Thursday, August 5, 2010

TEDDYBEARS: Sweden's Badass Bears



I think I'm falling in love with Sweden even more. Lemme see, the country exports indie acts with lasting talent like Robyn, The Hives, Lykke Li, The Cardigans, The Sounds... the list goes on. Now add Teddybears Stockholm to that. Save for the menagerie of genre's they mix like pop, rock, hip-hop, electronica, reggae, punk to name a few. These guys created their music around the year I was born and they sure made some great music.

The first time I've heard of these guys was in their Cobrastyle video. I'm totally down with the rhythm and the dig digi bombi-ness of it all, but those bear heads creep me. I mean, seriously. I have a thing against clowns as well, so this isn't anything unusual. If you need to be reminded of that wild video, I posted it below.

Teddybears Stockholm's Yours To Keep is the bees' knees. There, I said it. I don't want to force the track on you, but don't prejudge the bear heads. Though it does add personality, nothing beats the good vocals from Paola and the right groove set by the trio.

Teddy Bear Stockholm - Yours to Keep feat Paola



A recent debut of the Stones Throw and Serato collaboration it on J Dilla's new release Donut Shop surfaced last July 28 and boy, it's something you gotta get a hold of. It features 3 unreleased Donuts tracks and 3 instrumentals that you might be familiar with from previous Q-tip work.

To grab the freebie, just sign up to Stones Throw's newsletter and you're good to go.


♫ J Dilla - Safety Dance


The Wild Beasts, after their single "We Still Got The Taste Dancin' On Our Tongues" from their fantastic 2009 full length album Two Dancers got nominated for a Mercury Music Prize, are now releasing a new 10" and it features a few remixes and a Japanese b-side titled "Through the Iron Gate," which you can preview and download below.

Wild Beasts - Through the Iron Gate

Another great news - Domino is offering a free download of the EP for this week only! Don't miss it! Go HERE! Buy their EP over at Domino.

Thanks to Stereogum!


Recently I posted a stream of Ratatat's track Mandy which is of course a good combo with their LP4 track Wildcat and Lex. This music video, well, let me just say it isn't short of crazy.



EAT MORE CAKE's gets more attnetion with every passing day and their debut album 'Climb The Ladder, Live the Dream' is getting an increasing fan base. The band now presents various remixes of their new single'Has To Be Done' from Lazybones, Choking Dolphin and The Domino State. These three remixes range from the terrifying (The Lazybones) to dreamy (The Domino State). The sea of beats and bass, guitars and synths will prep you for the track's story of inner turmoil.

Eat More Cake are a 4-piece band comprising songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Andrew Briggs and Matt Pearn, drummer Alex Lane and DJ Owen Charles. Their live following continues to grow after breathtaking performances at Hatfield Forum, the Institute of Contemporary Arts, the Cobden Club, Camden Barfly, 93 Feet East, Hoxton Bar & Kitchen as well as many other venues in and around London. This summer sees the band take to the stage at a number of festivals including Hamswell and FIV in north-west Spain.


Their debut album Climb The Ladder, Live The Dream will be released in 2010. { via New City }

Website | Myspace | Facebook | Video Blog


Eat More Cake - Had To Be Done (album version)
Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You (Eat More Cake remix)







The official video for REVOLUTION by the John Butler Trio.
From the album 'April Uprising'
Site: http://www.johnbutlertrio.com
Shop: http://jbt.musicplug.me


We're kicking off with two of Australia's biggest new artists. Firstly we have John Butler Trio. The band has been touring the States and Europe for most of 2010 and have released their biggest album to date "April Uprising". The latest single is Revolution and we've just received the video clip you might like to check out here. We also have a live MP3 available for free distribution through blogs available from our media site, you can access here (you can also grab their full bio, media pics and some more videos here too).


Already remixed by various artists, Robyn's "Hang With Me" recently went through some upbeat happy mixing courtesy of Starsmith and Hot City! Below is the music video of track!

Robyn - Hang With Me (Starsmith Remix) by sheenabeaston

Robyn - Hang With Me (Pumped By Hot City Mix) by sheenabeaston

Robyn - Hang With Me official video from Robyn on Vimeo.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY: Magic Hours



This Austin, Texas instrumental band who has been around for more than 10 years (since 1999), Explosions In The Sky definitely proves how sheer talent and passion plays a role in the endurance and staying power in the music industry. Post-rock from the likes of Caspian and Mogwai are a good jam but the music Explosions In The Sky establishes is a rose among the thorns. Listen to this elating track from them, entitled Magic Hours.

Explosions In The Sky - Magic Hours



Great news for rap fans. Here's a new and downloadable free mixtape from our boy Wale, titled More About Nothing Mixtape which although wasn't released from any label, certainly is a GREAT listen for some fun downtime. Attention Deficit didn't hit it off well in the charts but Wale still can shoot fot the stars with this mixtape!

Tracklist:
01 The Problem
02 The MC
03 The Soup
04 The Breeze (Cool) [ft. Wiz Khalifa & Tré of UCB]
05 The Friends N Strangers [ft. Tré of UCB]
06 The Number Won (Competition)
07 The Eyes of the Tiger
08 The War [ft. Daniel Merriweather]
09 The Break Up Song
10 The Work (Workin)
11 The Black N Gold [ft. Sam Sparro]
12 The Manipulation Pt. 2
13 KD Interlude
14 The Posse Cut (Who Don't) [ft. Fat Trel & Black Cobain]
15 Waka Flocka Flame [ft. Wale & Roscoe Dash]: "The Guilty Pleasure (No Hands)"
16 The Trip (Downtown)
17 The Ambitious Girl
18 The Motivation (Be Right) [ft. Dre from Cool & Dre]
19 The Cloud [ft. Tiara Thomas]
20 The Power [ft. Avery Storm]
21 The Get Away (Fly Away) [ft. Northeast Groovers]

Download the whole mixtape folks.

(via Pitchfork via Rap Radar via HHNM)


Source


Mochi Beats brings us ANOTHER FRESH MASHUP called Lying Hearts featuring tracks from Kanye West, Arcade Fire, Christina Perri, Consequence and Cassette Kids. Click play and if you want to download, just click the "down arrow" at the side of the widget! Check more of Mochi Beats' good stuff at their site.

Lying Hearts (Kanye West + Arcade Fire + Christina Perri + Consequence + Cassette Kids) by mochi beats

Monday, August 2, 2010

WEEKLIES: She's Mine



"You know how when you're listening to music playing from another room? And you're singing along because it's a tune that you really love? When a door closes or a train passes so you can't hear the music anymore, but you sing along anyway... then, no matter how much time passes, when you hear the music again you're still in exact same time with it. That's what it's like."
 - On love, Music from Another Room

First in all of my Weeklies posts is this romance-tinged version. Most of the tracks are a bit old but certainly there is a track here we can relate to.

Weeklies - She's Mine.zip

♫ Day Too Soon - Sia
♫ Forget Me Not - Lucie Silvas
♫ Baby Come Back - Firefall
♫ Don't Break My Heart - Kate Walsh
♫ Postcards From Italy (Beirut Cover) - Florence And The Machine
♫ She's Mine - Brett Dennen
♫ Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) - Eurythmics
♫ Disarm (Smashing Pumpkins) - Amie Miriello
♫ I Heard Love Is Blind - Amy Winehouse
♫ Lovely Day - Bill Withers
♫ My Heartbeat - Annie
♫ Ça plane pour moi (Original 1977 Version) - Plastic Bertrand
♫ The Giant Illinois - Andrew Bird (from Dark Was The Night)
♫ White Sky - Vampire Weekend
♫ With A Girl Like You - Troggs



Fol Chen’s uniquely crafted The Holograms EP — presents remixes from Teen Daze, Fur, Hard Mix, plus this twisted rework by London’s Primary 1. Download it all for free in their bandcamp site, here.

<a href="http://folchen.bandcamp.com/track/the-holograms-primary-1-remix">The Holograms (Primary 1 Remix) by Fol Chen</a>

Thanks to the great Gorilla VS Bear.



Here's a heads up to all hiphop, funk and alternative music fans - LYRICS BORN.

"One of the most critically acclaimed and best-selling independent hip-hop artists of this era, Lyrics Born is not the type to sit still. While recording his fourth solo album, completing new projects, and making decisions at Quannum Projects, he still averaged over 150 sold-out shows a year. He's a whirlwind."

That being said, there's a lot of good stuff you'd hear from this guy. His breakthrough solo debut entitled "Later That Day" was a huge indie seller ranking in one of the top 5 most critically acclaimed American hip-hop records of 2003 alongside Jay-Z's The Black Album and Outkast's Love Below/Speakerboxxx. With Everywhere At Once released, there's no denying that the rapper/producer will bring fans at an awe with his accessible sound.

♫ Lyrics Born - Bad Dreams
Lyrics Born - Lies x 3



Nite Jewel’s Am I Real? EP is available from Stones Throw, and the previously unreleased title track is available and free to download:

♫ Nite Jewel - Am I Real?

Get her EP Am I Real? here on CD/mp3.

Twitter - Myspace - Facebook



Yourstru.ly, the great music blog, features Freddie Gibb's video Born To Roll. XXLmag is also giving us a free download of his mixtape, Str8 Killa No Filla here.

Striding Duo - Filipino musicians Arthur and Michael Imperial

These two Striding brothers have it made. Why? Sometimes you just know.

Arthur and Micheal Imperial are brothers coming from Toronto whose music taste was significantly influenced by their Filipino father whose palate for good rock music is insoluble. Their old man must be bursting with pride with how talented his sons are. Strider Hero is all geared up to leave their imprint on the everyone with these great tunes.

Posted are seven songs from their EP below - more than enough to convince you that these guys really know how their beats. You definitely want these songs banging your iPod.

♫ Strider Hero – Brave
♫ Strider Hero – Fake New York Girls
♫ Strider Hero - Future Wife
♫ Strider Hero - The Spaces That You Only Know
♫ Strider Hero - Take It Slow
♫ Strider Hero - My Monstrous Girl
♫ Strider Hero - The Well Wisher

Cd Baby and iTunes are the sites to go if you want to download their EP. For more on Strider Hero: Myspace - Facebook - Twitter



HOW COULD ONE NOT LOVE A JENS LECKMAN TRACK?

After the gorgeous summer mix, "Summer in 3/4 Time", Jens Leckman gives us more reason to love his music even more:

♫ Jens Leckman - The End Of The World Is Bigger Than Love




"It was the day before the american election 2008 and I was filled with a hopelessness that only a McCain supporter could have shared with me at the time. I was in Washington DC to perform for swedish TV, sitting in the couch with a profesional smile on my face, joking with the hosts and discussing the lobster with the TV chef. I saw the clips online sometime ago, it’s amazing what an actor I can be if I really make an effort.

I lived in America back then, up in New York. At the time I felt like everything I touched was turning to shit and I had decided to put everything on one card. Subconsciously I knew I needed to hit the bottom so I could work my way up again. I needed confirmation, I needed someone to tell me it wasn’t going to work out, not this way. Yes, there was a girl involved in this. I was very much in love with her.

Some things you just go through. You don’t write about it, you don’t turn it into art because it can’t be turned into art. I didn’t write any songs that year because you can’t pour manure into an espresso machine and expect a cappucino to come out. When they announced the results and the streets filled up with people celebrating I felt happy to be part of something bigger than myself. It was a feeling that lasted me until the very last days of December 2008 when I finally sat down in my old teenage room at my parents house and I wrote this song. Then the year ended.

It’s a song of hope. When love turns it’s back on you it’s nice to know there’s a world out there that doesn’t give a shit about your problems. That forces you to keep your head held high and move on. A world that is fragile and beautiful. Maybe it can sound cold to some of you, but let me make it clear that I believe in love, I just get so wrapped up in it sometimes that I need to put it into proportion. It’s something you have to do a lot when you’re Jens Lekman."



New stuff from Miami Horror.

Tracklist:
01. Infinite Canyons
02. I Look to You
03. Holidays
04. Summersun
05. Sometimes
06. Moon Theory
07. Echoplex
08. Imagination (I Want You To Know)
09. Grand Illusion
10. Soft Light
11. Illuminated
12. Ultraviolet

Pre-order their album here and receive a 2CD edition of the album with remixes from the likes of Fred Falke, Treasure Fingers, Sam La More and Shazam. Great stuff!

Details on their shows:
Sep 3 2010 8:00PM LIVE @ Mezzanine San Francisco, CA
Sep 4 2010 8:00PM LIVE @ Pacific Festival Irvine, CA
Sep 5 2010 8:00PM LIVE @ Beauty Bar Las Vegas, NV
Sep 9 2010 8:00PM LIVE @ Double Door Chicago, IL
Sep 10 2010 8:00PM LIVE @ Webster Hall New York, NY
Sep 15 2010 8:00PM DJ @ Kamp's Oklahoma City, OK
Sep 16 2010 8:00PM LIVE @ PM Lounge Dallas, TX
Sep 17 2010 8:00PM LIVE @ The Phoenix Austin, Texas, TX
Sep 25 2010 12:00PM LIVE @ Village Fair Bathurst, NSW, AUSTRALIA
Nov 27 2010 12:00PM LIVE @ Foreshore Music Festival Canberra, ACT, AUSTRALIA


Miami Horror - I Look To You (featuring Kimbra)



If you are one of those people who:
a.) Don't feel love for the leaked songs off Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs"
b.) Haven't heard the album at all
c.) Don't know who the hell Arcade Fire is (to which, I must reckon, a depravity)
d.) Want to stay on the safe side and didn't download the leak

...then you must catch NPR's full stream of the album. Tomorrow is D'Day for the release of "The Suburbs" and I personally am hoping the album will do well. On the top 10 list are Indie favorites Grizzly Beat, The National and dominating the chart is Vampire Weekend. NPR did all of the doubters a favor by offering everyone to have a preview of the album, and if you are having some second thoughts about buying THe Suburbs, then you better check out the site HERE.



I.love.Beirut.

(Next to Arcade Fire that is)
This is a (VERY) old video of the indie-folk-Balkan group, Beirut's performance of Postcards from Italy last May 6, 2007 at the Bowery Ballroom, New York.