30 April, 2010

new song: stunts - felt

When you think about it, the actual sound of a gloriously distorted guitar is essentially the same as that miscellaneous mechanical whirring from your neighbor's house that wakes you up too early on Sunday mornings. What is it about that fine line between noise and Noise that's always so fascinating? Maybe we should ask Austin's Stunts; they might be able to tell you a thing or too. "Felt" is a lot gazier than their other more Spector-leaning--and also great--material, but that same melody-minded songwriting shines brightest against the squall.



mp3->Stunts - Felt (Demo)

(via Transparent)

29 April, 2010

new music: the cq



The CQ are--no shit--two 16 year olds from New Hampshire. They make reverbed-drenched dream pop that sounds surprisingly mature until you check out some of the records these kids have been listening to. Maybe it's the virtue of the Internet that young impressionable minds have been given a viable musical outlet outside of the Big Brother's Record Collection. The world could only be a better place if more impressionable youngsters listened to My Bloody Valentine and JAMC.

<a href="http://thecq.bandcamp.com/track/without-you">without you by the cq</a>

<a href="http://thecq.bandcamp.com/track/wait-and-see">wait and see by the cq</a>

<a href="http://thecq.bandcamp.com/track/where-are-you">where are you by the cq</a>

28 April, 2010

video: john k. - my only girl

The homie Josh was telling me how John K. has the "weirdest" stage persona ever. He couldn't elaborate, but I assume he was alluding to the whole garage-sale Casio-wielding pedo Prince vibe I get from his music. Anyway, I like it.

My Only Girl from Hazed Nostalgia on Vimeo.

"My Only Girl" comes from Lost in the Beat, which you used to be able to download here (I wasn't lying, honest), and which is appearing in cassette form via Leftist Nautical Antiques/The Curatorial Club.

new song: thee oh sees - castiatic tackle


THIS IS A NEW THEE OH SEES SONG. IT'S A PRETTY GOOD THEE OH SEES SONG. YOU ALREADY KNOW WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE. LISTEN TO IT.

mp3->Thee Oh Sees - Castiatic Tackle (from Warm Slime, out May 11 on In the Red)

(via Their Bated Breath)

new song: the books - beautiful people



It's backwards and reverbed, but the harmony that opens "Beautiful People," the new track by collage maestros the Books, is unmistakably theirs. They're following up 2005's stunning Lost and Safe with The Way Out, coming in July from their new label Temporary Residence.

Perhaps catching some of the tropical sounds floating around their native NYC lately, the drums are a bit swingier than we're used to hearing from them, and the hazy wavy synth stuff going on sorta takes me away to, like, a planet where astrophilosophizers shout their mad revelations to the heavens under a sky with three moons. And surfers. With jetpacks.

I forgot where I was going with this.

mp3->The Books - Beautiful People (from The Way Out, out July on Temporary Residence)

(via p4k)
Too Damn Stoked

24 April, 2010

i was in a big car accident

i don't feel like posting

23 April, 2010

The Record Company Chased me to Tumblr

That's it, this is the third time motherfucking Blogger has caved to the DMCA and sent me a bogus takedown notice that a.) is so mind-fuckingly stupid and wrong it isn't even funny (seriously you fucking morons, the labels released all those songs for free themselves) and b.) resulted in my losing 3 or 4 file hosting accounts.

So, in summation: blogger can fucking kiss my ass. You are sniveling cowardly worms, shamelessly pimping yourselves to one of the most oppressive and evil industries plaguing the world today and doing your very best to serve them. You are lower than shit. I hate you so motherfucking much. If you really want to destroy music so thoroughly, take such a huge shit on art, then you can do it without me.

Fuck you forever,
I'm Into CB

we are now here: http://www.imintocb.tumblr.com


jk lol

21 April, 2010

RIP Voxtrot

The past couple years haven't been kind to Voxtrot. Following the runaway success of their early releases, their debut LP decidedly failed to deliver on early promise, and the less said about one-off single "Trepanation Party" the better. But Voxtrot shone so brightly that their numerous missteps couldn't dim the anticipation I felt for something--anything--new from the Austin indie pop heros.



Alas, t'was not to be.

Via frontman Ramesh's blog:
The career path of Voxtrot was truly one of long, simmering build, explosion, and almost instantaneous decay. Slowly, I am learning to replace any feelings of regret with positive memories of how amazing the whole thing was, and how it has, in an unexpected way, fortified my character.

That even sounds like a Voxtrot song. Whimper.

Here's my favorite thing the band ever released, "Missing Pieces."

new song: his clancyness - summer majestic

Pond-hopping Canaditalian Jonathan "His Clancyness" Clancy makes better music than that stupid nickname might suggest, and he's got some sort of audio cassette thingy coming out on Mirror Universe Tapes in the not-too-distant future.



I was sold on this the second those hands started clapping. Also, does the chorus remind anyone else of "Don't Fear the Reaper?" If so, could you explain it to me? Cuz I don't get it.

mp3->His Clancyness - Summer Majestic (from a tape coming soon on Mirror Universe Tapes)

(via Weekly Tape Deck)

20 April, 2010

video: Pavement - Stereo Live at Coachella '10

In case you missed Pavement at Coachella (F#@$!@#$#!), Scott from Stereogum got the proverbial money shot.



Also, have you fucking heard about this fucking show!? Good god.

video: LCD Soundsystem - Drunk Girls

Dear Parlophone Records,

Hi. How are you? I am fine.

I am writing in response to the recent Digital Millennium Copyright Act take-down order you sent me for posting an mp3 of LCD Soundsystem's "Drunk Girls."

I had initially downloaded the mp3 of "Drunk Girls" from a reputable music blog that hosted the file on their own servers, which turned out to be a leak. So you let me know.

Fine. I took it down and replaced it with a YouTube stream posted by your own official YouTube account. But that wasn't good enough for you. You sent me another take-down order. And spineless, sniveling Blogger took my post down again.

And again.

So here goes, one more time: I am going to give you this free press for your artist that you supposedly would like to succeed.

Also, Fuck You.

Love,
Dan

video: Toro y Moi - You Hid Live at the Echo

This past Wednesday, while I shoegazed out to Deerhunter right here in Pomona, LA video-camera-having-dude Jon Casey was over at the Echo peepin the Ruby Suns and Toro y Moi. Being a chill chiller, he caught Chaz Bundick vibin out my favorite song from Causers of This, "You Hid" (You might remember it from Sebastopol 10).

Toro y Moi "You Hid" at the Echo in LA from Jon Casey on Vimeo.

15 April, 2010

Technical Difficulties

I know, this has happened before. I'm pissed off too.

Just bear with me. There's a new media player, and the only files you can't access are the ones I was personally hosting.

Whatever, it might make the interface cleaner. I apologize as the archives are now essentially useless except as download links.

: (

New mixtape shortly though, so there's that.

Yo La Tengo Playing Free Show at Rhino Records

This coming Saturday, April 17, Record Store Day, at 3 pm, Yo La Tengo will play a show at Rhino Records in Claremont.



That shit is free.

Rhino Records
235 Yale Avenue
Claremont, CA 91711
3 pm - Free

14 April, 2010

video: The Specials - A Message to You, Rudy/Little Bitch Live on Fallon

Thirty years since the Specials' last performance in the States, the original classic lineup (minus founding keyboardist Jerry Dammers) played a couple songs from their immortal debut album for a very lucky audience on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

(Watch it before NBC takes it down!)

The group rocked steady through their classic cover of "A Message to You, Rudy" and "Little Bitch," which didn't make it to air but you can check out online via Hulu.

stream: New LCD Soundsystem Album 'This is Happening'

In the wake of the internet leak of LCD Soundsystem's latest album, James Murphy & co. have decided to stream the whole thing gratis on their website ahead of its May 18 release.

Phew, that was one hell of an AP lead. My journalism teacher would be proud.


[Stream]

video: Best Coast - When I'm With You

Never did I think I'd be linking to anything from MTV, but here we are. Here's the sun-bleached, SoCal loving video for "When I'm With You."



Ronald McBestCoast? I came up with it first.

13 April, 2010

new music: No Monster Club

Saw this one on Delicious Scopitone. They didn't say much about it, but this little video speaks for itself. No Monster Club is like, one dude from Ireland making lo-fi pop music. And it's wonderful, yo.

NO MONSTER CLUB - A MORBID FASCINATION from Bobby Aherne on Vimeo.


EDIT: More info via Viceland:
No Monster Club is Bobby Aherne, a Dubliner who used play under the stupid name Dublin Duck Dispensary. These days he builds his own his bedroom pop from loops by artists like the 1910 Fruitgum Company, John Baker, The Four Seasons, Sandy Nelson, and Sir Victor Uwaifo. He’s a bit like Girl Talk, if Girl Talk wasn’t the worst fucking dude in history.

I think that's a tad harsh, and I'd avoid the whole situation by comparing him to another more bedroom-oriented artist, Tim Fite.

mp3->No Monster Club - A Morbid Fascination (from Tropical Decibels Volumes 1 & 2, out soon on Cass/Flick)

mp3->No Monster Club - Wish Me Well (from Tropical Decibels Volumes 1 & 2, out soon on Cass/Flick)
(via Viceland)

free music: Blackburn Recordings' Various Deficiencies, Vol. 1

Blackburn Recordings is a young label with some very big talent, as evidenced by their upcoming Various Deficiencies, Vol. 1, which they've made available for download here.


[Download]


The mix features chill new tunes by the likes of Big Troubles and Cloud Nothings, who I've been meaning to write about for some time now...

mp3->Cloud Nothings - Leave You Forever (from Various Deficiencies Vol. 1, out now on Blackburn Recordings)

Tracklist
1. City Center - Grow Up Again
2. Big Troubles - Chalk Circles
3. Cloud Nothings - Leave You Forever
4. Campfires - Oh Golden Dawn
5. Sore Eros - Melting
6. Brett Marren - Love Is A Jawbreaker
7. Possum - Red Hot
8. Coasting - Snow Song (Live on WNYU)
9. Lame Drivers - Working Song
10. Metal Rouge - Fast Flora Lights
11. Cursillistas - Trail of Tears
12. Sleep in sundays - Flour
13. Falsetto Boy - Hey Sue
14. Mountainhood - Coney Island
15. Sleep Over - The Key
16. Island's Eyelids - Western Cameo
17. Sultan - There Goes My Girl

video: Best Coast Live at the Knitting Factory

One of my better decisions of the past year was heading into the LA sprawl to see Real Estate and Best Coast tear it up at the Echo Curio. The homie Great Pumpkin saw them last week in Brooklyn, and like me was blown away by the addition of drummer Ali Koehler. As you can see in these sick live vids from the show, Ali adds some muscle that was missing from some earlier Best Coast recordings (Where the Boys Are, anyone?).

Peep:

Best Coast- "Something In The Way" from the great pumpkin on Vimeo.



Best Coast- "I Want To" from the great pumpkin on Vimeo.



Best Coast- "Make You Mine" from the great pumpkin on Vimeo.



Best Coast- "So Gone" from the great pumpkin on Vimeo.

12 April, 2010

best thing ever: Gene & the Esquires - Space Race

The homie Aquarium Drunkard has been on a vintage surf kick recently, and his latest pick--I discovered today--is the best "doing homework" soundtrack possible on a rainy day in Fullerton. Trust.



mp3->Gene & the Esquires - Space Race (I Don't Know Where It's From)

(via Aquarium Drunkard)

free music: Kiss Kiss Fantastic - The Red/Blue Shift EP

I said some nice things about the equally nice humans in Kiss Kiss Fantastic a little while ago, and for some reason I forgot to mention that they dropped me a line and sent me a link to their new EP, The Red/Blue Shift.


[Download]


Well as usual the homie Get Off the Coast is waaay more on their game than I am, and reminded me this morning that this little gem has been sitting on my hard drive for the better part of 2 months now. And, ya know, Wow. Check out The Red/Blue Shift via their Bandcamp.

<a href="http://kisskissfantastic.bandcamp.com/album/the-red-blue-shift-ep">Oh Carolina! by Kiss Kiss Fantastic</a>

09 April, 2010

mp3: New Beach Fossils - Twelve Roses

One of my favorite new bands, Beach Fossils, is finally getting around to following up the Daydream/Desert Sand 7'' with a proper full length on Captured Tracks.



After finally getting my hands on the record, I can say with confidence that the buzz is deserved and the CMJ hype didn't go far enough. Beach Fossils make immediate, textured indie-pop that sounds like Real Estate on speed, which is still pretty laid-back but quickens the pulse of the tropical waves vibing off their reverb-drenched guitars. "Twelve Roses" is maybe the most immediately awesome previously-unheard Beach Fossils song to show up on the LP. I want to make a video for this song featuring a young boy lost in the uniform expanses of suburbia with only his Schwinn and the sunshine for company. Or something.

mp3->Beach Fossils - Twelve Roses (from Beach Fossils, out 5/25 on Captured Tracks)

(via NeuMagazine)

After you've jammed on that, head on over to Insound to see an awesome live session of the band playing some tracks from the album. It's good; go there.

video: Deerhunter - New Songs Live at Cat's Cradle

As if there could be any better news that Deerhunter is coming to Poormona's very own Glass House next weekend, I'm rocking some enthusiasm of the foaming-at-the-mouth variety after checking out these new Deerhunter songs recorded at a recent show at Carrboro, NC's Cat's Cradle by the homie, um "lovexnotxlost."

My favorite of the three would probably be "Revival," a lock-stepping strummy garage rocker in the vain of "Never Stops" or "Famous Last Words." Special mention to "Fountain Stairs," which features lead guitarist Luckett Pundt (a.k.a. Lotus Plaza) on vocals.





07 April, 2010

new music: Plains - Innovator

Stomping along like the military industrial complex comes this tune from Miami's Plains, who so far have only got the one song but're already being written about right and left.

Innovator from Michael McGinnis on Vimeo.



These dudes clearly studied under the Pixies, and the apocalyptic imagery of the video goes with the song in an appropriately Fight Club kinda way.

mp3->Plains - Innovator (Demo)

(via Transparent)

06 April, 2010

mp3: New Ariel Pink - Round and Round

LA Hip Dude Ariel Pink and his Haunted Graffiti have a new album coming out on 4AD, called Before Tonight.



I never gave Ariel much of a listen and I admit here and now I've totally ignored the HG, but this song definitely finds me all turned around on that subject. Granted, this is a decidedly higher-fi Ariel Pink than we're used to hearing, but the AM gold-gloss suits the R&B grooviness of the tune well.

05 April, 2010

video: New Beach Fossils - Sometimes Live at SXSW

Here's a sweet video of Beach Fossils playing an awesome new song (Edit: it's called "Sometimes," and it's the first track on their upcoming Captured Tracks LP) at the homie I Guess I'm Floating's SXSW Floating Fest.



And here's "Daydream," one of the best songs of last year, I think.

mp3: New Thee Oh Sees - I Was Denied

No this isn't a catch-up post, SF's finest Thee Oh Sees are about to release another full-length record May 11 via In the Red titled Warm Slime, following up the two awesome records they already put out last year.



Mmm... gooey.

Here's the first single, "I was Denied," which you might have heard if you seen them at one of their bajillion recent dates around California. It finds OCS leaning a little rockabilly, which I couldn't agree more with, and skews closer to Help than the more recent Dog Poison LP.

mp3->Thee Oh Sees - I Was Denied (from Warm Slime, out 5/11 on In the Red)

(via p4k)

03 April, 2010

mp3: New Male Bonding - Year's Not Long

England's Male Bonding got themselves a shiny new Sub Pop contract and they're putting out their first proper record Nothing Hurts on May 11.



You remember their song "Pumpkin" from way back on Sebastopol 7, and "Year's Not Long" sounds right at home next to that track with its pummeling percussion and affecting pop vocals.

Um, yeah. Whatever.

mp3->Male Bonding - Year's Not Long (from Nothing Hurts, out 5/11 on Sub Pop)

(via NME)

video: Washed Out (ft. Small Black) - Belong Live at SXSW

Here's a pretty cool SXSW performance captured by the homies at Yours Truly for p4k.tv featuring two of my absolute favorite artists of last year, North Carolina's Washed Out and Brooklyn's Small Black. Incidentally, I wasn't able to fucking see them play with YACHT at the fucking Echoplex because all the fucking LA people bought out all the fucking tickets.
Fuck.

Enjoy.