February 2011
23 posts
3 tags
Toro Y Moi, Underneath the Pine
Successfully avoiding the inevitable backlash that comes from any new emerging sub-genre, the few “chillwavers” who actually deserved the early attention are starting to cement their reputation on the scene. None has done this better than Toro y Moi, whose first album I just recently fell back in love with. The follow up to that record, Underneath the Pine, is being readied for...
January 2011
11 posts
2 tags
Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues
It has been over two years since we have heard anything from Fleet Foxes, so it comes with great excitement to hear that their second album is done. Helplessness Blues will be released May 3 and you can stream the title track above. They certainly did not lost their effortless charm in the past two years.
Hype Machine, 2010 Zeitgeist
I have fallen out of love with end of year lists as of late, but I should give credit where credit is due. Hype Machine recently launched their 2010 Music Zeitgeist which puts a creative spin on the end of year list. They do this sort of thing better than anybody else. According to the people at HypeM the interactive feature is “a collection of the very best music of 2010 as picked by music...
3 tags
G5: January 31, Monday
As always, or sometimes, your occasional EP of links…
I stumbled across this great set of photos of musicians with their parents from Life Magazine. Above: Elton John with his folks.
Esquire’s Chris Jones discusses receiving a care package from a friend at a small label and his relationship to music as physical object. I particularly liked this line: ”Someone could email me...
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8 tags
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We Got More
Eskmo’s latest “We Got More” is one of the more creative videos I’ve seen of late. The cuts right on the beats and changes in perspective are, for lack of a better descriptor, really dope. Not sure what was up with the skinny-jean and Supra wearing television sets, but I enjoyed how Cyriak (the video editor) took simple, random footage and created something dynamic...
2 tags
Destroyer, Kaputt
mp3: Destroyer - Chinatown
Destroyer is the project of Vancouver singer-songwriter Dan Bejar. On January 25th, Destroyer and Bejar will release Kaputt, their ninth full-length studio album. Having heard very little of the other eight, it is difficult to compare Kaputt to his previous work, yet, listening to the album I can’t help but think that Kaputt is the work of a brilliant songwriter...
2 tags
Panda Bear, Atiba Song
I can’t say that I am desperate for new Panda Bear material the way a lot of people are these days, but I can get behind almost any song that scores a skate movie. Atiba Jefferson and Ty Evans did a short video for Panasonic CES 2011 and a somewhat unlikely Panda Bear wrote “Atiba Song” for the production. I am not crazy about the way the music is paired up with the action,...
2 tags
James Blake, BBC Session
Listening to James Blake is an intimate experience, true head-phone music if there ever was any. I have been listening to his self-titled full length almost every night as I get into bed and it often brings me to the brink of sleep. Blake is a master of timing and often uses silence as his most powerful instrument. Many of the most poignant moments on the album fall in between notes. Needless...
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Kurt Vile, Smoke Ring For My Halo
mp3:Kurt Vile - Jesus Fever
The ever prolific Kurt Vile will return to his solo ways in March with the release of Smoke Ring for My Halo, his second major label full-length. After drooling over a lot of his earlier work, I had a hard time connecting with Childish Prodigy, his first supposed to be breakout record on Matador. Vile tried on a louder, rockier sound and it didn’t quite fit. I...