SLEEPY SON ▼

Destroyer ▼ Kaputt

2012-02-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

Let's say you were browsing CD's in a non-discrete music shop tucked in dark corner in god knows where. The shop manager gave you a sample of Destroyer's Kaputt to uh, sample. You flipped the cd over, and some dude with weird funky hair named Dan Bejar is listed as the producer. He sort of reminds you of that Ancient Aliums guy. After giving it a once over through your expensive headset, you deduce that the shop manager is either hoping it'd sell or he genuinely wish to see you half-naked- playing a rendition of careless whisper.

All for the right prices, you softly whisper to yourself making sure no one is within earshot. As an afterthought, you slipped in Kaputt in, to update your playlist. You swear vehemently that if another M83 song shuffles on, you can't guarantee absolute safety of anyone within a 30 meter radius surrounding you. Feeling satisfied with yourself, you plop the CD up again once you reached home. You decide it's pretty catchy, with songs like A Savage Night at the Opera, had the right idea in mind. Dan Bejar's vocals sounds like silk across your skin as you turn on the hot shower.

I heard your record it's all right
...
Just set the loop and go wild

The song delivers, going into an incredibly suave guitar combo, finishing with synths and a fading voice over. Next up, Kaputt (the 6th track) slowly makes its way into your room. Sustained guitar chords, that soft yet up-beat bass makes your feet shake, your head wobble about its axis.

wasting your days
chasing some girls
alright, chasing cocaine
through the backrooms of the world
all night

The sax eases slightly, not taking over yet the presence is there. You notice the soft bass is audible throughout the 6:18 mins of the song. It ends with slow fading piano and the dream inducing sax. Feeling good about the song, you decide to check it Destroyer out online.

This is what you see.

You look down, and realize that you aren't going to get any sleep tonight.

Dan Bejar took a huge gamble when making Kaputt. It's hard to change a musical style this late, having released a total of 9 full albums, and a couple of EPs. Dan took the backseat in releasing Kaputt, opting for a more slow paced vocal style as compared to Rubies (2005) ; songs like Painter in your Pocket. Ultimately, Kaputt paid off. A rare album in 2011.

Locals ▼ I am David Sparkle, B-Quartet, Amberhaze

2012-01-27T11:58:00.000-08:00

I've ingested coffee by the cupfuls and paid in kind with bouts of explosive diarrhea. Now I'm finally free to do what I love; reviewing and spreading music for the sleepless night owls that we are. On a side note, me and a bunch of friends have decided to make a project specifically catering to the growing local music scene (in Singapore). The growth here is incredibly fast-paced, as you can tell from my previous 'live' posts. It's still under production, but I'll be writing for the local and regional musicians that stand out vocally.

As a prelude to this new endeavour, I'll quickly list and link tidbits of the seasoned homegrown musicians. Hopefully I'd get the chance to do the interviews and full reviews that they deserve.

Here we go!

1st stop : I am David Sparkle.

What can I say, they blew me away when I saw them play a year ago.

2nd stop : B-Quartet

Late last year, in their opening set for Tortoise, the brothers dropped Haykal's airy vocals instead opting for a open sound exploration. 4 new members were added as of their 2nd album "Conformity has replaced consciousness"

3rd stop: Amberhaze

Amberhaze is Giuliano Gullotti’s long-standing solo project. He plays anything from atmospheric ambient to piano pieces throughout 2006 to the present.

Pretty Lights ▼ Passing Behind Your Eyes

2011-02-08T04:17:00.000-08:00

Derek Vincent Smith and recently Adam Deitch play by the moniker of Pretty Lights. Smith's a major proponent of PL, having dropped a his studies as a freshman at a Uni to focus on his beats. And man did he make the right choice. Insofar, Pretty Lights have made major headway on acts for 2010's Cochella, Bonnaroo + the EDC, and generally being on tour throughout last year. How I didn't find out Pretty Lights till 2011 is anyone's guess. Smith & Deitch mainly work around old vintage beats sampled with up tempo glitch-hop ones, so there's alot for your earbuds no matter what your taste is. Expect to chill with alot of synth-action, fat beats with a alot of soul.

Follow them on PrettyLightsMusic.com

Pretty Lights ▼ Passing Behind Your Eyes
Try it.
Buy it.

Kites Sail High ▼ Alone

2011-01-14T21:16:00.000-08:00

San Fran native Mario Baltodano is the enigma behind Kites Sail High, an all new act that's comparatively comparable to Flylo & Ulrich Schnauss warped vibes freefloating with a slew of experimentation to boot. Not much is known, aside from the two very solid albums Alone & Secrets up on Life's Blood. Hmm, the album Alone,which im going into since it has more plays, is (imo) about the adolescent emotions or daytime hallucinations of a single child. It just comes to me, feeling that way. The effects in play here are immense, wonder just how many pedals and distortions were needed in the making of. Kites Sail High have been in tons of collabs, and is in the process of making more. Some include Baths, Teen Daze, Blackbird Blackbird and a few others which was released up on Heart Music Group.

Kites Sail High ▼ Alone
Try being alone.
Pay to be alone!

Ilkae ▼ Pistachio Island

2011-01-13T03:50:00.000-08:00

Yet another postup! Ilkae (thats ill-kay) is two-man project consisting of Aaron Munson and Krystian Lubiszewski, from Canada / Poland (can you guess the polish dude?) Thier music could be said to encompass anything from electronic funk to 8-bit vidgame glitchy music thats commonly popular among twenty-somethings reminiscing lost childhoods. The tracks are fitted in bite-sized pieces, with an average of 1 min per piece. Insofar as I can tell, the album features these tracks as singular notes, not combining or flowing into each other like some do. Perfect for the shuffle feature, if you're heading for a quick destination.

Feel good vibes are abound in Pistachio Island.

Ilkae ▼ Pistachio Island [2001] Merck Records.
Try some Pistachios!
BBBBBBBBBBBUY some Pistachios!

Harlem ▼ Hippies

2011-01-11T04:19:00.000-08:00

Since creepin' out on 2008 with their album Free Drugs ;-) and the huge splash they made with Hippies, it became clear I couldn't very well keep putting off listening to the trash-punk duo from Austin any longer. So this week we have Harlem.

In all out honesty, when Harlem kicked it off with Free Drugs, I didn't really lionize them. It seemed like the type of music which you'd dance along to, only to be forgotten when the new week starts. Sure there were tracks like 'Beautiful & Very Smart' whose bass reminded me of Joy Division's Atmosphere, with more tempo and jumpyness. Other tracks include 'South of France', trashy yet not overdone, mainly due to the emphasis placed on vocals. The result is an enjoyable album with a couple of noteworthy tracks, but it felt more like they had to get thier shit together and 2 years (and a mexican drumman) later, we have Hippies.

Oh they got their shit together alright. My attention was encased in concrete with their very first downstroke guitar hook; Someday Soon continues on a very smooth and simplistic but takes a drastic turn as the track progresses, much like a roller coaster ride. The drums dole out constant rythms then yet again, they simmer the volume low, and picks it up till they live to their trash-punk name. Friendly Ghosts opens up a throbbing migrane of a drumline in the very best sense. Lyricwise they're a little eccentric, its hard not to be eccentric when you're devoting a punk song to Casper the friendly ghost.

I can't stand it, I'm so possessive ~ (oh i see what you did there @_@)
I wanna disappear all the time
Help me disappear, Tonight!

Transport us to the middle of the album, track 06 we have... Gay Human Bones! Does modern medicine be able to tell whether one was gay in their lives simply by judging the bones?! Hmm. Maybe i should get opt for cremation. Gay Human Bones, has a sweet hook going and when added with euphorically vocals makes for a catchy song. I can't, for the life of me figure out what exactly they're singing about but from the snippets i can make out, it's something about being alone, and a basketball team or so they tell me. Not sure what the relation is, too busy enjoying the track to care.

'My basketball teams name is gay human bones, we win most of the games we play at home.'

There's much other tracks I barely even touched upon, but I think they'd rather speak for themselves. The 16-track, is vaguely long for me, granted it they had a respite of 2 years to come up with new material but I'd rather they seperated it into medium sized bits, and toss a little more variety in it. All in all, Hippies was one of the albums I enjoyed out of 2010.

Time to get Hippies!
Try it here.
Buy it here.

Lets make time.

2010-12-28T05:16:00.001-08:00

Its been raining dogs for three weeks, can't do anything but work and latch on to whatever warmth each and every weekend brings. Lets try to make time. Warmth usually found when we tip that edge down our guzzling throats and look upon yet another empty husk. Haahh, holiday seasons almost come and gone. What super realistic resolutions would we conjure up only to turn to smoke a month later. Haahh, lets try to make time.

The Maccabees ▼ Color it In

2010-12-28T05:06:00.000-08:00

I first came across Color It In, on the ever reliant train system, where tons of people contort into makeshift sardines for however long their journey demands them. A friend offered me a listen and wham I couldn't stop shaking my leg to the beat. Might be due to the earlier intake of coffee & red bull but i can't pinpoint for sure so wot the hell wot the hell. Me & friend were immediately transported back to 2007 where clear cut indie rock; The Kooks, Killers, Bloc Party (and the occasional Menomena) nostalgia hit us hard. So here I am rediscovering our first loves ; lost loves ; so we say its only love. Refreshing respite from the countless chillwave//witchhouse//garabe sounds or, how our fucked up minds can't make our fucked up minds up.

Color it In jumps beat off with X-Ray, man can't resist that bassline and unruly guitars, it just melts with Orlando Week's lyrics. Up on to All in Your Rows, they show more control and a religious dogmatic criticism. Mehh thats what it sounds like to me ;

City-scape and country-side
We've got local boys, they're going nationwide
So here's your church and here's your steeple
And you're locking your doors to keep in all the people

// Let them go.

The opening of the next track Latchmere creeps me out to no end. I get goosebumps when theres people screaming at each other at the pool. Like something bad's happened while you were swimming, just before you resurface you notice they're shouting AT you, and a glance down you see a fucking shark had bitten off your fucking legs off or, something along those lines. Precious Time lies more towards traditional relationship reworkings, no sharks to be had here guys. Still, its lyrically impressive and stands out from the other tracks of Color it In. Tissue Shoulders; strikes a chord with me. Recent events, maybe they've predicted what would happen in three years and made this song just for me? I'd like to think it as such.

The song Lego is by far the saddest song on Color It In. Lego has very dismayal lyrics, I can only guess that its about the death of three children, or growing up, or both. The drums are very persistent, almost hammering that fact home. All in all, Color it In has depth in character, given life by Week's vocals, the guitar's + basses + drum's dances. Get it.

The Maccabees ▼ Color It In [2007]
Try it,
Buy it.

Jeff Pianki

2010-11-08T06:41:00.000-08:00

These days, youtube seems to be brimming with potential like a small pond full of tadpoles. Ever seen one of those? At times, there may be up to a million of them swimming, squirming and jostling each other for the little breathers they have. Hard to pick and individual taddy and squeeze it out from the rest. Not to sidetrack too much, we have virutal unknown (aside from youtube) Jeff Pianki, and the way he's going it wouldn't be too surprising to see his name pop up here and there in the future.

Jeff has released an EP called Hello Scones, and aside that, a 13-track demo series, which, surprisingly packs alot of punch. I get a strange Sufjan-meets-Andy Hull vibe from his work, and his lyricism is really commendable. Up on both Demos and Hello Scones, Jeff puts his banjo / guitar / harmonica combo into good sparing use. Plus, the song progression is noticeable it takes alot to grovel new fingerpicking riffs that brings out different emotions, from 13 other tracks.

Most of the tracks on the Demo, are bare- like in the track Buried in Winter- there is certainly room to add. But somehow its feels complete, like a newly constructed house, with little furnishings and a whole lot of space to fuck around. Throwing Coins is clearly thought out, with the harmonica & glockenspiel skitting across the background.

Enough words i think; I am hooked.
Follow Jeff on his Bandcamp! (Buy them)
There are a couple of tracks on his last.fm page.

Dark Dark Dark - Bright Bright Bright / Wild Go (50th Post)

2010-11-01T20:15:00.000-07:00

The sextet, Dark Dark Dark from Minneapolis revolve around Nona Marie Invie and Marshall LaCount, producing chamber-folk with Nona's flitting haunted voice. Dark Dark Dark dabbles in strudy old instrumentation that'd prove fitting with Nona's vocals time and time again. And the desired effect comes through as though the sextet are tapping into some arcane, ancient melodies brought back. They play songs, with a driven narrative of soulsearching, finding and being found, basic human emotions blown out of proportion. And fittingly, the rag-tag bunch travel alot, keeping on their toes like a group of touring troubadours.

Having toured with WHY?, they'd just released their newest album yet, Wild Go, earlier last month up on Supply & Demand. I've been trying to get into Wild Go, but I'd have to admit, it hasn't been getting much plays with me. Hopefully its a grower, but as of now, I just can't put Bright Bright Bright down. Kinda felt that with 6 short songs, they'd pack more punch. Like a blow to the Jugular.

Bright Bright Bright, their 6-song EP includes Something For Myself which was redone in Wild Go. They also have a movie inproduction, not too sure when it'll come out, but the title's Flood Tide, here.

I don't know bout you, but she blows me away.
Just realised it's my 50th blog post. So yay~

Dark Dark Dark - Bright Bright Bright / Wild Go
Try them here.
Buy them here, and here.

Crystal Castles (A-sides Ft. Robert Smith)

2010-10-29T21:43:00.000-07:00

Yes the title doesn't lie. I came across this here @ vaudevillevillain's. Thought I'd give this more love, since its well -dare i say it- maybe one of the best collaborations of 2010. Robert Smith's distinguished vocals seemingly snatched from the 80's inhere with Crystal Castles electro-goth fat bassy-beats in Not In Love ; Originally a Platinum Blonde song injected with a healthy dose of Duran Duran vibes. Other B-sides would include Celestica // Suffocation. Also, Crystal Castles will be in Singapore for on the 15th Jan the year ahead. Won't it be divine if they dragged Robert's fat(sexy)ass along?

Not in Love ;
Consider this my Halloween Gift, Candy for all!

Not in Love will be out - December 6th 2010 on Fiction Records

Jordaan Mason And the Horse Museum

2010-10-25T23:49:00.000-07:00

Don't tell anyone, but as of late, I've been slowly losing interest in the normal Guitar+Bass+Drum routine. It feels as if I needed a well prolonged time off from overly-used Bread & Butter instruments. You could say it goes parallel with me wanting a break from my drab status-quo lifestyle. So for these few weeks, odd voices, accordions, brass instruments and banjos will dominate these follow-up posts !

Jordaan Mason And the Horse Mueseum - Divorce Lawyers I Shaved My Head

Thats Jordaan. With an extra A. Having an album name which looks like 2 completely isolated phrases fused together, Divorce Lawyers I Shaved My Head finally came together after three stolid years founded by complete unknowns Bryar Gray & Jordaan Mason. According to last.fm, the album "tells the story of a failed marriage between two people of confused genders and identities. the album takes place during a glandolinian war and includes horses, shotguns, carnival horn sections, religion, male birth, sickness, semen, haircuts, and an eventual apocalypse in 1990." And I couldn't come up with a better sypnosis, had I tried (and I did.)
All I could come up was :

"The album to me is, about a kid watching two horses gallop across muddy fields against the oncoming rain sleet, like they were symbolically fighting the rain, batting their lily-like eyelashes each time it struck a furious rainblot, the ones which are as big as golf balls. Despite that, or more accurately; because of that, they (the horses) seemed happy, to be free of reins, of human contact ; how ever long their faces might seem. And seeing the horses happy made the child, now stuck indoors really, really angry. The kid works up a tantrum, screaming at two patches of slick fur ;lightning speed. He knows the horses can't actually hear his screams, that only drives more fury into his child-like skull."

Musically speaking though, Bryar & Jordaan's vocals are emotionally compelling, track after track. Some might be put off by his exceedingly screechy voice but I personally like. With banjos, soft-clad thumps sounding like horses hooves in mud, Bird's Nest literally reverbs with the beat, vocals and that bass trumpet gently cruises along the background.

With Racehorse : Get Married! they take it up anotch or two, with vocals reaching their peak, it showcases what one can accomplish with vocal chords by locking oneself in a toronto hotel for three years. It opens with a huge "YOU FUCK LIKE A RACEHORSEEEEE" (listen to it here). I mean, how can you not take notice. The song goes on to proceed about bags of blood, hunting with shotguns, swallowing shotguns and private conversations. Currently, they're on tour with Oh Foot, Shelby Sifers, and Tinyfolk. Man I haven't heard from Tinyfolk for quite awhile now.

JORDAAN MASON AND THE HORSE MUSEUM - ____ is Water from Mitch Fillion (southernsouls.ca) on Vimeo.

You know you want this.
Try it here.
Buy it here.

Piriki (Ukulele Special!)

2010-10-24T05:14:00.000-07:00

Hallo goede mensen! This week's special would be towards Piriki, a dutch song (hence the dutch greeting) cause I've just gotten a new Makala Tenor Ukulele with courtesy of the UkuleleMovement in Singapore. So woot, it sounds do-able with Aquila strings, and man am I addicted to it's glossy veneer smell. Makes me think of Horchata for some reason. Anywho! Here's to an adorable weekend, hope you guys get laid ! (with people who don cat-outfits, how hot is that huh.)

Also, any ideas to naming my ukulele?

An Horse ▼ Rearrange Beds // Live

2010-10-17T18:53:00.000-07:00

Lovely show last friday by the australian duo, An horse (Kate Cooper & Damon Cox) they've garnered critical attention with Rearrange Beds. Their simple yet catchy vibes are the respite I need from the recent flush of post-this/that, chillwave, surf rock that's been dominating my headphones the past few months. Good to cut back to basics. With An Horse, Kate drives the distortion up a few thousand notches or so, while Damon keeps the momentum going. From the first listen, you might pick up traces of Sleater Kinney's The Fox, or Tegan & Sara's harmonising vibes. Camp Out emits vibes ranging from sexual fustration to borderline desperation with, "You want to camp out, / I want to fuck around in the dark. " I could give a thesis on each song, but that'd be no fun, better leave things to yr imagination.

So yeah, the only thing that bugs me is that some of the tracks haven't really have any progression on them, you wouldn't know when one song begins/ends for the 1st few album plays. But fear not, they've included a couple perks in their re-released album, one seeing Damon play the melodica (an old hohner, he told) on the track, Listen. Pitchfork mentions Kate's lyricsy being unremarkable on paper, yet so very affective when she puts her mouth to use. Like she sings with such conviction that you end up nodding to her. Whatever it is that makes them sound what they sound like, this is an album that's worth plugging into.

And yes, Kate Cooper is a sexy beast.

Get An Horse's ▼ Rearrange Beds

Las Robertas - Cry Out Loud

2010-10-04T06:22:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone's doing good.
Reading Murakami's book, one after the other was a bad idea. Now my dreams are being plagued, by meaningless (or so it seems on the surface), random lucidity that barely has any semblence to reality. I was visitied by a snake who wanted to nibble my feet, flying locomotives and the like. When not reading, sleeping ; (simultaneously), I'm glued to the computer. Time to get Norwegian Wood.

And that was how I came across Las Robertas. The four adorable girls might be mistaken for yet another Au Revoir, but you can't deviate further from the truth. They deliver gritty garage-rock along with a dont-you-fuck-with-me-because-i-will-cut-you-down drumline. Really, the drums were what that made me take notice of them. It's prominent throughout History is Done (and various other songs), yet not overused.

Cry Out Loud has an almost uncanny resemblence to Best Coast/Vivian Girls sounding guitar & bass, though you can hardly sue them for plagiarism. The gritty distortion & sweet, almost confectionary vocals makes the LP a go. Did I mention I loved the drums?

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://lasrobertas.bandcamp.com/track/ghost-lover"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Ghost Lover by Las Robertas&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Catch them at : Bandcamp // Last.fm

Julian Lynch - Mare

2010-09-27T02:02:00.000-07:00

These past few summery (I use summer-y, because its summer all year long where I'm from) days have been fine, the weather off-kilter recently, alternating between stark hot sunshine to gloomy churning anvil clouds within minutes. Under stress? Fear not mother nature, just plug in Julian Lynch's Mare, and your mind will float out above those dark clouds, and into the fine bright sunshine. Not too much vitamin D though, you don't want to get skin cancer (nevermind you left your body down below, better safe than sorry) The sun extends its warm comforting rays upon you. With closed eyelids, you stretch out your hand acast, partially covering the sun. It dances upon your eyelids providing a sort of free cheap lightshow. Still, somehow you're amused.

With Mare, the pieces here flits from emotion to emotion, but most being calm and collected. Plenty of smooth Jazzy ambience on Ruth, My Sister. Theyalso offer Julian's seemingly fleeting falsetto accompanied by reverberating strings, folksy guitarstry on Still Racing, ending with a psychedelic new-age track, In New Jersy, that could have came out from a vegan-buddhist's adobe (complete with incense and parquet flooring for those barefeet). I haven't found a track I didn't like on Mare, Enjoy.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://julianlynch.bandcamp.com/track/ears"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Ears by Julian Lynch&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Julian's Bandcamp. Buy it.

Portishead - Roseland NYC Live

2010-09-21T05:44:00.000-07:00

Hey again guys. The lack of posts is due to me getting a summer job, and therefore having little to no time to get on routine music hunt. So, to counter that I've been rummaging my old music cd's, and came across Portishead's Roseland Live in NYC; which was handed to me for my 14th birthday by my awesomely awesome aunt. It's an old keepsake, and I hope you guys would spend as much time on it as I had.

Roseland NYC Live saw the band's first ever live gig in New York. It features the New York Philharmonic along side their contemporary partners. Despite the genre gap, their expertise gave rise to musical highs for the two co-op. Gibbon's saturine soaked vocals is a crucial consideration for transitions between these vasts and clearly talented bunch; like lubricant to .... dark squeezy spaces. Barrow , Utley and Deamer are tight, and deliver the goods seemingly at ease in their own element; Be it chewing gum, smoking or scratching records.

The record's 51 min playtime feature 11 complete pieces.

The descending melody of the bass, the shimming strings, the distortion completely blows me away. I love this.

Try it here. (Hosted by La Musique)
Buy it here.

Star Slinger ▼ Volume 1

2010-09-13T05:52:00.000-07:00

Darren Williams who goes by the alias of Star Slinger, has brought fresh beats to the hip-hop scene all while releasing an LP titled Volume 1 up on his personalized page. The album evokes the vivid feel of the 90s where, you spend carefree days chillin round basketball courts, play till your feet ache, then go for drink all without worrying about the day; You had none. Days where time stood still, where innocence still had meaning, where life was just fucking peachy. Take a step back in time with tunes like May I Walk With You? or Gimme. This album is trippin with feel-good vibes, it is a definite grower. Much love.

Grab his stuff // contact him up on his site here.

Reading Rainbow ▼

2010-09-08T05:32:00.000-07:00

**** This post isn't about the American Children's television series aired by PBS from June 6, 1983 until November 10, 2006 that encourages reading among children. Looking at bros on the internet shows us how well that turned out. Bros4liaf!

Reading Rainbow is what you get if you locked Rob, Sarah, a couple of bros and imagination, in a room. This pair makes reverb-worship seem cal-i, for their bleached vocals are like the direct communion between creator and creation. Feral Kids and In the Forest, both go all out; on tribalistic bass drums, reverb drenched guitars + vocals on rage. Be Who I See has inducing synths which remind me of triangulary Saw-Tooth wave-forms, in textbooks. Love how these bros make simple catchy tunes. Keep them tapes rolling.

Get their 4-Track Demos here !

** the saw-toothed wave form came up on my exam paper today, I aced it. Thank you Reading Rainbow.

Sweet Bulbs ▼

2010-09-05T07:16:00.001-07:00

Well there seems to be a resurgence of noise and fuzzyness. Mostly fuzzyness. Up fresh on the list is Brooklyn's Sweet Bulbs, who're about to release a self-titled on Blackburn Recs. What few samples that have been drifting the interwebs, I've greedily gobbled up. Om nom nom. Featured guitars jacked up on echoes plus reverbs (Polvo-esque); your hearing the equivalent of after a half-day jam session. I'm almost tempted to say they sound like Sonic Youth, but with heartrending vocals (prominently on Eyes Feathers). They deserves as many Thumbs, Likes, Reblogs // any other cheap attempt by Man to measure awesomeness.

Sweet Bulb's Myspace for more nomnoms.

eyes feathers (demo) by SWEET BULBS

Twin Sister ▼ Color Your Life // Vampires with Dreaming Kids

2010-08-31T06:07:00.000-07:00

Wizard hats and capes make good shadows and shapes. Picture that. Then picture them dancing to Twin Sister's Lady Daydream, on their Color Your Life tape. My imagination's way out there, so you wouldn't believe the shit im conjuring up. Anywho ~ Twin Sister are new-york natives producing psychedelic dream pop, and they're pretty good at it. The few songs they've released via Bandcamp, evidently show much promise to further the growing dreampop scene. Color Your Life prominently parades their use of various synthesisers, a much fuller sound as compared to Vampires with Dreaming Kids. Twin Sister is getting much exposure at the moment, what with touring with Memoryhouse and making their way towards Montreal. It seems like with Vampires with Dreaming Kids, they have taken a lo-fi approach - more acoustical ; toying more with minimalist snatches of sounds, quelling it up with a up tempo beat, usually pulsed by a maraca. Summer sunshine-y vibes, and lots of it. Perfect for a day at the beach (or anywhere else for that matter).

(Lady Daydream, available on Color Your Life)

Twin Sister ▼

Try it.
Buy it.

Try it.
Buy it.

Great Empty ▼ Desire the Creator

2010-08-25T05:49:00.000-07:00

'Desire is a trap.' //' Desirelessness is moksha'
'Desire is the Creator' // 'Desire is the Destroyer'

Great Empty,

; Zu - drums, Din - bass, Rupak - guitars, Dir - guitars ;

are new act to have churned out of Singapore. They've just released their EP called "Desire the Creator" up on bandcamp. Riding chill-Buddhistic sounding spoken word, Desire the Creator encompasses a weird mix of philosophy and music. Their 6-track album, features fuzzed out echo-driven guitars that cruise the background, plus good acoustics.

<a href="http://greatempty.bandcamp.com/track/intro-pattern-the-essence-2">intro (pattern & the essence) by Great empty</a>

Great Empty ▼ Desire the Creator
Bandcamp ;

Grimes ▼ Geidi Primes

2010-08-24T22:59:00.000-07:00

Eccentricity, some of us love it. If you do, this shit will blow your mind. Claire Boucher, going by the name of 'Grimes' is a new psychedelic act from Montreal, Canada (canadians, go figure, eh?). Grimes procure sounds, fusing electronic wizardy with unorthodox contemporary instrumentation. It being unorthodox-ed, since she hasn't had any musical training. And rightly so, Claire has taken genres and bent, twisted, manipulated them into something ; else.

Grimes calls her music post-human liturgical majesty, well I can't agree more. She seems to be riding on the Witch House wave ; Having similarities surrounding synths, deep basses and vibes. Enough chit chatter, she'll be big. Please, hype this like a enraged monkey hurtling through space at the speed of light. 'Beast Infection' is going to be played en'loop for a few days.

Grimes - Caladan by Arbutus Records

Grimes ▼ Geidi Primes
Try it.
Buy it.

Antoine Dodson ▼ Bedroom Intruder

2010-08-23T09:25:00.000-07:00

I AM 12 AND WHAT IS THIS?

Itunes.

Your Ten Mofo ▼ [Things Change While Helium Listen to Everyone]

2010-08-22T05:11:00.000-07:00

Hey again guys. I'd like to bring out Your Ten Mofo this weekend because, 1) Attending Migrant Sounds last night had me going an urge deep within my bowels, for experimental/ambient music. 2) Because I can. Mwah har har har ! Pardon the evil cackle. Sometimes the Madvillany (yes guys, terrific album, i'd come to posting about it soon enough) in me springs forth unconditionally. Right, before I derail from my train of thought, and go tumbling to the Mountains of Madness (terrific book, i'd- oh FFFFU, there I go again.)

Your Ten Mofo is a post-rock quartet from Vienna. Okay take a chill pill and before you dismiss them as another generic post-rock band that has gone aboard fuckwagon, have a listen first. Might I suggest picking up a book/coffee duo, and pop them headphones on. We all set ? These guys clearly have their roots tied closely to the post-rock scene, having started in 2004. You can expect atmospheric bliss, sidelancing violins, vibraphones and everything inbetween. Kinda sounds like if Mogwai were to have unprotected sex with the guys from Sigur Ros. And they had babies (genetically impossible, but hey), their babies would sound like Your Ten Mofo. The little vocals the quintet offered is used to enhance the ethereal near-bliss state. Plus, recently made it to the ViennaShorts annual showcase, so props up to them. For fans of Ef, Youth Pics, Gregor Samsa and the like. Enjoy.

Your Ten Mofo ▼ [Things Change While Helium Listen to Everyone]
Try it. (Last.fm offers free downloads, make use of it.)
Buy it.

Jonsi & Alex ▼ Riceboy Sleeps

2010-08-20T06:08:00.000-07:00

Riceboy Sleeps is the methodical love child of Jonsi (Jón Þór Birgisson, of Sigur Rós) and Alex Somers (Parachutes). The said album, features more of Jonsi's killer falsetto, prominently in Atlas Song and Boy 1904. They feature Alex's largly harmonical piano playing, with a fuzzy, dozed out ensemble. This is one of the best albums to have come out of the ambient stock recently. Perfect for reading, or contemplating life. And they do make a cute couple, no?

Jonsi & Alex ▼ Riceboy Sleeps (2010)
Try it here.
Buy it here.

Efterklang ▼ Magic Chairs

2010-08-16T09:34:00.000-07:00

It's danish giants, Efterklang, back with a new album called Magic Chairs recently released earlier this February, via 4AD records. They've had up to 3 years to come up with a new album, ever since 'Parades'. Magic Chairs doesn't quite make the cut their previous two albums Parades and Tripper have set up. They have clearly taken steps to embrace English wholeheartedly, and the result is, well, less than pleasant. I'd have love if they kept to their mysteriously jumbled, and un-uniform lyricsy, which forces the listeners to keep guessing. Plus, it seems like they've made a move towards being an orchestral ensemble, cutting back on the electronics which made me notice them in the first place. Songs feeling like 'Swarming' and 'Prey and Predator' are nowhere to be felt in Magic Chairs. Its the little effects that add to the whole atmosphere, and well the feeling is still there, but less noticeable. That's enough ranting from a disappointed/loyal fan. Who knows, maybe after a few odd listens my impression would change. Lets hope so, and a to a new album too ~!

Modern Drift (available in Magic Chairs)

Efterklang ▼ Magic Chairs [2010]
Buy it.

Efterklang ▼ Parades [2007]
Buy it.

Belleruche ▼ [Turntable Soul Music]

2010-08-01T22:06:00.000-07:00

Nu-jazz (despite the stigma caused by anything tagged 'Nu'/'Neu'), is really a decent sub-genre, one which doesn't cause Jazz listeners to run headlong into walls (intentionally). Its rising in popularity too, maybe because its so much easier to get into, as compared to true Jazz, what with their long improvisations, would be abit dry to the untamed ear, mine included. Add in butter-smooth vocals, which is ever prominent here (see Yukimi Nagano (Koop/Little Dragon) but we'll touch on the swedish-jap a little while later, she deserves awhole section to herself ha-ha.

Enter Belleruche, a UK 3-man (and woman)- combo, formed half a decade ago, is worth looking into. Karthin, vocals, delivers her lines well, accompanied by beats by DJ Modest, and his counterpart - Ricky Fabulous (no, I didn't make his name up). They'd be releasing a highly anticipated third album, titled - (270 Stories) via the Tru-Thoughts label, of which the three have been meticulously producing with for the past few months. What more can I say, they're good. Meanwhile waiting for 270 Stories, go listen to 'Turntable Soul Music'.

Belleruche ▼ 'Clockwatching'
(a single from their newest, (270 Stories), scheduled to be released on 11th October 2010)

Belleruche ▼ [Turntable Soul Music]
Try it.
Buy it.

Beirut ▼ [Lon Gisland]

2010-08-01T06:42:00.000-07:00

I've been given an ukelele to play with, so in accordance to it, I've been playing much of Beirut.
Beirut is largely Zach Condon, and his rag-tag crew of friends (of which includes "Hawk and a Hacksaw" duo, Jeremy and Heather.) His music ranges from album to album, a risky move no doubt, but Zach manages to pull each one off. Extensive touring has its benefits ey? In my honest opinion, I find Lon Gisland to be an instant earcatcher ; Indefinately short and sweet; as opposed to his other, Gulag Orkestra or The Flying Club Cup. So right now, I'm taking a break from the uke, prolonged playing causing me to nurse it :/ Have a nice day y'all.

▼ Lon Gisland

Try it.
Buy it.

The Organ ▼

2010-07-22T07:52:00.000-07:00

The Organ, now defunct, was an admirable post-punk outfit from Vancouver (fuck yeah canadians). They grabbed my attention with their only Full length - Grab That Gun (fuck yeah puns). The Organ is largely Katie Sketch with her dual wielding Mic/Scotch combo, on toned, guarded vocals. Then you have Debbie on the guitar, producing 80's Smith's riffs. Shmoo on the pre-suicide Joy Division bass and Jenny on synths. They're all total hotties to boot. It's too good to be true. Which is probably why they broke up (and they're lesbians), God didn't want queer guys like me stalking their every live show.

**shakes fists towards the sky with unrelenting anger** Curses!

Post breakup Organ saw Katie start her new band; Mermaids. Debbie with hers; Lovers Love Haters (aww, couldn't she have thought of a better name like, Vawwes?) I would love for them to come back for just one more album. Cause I've a feeling they could have made more. Lets not end this post with a bad note: Katie and Jenny Smyth got together, managed to hitch up a kitschy bar, called the Henhouse. It's supposedly really popular now, but I guess I wont have a chance to drop by.

**shakes fists towards the sky with unrelenting anger** Twice for your malice!
The Henhouse is located at 1532 Dundas W. and is open daily from 5pm-2am.

The Organ ▼ Grab That Gun
Try it here.
Buy it here.

Hooray! ▼

2010-07-19T08:10:00.001-07:00

Like many obscure experimental/electronic sentient beings coming out of the wood work, Ben Wagner, is an outsource of sounds, noise, + whatever junk (not all junk is necessarily bad) that sounds good to him. Hooray! is an project, just the tip of the icecap for Ben's future / upcoming endeavors. Sounds vaguely like mellow dreampop, less on the pedals, more going on the background. Snippets of sound adding on to the overall feel. The track Daydreamm conjures images of summershine during winter. Does that make any sense at all? I'm sure it doesn't, I may have to make yet another appointment with my psychiatrist, but that's the vibe I'm getting. And hell do I love it. Thanks to [Stratosphering] for getting Hooray! to my ears.

Try It here.

▼▼Bedroom Adventures http://wonderbeardtapes.tumblr.com/

▼▼Shade http://hooray.bandcamp.com/album/shade-ep

▼▼Puddles http://hooray.bandcamp.com/album/puddles-ep

▼▼Snow Daze http://www.mediafire.com/?oqhzl1z0ztm

Scary Mansion ▼

2010-07-17T22:03:00.000-07:00

It's been raining for days on end here. My face is caked with god knows what, having a hookah/shisha induced migrane. It's a wonder I can even crawl out of bed (granted, I slept for ages) to review the latest, Scary Mansion ▼ Leah Hayes - who just released a brilliant brilliant album called Make Me Cry. Just had to share it with ya'll, else it'll nibble at the back of
my thoughts like a corrosive acid drop going 'plop', 'plop', 'plop'.

Enter Make Me Cry. The album is distinct, very melancholic driven, with the fragile tinges of almost - but not quite - slipping to a nervous breakdown. Even so, the tracks here are so ethereal and downright haunting, you just can't let go. The vocals for one, personally reminds me of a mix of Chan Marshall (Cat Power) and Anna-lynne (Lotte Kestner/Trespasser's William), she's got one heartwrenching voice that'll smear yours to bits. The track, On my Mind is exactly that, seeing Leah take to the piano. There's also radio friendly(-er) tracks, say Over the Weekend + The Scum Inside. That said, go get her album. Me, now I shall take to the shower, where I'll freeze my butt off.

Buy It here.
Try it here.

A b-side that wasn't released on Make Me Cry. Mmm those lips !

E And E ▼

2010-07-11T07:56:00.000-07:00

The half naked guy is Elijah Thompson, adopted the moniker "E&E" for his solo work aside Luna is Honey, where he fiddles with the keyboards. I do know this newcomer is one worth noting. Props up to the Fun Fact crew for producing "Number Mix" on which I stumbled upon E&E. Funk beats on cue with cutesy (its the most accurate word I can rack my brain to cough up) vocals - courtesy of Angelica Olsen - and squeaky synths sounds oddly therapeutic. Perfect for relaxing after world-cup-induced hangovers. Viva la Spain!

**edit, I was right, Spain won.

E & E ▼ "Gate"

The Analog Girl ▼ (live - Republik, 3rd July '10)

2010-07-03T09:17:00.000-07:00

"If Tricky's dark and brooding Maxinquaye album was launched into outer space on a rocket ship commanded by Bjork, it might sound something like the Analog Girl." - TIME Magazine

"The Analog Girl’s electro punk xylophone beats are perfectly Portishead-esque." - MONOCLE

So you can see how fucking giddy I got, when I found out she'd be performing just right out my alley, which was at Republik @ via Ignite Fest. Having just recieved touchdown from her recent tour in beijing, she rushed up set with a huge trunk, a retro fitted table (looked like it was stolen from one of Repulic's classrooms haha) - lay aclutter with all sorts of electronic wizarding equipment. Professor Snape would approve. Starts out on this kinda noisy track with lots of random bits/beats and gradually adding on to em. The visual canvas was superb, much of it was from age old films - mostly weird and distorted it pulls you in, kinda suited to the acursed weather (was raining pretty heavily). The Analog Girl, though homegrown from Singapore seems to have a stronger hold in Tokyo. That exact same influence is clearly stark with 8bit-Touhou laptop vibes practically oozing out of 'The Tv is On'. Garbled vocals adding to the hypnotic atmosphere. I had the weirdest feeling I was having a dose of Telepathe/Crystal Castles, with asiastic vocals. Well, I'm eager for new material I can plug into, it'll be interesting to see how she progresses.

You can follow her at Analog-girl.net

The Analog Girl ▼ The Tv is On
Support her, by forking out $9 for it, your world wont end, trust me.
Buy it here.
Try it here.

Listen ! ▼

BLACK EYES ▼

2010-06-30T08:29:00.000-07:00

Black Eyes ▼ Short lived (for they disbanded sometime in March '04) post-punk dudes, these made seriously wicked basslines that'll ensure eargasms listen after listen. I stumbled across these guys a couple of months back, guess that makes me half a decade late, eh? They completely blew me away with their self titled. Brilliant effects, swooping guitars and thumping basslines make them. Lots of mixed reviews amongst people though, I think fans of Arab on Radar, Fugazi and the like would love them. And if you don't like it, no big whoop.

Deformative (on thier self titled)

Black Eyes ▼ (self titled)

Buy their self titled here.
Alternatively, try them here. ▼

MEGAFAUN ▼

2010-06-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

So sorry for the lack of posts. Alot's been happening, what with work / school / life. Also trying to get a band together. It's more or less still in the gutters right now, have to get back to that later. Also, I've been adding to the "My heart is a Jerk" tag on Last.fm, check it out for good enough music that'll pass by your time (if you have any). So, yeah. Here's Megafaun , a homey folk-noir trio from North Carolina. Originally started out with the Bon Iver guy aka (Justin Vernon), though he made like a banana and split. Still, Megafaun has their sound firmly cemented, and man do they make sundays a hella lot easier on the ears. Their latest , "Gather, Form & Fly" (another well-named album, dont you think?) was released sometime July '09 via Hometape Records.

Here's a Vid of "Impressions of the Past", which is in the album.

Megafaun - Impressions of the Past from Hometapes on Vimeo.

Buy via amazon here.
Try it here.

Nice day bro.

Moscow Olympics ▼ Cut The World

2010-04-12T08:01:00.000-07:00

Their name is kinda abit misleading-ish. Okay it is. They're nowhere near Moscow, and they dont sing in Russian. Hailing from the Phillipines, distorted guitars and synths, sometimes looped and layered, with persistent, vocal echo is how "Moscow Olympics" roll. Try as you might decipher what goes into the lyric making process of their music, but your chances of accuracy are minimal. Don't let that stop you from enjoying their 80's feel of twee & shoegaze inoculated. At first listen, you might feel of having heard it somewhere before, undoubtedly due to their extensive influence of bands like The Field Mice and Slowdive. Though they're far from perfecting their sound, you definitely shouldn't make a pass on them. Brilliant.

. .

Moscow Olympics ▼ Cut The World [2008]
Try it,
Buy it.

GOD'S PEE ▼

2010-04-08T23:26:00.000-07:00

Rejoice! Rejoice! "There will be Rivers of Noise and Distraction!". Godspeed You! Black Emperor, having been in indefinite hiatus since 2003, are in for a swashbuckling comeback with plans to tour "a handful of British and European shows" and a couple of American towns. They'll get new material up soon, hopefully. Blah, still no news for touring around Asia (and anywhere else for that matter) though. Anyway, here's the link for confirmation and pictures and stuff. Go read it alright?

GY!BE to get back after long hiatus , true story.

Time to spam lotsa live performances, for they truly are amazing.
And because I love you guys so much, here's their "Lift Your Skinny Fists" album, if you don't have it already.

[2000] Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
Try it
Buy it

- folks like us, folks like you.

Hammock ▼ Breathturn

2010-04-02T23:53:00.000-07:00

I'm back at it again. Friends and loved ones leaving the country for the holidays, extra time for me to write. March in Singapore has been eventful, thanks to Mosaic - a local music festival bringing in the likes of Dinosaur Jr, Echo & the Bunnymen, Florence + The Machine, Shugo Tokumaru, St. Vincent (of which the latter three I attended) plus a buttload of both local and regional acts coming together. To add to the growing anticipation, ambient super giants - Hammock - will be releasing their newest yet,

"Chasing After Shadows...Living with the Ghosts"

this coming May 18th. The core of the group is mainly thier dreamy ethereal vocals, swooping instrumentals which are structured and truly uplifting. Just what we (or I) need right now. I do not want to sing my praises too highly, seeing as I haven't gotten hold of a solid copy of Chasing After Shadows as of late, BUT, Hammock's duo, Marc Byrd & Andrew Thompson, did release Breathturn, a track from their latest though. And here it is, enjoy.

Hammock - Breathturn from David Altobelli on Vimeo.

More details can be found here.

Sparklehorse ▼ It's a Wonderful Life

2010-03-18T10:44:00.000-07:00

R.I.P mark, good men die young. Oh well. Good music would thrust him to heaven, even though he shot himself. God would understand. Meanwhile, go grab his best (in my opinion) album the man managed to release in his short but wonderful life, 'scuse the pun. Go grab his latest album ,whether legally or not, since money wouldn't mean much when you're dead. Mark would have wanted it to be that way.

Sparklehorse ▼ It's a Wonderful Life
Try it.

The Silent Ballet ▼ Volume XIV (extracted from TSB)

2010-03-08T21:15:00.000-08:00

The guys at The Silent Ballet have outdone themselves, again. Their newest compilation, Volume XIV spotlights talents new to the post-rock scene, diverting the good from the bad, like a modern day Moses splitting the ocean. It is a must-have for fans of Mogwai, Eits, Mono etc etc. Showcases what the post-rock scene has to offer. I really recommend you go grab a copy of Volume XIV either from original TSB post, or directly here.

Tracklist

1. The Sight Below: Fervent
2. The Boats: The Astronaut
3. Glittering Blackness, Fall: III
4. ef: Sons of Ghosts
5. Nice Wings, Icarus!: Eagle
6. Nervous Doll Dancing: Les Pommes
7. Nils Frahm: Because This Must Be
8. Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson: Our Door Handles Stopped Moving Years Ago
9. Charlieshero: Oh, Good Morning
10. Radiant City: Key Control
11. When the Clouds: The Dawn and the Embrace
12. Arrive Alive: It’s Not What You Say It’s How You Say It

Get it here.

The Tough Alliance ▼ A New Chance

2010-03-06T20:06:00.000-08:00

Gothenburg duo. Henning Fürst and Eric Berglund are two of a kind, each wielding pop & electro in hand (and the occasional baseball bat). Clearly taking influence and hopping on the European electronic music bandwagon, these lads have made airwaves and garnered criticism, positive and negative alike. Oh what distinct beats they make! The Tough Alliance leans in a natural disposition to be a real crowd mover. Their single, First Class Riot has been aptly retouched by jj, also incidentally a two piece Gothenburg outfit. Signs of a prevailing friendship bond? Probably. In anycase - Good beats make good bands. Check them out.

The Tough Alliance ▼ First Class riot (Touch of jj)

The Tough Alliance ▼ A New Chance
Try it,
Buy it.

Los Campesinos! ▼ Hold On Now, Youngster...

2010-03-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

The name evokes youth and vigor, doesn't it? Well that is exactly what you have coming, in "Hold On Now, Youngster...". It seems that as of late, my recent posts have been almost unconsciously catered to optimistic cheerful tunes (with the exception of Toe, perhaps). Anyway, back to the present. Hold On Now, Youngster... reeks of saturated joy and suffering intermingled in a oddly compromising affair. You get songs like My Year In Lists, where I highly recommend you place a careful ear to their lyrics.

You said "send me stationary, to make me horny"
So I always write you letters, in multicolours**
Decorating envelopes, for foreplay
Damn extended metaphors, I get carried away.
I cherish with fondness the day (before) I met you

Los Campesinos! ▼ My Year In Lists

The amount of thought placed in their stuff is admirable, I mean, if you look at the stuff/crap in the media today. Them Campesinos! take things into a whole different level, with songs like "This is how you spell 'HAHAHA, I've destroyed the hopes and the dreams of a generation of faux-romantics" smacks of naked truth. Small bits of spoken word are also accumilated to the piece, adding a sort of realism relating their songs.

Then you have the songs, in which you can't help but dance to. Or if your tolerance level is high, wait till no one is around you -persumably by heading to the nearest found toilet- , then break in a feverish dance. If a mad (and deaf) genius would have planned to take over the entire globe through subduing its people to uncontrollable fits of dancing frenzy, one of the viable song choices in which to blast is, You! Me! Dancing!. Scary thought, eh?

Wordplay aside, the band effectively have alot going on, instrument-wise. With violins, glockenspiels, guitars and the such, you can be sure to expect intricate sounding pieces with alot going on. Definitely an album to die for. Get it while you still have fingers.

Los Campesinos! ▼ Hold On Now, Youngster...
Try It,
Buy It.

Alternatively, you can follow them here. Last time I checked, they we're doing food reviews. One cannot make brilliant music with an empty stomach!
** sorry about the multicoloring, i um.. got carried away.

Toe ▼ For long Tomorrow

2010-03-01T02:08:00.000-08:00

Every once in a few, a song - a tune - gets stuck in one's mind, ears perk up gently as the song progresses, with each passing moment, a swift change in moods so gradual takes over. One may, or may not be aware of this particular transition, but it would well up, till the very the latest possible moment. Then, a sudden urge towards the end of the piece - like a dam released. That is literally what a couple, brilliantly composed music, could and would, entail.

Toe ▼ After Image

Kashikura Takashi.

One particular example is, Toe - a Japanese post-rock quartet - though most would argue that math-rock would fit their character best, in lieu to the scrupulous drumming patterns painstakingly administered by a certain Kashikura Takashi (drummer). What differentiates their music from the booming, all-too-common post-rock bands cropping out is that they have been performing, perfecting thier art for over a decade now (having started in 2001) and the fact that they gracefully managed to incorporate jazz and experimentation in their music as a whole. In ' For Long Tomorrow ' the quartet got together other vocal talents like Toki Asako (for "Goodbye") and Harada Ikuko (for "After Image").

Toe ▼ Goodbye(feat. Toki Asako)

A couple of songs are beautifully sparse, in contrary to most post-rock influences. That emptiness, that beautiful scarcity would be barely filled with vocals of sorts, from English to Japanese. You, the listener might not be able to make out the exact words these folks are uttering, but its up to the listener to create a vague assumption on what the song is about. "For Long Tomorrow", in my honest opinion, is up there, just below Godspeed's "Lift your skinny fists like antennas to heaven". The album is released through Machu Picchu, an independent music label from Japan. You can track the band's progress on their website, here.

Toe ▼ Two Moons

Toe ▼ For long Tomorrow
Try it,
Buy it.

The Morning Benders ▼ The Big Echo

2010-02-24T08:50:00.000-08:00

Like many of you, I've fallen prey to The Morning Benders with the The Big Echo Orchestra video of "Excuses" straight out from their newest album, "The Big Echo". Like many of you, my jaw dropped, gaping wide throughout the 5something minutes of the song. What probably, added to the unexpectedness of the video is, they all look so damned young. Normally, you get bands their age (say, Wavves or The Drums), not having a particularly solid sounding album, ie; they're still in the process of figuring themselves out. But don't let their youthful exuberant facade fool you - they are like seasoned vets as opposed to the former two bands. They have toured extensively, in support of Grizzly Bear, Yeasayer, Au Revoir Simone, The Submarines, Ra Ra Riot, Yo La Tengo, MGMT and The Kooks, just to name a few (its a long list, really.)

The Morning Benders ▼ Excuses

Chris Chu, and the insanely succesful Chris Taylor (the Grizzly bear guy. And no, he's not furry.) , produced 10 tracks; in the big echo ; in 11 days. What resulted was, a brilliantly composed piece(s) of music. Chris Chu wanted it to be produced with reference and inspired from 'Phil Spector's Wall of Sound'. That meant getting oh, a few hundred or so drummers, guitarists, violinists, and alot more percussionsists and piling them alongside Ooh-Aah singers. It's like these rag-tag bunch took a step back in time.

And 'ere is the original video that got me (and alot others) into them;

Yours Truly Presents: The Morning Benders "Excuses" from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

Really, these boys are just full of surpises at every junction. *Not Reccomended for those with a weak/failing heart. Then again, nothing is reccomended if you have a failing heart. Sorry mate*

The Morning Benders ▼ Promises

You can follow their blog, here. They post regularly, so that's great.

The Morning Benders ▼ The Big Echo
Try It
Buy It.

Lost In The Trees ▼ All Alone in an Empty House

2010-02-19T19:53:00.000-08:00

The 13 piece folk orchestra ensemble (they have taken up to 21 members so far) have got ALOT to keep in par with their previous album 'Time Taunts me' to their newest, 'All Alone in an Empty House'. We've seen countless cases where a band makes a debut drawing good reviews and criticisms, only to fade back into obscurity a few moments later. We'll its too early to say whether they would tragically fall into the same conclusion, but, having an ambitious frontsman like Ari Picker, its hard to lose their drive. Covering a wide array of percussions and instruments alike, they're definitely worth checking out. Songs like 'All alone in an empty house' (named after the album title, or is it the other way around?) where there's a smooth transition of intense emotion-fuelled vocals,

For all I care, cause I hate your soul, oh how I hate your soul;
I'll punch holes into the walls but I'll never hurt anyone.

- 3:37-4:02 gave me chills. Some of the songs don't work too well with each other though, an example would be 'Mvt. 1 Sketch'. I just think they are going abit overboard in trying to showcase what the band's capable of pulling. Simillarly for 'Mvt. II Sketch' - go figure eh? Aside from slight hiccups here and there, they're worth a listen or two.

Lost in the trees ▼ Fireplace

The Current line-up is,
Ari Picker – composer/vox/guitar
Drew Anagnost - cello
Scott Carle - drums
Mark Daumen - tuba/bells
Leah Gibson - cello
Will Hackney – mandolin/vox/accordion/bells/guitar/bass/cornet
Seamus Kenney - trombone/accordion/bells
Emma Nadeau – french horn/vox/bells/accordion
Lauren Paynter - violin
Alyssa Reichardt – euphonium/accordion/bells
Joah Tunnell – bass/guitar/vox
Jenavieve Varga - violin
Kathryn Wyatt - viola

i dont really know why this is here i thought it looked good and so here it is stop complaining.

Lost In The Trees ▼ All Alone in an Empty House
Try it,
Buy it.

How to Dress Well & Cokc Dokc ▼

2010-02-16T02:53:00.000-08:00

The guys at NO CONCLUSION are aflutter with their newest find, "How to dress well & cokc dokc", and for a good reason too. Having released 6 ep's within a few days apart from each other, one would expect it to be flimsy and under-produced but noooo, not these guys - R&B-lofi-ambient soundish music - they guys at how to dress well will be big. They sound ridiculously solid, like they have a straight, non-narrow path, and intend to get to the other side of the moon or someplace equally inaccessible, but is. Trust me on this one. Their current 6 ep's are available at their homepage here, or you could just download them down below.

▼▼▼▼ Born Bodies

▼▼▼▼ Five Souls

▼▼▼▼ Like in the night how the heart becomes the truth

▼▼▼▼ Will you sleep

▼▼▼▼ Friday morning hymnal

▼▼▼▼ The eternal love

Nurses - Apple's Acre ▼

2010-02-11T23:31:00.000-08:00

Portland based psychedelic pop trio - Aaron Chapman (vocals, guitar, keyboard) , John Bowers (backing vocals, keyboard), and James Mitchell (percussionist) - Nurses, recently released their second album "Apple's Acre". Taking a more whimsical & theatrical approach, and deviating from their initial release - "Hangin' Nothin' But Our Hands Down", it could either make or break them. Personally the switch was a good move, but someone else might agree to disagree. It's the little attempts at experimental noise, so subtle your mind unconciously picks it up and incorporates it into an euphonic experience. Little chimes, whistling, clapping, small shakes of the tambourine not quite overpowered Aaron's vocals. There have been mixed reviews on Nurses, and I have stated my 2cents. To listen or not to listen, that is the question. Your move.

Nurses - Technicolor

Nurses - Apple's Acre (2009)
Try It
Buy It

Polvo - In Prisms ▼

2010-02-10T09:59:00.000-08:00

Well shit. It's 2am and my impeccable train of thought is keeping me wide awake. Oh yes, I swear I can feel bacteria eating at the insides of my eyeballs. What better time than now to get stoned to math rock (for a lack of better word) quintet Polvo. These old chaps jumped on the defunct-now-reformed bandwagon of bands that .... well, reformed. Saints aboard the bandwagon include Gang of Four, MBV, The Jesus & Mary Chain and Young Marble Giants. There really is alot more I didn't include, I'll leave you to your own devices. Give a man a fish, and he would be satiated with seafood for the day. Point him the direction of the nearest Walmart, and he would worship you like the deity you are. Wait, that seemed a little off. That aside, Polvo reformed early 2008 with Brian Quast replacing Eddie Watkins on drums, to tour whereever it is that they godamn want to.

Polvo - Thermal Treasure

New Material up : In Prism (2009) through Merge Records. One would think that 20 years off the radar, and these middle aged men would be eating nachos in their shoddy shorts, watching shoddy television on their shoddy couches. No siree, they have been sexing up & experimenting with their beats and complex fixated loops, hell bent on gathering up a storm like a messiah's second coming. The entire album is reminiscent of their previous work, Today's Active Lifestyle & Exploded Drawing, ah it's all coming back now. Their queer, detuned guitars making all that fuzzy, dissonant guitar and that raw tone. But wait, something is amiss. Their sound has changed over the course of 20 years. Their vocal's seems so much clearer now, reflective even. From straight edge teeth-baring vocals (Right The Relation) to melancholic tones, these guys managed pulled another show stopper off.

Polvo (I strongly reccomend you to listen to Today's Active Lifestyle & Exploded drawing before In Prism)

Today's Active Lifestyle (1995)
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Exploded Drawing (1996)
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In Prism (2009)

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All Along the Watchtower ▼

2010-02-10T06:06:00.000-08:00

Reheard this tune. Get it, or you'd be doing yourself a huge disfavor.

Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower

"There must be some way out of here", said the joker to the thief
"There's too much confusion, I can't get no relief
Businessmen they drink my wine, plowman dig my earth,
None of them along the line know what any of it is worth"

"No need to get excited," the thief, he kindly spoke,
"There are many here among us who think that life is but a joke
But you and I, we've been through that, and this is not our fate,
So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late"

All along the watchtower, princes kept the view,
while all the women came and went, barefoot servants, too
Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl,
two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl

lyrics by bob dylan

Electric Ladyland

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The xx - (Live, 7th Feb) ▼

2010-02-08T05:57:00.001-08:00

The xx

Oh what a night. Freshly plucked from obscurity are trio - Oliver Sim (vocals/bass), Jamie Smith (Synths/Misc) and Romy Madley (vocals/guitar) - from The xx. I'm sure almost everyone would have heard about The xx by now, if not, which rock have you been living under? Owing much of their commercial success through word of mouth & blogs/indie websites - ala metacritic and pitchfork (they're okay when they aren't too bitchy). Childhood friends since young, they have been composing music since before 2005, when the band officially formed. Much of their sound had been catalyzed by R&B - predominantly audible through Romy & Oliver's harmonizing duets - and a much darker/somber sound ingeniously and ornately crafted by Jamie. For their self titled ep, they sound incredibly mature, there is a web of comfort if you may, surrounding their self-titled (and self produced, thumbs up to Jamie, again!) EP "xx". A large part of that sense of ease maybe due to their collective childhood together, growing up and that sort of stuff.

To the present. Countless young-things turned up in black, possibly attracted to The xx's prominent dark persona. They opened up with the song 'Intro' go figure, eh? Jamie's dexterous fingers were put to good use, keeping exact time and beat for Romy to follow. Oliver, doing a sluggish dance with his bass, enticing the audience's attention. An apparent jump-start had the crowd going - 'Crystalised'. Again, intimate vocals by Oliver & Romy thronged through almost minimalist guitar riffs. The last quarter of the song saw both singers singing entirely different verses, but they manage it as such equals that you'd have a hard time telling them apart.

The xx - Crystalised

I've been down onto my knees ;And you just keep on getting closer
(So don't think that I'm pushing you away) ;(When you're the one that I've kept closest)

Their apparent shyness possibly due to being new to touring. Oliver kept mumbling on the mic inbetween songs and few lines were exchanged between the audience and the crowd. That didn't affect the aura they had one bit. It was a kind of unspoken comfort when with a life-long friend or whatever. Up next - VCR, Jamie toyed with playful notes, demanding innocence from his other two friends. It spells of teenage romance ;

The xx - VCR

You, you still have all the answers
and you, you still have them too.
But you, you just know, you just do

'Islands' ; a song about finding the significant other, with focus on the 'finding'. Romy had palm-muted plucking while singing, a pause, and Jamie and Oliver breaks out with their synth's/bass respectively. Jamie added alittle extra effects to what seemed to compliment the song. It was perfectly suited to dance to it, or even to share shoulders with that someone. Magic. The band played a couple more notable tracks like, Basic Space, Fantasy. Time seemed to fly, and alas they we're down to their last, Infinity. A song of heartbreak, and not wanting to let go. I for one, was captive for that particular instant. Pangs of sorrow could be detected from Romy's vocals. Her exchange of lines with Romy had a connection, it kept building, and building.... and building. Tension was building.Unbearable, unbearable. Everyone except for the trio were silent, eagerly waiting for the climax.

The xx - Infinity

Give it up....
I Can't give it up.

When it seemed like they were going to go on forever, the triplet totally, and completely bowled the audience over. Oliver, lowering his bass, picked up two Timpani Mallets. He then proceeded to bash the hi-hat into submission. He looked somewhat like a deranged percussionist school boy who just found out his pet hamster had been murdered. The hi-hat; the murderer. Awash with flourishes of ornate electronic wizardry, Jamie accompanied in possessive instinctive beats on his synth. Coupled with delayed guitar playing, the stage lights going crazy, energy was aflutter in the theater and everyone in it. Made my skin crawl, in a good way of course.

The xx - Self titled EP
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Zeigeist - The Jade Motel ▼

2010-01-29T22:49:00.000-08:00

Zeigeist is a electro/synthpop band hailing from Sweden, originally form late formed 2006 and split up 2009. They only ever released one fucking kickass (emphasis on the 'fucking & kickass') album, "The Jade Motel" sometime in 2008. I've heard of the countless comparisons between them and the majorly influential electropop band, The Knife. There is a similarity in Pearl's (Zeigeist) vocal pitching as to Karin (The Knife) and along with hugely playing with props live, its no wonder tons of fans are left confused. Is there animosity between them? Are they aquaintances? Will we ever know why cows commit suicide? These Questions will be left unanswered, till I nail the Swedish language. What I personally find is that the major difference differentiating Zeigeist and The Knife apart is that the former has a poppier feel to thier music. To each his own. Damn the swedes :(

Zeigeist - Humanitarism

Zeigeist's live performances were downright insane. Confetti rain to rival The Flaming Lips. Complex stage sets, eccentric get-ups, make-up. The effort put visually is mind blowing. Among their special shows was the one at the Swedish Arvikafestivalen 2007, where they made a dystopian performance in three acts with short novel films, produced only for this show, in between the acts.

Zeigeist - Black Milk

Arvikafestivalen 2007

I'm not going much into detail of their songs. Listen and comment.

Zeigeist - The Jade Motel
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Andrew Bird - Live in Singapore ▼

2010-01-27T04:12:00.000-08:00

A night not wasted for those who turned up, eh? Bird showed up alone that night- well not really- if you consider that somewhat creepy looking doll propped up on one of the amplifiers. The backdrop was simple enough, armed with his trusty violin, his guitar, xylophone, and that incredible incredible and extremely complex looping system set-up. My god, he practically had to dance to keep in time. Which was why he ditched his shoes early, too cumbersome. So he starts off with a greeting and proceeds on to building a wall sound from scratch. Layers upon layers of overdubbing and you get this really lovely sound which came forth towards the end of "The Happy Birthday Song". Next up was "Why?"(not to be confused with an amazing band of the same name) , it definitely emanated Bird's suave voice. He nailed the bass line in no time, and got to doodling on his violin, amazing performance.

Andrew Bird - Why? (listen)

"Whatever happened to fiery romance
Oh how I wish it was those dishes you were throwing
Damn...... you for being so .....easygoing."

The crowd seemed to not know where Bird's song started and stopped, well I can't blame them. Bird has so much released material (including his Bowl Of Fire days, two songs were played live, which was Why? and Headsoak), it takes a die-hard fan to know all his songs by heart. An eccentric Bird played Sweetbreads/Dark matter next with an innocence you would never have expected from a 37 year old. His superb whistling was in play for almost all of his sets, notably in A Nervous Tick Motion, I couldn't help but try to emulate his whistling, even though I knew it'd be utter embarrasement.

*Bird shakes head to the left*Pauses*"Oh wait, the other left."
Andrew Bird - A Nervous Tick Motion (listen)

At certain points along the show, Bird let in on the background of some of the songs he conjured up, "Oh No" was inspired by a pessimistic kid wailing "Oh noo.... Ooooh Nooooo!" abord an airplane he was on. Sectionate City was about his stay in Chicago. (something about government subsidised apartments and the like). There was a good interaction between Bird and the captivated audience, anyone present could tell he was pouring his heart through his music. Though the crowd at that night were somewhat, a quiet bunch (I was clapping alone to Anonanimal in my section) it didn't dampen the mood even by a little bit. Soon, it was over, and Bird left the stage. A standing ovation, lots of hooting & howling gave way to the encore. "Oh Sister" came on, an intimate song with heartache ;You may not see me tomorrow; made my hair stand on end. He concluded the night, the crowd alas, seemed to have recovered from whatever star-stuck state they were in throughout the show. Finally my clapping didn't seem out of place.

cheers to hadz for taking the pic :)

Me : Which bird can fly ?
Bird : I don't know ..... lots of birds can fly..
Me : Well, you're one of them.
*Bird smiles sheepily*

Get some of his stuff here :
The Mysterious Production of Eggs (2005)
Noble Beast (2009)

Andrew Bird - Plasticities (listen)

Pale Saints - The Comforts Of Madness ▼

2010-01-22T02:48:00.000-08:00

So lets kick things off. If my music player were to cock-up, keep looping the Pale Saints over and over, I wouldn't smash it to pieces - not right away, anyway. Origninaly a three-piece ethereal pop band, Leeds, England. I've really been into "The Comforts of Madness" lately. Its maddening -excuse the pun- that it was such a late find. Their sound merges Ian Master's Choirboy vocals with swooping shoegaze-induced guitars, with dramaticly pessimistic lyrics. Kinda like Galaxie 500, if they had more balls and got a little wired.

Clearly influenced by The Jesus & Mary Chain, MBV and the like, though they seem more towards pop than their predecessors, which make them all the more appealing. They signed on recording label giants 4AD -Dead Can Dance, Cocteau Twins, Lush- right after thier very first show, which is quite a feat.

Fucking A, I say.

If you dont get it, get it. adorable psychedelic kitty commands you!
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buy it

Listen
Pale Saints - Half-life [Half-life EP]

Pale Saints - Time Thief [The Comforts of Madness]

You must sleep, man ▼

2010-01-20T02:08:00.000-08:00

Hello.

The world would be a much less crankier place if we all got more sleep. And we all know its downright impossible to sleep without good music. Good music, good sleep. Cheers.