Have you been noticing a trend? That I only seem to be posting about female artists these days? It’s my subconscious telling me to pick up a guitar and fulfill my childhood girl band dreams. I know it. Anyway, Grouper isn’t something I’d typically dig, but there’s something spooky and muffled about her that really gets to me. She recently covered Dead Moon’s “Demona” for the latest issue of Yeti Magazine which includes a 7″ which you can grab here. And listen, below.

Grouper – Demona (Dead Moon) 

I fell in love with Little Scream after I saw her open for Sharon Van Etten in San Diego. The Golden Record affirmed that initial infatuation and I’ve grown to deeply love that record over the last year. So when I saw this interview with her for L Magazine I was excited to find that she’s authentic and has overcome a lot. She’s a powerful woman who works outside of the limitations of what a song could be and for that, I’m a fan. Check out some more videos here.

Tags: little scream

Zoo Animal – “Laying and Lying” Music Video from Northern Outpost on Vimeo.

If I were to come up with a visual representation of this song, it would be this video. Holly Newsom of Zoo Animal has a way of making you feel uncomfortable. In the way that gazing into someone’s eyes can feel uncomfortable, or revealing your true feelings – it’s the moment when you admit you’re human and wait to be accepted. And this dance of awkward movements between this couple feels like exactly that. Combined with Newsom’s ability to use quiet spaces between singing as a device to communicate the tension in the room, this is one of the more real-feeling videos I’ve seen in a long while. Kudos to Northern Outpost for putting this one together. You can watch more of their videos here.

Tags: Zoo Animal

Cate Le Bon‘s sophomore CYRK is a brilliant follow-up to her whimsical Me Oh My. There are so many interesting moments in this record, Greta trails along to the final sounds of a trumpet and a marching band beat, Falcon Eyed is a punky up-beat jam, The Man I Wanted is a lazy rock lullaby, Ploughing Out 2 is the most removed – with a muffled vocal effect and jangly percussion – she’s definitely grown in confidence with more of that full band sound. She’s most certainly detached herself from any comparison to Nico, Cate Le Bon is becoming a sound all her own. Watch her video for Fold the Cloth, below.

Cate Le Bon – Falcon Eyed

Tags: Cate Le Bon

“Forget Me” is the new single from Chicago’s Dozens. These synthpop scientists have acquired every ingredient to a romance song and masterfully concocted “Forget Me” for all of us belt aloud. If I had a girlfriend, I would break up with her just so I could live this song. – Brandon

Tennis is set to drop their Young & Old LP on Vday through Fat Possum. It seems as though their sound has been steadily evolving since their days at sea – will be cool to see how much they’ve grown (or not). It also marks the one year anniversary? (for lack of a better word) of my work trip to Vegas. Yes, I spent last Valentine’s Day in Vegas with my two bro co-worker friends, and received quite the spa treatment thanks to my boyfriend’s sneaky schemes. This year, I’m going to stay as far away from Vegas as possible. This is totally off topic and only a funny story to me. Listen to their track Origins, below.

Tracklist

1. It All Feels The Same
2. Origins
3. My Better Self
4. Traveling
5. Petition
6. Robin
7. High Road
8. Dreaming
9. Take Me To Heaven
10. Never To Part

Tennis- Origins

Tags: Tennis

New track from the beautiful Julianna Barwick. She’s the ultimate sleeping pill, and I mean that in the bath salts and candles kind of way. Totally divine. My friend Derrick (who you will be hearing quite a lot from very soon) will be travelling with her to Iceland, because that’s a totally real scenario and not just a dream sequence. What a jerk!

Julianna Barwick – Never Change

Tags: Julianna Barwick

Working in music the last few years, I’ve had the chance to collaborate with really incredible people behind the scenes: filmmakers, engineers, graphic designers, writers – those individual’s whose art it is to facilitate art. I’ve often wondered how they got to where they were. I had the opportunity to sit down with La Blogotheque filmmaker Derrick Belcham before he sets off en route to make a La Blogotheque HQ in New York. We met in a Toronto diner to discuss how he got to be where he’s at, what Jeff Tweedy smelled like up close (ok, not really), the myth of the “moon man”. Derrick emerged from the corporate film world, returned to his experimental roots and swapped handsome paychecks to invade the personal space of many of our favorite artists, he’s credited with filming the likes of: Wilco, Thurston Moore, Megafaun, Little Scream and many more. I quickly realized that Derrick’s success can be attributed to a specific ethos: always be curious, always be in awe, and always be grateful. It’s a sentiment that permeated throughout his stories. His liberal use of adjectives will attest to it. He makes me feel like there is still life in these mediums, yet.  Continue Reading »

Tags: Danielson, Derrick Belcham, La Blogotheque, little scream, Megafaun, Sharon Van Etten, Vincent Moon

Laura Gibson‘s new record, La Grande – is named after a small town in Portland that she says has a curious energy. The record, which comes out on Jan 24th via Barsuk feels like it’s from another era. The title track, “La Grande” has this sort of galloping percussion, with old Western folk elements, while Milk-Heavy, Pollen- Eyed is a drifting, delicate ballad of a woman who’s will is weak. There’s a sense of awe in her voice – the twinkling instrumentation in Lion/Lamb evoke waterfalls and lazy rivers. That song in particular is about being more fierce, a theme that permeates throughout, as she sings, “be not afraid of the fire!”. There’s power in her own meekness. Perhaps my favorite track is The Rushing Dark – with an early 30′s hum and crackling vinyl sound. It feels like her in her grandmother’s incarnation – an old spirit kind of sound.

You can stream the record over at NPR. 

Laura Gibson- The Rushing Hour 

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New song from Y La Bamba entitled “Squawk” off their upcoming record “Court the Storm” produced by Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin out on Feb. 28th via Tender Loving Empire. This track is a quick-tempo folk jam, with Luzelena’s fluttery vocals as if she’s been rejeuvenated. There’s a beautiful lightness to this – with no absense of that gypsy-folk sound that embodies the spirit of Y La Bamba. Can’t wait for the full length. Listen below.

Y La Bamba- Squawk 

Tags: Y La Bamba