jbm // stray ashes

Jesse Marchant, who records under his initials, JBM, was born and raised in the northeastern climes of the Adirondacks and Montreal, Canada. He latest album Stray Ashes is a force of human nature (really it is). This is an album of beautiful complexities and a bared soul. Listening to these songs is akin to finding a lost journal, discovering how the loves and longings of a stranger much similar to your own. You can stream the full album after the jump. Also, this fine album can also be purchased on Amazon and iTunes. Peace. Continue reading “jbm // stray ashes”

lemonade // soft kiss

Call it what you want, neo-R&B or fractious 80’s Pop with soft shards of ambient electric blue whispers thrown in for good measure. Somehow categorization isn’t as important has the music. Here the Brooklyn threesome Lemonade offers us ballads bathed in glowing radiant structure. The album is Diver and the song featured here is “Soft Kiss,” and it resonates with tangible afterglow. Also, after the jump let your eyes soak up the lush visuals of the trio’s “Neptune” video. So hot (I wanna be a leopard-print towel). Love it. By the way, you get the sensual album and soulful slice of listening paradise Diver on Amazon and iTunes. Peace. Continue reading “lemonade // soft kiss”

giraffage // feels

San Franciscan Charlie Yin is the musical mystic behind the holistic sounds known as Giraffage. Listen to the tracks “Feels” and discover what it feels like to listen to an assortment of happy sounds commingling joyously together. After the jump I’ve also included Giraffage’s slow love making soundscape Comfort (2011) for your auditory pleasure. Peace.

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teen daze // all of us, together

The debut release All Of Us, Together from Teen Daze is out today! And of course I can’t keep its shimmery magic  to myself, so here are several links for digital versions of the album: Amazon, Beatport, eMusic, iTunes and Spotify. Peace.

All Of Us, Together tracklisting:

1. Treten
2. Late
3. Cold Sand
4. For Body and Kenzie
5. The New Balearic
6. Brooklyn Sunburn
7. Erbstuck
8. The Future
9. Hold
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exitmusic // passage

Aleksa Palladino & Devon Church the dynamic duo from Brooklyn combine forces as Exitmusic and together they make music that is as equally grandiose as it is emotive. Their track “Passage” is a juicy ethereal incandescent slice of indie pop that you’ll enjoy all summer long. This is the title track from Exitmusic‘s new album, Passage out now via Secretly Canadian. Question: how does she manage to sound like she’s channeling Conner Oberst at times? Peace. Continue reading “exitmusic // passage”

thad kopec // the ghost and the thief (Our Sunday Best)

Hailing from Ocala, Florida Thad Kopec crafts folksy pop odes perfectly suited for lazy days and introspective nights. Mr. Kopec is the consummate old soul cast into a young man’s body. And if you need further evidence, well listen to his track, “The Ghost And The Thief.” No doubt this young singer/songwriter is going places. I recommend you also check out his Soundcloud page for a ton of play worthy songs. I especially love what Thad has done with his cover of Lana Del Rey’s “Born To Die,” which I may just prefer over the original. You can purchase the “The Ghost And The Thief” single exclusively on iTunes. The undeniable artistry of Thad Kopec makes for an easy choice for Our Sunday Best. Peace. Continue reading “thad kopec // the ghost and the thief (Our Sunday Best)”

money // i’ll be the night

This foursome of young men make the kind of music that is both reminiscent of dying embers or shooting stars upon which to hang a somber wish. And here the B-Side track “I’ll Be The Night” to the A-Side song “So Long (GodIsDead), both of which are possessed of such luminescence and beauty one could easily use them as beacon to guide one’s lonely soul home. This is a band on the rise, but for now it’s nice to keep it’s small bright flame cupped in our hands secreted away for late night musings. The single So Long (GodIsDead) was released in April via French label Almost Musique. Peace. Continue reading “money // i’ll be the night”

slow magic & beat culture // once

What happens when bands collide? Well, I don’t know about other acts, but the shimmery fall out from a Slow Magic and Beat Culture collision is the docile and dulcet song, “Once”. And, it’s a free download. Peace.

things we like: gil scott-heron // the last holiday: a memoir

“Gil Scott-Heron’s posthumous memoir, The Last Holiday, plays back the life of a musician whose scorching political writings and recordings reflected the social injustice faced by African-Americans, inspiring today’s rappers.” —Elissa Schappell, Vanity Fair

Global loud mouth extraordinaire, societal rabble-rouser or fearless middle-finger waving poet agitator? Gil Scott-Heron wore all these labels shamelessly. He was, and still is, that singular black voice transcending the color line, challenging and thought-provoking. He was an attentive antenna transmitting the angst and global injustice of corrupt industry, ineffective political processes, and our blissful ignorance concerning not only race but the human conditional. He wanted to shock us out of our inefficacious complacency and to elevate our consciousness, to such a degree as to allow us all to acknowledge our sameness and collective and universal interdependency.

And perhaps now, albeit posthumously, he can occupy your eye space and breathe awareness into your very own precious and fortuitous existence. Here, the memoir The Last Holiday, with the help of writer-editor Tim Mohr, the thoughts and life story of Gil Scott-Heron are woven together into a coherent and wholly über interesting tapestry.  Revealing a man who walked the earth and let his words to the heavy lifting and the fighting. For more about this wonderful book, well read the memoir. It can be purchased at fine independent book stores everywhere, or visit Grove Press and for additional books, music and poetry by Gil Scott-Heron visit gilscottheron.net. Peace.