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Blake Mills

There was once a band that called themselves Simon Dawes. Simply put, they were fantastic. According to their MySpace page a couple of years ago, the band decided to take "an extended hiatus from Simon Dawes so that [they could] focus on expanding [their] individual musical efforts." Simon Dawes was led by two of the most brilliant musicians I have ever had the luxury of seeing mature: Taylor Goldsmith and Blake Mills. Taylor Goldsmith and bassist Wylie Gelber went off to form the almost unfairly incredible band Dawes. Post-Simon Dawes, Blake Mills had a brief stint playing guitar with Band Of Horses and Julian Casablancas while also perusing around Los Angeles every so often to give spectacular solo performances. Talk of a solo album has been spreading for quite some time. I even heard one musician who had heard some of Blake's top secret studio recordings nearly a year ago say it was some of the best music he had ever heard (woah). To be frank, I have been so excited, yet so plagued by anticipation for something, anything, from Blake that I've just about put my head through a wall a dozen times. Well kids, the time is now. It has been officially announced that Blake Mills will release his first solo album this April via Record Collection. What a fucking treat. I'll be sure to post it as soon as I get my greedy little hands on it. Blake recently stopped by Daytrotter and recorded a great four-song session which you can check out here. So until April you'll have to make due with that and the three tracks on his MySpace.

Just for fun I've decided to throw in Dawes' cover of Joe Cocker's version of "With A Little Help From My Friends." It's incredible. Watch it and try to disagree. HD on and volume all the way up on this one.

Wonder Years Troubadour from Evan Romoff on Vimeo.

Mason Jennings

I just found the coolest thing I think I have ever come across... ever. Credit to I Am Fuel, You Are Friends for this post. This is a recording of a Mason Jennings concert at The Cave (a student-run pub at Carleton College in Minnesota) that dates all the way back to 1998. The concert features Mason Jennings, right at the beginning of his career, playing an entire solo acoustic set - something he does from time to time nowadays but probably did more often earlier in his career. There's some great quick banter but what's even better is that there is a whole slue of unreleased tracks and early versions of songs from his self-titled album (1998), Simple Life (2002), and Use Your Voice (2004). Anyone who knows me knows that this is probably my most beloved find of all time. DOWNLOAD THIS ALBUM NOW. Great, great, great folk music.

http://www.mediafire.com/file/zhnn4zmmnyv/Mason Jennings.zip

Now keep in mind that this was recorded in 1998 at a small college in Minnesota. There are some problems with the recordings (i.e. the very beginning of the last song, Rebecca DeVille, is missing, etc.) but you'll get the point and appreciate the awesomeness.

technicolor pop love

A perfect way to end the night.

Community Service Announcement - Jonathon Boulet from Modular People on Vimeo.

native video: St. Vincent et Andrew Bird

La Blogotheque, Vincent Moon's French sensation, has struck again. With impeccably tasteful cinematography and sound quality, the Blogotheque session featured Bird in an astonishing performance of "Effigy" followed by "Tenuousness" and culminating in beautiful "Natural Disaster." The real treat of the session however is when St. Vincent joins Bird in the intimate apartment to perform a previously unrehearsed "What Me Worry" and "Black Rainbow." Do yourself a serious favor and watch this.

For the many of you who won't want to spend a full half hour watching the entire performance, here's the gem, "What Me Worry"

Check out the session in its entirety below:

http://www.blogotheque.net/Andrew-Bird-et-St-Vincent

Staff Benda Bilili

Winner of the most far-fetched and inspiring band of the day goes to- Staff Benda Bilili. Straight out of Congo, Staff Benda Bilili is composed of a group of poor paraplegic street performers riding custom made tricycles who happened to take an 18 year old homeless kid who plays a homemade one string "electric lute" formed from a tin can under their wing. What separates Bilili from any other 60 Minutes-esque African glory story? Their music absolutely rules. Check out Tres Tres Fort, which recently climbed to #1 in Europes World Music Charts, as well as a video giving you a peek into their one of a kind life below:

http://www.mediafire.com/?jgwynjinw22

native noise musing: The Art of the Music Biz

It's 2010 and the music industry is on the brink of something special. Miraculously, while it is undoubtedly the worst of times for major labels and contemporary music sales, the era of the fan is making its tour de force. The combination of the ease of music production, its availability, and the innovation and acceptance of MIDI and electronic technologies, as well as the proliferation of the music blog has revolutionized the music game. While musicians can now spread their music easily through Facebook, Myspace, and the "Blogosphere," up and coming bands face the challenge of making a name for themselves among the throngs of the ambitious and hopeful indie world.
As has been proven throughout history, competition breeds innovation. One way new bands have begun to try and separate themselves from the quickly multiplying music field has been through traditional visual art and fashion. While it is certainly true that there has always been a connection between music and art via the album cover, flier, advertisements, music video or what have you, now more than ever emerging musicians are attempting to bridge the art and music worlds to achieve notoriety.
This new artistic focus has manifested itself in a few different ways. The first, and probably most successful of them has been strengthening of the connection between world famous art museums and emerging music. In 2009 alone notable art museums including: The Whitney Music of American Art, The New York Metropolitan Art Museum, The Los Angeles Museum of Natural History, The Guggenheim, The Getty Museum, The Armand Hammer Museum, and others showcased intimate evenings with emerging musical acts such as Vivian Girls, Dan Deacon, The Dodos, Chairlift, Yeasayer, Atlas Sound, tUnE-yArDs, Deerhunter and others. Using low prices, art exhibits and unique and intimate stages, (the Natural History Museum shows set up camp in the famous diorama room, giving you the once in a lifetime chance to rock out next to Woolly Mammoths and Saber-Tooth tigers) museum shows have been quickly selling out by catering to the interests of the young hipsters eager to save a few bucks and prove their worldliness.
Musicians themselves are beginning to push the boundaries of art to make a name for themselves. No one doubts the "indie" movement's close ties to art and fashion as well as its members common predisposition toward bold and often borderline ridiculous choices in that sphere. As the influential leaders of the movement, musicians are beginning to develop their art and style to make a name for themselves while ensnaring fans. It was the Avant-garde covers of Animal Collective's "Merriweather Post Pavilion" and Grizzly Bear's "Veckatimest" that demanded attention across music blogs before what would become two of the most important music releases in the Indie world were even released. In similar fashion, in order to gain momentum for what would be their anticipated second full length "Odd Blood," Yeasayer filmed a hipster art snob wet dream for "Ambling Alp," the pre-released shining star of the album. Recently, the “Music Tee” has even been developed by the likes of Mos Def and the Afternoons, displaying album art and track information on a handsome V-Neck that upon ordering also entitles you a copy of the full length. Today, new music news and media circulates about as efficiently as the human circulatory system. Eager not to miss a beat, hip savvy music fiends find solace in the attention new bands pay to innovative visual stimuli, and reward them through endless discussion, and most importantly, internet diffusion.

The development and use of art has certainly been successful in building support for new bands, after all, It was only a matter of time until indie world began to see new faces. On Thursday, indie kings Animal Collective were showcased in a one of a kind juxtaposition of music and art at Manhattan's famed Guggenheim Museum. Transverse Temporal Gyrus included a 3 hour performance that included not only music, but projections, costumes, and props to assert a complete artistic ambiance to the crowded audience of successful middle aged socialites, eager to once again bring meaning and relevance to their pretension. Young rimmed glasses owners, mismatched sock wearers and folded jean lovers beware, your beloved band is making strides to capture the hearts of the new frontier of indie music. The tuxedo clad hipster arch nemesis is catching on to this whole movement, and you needn’t look any further than Vampire Weekend’s conquering of the Billboard charts, Dirty Projector’s recent standing ovations at Walt Disney Concert Hall for proof of a series of coming attacks from the middle aged artsies hoping to reclaim their relevance in the music world.

Abe Vigoda, Lovvers

Last night I made my way over to 21 Grand in Oakland to see Abe Vigoda. Nestled in an alleyway on 25th Street, 21 Grand is an awesome venue (think The Smell, but cleaner and without a stage). Lovvers opened for Abe Vigoda and what a pleasant, lo-fi punk surprise they were. I've included their 2009 OCD Go Go Girls along with Abe Vigoda's 2009 Skeleton. You can look forward to some new Abe Vigoda sometime in the near future - they started off their set with a few new songs to which Juan Velazquez, guitar and backup vocals, honestly remarked "these are new songs, they sound just like our old ones." You gotta love this music - it rules.

Casiokids

I can't stop listening to this song, it's too good. AND they're from Norway. They call themselves Casiokids. Song is entitled "Finn Bikkjen!"

http://www.mediafire.com/file/w3mmztznmyz/01 Finn Bikkjen!.mp3.zip

Enjoy!

Also here's a music video (but for a different song entitled "En Vill Hest")

Coachella Preview: The Whitest Boy Alive

As i'm sure you all know, Coachella 2010 has hit the California music scene like a 2 ton Hydrogen bomb. We figured it might be a particularly poignant point to give some previews of the partiuclarly amazing bands hitting the Indio desert stages this coming spring.
First up, The Whitest Boy Alive, a jazz/dance quartet hailing form Berlin.
After gaining notoriety in the German dance scene, The Whitest Boy Alive has been making strides in the fertile Indie world. Join me friday afternoon in the sun.

Let the unbelievably easy to listen to album speak for itself, 2009's "Rules":

http://www.mediafire.com/file/moznmhyudyt/The_Whitest_Boy_Alive-Rules-(Advance)-2009-DV8.zip

Harmonious Patriotism

The two girls on the right are six, the two in the middle are seven, and the one on the left is eight.

This is Take 6:

Band To Watch: Kisses

Yes indeed, you should keep an eye on this band - maybe even both of your precious oculars if you're feeling ambitious enough. Kisses is an LA duo comprised of Jesse Kivel, one of the twins from the band Princeton, and Zinzi Edmundson. Their LP, The Heart Of The Nightlife, is in the process of being mixed and they "should have it done shortly," however no official release date has been set. Their first single, Bermuda, is supposed to drop on April 27th. I am including Bermuda and another track unofficially entitled "Kisses" - a bit redundant, don't you think? Anywho, enjoy the tracks - you'll be basking in the aura of chicness that they tend to give rise to soon enough. I've included the cover art for the 7" Bermuda single below.

http://www.mediafire.com/file/lromemmz5kd/Kisses.zip

Alarm Will Sound

On February 27, Tahl and I saw the Dirty Projectors perform their 2005 album The Getty Address at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Accompanying them during their performance was a 20-member orchestra called Alarm Will Sound. In short, the show was fucking awesome. I went straight home and found some Alarm Will Sound recordings and they were fucking awesome too. So, voila! Here you are, reading this. Here I was, typing this. The next step, I believe, is quite intuitive.

http://www.mediafire.com/?jzjweihewfm

This is a compilation, of sorts, of acoustic arrangements of various electronic songs from three Aphex Twin albums: Selected Ambient Works Volume II, Richard D. James Album, and Drukqs. The first track is my favorite.

goodmorning

I try and start every day with some kind of music. For those as fidgety and excited by a good tune as I am it runs the table over coffee or a morning workout (lol).

This morning i stumbled upon a Local Natives session at BBC Radio 1. Mean mustache, great harmony, and classy guitars, the rising stars of Silverlake Hipsterdom certainly bring it.

portugaltheman

My insomnia pays off once in a while. The highlight of my Tuesday music releases, Portugal. The Man's new full length, American Ghetto (featuring a feline in what looks like a full body condom the lorax might make ):

http://www.mediafire.com/?rntm11uynwm

Enjoy.

-tk

Yawn - EP

Get the new Yawn EP off of their website for FREE. Free stuff is great, but even better if it's legal and it sounds fantastic. Five tracks. Listen to it all the way through. This is another one of those Animal Collective-esque tribal-electro-rock bands that seem so prevalent nowadays. I'll embrace it till it hurts.

so i guess i'll start this thing...

I spent a good portion of my day today trying to find a solid leaked version of the 5 years in the making "Plastic Beach" by the Gorillaz.
A few hours and failed attempts later i stumbled across the entire album being streamed by none other than npr

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124114812#commentBlock

... and thus leaves another hour of sleep