obsession

Thanks to Dodge for the tip on this waaay out there "rare psych" compilation, Obsession, which is out now on Bully Records. I don't have much background on the origins of these tracks -- Turntable Lab says "there's nothing clearly defining this batch of songs except that they will all melt your face like that Nazi dude at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark" -- but I'm really hoping that Madlib's little bro Oh No pillages this shit for his next oxperiment. The comp is a veritable goldmine of obscure and extremely funky international psych-rock from the '60s & '70s, like this ill jam from Turkish O.G. Ersen:

mp3:
Ersen Gonese Don Cicegim [zShare]

Obsession is out now. Highly recommended. On vinyl.

************************************

unrelated:

Tonight in dallas:

new Beach House video: "Heart of Chambers"

Okay, let's try this again. Seems Beach House's last video was a little simple for most of your tastes -- not enough explosions or something. I think you guys will like this beautifully-shot clip for Devotion standout "Heart of Chambers" a little better, as it finds the band actually doing stuff. They get outside for some fresh air, push a shopping cart around B-more, make a cool Polaroid-carousel thing, etc. Directed by Victoria's bro Alistair Legrand:



*******************************************

elsewhere:

Beach House pals Grizzly Bear played this incredible new song for KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic yesterday. Just stunning:



[via Stereogum]

gorilla vs. booze update: El Guincho

Okay, I might be slightly biased, but this is turning into the best day party ever. gorilla vs. booze now has a 12:30 PM start time on March 12, and we have now gone international, thanks to the addition of a short set from Barcelona's Pablo Diaz-Reixa, aka El Guincho (along with yesterday's addition of Australia's Cut Copy). We talked a little about how much we love his amazing Alegranza! LP back on New Year's Day -- it's still growing on us with each listen -- and he's since been anointed "Best New Music" and "Band to Watch" by a couple of relatively world famous music types. Dude is la verdad, basically. This is going to be fun.

mp3:
El Guincho fata morgana

Here's the video for El Guincho's hit jam, "Kalise."



**************************************

And here's the updated, FINAL (seriously) gorilla vs. booze day party lineup:

The Cool Kids (chicago)
Holy Fuck (toronto)
Bodies of Water (los angeles)
Cut Copy (melbourne) [DJ set]
Ghosthustler (dentron)
White Williams (cleveland)
White Denim (austin)
El Guincho (barcelona)
The Party DJs between sets...


[flyer by david. he spells "texas" with a "j"]

new Santogold remix

santogold + m.i.a.

I woke up this morning to this soaring, ethereal new remix of Santogold's "LES Artistes" -- my #7 favorite song of 2007, deconstructed and built back up by Spank Rock's XXXChange. Apparently everything that guy touches turns to gold. I wouldn't go as far as saying I like this better than the original, but it's pretty damn beautiful. Definitely the best thing you'll hear all day:

mp3:
Santogold LES Artistes (XXXChange remix)

************************************

Santogold's debut LP is out soon. Catch her at SXSW (more news on that later).

prince among thieves

Tomorrow (Thursday) night at Sloppyworld the Doublewide: a benefit show to help out Dallas' own Prince William, who had ALL of his musical equipment -- laptops, DJ gear, etc. -- stolen from his house recently by some lame assholes. Forget for a second that Prince Will is one of the most talented producers in town; he's also one of the nicest dudes you'll ever meet, and this is his livelihood. It's a sick lineup -- The Party, Faux Fox, Hawatha Hurd, Keith P, It's What We Get (Alan from Ghosthustler), and more -- and just 5 bucks gets you in the door. If you can spare more, there'll be a donation jar inside.

[edit: if you can't make it tonight but would still like to help, you could donate a few bucks via Paypal to Prince Will's email: tvturnon@hotmail.com]

****************************************

Speaking of Ghosthustler:

Our friends over at Discodust just premiered the newest hit from the young Denton band. I briefly mentioned how much we like this song, but the Discodust post also reveals that this song will appear on Ghosthustler's debut 12" -- put out by Central Booking -- and will be available for purchase soon at Turntable Lab.

mp3:
Ghosthustler Someone Else's Ride

gorilla vs. booze update: Cut Copy

This thing is getting a bit ridiculous now: Melbourne, Australia's finest, Cut Copy, have been added to play a DJ set at our 2008 gorilla vs. booze day party, joining such recognized badasses as The Cool Kids, Holy Fuck, and many others. More on Cut Copy below.

But first, check this "promo" video for the party, from Emmy award-winning director Pete Ohs. You may have seen and enjoyed his outstanding official videos for Fiery Furnaces and Ghosthustler, but I'm pretty sure Pete's got Emmy #3 on lockdown with this clip:



(alt. video link)

**********************************

Now about Cut Copy: their highly-anticipated In Ghost Colours LP is due out soon on Modular, and as a teaser, they released this basically flawless SO COSMIC mix late last year. It's been in heavy rotation around here since it dropped two months ago, and it's probably a good indication of the kind of jams they'll spin at our party. Recommended:

mp3:
Cut Copy So Cosmic (55 mb)

Check the full tracklist and Cut Copy's video for stellar new single "Lights & Music" after the jump...

CUT COPY: "LIGHTS & MUSIC":



CUT COPY : SO COSMIC tracklist:

aphex twin - on
cut copy - so haunted (knightlife end edit)
panda bear - bros
popolice - (edit)
delia & gavin - rise
Elitechnique - fingerfood (major swellings mix)
nu musik - warp
panthers - goblin city (holy ghost! dub)
alan braxe & fred falke - horizon
bell x1 - flame (chicken lips dub)
giorgio - knights in white saturn
aeroplane - aeroplane
fleetwood mac - never forget
lifelike - so electric
saturn 5 - oscillations
International Music System - runaway (edit)
cut copy - lights & music
Jean Michel Jarre - equinoxe (edit)
harmonia - deluxe (drum edit)
The bells - target group (C90 mix)
holy ghost - hold on
bagraiders - nil by mouth
space - save your love
inflagranti - additional alpha blocker
oran juice jones - the rain
cut copy - hearts on fire (a cappella)
cut copy - hearts on fire (joakim mix)

SXSW preview: san serac

Recently I've had a few friends with fairly discriminating taste recommend San Serac's mostly overlooked 2007 album, Professional, and now I can't get enough of the man's self-described "blood house electrofunk jams." He's been likened to Bowie on more than one occasion, and Fluxblog referenced "Steppin' Out" when describing this particular track. Both comparisons are apt, since this is about the classiest dance record I've heard in ages. Sorry I slept on this for so long, Mr. Serac.

mp3:
San Serac That Obscure Object of Desire

Get Professional on emusic. San Serac is allegedly even better live, which works out well because he's playing Central Booking's SXSW day party on Saturday, March 15, at Whisky Bar in Austin, along with new Fader cover-band BLK JKS, Ghosthustler, The Party DJs, and more.

*****************************************

completely unrelated:



So, Jason Kidd is apparently not very good at rapping. I mean we're psyched to have him back here in Dallas and all that, but this collab with the Digital Underground's Money B. -- recorded in 1994 during Kidd's first stint in Dallas -- is terrible, even by rapping-NBA-star standards. Granted, it's no Ron Artest, but that generic P-funk beat and Kidd's cringe-worthy lyrics and awful flow...not recommended. At all. Thanks to JP33 for sending over this link:

mp3:
Jason Kidd What the Kidd Didd (feat. Money B) [zShare]

The Black Lips: Live in Dallas [Good Records + The Loft]

The Black Lips rolled through town last night for the second time in 4 months, blessing both Good Records and the Loft with brief but raucous sets of their authentic throwback flower punk. You can't help but love these dudes a little more every time you see them. They let us take some pictures:


the black lips


cole. good records


ian


joe. good records.


jared


cole. the loft dallas. toy camera.


the black lips. dallas

Photos by David. Many, many more shots of the Black Lips in Dallas after the jump...


old king cole younger


joe bradley is a drummer in the black lips


ian st. pe's grill in good records


the black lips. good records.


cole channels jimi


good records in-store


ian/cole

[more photos here]

still light

Said the Gramophone has begun announcing the runners-up for their unbelievable "Wonderful Video Contest." Tons of great entries, but this enchanting animated clip by Rinee Shah for the Knife's haunting "Still Light" is my favorite so far:



If that finished #8, the top 5 had better be incredible. View more entries here and here.

*************************************

elsewhere:

As always, our Sirius show airs today at noon + midnight, EST. Listen here. Check the full playlist + download some mp3s after the jump...

GORILLA VS. BEAR SIRIUS BLOG RADIO :: FEBRUARY 25, 2008

1. Oh No--Heavy
2. Holy Fuck--Lovely Allen (No Age remix)
3. The Knife--We Share our Mother's Health (Ratatat remix)
4. Black Moth Super Rainbow--When the Sun Grows on Your Tongue
5. Salem--Sweat (mp3)
6. Bite Fight--Swiss Ex-Lover (mp3)
7. Beach House--D.A.R.L.I.N.G.
8. Crystal Castles--Air War
9. No Age--Boy Void
10. The Hood Internet--I Don't Blame You For Grindin' and Shinin' (mp3)
11. The Hood Internet--I Was An International Player (mp3)
12. M.I.A.--Paper Planes (Holy Fuck Remix) (mp3)
13. The Cool Kids--88
14. White Williams--Violator
15. White Denim--All Truckers Roll
16. Cass McCombs--Petrified Forest
17. J. Tillman--Daytrips
18. Susan Christie--Paint a Lady
19. Bullion--I Just wasn't made for these Times
20. A Tribe Called Quest--Buggin Out
21. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth--T.R.O.Y.
22. Amplive vs. Radiohead--Videotapez (feat. Del) (mp3)
23. The Tough Alliance--Silly Crimes (mp3)
24. Cut Copy--Lights & Music
25. Sebastien Tellier--Kilometer
26. El Perro Del Mar--How Did We Forget
27. White Hinterland--Dreaming of the Plum Trees (mp3)
28. Lykke Li--I'm Good, I'm Gone
29. Radiohead--Last Flowers
30. Burial--Archangel
31. Salem--Brustreet (mp3)

the cool kids: "action figures"

The Cool Kids just made new-ish song "Action Figures" -- from their upcoming EP, The Bake Sale -- available for free download over on their myspace page. A little heavier subject matter than the Dyno with the black mags, and without a doubt one of my favorite beats yet from these dudes:

mp3:
The Cool Kids Action Figures

If you missed the announcement last week, the Cool Kids are playing our gorilla vs. booze party in Austin next month. Check the ill freestyle they dropped recently for London radio show Semtex.

heaven

Flemish Eye Records is set to release a new limited-run 12" -- on "nasty yellow vinyl," no less -- for Health's "Heaven." You can pick up the 12" on the band's upcoming tour with Crystal Castles, or hit the dudes up for a copy at one of their many SXSW performances. Here's one of the remixes that appears on the record:

mp3:
Health Heaven (Narctrax remix)

edit: Here's another unreleased Health remix that just showed up in my mailbox:

mp3:
Health The Problem Is (ThrustLab remix)

greatest samples from the blue note lab

Blue Note Records has just released Droppin Science: Greatest Samples from the Blue Note Lab, "a collection of records from their back catalog which have been sampled for tracks by Dilla, Dre, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Pete Rock, and many others." Stones Throw's J-Rocc made a mixtape from his collection of these original Blue Note classics, and the hip-hop records that sampled them. I always love hearing the original sources for classic jams like this, and you'll no doubt recognize a number of these. Highly recommended:

mp3:
J-Rocc Droppin Science Blue Note mix (38 mb)

two things

"In Spanish there is a word for which I can't find a counterword in English. It is the verb vacilar, present participle "vacilando"...If one is vacilando, he is going somewhere, but does not greatly care whether or not he gets there, although he has direction."--John Steinbeck


j. tillman

It's been a while since we heard from J. Tillman, but he's back with the soon-to-be-released (we think) Vacilando Territory Blues LP. Like much of the album, "Steel on Steel" displays more fleshed-out arrangements and instrumentation than Tillman's previous "Gram Parsons on downers" sound -- the song features piano, mellotron, pedal steel, and french horn -- and would sound right at home on '70s AM radio alongside Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, and the Dead:

mp3:
J Tillman Steel on Steel

J. Tillman will be in Austin for SXSW. More details at his myspace.

******************************************

elsewhere/unrelated:

Fight Bite is a a promising new Denton duo that I know very little about, but I was immediately enamored with their painfully beautiful, reverb-heavy vocals and simple yet sort of instantly unforgettable keyboard melodies. Recommended for fans of Beach House, Young Marble Giants, and the Tickley Feather stuff I've been posting lately. I hope to hear more from these two in the near future:

mp3:
Fight Bite swiss ex-lover

Fight Bite plays Saturday night at Strawberry Fields in Denton.

sxsw: hot freaks 2008

Hot Freaks will once again descend upon Austin during SXSW for our two-day FREE day party at the Mohawk + Club DeVille on March 14-15. We're joining up with Aquarium Drunkard, Chromewaves, Daytrotter, LHB, MOKB, and You Ain't No Picasso -- and our sponsors Insound, WOXY, Zazzle, Monolith, and the SIMS Foundation -- to bring you the following:



Friday:
Jens Lekman, Cadence Weapon, Blitzen Trapper, British Sea Power, White Denim, Crystal Castles, Jason Collett, Peter Moren (of Peter Bjorn & John), Ola Podrida, Bowerbirds, the Hood Internet DJs between bands, and more...

Saturday:
Islands, White Hinterland, Lyrics Born, Lykke Li, a Kevin Barnes DJ set, A Place to Bury Strangers, Bodies of Water, the Acorn, AmpLive DJing between sets, and more...

************************************

RSVP here now. View the full schedule for both days here, and download a grip of free mp3s from many of the bands playing Hot Freaks 2008 after the jump...

mp3:
Lykke Li Tonight
Jens Lekman The Opposite of Hallelujah
Bodies of Water Doves Circled the Sky
AmpLive vs. Radiohead Videotapez (feat. Del)
Crystal Castles Air War (CFCF remix)
Blitzen Trapper Wild Mountain Nation
Lyrics Born Hott 2 Deff
White Hinterland Dreaming of the Plum Trees
Bowerbirds In our Talons
White Denim Shake Shake Shake
The Dodos Fools
Ola Podrida Cindy
Cadence Weapon Sharks
The Hood Internet Hercules & Love Affair vs. Rick Ross :: Blind Speed
Evangelicals Skeleton Man

announcing: gorilla vs. booze II

[flyer by david. click for larger image]

Please join us for our second annual gorilla vs. booze unofficial SXSW DAY PARTY, on Wednesday, March 12 @ 1 PM, at one of my favorite bars in Austin, the Peacock. For the second straight year, the event is free to the (21 & up) public; no RSVP or wristband required, but the joint isn't that big so show up early. I'm still not sure how we were able to pull off this insane and diverse lineup, but I couldn't be more excited about it. Hope you guys can all make it. More details to follow, and we'll be making posts on each of the individual artists in the days leading up to the party; but for now, get acquainted:

The Cool Kids (Chicago)
Holy Fuck (Toronto)
Bodies of Water (Los Angeles)
Ghosthustler (Denton)
White Williams (Cleveland)
White Denim (Austin)
The Party/Central Booking DJs (Dallas) between sets

[big thanks to Big Orange for running sound, and to Red Hunter for coming up with the ridiculous name]

taken by trees covers guns 'n roses

I'm generally not one for ironic covers, but Victoria Bergsman's charming, piano-driven take on the G'n'R classic is sweet and earnest enough to warrant a mention. Check it out at Taken By Trees' myspace. If you like, buy the 7" here -- along with B-side "Above You" -- for cheap (only a buck fifty for digital, but I recommend springing for the $3 vinyl copy). In case you're unfamiliar with Ms. Bergsman's post-Concretes project, this was one of my favorite songs of 2007:

mp3:
taken by trees/the tough alliance taken too young


************************************

elsewhere: YR SXSW:

For the second straight year, we're teaming up with the Austinist, Brooklyn Vegan, Done Waiting, KVRX, and more as partners with Yaris/Free Yr Radio's YR SXSW. In addition to offering our picks for this year's festival, you can also sign up to receive free text messages from any/all of us from the festival, and plan out all of the official and unofficial parties you want to hit up in one place (Hint: if you dig around, there's a bunch of stuff on there that hasn't been officially announced yet). Get started by creating your own customized SXSW itinerary via the widget on the left side of this page -- just be sure to make the Gorilla vs. Booze party your first pick.

gorilla vs. bear presents: The Black Lips

The Black Lips put out two of our favorite records of 2007, and the band's last jaunt through TX ended up being one of the most insane shows we saw all of last year (if you were there, you know what I'm sayin). So needless to say, we're pretty psyched that the dudes are coming back to the Loft this Sunday (Feb. 24). We've got FIVE pairs of tix to give away for this one; holler at us at gorillavsbearcontests@gmail.com with "Black Lips" in the subject line, and we'll pick some winners at random on Friday. If you're not familiar, here are some mp3s, and a moving picture film:

mp3:
the black lips veni vidi vicious (diplo remix)
the black lips not a problem



**********************************

Tickets for the show can be purchased here. If you're poor, the band is also playing a free in-store at Good Records Sunday at 4 PM.

liars + no age: live in denton

angus andrew of liars


randy + dean of no age


liars/no age tour only split 7" :: denton edition

EDIT: check some clips of Liars/No Age interviews + soundcheck from Denton here.

More photos of Liars + No Age after the jump...


angry angus


dean/no age


randy/no age

gorilla vs. bear blog radio on Sirius :: february 18

the cool kids

Tune in to Sirius Left of Center today at noon EST (and again at midnight) for this week's episode of gorilla vs. bear blog radio. We'll play new stuff from the Cool Kids, Beach House, Lykke Li, Clutchy Hopkins, High Places, Re-up Gang, and more, and we'll also announce the full lineup for our unofficial SXSW day party. If you don't have Sirius, you can listen with a free trial here. View the full playlist, complete with mp3s of a few of the songs, after the jump...

GORILLA VS. BEAR BLOG RADIO :: FEBRUARY 18, 2008

1. Tapes 'n Tapes--Hang them All (mp3)
2. Brazos--Mary Jo (mp3)
3. White Williams--Headlines
4. White Denim--Shake Shake Shake (mp3)
5. Bodies of Water--Here Comes My Hand
6. Ghosthustler--Only Me To Trust (mp3)
7. The Cool Kids--Mikey Rocks
8. The Cool Kids--Black Mags
9. Holy Fuck--Lovely Allen (mp3)
10. Re-Up Gang--Good Morning
11. Radiohead vs. Amplive--Videotapez (mp3)
12. Clutchy Hopkins--Love of a Woman (featuring Darondo)
13. Lykke Li--I'm Good, I'm Gone
14. Beach House--Turtle Island
15. El Perro Del Mar--How Did We Forget
16. High Places--Sandy Feat (7" version)
17. Stereolab--Brakhage
18. El Guincho--Fata Morgana (mp3)
19. Crystal Castles--Air War
20. Tickley Feather--The Python (mp3)
21. Salem--Brustreet (mp3)
22. Celestine Ukwu & His Philosophers National--Okwukwe Na Nchekwube
23. Menomena--E is Stable (mp3)
24. Chromatics--Hands in the Dark (mp3)
25. Black Lips--Fairy Stories
26. King Khan & the Shrines--Welfare Bread (mp3)
27. The Monks--Oh How To Do Now
28. Tripping Daisy--Waited a Light Year

break down the door

salem

Here's another brand new song from Salem, one of the most intriguing new artists we've heard from thus far in '08. I know nothing about the band -- their two myspace pages don't provide much info -- but their insanely dark, haunted sound has been my late night/early AM soundtrack for the last week, filling the same warped, shadowy void (relatively speaking) normally occupied by Burial or the Knife. Can't wait for a full-length from these guys:

mp3:
Salem breakdownthadoor

Previously from Salem:

mp3:
Salem sweat
Salem brustreet

**********************************

elsewhere:



Ghosthustler has a badass new jam up on their myspace page that's slated to appear on their upcoming debut 12". The appropriately titled "Someone Else's Ride" is highly recommended for fans of Miami Vice, Knight Rider, and any other '80s TV show that featured tight rides. These kids only keep getting better. In related news, Ghosthustler is playing our unofficial SXSW day party on March 12, along with 5 other amazing bands. Formal announcement coming some time this week.

liars + no age :: tonight in TX

Just a friendly reminder: Liars + No Age roll through tonight at Hailey's in Denton, with a DJ set by $elect to kick things off. This one is worth the drive up. We all know how intense Liars' live show is, but if you're still on the fence, check out this video for "Boy Void" from No Age's Weirdo Rippers:



UPDATE: Tickets are no longer available here, but there WILL BE TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR so get there early. Doors at 8 PM.

sidi toure

Seems like I say this a lot, but this is one of the most thoroughly enjoyable Take Away Shows yet from the always great La Blogotheque. This time the crew follows Animal Collective pal Sidi Toure as he wanders the streets of a tiny village in his hometown of Bamako, Mali. Best 9 minutes you'll spend all day:



UPDATE: two more amazing Sidi Toure videos here.

new Tapes 'n Tapes mp3: "hang them all"

It's safe to say that Walk It Off, the upcoming LP from our friends Tapes 'n Tapes, is one of my most anticipated albums of '08. Any worries fans had about Dave Fridmann possibly tinkering too much with the band's sound -- I'll admit, I was slightly concerned -- are erased upon first listen to the buzzing, anthemic "Hang Them All." Fans of The Loon are going to love this one:

mp3:
Tapes 'n Tapes Hang Them All

(the band also posted the FLAC file here for "super duper music geeks")

*********************************

Walk It Off is out April 8 on XL. The dudes will be in Austin for SXSW, then they head out on tour with my favorite band in the world in April/May. Check the dates.

SXSW mp3s

Thanks to Donewaiting for alerting us to that fact that the official SXSW website now comes fully equipped with bios and mp3s of many of the showcasing artists. This is generally a great way to discover new bands and to assist in planning your SXSW itinerary, and this year is no different. Here are a few of the highlights -- in alphabetical order -- after a cursory glance over the list:

mp3:
Black Moth Super Rainbow Sun Lips
Bodies of Water I Guess I'll Forget the Sound, I Guess, I Guess
Camp Lo Luchini
The Cansecos Raised By Wolves
The Dodos Fools
Daniel Folmer Serotonin
Ghosthustler Only Me to Trust
HEALTH Crimewave
Mom Skipping Stones
Silje Nes Ames Room
Oh No! Oh My! Walk in the Park
Ola Podrida Cindy
Orion Rigel Dommisse Fake Yer Death
The Russian Futurists Let's Get Ready to Crumble
White Hinterland Dreaming of the Plum Trees
WHY? The Hollows
Yellow Fever Hellfire
Zykos Keep it Light

Sooo much good stuff to be had. I can assure you I missed a bunch, so get started here.

highlife

Nigeria Special is a new collection of old songs that focuses on many of the hybrid styles (afrobeat, soul, highlife, psych, funk, etc.) that emerged in Nigeria during the early/mid-70s. Wire mag says the comp is full of "rare and exhilarating treasures," but I can't vouch for that because I haven't been able to stop listening to track #2, this absolute gem by Celestine Ukwu. Ukwu was the key figure in the Nigerian highlife movement before his premature death in a 1977 car accident, and his stuff is apparently largely out of print here or anywhere else. If anyone can suggest more that sounds like this, that would be greatly appreciated (first one of you jerks that says "Vampire Weekend" gets banned):

mp3:
Celestine Ukwu & His Philosophers National Okwukwe Na Nchekwube

Buy Nigeria Special here

************************************

elsewhere:

Friday's the last day to win those Liars/No Age tix. Get on it.

new kanye video: "flashing lights"

Um...wow (via):

videotapez

Thanks to Brooklyn Vegan for pointing out that Amplive's collection of In Rainbows remixes, entitled Rainydayz Remixes, is available now for free (and legal) download. The project, which was initially met with a cease & desist order and has already garnered some positive press from the New York Times and the Guardian UK, features verses from Too $hort, Chali 2na, and on this track, Del the Funky Homosapien:

mp3:
Amplive vs. Radiohead Videotapez (feat. Del)

Download the whole thing here.

new New Pornographers video: "Myriad Harbour"

Three new videos this evening, and three winners. That Buy Early Get Now thing keeps paying off, as they just gifted us with this clip for one of my favorite songs of 2007, and the best song from the New Pornographers' Challengers LP: the Dan Bejar-penned "Myriad Harbour." Directed by Mark Lomond of the Flourescent Hill Collective, and starring Bejar's impressive cartoon beard:



mp3:
The New Pornographers Myriad Harbour

new Beach House video: "you came to me"

Here's the first video from what is probably my favorite album of 2008 up to this point, Beach House's incredibly warm dream-pop masterpiece, Devotion. Not much to say about the Skizz Cyzyk-directed clip, other than it looks like it could be set in the same high-school auditorium as the duo's "Master of None" video (with more tinsel this time), and that it supplies a perfect visual for the hazy, melancholy mood of the song:



Devotion comes out February 26 on Carpark. In case you've somehow missed the album's beautiful first single, here:

mp3:
Beach House Gila

second radiohead post of the day...

...yeah, we're excited about those two TX dates. Here's a clip for "Videotape" that was somehow cut off the end of one of the band's recent webcasts (via Deadairspace):



Thom Yorke explains the video after the jump...

"had a niggling [ED. NOTE: man, i hate that word] feeling that this never really got seen much.
Its a kind of video thing to go with Videotape using lots of wierd techniques we were messing with.
Nigel and I really enjoyed making it at the end of last year.
It appeared at the end of a webcast which i think was lost due to transmission problems.
So here it is (roughly) for you to see again.
x
Thom"

radiohead confirms Dallas date/venue

Radiohead will play Dallas on May 18, at Starplex the Superpages.com Center. Check all the confirmed dates/venues after the jump...


Edit: Tickets will be available here soon.

RADIOHEAD NORTH AMERICAN TOUR :: MAY 2008

May 5 - Cruzan Amphitheatre - West Palm Beach, Florida
May 6 - Ford Amphitheatre - Tampa, Florida
May 8 - Lakewood Amphitheatre - Atlanta, Georgia
May 9 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre - Charlotte, North Carolina
May 11 - Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge - Bristow, Virginia
May 14 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater - St Louis, Missouri
May 17 - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion - Houston, Texas
May 18 - Superpages.com Center - Dallas, Texas

supreme balloon

Here's the first track from Matmos' upcoming "cosmic pop" LP Supreme Ballon, an "ALL synthesizer album," completely devoid of voices, acoustic instruments, microphones, etc. "Rainbow Flag" sounds a little like your old Nintendo after it overheated from from playing Super Tecmo Bowl for too long. But, you know, in a good way. (via Matablog)

mp3:
Matmos Rainbow Flag

Supreme Ballon comes out May 6.

polaroid "just obsoleted our blog"

[photo]

Thanks to Gawker and Washington City Paper for their concern about the looming demise of instant Polaroids and its effect on our blog, but we're good on film for a while. Here's a more positive article that ran during a simpler, happier time (last week).

sirius blog radio :: February 11

On this week's episode of gorilla vs. bear blog radio on Sirius Left of Center, we focus our attention on some of the bands appearing at this year's SXSW Music Festival that we're most excited about seeing, including Sweden's Lykke Li. Check this vid of Ms. Li performing my favorite song from her charming Youth Novels LP, with the help of various fellow Swedes, including Robyn and members of Shout Out Louds and the Concretes:



Our show airs today at noon EST, then again at midnight. Listen online for free here. View the full playlist for this week's episode of Blog Radio, complete with an abundance of mp3s, after the jump...

**************************************

unrelated:

Mad Decent offered up this preview of the upcoming Fully Fitted (xxxchange, devlin + darko, pase rock, amanda blank, etc.) EP. Spankrock's XXXChange makes that Justice beat sound new again by pitting it against Birdman and crew's "100 Million" and adding a hook from Kudu's Slyvia:

mp3:
xxxchange/fully fitted 100 million


**************************************

GORILLA VS BEAR SIRIUS BLOG RADIO :: FEB. 11, 2008
1. Re-Up Gang--Roc Boys (mp3)
2. Re-Up Gang--Show You How To Hustle
3. Tickley Feather--The Python (mp3)
4. M.I.A.--Paper Planes (Holy Fuck remix) (mp3)
5. Ghosthustler--Only Me To Trust (mp3)
6. White Denim--I Can Tell
7. Bodies of Water--Here Comes My Hand
8. John Maus--Do Your Best (mp3)
9. Destroyer--Painter in your Pocket
10. White Williams--Violator
11. Handsome Furs--What we Had (mp3)
12. WHY?--The Hollows (mp3)
13. Camp Lo--Luchini
14. Deltron--Madness
15. The Cool Kids--Black Mags
16. Cadence Weapon--In Search of the Youth Crew (mp3)
17. Madvillain--All Caps
18. Diplo--Vans Til Infinity
19. The Hood Internet--The Ghostface of You Lingers (mp3)
20. Santogold--Shove It (Switch Remix)
21. Cut Copy--Lights & Music
22. Tapes 'n Tapes--Cowbell (Black Eyes remix)
23. HEALTH vs. Crystal Castles--Crimewave
24. Simian Mobile Disco--It's the Beat
25. Taken by Trees vs. The Tough Alliance--Taken Too Young (mp3)
26. Tacks, the Boy Disaster--Man With a Plan
27. Peter and the Wolf--The Highway
28. Lykke Li--I'm Good, I'm Gone
29. Robyn--Konichiwa Bitches
30. Annie--Heartbeat (the Field remix)

gorilla vs. bear presents: Liars + No Age

[flyer by david]

Liars + No Age bring their notoriously insane live shows to Hailey's in Denton next Sunday (Feb. 17), and we've got two pairs of tix to give away. Email us at gorillavsbearcontests@gmail.com with "Liars" in the subject line, and I'll pick two winners at random by the end of the week. Dallas' own DJ $elect kicks things off around 8. You can still buy tix here.

mp3:
Liars It Fit When I Was a Kid (Crystal Castles remix)

bonus: cutest/creepiest vid of '07...

inner island

I've been listening to quite a bit of El Perro Del Mar's excellent From the Valley to the Stars LP, due out Feb. 27 on Licking Fingers (how amazing is that first single?). In something of a change of pace for our friends in the Hood Internet, they've livened up what is perhaps the LP's sparsest, most fragile track, "Inner Island," by adding some welcome, swirling electronic flourishes. Recommended:

mp3:
El Perro Del Mar Inner Island (The Hood Internet Remix)

first official SXSW artist list

madlib

SXSW has posted the first official list of showcasing artists here. A slightly underwhelming list overall, but there are quite a few gems in there, as well as some interesting acts listed that I didn't already know were coming, including Madlib, the Tough Alliance, Annie, and Camp Lo. Thanks to Frank for the tip. Who else are you guys excited about?

you got it for free

You can now download the Clipse/Re-up Gang's We Got it For Cheap, Vol. 3 for free, courtesy of the Re-Up Gang themselves. Yeah, they talk about the same stuff again, but don't let that dissuade you. I'm telling you, despite some recycled beats and that uninspired cover art, this thing is really badass for a mixtape.

Re-Up Gang We Got it For Cheap, Vol. 3 .zip (86 mb)

holy fuck x M.I.A.

holy fuck in dallas

Coming off a particularly mind-blowing (and show-stealing) set here in Dallas at the Granada Theater the other night, we are ecstatic to announce that 2008 Juno-nominees Holy Fuck and their exhilirating controlled chaos will be part of our second annual gorilla vs. bear day party at SXSW in Austin this March. Formal announcement with more bands + details to be announced in the near future. To celebrate, here's Holy Fuck's brand new, M.I.A.-approved official remix of Maya's "Paper Planes."

mp3:
M.I.A. Paper Planes (Holy Fuck remix)

************************************

elsewhere:

Congrats to Mat(t), who is now the proud owner of a rare limited edition Panda Bear-designed New Era cap. While the old-school '70s Pirates unis are not my personal favorite, they do evoke some nostalgia for MLB's better days, plus the kid made a convincing case by posting a pretty sweet picture of Kent Tekulve, AND threw in a photo of the sick 1974 Zaire World Cup jersey for good measure. Congrats Mat(t), email me to claim your prize. Thanks to everyone who entered, I had a lot of fun checking out your picks...there were some incredible choices. For those who didn't win, you can enter to win the hat in a few other spots: namely here, here, and here.

"i'm magic"

I think I've mentioned Philly's Annie Sachs, aka Tickley Feather, once or twice in this space. I finally received a copy of her lucid-dream-inducing debut LP, due out April 29 on Paw-Tracks. I originally likened her sound to an underwater carnival, and that holds true on the record, which is both eerily haunting and playfully child-like and sweet; almost like the aural equivalent to those playground scenes in The Orphanage. This could have something to do with the fact that Sachs' 4-year-old son Aiden features prominently on the record, cooing mildly disturbing things like "There's this magic spell right inside your bones." Anyway, I like the album a lot, and here's the first official mp3:

mp3:
Tickley Feather Tonight is the Nite

blog radio

Salem

GvsB blog radio airs today at noon EST (and again at midnight) on Sirius Left of Center. We've got a bunch of good new stuff this week, including these two tracks by Salem, a band I've been listening to quite a bit since finding them over at 20 Jazz Funk Greats. "Sweat" is a dark, haunted jam that'll appeal to those waiting for new material from the Knife, and "Brustreet" is a stunning and surprisingly affecting re-imagining of Bruce Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia" (it's better than it sounds, trust me). Band to watch, etc.

mp3:
Salem Sweat
Salem Brustreet

View this week's gorilla vs. bear Sirius Blog Radio playlist, along with a few various mp3s, after the jump. You can listen online with a free trial here. Download more Salem at their myspace.

1. Santogold--You'll Find a Way
2. the Walkmen--Little House of Savages
3. White Denim--Paint Silver Gold
4. Panda Bear--Take Pills
5. The Zombies--Hung Up On a Dream
6. El Perro Del Mar--How Did We Forget
7. Chromatics--Hands in the Dark (mp3)
8. Salem--Brustreet
9. The Knife--Neon
10. Ghosthustler--Only Me to Trust (mp3)
11. Crystal Castles vs. Health--Crimewave
12. Salem--Sweat
13. White Hinterland--Dreaming of the Plum Trees (mp3)
14. Fiery Furnaces--Duplexes of the Dead
15. Burial--Archangel
16. Cut Copy--Lights & Music
17. Sebastien Tellier--Kilometer
18. Gnarls Barkley--Run
19. Deltron--Positive Contact
20. A Tribe Called Quest--Clap Your Hands
21. Dizzee Rascal--Pussyole
22. Wale--Smile (remix)
23. Cadence Weapon--In Search of the Youth Crew (mp3)
24. the Cool Kids--Black Mags
25. Beach House--D.A.R.L.I.N.G.
26. Cass McCombs--Windfall
27. Devotchka--How It Ends

new Caribou video: "She's the One"

Pretty cool new video for one of my favorite songs from Andorra:

we got it for cheap + a hundred things keep me up at night

Let's talk about two of my more anticipated things of 2008:



You can now listen to the Clipse/Re-Up Gang's new We Got it For Cheap Vol. 3 in its entirety here. They've still got "more powder than Maybelline," but this thing is pretty focused for a mixtape. Lyrically, Malice and Pusha T have never been better, and running through all those classic Dre beats on "Real Ni**as" was an inspired choice. Here's the first "single," which we posted a while back:

mp3:
Re-Up Gang 20K Money Making Bros on the Corner

Listen to the whole thing. Recommended tracks: "Dey Know Yayo," "Roc Boys," "Rainy Dayz." Okay, the whole thing is recommended.

**************************************

also:


love is all

Sweden's Love is All posted a new, as-yet-untitled track on myspace -- recorded during their latest LP sessions -- that didn't make the cut for the album. If this was song relegated to b-side status, this record had better be good. The band also revealed that the album, which doesn't have a release date yet, is called A Hundred Things Keep Me Up at Night. Listen.

EDIT: they also added a rough demo of a song called "New Beginnings" that will appear on the LP.

**************************************

unrelated:

Monday's the last day to enter the Panda Bear-designed New Era cap contest. There've been some amazing answers so far; picking just one is going to be tough.

animal collective: take away show

You really don't need us to tell you that La Blogotheque are doing something amazing with their Take Away Shows. Each week it seems they release a Take Away show that tops the previous: Arcade Fire in an elevator, Architecture in Helsinki in an apartment courtyard, Sufjan Stevens on a rooftop or St. Vincent on a balcony overlooking the city. If you read the blog often, you know that we love what they do.

This week's guests perfectly match the spontaneous and weird vibe that Vincent Moon and Chryde aim for with this project. Animal Collective cruise around Paris with a parking cone, shopping cart and their standard weirdness. With more surely to come, here's the first video, for "Another White Singer":



EDIT: more

"Taste":

radiohead + cat power: live on jools holland

cat power + feist + radiohead + mary j. blige and others

mp3:
Radiohead House of Cards [live on jools holland]

Download the rest of Radiohead's set, recorded live on the 200th episode of Later...with Jools Holland, and watch assorted videos from their performance.

************************************

Here's a clip of Cat Power's performance from the same episode:

super furry animals + fiery furnaces + holy fuck: live at the granada

gruff rhys of SFA


fiery furnaces


holy fuck. from canada.


gruff again


marquee


holy fuck from balcony, exposured (1 minute 22 seconds)


gruff rhys of SFA, monster helmet

More Polaroids of Super Furry Animals + the Fiery Furnaces after the jump...


fiery



furnaces



again, gruff



super bowl + super furry



eleanor. put your boots back on.



approximately 6 seconds of Eleanor Friedberger, of Fiery Furnaces fame



gruff


47 seconds of Fiery Furnaces. granada balcony. dallas.

new Clinic mp3: "free not free"

I'm really loving the new (free) single from psych-pop weirdos Clinic, taken from their upcoming Do It! LP, which is due out April 8 on Domino. "Free Not Free" is a lilting, tripped-out slice of psychedelic '60s lounge, occasionally broken up by bursts of jarring, noisy distortion:

mp3:
Clinic Free Not Free

Go here to download the full .zip, which includes a blistering B-side ("Thor") and all artwork. Here's the fittingly trippy video for "Free Not Free":



**************************************

elsewhere:

TONIGHT IN DALLAS:



Have I mentioned how excited we are about this show? If you didn't win tix, you can still buy them here. Holy Fuck kicks things off at 9 PM. I've been somewhat obsessed with this song as of late:

mp3:
Holy Fuck Lovely Allen