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Saturday, August 30, 2008

DJ WOOL - 'The Star of East Berlin'

DJ Wool, founding member of NYC electro-punk outfit The Glass, will release Gangsters & Models on September 5th via Pale Music. The new track 'The Star of East Berlin' is a hot, minimalist jam and I'm totally digging it. And if you happen to live in Berlin, don't miss the launch party at Pickwick on Saturday, September 6th.


Gangsters & Models will be available at Beatport on September 5th.

DJ Wool - The Star of East Berlin (zShare)
plus...
DJ Wool - Gangsters & Models (Cobra Krames' Start the Violence mix) (zShare)

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

THE PRESENT - World I See

"The Present is the new music project of legendary New York musician and producer Rusty Santos (Panda Bear ‘Person Pitch’, Born Ruffians ‘Red Yellow & Blue’, Animal Collective ‘Sung Tongs’). Described by one band who worked with him as a hyper boy genius, Rusty has always fixed his attention on producing music that is experimentally rich while remaining accessible. By attempting to create music that arises unconsciously through improvisation, The Present’s debut album ‘World I See’ hauls this ethos over its shoulders as it tramples on musical boundaries and preconceptions, whilst leaving an album that is still capable of relating musically and emotionally to a wide audience."

Some really awesome, experiment tracks are streaming now at myspace. World I See will be released October 7th via LOAF.

The Present - World I See (link removed)

World I See tracklist:

1. Heavens On Ice
2. World I See
3. Love Melody
4. Symbols On High
5. Africanized Beatniks
6. The Hunt

TELEPATHIQUE To Tour With TRICKY

Brazilian electro duo Telepathique, who just released their new LP Last time on Earth, have just been added to some of Tricky's upcoming US dates, including next week's show at The Fillmore at Irving Plaza in Manhattan.

Sept. 4: New York, NY @ The Fillmore at Irving Plaza
Sept. 5: Philadelphia, PA @ The Trocadero
Sept. 6: Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Sept. 8: Chicago, IL @ House Of Blues

Telepathique - Love and Lust (mp3) (link)

Last time on Earth was released August 5th. And while the album can get a bit techno heavy at times, in its entirety it plays out like a really hot, futuristic banger. You can get it here. You can also purchase the Love & Lust ep here for five bucks.

Monday, August 25, 2008

AWESOME NEW REPUBLIC

Awesome New Republic are a pair of guys from Miami, who grew up listening to Prince and Giorgio Moroder. Their new album Rational Geographic hits stores this fall via Honor Roll Music, with the first single "2k3012" streaming now at myspace. The duo will be playing the CMJ Music Marathon in NYC in October. In the meantime, check out this totally f#$%ed up trailer for the new album.

Friday, August 22, 2008

New Video Friday

WHITE DENIM - Shake Shake Shake (from Workout Holiday)


RA RA RIOT - Ghost Under Rocks (from The Rhumb Line)


SSION - A Wolves Eye (from Fool's Gold)


YACHT - Summer Song (from Summer Song EP)


SIGUR ROS - Inní mér syngur vitleysingur (from Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust)
‘Inní mér syngur vitleysingur’ - Official Video

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Outside Lands Fest Kicks Off in San Francisco

The inaugural Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival gets underway Friday, boasting a very herb-friendly lineup and seemingly tailor-made for its location at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Radiohead and Beck headline the first night, which also includes The Black Keys, Cold War Kids, and Black Mountain. Then things get really "herbal" over the next couple of days. I mean, Tom Petty, Jack Johnson, and Ben Harper? Expect a lot of mandles, drum circles, and cannabis clouds. But some highlights are indeed tucked in between the tye-died lines. Liars will bring their apocalyptic madness on Saturday, while Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings will blow minds with their stunning soul revue on Sunday. But in the end, the weekend belongs to Radiohead.

More info at sfoutsidelands.com.

Monday, August 18, 2008

MGMT - 'Metanoia'

MGMT have just released the new 14 minute opus "Metanoia", a longtime fan favorite from their live shows. What does Metanoia mean, you ask? Well, here's the explanation I got in my mailbox a couple days ago:

"Metanoia (from the Greek μετάνοια, metanoia, changing one's mind, repentance) is a word which has a few different meanings in different contexts. Metanoia in the context of theological discussion, where it is used often, is usually interpreted to mean repentance. However, some people argue that the word should be interpreted more literally to denote changing one's mind, in the sense of embracing thoughts beyond its present limitations or thought patterns (an interpretation which is compatible with the denotative meaning of repentance but replaces its negative connotation with a positive one, focusing on the superior state being approached rather than the inferior prior state being departed from.

In the context of rhetoric, metanoia is a rhetorical device used to retract a statement just made, and then state it in a better way.

In the psychological theory of Carl Jung, metanoia denotes a process of reforming the psyche as a form of self healing, a proposed explanation for the phenomenon of psychotic breakdown. Here, metanoia is viewed as a potentially productive process, and therefore patients' psychotic episodes are not necessarily always to be thwarted, which may restabilize the patients but without resolving the underlying issues causing their psychopathology."

Well, there you have it. As far as MGMT's interpretation of the word, you can get the track for $0.99, a bargain considering the length of the tune, at iTunes.

MGMT - Metanoia (iTunes link)

Saturday, August 16, 2008

MADONNA Turns 50

After 11 studio albums, 3 soundtrack albums, 2 remix compilations, 3 hits compilations, 2 live albums, and 87 singles, Madonna turns 50 and she has showed no signs of slowing down. With her upcoming Sticky & Sweet Tour and the forthcoming single "Beat Goes On (ft. Kanye West)", Madge is working as hard as ever.

To celebrate the first half century in the life of a pop icon, here are some highlights and some rarities spanning the length of her incredible career.

Borderline (music video)


Early Interview on MTV


Into the Groove (live at Live Aid 1985)


Open Your Heart (live in Italy 1987)


Express Yourself (live at VMA's 1989)


Hanky Panky (Truth or Dare outtake)


Erotica (uncensored music video)


Like a Virgin/Hollywood (live at VMA's 2003)


Hung Up (Live in London, 2006)

Friday, August 15, 2008

Review
CSS - Donkey
72%


Brazilian party band CSS splashed onto the scene two years ago with their quirky and addictive self-titled debut, a refreshing brand of punk-infused party pop. Tracks like “Let’s Make Love and Listen to Death From Above” and “Music is My Hot, Hot Sex” struck a chord across the world and the band toured relentlessly in support of the album. With their sophomore LP Donkey, things are generally played a bit safer, trading in the raw, DIY nature of the first disc for a more polished and highly produced electro-rock sound.

From the get-go things kick off with the highly-charged, rock 'n' roll one-two punch of "Jager Yoga" and the lead-off single "Rat is Dead (Rage)", the latter of which finds lead singer Lovefoxx at her angriest, at times managing an uncharacteristic snarl. The combination of the two tracks do a great job of yanking you head-first into the album, before things lighten up with the electro-funk bop of "Let's Reggae All Night", a song that walks a very fine line between escapist fun and cheesy fluff.

Much of the new album seems to chronicle the band’s exhaustive touring schedule, one that has found them sprawling the globe ever since they flew out of the gate back in 2006. With references to "a suitcase in Helsinki", drinking till you pass out ("Left Behind"), and the complications of long-distance love ("Give Up"), it seems the gang have found their comfort zone in the unstable life led on the road. This makes perfect sense, as CSS’ live show is a highly entertaining spectacle that seems to grow more and more theatrical with every outing.

One of the most notable thoughts that comes to mind when listening to Donkey is how CSS have taken more than just a musical cue from The B-52’s. While the debut album was a sort of attempt, albeit unintentional, to dethrone The B’s status as the ultimate party band, Donkey hones in on Ricky Wilson’s legendary new wave/surf guitar riffs that arguably made them a vital part of the post-punk movement. Of course, nearly 30 years later, this approach isn’t exactly fresh, but it’s the subtle use of varying influences here that serve as the glue holding this rather rickety ship of an album together. Not to say it's a bad album, but there are a number of moments where it feels as if things could crack open and fall apart. Occasionally banal lyrics are frequently saved by Lovefoxx's unique vocal delivery and Adriano Cintra's slick production work is largely boosted by Mark "Spike" Stent's impressive mixing capabilities. Luckily for CSS, these elements are largely responsible for saving this ship from sinking.

But most importantly, Donkey is really all about the hooks-those irresistible, fleeting moments that chase your psyche for days on end after listening to them. These hooks creep up on your subconscious and, before you know it, you find yourself singing them over and over again in your head without really knowing where they came from in the first place. This is a huge part of what makes great pop music-songs that grow on you in that sugary sort of way and for whatever reason, you just can't let go of them. Nearly every track here has moments of reaching such pop greatness. "Beautiful Song" is probably one of the better examples of this. Utilizing 80's-style synth pads and a super-catchy rhythm, the track ironically stands out as one of the more original gems, as does the equally synth-laden "How I Became Paranoid".

Sure, CSS are certainly not to be taken too seriously, but if you give them the time, they'll deliver the party. And what a fun one it always turns out to be.

-Originally published at kevchino.com.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

CMJ 2008 Announces Lineup


This year the CMJ Music Marathon will descend on New York City October 21-25, with performances by such acts as Vivian Girls, Fujiya & Miyagi, Roisin Murphy, Lykke Li, Crystal Castles, Yo Majesty, Beach House, High Places, Broken Social Scene, Amazing Baby and Deerhoof.

The five day conference, which features showcases at multiple venues around the city, will also include shows by Gang Gang Dance, They Might Be Giants, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Jay Reatard, The Cool Kids, Marissa Nadler, Matthew Dear, Juliana Hatfield, A Place to Bury Strangers, Annuals, Takka Takka, Yip Yip, The Homosexuals, Margot and the Nuclear So and So's, Minus the Bear, IRAN, The Dears, Cut Off Your Hands, Ambulance Ltd., and The Virgins, and many more. Check out the full lineup here.

FUJIYA & MIYAGI - Lightbulbs

Fujiya & Miyagi will release their third proper LP Lightbulbs on September 16th. The follow-up to 2006's critical success Transparent Things, the new disc features the single "Knickerbocker".

"They are steeped in vintage music from evocative krautrock to deep soul, with wafts of early Human League synth, Floydian Englishness and the throbbing groove of Tom Tom Club, all filtered for modern times."


Fujiya and Miyagi - Knickerbocker


The foursome will also hit the road for a brief US tour in October...

US Fall Tour

Oct 22 2008
MERCURY LOUNGE NEW YORK
Oct 23 2008 WEBSTER HALL NEW YORK
Oct 24 2008 PARADISE BOSTON
Oct 25 2008 BOTTOM LOUNGE CHICAGO
Oct 27 2008 CHOP SUEY SEATTLE
Oct 28 2008 THE INDEPENDENT SAN FRANCISCO
Oct 30 2008 THE TROUBADOUR LOS ANGELES

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

THE KILLS Perform on Live From Abbey Road

The Kills will be featured on this week's episode of Live From Abbey Road, premiering Thursday night at 10:00pm est exclusively on the Sundance Channel. The duo perform a trio of tracks from their latest album Midnight Boom - "Getting Down", "Last Day of Magic", and "Goodnight Bad Morning". Check out some highlights from the episode...



Also check out this interview also from the episode...

New SANTOGOLD Video - 'Lights Out'

Santogold debuts "Lights Out", the third music video from her debut album. The track is perhaps the poppiest moment from the album, instantly catchy and hummable. Could this be the crossover hit Santi seems so intent on achieving? We'll just have to wait and see.

Santogold - Lights Out (music video)

Monday, August 11, 2008

ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS Set to Return with New Ep and LP


Antony and the Johnsons are prepping a pair of follow-ups to their Mercury Music Prize winning album I Am a Bird Now. The first release will be the 5-track ep Another World, which hits stores October 7th via Secretly Canadian. The same label will also release the new full-length The Crying Light, due January 2009.

In the meantime, you can still get your Antony fix on the Hercules & Love Affair album and on the new Bjork single "Dull Flame of Desire", which will also feature remixes by Modeselektor. A new video for the single is also on the way.

Antony will embark on a special symphonic tour in September, where he will be joined by a local symphony in each city. Due to the scattered nature of the dates, I expect more will be added. Here are the dates as of yet:

9/5 Portland, OR
9/10 Milan, Italy
9/12 Zaragoza, Spain
10/14 Los Angeles, CA
10/16 New York, NY
10/30 London, England
10/31 London, England

ISAAC HAYES (R.I.P.) 1942 - 2008

"Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008)[1] was an American soul and funk singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, arranger, composer, and actor. Hayes was one of the main creative forces behind southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served as both an in-house songwriter and producer with partner David Porter during the mid-1960s. In the late 1960s, Hayes became a recording artist, and recorded successful soul albums such as Hot Buttered Soul (1969) and Black Moses (1971) as the Stax label's premier artist.

Alongside his work in popular music, Hayes was a film score composer for motion pictures. His best known work, for the 1971 blaxploitation film Shaft, earned Hayes an Academy Award for Best Original Song (the first Academy Award received by an African-American in a non-acting category) and two Grammy Awards. He received a third Grammy for the album Black Moses.

In 1992, in recognition of his humanitarian work, he was crowned an honorary king of Ghana's Ada district. From 1997 to 2006, he provided the voice for the character "Chef" on the Comedy Central animated TV series South Park.

Hayes was found unconscious in his home located just east of Memphis, Tennessee on August 10, 2008 as reported by the Shelby County, Tennessee Sheriff's Department. A Shelby County Sheriff's deputy responded to Hayes' home after his wife found him on the floor near a still-running treadmill. Hayes was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, where he was pronounced dead at 2:08pm."
-Wikipedia

Isaac Hayes - Walk On By (live tv performance)

Friday, August 08, 2008

New Video Friday

Lykke Li - Breaking it Up


Chromeo - Momma's Boy


Yelle - Ce Jeu

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

The Sky Report in San Francisco!


I'll be in San Francisco for the next two weeks, so posts may slow to a crawl for a bit. I'm just going to miss the Outside Lands Festival (bummer!), so if anyone knows of anything exciting going on in the Bay Area before then, please hit me up!

Hope everyone is having a great summer. Be back soon!

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

TELEPATHIQUE
'I'm Not the Man You Think I Am'


Like a 1992 prom gone wrong, Telepathique's new video showcases those days when you dressed up and took someone to the dance that you weren't exactly sure you were in love with, but were sure would please the parents (or in my case, would kind of disgust the parents). Either way, the video curiously explores the tangents of youth ritual. Not sure what the point is, but this Brazilian electro duo are still bubbling under my radar. The debut album Last Time on Earth hits U.S. stores today.

Heads up NYC! They play The Delancey on August 12th.

Telepathique - I'm Not the Man You Think I Am (music video)

Monday, August 04, 2008

LE CASTLE VANIA Remixes WALTER MEEGO


Atlanta based DJ Le Castle Vania grabbed my attention a couple years ago with his stellar remix of Snowden's "Black Eyes". Since then he has been at the center of the electro-indie world having released his own Troubletron ep and debuting his new side project Lies in Disquise. Now Le Castle is back with another great remix, this time in the form of Walter Meego's "Through A Keyhole".

Walter Meego - Through a Keyhole (Le Castle Vania remix)

BLACK LIPS, DEERHUNTER, KING KHAN
Played McCarren Pool

With the help of the hilarious, makeshift emcee King Khan, Atlanta invaded McCarren Pool on Sunday with the glorious double punch of Deerhunter and Black Lips. It was a beautiful day for the summer party at the pool and all the bands infused the day with their raw talent and energy.

Black Lips were the headlining band and deservedly so. Their set was the usual chaos and mayhem we've grown to expect. The highlight for sure was the toilet paper fight during "Bad Kids", where King Khan, Bradford Cox and others stormed the stage, decorating the band with rolls of TP, which started flying into the crowd and back again. Check out the video below for the evidence.

Deerhunter were introduced by Les Savy Fav frontman Tim Harrington. The band didn't receive quite as rowdy a reception as the Lips, but their mesmerizing set blistered the adoring crowd with curiosity and intrigue. Bradford Cox led his newly formed version of Deerhunter through new tracks like "Nothing Ever Happened" and "Never Stops", both from the forthcoming album Microcastle, before closing the set out with a mind-altering, extended version of "Strange Lights".

King Khan and The Shrines opened for the two bands with their psychedelic blues funk, but Khan never really left the stage. Instead he constantly altered his costume, a crazy combination of tribal funk and glam androgyny. His pranks only seemed to accelerate throughout the day, most notably during Deerhunter's set when he bared his ass, which served as a sort of vase for a bouquet a flowers. This man is nuts!

Black Lips - Bad Kids (live at McCarren Pool)


Also, the brand new track from Deerhunter, "Nothing Ever Happened"...

Friday, August 01, 2008

M.I.A. Has a Hit!


After a Coachella meltdown and an announcement that her music career is over (for now), M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" has skyrocketed to #36 on this week's Billboard Hot 100. Of course the rumours of her demise are frivolous and she'll be back with a killin' album no later than early 2010 (trust!), more likely - late 2009. But in the meantime, relive the single of 2007, currently a hit at car washes across the nation - "Paper Planes".

M.I.A. - Paper Planes (music video)