It’s indie rock week on LOOSE L!PS, and it’s about time. I finally found some new-ish songs that I’m crazy over and itching to share with the world. Capped off yesterday by Russ’ excellent post on the more-excellent-still Bloom, today I continue with an upbeat rock song with an irresistible hook, Land of Talk’s Swift Coin. Land of Talk is a 3-piece band out of Montreal, signed to Connor Oberst’s illustrious Saddle Creek Records. I usually have a thing against female rock singers, but Land of Talk’s Elizabeth Powell has smashed through the glass ceiling I set before her with a bright, pleasing voice and masterful guitar skills. The killer solo at the end of the song? It’s all her; girl can rock like nobody’s business. The first single off their August 2010 album Cloak and Cipher (click to buy), Swift Coin is fantastic. I really can’t sing its praises enough—it’s everything I could want in an upbeat rock song: it's crisp, cheerful, and catchy. If I had my own band (which is never going to happen, but we’re talking hypotheticals here) this is the kind of music I would hope to make.
When talking about London-based group The Veils, no one ever forgets to mention that frontman Finn Andrews comes from a musical family. His dad, Barry Andrews, was a founding member of seminal new-wave outfit XTC. As far as I’m concerned, Finn has his old man beat. After a total revamp of the lineup in ’04 and some more band-member switching recently, I think it’s safe to say that the young Andrews is the only thing needed to keep The Veils float. The band’s latest release, Troubles of the Brain, is an EP put out a few weeks ago by Pitch Beast Records, The Veils’ own label. It’s the first song that’s got me buzzing about the band’s first post-Rough Trade release.
Opening track Bloom sounds like it would be right at home on New Order’s Power, Corruption & Lies. The song is not a typical Veils jam, but that’s what I like most about it. I don’t know if it’s Andrews invoking a little of his old man’s genre or what, I don’t care – the song rules. It’s cool to see the band doing something a little different (even if it’s the only breath of fresh air on the EP), and it totally works. Listening to Bloom also marks the first time I’ve thought of comparing Andrews’ vocal work to Michael Gira or David Byrne. Good to hear a song that pays tribute to some awesome acts from the ‘80s. I’m tired of all that synth-centric tributes to the ‘80s that have been popping up in the last couple of years (Sorry, M83). Check out Bloom and be sure to buy the new EP on iTunes.
Mansions on the Moon is a 3-piece band from the Eastern/Midwestern United States who craft gorgeous, airy dream pop. MoTM have a knack for making music which feels both intimate and warm yet transcendental. Some of their songs are electronic, some more 'traditional,' but they are all similar in their ethereal delicacy. They are dream pop's best-kept secret, but not for long. Having received both support and collaborations from such major players as Diplo, N*E*R*D, and Xaphoon Jones, the band seems destined for serious success. They deserve it, at least. They are currently finishing up their debut album, which is slated to be released later this year, but in the meantime have a ton of tracks available for free download on their Soundcloud. One such song is You Make Me Feel, a heart-wrenchingly beautiful love song wrought with [tasteful] autotune and gloriously sigh-prompting lyrics. Get it for free below.
*This is going to be quick. I'm on vacation.
About a month ago, the great chillwave hope known as Toro Y Moi released a song that wasn't so chillwave. In fact, it was downright disco. Lord knows I love my disco, so naturally it was high on my list of things to post. Time got away from me (as it tends to do), and next thing I knew every blog and their mother had hosted the song. Turns out those elitist indie kids like disco when it doesn't come with the EDM title. Figures. Today, Toro Y Moi's disco turn met Xinobi's disco expertise, and a mini masterpiece was born. Xinobi is on fire right now. If you call yourself a fan of disco (which I'd imagine not very many of you do, but you should just admit it hipsters) and you're not following him on Soundcloud, you need to immediately, because every week a new treat appears, each one better than the last.
A little over a year ago a friend of mine changed my life. During a music-sharing Skype session he sent me a handful of beautifully uplifting, synth-heavy electro songs that sounded unlike anything I had ever heard. He told me they were examples of a genre called Dreamwave, and that he had found nearly all of them from a blog called Binary. Binary quickly became my favorite music blog, while the music it featured ultimately became the soundtrack to all my sunny days. What resonated most with me—how Binary spoke to me—was the blog’s acknowledgment of and attention to the emotional nature of music. That is, how music makes you feel. I had never seen a blog present music in such an intimate way; I was used to reviews that spoke a little of the artists and the technical aspects of the song at hand. Never had I seen a review concerned more with emotional interpretation than technical aesthetics. Finally, the girl who had always been a little over-enthusiastic about her latest favorite song had found someone else who really got it. Eventually by virtue of chance, luck, or perhaps fate, I found myself a part of the Binary family. But even though I work closely with the label today, I am first and foremost a fan, and consequently still feel the same sense of excitement and inherent camaraderie I felt in the early days following my introduction. Essentially, it’s a music love affair.
I therefore find it only appropriate that today, Valentine’s Day, I can share my love of Binary with you. Binary Records have given us quite the present, considerably more enduring than chocolate or flowers. Today Binary has given us the label’s first release in six months. Ushering in the grand resurgence of the label/collective’s publishing department is the Dreams EP, brought to us by Binary cornerstone Keenhouse, as well as London's Futurecop!, making their first appearance on the label. Both acts are major players on the feel-good-electronica scene, and their combined talents have produced one of the most anthemic, joyous pieces of music I’ve heard of late. The production, melody, and structure are top-notch; they mark a new level of maturity for the artists, as well as the label itself. Dreams, with it's infectious chorus, seems destined to be my, your, our new favorite song. I think it’s impossible to listen to without feeling amazing. And after all, that’s what music should be about: feeling amazing. So, on this Valentines Day, whether you are with a lover or alone, put this on and I guarantee you’re going to walk a little taller. After all, up is the only way.
Stream the original mix above, and buy it for yourself on iTunes.
Look below for a free remix (in 320 kbs) by SoCal's Ride the Universe, courtesy of the generous guys at Binary.
*Thank you to photographer BJ Enright for the introduction to what is now not only my favorite label, but also more or less a way of life. BJ is getting married this summer, and I would like to wish him and his beuaituful fiancée that absolute best Valentine’s Day imaginable.
"I don’t know about my dreaming anymore,
All that I know is I’m falling."
James Blake’s debut LP was released this past week. In the event that you have never heard of James Blake—either because you have been living under a rock, or are one of those who refuses to listen to ‘the next big thing’ type talk—he is from London, and represents the newest breed of singer/songwriter: the producer/songwriter. With the release of his 11-track, self-titled LP, he is rightfully being hailed as…well…the next big thing. Blake makes haunting, warm, and generally downtempo dubstep-R&B hybrid music, which he accentuates with his own handsome, soulful voice. Neither fully dubstep, nor wholly R&B, his music defies genres while managing to sound both fresh yet familiar. It’s gorgeous, too. It might be the deep bass, or perhaps the smooth, almost mournful vocals. Maybe it’s a combination of the two. Whatever the reason, I am hard pressed to make it through an entire James Blake song without getting chills at some point in the duration. The Wilhelm Scream is the second single off his album (the first is also below, I couldn’t resist—Happy Comedown Sunday). Seeped in speculation and second-guessing, the vocal line circles itself as the accompaniment gently hums and throbs under the weight of regret.
If you’re interested in hearing more songs from the new album, as well as read about all the speculation surrounding Blake and his purportedly famous (or at least well-respected) musician father, head over to Gorilla vs. Bear. Chris loves James Blake. You could also just buy the CD here.
Not that he ever left, but Australian funk master Cassian is back in a big way with a solo EP, his first in 2 years. I thought that his stellar collaborations and remixes were enough for the discoverse, but I was proven horribly wrong yesterday when he uploaded his new I Like What You’re Doing EP for streaming on his Soundcloud. It’s out in 6 days (that’s the 18th) on Bang Gang Records.
You wanna talk fucking-amazing-mind-blowing-oh-my-god-YES type music? This is IT you guys. Listen to the title track from the EP and prepare to have your mind blown and your body forced into movement. Disco, baby.
