Cheetah Love

I Made Some Mixes!

2010-06-23T20:16:00.001-07:00

I made these! I like them! You should listen to them!

Banger as Hell Tiny Mix

Irish Steph - Power
Justice - Planisphere (Final)
Danger - 00h00
Mille - Crysteena
Mylo - Otto's Journey

Party Down Mixtape

Ocelot - Our Time (Treasure Fingers Remix)
Living In Las Vegas (ft. Teen Wolf)
LMFAO - Shooting Star (Party/Rock Remix)
Mylo - Musclecar Reform Reprise
Designer Drugs - Drop Down
Simian Mobile Disco - Sleep Deprivation
Digitalism - The Pulse
Simian Mobile Disco - Tits and Acid
Justice - Phantom Pt II (Boys Noize Unreleased Turbine)

Local Natives @ The Empyrean in Spokane!!!

2010-05-26T22:55:00.000-07:00

Actually, contra Keegan's post directly below, I haven't JUST been couchsurfing of late. I might have just gotten the last two tickets to the very first sold out show at what is quickly becoming one of my favorite venues, The Empyrean, in my hometown of Spokane, WA. From my vantage point in the VIP balcony (yeah, the one for players like me who know both the owners), I get to sneak through a secret door (which I call "Narnia") from a DIFFERENT, LESS COOL balcony and basically sit directly over the stage...which is exponentially more awesome when I bring my camera...

...AND IT'S EVEN MORE AWESOME WHEN THE FUCKING LOCAL NATIVES DEFY REASON AND PLAY SPOKANE!!! That's right fuckerz, for this week, I'm cooler than ya'll, because I got to see the L.A. indie folk upstarts play in my own backyard...and I sat close enough to touch the head of the bass player (I didn't touch him. Things might have gotten weird between us. I feel like we had a connection when we locked eyes before their set.) Anyway, here's some pics. Enjoy!

The show rocked, btw. I didn't have the money on me to snag their record on vinyl...but seeing as they're playing Sasquatch this weekend, I think I just might be able to swing that shizzit. In the meantime, if you haven't gotten into this band, fuck you, here are links:

Local Natives - OS|MS

Sorry Y'all!

2010-05-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

Yo, the cheetah's had a tough couple weeks, what with Jon graduating and Tim couchsurfing and being internetless and sucking at Starcraft, and with my loss of an ipod, then a laptop and then a bad experience with liquid nitrogen.

Anyways, the cheetah will be better in the future! We promise!

Have a great summer!

Heres to the Greyhound!

Kele Releases New Tracks!

2010-05-26T20:34:00.000-07:00

Holy fucking shit motherfuckers - Kele Okereke, lead singer from Bloc Party has finally released new tracks from his upcoming album Boxer - and its some of the best material I've heard since Bloc Party released the collections of B-Sides unofficially entitled Another Weekend in the City. The music is clear, unhinged, beautiful, and at times, a little bit banger. Maybe the band needed a split to express themselves musically - a sad day for all of us Bloc Party fans, but a good thing ultimately. Who knows, maybe Pin Me Down, Russell Lissack's side project Pin Me Down's first album is awesome as well. Ill give it a listen and post about it later today.

Check out this Tron-esque video for the club sounding track Tenderoni!

Kele Okereke - OS|MS

Rise by Kele Okereke

Walk Tall by Kele Okereke

Kele Okereke - Tenderoni (Larry Tee and Beckwith Remix)

Phantogram Remix?

2010-05-26T20:27:00.000-07:00

A remix of Phantogram? Strange. A remix of Phantogram that turns it into a sunny, blissed out summer tune? Very strange. I'm not sure whether this song is actually any good or just super weird, but it seems significant, and I suppose it shows the power of the remix (???).

Anyways, i say give it a listen. I guarantee you've spent three minutes a worse way.

Phantogram - MS|OS

Phantogram - Mouthful Of Diamonds (Alan Wilkis Remix)

Anoraak!!!

2010-05-26T20:15:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all! Remember Anoraak! The Cheetah does! This titan of the French 80's revival scene, who blew it up a few years back with the amazing "Nightdrive With You" is back with a track entitled "Above Your Head." And it is definitely pretty baller! So check it out. Cheetah commands it!

Anoraak - MS|OS

Anoraak - Above Your Send

Passion Pit Remixes Tokyo Police Club!

2010-05-26T19:52:00.001-07:00

I've always liked the very Canadian Tokyo Police Club. From the short but excellent tracks that defined their first album to the fairly banger remixes that emerged from their more recent tracks, it's all seemed good to me. Theyve been relesing some new material in preperation for the release of their third album, Champ, and Passion Pit was awesome enough to remix "Wait Up (Boots of Danger), in typical awesome Passion Pit fashion. Its a bit slow in the first half, but it heats up and its still awesome. Hooray for awesomeness!

And check out the video for Breakneck Speed - definitely a different feel than their previous work, but super good!

Tokyo Police Club - Breakneck Speed

TOKYO POLICE CLUB | MySpace Music Videos

Tokyo Police Club - MS|OS

Passion Pit - MS|OS

Tokyo Police Club - Breakneck Speed

Tokyo Police Club - Wait Up (Boots of Danger)

Tokyo Police Club - Wait Up (Boots of Danger) (Passion Pit Remix)

LOL Nu-Rave: Klaxons release new song

2010-05-26T19:44:00.000-07:00

Hey guys remember Nu-Rave!

HAHAHAHA!

Anyways the Klaxons are back. Its been three long years since NME embarrassed the electro/indie world by inventing the term Nu-Rave and tacking it onto the Klaxons and everything else with guitars and neon colors (thanks a billion NME). Apparantly the Klaxons tried to pull a MGMT with their second album and go all experimental, but their label wouldnt let them get away with it and shelved the album.

So anyways, their back, with a very familar sounding tune entitled "Flashover." Its aight.

Flashover by klaxons

The Klaxons - MS|OS

New Arcade Fire Songs

2010-05-26T18:31:00.001-07:00

Arcade Fire just dropped a new single! Does that mean a new album could be impending? The Cheetah says - Probably! The first, "The Suburbs" is pretty classic Arcade Fire, a nice jangly number - although unfortunately this is the kind of classic Arcade Fire that I really never got into. "Mont of May," however, is a almost punk sounding track, insistent and almost epic/terrifying, and much more to my style, although I suppose a bit of a departure from their baroque pop past.

Radio rips courtesy of 107.7 The End. And by 'courtesy of' I mean I'm using them without permission.

Arcade Fire - MS|OS

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Arcade Fire - Month of May

Dont Cry, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

2010-05-26T18:18:00.000-07:00

Who's awesome? Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin is Awesome! I dont know how these guys do it, but some how they have crafted the perfect indie pop which somehow manages to make me happy and not annoyed at the same time. Their debut Broom, captured my heart, to borrow a really lame cliche, and while I only skimmed their 2nd EP, their newest album sounds pretty amazing!

Listen to these very new and extremely excellent songs!

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - MS|OS

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Modern Mystery (Radio Rip)

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Cardinal Rules

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Sink/Let it Sway

Pin Me Down

2010-05-26T17:57:00.001-07:00

So... Pin Me Down.

What to say. Russell Lissack (Bloc Party, fool) is an amazing guitar player, expressive and emoitional, with a great degree of technical skill yet possessing of a tempering intelligence that keeps him seemingly restrained until the appropriate moment. He has proved an expert DJ and programmer, a hard working and proficient musician with interesting ideas.

Milena Mepris is pretty hot.

I just dont know what to think. Mepris' (former lead singer of Black Moustache) voice seemed to be a fantastic contributing factor on such projects as Pin Me Down's excellent remix of "Ares," but it was pretty filtered and background, whereas on these tracks its front and center - and noticeably more, erm, nasally. I just dont know. The two tracks I have heard so far, "Cryptic" and "Time Crisis," its almost omnipresent, forgettable and annoying, until Russell's unusually muscular guitar playing edges it out of the way, and becomes immediately recognizable as the defining factor it was with Bloc Party.

Maybe its Russel's fault. While I certainly extract a great amount of joy from hearing him play guitar the same way he did with Bloc Party, maybe he needs to grow more as a guitarist to help these tracks stand out.

Or maybe he should just get back with Bloc Party.

Check out this remix, however, it does empty some of the guitar but it softens Mepris' voice and turns the track into an unoffensive eurodance track.

Pin Me Down - MS|OS

Pin Me Down - Time Crisis (Co-Pilots Turbulence Remix)

Bloc Party - Ares (Pin Me Down Remix)

Lies in Disguise - Southern Electro Superband?

2010-05-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

Lies in Disguise is the moniker for Georgian electro producer Le Castle Vania's Dylan and Moving Units front man Blake Miller recent collaborative efforts - which have produced some truly amazing results to say the least. The electro these guys are pumping out is almost Justice-esque in intensity, although it lacks the Wagnerian theatricality that Justice has perfected. Their remix of Shinichi Osawa's "Electro411" is one of the most banger things Ive heard in a long while - but all their stuff is good.

Lies in Disguise - MS

Lies in Disguise - Meet Your Replacement

Shinichi Osawa - Electro411 (Lies in Disguise Remix)

The Toxic Avenger - Poker Face (Lies in Disguise Remix)

Miike Snow is Incredible

2010-05-26T17:31:00.000-07:00

You know who has gotten an embarrassingly low amount of love on the Cheetah? Miike Snow. This Swedish trio has quickly become a powerhouse in the electropop scene, and "Animal," the prime cut off their eponymous debut album, has quickly become one of the most popular songs to remix through the electro blogosphere. However, for as many amazing artists have tried, I have yet to find a remix that improves on the glory that is the original. So - point for Jon, I guess? If you haven't had a chance to check out this amazing band, the cheetah implores you, do it now!

Miike Snow - MS|OS

Miike Snow - Animal (Treasure Fingers Remix)

Treasure Fingers

2010-05-26T17:22:00.001-07:00

Treasure Fingers is awesome. Authors of one of my all time favorite dj sets ever "40 Minutes in the Champagne Room," and all around amazing producers/remixers, they just released this epic remix of Classixxx "I'll Get You." It makes me incredibly happy and hopeful for summertime. Listen!

Treasure Fingers - MS|OS

Classixxx - I'll Get You (Treasure Fingers Holy Shit Bassline Remix)

Ocelot - Our Time (Treasure Fingers)

Treasure Fingers - Cross the Dancefloor

The Most Beautiful Music Video Ever Made

2010-05-18T02:00:00.000-07:00

This isn't new, but sometimes that doesn't matter. I just really wanted to share this with all of you.

Radiohead - Pyramid Song from Wes Dorris on Vimeo.

The National - First Video: Bloodbuzz Ohio

2010-05-11T13:59:00.000-07:00

The National - "Bloodbuzz Ohio" (official video) from The National on Vimeo.

"Bloodbuzz Ohio" became the first song off High Violet to get music videod! Its a good choice and a cool video - if you like wistfull frontmen walking around. Which, luckily, I do!

The National - MS|OS

Devandr Banhart Is Still Pretty Crazy

2010-05-06T16:38:00.000-07:00

Devandra Banhart has a new music video. In which he gets whipped and a bunch of other crazy stuff. Luv u Devandra.

Devandra Banhart - MS|OS

Album Review: The Hold Steady- Heaven is Whenever

2010-05-04T15:46:00.000-07:00

The Hold Steady's new album, Heaven is Whenever, is perhaps the one with the largest amount of drama and trepidation accompanying it yet released. With songs that were written on tour, the departure departure of the unmistakable keyboardist Franz Nicolay and the terrible rips of the album that appeared after the Great Record Store Brawl of 2k10 (put five copies of an unreleased Hold Steady album in a record store in front of a crowd of rabid Hold Steady fans and watch what happens), it looked for a while like The Hold Steady's hot streak may be at an end.

Thankfully, it isn't nearly that bad. What Heaven is Whenever is, however, is a transition point for The Hold Steady, both in terms of line-up and the admirable consistency they have expressed in their dense and anthemic style of musical expression. Looking at it, its easy to see that Franz Nicolay's absence is a factor. His subtle yet rousing piano rolls filled out the space perfectly, and listening through the album its easy to see places where they would have fit perfectly, such as in "Soft in the Center."

Furthermore, the band seem to be recognizing the need for an expansion of their defining sound. Regarding his decision to split ways with the group, Franz Nicolay said an interview "They have one big idea - making literate, wordy lyrics over big anthemic rock - and the last two album were about as good as I thought I could do with that idea." Here they show some lateral movement, with the country twang of opener "The Sweet Part of the City" and the very interesting "Barely Breathing," where Craig Finn sounds almost like he's scatting. These songs aren't necessarily the best cuts on the album, but they're a development.

And while that consistency may be becoming something of an albatross, it still saves their overall body of work. "Hurricane J" sounds like it would fit on any of their albums, and the dark "Weekenders" acts as something of a sequel to "Chips Ahoy," especially with the line "There was that whole weird thing with the horses," and like "Hurricane J," shows that The Hold Steady can still tell a story better than anyone else in the business. "Rock Problems" is fairly solid, a big, chugging tour song, and the excellent "We Can Get Together" is a gorgeous love song about how we all learned about music, embodied in the lyric "Heaven is whenever we can get together/ Sit down on your floor, and listen to your records.

Overall, its a fine album, but it doesn't match the sheer perfection of Stay Positive and Boys and Girls in America. It continues the narrative The Hold Steady have espoused since they started, and locks in perfectly to the musical manifesto they've created. But the band is playing in bigger venues and in the process are moving away from their audiences, and the stories they tell are losing a few of the details that made them so immediate. Here's hoping for the next album.

The Hold Steady - MS|OS

The Hold Steady - Rock Problems

The Hold Steady - Hurricane J

Peephole

2010-05-04T13:49:00.000-07:00

Shit yeah. Art just turned me on to this band that apparently just played in Seattle :-(

Swing and a miss.

It's severely puzzling when something this good slips through the cracks. Peephole is a self described 'shitgaze, chillwave' band from Brooklyn - completing a beautiful little triangle of chillwave, from here in Seattle to Texas and back up to the york. But this shit's heavy. Shoegazey chillwave? A match made in heaven? Decide for yourself:

Peephole: Silence for Kindness from STARSHIP on Vimeo.

I Love This Song

2010-05-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

I luuuv this song. Hella banger shit, its by Californian born and Australian trained rapper Snob Scrilla, and referances one of the best effing basketball teams that ever has been or will be.

Snob Scrilla - MS|OS

Snob Scrilla - Heartbreak Scorcese (96 Bulls Remix)

Teen Daze

2010-05-03T02:07:00.000-07:00

"Fucking Canada. Seriously. Stop coming out with such awesome music all the goddamn time. You and Sweden both (FUCK you Sweden don't interrupt, stay over there, I wasn't talking to you, I'm yelling at Canada right now). You're kinda not supposed to show us up like this all the time. You already beat us at hockey, but I really don't care about hockey so I'm willing to let that slide. But this? Really???"

I probably made this plea months ago, but to no avail. Instead, they mock me. On the same day that Broken Social Scene releases a baller new album (as will The New Pornographers very soon...argh), I find out about Teen Daze, an upstart chillwave group hailing from our soon-to-be-soccer-rivals from the north, Vancouver, B.C. Their debut EP is entitled Four More Years, and from the tracks I've been able to listen to....holy shit. If you wanted the lighter, sunny G&T-drinking music to slide into the summer, this is the music for drunkenly punching summer in the balls right before jumping into Lake Union without any clothes on. The title track to the EP is the moneyball, but the whole thing is like if Keegan and I had an electro baby. I'll just call it "bangergaze." There, I said it. Now fucking rip this shit:

Teen Daze - "Four More Years"

Teen Daze - "Shine On, You Crazy White Cap"

Teen Daze - MS

Ratatat LP4

2010-05-01T19:04:00.000-07:00

Ratatat is releasing a new album! Keeping in the tradition of their last album, it looks like it will be entitle LP4. Even crazier, a day after it was announced, it was leaked. Maybe the cheetah can score a copy ;)

Enjot this classic Ratatat while we all wait patiently for a single...

Ratatat - MS|OS

Ratatat - Wildcat

New Song From Interpol

2010-04-29T16:13:00.001-07:00

It already been three long years since former Pitchfork prodigal sons Interpol have released anything together - which is crazy, because it seems like just yesterday that I started ignoring Our Love To Admire. But after a few solo jaunts by certain members, they are in fact back and apparently ready to release a new album in a short while, and have thusly released first single "Lights" to drum up a little hype.

So how is it? Well... it sounds one hell of a lot less processed than anything off their last album did, and it builds anticipation and tension nicely, as a good Interpol song should probably do. However, after the overall weakness of their last album, it will take more than a nostalgic single to win me back over. Not that I don't want them too! Best of luck to you, Interpol.

Interpol - MS|OS

Lights - Interpol

*Update - Just looked at Interpol's new logo. What the fuck, Interpol? When has a needless and tasteless 3D logo ever done anything good for any band ever? Do you not remember how sparse and terrify your old logo was? Do you not see that those aesthic elements helped your music effectively communicate emotion and feeling early on? Dont you remember how pointlessly glossing on high budget yet poorly implemented musical affectations in your last album dragged it down so far?

Neo-Tokyo

2010-04-29T15:18:00.000-07:00

Yo! Whats the haps, my peeps? Dude, Starcraft 2... shizzzz.

Anywho, Neo-Tokyo. Welsh. Toured with Phoenix. Banger as fuck. They deserve more words than this but, no can do. Maybe later!

Neo Tokyo - MS

Sleepyhead - Passion Pit (Neo-Tokyo Remix)

Fences - Pheonix (Neo-Tokyo Remix)

Porcelain Raft

2010-04-29T01:41:00.000-07:00

2k10, lovers. As the summer quickly approaches, it can be important for one to have a fresh supply of some lush, sunbleached, dreamyassed fuckin shoegaze at his or her disposal. Porcelain Raft, the solo project of London artist Mauro Remiddi, lets it just beam out of his eyeballs directly into your soon-to-be-much-happier chest region. He just released two EPs – Gone Blind and Curve – and you can snatch them from his site for a mere quid. Here's why you might seriously consider doing so:

Porcelain Raft - MS

The Globes

2010-04-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

OK, I owe it to my hometown to throw my support behind this band. The Globes are a four-piece group from Spokane who have been living together in a house in Seattle for a few years, and have been getting noticed enough around the city that they have finally reverted back to calling themselves a Spokane band – which is fucking awesome, because I was worried that if (and, I think, when) this band finally makes it, they were going to say they were from Seattle. Boise might have Built to Spill, but as far as Spokane is concerned, the best they've been able to muster music-wise in the past 50 years has been........Bing Crosby. Yeahhh....

But fuck that, now Spokane can rock your face off. The last time I saw this group was at a winery in Spokane, when they still called themselves Four Years Blue. Since that time, their sound has gotten far more polished, they've had real studio time (complete with John Goodmanson, the producer behind several Death Cab albums, amongst other things), and have put out a couple solid EP's, the most recent of which is called Sinter Songs and features four borderline-hypnotic Radiohead-esque (and yes I find that term overused, but whatever) songs, each with a bitchsmack of post rock epicness mixed into their very distinctive eastern Washington-inspired soundscapes. It's a sound that them big city folks can bob their heads to, but also something that truly clicks if it serves as the background music to a trip through the alternately barren and beautiful landscape that is the eastern side of the Cascades. You can tell these guys have been living in Seattle for a while; but you can also tell where these guys are really from, which is a really tricky balancing act to pull off, and which makes me appreciate them as an awesomely genuine group of musicians that I truly hope goes places. The Cheetah salutes you, guys.

The Globes - A Stitch Couldn't Save the World

The Globes - Pretty Birds above our Heads

The Globes - MS

Tim's Track Of The Day

2010-04-21T19:43:00.001-07:00

I don't remember how I discovered this, but I'm glad I did. It's "Tunnelvision," by Here We Go Magic, which is the solo project of folk singer-songwriter Luke Temple. It's a great song for doing things; I love songs that feel like they never stop moving forward, as I always imagine driving through one of Seattle's many freeway tunnels but never reaching the end. The video captures that feeling pretty well:

Here We Go Magic - Tunnelvision

Broken Social Scene Bonus EP

2010-04-21T12:08:00.001-07:00

Just found out that Broken Social Scene decided to release a bonus digital EP! Its called Lo-Fi For The Dividing Nights, it accompanies all pre-orders of Forgiveness Rock Record, and it has ten tracks! So preorder Forgiveness Rock Record, fool!

Broken Social Scene - MS|OS

New LCD Soundsystem Video - Drunk Girls.

2010-04-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

Wow... just... wow.

LCD Soundsystem - MS|OS

Tim's Track Of The Day

2010-04-18T19:50:00.001-07:00

Walkabout, by Atlas Sound. Featuring Noah Lennox (Panda Bear of Animal Collective). Get it.

An added bonus is that anyone who knows me personally will understand why this is my theme song for the time being. Enjoy!

Atlas Sound - Walkabout (w/Noah Lennox)

Record Store Day Crystal Castles Release

2010-04-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

Today is record store day, and bands are dropping special albums all over the country. Crystal Castles got into the spirit of things by releasing Doe Deer, and we here at the cheetah managed to stumble over a few decent quality radio rips of the single itself and B-Side Celestica.

Celestia is an airy, almost dreamy cut from Crystal Castles, and in sharp contrast to Doe Deer, which is a pounding and aggressive track, maybe one of the most aggressive things I've heard from the band.

The thing which is immediately noticeable about both tracks it seems that they rely significantly less on the tinny, 8-bit aesthetic that was so defining about their first album - although that may be a result of the rips.

Anyways, these tracks do have me pumped to see what the band can do with a second album, and makes me absolutely positive that I will need to see them as soon as possible.

Crystal Castles - MS|OS

Crystal Castles - Doe Deer

Crystal Castles - Celestica

Little Dragon

2010-04-16T22:27:00.001-07:00

Surprise, surprise, Tim has yet another band to add to his amazingly long list of bands that he has discovered within a week of being able to see them. Little Dragon played Seattle earlier this week, but that didn't stop me from finding out about them through a completely different avenue just days later (this happens to me...allthefuckingtime). Oh well, the Cheetah still deserves to be fed, even if I let it get a little hungry first.

Little Dragon is a synthpop group from Sweden, headed up by a Japanese-Swedish chick singer (I know, it's baller) named Yukimi Nagano. I personally found out about them because they are featured on my favorite track "Empire Ants" from the recent Gorillaz album Plastic Beach. They've released two albums, most recently last year's Machine Dreams. It's hard to put a finger on the sound, because it's super Swedish and completely un-Swedish at the same time, in large part because of Yukimi's distinctive voice. She sounds like a much raspier (and less annoying, at least for me) Karin Dreijer Andersson, and as a result you get some swinging Swede-y pop ballads, but with a lot of soul thrown in. There's a lot to be had from their sound, as the electronic thuds that populate the background of most of the songs serve more as a simple common denominator than anything else that could be more driving. It feels like good music for being driven through the downtown of an empty city at 3 in the morning...and it's always good to have that kind of music to turn to. Check it out!

Little Dragon - OS|MS

Amon Tobin + Zombies

2010-04-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

One of the most badass zombie short films ever...with music by Amon Tobin. MUNCH!

Fuck Buttons Tour Dates!

2010-04-15T18:17:00.000-07:00

Fuck Buttons just released their tour dates!!! And they'll be in Seattle on May 16th @ Chop Suey!!! Check out the full list. I looooove Fuck Buttons, and I will hella be all up in this show's shit. Take it away, Flight Of The Feathered Serpent:

New Band of Horses Song - Laredo

2010-04-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

Band of Horses were nice enough to send out another new track named "Laredo."A little more energetic than "Compliments" but with a similar optimistic outlook as that track. I like it! Its still that same sort of folksy Northwest indie rock.

Band of Horses - MS|OS

THE ELECTRO WARS ARE COMING!!!

2010-04-13T18:44:00.000-07:00

As presaged by the Alpha and the Omega - HIPSTER RUNOFF - the electro wars are finally upon us.

Steel yourselves electro soldiers! Get out your neon green headbands and bright pink AK-47s!

The Electro Wars Final Trailer from Stephen Alex Vasquez on Vimeo.

The Electro Wars

Crystal Castles Gets Title/Album Cover

2010-04-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

This is the cover art for Crystal Castles' new album. It will be called Crystal Castles. It will come out on June 7th. I am pumped.

This is the track list -

Crystal Castles

01 Fainting Spells

02 Celestica

03 Doe Deer

04 Baptism

05 Year of Silence

06 Empathy

07 Suffocation

08 Violent Dreams

09 Vietnam

10 Birds

11 Pap Smear

12 Not in Love

13 Intimate

14 I Am Made of Chalk

Crystal Castles - MS|OS

Crystal Castles - Trash Hologram (Zelenka Remix)

Crystal Castles - Trash Hologram (Zelenka Dark Dub)

Two New LCD Soundsystem Songs!

2010-04-12T23:15:00.000-07:00

We All Really Want Someone To Shout For just posted two brand new songs from LCD Soundsystem, supposedly off their upcoming album This Is Happening! While their first single, "Drunk Girls" was a bit confusing, with its early, rough vibe, these songs reflect more of the polished and glorious feel of Sound of Silver, as well as the lyrical earnestness that was so prevalent on that album. The first is a somewhat low quality cut of "I Can Change," a groovy, smooth track that highlights the pleasant timbre that James Murphy's voice has developed and reminds me a bit of "Someone Great," which is awesome, because that song is incredible.

The second is called "Dance Yourself Clean," and is a eight minute epic that is somewhat unlike anything that LCD Soundsystem has ever done. Its definitely slow burning, with a steady rhythm that carries the song to the conclusion. Check it out!

LCD Soundsystem - MS|OS

LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yourself Clean

LCD Soundsystem - I Can Change

*Update - It looks like the album may have been leaked...

The Hold Steady - Barely Breathing

2010-04-12T15:38:00.000-07:00

Who has two thumbs and has been listening to The Hold Steady's albums on repeat in anticipation for Heaven is Whenever? This guy. Anyways, they've released another track, entitled barely breathing. It has a clarinet solo, which is new for The Hold Steady.

The Hold Steady - MS|OS

The Hold Steady - Barely Breathing
(via stereogum)

Crystal Castles

2010-04-11T00:28:00.000-07:00

Crystal Castles is releasing a new album this year - their first since their self titled EP came out in 2008. For the uninitiated, Crystal Castles is an expermental electronic noise act with Ethan Kath bringing the unassuming yet driving beats and Alice Glass providing the insane vocals and stage presense. I saw them open for Metric back in 2007 and an extremely drunk Alice Glass proceeded to destroy the Showbox and make Crystal Castles the only act Ive ever seen the Showbox stop halfway when she jumped on top of Metric's drum kit.

On top of all that, I was blown away by their music - once described as "8-bit terror," it is absolutely one of the most infectious electronic sounds Ive ever heard - I actually spent a good part of winter 2007 obsessed with their music, and a huge part of summer 2009 listening to "Black Panther" on repeat endlessly.

To prep their album, on April 17th the band will release what is being billed as their comback single "Doe Deer," an "abrubtly to-the-point one minute and thirty seven riot of brutally modernist, white noise punk power," according to steroboard.

Awesome.

Until then enjoy this great remix of my fav, "Black Panter", and this excellent recently upped mastered version of Midnight Consipiracy's remix of Crystal Castle's original breakout track, Crimewave. Which, course, was a remix of HEALTH's Crimewave. A remix of a remix of a heavily sampled track. I love it.

Crystal Castles - Crimewave (Midnight Consipracy Remix) Offical HARD Tour Release

Crystal Castles - MS|OS

Crystal Castles - Crimewave (Midnight Consipracy Remix)

Crystal Castles - Black Panther (Story of Issac Remix)

Stars - Fixed

2010-04-10T13:50:00.000-07:00

Stars are back! And despite my bumpy history with [mostly just the lead singer of] this band, I couldn't be more happy. Set Yourself On Fire was a masterpiece among masterpieces and, though it took me a while to warm up to it, In Our Bedroom After The War made it in my top ten for 2K7.

So, I couldn't be more thrilled to offer you the first single off of the band's fifth album The Five Ghosts, upcoming on June 22nd. If the single here sounds a lot closer to Set Yourself On Fire, going back to poppy bouncing synth lines and general indie bopness - highlighted, of course, by the absolutely stunning voice of Amy Millan. Do enjoy the song, check the tracklist, see the tour dates, and go to a show! If you get lucky the lead singer will be coherent enough to not be an asshole to you!!

AND! A bonus Amy Millan cover of Death Cab's 'I Will Follow You Into the Dark' off of her solo album Masters of the Burial, out now!

The Five Ghosts:

01. “Dead Hearts”
02. “Wasted Daylight”
03. “I Died So I Could Haunt You”
04. “Fixed”
05. “We Don’t Want Your Body”
06. “He Dreams He’s Awake”
07. “Never Been Good With Change”
08. “The Passenger”
09. “The Last Song Ever Written”
10. “How Much More”
11. “Winter Bones”

06/01 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
06/03 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
06/04 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music hall of Williamsburg
06/05 – New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge
06/06 – Houston, TX @ Free Press Summerfest
06/08 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
06/09 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
06/15 – Seattle, WA @ The Triple Door
06/16 – Seattle, WA @ The Triple Door
06/17 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater
06/19 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
06/20 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
06/22 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Troubadour
06/23 – Los Angles, CA @ The Troubadour

Stars (OS) | (MS) | (W) - Fixed (MP3)

Amy Millan (OS) | (MS) | (W) - I Will Follow You Into the Dark (MP3)

They Return.

2010-04-09T13:20:00.000-07:00

Godspeed You! Black Emperor is back. I would write more, but that speaks for itself. Holy fucking shit.

Artist Profile - The Aston Shuffle

2010-04-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

The Aston Shuffle is an excellent house outfit from Canberra, Australia, representing some of the finest remaining warriors of the Electro Wars of 2k8. Composed of DJs Mike Freeman and Vance Musgrove, they play a style of house music and generate remixes that are at the same thoughtful, progressive and banger, a bastion of taste amid the thousand and one Timmy Trombonerz that dot the Australian electronic soundscape.

I bring them up today because they recently dropped a new remix of Kissy Sellout's "Garden Friends" which is pretty much amazing. Smooth and forceful, slick yet devestating, its one of their best tracks to date.

Kissy Sellout - Garden Friends (Aston Shuffle Remix) by TheAstonShuffle

Kissy Sellout - Garden Friends (The Aston Shuffle Remix)

But in honor of their inaugural appearance on Cheetah Love, I figured I might as well post some of their past excellence, highlighting their original track "I Wanna See You," which may be the least banger of the bunch but exhibits the strength of their unedited material, and The Bloody Beetroots remix of "Stomp Your Shoes (ft. Tommy Sunshine)," which may be the most banger of the bunch, and shows what happens when Italians get their hands on Australian product. And finally, the classic "For Everyone," because it's fucking amazing.

The Aston Shuffle - MS|OS

The Aston Shuffle - For Everyone

The Aston Shuffle - I Wanna See You

The Aston Shuffle - I Wanna See You (DCUP Remix)

The Aston Shuffle - Stomp Yo Shoes (ft. Tommy Sunshine) (Bloody Beetroots Remix)

The Aston Shuffle - Do You Want More (Ft. Danimal Kingdon (The Aston Shuffle)

N.A.S.A - Gifted (The Aston Shuffle Remix)

Claude Von Stroke - The Whistler (The Aston Shuffle Remix)

Fang Island

2010-04-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

I know Im pretty late on this one - but I've definitely fallen head over heels for Fang Island. These Brooklyn kids play a sort of of noise-math rock in the vein of Hella, with a chaotic innocence that recalls the Mae She. Its infectious, its loud, its awesome. The opening trio of songs hits hard, with "Daisy" and "Life Coach" ending up as some of the album highlights when all is said and done. I honestly dont think I've listened to something that felt this honest and strangely fun since I first heard Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. They just released their first EP, Fang Island, and its definately worth a listen, and probably worth a purchase as well.

Check out this video, if you dont believe me - it works as sort of a mission statement for the band and conjurs up exactly the sort of energy that defines the band. Furthermore, it lines up with their stated objective, as guitarist Jason Bartell puts it, to "Make music for people who like music." And who likes music more than a classroom full of kindergardeners?

Fang Island - OS|MS

Fang Island - Diasy

Fang Island - Life Coach

Kele Okereke

2010-04-07T10:09:00.000-07:00

Bloc Party's reclusive and enigmatic frontman Kele Okereke is releasing a solo album. This is not altogether unexpected - the band has been talking about going their own seperate ways, musically, and Kele has been doing voicework for various artists (such as the Chemical Brothers and Tiesto), as well as the way Bloc Party's music has been adapting to his own changing influences. The album is set to come out on June 21st, is called The Boxer, and the first single is going to be called "Tenderoni," and is being produced by Spank Rock.

Huh.

Well, I'll wait till anything until I pass judgement.

Kele - MS|OS

Tiesto - It's Not The Things You Say (ft. Kele Okereke) (Filthy White Dukes Remix)

The Hold Steady Watch 2k10 - New Track

2010-04-04T22:20:00.000-07:00

Another beuatiful, energetic single from The Hold Steady! Its not the more laid back stuff that they advertised as being on the record, but its The Hold Steady and its solid!

The Hold Steady - MS|OS

The Hold Steady - "The Weekenders"

UPDATE: New track 'Barely Breathing' over at Stereogum!

Band of Horses New Music Video

2010-04-02T14:52:00.000-07:00

Band of Horses released their first song off their upcoming album Infinite Arms in music video form. The song is called "Compliments" and is an upbeat, anthemic jaunt for the Northwest indie rockers. A bit of a departure from the much darker Cease to Begin, but a nice song nevertheless.

Band of Horses - MS|OS

The New Pornographers - Together

2010-04-02T13:40:00.000-07:00

Our power pop neighbors from Vancouver, The New Pornographers, have a new album coming out, and in anticipation of that, I decided to up the two tracks that have been leaked from it. The first is called "Your Hands (Together)" is pretty fantastic, and reminds me of exactly why I feel in love with the New Pornographers back during their Mass Romantic time period. Epic, jangly, enthusiastic and heartfelt, it reminds me of my most favorite New Pornographers song "From Blown Speakers."

The other song is called "Crash Years," and reminds me of exactly why I got bored with The New Pornograpers. I mean, its not necessarily terrible, but it seems undercooked and bland. Its somewhat catchy, but it goes basically nowhere and I have a hard time focusing on it. Perhaps a few more listens will yield a better attitude towards it.

Anyways, Together is out on May 4th. Lets see what you can do, New Pornographers!

The New Pornographers - MS|OS

The New Pornographers - "Your Hands (Together)"

The New Pornographers - "Crash Years"

Florrie

2010-04-01T23:48:00.000-07:00

Just heard this track by Florrie - supposedly the new face of indie pop stardom. Ill be honest, I was mostly attracted to the Fred Falke remix - but this is pretty solid. Check it out!

Florrie - MS|OS

Florrie - Panic Attack (Fred Falke Remix)

LCD Soundsystem Watch 2k10 - This Is Happening

2010-03-30T13:46:00.000-07:00

LCD Soundsystem announced their new album title - This Is Happening, and revealed the cover, above.

May 18th.

That is all.

The Hold Steady Watch 2k10

2010-03-29T20:56:00.000-07:00

The Hold Steady are about to release their new album Heaven is Whenever on May 5th, and we have these two gorgeous gems to keep us occupied until it comes out. The first, "Rock Problems," released by NY Mag, is a classic Hold Steady anthem with a crazy guitar riff right in the middle. The second, and newer, track is called "Hurricane J," and is an equally epic track with lyrics focusing on that eternally messed up girl the Hold Steady has known forever.

The tracks don't necessarily seem groundbreaking, but considering that they were written and demoed in the back of their tour bus, theyre solid pieces and I'm excited to see how the rest of the album shapes up

The Hold Steady - MS|OS

The Hold Steady - Rock Problems

The Hold Steady - Hurricane J

Joker - Tron

2010-03-29T15:54:00.001-07:00

Oh dear. It's pretty easy to forget about dubstep until you hear someone like Joker. This kid is seriously blowing my mind. Check out some of his mixes.

Joker (MS) | (T) - Tron (MP3)

Jon Hopkins

2010-03-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

Jon Hopkins is yet another in a long line of British electronic artists that I have come to enjoy. I discovered him, much like probably way too many other people did, because at some point I listened to the new(est) Coldplay album, Viva la Vida, and then later discovered that the only part of the album I really liked was really just a collaboration between Coldplay and Jon Hopkins (namely, the loop that is used both to open and close the album). And by collaboration, I mean sampling, because it's really just a clip that the band took from the full Jon Hopkins track "Light Through The Veins," which would later become the centerpiece around which his own 2009 release Insides was built. Well, I had discovered that track almost a year ago, but I had never thought to get the full Jon Hopkins album. That was a mistake, because it's fucking good. Why this guy doesn't get more attention is beyond me; Insides was actually his third album. Here's what you're missing out on:

Jon Hopkins - OS|MS

Jon Hopkins - "Light Through The Veins"

Jon Hopkins - "Second Sense"

Cassius

2010-03-27T03:40:00.000-07:00

In honor of the mix that I'm working on (French House 4 Life) I'm going to be a lazy bastard and post a very, very old Cassius song. I know, I know. Weak. But I don't see anyone one else jumping to update the blog!

Anyways, Cassius were one part Boom Box and one part Phillipe Zdar, and with their work as Cassius they layed down the basics for what would come to define French house for the next decade. This song, "Foxxy," was their first release, and is still one of the highlights of the entire genre. You should listen to it.

Cassius - MS

Cassius - Foxxy

LCD Soundsystem Watch 2k10 - First Single "Drunk Girls"

2010-03-25T22:58:00.000-07:00

LCD Soundsystem has leaked the first single off there yet to be titled upcoming album. Its called "Drunk Girls," and its... pretty good. It has alot of the energy and rawness of their early singles, like "Yeah," as well as alot of the verbal adeptness if such tracks as "Losing My Edge." Nothing that jumps out with the sublime beauty of Sound of Silver, but its nice to hear some of that infections energy coming of James Murphy golden pipes (well, dirty bronze tubes, at least) once again. Its only available on youtube at the moment, but you should still give it a spin for a nice little preview of what awaits.

Also on the net is a bit of this song "Pow Pow." Due to be release on April 30th, only a bit of it is available, but its hella disco and if you loop the track infinately you can barely even tell that only about a minutes available...

LCD Soundsystem - "Pow Pow"

LCD Soundsystem - MS|OS

Phoenix Release Free Live Album!

2010-03-24T19:20:00.000-07:00

Ultimate crossover French indie rockers Phoenix just released a live album from a performance in Sydney today! The recording is great, the setlist is awesome (a bit Wolfgang Amedeus Phoenix heavy, but whatevs) and they included the perfect amount of young, presumably hot Australian girls screaming in the background. For those of us who have been with Phoenix ever since the beginning, when Pitchfork named them the "soft rock strokes," -booooo, P4k, - this little live album is a great victory lap for the band that deserved the success they've found the most. Grab it! Listen to it! Love it!

1901 collaboration video

PHOENIX | MySpace Music Videos

Phoenix - OS|MS

Phoenix - Lasso (Live in Sydney)

Phoenix - 1901 (Live in Sydney)

Broken Social Scene Watch 2k10

2010-03-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the even more extended absence - lack of internet access kills, kids. Or does lack of internet kill kids? Regardless, Broken Social Scene just released two tracks off their upcoming album! They are sooo fucking good. The first is called "Forced To Love," and is a classic, forceful Broken Social Scene that shows that they still have the energy and passion to bring another great album.

I'm almost even more excited about "All to All." Its a synth filled, dreamlike track, and even though this isn't the sort of track that usually grabs my attention from BSS, something about the atmosphere really, really reminds me of classics like "I'm Still Your Fag" and "Late Nineties Bedroom Rock For Missionary."

I am soooooo excited for this album...

Broken Social Scene - MS|OS

Broken Social Scene - "Forced To Love"

Broken Social Scene - "All to All"

Health Care FTW

2010-03-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

In honor of last night's historic passage of health care reform, I give you the celebration music of the gods, courtesy of Fuck Buttons:

Full. Blast.

Fuck Buttons: MS|OS - Olympians (mp3)

Snapshots: The Big Pink @ Neumos

2010-03-22T14:14:00.001-07:00

I had the chance to see The Big Pink play Neumos last friday!! Here's a couple quick shots of the band I took during the show. They really cooked it up. I, personally, loved last year's A Brief History of Love. Some people don't agree... but they can suck it. In my top ten for emerging bands of 2009 and definitely one of the best shows of 2010, so far! Then again, I was ultimately cross-faded, so take heed. <3

Alubm Review: MGMT - Congratulations

2010-03-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

I'm finally having a chance to sit down and listen to our beloved MGMT's new album Congratulations. For bands like MGMT, follow-ups are always tricky territory. I'm sure each of you can name a band for every finger that's completely fucked up LP2 - especially bands that gained a considerable about of notice for their first album. MGMT was a huge part of the electro explosion. They erupted onto the scene in a big way with a big sound, reinforcing themselves along the way with some absolutely killer remixes.

For Congratualtions, it sounds like they are taking the ever trickier route of transforming their sound. Congratulations should be seen as a separate volume rather than a new chapter. The band has opted for a much grander, more broad, encompassing sound the second time around. Making appearances, in no particular order: acoustic guitars, screaming electric guitars, strings, horns, flutes, trippy-synths, normal-synths, vocoders, reverbs, hella feedback ('ghost-like,' at times), chanted choruses, and songs that sweep between each effortlessly. The sound, especially the vocals, reminds me much of early Arcade Fire or even early Flaming Lips, if you can imagine that being applied to a still very MGMT sonic touch.

The lead single, 'Flash Delirium,' left many people, including me, completely turned off. I'm happy to say that after a couple listens through the album I am thoroughly impressed with the precision and poise MGMT has displayed in releasing a second album that could have easily been a mediocre rehashing of their first. Flash Delirium itself makes an incredible amount of sense, in context. 'Someone's Missing' sounds retro-dreamy while the 12+ minute 'Siberian Breaks' is a landscape of amalgamated sounds. The followup 'Brian Eno,' named of course for the God of Sound (whom sometimes goes, simply, by 'Brian'), is a thrashing of epic proportion, signaling the movement to a Deerhunter-like sound for the last stretch of the album. The album's title track 'Congratualtion' closes the album off with an acoustic conquering of the lyric "As strange is it seems, I'd rather dissolve than have you ignore me" - a fitting salutation. If you're looking for that re-hash then I am terribly sorry but you would do best to leave this album out entirely. Congratulations is a Dali if Oracular Spectacular was a van Gogh. Sonically, the album is intensely interesting at every turn, offering sweeping tempos and beats that are downright boppy at times. Some songs sound intensely natural while others, like one of the album's heavy hitters 'Someone's Missing,' sound chronically disillusioned - in a trippy sense [of sound], which I very much appreciate. If any new band's follow-up could ever be considered experimental - ladies and gentleman, I give you MGMT:

MGMT (OS) | (MS) | (W) - Flash Delirium (MP3)

PS: The album was recently leaked, hence clicking the official site link above will take you to a page where you can stream the album in its entirety. MGMT, as stated on the site, opted to allow streaming of the album rather than letting the first wave of listeners be scene-only pirates. If you enjoy it, please do buy it on 4/13! <3

St. Patrick's Day/Kells Aftermath - Stout Pounders

2010-03-18T16:58:00.000-07:00

Hey Y'all

Sorry for my extended absence - its been a crazy couple days. Yesterday, especially, as I worked 16 hours shift at Kells, the hands down busiest bar in Seattle, on St. Patrick's Day, bar backing for the main bar. 16 hours with no breaks, on my feet, not having eaten a single thing all day, running back and forth through a totally packed bar, lifting kegs of beer shoulder height, all while wearing dress clothing and a tie. I think I'm going to die now, so I'm going to be a real asshole and just post some of the music played live last night that helped me make it through the night.

The Stout Pounders, a local Seattle Celtic Folk band, rocked the main stage for the a good part of the evening. Their mix of traditional instruments and modern rock swagger was highly reminiscent of the work of The Pouges, and they did a great job getting the afternoon crowd moving. They played an excellent mix of traditional and non-traditional folk music, as well as folk renditions of alternative music such as Nirvana's "Come As You Are" and Flogging Molly's "What's Left On The Flag." I had a chance to meet the lead singer Darin briefly, and he was a characteristic and energetic force for the band.

Stout Pounders - MS|OS

Review: The Morning Benders - Big Echo

2010-03-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

I will begin this post by openly affirming that everyone who contributes to this blog at this time can't fucking stand Grizzly Bear. Put more specifically, I think what we really can't stand is Grizzly Bear's success. I don't know about Jon and Keegan (although I sort of do because we all had a bit of a collective epiphany the last time it came up in conversation), but I see Grizzly Bear as a band that people like because a bunch of critics say everyone should like them...even though I have yet to meet someone who actually likes their music. It's sort of how I used to feel about Radiohead before I got into them....but I really don't think I'll ever change my mind about Grizzly Bear. I've seen them live, I've given both their albums ample chances to actually impress me and give me at least something memorable that I can focus on and say "well at least there are one or two really good songs/moments/anythings." But no. Those moments don't exist with Grizzly Bear. Ever. And therein lies the fucking problem. But everyone goes on and on about how perfectly their songs are crafted, how great the production is, yada yada.

I'm not saying Grizzly Bear completely fucking sucks. I might think it sometimes, but I wouldn't say that (except maybe to Jon and Keegan). At the very least, they have some interesting harmonic tendencies. No, what I'm saying is that Grizzly Bear's success (much like Animal Collective's, in my opinion) is really undeserved, and revolves much more around a few overly influential dickwaving critics than the actual music. If I hear one more person say that Grizzly Bear is a band of "indie rock saviors," I'm going to punch him in the face.

Which is where we get to The Morning Benders. This band definitely has Grizzly Bear influences, but it keeps those tendencies under wraps and uses them as accents that complement their music instead of allowing them to take over. In short, the Morning Benders are what Grizzly Bear would sound like if they were worth listening to:

Their second album, Big Echo, was released a week ago, and I've listened to it 5 times already just in the past 12 hours. Grizzly Bear's bassist/producer Chris Taylor helped out with the studio mixing, which is the perfect role for him and which does add a lot to the entire work without bastardizing it (a quick side-note to this is that listening to Big Echo has fully convinced me that picking the right mixer is easily the biggest make-or-break decision for a band. Just as Yankee Hotel Foxtrot would have been a folksy misstep had it not been for Jim O'Rourke, I can see this album having been somewhat of a bore had it not been for Taylor).

In the end, I think there are several reasons I really like this band. First, I think their sound, unlike Grizzly Bear's, matches the area they hail from. Grizzly Bear has always sounded like a New York operation blindly grasping at a sound that will appeal to people out west; The Morning Benders are from fucking Berkeley, and you can tell. And I like that. You get a perfect sense for the surroundings out of which that the music has grown. The release date of the album also couldn't have been better: this is the best spring/summer anthem I have heard in...well, we all went to school in Seattle, so it's been a longassed time. But most importantly, I find myself constantly hearing moments in their songs where I think to myself "Wow. This is what I always wished I could get out of Grizzly Bear, but with this I don't have to try so goddamn hard." It seems far more effortless for this group, and I sort of hope that Chris Taylor walked out of the studio at the end having learned just as much as did the band members themselves.

The Morning Benders - OS|MS

Caribou

2010-03-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

Dan Snaith, a.k.a. Caribou, drops his new album on April 20th! Check out the new track, "Odessa." Excellently badass drinking/walking/doing anything music, if you ask me. I think this album is going to be really good, and I'm glad to see him mixing up his routine like this:

Download the track for free here.

The Hold Steady

2010-03-15T13:12:00.001-07:00

:)

Shit's goin' down in May.

*excited*

Pantha du Prince

2010-03-14T21:35:00.000-07:00

House and techno are big genres. Reading about their origins only complicates the issue, as they have grown into such a umbrella terms that I don't really even fully understand why anyone even bothers with them anymore. That a group like Justice and can have their sound reduced to "French house" seems a bit ridiculous to me, because it does a disservice both to their sound as well as providing people with a ready-made label they can smack onto any given type of music, just for the sake of being able to call it something.

That being said, the evolution of these terms is interesting to me if only as an academic exercise. Why a certain type of music classifies as something specific is much less interesting to me than seeing what types of people get into what types of music. Someone who can seem very shy and introverted might only be able to study while listening to Rob Zombie. A kid from London might like an over-the-top American experimental pop group because it gives them a worthwhile glimpse into our country and its scene, or maybe just because music like that doesn't get made where that person lives.....or maybe just because it's fucking ridiculous and you can jump around to it while throwing back PBR and chain-smoking! Whatever the reason, I always enjoy trying to dig at the upbringing and the culture behind a given artist just as much as objectively analyzing the music itself.

With this in mind, I suggest giving Pantha du Prince a spin. He's from Germany, and his style could be classified six ways to Sunday, but I think the best way to think of it is like a cat that doesn't necessarily jump right on your lap the first time you meet, and is gonna do what he's gonna do. I have a feeling (and I may be wrong, but it's fun to think about) that this guy's personality is channeled directly into his albums without being filtered too much, if at all. This isn't music you have to be patient with; this is music that has to be patient with you. Most every song begins as stripped-down as it can possibly be while still representing some musical idea, and takes its time to allow you to naturally follow its progression. There are no sudden, jarring shifts, yet it's also not music designed for a purpose (i.e. for people to dance or rave to). There is never a moment where the listener is jolted out of the hypnosis the music creates, but the hypnosis isn't as important as seeing how the songs unfold to bring you along for the ride. Even when the music fills into its complete form, the listener was allowed to see the naked process. It's like watching cells divide and grow into a person. What begins as a series of scattered clicks and background noise will be a pulsating, hoppin beat 5 minutes later, with nothing skipped in between. It's an amazingly simple concept, but he does it so well that you never get bored, and it can be played again and again without losing its effect.

I think a good introduction to Pantha du Prince would be the track "Saturn Strobe," off his 2007 album This Bliss. It's easily one of my favorite songs of his (and I'm really glad someone made a video like this to go along with it):

Yeah. I know. Just take a second and soak that in. Now for "Satellite Snyper," off his brand new album Black Noise. Just let this roll all over your ears. It's like raindrops caressing your soul:

Teh sex. Also: best. night. driving. music. ever.

Pantha du Prince - MS|OS

The National - New Song pt. 2!

2010-03-14T20:44:00.000-07:00

Awesome! After the debut of "Terrible Love" on Jimmy Fallon's show, we have a preview almost the entire album! They played 'secret' show in Brooklyn last night, and although I wasnt able to make in time to see them (sad), there is one pretty good youtube video that came out of it. Its called "Vanderville Cry Baby," and although I'm not as big a fan of it as I was "Terrible Love," its still pretty awesome.

Also floating around the nets are these live version of "The Runaway" and "Blood Ohio Buzz." For awhile I wasn't sure that if this was really going to be on the album, but it turned up on the setlist last night so here we go. "The Runaway" is another slow song, but "Blood Ohio Buzz" is more like the anthemic successes of the past that we all know and love.

The National - MS|OS

The National - Runaway

The Nation - Blood Ohio Buzz

Goldfrapp

2010-03-13T14:25:00.000-08:00

I was recently turned onto this delicious band that entirely slipped under my radar (thx mols:) ). Thank goodness this band is [hella] on my radar. Their new album, Head First, to be released via Mute Records on March 22nd, is the most accurate depiction of neo-80's electro feel-goodery I've heard in some time. The album reeks of hair spray, conjuring images of neon tracksuits and cigarettes. It sounds like Top Gun in an alternate universe future where the F-14's are covered in disco ball mirrors and Tom Cruise finally admits his bisexual tendencies. The album encapsulates the feel-good, fuck-all attitude that characterized the lost generation of the eighties. Breathy vocals smother pulsating synthpop lines on the more up-beat tracks bringing a sound that can only be described as moving. You can almost picture yourself driving through the Arizona desert in a cherry red convertible with a marloboro in your mouth and a pretty girl on your bench seat. It feels like energy, or youth; it feels like falling in love.

Other tracks will toss you into a foggy dream room; down-tempo beats walking you slowly down the street on a sunny day with a hazy head. Take this album on a walk on a nice day and don't take it too seriously. The music is powerful and the lyrics are catchy. This is, by far, the most fun I've had with an album this year, so far. Many thumbs up.

Goldfrapp (OS) | (MS) | (W) - Rocket | Alive

Buy on Lala!

Ryan Adams

2010-03-13T13:55:00.000-08:00

Mr. Adams would like us to take him seriously as metalhead. Ryan Adams has always been one of my favorite alt country artists - Heartbreaker and Gold are two of my favorite records from the genre. Sadly, Adams went far, far downhill very, very quickly. He released 12 LPs and 5 EPs last decade alone - not counting his side-projects. You could say he's been 'busy' but the quality of his work has dropped significantly since his early years when his solo project was his sole project.

Here's another project. Orion - A self-described 'legit metal' record. Adams has fooled around in metal before; tinges of the genre can be heard in his early records especially. This is, apparently, quite different. And, if the track below has anything to say about that, I believe it. I don't really know if I'm qualified to deem anything 'legit metal' but this... well this is something. It falls more into the category of 80's hair metal than anything resembling metal in its current state, but that makes sense in the context of a kid growing up listening to precisely those kinds of bands. Consider it a back to roots attack from the hyperactive artist. Adams is 'pulling a Tarantino,' if you will. Enjoy.

Ryan Adams (OS) | (MS) | (W) - Electrosnake

Spillway

2010-03-12T12:41:00.000-08:00

Local shows/bands are always hit or miss; most of these shows fall into the latter category. I've seen my fair share of local acts playing mediocre to fairly incompetent shows at a variety of locales (mostly Oly). I've also had my mind blown to pieces by a couple of these acts.

Last night, I'm happy to say, I had my mind ravaged by the sound of Spillway. The band, originally from Dallas, TX, has recently taken up post in Seattle with three of the original members and two locals. I sat through the [mediocre] openers and threw back a couple beers to take in the venue: Cafe Racer, a hipster bar (by all means) characterized by its 'home-like' feel: multiple rooms over a split level, inhabited by a wide range of cliques doing their own thing in each area. The 'stage' was just one of these rooms, but it felt 'garage like.' [It's certainly worth visiting]

I was expecting next to nothing and I received quite the opposite. It took all of ten seconds for me to fall in love with the band and they continued to impress throughout, driving my desire for more. Like a drug, enjoyment only brought more desire and it wasn't long until my subtle sway to the sound gave way to full-on dancing/head-banging action.

This is the best local act I've seen since Starfucker.

Their sound can only be characterized as a landscape: guitars climbing mountaintops; rolling bass and a thumping synth ripping canyons from rock; monstrous drumming pulling the song through swinging tempos; lo-fi vocals pulling a layer of fog to the ground, if only for their twangy peaks to emerge victorious on top. Seriously. I heard tints of bands like Built to Spill, Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, Okkervil River... Self described as a rock/folk/punk group, Spillway merges a number of influences, obvious or not, into something cohesive that I can honestly call the most unique sound I've heard in a while. Each song has movement to it: varying velocities carry you to the top of a peak and toss you off, effortlessly, seamlessly, to a hole in the ground, pitch black and frightening. With few slip-ups, the band could be called impressive if only for the near-perfect execution of their ideas.

The recordings on the myspace page are a tad dated and I'd say that the sound has changed considerably since their Dallas days. I'm not sure if the lo-fi vocals was intended last night, but you won't hear it in these tracks. The band will be recording in the coming weeks and they've said they'll send me a track or two, so DO look forward to that. I'll be keeping close tabs on this band as they develop.

Also check out their official site and download their first album 'Any Old Place' (It's VERY good). They have their upcoming release listed as 'Stop Dreaming/The Northernmost Fisherman.'

Next show is April 4th at The Comet Tavern w/ Motopony. Who wants to come with?

Spillway (MS) | (OS) - Hair n Bone | UPDATE: *Rise and Rise and Fall* | Fader Parader

The National Debut New Song On Jimmy Fallon

2010-03-11T17:53:00.000-08:00

I may still be on the fence about Jimmy Fallon's new show, but I'm a staunch supporter of anything The National does. They debuted the lead track from their upcoming album High Violet on Jimmy's show last night and it sounds like vintage National, with a slow, epic buildup packed with emotion the way only these Brooklyn indie rockers can do. Its called "Terrible Love," and its wonderful.

Album out May 11th!

The National - OS|MS

The National - Terrible Love (Live)

Charlotte Gainsbourg Tour!!!

2010-03-11T14:06:00.000-08:00

Yeah, she's hot. And French. And an awesome singer. And she just announced the dates for her North America tour. And she'll be in Seattle on April 14th @ The Crocodile Cafe.

Yeah. Look at that picture one more time. Now be fucking stoked. Unless you're going to Portland on that same day to see The xx @ The Crystal Ballroom. Decisions, decisions...

Massive Attack w/Damon Albarn

2010-03-11T12:40:00.000-08:00

In honor of the recently released albums Heligoland and Plastic Beach – by Massive Attack and Gorillaz, respectively – I post this video in honor of crossover performances. Enjoy:

I will shit a brick if this happens at Sasquatch.

Two Reasons Why I Can't Wait For Of Montreal's New Album

2010-03-10T21:32:00.000-08:00

This: "Bananas Rice Applesauce Toast"

.....and this:

False Priest comes out at some point this year. Get your pig suits and smoke grenades ready, fuckers.

LCD Soundsystem Watch 2k10

2010-03-10T18:48:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in a previous post, LCD Soundsystem should be dropping a new album in the near future. However, back in those olden times, there was no new music to accompany it. And while we may still be missing an song list from the potential album, or any official album tracks we do have these two teasers to help us wait it out.

The first is footage from the Yves Saint Lauren fashion show, for which LCD Soundsystem wrote and recorded a new song. Apparently its an interpretation of a soon to be released single entitled "Another Heartbreak/Don't Don't Redux" by Peter Gordon & the Love of Life Orchestra. Whoever that is. But its solid, with a smooth electro groove flowing thorughout for the ten minutes the song lasts.

Our next artifact is a song called "Oh You (Christmas Blues). James Murphy was recently given the job of sound tracking Noah Baumbach, director of the awesome The Squid and the Whale, new movie Greenberg, and while most of the songs are credited to James Murphy, this one is credited to LCD Soundsystem. Its a very lo-fi, very 70s affair (nearly the opposite of the last song, in fact), but definitely worth a listen.

Also a Soulwax remix of "Get Innocuous," mostly because I love Soulwax.

LCD Soundsystem - OS|MS

LCD Soundsystem - Oh You (Christmas Blues)

LCD Soundsystem - Get Innocuous (Soulwax Remix)

--- Update!!!! The album will not be called "Internet Sensation." Because thats a horrible title.

Neon Indian

2010-03-10T18:40:00.000-08:00

YES! A new track from one of my favorite new bands of 2009. Sounds like their sound is maturing a bit, perhaps even moving away from the chillwave sound that drove their first LP. Give it a listen! I wish I could post the MP3, but fucking Pepsi would shut down the blog (that's happened before). So, enjoy this nice, refreshing taste of Neon Indian brought to you via FUCKING PEPSI! If you feel like wading through the ad-infested site, there is an MP3 you can download w/ no strings attached (minus the abhorrent agreement you have to make not to re-distribute it).

[I do not endorse drinking copious amounts of high fructose corn syrup... and I'm sure NI doesn't either. But thx pepsi!]

KAVINSKY MOTHERFUCKERS

2010-03-09T16:38:00.000-08:00

Kavinsky. The man behind of some of my favorite French speed electro that ran parrellel to the bloghouse era of 2k8 is back a new EP entitled Nightcall. An EP which was mixed by SebastiAn, who turned Kavinsky's "Testarossa Autodrive" into the most testosterone fueled electro explosion of the whole era. An EP which was produced by motherfucking Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo of Daft Punk. With vocals from Lovefoxxx from CSS!

"Nightcall" itself is not exactly a return to that unabashed energy, but its a super slick track thats definately worth a listen.

However, the true highlight, at least, for myself, is "Pacific Coast Highway," which is a return to that energy, and is perhaps the closest thing to "Testarossa Autodrive" that there can be, as a reporter tracks an high speed chase. I have no idea why Kavisnky knows how to perfectly soundtrack an 80's influenced high speed pursuit, but he does, and it works.

You should probably check out "Testarossa Autodrive" if you missed it, because its one of the coolest things ever.

Kavinsky - MS

~~"Nightcall"~~

"~~Pacific Coast Highway~~"

Removed at request

YACHT Quicky, or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the YACHT

2010-03-08T17:39:00.001-08:00

Jon has a long love-hate relationship with YACHT. For the most part, that conflict arose from the severe impact the break-up of The Blow had on me. Jona Bechtolt went on to form YACHT, playing shows with some great opening acts for a couple of years (I saw them with Architecture in Helsinki and Vampire Weekend). Recently, Claire Evans joined the team and the duo produced See Mystery Lights, one of 2009's big surprises and certainly in my top ten for the year.

I decided to give the band another chance last two summers ago when a festival in Astoria was canceled and promptly rescheduled, very last minute for Portland. The first leg of the festival was on a sunny afternoon in West Portland, beyond the industrial district, on a cliff looking out to an expansive mountain range. The mood was oh-so-fitting for the local sound-bands that Jona was introducing. There was an incredible energy in the air, just pure love for music.

For the second leg, we all filled our flasks and headed down to an alley on the Eastside where the rest of the, much louder, bands played. I was there to see E-Rock and not so excited for YACHT but I stuck around because of the passion and willingness to contribute to the Portland community that Jona exhibited throughout the day. I figured, even if I don't like his music, this man is incredible.

And then he played some early versions of tracks from See Mystery Lights - it was whiplash.

The sun was entirely absent and the alley was dimly lit by the streetlights and a couple well-positioned shop lights. The music reverberated between the walls, creating something of a typhoon of sound. A man in a bar across the street began verbally harassing Jona before the crowd broke into a chant of "fuck off" sentiment while Jona and Claire brought us seemlessly into 'The Afterlife.'

Brilliant. Exquisite. This DFA Records oldie is certainly a goodie! I can't wait for the bands follow-up. Check out this mash-up I recently found: a mashup of 'I'm In Love With A Ripper' and Dominique Young Unique. Not everyone's bag of chips, I'm sure, but we all need a little delicious hip-hop mashers every once in a while. Yummy.

YACHT (OS)/(MS) v. Dominique Unique Young (MS) - I'm In Love With a Hot Girl

ALSO! The band recently announced something very big, which is described in thorough, weird detail in the following video. In brief, YACHT has added three new members to the team who will be known as The Straight Gaze. YACHT and The Straight Gaze will be touring with LCD Soundsystem in North America and Europe this year. Fuck yes.

YACHT & The Straight Gaze (PT. 1) from Jona Bechtolt on Vimeo.

Titus Andronicus - New Album!

2010-03-08T14:03:00.000-08:00

Titus Andronicus is a great band. That much is obvious. The Airing of Grievances is an incredibly strong debut, with spiky punk rock made all the more meaningful with the shoegaze, lo-fi buzz that envelops it.

You know what else they are great at? Naming stuff. Being English majors all, they must be painfully conscious that their band's name is a reference to Shakespere first and most unbelievably violent revenge play - a Tarentinoesque romp through an ancient Roman world of murder, cannibalism, gang rape and incest. The first albums title is equally awesome, being the name of a coveted ceremony of Festivus, the Christmas celebration made popular by Seinfeld.

So what are they talking about in Monitor? It can be hard to tell, with inscrutable liner notes and the inablility to make out most of what the lead singer barks - but it turns out its the Civil War, as the Monitor was the first ironclad ship which was deployed during the civil war (you know those ugly tent looking things? yeah). Titus Andronicus decided to use their 2nd album to honor the upcoming anniversary of this great conflict, and have appropriately shifted their approach. The songs hear are longer, more epic, and tinged with an atmosphere that recalls the work of The Pouges or The Dropkick Murphy's.

I haven't had a chance to make it through the whole album yet, but what I've heard is solid and interesting. And this song, "A More Perfect Union," seems fairly emblematic of the character of the album as a whole. And its good!

Titus Andronicus - OS|MS

Titus Andronicus - "A More Perfect Union"

Minus the Bear

2010-03-07T15:37:00.000-08:00

Y'all,

I'll come out and be the first to say that I'm not a big Minus the Bear fan. Seattle's darling band has released a few very averagely good records over the years and created a fan base that spans oceans. They are, to me, the remnants of Seattle's grunge - among other NW favorites like Built to Spill and Modest Mouse. They are the natural, direct evolution of that dead genre and, likewise, embody a sound that 'sounds NW.' Seattle's grunge movement captured the contrast between the raw energy of a newly bustling city, surrounded on all sides by some of the best nature has to offer in this country, with the general feeling of what it's like to live here. As Seattle died in the late 90's, so did grunge. From the ashes emerged a new kind of post-rock that embodies [imo] the mundanity, general dreariness, and out-of-touch feeling that graces our land for a majority of the year (it rains here a lot, btw!). Minus the Bear, as well as the other bands mentioned, have built mountains of sound: tall, twisty, complex, guitar-driven masterpieces.

So what is Minus the Bear up to on their upcoming LP release Omni (May 4; Dangerbird Records)? New record label + new toy = new sound. The album, named after the Omnichord synthesizer, will not be that complex guitar mountain masterpiece fans are expecting. And I expect that the scene will take notice. "My Time" is the synth-driven lead single from their upcoming release. The track marries the MTB vocals and general MTB caveats with a retro-future synth sound that could make Michael Angelakos' head turn. It's everything you would expect from MTB, except not. I'm wondering how hard it will be on the fans to swallow the new sound. I've listened to plenty of MTB in my time - Planet of Ice is one of my favs in my record collection - but I've never been able to get over the severe bland taste that develops in my mouth after back-to-back replays. It's like drinking soda; the first can is just as quenching as you'd expect it to be, but the second just tastes like corn syrup. MTB builds albums - not iPod filler; they're like books - you don't reread them back to back and you don't skip through to your favorite parts.

If MTB can build an album off of this sound, it has the potential to bring forth something new in Seattle's music scene. Not that the ideas presented in this song are anything special, just different. A new decade; a new sound. Let's just see what happens. Please, listen for yourself (you've been warned).

Minus the Bear (Wiki) | (OS) | (MS) - My Time (mp3 via Box)

UPDATE: Just listened to a couple new tracks off the forthcoming release. Can't wait to see how they bring it all together!!

New Amon Tobin Album!

2010-03-05T19:29:00.000-08:00

Ho. Ly. SHIT.

So I discovered two things today that I should have known sooner. The first is that Splinter Cell: Conviction is coming out next month, which I thought would never happen and which I had stopped thinking about. This might seem musically irrelevant, but here's how my brain operates:

1. Man, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory was awesome.

2. What was even more awesome about Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory was the fact that somehow they got fucking Amon Tobin to do the entire soundtrack.

3. I love, LOVE that soundtrack. It might be the best shit he's ever dropped. I'm really glad he's contributing to the new Splinter Cell game!

4. Hey, I wonder what my favorite Brazilian musician is up to anyway? After all, Foley Room came out in like, 2007, right? That's 3 years! Maybe he's touring! Or maybe I should go check out his website and HOLYFUCKINGSHITHE'SINTHE

5. STUDIORIGHTNOWWORKINGONANEWALBUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6. Is there.......a new track.......per chance.....?

7. FUCK YES THERE'S A NEW TRACK!!!

The album isn't named yet, but the track is called Hey Mr. Tree. Enjoy having Amon Tobin unleash 500 different drum effects upon your brain-hole at once (enjoy the visualizer too). Fuck, I cannot wait for this album:

Amon Tobin - Hey Mr. Tree

Amon Tobin - MS|OS

Some other older fav Amon Tobin tracks that people might dig:

Amon Tobin - Bloodstone

Amon Tobin - Four Ton Mantis (YT)

Late Entry: Lindstrøm & Christabelle

2010-03-05T13:13:00.000-08:00

Just have to shoot out a quick mention for this INCREDIBLE album that's taken me far too long to listen to. This is, easily, my second favorite LP of the year of the year so far. Complete and concise in its ideas, it presents itself with the utmost energy. I can only really describe it as banger disco making love to MJ. The entire album is butter. Do yourself a favor and spend an hour with this record. HOLY SHIT.

PS: Keegan, post some Lindstrøm baby.

Lindstrøm & Christabelle (MS) - Lovesick

Buy @ Amazon

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

2010-03-05T12:44:00.000-08:00

I've had the chance to spend some quality time with the new Gorillaz album and I'm happy to say that I consider it a wide success. Sonically, each of the Gorillaz albums has been very distinct. Plastic Beach is no different. The myriad of performers on this album each contribute a unique sound, but underlying everything is a dream-like, twangy, afro-poppy sound. This album, honestly, swings. On a first run through, I was turned off by the, seemingly, less powerful sound. On multiple relistens, I can safely say that some tracks on this album will swing you softly around the dance floor while viciously beating the life out of your face (via ears). Not all of the tracks here are as solid as others, and Plastic Beach does come off a bit more like a B-Side album this time around (even for Gorillaz), but it's welllll worth a listen. It sounds like Albarn and Hewlett cherry-picked artists that would understand their idea and let each of the artists take the song and the concept of Plastic Beach and do whatever they wanted with it. What you end up with is an incredibly diverse record in which we can bob to Snoop, chill to Lou Reed, and straight up bounce to Gruff.

The lead single on this album, in my opinion, is Rhinestone Eyes. No guest starts here. As far as I know this is just Albarn and Hewlett.

Wanna get the shit beaten out of you? Turn it up to 11.

Gorillaz (OS)| (MS)Rhinestone Eyes (mp3)

Listen/Buy @ LaLa and if they EVER tour again, make god damn sure you don't miss it.

Do Yourself A Favor And Get Into The Antlers

2010-03-04T13:20:00.001-08:00

Sorry for the blog-clogging on my part, but this suddenly dawned on me when it randomly came back up on my iTunes: I forgot how much I love The Antlers, and how not nearly enough people know about them. I could go into detail about them, but I think watching a video of them playing two of my favorite songs of theirs in the back of a Parisian cafe will probably tell you more:

The Antlers - Two / Epilogue - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

The Antlers - MS

@ Neumos on May 5th w/Phantogram!!!!!!!!

Four Tet Remixes Caribou

2010-03-04T13:04:00.000-08:00

Keegan likes Four Tet. I like Caribou. Four Tet makes baller remixes. Enjoy:

Tim's Track Of The Day: "Kid Klimax" by Atlas Sound

2010-03-03T11:31:00.000-08:00

I'm going to start putting up a short post every day with a link to or video of a track from an artist I have recently discovered, or who people might have overlooked. To keep it brief, I just discovered Atlas Sound. Which also means I discovered Deerhunter. Which all basically means I just discovered Bradford Cox. His ambient stream-of-consciousness style endlessly juxtaposes the staggeringly beautiful against the disturbed and fucked-up-ugly in a way that Animal Collective only wishes it could (although this album does feature an appearance by Panda Bear that I can actually stand). Anyway, this a really beautiful song, and I hope you enjoy it!

Cheetah luvs!!!

Atlas Sound - MS

Deerhunter - MS

Wilco Sandwiches, Anyone?

2010-03-03T10:43:00.000-08:00

Wilco never looked so tasty.

Review: Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks

2010-03-02T17:45:00.000-08:00

Frightened Rabbit released their newest album on March 1st, and the cheetah was lucky enough to score a cop (thank god for imports, yeah?). And its good. Its very good.

One of the hardest things about their last album, for all of its brilliance, was that the entirety of the album depended on the repeat of the same structure. A good structure at that, and an interesting way to make the album as hard hitting as it ultimately was, but the adherence to this theme was undercut by the unbelievable quality of the first song "The Modern Leper." It made the album hard to access when they perfected the format on that first shot. And while songs like "The Twist" took cues from LCD Soundsystem, among others, to experiment and make the album one of the finest of 2008, and the decade as a whole, the album never entirely clicked as a whole.

So what to think about this new effort? How can it stack up against an album whose biggest flaw was that one of its songs was too good? The answer is - reverse the format. Explore different themes. For as similar as something like Frightened Rabbit will always sound to American ears, it couldn't be anymore different. Like opposing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, the the only thing that makes them so different is how similar they are.

This album is, in certain places, simply bigger. Almost like a Snow Patrol or a Coldplay, and I mean that in the kindest sense, this album sounds like Frightened Rabbit shooting for the edges of a stadium, writing songs that use their essential intimateness to skyrocket their album to the most essential and meaningful of places. Songs like "The Loneliness and the Scream" and "Skip the Youth" perhaps emphasize this the most, with choruses whose chants reach almost anthemic levels.

None of which is to say that that Frightened Rabbit has traded any of their defining intelligence or speed of emotion to create The Winter of Mixed Drinks. Whereas the last album took a microscope to one man's crises of emotion and loss, an examination of the self-loathing and pain of that situation, here we see Scott Hutchinsen look at ideas such as escape, freedom and rejuvenation. This is an album where we see our hero learn to accept to move on, acutely aware of what he felt but with a new direction to send his attention. The lead singles most acutely bring this to the listener's attention, "Swim Until You Cant See Land" sounding like the protagonist doing exactly what the title describes, before finally finding the realization he needs to move his psyche forward. "Nothing Like You," which is as close to "The Modern Leper" as the album comes, as potentially depressing as the title sounds, contains lyrics as simple and as poignant as "She was not the cure for cancer."

So here we are. An album with a wider range, one that flows smoother than their last effort. But one which never quite reaches the emotional rawness of The Midnight Organ Fight. I cant say that this album is as good as their last effort, but I can definitely say that I like it as much.

((cheetah loves))

Frightened Rabbit - MS|OS

Frightened Rabbit - No One Like You

New Gorillaz!!!

2010-03-02T14:15:00.000-08:00

Shiiii. The new Gorillaz album, Plastic Beach, is streaming in its entirety at NPR. Snoop Dogg is definitely on the opening track. Get that shit all up in yo animated grill:

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

I ruv Owen Pallett

2010-03-02T10:13:00.000-08:00

Formerly known as Final Fantasy, Owen Pallett, who is perhaps best known as the man behind the string arrangements used by Arcade Fire, recently released his first solo album under his real name: Heartland. It's fun, playful, slightly cheeky, cinematic, and extraordinarily diverse. And he's @ The Crocodile on May 8th! Here's the video he just released for the song "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt." Enjoy!

Owen Pallett - MS

Nada Surf New Song

2010-03-01T19:17:00.000-08:00

Im tired. This song is pretty good and I like Nada Surf. Hooray!

luv

Nada Surf MS|OS

Nada Surf - Electrocution (Bill Fox)

The Dutchess and the Duke + The Cave Singers @ The Empyrean in Spokane!

2010-02-26T00:28:00.000-08:00

The Empyrean is the one place in Spokane where the hidden hipster scene comes out of the woodwork. Up until November of last year, "The Empyrean" was across town in an ex-lamp shop, but had to move out for the same reason that The War Room in Seattle fell on hard times: Washington state bitching about the fucking sprinkler systems. So it moved into a building known locally as "The Big Dipper," which is owned by some 70-year-old ex-hippie and which has sat dormant for...my entire life. And I have no idea why it hasn't been used until now, because it's an amazing venue...and after a nice acoustic show by The Dutchess and the Duke (I think they had an equipment malfunction so they had to play unplugged), Spencer and I totally got to sit in what is basically a loft directly over the stage for the entirety of The Cave Singers' set:

The Cave Singers!!

And here are some shots from The Dutchess and the Duke:

(The Duke)

(The Dutchess). Hell yes. They both finished bottles, if you're wondering...

All in all, I was impressed. The venue and both the shows far exceeded expectations, and it was a lot of fun having such intimate access. I hope now that The Empyrean has resumed operations at this new (and better) location, Spokane will start attracting more shows like these. God knows the city needs them.

And if you like chill indie folk, both of these bands are worth a look. D&D is more intimate, while The Cave Singers sound as if David Gray went indie. Check them out!

The Cave Singers- MS

The Dutchess and the Duke - MS

Charlotte Gainsbourg

2010-02-25T16:23:00.000-08:00

I'm about to do two things that I am highly loathe to do: comment on something Pitchfork already got their grubby hipster hands on, and add to Keegan's "France" tag count. But alas, I have to, so I will keep it short:

I am quickly becoming convinced that IRM by French actress/singer Charlotte Gainsbourg easily one of if not the best albums released within the past 12 months. If you haven't listened, just get it. Now. Her voice is saucy and all but one of the songs were written/produced by Beck. I mean, fuck, what else does a growing boy need?

Justin Faust - Holdin' On

2010-02-25T13:38:00.000-08:00

I suppose I do put alot of effort into finding obscure french electro outfits, so I suppose it time to share with y'all another type of beast - the enigmatic German electronic producer. Justin Fuast, the "Muscles from Munich" is a prime example of the reclusive, supremely talented individuals pumping music out of the fatherland. I know only a very little about him, though apparently he has been producing music 1992, and I've certainly seen him pop up every once and a while on places like discodust - but hes tearing up the blogs this morning with his newly released single Holdin' On.

And with good reason. The title track is absolutely incredible. It sounds like the best of smooth French house - almost Daft Punk. I know of no higher praise. The track struts in back and forth between disco and house so effortlessly and efficiently - and with such incredible Germanness.

The other highlight track is Witty, which, while still heavily disco influenced, has a bit more of that speedy, electro timbre. Both stand out tracks, from a stand out producer. Keep your eyes on Justin Faust.

Justin Faust - MS

Justin Faust - Holdin' On

Justin Faust - Witty

Tim has a record player and speakers. Uh oh.

2010-02-25T12:51:00.000-08:00

So my project yesterday was rummaging around in my basement and piecing together all the parts of what has now become my vinyl setup. My room needed a change, and once I had discovered a few days ago that there actually is a place in this God-forsaken city of Spokane to get ahold of records, I wanted to get some vinyl up in this bitch:

To say I'm retro-ing my room would be an understatement. I don't know how old the record player is...but the speakers are from 1963. And the story on them is the most baller shit of all time: my dad essentially bought them through the White House...

In the early 60s, my dad lived in a Virginia suburb, right outside D.C., and one of his neighbors happened to be the White House electronics guy, who had worked for multiple administrations (and apparently at some point partied with Jackie Kennedy) and was the guy in charge of everything that the White House used. He offered to get my dad the government price on these speakers, which were literally the single best speakers you could get at the time (made at M.I.T., which more recently spawned Bose), by including it in the next order he made for equipment at the White House. And now I have them. Be afraid. I already bought Kid A and Aeroplane.

LCD Soundsystem - New Album!

2010-02-24T22:06:00.000-08:00

I was pretty depressed today, considering how much effort me and my friend Matt put into trying to get into Four Tet last night and what an epic fail that was - until I read on Pitchfork that LCD Soundsystem finished their new album today. Unfortunately they haven't released any new material for it yet, but here's hoping for a leak...

Unfortunately, I did a little research and it looks like this will be the last LCD Soundsystem album - and the next tour will be the last tour. So if you haven't seen LCD Soundsystem yet, you need to get on it. The concert I saw in San Francisco was the single most epic musical experience I have had in my whole life - hand to god, James Murphy rocked the amphitheater so hard he started controlling the weather. Seriously, he made lighting strike in time to his music. You think I'm exaggerating, but no. James Murphy is literally the art house disco punk reincarnation of Zeus.

Anywho, in lieu of any new stuff, here is Kermit the Frog singing "New York, I Love You."

LCD Soundsytem - OS|MS

LCD Soundsystem - "New York, I Love You"

Marsmobil

2010-02-23T23:15:00.000-08:00

I give you Marsmobil. They're a German lounge/psychedelic duo that you would be wise to check out. While I love me some French banger shiz just as much as the next...Keegan...every once in a while it's just time to sit back, wear something straight out of a Sean Connery-era James Bond film (or at least imagine that you're that cool), drink a fucking martini, bust out your shag-pad, and listen to some sweet, sweet electronic vermouth. Want an olive with that? I hope you like them stuffed...

Seriously. You will never feel more suave. Your life will revert back to technicolor, and you will wonder why we ever abandoned 60s block font (and the pop art furniture!!!). I mean, I went for the longest time thinking that these two were French. They sure cover their tracks well in their music. But alas no, they are German...and somehow manage never, ever to sound like it. But really, I don't think it really matters where they're from when they can bust out tracks like these:

Unlike Caribou, Marsmobil embraces the shtick...and doesn't give a fuck because the shtick is sometimes just the shit the doctor ordered. You know it, and they know it, and they know you know it.

Their most recent album, Minx, was released in 2007, and it's awesome. Don't take my word for it. Even the music videos are awesome (and awesomely German and weird):

Their next effort, entitled (Why Don't You Take) The Other Side?, is dropping this April. I can't wait. Oh wait, yes I can, because right now I'm a suave, martini-drinking, Foucault-reading pop-art-viewing motherfucker...and I have all the time in the world.

Marsmobil - MS

Artist Profile: Irish Steph

2010-02-23T16:12:00.000-08:00

As Tim was kind enough to bring to my attention, it has been quite a long while since we've had any of that genuine French electro banger shiz up on the cheetah. So I present to you - Irish Steph. Despite what the name implies, he is very, very French, being from Cannes, and even though he labels his music 'Electro/Celtic', his work is very, very banger. I've been watching this guy ever since he appeared on Vogelspand about a year ago, but Ive been waiting for him to drop something new since I wasn't really posting much back then. However, in the interest of helping them gain a little buzz, he is only 17 after all, and because our neighbors to the north Trashbag Kids posted working links (cheetah luvs Trashbag)

Irish Steph plays out alot like Justice did when they wrote Planisphere for that fashion show. Its got the electro banger energy and beat, but with some absolutely vicious guitar riffs that grab your attention and send the music on its own trajectory. Power is a good example, opening with some very Sebastian style bass noise and distortion, until some straight heavy metal guitar arrives to rock your world (with a nice "Prepare --- To Headbang").

Irish Steph - Power

The Guide is another great example, with a super Justice-esque opener moving into some glorious funk movement before coming back to catch the listener off gaurd, before punching it in twice as hard.

Irish Steph - The Guide (ft. Apricot'Yo)

Again, not alot of his stuff is accesible on the blogosphere, but enjoy the stuff below and remember - long live French Electro!

Irish Steph - MS

Irish Steph - Leprechauns Eat Red Socks

Irish Steph - Shamrock (Deluce Remix)

Irish Steph - Leprechauns Head Bang tinymix

Phantogram + KEXP = Sex.

2010-02-23T15:50:00.000-08:00

Massive Attack - Heligoland

2010-02-23T12:08:00.000-08:00

About a month or so ago, Jon was surprised to hear me say that I wasn't looking forward to the fact that Massive Attack was finally about to release a new album. He was probably surprised because I recently had introduced him to Massive Attack; I clearly loved the shit out of them and wanted to share Massive Attack's thick black trip-hop love with him and anyone else who would listen. Only now I wasn't excited about the fact that Massive Attack was finally releasing a new album after a fucking 7-year long wait (and essentially a 12-year wait, seeing as their 2003 release 100th Window didn't involve all the usual members), and this was understandably odd.

Here's why I was somewhat ambivalent: I had heard the track "Splitting the Atom," which had been leaked around 6 months or so ago, and which was to be included on the new album, Heligoland. And I'll be honest...it's a horrible track. The pulsating, beautifully dark music that I had fallen in love with had somehow been replaced by sheer gloomy loops, with an annoying distorted baritone voice that detracted further from the music. I was pretty worried that the decade-long collaborative hiatus had essentially killed off whatever semblance of Massive Attack's unique songcrafting ability might have remained.

But I would hate to pass judgement on one of my all-time favorite groups after hearing one song. So when it came out at the beginning of this month, I gave Heligoland a good few listens, put it down, and didn't come back to it until now. And while I'm still not insane about it, I've come around to it. I think it's a lot better than Pitchfork did (they ripped it a 5.0), and while it still has that stupid track on it, it also has some true highlights.

There are a lot of guest performances on the album, more than usual for the group. 4/5 of the album is made up of tracks featuring TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe, Elbow's Guy Garvey, Gorillaz's Damon Albarn, Martina Topley-Bird, and Horace Andy (a usual suspect with Massive Attack). I could go through each of them, but I have a feeling that different people will gravitate more towards different vocalists and tracks. All of them are good (with the exception of "Splitting the Atom" ... and I'm not a huge fan of the Guy Garvey track, which sucks because I love Elbow), but I think the second half of the album is where it comes to life – or, Massive Attack's idea of life. The nearly 8-minute closing track, "Atlas Air," is incredible. And "Paradise Circus," of which Keegan already posted a remix, is hauntingly beautiful.

With Massive Attack headlining at Sasquatch!, I have hope once again for this group. I'll likely return to give them another look once I see them live, at which time I will hopefully be able to complete my verdict. But until then, definitely give Heligoland a listen or two. Who knows when how fucking long we'll have to wait for their next album...

Keegan Bait

2010-02-22T16:55:00.000-08:00

I'm just gonna get right to the post I've subconsciously been waiting to write for at least a year: my retrospective, in your (read: Keegan's) face defense of In Rainbows, by Radiohead. For a little background, Keegan thinks this is one of Radiohead's single worst albums, referring to it as nothing more than a "45-minute-long jazz odyssey of B-sides," generally followed by the patented dismissive-Keegan-hand-gesture, and perhaps an added scoff. I, on the other hand, increasingly view this as one of Radiohead's best, most mature albums, and a welcome shift in musical subject material and narrative. (I would also add that Keegan likes Hail to the Thief, which I think has a few good tracks but then devolves into aimless, uninspired musical place-holding...but that's another debate).

To start off, I should mention that In Rainbows is actually the first Radiohead album I ever listened to. I didn't used to like the band like I do today, and because of that I really didn't have much context in terms of where Radiohead had musically been before this album. Only this last year, in response to a Southwest Airlines employee telling me that I look like Thom Yorke, did I do my duty and get the fuck into all the previous albums. And in an odd way, I'm actually glad I didn't have my first OK Computer listening session until I was a senior in college, because it was as if I was experiencing it as a 22-year-old right when the album came out...and I was old enough to appreciate shit that I wouldn't have picked up on when I was in middle school.

Anyway, as I feel like it is with a majority of Radiohead fans, it was the combo of OK Computer and then Kid A that really got me into the band. For a few months, those two albums were practically all I could listen to. I would try escaping from them, but after I listened to anything else for more than 10 minutes, I would just think to myself "man...I could be listening to 'Everything in its Right Place' right now." And as musically limiting as that might sound, I felt like that period of time opened me up to more new ways of hearing music and thinking about the world than any other point in college. I complained to Keegan about this one night, to which he responded "It will consume your life if you let it. Fear Radiohead." They are albums that build an all-encompassing worldview, one which begins to creep into your everyday, non-Radiohead-soundtracked life. I've had my best epiphanies and worst breakdowns to those two albums. I wish this were pure romanticized exaggeration. It's not.

Which brings me back to In Rainbows. Whereas Keegan sees this album as an uninspired collection of songs that sort of accumulated while Radiohead dicked around touring (which is exactly what I think of Hail to the Thief), I'm more inclined to take Yorke at his word: it's about love in a foreign, modern world with which we all too suddenly find ourselves faced. And that's really new material for Radiohead: they spent so much time living in their heads worrying about technology and the postmodern condition that I think they finally figured out that they were leaving out a really important piece of the puzzle. While their earlier albums deal a lot with extraordinarily crushing societal realities, In Rainbows offers what perhaps it took Yorke raising a child to come to terms with: love can be really scary, but it is deep and real, and even if it is harder to attain in the face of the postindustrial world, it only becomes that much more important if we hope to retain our identity. We emotionally need each other if we're going to live:

I am a moth

Who just wants to share your light

I'm just an insect

Trying to get out of the night

I think to dismiss an album this thoughtful and powerful, mostly on the grounds that it doesn't seem at first to fit in with the Radiohead we are used to, is a mistake. I think it says more about the true nature of love and relationships in today's world than most of the type of music we usually associate with that subject material. And yes, it is probably true that when I personally think of putting a Radiohead album on, my mind usually jumps to the more obvious choices. But being a few years removed from its release, and a whole lot more experienced than I was (not just with Radiohead, just in life), I am definitely willing to crown In Rainbows as one of the band's truly best works.