The Last Bison continue to impress with the release of their newest effort Inheritance. While doing some research on the album I stumbled across something pretty awesome. I present to you The Last Bison's take on M83's "Midnight City". Enjoy!
I saw this guy last night on "Jimmy Kimmel Live". He has a very interesting and unique voice that is reminiscent of Johnny Cash. Check out his single called "Downwind" and leave a comment to let us know what you think.
If you missed the Big Gigantic show last night at Minglewood, I am here to save the day with a little bit of video for you. The show was solid overall. The lighting set up was almost enough for system overload as there were 2 rows of square LED screens and enough light scaffolding to cave the roof in. Both players put on exceptional performances; however, the drummer especially impressed me with his musicianship throughout the show. I also liked how the sax player talked to the audience enough to keep them engaged and keep the energy levels high. I would definitely go see them again!
Today we have one coming in from across the pond. UK indie rock band Foals has done something pretty sweet with the first single off their new album Holy Fire. "Inhaler" follows the same recipe as AWOLNATION's "Sail" in a lot of ways, and comes with a pretty cool (and slightly NSFW) video too. Have a great day.
Warning: Video may be NSFW
Downtempo/trip-hop wizard Emancipator dropped his new album Dusk To Dawn a few weeks ago. For those familiar with his body of work this one will fit right in with his past two albums (three if you count last years remix album). For those new listeners, Emancipator is a multi-instrumentalist/DJ who somehow captures soniclly the visual beauty of a slow snowfall. It's the perfect music for a late night in studying or an early morning watching the sun come up. I highly recommend.
In case you missed it, the prog-rock professionals Coheeed and Cambria have released a two disc concept album over the past few months. The albums are called The Afterman: Ascension and The Afterman: Descension. They are true to Co&Ca's typical style while throwing in a few interesting twists. Check out a few of their videos spanning both albums below, and for the true believers out there stop by the official site for their "Inside The Concept" video series to make sense of it all.
The worst is over. So kick back and relax, cause' this week is going to be great. I also highly suggest downloading this whole album stat!
I like jam bands, EDM, Bluegrass, etc. as much as the next guy but the fact remains that from time to time I also like to head-bang, chest pound and listen to some FUCKIN' METAL! So as the resident metal enthusiast for this blog, I feel obligated to drop a post every once in a while to shake things up. One of my favorite metal bands, Lamb of God, recently released a new album by the name of "Resolution". As with most LOG albums, this is an unapologetic sonic journey to some seriously dark places with epic guitar shredding, blood curdling vocals, and ridiculously technical drumming. All the pieces come together to produce a finished product that is incredibly fast, tight, and hard hitting.
In spite of the normal traits and features that accompanies any Lamb of God release, there is an experimental side to the content. "Straight for the Sun", "Ghost Walking", "Barbarosa", and "King Me" all have new elements to present to the listener. "Barbarosa" is the only instrumental track on Resolution and is comprised of an acoustic picked guitar in the front of the mix with some electric guitars coming and going out of either speaker, often creating a loud screeching muffled feedback. The components suddenly rush together at the end of the track, meshing and creating somewhat of a bang before "Invictus" explodes through the speakers.
"King Me" is the six and a half minute epic that ends this album, and shows off some new ingredients to the mix including violin synths and operatic woman vocals that trail ghost-like throughout the background, empowering Randy's spoken words throughout the song. There is also a uniquely achieved effect gained by using abrupt stops and rests throughout the fast part of this track. For a sample of what to expect from the album check out the video for "Ghost Walking" below.
In spite of the normal traits and features that accompanies any Lamb of God release, there is an experimental side to the content. "Straight for the Sun", "Ghost Walking", "Barbarosa", and "King Me" all have new elements to present to the listener. "Barbarosa" is the only instrumental track on Resolution and is comprised of an acoustic picked guitar in the front of the mix with some electric guitars coming and going out of either speaker, often creating a loud screeching muffled feedback. The components suddenly rush together at the end of the track, meshing and creating somewhat of a bang before "Invictus" explodes through the speakers.
"King Me" is the six and a half minute epic that ends this album, and shows off some new ingredients to the mix including violin synths and operatic woman vocals that trail ghost-like throughout the background, empowering Randy's spoken words throughout the song. There is also a uniquely achieved effect gained by using abrupt stops and rests throughout the fast part of this track. For a sample of what to expect from the album check out the video for "Ghost Walking" below.
So I went to the Bassnectar new years show for new years and it was AMAZING! The stage in the center of the arena nearly doubled the number of available seats even though I was disappointed that the stage didn't rotate or move in any way. The floor was packed with party monsters, mainly due to the fact that A LOT more people were aware of the wristband give away. I hope that the Bassnectar crew gets more people to handle giving wristbands away because they were simply overwhelmed this year which lead to a lot of people getting skipped and turned away after camping out for hours. The openers were pretty awesome and it really tripped me out when I saw the second opener getting tackled on stage. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN AT A STADIUM SHOW?!?!?! There were tons of gorgeous scantily clad women prowling about and members of the Bassnectar crew who were on stilts, dressed up, or otherwise contributing the weird atmosphere. I don't know if Bridgestone Arena will continue to have Bassnectar back for more new years celebrations but the first two have been simply amazing. If any of you were also at the show, feel free to describe your experience in the comments section and remember to "party with respectable women"!
The Lonely Wild have done something pretty impressive with their first single off their soon to be released debut album. Already the strength of "Buried in the Murder" has rocketed this previously unheard of band into the "what's hot on the streets" status. The song starts of with a riff reminiscent of a spaghetti western then falls into a nice folk-pop pattern and begins to border cheesy. It's after the three minute mark however, that everything comes together to create that sweet, fleeting feeling that makes listening to music so magical. Head over to their website for some free tracks including "Buried in the Murder" while waiting for The Sun As It Comes to debut on April 2nd.
This one is long overdue, but I just couldn't justify not throwing something up here from Alt-J. Bursting into the scene last year, Alt-J's debut album An Awesome Wave was considered by many to be a contender for 2012 album of the year. If you haven't picked up this album yet, it is a must own for modern music lovers, so get to it. Here's one of the singles off An Awesome Wave called "Fitzpleasure". Enjoy.
Chesapeake based "folk-chestral" band The Last Bison has done a wonderful job with their debut album released last year. Here is their first single from Quill titled "Switzerland". Keep up the good work guys.
In lieu of the holiday spirit and my latest obsession with all thing muppet, I figured now would be a good time to post this video. Merry (after) Christmas. This music video involves Cee-lo and the Muppets. It is bound to be awesome. Enjoy!
Following up with the Puppet theme, here is the new single from Ben Folds Five's new album The Sound of the Life of the Mind. It definitely worth a listen and the video rocks. Who doesn't like the Fraggles?
Following up with the Puppet theme, here is the new single from Ben Folds Five's new album The Sound of the Life of the Mind. It definitely worth a listen and the video rocks. Who doesn't like the Fraggles?
I love music videos. I grew up with MTV and would spent countless hours watching music videos late at night, dancing violently and badly as usual. I had always wanted to direct one (still do) and thanks to Youtube, I still am addicted to them. So, I will try to spend the rest of this year delivering some awesome music videos to you guys - the best from 2012.
The first one is Dan Deacon's True Thrush from his album America. I wanted to tell you everything I think about this album, but I realized something in the process: I am not an album review kind if girl. As usual, I was looking at other reviews to see what others said, and I somehow landed on the Pitchfork website. Fail. But then I started reading and I thought" Not as pretentious as they use to be". It turned out that I just hadn't read far down enough. Why do they have to try so hard to cram as many obscure words and metaphors in there as possible? Anyway, that's another rant for another day. Point of the story is: I share the music with you. Obviously, I think the music is good if I am sharing. You can decide from there if you want to delve deeper or not.
... So, anyway this video is pretty cool. It seems like Dan Deacon got a whole bunch of friends/family, put them into teams and then made them play a weird game of Telephone- music video style. The way this video morphs reminds me of the days of the week. Can you guess which teams are the weekend?
The first one is Dan Deacon's True Thrush from his album America. I wanted to tell you everything I think about this album, but I realized something in the process: I am not an album review kind if girl. As usual, I was looking at other reviews to see what others said, and I somehow landed on the Pitchfork website. Fail. But then I started reading and I thought" Not as pretentious as they use to be". It turned out that I just hadn't read far down enough. Why do they have to try so hard to cram as many obscure words and metaphors in there as possible? Anyway, that's another rant for another day. Point of the story is: I share the music with you. Obviously, I think the music is good if I am sharing. You can decide from there if you want to delve deeper or not.
... So, anyway this video is pretty cool. It seems like Dan Deacon got a whole bunch of friends/family, put them into teams and then made them play a weird game of Telephone- music video style. The way this video morphs reminds me of the days of the week. Can you guess which teams are the weekend?
The Oh Hellos are an absolutely amazing brother/sister folk band hailing from Texas. Their sound is somewhere around Mumford & Sons with a splash of The Head and The Heart. How The Oh Hellos have not completely blown up yet is simply a matter of timing. Released just last month, their debut full length album, Through the Deep, Dark Valley, is a concept album with a warm sound and beautiful lyrics. Best of all, the entire album is available over at Bandcamp on a name-your-price basis. Get it while it lasts!
Why? lives in some strange world between Beck and Mc Frontalot. Check out their newest single from Mumps Ect. called "Jonathan's Hope".
Even while taking a global soul searching journey hip-hop artist Sol still managed to find himself in the studio. This time he sends us his track from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. As usual, Sol keeps it very laid back while lyrically working through his experiences abroad. Here is "Old Him", and stay tuned for more as his travels bring him home once again.
This one is for the ladies. English folk singer Rosie May released her debut ep earlier this year called Too Far To Swim, and what beautiful voice she has. Keep an eye on this one. Enjoy!
From the new "The Man with the Iron Fists" soundtrack check out "The Baddest Man Alive" featuring Wu-Tang's RZA and The Black Keys.
"Marijuana Deathsquads are comprised of multiple drummers, a slew of electronic instruments, and highly effected vocals, their live shows are a violent onslaught of improvised electronic-hardcore. They began as a side-project of Building Better Bombs, which is why all members of BBB are also in Marijuana Deathsquads. Their live shows, as well as studio recordings, feature multiple colaborations with a ton of outsourced musicians. This results in a constantly evolving experience, teeming with spontaneity and surprise."
Marijuana Deathsquads' newest effort is a silly yet hard hitting hip-hop electronic adventure. Titled Tamper.Disable.Destroy. and featuring a slew of Minnesota based artists such as P.O.S., Astronautalis, and Justin Vernon it's a must listen. Better yet, it's a free download! Enjoy!
New York based reggae-punk band Viva Mayday may sound like a Dispatch/State Radio rip-off, but is that really such a bad thing? Check out "We Will All" and "Monsters" below for good times.
Here is a new track from Ill Gates that Breaking Bad fans are sure to appreciate. The song borrows some dialogue from the popular AMC show as well as some samples from popular 90's songs.
Enjoy!!!
Here is a compilation of 16 tracks that I felt went under the radar this year
