Aug 22, 2009

The Italian DJ pair known as Crookers remixed the Fever Ray track “Seven” for the forthcoming single with longtime collaborator Bot. The Crookers treatment infuses the moody “Seven” with some quacking synth lines and phone bank samples. The single is set to be released in Ocotober when Andersson will be wrapping up her short U.S. tour.

Aug 21, 2009

Before you think about writing off noise bands as taking the path of least resistance, give a second look towards the Los Angeles foursome HEALTH. If their sophomore album Get Color wasn’t enough, they’ve also got that Nine Inch Nails tour and a crazy Willy Wonka-inspired giveaway on the docket. Thankfully, the tunes keep flowing as well. Here’s the dance-y din called “We Are Water.” It will be found on the new full-length, coming out September 8th on Lovepump United. “Water” rattles atop a insane drum kit for awhile and then a huge wave of crushing noise engulfs the mix for a triumphant dénouement. In related media news, former single, “Die Slow” now has a remix by Black Moth Super Rainbow‘s Tobacco. HEALTH have a ton of tour dates coming up as well.

Aug 21, 2009

Here’s a new track from Jersey City’s The Black Hollies. The garage rock foursome’s got that Kinksian sound that all the kids dig. “Run With Me Run” is off the band’s third album set to analog tape, Softly Towards the Light, out October 6th on Ernest Jenning Record Co. You can stream all of new tracks here.

The Hollies have a U.S. tour coming up in the fall too. For those dates, click on over to their Myspace. More western dates TBA. They’ll be on the road with Washington, D.C. singer/songwriter Benjy Ferree.

Aug 21, 2009

Watch on YouTube

This week Intuit, the debut solo LP by Ramona Falls, was released. Just in case you needed a refresher, Ramona Falls is the first solo project by Brent Knopf, who also plays in the Portland, Ore. art-pop trio Menomena. The always hummorous Knopf, posted two very interesting clips to celebrate the release. One is a hilarious (and strange) promo clip featuring Christopher Frogken (a play on the matchless thespian Christopher Walken). The best line from that is “rasp is not a color.” The video above is an intimate peak into Brent’s solo creative process. One hint: it involves a ton of painstaking looping.

Watch “Christopher Frogken + Ramona Falls” here. You can also stream Intuit through the weekend at Barsuk.com.

Ramona Falls Tour Dates

08-21 Los Angeles, CA - The El Rey
08-23 Costa Mesa, CA - Detroit Bar
08-25 San Francisco, CA - Café Du Nord
08-26 Ashland, OR - Where? House
08-28 Seattle, WA - The Crocodile
08-29 Portland, OR - Douglas Fir
09-09 Minneapolis, MN - The 7th Street Entry
09-10 Madison, WI - The High Noon Saloon
09-11 Chicago, IL - The Chopin
09-12 Cleveland, OH - The Beachland Tavern
09-15 Boston, MA - Great Scott
09-17 New York, NY - Piano’s
09-18 Brooklyn, NY - TBA
09-19 Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie

Aug 20, 2009

Aprt from some killer blog sightings from Citizen Dick and I Guess I’m Floating, there’s not too much we know about the Oxford, Miss. group Young Buffalo. Both blogs made the correct observations that they sound like a more free-form Fleet Foxes, with a love for Afro-beat. They both pointed out this humorous item from Buffalo’s Myspace bio: “Goal 1: make good music Goal 2: not be doosh-like.” Sounds spot-on. Though the young trio(?) wears their influences on their sleeves their self-proclaimed “poppy doom” doesn’t come across as biting.

On “Catapilah” the group also ropes in some Dodos-like fireside chants. Most of the track consists of crisp percussion yelps and handclaps It’s pretty engaging throughout. The Southern band started recording earlier this year and supposedly have a five-song demo, dubbed Beast Mode. Be sure to check out the slightly goofy, chamber pop cut “Empathy is Everything.” Those fake deep voices sound like Leonard Cohen in a dour barber shop quartet. You can check out that and more songs on their Myspace page. Regardless of outward silliness, these calves have the potential to burn up the blogs like a brushfire; so be on the lookout.

Aug 20, 2009

The New York hip hop four-piece Anti-Pop Consortium already gave us the universe-warping “Capricorn One” from their comeback LP, Fluorescent Black. Now here’s a Four Tet reworking of “Volcano.” It’s been performed live, and will be appearing as a single on September 22nd through Big Dada. Kieran Hebden mutates the song into a futuristic dancefloor cut, with crispy snare hits and soothing bursts of white noise.

Aug 20, 2009

Felix are a trio with members based in London and, as their MySpace reads, “somewhere in Ireland.” The cosmopiltan classical pop group have a new album entitled You Are the One I Pick coming out November 3rd on Kranky. That LP has a beautific track called “Death to Everyone But Us” on it. “Death” is a nice example of the band’s chamber pop aesthetic as vocalist Lucinda Chua’s propels the the melody with her unspooling lyrics and a stately piano figure. Arthur Russell-like cellos and violin swipe across the face of the minimal track as well.