Cee Lo – Fuck You

This has been rocking the internet for a week or two, but if you haven’t heard it yet, brace yourself for one of the catchiest pseudo-pop songs you’ll ever hear. Classic. Just make sure your kids aren’t around when you play this one. Cee Lo’s new album The Lady Killer drops on October 4.

Beach House – White Moon / Mathemagic and Young Prisms

Check out this lovely new Beach House joint from their iTunes Sessions EP.

Beach House

Also, check out possibly the best post yet on Altered Zones, two new songs from Mathemagic and Young Prisms on their new split 7″. The Mathemagic side is a shimmering electronic pop song, maybe in the realm of chillwave. The Young Prisms side is a woozy, reverb-laden ballad. Both are dreamy and excellent.

Mathemagic/Young Prisms Split 7"

How to Dress Well

How to Dress Well - can't see my own face: the eternal love 2

Tom Krell is a Brooklyn artist who records homemade, lo-fi R&B music under the name How to Dress Well. His songs are mostly vocally driven, and accompanied by minimal, fuzzy instrumentation. The melodies are often very simple and emotional.

“you won’t need me where i’m goin” comes from the EP that came out earlier this year called “can’t see my own face – the eternal love 2.” It’s a live version, but you wouldn’t be able to tell until the applause at the end. It’s one of the stronger tracks How to Dress Well has produced yet, groovy and wet with reverb.

“Ecstasy With Jojo” samples Michael Jackson, which is appropriate for How to Dress Well’s style which recalls Jackson era pop music. It is much more poppy than other work, and equally as soulful.

His debut LP “Love Remains” comes out on September 21.

Enjoy!

you won’t need me where i’m goin (li

How to Dress Well – Ecstasy With Jojo

How to Dress Well

Polaris – Hey Sandy

Polaris - Music from the Adventures of Pete & Pete

I’ve been posting a lot of new music lately, but I don’t see any reason why I can’t post some old music too.

Polaris were a supergroup of sorts comprising of Mark Mulcahy of Miracle Legion and members of Frank Black and the Catholics. They only made music for the kids television show and cult phenomenon The Adventures of Pete & Pete, which was by most all accounts a pretty vital piece of 90s pop culture.

Basically, if you grew up in the 90’s, there’s a really good chance “Hey Sandy” is ingrained somewhere in the back of your mind. The opening theme to Pete & Pete, it is a happy pop tune, but it is actually about the Kent State shootings. That dark fact aside, I’d vote this song one of the most likely to put a smile on your face. Enjoy!

01 Hey Sandy

Polaris

New Gold Panda: Snow & Taxis

Gold Panda - Lucky Shiner

You’ve already heard the new single “You,” and now here’s another track from Gold Panda’s upcoming album Lucky Shiner. Not gonna lie, I’m getting really excited for this one. He keeps on cranking out really unique and memorable tracks, so when the full album drops on October 12, expect a big splash. This track closely resembles Kompact minimal techno, and it’s really just as amazing as “You” and “Quitters Raga.”

Gold Panda

New Grouper: "Hold"

Grouper - "Hold"/"Sick"

New Grouper single “Hold”/”Sick” coming out October 6. Sounds like a great way to kick off the spookiest month of the year. You can stream the track “Hold” now, which is haunting and subtle, what Liz Harris does best.

Via Pitchfork.

Some good new music

Best Coast - Crazy For You

The new Best Coast record is completely stripped down of the lo-fi production which distinguished the band’s earlier material. This was probably the ultimate way of testing the group’s talent, by leaving it devoid of any studio tricks whatsoever. The result is unfortunately a mixed bag; most of the songs here lack the fire that made the older Best Coast singles so wonderful. Still, there’s some good stuff to be found here, like this one called “Boyfriend.”

01 Boyfriend

♦♦♦

M.I.A. - ///Y/\

As expected, there’s a lot of hubbub over the new M.I.A. album. Lots of people are complaining. Specifically, Pitchfork ripped it a new asshole, saying it was full of mostly failed ideas and half-assed productions. Make no mistake, /\/\/\Y/\ is not a pop album like Arular and Kala were. It’s edgier, darker, more difficult. But it’s still a really good album, at least I think so. All the songs sound really different, and this one is one of my favorites, one of the more accessible songs on the album called “Tell Me Why.” Check it out:

11 Tell Me Why

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Big Boi - Sir Lucious Leftfoot: Son of Chico Dusty

You’ve probably already heard that the new Big Boi album kicks ass. Big Boi has stepped up to the plate and released a truly great post-Outkast album. It’s a lot different than what we’re used to from Big Boi, but most every song here is bangin’ (save the dud with Jamie Foxx – no one’s perfect). It’s a great accomplishment not just for Big Boi but also for mainstream hip hop. He knows how to write a hook, and he’s still a lyrical genius. Listen to him prove it on this killer track, “Be Still,” featuring the lovely Janelle Monae.

10 Be Still Ft. Janelle Monae (Produ

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Baths - Cerulean

I’m really into this album by L.A. beatmaker Baths, and his album called Cerulean. It’s funky, but it’s also delicate and melodic. Will Wiesenfeld does a lot of playful stuff here; he sings on a lot of tracks, samples Kiki’s Delivery Service and finds cues in ambient and electronic music (like Boards of Canada) just as much as in hip hop. His melodies are very heartfelt, and Cerulean ends up being a very emotional album. Here’s an essential track, “Seaside Town.”

10 Seaside Town

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Robyn - Body Talk Pt. 1

I’m a little late on this, but better late than never. Robyn’s Body Talk Pt. 1 made a splash earlier in the year with some really great pop singles and other hidden gems, and now Body Talk Pt. 2 is coming out.  But let’s talk Pt. 1; Robyn knows how to make bright, lively pop music, and Pt. 1 is loaded. Robyn killed it at Pitchfork, and I remember this tune in particular, the sweet “Cry When You Get Older,” which possesses perhaps the ultimate romantic mantra I’ve heard in a long time: “Love hurts when you do it right.”

04 Cry When You Get Older

Pitchfork Festival 2010

I went to the Pitchfork festival in Chicago in July. I saw many shows, most of which were great. On Friday, El-P rocked the mic hard and kicked off my festival experience with a bang. The surprise success of the day was Robyn, who’s energy onstage is contagious. She had the whole audience moving, and she proved that pop music can have a place in an indie festival. This is where the story gets sad; I decided to skip Broken Social Scene because I wanted to get close for Modest Mouse. I figured I had already seen them live and presently have a ticket to see them in DC in the Fall. Expect coverage of that show when the time comes. Modest Mouse played a fairly short set, drawing material mostly from their recent career. Their stage presence is undeniably electric; they kicked off the set with the epic Moon & Antarctica highlight “Tiny Cities Made of Ashes” and from the beginning had everyone in their pockets.

Saturday was the weakest day of the festival, but it still had some great shows to offer. Real Estate and Delorean were early beach-pop highlights, and Kurt Vile rocked hard with his energetic backing band The Violators at stage B. Despite some technical difficulties and a wack DJ, Raekwon put on a great performance. He mostly played older material from Enter the Wu-Tang and Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, which he delivered with great enthusiasm. Also, he had breakdancing children, and you can’t say no to that. I really liked The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion even though I don’t know them that well. I give major props to artists I don’t know who really impress me. They had unprecedented energy and put on one of the festival’s better rock shows of the weekend. Wolf Parade were also great; they played “This Heart’s On Fire,” which pretty much made my day. Panda Bear, as expected, put on one of the weirder shows of the weekend, complete with electronic noise, sampling collages, yelping and crazy visuals. Amy liked it a lot, but I couldn’t quite make heads or tails of it. I really like his more melody-based songs, but at it’s heart his set is about as strange and hyper-modern as it gets. I did like it, but I wasn’t quite sure why. Maybe that counts as a victory for Noah Lennox.

Sunday was without a doubt the strongest day. We started off seeing two Chicago bands, Alla and Cave. My old co-worker Jorge is the lead guitarist of Alla, and it was awesome seeing him and his band up on stage making a wonderful racket, with long, exciting progressive passages and a soulful latino flavor. We also really enjoyed seeing Cave at stage B, who’s long psychedelic jams sounded awesome in the shade of the trees. Next we lined up for Best Coast, one of the bigger buzz bands of this year. Their set was enjoyable. They played most of their more popular songs, clinching with “Something in the Way.” We stayed around and watched a bit of Washed Out‘s set, and then headed over to stage C for Beach House. They played beautifully as usual, and even drew on their back catalog quite a bit for numbers like “Master of None” and “Heart of Chambers.” And of course their newer songs all sounded great, especially “Used to Be.” Next up was Lightning Bolt, easily one of the crazier shows of the festival, as well as one of my favorites. The two Brians played fiercely to a moshy crowd. It was both technically impressive and energizing to hear the noise kings doing what they do best. After that, we got some dinner then headed back to stage A to wait for Major Lazer, which was arguably even crazier than Lightning Bolt. It was probably the most extreme set of the entire weekend: there was excessive alcohol consumption, dry-humping (the kids call it “daggering” these days), Chinese dragon costumes, ballerinas, lots of booty and of course Diplo’s awesome dance music. I didn’t see anything this weekend that was more involved; it was a blast. Finally, Pavement took the stage, and everyone couldn’t have been happier to see and hear them. They looked like they were having a blast, and their energy translated to their music very well. I could start firing off all the songs they played, but there’s no way that would do justice to the setlist. For me, “Gold Soundz” was the magical moment. It felt like the whole festival was leading up to this, and they couldn’t have done better.

I took a bunch of photos of the fest, and these are some of the better ones.

El-P

Robyn

Robyn

Modest Mouse (sorry about the heads and poor lighting- it's tough to take pictures late at night)

Delorean

Raekwon

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

Wolf Parade

Panda Bear

Alla

Cave

Best Coast

Washed Out

Beach House

Lightning Bolt

Major Lazer

Pavement (again, sorry for the poor quality)

I’m heading off to Lollapalooza tomorrow, so expect some kind of coverage of that, too. I’ll also update soon on some of my favorite new music. Till then, au revoir!

Some good electronic stuff I’ve heard lately…

♦♦♦

Guido - Anidea

Guido dropped his debut album Anidea the other day, and Andrew Gaerig of Pitchfork called it “one of the finest post-dubstep full lengths yet.” They’ve been throwing the label around for a while, and some people I know laughed at it. What does it even mean, really? Isn’t it a bit too soon, considering we’re still sorting through dubstep, to call something post-dubstep? At first I scoffed too, but I thought about how the genre has advanced. Like Burial and Clubroot, Guido doesn’t quite sound like run-of-the-mill dubstep, not the kind that the dubstep DJs play anyway. But it fits the description perfectly: clattering heartbeat-speed beats, warbly bass tones, and atmospheric sampling make Anidea sound like a familiar dubstep album, but there are aspects of it that sound departed from the typical formula. The cinematic strings on the closing “Tantalized” are a good start; they are just one example of the many sample choices that give Guido his unique rhythm throughout the record. But Anidea is hardly a reactionary record. Above all, Guido specializes in locking into a rhythm and holding a groove for long periods of time. He does this particularly well on the album’s two vocal tracks, “Beautiful Complication” featuring Aarya and “Way U Make Me Feel” featuring Yolanda. The latter in particular is a killer track, retro but also futuristic. This album is loaded with goodies, so if you’re into electronic music, dubstep or not, definitely check it out.

♦♦♦

Onra - Long Distance

Another label that’s been thrown around a lot at Pitchfork lately is post-Dilla. Using the phrase acknowledges a couple things, first and foremost being that J Dilla was a turning point in hip hop and electronic music, but also implying that Dilla influenced a lot of artists. Both of these claims probably hold truth. James Yancey’s style and body of work felt revelatory when they came out, and although it’s hard (at least for me) to namecheck DJs that take cues from him, it’s easy to hear his production value fingerprints here and there, and see his work being important not just now, but in the future. We can relate Dilla’s sound to French producer Onra’s earlier work in some key ways; 2007’s Chinoiseries, which contained only Chinese sample sources, featured cut-up vocal sampling and obscure vinyl melody-scrounging. The results were a little less earth-shaking, but the similarity is there. Now Onra is returning with another totally different LP, a future-shocked funk record called Long Distance. It still bears a resemblance in many ways of Dilla, but people who may have been following electronic and beatmaking music will immediately be reminded of Dam-Funk’s massive double album Toeachizown released in 2009. It reminisces of 80’s synth-funk while celebrating the new, ear-popping way of doing things in hip hop, and consequently we have a fusion of music that is both interesting and classy. At the very least, Onra sounds like he’s having a lot of fun here. The vocal tracks here really shine- in particular, “The One” featuring T3 of Slum Village showcases his abilities to step out of the limelight for an MC while sustaining his intelligent production work. Onra is an artist who simultaneously does a lot of interesting things without compromising any of them, and Long Distance is subsequently an album that sounds accomplished and assured, for whatever genre it’s in.

♦♦♦

Oval - Oh EP

Markus Popp has always refused to follow conventions in songwriting and musical production since the earliest Oval works in the early ’90s, and his tireless creativity brought us brilliant albums like 94 Diskont which challenged the the way that people listened to music. The proposition of a new Oval release is enough to make glitch fans giddy just because of what it is, but Oh is exciting enough to earn its reputation. And for a whole new audience at that; Oh is not only a great glitch release but also a great electronic release, broad in its endeavors. First and foremost it sounds melodic, much moreso than than earlier Oval releases, and each of the fifteen songs has recognizable, though highly warped, tunes. Only two songs break two minutes, the rest keeping things very short as small musical vignettes. The two longer songs are particularly accomplished. The opening “hey” is wonderfully catchy and rhythmic, using some live instrumentation alongside warped synthesizers. “grrr” is more subdued, almost ambient in its progression. It is relaxing, sometimes sounding like free jazz while also sounding avant garde and contemporary, not unlike Music is Rotted One Note era Squarepusher. Most of the shorter songs are quite enjoyable too, abstractly melodic and quiet. All this makes for an all-around solid full listen, a lot to take in from an artist who has a lot of catching up to do with his fans. Perhaps what is even more exciting about the Oh EP is that it precipitates Oval’s upcoming full-length album, O, which will have some seventy tracks. If the modus operandi of Oh carries over, then we have a feast of mini glitch masterpieces to look forward to.

2010 Rocks

So, folks, it’s been just about a month since I last gave a big summary of my favorite albums of Q1 of 2010, and I’ve already heard a slew of new, awesome music. 2010 has been an incredible year for music so far, and here’s some more great albums.

I’ve provided youtube samples, but do know that their sound quality is going to be a lot lower than the actual recordings. I’d really recommend getting the albums if you like what you hear.

♦♦♦

Clubroot - II:MMX

I admit to not being an ardent follower of dubstep in general, though I do dip into the genre on occasion. Anyone who knows me knows that I pretty much listen to Burial every day of my life, and I got pretty excited about the Luvstep mix earlier this year, and hell, I would just about never turn the stuff off if I ever heard it on the radio (never have). So I’m not beyond getting excited about a good dubstep release, and this new album by Dan Richmond, known as Clubroot, might be the prime example of the second most intelligent dubstep producer that I’ve heard (all due respect to those I haven’t). Clubroot’s sound is slow, deliberate and contemplative, and creates one hell of an aural environment of atmospheric dubstep; echoing synths and string samples hover in the air over visceral and subtly groovy dubstep beats. The result are melancholy mood pieces, and though they take a while to develop, once your ears are attuned to them it is easy to get addicted. The first Clubroot album last year was tasty, but II:MMX takes the style to the next level with cleaner production and more memorable melodies. No one is going to pretend that Dan Richmond is trying to push things forward half as much as William Bevan, but we’re still all the better for his excursions.

♦♦♦

LM1 - Blue Mountain EP

I’ll preface my next recommendation with yet another claim of ignorance; I may not know drum ‘n bass in and out, but I know good drum ‘n bass when I hear it. The Blue Mountain EP by LM1 is such music, energizing and completely smart. LM1 is the work of Allan Cowie, and it’s apparent that he is the master of the breakbeat. The beats themselves are propulsive but in no way intrusive, and the atmospheric touches he brings to his songs do a lot with a little. Ambient flourishes give the tracks on this EP a lot of volume. Particularly, the title track matches its title and creates a vast, expansive sound world with ambient textures. The other tracks are just as strong, slowly developing but fast moving ear candy for electronic fans. The big question: where did this come from? Well, it turns out LM1 is the founder and owner of Offworld Recordings, which he created after releasing a string of recordings on other record labels. Offworld already has four releases from a multitude of artists, and it turns out they rule too. The Blue Mountain EP has blown the top off of this exciting new project, and you can be sure that we’ll have coverage on all of it soon. In the meantime, go here for more information as well as an Offworld showcase, which indicates that this is truly the new revival of drum ‘n bass.

♦♦♦

Sleigh Bells - Treats

How old am I again? Well I feel like I’m about fifty five, scowling at legions of young music aficionados about how despite the fact that there is a lot of cool stuff going on in music at the dawn of this new decade, the fact stands that rock music just isn’t cool anymore and these kids don’t know what they’re missing. Sleigh Bells’ music may still be pop at its heart, but it rejuvenates the lost concept that it’s really cool to be really fucking loud. And loud Treats is. Blisteringly loud. The guitars cut like razors and their drums sound like running giants. The volume is going to be the first thing most anyone notices about the vast majority of these songs, but like Psychocandy before it, the noise encases a really down to earth pop album. The heart of this concept is heard most apparently on the sublimely jangly “Rill Rill,” which is Treats‘ most obvious accomplishment because it lacks the sheer volume that the rest of the tracks have. It’s slightly distorted and rough around the edges, but above all else it’s delicious pop music. The keystone of the album, it makes the other tracks seem less violent and more good-natured. You can tell “Crown on the Ground” wants to be on Kid’s Bop, but it got rejected because it had tourettes. “Tell ‘Em” was to be a high school fight song, but it got mangleded in a car accident. They’re fractured pop songs that you can more than relate to and side with, because despite the fact that they will destroy your cochleae, they just sound right.

♦♦♦

Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma

Steven Ellison, known as Flying Lotus, made one of the best records of 2008, Los Angeles. It is just a fact, and one that I have taken a few years to come to grips with and fully appreciate. In electronic music, it’s easy to see Flying Lotus becoming an important figure, and so it’s easy to see a new FlyLo album as an important occurrence. Cosmogramma pulls together an environment as rich in style as Los Angeles, with many notable aspects: Lots of live instrumentation, strong jazz elements, strings and harps, and a sense of mysticism. Also notable: while many of Los Angeles’ beats trailed behind bars by fractions of seconds, on Cosmogramma those beats lead the measures at a similarly minute speed, which makes for an album that is fully excited and running at a high speed but never trips over itself, because it is in the hands of a master. And as usual, there is a slew of sounds here that you would never find anywhere else. Describing those moments are almost impossible, but they stand for themselves; the super high frequency “Nose Art,” the free jazz experimental “Arkestry,” the awesome collaboration with Thom York on “…And the World Laughs With You,” and the heavy “Recoiled” are just a few such highlights, but they by no means stop there. This is yet another truly important electronic record from an artist with incredible talent. The future of music clearly lies with this man, and with that said, the future always seems to be bright.

♦♦♦

Autechre - Oversteps

Electronic producers Rob Brown and Sean Booth have been making music as Autechre for about twenty years now, and their new album Oversteps is their tenth. Throughout their flabbergasting career arc, they have invented, reinvented and refined not only their sound but contemporary progressive electronic music as a whole. Anyone who knows albums like Tri Repetae and LP5 know that a new Autechre album means a whole new world of sound, and Oversteps is no exception. The album is filled with jittery, mysterious productions, and it shows the group at their most melodic state since 1998’s LP5 (with the exception of several moments on 2008’s great Quaristice). A lot of times, and as is certainly the case for Oversteps, Autechre songs have sleeper qualities, puzzling at first and then later sinking in for heavy thinking. It stands that being an Autechre fan is incredibly awarding. In their ten album and twelve EP (give or take) career, they have crafted just about every song into its own sonic world, and with each album have built unshakable statements. Oversteps initially feels like a strong, logical progression. It’s possible that if it is given time, the yeast will rise and it will stand even taller. But what’s even more exciting and puzzling than these tracks is that Autechre are set to release another album this year. Move of Ten is due out on July 12, and a quick examination of the cover art certainly makes me surmise that the new album may be a companion piece to Oversteps. What that means is that we may still only have part of the full picture here, and thus Oversteps as well as Move of Ten may have new developments to explore.

♦♦♦

The National - High Violet

I have missed The National’s live show twice. I traded their show at Lollapalooza 2008 for a good spot at Nine Inch Nails, and their show at Pitchfork last year for a set from The Black Lips. At the time I wasn’t sad about having to make those choices at all. The National were always a band that were pleasant enough, had a specific style that I’m sometimes in the mood for, and made a handful of really cool songs that I liked a lot. But the fact stood that The National, in general, just bored me. It’s only now that High Violet has come out that I’m finally kicking myself for missing them and really getting excited about seeing them at Lollapalooza this year. Don’t get me wrong – the National have always been a good band, but High Violet really brings them above and beyond. A lot of these tracks are immediate National classics. The excellent first single “Bloodbuzz Ohio,” with its dramatic lyrics and melancholy atmosphere that the band are known for, only scrapes the surface of this album’s highlights. “Sorrow,” “Anyone’s Ghost” and “England” in particular show the band locking in and delivering some of their most savory, melodic moments on any of their five albums. High Violet is the work of a band that has had years to build, refine and experiment with their sound. Admittedly, High Violet and it’s overall sound are very similar stylistically to what The National has done before with such successful albums as Alligator and Boxer, but if you’re into this band, this may be their best album yet.