VIDEO: Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band @ Mount St. Helens

Exactly one month ago tomorrow, I posted a Saturday In Videos featuring Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band and their vid for "Albatross Albatross Albatross," a dark and ghostly video about mistakes and consequences. I failed to mention that they would be playing on the actual Mount St. Helens to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the volcanos last eruption. Here's proof that they already did after a nice tour of the monument.



[via Dead Oceans]

MP3 :: Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band - Albatross Albatross Albatross

MP3: Themselves + Why? - Canada

Usually collaborations showcase more of one band than the other without giving a fair 50/50 ratio of the two parties involved. But when the collaborators in both projects are all cut from the same cloth, exceptions are made. Dj's Doseone and Jel who make up Themselves teamed up with label mates and old friends Why? to bring us "Canada." [Doseone was previously in cLOUDEAD with Yoni Wolf. It's this weird complicated Anticon family tree.]

MP3 :: Themselves + Why? - Canada

Clearly, there is a huge Why? influence which kind of takes over Themselves, but not to the point where the originators are completely drowned out.

Both bands have new albums coming out before the end of the year.

MP3 :: Themselves - Take To The King

STREAMP3: Tyondai Braxton - Platinum Rows

Back in July, I posted a new song from Battles' Tyondai Braxton who is ready to release his wild solo album onto the world. This time, check out his newest song called "Platinum Rows" with his signature weird high-pitched singing and his always familiar whistles. He also uses every instrument ever and clips that he got from the ACME anvil company which he stole from Roger Rabbit who also sold him a lot of pot. That's all folks?



Central Market is out 9/15 on Warp

THROWBACK THURSDAYS: Motown/Soul Classics Part 2

As promised, here's motown/soul throwback playlist number 2.

MP3 :: James Brown - Get Up Offa That Thing
MP3 :: Aretha Franklin - Respect
MP3 :: Bill Withers - Lean On Me
MP3 :: Sly & The Family Stone - Everyday People
MP3 :: Smokey Robinson - You've Really Got A Hold On Me
MP3 :: The Platters - Great Pretender
MP3 :: Aretha Franklin - Chain Of Fools

MP3: Slaraffenland - Open Your Eyes

Earlier this year, we were introduced to Slaraffenland's 3rd studio album We're On Your Side with the ever so appropriate "Meet And Greet" - a bouncy, loud, percussion based jam with the potential to be a killer sing-along when performed it live. Today, Stereogum premiered a new song entitled "Open Your Eyes." I would say that this song brings a more sleepy/dreamy vibe than "Meet And Greet" but instead of making you drowsy, it keeps you tranced and intoxicated with its catchy vocals and growing percussion jungle.

MP3 :: Slaraffenland - Open Your Eyes

We're On Your Side is out 9/15 via Hometapes

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In other Denmark news, Efterklang put up a live version of "Cutting Ice To Snow" from their Performing Parades CD/DVD on their myspace page. Performing Parades is out October 19th via The Leaf Label. Efterklang's 3rd full-length is in the works and will see light sometime in Spring of 2010.

STREAM: Karen O and The Kids - All Is Love

For the upcoming Where The Wild Things Are movie, Karen O [Yeah Yeah Yeah's] tapped fellow musicians and friends [Tristan Bechet, Tom Biller, Bradford Cox (Deerhunter), Brian Chase (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone Age), Aaron Hemphill (Liars), Greg Kurstin (The Bird and the Bee), Jack Lawrence (The Dead Weather), Oscar Michel, Imaad Wasif, Nick Zinner, (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and an untrained children’s choir] and dubbed them The Kids. Karen O and The Kids are now responsible for giving Where The Wild Things Are the soundtrack that it needs and I do not doubt that they can pull it off. Today, you can head over to their myspace page to stream the first single from the soundtrack entitled "All Is Love" which honestly sounds like an uplifting, hyper, and helium injected Arcade Fire song [see first trailer], which isn't a bad thing - just an observation.

Anyway, check out "All Is Love" and get ready for probably the most anticipated feature film coming out Oct 16th. The album is due to be out on Sept 29th.

LINKAGE: Karen O And The Kids - All Is Love

Also, be sure to watch this featurette featuring Maurice Sendak:
Where the Wild Things Are Maurice Sendak Featurette

REVIEW: The Twin Atlas - Good Light

Summer is coming to a slow and humid close and the autumn season is upon us, waiting up in the clouds as we sweat out the last few weeks of August. I've already started to listen to and associate some albums to the cool breeze and foliage, but I might have jumped the gun without giving the summer jams a perfect ending.

The perfect ending I'm talking about is NJ's [by way of Philadelphia and NYC] The Twin Atlas and their new album Good Light. One quick skim through the tracks and it's already possible to see why I chose this duo comprised of Sean Byrne and Lucas Zaleski to call it a season. 

Good Light opens with "The Ever Present" - an ambient jam to help you find a good spot in the air conditioned house as you reflect on the wildness of summer. The vocals come in at the 1:10 mark and it's impossible to see the stand-out Beach Boys influence [never a bad thing]. Underneath the thick harmonies, we are reminded to "shine on the rest of your days."

"Versions" is the self-proclaimed single of the album and it's obvious as to why. This shoe-gazer has tons of catchy hooks, a solid bass line and a late 80's vibe to help you bring back not only memories of the summer, but memories of the past. Unfortunately, the only bad thing about this song is that it's not long enough. Once you're ready to get in and jam it out, it's a little too late as the 2:29 mark rudely cuts it off.

MP3 :: The Twin Atlas - Versions

Thankfully, "Reach Across" picks up where Versions left off and brings the shoe-gazing closer to eye level. Once again, the song is quickly cut off and you're left with wanting way more [this is a recurring theme, by the way].

As we skip a few songs to save the length of this review, we are brought to one hell of a stand-out track entitled "Fill The Sky" which is one of the longer songs on the album with a total running time of 3:05. An all instrumental diddy which puts more of that 80's influence aside and steps up the ambient rock vibe [which I'm a sucker for - ie: explosions in the sky].

MP3 :: The Twin Atlas - Fill The Sky

As we near the end of Good Light, "Pink House" brings back the shoe-gazing without cutting off the enjoyment of the song too soon with it's 3:50 running time. Another stand-out track for me would be the short but very very sweet "Walk Thoughts." The album ends with "Never Disappear" which is exactly what you want to say since you know Good Light and summer are almost over.

MP3 :: The Twin Atlas - Never Disappear

All in all, Good Light is the perfect ending to a summer full of highs [not that kind, brah], hangovers and most importantly, memories. 

Good Light is physically out next Tuesday, Aug 25th [via Tappersize],  but you can download the entire thing right now @ iTunes and/or stream it at their website. 

SATURDAY IN VIDEOS: The Walkmen // The Antlers // Jay-Z // Dan Deacon

New animated video for "On The Water" featuring a adorable rabbits, a hunter, a dog, a confetti gun and great shading. Directed by Nir Ben Jacob.

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Another animated video this time for The Antlers' "Two." I'm still not quite sure why they haven't really blown up. But the video does feature cut out balloons [which I take to be notes] that float from guitars and pianos out to the world. They will reach more ears that way, as intended. Watch out for flying body parts...

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Jay-Z |MTV Music

Apocalyptic new video for Jay-Z's new[ish] song Run This Town. [via jay-z.com]

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Though I have no idea what Dan Deacon says in his song "Paddling Ghost", I can get a good idea by watching the video which starts out with, literally, a paddling ghost. The story is actually pretty solid and comprehensive for what the song is. By the way, the confused little ghost is the most adorable thing in the world [and outer space].

MP3: Darwin Deez - Radar Detector + free ep download link

Looks like Charles Darwin's legacy continues to evolve.

Darwin Deez: A special breed of musicians first discovered in New York City is a two man band with a hot beat and a prior history of mixing it up with MGMT. It comes as no surprise then that they know how to put on a good show to attract a decent crowd and when it comes to breaking it down, some literal break dancing is their usual treat between songs. Their sarcasm in their songs makes it a good tune for pissing off those you might not like while still keeping it classy. Looks like Charles Darwin's legacy continues.

MP3 :: Darwin Deez - Radar Detector

For more tunes, check out the Deez myspace page or hit this link to download the free EP

THROWBACK THURSDAYS: Motown/Soul Classics Part 1

[above: The Temptations]

This throwback playlist is more of a general throwback than an "oh man, I remember those days!" kind of playlist. Obviously, I wasn't around for "those days" of the 50s-70s when motown and soul owned the world. I do however, have fond memories of listening to these songs with my mother while growing up and to this day am able to sing along whenever she plays them. By the way, I call this part 1 because I'm sure there will be many more motown/soul throwbacks in the near future

MP3 :: Jackson 5 - I Want You Back
MP3 :: Marvin Gaye - Ain't No Mountain High Enough
MP3 :: Stevie Wonder - Superstition
MP3 :: Ben E King - Stand By Me
MP3 :: The Temptations - Ain't Too Proud To Beg
MP3 :: The Supremes - Baby Love
MP3 :: The Five Stairsteps - Ooh Ooh Child

SAMPLER: new DO MAKE SAY THINK

Do Make Say Think don't write "summer songs", they write real songs for any season. Whether it's a calming morning-after hangover cure or a winter night jam session, they never really fail. Of course, you have to be in the mood for it, though, like anything else.

DMST's 6th full-length album entitled Other Truths consists of 4 songs "Do" "Make" "Say" and "Think." Clever move. Even though 4 songs may seen short for a full-length, 3 /4 of the songs have a running time over 10 minutes. - not so short anymore is it.

Below you can hear a shortened mix of those 4 songs all crammed into an 8 minute sample of Other Truths. If you want to hear the first track "Do" in its entirety, head over to Stereogum. They've got the goods.

MP3 :: Do Make Say Think - Other Truths [sampler]

Other Truths is out 10/20 via Constellation Records

The ever expanding group will return to Philadelphia November 30th to play at the Sanctuary of The First Unitarian Church. Grab ya tickets now!

MP3: New Lightning Bolt - Colossus

I got into Rhode Island's Lightning Bolt a little ways back thanks to one of my old roomates. He was also responsible for getting me into Hella. I'm pretty stoked for a new LB album to drop and to see how they've progressed over time. The lengthy [7:14] new track off of their upcoming LP Earthly Delights called Colossus starts off with a very rock and roll driven groove and later breaks out into a fast paced psych free for all.

MP3 :: Lightning Bolt - Colossus [via Pitchfork]

Earthly Delights drops its Load on October 13th. According to their myspace blog it's "destined to be leaked onto the internet by......hmmm. take a guess, maybe august 31? early september? you tell me."

The guys are hitting up Philly on Aug 31st @ The Church. Getchyo tickets here

MP3: Headlights - Get Going

Headlights new song "Get Going" sounds like the perfect transition from a hot august summer to a nice cool autumn. Infectious enough to be part of a summer playlist but cool enough to snuggle up with in the foliage of October. Their new album Wildlife comes out Oct 6th via Polyvinyl Records.

If you like what you hear, get your pre-order on right now. And if that's not enough incentive, you get free merch if you pre-order. Like a sweet button, a sticker and 2 bonus downloads.

LOLLA RECAP: Day 3

I usually don't write on Sundays, but this will have to be an exception.

I had anticipated the last day of Lollapalooza to be the thrasher of all thrashers [in lollapalooza land, anyway]. I woke up early [no hangover, surprisingly] and headed over to the park by myself in order to catch a decent spot for Bat For Lashes. I've been looking forward to seeing Natasha's set for a while and missed it when she came to Philadelphia a few months back. As I waited impatiently in the sun for her and her band to come on, I listened to Ra Ra Riot who were playing on the stage directly behind us. The heat beat down hard this last day and if you didn't come with refillable water bottles, you were basically screwed.

At 1:30 pm Bat For Lashes came on prepared with more percussion instruments than one can handle, a bejeweled microphone stand and two small angel statues. Natasha was gorgeous to say the least [totally crushing on her]. Her voice was on point the entire set even though she apologized in advance if the heat caused any mishaps.



The heat was so intense this day that I needed to take a breather and sit for a while until I met up with my crew to catch a little bit of Dan Deacon's set and wait until Vampire Weekend.

Dan Deacon started out with technical issues on stage and decided that it was a good idea to announce them on his microphone for the entire crowd to hear. I heard a lot of "is he serious" as people walked by. I didn't blame them. I guess he was serious because he said "I might seem like an asshole, but I don't really care." He soon gained back my respect by making the crowd do all sorts of interactive activities to make for quite an interesting show.

Vampire Weekend was another band I was really looking forward to since they released one of my favorite albums of 2008. I'll say in short, they absolutely did not disappoint. It came down to me about to leave for Passion Pit, hearing a song and saying "oh, I'm staying for this one!"

As soon as VW ended, I basically jogged over to Passion Pit and was half surprised by the crowd that joined them. I say half surprised because the blog hype for these dudes was incredible [i'm also to blame, i guess]. They played mostly all of the new album and some songs from the EP which brought a huge grin to my face. I just wish they had a bigger stage to get wild on. Maybe next year.



After Pashy Pit, I was pretty much baked until The Killers later that night who played an amazing set on the Chicago 2016 stage. They played all the faves, naturally, plus a bunch that just ended Lolla on the best note I could imagine. After the fest was over, the crowd took the streets and we all had smiles on our faces as bright as the sun who luckily set a few hours before. Perfect ending to a perfect weekend. Thanks, Lollapalooza! See you soon! [hopefully with a camera that I don't end up losing]

LOLLA RECAP: Day 2

Day 2 of Lollapalooza started a little bit earlier for us than it did the day before. Luckily, the sun was on our side and it dried up all the rain. We kicked the day off with Miike Snow @ the vitamin water stage @ 1:30 pm. I've been a fan of Miike Snow for quite some time with the release of their self titled debut LP. They started the set wearing all black - pants, long sleeve shirts and probably shoes as well. They also sported white masks until the start of the second song. All in all it was a solid set along with the lead singers solid beard. I have some competition when the winter rolls around [I go beardless in the summer.]

[view from my camera phone]

After Miike Snow I headed over to catch some of Ida Maria's set. I'll have to admit, I've never listened to her stuff before this show, but I've heard a good amount of hype and there was no one else I had planned to see in that time slot. She definitely impressed with her energy, her open shirt and her Joplin-esque snarls and growls.

Next up on my own personal schedule was Chairlift. Honestly, I like them better on record than live. Or maybe Lolla just wasn't the right venue for their slow, shoe-gazing and dreamy indie rock. My question still remains though, were her "tattoos" real of just drawn on?


I stuck around the Vitamin Water stage and hung out to watch No Age which didn't really do much for me until I decided it was time to venture over to Santigold. I sooner found out that waiting until she went on was a mistake because the crowd going to see her created a bottleneck of epic proportions and I ended up calling it quits and got food instead. Missing out on Santigold gave me a really good spot for Lykke Li though. She jammed out all the favorites and was later joined by the Miike Snow frontman for a cover of Kings Of Leon's "Knocked Up."

I left Lykke Li a little early to get situated for Animal Collective. I generally like most of they do on record and anticipated a whirly, fun and energetic live set but was soon left yawning and bored out of my mind. Basically, they played 4 songs - amazing songs on album - but those 4 songs took up their hour long set because they apparently love to do long jam sessions. "Brother Sport" did make me join the sing along though. So they weren't a complete fail.

After Ani Co, we were exhausted. I had no real intention or interest in seeing either of that days headliners so we decided to take a seat near the famous Buckingham Fountain. Sunday will soon prove to be a banger.

LOLLA RECAP: Day 1

My friend and I packed the car up early Thursday morning to head out to Chicago with no solid idea of what to expect from the beast called Lolla. After driving for a solid 13 hours or so, we finally got to our destination of FUN.

Day 1 of Lolla started a little later for us than we expected. I decided to skip out on The Gaslight Anthem and head over to meet up with fellow bloggers @anthoNYC and @creamteam to see White Lies who were tearing it up at the Budweiser Stage. On record, I'm not a big fan of White Lies, but I have to say that they definitely sold me with their performance.


Before White Lies ended, I left the crew to travel solo for a little and get a decent spot for Bon Iver. It took me a while to sneak my way between peoples shoulders and under peoples legs [not quite, but almost] but I got a good enough spot to see them quite clearly and be surrounded by other fans who were just as stoked as I was regardless of the annoying amount of rain. Highlight was Skinny Love, duh.


After the crowd fled from Bon Iver to see other bands, I had a little window of time to gather myself together and wait for Fleet Foxes to come on. Their harmonies were thick and perfect enough to take everyone away from the rain and off to a land where foxes play in the sun. Oh, and the picture is further proof that Robin really needs a new flannel shirt.


I took another rain break and headed for shelter so unfortunately I missed Andrew Bird. I did however, make it in time to check out both Kings Of Lean and Depeche Mode who were playing on opposite ends of the festival. A little walking and dodging never hurt anyone. I'm personally not a big fan of Kings Of Leon so they didn't really do anything for me with the live show, but Depeche Mode was another story. Since I got to the stage a little late for them, I was kind of stuck watching them from a far but was surrounded by die hards and parents with kids who were having the best time of their lives. I don't blame them either.

PS: In case you're wondering, I lost my camera the last day of the fest. I don't think I need to tell you that I was Pissed - capital "P." Thanks to Anthony C for letting me use his pictures for the recaps. More to come later/tomorrow

SATURDAY IN VIDEOS: Free Energy // Florence And The Machine // Noah And The Whale // Calvin Harris

Video for Free Energy's "Free Energy loaded with free....energy, sparklers, balloons and West Philly. Nicely done, fellas. [via Stereogum]

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You've probably seen this already. New video for Florence And The Machine's "Drumming Song." It's definitely "louder than sirens louder than bells sweeter than heaven and hotter than hell." If you don't own her debut LP yet, do your ears a favor and grab it over at insound

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Noah and the Whale from Black Cab Sessions on Vimeo.

Charlie Fink of Noah And The Whale went back to the Black Cab Sessions to do another take. This time with band member Tom 'T-Bone' Hobden instead of friend and fellow music maker [and gorgeous] Laura Marling. They played "Blue Skies" from the upcoming album The First Days Of Spring

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Saw this yesterday. Still really impressed by the chemistry

MP3: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Higher Than The Stars

I declared my love for all things Pains Of Being Pure At Heart [POBPAH for short] sometime near the end of last year. I bet you can feel my excitement for the new EP through the blog/internet waves. Check out the new single of the same name "Higher Than The Stars" right here, right now.

MP3 :: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Higher Than The Stars

Higher Than The Stars doesn't come out until Sept 22nd [via Slumberland], but you can totally pre-order it at insound dot com right now.

MP3: Lykke Li - Time Flies [Disco Pusher Remix]

Check out Disco Pusher's remix of Lykke Li's "Time Flies." They definitely turned this nice little slow jam into a danceable disco treat with the help of synth and more synth.

MP3 :: Lykke Li - Time Flies [Disco Pusher Remix]

If you've never heard of Disco Pusher before, they have plenty of remixes including but not limited to two Au Revoir Simone tracks, Santigold's L.E.S Artistes and Cut Copy's Hearts On Fire.

MP3: Algernon Cadwallader - "Some Kind Of Cadwallader"

During one of my many visits to South Philly on Wednesday night, a good friend of mine told me about this band called Algernon Cadwallader [Al-jur-non Kad-wall-uh-der]. At first, I totally forgot what the name was and didn't even want to try to pronounce it. He gave me some backstory about the band and how they used to only play basement shows in the Philly area. I thought that was pretty rad. He kind of described what they sounded like. I still couldn't pronounce the name. Then he put them on the stereo and I feel in love. I was starting to get the gist of the name. He was wearing one of their shirts too, so it helped me out a little bit.

Since I don't personally like making comparisons to other bands, please take a listen down below and judge for yourself.

MP3 :: Algernon Cadwallader - Some Kind Of Cadawallader

I gave you an extra one mostly because I drink and love soy milk:

MP3 :: Algernon Cadwallader - Yo Soy Milk

Their debut LP Some Kind Of Cadwallader is available now through their myspace page ...AND if you want them to play in YOUR basement, they have a little email addy action going on too

Throwback Thursdays [Old School HxC]

For this weeks throwback playlist, I gathered a bunch of songs that come from my high school days and are still sung out loud to this day without ever really listening to them. Now that I'm hearing them again, it's almost embarrassing. But you gotta take some risks, right?

MP3 :: H2O - 5 Yr. Plan
MP3 :: Snapcase - Caboose
MP3 :: Boy Sets Fire - Rookie
MP3 :: One King Down - Defiance
MP3 :: Shai Hulud - Anasthesia [Bad Religion cover]
MP3 :: Bane - Can We Start Again
MP3 :: Floor Punch - Let It Ride

VIDEO: The Big Pink - "Dominos"

New video for Big Pink's "Dominos" complete with exploding ice sculptures. If you haven't listened to them yet, you've seriously been missing out on one of the best albums of 2009. [video via P4K]

[previously: STREAM SESH - A Brief History Of Love]

MP3: Historics - "Skin Orders"

If I told you the guys who came together to form Historics, you might be very surprised by what they created here compared to what they've been a part of in the past.

At first listen, Historics "Skin Orders" from their debut LP sounds like fresh indie heaven. Acoustic guitars, catchy vocals, pounding drums and shakers. At the :53 mark, the part you've been waiting for comes together and you can't really help but smile. Even though it only lasts a few seconds though, you know they'll bring it back and you won't be disappointed.

MP3 :: Historics - Skin Orders

Oh and by the way, Historics is Don Devore (Amazing Baby; Ink & Dagger; The Icarus Line), Josh Grubb (VietNam), Mickey Madden (Maroon 5), Jeff Knutsen (Fast Fourier), and Matt Werth (Favourite Sons).

Strategies for Apprehension came out July 28th via Metropolitan Indian Records

MP3: New WAVVES - "Cool Jumper"

Nathan Williams aka Wavves posted a new song on his tour blog today called "Cool Jumper." The beginning of it kind of threw me off guard with a bit of electronics and I got real excited. Then I read his post tags and saw "Zach Hill" [from Hella] and got even more excited. Maybe I should have just bottled it up for a few more minutes before going bonkers because it soon turns into more of the same no-fi drenched vocals and "oo oo oo's" and fuzzy guitar. I will say though, I can see some improvement with the help of Mr. Hill and the nice touch of synth in the background.

MP3 :: Wavves - Cool Jumper

No further details at this time for a new Wavves release. Keep checking back for more info

MP3: Volcano Choir - Island, IS

The day has finally come where I get to listen to a song from the group I've been waiting to hear from for what seemed to be forever. Jagjaguwar Records just posted a track from Volcano Choir. In case you haven't heard about them, VC is Bon Iver's Justin Vernon and fellow Wisconsinites Collections Of Colonies Of Bees.

I didn't really know what to expect from them besides the standout voice of Vernon and Colonies Of Bees' free flowing instrumentals. But I'm actually more than happy with what they created here. Take a listen:

MP3 :: Volcano Choir - Island, IS

Volcano Choir's debut LP entitled Unmap is out on Jagjaguwar Sept 22nd.

TOUR DATES: Sufjan Stevens + Cryptacize

Starting Sept 21st, Sufjan and company will head out on an east coast tour to play a slew of intimate shows with Cryptacize in support of...fun?

09/21 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's
09/22 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's
09/23 Ithaca, NY @ Castaways
09/24 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
09/25 Pontiac, MI @ Crofoot Ballroom
09/26 Champaign, IL @ The High Dive
09/27 Minneapolis, MN @ 400 Bar
09/28 Madison, WI @ The Majestic
09/29 Bloomington, IN @ Buskirk Chumley
10/01 Toronto, Ontario @ Lee's Place
10/02 Montreal, Quebec @ Cabaret
10/03 Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall
10/04 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
10/05 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
10/06 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
10/07 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

Just a little heads-up from the Asthmatic Kitty camp:

"Tickets must be picked up at will-call the night of the show (not mailed), tickets are non-transferable and purchaser must present a government-issued photo ID. Also, there is a two ticket limit per purchaser. Thanks for your patience and understanding."

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In other news, I'm back home from Lollapalooza. It was a great experience and I have a decent recap coming your way in the next few days, so be sure to look out for that.

[MP3] Ghostland Observatory- Sad Sad City

Ghostland Observatory is a group of two friends from Austin, Texas (Aaron Behrens and Thomas Turner) who are signed to Trashy Moped Records. They are hard and dedicated workers, considering there was a point in time where they released two full-length records in less than a year.

I strongly dislike comparing current artists to legendary musicians, but the first person I can compare his voice to is Freddy Mercury. To me, their music is so refreshing because it is really a unique sound. It is a crossroads of electronics, dance beat, and straight up rock 'n roll.

The song I chose to share is off of their 2nd record, Paparazzi Lightning. Eat it up...with your ears.

Ghostland Observatory- Sad Sad City

[SKITTLEBRAU SUNDAY] MP3's + VIDEOS

"Skittlebrau is hip-hop religion."
So, appropriately, Together In Digital Dreams is dedicating a Sunday to these Canadian hip-hop moguls.

On a few occasions, I've used the word "infectious" to describe certain songs or beats from various artists. There will never be a more proper time to use that word than right now. Every song this group does is infectiously catchy. Easy flowing and catchy rhymes sometimes put over samples of old, yet still catchy songs. It's creation at its finest.

You may recognize two of the groups members, who have the monikers of C-Hair and King Bensley, as Connor Lovat-Fraser and Ben Arseneau from the band Boys Night Out, who released 3 albums on Ferret Records between 2003 and 2007.

I have decided to post two MP3's and two videos from Skittlebrau's arsenal. The first MP3 and video I chose are for the song Return Of The Waterboys.

MP3 :: Skittlebrau- Return Of The Waterboys




The second video that I chose to post is a snippet from their webisodes that will begin to premier on 9/9/09 on their website, Skittlebrau HQ.





The second MP3 of theirs I chose to post is the song I Can Look On

MP3 :: Skittlebrau- I Can Look On


Check out their site for more FREE MP3's and to watch the full episodes of their show, starting September 9th. You can also follow them on YouTube and see more shorts from their show here.

Go get Brau'd up from the ground up!

[MP3] Princeton- Calypso Gold

Princeton. They are a pretty unheard of band today, but I am hoping that will soon change. The following is an MP3 of their brand-spanking-new song Calypso Gold. On September 29th, they have their first LP (Cocoon Of Love) being released via Kanine Records. I've been on the Princeton train for quite some time, and I am seriously anticipating this release. They will be on tour for a month with Ra Ra Riot and Maps & Atlases. That tour will land at Philadelphia's Trocadero on October 2nd.

They are a band who has a knack for adding the perfect amount of strings to their songs at the perfect time, which is something they do again in Calypso Gold with style and with grace. I am completely hooked on this song. I hope you will be, too.


MP3 :: Princeton- Calypso Gold

Saturday In Videos: Bat For Lashes // Major Lazer // Jay Reatard // Banjo Or Freakout

Bat For Lashes. Sleep Alone (new single off of the album Two Suns which was released 4/6/09 on: Parlophone (UK Label), Astralwerks (US Label). I sort of drifted into my own dream world once I saw her laying in a bed. Dreamy video, dreamier woman.





Major Lazer's video for their song Pon De Floor (off of Guns Don't Kill People, Lazers Do), released 7/6/09 via Mad Decent Records and Downtown Music. Honestly, before seeing this video, I've never heard of this group. However, the beat is now firmly stuck in my head, and all I can say is that the video looks like a 2009 Reggae video demonstration of the Kama Sutra.





Jay Reatard has a new album being released on 8/18/09 via Matador Records called Watch Me Fall. The song is upbeat and incredibly catchy, and this is quite possibly the greatest music video I've seen in ages...little kids inciting a riot at a birthday party. Amazing.





Video for Banjo Or Freakout's song "Upside Down", off of his record of the same name which was released on Half Machine Records. I suppose this video is of a dream? It's too bad that he knows a woman that beautiful and the best dream he can have about her involves someone in a chicken suit running into the ocean.

LOLLA PARTY PALOOZA

Hey guys, sorry the blog has been MIA lately, we've been @ Lollapalooza and we'll still be kickin it hard for the next few days. So that's my excuse. However, Tony will be taking the reigns of the blog for the weekend and posting all the good shit.

But until then...enjoy you're weekend. See you soon!!

VIDEO: Deerhoof - "Jagged Fruit"

Check out the new video for Deerhoof's "Jagged Fruit" from last years Offend Maggie. I don't really know what to say about it. It's definitely bizzare. and definitely Deerhoof. Hopefully this an indication of more things to come.



Buy Offend Maggie from Insound now if you don't already have it

VID + MP3: Modest Mouse - "King Rat"

Fortunately, you can watch the new Heath Ledger directed video for Modest Mouse's "King Rat." Unfortunately, the video can only be seen on Myspace

[edit! - the best dude ever aka @tony_digidreams found the code to embed the video. look below]

King Rat


MP3 :: Modest Mouse - King Rat

The whales will have revenge

No One's First and You're Next hit stores today. Grab it. Do it.

COVER ART + TRACKLIST: Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3

Check out the uber bright and clunky cover for Jay's new album. The Blueprint 3 comes out on Sept 11th.

The tracklist looks pretty intense too [see: MGMT on #4 "Unforgiven"]:
1. What We Talking About (Produced by Kanye West)
2. D.O.A. (Produced by No I.D.)
3. Weigh Me Down Feat. Kid Cudi (Produced by Kanye West)
4. Unforgiven (Produced by Kanye West, Additional Production: MGMT)
5. Run This Town Feat. Rihanna & Kanye West (Produced by Kanye West)
6. Empire State Of Mind Feat. Nas (Produced by Kanye West & No I.D.)
7. When It Comes To This (Produced by Timbaland)
8. Always Feat. Drake (Produced by Kanye West)
9. Scenes From The Past (Produced by No I.D., Co-produced by Kanye West)
10. Everyday A Star Is Born Feat. Mr. Hudson (Produced by Kanye West)
11. Already Home (Produced by Kanye West)
12. Forever Young Feat. Mr. Hudson (Produced by Kanye West)
13. Thank You (Produced by No I.D.)

Bonus Tracks:
14. Sound Of The 70s (Produced by Kanye West)
15. We Made History (Produced by Kanye West)

[previously: VIDEO: Jay-Z - D.O.A (Death Of Autotune)]

MP3: NEW Port O'Brien - "Sour Milk/Salt Water"

After releasing 2007's All We Could Do Was Sing, I kept a special place in my music heart for California/Alaska's Port O'Brien. They recently released the details on their new album via twitter [@portobrien] vicariously through Pitchfork. Threadbare is due out Oct 6th via TBD Records.

Check out a new song called "Sour Milk/Salt Water." A powerful americana/folk inspired rock song with lyrics sung almost as fast as Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire." I really dig the deep cello in the background

MP3 :: Port O'Brien - Sour Milk/Salt Water

Check 'em out on tour this fall:
September 18 Portland, Or - Mississippi Studios (Music Fest NW)
September 22 Vancouver, BC - The Media Club*
September 23 Seattle, WA - Sunset Tavern*
September 25 Salt Lake City, UT - In The Venue*
September 26 Denver, CO - Hi-Dive*
September 28 Omaha, NE - The Slowdown*
September 29 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry*
September 30 Milwaukee, WI - Mad Planet*
October 1 Chicago, IL - Schubas Tavern*
October 2 St. Louis, MO - The Billiken Club*
October 3 Indianapolis, IN - Radio Radio*
October 4 Cincinnati, OH - Southgate House*
October 7 Columbus, OH - Wexner Center for the Arts*
October 9 Toronto, ON - Sneaky Dee’s*
October 10 Montreal, PQ - Il Motore*
October 13 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club*
October 14 New York, NY - The Mercury Lounge*
October 16 Brooklyn, NY - Union Hall*
October 17 Philadelphia, PA - North Star Bar*
October 18 Baltimore, MD - The Talking Head Club*
October 19 Washington, DC - DC 9*
October 21 Chapel Hill, NC - Nightlight Bar & Club*
October 23 Atlanta, GA - The Earl*
October 24 Nashville, TN - Exit In*
October 27 Dallas, TX - The Cavern*
October 28 Austin, TX - Emo’s Jr. *
October 30 Phoenix, AZ - Modified Arts*

* w/ Sea Wolf and Sara Lov

STREAM SESH: The Big Pink - A Brief History Of Love

This morning I got an email that the new Big Pink album is now streaming for one week in order to promote the upcoming LP which is due out Sept 14th via 4AD.



You can also download the track "Dominos" for your own listening pleasure in the future

Don't forget to pre-order the album

[previously: MP3: The Big Pink - Dominos]

MP3: The Bloody Beetroots ft. The Cool Kids - "Awesome"

Sometimes I get "post my song" emails that totally suck. Sometimes they are "awesome." This is a perfect example of the latter.

MP3 :: The Bloody Beetroots ft. The Cool Kids - Awesome

The Bloody Beetroots debut LP Romborama is due out September 8th via Dim Mak Records

If you're going to Lollapalooza, be sure to catch their DJ set on Friday on the Perry's Stage @ 4:45. See you there!!

MP3: Fool's Gold - Surprise Hotel [Micachu Remix]

Previously this year, both Micachu & The Shapes and Fool's Gold delivered some great tunes. Micachu's album Jewellery took some time to grow on me, but it's becoming a solid contender for the end of year's Best Of list. On the other side, Fool's Gold gave us one of the most enjoyable summer jams with the song Surprise Hotel. Now, we get the best of both worlds with Micachu's remix of that Fool's Gold song. Although it only clocks in @ 3:31 [half the time of the original jam], it's still pretty solid. The only thing that throws me off is how the song comes to an abrupt stop.

MP3 :: Fool's Gold - Surprise Hotel [Micachu & The Shapes Remix]

[via Stereogum]

[Fool's Gold previously on DigiDreams: MP3: Fool's Gold Surprise Hotel]

MP3: Balmorhea - Truth [Helios Remix]

Earlier this year, Balmorhea released one of my favorite albums to relax with called All Is Wild, All Is Silent. A beautiful collection of soft instrumentals that crescendo into ear-busting, heart-stopping and speaker-breaking arrangements. This month, they will be releasing an album of remixes created by some of their dear friends and released through Western Vinyl.

Check out one of my favorite songs from AIWAIS called "Truth" remixed by Helios:

MP3 :: Balmorhea - Truth [Helios Remix]
MP3 :: Balmorhea - Truth

Track List:
1. Settler – remixed by Eluvium
2. Harm & Boon – remixed by Rafael Anton Irisarri
3. Harm & Boon – remixed by Tiny Vipers
4. Elegy – remixed by Bexar Bexar
5. Remembrance – remixed by Machinefabriek
6. Coahuila – remixed by The Fun Years
7. Coahuila – remixed by Library Tapes
8. Night in the Draw – remixed by Jacaszek
9. Truth – remixed by Helios
10. November 1, 1832 – remixed by Peter Broderick
11. November 1, 1832 – remixed by Xela

TOUR DATES: Glassjaw [!!!] w/ Brand New

For everyone that doubted Glassjaw's return during a hiatus that seemed to last forever [I include myself], here are a couple points of good news from the GJ team:

1). The dudes are getting ready to release a new EP sometime soon. I'm sure the song "You Think You're John F**king Lennon" will be included.

**the announcement came via Twitter: "@DarylPalumboCC Beck and I are sitting in his car listening to the new Glassjaw EP that we've just completed. Shit SLAMS."**

2.) They expanded their tour from 2 dates to 9 dates:

[via Glassjaw.net]
Brand NEW GlassJAw tour dates (no pun intended)
The tour dates that Glassjaw will join Brand New on are as follows:
November 15th Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
November 17th Boston, MA - House of Blues
November 18th Boston, MA - House of Blues
November 20th Montreal, QC - Olympia De Montreal
November 21st Toronto, ON - Kool Haus
November 22nd Toronto, ON - Kool Haus
November 24th Rochester, NY - Main Street Armory
November 25th Wallingford, CT - Chevrolet Theatre
November 28th Uniondale, NY - Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
ENJOY!

MP3 :: Glassjaw- You Think You're John F**king Lennon
MP3 :: Glassjaw- Ape Dos Mil

PS: If you've never been to a Glassjaw show before, I highly recommend it. Tons of sing-a-longs, sweat and fun

Saturday In Videos: Passion Pit // Yo La Tengo // MSHVB // Jay-Z @ apw

Pashy Pit @ Jimmy Fallon last week [7/29/09]. Pretty solid performance from everyone's fave band, but the crowd needs to be crazier. and drunker. But I guess that's not allowed on television. shame

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Check out the new video for Yo La Tengo's new song "Here To Fall" off of their upcoming LP Popular Songs [due out 9/8/09 on Matador]. Hypnotic, geometric and simply awesome. I will say though, I'd hate to be in a plane that was doing that. Barf central

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Mt. Saint Helens Veitnam Band put out a new video for their new song "Albatross Albatross Albatross" the other day @ Stereogum. They said it best - "Dense forests aren't good places to be haunted by ghosts."

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Here's a little peak from Jay-Z's APW performance of "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" via youtube. Hope all of you apw fest goers are having a great time