Archive for 2011
Remember when you created your first email address? At the time you thought you could best sum up your personality with something like [email protected] and you were all up on yahoo chat like it didn’t even matter. Eventually you created a new hotmail address before coming of age and deciding that it was time to take off your training wheels and join the big kids at gmail. All the while, that first email address has sat stagnant, out of comission and worth nothing to noone – until today. Today you can sign that email address up to Bon Iver’s mailing list and receive a free download of the first single of his soon to be released self titled album. Boom.
Or you could just use your current regular address. Whatever works. Have a listen below or just download the thing here.
Bon Iver – ‘Calgary’
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It’s track 8 from the self titled Bon Iver, out June 21st through Jagjaguwar records.
You can thank Rach for giving me the heads up to give you the heads up.
I want to start this by raising the obvious question: What are you going to do when an asteroid strikes the earth sending us into that post-apocalyptic state of affairs that makes for great television but poor personal hygiene? It might be today, it might be tomorrow, heck, it might even be the day after. Ultimately I can’t tell you the when, I just want to empower you to think that little bit further ahead so that when it comes you’re ready. What I offer you is not a spaceshuttle nor a bunker, it’s not even a helmet. It’s a soundtrack. It won’t spare you but I’ll be damned if you won’t feel all sorts of cinematic as you stride through asteroid rain, looting shops and rejoicing in the enormous, the uplifting, the glorious Monsters Build Mean Robots.
I’m a hard sale for a band pitching slow-build post-rock so you know Monsters Build Mean Robots have done something right. Have a listen to the choral sections towards the end of ‘Psalm 57 (or) All That Gold Did Not Help Your Soul’. Make sure you’ve got a nice big pair of headphones on or some speakers with juice then crank that thing. These are the sort of tracks you need to listen to start to finish (ie. All music, you impatient nonce) so make sure you give them the chance to build and build and build. Buy the EP here.
Monsters Build Mean Robots – ‘Psalm 57 (Or) All That Gold Did Not Help Your Soul’
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Monsters Build Mean Robots – ‘Song for the Generals’
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“Evening Chorus are a four-piece Cardiff-based folk band. With a sound based around four-part vocal harmonies and dramatic sing-along choruses.” Yawn. I can forgive them their uninspiring description however, as their music is far better written than their bio. It’s gentle, lilting folk that really benefits from the rounded sound of the double bass. 2011 could even be the year of the double bass. James Blake utilises it better than anyone (see Measurements) and I’m pretty sure The Living End are going to make a massive comeback this year so the evidence is pretty compelling.
Evening Chorus – ‘Decisions’
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Evening Chorus have been around since ’09 and have a full length coming out later in the year. Their single ‘No Wreath, No Crown’ is a free download on their bandcamp and decisions is a mere dollar or so. Get on it.
If I’d've known about this band a few months ago then I might have been able to download this EP for free but alas, it wasn’t to be. Instead I’ll have to wait for it to be [re]released on the 21st of June. I’d jam this thing at a party without a second thought. Again, we’re seeing the aftermath of Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion still lingering on but on top of that I can hear, dare I say it, similarities to Jinja Safari. I guess if someone asked me to identify the main difference between Painted Palms and Jinja Safari (which they haven’t, but I’ll answer anyway) I’d say that Painted Palms weren’t talentless hacks. On top of that, Painted Palms consider minor things such as structure and layering in their songwriting instead of just vomiting out track after repetitive track. In conclusion, Jinja Safari are the worst band in Australia.
Hey everyone, just checking in to make sure you’re having a good day. Hopefully this helps; It’s a free download of Ivan & Alyosha’s (remember this?) EP, available for a week. I haven’t listened to it yet so I can’t attest to it’s quality but I really enjoyed Glorify. If it turns out to be rubbish and you hate it then I’m really sorry. I’m just trying to help. If it also turns out that I’ve misused the semi-colon a few sentences back then I’m equally sorry.
Artists you need to know rn
| 1. 1300 |  |
316 |
| 2. Voidhood | |
259 | 3. jamesjamesjames | |
186 | 4. Zan | |
174 |
| 5. Sesame Girl | |
147 |
