26 February 2011

Nural


The train was twenty minutes late. In her bag she had nothing but a razor, a hair dryer and a map. The map, she decided, was useless, and, using the razor, she cut it into strips which she hung from her hips to create a makeshift skirt. Perhaps the train would be twenty minutes late, but she would she wouldn't be naked for a minute longer.

Kreayshawn and the art rap game

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Kreayshawn is California's own Natassia, who for the last two years has been creating music under that moniker. Not only music, in fact, she started out with art and moved into poetry, which eventually influenced the rap. Her style is clean, with driving beats and entertaining basslines that are fun to listen to. I know this song/video is a bit older, but i love it.

Four Tet vs Caribou



Wow I had a great time at YOUNG AND SICK last night (review + photos to come). Thanks to everyone who made it out last night. A big thanks to The Social Service for setting us up with phenomenal sound for the evening. ART/OFFICIAL cannot say enough how much we all appreciate it!

Anyways I am going to lay around all day recovering listening to a back-to-back Four Tet vs Caribou set....mmmmmm. This was recorded live from Asheville, NC at Moog Fest. Compliments of my buddy Tristan Moreau. This is a free download. Enjoy your Saturday!

Four Tet vs. Caribou-- Click here!

Lots of love,
Aaron

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I, Claudipor



     It began with a simple squeeze, but, what he didn’t expect was for it to pop. He watched the sticky yellow juice drip down his finger. He felt excited. The pop did not just break the thin green skin of the grape, but also something else. Something inside him.

     It was as if a concrete wall in his head had suddenly crumbled to dust. Each time he had reached that wall he had turned around, thinking it was a dead end, the border of his brain. It was only when he dared to touch it that he realised it was fake.

     “Want to feel it?” he asked Jeneva.

24 February 2011

Mushy: Italian goddess




I really love this woman. She is a prolific artist that creates haunting but beautiful music with synths, not computers. She has been making sounds for quite some time now, with a full LP vinyl release scheduled for the 28th. She has to easily be one of my favorite international artists right now, and with good reason. Her songs include everything I could ask for, especially the ominous tone that seems to envelope you with every listen, explaining "I'll let you go after you've listened to the whole song". Below I have included a track to download off of the new release, enjoy!

 

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23 February 2011

[new] TV On The Radio - "Will Do"



After a short hiatus, TV On The Radio is back! The consistently awesome Brooklyn band has just released a song from their forthcoming album Nine Types of Light, which is out April 12 via Interscope. The track is called "Will Do," and is available for streaming below.

22 February 2011

Obviously Days

They come in herds and armies and
dirty britches and dirty dishes.
They snarl and have the meanest claws
and sharpest teeth and
dumbest minds and they will not stop.

julian lynch: "terra"

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julian lynch is a good ole' boy from new jersey who was high school friends with and plays music with the guys from the late great real estate, among others. he was on my top 50 albums of last year list, and dammit, this makes me remember why. this track begins with a down tempo clarinet solo before settling on mid tempo, percussion heavy rhythm that makes you feel like you're on the east coast. i have a feeling that's the point. i proclaim this to be the best song of 2011, thus far. lynch's new album, Terra, drops april, 26 via underwater peoples; album artwork included below.


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video: cults - go outside

they'll be here next month - thanks deft jams!

TUCP Presents:

Thank God It's Mardi Gras!!!
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ART/OFFICIAL IS A PROUD SPONSOR!! ^^
Tulane University Campus Programming (TUCP) has truly stepped up its musical game this year. Free music on campus has begun to really put Tulane on the map. Booked by art/official's own Aaron Saltzman, Tulane has seen a plethora of amazing up and coming acts. Opening the school year, rising European pop star Japayork graced the campus with one sexy dance set. Not two months later Dr. Dog, The Local Natives, and the Ruby Suns were here, all playing FREE SHOWS!

Well the new semester has just begun, and Tulane University Campus Programming has much more in store for the city of New Orleans. Thank God It's Mardi Gras is the annual concert thrown as a celebration of the start of the holiday season. Past performances have included many big names in brass from around the city. This year things will be a little different for the event. Working tirelessly for the past few months Saltzman has booked an unbelievable line-up of some of New Orlean's hottest up and coming acts. You can see the line-up above, but here we are going to give you a short run down of what each of these acts are about.We have included a track from each act that you are free to listen to and download (right click + "save as"). If you like what you hear there are loads more tracks from each act on the web!

21 February 2011

wavves: horse shoes

more new wavves?! with zach hill playing drums?!?! yes, please!

wavves

the people say project: february 22

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Tomorrow night, at the Louisiana Humanities Center, the People Say project will have it's debut event with Alex McMurray and Truth Universal. The event, which will begin at 5:00 p.m. sharp, is free and open to the public, and will offer free complimentary Abita Beer, pizza from Slice, and cupcakes from Cupcake Fairies. Below I have included the mission of this project, which can be found in the About section over at THEPEOPLESAYPROJECT.ORG. Hope some of you can make it out there to help get this thing started proper.

"An ongoing series of live events at the Louisiana Humanities Center, the People Say Project will convene artists to discuss the ways in which they earn a living in the city. While the concept of “cultural economy” serves as a touchstone in discussions of the future of New Orleans and Louisiana, the dialogue around the actual workings of the industry remains two-dimensional, focused on tax incentives and the tourist market. The People Say conversations will feature the beneficiaries and catalysts of this industry, exploring the shifting rules of engagement for culture bearers and presenters earning a living and creating new work and infrastructure.

In choosing artists to feature, the People Say Project seeks to bridge different cultures and backgrounds within each art form, bringing together diverse participants to share their experiences and values. Through a partnership with Loyola University, the Project will present video of these discussions, along with original articles, online forums, and archival material, at www.thepeoplesayproject.org. With this digital component, we hope to keep the conversation going as we explore the intersections of culture and commerce."

Broken Social Scene @ Tipitina’s

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Last week, on the day after Valentine’s Day, Canadian indie-staples Broken Social Scene descended upon New Orleans. If you were lucky enough to have your Valentine’s Day filled with love, romance, and happiness, this concert kept that winning streak going, however if your day happened to consist of things more along the lines of bitterness, resentment, and regret, the concert provided the perfect prescription for a broken heart. Regardless, Broken Social Scene’s sold-out show at Tipitina’s was fertile ground in which the band planted and cultivated beautiful sonic landscapes.

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Twelve years, four years, seven film scores, a plethora of side projects, and a ton of lineup changes later, Broken Social Scene is still having fun. The band was all smiles as they triumphed through the depths of their discography. They opened with the explosive “KC Accidental,” which segued into the catchy stand-out track “Texico Bitches” (an appropriate choice for a New Orleans crowd) from the band’s “Best of 2010” list-topping album Forgiveness Rock Record. Immediately following came the pulsing tempo, supreme guitar work, and male/female back-and-forth vocals of “7/4 (Shoreline).” The band then breathed new life into the aggressive FRR single “Forced To Love,” followed directly by the album’s other single, “All To All,” an elegant dream pop submarine ride fronted by the band’s current female lead, Lisa Lobsinger. She carried the torch later in the show, as well, when the band played their haunting classic “Anthems For A Seventeen-Year-Old Girl.” The set’s climax came at the end of the initial set with the performance of the tour de force “Meet Me In The Basement.” Every member of the group (plus the guitar tech) triumphantly lined the stage, guitars lifted like goblets, playing their hearts out. For an encore, various members of trickled out, improvised a few songs, then finished strong with “Looks Just Like The Sun,” “Water In Hell,” and “Ibi Dreams Of Pavement (A Better Day).”

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Lead singer/founding member Kevin Drew played a great frontman, crawling into the crowd, encouraging sing-alongs, and cracking jokes between songs. It was great seeing a band whose subject matter oftentimes focuses on politics and heartbreak let loose a little bit and just play a great show to a dedicated audience. It’s clear that Broken Social Scene do what they love and love what they do, which points to a promising future for this incredible band.

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Article by Connor Crawford
Photos by Joshua Brasted
For more pictures from the show,
check out Joshua's Flickr.

20 February 2011

review: tokyo police club

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Excitement filled the air as a line formed outside the door of the Spanish Moon a half hour before the doors even opened on a Monday, January 31. Sun Hotel definitely did not disappoint. Their live performance prepared the crowd for the electrifying night ahead. Admittedly, I had never heard of Somebody Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, but they were interesting. I especially liked that halfway through their set they unexpectedly switched instruments. The lead singer took to the drums while the bassist took the microphone and the drummer picked up a bass.
Canadian musicians Greg Alsop (drums), Josh Hook (guitar), David Monks (vocals, bass) and Graham Wright (keys/percussion) form the fun-loving Tokyo Police Club. These guys really know how to put on a fantastic show. The crowd was full of energy as the first notes were hit and that energy did not dissipate even after the end of the set list. A-typical for most shows that I have attended in the recent past David Monks and the band were more than happy to oblige a two-part encore. They played so hard all night that guitarist, Josh Hook’s instrument malfunctioned on the last song so he just picked up a tambourine and rocked out until the end of the song.

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**editors note: this show was almost three weeks ago, but sometimes things manage to slip past us in our very cluttered email inbox. OOPS. enjoy this one a little late.

-photos and article by Erin Arledge


My Graveyard Jaw!


My Graveyard Jaw AKA Stix Duh Clown (from his life in the circus) has been a favorite local act of mine since I moved to the city in 2007. His sound is dark, at times somber, but with more heart and soul than I have heard in a very long time. When I began seeing Stix he would sit behind a suite case hitting it with a drum kick usually used for a bass drum. On his other foot he strapped a tambourine. This same act still exists, but now he goes by his real name, "Michael James and his Lonesome."

His new outfit is a bit different. Stix is still on guitar and vocals, but members of New Orlean's legends The Zydepunks back him up. The sound is a bit more full and accessible. I personally still have a soft spot for his one man shows I saw when I first moved to New Orleans, but none the less My Graveyard Jaw with a full band is something to see!

So Stix is trying to press his newest record onto vinyl and needs our help. He needs to raise $1,500 in the next month and a half or so. On this site, if you like what you hear, you can commit a donation of any size which will only be taken from your account if the goal of the $1,500 is met.

Check out the video and click the link below it if you want to contribute!


To hear more from My Graveyard Jaw check out his myspace. Plenty of amazing tracks: http://www.myspace.com/stixduclown

Be sure to check back as an artist spotlight on this outfit is soon to come. It will include more free tracks, videos, and interview, and much more!

Lots of love,
Aaron

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