I’ve been a fan of the sweet sounds of Canadian synth-pop musician LIGHTS since I first heard her debut album The Listening in 2009."Everybody Breaks a Glass," the lead single off her forthcoming second studio album, featuring Canadian rapper Shad, has me really impressed. Holy Fuck, who produced the track, added the bass I expect from The Weeknd to LIGHTS’ sugary electro style.With hopes that more treats like this are in store, I’m truly looking forward to the new album.
Check out “Everybody Breaks a Glass” in this comic-inspired lyric video.
above is a video filmed by sean lopez in helsinki for the song "heart: decay" by neon indian. the track is part of a three piece instrumental movement that will appear on the upcoming album Era Extraña which is set for release on september 13 of this year.
earlier this week one of my favorite indie pop lo-fi outfits released a new single, including two tracks which did not appear on their recent full-length release sun and shade. the a-side to this 7" release, "find them empty," finds jeremy earl abandoning his typically (extremely) high register falsetto for a more relaxed and easy approach. arguably the best thing about this single is the album art, featuring one of the bands friends with his father and a young but promising pot plant. don't miss woods at the blue nile this august 6.
america's favorite apathetic indie stars are back with "vomit," the first taste of their upcoming release Father, Son, Holy Ghost, which will drop september 9 via true panther records.
we're a little late on this one but honestly, who cares? after all, it has been one of this seasons better songs. and while the video seems a bit reminiscent of last years incredible "bombay" video (by el guincho), anything with naked girls licking ice cream in a bathtub is all right with me.
my favorite jersey boys are back, doing what they do best: crafting delightfully understated guitar beach-pop. and just in time for their pitchfork festival after party show this sunday where i will luckily be - oh, happy days. "it's real" is the first single from the bands upcoming full-length sophomore album, days, which is set for release on october 18.
below is the first single from the icelandic superstar bjork's forthcoming album, Biophilia, a multi-media LP that will be released track-by-track via iPad applications (how interesting!), exploring the ancient relationship shared between sound and nature. the single, which is apparently set for official release on 6/30, features everything we know and love bjork for. glitchy electronic percussive production accumulates bass as the track progresses while bjork's falsetto vocals soar.
the second single for one of this years most anticipated albums was made public today. you can always tell that a specific topic is making it's way into the mainstream when it becomes the satirical target of a southpark episode. it must've been fate for chillwave to make it this far and earnest greene knows that - amor fati can be translated from latin as the love of fate. enjoy.
this friday evening, before heading to a sold out bonnaroo, one of my favorite folk bands of all time, Beirut, will be performing at the Republic in the CBD. the band is currently on tour to support their third studio album, the Rip Tide, which is set for release on August 30. Zach Condon and company will be share the stage with Twin Sister, a quintet from brooklyn who seems to open for personal favorites every time they play in Nola (last year they opened for Devendra at the House of Blues).
Don't miss out on this show, and get your tickets early over @ the Republics website; I predict a sell out.
check out a few Beirut songs below, including the title track from their latest single release,"East Harlem."
the new york based experimental electronic act gang gang dance released their fifth studio album on tuesday, and it's a winner folks. the release is brought to you by the spiffy record label 4AD, who also represents other big acts like ariel pink, deerhunter, the national, tUnE-yArDs, and twin shadow. if you haven't already gotten this one, do yourself a favor and get your hands on it immediately via your local record store or itunes (yea right). and check out this awesome psychedelic video for the albums first single, "Mindkilla."
If you’re reading this article, or even this blog for that matter, you probably already know most of what there is to know about Crystal Castles. Having said that, I’m going keep this one pretty short and let the pictures do most of the talking. I will, however, sum it up by saying that anything positive you’ve ever heard about a live Crystal Castles show is probably true.
The entire experience is absolutely incredible; from the blinding lights, to the deafening bass, to the chaotic and completely crazy Alice Glass screaming her pretty little lungs out and jumping into the crowd for a quick epileptic seizure.
There’s an obvious reason why this duo has one of the most talked about and sought after live shows in the independent music world. If you have the chance to see one, do yourself a favor, AND DON’T MISS IT.
Postscripts seem to be the trend today, so nice the Cure shirt, Alice.
last weekend, aaron and i had the opportunity to see holy ghost (a band we were previously pretty unfamiliar with) open for australian stars cut copy at the republic - we fell in love. if there's another thing we share a mutual appreciation for, it's modern disco, and this track, entitled "hold my breath," encompasses both. enjoy!
so the past week has been pretty crazy as a student (sorry for the lack of posts). needless to say, i've never been ready for the summer so much in my entire life, and this track doesn't help that sentiment. georgia native ernest greene has been killing it for the past few years and "eyes be closed" is certainly a testament to that. get ready for the summer folks, greene's debut (that's right DEBUT) album drops july 12 via his shiny new record deal with the indie icon known as sub pop. this one's a winner.
earlier this year a brand new group that goes by the name purity ring released a single called "ungirthed," which quickly became one of my favorite tracks of 2011, thus far. in the last few days the b-side to the aforementioned single was released, and luckily it's just as bassy / dancy as it's predecessor. check it out below or download the track here. order the debut 7" single over at plastic in paper, and watch out for these guys; they're a pretty big deal.
I was lucky enough this morning to wake up to the exciting news that one of my favorite bands' sophomore effort, Helplessness Blues, had leaked. Within a few minutes I was able to get a good internet grip on the album and listen to it from beginning to end.
The album opens with the honest and beautifully clear voice of Pecknold posing this question: "So, now I am older than my mother and father when they had their daughter. Now what does that say about me?" Pecknold has gotten a bit older since Fleet Foxes first hit the scene and it's clear that he's spent a good deal of time thinking about life. An attitude of existentially drenched reflection persists throughout the entire album, and is nothing short of awe-inspiring. The sound may be somewhat different, but the reason I love this band remains the same; I know I'm not alone in my self-scrutiny, and that makes me a little more comfortable in my own skin. Hell, I'll even go out on a limb and say it makes me happy to question my own existence incessantly.
If you have the means to do so, get your hands on a copy of this album immediately (and buy it, of course, when it drops officially on May 3rd), and if you aren't, prepare yourself mentally for one of 2011's very best.
If you haven't already heard this track, be ashamed of yourself.
The Parish has done an excellent job recently of really helping me get into an appropriate summer mood (as if the weather wasn't enough). The small upstairs concert hall at the House of Blues has been host to many impressive acts like Tennis, Holiday Shores, and Surfer Blood in the past two weeks alone.
Last Wednesday a surprising crowd came out to see Florida beach indie-rockers Holiday Shores and Surfer Blood do what they do best. As a huge fan of Holiday Shores' debut record, Columbus'd the Whim, it was much to my chagrin to hear only two songs from the 2009 gem. But even in the shadow disappointment, I was thoroughly impressed with the bands overall delivery. Many of the Shores tracks, performed live, are given liberties by the band to develop and evolve, allowing them to become entities of their own and go places that may not be experienced otherwise. Though this tended to account for a playlist composed of many longer pieces, an atmosphere of depth and timelessness, reminiscent of the Doors, was achieved.
The energetic and talented musicians that make up Surfer Blood were nothing short of extraordinary. When a band drenches their music in as much reverb as these guys do, it's always hard to know what you should expect live. But rest assured hipsters, my skepticism has been put to bed and I'm a believer; the delivery of their music live, along with their onstage antics, is impeccable. The setlist, as expected, was made up predominantly of hit tracks from their acclaimed 2010 debut release, Astro Coast. However, the set was also littered with several new tracks that makes giddy as a little girl to get my hands on their forthcoming EP, I'm Not Ready. The future is bright for these young men; put on your sunglasses.
*Disclaimer: I couldn't help but throw in this sweet picture of me getting down onstage with Surfer Blood. Thanks for the photo, Josh.
