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Erasure // Fill Us With Fire (Video)

Long before electro-pop had much of an audience, or was even considered cool, there was Andy Bell and Vince Clarke taking a step into the unknown with, if not bravado, then youthful naïveté, and an ocean worth of enthusiasm and talent galore. Since 1985 the duo have been busy creating hit after hit, selling more than 25 million albums worldwide. So, if you’re thinking these gentlemen are new to the scene, well think again. Long before there was: MGMT, Passion Pit, Cut Copy or Hot Chip, and a slew of other bands with similar sonic ties, there was Erasure (Factoid: Vince Clarke was a founding member of Depeche Mode). I applaud them for being true originals and visionaries, whose music has really become the soundtrack to so many lives across the globe. I also want to salute Andy Bell for his courage, for being one of the first openly gay music icons to come out, which was no mean feat in the 80’s. Erasure will release Fill Us With Fire as the third single from their Tomorrow’s World album on March 12th 2012. I’ve been a fan, I’m still a fan. Peace. Continue reading “Erasure // Fill Us With Fire (Video)”

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Starfucker // Bury Us Alive

Although I am posting the latest visuals for “Bury Us Alive” know this, the mega-acid drop that is Starfucker is so much more than meets the ear. I’ve been addicted to these guys for a few years now and they never disappoint. And just case you haven’t had the good fortune to listen to them before I got both the March 2011 release Reptilians and the November 2011 Jupiter. So, get ready to become an instant fan, and make sure to check out Starfucker‘s bandcamp for more. Peace. Continue reading “Starfucker // Bury Us Alive”

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imperial teen // runaway

Perennial favorites of the Indie power-pop scene the music making ménage à trois + 1 Imperial Teen is sounding as sweet as ever. With the release of their fifth studio album Feel The Sound the San Fransisco-based band is all set to win over a slew of additional fans in 2012. Check out the first release “Runaway” and you’ll not only “feel the sound” but it’ll feel you right back, as it weaves its soothing sonic tendrils all up in your head space. But what about the rest of the album you may ask? Don’t worry, I got audible proof positive that’ll obliterate any lagging doubts (Damn naysayers!). Go to Merge Records and stream the entire album ’till the cows come home. You’re gonna want to sing along too, so check out the lyrics here. See, I got you covered. But, Roddy Bottum, Lynn Perko Truell, Will Schwartz, and Jone Stebbins, well, they got the music, and isn’t that the reason you’re here? Peace. Continue reading “imperial teen // runaway”

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gemini club // by surprise

When there is music in the air life just seems more bearable.

Gemini Club is Dan Brunelle, Tom Gavin and Gordon Bramli, an  indie-electronica trio based in Chicago, Illinois. If you like to dance to, or just chill, to kaleidoscopic beats and chilled-on-ice vocals then crank this one. The song, “By Surprise” is the first singe from the bands forthcoming Here We Sit EP, scheduled to drop March 14th 2012. But, you can get the Free Download now! And if you Pre-Order the new Here We Sit EP you get immediate access to stream it. Now, that is some goods new that’ll put a smile on your pus. Peace. Continue reading “gemini club // by surprise”

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The Raindoggs // Don’t Wanna Be Good

The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.  — Oscar Wilde

I think Oscar Wilde was onto something, and I’ve stopped fighting the feeling of this sultry track. In the end, there is nothing quite as habit-forming as good music.  The song “Don’t Wanna Be Good” by The Raindoggs is akin to something sultry laid out before your ears just begging a listener to indulge unto you get your fill.  The Austin, TX-based, The Raindoggs have perfected a bluesy rock that just makes you want to do all sorts of unmentionable things you’ve only dreamed about but never had the courage to put into motion. And the vocals of Larisa Montanaro are all bedroom eyes and bright red lipstick on your collar. Their latest release is as come-hither as a song can get and still remain dignified in the morning. All this good music is leading up to a righteous 2012 for The Raindoggs. Peace. Continue reading “The Raindoggs // Don’t Wanna Be Good”

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Tree // Universal (Ft. Ariel Thiermann)

If you were to catch a shooting star and tap into its little black-box, and were able to decode all the energy inside. Well, the energy may sound something like the new “Universal” track by none other than San Francisco, California-based musician/producer Tree, bka Oliver Nickell. I am feeling the positive vibes, which are now flowing freely from my speakers, and into my cerebellum cortex. My brain is now so electrically happy it’s chanting Ohm into the labyrinth of gray coils which comprise my think organ. And before I fail to mention: Ariel Thiermann, your star-bright voice can be the call to Tree’s musical response any ole’ time. Peace. Continue reading “Tree // Universal (Ft. Ariel Thiermann)”

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the darlingtons | bats

 

the darlingtons | bats

 
‘The Darlingtons are what happens when the collective energies of four young men are harnessed (barely), hammered out and pressed onto vinyl. What you hear in the raging notes and lonely lyrics of their music, is the full gamut of human emotions. The channeling of the hope, desire, and emotional baggage (with all its ups and downs) multiplied by a factor of four. The rage is evident. Yet, it is retrained, introspective and always passionate within the width and length of each song. Still, it isn’t enough to simply say something kind about The Darlingtons and leave well enough alone. I admire and applaud their efforts mainly because, like so many of their countrymen, a connection is being forged.

I cheer for them, not because I am being paid to do so, I most assuredly am not. I write what I write because when I put this band’s music on the player and I hear what comes forth, it feels like small doses of adrenaline are being dumped into my veins, and I feel enlivened.

With the forthcoming release of “Bats”, the new single from The Darlingtons’ upcoming debut LP Decades Dance. This song is awash in an enlivened tempo, and it is only natural to gravitate towards something which inspires one’s soul to soar a bit. The Darlingtons, without a doubt, I play them really loud, and often. Peace. Continue reading “the darlingtons | bats”

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Oh No Oh My // Walking Into You (Video)

By some accounts the band Oh No Oh My came into being way back in ’04 and have been a steady an ongoing and growing (musically successful) project ever since. However, contrary to their almost decade long existence, their top-notch second full-length release People Problems dropped with a splash in 2011. I don’t know what happened in the in-between years, but I suspect it was just the way things worked out. Do me a favor, when you listen to People Problems, do so in the quiet of solitude and let these amazing songs come to you on their own terms. And I wouldn’t say this if it wasn’t true, this is another one of those ‘must have’ albums you’ll want in your growing vinyl collection. The album leads off with “Walking Int Me” and this, for me, set up nicely a great first impression of a band I only came to know of through some totally nefarious and clandestine turn of events. More on those events, like NEVER! But I digress…

ONOM is full of surprises, and this album is filled with song after song of melodic, rich and deep sound craft. With their multiple-instrumentation, spot-on guitar work and the odds and ends of electronic shenanigans, all this whirling around Greg Barkley’s color of sunshine voice. No matter how one describes this Austin, Texas-based outfit it only comes down to three things. Good. Gooder. Goodest. Check out Oh No Oh My‘s People Problems via bandcamp after the jump, and watch the (I want problems like this) video for, “Walking Into You.” Peace. Continue reading “Oh No Oh My // Walking Into You (Video)”

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The Black Keys // Gold On The Ceiling (Video)

You don’t need me to tell you anything you don’t already know about the Black Keys. You already know Patrick Carney and Dan Auerbach are the rocking-est two-piece in a long time, if eve (Sorry White Stripes and Japandroids). Now, we have some more scruffy visual proof to back up the shit-talking our ears have been spouting off about, no matter how justified they are. Watch the guys from Akron, Ohio rock-n-roll and bring the house down with their video for “Gold On The Ceiling.” Crank it LOUD! Peace. Continue reading “The Black Keys // Gold On The Ceiling (Video)”