SUPER SICK SHOW TOMORROW IN SEATTLE
Tomorrow night there is going to be an awesome show at Seattle’s Healthy Times Fun Club with:
Typhoon:
(Amazing 17-person ensemble from Portland that puts on one of the most epic shows ever–I saw them at HTFC a couple years ago and it is one of the best shows I’ve ever been to)
Universal Studios Florida:
(blah blah “chillwave” blah blah blog blah blah whatever I’ve heard they’re really good live)
Last Slice of Butter:
(a fun noisy drum/guitar and bass duo; the drummer is my honors cohortmate Travis, also good live)
…and A SPECIAL GUEST. Who will it be? I have no idea. Fingers crossed for Beep Family Orchestra…
$5 suggested donation, free vegan food, what more could you want? If you dont know where HTFC is then you can message or email me or ask your stupid hipster friends and you’ll figure it out!
GHOSTWRIDAH – 305s n Heartbreak
This is kind of old news for anyone who’s really really into the mixtape scene, but I didn’t encounter it until the last week. It’s by this Florida chap called GhostWridah and it’s called 305s and Heartbreak. It’s a concept mix where each of the tracks, except for the opener, sample 808s and Heartbreak, but in pretty interesting ways: on some tracks he added instrumentation or even re-created the original beat and re-mixed it in interesting ways. It really gives you a new appreciation for how awesome some of Ye’s beats on 808s were, especially since GhostWridah has a super dope flow and doesn’t have any pretentions to being a pop singer (unlike, erm, Kanye).
If you are looking for a sample, check out the video embedded below; not only is the song great, but the video is a really good, elegant, and engaging piece of music videography.
Thanks to Derya fer hookin it up
((SPEAK))
Hey, remember that sick jazz/post-(rock)-y band I blogged about a couple months ago called Speak? Well you can listen to basically the whole album now at their website. Not only that, but you can either purchase a physical copy of it with super sweet artwork (an edition of 400) or purchase a DRM-free digital copy for $6. That’s a pretty good deal. You can also now enjoy the music embedded right in this here blog without having to go anywhere! Which is pretty sweet because it’s probably going to be in my favorite albums for the year, so, like, I’m glad to share it with you for free and cheat the artist out of the money they totally deserve.
COME BACK 1968.
Would be on my to-see-before-I-die list if doing so were still possible.
Naomi Punk
Naomi?
Anybody who’s been following me since the beginning knows that I gave Seattle group Naomi punk a shout out on my Wireless Bollinger favorite-albums-of-the-year list. Naomi Punk write raucous, gritty, verbed-out rock with a lot of wordless hooed and hummed melodies. They’ve been playing around Seattle for a while and have started garnering some attention; from what I hear Damien Jurado’s a big fan. They released their first album a while ago (see the link below) and are working on their second as you read this. Unfortunately most of the people who have blogged Naomi Punk have posted the last track on the album, which is a recording of a Rwandan children’s choir with added instrumentation. While it’s cool it doesn’t represent what NP usually sound like for the most part. To remedy this I’ve posted that track and the bangin’ opener to their album, Shouldna Started Trouble, below. Enjoy and know that, when they totally blow the fuck uppppp you heard it on Bs&Ms first.
NEW BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE
Forgiveness Rock Record
RIGHT NOW you can stream the new Broken SocialScene record over at NPR’s website! If you’re as big a fan as I am then you’ve been eagerly awaiting this for, like, five years! Thanks NPR!
Oh, yeah, you can also stream the new Hold Steady album too, which is kinda cool I guess.
via pitchfork
Feist – 1234 (VanShe Tech Remix)
I’m not a big fan of VanShe, the Australian electro-rock group, but they have a couple female fans/business partners/I don’t even know what who make some pretty sick remixes. This is their remix of Feist’s classic 1234. Now, even if you didn’t like the original that much, give this one a try–it’s a lot less cute and a lot more bangin’. If you have feet it will make you want to dance.
Where I’ve been and some illectro
Hey everyone. Maybe you were wondering where I went. Since we last spoke I dealt with the most intense quarter of school ever, disengaged from the world, and spent a week and a half in Alberta, Canada (and over 50 hours on buses to and from), and started a hectic new quarter. In short, I been buuuusssyyy. But now I’m back and I should have time to update you with amazing music I think you should hear at least somewhat regularly!
Today I’ll hook you up with my first publicly-available DJ mix which I first released way back in November or December. It’s called The Illectro Sessions – Vol. 1. Why is it called this? Because it’s part of a series of mixes (or at least a planned series of mixes…work on vol. 2 is going reeeeallll slow because I’ve been soooo busy) that try to explore the intersection between hip hop, pop music, and electro that don’t include bullshit like David Guetta. I hope you enjoy it! Tracklist below.
1. Beyonce – Diva (Fn Danny Boy Remix)
2. Paul Anthony and ZXX – Hustlin’
3. Cypress Hill – Insane in the Membrane (2 Bit Thugs Remix)
4. Aniki – Dope Girl
6. Destroy Disco – But I Aint’
7. Tittsworth – WTF (Nadastrom’s On Drugs Remix)
8. Deviant Sound System – Jump
9. Dylan Holhausen – Lalala (Mini K Remix)
10. Daft Punk – Technologic (Kids in the Hall Remix)
11. Kelevra and Mikey Dalton – It’s a Party, YO
12. Foamo – Movin’ It Over Here
Top tracks of 2009
Edit: sorry for some of the poor prose and lack of organization in this earlier; I posted it and then wordpress wouldn’t let me edit it! some kind of server was down or something. now all the links are there and everything is in its right place.
I planned back in January to make this my first real post on this blog. Turns out life’s been way more busy since then than expected. Oh well, here it is, a month and a half late. I hope you enjoy my favorite tracks from what was, in the end, a decent year in music.
10. Patrick Wolf – Count of Casualty
While the album this comes from, The Bachelor, got some grief, I don’t know why anyone would think (as the indie music press seem to) that it’s worse than Patrick’s (sort of) breakout The Magic Position. Regardless, I think this track is one of the least-appreciated on this album, which is too bad because it’s my favorite. Why? Well, it showcases Patrick’s amazing talent for arranging–particularly his knack for juxtaposing electronic and acoustic elements in ways no one else does. Most interesting in this track is the choir: while Patrick uses it to similar effect on some other tracks on The Bachelor (like Hard Times), it’s on this track that it really takes the song to the next level of awesome. And I mean awesome in the literal sense–the wordless mournful chorus makes my heart hurt. If only it were actually winter in Seattle and not some sort of facsimile of spring; it’s exactly the kind of music I’d feel like listening to while feeling like I’m trapped in a grey overcast bubble.
9. Burial & Four Tet – Moth
This comes from Burial and Four Tet’s super limited edition split that came out earlier this year–all 500 copies or however many of the vinyl were sold out before it even officially went on sale, I think. Regardless, you can still hear it thanks to the magic of the internet. It’s a real slow burner–the first minute consists of barely audible synths emerging out of the vinyl static, and it slowly plays out over 9 minutes. However, it’s almost a perfect slow burner: instead of being boring it’s hypnotic, lulling, and beautiful. Perfect late-night driving music. Ditto to that thing I said about that Patrick Wolf song above.
8. Adrian Lux – Strawberry (Marcus Rombo Pop Remix)
On a much lighter note, here is an electro house remix. The original is nothing special–it was the first single from Adrian Lux, some producer guy from somewhere in Europe. This remix, however, is amazing. It turns the original from a straight dance song to something somewhere between a dance song and a genuine pop song. Marcus Rombo puts the vocals firmly in the center of the mix and adds blaringly cute/melancholy synths (am I the only one who experiences this combination surprisingly often?). The dynamics are perfect; the climax is overwhelming (don’t give up after the first minute–give it a listen all the way through). The result sounds like being sixteen for the first time all over again and passionately making out with your girlfriend in her mini van to Ratatat. Ooooor maybe just the being sixteen part?
7. Gold Panda – Back Home
I don’t know who this guy is and I don’t know anything about him except that he’s from California and makes great music. The whole EP this comes from (the Miyamae EP) is good but this track is far and away the best. It’s nostalgic, glitchy, somewhat chillwave-y. It sounds kind of like early Four Tet with a stronger house influence channeling the Ghost of Music Future and referencing Universal Studios Florida before they even started making music. Yeah, what?
6. Memory Tapes – Bicycle
Memory Tapes tends to make music that is also nostalgic and, like Patrick Wolf, uses really interesting and beautiful arrangements which juxtapose synthesized and acoustic instruments. This one is the best track and lead single off his newest album (I would say ‘debut’ since it’s his first as Memory Tapes, but that name’s just an amalgamation of his other musical aliases, Memory Cassette and Weird Tapes). It has the sort of mysterious, haunting quality of older Bat for Lashes but it’s much more rhythmic and almost danceable. The arrangement includes such diverse elements as: steel drums, ‘verbed out 80s pop lead guitar, a ghostly choir, gnarly bass synths, etc etc. It actually sounds even cooler than you’d think. The bridge/outro is pretty epic too.
5. The Lonely Island – I’m on a Boat (Kue’s Tugboat Fix)
This song is everything a super good electro remix should be: stupid simple, catchy, dirty, and danceable. It doesn’t hurt that the original was so good (in this blogger’s humble opinion). If you don’t like dance music, still try this one–it’s at least worth the comedic value. It’s also fun to play at a party and see the looks on people’s faces when they suddenly realize what it is.
4. Madrid – Defy the Magic Mule
First let’s get one thing straight: this is not the crappy Canadian duo Madrid. This is the now (sadly) defunct Seattle instrumental band. They released an absolutely amazing debut album in 2009 and then broke up after several years as a band. I never got to see them. :c Regardless, in the future I’m going to re-blog this band with a couple mp3s of their tracks, so look out for that later. For now what you get is a live video of my favorite track from the album, Defy the Magic Mule. What’s good about it is what’s good about the whole album: it’s interesting and mathy without being too heady or difficult, the excellent drumming, and the epic climax (you’ll like it a whole lot more if, like that Adrian Lux remix above, you listen to it all the way through). Give it a whirl, man.
3. The Harlem Shakes – Winter Water
The album this is from is one of my favorite of the year, and once again, this is one of the less-appreciated tracks from it. Why do I love it so much? Just wait for the chorus where the Shakes pull off some violently melodic harmonies. The bridge is so good it breaks my heart. I still need to see them live.
2. Fighter X – Defeat
Unfortunately Fighter X doesn’t make this kind of music any more. Now he just makes music on his gameboy. Now there’s nothing wrong with that, but blippy gameboy beats just can’t beat the stuff from this EP: intense, dark, spazzoid breakbeats set against 8-bit chiptune synthesizers. This song is the best from the EP it was released on (the Little Fighter X EP), and it showcases the whole EP’s best elements: its emotionalism, its intensity, how hard it is to wrap your brain around some of the insane beats, and the uniqueness of the chiptune-meets-breakcore sound. Every time I listen to this song I feel emotionally exhausted because the climax is just next level insane.
1. Passion Pit – Moth Wings
This song is in this slot because it has a lot of sentimental value for me. I listened to it as I rode on the Havas bus to the airport to leave Istanbul, my home for a year, for the Americas. It made me cry on the bus as I realized the weight of that whole year, that city, tugging at, ripping away from my heart–the things that could never be said or understood by anyone except for those who were there to experience it, something that could never be put back in its place. I don’t know if this song is about leaving, but it’s the perfect song for leaving. Maybe no one will know what I’m talking about, but now I feel like I can’t help but appreciate this song after knowing what it’s like to really and finally leave something that is so close to my heart. It’s also a really good song. Listen to it if you’re interested.
Bear Hands – What A Drag
Kendra and I just heard this song while listening to Western Washington’s student station, KUGS (awesome
station by the way), and it was the best song I’d heard in days! Woah, BIG DEAL. Anyway, check it out. The band is from Brooklyn (yeah yeah, what else is new?), they’re called Bear Hands, and they wrote a song that’s a little mathy, has a really good, driving beat, and is pretty catchy. It sounds a little bit like early Tokyo Police Club, but a little more…mmm…Brooklyn?
Check out the mp3 at KEXP’s blog (yeah, I know, bad music blog etiquette, but this blog isn’t big enough yet where it’ll trash their bandwidth if I link):
UPDATE: Now that I listen to this with better speakers I am sorry for calling it at all mathy. That guitar during the chorus somehow sounded a lot more interesting on crappy little TV speakers.
Bangers and Mashes || A Music Blog 