castanets gear stolen

ray raposa of castanets

Castanets and Jana Hunter were the latest victims of what seems to be an increasing epidemic of indie rock bands getting their shit jacked. This occurred last night in Tucson, and while Ray Raposa slept in the van. Via myspace:

JANA HUNTER AND CASTANETS GEAR STOLEN

So, the story is, last night we played in tucson at solar culture. afterward, we loaded our stuff up, went downtown, had a drink, and went to a house to crash on the floor. en route, we damaged a door, making it such that the door won't close and such that eventually, before we return the vehicle to the rental company, we'll have to pay on the order of 2 grand to replace the door.

seeing as how we had an unsecured vehicle, ray (castanets) slept in the van. sometime during the night, some brave fuck(s) very quietly opened the back door and took what they could carry. we assume their were more than one of them given all the shit they managed to walk away with.

If you have any info, or if you're the asshole who stole the gear, contact Ray via the Castanets' myspace page.

the party

Tonight in Dallas:


roxy cottontail

Head out to the Loft this evening to catch a DJ set from Louisville's VHS or Beta (who have a new album out this summer) and a live set from the lovely Ms. Roxy Cottontail, who allegedly got her nails did specifically for this show. The highlight, however, is all three of the Party DJs (Nature, Sober, $elect) in one place at the same time. Free for 18+. This will be a blast, you've got my money-back guarantee. Check the flyer here.

Mildly related:

Check out Central Booking's En La Calle: Summer Heat, Vol. 1 mp3 picks (Next's "Too Close"? hell yes).

panda bear: "untitled" live at bowery ballroom

if i never touch you

Sparrow House

Our friends over at Daytrotter recently released Sparrow House's (aka Jared Van Fleet of Voxtrot) SXSW Daytrotter Session. The session, which was recorded on a perfect rainy day at Big Orange, includes an unreleased song, as well as a new one from his highly-anticipated (by me) Television Snow EP, which should drop any day now. But the highlight for us is Jared's cover of Cap'n Jack's "If I Never Touch You." The original version appeared on Cap'n Jack's virtually unheard 1970-something LP, and it is without a doubt one of the saddest songs ever recorded. It's cool if you tear up a little, we won't tell anyone.

mp3:
Cap'n Jack If I Never Touch You

Cap'n Jack's LP is called Aren't You Ashamed?. Let us know if you find a copy. Download the entire Sparrow House Daytrotter Session here. Take the time to read Sean's preface and Jared's words as well, they're wonderful.

new Feist remix

I believe this electro remix, by Australia's Vanshe Technologic, will appear on Feist's "1234" single, due out July 23 in the UK.

mp3:
Feist 1234 (Van She Tech remix)

what's a girl to do

I know very little about Bat For Lashes' Natasha Khan, other than the fact that Thom Yorke is a big fan; he's stated that her music "seems to come from the world of Grimm's fairytales, and I feel like a wolf." Uh, okay. But anyway, how rad is this video? It's like Donnie Darko scored by a '60s girl group, Bjork, and Lily Allen. Only instead of that Gyllenhaal kid, this version stars a full squad of shady animal-mask-wearing synchronized BMX-ers. My only complaint is that those guys with the balloons creep me out every time. (thanks to Chels for the tip)



Bat For Lashes' "What's a Girl To Do" single comes out July 9th.

we love Brazos

martin crane of brazos

Brazos is the new project of one our very favorite musicians, Martin Crane. We were lucky enough to score a copy of the band's uber-limited Feeding Frenzy EP (39 total) at the sold-out White Denim EP release at the Mohawk this past weekend, and it hasn't left the car's cd player since.

Feeding Frenzy is made up of 6 "glorified demos" (according to Martin) that were "were recorded in an instant in a 90 degree, hot-as-hell living room in a house off the graveyard." Also, the band wrote the EP within 30 minutes of recording it, and insists these songs were made "just for fun." Some of that may just be Martin being modest, but we can't wait to hear what the Brazos dudes come up with when they get serious. Here's the EP opener, and an older Martin Crane solo song that we adore:

mp3:
Brazos Feeding Frenzy
Martin Crane On an Evening

Brazos' first "real" EP will be out soon on Autobus Records.

jracula

I've mentioned Jana Hunter and her new album There's No Home quite a bit around here recently, and for good reason, because it's turned out to be one of my favorite releases of 2007 so far. So now's as good a time as any to revisit just how great Jana's other project is: Jracula is made up of Jana Hunter and members of Octopus Project, Tame Tame and Quiet, Woozyhelmet, and others. They still haven't officially released anything yet (there's been talk of a split LP coming soon), but every time one of these songs randomly pops up, I'm reminded of just how fucking awesome and bizarre these guys are.

mp3:
Jracula Carpopolis
Jracula Lion, Ox and Eagle

from There's No Home:

Jana Hunter Babies

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elsewhere:

We've been bumping the appropriately titled "Blog House is Dead, Long Live Blog House" mix that the Ghosthustler kids put together for We Shot J.R., featuring Chromeo, Crystal Castles, Daft Punk, Simple Minds, and more. Download it here, and try not to let your boss catch you dancing around your cubicle.

Our friend ABX from the Hood Internet pits TVOTR vs. UGK on his latest airtight mashup:

mp3:
TVOTR vs. UGK I Was an International Player

no more

dirty projectors

Back in March, Dirty Projectors played one of our SXSW parties, and it remains one of the best things I've seen all year, making us instant (and huge) fans of this current incarnation of the band. Fast forward to just now, when I saw a myspace bulletin from Grizzly Bear about DPs new record, imploring us to "please for the love of god listen to this. I've heard the whole new album, it will change lives" (I'm guessing that was Ed).

The album in question is titled Rise Above, and it's a "reimagining of Black's Flag seminal 1981 record Damaged." We've listened to this track a few times now, and it comes as close to capturing Dirty Projectors' intense/mindblowing live show as anything that the band has ever done:

mp3:
Dirty Projectors no more

spirit if...

While we continue to wait patiently for a new Broken Social Scene record, this is probably the next best thing. Arts & Crafts will release Kevin Drew's Spirit If... on September 18th (via Brooklyn Vegan). This track is definitely promising:

mp3:
Kevin Drew tbtf

the rosebuds + land of talk: live in dallas

There's a rare reason to venture out on a Tuesday here in Dallas, as The Rosebuds and Land of Talk play the Cavern tonight. Both are outstanding live acts (I speak from experience, dude) and this will sell out, so show up early. We caught the Rosebuds at Gypsy (RIP) last time they rolled through town, and it was a good time. Dancing will take place.

mp3:
The Rosebuds Blue Bird

Land of Talk plays "Sea Foam" on the DL:



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also:

The Hot Freaks/GvsB residency program continues tonight in