Category Archives: Check ’em Out!

Video: Hollis Brown – “Ride On The Train”

NYC natives Hollis Brown make music that is lush, raw and full of heart. The band’s Nothing & The Famous No One EP will be released digitally on April 3rd.  For an early taste, the band has released a video for album track “Ride On The Train,” a triumphant song of new beginnings lead by warm, crackling guitar over booming piano.

Nothing & The Famous No One opens with the emotionally charged, bluesy love ballad, “Gypsy Black Cat.” The classic rock & roll track “Spoonful” features guest vocals by Deer Tick’s John McCauley. The band recorded Nothing & The Famous No One with producer Adam Landry (Deer Tick, Middle Brother) in Nashville during the summer of 2011. Taking great care to create a warm, vintage sound, the tracks were recorded live, straight to analog tape.

Catch Hollis Brown Live

4/13: New York, NY @ Pianos

4/14: Canonsburg, PA @ Jay’s

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MP3: Animal Heart – “UN-Extraordinary Man” (Dirty Tees Remix)

I will be listening to this one, a lot. THIS is something to dance to where instead of saying “this is my favorite part,” you’ll be saying, THIS is my favorite part…oh, and THIS is too…WAIT for it…it BREAKS down right here!”

Download: Animal Heart – “UN-Extraordinary Man” (Dirty Tees Remix)

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Newest Love: Holy Esque

Scottish Indie rock band Holy Esque has announced plans to release their self-titled debut EP on April 23.  The EP will be available digitally on iTunes and on CD at upcoming shows.

Listen to the new track “Rose” streaming now here.

The young Holy Esque, whose members range from 19 to 20 years old, formed in early 2011 in Glasgow and consists of Pat Hynes (vocals/guitar), Keir Reid (keys), Hugo McGinley (guitar) and Ralph McClure (drums).   The band began playing shows throughout the UK in less than six months of their inception.  After posting a few demos online, word spread rapidly about the enigmatic band’s intense sonic morass of distortion and atmospheric soundscapes, landing them coverage on numerous blogs and NME’s prestigious “Radar,” who said “HE really benefit from that everything up to ten factor, but also know their way around a riff that kinda sounds like classic Bunnymen played by James Dean Bradfield….you’ll be needing to play this loud.”
In early 2012, Holy Esque entered the DIY Pink Megic Studios built in a flat in the Southside of Glasgow with producer Kevin Burleigh (Glasvegas, Simple Minds, Supernaturals) to record their debut self-titled debut.  Armed with big riffs, thick crunchy bass lines and perhaps one of the most unique, yearning vocals heard in years, Holy Esque meld post-punk and 90’s alternative rock influences with skillful ability on their debut.  Featuring driving indie rock anthems like “Rose” and “Ladybird Love,” the EP is an incredible introduction to Glasgow’s most promising new band.

Holy Esque EP Track Listing:
1.    Ladybird Love
2.    Rose
3.    Loneliest Loneliness
4.    Prophet of Privilege

Holy Esque Tour Dates:
April 20 – Glenrothes, UK – The Greenside
April 25 – Leeds, UK – Nation of Shopkeepers
April 26 – Stoke, UK – Fat Cats
April 27 – London, UK – Camden Barfly
April 28 – London, UK – Old Blue Last
May 4 – Dundee, UK – The Doghouse
May 5 – Glasgow, UK – Stereo

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MP3: Lux – “Coroner’s Office”

Seattle duo Lux has issued another peek into the sound of its debut album We Are Not The Same, due for release on April 3rd, 2012.  The new single “Coroner’s Office” follows up the album’s first single “The Window” which was recently featured as a Magnet Magazine “MP3 At 3PM” and on the KEXP “Music That Matters” podcast.

The band wrote “Coroner’s Office” “in an addled haze of oblivion” according to the male half of the duo, David Chandler. “I was watching a lot of ‘Forensic Files’ and ‘Cold Case Files.’ There was a channel that ran this stuff 24/7. I also saw documentaries about Gacy, Gein and Dahmer. This inspired song ideas and “Coroner’s Office” seemed to encapsulate these ideas the most. The song ended up being recorded at the very last minute for inclusion on the album.”

Inspired by some of the most essential artists of the era of indie and underground music (Pavement, The Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth, The Magnetic Fields, The Jesus & Mary Chain, New Order, Blondie), Leah Rosen and David Chandler trade off vocals, guitars, synths and drum programming on We Are Not The Same which they also wrote, recorded and mixed themselves. The album is due for release on April 3rd.

Listen/download: Lux – “Coroner’s Office”

Track Listing: 

01. Coroner’s Office

02. Out Of Love

03. The Window

04. Valerie, They’ll Never Understand

05. Little Cripple

06. X

07. Cerebellar Ataxia

08. Candy Lux

09. Cachexia

10. A Study In Apathy (Drugs, Etc)

11. 1000 Airwaves

12. I’ll Try To Ignore The Fact That You’re Drowning

13. Blackout

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Download: Midnight Magic – “Drop Me A Line” (Holy Ghost Remix)

Serving up a feast of funk, disco, electro and soul, Midnight Magic has unleashed banger after banger including their dancefloor smash, “Beam Me Up.” The Drop Me A Line single which features remixes from Holy Ghost, Juan Maclean and more was released last October and today the band has released the “Drop Me A Line” (Holy Ghost Remix) MP3 with RCRD LBL.

Listen/download: Midnight Magic – “Drop Me A Line” (Holy Ghost Remix)

Receiving accolades from Pitchfork to BrooklynVegan, for What The Eyes Can’t See, the nine-piece party powerhouse will perform live at Brooklyn Bowl on March 24th to celebrate the official release of the EP April 3 on Midnight Sounds. The special new package will feature several previously unreleased b-sides.

What The Eyes Can’t See EP Tracklist
1. What The Eyes Can’t See
2. Heat
3. Julio
4. Calling Out
5. Psycho For Your Love (Bonus)
6. Magic Midnight (Bonus)

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Check ‘Em Out: Capsula

Wild. Energetic. Hot. Psychedelic. A Furious Hologram. A Space of Sounds. Droning Riffs. Garage Rawness. Shinny Surf Pop. Exploring Vocals. Feedback and Noise. CAPSULA.

The trio has returned with their sophomore album and sonic masterpiece, In The Land of Silver Souls (Krian Music Group).

Capsula’s Martin Guevara (vocals/guitar) and Coni Duchess (vocals/bass), along with Capsula drummer, Nacho, collectively create the musical storm, a whirlwind of psychedelic wonder and punk rock fury. Their music roars with a combination of garage rock toughness and modern style that have earned them a wide range of comparisons from The Stooges and The Pixies to Sonic Youth and David Bowie.

Although the band now lives in Bilbao, Spain, all three were born in Argentina.  Martin and Coni’s creative process was largely affected by living through the Argentinean dictatorship. A time when the censoring of music’s most fundamental subjects- love, sex, justice, revolution, drugs- created an atmosphere in which subversive lyrical and musical expression was a necessity. You don’t have to understand every lyric of a Capsula song to capture the unbound emotion of their dirty rock.

Their first single “Hit ‘n’ Miss” kicks off with a classic garage rock riff, before Martin rips into a Bowie-esque tale about the rise and fall of those seeking fast stardom in the big city.

Listen: Capsula – “Hit ‘n’ Miss”

Capsula will be touring the US in 2012, following their third SXSW showcase, on Thursday March 15. Witnessing Capsula live is an experience not easily forgotten, as they tear though blistering washes of guitar and pounding rhythms delivered with the true essence of punk rock attitude, garnering a great deal of acclaim from Rolling Stone, Wired Magazine and The Chicago Tribune among others.

Their sneering rock and roll attitude may suggest they don’t care if you like their music or not, but after one listen to In The Land of Silver Souls, it’s going to be hard not to. Deep grooving rhythms and wailing guitars are ever present as the band shifts between blazing riffs, spacey exploration, shimmering walls of sound and thick catchy vocal melodies.

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Videos: Grieves and Charli XCX

Happy Friday! Here’s two cool vids for ya. (Disclaimer: These two videos are in no way alike. So, if you don’t like one, maybe you’ll like the other….or be like me and like both.)

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Newest Love: Zulu Winter – “We Should Be Swimming”

“…music that shimmers like a sky full of fireworks” NME

catchy and anthemic indie-dance” – The Guardian

UK reverby rockers” – BrooklynVegan

Perseverance and dedication are two things that the members of Zulu Winter are very familiar with. The four guys from Oxfordshire, England came together in their teens over a shared love of music and have been collaborating ever since. Now, twelve years after their first practice as a band, Zulu Winter is gearing up to release Language, a debut album that has the immediate appeal of pop while at the same time packed with emotional insight. Inspired by everything from 19th century literature to obscure ‘60s electronica, Language will be released in North America on June 19th via Arts & Crafts.

Language is a collection of multi-dimensional songs that bleed with sentiment and syncopated dance beats. The album opens with “Key To My Heart,” a sincere message of love that showcases the depth and richness of the band’s sound with layers of swirling instrumentation. The upbeat “Silver Tongue” is driven by an energetic bass line that leads to a danceable chorus. “Bitter Moon” is an emotionally charged track hinged on a powerful chorus, inviting listeners to experience a vulnerable side of the band. “We Should Be Swimming” is a melancholic pop-song running over a compelling rhythm. Zulu Winter released a chilling video for the track, and today they have released the song as a free MP3 download.

Download: Zulu Winter – “We Should Be Swimming”

Having played sold-out shows across Europe alongside acts like Friendly Fires and The Horrors, Zulu Winter is ready to bring its energetic live show to the US. The band will be hitting the road for a string of US dates this month, including multiple performances at SXSW. Be sure to catch Zulu Winter live in your city!

  • 3/14: SXSW @ The Mohawk (Eat Your Own Ears & Laneway), 3:30pm
  • 3/15: SXSW @ Cedar Street Courtyard (Filter Magazine party), 1pm
  • 3/15: SXSW @ Latitude 30 (Clash Music UK party), 3pm
  • 3/15: SXSW @ Tiniest Bar (Double Denim & LuvLuvLuv present), 5:15pm
  • 3/16: SXSW @ Antones (Billions Official Showcase), 9:40pm
  • 3/20: Chicago, IL @ Schubas
  • 3/26: Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall (w/ Chairlift)
  • 3/28: New York , NY@ Mercury Lounge (w/ Polica)
  • 3/29: Brooklyn, NY @ Glasslands (w/ Willis Earl Beal)
  • 3/30: Pawtucket, Rhode Island @ The Met Cafe (w/ Polica)
  • 3/31: Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse (w/ Polica)
  • 4/01: Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bowl (w/ Polica)

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Video: SoSo – “My Women, My Guitars”

Swedish native Soso will release her debut album That Time I Dug So Deep I Ended Up In China, May 1, 2012. Today Soso releases the companion video to her power pop version of cult legend Cody ChesnuTT’s song “My Women My Guitars” which PerezHilton recently noted has “hints of Lauryn Hill and Amy Winehouse”.

This is soooooooooooo good!!!” – PerezHilton

Soso shifts from an Adele-brand of defeatism to Beyoncé’s confidence in just a few chords.” – Interview Magazine

“Soso is Swedish superpower composed of Monica Belluci’s face, Robyn’s voice and Adele’s heartbreak.” – RCRD LBL

That Time I Dug So Deep I Ended Up In China features single “Who’s Gonna Love Me,” a slow-building pop gem that battles intimate issues like insecurity and abandonment, with a “fuck-you” attitude. “Happy People” is a soulful and bittersweet song evoking an earlier time, when life was simple and free from complication. “Joaquin Phoenix” is a one-take-love-song to the decadent actor that Soso recorded impulsively after watching his mockumentary “I’m Still Here” in 2010. The record is also cut with a number of lush preludes and semi-instrumentals, including “Sab Lackath,” on which Soso recorded herself crying and edited it into rhythmic beats. It is clear that within the parameters of her technique, Soso truly invites us to her inner most private places.

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Video: Gigamesh – “When You’re Dancing” (feat. Induce)

Here’s the first video EVER from Gigamesh! YAY!

And we’ve got some tour dates, too:

3/8  Kitsuné Club Night @ Santos Party House, NYC
3/9  SOM, San Francisco
3/17   Kitsuné Club Night @ Chalk, Miami
3/22  Fred Falk, Cassian, Gigamesh, etc @ Gavanna, Miami
SXSW
3/10  C3 House, Austin, TX
3/12  Pre-Fader Fort party, venue TBA, Austin, TX
3/14  Burning Ear Party @ Firehouse Hostel & Bar, Austin, TX
3/16   Kitsuné Club Night @ Malverde, Austin, TX

And because I LOVE RAC, check out their remix of “When You’re Dancing”:

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