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how to dress well // again (janet jackson cover)

Chicagoan Tom Krell is doing some of the best music of his career and under the name How To Dress Well he is sculpting his own brand of unique and wondrously sensual R&B. This time out HTDW has taken Ms. Jackson’s cautionary heartbreak ode, “Again” and channels it through his own tender heart. The results are nothing short of what the fans of HTDW (me included) have come to expect. You can get the song on the bonus 7″ for all pre-orders and you can cop it from Acéphale in North America and Weird World everywhere else. Peace. Continue reading “how to dress well // again (janet jackson cover)”

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mumford & sons // i will wait

You know the band well, and if perchance you don’t think banjo and harmonies straight out of Appalachia. The music Mumford & Sons creates connects people, there’s no denying it. Theirs is a sound rooted in the rich heritage of the fiddle and banjo music of many a countrymen. And it isn’t a tradition steep only in the British, Irish and Scottish cultures. It is a music which has fallen upon many a folk and possesses many a nuance. But, like all music it wears traveling shoes, and it breathes and migrates like the transient and wild wind. Americans love Mumford & Sons because those same fiddle and banjo melodies settled here brought over many ages from the northern isles of Europe. Well, Mumford & Sons are back with their sophomore album Babel waiting beautifully in the wings. And the first single, “I Will Wait” couldn’t be more wonderful. It is rife and overflowing with quality and magic we’ve come to expect from this foursome of musical bros. The album drops via Mumfords & Sons very own Gentlemen of the Road label on September 24th. I’d say the closing of 2012 is shaping up quite fair. Peace. Continue reading “mumford & sons // i will wait”

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capital cities // nothing compares 2 u

Capital Cities (Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian) first caught my attention when the duo got their hands on Pink Floyd’s song Breathe and creatively (albeit funkily) infused Tupac Shakur into the track. It was nothing short of pure genius. Now, the party boys from The City of Angels have quickened my pulse again with another incredible cover, their better-than-Sinead-O’Connor‘s interpretation of “Nothing Compares 2 U.” And if there was any lingering doubt after their self-titled 2011 Capital Cities EP, this track solidifies Capital Cities as anything but a novel act, these guys are legit. Peace. Continue reading “capital cities // nothing compares 2 u”

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micheal andrews // bubbles in space

According to the label Elgin Park label the film composer/producer/singer/multi-instrumentalist Michael Andrews‘ latest collection of songs as his … “second solo effort Spilling A Rainbow, Andrews shares the wonder and excitement of his transformation into a father. This is a kaleidoscopic collection of songs about blowing bubbles, watching his baby sleep and the psychedelic, shape shifting, epiphanies that are taking place in between. At times stark, other times cinematic.” Spilling A Rainbow drops August 14th 2012. Peace. Continue reading “micheal andrews // bubbles in space”

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making marks // i volunteer

How many bands can under go a major name change, switch sonic gears and still come out of the other end all pristine and shiny? Well, I’ll answer this question by proclaiming the former Swede band known as My Little Pony has successfully done the Phoenix thing and are now Making Marks. My ears gave their songs, “I Volunteer“, “Ticket Machine” and “Hard To Be Good” the once over and they give ’em two-thumbs up. The band’s debut (Is it still their debut if it’s just a name change?) single “Ticket Machine” will drop via Fika Recording October 2012 on 7″ vinyl.   Check them out and let me know what you think. Peace. Continue reading “making marks // i volunteer”

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daughter // landfill

Memorable songs stay with us long after we’ve heard them for the first time; embedding themselves into our very bones and ruining our ears against all other sounds. Such memorable music can be had the moment you click play, and listen to the band Daughter. You’ll quickly fall beneath the spell of Elena Tonra‘s voice. Listen to their tangible fabric of a song, “Landfill” and wrap this soft-hewn scrim about your living spaces and enjoy. Both The Wild Youth EP and the His Young Heart EP are available on iTunes. Peace. Continue reading “daughter // landfill”

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graph rabbit // only fields

It is songs like, “Only Fields” which the world should be filled with, to ease everything from a stubbed toe to a broken heart. Graph Rabbit (Austin Donohue and Shy Kedmi) is something special to listen to in the wee hours of melancholy. And, we’ll get a chance to expand our collective introduction and adoration when the band releases its debut release Snowblind on October 9th via Butterscotch records. After the jump check the duo’s live performance at the Lomography Gallery. Peace. Continue reading “graph rabbit // only fields”

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cloud seeding // the light (our sunday best)

Cloud Seeding it the project of guitarist Kevin Serra. What Mr. Serra does best is create acoustic milieus and fills them with vocals which personify particular moods. The results are something sounding at once painstakingly effortless and endearingly haunted. It is music commingling with the darkness of the devil and with the ethereal light of an angel’s dulcet dreams. These are sounds not so much in the middle of things as they are an exploration into the outer nuances of human feeling. On each song the artist finds comforting refuge within mundane emotional states and lingers there until we learn, through him, to see and appreciate their value. The latest collaborative single, “The Light” (Ft. Nadine Carina) is the mere crystallization of Mr. Serra’s adeptness at teasing out the essence, and beauty of our many moods and perfecting them into gorgeous song. Look for this latest single to drop digitally via Bleek Records August 14th. Peace. Continue reading “cloud seeding // the light (our sunday best)”

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blue foundation // eyes on fire (zeds dead remix)

The Zeds Dead Remix of Blue Foundation‘s “Eyes On Fire” is a sexy serpentine affair making you want to dance like Shiva and inhabit the personal space of the current apple of your eye. Yeah, this is a reach back in distant time and space, but you know like I do that good music persists and subsists minus an expiration date. After the jump I got a couple other tracks to round out this mini-listening party. Oh and for the ultimate Zeds Dead experience check out the duos Guest Remix for MistaJam. Peace. Continue reading “blue foundation // eyes on fire (zeds dead remix)”

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space command // insult to injury

The duo consisting of Will Nichols and Craig Campbell who make up the NYC-based Space Command have expertly carved out a niche in the electronic music spectrum by crafting the Machines Make Music LP with a rock-edged sound, adding a bit of gritty charm along the way. One of my recent favorites is their, “Insult To Injury” track. These veterans of the NYC indie music scene are basking in a well-deserved limelight. Peace. Continue reading “space command // insult to injury”