This week we watched the big bloated bubbles of Facebook’s I.P.O. expand to the exact amount Bono needs to rid the world of hunger, mourned the loss of Donna Summer, and reckoned with the sad news that Handsome Furs will no longer be rocking in the free and not so free worlds. But, as the world turns, we look at today’s and tomorrow’s artists of promise in no particular order.
Gold Panda indulged in some musical generosity and played us the mind awakening tracks “Mountain/Financial District”. The tracks bring to mind the natural and urban contrasts like the gigantic Mount Tamalpais growing out of the urban density of San Francisco’s financial district in slow motion, as in one of those big-budget CGI music videos. GP’s new single drops digitally on May 14 while the 7” version is available June 11 from Ghostly International.
Shady Blaze teamed up again with Blissed Out, bringing us the following debut of their latest collaborative track “Hit Man.” Shady brings the Bay Area cloud flow over the NYC producer’s sarcophagus of sound, as the two align forces to become the synergistic team known as Blazed Out. Taking both of their sounds to the next level, Blaze releases sick flowing RPMs with enough energy to ignite the Bay Bridge, while Blissed slows down siren keyboard samples to the sound of ominous choir vocals. With the success of the project, the two artists have returned to the studio to record more material with projections of a mixtape expected this summer. In the meantime, marinate on this and look out for the ghetto bird chopper wings at the end of the cut.
It is our pleasure to anounce the upcoming release of Permanent Collection‘s full length album Newly Wed Nearly Dead coming August 7 from Loglady Records. What started as post-Young Prisms solo handle of Jason Hendardy, Permanent Collection has grown to a four piece with bassist Megan Dabkowski, guitarist Brenden Nerfa and Mike Stillman on drums. The full out follow up to last year’s 12” EP Delirium was recorded and mastered by the talents Monte Vallier, owner of Ruminator Audio with Kramer of Galaxie 500 and Low production fame. Get a listen to “It’s Alright” to hear what this San Francisco-gaze sound is about. You can also catch them at Thee Parkside May 19 with Melted Toys, The Memories and Creepers.
Australian ambient beatsmith Jonti released his album Sine & Moon (The Album) on Stones Throw this week and released the track “Nightshift in Blue” rearranged and remixed by RAJA. The recordings for Sine & Moon began as tracks for a Stones Throw Podcast that he revisited and remixed for a full album now available in both digital and limited vinyl pressings. Start your Friday morning off right with this RAJA remix of “Nightshift” and it will tide you over before you make it to that glass carafe of caffeinated goodness.
Gather around as we have another cut from Curren$y‘s Stoned Immaculate, “Capitol” featuring 2 Chainz. The two emcees rep some breezy afternoon verses from their respective corners of NOLA and ATL over a between-the-sheets beat with excessive but expressive flutes. Curren$y drops his second major label album on June 5. Get it here.
Total Warr, the Parisian duo, will release their new Corbay EP June 11 with remixes from Azari & III, Is Tropical and more. Get a listen to the calumnious call to hate their band and hate their music, feeling the love while “xxx HATE xxx” spins here.
In Hot Panda‘s track “Future Markets”, the Vancouver artist imagines draconian future realities with percolating guitar chucks cell phone distorted interception throughout the track. Heed the British Columbians’ taunts of “now who’s leading who? Future Markets due, I guess it’s sad but true, that we’re off the table,” before yelling “turn off the treble and turn up the metal,” combined with the paranoia of “somebody’s listening so why aren’t you listening?” and the interactive response choices of “milk it for more or recoil in horror.” Hot Panda’s new album Go Outside with it’s soon to be infamous skinny diving cover comes out July 17 on Mint.
Get a view of the “Dope Man” video from SL Jones‘ & DJ Burn One‘s upcoming mixtape, Paraphernalia. The Red Audio directed video takes you to Atlanta where Jones and Burn kick it while extolling the realm of all things dope. Catch their mixtape on this upcoming May 23.
Catch the grainy, old school looking video of Royal Headache‘s “Girls”. You will feel like a roadie for the Headaches in the mid ’70s, travelling cross country and seeing slices of road side Americana that you may have missed from the days of being couped up in the family van. Look for the Royal Headache’s self-titled album now from What’s Your Rupture?
Savanah, Georgia’s Sunglasses shared their new single “Swim”, bringing the sound of summer 2012 home. Spread the word that Sunglasses’ upcoming cassette EP Namesake/Swim comes out this July 3 on Lefse.
VerBS dropped the single “Happiness” with production from KnockSteady’s Duke Westlake. Fresh from a national tour and performing with The Swim Team at Paid Dues Music Festival , VerBS sounds jubilant as he drops some posi encouragement reasoning on the hook with, “happiness is only what you define, trying to find yourself and take some time on me, stay diligent on your climb and keep on being you,” while Westlake keeps the beat big, new, and confident. Listen close on this single and you can hear sampled cameos from Janelle Monae and Mayer Hawthorne. The Progress EP 3: Manifest Awesome drops on August 10 and you can order yours here from VerBS’ Bandcamp.
Also check out this Original Knockoff video for VerBS’ “Rappin’ To ‘Em” Produced by Real Reid.
Speaking of Mayer Hawthorne, his keyboardist Quincy McCrary, along with Akil Grant of LA hip hop orchestra daKAH, are the cosmo-soul duo Sol Starz. Self described ‘cosmo-sol-nauts,’ their title track “Harmonic Convergence” features the mystic vocal talent from Fahmina that guides you through the astral plain of mellow vibes. Get the Sol Starz EP Harmonic Convergence out now on both Amazon and iTunes.
Then listen as Best Coast’s “Boyfriend” gets the Merriweather Post Pavillion-esque cover treatment from We Are Serenades. Serenaders Adam and Markus commented on the track: “We recorded this little nugget about a year ago. ‘Boyfriend’ by the great Best Coast. It turned out sounding like a TV show theme. Our tour gift to you.” Check your local listings to see when you too can be Serenaded.
Catch the studio/kitchen get together with B-Legit, D-Lo, London and producer by DJ Touré in Dylan Freitas-D’Louhy’s video for “She Like It.” Show the Bay Area scene some love on July 17 when Hieroglyphics producer/DJ DJ Touré drops the album Touré’s Theory: Session One on his 101% Music imprint and Clear Label Records.
Following the announcement of Holograms‘ July 17 self-titled album release from Captured Tracks, the Stockholm quartet leaked “Chasing My Mind” for us all to pogo around to, straight from the upcoming LP. Echoing the kind of electric energy found in the warehouses of Sweden, working class keys buzz with the fury that tosses aside whatever sub-genre label you place on them.
Word of the upcoming Main Attrakionz album is brewing to a simmer but before you storm our “office tower” for any further leaks, we offer you another pearl from the self-proclaimed ‘greatest duo ever’ with “Green Ova to the Top.” Shady Blaze joins Squadda Bambino and Mondre M.A.N. to roll some spit over a laid-back throwback track, courtesy of Friendzone, who entertains the sound of smooth decades past reincarnated for the now, tomorrow, and forever.
Natural Child recently released their second For the Love of the Game LP and shared some of the selections. Following up last year’s album 1971, the Naturals keep their love of that decade but embrace the future epochs with statements like “I ain’t gonna stop, just because I get old.” “D.T.V.” is one of our favorite moments from the band, a song where they morph into your favorite ’70s proto-punk heroes through some sort of telepathic wrinkle in time. Oh yeah, these guys also have some skanking riffs like on “Paradise Heights” that stray far from any 311 or Slightly Stoopid territories, thank Jah. Get your copy of Natural Child’s For the Love of the Game from Burger Records.
And if you need more from the Nashville trio, check out their track “Mother Nature” from Jeffrey Drag Records. Here they sound like an outtake from Manassas or a Crazy Horse demo wild man Jack Nitzsche left in a rehearsal barn stashed under a hay bale.
Also get a listen to Light Asylum performing their hit single “Dark Allies” live for on the upcoming Snacky Tunes Vol. 2 coming June 26 featuring performances from Hands, Marc Vetri, Warm Ghost, plus others, from their foodcentric Heritage Radio show.
If you enjoy lazy pre-summer songs, then we recomend Young Yeller‘s latest single and video for “I Walked.” This June, Yeller plans to release the I Walked REMIX EP with remixes from Stepdad, Moon Bounce and AIMES, while the follow up to the Make Me EP comes out later this summer with the Young Yeller self-titled LP. Enjoy the sentimental tune and Matt Porter video here.
Somebody tell my buddy Pauly that Six Organs of Admittance has a new album out and perhaps for a few minutes he will forego his precious obscure Bardo Pond 10″ discs and rock out to Ben Chasney’s new jammer “Waswasa.” Prepare yourself as SOOA goes super electric with members from Comets on Fire (back in 2002 they also played together, embarkled on a West Coast tour and cut a few demos) as they prepare their upcoming album Ascent recorded at Tim Green’s Louder Studios, slated for descent August 21from Drag City Records.
MS MR are about to channel thousands of vintage looking JPGs and GIFS at you taken from a barage of social media to compose the video for “Hurricane.” Catch them on their national tour now with Marina & The Diamonds with a June 1 gig at Glasslands.
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Open Mike Eagle‘s “Universe Man” featuring Serengeti mixes up lyrical bits from email spam to TMBG‘s “Triangle Man” triumvirate mates Alpha Man and Universe Man in this official album leak. Further shout outs go to the Situation’s tan before Serengeti drops his verse of sophisticated Parisian endeavors, art house porn allusions, while spitting a man-of-the-world image for the “Universe Man” construct represented as a regal don of exceptional savoir faire. Having released his Rent Party Extension EP and participating in an artist exchange with Ras G in Uganda; Open Mike Eagle will drop his album 4NML HSPTL June 26 on Fake Four Inc.
You have probably already checked out the new video for Pop. 1280′s “Bodies in the Dunes,” but if not we invite you to get noir-ish in this Jacqueline Castel directed suspense thriller inspired by a Long Island serial killer notorious for beachfront shallow graves. Pop. 1280’s album The Horror is out now from Sacred Bones.
And for something sweet and heartfelt, we bring you the Michael R. Miller directed video for Haroula Rose‘s single “So Easy.” While recounting all the things that making loving her man a breeze, singing with the band and at times performing with a Haroula doppelganger; Ms. Rose can convince the best and most devout cynic that people are still loving each other and stuff in 2012. Look for her her EP So Easy June 4.
Keeping the mood romantic we have Delicate Steve‘s latest tune “Two Lovers,” slow burning here for the wild at heart from his upcoming album Positive Force coming July 10 from Luaka Bop.
We got more from Kid Static for you with “Rocks and Toothpicks” where he explains the following track like this:
“Feb 23, 2011 in Los Angeles, the Hood Internet and I threw a show at the Echo in Echo Park. The house was packed. The crowd was live. I went on stage. This is what happened:”
Also check out Static here in this video at Chicago’s Cobra Lounge where he sheds some insight on his approach and evolution of rhyme styles. You can find his album It Gleams dropping on Cobra Music June 5.
Get a listen to Amanda Palmer‘s single “Do It With a Rockstar” sent as a thank you and surprise to her Kickstarter backers. Ms. Palmer and her new band The Grand Theft Orchestra have an album on the way in September but we encourage you to check out her jam “Rockstar” that features great lines like, “do you wanna see all my cavaties, talk about the crisis in the middle east?” For all this and more, listen here via Soundcloud.
And now we leave you with an interactive installation from New Orleans’ The Music Box with Andrew WK performing with the experimental Shantytown Orchestra, conducted by our friend and organ wizard Quintron.
