Welcome to the first edition of The 405 Record Club ! No, we haven't started some sort of mail-order record shop, though that would be pretty sweet, right? No? Ok. Basically 'The 405 Record Club' is about analysing an album over a two-week period, then discussing it with the other members of the group. Essentially it's a book club for music, minus the cheese and wine (though that's not a rule set in stone). If you fancy joining the club, please email hello@thefourohfive.com with '405 Record Club' in the title. Name: Daniel Johnston Album: 'Continued Story ...

Black Earth.  Dwell on the words for a second.  Imagine it.  Inhale it.  Feel it in your hands. Black.  Rich.  Pungent.  Dirty.  Fertile.  Moist. Six words that best describe the uber talented shit kickin’ powerhouse three piece from Austin, Texas.  Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you Black Earth. The essence of our existence is the earth itself.  Where all good things come from.  Under the sun.  Holding the water.  The earth.  Black loam.  The kind that gets under the nails and stains your cuticles. (cute testicals?).  In the same gritty vein as Americana rocker greats Leroy Justice and the Brought ...

Stonefield are not your typical rock band. In fact, the 2010 Triple J Unearthed High winners manage to subvert almost every stereotype of the genre. Not only are they all female, they’re also sisters, have their drummer as the lead vocalist, and all members are aged less than 23. Lead guitarist of Stonefield, Hannah Findlay , spoke to us about the power of sisterhood, supporting Foo Fighters and her vintage dress sense. In your new single “Bad Reality”, what is the story behind those lyrics? It’s just about being young and wanting to experience all these things in life ...

Two Cow Garage--"Brothers In Arms" (mp3) Among the many things that one is likely to learn when one spends time in the men's room at Champy's Fried Chicken is the history of a band called Steppenwolf. You know them, no doubt. You've heard "Born To Be Wild" plenty of times in plenty of contexts, and, most likely, "Magic Carpet Ride" a good bit as well. But what else do you know of their catalog? Ever heard "The Pusher" or "Hey, Lawdy Mama?" A very slim maybe, unless you're as old as I am. And, the ...

Requested by Karla • Compiled by Keeping It Real 01. Led Zeppelin - “Black Dog” (Led Zeppelin IV) 02. Journey - “Wheel in the Sky” (Infinity) 03. Steve Miller Band - “The Joker” (The Joker) 04. Creedence Clearwater Revival - “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” (Pendulum) 05. Derek & The Dominos - “Layla” (Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs) 06. ZZ Top - “La Grange” (Tres Hombres) 07. Steely Dan - “Reelin’ In The Years” (Can’t Buy a Thrill) 08. Argent - “Hold Your Head Up” (All Together Now) 09. Steppenwolf - “Magic Carpet Ride” (The Second) 10. Focus - “Hocus Pocus” (Focus II) 11. Stevie Wonder - “Superstition” (Talking Book ...

It's about time I got back to 'individual track' posts, so now's as good a time as any. Currently rocking the top of my wants list (as well as the seriously cant afford list) is a 7" from 1979 on Pashlo records called 'I Love You' by Karriem. I forget for the minute who introduced me to this Soulful Disco burner, but it really is one of those tracks that make life great, that instantly become a part of the complex tapestry woven by so much good music that is the magic carpet of our lives. erm! ok ...

of Montreal Paralytic Stalks [Polyvinyl; 2012] by Conrad Tao Rating: ‘Ambitious.’ It’s a bit of a dreaded word, a damning bit of faint praise usually reserved for albums that aim too high. “That album was bereft of anything memorable..… but it was ambitious.” Or, more accurately, “That concept album about vocoders and indigenous masks was ambitious, awful shit.” Well, there’s no getting around it: of Montreal’s newest album, Paralytic Stalks , is capital-A Ambitious, with its sprawling second half, dense sonics, and ominous opening inquiry (self-described as “unanswered”): “You know what parasites evolved from?” But it’s also ...

If you had to limit every nation on earth to one export each, Sweden’s would have to be popular music. Be it the slick, modern disco of Robyn, the new-age garage rock of The Hives or the octopus-limbed prog-metal of Opeth, the Swedes have always remained a driving force in modern music’s evolution. And who could forget Sweden produced the greatest pop group of all time, whose immaculate melodies and sizzling boy/girl dynamics reshaped the very notion of the pop song? I’m talking about Roxette, of course. First Aid Kit are from Sweden – in case you ...

Say what you want about 50 Cent , but you can’t deny the man has a knack for writing extremely catchy choruses. Roughly a decade later, I guarantee you still sing along with all the hooks on Get Rich or Die Tryin’ . Although 50 may not be on top of the Rap world like he was in the mid-2000s, he hasn’t lost the touch when it comes to hook-writing, and he’s consistently proven that with recent feature Girls Go Wild and new catalog addition, I Just Wanna , his new single from December’s The Big 10 mixtape. Produced ...

Warped All Day Take a ride on Cartoon’s magic carpet through an interstellar world of warped synths, squeals and relentless barrelling drums. Listening to the album 69er On A Magic Carpet is like being stuck in a remixed computer game, upside down. Dizzying sounds whir past at breakneck speed in an ever-upbeat utopia. In the spirit [...]

Cartoon is the curious new project from a fluro-loving drummer from Wellington who goes by the name WYWY. All about chaotic fun, as  illustrated by the name of his new album 69er On A Magic Carpet, he's released music previously as Megaheroes and describes his current album as...

Ciao ragazzi come state? Today I want to take you on mini tour of the northern Italy dance scene - all the labels featured, are very insistent on pressing vinyl and keeping the dance-floor and your earphones humming with maternal bass. There’s talk of a revival in Italian dance but the truth is it's always been putting out amazing music, you just have to dig a little to find a wealth of labels and styles all directly fostered by Italians. This is just a tiny selection of some of the best music coming out right now, some of which ...

by Bill Meyer Once you break from the Great Man-oriented history of jazz , you swap a time-line for something more like a multi-hued magic carpet woven from a myriad of narratives. Some of those stories are quite public and others well hidden, but Juma Sultan is one rare bird who has managed to be both at once... Read More

Scott Hansen seen here without his magic carpet. (Photo courtesy of Ghostly Intl.) Tycho is the music project of San Francisco graphic designer and producer Scott Hansen. Fusing down-tempo dance with relaxed and blissed-out synth-scapes very much in the Boards of Canada vein, Tycho is set to release his first full-length album in five years [...]

Pick up the Friends with Benefits Soundtrack in stores now! The original soundtrack for the movie, starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, features 15 classic songs like "Jump" by Kriss Kross, "Closing Time" by Semisonic, and Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride (Philip Steir Remix)". Continue reading →