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Check out this rad video of my friend Jordan/ performing for a session playing Auburn Epitaphs in Brooklyn. He’s so magical.
Splits are usually pretty awesome because it’s the union of two artists interpreting the same theme in different ways. In this case, it’s both halves of – a band I wrote about before, made up of Matt Gilles (Delusions and also contributor to PORTALS) and Peter Wiley (Boneglow). Their cassette is out one none other than my pals over at Kassette Klub at a 100 tape run . I love their chilled out mellow vibe. Matt has a bit of a more psychedelic experimental thing happening, while Peter is more 90s R&B. Such a good mix.
The world feels so small when you’re a blogger.
I’m back from Brooklyn and with that, I’ve been catching up on all the music I missed out on. It feels a little like when you’re home sick from school then a whole bunch of stuff happens without you (if a sick day were, spending ten days in the best city on earth). But while I was away from the internet blogosphere I did happen to check out some in-real-life music in Brooklyn, one show in particular that I’ve been pretty excited about sharing. My friend Michael from the band Holy Spirits (RIP) has now joined as if it were some kind of divine order, because after watching him play his first show with Bill Gillim (Megafortress) I realized that it is exactly where he is supposed to be. It just makes sense to me – Michael is such a talented dude, and this seems like the perfect outlet for him to continue being an artist.
Im not sure whether it were the laser beams slicing across my face during the performance or the subtle feeling that I might’ve just walked into a rave – but I felt completely absorbed. The minimal sounds built slow and repetitively – just barely escaping the rhythmic pattern that I wanted them to – like a meditative bell that produces sounds beyond itself. And the whole thing felt quite zen – the chimes, the percussive patter supporting the sparseness between the sounds. Then in comes Gillim’s falsetto that could easily be compared to that of Bon Iver – and it’s true, but his voice is distinct. It exists in a realm that is more about utility than narrative – it’s about the sounds and layers and what he does with them. The whole performance feels peaceful and natural – in stark contrast to the abrasive 80s synth that I think I was expecting after hearing the DJs in between. It was a welcomed surprise. You should
I am so excited to watch these guys again when they come to Toronto on May 3rd for the Diamond Atlas show ft. Foxes in Fiction, Teen Daze, Southern Shores and Tezeta. Find out more . Listen to Green Child and My Favorite Girl, below.
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are two brothers from San Diego who recently moved to Brooklyn where I currently happen to be typing from. They’re easily one of my favourite bands out of San Diego, but I feel like Brooklyn suits them much better anyhow. They’re headed with Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos and you can pre-order their 7″ Family Dinner vinyl . Watch their new video for Family Dinner, above.
(via )
Vocalist and drummer deserve their own respective posts, but for our convenience they’ve combined their magnificent forces into one. Aptly titled “” their combined sound is one of pure MDMA. Citing influences such as Tony Williams, James Brown and Kate Bush, they’ve pumped out a funky stream of percussion-heavy music since their initial merge in 2010.
You can probably catch them playing a live if you’re near L.A., but for the rest of us there is a new LP here and a vast expanse of homegrown videos on their .
Hey friends,
I didn’t get a chance to queue up any posts, been super slammed at work so you won’t see any new posts up on the blog this week. I’ll be back next next weekend with a ton of new stuff. Excited to spend some time in Brooklyn again, and survive on nothing but sloppy pizza.
In lieu of posts, I offer you my secret mixtape that I only send out to my newsletter friends, but what the heck.
April Mix, download it here:
I came across just this week when I saw an old Youtube video posted up and I listened to a track off her (only?) album The Colour Green and immediately wanted to know more. For those who don’t know she’s a German folk artist whose early 70s recordings were collected by her son in 2006 and got into the hands of J Mascis who sent it over to a label to release. So it took 30 years for the songs to get out but I’m so glad they did. There’s something incredibly peaceful about her music. It’s kind of a cross between Nico and Sharon Van Etten. You can buy the record
I received a beautiful vinyl from the other day and I am so excited to listen to it. I finally get to buy a nice new record player next week and it’ll be my first spin. Until then, I’m enjoying the digital copy of their self-titled debut via Alcohol Records. I’m so excited to watch this band grow for a number reasons, I think they’re really talented, and also – band member Peter Lanceley happens to run one of my favourite music blogs, called . His curating style is always spot on and I find myself returning to find out what he’s listening to. I highly recommend you add this blog to your Google Reader.
The first thing you notice about this record is it’s sparse arrangements and experimental sound – the opener “Scissor Dance” fills empty space with fluttering guitar and rhythm, as if it were one unending thought. Pulsing like a steady stream, it’s almost got a Radiohead or Explosions in the Sky vibe. During long stretches of instrumental, it almost sounds improvised – these jazz inspired moments feel really organic. The cyclical nature of nearly all the tracks leaves you in a meditative state – it’s the kind of record you’re going to want to go on long drives with.
Check out their because there are so many tracks offered for free, but I suggest you because this album artwork is pretty fantastic.
I wrote about a while back and I was excited to find out that they have more stuff on the way. They sent over their new single “Pirate” and b-side “Paper”. Both of which are available for free download I really dig the b-side “Paper” it’s got this beautiful minimalist vibe with vocals backed by a subtle beat that grows – all of it completely controlled and quiet. Their debut album drops April 9th, watch the video for Pirate, above.
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The third “friends-only” mixtape is coming up soon – if you’re not familiar with the monthly mix series, it’s super simple. Sign up at the right of the page at the sidebar, or and every month you will receive one letter and mix from me. That’s it.
This one is a goodie so