NEW Passion Pit Info Released

Near the end of last year, my iPod was practically frozen on Passion Pit's debut EP, Chunk Of Change. The massive super hit, "Sleepyhead," left me craving more.

My cravings will be satisfied soon now that the band has announced details of their debut LP. Manners will be available everywhere on May 26th via French Kiss Records.

Check out the track listing:
Make Light
Little Secrets
Moth's Wings
The Reeling
Eyes as Candles
Swimming in the Flood
Folds in Your Hands
To Kingdom Come
Sleepyhead
Let Your Love Grow Tall
Seaweed Song

[PS: a few weeks ago I posted a little video documenting the creative process of Manners]

[review/mp3] - Black Gold

Listening to infectiously catchy indie-pop can never make for a dull day. Even after you turn it off, it'll still be on repeat in your head.


Today I received a copy of Black Gold's new album Rush [out now on Red Bull Records]. This Brooklyn duo of multi-talented musicians, Eric Ronick and Than Luu had made a little buzz around the end of last year. The new LP, Rush, opens with the track "Detroit" and introduces us to Black Gold with the heavy synths of Ronick and the pounding trash can drums of Luu. Most of the album, however, is much more than just the indie duo making some tracks. The two are accompanied with a never ending list of "incomparable musicians." - so they say in the linear notes. They take advantage of everything here from classic violin to congas to saw blades. The album as a whole is very warm and the textures very smooth. For the band, the stand out tracks are "Plans & Reveries", "What You Did" and "Breakdown", but honestly, my favorite track is probably "Shine" (#6). I can tell they take a lot of influence from Elton John with the strong use of grand piano and hopeful melodies. Another stand out track for me would be #8, "The Comedown." With Comedown, they simplify their pounding tempo of the previous 7 tracks with some sultry, sexy R&B grooves.

Overall, I think Rush is a good introduction to Black Gold. It shows that BG has the potential to grow into something more influential than just a catchy buzz band.

Keep a look out for Black Gold and be sure to pick up Rush.

Black Gold - Detrioit
Black Gold - Shine
Black Gold - Plans & Reveries


Buy now @ insound

What Is A Gooseberry?

Let Sterling Andrews explain:



Be 1 out of 500 lucky people to own a signed 12" Gooseberries photo book accompanied by a DVD which documents Sterling's creative process. The book comes out on Eenie Meenie Records April 4th.

[mp3] Balmorhea - "Harm & Boon"

Like a rare, ripe fruit plucked from an over abundance of rotten buzz bands, Here We Go Magic label mates and Austin, TX group Balmorhea [as in Balmorhea, TX?] are ready to release their 3rd LP entitled All Is Wild, All Is Silent. The album hits stores March 10th. You can pre-order your copy now from Western Vinyl. Be sure to check them out @ SXSW. Mmmmm

Balmorhea - Harm & Boon

want more?

Change Clothes

You may have noticed some changes that have been made around here at Digi Dreams. We are now officially affiliated with the MOG Music Network. What is MOG? MOG is basically a music social networking website where users can sign in and share music knowledge, tid-bits and songs with each other. It's a pretty neat concept. Kind of like the music-only version of facebook/myspace but with more passion and romance.

Check out MOG to see what you've been missing.
[hint: indie heart throb and Zooey Deschanel stealer, Ben Gibbard, has his own page. <3]

Kimya Dawson!!

ALSO!



Kimya Dawson!!!!
Monday, Mar 09, 2009 7:00 PM EDT
First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA, 19103

Only $12.00 Bucks!
Come with!

Feeling Cold Yet?

Well You will be!


I don't know if it's the patchy open fields of grass or the cold tranquil snow topped mountains and icy flavored wind that leaves everything still and quiet under a vast rose blue colored sky. Either case, I am astonished by the amount of musicians blooming out of this desolate cold weather paradise and into my headphones...


Course there are the widely known Icelandic musicians such as björk and Sigur Ros, but there are other less known musicians trapped under the permafrost.

These musicians sound can range from Neu-classical (Olafur Arnalds), to Eclectic Opera of (Sigur Rós & Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson ), to awkward quirky (múm), to the ambient alternative sounds of (Pornopop). The toy box of sounds that titter on the toolbox of creativity in which these musicians use to build the incredible music they make leaves me speechless and trapped in a world of freakishly cold temperature and extremely pale skin.

Here is a list of other interesting Iceladic artists:
Frakkur- from Sigur Ros
Stafraenn Hakon
Slow Blow
Ampop
Blindfold
Mar
Olafur Arnalds
Kira Kira
Worm is Green
Johann Johannsson

I'm obsessed.

Wednesday Morning Mashed Potatoes

Every Wednesday morning I'll be doing a new installment called Wednesday Morning Mashed Potatoes. Over the week I'll go and find one mashup created by some DJ and post it here for your enjoyment. Of course, if you don't like...it won't be enjoyment.

This is Wednesday #1:

A mashup of The Ting Tings "Shut Up And Let Me Go" and Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out" ft. Aretha Franklin's "Deeper Love"

DJ Y Alias JY - Shut Up And Take Me Out

[video] - Here We Go Magic

Taken from Here We Go Magic's F-book page:

"here we go magic's first record was recorded by Luke Temple, it is a project based on non editing linear movement. He made it quick and with a very limited palate of equipment. It has many layers and is best experienced with head phones or in a car.It is also important to note that there was no electronic looping of any kind involved in the more "song" oriented numbers on the record, it is important to say this because there is an imperfect breath that might otherwise go unnoticed. He feels it has good energy and emotion and hopes you do too. Now, the seed of this recording has sprouted a band consisting of Luke Temple (guitar, synth, vox), AJ Lambert (bass, vox), Alex Luther (keys, vox, guitars), Michael Bloch (guitars, vox), and Peter Hale (drums, sounds). The band is becoming it's own thing. We feel that the name"here we go magic" implies freedom to re-create and that is the main purpose of this project. we hope you enjoy. Luke, Peter, AJ, Michael, Alex."

New LP drops tomorrow, 2/24/09 via Western Vinyl. Get on it. 

Tour Dates 2009:
Mar 3 @ La Poisson Rouge (New York, NY)
Mar 7 @ The Red and The Black (Washington DC)
Mar 9 @ Garfield Artworks (Pittsburgh, PA)
Mar 10 @ Southgate House (Newport, Kentucky)
Mar 11 @ My Old Kentucky Blog Laundromatinee Session (Indianapolis, IN)
Mar 11 @ Cinemat (Bloomington, IN)
Mar 12 @ Off Broadway (St. Louis, Missouri)
Mar 13 @ Beat Kitchen (Chicago, Ill)
Mar 17 @ Mountain House (Dallas, TX)
Mar 18 @ SXSW (Austin, TX)
Mar 22 @ Marigny Theatre (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Mar 23 @ 529 Club (Atlanta, Georgia)
Mar 24 @ Local 506 (Chapel Hill, North Carolina)
Mar 25 @ Ottobar (Baltimore, Maryland)

[review] - Ra Ra Riot

Winter has teased us this February with 60 degree weather and beautiful blue skies. Of course, we're reminded that it is February still and the temperature drops down to a skin crackling 30 degrees the next day. As annoying as this teasing can be, the nice days are pretty effing sweet. I usually spend those nice days cruising around with my windows down or sitting outside with ipod headphones jammed into my ears. We all have favorite spring/summer music to listen to. Music that let's us write off the daily routines and brings us to a refreshing place. For me it's music that is clear, upbeat and catchy. This spring I'll be listening to a lot of Ra Ra Riot.

I first heard of Ra Ra Riot from a friend of mine a while back but never had the patience to really sit down and listen to them. Mistake. The story of this indie band from Syracuse, New York actually starts off quite tragically. After the band had been together for a year their original drummer John Pike had gone missing and was found..not alive. With such a horrible beginning, the band later issued a statement that they would continue as a group.

It only makes sense that much of the lyrics on the new album, The Rhumb Line [released in August of 2008] have to do with death. Take for instance the chorus of their single Dying Is Fine :

"Death oh baby
You know that dying is fine but maybe
I wouldn't like death if death were good
Not even if death were good"

However, when listening to The Rhumb Line, you can almost just ignore the melancholy words associated with the sanguine music. But once you hear some of the emphasized lyrics, you start to wonder if this band is really happy or just trying to get over an exhausting and tragic period in their lives.

Stand out tracks:


Ra Ra Riot - Dying Is Fine
Ra Ra Riot - Can You Tell

Check out Ra Ra Riot on Myspace: here
Buy The Rhumb Line @ Insound

[EDIT]
Check out these 2009 tour dates:
2/21 - Richard's on Richards (Vancouver, BC) !@
2/22 - Lucky (Victoria, BC) ! 2/24 - Doug Fir Lounge (Portland, OR) !@
2/25 - Neumos (Seattle, WA) !@
2/27 - The Independent (San Francisco, CA) (Noise Pop) !@
2/28 - El Rey Theatre (Los Angeles, CA) !@
3/1 - The Loft (San Diego, CA) !@
3/2 - Detroit Bar (Costa Mesa, CA) !@
3/7 - Harvest of Hope Festival (St. Augustine, FL)
3/8 - Langerado Music Festival (Miami, FL)
3/10 - The Parish @ HOB (New Orleans, LA) #
3/11 - Walter's on Washington (Houston, TX) #
3/12 - Cine El Rey (McAllen, TX) #
3/13 - The White Rabbit (San Antonio, TX) #
3/14 - Granada Theatre (Dallas, TX) #
3/16 - The Slowdown (Omaha, NE) #
3/17 - The Billiken Club (St. Louis, MO) *
3/18 - The Conservatory (Oklahoma City, OK) $
3/24 - The Cinemat (Bloomington, IN) $
3/25 - Musica (Akron, OH) $!
3/26 - The Blind Pig (Ann Arbor, MI) $
4/7 - Tower Theatre (Upper Darby, PA) %
4/8 - DAR Constitution Hall (Washington, DC) %
4/9 - John Belk Arena (Davidson, NC) %
4/10 - Louisville Palace Theatre (Louisville, KY) %
4/11 - Orpheum Theatre (Memphis, TN) %
4/12 - Brady Theater (Tulsa, OK) %
4/15 - Roy Wilkins Auditorium (St. Paul, MN) %
4/17 - Aragon Ballroom (Chicago, IL) %
4/18 - Michigan State University, Breslin Events Center (East Lansing, MI) %
4/19 - Carroll College, Van Male Fieldhouse (Waukesha, WI) %
4/24 - Gonzaga University, McCarthey Athletic Center (Spokane, WA) %
4/25 - Morrison Center (Boise, ID) %
4/27 - Sacramento Convention Center, Memorial Hall (Sacramento, CA) %
5/1- Austin Music Hall (Austin, TX) &
5/4 - Ryman Auditorium (Nashville, TN) &
5/5 - BJCC Concert Hall (Birmingham, AL) &
5/6 - Fox Theatre (Atlanta, GA) &

! w/ Cut Off Your Hands
@ w/ Telekinesis
# w/ Tokyo Police Club
* w/ Maps & Atlases
$ w/ Passion Pit
% w/ Death Cab for Cutie, Cold War Kids
& w/ Death Cab for Cutie, Matt Costa

Passion Pit In The Works - Fader Mag

To say that Michael Angelakos (the man behind Passion Pit) fell into an indie blog hype trap - is an understatement. He fell into an indie blog death trap lined with jagged rocks and sharp knives. Basically, if his upcoming debut LP bombs, he's a done deal. He never really meant for Chunk Of Change to take off as fast as it did. It apparently started off a sweet little V-day gift to a girlfriend. Cute, right?

Anyway, here is a little peek into the future of Passion Pit. Be warned about producer Chris Zane's spastic hand movements.

PS: I absolutely love how the kid @ 2:46 is so into the music.

New Album Cover via Grizzly Bear!

Thanks to the magical powers of the internet this is the cover of Grizzly Bear's new album, titled Veckatimest:

And here is the tracklist:
1. Southern Point
2. Two Weeks
3. All We Ask
4. Fine for Now
5. Cheerleader
6. Dory
7. Ready, Able
8. About Face
9. Hold Still
10. While You Wait for the Others
11. I Live With You
12. Foreground

And here is the song "Two Weeks" performed live @ Letterman:



Excited much!? YES

[MP3] One:Fifteen

Rap, Hip hop and R&B have been rearing their heads into indie/underground bands for a little while now. As a fan of both musical genres, I don't really mind it. It's interesting to see my peers let down their "rap" guard and take notice that there are some really respectful hip hop artists out there. Whether it's current industry big shots like Kanye, Jay-Z, T.I., Lil Wayne or under-the-radar groups like Why?, Grieves, One:Fifteen and everything in between, we can't deny the catchy beats and ingenious rhyme's that these guys put out. And for the record, Kanye seems to like some indie groups as well. IE: Passion Pit, Bon Iver, etc. Kayne/Passion Pit mashup anyone? God damn, I hope so.

Anyway.

One:Fifteen is a new[ish] group made up of two dudes from Minus The Bear, Alex Rose (not Axl) and Erin Tate. At first, the hip hop and auto-tuner saturated beats are really funny. The song Yo Style opens with the lyrics "with the short little skirt and boots with the fur, long stockings and them loop ear rings, hair pulled back with so much in the back [girl] you know i like it like that." --for real. But after I stopped laughing and actually started listening, they got me groovin'.

Check out some of these tunes and let me know what you think.
One:Fifteen - Yo Style
One:Fifteen - Saturday

Check them out on Myspace: here

[video] - Radiohead @ The Grammy's

So I thought that the Grammy's were really good this year. Sick ass performances by many and a congrats to Robert Plant for winning the album of the year award.

But one performance makes me want more, and that is Radiohead with the USC marching band playing "15 Step"



So beautiful

[video] - Fleet Foxes "Mykonos"

Mykonos from Grandchildren on Vimeo

New vid from everyone's 2008 fave, Fleet Foxes

The Boss

Did anyone else see Bruce Springsteen's awesome knee-slide during the half time show last night??

He crashed into the camera man with his crotch. Hilarious:

Heavy Rotations

So, I wanted to start this last month but by the time I thought of it, it was too late. 

Every month [starting with January] I will post a new installment of a thing called "Heavy Rotation." What is this Heavy Rotation junk? Well...we all have a select few albums that we are currently spinning on our record players or cd players or iPods. Every month myself and the rest of the crew will pick our 6 fave records for the past month and post them here and keep them on the side bar under "Heavy Rotation." 

So keep checking back on the first of every month to see what's been spinning the previous month.

Here's what I've been listening to:

Why? and Animal Collective have been in the Heavy Rotation for a while. I still cannot stop listening to either of them. Perfect for the mood and atmosphere of which I am in. 

The Appleseed Cast are old school emo fave who will be releasing a NEW album on February 17th entitled Sagamartha. If you want to hear a few streaming songs from the upcoming album, check out their Myspace page. If you have never heard of The Appleseed cast, I highly recommend Two Conversations [pictured above]

I know you're all looking at the Beirut CD thinking, how the fuck can you be listening to that when it doesn't come out for a few weeks? Answer: I got my sources. The new double EP from Zach Condon's Beirut and his former moniker RealPeople are fantastic. March Of The Zapotec [under his Beirut name] is full of droney horns, pounding drums and swooning vocals that convey a depressing mexican funeral but at the same time can trigger you to dance a waltz. His RealPeople EP, Holland, is a continuation of his former music taste which is more electronic than Beirut has been. Image Zach writing songs like Scenic World [from Gulag Orkestar] and making them about 3 minutes longer. Here they are. And they're beautiful. 

I just started listening to Vampire Weekend again since the summer. So I've been Vampire Weekend-less for a while now. I'm kind of glad I did that, too. Because now it reminds me of summer and how I can not wait for it. If you need to get out of these winter blues clues...Spin this album.

I posted about The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart not too long ago. I really like them.

Ok. Gotta do some homework now

Holy Shows Batman! [phillyyyyy]

I've been slacking on the updates. Like anybody reads this anyway. 

Check these bad boys out:

2.1 - The Punk Rock Flea Market

2.5 - The Dillinger Escape Plan @ The Barbary [SOLD OUT!]

3.3 - Lydia with Black Gold @ First Unitarian Church

3.4 - The Tindersticks @ World Cafe Live

3.4 - The Music Tapes (ex - Neutral Milk Hotel) @ FUC

3.10 - These Arms Are Snakes (ex - Botch) @ The Barbary

3.12 - Bishop Allen @ FUC

3.13 - The Feelies @ Johnny B's

3.14  - Propaghandi (!!) with Paint It Black @ The Troc

3.16 - Takka Takka @ Kungfu Necktie

3.19 - Ting Tings @ FUC

3.25 - Friendly Fires with White Lies and The Soft Pack @ FUC

3.26 - Dave Hause (The Loved Ones) @ FUC Chapel ((Only Holds 50 People!!!!))

3.27 - Efterklang (!!!!!!!! all the way from Denmark!) @ FUC Sanctuary (Seated show)

3.29 - Converge @ FUC

3.29 - Asobi Seksu @ Johnny B's

4.4 - Dan Deacon (!!) @ FUC

4.22 - Of Montreal @ The Troc

Anyone want to go to any of these?? I really want to try see Efterklang

PS: That Dillinger Escape Plan show sold out in like a day - not surprising

Need more info on the aforementioned entertainment? R5Productions.com