While the media outlets flood themselves with Super Bowl pre-game coverage we would like to remind you that plenty of good tunes came out this week. But then again, who needs anything more in the tunes department when you can look forward to a half-time performance of Madonna bringing on what will be a hit-parade-medley, MIA repping ambiguous insurgents while taking endorsements from the same Western-backed gingers that she exploits, and if we are lucky, maybe Nicki Minaj will give us a GMA wardrobe malfunction reprise during a performance of the Viacom-banned “Stupid Hoe.” So forget these basic beezies and enjoy the week's offerings in no particular order.
Starting things off today is Oakland's Yalls who shared a listen to their new track “Settle Down” from the upcoming Fantasy 7″. Dan Casey is the man behind the music that goes from sounding like festival headliner faire before turning into fuzzy wonderland of vintage arranged with joyous abandon. The 3-song Fantasy 7-inch will be released on bone-colored vinyl in batches limited to 500 while a digital release is said to sport remixes from Monster Rally, Naytronix (Nate of Tune-Yards and Beep), and Elephant and Castle. All this goodness is coming February 21 on Gold Robot Records.
Members of Hot Chip and the former LCD Soundsystem have combined forces to create New Build. Formed in London last year, bandmates Al Doyle, Felix Martin, and Tom Hopkins created a band surrounding the core trio's affection for electronic-leaning compositions. New Build's debut album Yesterday Was Lived and Lost comes our way April 3 on Lanarck Recordings.
Michigan producer RxGibbs dropped the Futures EP that conjures up notions of noises from memories time traveling forward. While Gibbs' homestate is on the financial road to recovery with their auto industry domestic products; this artist gives a breath, a pulse and a voice to a music made from keys, sequencers, software, and programmed information processed through the heavy machinery of studio rack mounts, revealing the souls of the machines. The EP Futures comes out February 21 on Cascine.
Dinowalrus's video for “Phone Home from the Edge” gets a Troma family treatment with direction by Charlotte Kaufmann and an appearance from her father and Troma Films' Executive Statesman, Lloyd Kauffman. Just last year I bumped into Lloyd at Wondercon and we had a rap session about the logistics of a Troma resurgence in pop culture. Needless to say, Charlotte's video of Dino frontman Peter Feigenbaum aligning Rip Van Winkle vibes with Kaufmann Sr. is one of the coolest things I have heard and seen so far this year. If you thought Dinowalrus's album % was a blast, get ready to hear them on their Best Behavior March 6 on Old Flame Records.
If you need more Young Jeezy in your life, then check him out in the video for “OJ ft. Fabolous & Jadakiss.” Although, my favorite appearance from Fabolous is still with E-40 on “Automatic.”
Get ready for another installment of Chelsea Wolfe at Room 205 with more blue-soaked eeriness for “Demons.”
The Anita Lofton Project has a new album out called Neo-Black-Folk on Brown Girl Records. Anita described for us the further meaning behind the album name and genre she has been working with in recent years: “I'm calling my genre of music Neo-Black-Folk. A lot of folks don't know about this missing root of black music – folk. Jazz, blues, soul, and R&B are celebrated, but folk/bluegrass and country & western music ties are hush-hush. I wanted to highlight this music that rocks me. Luckily, when I was growing up, my great-grandmother, Mama Gussie, played only country music in her house from the time she woke up to the time she went to bed at night. It always made her house feel warm, happy, and full of life. I know this is why I have a special connection to this music. When I left my former band, Sistas in the Pit, I knew I wanted to strip my music down and go back to the basics. I had visions of stringed instruments; only folk music.” Check out Anita's site for further details.
oOoOO released an official leak of their single “NoWayBack,” the lead track from a future EP. Co authored with Butterclock in the summer of 2011 before their big tour, this new track is music to get lost to where the production and foreboding vocals speak to that part of the brain concerned with time and place and can manage to reset those configurations if you listen without caution. oOoOO's EP Our Love is Hurting Us comes out April 10 on Tri Angle Records.
Speaking of which, UK producer Evian Christ just got signed to Tri Angle Records this week. Known for his releases via YouTube, his first release for Tri Angle comes in the form of a free compilation of those tracks; remastered and available to you at no cost with Evian's blessing here. His debut live appearance will be tomorrow at London's Hackney Downs Studios for a Tri Angle showcase with Balam Acab, Holy Other, oOoOO and more.
Still punch drunk from First Person Shootr's “Punch Struck”, we've received the new hit, “You New Web.” Like what we imagine the internet to be before the advent of the world wide web, FPS's Fred Warmsley gives us what he says is inspired by rides in mom's Camaro and we think sounds like ocean waves crashing down a drain pipe, digitally distorted like a RealAudio stream from mom's 14.4K dial up modem.
We have learned as of late that Toro y Moi has plans to drop a big ol' box of 7-inch discs on us called June 2009 via Carpark Records. We have had suspicions that Chaz Bundick and the dawning of lo-fi trenders had seen '09 as the “We can make it via any recording means necessary” year of potential. Now, we can all relive the fun of what that magical month and the that magical year brought for Chaz.
Shigeto released his mini LP Lineage this week on Ghostly International and you can get a first listen here. From the new vanguard of electro heavies with Ghostly's blessing, Zach 'Shigeto' Saginaw gathers beat collections amid samples of warm digital murmurs, harp strings and live percussion. Look for him on the road from February through April with Emancipator and Mux Mool, hitting up Low End Theory, appearances at SXSW, and more in your local listings.
Australian producer Oliver Tank dropped Dreams Remixed featuring remixes of his EP Dreams. Listen now as Baske, FLWRGN, Geoffrey O'Connor, Great Earthquake, Magic Silver White, MONAS, Sleepyhands and True North re-imagine the shape and synths of their favorite moments from Dreams via the bandcamp for label Yes Please.
In case you needed to hear Wrekonize gave us one helluva video for his spin on Big Sean's “Marvin Gaye & Chardonnay”, it's available below. You have never seen Lindeman look this sexy. Look for Wrek on ¡MAYDAY!'s Take Me To Your Leader March 27 on Strange Music.
A video for Atlanta-Philly artist Sugar Tongue Slip, a.k.a. STS and A$AP Ferg spitting rhymes on the track “Good Mood” in the studio. A spun around rendition of the Wale & Rick Ross track “That Away,” STS provides a fresh energy on the mic along with Ferg who gets bonus points for reading verses typed on his celly.
Now for some DFA news. While label founder James Murphy seems to be contented in his LCD-retired years with DJing and galavanting about with Tim and Eric, DFA dropped Prinzhorn Dance School's LP Clay Class and 2 Bears' new disc Be Strong.
First from Prinzhorn – the track “Happy in Bits” is more of their post-punk hop. Tobin Prinz and Suzi Horn's approach to pop constructs, punchy lyrics, and percussion are stuff that inspires the flattery from copycats.
Then here is a stream of 2 Bears' new album Be Strong, with all the trimings. Hot Chip's Joe Goddard and Raf Rundell are here to reinforce the strength of your belief in inspired, fun-loving dance tracks.
Here is a video we have all been waiting for with SL Jones “riding clean on the scene” for the single “Actin' Bad.” The Red Audio-directed video deposits you riding shotgun with Jones in his Impala as you get schooled on how he is living large. Look for his mixtape Flight Risk, out now.
Grass Widow's Hannah Lew made a video for Hunx's new solo track “Always Forever.” What you get is front dude Seth Bogart filmed in 3 different takes with 3 different types of attire out on a cloudy hill. Our suspicions of Bogart's dabbling in 90's-ish rock affairs on his upcoming solo album are confirmed with a segment where the Nevermind cover is recreated like cannonballs in your neighbor's pool. Check your listings for Hunx's North America tour with the always amazing Shannon Shaw of Shannon & the Clams, Bare Wires and Time Flys' Erin Emslie, and Seth's number one bro Nobunny, a.k.a. Justin Champlin. Hunx's Hairdresser Blues comes out February 28 on Hardly Art.
Choir of Young Believers released their single “Nye Nummer Et” with word of their upcoming album Rhine Gold . A departure from the electro based symphonies from Ghostly, where attentions are turned toward balladeer structures alongside the expected knob/pedal twiddling. Rhine Gold comes out March 20 on Ghostly International.
After some 11 years after DJ Food's Kaleidescope, comes his new album The Search Engine. Drawing from about 3 EPs worth of material, Strictly Kev's collaborators abound in the form of vocal appearances from Natural Self (otherwise known as Nathaniel Pearn), JG Thirlwell of Foetus, Steroid Maximus, Dr. Rubberfunk on some drums, PC and Solid Steel's DK, and The The's Matt Johnson, featured here on a reworking of his track “Giant”. The Search Engine drops February 7 on Ninja Tune.
And if you want to see A$AP Rocky's “Pretty Flocko” get the Flocka treatment live; then hold onto your hands, hearts, and chains as Harlem's three-million-dollar-man gets the Brick Squad treatment with more energy than a mixtape can hold.
Bad Weather California sent us the video recently from their jam “Reachout.” These Denver dudes are dedicated to making feel good sunkissed California sounds that wish the afternoon would never turn to evening. You can find BWC's album Sunkissed February 21 on Akron/Family's Family Tree imprint.
In Lil B's ongoing Flame mixtape series comes White Flame. If tracks like “Neva Switch”, “I'm Fabio”, “Tiny Pants” caught your fancy last year than you can have them all one convenient mix. Rumor has it that there is a rare alternate cover for White Flame featuring a non-SOPA friendly image of Disney's Snow White floating around somewhere. Get a listen to the Based God's latest YouTube hits courtesy of Dat Piff.
Also enjoy this 'Promo Minimix' for Metal Dance for your previewing pleasure.
