Category: New Tracks
Take Me Away Tracks! NEW: Museum of Bellas Artes + MONEY + Mind Tree
Museum Of Bellas Artes
Some days you really just wanna “get the f**k out of dodge,” (and I say this just as everyone in the United States is crawling back to work after a 4-day holiday weekend). But as a once nomadic vagabond traversing the world consistently for a handful of years, staying put in one place (even if it’s as beautiful as San Francisco), simply makes things feel stagnant.
And, if your day-to-day living situations seem to be less than stellar (i.e. boring job, too many housemates, lack of travel money), the idea of a great escape seems absolutely necessary, yet not entirely plausible. Luckily we have music – Our vice and sonic vacay when we simply wanna be taken away. With that, I present to you the loveliest of new jams that have recently been taking me “way down to Kokomo” – Let’s go:
Museum Of Bellas Artes is an electro-pop 3 piece hailing from the depths of Stockholm, Sweden. The trio made waves back in 2009 with their cover of Sapphire’s, “Who Do You Love,”as well as their ripping hype-worthy singles, “Days Ahead” (including epic synthy flute sounds!) and “Watch the Glow” in 2010. At last, the trio will soon be releasing their full-length debut album September 23 via Best Fit Recordings.
Their latest single, “Abyss,” which can be found on their forthcoming album is a dreamy, trance-inducing, and soulful gem worthy of serious repeat action. Stay tuned for their long-awaited debut:
Museum Of Bellas Artes – Abyss
Pick a band name, any band name! That’s the ‘name’ of the game for Bella Union‘s latest signed group: MONEY – Not exactly easy to find, but I suppose it’s better than their previously chosen band names, “Youth,” and/or “Books.” The fresh Manchester-based quartet has produced less than a handful of sweeping, dreamy, breathtaking tracks, but they’re selling out shows in nano-seconds – Their hype is hot, just in time for a debut album due out late this summer. Have a listen, watch Money’s brand-new video for “Bluebell Fields,” and keep these fellas on your radar… before they change names again:
Money –Bluebell Fields
Mind Tree is the moniker of a 21 “year young” producer and undergrad music student based in Melbourne, Australia. According to his site, Mind Tree states that his music “has an empathic focus on beauty and nostalgia with a cinematic production style that revolves around delicately warm melodies and self recorded samples from special moments throughout my life.” Have a listen to the beauty below, a track that derives from the soundtrack to an “atmospheric, minimalistic” platform game, Element 4L – Interesting to say the least:
Mind Tree – Close Your Eyes So You Can See (Pretty Ghost Mix)
Friends Don’t Let Friends Have Music Slumps! – Listen to NEW: Mortar and Pestle + Shortcircles + Hospital Ships
Mortar and Pestle
Music slumps are serious business. Only the freshest, synth-tastic, moving and/or funkiest of sweet sounds can dig you out of the black pit of despair that comes with a lack of enthusiasm for any new music out there. Friends don’t let friends get stuck in music slumps. This is why I’m ever so grateful for friends (or lovers – Oooh la la) who’ve passed along the following gems that’ll cure the the most lonely, stagnant and discouranging of music slumps:
Mortar and Pestle is an “avant pop” trio from Oakland, California who exude funk and bring deliciously sweet synth and dark beats to life on stage. The near-and-dear to my heart musician/audio producer/engineer, Bryan Lovett was mixing Mortar & Pestle at San Francisco Magazine’s 2013 “Best of the Bay” party when he sent me their details and exclaimed, “Think you’d really dig ’em!” And just a few days later to our pleasant surprise, Mortar & Pestle opened for Prince Rama, the electrotastic, weird, wild & whacky sister duo from Brooklyn. Both bands put on ridiculously fun and energetic shows, and I danced harder than I have in a long time – Way to bring it! We snatched up Mortar & Pestle‘s recently released and self-titled debut which can easily and obsessively be repeated. Find Mortar & Pestle on Facebook, Bandcamp, and/or Soundcloud.
Prince Rama also debuted their musical masterpiece of a film (that was created thanks to Kickstarter) featuring songs from their album, Top Ten Hits of the End of the World – It’ll leave you thinking, “Am I on drugs right now, or are they?” Both bands are a must-see live, especially if you’re in the pits of musical apathy.
Mortar and Pestle – U.V.
Mortar and Pestle – Pristine Dream
Shortcircles is the electro-pop project of Oakland, California-based (way to represent East Bay) producer, Matt Tammariello. Lovely friends and music aficionados at Professional Fans recently held one of their up-and-coming new music showcases here in San Francisco featuring Shortcircles and I was instantly hooked. Luckily for us, Shortcircles released his sophomore album, Between Waves (via Plug Research Records) for our listening pleasure. Enjoy:
Shortcircles – All I Can Be for You
Hospital Ships is a Lawrence, Kansas-based indie-folk-pop group and “bedroom project” of Jordan Geiger. I heard Hospital Ship‘s hauntingly addictive jam, “Remaining Light” on friend, music writer and radio host, Anthony Carew’s weekly two hour Melbourne, Australia-based radio program, International Pop Underground – An amazing source of ecclectic music discovery. Their latest LP, Destruction in Yr Soul was released June 18th via Graveface Records. Have a listen for some all-Americana jams – perfect timing for USA’s Independence Day:
Hospital Ships – Remaining Light
Hospital Ships – If It Speaks
DOMA’s DEAD – Celebrate History & Victory with Righteous Luv Jams!
The times are a’ (finally) changing: Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act was struck down by the Supreme Court today & Proposition 8 is gone! – An extremely momentous and historical victory in the LGBT rights movement. These are exciting and fitting times, especially since San Francisco Pride is this weekend. President Obama said it best in his speech following the moment: “When all Americans are treated as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love, we are all more free.”
With that, I present to you some righteous jams to celebrate history, victory, equality, and most importantly, love for all:
Majical Cloudz – I Do Sing for You
This image is from a Gap ad: “Always Be One.” (Way to go Gap!) Photo credit: Chris Craymer
CHVRCHES – LoveLife (Yalls Remix)
Psychic Twin – Unlock Yr Heart
Bibio – You
Disclosure – Help Me Lose My Mind feat. London Grammar
Braids is Finally Back! Listen to New Jams – In Kind + Amends
Raphaelle Standell-Preston is a busy woman. As the vocal half of the ambient dream-pop “love project,” Blue Hawaii, and vocalist in the electro-pop “art rockers” group, Braids, Raphaelle’s dynamic voice is keeping electro music in Montreal alive and beautiful.
Blue Hawaii has been in the spotlight as of late – They released a new album this year, Untogether, which was received with incredible praise, and headed out on a whirlwind tour with electro Canadian comrades and bffs, Purity Ring. However, Braids is now having its well-deserved shining moment… again.
Braids made waves with their 2011 debut LP, Native Speaker, establishing themselves as a “promising band.” With two new recent releases, “In Kind” and “Amends,” Braids is back and it appears they’re keeping up with the reputation. However, the blend and undistinguished sound between Blue Hawaii and Braids has become even more apparent amongst fans – but can you really complain? Have a listen and decide:
Braids‘ 12 inch, In Kind//Amends is due out 6/11/13 and their highly anticipated sophomore album, Flourish//Perish is due out 8/20/13 via Arbutus, Full Time Hobby, and Flemish Eye.
Listen to New (Rat) Jams! Wise Blood is Most Certainly Boss
Oh hello, Wise Blood. Welcome back, we’ve missed you.
Wise Blood is the moniker of Pittsburgh native and experimental electro-pop producer, Christopher Laufman. He, as Pitchfork so eloquently stated, “appeared out of left field” in 2010, and wooed ears over in 2011 with his clean EP, These Wings. After some silence, Wise Blood is back and he’s donning jams that’re more smooth, soulful and poppy than ever – They also coincidently seem to commonly mention rats and/or rat poison (okay, it’s just two jams). Regardless, Wise Blood’s experimental pop gems will sweep you off your feet.
“Rat” and “Universe is Blessed” can both be found on Wise Blood‘s forthcoming and debut album, id, due out June 25th via Dovecote Records. Welcome Wise Blood back into the well-deserved limelight with a thorough listen:
Wise Blood – Rat
Wise Blood – Universe is Blessed
Funkdafied Mixtape ft. NONONO + Chlöe Howl + MØ + Dungeonesse + Banks + Club 8 + Suvi + Prides, etc.
UGH. I’m in a funk. Like, a really big one. Being annoyed or frustrated is one of the most all-consuming, poisonous, and (duh!) annoying emotions to have to endure. Sure, “only you can determine how you feel,” but I also call bullshit. Sometimes, you just need something else to pull you out of a funk (like a margarita!), or some seriously funky jams. Hence, I’ve created a funkdafied mixtape of brand spankin’ new jams… They’re perfect for any day in which you need to be smacked out of a seriously big funk: coco stereo’s funkdafied mixtape playlist:
NONONO – Like The Wind (D. Lissvik Remix)
Chlöe Howl – Rumour (YACHT remix)
Dungeonesse – Drive You Crazy
Banks – Warm Water (Prod. By Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs)
Prides – Out Of the Blue
MØ – Waste Of Time
O S C A R – Never Told You
Club 8 – I’m Not Gonna Grow Old
Cosmo Sheldrake – Rich (Feat. Anna Roo)
Suvi – Bleeding For Your Love
Hot New Tracks for Cool Heads: Joywave + Dead Ghosts + Wampire + Hot & Cold + Phèdre + Kisses
The weather warmed up in San Francisco this past week for a hot minute – Our (one and only) glimpse of a true summer. So naturally, all San Franciscans piled into parks, crammed onto bar patio benches, threw on floppy hats and maxi dresses, and put our instagramming hands in the air to capture the clear blue sky, like we REALLY care. Alas, the moment has passed us, and our real “Summer is Coming,” which means chilly wind and eerie fog thicker than Turkish coffee. So with that, I bring to you a fresh track roundup of hot new tracks for cool days, or for cooler heads, depending on your geographical preference:
Joywave is a Rochester, New York-based electro/experimental group mastering in mixtapes. They released their mixtape, 77777, back in March of ’11 and just released a follow-up with, you guessed it, 88888. According to Interview Magazine, “The process behind Joywave‘s upcoming mixtape is an intriguing exercise in self-improvement. … frontman Daniel Armbruster, created a record that is not comprised of new material, but rather rethinks and reintroduces material from the band’s debut EP, Koda Vista. This idea is rooted not only in the dance and hip-hop tradition of the remix, but also in the paintings of Expressionist painter Edvard Munch, who famously remade the same painting several times, in order to best communicate with his audience.”
The rework and re-visitation of Joywave‘s previous material is obviously doing them justice, as “Tongues,” a new single found on 88888, is sickeningly addictive and has fiercely shot up to the top the blogosphere charts. Have a listen to “Tongues” and download 88888 for free on Joywave’s site:
Joywave – Tongues (feat. KOPPS)
Dead Ghosts is a quad garage rock band hailing from the depths of Vancouver, British Columbia whose sound has been described as, “raunchy lo-fi, country-esque, sweet guitar pluck-and-jangle.“ Listen to “Roky Said” a nostalgic-inducing, rockin’, “garage fuzz” psychedelic jam found on their recently released LP, Can’t Get No, via Burger Records:
Dead Ghosts – Roky Said
Ooh Wampire. Let me count the ways in which I’ve idiotically missed you play, and how I’m always kicking myself for doing so. The Portland, Oregon-based indie-pysch-rock-pop band was created by longtime bffs, Rocky Tinder and Eric Phipps. The two “started jamming in 2001” while in middle school. Now, Wampire is signed to Polyvinyl and has been on tour with friends, Unknown Mortal Orchestra (who also produced their debut). Wampire won me over with their trippy track, “The Hearse,” and I’ve been throughly addicted since. Wampire‘s new LP, Curiosity, is due out May 14 and you can stream the entire album in advance on Pitchfork. Don’t miss these guys!
Wampire – Trains
Wampire – The Hearse
Hot & Cold is the collaboration of two young 20-something Canadian brothers, Josh and Simon Frank. The boys produce trippy, abstract, catchy, drone synth-rock and apparently made their first live debut in Beijing, of all places. According to an interview with Vice, the transnational brothers, while in Beijing, “earned a spot alongside the Rose Mansion Analog crew, joining the ranks of the Offset:Spectacles and Soviet Pop.” Have a listen to “Out of the Grey” an addictive single from Hot & Cold’s new LP, Border Area, via Moniker Records:
Hot & Cold – Out of the Grey
Phèdre is one of my all-time favorite wacky electro Canadian duo/bands, and that’s saying a lot ‘cus there are so many to choose from! Phèdre released their self-titled debut album just last year and left many hungry for more. Luckily, they’re currently in the album-producing mood and are in the process of finalizing another LP, Golden Age. “We spent the darkest days of the winter writing a new record in Berlin. We made a collage for each song. We’re gonna put this out into the universe real soooooon.” They’re also currently producing a spontaneous “ongoing record,” Eterna, in which they’re “droppin’ tracks as they come.” Listen to “Zenith,” the first track from, Eterna:
Phèdre – Zenith
Kisses is an LA-based electro-pop duo made up of Jesse Kivel & Zinzi Edmundson. Their sophomore album, Kids in LA, is due out May 14th via Cascine and was produced by Saint Etienne’s Pete Wiggs. Kisses is also currently and appropriately on tour with Chad Valley – A surefire dance party in the making. Have a listen to “Air Conditioning,” Kisses‘ synthtastic gem from the new LP:
Kisses – Air Conditioning
Hype-Worthy New Tracks/Bands ft. Fierce Females: Dungeonesse + Savages + TEEN + Jessie Ware + Gita
Savages
Leading ladies have been dominating my music feed as of late, which I have to say has been highly refreshing. It was also an undeniable consensus that female fatales were reining and ruling the stage at SXSW, stealing the ears and hearts of many. This trend still seems to be pleasantly going strong. So with that, I present to you a plethora of amazing, rockin’, innovative and fresh new music, starring either fierce all-female bands and/or leading ladies. Enjoy:
Dungeonesse is the new collaboration and electro-bubbglegum-pop project of Jenn Wasner (Wye Oak) and John Ehrens (White Life). I recently stumbled upon them via last.fm, as they were listed as one of Mozart’s Sister‘s “related artists” – Thank you last.fm! However, in my research, I see they’ve already made an appearance on Pitchfork, of course. “Shucks,” is a highly addictive 90s-esque pop single from Dungeonesse‘s self-titled debut album due out May 14th via Secretly Canadian – Looking forward to hearing more sugary pop gems.
Dungeonesse – Shucks
Savages is the epitome of fierce all-female bands. The rockin’ post-punk quad hailing from the depths of London recently came to San Francisco for the very first time, and it blatantly displayed and unleashed each member’s unbelievable talent. They’ve also just released a video for, “Shut Up,” the opening single for their soon-to-be-released album, Silence Yourself, due out May 6/7th via Matador. Watch the video and witness the magnificence in action for yourself:
Savages – Shut Up
TEEN is the all-female Brooklyn based lo-fi-indie band made up of Kristina (Teeny) Lieberson (Here We Go Magic), her sisters, Katherine and Lizzie, and their BFF, Jane Herships. They’ve been on lots o’ radars since their debut LP, In Limbo, dropped last year via Carpark Records. Recently, they teamed up with Ben Greenberg, of The Men to produce this psychedelic gem and cover of Rain Parade‘s, “Prisoners.”
TEEN – Prisoners (Rain Parade Cover)
Songstress, Jessie Ware has been on a whirlwind tour with the success of her debut LP, Devotion, and she recently graced San Francisco with her presence. It was an absolute treat to see that Ware is just as talented, stunning, charming and cheeky in person. Just yesterday, Ware created yet another sandstorm of swoon and blew up the blogosphere with her smooth rendition of Martika‘s 1991 single, “Love Thy Will Be Done,” co-written by none other than Prince. Enjoy:
Jessie Ware – Love Thy Will Be Done (Martika Cover)
Gita is the up-and-coming NY via Oakland rapper who raised many an eyebrow and piqued quite a few ears last year. She was featured in Fool’s Gold‘s Loosies compilation, made an appearance in Mishka’s Spring 2012 Lookbook, and dropped her highly addictive single and video, “Hood Rich” produced by DJ Two Tracks (which is also available for download below, heyooo). Granted, the single was unleashed to the internet late last year, but it’s featured on her soon-to-be-released (and free) EP, Escaping The Dream World, due out in May. In this interview with Vice, Gita even comments on women in the rapping world:
Vice: …last year rap was a huge sausage fest…
Gita: Sausage galore! But there’s SO much room for females right now.
Vice: Girl Power to you Gita.
Gita – Hood Rich
Listen to Rockin’ “Slacker Pop” Chicks: The Courtneys
Classic Courtney, Cute Courtney and Crazy Courtney drawn by Courtney
This week, I pleasantly stumbled upon “slacker pop” rocker chicks: The Courtneys, (thanks, Weird Canada!). The group, hailing from British Columbia, is made up of: Classic Courtney, Cute Courtney and Crazy Courtney, of course. The trio’s sound is, as self-proclaimed: “Sun drenched flying nun influenced pop with sweet licks that’ll stick with you for days.” Their influences also include: “Keanu, cheese ramen, going to the YMCA, cruising, slurpees.” What’s not to love?
The Courtneys produced a rockin’ debut track, “90210” last year, as well as an “ALL BANGERS” 6-track cassette tape, K.C. Reeves (via Green Burrito), which you can buy here. Luckily for us, they’re coming out with a full length album, The Courtneys, due out June 7th on vinyl and cassette. And, if you’re interested, they put together a workout video, which is “really good for fighting off groupies.” – Something we all have to deal with on a daily basis. Smart thinkin’ ladiez!
Find The Courtneys on Facebook, Twitter and Bandcamp and give them a thorough listen ASAP:
The Courtneys – Nu Sundae
The Courtneys – 90210
New Smooth Bedroom Jamz: Active Child + Fyfe + SOHN + Wintercoats + Emiliana Torrini (Nym Remix)
Fyfe
I’ve been on this bedroom “night-time music” kick (as Rhye likes to call the genre), where you should either be getting into bed while listening to it, or just waking up. Luckily, there’s been a plethora of recently released silky bedroom jamz. They easily ease the need to swoon for smooth. Here goes:
LA-based Pat Grossi, better known as the ambient electro dream-pop artist Active Child, put himself on the map with his compelling 2011 debut LP, You Are All I See. Now, Active Child is currently working on his Sophomore album and just released his amazingly beautiful and intense track, “Evening Ceremony.”
While Grossi’s been working away on his album, he reached out to his Facebook audience for ideas: “Thank you all for the considerate feedback on the album. some really beautiful and sincere comments in there. glad to hear we’re all on the same page ; )) there are a few interesting collabs in the worksss.” The feedback obviously worked in Active Child‘s favor:
Active Child – Evening Ceremony
Fyfe is a hype-worthy 23-year-old London-hailing new kid on the blog/block who’s been blowing the blogosphere up and away with three extremely strong debut tracks. Paul Dixon, the boy behind the ballads, has an impeccably unique voice/sound and endearing lyrics that’s giving many an itch for more. Listen to “Lies” from Fyfe‘s debut EP, Solace, which you can stream on SoundCloud:
Fyfe – Lies
SOHN is the Vienna-via-London up-and-coming producer who made waves with his EP, The Wheel, back in November. Luckily for us, he’s just released another emotionally-driven and achingly smooth R&B influenced jam with some seriously sweet beats. Have a listen to “Bloodflows” now:
SOHN – Bloodflows
Wintercoats is the moniker of James Wallace, the Melbourne, Australia-hailing multi-instrumentalist who some don a “master of ethereal delicacies.” Wintercoats‘ track “Halogen Moon,” which can be found on his forthcoming EP, Heartful (via Cascine) is a perfect example of one of those delicacies:
Wintercoats – Halogen Moon
Now, you wouldn’t typically associate “remix” with “smooth,” however, last week, Hilly Dilly posted this gem by Nym, local San Francisco producer. Icelandic singer-songwriter, Emiliana Torrini has what NPR dons, “Iceland’s warmest voice,” and Nym‘s take her track, “On the Sunny Road,” brings it to new heights. The track can be found on Nym‘s latest album “Trembling in the Stone.” He’s also donating all proceeds from the album, which you can listen to on bandcamp, to secular charities, named quarterly by the Foundation Beyond Belief – Nice guy!
Emiliana Torrini – On the Sunny Road (Nym Remix)
coco stereo 