Funkdafied Mixtape ft. NONONO + Chlöe Howl + MØ + Dungeonesse + Banks + Club 8 + Suvi + Prides, etc.

Chloe HowlUGH. 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

Listen to NEW Hypnotic Shoegaze Album: No Joy – Wait to Pleasure

No JoyLove shoegaze? Love hot, rockin’ blonde-ish blondes? Helloooo No Joy!

No Joy is the Montreal, Canadian alt-rock shoegaze group of not one, but TWO rockin’ hot blondes, Jasamine White-Gluz and Larua Lloyd… Okay, throw a guy in there now too: Garland Hastings. The No Joy gals have been shredding together since 2009, and quickly signed on with Mexican Summer Records (Autre Ne Veut, Light Asylum, Peaking Lights, Tamaryn) soon there after. They’ve toured with Best Coast, the Vivian Girls, Surfer Blood, Marnie Stern, and continue to hold and develop their shoegaze own with each new release. Luckily, they’ve just had one!

“Wait to Pleasure” is No Joy‘s recently released sophomore album. It’s been noted for its directional shift, but has been welcomed with praising reviews. The new album (which you can now stream on Spotify) is throbbing, hypnotic, groovy, glowing and pop-tinged making it a highly addictive and magnetic listen.

No Joy is currently wrapping up their tour now. “We play as if the audience isn’t there, and we wouldn’t care if there weren’t anyone in the room at all, other than our band,” says White-Gluz on Mexican Summer’s website. “No matter what, we are making this music for ourselves.”

No Joy – Hare Tarot Lies

No Joy – Lunar Phobia

It’s coco stereo’s 1st Birthday, Y’all!

Coco Stereo is 1

It’s coco stereo‘s 1 year anniversary/birthday, y’all! GET DOWN!

And, what better way to celebrate this momentous occasion than by watching a live performance (bursting with 80s amazingness) of Altered Images, the Scottish new wave/post-punk group, performing their 1981 rockin’ jam, “Happy Birthday.”

psst… There’s also a version of the Ting Tings singing this jam on Yo Gabba Gabba if you want the cutesy version. The backup dancers really make the whole video come together… and remember, “Listening and dancing to music is AWEEESOME!”

Thanks for being stellar coco stereo fans!

Watch New Music Video: London Grammar – Wasting My Young Years

London Grammar - Wasting My Young YearsLondon Grammar is a new emotionally driven band hailing from, you guessed it, London. The trio consisting of Hannah Reid, Dot Major and Dan Rothman, released their debut single, “Hey Now,” back in December of last year, resulting in a flurry of blogosphere buzz. The group released their EP, Metal & Dust, back in February and has since been drawing comparisons to Massive Attack, MS MR, Jessie Ware-like vocals, and “a better The XX.”

London Grammar is once again stirring buzz a plenty with a simplistic but powerful new music video for “Wasting My Young Years,” an impeccably beautiful and somber new single from the group, due out June 16th. In a shaky black and white video taking place in what appears to be a warehouse, front woman, Hannah Reid sings lyrics like, “I don’t know what you want. Don’t leave me hanging on…” amongst various humans and confetti frozen mid-air. Enjoy:

London Grammar – Wasting My Young Years

Hot New Tracks for Cool Heads: Joywave + Dead Ghosts + Wampire + Hot & Cold + Phèdre + Kisses

WampireThe 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

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

New, Magnetic & Provocative Tracks: Jenny Hval – Innocence is Kinky

Jenny Hval - Innocence is Kinky

Jenny Hval. Photograph: Kristine Jakobsen

I woke up this morning with a heavy heart. Uneasiness and uncertainty were oozing from my pores like booze after a liquor drenched bender. However, the undeniable and surprising cure-all that stopped my anxiousness dead in its tracks was the unusual, breath-taking and magnetic sound, voice and lyrics of artist, Jenny Hval.

The Norwegian singer-songwriter just released her fourth album, Innocence is Kinky, produced by longtime PJ Harvey collaborator, John Parish. The boundaries Hval pushes in her latest album lyrically and musically, especially with her lightening-quick voice transformations is all-consuming.

In an interview with The Guardian, Hval explains her lyrics for Innocence is Kinky “draw on a dark pool of influences, from the crimes of Norwegian mass-murderer Anders Breivik to Paris Hilton… In her songs, the female body gets lost, burned, chucked out to sea – anything to break it free of the media or male gaze. ‘When you listen to this and to these lyrics, the body could be anything, anywhere.'”

On her site, Hval states that Innocence is Kinky was also heavily influenced by her artistry, as it’s also the name of her 25 minute long sound and light installation. She channeled her desire to play more abrasively in comparison to her 2011 album, Viscera. “I found myself getting more and more aggressive on stage with this material, wanting to play louder instead of working with acoustic, hushed soundscapes, but I didn’t know how. I wanted to sing louder, channel this energy, sharpen all edges, loosen the structures… I was drawn to music very much exploring that position – particularly Nick Cave, Blixa Bargeld and Michael Gira. To work with these powerful expressions – and failing miserably with my voice and body – was creating a specific energy I found necessary for the album.”

Innocence is Kinky is out now via Rune Grammofon. Have a listen two magnetic tracks from the album:

Jenny Hval – The Seer

Jenny Hval – Mephisto in the Water

Listen to Rockin’ “Slacker Pop” Chicks: The Courtneys

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

Watch Nostalgic NEW Music Video: HAERTS – Wings

Haerts Wings Music VideoHAERTS, the hype-worthy Brooklyn-based group with a unique blend of pop, folk, and beauty has made some seriously impressive waves for a band with just one jam. The group consists of Nini Fabi, Ben Gebert, Garrett Ienner, Derek McWilliams, and Jonathan Schmidt – All who hail from the likes of Germany, England and the US. The collaboration makes for a timeless sound and HAERTS‘s first single, “Wings,” is proof of just that. “Wings” was such a strong debut for the group, it even landed them a slot at PORTALS‘s Hype Hotel SXSW showcase this year.

Now, the band has a nostalgia-inducing video to accompany “Wings” which premiered on Gorilla vs. Bear today. The video was directed by Emily Kai Bock, who’s certainly making the rounds, as she just produced Majical Cloudz‘ latest video release for “Childhood’s End.” The video for “Wings” takes place in Nashville, Tennessee, and if you grew up in suburbia, specifically somewhere “unglamorous,” it’ll spark the remnants and simplicities of childhood. Bock’s work for HAERTS is playful, moving and quite beautiful, especially when things take flight. Enjoy:

New Smooth Bedroom Jamz: Active Child + Fyfe + SOHN + Wintercoats + Emiliana Torrini (Nym Remix)

fyfe

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)