This week played like one big atrocious episode of the The Surreal Life. First, in promotion for Green Day's upcoming album UNO, Billy Joe checked himself into rehab citing 'substance abuse' after his most rock and roll moment ever 'since nineteen-fuckin'-eight' at Las Vegas's I Heart Music Festival. Then there is Kes$ha's ghost schtuping story, the ill-fated Beach Boys reunion tour in full on break-up mode, and 50 Cent is not down with masturbation and furthermore believes that auto-eroticism is a transgression. Really no shortage of gaffes and less than graceful moments but we are here to further explore what we enjoyed this week-in no particular order.
The Bold Italic is about to embark on their Bold Rush west coast tour September 28-29 in LA, October 2-3 in Portland and October 6-7 in Seattle. This multi state/city tour on the west side wise features rolling art shows curated by Dan Johnson Lake, pop-up shops featuring local Bay Area wares and much more from area writers artists dropping thoughts, soliloquys and aphorisms on the go. Head here for more info on the upcoming Bold Rush.
Willie Joe and Mistah Fab join forces for the track “Automatic” with production from SMKA. About the following track, the East Bay vet Fab dropped this accompanying message, “The message we hope to convey is for artists who get in a position to help out should do so, especially the ones who said they would.” Find them along with more Bay Area favorites courtesy of Thizzler On The Roof, ATL production crew SMKA, and C4 Belts with the compilation Darkest Before Dawn available October 4.
We have the Midnight Magic electro cool cut “Diamonds” with Tiffany Roth's vocals bathed in keyboards and clever rhythm treatements. The debut album, Walking the Midnight Streets from the NYC group comes out November 13 from Midnight Sun Sound.
From the recomendation of East Bay production team friendzone I discovered Space Dolphin Productions, the clouded out sea-to-sky project from Seattle's Damon Johnson. An aesthetic that is ripped from the post-seapunk ripples of green-haired slime, Damon takes the trap forward thinking off the deep end into the chlorine blue cool of cribs with indoor pools. The fascination with Johnson's productions move from Link to the Past experimental loops, the trap gold of “{Wave: Lite}” where the amalgamation of samples,sounds, and space-y flows create a new kind of 'cloud' consciousness among Seattle's independent underground movement that continues to gain a steady momentum. The big single, “E.S.O.” stands for “eat. sleep. ocean.” and will have you seabound from the synthesizer while you spend your weekend running around the neighborhood chanting, “E.S.O.”, “E.S.O.”, “E.S.O.” as if you were never born with land legs.
The next Space Dolphin single “Sea Raised” featuring a flow from the sea dweller himself and Trainer Ant where they answers the questions of cloud-y origins quicker than you can complain to your seafood counter clerk about the merits of 'wild caught' versus 'farm raised.' Johnson employs what might be a synth from a Genesis Ecco cartridge while they give props to PSPs, Michael Phelps, trees and their baller status of “skyping chicks in Taiwan”.
Showbiz & AG want to make sure you get a listen to their latest track “All Time Greats (featuring Party Arty)” showing off rap's MVPs and closing with the question of, “who want beef with me?” All this and more off of Showbiz & AG's forthcoming Mugshot Music coming October 9 from DITC Records.
Prince Rama reveals the latest single from their upcoming apocalypse album of celebration, “Those Who Live For Love Will Live Forever” performed by their alter-ego group I.M.M.O.R.T.A.L.I.F.E. as captured in still life above by Samantha Casolari. Here Taraka and Nimai Larson give lessons of eternal life/love through abidance by the order of love as the sisters guide you to the life that liveth “forever, forever, forever” even as “the end is near.” Prince Rama's Top 10 Hits of the End of the World drops November 6 from your AmCo buddies at Paw Tracks.
Psychic Twin released the video for their latest single, “Gonna Get Her” with video overlay projections of Erin Fein and a modern, multi-media art installation created before your eyes, courtesy of film direction from Alessandra Hoshor and Addison Adams. Get the Psychic Twin Gonna Get Her 7″ now from Lefse.
San Francisco's Matt Bauer revealed a listen to “Tonight We Get to Sing Our Songs” from the No Shape Can Hold Me Now EP slated for release October 23 from Crossbill Records. What Bauer and friends create here is that Bay approach to trad styles that mesh into the collective experiences of the musicans, their experiences, talents that take the classic, rootsier tropes into late night songs best reserved for rooftop, after-show gatherings under the misty skies.
Like a situationist stunt taking on the wave of Dragonette's “Live in the City” buzz storm, Blizzed Out and Feebzz take the up town circuit on their hedonistic cut and spit up take on Petula Clark's “Downtown”. Wondering why no one has tackled the mid 60s oldie standard; Blissed adorns the original's progression with diamond encrusted horns that enshrine Feebzz' flow of uptown adornments and ambitions that illuminate all of Manhattan as if it was one big, bright Times Square styled banquet of endless material bounty.
Also get a listen to the sounds and select section descriptors of So. Cal with K. Flay featuring Michna for the radio edit single,”LA Again”. Catch K and Michna now on their west coast-ish tour of North America.
After delivering you the new single “Strawberries” from WHY? the other week, we bring you the official video directed by Scott Fredette & Alex Parks. Get ready to boogie down with Yoni, the band, their friends and the entire Northside 4th of July Parade. The new WHY? album Mumps comes out October 9 from Anticon / City Slang.
We also invite you to check out the ongoing WHY? documentary by Gerrick Reid, called Documenting WHY? featuring riveting questions, awkward moments and unsuspecting turns.
Chris Cohen's new album Overgrown Path is out now from Captured Tracks and for a limited time Chris is letting you stream his latest song cycle because he is a very generous guy, but note that this preview is limited and fleeting while the music is unlimited and the timeless craft of one of today's rising singer-songwriting stars.
New Animal revealed the heart string tugging visuals for their single “Falling Up” where two gal pals' drunken night makes things heated, emotional and complicated as all things in this life are. We advise you to seek out the two song digital single available now and you can pre-order the limited edition cassette, both available via Old Flame Records.
I Break Horses bring their last Room 205 performance with “Load Your Eyes”. For this last time around, director Forrest Borie moves the zoom and focus toward the timing from percussionist Fredrik Balck's snazzy rhythms, with Maria Lindén''s voice housed by the pretty keyboard lights brought to life from the visuals of set designer Tamarra Younis, photography director Jeffrey Peters, audio engineer J. Clark, camera operator Conor Simpson, and producer/camera operator Arlie Carstens. IBH's album Hearts is out now from Bella Union.
Say hello to Brooklyn quartet, Steven Reker, Luke Fasano, James Rickman, and Jen Goma who are People Get Ready and make music to help you get up, get ready and gosh dammit get happy. We have their first single “Windy Cindy” from the band's self-titled album due this October 23 from Brassland.
Dark Dark Dark grants us a listen to their new single “Who Needs Who” where Nona Marie Invie's meloncholy narrative takes through a hard night with beautiful poetics like, “on the subway the fluorescent lights can't change a thing”. Dark Dark Dark's album Who Needs Who comes out October 1 from Melodic Records.
Keeping in time to the Animal Collective hype mechanics we give you their new single “Applesauce” from their latest album Centipede Hz that almost takes things back to the preserve dripped days of Strawberry Jam. The single is to be released with the live chestnut “Crimson” pressed on 10″ vinyl and digital on November 11 from Domino.
7evenThirty drops the single “Twenty Twelve” from Heaven's Computer, available now with some next dimensioin switches hitting and steel-wheel turning production from 5-D.
Seattle's Unnatural Helpers present the the Owen Cook directed video for “Medication” that finds Dean Whitmore self-medicating about that great Washington State city and finding claymation style melting faces everywhere. Believe us when we say that you have been waiting all year long for a video like this. Find this cut and other assorted odes on the Helpers' new album Land Grab out now from Hardly Art Records.
Glasgow schoolmates Phillip, Joshua and Matthew are PAWS, and they released one of our favorite singles of the week with “Sore Tummy” that kicks harder than a plastic flask of pink, peppermint Pepto. Look for the PAWS album Cokefloat! October 9 from FatCat Records.
The self-titled album from ERAAS comes out this Tuesday, October 9 from Felte but you can hear a streaming advance of Robert Toher, Austin Stawiarzit and company here and now. Like a winter in Brooklyn come early in October; they invite you into their enticing audio pools of darkness.
Beast Patrol released their video for “Plaster”, bringing us the dream dance ethereality, red glow Italian cinema homages, wolves and wolf head motorcycle helmets and the quest to get through those 'walls of plaster.' The Beast Patrol Fierce & Grateful EP is out now from SPACE CAMP RADIO Records.
Physical Therapy reworked Supreme Cuts' “Val Venus” this week fresh from their remix EP, Whispers in the Dark: ReAnimated which takes things through the drum and bass sections while letting the keys tell a soothing story. Also featured on this flipped up EP are mixes from Chi-town's Sich Mang, Howse, The Drum and some chop-shopped cut-ups from The Range. Listen, vibe hard and download below.
Star Slinger dropped the following joint just for the “Ladies In The Back” featuring Sound Pelligrino's Teki Latex Get ready for plenty of invitations and incitements of booty grinding, but not too fast with the Teki's “slow and sexy wins the race” logic we get down to the 808s while trying to guess sample origins and such.The Ladies in the Back EP drops November 26 from Jet Jam.
We also have the video for FISHING's “Choy Lin” made by the Australian duo and SPOD Films to make your weekend more lysergic, but delightful. The 7″ Choy Lin / White Sheet Beach singe comes out on Waaga Records (North America) and Yes Please (Aus/NZ).
Some of the week's best dance sounds were in full throttle from Randomer's remix of the title track off Aquarian's debut Obsidian EP out October 23 from UNO NYC. Taking bits and pieces from various scenes of dance from Berlin, Canada to Detroit; all channelled into the Harlem underground that makes the UNO label thrive with new electro life forms.
Join Deep Time for some ice cream and afternoon in Austin in this super 8 looking video from Elizabeth Skadden for their song “Coleman”. The Deep Time self-titled album is out now from Hardly Art Records.
Swedish electronieer Hannes Norrvide is Lust For Youth, bringing us this humanoid in the machine styled single “Behind Curtains” from the Sacred Bones release of the EP Growing Seeds coming out November 13 from Sacred Bones with 3 tracks more than the European AVANT! release. Hannes will be touring the US with collaborator Loke Rahbek (the Posh imprint, Sexdrome, Vår, etc) this December before co-curating with Sacred Bones/Posh Isolation the Incubate Festival in Tilburg.
Not like you all don't know, but here is a commercial for Ty Segall's upcoming album TWINS to get you amped for the release October 9 from Drag City. If you ain't excited about this, then you probably hate on rock n' roll.
Jemez Mountain Hawkz reminded of us of all that cosmic-Americana that we forget in our busy days where that porchside easy chair rocks alone and neglected. Space out to some twang, Topanga Canyon '68 styles and look for the debut JMH EP Hey-Mez October 2.
Get your weekend disco funk in full hip swing with Induce's video for “Pretty” made in part with UnkleLuc off their new album Halfway Between Me And You available as of now. Enjoy the already overstated Prince-steeped soul tone while you watch the capricious adventures of friends Kamilla Sun & Olga Bocharova.
J. Bizness gives us the Erick Lee directed video for “Destination” that feels like more than just an update of Music for Airports but a stroll through the departures and arrivals terminals in a high altitude state of mind. Bizness instrumental album Flight Plan is out now and soaring high thanks to the Mello Music Group.
Brooklyn's band of blood-head-busting-brothers, Unstoppable Death Machines are living up to their title and word and give us their new album We Come in Peace available now on their Bandcamp. This is the kind of fraternity of man that does away with tags; hashed, labeled or otherwise and plays rock and roll like they effing mean it with the regards for post-structuralist musical anarchist canons by performing in utter and complete disregard for any aforemention pretense. From the doomed earth scorchings of “Do You Feel At All?” right at the opening album gates, you are invited to give thine self to the oblivion.Get We Come in Peace as soon as you can on CD and digital.
Former M83 co-founder Nicolas Fromageau's group Team Ghost gives an open casket screening to their new video “Dead Film Star”. Stick around to the end and we promise you will be startled. Look for their debut album Rituals February 18, 2013 on the brand new label, Wsphere while the Dead Film Starb EP comes out November 19.
Let all hell rain down with the Red Fang's new single “Crows in Swine” from their album Murder the Mountains from Relapse Records. Catch them on the dusty trail with support from Black Tusk & Indian Handcrafts.
Spectacles' Sean Nelson has been operating under the Shivastep moniker and we have a stream of the upcoming self-titled EP dropping October 2 from Track Number Records. Get your preview to these deep dish beat programmings.
Washington DC / New York quartet of noise aesthetes, Deleted Scenes released the Ben Usie directed video for “A Bunch Of People Who Love You Like Crazy” involving and revolving around disorienting revolving platforms. The brooding banger can be found off their album Young People's Church of the Air available now from Park the Van Records.
You want it and we got it, so here is Jozef Van Wissem & Jim Jarmusch with their recently released single “Etimasia”. Listen to more guitar progressions that move through cinematic doorways creating the kind of mode of character development dimension even if created through a subtle strum and steady growing electric current buzz. Their album The Mystery of Heaven comes out November 13 from Sacred Bones.
Treasure Island Music Festival 2012 is happening October 13-14 and we have the lowdown on the night shows happening around San Francisco to celebrate one of our favorite festivals. First there is the Treasure Island Nightlife with Shigeto, Groundislava & DJ Dials October 11 at the California Academy of Sciences, The Presets, K. Flay October 12 at the Independent, Araabmuzik, Five Knives October 13 at the Independent, SBTRKT DJ-ing that same night, October 13 at the Mezzanine, and finally Jamie xx will be DJ-ing along with a performance from John Talabot at Public Works on October 14. Head over to our friends' site at Do415 for ticketing and further information.
This Sunday, September 30 at LA's Mayan Theatre, join the Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble featuring Mayer Hawthorne, Bilal, James Gadson, Coco of Quadron and more celebrate the 20th vanguard that gave us the modern American songbooks of soul. For tickets and further inquiries, head over to Art Don't Sleep now.
