For the last couple weeks, I haven’t been able to get this tune out of my head . ”Song For Zula” is a new(ish) song from Matthew Houck’s Phosphorescent, and it’s got some gorgeous instrumentals.
But I hadn’t really taken the time to listen to the lyrics and that was a mistake. Here’s a taste: Read More
There were a few bands I really wanted to see at SXSW this year that I just never got around to seeing: Blue Hawaii, FIDLAR, Disclosure, The Joy Formidable, Young Galaxy, Parquet Courts…Actually, look at my potential schedule, I could go on and on. That’s the best/worst thing about SXSW.
But one of those bands would definitely have to be the So So Glos. I actually caught a few minutes of their set at Easy Tiger, but the set-up just wasn’t right. I wanna see the So So Glos in a dark, sweaty club surrounded by people that are digging it, not at a brightly lit corporate-sponsored party surrounded by people “flashing” their Spin House badges. Read More
Right around the time Justin Timberlake released his lackluster* track, “Suit & Tie,” I was taking an early listen to Toro Y Moi‘s newest release, Anything in Return. After a few tracks, Dan asked me if I was listening to the new Justin Timberlake.
(*Sorry y’all, I wanted that Justin Timberlake track to be “Sexy/Back” amazing, and I listened to it probably 10 times before I finally declared it terrible.)
For any indie band or musician that’s attained even a moderate amount of success, the threat of “selling out” looms large. Not actually selling out – though that’s always a possibility – but of being deemed a “sell out” as your sound changes of the years.
I have to think that’s something John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats has spent some time thinking about over the years. His early, lo-fi cassettes gained a cult following, but over the course of more than a decade, his music has changed. The heavy themes and complex lyrics remain, but the solo acoustic guitar has been replaced by more elaborate music arrangements. And these changes have lead many to proclaim, “I liked his earlier stuff better.”
Today’s song comes to you from Austin’s own The Eastern Sea. This really is a “better late than never” for the band’s whole catalog, because I’ve been jamming on them for a long time, but I haven’t let all of y’all in on the fun. Clearly, I was being selfish.
But as we’re in the season of giving (Halloween is the ‘season of giving,’ right?! Because we give candy to strangers!), it’s time for me to share.
The first time I saw these dudes was at a show several years ago in Houston, where they played a cover of Extras Glenns’ “Going to Marrakesh,” and Dan (of throwback thursday) fell deeply, deeply in love. After that, their EP was on heavy rotation in our car, and we were able to catch the band at shows in Houston and Austin pretty frequently for a while.
The bad news: you could have been listening to this Woods track for over a month.
The good news: you don’t have to wait around for the album to be released!
See, my better late than never posts always have an upside. Today’s track comes from Woods’ latest album Bend Beyond, which was released earlier this week on Woodsist.
And yes, before you spend the rest of the morning wondering about it, Woodsist was founded by Woods frontman Jeremy Earl. The label, founded in 2006, has put out music from The Babies, White Fence, and The Fresh & Onlys, among others. Read More
Okay, so the better late than never tag may be a bit exaggerated here, considering this song from Australian psych-rock group Tame Impala was only posted two weeks ago. But since it feels like the entire internet has already posted this track, I feel a little late to the game.
The song comes from their upcoming album Lonerism, which will be released in the U.S. on October 9th via Modular.
When Passion Pit released their debut EP Chunk of Change, I loved it as a fun electropop record with some sweet love songs. I danced to it, but I didn’t really pay much attention to it. Their first full-length, Manners, was much of the same. I heard good beats, but not a lot of substance.
And when they started releasing music from their second full-length album Gossamer, I honestly wasn’t even paying attention. The novelty of the synth beats and falsetto had worn off for me.
But then I read Larry Fitzmaurice’s interview/feature with frontman Michael Angelakos, which delves into Angelakos’ struggles with bipolar disorder. And it gave me a totally new lens with which to listen to Passion Pit, and – for the first time – to actually pay attention to the lyrics.
DIIV is a band whose name that makes a little more sense when you know the history. The band was started last year by Zachary Cole Smith, who you might recognize as a guitarist from the band Beach Fossils.
The band’s original name, Dive, was the result of an epic text message and some astrology. Smith told Pitchfork, “I remember it definitely involved how the Nirvana song “Dive” is actually about us. Everybody in the band is a water sign, that’s kind of why the name Dive really spoke to us all.”
Then in May, the band announced they would be changing their name to DIIV, out of respect for the original Dive, a solo project of Belgium punk musiciam Dirk Ivens. The name change made the band infinitely more Google-able, but also a bit harder to pronounce around your friends. It’s a trade-off.
I have no idea what took me so long to click play on this new track from Purity Ring. But don’t let my mistake become yours, because the synth beats of “Obedear” are ready take you to another place.
Prior to “Obedear,” the Halifax/Montreal based duo – Corin Roddick and Megan James – had only released three tracks, all to critical acclaim. Give an listen to any of those songs over at their Soundcloud and it’s easy to hear why.
Now, Purity Ring will be releasing their debut album, Shrines, via 4AD on July 24th [pre-order], and if “Obedear” is any indication, it’s likely a Best of 2012 contender.
You can stream the track the below, or grab the mp3 courtesy of 4AD.
