Sufjan Stevens is like a bus.  You wait years for new music from him to arrive and then there’s a shitload of it all at once.

It all started about three weeks ago when an out-of-the-blue, hour-long EP called “All Delighted People” showed up, and then almost two weeks ago there was the premiere of “I Walked”, the first track from his upcoming album “The Age Of Adz”, and now today we have another new song called “Too Much” that was apparently played on Norwegian radio yesterday.

It follows in the same footsteps of “I Walked”, electronic and synth-led, with layers of instruments atop layers of vocals and all sorts of knobs and whistles interspersed throughout. So far it seems that his new album might be a bit of a change in direction from his previous album, definitely appearing to be more electronic-based, but I’m really really digging what I’ve heard so far.

Sufjan Stevens – “Too Much”

(via disco naivete)

This post is a “QuickPick”. QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like (or just music I like but have no words for because it’s so awesome), out into the dubya dots.

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of the logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: Small Black
Genre: Indie, Electronic, Concrete
Links: Facebook | Twitter | MySpace | Blog

Small Black – “Photojournalist”

Yesterday when I posted the stream of the new Blonde Redhead album I mentioned that some bands struggle to make album number two or three, when they’ve just made album number eight and are still awesome.

of Montreal however are on album number ten and it’s been one hell of a ride in the 13 years since.  Their music certainly isn’t for everybody and can be pretty far out there at times, and their latest album is no exception.  When the first song of this new album made its way onto the web I mentioned that they tend to blow hot and cold for me, seemingly making a good album every other time, and this time I’m up for a winner.  Does it deliver?  Check it out for yourself and let me know what you think.

If you like what you hear below, you can buy it from here:

• eMusic – Sign up for free and get your first 25 songs for free! After that tracks start at just $0.50, half the price of iTunes.
• Amazon – CD | Vinyl | MP3
• Insound – CD | Vinyl

of Montreal – “I Feel Ya Strutter”

Imagine space crickets in a time warp. A crystalline synthesis and what I would characterize, at times, as intelligent wonk for all of the readers who don’t see the logical inconsistency between the two. As the anticlimactic arrival of the apocalypse passes us, we’re forced to reevaluate the archaic electronic methods spread unevenly amongst the sound waves. Thankfully, VERSUS INTL makes sense of it all, for us…

At moments during a listen to the entire EP, we’re reminded of the threaded axis of the album in the pulsing beep of the relatively common synthesizers we’ve all heard before. As needed, the fluttering simplicity of some of the amped plug-ins keep us in step with the gorgeous scenery around us, much like traveling through a tunnel sealed and encircled by an aquarium. The hits in this collection drift to oblivion, and then return to bring back fresh realities. While the structure periodically seems a bit “in the box,” the sounds within the arrangements themselves make this project blossom fully.

On the remix of Washed Out’s “You & I”, the listener is almost urged to fall in love with the essence of the, what I imagine to be, mermaid sample sight unseen—she calls from the depths of this blue abyss. As the sensual female vocals beckon our journey inside “Dive” we are reminded of the digital realm without getting too enraptured from the warmth of the vinyl’s whispers. The tracks accentuate many of the beats with just enough reverb to enlighten the listener to this organized blend of lo-fi/hi-fi. Why am I not hearing solar radiance in every club on this planet? The isolated promoters/owners/dj’s out there need to wake-up to this track and the EP all together.

Whether partying at Drais during after-hours, or in the house chilling at night, this EP gathers all the pieces. Check it all out from beginning to end!

Keep up to date with VERSUS INTL – MySpace | Website

VERSUS INTL – “Solar Radiance”
VERSUS INTL – “Sleep Capsule”
VERSUS INTL – “Glow”
VERSUS INTL – “AABBLRLR”
VERSUS INTL – “Dive”
VERSUS INTL – “Haze”
VERSUS INTL – “You & I” (Washed Out remix)
VERSUS INTL – “Oceana”

I have to say that I’m pretty pissed at Kings Of Leon at the moment.

I guess these days there are a shitload of people who say they’ve been a KOL fan from the start but actually haven’t, however I have.  I remember when I lived back in Edinburgh there was a lot of buzz around them before their debut album was released and I never really paid them much attention, that was until my younger brother bought the album when it came out and I listened to it with him.  I fucking loved it, and have loved the band since, including their last album “Only By The Night” which a lot of “old” KOL fans apparently hated, or stopped listening to them because of it.

The reason I’m pissed is that myself and a buddy from work were supposed to be seeing them, The Black Keys, and The Whigs, play at Hershey Park tonight and they only went and cancelled the show last week, ten days before it was supposed to happen due to a “scheduling conflict”.  Well that ain’t true, it was because they didn’t sell enough tickets.  Isn’t that a pile of shite?  So yeah, I’m pretty pissed at them but hopefully the new album will remedy that, however I have a feeling it won’t.

Here’s the first listen of the first song from their upcoming fifth album “Come Around Sundown”, set for release on October 19th (unless of course there aren’t enough people interested in buying it then they might just not bother).  I literally stayed up all night to hear and rip this as it was being premiered all over Australian radio before anywhere else (7am EST, 9pm AEST).

Buy “Come Around Sundown”

• Amazon – CD | Vinyl

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Kings Of Leon – “Radioactive”

This post is a “QuickPick”. QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like (or just music I like but have no words for because it’s so awesome), out into the dubya dots.

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of the logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: The Dirty Tees
Genre: House, Electro, NuDisco, Alternative
Links: Facebook | Twitter | MySpace | Website

Phoenix – “1901″ (The Dirty Tees Remix)

So outta the blue Own Pallett literally just tweeted that he uploaded a new song for us.

By the looks of things it might’ve been released by Domino in a newsletter this morning but that’s not around anymore, however here it is.  It’s taken from an upcoming EP called “A Swedish Love Story” featuring three other new songs.  It’ll be released on September 28th via Domino, but let this hold you over until then. Check out the tracklisting after the song.

Owen Pallett – “A Man With No Ankles”

1. “A Man with No Ankles”
2. “Scandal at the Parkade”
3. “Honour the Dead, or Else”
4. “Don’t Stop (on my Account)”

Wait, what?  An entire new EP by one of the most average-sized men on Earth, otherwise known as The Tallest Man On Earth?

The only time those will be unwelcome is if he takes a Milli Vanilli route and gets all dread-locky and shit.  Thankfully it’s really difficult for Swedish people to grow dreadlocks (they’re allergic to them) so he’ll never go that way, but today my good buddy over at TwentyFourBit broke the good news to me.  Five new songs (with the freebie actually being a reworking of a bonus track from his latest album “The Wild Hunt”), one for free, out now.

Below you can hear the freebie and you can buy the whole thing from iTunes and on November 9th (8th in the U.K.) it’ll be available on CD and vinyl.  Thanks to T4B for the tracklisting below.

The Tallest Man On Earth – “Like The Wheel”

1. “Little River”
2. “The Dreamer”
3. “Like the Wheel”
4. “Tangle in This Trampled Wheat”
5. “Thrown Right At Me”

Chances are you’ll hear a bunch of folks talking about how it’s difficult to make album number two or that a lot of bands have just lost it by album number three, but what about album number eight?

There aren’t many bands these days who make it that far, but I guess Blonde Redhead aren’t really from “these days” having released their debut album “Blonde Redhead” 15 years ago way back in 1995. But eight albums later they’re still going strong, comprised of lead singer and all-around female Kazu Makino and twin bruvs Amadeo and Simone Pace.  I have to say, I would love to have the name Amadeo Pace, or Cletus.

“Penny Sparkle” is released via 4AD (the band’s third album for the label) on September 14th and if you like what you hear below, you can but it from here:

• Amazon – CD | Vinyl | MP3

Blonde Redhead – “Will There Be Stars”

This post is a “QuickPick”. QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like (or just music I like but have no words for because it’s so awesome), out into the dubya dots.

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of the logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: Peo de Pitte
Genre: Breaks, House
Links: Facebook | Twitter | Website | Soundcloud

Flip Flap Man – “8 Minutes Of Summer” (Yazoo Vs. Donna Summer Vs. Robbie Williams)

Belle & Sebastian released a brand new song for free from their upcoming album “Belle & Sebastian Write About Love”, the followup to 2006′s “The Life Pursuit”.  They gave it exclusively to certain Twitter followers a day early, some of whom released onto the dubya dots for all of us to enjoy before it’s officially released for free tomorrow (Tuesday 7th). It’ll be available as a free download and stream for a limited time and also available from iTunes.

Last week they released the first in a series of short films that featured two more new songs, the awesome “I Want The World To Stop” and “I Didn’t See It Coming”.

Pre-order “Belle & Sebastian Write About Love”:

• Amazon – CD | Vinyl

Belle & Sebastian – “Write About Love” (love it at The Hype Machine)

“Synchronicity” is the number one selling album from The Police. The album was named after Koestler’s “Roots of Coincidence” which talks about Carl Jung’s theory of synchronicity and is highly influenced by the growing genre of reggae music. “I do my best work when I’m in pain and turmoil” Sting had said, and you can hear this to be true in the track “Every Breath You Take”.  Sadly, this was also the last album The Police recorded as a band.

-Tiana from Ride the Tempo helping you rediscover old music.

If you like what you hear below, you can buy it from here:

• eMusic – Sign up and get your first 25 songs for free! Tracks after that start at just $0.50, that’s half the price of iTunes.
• Amazon - CD | Vinyl | MP3
• Insound – CD | Vinyl

Hot hot hot track from Swedish synth wizard Familjen. A tune that manages to maintain a melancholy lyricism despite its bouncy beats and cowbells. I think not being able to understand is almost an advantage with this kind of music; I’m definitely not thinking about what’s being said here.

Check out the rest of the album “Mänskligheten” (released earlier in May) for some tasty Scando electro-beats.  You can download the entire album for free just by signing up for eMusic).

Keep up to date with Familjen – Facebook | Last.fm | MySpace | Website

Familjen - “Det-Var-Jag”

After seeing them for the second time last weekend at the “album launch” show it’s safe to say that Manchester’s Everything Everything are going to be a big hit on the UK indie/dance scene. For everyone else who was enraptured by “MY KZ, YR BF” last year it’s been worth the wait for their debut effort. The album is chock-full of songs that make you wanna dance, before you realise it’s not dance music (most confusing audience I’ve ever been a part of).

I’d highly recommend catching this unique blend of Wild Beasts, Two Door Cinema Club and, let’s say, Delphic (for the beats) if you’re in the UK this autumn, I’ll be at Deaf Institute on October 12th.

Keep up to date with Everything Everything – Facebook | Twitter | MySpace | Last.fm

Everything Everything - “Qwerty Finger”
Everything Everything - “Leave The Engine Room”
Everything Everything - “MY KZ, YR BF” (Grum Remix)

With a voice that hits you squarely in the chops (all three of them) and borne from the future love child of Orlando Weeks from The Maccabees and Tom Smith from Editors, Wooden Pigs (a four-piece from Bournemouth, England) do more than just sound similar to the aforementioned bands.

They’ve taken the best of both albums by The Maccabees, mixed them with the atmosphere of Editors’ first album and the raucous and unbridled youth of The Kings Of Leon’s debut album, thrown it all in a blender and drank the resulting jaggedly, skin-stripping concoction that at points shreds lead singer Geoffry’s throat and the accompanying hook-laden guitar, guttural bass, and drums.

Their six publicly available songs are the basis of a sure-fire hit of an album, that, at the moment there’s no word on, but I strongly urge you to visit their Facebook/MySpace page and listen to their other songs, the first four of which comprise a new EP the band are hoping to release soon called “The Blossom”.  The dudes are unsigned at the moment, so all of you label folks who I know are reading, you better get out your cheque books and start making some offers before someone else does.  Check out the title track of the EP below and let me know what you think.

Keep up to date with Wooden Pigs – Facebook | MySpace | Blog

Wooden Pigs – “The Blossom”

This post is a “QuickPick”. QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like (or just music I like but have no words for because it’s so awesome), out into the dubya dots.

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of the logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: Peo de Pitte
Genre: Breaks, House
Links: Facebook | Twitter | MySpace | Soundcloud

Drumattic Twins – “Crazy Love” (Peo de Pitte 2010 Disco Edit)

I’m not sure how many more songs from his album are going to be played on the radio and subsequently ripped, but I don’t suppose it’s a bad thing, right?

Just a few days ago I posted FOUR more new songs from his album “Flamingo”, that’s on top of the already radio-ripped “Swallow It” and “Crossfire”, and now there are these two which apparently appear as bonus tracks on the deluxe edition.  I can’t remember the site that I found them on, so apologies for the lack of “via” linkage, but give them a listen and see what you think.

You can buy “Flamingo” from here:

• Amazon – CD | Vinyl
• eMusic – Sign up and get your first 25 songs for free! After that tracks start at just $0.50, that’s half the price of iTunes.

Brandon Flowers – “Right Behind You”
Brandon Flowers – “I Came Here To Get Over You”

I’ve been waiting for this for quite a while now, and it’s oh so close to finally being here.

This morning Belle & Sebastian announced on their site that on September 7th they’d release their first single from their upcoming album “Belle and Sebastian Write About Love“, but today you can hear that song “I Want The World To Stop” as well as another new one “I Didn’t See It Coming” aaaaannnndddddd watch them both as part of a beautiful new short film the band made to accompany the songs.

They’ve promised more videos for more of the songs so we can start getting really excited now.  You can watch the video below and check back here on Tuesday so you can listen to and download their brand new song.

QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like, out into the wide web world (or dubya dots).

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of the logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: Blackbird Blackbird
Genre: Electronic/Dream-Pop
Links: Bandcamp | Twitter | MySpace | Tumblr

Blackbird Blackbird – “Modern Disbelief”

QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like, out into the wide web world (or dubya dots).

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of the logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: DJ BAHLER
Genre: Mashups, Remixes
Links: Soundcloud | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr

DJ BAHLER – “Reckless Abandon” (Temper Trap Vs. Crystal Castles Vs. The XX Vs. Shiny Toy Guns)

As I said with bitterTV back in July, the chilled-out and synthed-up sounds of the electronic waves-of-chill that have been known to emanate from many a blog whenever the snow recedes and the sun parks it’s arse in the sky, doesn’t normally conjure up images of Russia or the eastern bloc.

Whilst I try to refrain from using the term “chillwave”, I think it’s actually a half-decent term that only slightly applies here.  The guy behind Cosmonaut Grechko is Victor, a 600 year-old tree making a kind of Electro-Dance-Chillwave hybrid with beats that wouldn’t be out of place on a dance floor, electro-synths that hold their own against the likes of DOM, and tripped-out spotty waves of Dream-Pop akin to Houses or Blackbird Blackbird.

All of the music he’s making is available for free from his Soundcloud page, but below you can hear and download four of his songs found on his Soundcloud page.

Keep up to date with Cosmonaut Grechko – Soundcloud | MySpace | Twitter

Cosmonaut Grechko – “All The Time We Were In Love”
Cosmonaut Grechko – “Need You” (featuring Shell Heaven Lee)
Cosmonaut Grechko – “Hidden Track”
Capsule – “I Wish You” (Cosmonaut Grechko Bootleg)

This post is a “QuickPick”. QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like (or just music I like but have no words for because it’s so awesome), out into the dubya dots.

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of the logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: The Gay Blades
Genre: Indie, Rock
Links: Facebook | Twitter | MySpace | Website

The Gay Blades – “Try To Understand”

Hihi, you may know me as the weird girl who appears once in a while to write all the Rolling Stone Top 500 posts that probably nobody reads, or the random blogger from Ride the Tempo. I am Canadian and love the diversity of Canadian music and it has been a semi-focus on my blog. Over here at Mr. Frank’s Listen Before You Buy site, I decided to expose his million readers (vs my like 5) to some great music by featuring 10 tracks you must listen to (from the same or different artists). These posts will appear every month on the first! If you’re a Canadian artist who thinks they’re the shit and can make the next post e-mail me at tiana_feng@hotmail.com.

Imaginary Cities
Imaginary Cities are a duo from Winnipeg Manitoba; Rusty Matyas (singer/guitarist) and Marti Sarbit (vocalist). Marti is a wonderful vocalist with her very simple melodies that just hook you in. If you’re a fan of Feist and Yeah Yeah Yeahs you’d dig her. Rusty on the other hand is a wonderful instrumentalist who plays almost anything which makes for some wonderful song arrangements. All of the instruments you hear in the recording are played by him and these tracks come from their “Temporary Resident EP” which they gave away on their official website.

Imaginary Cities – “Say You”
Imaginary Cities – “Hummingbird”
Imaginary Cities – “Temporary Resident”
Imaginary Cities – “Calm Before The Storm”
Imaginary Cities – “Where’d All The Living Go”

Five Alarm Funk
I’m not sure how to describe their music, I guess its a sort of afro-funk orchestra. They have four percussionists, 2 guitars, a bass, trumpet and two saxophones. Their latest work “Anything is Possible” features world-inspired melodies such as melodies from the middle east that become blended in with Western rhythms. These dudes are a wonder to watch on stage too. MySpace

Five Alarm Funk – “Titan”
Five Alarm Funk – “Infernal Monolgue”

Flashlight Radio
Flashlight Radio is an indie/folk band from Toronto who I’ve seen a couple of times because the bassist was in my classes. Their vocalist’s angelic voice blends perfectly with the fact that the group is made out of very solid musicians. MySpace

Flashlight Radio – “Flashlight Radio”

Emay
Emay is a rapper/producer. He’s excellent at remixing familiar tracks into a vision of his own as well creating original music and lyrics. He is also a very awesome dude in real life. He is part of the Vinyl Meltdown family of artists where you can check out some more free music downloads!

Emay – “If You’re Breathing”
Broken Social Scene – “World Sick” (Emay Remix)

So Zach over at We Listen For You has been talking about making the latest video for Louisville’s Electro-Pop-Rockers The Pass for a few weeks now and how insane it was to make.

Well today he dropped it and it’s fucking awesome, but maybe that’s just because I have a vested interest in it (not because LBYB is featured but because I follow most of the sites in it).  He had a dream where he showed up for a party but everyone there was a real-life-take on a music blog or site, and so he made it into The Pass’ latest music video.

He’s also turned it into a contest whereby if you can guess the more than 30 blogs and sites featured in the video you’ll win a $50 gift certificate to Insound as well as a CD of The Pass’ debut album “Burst”.  Personally I’m up to 22 (I think correct) guesses, but check it out below and read what Zach has to say about it.

Oh, and the song is fucking tight too!

A few weeks ago the up and coming Louisville electro pop band The Pass told me their idea to create a found footage or unofficial video for each of their songs to act as way for people to stream their new album BURST (out Sept 21st). Instead of going on myspace and streaming the album, you would go to youtube and be able to watch eleven videos and hear the entire album (see the first track video stream HERE).

I immediately told them I wanted to take a crazy dream I had and put it into moving images. The dream consisted of me showing up at a crazy party to find that all the people are life like takes on the names of music blogs. As you know, there are a lot of clever names for music blogs and the goal of the video was to transform the name of music blogs into human/prop representations. An example of this would be the music blog “I Guess I’m Floating”…you would see a guy floating and then shrug with indifference.

To make this even more fun, I’m holding a contest to see who can identify the most music blog/music site references. We managed to reference over thirty sites. To prevent people from listing every blog they know, if you guess a blog that isn’t featured in the video you get –1 points….one right you get +1. The person with the most points win. E-mail to answers to guesstheblogs@gmail.com. Please don’t use the comment box to guess…they will not count.

The winner will receive a 50 dollar gift certificate to Insound and a cd copy of The Pass debut BURST. If someone manages to get a perfect score, I might throw in something extra. This was a lot of fun to make and I hope you have as much fun watching what has to be one of the craziest house parties ever.

These four new songs from B-Flow’s upcoming debut solo album “Flamingo” were played on various radio stations over the last couple of days, so what you hear below are shitty are radio rips.

When his last song “Swallow It” leaked I thought it was terrible.  I still do, it might just be one of the most atrocious songs of the year.  No seriously, it’s awful.  These new songs though are actually pretty decent and I found myself repeatedly listening to “Only The Young”.  When it was announced a few months back about his solo album, it was revealed on The Killers’ website with a huge neon sign and some cool electronic background music playing on loopdy loop, and as it turns out that music was from “Only The Young”.

Of the six or so songs that I’ve heard from “Flamingo” (including first taster “Crossfire”) I’d have to say that “Only The Young” is the standout track so far, but listen to the other three newbies below (including “Hard Enough” with Jenny Lewis from Rilo Kiley) and let me know what you think.

Brandon Flowers – “Hard Enough” (radio rip)
Brandon Flowers – “Only The Young” (radio rip)
Brandon Flowers – “Was It Something I Said?” (radio rip)
Brandon Flowers – “Magdalena” (radio rip)

(via)

QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like, out into the wide web world (or dubya dots).

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of the logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: +VIBES
Genre: Mashups, Remixes
Links: Facebook | Blog

+VIBES – “Notoriously Juicy Fireflies” (Notorious B.I.G. Vs. Owl City)

QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like (or just music I like but have no words for because it’s so awesome), out into the dubya dots.

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of the logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: Dirty Sky Symphony
Genre: Mashups, Remixes
Links: Soundcloud

Crystal Castles – “Baptism” (Dirty Sky Symphony Megatron Remix)

The Walkmen are pretty consistent when it comes to releasing a new album, currently on one every two years, with their latest “Lisbon” being their fifth in eight years.

Admittedly my first introduction to the band was probably the same as a lot of other people’s when they released “The Rat” from their 2004 album “Bows + Arrows”.  It’s arguably their biggest, if not best song to date and on subsequent albums they (personally) missed the mark and fell flat from the success and overall signal that emanated from “Bows + Arrows”.

I’ll refrain from giving my opinion on “Lisbon” as I haven’t given it ample time to do so yet, so just dig in for yourself and let me know what you think (again thanks to NPR).

Keep up to date with The Walkmen – Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter

If you like what you hear below, then support the artist and buy it:

• eMusic – Sign up and get your first 25 songs absolutely free! Tracks start at just $0.50, half the price of iTunes.
• Amazon - CD | Vinyl | MP3
• Insound – CD | Vinyl

The Walkmen – “The Rat”

QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like (or just music I like but have no words for because it’s so awesome), out into the dubya dots.

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of the logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: Andrew John Long
Genre: Mashups, Remixes
Links: Soundcloud

Andrew John Long – “Aerodynamixed” (Alphabreak + Daft Punk “Aerodynamix” Vs. Kanye West “Touch the Sky”)

Fader’s own record label “Fader Label” released Matt & Kim’s insanely powerful and catchy second album “Grand” back in 2009, and now they’re gearing up for the release of their third album with this latest song “Cameras”.

It’s our first listen to anything from said third album and it’s fucking awesome, featuring a huge Hip-Hop beat backed by some Big Band horns and Matt’s far-off voice yelling the infectious chorus.  It’s out now on iTunes and Amazon for a mere buck and if you don’t like it, well you’re wrong!

You can hear it below, or over at their Facebook page, or at The Fader’s site, but wherever you get it from, be happy in the knowledge that if the rest of their album “Sidewalks” is like this, we’re in for a treat.

Keep up to date with Matt & Kim – Facebook | Twitter | MySpace | Website

Matt & Kim – Cameras by ListenBeforeYouBuy

QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like (or just music I like but have no words for because it’s so awesome), out into the dubya dots.

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of the logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: Dolby Anol
Genre: Dance, Electronic, Techno
Links: MySpace | Twitter | Facebook

Dolby Anol – “American Express”

Out of a long line of musicians from Austin, TX emerges yet another: Gary Clark Jr., the “Future of Texas Blues.” As complementary as this exaltation may appear, the epithet doesn’t quite cast a wide enough net to ensnare his assorted repertoire. Sure, his in-between notes and uniquely devised space blues scales delve into an Eastern realm, psychedelically showered with overtones of the Deep South, but GCJ is much more…

Clark broke onto the scene in precocious fashion, making his performing debut on stage with Hubert Sumlin at the tender age of 14.  Now, at 26, he’s a veritable rock deity in Texas, having played with virtually every living legend of rock & roll, while embarking on missions across the globe to Asia, Europe, and throughout North America.

Clark’s latest release in two years is the Gary Clark Jr. EP:

“Intro” begins with a steady drum roll.  An announcement by the sentinels that the floodgates of electric liquidity will imminently pour through the promenade.  Just beyond the trumpets, also played by Clark, a presage of electric chords effortlessly drooling in a playful banter with the celestial background vocals lightly lurking.  The track certainly spreads a raw blanket of sound—a recorded in the bedroom at 5 en la madrugada kind of feel, ironically ushering a new day from the heels of the prior’s terminus.

Next, “Bright Lights” congeals rather cautiously, opening with a fierce guitar riff from Zapata welcoming Gary’s warm vocals that have somehow emerged from the cave where they’ve been hiding. As the song progresses, Clark demonstratively wails, “You gonna know my name.”  Yes, now we do!

“I Don’t Owe You a Thang” begins with a consistent drum beat throughout the song like a steam locomotive chugging down the tracks.  J.J. Johnson’s tom rolls emphasize Clark’s persistent independence from his perceived female suitor, demanding she accept him “as is.”  After each verse remarking, “I don’t owe you a thang,” I imagine the female’s immediate retort, “oh yes you do.”

“Please Come Home” Clark switches gears while seemingly regretting his obstreperous insistence from the previous track. Now that he’s driven her away, he makes her melt from afar.  Clark serves this dessert track in a cool falsetto, which the Platters or any Motown band would have loved to have captured first.

“The Life” clearly demonstrates Clark’s prodigious versatility, taking command of his R&B proclivities, in describing the balky sensations one experiences upon awakening after an extended, overly imbibed night on the town. This track is almost an R&B analog to “Bright Lights”. An acknowledgment of past mistakes, tempted by an appreciation for the present, which must be reconciled with moving forward in the spirit of well-being for the future.

“Things are Changing” showcases Clark’s tenderness, yet realism about the agony & ecstasy of relating to his significant other.  This is a peaceful slow jam meant for a late evening rendezvous, yet recognizes the contemporary struggles and uncertainty in society today.

Drifting. In this exhibition of frenetic bliss Clark wields his Excalibur. No vocals necessary in this soundscape, as the chords deliver their finest plea of divinity. Pali Gap, meet Mr. GCJ and his secret weapon on this track: the Ibanez Blazer.

Breakdown discusses the trepidations of life in a security state, and the oxymoronic nature inherent in such a system. Oddly enough, and besides “The Life,” this is probably the most radio/pop friendly cut on the EP. GCJ talks us through the institutional pitfalls and booby traps of day to day life, while also honing in on the psychological constitution one needs to navigate through such potential entrapments. The message is clear: don’t stop pushing, keep moving, and your sought after outcome will eventually prevail.

The EP serves as a cross-section of Clark’s ability to move in any direction, at times juking the listener, making him guess which wormhole he will travel through next. After listening to the EP, the listener undoubtedly understands Gary Clark Jr. is an artist whose songs could be played on various radio stations, from college/indie rock to r&b and pop, in any given market. This listener could envision the day where GCJ is played on each station simultaneously…

I don’t know how to classify this body of work—the project embodies elements of Rock/R&B/Pop/Soul/Blues/Alt.Rock/Soft Rock/Country.

Flanked by JJ Johnson on drums (John Mayer), Scott Nelson on bass (Kenny Wayne Shepherd), and lifelong compatriot Zapata, also a lead guitarist in his own right, I can say without equivocation this guy is going to be huge. Just remember, you heard it here first!

Keep up to date with Gary Clark Jr. – MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Website

Gary Clark Jr. – “Intro”
Gary Clark Jr. – “Bright Lights”
Gary Clark Jr. – “I Don’t Owe You A Thang”
Gary Clark Jr. – “Please Come Home”
Gary Clark Jr. – “The Life”
Gary Clark Jr. – “Things Are Changing”
Gary Clark Jr. – “Outro”
Gary Clark Jr. – “Breakdown”

If you’re unaware of what Music Monday is, it’s a Twitter recommendation system where users of Twitter share their favourite music, artists, genres, etc in order to not only find new music themselves but help others find new music too.  Using the hashtag (#) followed by “MusicMonday” you can easily find new music posted by the thousands of people making recommendations each week.

Every #MusicMonday I upload a playlist of 20 songs that I’ve been listening to (new and old) over the past week and hopefully you’ll enjoy some of them.  Want me to check someone out? Let me know at that Contact Us thinger up there.

In order to listen to the playlist you’ll need to have Flash enabled.

This week’s #MusicMonday playlist:

“Hey Joe – Jimi Hendrix”
“I’m Not Driving Any More – Rob Dougan”
“Woman – John Lennon & Yoko Ono”
“NYC – Interpol”
“Top Expert – Cat Power”
“Nowhere Again – Secret Machines”
“Standing In The Way Of Connection (The Gossip Vs. Elastica) – A Plus D”
“Whiskey and Fish – Joe Purdy”
“Pimp Millennium – Trouble Andrew”
“Eat Your Heart Up – The Blow”
“Jetstream – Doves”
“What New York Used To Be – The Kills”
“Fuck You! – Cee-Lo”
“Change Of Time – Josh Ritter”
“Wide Eyes – Local Natives”
“Know Better Learn Faster – Thao With The Get Down Stay Down”
“Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? – She & Him”
“Oh Mandy – The Spinto Band”
“One (Blake’s Got a New Face) – Vampire Weekend”
“It’s Always Been You – Thomas Dybdahl”

Back towards the tail-end of June I introduced you to Kissed Her Little Sister, a lone-star gunman from Santa Monica who’s making music that can’t be touched by anyone else at the moment.

Well last week some buddies of Jeff, the guy behind Kissed Her Little Sister, sent me their album demo “Newer Stations” at Jeff’s recommendation, and as I said back to them in a subsequent email “I couldn’t even make it to the one-minute mark on the first song without being thoroughly impressed”. In that first minute of the first song you’re bombarded with raucously infectious Lo-Fi vocals that are sung with a hint of Doo-Wop melody and guitars that spike you in the shins for getting too close.  It’s how the whole album goes, which they claim is so far “a demo thing” as they put it, but you really couldn’t tell.

It’d sit well with other Lo-Fi luminaries to release albums this year, immediately more accessible than maybe Best Coast or even Sleigh Bells for detractors of their production sound.  Throughout the ten-song-wonder you’ll hear the fun that Harlem are having mixed with the drive of Jaill and even some of the huge-sound of The Cribs, packed into a Dr Who. tardis, repeatedly going back and forward in time.

You can hear “Newer Stations” in its entirety below or over at their Bandcamp page, and you can download it here and there also (but it’s easier if you get it from them in a nicely packaged ZIP file).

Keep up to date with NYC UFOs – MySpace | Bandcamp

NYC UFOs – “Any Other Time”
NYC UFOs – “Give It To You”
NYC UFOs – “I See You”
NYC UFOs – “There Goes My Ego”
NYC UFOs – “I Want To Fall In Love”
NYC UFOs – “NYC UFOs” (Demo)
NYC UFOs – “Glass” (Demo)
NYC UFOs – “Oh, Little Bird” (Demo)
NYC UFOs – “No Place No. 6″ (Demo)
NYC UFOs – “Teeth” (Demo)

This debut album by the Jose Gonzalez-led Junip has been in the pipeline for about five years now, but it’s finally here.

Actually, it’s probably been in the pipeline for longer than that, the band having formed 10 years ago, but we’ve been waiting at least five years for it since that’s when they released their debut EP “Black Refuge”. Back in May they released another EP called “Rope And Summit” which you can listen to and download for free, but now they’re debut album is here, and thanks to NPR you can listen to the entire thing below, two weeks before it’s released.

If you like what you hear below, then buy it:

• eMusic – Sign up and get your first 25 songs absolutely free! Tracks start at just $0.50, half the price of iTunes.
• Amazon - CD | Vinyl | MP3
• Insound – CD | Vinyl

Junip – “At The Doors”

QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like (or just music I like but have no words for because it’s so awesome), out into the dubya dots.

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of the logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: The Ting Tings
Genre: Indie, Pop
Links: MySpace | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Buy: Their debut smash-hit album “We Started Nothing”

• eMusic – Sign up and get 25 songs for free!
• Amazon – CD | Vinyl | MP3
• Insound – CD | Vinyl

The Ting Tings – “Hands”

At first listen, The Weepies might seem as wet as their name implies – a country-tinged guitar pop band with high-pitched female vocals placing it slightly in the “twee” category. But as you get further into their new album, “Be My Thrill”, the country influence becomes ever more pronounced, and a certain darkness creeps in on songs such as “Hard To Please” and “How Do You Get High”.  The album’s closer, “Empty Your Hands” takes all the conflicting impulses throughout the record and wraps them up in a sweet, melodic package that does justice to the preceding songs.

The Weepies, centered around duo Steve Tannen and Deb Talan, are planning to play at 32 tour dates throughout the US in 2010. The whole album is available to stream from Paste Magazine’s website (and below), before it’s released next week on Nettwerk Records.

The Weepies – “Be My Thrill”

If you like what you hear below, buy it from here:

• Amazon - CD | Vinyl | MP3
• eMusic – Sign up and get your first 25 songs absolutely free. Tracks start at just $0.50, half the price of iTunes.

QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like (or just music I like but have no words for because it’s so awesome), out into the dubya dots.

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of the logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: How To Dress Well (eMusic – Sign up and get 25 songs for free | Amazon - Pre-Order The CD | Insound – Pre-Order The CD | Vinyl)
Genre: Indie, Lo-Fi, R&B
Links: Soundcloud | Twitter | Facebook | Website

How To Dress Well – “You Won’t Need Me Where I’m Goin’”
How To Dress Well – “Ready For The World”

Back to the future from now to a reversion into the 60’s SoCal club scene. This re-release is a flashing anachronism in this late conglomeration, amid the glam neon pink eighties.

Considered a precursor to what later became known as the punk-rock scene, Sky Saxon and company quietly managed to blend a confluence of styles underground, yet just below the surface.  In late spring 2009 Saxon unexpectedly died at a hospital in Austin, TX after playing a gig at Antone’s. His death was largely overshadowed by the concomitant deaths of both Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett.  This writer suspects Saxon would not have really cared.

The Seeds have been around in spirit since the beginnings of the psychedelic movement, opening a crack in a window through which many others would soon stride.  Although grainy crackling abounds, this ripped-from-vinyl sound will certainly warp the listener back to a familiar place they’ve likely never been. Just please take it easy on the mind.  “Pushing Too Hard” was The Seeds’ top hit of the time and has since been covered by at least 6 bands, including the Ramones.

The Seeds – “Pushing Too Hard”
The Seeds – “Try To Understand”

Wisconsin’s Meridene specialise in pounding drums, Strokes-esque guitars and rousing choruses. Their latest single “Parade of Fools” has a sense of hardwon optimism in the lyrics, leavening the catchy pop-rock hooks and crackling energy with a grown-up sensibility.

The band has a new album, Something Like Blood, which was recorded in just four days at Bon Iver’s studio in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. It’ll be released through Amble Down Records on September 28th.

Keep up to date with Meridene – MySpace | Twitter | Facebook | Website

Meridene – “Parade Of Fools”

QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like, out into the wide web world (or dubya dots).

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of the logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: The MashMaticians
Genre: Mashups, Remixes
Links: Soundcloud | Facebook | Bandcamp

The MashMaticians – “Lisztomania 2″ (The Cataracs Vs. Phoenix)

Late last night (think 3am EST) I was finishing up on some posts for the site when Dodge over at MyOldKentuckyBlog made a tweet saying that he’d have the premiere of a new Sufjan Stevens song called “I Walked” and to catch it early (he’s since removed the tweet).

So I hung around impatiently, checking the various places I knew Sufjan might have new unheard music hanging out but I couldn’t find it.  Then at around 4am Dodge made the post and as I was reading it I got to the song and it wouldn’t play.  I tried saving it, no joy.  Tried seeing if it was on his server somewhere else, but no joy.  So I reluctantly went to bed, knowing that when I got up it’ll have blown up everywhere else and everyone but me would’ve listened to it by then.

Yeah that’s how it turned out.  Most of the sites and blogs have all posted it, none of which I follow besides Will over at We All Want Someone To Shout For gave Dodge the credit for having it first, which is kinda poor form, guys.  Regardless, the song itself is a fucking stunner.  The only way to recognise that it’s a Sufjan song is thanks to his unique vocals, the rest of the song is taken up by a huge electronic beat that’d be more at home on a Nine Inch Nails record, and ethereal, far-off backing vocals that sound like they were sung by Mermaids under water.  It’s taken from his just-announced (yesterday) new album “The Age Of Adz” set for release on October 12th.

Last week he released a brand new, hour-long EP for only $5 on Bandcamp, but if you haven’t heard it yet you can do so here.

Sufjan Stevens – “I Walked”

(via MOKB)

The Good King Wenceslas (Will from RadarMaker and Will Hines fame) sent this over yesterday, imploring that I give it a listen.

So I gave it a listen, assuming it had to be at least half-way decent for him to send it to ME, but it was way more than half-way decent, it was full-on decent.  All the way across the sky.  There aren’t a whole host of available songs out there at the moment by Clare, and maybe that’s a good thing, but I tend to think that with good music there needs to be an abundance of it. Currently there’s the song you’re about to hear below (which is actually a remix of sorts), the original version which is a bit more solemn and laid back, and another called “Are You Ready” that’s just over a minute long and features Clare harmonising over some cavernous electronic beats.

As I said the original is solemn and laid back, with the below version (by Bloodshy & Avant) takes the song into almost Electro-Dubstep territory.  She’s got an impressive voice and backed by her ominous sound it makes for a catchy-as-all-hell listen.  I’m waiting eagerly for new music from her, and you might wanna do the same thing (she’s signed to Polydor so it can be that long, right?).

Keep up to date with Clare Maguire – MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Website

Clare Maguire – “The Strangest Thing” (Bloodyshy & Avant version)

I might complain about the amount of shite that gets sent to me, but I do equally gush when something magical turns up in my inbox, as I’m sure you know already if you’ve been reading this for more than a week.

Nick, the dude in charge of Bravestation sent me their music almost a month ago now and I let it sit (don’t ask me why) until now.  The band is a four-piece from Toronto, Canada and have recently released their second EP titled “2010″.  Even though this is an “Introducing” piece they’ve had a decent amount of press so far, in equal parts for the debut EP (“2009″) and their newest EP.  You’ll hear some slight comparisons to Yaesayer, especially on songs like “Clocks & Spears” that sounds like “Ambling Alp”, somewhat vocally but even more so rhythmically.

Overall the EP can be dark in places, drawing influence from some bass-heavy bands like Joy Division and Interpol,  the vocals being a distant cousin of Local Natives with a penchant for Friendly Fires-esquebeats as if Friendly Fires were covering Interpol songs in the style of Local Natives (and a hint of British Sea Power).  With two EPs released so far I can only hope there’s an LP in the works that’ll improve upon this extremely well-done and rich second EP.

Nick was kind enough to let me stream the entire EP below, with “Clocks & Spears” and “Colour Us With Youth” available as free downloads.  If you go to their Bandcamp page you can get the entire thing for free in high bitrates too, so I’d definitely suggest doing that.

Keep up to date with Bravestation – Bandcamp | Myspace | Facebook | Twitter

Bravestation – White Wolves by ListenBeforeYouBuy

Bravestation – Their Calling by ListenBeforeYouBuy

Bravestation – Outlines Of Everyone by ListenBeforeYouBuy

Bravestation – Colour Us With Youth by ListenBeforeYouBuy

Bravestation – Clocks & Spears by ListenBeforeYouBuy

I know, I know, this isn’t new in the sense that it just came out yesterday, but it’s new in the sense that it’s less than two months old, and to me that’s pretty fucking new.

In the music blogging world though (one which I refuse to reside) that’s a lifetime, and if you don’t get something up within a day or two of it being released the you’re deemed slow or not hip to the groove.  Well I’ll have you know that I am hip to the groove.  I’m hip to the grooviest of grooves, but sometimes I just like to let others get in on the groove first.  So that’s what I did, instead of rushing to try to be first (or my usual 31st), I patiently waited until most of the major blogs and sites had posted a song, or two songs from the EP.

So here it is, the entire EP all for free.  Over the last few months I’ve posted quite a lot of Mikey’s (Blackbird Blackbird) music, six individual posts with 128 songs in each, including his latest from just a few days ago. For each song you’re about to hear below Mikey gave me a brief description and background on each song, so I’ve pasted that below the music.

Enjoy!

Blackbird Blackbird – “Letting Go”
Blackbird Blackbird – “Pink Houses”
Blackbird Blackbird – “Left To Hurt”
Blackbird Blackbird – “Blind”
Blackbird Blackbird – “Understanding”
Blackbird Blackbird – “Into the Sun”
Blackbird Blackbird – “It All Comes Back To Us”
Blackbird Blackbird – “Twin Flames” (Feat. Rachel Levy)
Blackbird Blackbird – “Avalanche” (Star Slinger Remix)
Blackbird Blackbird – “Happy High” (Brothertiger Remix)

“Rarities EP is a collection of rare/unreleased songs mixed with brand new tracks. The idea behind the album is that it is experimental, not easily constrained by genre definitions, and diverse in arrangement style and composition.

Several of these songs never saw the light of day, simply because they were too different, too strange, and didn’t fit in smoothly with the rest of my tunes on Summer Heart LP. Instead of hiding these tracks in the dark, I figured I’d just give them away (for free).

Track by track explanation:

1.) Letting Go – Letting Go was a really fun song to make. I’m pretty sure I was listening to bands like Wild Nothing, Guards, Tennis, Ghost Animal, Cults, and Coolrunnings and fell in love with this type of guitar-driven noisy pop. Figured I’d release it under a different moniker, but decided not to in the end.

2.) Pink Houses – This song was made even before I started as Bye Bye Blackbird. I recently found it on my computer and decided to spruce it up by adding some synth lines, bass and layers of ambient noise. I thought it turned out pretty nice, It was all recorded with a laptop microphone.

3.) Left to Hurt – is by far one of my favorite unreleased songs. I wrote it almost immediately after I wrote Pure. It has a heavily side-chained acoustic guitar and synth layers in the background, really thought I nailed the vocals, they turned out very coherent, which is odd for me.

4.) Blind - is a song composed around the same time as Pure/Left to Hurt back when I was called Bye Bye Blackbird. It was originally titled Wild Child. I remember listening to way too much Causers of This by Toro Y Moi at the time.

5.) Understanding is a very weird song, it has a really slow tempo and a simple beat, but when I listen to it I nearly pass out because it’s so dreamy–it makes me feel woozy and dizzy. It was originally meant to not be released on anything, but I figured some people might dig it.

6.) Into the Sun – I composed this while hanging with my pal Austin Wood from Atlantic At Pacific. It is a really “beachy” tune as he described it.

7.) Brother – I recently have fallen in love with Baths and have been listening to a a lot of Gold Panda and Flylo. This track kind of happened out of nowhere, it’s completely not my style at all, but I thought it would be perfect for Rarities EP.

8.) Twin Flames – This song is a collaboration between myself and Rachel Levy (Kiss Kiss Fantastic). I wrote the first version, then sent it over to Rachel to add “shoegazey” vocals and echo-laden guitar to. It’s turned out to be one of my favorites so far.

-Mikey S”

QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like, out into the wide web world (or dubya dots).

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of the logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: Kumon Plaza
Genre: Experimental Electronic-Pop
Links: Bandcamp | MySpace | Twitter

GOBBLE GOBBLE – “Alabaster Bodyworlds” (Kumon Plaza Remix)

QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like, out into the wide web world (or dubya dots).

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of the logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: Stan Manson
Genre: Mashups, Remixes
Links: Bandcamp | YouTube | Twitter

Stan Manson – “Move Bilar” (Ludacris Vs. Ratatat)

I came across this EP from 2008 just recently whilst having a treasure hunt through various Kelpe mixes – he used the song “The Look”, which, for me, instantly stood out amongst giants. I think the song and album in general is so utterly cool, from the sound to the samples and even to the accompanying images found on the artist’s tumblr and flickr.

Essentially it’s classic vintage samples mixed with heavy beats and a modern sound, the one and only Billie Holiday is featured on “Tell A Lie” and it goes perfectly. The other standout is the end song “Pianomouth” which is a combination of distant yet powerful vocals, a grainy organ, and a steady, soulful beat. It’s a thing of distorted beauty.

The album is free to download from her bandcamp page and she has another EP on there too that’s free to stream.

Keep up to date with S. Maharba - Website | Bandcamp | Soundcloud | Facebook | Last.fm

S. Maharba – “The Look”
S. Maharba – “Pianomouth”

So EMI got in touch with me a couple of weeks ago looking to start up a “relationship” whereby they’d send me music and if I liked it I could stick up on the site.

Fair enough I thought, I doubt I’ll get anything other than Katy Perry emails and the like, but it can’t do any harm.  So they’ve been sending me music since then and not being into Katy Perry in the slightest, that one’s been ignored along with a few others.  Thankfully I’m still at the point where I can listen to everything that’s being sent to me because if I wasn’t, I might’ve missed out on Jack (from EMI) sending me Howls.

You only have to listen to the intro to their debut single “Hammock” to know it’s going to be something you’ll instantly love.  The simple-yet-groovy bass riff immediately makes your ears prick up and as it’s joined by (I’m assuming) bongo drums and a repeating guitar lick, you’re already moving back and forth in your chair.  The band are a four-piece from London and Manchester, England, comprised of Dan Carey, Stephen Fretwell, Jay Sikora, and Oli Bayston.  A couple of them have already made a name for themselves, playing live for acts like Badly Drawn Boy and releasing solo albums.

Their sound is dark yet slightly upbeat, haunting yet welcoming, polished yet scrappy where it needs to be.  Both of their publicly available tracks are contagious, the afore-mentioned ”Hammock” which you can hear below (and watch the video for), as well as “Tiger” which you can hear on their MySpace page.  ”Hammock” is released on my favourite format 7″ vinyl and as a download on September 20th via Regal.  Oh, and since there are no pictures or images associated with the band besides a tiny little optical illusion type thing, I put up that sweet sweet Wolf ornament.

Keep up to date with Howls – MySpace | Facebook | Last.fm | Website

Howls – Hammock by ListenBeforeYouBuy

QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like, out into the wide web world (or dubya dots).

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of the logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: Stan Manson
Genre: Mashups, Remixes
Links: Bandcamp | YouTube | Twitter

Stan Manson – “Heartless Shutterbugg” (Kanye West Vs. Big Boi)

“Cheap Thrills” was the last album that featured Janis Joplin as lead vocalist. “We’re just a sloppy group of street freaks,” Janis would say, but this album was their most coherent, even coming out with “Piece Of My Heart” which was one of her greatest recordings of all time.

The album cover is actually #9 on Rolling Stone’s Top 100 album covers of all time. Its funny because originally this was actually intended to be the back of the album and what they wanted on the front was a naked picture of the band which was denied by the recording company. Same was said about their original intent to call it “Sex, Dope and Cheap Thrills”.

-Tiana from Ride the Tempo helping you rediscover old music.

If you like what you hear below, then buy it from here:

• Amazon – CD | Vinyl | MP3
• Insound – CD
• eMusic – Sign up and get the entire album for free, with tracks starting at $0.50 after that, half the price of iTunes.

When music makes you feel something then it’s done its job, right?

Whether it’s happiness from listening to an album that reminds you of your best summer with your friends, the song you and your spouse had your first dance to, or that new Justin Bieber song that reminds you of that time where you had violent diarrhea coming out of both ends. Remember that?  Yeah, me too.

Our Husband fall somewhere in between my first two examples.  I was living back home in Edinburgh and my parents took me and my then-girlfriend on a little road trip down the east coast of Scotland.  They had one of those CD player dashboard units that would let you play CDs through your speakers if you only had a tape player and they soundtracked the short trip with the just released “A Rush Of Blood To The Head” and “Parachutes” by Coldplay.  As the sand dunes flew by followed by fences and the Firth Of Forth on our left, I remember looking up at the sky, then to my girlfriend, then back to the sky and thinking “This is how Summer should be”.

That’s how Our Husband (a non-husband-and-wife duo from Adelaide, Australia) made me feel when I listened to their two songs; relaxed, peaceful, content, happy.  You can close your eyes and just forget all of the shit that’s going on in your life and imagine being somewhere else, somewhere you want to be, unless you’re already there then they’ll make it even better. Just give them eight minutes of your time and you won’t be sorry.  If you’re in Adelaide or want to make a trip, they’re playing at The Jade Monkey tomorrow night.

Keep up to date with Our Husband – MySpace

Our Husband – “Villages”
Our Husband – “Dear”

Ok, so it’s not entirely new, having been played live a few times, but now we have a proper version to get our Dream-Pop hearts all-a-flutter.

Recorded as part of an iTunes Session it comes with five older songs (four from this year’s critically acclaimed “Teen Dream”, “Gila” from 2008′s “Devotion”, as well as this new one of course), all having been previously released, but this time recorded differently for iTunes.

You can buy the EP from iTunes (clicking that link may open iTunes) for a few bucks and get “Teen Dream” below.

• Amazon – CD | Vinyl | MP3
• Insound – CD | Vinyl
• eMusic – Sign up and get the entire album for free, with tracks starting at $0.50 after that, half the price of iTunes.

Beach House – “White Moon”

QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like, out into the wide web world (or dubya dots).

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of the logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: Stan Manson
Genre: Mashups, Remixes
Links: Bandcamp | YouTube | Twitter

Stan Manson – “Undisclosed Forever” (Drake Vs. Muse)

QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like, out into the wide web world (or dubya dots).

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of the logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: +VIBES
Genre: Mashups, Remixes
Links: Facebook | Blog

+VIBES – “Ice Cream Cures A Knife To The Heart” (Dorrough Vs. The Knife)

Brand new song by ex-Libertines linchpin Carl Barat.

So this post was actually written yesterday morning/early afternoon.  I knew his song was going to be premiered on Steve Lamacq’s radio show and so I hung around, waiting patiently for a radio rip to show up before I had to go to work.  Of course it didn’t show until after I was at work, but I digress, it’s here now.

It’s taken from his recently-announced debut self-titled solo album, set for release on October 4th.  It should be a pretty sweet week for Carl, what with him letting the world hear this first taster of his solo stuff, as well as the highly anticipated Libertines reunion this weekend. It’s not necessarily a sound that’s synonymous with Carl’s previous efforts (Dirty Pretty Things or The Libertines), and it might take a little bit of getting used to, but give it a couple of spins and you might come around.

I think it’s tight, reminiscent of some of The Jam’s less punky songs like “Town Called Malice”. You can also check out the tracklisting for his solo album below.

Carl Barat – “Run With The Boys”

1. “The Magus”
2. “Je regrette, je regrette”
3. “She’s Something”
4. “Carve My Name”
5. “Run With The Boys”
6. “The Fall”
7. “So Long, My Lover”
8. “What Have I Done”
9. “Shadows Fall”
10. “Ode To A Girl”

QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like, out into the wide web world (or dubya dots).

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of the logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: DJ BAHLER
Genre: Mashups, Remixes
Links: Soundcloud | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr

DJ BAHLER – “El Lobo y La Luna” (TV On The Radio Vs. Bloc Party)

If you’re unaware of what Music Monday is, it’s a Twitter recommendation system where users of Twitter share their favourite music, artists, genres, etc in order to not only find new music themselves but help others find new music too.  Using the hashtag (#) followed by “MusicMonday” you can easily find new music posted by the thousands of people making recommendations each week.

Every #MusicMonday I upload a playlist of 20 songs that I’ve been listening to (new and old) over the past week and hopefully you’ll enjoy some of them.  Want me to check someone out? Let me know at that Contact Us thinger up there.

In order to listen to the playlist you’ll need to have Flash enabled.

This week’s #MusicMonday playlist:

1. “Crazy – Katie Herzig”
2. “Make It Wit Chu – Queens of the Stone Age”
3. “Clawing Out At The Walls – Dominant Legs”
4. “Da Funk – Daft Punk”
5. “Cape Dory – Tennis”
6. “Dino Damage – Miniature Tigers”
7. “Maria – Rage Against the Machine”
8. “Too Many Questions – Sam Sparro”
9. “The Crystal Lake – Grandaddy”
10. “I Have Nothing – Noah and the Whale”
11. “Use Somebody – Kings of Leon”
12. “Breakaway (feat. Jahmal of the Carps) – MSTRKRFT”
13. “Kids on the Run – The Tallest Man On Earth”
14. “Reckoner – Radiohead”
15. “Sunrise Sunset – We Are Trees”
16. “Black & Blue – Mike Snow”
17. “Intergalactic – Beastie Boys”
18. “Close To Me – The Cure”
19. “I Can Talk – Two Door Cinema Club”
20. “Pon de Floor (feat. VYBZ Kartel) – Major Lazer”

QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like, out into the wide web world (or dubya dots).

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of the logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: Blackbird Blackbird
Genre: Chillwave/Dream-Pop
Links: Bandcamp | Twitter | MySpace | Tumblr

Blackbird Blackbird – “Crumble Before Your Eyes”

I felt a slight twinge of importance when I received the email introducing me to California Wives.

It was sent without BCCing all of the other blogs it was being sent to, and at the top of the list was little old me, followed by some of the biggest and best blogs on the planet.  It felt good to be in a group with those guys, all being the sent the same immense new music.  When I first saw the name of the band, something told me they’d be good.  But good was an understatement.

The four-piece from Chicago have a nice range of sounds influencing them, from Smashing Pumpkins-inspired vocals on the song “Twenty Three” and a modern take on Joy Division’s New-Wave, Post-Punk sound on “Blood Red Youth”, to nostalgic 80s reverb-laden vocals on “Purple” and an infectious, electronic and sparse intro on “Photolights”. They’re currently unsigned but I really don’t see that lasting for long, these four guys seriously have what it takes to be huge.

It’s one of those rare moments where you’re introduced to something special, but you just can’t quite put your finger on what exactly makes it special.  All you can do is enjoy it and say you were there from the start.

Marcie was unbelievably kind enough to send me their entire debut EP “Affair” before its official release date of September 3rd (you’ll be able to get it from iTunes, Amazon, and CD Baby), but not only that she let me post the whole thing for you to listen to as well as download “Blood Red Youth” for free.  If you enjoy this, then thank her and the band.

Keep up to date with California Wives – MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Website

California Wives – Blood Red Youth by ListenBeforeYouBuy

California Wives – Guilt by ListenBeforeYouBuy

California Wives – Photolights by ListenBeforeYouBuy

California Wives – Purple by ListenBeforeYouBuy

California Wives – Twenty Three by ListenBeforeYouBuy

It feels like new music from the lupes has been a long time coming  (at least album-wise).

Maybe that’s just because I want to hear new shit from him every week.  Is that such an unfair expectation?  Either way, it’s new, it’s here, and it’s pretty damn good, so get your ears a listenin’.  Is there an official word on what the actual title of his new album will? Food & Liquor 2, LupEnd, Lasers?

Well, if it comes out tomorrow it’s still too far away.  Hey Lupe, if you’re reading this (I know you check this every day), any chance you could send that new album of yours over?  kthx

Lupe Fiasco – “Go To Sleep”

Six-strong band A Classic Education are the brainchild of singer-songwriter His Clancyness, filling out his winsome solo output with excellently layered guitar-pop that puts more flesh on his songwriting without overwhelming it. “Gone To Sea” is a wonderfully wistful track, recalling British Sea Power in the lush, dense guitar sound and chamber-pop in the strains of violin that peek out here and there.

While based in Bologna, Italy, they’ve been conducting a hardcore touring schedule across Europe and the US over the last couple of years. Their new EP “Hey There Stranger” is coming out on September 21st from Lefse, on vinyl and MP3. They also have a free-to-download single, “What My Life Could Have Been/Toi” available from Holiday Records.

A Classic Education – “Gone To Sea”

What My Life Could Have Been b/w Toi by aclassiceducation

QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like, out into the wide web world (or dubya dots).

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of the logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: NAPT
Genre: DJ, Mashups, Remixes
Links: Soundcloud | Twitter | MySpace | Facebook

Miike Snow Vs. Passion Pit – “Black And Blue” (NAPT Remix)

Chances are you’ve already heard OF this, if not actually listened to the hour-long EP itself, but just in case you didn’t read a single music site yesterday, here it is.

Nobody knew this was coming and everyone freaked the fuck out, similar to what’ll happen when the first taster of Radiohead’s next album gets sprung.  I’ts currently 01:51am and I’ve just finished listening to it for the first time, and if you listen to the whole thing and hate it up to track seven, then stick around for number eight, an epic 17 minute jam with some awesome guitar playing.  [Update] Ok, it’s now 03:19am and I just got through my second listen;  it’s definitely a grower.

Personally, and on my first listen, I wasn’t too pleased with the whole thing, but I’ll give it another few tries and maybe it’ll grow, like “The Suburbs” did.

Listen to the whole thing below and then go buy it if you like it, it’s only $5.  And $5 for an hour’s worth of music you like is a damn good deal.

1. “All Delighted People (Original Version)”
2. “Enchanting Ghost”
3. “Heirloom”
4. “From the Mouth of Gabriel”
5. “The Owl and the Tanager”
6. “All Delighted People (Classic Rock Version)”
7. “Arnika”
8. “Djohariah”

Now, before you jump down my throat, this is just my opinion and maybe I’m missing something, but…

…this new song is pretty bad.  Not only does the title invoke an order he likely gives his prostitutes, but the lyrics are like something from “Sam’s Town”, which let’s be honest, they weren’t gonna get him an Ivor Novello award, now were they?

The only thing the song has going for it is the somewhat catchy chorus, but about halfway through it fucks off into some kind of preachy-talk, preached by an 11 year old, then devolving into a half-assed Brian Ferry impersonation as it fades out.  Anyway, give it a listen and let me know if you like it as much as I do.  His previous song “Crossfire” was much better than this one, but even then that was still only just decent.  So far I don’t have high hopes for the album (Flamingo).

Brandon Flowers – “Swallow It”

Just sent out to their mailing list, Blonde Redhead are giving this new track away as another teaser for what to expect from their soon-to-be-released (September 14th) album “Penny Sparkle”.

You can download it below or get it from their label 4AD.

Blonde Redhead – “Not Getting There”

A few days ago on Twitter I mentioned that when I come across that one gem in my inbox, it makes it all worthwhile when you’ve spent an hour wading through all of the submissions that are either tedious or terrible.

Well that one gem I was talking about was Brett Shady, a dude from Burbank, California who just released his self-released debut album “The Devil To Pay” on August 10th.  The song that got me hooked and swaying from side to side like an impatient drunk was “Angels, Ghosts And Demons”, an upbeat barnstormer with a ubiquitous and infectious chorus that has about 182 people yelling and all stomping their feet. The verses are similar to Glasvegas’ “Daddy’s Gone” but he makes it all entirely his own with the last minute of the song trailing off into an ethereal tunnel of harmonics.

Songs like “God, Change The Laws Of The World” and “Somebody Else” will get you lost in his voice and his lyrics as he wails over the top of his guitar and banjo, making people who don’t like even a hint of country music get right the fuck into it.  You can hear three songs from his debut album below and on his MySpace page he has a couple of others.

He’ll be starting a three-week U.S. tour with Golden Shoulders starting on September 1st and you can see the dates on either his MySpace or Last.fm pages below.

Keep up to date with Brett Shady – MySpace | Last.fm

Brett Shady – “Somebody Else”
Brett Shady – “God, Change The Laws Of The World”
Brett Shady – “Angels, Ghosts And Demons”

QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like, out into the wide web world (or dubya dots).

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: Scrillionaire
Genre: Mashups
Links: Soundcloud | Twitter

Scrillionaire - “Tik Tok Of Bel Air” (Ke$ha Vs. Will Smith)

“Vitalogy” was the third studio album from Pearl Jam. It was written during the “Vs.“ tour and was much more aggressive and experimental than their older works. The original copies were packaged to look like a medical book from 1920, with the album first released on vinyl. Their first single from the album was “Spin The Black Circle” which incidentally netted the band their first and only Grammy award, surprising considering how many huge songs they’ve had before and after.

Originally the album was meant to be titled “Life” but then they changed their minds and made it “Vitalogy” which of course means the study of life. The album was quite diverse, a little bit too uneven at times, but hey maybe that’s life.

-Tiana from Ride the Tempo helping you rediscover old music.

If you like what you hear below then buy it from here:

• Amazon – CD | Vinyl | MP3
• Insound – CD
• eMusic – Sign up and get your first 25 songs for free, then tracks after that are just $0.50 which is half the price of iTunes.

Although not having the stereotypical “summer” sound that’s been synonymous with sunshine over the last year (think “chillwave”), Dominant Legs’ music is still by far sunny, upbeat, smiley, and dazzling.

It might have something to do with Ryan Lynch (the guitarist for Girls) being the main dude and having Hannah Hunt complementing his vocals with dreamy far-off harmonies.  It’s a refreshing Summer sound in these days of the chillwave synth, their songs will make you wanna get up and just start moving, skip down the streets like a fool and swinging around lamp-posts, kicking your heels and stomping in leftover storm puddles.

Their debut EP “Young At Love And Life” was released on August 17th on Lefse and features four songs, three of which you can hear below as well as an early tune from last year.

Keep up to date with Dominant Legs – MySpace | Last.fm | Facebook | Twitter (Hannah)

Dominant Legs – “Just Silly Ones”
Dominant Legs – “Clawing Out At The Walls”
Dominant Legs – “About My Girls”
Dominant Legs – “Young At Love And Life”

QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like, out into the wide web world (or dubya dots).

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: +VIBES (check out his other mashups here)
Genre: Mashups
Links: Facebook | Blog

+VIBES – “Northwest Fills The Lungs And My Problems Digress” (Jay-Z Vs. Blue Scholars)

If you recall I spoke about Moxie Black nearly three weeks ago and all I could do was gush.

The crazy thing was that I was gushing after only hearing a few of their songs, but when they sent me the entire album it floored me.  The whole thing, from front to back is a stormer.  I can’t remember where I said it, but I labeled it as “the best party album of the year” and it really is.  I’m not gonna say a whole lot about it here since I already said a bunch about it before, but below you can hear the entire album as well as download it for free from the guys themselves.

Listen to it all below or download it from Mediafire here.

Moxie Black – “Rizky Bizness”
Moxie Black – “Broke Me Down”
Moxie Black – “iLLababy Tokyo”
Moxie Black – “So Much Better”
Moxie Black – “When I Think Of You”
Moxie Black – “Chosen”
Moxie Black – “Too Far Gone”
Moxie Black – “Space Odyssey”
Moxie Black – “Sleepy Kids” (featuring Passion Pit)
Moxie Black – “2901″ (featuring Phoenix)
Moxie Black – “Closer” (produced by The Dust Will Settle)

This new track from Wild Nothing is taken off of an upcoming EP of the same name, due out hopefully sometime this year on Captured Tracks, the dudes who released their stellar debut album “Gemini”  earlier this year.  Even though this track made the rounds about 6 weeks ago, “Golden Haze” wasn’t available as a download back then, but now it is.

According to Dodge over at My Old Kentucky Blog, the EP will be released on different formats (12″, CD, digitally) and each one will have a different tracklisting, but with this song being the title track I’m pretty sure you can expect to hear this on each one.

Wild Nothing – “Golden Haze”

(via MOKB)

These four guys from across the pond have got it all.  Awesome tunes, and a guy with a beard.

Let’s be honest, all the great bands of the last 60 years would’ve been nothing without at least one bearded member.  U2 had Edge, ZZ Top had….the tops, and The Carpenters had Karen.  Fez have facial hair in at least four locations, quadrupling their chances for success.  However, the primary factor would be their music, a sunny and disjointed affair that rambles through spiky punk-pop songs, four-way harmonies and choruses filled with the wit of Art Brut.

Their entire EP “Hot Light” is availalble as a free download from their Bandcamp page and I urge you to free download it, four of the songs you can hear below.

Keep up to date with Fez – MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Bandcamp

Fez – “Success Came Slowly”
Fez – “My Teeth”
Fez – “Low Light”
Fez – “Harmonix”

QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like, out into the wide web world (or dubya dots).

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: Richie Beretta
Genre: DJ/Remixes/Mashups
Links: Soundcloud | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Website

Major Lazer – “Pon De Floor“ (Richie Beretta 2010 Remix)

The guys unveiled this new song on Minnesota Public Radio’s site yesterday and I remembered the station from something before.

A few months back in March I had found the first song from Gayngs on the same site but that was understandable since most, if not all, of the 189 members of Gayngs are from Minnesota.  Having The National debut a brand new song on there is somewhat strange to me, but not to worry.  We have it and that’s the main thing, am i rite?

It’s a fairly standard song by The National; brooding, slow, contemplative, and slightly on the depressing side, if for no other reason than Matt sings like it’s a struggle.

The National – “You Were A Kindness”

You can take Error Operator’s music at first sight (or listen).

It’s simple, elegant, really well produced, and hits you where it counts; on the outer edges of your head.  The song you’re about to hear below is a perfect example of the aforementioned adjectives that includes the Oscar-winning speech made by Peter Finch in the 1976 movie “Network”.  Error Operator is the moniker for an otherwise anonymous DJ/Producer from London and some of his tunes and beats are reminiscent of Saltillo.  From what I’ve read it’s almost as if he’s well-known under another name but wants this music to stand alone, and rightly so.

“Follow” is taken from his upcoming album “Mistakes” which is out on September 13th, and if you check out his Soundcloud page you can hear an insanely good remix of Radiohead’s “Reckoner”.

Keep up to date with Error Operator – Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter

Error Operator – “Follow”

Thankfully I didn’t have to wait too long for this since I only “discovered” Jamar last week.

If you read my post about him way back then you’ll know I gushed all over the shop, he’s by far my most exciting Hip-Hop discovery of the year so far and one of my top all-around discoveries.  The few songs he sent me back then got me really fucking excited about Hip-Hop again, but this time it’s an entire album to take in, and holy shit does it deliver.  It rolled out yesterday and showed up on blogs and sites from here to there and back again, but I wanted to hold off on posting it so it didn’t get drowned out in the crowd.

He let me upload a few songs of my choosing from the album, so I’ve gone with three new and two that I had in my post last week.  The whole thing is free from his Bandcamp page (where you can listen to and download 11 of the 18 tracks and there’s a link to download the full thing), and that’s the FREE free, not the “pay what you want” free.  I kinda wish he would’ve offered the pay what you want option because I’d absolutely pay for this, and I’d make sure you did too.

J. Nolan – “Preparation”
J. Nolan – “History”
J. Nolan – “Decisions”
J. Nolan – “Keep It Moving”
J. Nolan – “Lost Art”

Whilst mostly getting press for her impressive remixes, the chick behind Teen (Amy Aubrac-Prince) can rightfully stand on her own two feet based on her own creations.

You might’ve even heard some of her remixes, most notably her reworking of Daft Punk’s “Too Long” or Woodhands’ “CP24″ but if you haven’t then you should go seek ‘em out.  I don’t have them here for you to listen to but you can find them in all the usual places, including her MySpace page.  Born in the south of France, she then moved to New York with her family and then relocated herself to Toronto, formed a punk band and then disbanded to concentrate on her first musical love; Dance music.

On songs like “Sugar” you can definitely hear the Daft Punk influence with the intro paying homage to “Da Funk” from their seminal debut album “Homework”.  Her sound is ridiculously well-rounded and accomplished, impressive given that she’s still so young you’d never have guessed it by the sound of it, as if one of the dafties had spun it themselves.  If you can’t get into music without words or lyrics then you’ll not get into this, but it’s definitely worth your time even if you’re curious, or bi-genre-curious, I can see these tracks making the rounds at clubs and groovy discotheques the land over.

She’s hoping to get an EP released this summer and below you can hear three original tracks of hers and a remix of Valery Gore’s “Shoes Of Glass”.

Keep up to date with Teen – MySpace

TEEN – “Sugar”
TEEN – “Hell Leather”
TEEN – “Body Heat (Movin’)”
Valery Gore – “Shoes Of Glass” (TEEN Remix)

Late night surprises are extremely rare (at least the good ones anyway), but I got one in the wee small hours of this morning.

In my Direct Messages on Twitter was a message from the dude who runs The Leaving Scene linking me to a new Tennis track.  It’s the B-side to their just-released 7″ single “South Carolina” that he got yesterday afternoon, so he ripped it and upped it, and for some reason sent it to me.  I’m a huge Tennis fan if you weren’t aware so maybe that’s why, or maybe it’s “for being so amazing”….who knows.

Just be thankful that he did this and sent it around, otherwise we might not have heard it, so huge props to the dude.  If you’re looking for other Tennis tracks then you can start here, or here, and check out my Desert Island Discs that they took part in.

Tennis – “Sea Farer” Sorry guys, I was asked by Trevor at FireTalk, on behalf of Pat and Alaina, to take the song down, but you can still hear it but not download it at various places, including The Hype Machine.

QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like, out into the wide web world (or dubya dots).

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: Ed Wilder
Genre: DJ/Remixes
Links: Soundcloud | MySpace | Website

Two Door Cinema Club – “What You Know” (Ed Wilder Lonely Remix)

So this isn’t quite an “Introducing” piece since they’ve been around for a little while and featured on other sites, but not a whole lot.

First things first though;  Hot fucking damn this shit is tight.  For some reason before listening to their music I kinda thought, based on the name, that they’d be some Metal band but they’re far from it.  Animal Collective samples (if brief), 8-bit Gameboy Dance-synths, Avalanches-like spoken parts, hooks and melodies that are contagious like the clap, whitey Rap-Hop, and beats that somehow manage to make their way from the back of your head to the front of your face and melt everything in between.

They’ve even got a cover/sample/remix kinda thing of Train’s “Hey Soul Sister” song.  They’re actually just using the main guitar refrain from the song (that I can tell) and then spit their own verses over the top of some 8-bit waterfalls.  Mouth’s Cradle are comprised of two dudes (Mouf and Master Rogers) from Syracuse University and Allentown, PA (woot, PA represent!) and have a couple of releases out so far, one of which iTunes featured on their “Next Big Thing” thing.  You can grab that album from iTunes and give a listen to some of their other tunes they sent me below.

Keep up to date with Mouth’s Cradle – MySpace | Twitter | Facebook

Mouth’s Cradle – “Summertime”
Mouth’s Cradle – “Solar Bear”
Mouth’s Cradle – “Honey From A Stone”
Mouth’s Cradle – “Front Porch, Back Porch”

QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that’s sent to me that I like, out into the wide web world (or dubya dots).

Any time I get sent music that I like I “star” it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later.  If it’s still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can’t get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of logs of rear.  You’ll still get the MP3s, pictures, links and fresh fruit that you’ve come to know and love around here, you’ll just get less of my inarticulate musings (win for you!).

Artist: +VIBES (check out his other mashups here)
Genre: Mashups
Links: Facebook | Blog

+VIBES – “My Name Wale And I Came To Party” (Wale vs. Lil Mama)

Whilst it won’t hurt your chances of getting your music featured on this much publicised and raved about music site, one thing you can do to make it easier for to listen to your music is follow in the footsteps of Sunol.

These motherfuckers are doing it right.  A brief description that’s not self-aggrandizing, a couple of links to listen to and download their music, and how much of it I can put up on here.  That’s all I need.  The other thing they’re doing right is the whole “making music” deal.  If you visit their website you’re instantly presented with a huge picture of a few trees on a dry hill and a music player where you can listen to their entire album “Ohlone”.

They draw musical inspiration from Folk, World music, and 70s California Rock with some 80s vocal harmonies going on, and some artist comparisons to Bon Iver and Iron & Wine if they took a trip down a sunny, tropical Marimba road.  You can hear the entire album below or you can stream it and download it from their site too if you’re so-inclined.

Keep up to date with Sunol – Soundcloud | Website

Sunol – “Camping”
Sunol – “Headlands”
Sunol – “John, Mark, Luke And Paul”
Sunol – “Oh Well”
Sunol – “Save Me A Place”
Sunol – “Thrift Town”
Sunol – “Tokyo”