They were able to find some traction with the French label Kitsune (Japanese for Fox, those kooky French), and got some air time on a couple of the label’s compilations. Also, their song ‘I Can Talk’ gained the interest of more than a couple of people, allowing for a handful of different remixes to pop up. Encouraged by the interest, these three college kids came out with their first LP last month under the previously mentioned label.

Now I feel it’s a great time to mention that these are just three guys from Northern Ireland, essentially our age. Their sound is very true to who they are. Every tune is pure and fun, which is also portrayed in their videos. Lyrically, you’re not going to get anything that’s going to shake stuff up, but even that makes it better than the stuff they have on the radio. These guys jam though. You listen to a sweet bass line and you can just imagine it’s creation was just him messing around with his mates in a basement.

So if you’ve taken a look at the videos there’s nothing too special about them. Just some really good editing and a bunch of guys having fun. It’s the kind of feeling that draws you in. Music made for the sake of fun. I’m personally excited to see what they come up with in the future. If you’re looking for their album, it hits stateside tomorrow. And I officially declare their music added to summer playlists.

Out~

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EDIT: wanted to jump in quick cause it just so happens I grabbed a remix by none other than The Twelves of TDCC’s ‘Something Good Can Work’ (above) a bit ago. It’s bumping with them summer-disco hooks, so save this one for the playlists too. And if you’re interested head over to yeahD for their post on The Twelves’ 09 material.

*to download click the down arrow on the right side of the soundcloud player

It’s just about May and the weather’s supreme. Artists have been banging out summer jams for months now in anticipation of this heat, though I suppose that’s been going on for a quite a while longer with all the chillwave surplus. Anyway, let’s get y’all in the mood with some hipdeehop, UK style. Rub it in fresh while it’s still oozin.

Chris Powers operates under the moniker C Powers. This guy is pretty unknown around the states as are many great acts these days, but the material is undeniably dope. Although from Atlanta originally, he’s now working and living in Clapton, London and South East. There he’s been living with his wife, looking for a job and scrapping up gigs. Most of the stuff he spins are samples or music that influences his sound, that is, 80s boogie and disco and early house. He’s got two free EPs – C POWERS and Indy Scarf – linked to from his myspace. Both have quality jams. In terms of new songs (the EPs are from last year), ‘Rich Wish’ and ‘Tea Each’ are his latest, the latter of which C Powers offers as a “sneak peek at what is developing into an album”. A sort of side project of his goes by Mane Mane, a duo involving another Atlanta-born producer aliased heRobust. This stuff’s got more of that glossy summer polish to it, layered all dreamy-like and fit for sun-induced stupor. He’s also got some fucking fantastic mixes available that I’d probably snag over anything else, but I won’t overload you with material (so go get it yourself). Grab these four gems while a full-length cooks steadily in the hot heat.

^^Rain Mane (ft. CHRom_Charlemane) – Mane Mane (Boys 2 Mane EP)

Wake(outstudio) – C Powers (Indy Scarf EP)

Rich Wish – C Powers

Tea Each – C Powers

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But shiiiit, I’m not done yet. C Powers is part of, like the French group Valerie, which I did a post on a while back, a collective called Peace Age. It involves some cool up and coming dudes to the likes of dANA, Twins, CHRom, Luke Perry, and Best Hits. They’ve got a sweet blog where they release most of their collabs for our favorite price. make hay

skinnycloudnew – Best Hits

It starts with a one-handed man with a cigarette and a gunshot.  To be perfectly honest, to say that the play “A Behanding in Spokane” starts off with a figurative bang is somewhat of an overstatement.  While it does start with a gunshot, the play aims more for the subtlety of dialogue and human interactions.

The play marks playwright Martin McDonagh’s return to theater after spending the past few years focusing on films.  In 2006, McDonagh released his first film attempt, a short film called “Six Shooter.”  To watch the brilliant film in it’s entirety, go here.  It was well received and won an Oscar for Best Short Film.  It’s a great little piece about a man in morning of his wife and a few people that he meets on the train back home.  “Six Shooter” treads the thin line between dark and comedic and manages to avoid the pitfalls of both.  From the three products of McDonagh that I have seen all manage to do just that.  They’re all heavy in dialogue and contain very human characters.  Almost every time, the audience witnesses people that say horrific things show they’re good side and/or watch the “better” characters commit less than nice deeds.

Two years later, McDonagh followed up with the film In Bruges, which stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson (who starred in “Six Shooter” as well) as two hit men who are hiding out in Bruges.  Ray (Farrell) is bored out of his mind in the city while Ken (Gleeson) is having the time of his life.  Hilarity ensues.  There’s actually a lot more depth and humanity to the movie and it was one of my favorite films of 2008.  The trailer only shows a little of the amazingness in the movie.  I guess that’s why it’s a trailer and not the movie itself.  I digress.

Getting back on topic: “A Behanding in Spokane” features an amazing cast that includes Christopher Walken (that dude who has a fever for more cowbell), Sam Rockwell (that other dude that’s been in all of those other movies), and Anthony Mackie (the black dude from The Hurt Locker).  It tells the story of  Carmichael (Walken), a man who brutally lost his hand as a young man and has since dedicated his life to getting it back.  Years and years of searching has led him to a small hotel room with what he believes to be the final lead to his own hand.  Wrapped up in the story become Toby (Mackie) and Marilyn (played by Zoe Kazan who is no stranger to Broadway; she already has two other shows in her belt at the young age of 26), a drug dealing couple who try to sell back Carmichael his hand.  Attracted by loud noise taking place in his hotel, the curious and rambling hotel clerk, Mervyn (Rockwell), pokes his head in and finds himself sucked into the situation as well.

At risk of giving away too much of the story, the play features a can of gasoline and a burning candle, a suitcase full of hands, and a racist and injury-prone mother.  Like I previously mentioned, it’s darkly comedic (a phrase you’ll here a lot with anything from Martin McDonagh) and strongly driven by the, at times, ranting dialogue of and strong performances by the four actors.  Walken controls the stage with his wonderfully odd line readings and a dangerous undercurrent in his actions.  While it is hard at times for his supporting actors to keep up with his eccentricity, they still hold their own.  To put it simply, the play’s fun.  As an audience member, all you have to do is go in, sit down, and enjoy.  It can be easy to overthink it because it’s Broadway, but it’s a Broadway play about a man that’s trying to find his long lost hand.  As a wise man once said: “Just enjoy.”

How to Dress Well is making music well, simply put. It’s got members in, or at least from, both Köln, Denmark and Brooklyn, NY, and with that typa’ brew you know something’s gotta be right. I can’t tell yet whether it’s just the one guy (Tom with his collaborator Cokc Dokc) or a group including others, but the way they’ve (him, et al.) been belting out EPs these last couple months is impressive regardless. With the October release of his first EP The Eternal Love he’s since released 6 more, capping ‘em off with Can’t See My Own Face – The Eternal Love 2 just recently. If anything, it shows he can produce good music in a fraction of the time it takes most big artists and with minimal costs and even more minimal gains (cuz its free). EP by EP, HTDW is carving out a rep as the sort of Weezy of the ambient/R&B/experimental scene.

Each EP has it’s own feel, but they all come airy and sensual. His sound is heavy on vocals and vocal sampling, but he does it right (sorry, I just can’t jump on the Animal Collective bandwagon). Make sure to grab them all at his website, and if you’re feeling generous purchase ‘em for $5 each.

Anyway, mostly wanted to post on HTDW to show you a few sweet music vids of his. The first is “Decisions” (feat. Yüksel Arslan), a potent track with a heady, studder-step-like beat which by song’s end convinces you that it’s pace is the only pace at which life should persist (you’ll see what I mean). The video, shot and directed by Jamie Harley, compliments all that perfectly. The second video, done by Tom Krell, is kind of in line with the name of the project (with people getting dressed up and all), but more importantly it features the HTDW/Cokc Dokc ’11 Years On (demo)’, which has an awesome buildup towards the end using keyboard oscillation (I’m bullshitting). At any rate, check ‘em out.

Games is the coming together of Daniel Lopatin (Oneohtrix Point Never) and Joel Ford (Tigercity). The project’s a bit wrapped in obscurity, but the tracks certainly do the talking. Lopatin, aliased KGB Man, contributes an influence of spaced-out synths and galactic ambience while Ford brings a more funky, glistening pop-rock. The result is Italo-disco magic that shoots you straight back into suburban nostalgia and 80s-90s synthpop warmth. ‘Planet Party’ typifies all that retro charm. It’s a catchy dose of synthesized sorcery, you’ll see, and they do great work with the drum machine too. Even better though is their second track ‘Everything is Working’, a more intimate, heady cocktail of voice samples and synth/keyboard action. Their third and latest installment, ‘MIDI DRIFT’, is best envisioned through a description offered by the actual duo itself (via their tumblr), and it’s fucking great:

(Listen while you read)

This track began as a video concept in which joel and i are 90s high tech corporate dads, except our cubicles are party jam stations comprised of drum machines and synths and tactical flowcharts on how to make the best possible music ever. we meet by the water cooler and i give joel a folder that says PROGRAM A JAM on it and i point at my watch, like ‘get it done by 5 dude or my goose is cooked.’ later on joel bumps into a ~really~ fine girl in the hallway and her folders fly everywhere. she ends up taking the PROGRAM A JAM folder and he takes one that says TOP SECRET KGB STUFF on it. he takes it back to his desk and send me links to hot pics of said babe getting railed by the boss in the boiler room. we go to chilis at some point probably. the babe keeps getting hotter/more naked and is seen programming hot jams with a Jupiter 8 after-hours. We are wearing uncool jeans and corporate fleece pullovers and have salt & pepper beards. content at a job well done, we respectively drive off into the sunset in matching camrys.

Planet Party – Games

Everything is Working – Games

MIDI DRIFT – Games

Twin Sister is a five-piece band from Long Island, New York that’s bringing on a new front in the experimental pop scene. They recently completed their second EP to date, Color Your Life (insert artwork above), which they’ve made available for free on their website along with their first, Vampires with Dreaming Kids. Both consist of a buncha liquidized sound with bells and fem vocals; seems like it’d be good for a glazed over spring afternoon -that rare time when sun and rain cross paths in surreal harmony.

Another worthy grab is their International Dust mix, which features both Joe Meek (pictured above) and John K., who I’ll probably be posting on in a bit. It’s also got some Twin Sister interludes that blend in pretty nicely. And below check out the grainy, russet haze of a video teaser for Color Your Life.

International Dust mix – Twin Sister (highly recommended)

This above is Keith Buckley.  He is currently the lead vocalist for the hardcore/southern rock band Every Time I Die.  The band is known for their fast guitar riffs, unorthodox shifting time signatures, and in-your-face screaming vocals.  They released their fifth album last fall called New Junk Aesthetic which was greeted with positive reviews and great fan reception.  Keith Buckley leads the band on stage and is known for his somewhat off-center sense of humor, insane vocals, and equally insane partying habits.  And what was Mr. Buckley before he developed this reputation?  An English teacher.  As a matter of fact, it is said that had music never had worked out, he would have gone back to teaching (thank you, Wikipedia).  While it’s not what one would expect from the vocalist of  a band that used to sell t-shirts that simply said “Bang Your Fucking Head” on the back, if you were to inspect theirs lyrics, you might not be so surprised.  Once you learn to interpret the yelling, you can get a sense of the poetic undertones of the music.  To give an example, here is the first music video from the latest album called “Wanderlust.”  I picked the video specifically for it’s lyrics and the subtitles.

So I never imagined that I would be posting about the heavier music that I listen to.  I understand that it’s an acquired taste and I guess that’s part of the reason why it’s so special.  Anyway, I’m not really posting about the band but instead about this video I recently found of Keith Buckley basically narrating a motorcycle road trip he did with some friends.  It has more depth than a normal narration but I still can’t quite call it poetry or spoken word.  More than anything else it’s just a stream of consciousness view into the way this guy sees the world.  What appealed to me more than anything else is its simplicity and humanity.  As Buckley weaves in and out of thought the listener gets glimpses of simple bits of true human nature that exist within everyone to a certain degree like insecurity and sincerity.  Whatever, I need to stop talking for this.  I think it talks for itself well enough.

Erykah Badu, often considered the “Queen of Neo Soul“, is an American artist, producer and actress known for her jazz-infused blend of hip hop and R&B. Although adored for her flamboyant style and fashion sensibilities, here she strips bare in a one-take track shot for the new single ‘Window Seat’, which is featured in her upcoming album – her fifth, due out March 30th - New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh). On her twitter she commented, “[S]hot guerilla style, no crew, one take, no closed set, no warning, two minutes, in downtown Dallas, then ran like hell… I was afraid. But I was ready.” Also an activist, Badu is condemning modern conformity in all its ugliness and the repression of true individuality. I’m diggin’ the 60s acid culture-inspired swirly hues toward the end…kinda ‘sposed to be her residual self-expression i think. Also like the idea of ‘evolving’ as a sort of unclothing. nude counterculture anybody? hit up this track and you won’t need one.

Honey – Erykah Badu