Dear Internet, Remember that one time when a bunch of you gave money to foot the bill for the weed carrier in Collective">Animal Collective to travel to Mali to play a concert and buy all sorts of exotic sandals. Well, this time I have an even better and less culturally noxious offer for you. Mike… Continue reading »

Last Friday night, The Bakery in Perth played host to American psych-rockers and Collective">Animal Collective label signees, Prince Rama as part of the second annual Fringe World Festival. read more

In 2009, we were exposed to some terrific music from lots of new, promising bands. As a whole, the year went very well with albums from Collective">Animal Collective, Phoenix, Porcupine Tree, Engineers, and Camera Obscura which littered most year-end lists. On top of that though, we were blessed with some gems that didn't have as [...]

In 2009, we were exposed to some terrific music from lots of new, promising bands. As a whole, the year went very well with albums from Collective">Animal Collective, Phoenix, Porcupine Tree, Engineers, and Camera Obscura which littered most year-end lists. On top of that though, we were blessed with some gems that didn't have as [...]

«Ακόμα με τις λίστες ασχολείστε; Φεβρουάριος έφτασε!» Αφού τα είπαμε, στο some beans το αγαπημένο μας σύνθημα είναι το «φέεεετααα»! Έτσι και αλλιώς τελείωσε ένας Ιανουάριος με λίγες ειδήσεις και ακόμα λιγότερες σημαντικές κυκλοφορίες οπότε δεν χάσατε πάρα πολλά. Και γιατί να βιαστούμε άλλωστε; Ας αφήσουμε στην άκρη τα αυτιστικά μας που μας επιβάλλουν να είμαστε πάντα στην ώρα μας (αλήθεια από πότε καθιερώθηκε αυτή η ώρα;) και επίκαιροι και ας απολαύσουμε 40 από εμένα και 40 από την uptight (σύντομα κοντά σας) επιλογές από υπέροχους δίσκους. Η καλή μουσική άλλωστε είναι πάντα επίκαιρη. 40. Micachu & the Shapes/ London Sinfonietta - Chopped & Screwed Ο δεύτερος δίσκος των Micachu είναι μια ζωντανή ηχογράφηση της μπάντας μαζί με την μικρή ορχήστρα του Λονδίνου. Μοιάζει με soundtrack τέλους του κόσμου, φοβερά ατμοσφαιρικό, μυστήριο, δυσοίωνο και περίεργο. Η μπάντα ακούγεται σα να έχει παγιδευτεί μέσα στο μάτι μιας μύγας, έχοντας μια ευρυγωνική, κάπως διεστραμμένη και σατανική άποψη για τον κόσμο. Δεν είναι άκουσμα για καλοκαιρινές βόλτες στην παραλία αλλά μια ιδιαίτερη ακρόαση που άλλοτε διαλύεται μπροστά στα μάτια σου, άλλοτε σέρνεται ακρωτηριασμένο λερώνοντας το πάτωμα και άλλοτε προσπαθεί ανεπιτυχώς να ανοίξει τα φτερά του να πετάξει μέχρι να προσγειωθεί με τα μούτρα. Αυτό το ανίερο πάντρεμα κλασσικής μουσικής και απροσάρμοστης pop επιβάλλεται να ακούστει με προσοχή και ενδιαφέρον. Για παράδειγμα: Micachu And The Shapes/ London Sinfonietta- "Not So Sure" 39. Ensemble - Excerpts Γαλλική noire pop μουσική για όλα τα εκλεπτυσμένα γούστα σύντομα σε ένα σινεμά κοντά σας. Ο ενεργός από το 1998 Olivier Alary έφτιαξε κινηματογραφική μουσική για σκοτεινά ρομάντζα, απατεώνες και προδοσίες. Ο Serge Gainsbourg είναι μία επιρροή που αναγνωρίζεται άμεσα από τον ακροατή αν και η προσέγγιση του Olivier δεν προσπαθεί να σοκάρει με την πρωτοτυπία της και την τόλμη της παρά μόνο μοιάζει με πολύ προσεγμένη αναβίωση της συγκεκριμένης μουσικής, με λιγότερα new wave στοιχεία, περισσότερα jazz και πιο ορχηστρική. Επίσης o Alary μαζί με τον Anthony Gonzalez αποδεικνύουν στους Nouvelle Vague πως υπάρχουν Γάλλοι παραγωγοί που πασχίζουν να φτιάξουν καινούργια μουσική. Για παράδειγμα: Ensemble - Excerpts 38. The Field - Looping State Of Mind Πραγματικά πολύ πετυχημένος τίτλος για δίσκο. Ο Σουηδός, τέσσερα χρόνια μετά την αναγνώριση του ντεμπούτου του που εμφανίστηκε σε αρκετές λίστες της δεκαετίας (εμένα η αγαπημένη μου ήταν αυτή που ήταν καλύτερος δίσκος της δεκαετίας μαζί με τους Abbie Gale ;-D), επιστρέφει με συνεκτικά ...

There is an inherent difference between incorporating retro sounds into modern music and simply aping the styles of the past. When Cults channeled the girl groups of Motown's heyday, they transformed it into modern electronic pop and breezy almost psychedelic rock. Chairlift has more in common with Duran Duran than Radiohead or Collective">Animal Collective (the Collective in turn draws a lot of their sound from trying to capture the harmonious experimentation of Pet Sounds) but they craft a sonic ambience

London quintet Bombay Bicycle Club has always straddled the sound of folk and rock, but their latest record “A Different Kind of Fix” (out now A&M/Octone Records) showcases yet another different movement in their sound. With the help of producers Jim Abbiss and Ben H. Allen (Collective">Animal Collective, M.I.A.), Bombay Bicycle Club has expanded their [...]

You've gotta give it to Gauntlet Hair - despite their constant pigeonholing, the Denver duo refuse to be taken seriously. Latest track 'Top Bunk' is impressive in its innate ability to capture the shimmering insularity of the "chillwave" movement (I shall refrain from this abhorrent name from here on out) whilst remaining solely live instrument based, and wearing their Collective">Animal Collective thinking caps for all to see. The skewering of the coastal sounds is of particular note. Now, I haven't heard their self titled debut (on Dead Oceans) yet - I know, I'm a bad person - but with ...

Mekong, Karakoram-Mekong Independiente, Chile Rating: 77 by Pierre Lestruhaut Sometimes it just seems that everyone on the Internet likes Astro. Seriously . It's understandable when tracks like “Maestro Distorsión” or “Ciervos” have all the pop exuberance and irresistible hooks that you’d expect from an immediately striking and spin-all-you-can hit single that easily spreads among young listeners. And, last year, Astro just couldn’t stop dropping those kind of tracks, the ones that have all the melodic urgency of a one-hit wonder or an underground pop gem like Phedre’s recent “In Decay,” while also displaying enough extroversion for arena ...

Download link is in the original post Sounds like: Passion Pit, Collective">Animal Collective, Cut Copy Song: St. Lucia - We Got It Wrong [download here ] What's so good? St. Lucia is an island in the Caribbean. This is the first thing you’ll find when you Google it, which happens to be a perfect prequel to discovering the music and artist St. Lucia.  South-African born (but Brooklyn-based), one can only assume St. Lucia borrowed his name from, well, St. Lucia. On the island of St. Lucia (that actual island, not the artist), the music borrows elements of Africa — rhythmically ...

Candy Claws sound like a futuristic drum circle. Often using bells and layered vocals, their tracks are lush and dreamlike. They’ve maintained a quiet presence on the dream pop scene, but stay connected to fans with active social networking profiles. They’re most often compared to Collective">Animal Collective and Pet Shop Boys, but their sound [...]

"Great White" from the EP Canopy 2011 iTunes Sometimes, you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. But if you're a broke college student like me, it may not be within your financial means to jet off to a tropical destination at the drop of a hat. Now listening to this album wont get you a suntan, but you might feel like you're sitting in the warm sun – Palms">Painted Palms' EP Canopy is an aural vacation that takes you far away from the gritty city livin'. If you're an Collective">Animal ...

Candy Claws sound like a futuristic drum circle. Often using bells and layered vocals, their tracks are lush and dreamlike. They’ve maintained a quiet presence on the dream pop scene, but stay connected to fans with active social networking profiles. They’re most often compared to Collective">Animal Collective and Pet Shop Boys, but their sound is [...]

For anyone who hasn't had their fill of overt psychedelia this early today, fear not because indie psych-soul group The Phenomenal Handclap Band have released the newest single, "The Right One," off their upcoming second album Form and Control due 2/14 from Tummy Touch Records. The song itself sounds like a track from classic prog rockers Yes and the video is arguably the most strange and surreal thing you've seen since Collective">Animal Collective's "Summertime Clothes" or The Avalanches' "Frontier Psych

Five years ago today, Australia Day, I met my beautiful wife. To cut a long story short we had met through my blog. She commented on Modest Mouse and Mountain Goats gigs that we had both been to. Soon we were Last Fming and emailing. Then I had tickets to a great gig. Joanna Newsom, Andrew Bird and Bill Callahan on January 26, 2007. We met. We connected. We became gig buddies. We became friends. We became boy and girl friends. We bought a house together. We got married. So it's now been 5 and a half years or ...