Monthly Archives: April 2014

April 18, 2014 · 3:10 pm

Download: DWNTWN – “Missing You”

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Listen/download: DWNTWN – “Missing You”

“Shimmery, ethereal indie/electro-pop in excelsis.” – The Guardian

“We need all the sunshine we can get right now, and DWNTWN has it in spades.” – USA Today’s Pop Candy

“It is absolutely sublime.” – My Old Kentucky Blog

“…catchy melancholy pop with twinkling electronics that could be sung by thousands during a festival twilight in the near future.” – RCRD LBL

“…devastatingly affecting indie-pop.” – Buzzbands LA
“We don’t know much about L.A. electro-pop duo DWNTWN besides the fact that we want to hear a lot more music from them.” – NYLON Magazine

“Easing tension with mellow and drawn-out soundscapes” – Earmilk

DWNTWN brings their sweeping wall of sound, complete with synths, banjos, handclaps, and singer Jamie Leffler’s ethereal voice. 

“This is a song for my grandpa who passed away last year. He was the most loving man and I miss him everyday, but writing this song helped me come to terms with losing him. I hope it can relate to anyone who has lost someone special”, says Leffler.

People Magazine just featured the band’s “Til Tomorrow” (which I LOVE — and posted here) as one of ten songs to soundtrack the desert road trip to Coachella, and also Blackbird Blackbird got a goose bump inducing remix from DWNTWN’s Robert Cepeda for his new single “There is Nowhere”, which premiered on Earmilk.  Haunting guitar and sparse drum kicks build to a harmonious vocal crescendo of Blackbird Blackbird’s Mikey Maramag and DWNTWN’s Jamie Leffler.

“Missing You” will be released on DWNTWN’s self-titled EP, dropping April 29th on Jullian Records. 

DWNTWN Live:

Thursday April 10 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Standard Hotel downtown (Free) 
Thursday April 24 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Constellation Room (Tickets here)
Friday April 25 – San Francisco, CA @ Neck of The Woods (Tickets Here)
Monday April 28 – Los Angeles, CA @ School Night/Bardot (Free, EP Release show) 
Tuesday April 29 – Los Angeles, CA @ Sayers Club (Free, 2nd EP Release show)
Thursday May 1 – New York, NY @ Santos Party House (Tickets here)
Friday May 2 – Brooklyn, NY @ Glasslands Gallery w/ New Young Pony Club (Tickets Here)

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April 18, 2014 · 2:58 pm

Listen: Night Drive – After Dark Remixes

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“Together they’ve produced some tracks that resonate with the glam that penetrated their ears.” –Prefix Magazine

“Almost as hypnotizing as a full moon, the song’s subtle vocals and vacillating beat take the night.” – MTV Iggy

After success of their stunning video for “After Dark,” Night Drive continues riding high on their musical journey. Night Drive and The Penelopes have been eager to work with one another for quite sometime and decided to do so via a remix swap. The french duo pulls no punches with this dark and sultry, disco reinterpretation. Keep your eyes open for Night Drive’s remix of The Penelopes, due out later this Spring.
 
Fellow Austin and Houston artists, Orthy and Bagheera, produced two excellent remixes of “After Dark”. Since Night Drive, Orthy and Bagheera are all part of the Red Bull Sound Select family, RBSS will be releasing the After Dark EP for free in select record stores. Look for that later this month.

For now, you can listen to the After Dark Remixes over at Prefix Mag — click here to check it out now!


 

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April 17, 2014 · 2:42 pm

Video: Blue Foundation – “Describe”

Shot in Denmark by filmmakers Cecile Evert and Simon Lundsgaard, they were inspired by Blue Foundation’s lyric, “… I can describe it all for you, if you got the nerves/guts to look into my eyes.”

 
The filmmakers enlisted Martin and Louise, a couple in real life, as well as in the video. “We chose them because it was clear to us that they have a very unique relationship. We saw a certain chemistry between them. Their love for each other is very strong and unique, and we expected it to shine through the lens, which we think it did,” says Lundsgaard. He continues, “Sometimes you can be afraid of things that you can’t define or describe. But if you look beyond the surface you will find something you recognize in yourself. That is what this video is about.”
 
Brooklyn-based electronic dream-pop duo Blue Foundation is made up of producer/singer Tobias Wilner and multi-instrumentalist Bo Rande. Best known for their songs “Eyes on Fire,” which appeared in the Twilight saga and was certified double platinum in the US, and “Sweep,” from Michael Mann’s Miami Vice, the band released their album In My Mind, I Am Free on their own Dead People’s Choice Records last year. The release was followed up in January 2013 by remix album In My Mind I Am Reconstructed, which is available via iTunes and other digital retailers.

Over the past several years, Blue Foundation has expanded their audience, embracing both the underground and the alternative mainstream. Along with the Twilight Saga and Miami Vice, the band’s music has been featured in TV series The O.C., So You Think You Can Dance, CSI: Miami, and more. 

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April 17, 2014 · 2:12 pm

Free Download: 1,2,3 – “Porch Swing Song”

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Listen/download: 1,2,3 – “Porch Swing Song”

“…a terrific new band whose 70s-tinged rock, sung with rasping intensity by white soul wonder Nic Snyder, 
reminds you of some of the best stuff from the pre-punk era…” – The Guardian
 
“…hints of that Girls-like ’60s revival, indistinct gestures of surf rock, and touches of grainy, lo-fi acoustics….” – Consequence of Sound
Pittsburgh’s genre-defying band 1,2,3 has returned after a two year hiatus, and will be releasing their sophomore double album Big Weather through their newly-founded label American Hermitage on May 27th. The band rolled out “Porch Swing Song” a few days ago, which is the third song they’ve shared from Big Weather (their first two singles “Big Weather Pt. 1” and “Leave Me In The Sky With The Lawnchair” are both still available to stream, see below). Combining classic rock with the best elements of lo-fi soul, punk, garage and even classical music sampling, this is the first new music 1,2,3 has released since their critically-acclaimed debut album New Heaven (2011).
 
1,2,3 had a turbulent few years since the release of New Heaven. Lead singer/guitarist/songwriter Nicolas Snyder quit the band at the end of 2012, burnt out after touring on the heels of their debut and writing/recording the follow-up for over a year. Several months later, after a few nights of drunken persuasion, he re-convened with the rest of the band and coaxed them back, wanting to finish what they had started. Snyder had been inspired by 70’s dystopian movies, combined with a pattern of strange weather and its resulting destruction (a tornado ripped through his aunt’s house in Pennsylvania… something that shouldn’t happen in PA), along with the tsunami that devastated Japan two weeks later. 
 
The band began recording storms through a screen door in the house they were renting on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, which often flooded, halting production. While recording, the band listened to nothing but local oldies radio stations. Big Weather was recorded entirely on primitive gear, using nothing but creaky old guitars, a bass, and things to bang on. Eventually some classical vinyl sampling was brought in to conjure certain feelings, and add new textures to the short stories and spoken word interludes. The lyrics had all the usual lovelorn, loneliness and death-questioning the band had previously written about, but this time it was more vivid, usually recorded during or after storms. 
 
In the words of Snyder, “it’s more interesting to be lonely in the eye of the hurricane than it is to be in a bedroom. This album is undoubtedly ridden with flaws, but so are its creators, and the circumstances under which it was created… and in that regard, this album feels very special to me.” 

The band will be playing their album release show in Pittsburgh on May 30th at Brillobox!

Big Weather Tracklisting: 
1. Big Weather Pt. 1
2. Leave Me In The Sky With The Lawnchair
3. Pontoon Song
4. Waiting For The Horsemen
5. Mile High Grass
6. Bus To Babylon
7. Refusal Bop
8. Shapes of Wrath
9. Fear_Pure Elevation
10. Rebuilding
11. Stone Haus
12. Porch Swing Song
13. Big Black Car
14. Big Weather Pt. 2
15. In The House of The Locust
16. When The Levee Broke at The County Fair
17. Strawberry
18. Faith Hill
19. Where We Lived
20. Sick of the End

 

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April 17, 2014 · 1:38 pm

Check ‘Em Out: Jesus on the Mainline

Photo Source: Crave

Photo Source: Crave

“…A rising sound that swells like a wave as it blends the spirit of Aretha Franklin into a soulful dance-romp through territories inhabited by Fitz and The Tantrums, Portugal The Man and beyond.” – Crave

This fifteen-piece collective blends blues, jazz and soul for a larger-than-life sound reminiscent of rock greats like The Black Crowes and Joe Cocker.

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Listen: Jesus on the Mainline – “War”

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April 16, 2014 · 11:08 am

Check ‘Em Out: Dwight & Nicole

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Dwight & Nicole, an American roots band formed by recording artists Dwight Ritcher and Nicole Nelson, will be self-releasing their new album, Shine On, on April 22, 2014. Shine On puts some impressive talent on display:  gorgeous vocals, developed songwriting skills, and masterful playing were all captured live at Boston’s Rear Window Studio. The delivery is often exciting, always multi-dimensional, and never run-of-the-mill. Dwight & Nicole express deep emotion effortlessly on every track of Shine On.  This will be their first major release, heavily funded by their devoted fans via music-oriented crowd-sourcing site PledgeMusic.

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Their performances have inspired comparisons to some of the greats — Etta James and John Lee Hooker, the Rolling Stones and the Staple Singers — but it is their own fresh blend of spirited blues, rock, and gospel that will land them a spot among the celebrated music makers. Following their critically acclaimed independent release !Signs, the Boston Globe called them, “a tour de force,” and named them among the “25 Most Stylish of the Year.”  They have garnered four Boston Phoenix award nominations, six Boston Music Award nominations and Nelson just nabbed a BMA for “Female Vocalist of The Year.”

In September of 2012, Nicole appeared on NBC’s #1 hit show “The Voice,” knocking out all four coaches and winning the hearts of millions with her rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” The song was a hit of its own, rising to #26 on the iTunes Pop chart, and propelling a wave of nationwide appreciation for Nelson’s home grown style. The bright lights of network TV also shed much deserved light on her band—New England’s best kept secret Dwight & Nicole—helping the group to shatter through the glass ceiling that most self-promoting indie artists are up against today.

Their music has already been featured on TV shows such as “Nikita” on CW, “The Forgotten” on ABC, “Missing” on Lifetime, and “The Cleaner” on A&E.  Dwight & Nicole starred in the documentary film “Where’s The Music At?” They have performed live at countless world class venues and festivals around the world including Montreal Jazz Festival, Tanglewood, Life Is Good Festival, Symphony Hall, The Somerville Theatre, The Tennessee Theater, The Paradise, The Higher Ground, and The Blue Note in NYC.

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Dwight & Nicole have shared the stage with many other great artists including BB King, Buddy Guy, Dave Brubeck, Dr. Maya Angelou, Ray Lamontagne, Los Lobos, Alison Krauss, Martin Sexton, Levon Helm, Norah Jones, Dr. John, Natalie Cole, Winton Marsalis, The Avett Brothers, Raphael Saadiq, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Carly Simon, The Funk Brothers, Maceo Parker, Chuck Berry, Jimmy Buffet, Biz Markie, Little Richard, Angelique Kidjo, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Irma Thomas, and Jerry Lee Lewis.

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April 15, 2014 · 2:17 pm

Check ‘Em Out: Arum Rae

Arum Rae
“…a smoky, uplifting sound that fuses blues, rock, country and pretty much every genre in between.” – USA Today
 
“…we’re digging her combination of raw, bluesy vocals and glitchy electronics.” – NYLON
 
“…sultry cyber-soul.” – SPIN

Brooklyn’s captivating modern day siren Arum Rae is gearing up to self-release her Warranted Queen EP next Tuesday, and in advance, she’s rolled out her dynamic new single “Something’s Happening To Me” with Noisey. “Something’s Happening To Me” is symbolic of Arum’s recent transformation from shedding her traditional singer-songwriter roots, to her entrancing new endeavor under her given name.

Listen/download: Arum Rae – “Something’s Happening To Me”

Her new single follows closely on the heels of her previous stand-out singles “Warranted Queen” and “2001”. Arum’s ability to transcend styles allows the music to resurrect the soul, feel the blues, and then re-invent rock through her deeply rooted foundation as a songwriter. After relocating to Brooklyn from Austin, Arum shed the White Dress moniker and teamed up with producer Sanford Livingston for this new EP (and forthcoming album). Everything Arum has lived through and all of the songs that have been born from it are not meant to impress, they’re meant to lead.

Although being a new endeavor, Arum Rae is no stranger to the stage. She’s toured extensively over the past several years, opening up for and sharing stages with artists like Willie Nelson, Rodriguez, The Kills, Gary Clark Jr., Dan Auerbach, BB King, The Civil Wars, and Peter Bjorn & John, to name a few. With a renewed energy and passion, Arum looks to 2014 to embolden artists and singers like herself to pursue their passions with pause, regret or fear.

Listen/download: Arum Rae – “Warranted Queen”

Listen/download: Arum Rae – “2001”

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April 15, 2014 · 2:01 pm

Newest Love: Tapioca and the Flea

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Los Angeles electro-pop outfit Tapioca and the Flea (TATF) have premiered the brand-new video for their new single “Take It Slow”, which premiered last week and is available on iTunes. The video shot by ENDS (creative collaboration between director duo Daniel Iglesias Jr. & Zack Sekuler), who is also responsible for The Neighbourhood’s “Sweater Weather” and “Afraid”, chronicles the highs and the lows of a chaotic relationship. “Take It Slow,” which was produced by Crystal Castles’ Ethan Kath, is TATF’s contribution to Red Bull Sound Select’s forthcoming Limited Edition Split 7″, to be released as free gift with purchase on Record Store Day (April 19) at all participating retailers in the US. 

PopMatters had this to say about the track, “Just don’t let the title fool you, since “Take It Slow” is a brisk, catchy synth-driven number, a combination of old-fashioned pop-minded songwriting and a state-of-the-art vibe.” TATF will bring their high energy show to Los Angeles’s Amoeba Music (6400 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028) for an in-store performance this Saturday, April 19th at 6 PM.

Tapioca and the Flea began as a bedroom project of Samuel Jacob-Lopez, Jr. As the son of a Puerto Rican DJ and salsa dancer, the LA-based artist fell in love with rhythm at an early age. Growing up skateboarding to the sounds of artists like Syd Barret, Radiohead and Dr. Dre, Tapioca and the Flea, found its own eclectic blend of psych, indie rock, and electronic music. In 2011, he recruited three of his best friends – drummer Matt McClanahan, guitarist Ronnie Watson and bassist/keyboardist Frank Alva – and the full electro-pop band was fleshed out. Tapioca and the Flea gained momentum in their native L.A. on the strength of their psychedelic dance tracks “Mellotron” and “Home” and have opened for such acts as CSS and Young the Giant. The band has won praise and support from OC Weekly, who nominated them for Best New Artist of 2014 and The Owl Mag, who described their music as “the soundtrack to the world’s coolest underwater dance.”

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April 8, 2014 · 1:14 pm

Check ‘Em Out: FAIRCHILD

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FAIRCHILD will digitally release their debut Burning Feet EP worldwide on Friday April 25th through Canvas Sounds. Produced & mixed by Catherine Marks (Foals, Howling Bells, Wolf Alice), the EP will also feature a KNDR remix of “Dancer”. In anticipation of the release, the band have just put out a new music video for the title track “Burning Feet” directed by their drummer James Haigh.

Although being their debut EP, the band have been around since 2005. Going through several line-up & name changes before re-launching themselves as FAIRCHILD at the beginning of 2013. During this time, they have toured through Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, China and supported the likes of Neon Indian, Kids of 88, Parachute Youth, Red Riders, Parades, Cassette Kids, Canyons, Pigeon, Battleships, The Khanz, Cub Sport & Northeast Party House.

“Similarities to Two Door Cinema Club and Swim Deep” – It’s All Indie

“The contemporary indie pop references are there for modern listeners to lap up – the African guitar riffs, the disco rhythms and the singalong choruses all mark Burning Feet, Dancer and Figure It Out as songs that the kids will absolutely love.” – TODAYonline

“DIY indie pop band from Oz that music lovers in the United States need to hear because we think they’re pretty amazing” – Indie Rock Cafe

“Sounds like Foals, Bloc Party, The Temper Trap” – Indie Shuffle

“Filled with layers of catchy melodies and vibrant polyphonic textures, this tune will take you back to Summer-holiday music festival; think Last Dinosaurs meets Neon Indian. Songwriting aside, the production value of this track is flawless.” – adamNOTeve

Upcoming Shows

Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast (Gold Coast Suns AFL Match) – April 12th

The Loft, Gold Coast (Oneway Street Unofficial AFTER Party) – April 26th

Baltic Avenue, Toronto (Canadian Music Week) – May 6th

Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (Canadian Music Week) – May 10th

Cake Shop, New York – May 12th

Rendezvous, Seattle – May 14th

Silverlake Lounge, Los Angeles – May 16th

Hard Rock Cafe, Singapore – May 22nd

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April 2, 2014 · 10:56 am

Listen: Krishna Das – “Tara’s Mantra”

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Layering traditional Hindu kirtan with instantly accessible melodies and modern instrumentation, Grammy Nominee Krishna Das has been called yoga’s “rock star.” With a remarkably soulful voice that touches the deepest chord in even the most casual listener, Krishna Das – known to friends, family, and fans as simply KD – has taken the call-and-response chanting out of yoga centers and into concert halls, becoming a worldwide icon and the best-selling American chant artist of all time.

With the release of his 14th album, Kirtan Wallah—one who sings kirtan, KD offers a westward-leaning album, fully embracing his American roots in rock and country and yet embodying the spirit of deeply devotional Indian chants – the heart of this latest album is still in the Names that he’s singing.

KD spent the late ‘60’s traveling across the country as a student of Ram Dass, and in August 1970, he finally made the journey to India, which led him to Ram Dass’ own beloved guru, Neem Karoli Baba, known to most as Maharaj-ji.

Given the name Krishna Das, KD began to chant as part of following the path of Bhakti yoga – the yoga of devotion. After two and a half years with Maharaj-ji, returned to USA – alas, six months after his return, word came that Maharaj-ji had died.

He took solace in music, finding peace and strength in both his Bhakti yoga practice as well as in such heroes as Ray Charles, Van Morrison, Steely Dan, and Bruce Springsteen (whom he laughingly calls “the Bodhisattva of New Jersey”). KD also co-founded Triloka Records, a California-based label specializing in world music, releasing such artists as Jai Uttal, sarod virtuoso Ali Akbar Khan, and legendary jazz musician/composer Jackie McLean.

In 1994, KD started leading chant at Jivamukti Yoga Center, NYC, with an ever-growing audience of yoga students that has led him to chant with people all around the world.

In February 2013, Krishna Das performed at the Grammy awards in Los Angeles, CA streamed online to millions of viewers. The award-winning film ‘One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das’ has been in over 100 US cities, over 10 countries worldwide and is available on DVD everywhere, and his album Live Ananda (released January 2012) was nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Age album category.

“The chanting just hits you and you want to be a part of it,” KD promises. “That’s the point of this whole thing. That’ s what cuts through all the ‘stuff’. You get lit up. You don’t have to know what it means.”

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Listen: Krishna Das – “Tara’s Mantra”

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