Tag Archives: NYLON

Dancing with Imaginary People

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmFavgYXoMg

Frontman Dylan Von Wagner has a voice that wavers between uncertainty and rock ‘n’ roll confidence, and he’s one of the few modern-day vocalists I have a hard time comparing to anyone else.” – USA Today’s Pop Candy

Imaginary People’s lead vocalist, Dylan Von Wagner, has the kind of voice you don’t hear much anymore: there’s a vibrato to it, and an occasional yelp, and a good-natured snarl, all of which might put the listener in mind of Elvis or Jerry Lee Lewis.Interview Magazine

“Sounding like Eddie Veddar and Tiny Tim Harmonizing in a meat cooler, Dylan Von Wagner’s shivering warble grabs you straightaway.”–Rolling Stone

“Von Wagner is a commanding presence, expressive and elegantly bombastic”–Pitchfork

“…as much of a throwback as it is a dance party-starter.”–Nylon

The world we see in Imaginary People’s video for “Miles” is an honest day in New York City, but somehow slightly more fanciful. Perhaps it’s the carefully constructed cinematography, the 80’s boom box perched nostalgically on a shoulder or the radical and unapologetic dancing. As the main character leads us from symmetric backgrounds to a pulsing dance floor, we see how many ways this song can be boogied to.

Imaginary People have created a pure, unadulterated sound, utilizing Dylan Von Wagner’s surprisingly unique vocals, as well as a dance-happy synth and pulsing drums throughout. This track creates a vibe that could easily apply to a sweaty strobe lit dance floor or playing pool in a dimly lit pub. Half blues, half punk, half something completely their own, this video is a perfect match for a sound is as unique as this guy’s dance moves.

With his magnetic presence, it’s difficult to divert your eyes from dancer Menelik Puryear. Von Wagner explains to Pop Candy, “Menelik is dead serious about dancing; he literally danced for seven hours straight and has no problem shaking it in front of anyone.”

Miles is the b-side to the equally as energetic and danceable “Fever Nation,” which premiered earlier this summer.

 

Leave a comment

Filed under Check 'em Out!, video

New Album: Foxes – Glorious

unnamed

London’s own Louisa Rose Allen, better known as Foxes, will release her full-length debut album Glorious in the US digitally on Monday, June 23rd. The album debuted in the Top 5 on UK Album Charts when it was released earlier this year overseas. Additionally, Foxes will support Pharrell on his UK tour later this year.

Foxes recently won a Grammy for Best Dance Recording for “Clarity” with Zedd which they performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon! and Late Show with David Letterman.

 

The stunning Foxes has graced the cover of UK’s Fabulous and The New Review as well as gorgeous features in UK’s InStyle and stateside in the likes of Flaunt, Elle, Marie Claire and NYLON. Stay tuned to see Foxes make a cameo on an upcoming episode of BBC’s sci-fi hit “Doctor Who.”

artworks-000075272724-xeo3nl-t200x200

Listen: Foxes – Holding On To Heaven (The Chainsmokers Remix)

Leave a comment

Filed under Awesome, new albums, remixes, video

Listen: Monogem – “Follow You”

unnamed

Listen: Monogem – “Follow You”

“Jen Hirsh’s indie pop outfit is a groovy blend of funky beats, dreamy melodies, and a stirring, soulful center.”  – NYLON

“Our indie fever spiked when we first heard the second track off of Monogem’s debut EP, The Glow” – Elle.com

“With a fully blossomed hook and whimsical atmosphere, “Wait and See” is a charming new addition to Monogem’s small catalogue” – Billboard

“…Will renew your love for arm-warmers, high-waisted athletic pants, leotards and fierce-ass moves.” – Paper Mag

2 Comments

Filed under Awesome, Check 'em Out!, listen

Download: DWNTWN – “Missing You”

unnamed

 

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)

Leave a comment

Filed under listen, new albums, Shows

Newest Love: Caught a Ghost

Caught a Ghost is a new project from LA-based songwriter and producer Jesse Nolan, features a classic Motown and Stax sensibility mixed with modern samples, synths and beats. In its live incarnation, Caught A Ghost features an 8-piece band including a 3-piece horn section and visual projections tailor-made for each song.

Jesse describes the name of his band as referring to the sensation of being filled with the spirit of the past. “It’s an old expression” he says, “musicians used to say you caught a ghost if you gave a good performance. Like you were possessed.” It is this sort reverence for the music of bygone eras combined with his musical dexterity that makes Caught A Ghost so intriguing.

On and off the stage, Caught A Ghost is quickly gaining new fans. “Connected” recently premiered on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and My Old Kentucky Blog. “Time Go” was featured on the NBC show SUITS and by Paste Magazine. And “Hold Out” was praised by Rolling Stone and it’s music video by NYLON.

Nightworks, the debut EP from Caught A Ghost, will be released via +1 Records on February 12th, 2013.

Listen: Caught a Ghost – “Time Go”

Listen: Caught a Ghost – “Connected”

Leave a comment

Filed under Awesome, Check 'em Out!, Highly Anticipated, listen, Newest Love, video

Brand New: Atlas Genius – “Back Seat”

Listen to the brand new track “Back Seat” now!

The song “Trojans” by Atlas Genius has taken over our heads and our hearts over the past few months. Now, we’re finally getting more!

Listen: Atlas Genius – “Trojans”

The Adelaide, Australia-based indie band has signed with Warner Bros. Records, and will release its debut EP, Through The Glass, on June 12. The three-song collection will include Atlas Genius’ breakout hit “Trojans,” which had sold more than 45,000 downloads in the U.S. alone before the band was even signed. The band members are currently at work in their home studio on their full-length debut, which is due out this fall.

The band wasn’t in a rush to sign with a record label. In fact, it wasn’t until about a month after the Neon Gold blog post that they even realized that Atlas Genius’ inbox was full of inquiries fromlabels, publishers, lawyers, booking agents and management companies.

“We had begun to think that music was a pipedream and we had all gone back to university to pursue more realistic careers,” recalls vocalist/guitarist Keith. Buoyed by the outpouring of interest, the three brothers – Keith, Steven and Michael Jeffrey – quickly got back to writing and recording more songs.

NYLON praised Atlas Genius’ “double whammy of high-flying pop melodies and instantly catchy lyrics” and Billboard tipped the band as part of “The Next Wave” of up-and-coming alternative bands. The three-track Through The Glass – produced, engineered and mixed by the band in their home studio – captures Atlas Genius’ singular combination of sophisticated musicality and warm, wistful spirit. In addition to “Trojans,” it features the shimmering “Symptoms” and “Back Seat,” which blends its pulsing bass throb with a sweetly infectious beat and tender vocals that alternately soar and sigh.

Listen: Atlas Genius – “Back Seat”

Leave a comment

Filed under Highly Anticipated, Holy Freaking Crap!, listen

Newest Love: Class Actress

Check out this video from Class Actress for “Journal of Ardency” — a single from last year on Class Actress’ EP Journal of Ardency on Terrible Records. Class Actress is Elizabeth Harper and when she set out on her glam-rock adventure, she decided to have a REAL early 80s feel to her music by using vintage drums and analog synths.

Have a listen at “Weekend” from her debut album, Rapprocher, out now through Carpark Records.

“sweetly spectral vocals over lush ’80s synths and beats.” – NYLON

“New York is no stranger to disco-influenced electro-pop, but there’s always room for another addition to the party….cool and collected vocal hooks from [Elizabeth] Harper’s sultry croon floating atop a straightforward dance beat rife with shimmering synths and bouncing basslines.” – XLR8R

Tracklist:

1. Keep You
2. Love Me Like You Used To
3. Weekend
4. Prove Me Wrong
5. Need To Know
6. Limousine
7. All The Saints
8. Bienvenue
9. Missed
10. Hangin’ On
11. Let Me In

 

Leave a comment

Filed under Check 'em Out!, listen, new albums, Newest Love, video

New Music: Caveman

After revealing tracks with Fader and Pitchfork, the rising New York band Caveman exclusively premiered two new tracks with Stereogum and Nylon MagazineStereogum calls Caveman’s “Decide”  “breezy, infectious folk-pop / Heavy Rotation” and Nylon Magazine described the luscious “Easy Water” as follows: “newcomers Caveman, the Brooklyn band that’s gaining massive buzz despite the fact that the group is only a little more than a year old. With lullaby vocals and woozy melodies.”

  • Download “Decide” HERE
  • Download “Easy Water” HERE

Mark your calendars for more new track premieres: “A Country’s King of Dreams”via MTV Hive on 8/31 and “My Room” via Rolling Stone on 9/5.

Opening with “A Country’s King of Dreams,” the band explores honey-sweet, country-tinged vocal melodies over tribal drumming. “My Time” is a slow-building pop gem, with lead singer Matthew Iwanusa’s vocals weaving in and out of band’s backing vocals. Caveman’s lush four-part harmonies, spaced-out guitars, and inventive percussion come together perfectly on the tracks “Easy Water” and “My Room.”

The band puts on a must-see live show; as you can read in this amazing Consequence of Sound live review HERE from the Chicago show last week (and I will be going to see on Thursday 9/1). Currently on tour with The War on Drugs, they’ll be back in New York for their digital album release show at the Mercury Lounge on Thursday, September 15th.

In honor of the New York five-piece’s debut release, Pitchfork revealed another stand out track from Caveman’s debut CoCo Beware “Thankful” HERE. The band has already made “Old Friend” (my favorite!) available as a free download, premiering the track with Fader Magazine. Click HERE to hear the track.

Caveman is:
Matthew Iwanusa (lead vocals, guitar, drums)
Jimmy “Cobra” Carbonetti (guitar)
Stefan Marolachakis (drums, vocals)
Sam Hopkins (synthesizer, vocals)
Jeff Berrall (bass, vocals)

Upcoming Caveman Dates:
* w/ The War On Drugs
08/30 – St. Louis, MO @ The Biliken Club *
08/31 – Lexington-Fayette, KY @ Cosmic Charlie’s *
09/01 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe *
09/02 – Washington, DC @ The Red Place *
09/15 – New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge (Digital Album Release)

Leave a comment

Filed under Check 'em Out!, downloads, listen, new albums, Shows

Free Download: ANR – “New Armor”

“the driving beats of TV On The Radio blended with the psychedelic sweetness of Passion Pit” MTV.com

Miami’s psychedelic synth-pop duo ANR released the brand new track “New Armor.”  The song is the latest example of the group’s constant evolution as well as their prolific songwriting.  It begins with a lone acoustic guitar before falsetto vocals and lush, sparkling keyboards join the mix.  ANR’s reverb-laden vocals are anthemic and continue in the introspective, earnest direction of the previously released tracks from Stay Kids Deluxe Edition, their forthcoming album out September 13th on 10k Islands.

ANR consists of merely two members – Brian Robertson (Keys, Vocals) and Michael-John Hanock (Vocals, Drums) – but they create a powerful sound filled with layered melodies and bountiful hooks.  It has already earned the duo praise from RCRD LBL, The Fader, MTV.com, and Nylon, among others, and have landed them shows with bands like Animal Collective, Neon Indian, No Age, and Fucked Up.  The band kicks off their North American tour later this month.

Listen/download: ANR – “New Armor”

North American Tour Dates:

08/25:  Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
08/29:  Philadelphia, PA  @ Kung-Fu Necktie
08/30: New York, NY  @ Milk Studios
08/31:  New York, NY  @ Mercury Lounge
09/01:  Boston, MA  @ Brighton Music Hall
09/02:  Montreal, QC  @ Casa Del Popolo
09/03:  Toronto, ONT  @ The Drake
09/05: Detroit, MI  @ Lager House
09/06: Grand Rapids, MI  @ Pyramid Scheme
09/07: Chicago, IL  @ Empty Bottle
09/09: Urbana, IL  @ Canopy Club
09/10: Minneapolis, MN  @ 7th Street Entry
09/12:  Seattle, WA  @ Crocodile Lounge
09/13:  Portland, OR  @ Doug Fir
09/15: San Francisco, CA  @ Bottom Of The Hill
09/16: Fresno, CA  @ Audie’s Olympic
09/17: Los Angeles, CA  @ The Satellite
09/20: San Diego, CA  @ Soda Bar

Leave a comment

Filed under Check 'em Out!, downloads, listen, Newest Love

New Track (+ download): Rubblebucket – “Worker”

Leading up the release of Omega La La on June 21 via Sin Duda Records, Rubblebucket is happy to premiere their latest track, “Worker,” with Spinner this morning. The site had great things to say about the band, writing, “Like a love child of the Rapture and Dirty
Projectors, Rubblebucket have been churning out highly polished pop since their inception, and their upcoming record, Omega La La, is sure to have you grooving in your skinny jorts this summer.”
As a part of the band’s upcoming summer tour dates, Rubblebucket is also headlining Bikes Rock!, the opening night of the Bicycle Film Festival in New York City, on 6/22 at Santos Party House. Check out the band’s full summer tour below.

Listen/download: Rubblebucket – “Worker”
Read Spinner’s piece on Rubblebucket here 

Omega La La marks a milestone for Rubblebucket. Recorded last year, the record is the Brooklyn eight piece’s most adventurous record yet, with the band dipping into everything from the dancey indie-pop arrangements to Fela-Kuti inspired afro-beat stomps. The album opens with “Down in the Yards,” a track that builds off the ebb and flow of a droning, two-note guitar riff, only to explode into a triumphant chorus anchored by the band’s horn section. That track is followed up by the buoyant psych-pop gem, “L’homme.” “Silly Fathers” and a reworked version of “Came Out of a Lady” show off the band’s penchant for creating pop songs that stick in your head. “Raining” is an eccentric pop song built around intertwining vocal lines and a cascading synth. And so far the record has earned a wealth of praise, with Stereogum hailing the record’s “Tricky arrangements, whistle solos, and disco guitar leads” and PasteMagazine calling the album “instrumentally rich but catchy enough to ass-kick Katy Perry off the pop charts (in a just world)—mega-melodic without sacrificing an ounce of atmosphere or creativity.”

For Rubblebucket, it’s been a long journey to make Omega La La. Led by the musical couple of bandleader/trumpeter Alex Toth and frontwoman Kalmia Traver, Rubblebucket has spent the last four years building a reputation as a band that blurs the lines between psychedelic indie rock, upbeat dance, and radiant, left-field arrangements. In 2009, Rubblebucket released a self-titled album that turned heads. The band then relocated to Brooklyn and released the Triangular Daises EP in 2010. A stylistic precursor to Omega La La, the Triangular
Daises EP
was hailed by The Wall Street Journal, NYLON, Paste, and a host of others.

Rubblebucket Spring/Summer Tour Dates:
06/16: Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
06/17: Spencer, IN @ Stable Studios Music Festival
06/18: Grand Rapids, MI @ Founders Fest
06/22: New York, NY @ Santos Party House – NYC Bicycle Film Fest
06/28: Pittsburgh, PA @ Rex Theatre
06/30: Madison, WI @ Majestic Live
07/02: Rothbury, MI @ Electric Forrest Festival
07/08: Rochester, NY @ East End Festival
07/09: Schuylkill, PA @ Midsummer Meltdown
07/15: Buffalo, NY @ North Fork Music Park
07/16: Greenfield, MA @ Green River Fest
07/24: Bridgeport, CT @ Gathering of the Vibes
07/29: Floyd, VA @ Floyd Fest
07/30: Floyd, VA @ Floyd Fest
08/13: Burlington, VT @ Grand Point North
08/18: Stephentown, NY @ Bella Terra
08/19: Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bowl
08/20: Sheldon, VT @ Liberate Festival
09/03: Chicago, IL @ North Coast Festival
09/04: Mohawk, NY @ Moe.Down
09/10: Peru, NY @ Backwoods Pondfest
10/08: Roseland, VA @ The Festy
11/11: Live Oak, FL @ Bear Creek Music & Arts Fest

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized