Continue reading "the shins | flake music | full album stream via npr"
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The remixed, remastered, reissue of When You Land Here, It’s Time to Return (1197) the first James Mercer helmed band Flake Music drops November 25th. Listen to the full album stream via NPR’s First Listen.
Oh man! this excites me as much (more so) as finding a crumpled twenty in a forgotten pair of jeans. Big The Shins fan am I. And so anything relating to James Mercer and company deserves my immediate and complete attention.
For those who experienced and lived through the songs of Oh!Inverted World (2001), Chutes Too Narrow (2003) and Wincing the Night Away (2007) you know. You know. You know how through personal upheaval (real or imagined) The Shins helped temper the chaos and settle the hurt. Songs that didn’t talk down at you. Songs that challenged you to listen closely and decipher quickly. Songs which got to you in the most cunning way. These were (and still remain) songs as arms about your shoulder, whispered concern and errant kisses.
The Shins were our new-age Beetles, though with more melancholy and less joy. This smart whimsical mouth-piece of a band for the misunderstood masses gave us the wind in our faces in Oh! Inverted World. And yes we were inverted. These tomes forced us to look inward and to shrink not from the darkness. Each song a flickering beacon lighting our senses to sense. Music for us small literate nobodies who shook quietly beneath the soothing safety of Caring is Creepy, Know Your Onion and Girl Inform Me. The beautiful composition and lyrical power poetry of New Slang. May we have a moment of silence please? Amen.
And the album soldiered on spilling the quirky Tequila shot of Girl On A Wing, “… into the cracks where fall and winter collide…I surrender all my gall in a song of modern love…”. Then finally, the shhh everything is fine because Past And Pending wore off the sharp edges and lulled us into lithium dreams… ending with the softly cooing “lose yourself in lines dissecting love” ’til your heart mended or you succumbed to self pity and comfortable misery.
And that was just the first Shins album!
Chutes Too Narrow opened a wormhole of can openers with Kissing The Lipless. The sweetness of just a bit of lunacy goes a long way. The sonic propulsion of So Says I spurred us on to leap at something hopeful in the dark and our faith paid off. But we filled Saint Simon‘s purse with our silvery coins and were given…
Mercy’s eyes are blue
When she places them in front of you
Nothing really holds a candle to
The solemn warmth you feel inside of you…
and still it was wasn’t enough for such sinners as we are perpetually greedy.
So we were anointed upon our not so pristine foreheads with the bitter crumbs and spoiled wine of the Eucharist that is the beautifully lonesome Those To Come. We sat stupefied and our ears marveling at such beauty, and it would have to be enough. Then we sat on our hands, waiting almost four years.
The Shins’ Wincing The Night Away is my favorite Shins album. This is beginning to end such an imaginative collection of well-crafted songs, eleven of them!
Sleeping Lessons opens the way and how. This song is not so much a meditation on rebelliousness as it it a caterwaul to stand your ground and rail against the priggish and exploitative institutions both government, corporate and familial.
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“And if the old guards still defend,
They got nothing left on which you depend,
So enlist every ounce of your bright blood,
And off with their heads…Jump from the book,
You’re not obliged to swallow anything you despise.”
This is powerful stuff and although we’re used to James Mercer schooling us he isn’t condescending or pedantic. Not scolding, only offering us eyes in which to see. And ears which finally hear the inner notes of a mechanism which protects and advocates a ruinous status quo.
Check what their label Sub Pop had to say about this amazing album.
Then after feasting on the still fleshy carcasses of all the songs which came before we Shins fans looked to the horizon for something new and delicately bitter sweet. After five years our prayers (and or fervent hopes) were answered in the form and release of the magnificent Port Of Morrow (2012).
I still posit that James M. is our modern day Morrissey (The Smiths) but way cooler and with better manners. But that’s just me.
I am curious to read what fans of The Shins have to say about The Shins. Let me know in the comment section below. Peace.
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Los Angeles-based neo-soul spouting trio King is Paris Strother, Amber Strother and Anita Bias. Their music comes from a place where every nerve and nuance is familiar with. Four years ago Mr. Roger Nelson was spellbound by their approach and take on music.
Yesterday the ladies King were featured on NPR. And today, it’s your turn to listen, fall head over heels and spread the word. Stat tuned for their full-length debut, We Are KING is dropping soon. Peace.
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Violinist, singer, and composer Kishi Bashi is slated to release his new album on May 13, 2014. The album entitled Lighght (pronounced “Light”) continues and expands the sound of his critically acclaimed debut, “151a” – which earned Kishi Bashi the title of “Best New Artist” by NPR. Since the profoundly successful release of “151a” two years ago, Kishi Bashi has toured relentlessly, captivating audiences across the globe with his loop-based live show, and fostering a groundswell of devotees. Peace.
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]]>Continue reading "warpaint // warpaint lp + full album stream"
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Warpaint is four individuals. Emily Kokal, Theresa Wayman Jenny Lee Lindberg and Stella Mozgawa. Yet, they stand as a single force of sound.
From the needle drop to records end, Warpaint’s sophomore and self-titled Warpaint release sounds like a mature whiskey, perfectly aged and just a potent. The brimming and haunting vocals of Emily Kokal enter your belly and spreads something intoxicating throughout.
This is a collection of stirring songs, which are perfectly suited for the spiritualistic and the sensualistic, so imbibe responsibly.
The verdict. Get it now. Warpaint the album is poignant and evocative; difficult to ignore or forget.
Pre-order Warpaint, Warpaint over at Rough Trade store. I love vinyl and the color red, so the double-lp is heading my way i-mmediately.
Catch the full Warpaint album stream at NPR and The Guardian at your leisure. Peace.
Track Listing
1. Intro
2. Keep It Healthy
3. Love Is To Die
4. Hi
5. Biggy
6. Teese
7. Disco//very
8. Go In
9. Feeling Alright
10. CC
11. Drive
12. Son
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]]>Continue reading "james blake /// live in concert (npr music series)"
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Sit back and take in the live 90-minute James Blake‘s May 12 show at Washington D.C.’s 9:30 Club. For a limited time courtesy of NPR Music you can witness the majesty of what makes Mr. Blake one of the hottest artist working today. The set is littered with 16 songs drawn from his recently released Overgrown and previous EPs. Fan favorite Never Learnt to Share is riveting and I treat for any space you happen to occupy at the moment.
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At times you just have to revisit those songs that get you up and moving! The redo of Purity Ring‘s “Belispeak” into “Belispeak II” ft. Detroit rap resident and poetic potty-mouth Danny Brown is a match made somewhere in the disco realms of Dante’s Inferno. Pump this one again for fun time’s sake. Peace.
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]]>Continue reading "cold specks // new york sessions"
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on a recent trip to nyc cold specks gave fans a few reasons to get all excited about. check out al spx’s semi-impromptu session delivering “elephant head” at harlem’s historic paris blues bar. then during her la blogotheque session she showcases her soulful blues-tinged pipes by unleashing, the aforementioned “elephant head” then adding “heavy hands” and “blank maps” as stirring chasers. you can also check out cold specks on npr’s world cafe for additional, then check out the band’s north american tour schedule for dates near you. you can get the previous songs and others on cold speck’s album ‘i predict a graceful expulsion‘ via arts & crafts on itunes. peace.
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]]>Continue reading "teengirl fantasy // tracer"
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According to their label, “the sophomore LP, Tracer, by Teengirl Fantasy cuts through some of the haze of their earlier recordings to create their most compositionally sophisticated work yet. “It’s more focused, far-reaching and it takes more risks.” Unlike the duo’s debut album7AM, Tracer is completely sample-free and features an array of vocalists including Panda Bear, Romanthony (of Daft Punk’s “One More Time” fame), Laurel Halo, and newcomer Kelela. For the songs with vocalists, their approach is, “a wacked version of the pop format.” The album is sonically maximal and symphonic, with heavily layered songs containing multiple elements. “The editing is more painstaking- there’s more crafting to the songs,” says the duo. Although Tracer touches on an array of genres such as techno, pop, R&B, and house, it simulates a cohesive journey.”
Nick Weiss and Logan Takahashi who make up the duo have raised the bar in the world of electronic music, now whether or not others follow will remain to be seen. But one thing is for sure the music is some of the best out there within the genre. You can stream the entire album on NPR’s First Listen and pre-order it at www.r&srecords.com. Peace.
Tracer will be released August 21 by True Panther Sounds in North America in conjunction with R&S in Asia, Australia and Europe.
Tour Dates:
8/17 Vancouver, BC – Waldorf Hotel ^
8/18 Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios ^
8/23 New York, NY – Rocks Off Cruise – Album Release Show! #
8/31 Minneapolis, MN – 7th St Entry *
9/01 Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall *
9/29 Seattle, WA – Decibel Festival
^ w/ Kelela, Gatekeeper, Thunder Horse
# w/ Kelela, Lemonade, MikeQ, Massacooramaan
* w/ Gatekeeper, Thunder Horse
Track List:
1. Orbit
2. EFX feat. Kelela
3. Eternal
4. Pyjama feat. Panda Bear
5. Mist of Time feat. Laurel Halo
6. End
7. Vector Spray
8. Inca
9. Do It feat. Romanthony
10. Timeline
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Montreal duo Purity Ring showcases their first full-length album, Shrines is streaming on NPR: First Listen. Give it a whirl and fall head-over-heels for Electro/Pop perfection. Peace.
Shrines: Tracklist
1. Crawlersout
2. Fineshrine
3. Ungirthed
4. Amenamy
5. Grandloves
6. Cartographist
7. Belispeak
8. Saltkin
9. Obedear
10. Lofticries
11. Shuck
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]]>Continue reading "The Roots – undun"
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