Wicked Waters

High—maybe number one—on my list of “new artists you should know” is Benjamin Booker. Baby, he’s a firework. A force of nature. Fantastic.

The Florida native purveys a mishmash of blues, soul, and garage rock with sprinkles of punk on top. His sound harkens to a point in musical history when rhythm & blues connoted heavy kicks and jazzy guitar licks, before it morphed into the watered-down, vocal-run driven R&B we hear on the radio today. But while his influences are firmly rooted in the past, his delivery is wholly 21st-century. Booker’s inflection reminds me of a harder-rocking Connor Oberst: angry and angsty, spitting across story lines about starting families and skipping town. Like Oberst, his voice can hardly be called beautiful, and many of his lyrics are spoken on-key rather than truly sung. But like Oberst, the garbled timbre of his voice allows him to effortlessly translate raw emotion into song. When he really wants to drive a point home, he wails—as though he’s moments away from bursting into angry tears. It’s grating; it’s glorious.

The roughness of Booker’s voice and overall sound is what makes him such a delight. This isn’t one of those “revivalist” records meticulously crafted in a Nashville studio….looking at you Auerbach. It’s the kind that could have been hurriedly taped in the back of a car for a next-day release. (Indeed, Booker recently told Aquarium Drunkard that he cut his latest cover on an iPhone in a hotel bathroom.) Take the rollicking Wicked Waters as a shining example. A plugging organ crafts a vintage feel, but the frantic, relentless rhythm guitars lend the song a tightness that’s decidedly more rock n’ roll than blues ditty. It’s raw and urgent, and that urgency is what makes Booker’s music indispensable. So when he howls “I am what I am, I’ll make it on this run,” I’m quite inclined to believe him.

Booker is currently on a world tour, fresh off a string of dates opening for Jack White. I skipped his set when he opened for White in Chicago. I’m the worst. Don’t be me. Don’t be the worst. Catch Booker when he comes to a city near you, before he blows up and starts playing mainstages at every music festival from here to Australia. Listen to Wicked Waters below and BUY or stream his debut self-titled album NOW.

Wicked Waters - Benjamin Booker

LOOSE L!PS M!X: Summer Sun

Photo by Benjamin Evans

Because I've been unintentionally neglecting LOOSE L!PS a bit, I'm going to try to make up for lost time and missed music with a couple mixtapes. In the days when mixtapes graced this page fairly regularly, they were known as M!Xes. We'll stick with that.

Today's M!X is called Summer Sun, because I worship at the altar of alliteration and am horrible at unique titles. It's supposed to be played at any time in the summer…sun. 24/7 preferably. It's perfect for pool parties, driving around with the top down, or backyard BBQs. I wouldn't really recommend it for lovemaking, but am also assuming you don't get down on your lawn in broad day light. (though if you do, props.)

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M!X: Summer Sun from LOOSE L!PS on 8tracks.

Stream the M!X on 8tracks and via the above player, download the M!X via the Zip Folder below, or grab a few choice selections from the Tracklist (in blue).

LOOSE L!PS M!X: Summer Sun

1. Sur La Planche - La Femme

2. Goldmine - Colleen Green

3. Royal Oats - Emil & Friends

4. Hidden - Erika Spring

5. Spring Break Up - Tacocat

6. Afria Talks To You - Delicate Steve

7. I Wonder Who She's Kissing Now - TV Girl

8. This Head I Hold - Electric Guest

9. Missing You (feat. Ad-Apt) - Louis La Roche

10. Hands (Goldroom Remix) - Alpine

11. Closer Than This (Viceroy Remix) - St. Lucia

12. Getaway Tonight - Opossom

Download Entire Playlist Via This: ZIP Folder

Eyes On You

Janelle Dry

Hello everyone and welcome to this month's edition of
"Don't Judge a Band By Its Name."

When I first heard mention of the transatlantic duo Pandr Eyez my immediate reaction was, "not another damn panda band."
It's not that I dislike pandas. As a matter of fact I find them quite adorable. (And please, no one throw out the 'they're actually ferocious" argument because two summers ago I lived in China, and they have reserves whereabouts you can actually pay money to just sit there and HUG a panda. Like, cradle it in your arms and cuddle until you all but die from cuteness. Seriously.) But think about it, how many current acts have 'panda' in their name? A quick search on Hypem reveals: Too fucking many.

But as it turns out, Pandr Eyez are not just another damn panda band. The name is in fact a play on Pander (I think), which is ok in my book. And even if it wasn't, their music is so good that all trespasses made on the account of hackneyed names would have to be forgiven. Read: Pandr Eyez are damn good. In a smooth, R&B meets dubstep meets fuzz meets itty bitty glimmers of pop kind of fashion. But really I should have expected nothing less, this is a Cascine release after all.

Pandr Eyez' debut EP, Eyes On You will be released October 25th (next week!). Keep things groovy until then with this free download of the title track.

Eyes On You - Pandr Eyez [MP3]

Cameo Lover

You've got two arms baby, they're all tangled in ladies

Photo by Werner Amann

Kimbra is everywhere right now, isn't she? Between last year's flawless guest spot on Miami Horror's I Look To You and her recent, perfectly-emotive-without-being-over-the-top collaboration with Gotye on Somebody That I Used to Know, and now the impending release of her debut album, Vows, the girl seems intent on taking the pop music world by storm. Given her voice, look, and unique musical style--an infectious blend of soul, R&B, jazz, and shimmy shiny pop--I'd guess it's only a matter of time before she does just that. Not to make easy comparisons, but from the strong vocals to that black bob, big eyes, and taste for quirky colorful outfits, Kimbra could easily be seen as the Australian answer to Katy Perry. BUT BETTER. For example? Her first single, Cameo Lover comes complete with a sing-along chorus, a big-band breakdown, and an over the top music video, all without feeling the least bit manufactured. It sounds great, it looks great, and it makes you feel great too. Pure gold.

Cameo Lover - Kimbra


To say that Kimbra is my new girl crush would definitely be an understatement. Let's hope the rest of the world feels the same way once they hear her album; it's out now exclusively in Australia and New Zealand. If you live in one of those places, buy it here you lucky dog. If not, follow LL on Facebook or Twitter and we'll keep you updated as to an official international release date.

Bonus:If you're looking for an equally enthralling version of the song with a bit of boogie in, look no further than this remix by fellow Aussie GLOVES.
Cameo Lover (GLOVES Remix) - Kimbra

Fuck You

"I see you driving round town with the girl I love and I'm like, fuck you."

Cee-Lo Green's Fuck You is more or less old news. It's been dominating the Hype Machine charts for a couple months, its been featured as "Best New Music" on Pitchfork's playlist, and has been getting a ton of mentions by people in the industry. But it's new to me!

Seeing the rather explicit name, I assumed that it was going to be one of those ghetto rap numbers that P4k likes to include in their charts every once in awhile to seem more "mainstream" and to "appeal to a larger demographic." I wouldn't call myself a fan of ghetto rap (at all), so I avoided the song like the plague. Finally today, after seeing mentions of it everywhere, I cracked and downloaded. That's when I realized that my assumptions couldn't have been more wrong, it was the exact opposite of what I had expected, and HOLY LORD IF THIS ISN'T ONE OF THE BEST SONGS I'VE HEARD IN...at least the past week. Instead of being gangster rap about thug life and stickin it to the man, its mowtown baby. This is pure 1960's soul and r&b modernized with rather explicit but knife blade-sharp lyrics about a gold-digging ex.

That just goes to show, never judge a book by it cover, er, a song by its title.

Right Click to Download: Fuck You--Cee-Lo Green