Artist: Tape Deck Mountain
Album: Secret Serf EP
Homeland: San Diego, CA
Release Date: 1.11.11
Featured Track: “It Goes Down”
Tape Deck Mountain’s debut album, Ghost, was one of my favorite albums of 2009. If you haven’t heard it, go check it out. Well worth the listen. Filled with ambient electronics and intricate layers, it’s the perfect winter elixir. Happily they’re planning another winter release, Secret Serf EP, due out on 1.11.11. So auspicious.
Artist: Papercuts
Album: Fading Parade
Homeland: San Francisco, CA
Release Date: March 1, 2011
Label: Subpop
Featured Track: “Do What You Will”
Reason #139 why I love this town. ‘Nuff said.
Artist: Bear Hands
Album: Burning Bush Supper Club
Track: “Crime Pays”
I’ve been spooling on this debut LP from Brooklyn-based Bear Hands for the past couple of weeks, especially this track. It’s just downright irresistible. If you like MGMT, Passion Pit and Animal Collective, you’ll like this. So get on it and order it here. Because everyone knows that crime DOESN’T pay artists.
Artist: Young Circles
Album: Bones EP
Homeland: Miami, FL USA
Release Date: 1.11.11
Featured Track: “Sharp Teeth”
What do you get when you cross Beck, The Flaming Lips and English space rock? Audio heaven. Holy crap. Meet my first favorite EP 0f 2011. I’m in love with this Miami-based trio. Such a fresh sound. The group, comprised of high school buddies Jeff Rose, David Barnard, and Jordy Asher, all come from different musical backgrounds – jazz, blues, and Brit rock, respectively. They all did their time playing in a variety of psych and garage rock bands but quickly realized their musical synergy and thus the band was born. Lucky for us. Get into it.
Last night I had the great fortune to see The Flaming Lips play a teeny tiny bar, The Belly Up, in Aspen, Colorado. The excitement of seeing a band that sells out venues to the thousands in such an intimate setting was palpable. Everyone was smiling knowing they were in for a treat. Even though the venue size was constraining, they did not hold back on their usual theatrics. In typical fashion, Wayne opened the show with his hamster ball trick, busting stage lights and his man bubble along the way. Cannon confetti guns, laser lights, smoke machines, dancing bears and bouncing balls added to the euphoria of the evening. Considering the joint only held a few hundred, it had to be a money losing proposition for them. But joy of that performance was so transcendental it will not soon be forgotten. What a great show to wrap up 2010. While I’m no concert photographer, I hope you enjoy some of my amateur shots and video. Long live The Flaming Lips!
Tape Deck Mountain: “Blue Christmas”
“Christmas Time is Here Again”
For San Diego-based Tape Deck Mountain, anyway, who released a couple of lo-fi Christmas tunes for your holiday blues listening pleasure. On a happier note, the band (one of my favorites in 2009) will release a new EP called Secret Serf on 1/11/11. I wonder how many albums are going to be released on that day. It’s gotta be auspicious or something, right? Anyway, all bummer aside, here’s to a very merry christmas. Bah humbug.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
Who can get enough of Daniel James’ gravely, soulful vocals? I can’t. So I was happy to see that the Leopold and His Fiction frontman is now also a member of the newly formed group Cowboy and Indian consisting of Daniel (vocals and guitar) Jazz Mills, and actor Jesse Plemons (of Friday Night Lights). They put together this video for the track “Hurt My Pride”, which sounds so good, and expect to release their full length album in the Spring of 2011.
Nick Waterhouse & The Turn-Keys – “Some Place”
San Francisco-based Nick Waterhouse is a purist and just wants to make records …. the way they used to. And he’s done just that with his self-produced 45 RPM single, “Some Place” – a greasy, 60s era R&B, booty-shakin romp. Down to the Tee. The labels have been designed and hand letterpressed by an independent local printer; the recording was never processed by a computer, mastered from tape to lacquer; and the pressing was done manually with a true flat profile the same way the labels used to do it. Now that’s creative integrity. And oh yeah, it sounds effing awesome too. Buy it here. (Thanks Victor for the tip!)
Artist: Deerhunter
Album: Halcyon Digest
Track: “Desire Lines”
Artist: Tame Impala
Album: Innerspeaker
Track: “Vital Signs”
Artist: New Mexico (formally Apes of Wrath)
Album: Have You Met My Friend?
Track: “Abused and Amused”
Artist: Ty Segall
Album: Melted
Track: “Imaginary Person”
Artist: Lower Dens
Album: Twin Hand Movement
Track: “A Dog’s Dick”
Artist: Future Islands
Album: In the Evening Air
Track: “As I Fall”
Artist: The Radio Dept.
Album: Clinging to a Scheme
Track: “This Time Around”
Artist: Woods
Album: At Echo Lake
Track: “Blood Dries Quicker”
Artist: Mount Kimbie
Album: Crooks & Lovers
Track: “Blind Night Errand”
Artist: Sea of Bees
Album: Songs for the Raven
Track: “Marmalade”
Artist: Sonny & The Sunsets
Album: Tomorrow is Alright
Track: “Lovin’ on an Older Gal”
Artist: Tamaryn
Album: The Waves
Track: “Mild Confusion”
Artist: Sun Airway
Album: Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier
Featured Tracks: “Put the Days Away”
Artist: J. Irvin Dally
Album: Despistado
Track: “The Little Ones”
Artist: Royal Baths
Album: Litanies
Track: “Nikki Don’t”
Artist: The Dig
Album: Electric Toys
Track: “You’re Already Gone”
Artist: Phantogram
Album: Eyelid Movies
Track: “When I’m Small”
Artist: Caribou
Album: Swim
Track: “Sun”
Artist: Local Natives
Album: Gorilla Manor
Track: “Sun Hands”
Artist: Twin Tigers
Album: Gray Waves
Track: “Everyday”
Artist: The National
Album: High Violet
Track: “Afraid of Everyone”
Artist: The Black Keys
Album: Brothers
Artist: The Black Ryder
Album: Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride
Track: “Gone Without Feeling”
Artist: Warpaint
Album: The Fool
Track: “Undertow”
Artist: Geographer
Album: Animal Shapes
Track: “Original Sin”
Artist: Benjamin Francis Leftwich
Album: A Million Miles Out (EP)
Homeland: UK (York & London)
Track: “Rebellion (Arcade Fire Cover)”
“Come on hide your lovers underneath the covers…” Just loved this stripped down cover of Arcade Fire’s “Rebellion” from UK singer/songwriter Benjamin Leftwich. It gives new perspective and appreciation to Win Butler’s lyrics and almost seems more fitting, given the context, in this tempo. Well done, Benjamin. His debut EP “A Million Miles Out” out now that is simply lovely. And the fact that we use the same typefonts for our logos is even all the more compelling. Check out the video for one of the tracks on the EP, “Atlas Hands”.
the OCMD 