animal collective loves thriller

Animal Collective discusses their favorite album of all time, MJ's Thriller (except Avey, he gets sort of hilariously denied by the buzzer):



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this mirror's a window

Hole Class is a side project of Beth of Times New Viking and Rob of Eat Skull. Recorded on a farm in Ohio between '05 and '08, these songs were apparently self-released on cassette at one point, and are now being put out on vinyl via MEDS Records. Couldn't find much more info on this collection of sub-2:00 lo-fi "gothic country" pop songs, but based on the handful of heartfelt tracks I've heard, I think I already like it as much as either members' "real" band:

mp3:
hole class :: wrong mirror (this mirror's a window)
hole class :: true temper

[buy. thanks to npip for the tip]

***********

video: Dirty Projectors | "Stillness is the Move"

Directed by Matthew Lessner.

(via)

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sun was high (so was i) :: part II

From the same guy who brought us Wavves vs. the British Railway Council and that absurd Animal Collective x Phaseone clip comes this unofficial video for Best Coast's "Sun Was High (So Was I)." Not sure how this song -- which is like a week old -- already has two awesome unofficial fan videos, but this dude is officially 3-for-3:



mp3:
best coast :: sun was high (so was i)

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elsewhere:


yeah yeah yeahs [photo]

My two favorite music festivals made some big lineup announcements in the last couple of days: First up, the Monolith Fest added Yeah Yeah Yeahs to an already stellar lineup that includes Phoenix, DOOM, the Walkmen, HEALTH, Girl Talk, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Method Man & Redman, and many more. YYYs will headline at Red Rocks on Saturday, September 12. Get your tickets here.

In TX festival news, Austin's 4th annual Fun Fun Fun Fest just announced the first group of acts on this year's bill: Broadcast, Atlas Sound, Jesus Lizard, and the King Khan & BBQ Show. More coming soon; stay up on their twitter for the latest.

mp3:
the king khan & bbq show :: love you so

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new wavves video :: "no hope kids"

New video for "No Hope Kids," composed of footage shot by our friend Pete Ohs on Wavves' first European tour:



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erykah badu x the roots :: "i wanna be where you are"

According to Questlove, the Roots and Dallas' own Erykah Badu snuck off before Badu's guest appearance on Fallon on Friday night to record this cover of "I Wanna Be Where You Are," from MJ's 1972 debut solo LP, Got to Be There. Not surprisingly, Badu absolutely nails it:

mp3:
erykah badu x the roots :: i wanna be where you are (mj cover)

(via Questlove's twitter)

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pearl harbour | "lost @ sea"

Piper K. and Skylar K. are Los Angeles' Pearl Harbour, and they make awesome washed-out/woozy stoner-surf pop jams. I included their song "Sunburn" on that summer mix I posted recently, but this is the one I've listened to probably 30 times in the last week, and it keeps getting better. Dreamy, timeless, and kind of perfect:

mp3:
pearl harbour :: lost @ sea

Get Pearl Harbour's Calistonia Dreamin' CD-r with handmade cover art for $5 here. The girls have a few West Coast shows coming up soon with Nite Jewel and Best Coast. Here's a video thing they did recently for Videothing.

Update: Look for a 12" EP on Mexican Summer in October.

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GvsB sirius/xm blog radio

Our weekly Sirius XM Blog Radio show airs today at noon Eastern (and again at midnight) on Sirius XMU. This week's episode features brand new music from Air France, Pearl Harbour, the Very Best, Kria Brekkan, Best Coast, Memory Tapes, the Smith Westerns, and more. You can listen online with a free trial here. Check this week's playlist + some mp3s after the jump...

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

gorilla vs. bear blog radio :: june 25

01. air france :: GBG belongs to us
02. jj :: from africa to malaga
03. memory tapes :: bicycle
04. les sins :: lina
05. ancient crux :: in teen dreams
06. smith westerns :: be my girl
07. ganglians :: valient brave
08. white denim :: i'd have it just the way we were
09. the very best :: warm heart of africa
10. amadou & mariam :: sabali
11. HIGHLIFE :: F KENYA RIP
12. best coast :: sun was high (so was i)
13. pearl harbour :: sunburn
14. dum dum girls :: jail la la
15. veronica falls :: found love in a graveyard
16. wavves :: to the dregs
17. toro y moi :: talamak
18. VEGA :: no reasons
19. neon indian :: 6669 (i don't know if you know)
20. nite jewel :: what did he say
21. vibes :: night court
22. wavves :: friends were gone
23. wavves x babe rainbow :: weed demon (surf-step edit)
24. girls :: hellhole ratrace
25. harlem :: come back jonee (devo cover)
26. glasser :: glad (delorean remix)
27. cassie x lil wayne :: official girl (CFCF remix)
28. kria brekkan :: bee xlaura
29. grizzly bear :: ready, able
30. sharon van etten :: much more than that

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summer mix

Here's a summer mix, inspired mainly by this oppressive heat haze we've been experiencing in TX over the last week or so. Seriously, kids can't even go to a baseball game here these days without almost dying. Featuring a bunch of stuff I've been listening to a lot lately:

[other sweet summer mixes here and here, depending on where you live]

mp3:
gorilla vs. bear summer mix (52 mb)

Tracklist after the jump...

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

01 best coast :: sun was high (so was I)
02 pearl harbour :: sunburn
03 HIGHLIFE :: F KENYA RIP
04 mor thiam :: ayo ayo ne ne
05 vibes :: night court
06 map of africa :: bone
07 dem hunger :: police rasta
08 sun araw :: horsesteppin
09 arch m :: 21st union
10 family portrait :: mega secrets
11 toro y moi :: talamak
12 the mayfair set :: already warm
13 dara puspita :: to love somebody
14 smith westerns :: be my girl

from africa to málaga

Another blissful, impossibly warm, St. Etienne-inspired gem from Sincerely Yours' (Air France, the Tough Alliance, Memory Cassette) newest artist, the mysterious jj:

mp3:
jj :: from africa to málaga

Free mp3 courtesy of Sincerely Yours; if you like it, buy the 320kbps version here. Not surprisingly, goes remarkably well with the new Air France song from the other day:

mp3:
air france with roos :: GBG belongs to us

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mp3 premiere: kria brekkan | "bee xlaura"

kria brekkan

We are psyched to premiere the first in a series of double A-side 7" singles that former múm siren Kria Brekkan plans to release later this year. According to Kria:

"Here is Bee Xlaura. A track I recorded in beginning of 2007, and has been lying around on tapes in Iceland since. My friend Orri Jónsson helped me record these and other tracks. Some are being put on 7" inches, of 2x A sides, and will gradually be released."

All of the charmed beauty and child-like wonder of last year's haunting Wildering 7", minus the nightmares, confirming (as if there was any doubt) that Kria Brekkan was the best thing about múm.

mp3:
kria brekkan :: bee xlaura

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The same song, as performed for La Blogotheque in Paris a few years ago:



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Girls | Album

girls @ gorilla vs. booze III

San Francisco's Girls -- one of our favorite new bands to emerge in the last year or so -- have announced their upcoming debut full-length, due on September 22 on the great True Panther Sounds, in conjunction with Matador Records. That marks the second GvsBooze III alum to announce a new album on Matador (sort of) in the last few days. Look for a limited 10" vinyl single for Hellhole Ratrace prior to the album's release. The Album tracklist:

Girls | Album

1. Lust For Life
2. Laura
3. Ghostmouth
4. Goddamn
5. Big Bad Mean Motherfucker
6. Hellhole Ratrace
7. Headache
8. Summertime
9. Lauren Marie
10. Morning Light
11. Curls
12. Darling



(via)

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lessins

[photo]

You might recall Chaz Bundick -- aka Toro Y Moi -- from his awesome dreamy/fuzzy lo-fi pop songs that we posted recently. Well Chaz has another project called Les Sins, in which he makes blissful, shimmering disco-house jams that are pulsating and repetitive but also kind of dreamy, like this one:

mp3:
LES SINS :: lina

And, in case you missed these the first time around, from Chaz's other project:

mp3:
toro y moi :: talamak
toro y moi :: blessa

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elsewhere:


SALEM [photo]

While we wait patiently for their full-length, check this insane and dizzying juke/crunk/goth/??? mix that SALEM recently put together for 20 Jazzfunkgreats [tracklist here]. 

mp3:
SALEM :: XXJFG mix (37 mb)

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babe rainbow

Vancouver's Cameron Reed -- aka Babe Rainbow -- creates haunted, murky, "inverted dubstep cave recordings" that evoke similar feelings of paranoia/anxiety as SALEM's darkest and most desolate work. Reed sent over a few songs for us, and he's made most of his other stuff available for free download at his blog; check the way he's warped You Say Party! We Say Die!'s dance-punk song "Like I Give a Care" and Wavves' "Weed Demon" into his own eerily unsettling underwater dirge-step jams:

mp3:
babe rainbow :: shaved
babe rainbow x wavves :: weed demon (surf-step edit)
babe rainbow x you say party! we say die! :: like i give a care

Download more Babe Rainbow here.

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new Air France :: "GBG Belongs to Us"

This glorious new summer jam is part II of "a love letter in three parts" from Gothenburg's Air France.

mp3:
air france :: GBG belongs to us

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photos: St. Vincent | Live in Dallas

more after the jump...

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beck :: "sunday morning" (velvet underground & nico cover)

With help on vocals from Iceland's Thorunn Magnusdottir:



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mp3: the very best :: "warm heart of africa" feat. ezra of Vampire Weekend

the very best

We mentioned Warm Heart of Africa, the upcoming debut full-length from Esau Mwamwaya + Radioclit, the other day. Here's the uplifting title track, featuring Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig:

mp3:
the very best :: warm heart of africa (feat. ezra of vampire weekend)

Listen to two more from the album on the group's myspace page or here.

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tonight in Dallas: St. Vincent | Live at the Granada

[via]

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Busy night in Dallas, hit these up after the St. Vincent show: Santigold at House of Blues, and the official afterparty at the Cavern, featuring Amanda Blank, Devlin & Darko, and Sober.

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elsewhere:

Our weekly Sirius XM Blog Radio show airs today at noon Eastern (and again at midnight) on Sirius XMU. This week's episode features brand new music from the Smith Westerns, the Very Best, White Denim, HIGHLIFE, Best Coast, Major Lazer, the Bitters, Tiny Vipers, and many more. You can listen online with a free trial here. Check this week's playlist + some mp3s after the jump...

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

gorilla vs. bear blog radio :: june 18

01. white denim :: i'd have it just the way we were
02. fergus & geronimo :: harder than it's ever been
03. the bitters :: warrior
04. the very best :: ntende uli
05. esau mwamwaya :: chalo
06. HIGHLIFE :: F KENYA RIP
07. toro y moi :: talamak
08. animal collective :: daily routine (phaseone remix)
09. pariah :: detroit falls
10. j dilla :: coming back
11. white denim :: regina holding hands
12. white denim :: i start to run [video]
13. the smith westerns :: dreams
14. the smith westerns :: be my girl
15. memory tapes :: bicycle
16. basement jaxx :: raindrops
17. major lazer :: keep it goin louder
18. harlem :: caroline
19. the mayfair set :: desert fun
20. dum dum girls :: baby don't go (sonny & cher cover)
21. taken by trees x the tough alliance :: taken too young
22. best coast :: sun was high (so was i)
23. the bitters :: can you keep a secret
24. family portrait :: mega secrets
25. real estate :: beachcomber
26. st. vincent :: laughing with a mouth of blood
27. here we go magic :: tunnelvision
28. daniel rossen :: waterfall (judee sill cover)
29. animal collective :: no more runnin
30. SALEM :: brustreet
31. tiny vipers :: dreamer
32. grizzly bear :: foreground

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new video: Girls | "Hellhole Ratrace"

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harlem signs with matador

We've been hearing the rumors for a minute, and it's now official: GvsB faves Harlem have signed with Matador to a "worldwide, multi-record deal." Congrats, dudes. They'll be recording their 2nd LP this summer, due out on Matador in early '10.

mp3:
harlem :: south of france

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new real estate :: "green river"

Real Estate has a new 7" due out next month on Half Machine Records, featuring the excellent (and oft-blogged) "Fake Blues" on the A-side, backed with unreleased UK-only track "Green River" on the flip. More sunny, consistently enjoyable psych-pop from the Jersey Shore, complete with appropriately hazy/beach-y cover art (pictured), all for only for £2.99. Pre-order it here.

mp3:
real estate :: green river

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related:



Download Chocolate Bobka's "Polaroids at the Beach" mix, featuring tracks from Quiet Village, Real Estate, the Mayfair Set, the Tough Alliance, Beach Fossils, and more, including one of the hottest songs ever from Ms. Tyree "Sugar" Jones.

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elsewhere:



Major Lazer's debut record is finally out, which means we've selected the shirt/vinyl prizepack winners: Jasmine Amaya, Colin Krenitsky, and Antonio Garcia, check your email, yall. In related news, here's an "extra special blog bonus" version of album track "Anything Goes," courtesy of Mad Decent:

mp3:
major lazer :: anything goes

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photos: Grizzly Bear + Here We Go Magic | Live in Dallas

grizzly bear in dallas (click for larger image)

Not sure I've ever seen a larger, more adoring audience at Dallas' Granada Theater than the one that showed up for last night's Grizzly Bear + Here We Go Magic show. Luke Temple & co. opened with a swirling set that culminated in awesome hypnotic versions of "Fangela" and "Tunnelvision," which I'm now convinced are two of the best songs of the year. Grizzly Bear's amazing otherworldly harmonies and perfect setlist resulted in a rousing and fully engaging performance that had all 1200+ attendees mesmerized throughout, leading me to believe that this guy is kind of clueless. Here are some photos from the evening:



















Photos by David + Chris, but mostly David. More shots of Grizzly Bear + Here We Go Magic after the jump...

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In related news, Pitchfork just posted this, and it's great:

mp3:
daniel rossen :: waterfall (judee sill cover)

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HERE WE GO MAGIC:









GRIZZLY BEAR:











[more of David's shots here]

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warm heart of africa

the very best @ sxsw '09

"Ntende Uli" is a new track from the Very Best's highly anticipated upcoming debut full-length, Warm Heart of Africa, which is due out this fall on Green Owl, and features guest appearances by M.I.A. and Ezra from Vampire Weekend. Stream the Very Best's "Ntende Uli" here.

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And if you still don't have last year's mixtape, which was one of our favorite releases of 2008, grab it here:

mp3:
esau mwamwaya + radioclit are the very best .zip

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best coast

Thanks to Porch of the Mystics for the heads up on this new "lazy haze" beach blanket lo-fi pop from Bethany Cosentino (formerly?) of Pocahaunted. Bethany's calling the group Best Coast, and she says we can expect "songs about summer and the sun and the ocean and being a lazy creep," with "drums, beach boys bass lines, and other amazing things" added by her friend Bobb Bruno. Look for a tape on Blackest Rainbow and a 7" on San Diego's awesome Art Fag Recordings -- which may or may not include this song -- in the near future:

mp3:
best coast :: sun was high (so was I)

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new video: white denim | "i start to run"

New video for White Denim's rad new single, starring bassist Steve Terebecki as our hero "the runner." So good:



EDIT: stream White Denim's new album Fits in its entirety here.

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memory tapes :: "bicycle"

The mysterious forces behind Weird Tapes + Memory Cassette -- which may or may not have been the same person all along -- have "merged" to form Memory Tapes, and will be releasing a new full-length this fall (limited vinyl run on Acephale and Something In Construction in September, with a wider release to follow). "Bicycle" is the dreamy lead single from the new album, and will be released on 12" in August in the UK on Loog Records:

mp3:
memory tapes :: bicycle

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pictureplane x teengirl fantasy

Denver's unclassifiable Pictureplane is set to release his new full-length Dark Rift on August 4 on the great Lovepump United. Here, new album track "New Mind" gets blissfully housed by the equally unclassifiable Teengirl Fantasy, who turns the song into a swirling ethereal club jam:

mp3:
pictureplane :: new mind (teengirl fantasy wide open edit)

Pictureplane will tour the U.S. with labelmate HEALTH this Fall.

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elsewhere:

TONIGHT IN DALLAS / SOLD OUT:



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photos: White Denim, Harlem, PVC Street Gang, + Fight Bite | Live in Dallas

james petralli :: white denim

[photos by david. more after the jump...]

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fight bite


PVC street gang


harlem


harlem


white denim


white denim


white denim



[all photos by David / more at flickr]

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tonight in Dallas :: White Denim, Harlem, PVC Street Gang, + Fight Bite

WHITE DENIM
PVC STREET GANG
HARLEM
FIGHT BITE

@ Pastime Tavern
1503 S Ervay St
Dallas 75215
$8

UPDATE: First band at 10 PM sharp / Cover $8

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the smith westerns

The Smith Westerns are four super young kids from Chicago that make soulful, seemingly-ramshackle-but-not-really, classic-sounding garage pop that is not entirely unlike another band we've been loving immensely lately, Denton's Fergus & Geronimo. The group's new self-titled debut full-length -- out now on vinyl on HoZac (featuring co-opted famous album cover, pictured above) -- is something like early Black Lips or Strange Boys, but with bigger/better, more infectious hooks. The kids in their hometown are apparently already into it, and it's quickly earning a spot alongside Fits as my (current) album of the summer:

mp3:
the smith westerns :: be my girl

More songs here/buy the Smith Westerns' debut LP here.

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photos: Yeah Yeah Yeahs | Live in El Paso

Yeah Yeah Yeahs returned to the spot where they recorded much of their latest record for a relatively intimate club show in El Paso, TX. Our friend and contributor Pooneh Ghana was in the building and captured these awesome, kind of trippy shots:

















[more shots at Pooneh's flickr]

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no you girls

I'm way more into the concept of a dub re-working of a Franz Ferdinand album by a dude that's worked with Mad Professor and Lee Scratch Perry than an actual Franz Ferdinand album at this point, so their latest release Blood is kind of intriguing to me in that way (still haven't listened to it though). Even more intriguing (in theory) is a Trentemøller (best known for his stellar remixes for the Knife, Robyn, Royksopp, etc.) remix of said dub re-working:

mp3:
franz ferdinand :: no you girls (Trentemøller remix edit)

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video: animal collective | "summertime clothes"

Directed by Danny Perez [via]. I would recommend watching it here though, via some kid on twitter.

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video: raekwon x method man x ghostface :: "new wu"

(dirty version, via Raekwon's twitter. best wu-related song in quite a while)

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new clipse x the neptunes :: "i'm good"

New single from Clipse's upcoming Til the Casket Drops, produced by the Neptunes. Cover art by Kaws. Download the mp3 here or here.

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gvsb sirius/xm blog radio

Our weekly Sirius XM Blog Radio show airs today at noon Eastern (and again at midnight) on Sirius XMU. This week's episode features brand new music from Ghostface, HIGHLIFE, the Bitters, Mos Def, Cold Cave, Toro Y Moi, Dilla, Phaseone, Tiedye, and more. You can listen online with a free trial here. Check this week's playlist + some mp3s after the jump...

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

gorilla vs. bear blog radio :: june 11

01. white denim :: i start to run
02. the bitters :: warrior
03. fergus & geronimo :: harder than it's ever been
04. pvc street gang :: cutlass
05. animal collective :: daily routine (phaseone remix)
06. j dilla :: coming back
07. dem hunger :: police rasta
08. toro y moi :: blessa
09. toro y moi :: talamak
10. here we go magic :: tunnelvision
11. memory cassette :: surfin
12. dirty projectors :: useful chamber
13. mor thiam :: ayo ayo nene
14. el rego et sus commandos :: feeling you got
15. HIGHLIFE :: F KENYA RIP
16. amanaz :: khala my friend
17. major lazer :: can't stop now
18. get back guinozzi :: carpet madness (demo)
19. mos def :: supermagic
20. ghostface :: forever
21. bullion :: are you the one?
22. neon indian :: mind, drips
23. SALEM :: ohK
24. basement jaxx :: raindrops
25. dj kaos :: love the nite away (tiedye remix)
26. dum dum girls :: jail la la
27. the bitters :: can you keep a secret
28. dara puspita :: to love somebody
29. the intelligence :: thank you god for fixing the tape machine
30. cold cave :: love comes close
31. arch m :: 21st union
32. fever ray :: keep the streets empty for me

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photos: Little Joy | Live in Dallas

binki + rodrigo (click for larger image)


little joy (click for larger image)















[All photos by David. More at his Flickr.]

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police & thieves

We introduced the colorful, vaguely tropical French pop of London/Toulon's Get Back Guinozzi almost a year ago, describing their sound at the time as an "adorable, playful union between Deerhoof, '60s yé-yé, Tropicalia, and maybe some vintage Slits." We hadn't heard much from them since then, but we got word today that the group's debut full-length is finally due this fall on Fat Cat. First up, though, is their debut 7" single Low Files Tropical, due September 14 on the label. The b-side is this infectious cover of Junior Murvin classic "Police & Thieves":

mp3:
get back guinozzi :: police & thieves (junior murvin)

previously:

The demo version of the title track from their debut album, due in October '09 on Fat Cat:

mp3:
get back guinozzi :: carpet madness (demo)

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dara puspita

When Animal Collective was in town last week, Geologist suggested that based on our over-posting of Dum Dum Girls, Vivian Girls, and the like, we may be into the fuzzy garage pop from relatively obscure '60s Indonesian girl-group Dara Puspita. I tracked down --and have subsequently been enjoying -- their exceedingly charming 1967 album A Go Go, which is definitely worth a listen if you can find it (the original LP is apparently next to impossible to find, and it isn't cheap). Check the sweet Bee Gees cover, which is approximately 5x better than the original:

mp3:
dara puspita :: to love somebody
dara puspita :: believe me

And from their first record, 1965's Jang Pertama, the "Satisfaction"-aping "Mari-Mari" (via):

mp3:
dara puspita :: mari-mari

Read more about Dara Puspita here, and download some more rarities from these dudes, who call the girls "the best pre-ironic tropical psych-pop ever."

********

elsewhere:

Not sure what to say about this one: the dude who brought us this does this with Phaseone's "Daily Routine" remix...



mp3:
animal collective :: daily routine (phaseone remix)

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can't stop now

You can now listen to the new Major Lazer record,  Gunz Don't Kill People, Lazers Do, in its entirety -- a week before its official release -- at myspace. Highlights include: "Can't Stop Now," "Keep It Goin' Louder'" (which Sasha Frere-Jones predicts "will dominate strip clubs and St. Tropez troll clubs for a year"), and of course, Auto-tune Baby. In other news, you still have a week to enter to win the Major Lazer vinyl/shirt prizepack.

mp3:
major lazer :: hold the line (edit)



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video: we have band | "you came out"

This is the new, kind of creepy collaborative effort from We Have Band, Blinkink Productions and the dudes from Wieden + Kennedy London. Composed from 4,816 stills, all of which are apparently being uploaded to We Have Band's Flickr, "allowing people to re-edit the sequence as they see fit in order to make their own video..."



**********

photos: Little Joy | Live in Austin

Our friend Pooneh Ghana caught Little Joy last night in Austin at brand new venue the Independent. Fab Moretti is off working on the new Strokes record, but Pooneh snapped some great shots of Rodrigo Amarante + Binki Shapiro and friends, and inexplicably, half of Coldplay [more here]:


rodrigo/binki














coldplay bros



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Little Joy plays Club Dada in Dallas tonight. Check out more of Pooneh's shots of Little Joy here.

mp3:
little joy :: no one's better sake

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

HIGHLIFE

[photo]

London's HIGHLIFE is the new project from White Magic guitarist Sleepy Doug Shaw (with help from members of Gang Gang Dance and Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti in various capacities). Shaw sent over his first finished track, "F Kenya Rip," which features lovely background vocals from Mira Billotte (also from White Magic). It's a warm, meandering summer tune that sounds a bit like Dan Bejar fronting an Afro-pop group from Ghana. Together with "Burying Stones," a very promising start.

mp3:
HIGHLIFE :: f kenya rip

HIGHLIFE recently supported Animal Collective on their last UK tour, and has shows coming up with Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti + A Hawk and a Hacksaw. More here.

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new White Denim :: "i start to run"

"I Start to Run" is the soulfully frenetic lead single/anthem from White Denim's adventurous and consistently brilliant upcoming LP, Fits. The 7" single, backed with non-album track "Yo-Yo," is due July 6, but you can listen now at Full Time Hobby's website.

**********

Catch the band with Harlem, PVC Street Gang, and Fight Bite this Saturday night in Dallas at Pastime Tavern. And in case you missed this one the first time around, here's another track from the album:

mp3:
white denim :: mirrored and reverse

**********

a woolgathering exodus

As I've mentioned before, I love Rinee Shah's animation. Makes sense, then, that I also love this new clip for Benoit Pioulard's "A Woolgathering Exodus," directed by Church & Steak, the San Francisco-based film/animation/laser holography(?) collective that Shah founded with Josh Lowman:



[via]

The other best song from Pioulard's temper:

mp3:
benoit pioulard :: brown bess

**********

Girls cover Cass McCombs

One of the best tracks from Cass McCombs' new LP, covered by San Francisco's Girls over the weekend at the Hemlock:



[Shot by Nate Chan]

**********

video: basement jaxx | "raindrops"

Here's the brand new, appropriately flamboyant, vaguely NSFW (i don't even know anymore) video for what is probably the best dance single of the year thus far:



[via]

**********

mp3: phaseone x animal collective

mp3:
animal collective :: daily routine (phaseone remix)

[via]

**********

legends of benin

For their fifth release, the incredible Analog Africa label has compiled 14 "super rare and highly danceable masterpieces recorded between 1969 -1981 by four legendary composers from Benin" on the aptly titled Legends of Benin. I'm really digging the whole thing at the moment, especially Gnonnas Pedro's stirring "agbadja modern" and the blazing "afro-funk-soul" of El Rego et sus Commandos. On par with last year's badass African Scream Contest comp, and the cover art (above) looks really nice too. Worth tracking down on 2xLP if you can; should be more widely available later this month.



mp3:
gnonnas pedro & his dadjes band :: la musica en vérité



mp3:
el rego et sus commandos :: feeling you got

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elsewhere:

One of our favorite photographers is set to release a collaborative project with model Joni Harbeck later this year. The book, entitled Pulp, will feature more than 200 of Neil Krug's dreamlike images; here's the new "commercial" for the project:



[if you're into it, you can purchase limited prints here]

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toro y moi

[photo]

I've been loving these brand new warm/warped, distant AM transmissions from Columbia, SC's Chaz Bundick, aka Toro Y Moi, since he made me aware of their existence yesterday. Our friends at NPIP say he sounds like "Ariel Pink or Night Control jacking Air France’s Warm Jets and turning them Midas gold," and that's maybe the best description I've ever heard of anything, ever. File under the fuzzy, lo-fi bedroom pop end of "dreamwave" next to Neon Indian, Memory Cassette, and whatever else we're filing under dreamwave these days. Incidentally, the kid also posts some of his great photos and collage-y art at his blog. Sounds and visuals both highly recommended:

mp3:
toro y moi :: blessa
toro y moi :: talamak

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photos: Animal Collective | Live in Dallas

[all photos by david + chris]

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mp3 premiere: new J. Tillman | "earthly bodies"

We've long been fans of J. Tillman's hauntingly stark and often mournful solo recordings -- even before Fleet Foxes drafted him as their secret weapon drummer/harmonizer/witty between-song banterer -- so it's pretty great to see his excellent discography getting some much-deserved increased attention as a result of his higher-profile day job. Tillman has a new full-length called Year in the Kingdom set to be released in September on Western Vinyl, and the first few songs to surface from the record have reminded me why I'm partial to his solo stuff. Here's an unmastered song from the new one, courtesy of the label:

mp3:
j tillman :: earthly bodies

Listen to a couple more from the new album -- including the title track and the gorgeous "Though I Have Wronged You" -- here.

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GvsB sirius/xm blog radio

Our weekly Sirius XM Blog Radio show airs today at noon Eastern (and again at midnight) on Sirius XMU. This week's episode features brand new music from Dirty Projectors, Major Lazer, Neon Indian, J Dilla, Tiny Vipers, Big J, Memory Cassette, Glasser, and more. You can listen online with a free trial here. Check this week's playlist + some mp3s after the jump...

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gorilla vs. bear blog radio :: june 4

1. phoenix :: fences
2. neon indian :: mind, drips
3. HEALTH vs. crystal castles :: crimewave
4. white denim :: mirrored and reverse
5. shuggie otis :: strawberry letter #23
6. family portrait :: mega secrets
7. flying lotus :: glendale galleria
8. pariah :: detroit falls
9. j dilla :: coming back
10. j dilla :: fire wood drumstix (feat. doom)
11. major lazer :: can't stop now
12. mor thiam :: ayo ayo nene
13. big j :: nobody knows
14. animal collective :: summertime cloths (dam funk remix)
15. animal collective :: daily routine
16. ariel pink :: for kate i wait
17. tiny vipers :: dreamer
18. kurt vile :: beach on the moon (recycled lyrics)
19. glasser :: apply (chairlift remix)
20. dum dum girls :: brite futures
21. wavves :: friends were gone
22. fever ray :: when i grow up (version by lissvik)
23. memory cassette :: last one awake (friend version)
24. memory cassette :: asleep at a party
25. grouper :: false horizon
26. grizzly bear :: foreground
27. dirty projectors :: two doves
28. ilyas ahmed :: exit twilight (feat. grouper)

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memory cassette x friend

Memory Cassette's debut 7" EP Call & Response is out this month as a co-release between the great Acephale Records (home of SALEM, CFCF, & Air France) and the Tough Alliance's Sincerely Yours label. There are some stellar remixes coming too, from the likes of Weird Tapes, CFCF, Sail A Whale, and others, including this tropical version from Friend in 320 kbps, courtesy of Acephale:

mp3:
memory cassette :: last one awake (Friend version)

Pre-order the limited 7" (500 copies) now from Acephale before it inevitably sells out.

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elsewhere:



Phoenix remix of the day: another band-approved take on "1901"; the title on this one is pretty self-explanatory:

mp3:
phoenix :: 1901 (pete herrs symphonic remix)

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Congrats to Grizzly Bear!

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premiere :: new fever ray remix

Mute hooked us up with this remix from London's Ben Hoo, taken from Fever Ray's upcoming Triangle Walks single. The single is out on 12"/digitally on June 23, and features remixes from Tiga, Allez-Allez, and more.

mp3:
fever ray :: triangle walks (ben hoo's still frame)

Also keep an eye out for the "Triangle Walks" video, directed by frequent Andreas Nilsson collaborator Mikel Cee Karlsson.

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previously:

mp3:
fever ray :: when i grow up (version by lissvik)



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unrelated:

Phoenix added to Monolith Fest! It's going to be exactly like this, but in the mountains:



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brazos :: live on acl stage left

[via]

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exit twilight

"Exit Twilight" is the hypnotic final track from Portland "bedroom wanderer" Ilyas Ahmed's new album, featuring haunting vocals from the inimitable Liz Harris:

mp3:
ilyas ahmed :: exit twilight (feat. grouper)

[taken from ilyas ahmed's limited (1000 copies) new full-length, Goner, out now on root strata]

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related awesome photo, via Reverend Green's tour blog:



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elsewhere:



Stream Dirty Projectors' Bitte Orca in its entirety at NPR.

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