Tag: Music

Wild Beasts aren’t that exciting on Two Dancers

There is nothing explicitly bad about Wild Beasts‘ newest, Two Dancers. The songs move along nicely, flow well enough into each other, and keep up a consistent tone. The musicianship is entirely adequate. The problem? There’s nothing exciting. And so it goes. The only notable issue I have with the album is its lyricism, which… Continue reading Wild Beasts aren’t that exciting on Two Dancers

The KiD CuDi/MGMT/Ratatat collaboration??

I guess I’m way too late on this. Where the hell did it come from? When did Kid Cudi, MGMT and of all third parties, Ratatat, get together for this collaboration? Logistics aside, the track, “Pursuit of Happiness,” is a hip-hop infused electronica ballad that’s way more indie than anything Cudi has done so far. The… Continue reading The KiD CuDi/MGMT/Ratatat collaboration??

Yo La Tengo’s Popular Songs is almost completely awesome. Almost.

Yo La Tengo has built a reputation. The veteran band from Hoboken, New Jersey is well known for experimentation and always being cradled by critics. Each album is a journey into another world and different genre. Another day, another dollar and so it is that the band gives us something new for 2009. Of course,… Continue reading Yo La Tengo’s Popular Songs is almost completely awesome. Almost.

Harlem announce U.S. tour dates

Gritty Austin boys Harlem are finally leaving the nest and touring the country. They turned some heads with last year’s LP, Free Drugs ; ), and the album’s singles, “Witch Greens” and “South of France.” They’ve been recording new material, but nothing new has surfaced yet. As I understand, they’ve torn up Austin pretty well,… Continue reading Harlem announce U.S. tour dates

[MP3] Rain Machine: “Smiling Black Faces”

TV On The Radio’s Kyp Malone gives us another look at his solo project, Rain Machine, with “Smiling Black Faces.” The song is a long, folky ballad of sorts that features Malone’s emotional, crying voice through mutters and complaints singing mostly inaudible lyrics. So maybe it’s his 21st century Dylan song! But what’s most interesting… Continue reading [MP3] Rain Machine: “Smiling Black Faces”

Bang! Bang! Eche! release new track, details on upcoming EP/tour

One of my favorite New Zealand dance/punk/indie bands, Bang! Bang! Eche!, is gearing up to release a new four-track EP titled, what else, Sonic Death Cuntttt. The first track, “Fist Full of Dollars” lays the bass and crunching synth on heavy, as the band traditionally likes to do. With all the soft, psychedelic, folky, pop… Continue reading Bang! Bang! Eche! release new track, details on upcoming EP/tour

[MP3] Washed Out: “Luck”

Here’s a great track from one-man psych-electronica project Washed Out. From his upcoming cassette, High Times, is “Luck,” a cool 2-minute instrumental track that just screams good things to come. This would have been great for summer but, you know, it’s kind of over and junk. Maybe we can just call this the last chill… Continue reading [MP3] Washed Out: “Luck”

[MP3] WHY?/Themselves: “Canada”

Unique hip-hop/indie acts WHY? and Themselves have teamed up to throw down a nice, soft little track about relationships or something (“You show your pinkest parts in my absence”). Yikes! Well, who ever said music has to be optimistic! It’s an interesting downscaled tune from the two that does well with loops and layered lyrical… Continue reading [MP3] WHY?/Themselves: “Canada”

Dirty Projectors announce North American tour

After gaining a tremendous amount of hype around their recent LP, Bitte Orca, Dirty Projectors have announced a North American tour! It’s set for this fall and kicks off in our neck of the woods (Baltimore)! The group has been stunning the world of music with their latest material, so this tour has good vibes… Continue reading Dirty Projectors announce North American tour