I don’t need to gush about this track again. As one of my top 10 songs of 2011, it’s in my brain constantly. ‘Hanging On’ is one of those songs in which a visual could not exist to do justice to the song but sure, if you’ve somehow never heard the song, press play. Then explore.
It’s still hard to believe that Archy Marshall aka King Krule is in fact so young. Still only 17 and he sounds like he’s been through a war of emotions. In this live version, he demostrates what it is he does best, a loose and limber arrangement out of a world-weary song that starts with “just another disappointed soul..”. Archy certainly has an old soul. More impressively, he wrote this song as Zoo Kid when he 15.
A video of another song and a interview follow…
I’m not 100% sure if I’ve consciously listened to Lower Dens before (I’ve a feeling Liz Pelly may have played a few tracks for me when she interned for State in 2010) but the Baltimore band fronted by Jana Hunter (whose name I recognise from scouring SXSW lineups of years past) are back later this year (April 27th) with a second album Nootropics so now might be a good time to explore.
It’s that beat to new song ‘Brains’ that gets me. That and the fact that it flirts with sounding like one of those grand alt-rock songs but instead ebbs away from that crevice into sweeping reverby guitars and goes for an artful build. Lovely.
(7″ release details)
Read More… →
From Argentinean band Isla De Los Estados, a three-piece from Buenes Aires comes this pretty little ditty from their 2010 album Expreso. I’m not sure where I “found” this song, probably on a blog somewhere this afternoon but I love the gentle dub atmosphere of the track. I’ve been delving more into their Soundcloud. More info via Facebook and Youtube.
The best of new album streams this week in A-Z form.
The Big Pink – Future This
Casiokids – Aabenbaringen Over Aaskammen
Cate Le Bon – Cyrk
Chairlift – Something
Diagrams – Black Light
First Aid Kit – The Lion’s Roar
Laura Gibson – La Grande
Guided by Voices – Let’s Go Eat The Factory
Kathleen Edwards - Voyageur
Full list… →
Berlin-based Dublin and Sydney duo Kool Thing are offering up a free three-track EP featuring ‘Light Games’ , ‘This Is The Place’ and ‘The Sign’, three tracks which go heavy on uncanny electronic-fused synth pop. There’s also this new video by Claire Kurylowski debuted at Dazed and an accompanying remix of ‘Light Games’ by REID.
If you read this blog (or indeed a handful of other Irish music blogs) on a regular basis, you’ll be aware of the burgeoning solo electronic producer talent that has cropped up in the last year or so. It’s a lonely process most of the time, being a beatkid so a disparate group of these individuals have got together and format an alliance called Lightbox, based on their combined penchant for using visual-based music hardware like Kaoss Pads and Monomes.
Its members: Bantum, Monto, Reid, SertOne, Simon Bird, Tenaka and visuals partner Feel Good Lost have combined to put on a tour in February in Dublin (Sat February 25th, The Twisted Pepper), Cork (TBC The Pavilion), Galway (Thurs 1st March, The Roisin Dubh), Belfast (TBC), Waterford (TBC) and Limerick (Sun February 26th, The Wicked Chicken).
Each date will be proceeded by a hardware/software workshop and DJ sets by others such as myself, Jim Carroll, Logikparty and Ian Maleney. Lightbox have set up a Fundit page where they are hoping to keep the costs of the tour and tour dates down for everyone. Rewards for funders range from exclusive CDs, goodie bags, DJ sets, masterclasses and house parties.
After the jump, you’ll find my favourite current track from each producer along with Feel Good Lost’s new video for Labyrinth Ear.
If you noticed a similarity with Santigold’s new tune ‘Big Mouth’ and another that’s because Buraka Som Sistema produced it along with Switch and have lended parts of their own song ‘Up All Night’ to ‘Big Mouth’. It’s a typically spaced-out dancefloor cut from Santi’s new album Master Of My Make-Believe which is coming out in March. Tune is a free download. She did some headline New York shows this week to ramp up the excitement once again but her festival shows last year already achieved that aim for me anyway.
Nine minutes of gentle bliss from Montreal’s Jacques Greene and Glasgow’s Koreless from Greene’s upcoming four-track Concealer EP. EP preview after the jump.
It’s just past noon here so that’s acceptable raving time right?
My favourite track from Modeselektor’s Monkeytown gets a monkeying around video by Dent.De.Cuir and produced by Miaou Studio. A 12″ picture disc is out now.
Is this literally a daft song about inter-species relations with an alien? Either way, it’s good. The facts are : Nightbox are all from Wicklow but based in Canada. You may remember their ‘Pyramid’ song from last year. They still sound a little bit like Two Door on this one (vocals and shimmering guitar mainly) but there’s more of a remix-vibe happening here with those rushing synths and rhythm. The video is by Kheaven Lewandowski, and the track was produced by MSTRKRFT’s AL P, who shared production duties with Sebastien Grainger of Death From Above 1979 on the rest of Nightbox’s debut EP which you can hear after the jump.
The band are back in Ireland next month supporting Lights on February 12 in Belfast and 13th in Dublin. Tour dates.
