WUSB NEW JAMZ

Pokey LaFarge / Pack It Up

2011-06-06T21:45:00.001-07:00

For the last year or so, Third Man has been pouring out brilliant 7” singles from an incredibly diverse range of artists. Jack White deserves a hell of a lot more praise from finding artists from so many different locations, genres, and levels of success. Anyway, recently I’ve been really excited by Pokey LaFarge’s addition to the Third Man singles collection. LaFarge, hailing from St. Louis, sounds like the celebration of traditional America as we know it from movies and stories from American history textbooks circa high school. It’s so distant and almost confusing in a time where music has become something temporary, something that has to defy everything else happening at the moment, something that creates a new sound with an influx of trendy bands to follow. LaFarge has a sound that is timeless and almost isolated from a music industry that feasts on the wires of the world wide web. Even his biography reads like the tale of a hero from some film based on a younger America. LaFarge doesn’t simply settle for being incredibly unique at a time when everyone else is trying so hard; he is also exceptionally talented, carrying terrific effortless vocals and an immaculate talent for song writing. His old school traditional American blue grass that carries imagery of lazy rivers and folks swing dancing late at night in the town pub is probably the punkest, most bad ass thing I’ve heard from any musician in the last decade. The upbeat B-side of LaFarge’s new single, Pack it Up, opens with a sweet little guitar rhythm that gets swept up with LaFarge’s modest vocals met by wonderful harmonies during the chorus. It’s all carried by the rhythm of a stand up base and becomes perfect with LaFarge’s epic guitar solo towards the end. Pokey LaFarge; the punkest thing in America.

Davila 666 / Diablo

2011-04-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

Tan Bajo is full of fuzzy raunchy bad ass rock numbers, but there are some warm heart melting gems hidden beneath the fuzz. I have no idea what they’re saying, but it feels sweet and the guitar hooks coated in sugary vocal melodies will tickle you in all the right places. Check them out in NYC this week!

Family Portrait / Wait

2011-04-20T13:54:00.000-07:00

For the last few years, I’ve been sucking the life out of my limited collection of Family Portrait tracks stripped away from compilations and singles. Those few tracks in themselves were enough to credit the band with, but nothing feels as perfect as their debut record. I’ve been anticipating this explosion of sound of my entire life. I was born into this beautiful world searching for this LP and I’ve finally found it. The final result, the gift we’ve all been searching for, is finally here and it’s fucking incredible. Warm sounds bloom into crystal psychedelic melodies that melt and swell and bleed into each other like puddles. Puddles of rainbow liquid. It’s like Alex Mac took acid and went for a puddle-adventure from Munckin Land to the land of Oz, referencing decades of music along the way. Aside from the brilliant song writing, the production is fucking fantastic. It consumes the world around you and sweeps through every crevice of your body, the fullest, most wonderful sound you could possibly imagine. Everything about the record is perfect and it was totally 100% worth the life-long wait. The brilliance manifests itself in every second, every sound, every melodic swell, every munchkin you pass along the way. One of the most mind-blowing records I’ve ever experienced in my long reign as music director. How can you expect anything less from the royal court of the Underwater Peoples Kingdom? YOU CAN’T. It’s the incestuous family affair that Jerry Springer never showed you. Get it via Underwater Peoples here.

Top Records

2011-04-19T11:17:00.000-07:00

1 DIRTBOMBS Party Store In The Red
2 RINGO DEATHSTARR Colour Trip Sonic Unyon
3 COMPUTER MAGIC Electronic Fences [EP] White Iris
4 PAUL REVERE & THE RAIDERS Essential Sony Legacy
5 SONIC YOUTH SYR 9 Simon Werner A Disparu SYR
6 DELICATE STEVE Wondervisions Luaka Bop
7 WAGON CHRIST Toomorrow Ninja Tune
8 PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART Belong Slumberland
9 LYKKE LI Wounded Rhymes Atlantic/LL
10 CUT COPY Zonoscope Modular
11 PJ HARVEY Let England Shake Vagrant-Island
12 PETER ROWAN Legacy Self-Released
13 DAVILA 666 Tan Bajo In The Red
14 DEATH SET Michel Poiccard Counter
15 HUNX AND HIS PUNX Too Young To Be In Love Hardly Art
16 CRYSTAL STILTS In Love With Oblivion Slumberland
17 RAINBOW ARABIA Boys And Diamonds Kompakt
18 PONYTAIL Do Whatever You Want All The Time We Are Free
19 TRENT FOX & THE TENANTS Mess Around [EP] Kind Turkey
20 XRAY EYEBALLS [EP] Hozac
21 DEVOTCHKA 100 Lovers Anti
22 IS/IS This Happening [EP] Guilt Ridden Pop
23 OBN III'S [EP] Tic Tac Totally
24 KURT VILE Smoke Ring For My Halo Matador
25 DUM DUM GIRLS He Gets Me High [EP] SUB POP
26 SILK FLOWERS Ltd. Form Post Present Medium
27 KILLS Blood Pressures Domino
28 GIL SCOTT-HERON AND JAMIE XX We're New Here XL
29 PETER BJORN AND JOHN Gimme Some Star Time
30 GO! TEAM Rolling Blackouts Memphis Industries

ADDS

1 ASHANTI Broken Dreams In The Red
2 KE$HA Lost Virgin Sub Pop
3. JUSTIN BIEBER Eating Raw Potatoes Hardly Art
4. GREG ALLMAN The Day I Loved Ke$ha Slumberland
5. MICHAEL JACKSON Wish Bieber Came to Neverland Ninja Tune

Acid Baby Jesus / Losing It

2011-04-19T10:24:00.000-07:00

How can I express the excitement one experiences when they realize that Acid Baby Jesus can now be played from a music circle? It’s like the time they turned a scoop of ice cream into a thousand tiny balls. You just can’t explain that shit. Acid Baby Jesus is a Linkin Park inspired filthy garage act hailing from the great land of Athens, GR. A while back, they released a tape that made the good folks of WUSB pee themselves with joy and here they are again, but on a music circle! The b-side explores a side of Acid Baby Jesus that we’ve never experienced before, a sludgier, darker slow jam that sounds like it was born in some musty deserted bar in a desolate ghost town down south. I think I just described a scene from Scooby-Doo, so maybe just ignore the strange visual reference and click the play button.

You can get the music circle here from the good folks at Slovenly.

Shannon & The Clams / Old Man Winter

2011-04-17T07:15:00.000-07:00

Why haven’t you listened to this record yet?! Shannon Shaw has the voice of a god. Ranging from deep sultry roughness to smooth buttery melodic sweetness and back to an angrier deeper rawness, all glued together with warm guitar work that screams 60’s beach rock vibes. Old Man Winter is one of the weirder tracks on the record, a sugary pop number where Shaw really displays the incredible versatility of her vocals. Sleep Talk is full of quirky funky garage pop confection that will leave you falling in love with The Clams. It’s so good, it might be one of the best records that 2011 has offered thus far. Shannon Shaw, I love you.

Top 30 Records / Potatoes

2011-04-12T07:24:00.000-07:00

1 PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART Belong Slumberland
2 BEACH FOSSILS What A Pleasure [EP] Captured Tracks
3 STROKES Angles RCA
4 RINGO DEATHSTARR Colour Trip Sonic Unyon
5 HUNX AND HIS PUNX Too Young To Be In Love Hardly Art
6 CHAIN AND THE GANG Music Is Not For Everyone K
7 CRYSTAL STILTS In Love With Oblivion Slumberland
8 RAINBOW ARABIA Boys And Diamonds Kompakt
9 IS/IS This Happening [EP] Guilt Ridden Pop
10 CUT COPY Zonoscope Modular
11 BIBIO Mind Bokeh Warp
12 DEATH SET Michel Poiccard Counter
13 FEDERICO AUBELE Berlin 13 ESL
14 DUM DUM GIRLS He Gets Me High [EP] SUB POP
15 GIL SCOTT-HERON AND JAMIE XX We're New Here XL
16 DELICATE STEVE Wondervisions Luaka Bop
17 JOY FORMIDABLE The Big Roar Atlantic
18 PONYTAIL Do Whatever You Want All The Time We Are Free
19 RAVEONETTES Raven In The Grave Vice
20 STARFUCKER Reptilians Polyvinyl
21 BROWN RECLUSE Evening Tapestry Slumberland
22 TELEKINESIS 12 Desperate Straight Lines Merge
23 DOES IT OFFEND YOU, YEAH? Don't Say We Didn't Warn You Cooking Vinyl
24 LYKKE LI Wounded Rhymes Atlantic/LL
25 MARITIME Human Hearts Dangerbird
26 MICROSCOPIC SEPTET Friday The 13th: The Micros Play Monk Cuneiform
27 FEMI KUTI Africa For Africa KF
28 MOVITS! Out Of My Head SLIMSTYLE
29 MOUNTAIN GOATS All Eternals Deck Merge
30 TORO Y MOI Underneath The Pine Carpark

Jib Kidder / Epiphany 1

2011-04-10T06:33:00.000-07:00

For the last year or so, WUSB has been turned onto the really incredible experimental projects released by Asthmatic Kitty via the Library Catalog Music Series. The most recent fixation has been the result of California’s Jib Kidder. The mastermind behind the project, Sean Schuster-Craig, used the effects of recho, reverb, EQ and splicing to manipulate the existing sounds of the Asthmatic Kitty catalog. Music For Hypnotized Minds is a combination of hip hop and experimental noise psychedelia that results in layers of moody mellow trippy sonic adventures. Epiphany 1 has a playful warped nostalgia vibe that erupts towards the end with eclectic percussion and quicker bursts of the looped melody and it’s all pretty fantastic.

Colleen Green / Y Do U Call Me

2011-04-07T06:39:00.000-07:00

This video kinda made me hungry. Time for a spaghetti party & some Colleen Green jams. Check out the new 7” via Hardly Art.

K-Holes / The Gutter

2011-04-04T06:36:00.000-07:00

Is it cool to post two videos from the same artist back to back? K-Holes just released the most disturbing inappropriate full length I’ve ever heard via the one and only, Hozac Records. Think haunted houses, witches with young boys caged up, strange spiritual rituals or a scene from SAW. Aside from the brilliance of K-holes, this video was created by the very amazing Alice Cohen who also created videos for Talbot Tagora and Fergus and Geronimo, just two of my favorites from her brilliant collection. All of them are really incredible and Gutters is just another awesome piece to add to the list.

Two Tears / Senso Unico

2011-04-03T20:14:00.001-07:00

Senso Unico is the filthy b-side from Kerry Davis’ one woman band, Two Tears. The intensity and rawness of Davis’ vocals feels like acid eating your flesh, melting with brilliantly stripped down instrumentals. The track is beautifully exposed with Davis’ vocals and guitar work stinging like you were dragged across a highway. A side is killer, too, but not nearly as dirty. Get it via Kind Turkey Records.

Video: White Fence / Baxter Corner

2011-03-21T05:25:00.000-07:00

Rainbow Arabia / Nothin' Gunna Be Undone

2011-03-21T05:14:00.001-07:00

Other people have already said it. There’s not even a point in trying to describe the wildly unique sound of California’s monstrous “fourth-world” power duo, Rainbow Arabia. The more I listen to their newest record, Boys and Diamonds, the more “globe-trekking, kaleidoscopic dance music” makes perfect sense. Their tracks have a playfulness that hints at Matt & Kim with deep rooted synth and guitar melodies that scream Rainbow Arabia tied together with an insanely wide array of worldly percussion topped off reggae inspired vocals. Matt & Kim seems totally far fetched, especially if you’re familiar with both artists, but when you jam the second track on this record; it’s like Matt & Kim went around the world in 80 days and wrote good a song. Or maybe they made a baby with MIA?

Video: Fergus & Geronimo / Girls With English Accents

2011-03-19T05:29:00.000-07:00

Mind Spiders / Going Away Tonite

2011-03-17T20:42:00.000-07:00

I really don’t want to write about music, but luckily you can just hit the play button above and ignore the rest. Mind Spiders make addictive feel good garage pop out of the great state of Texas. Their new LP is full of brilliant rock jams smothered in a smokey cloud of pop pollution. Going Away Tonite is kind of a perfect jam and the perfect gateway jam to send you away into your long awaited musical journey with Mind Spiders.

A Classic Education / Devilish Coast Sway

2011-03-16T22:13:00.000-07:00

A Classic Education make wonderful pop jams straight out of the great European motherland. Devilish Coast Sway is a delicately woven pop number that will leave you feeling warm with breezy guitar melodies and sweet charming vocals. The band will be hitting up the US with British Sea Power following some SXSW shows. Check them out in NYC on March 22nd and April 21st!

Ringo Deathstarr / You Don't Listen

2011-02-27T20:10:00.000-08:00

When I first listened to Colour Trip, I was kind of expecting the worst, but instead I was wonderfully surprised by brilliant fuzzy guitar driven power anthems with hazy vocals that make me feel overwhelmingly happy inside. There’s something about this time of year when I push away the genius singer song writers that write dark depressing lyrics and break out the sugary upbeat pop anthems that make me feel all warm inside and Colour Trip is totally perfect for that.

RIP WINTER 2010-2011. Too anxious.

Top Records

2011-02-18T20:09:00.000-08:00

1 DECEMBERISTS The King Is Dead Capitol
2 SOVIET LEAGUE Soviet League Angel Oven
3 MOGWAI Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will SUB POP
4 WANDA JACKSON The Party Ain’t Over Nonesuch
5 IS/IS This Happening [EP]
6 WHITE FENCE Is Growing Faith Woodsist
7 GO! TEAM Rolling Blackouts Memphis Industries
8 FERGUS AND GERONIMO Unlearn Hardly Art
9 BEETS Stay Home Captured Tracks
10 DEVOTCHKA 100 Lovers Anti
11 NOW, NOW Neighbors No Sleep
12 BLANK DOGS Land And Fixed Captured Tracks
13 DELICATE STEVE Wondervisions Luaka Bop
14 DEERHOOF Deerhoof Vs. Evil Polyvinyl
15 ROOMFUL OF BLUES Hook Line And Sinker
16 CLOUD NOTHINGS Cloud Nothings Carpark
17 CAGE THE ELEPHANT Thank You Happy Birthday Jive
18 TWILIGHT SINGERS Dynamite Steps SUB POP
19 MODERN SKIRTS Gramahawk Self-Released
20 TAPES ‘N TAPES Outside Ibid
21 TENNIS Cape Dory Fat Possum
22 PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART Heart In Your Heartbreak Slumberland
23 FUJIYA AND MIYAGI Ventriloquizzing Yep Roc
24 BRITISH SEA POWER Valhalla Dancehall Rough Trade
25 PURO INSTINCT Headbangers In Ecstasy Mexican Summer
26 SHEDDING Tear In The Sun Hometapes
27 SEEFEEL Seefeel Warp
28 MUSIC FROM THE FILM How The West Was Once Self-Released
29 TELEKINESIS 12 Desperate Straight Lines Merge
30 RABBI STEIN Spirits Uplifted Self-Released

IsIs / Eating Hourglasses

2011-02-16T20:06:00.000-08:00

Guilt Ridden Pop just released the sweetest EP you’ll ever hear from the Minneapolis three piece called Is/Is. Every track is sugary hazy shoe gazey pop bliss that will melt your little heart. Every track is absolutely killer, but only one could be WUSB’s jam of the day. Eating Hourglasses has the fuzzy pop vibes of Black Tambourine but with the rough edge of Dum Dum Girls. I hate comparing bands to each other, but it felt right this time. Eating Hourglasses is kind of a perfect song. When ever you likeeee.

Len Guardino / I'm a Man Baby, Yes I Am

2011-02-15T20:03:00.000-08:00

When I first opened this package, I really thought this would be some kind of terrible home-made music project by some 40 year old dude going through his mid-life crisis in the suburbs of Long Island, but it ended up being this jam with really cheesy retro 80’s pop vibes and a terribly sexist narrative. “I’m a man babyyyy let me set you free.” Totally fucked up, but there’s something undeniably awesome about it. It’s like watching a mom hitting her wailing 3 year old in the cereal section of Walmart. It’s so terrible and wrong, but you can’t help but watch the woman violently discipline the innocent baby in public.

Top Records

2011-02-14T20:01:00.000-08:00

1 MOGWAI Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will SUB POP
2 DECEMBERISTS The King Is Dead Capitol
3 WHITE FENCE Is Growing Faith Woodsist
4 WANDA JACKSON The Party Ain’t Over Nonesuch
5 GO! TEAM Rolling Blackouts Memphis Industries
6 YUCK Yuck Fat Possum
7 MUSIC FROM THE FILM How The West Was Once Self-Released
8 SHILPA RAY AND HER HAPPY HOOKERS Teenage And Torture Knitting Factory
9 BRITISH SEA POWER Valhalla Dancehall Rough Trade
10 DEERHOOF Deerhoof Vs. Evil Polyvinyl
11 FUJIYA AND MIYAGI Ventriloquizzing Yep Roc
12 DEVOTCHKA 100 Lovers Anti
13 SOFT MOON The Soft Moon
14 SEEFEEL Seefeel Warp
15 RADIO DEPT. Passive Aggressive: Singles 2002-2010 Labrador
16 SURF CITY Kudos Fire
17 TAPES ‘N TAPES Outside Ibid
18 DUCKTAILS Ducktails III: Arcade Dynamics Woodsist
19 BEETS Stay Home Captured Tracks
20 THE GLASS At Swim Two Birds Plant Music
21 DARWIN DEEZ Darwin Deez Lucky Number
22 MODERN SKIRTS Gramahawk Self-Released
23 SMITH WESTERNS Dye It Blond Fat Possum
24 CHIKITA VIOLENTA Tre3s Arts And Crafts
25 TELEKINESIS 12 Desperate Straight Lines Merge
26 SPOKES Everyone I Ever Met Counter
27 DELICATE STEVE Wondervisions Luaka Bop
28 OF GOD AND SCIENCE Black Rabbit
29 BLANK DOGS Land And Fixed Captured Tracks
30 DUKE SPIRIT Kusama [EP] Shangri-La

Big Search / Getting Warm

2011-02-12T19:57:00.000-08:00

I’m still confused as to what the difference is between White Iris and Black Iris Records. Nonetheless, White Iris just released the very excellent and under-appreciated single from Los Angeles’ Big Search, the project of Foreign Born’s co-mastermind, Matt Popieluch. The A Side, “Getting Warm,” is a super catchy stripped down pop number. Definitely a solid springtime jammer. It fucking rules and maybe it doesn’t matter that I can’t describe it to you in words. Lucky for Tumblr technology, you can just click the link above. Oh how I love technology.

Dizzy Eyes / Let's Break Up The Band

2011-02-11T19:49:00.000-08:00

Hardly Art is becoming a monstrous beast at producing some pretty fantastic singles. They're continuing the trend into the new year with some pretty amazing releases from Boston's Colleen Green and some Canadian band I'd never heard of called Dizzy Eyes. Colleen Green I'm still on the fence with, but this single from Dizzy Eyes is an obvious gold nugget. Check out their new single, "Let's Break Up The Band," coming soon to a 7" near you. It's straight up great pop music. Feels good. Definitely going to be my thawing out anthem for the Spring.

Mi Ami / Hard Up

2011-02-10T19:47:00.000-08:00

Seefeel / Aug30

2011-02-08T19:41:00.000-08:00

I know it’s been a while. I’ve been plagued and bed ridden, but I promise there will be a jam of the day everyday for the rest of the week! Anyway, somehow I didn’t know about the existence of London’s Seefeel until now. I feel a bit stupid about it all, but I’m redeeming myself by really getting into their newest LP. Despite the redundancy of sounds from track to track, it’s still a pretty sick record. Aug30 sounds like the way that city from the film AI looked; lost, timeless, and maybe a bit neglected. There’s no melody or guitars, but a distance faded memory that’s lost and colorless. Always writing about tracks out of my ass. Listen to this. It’s going to melt your mind. Melting is pretty great.

Coming Soon: Shrapnelles 7"

2011-02-07T19:36:00.000-08:00

7" out soon via Hozac and a full length later in 2k11! They'll also be touring the US soon!

Top 30 Records

2011-02-06T19:33:00.000-08:00

1 SOCIAL DISTORTION Hard Times And Nursery Rhymes Epitaph
2 WHITE FENCE Is Growing Faith Woodsist
3 BRITISH SEA POWER Valhalla Dancehall Rough Trade
4 TAPES ‘N TAPES Outside Ibid
5 DECEMBERISTS The King Is Dead Capitol
6 DISAPPEARS Guider Kranky
7 SMITH WESTERNS Dye It Blond Fat Possum
8 GANG OF FOUR Content Yep Roc
9 DEERHOOF Deerhoof Vs. Evil Polyvinyl
10 SOFT MOON The Soft Moon
11 DESTROYER Kaputt Merge
12 WANDA JACKSON The Party Ain’t Over Nonesuch
13 MINKS By The Hedge Captured Tracks
14 SURF CITY Kudos Fire
15 GREENHORNES **** Third Man
16 SOVIET LEAGUE Soviet League Angel Oven
17 BARDO POND Bardo Pond Fire
18 FREEBASS It’s A Beautiful Life 24 Hr. Service Station
19 BLACK PISTOL FIRE Black Pistol Fire Rifle Bird
20 IGOR BOXX Breslau Ninja Tune
21 MUSIC FROM THE FILM How The West Was Once Self-Released
22 DUCKTAILS Ducktails III: Arcade Dynamics Woodsist
23 BEETS Stay Home Captured Tracks
24 DARWIN DEEZ Darwin Deez Lucky Number
25 TENNIS Cape Dory Fat Possum
26 READING RAINBOW Prism Eyes Hozac
27 PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART Heart In Your Heartbreak Slumberland
28 GET UP KIDS There Are Rules Quality Hill
29 MYELIN SHEATHS Get On Your Nerves SouthPaw
30 AIR WAVES Dungeon Dots Underwater Peoples

Fergus & Geronimo / Michael Kelly

2011-01-31T06:14:00.002-08:00

Not really in the mood to write, but I’ve been meaning to post something from Unlearn for a while now. I think I’m mostly afraid I’ll get it all wrong like the NY Times or something. Fergus & Geronimo makes music that feels really good that totally confuses me when it comes to genre-fying it. Michael Kelly is a kind of mellow, terribly depressing jam that feels like an entirely different beast than the other tracks. Totally rules, but I have no idea how to describe it. Anyway, there’s such a sweet variety of vibes from track to track, that something on Unlearn is bound to make you pee yourself. It’s mostly just good, so ignore what I’ve written and just jam the track. Feeling too good right now.

Top 30 Releases

2011-01-31T06:13:00.000-08:00

1    BRITISH SEA POWER    Valhalla Dancehall    Rough Trade
2    DECEMBERISTS    The King Is Dead    Capitol
3    GANG OF FOUR    Content    Yep Roc
4    DUCKTAILS    Ducktails III: Arcade Dynamics    Woodsist
5    DISAPPEARS    Guider    Kranky
6    WHITE FENCE    Is Growing Faith    Woodsist
7    TAPES ‘N TAPES    Outside    Ibid
8    IGOR BOXX    Breslau    Ninja Tune
9    SOVIET LEAGUE    Soviet League    Angel Oven
10    SUB SWARA     Triggers    Low Motion
11    ZOLA JESUS    Valusia [EP]    SACRED BONES
12    MUSIC FROM THE FILM    How The West Was Once    Self-Released
13    SOFT MOON    The Soft Moon    Captured Tracks
14    TYLER JON TYLER    Tyler Jon Tyler    Slow Fizz
15    WEEKEND    Sports    Slumberland
16    CAGE THE ELEPHANT    Thank You Happy Birthday    Jive
17    DARWIN DEEZ    Darwin Deez    Lucky Number
18    DESTROYER    Kaputt    Merge
19    FUJIYA AND MIYAGI    Ventriloquizzing    Yep Roc
20    BALLAKE SISSOKO AND VINCENT SEGAL    Chamber Music    Six Degrees
21    BRIAN ENO    Small Craft On A Milk Sea    Warp
22    BUTCHER BEAR AND CHARLIE    Carbomb
23    SCOTT HOLT    Kudzu    Gracetone
24    VEILS    Troubles Of The Brain [EP]    Pitch Beast
25    LOWER DENS    Twin-Hand Movement    Commonsong
26    MODERN SKIRTS    Gramahawk    Self-Released
27    DARK SEA DREAM    Dark Sea Dream    Prophase
28    AIR WAVES    Dungeon Dots    Underwater Peoples
29    FERGUS AND GERONIMO    Unlearn    Hardly Art
30    TYVEK    Nothing Fits    In The Red

Sticky Fruitman Has Faith

2011-01-24T08:12:00.000-08:00

Last year, White Fence released their debut self titled LP via Woodsist and it was absolutely one my favorite records of the year. They're back again with their newest creation, Is Growing Faith, which continues the warped fuzzy bedroom pop sound of their debut. Every track on this kind of rules, but one my favorites is Stranger Things Have Happened (To You). It's rockin' the 60's pop vibes like no other, but with the playfulness of something you'd hear on White Fence's S/T, which this record lacks a bit of. Nonetheless, this record sustains the huge range of variety & all the magical brilliance you heard on the first record. Definitely give it a listen, you're bound to like something on there!

Soviet League / Row

2011-01-23T21:14:00.000-08:00

I feel like a certain kind of indie pop has dominated the past decade or so, making a bit difficult for anything feeding off those vibes to feel original. The Soviet Union somehow blew my mind with their sweet poppy brilliance when I went to review their record. Row is the first track on their debut self-titled LP on Angel Oven Records. The bouncy bass line combined with their sweet choral harmonies that almost remind of the Beach Boys at times make me want to dance in a field of flowers and butterflies and rainbows. But then it gets even better towards the end when they switch it up to whistling and the sugary redundant instrumental melodies feel soooo good and fresh. You should definitely give this one a listen. It rules sooo much. And oh man that bass line.

Thank You

2011-01-22T11:20:00.000-08:00

Listening to Thank You is like being in an insane noisy tribal trance. The Baltimore trio just released Golden Worry on Thrill Jockey Records. Their sound is something like Aa meets Angelo Spencer meets Foals. Can't/Can is a track that starts off driving hard into your skull and the bursts into something a bit more poppy with vocals that feel far away and then screws your skull again and then breaks into this very solitary moment with soft percussion and organs and then builds into this kind of monumental orchestral chaos. It almost feels like this really brilliant noisy narrative that fucks your head for a good six minutes, probably one of the greatest six minutes of your life.

Music From The Film / There Is No Help

2011-01-20T19:55:00.001-08:00

Music From The Film is possibly the strangest, weirdest, most irrational brilliance I’ve heard in quite some time. How The West Was Once is full of cans opening, creepy humming, guitars, banjos, chimes, maybe vacuums, children’s toys, synths, and who knows what else, all layered on top of percussion which seems to be the only binding element throughout the record. Gary Young and Arthur Harrison are the two masterminds behind the project and apparently Young is a living legend of the cassette noise realm. There is No Help is a long 10 minutes with everything I just mentioned, but with slimy down your neck vocals and really twisted percussion that drags you into this frightening dark trance. While you’re being absorbed by the insane percussion, dark synths, and weird distortions; make sure you hang onto the lyrics. Especially towards the end of the track, they’re kind of brilliant and hilarious, but mostly creepy in a sex-offender kind of way. You might have nightmares after jamming this, but it’ll probably feel like some acid induced trip with Pee Wee Herman with an army of nude dwarfs chasing you in slow motion. Maybe I’m the only one with Pee Wee Herman dwarf dreams.

L'Argent

2010-12-28T14:34:00.000-08:00

Angelo Spencer was born and raised outside of Italy and now dwells in Olympia, Washington making sick jams on K Records. L’Argent sounds like Dustin Wong’s Infinite Love dragged through a wild jungle by some exotic tribal men. It’s the best.

More Metal Jams from Athens

2010-12-20T19:30:00.001-08:00

The greatest metal act since Metallica, Acid Baby Jesus, hails from the great motherland of Greece from a scene that seems to revolve around a sick DIY space called Kataremeno Syndromo. About a year or so ago when I was creepily investigating this situation on the world wide web, I stumbled upon what is possibly the noisiest band from Athens. BAZOOKA makes you think of things like war and bubblegum and maybe some kind of cartoon character, but now you'll think of sexually deprived Athenian punks making a lot of noise with dual guitars battling it off with two drum sets which ultimately results in one of the tightest sounding punk acts I've heard in quite some time. The obvious winner on the EP or demo is "I Want To Fuck All The Girls In My School," but it would be nothing short of foolish to deem this radio appropriate. Every song on this EP thing rules hard, but "Mountain SA" is on a completely different level of brilliance, or at least one that is radio appropriate. "Mountain SA" opens into a solid warm fuzzy reverb soaked punk number and then morphs into a glorious moment of noisy chaotic feedback and then explodes into more warm fuzziness and then fucks with you all over again. I think we dig warm fuzziness. If you were into the Acid Baby Jesus tape that exploded at WUSB back in January, definitely turn yourself onto Bazooka. You can check out the FCC unfriendly track here.

The Superions Take Over The Holidays

2010-12-20T18:39:00.000-08:00

This video is probably the greatest video of 2010. Check out the new holiday record in CR1!

Dungeon Dots

2010-12-10T16:03:00.000-08:00

Dungeon Dots is the new adventure of Brooklyn song writer Nicole Schneit, who runs the game as Air Waves. Schneit writes pretty excellent pop numbers with her acoustic guitar strung with warm harmonies that are the best to sing along to. Waters is without a doubt my favorite jam on the new LP and it will probably become an Achmed favorite, just like the perfect jams on their 2009 EP. Although the guitar melody is fun with a bass line that's almost Viennese Waltz-esque , I think it's really the sweetness of the lyrics and the harmony of Schneit's crisp defined vocals against the sweet raspy-ness in the background vocals that makes me love this jam. So fucking catchy. Oh boy. Karaoking like a Celine Dion jam right now.

Acid Baby Jesus / It's On Me

2010-12-10T10:29:00.001-08:00

Oh man, can you believe they released a video? I think it might be one of the greatest videos of 2010, too. Dunno how I missed this one!

Top 30 Jamz.

2010-12-07T05:21:00.001-08:00

1 BRIAN ENO Small Craft On A Milk Sea Warp
2 ELVIS COSTELLO National Ransom Hear
3 TYVEK Nothing Fits In The Red
4 NEIL YOUNG Le Noise Reprise
5 J.C. SATAN Sick Of Love Slovenly
6 MARNIE STERN Marnie Stern (2010) Kill Rock Stars
7 DECEMBERISTS "Down By The Water" [Single] Capitol
8 JOHN WESLEY COLEMAN Bad Lady Goes To Jail Goner
9 MYELIN SHEATHS Get On Your Nerves SouthPaw
10 SUBTLE TURNHIPS Terd Album
11 WEEKEND Sports Slumberland
12 SMALL BLACK New Chain Jagjaguwar
13 SUFJAN STEVENS The Age Of Adz Asthmatic Kitty
14 FRESH AND ONLYS Play It Strange In The Red
15 DEMON'S CLAWS The Defrosting Of... In The Red
16 ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE AND THE MELTING PARAISO U.F.O. Are We Experimental? Prophase
17 CONCRETES WYWH Friendly Fire
18 CLINIC Bubblegum Domino
19 AVEY TARE Down There Paw Tracks
20 KLAXONS Surfing The Void Modular
21 BASSNECTAR Wildstyle [EP] Amorphous
22 SURF CITY Kudos Fire
23 MATT AND KIM Sidewalks Fader
24 BELLE AND SEBASTIAN Write About Love Matador
25 READING RAINBOW Prism Eyes
26 DELUKA You Are The Night VEL
27 PARTING GIFTS Strychnine Dandelions In The Red
28 BIKINI RIPJDS Lefse
29 ROYKSOPP Senior Musebox
30 AIR WAVES Dungeon Dots Underwater Peoples

Top 30 Jamz.

2010-12-03T05:20:00.000-08:00

1 J.C. SATAN Sick Of Love Slovenly
2 BELLE AND SEBASTIAN Write About Love Matador
3 MYELIN SHEATHS Get On Your Nerves SouthPaw
4 TYVEK Nothing Fits
5 ELVIS COSTELLO National Ransom Hear
6 MARNIE STERN Marnie Stern (2010) Kill Rock Stars
7 JOHN WESLEY COLEMAN Bad Lady Goes To Jail
8 PUJOL Black Rabbit [7-Inch] Third Man
9 MATT AND KIM Sidewalks Fader
10 BRIAN ENO Small Craft On A Milk Sea Warp
11 SUBTLE TURNIPS Terd HoZac
12 DEMON'S CLAWS The Defrosting Of... In The Red
13 READING RAINBOW Prism Eyes
14 WEEKEND Sports Slumberland
15 ANGELO SPENCER L'Orchidee D'Hawai [7"] K
16 NEIL YOUNG Le Noise Reprise
17 TYLER JAKES Burning Down The Undeground S/R
18 OH LAND Oh Land [EP]
19 ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE We Are Experimental Prophase
20 FRESH AND ONLYS Play It Strange In The Red
21 CLINIC Bubblegum Domino
22 RED RED RED New Action Big Neck
23 SURF CITY Kudos Fire
24 PHIL WILSON God Bless Jim Kennedy Slumberland
25 BLACK DUB Black Dub Jive
26 BIKINI RIPJDS Lefse
27 BEAR HANDS Burning Bush Supper Club Cantora
28 ZACH HILL Face Tat Sargent House
29 SUFJAN STEVENS The Age Of Adz Asthmatic Kitty
30 BLONDE REDHEAD Penny Sparkle 4AD

New Darlings Video

2010-11-29T17:27:00.001-08:00

Brooklyn's Darlings have just released a pretty sweet video for their newest single, "Big Girl."

JC Satan

2010-11-27T13:17:00.000-08:00

In the last year I've been turned onto the incredible garage pop scene that spans across places like France and Greece. It all started with WUSB faves, Acid Baby Jesus, and radiated to other glorious acts like Crash Normal and The Feeling of Love. Another band that kind of mingles in this really incredible scene is the one and only JC Satan who released what is probably among one of the best records of the year. Sick of Love is full of drowsy infectious punk gems and dazed noisy pop numbers toggling the theme of love. Look past the bizarre album art and embrace the warm vibes of JC Satan.

Top 30 Jamz.

2010-11-17T05:42:00.001-08:00

Honestly, these are the greatest charts we've had of all time. Ever.

1 MARNIE STERN Marnie Stern (2010) Kill Rock Stars
2 BRIAN ENO Small Craft On A Milk Sea Warp
3 NEIL YOUNG Le Noise Reprise
4 DEMON'S CLAWS The Defrosting Of... In The Red
5 SUFJAN STEVENS The Age Of Adz Asthmatic Kitty
6 BELLE AND SEBASTIAN Write About Love Matador
7 CYNDI LAUPER Memphis Blues Downtown
8 JOHN WESLEY COLEMAN Bad Lady Goes To Jail Goner
9 MATT AND KIM Sidewalks Fader
10 FRESH AND ONLYS Play It Strange In The Red
11 VASELINES Sex With An X Sub Pop
12 ZACH HILL Face Tat Sargent House
13 MYELIN SHEATHS Get On Your Nerves SouthPaw
14 ALLO DARLIN' Allo Darlin' Fortuna Pop
15 NOBUNNY First Blood Goner
16 DIEGO AND THE DISSIDENTS Contaminated Waters Quite Scientific
17 INTELLIGENCE Males In The Red
18 MAVIS STAPLES You Are Not Alone Anti
19 DEERHUNTER Halcyon Digest 4AD
20 KELLEY STOLTZ To Dreamers Sub Pop
21 SUN AIRWAY Nocturne Of Exploded Crystal Chandelier Dead Oceans
22 CLOUD NOTHINGS Turning On Carpark
23 ROYAL BATHS Litanies Woodsist
24 POMEGRANATES One Of Us Afternoon
25 KLAXONS Surfing The Void Modular
26 CHEAP TIME Fantastic Explanations (And Similar Situations) In The Red
27 SUN ARAW Off Duty/Boat Trip Woodsist
28 PRINCE RAMA Shadow Temple Paw Tracks
29 MASTERS OF REALITY Pine/Cross Dover Mascot
30 JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE Harlem River Blues Bloodshot

Fred Astaire

2010-11-11T21:59:00.000-08:00

Brooklyn's So So Glos are at it again with their glorious new EP, Low Back Chain Shift. The new EP is full of addictive anthemic punk songs that are sure to ignite a dance party anywhere they are performed. Each track builds and bursts with catchy guitar melodies and dancey beats coated with witty lyrics that will have you dancing and singing. Low Back Chain Shift continues to embody the spirit of Brooklyn that the band has become so well known for.

Crystal Stilts

2010-11-08T09:02:00.000-08:00

So I'm thinking that 2011 will be far more perfect than 2010 in terms of new releases. We're already kicking the year off with new releases from Young Prisms and the Crystal Stilts, both producing some of the greatest, fuzziest, pop jams ever. Crystal Stilts just released a 7" on Slumberland records that hints at what goods the full length will have. Haunting hazy vocals with spooky distorted keys and echoed guitars driven by the beat of the tambourine makes the b-side of this 7" absolutely perfect, pretty much like every other Crystal Stilts track that exists.

Young Prisms

2010-11-05T21:33:00.000-07:00

Just listened to what is going to probably be my favorite record of 2011. Young Prisms took CMJ by storm this year and they were honestly the only band that I really wanted to see. I wish it was easy to pick a jam for you, but I can't. So I'm just going to suggest you listen to what is probably the catchiest track, although EVERY SINGLE TRACK IS EPIC. Kanine just released a label sampler that will be in CR1 and you can peep some Young Prisms jams on there! In a mean time, think about how this album will be the best thing in 2011 besides having one year left to live. RIP THE WORLD 2012.

Featured: Ducktails

2010-11-03T21:37:00.000-07:00

To be released January 2011.

Ducktails is the one-man psychedelic pop project of Matthew Mondanile, guitarist for North Jersey's Real Estate and more importantly, a proud son of the mid-1980s. At 22 he started releasing his own cassette albums at first living in Northampton, MA. His first 7 inch came out on Breaking World Records followed by a string of LP's, Cassettes, and CD's on small independent likeminded labels like Not Not Fun, Olde English Spelling Bee, Release the Bats, Arbor, Goaty Tapes etc. Born in Ridgewood, NJ and now surrounded by a like-minded crew of young songwriters, Matt spends his time either touring or recording in the basement of his parent's house and partying in the city. Categorized by David Keenan as part of the "hypnagogic pop" movement, Ducktails attempts to realize a shared cultural memory and nostalgia through various genres, drone, psych, music concrete, etc. Ducktails III: Arcade Dynamics, is Mondanile's third official full-length LP and will be released by Woodsist Records in Jan. 2011. (from forcefieldpr.com)

Dreamy Canadians

2010-11-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

About a week or two ago I was searching the world wide web and stumbled upon one of the dreamiest bands in existence. The Shimmering Stars are a bunch of Canadians that make dreamy surf pop bliss. Distant sugar coated vocal harmonies over the warm splashy bass line makes East Van Girls one of the greatest pop jamz I've heard a pretty long time. PS - there is a video & track embedded above! PLZ check both out!

Top 30 Jamz.

2010-11-03T20:48:00.000-07:00

1 MARNIE STERN Marnie Stern (2010) Kill Rock Stars
2 DEMON'S CLAWS The Defrosting Of... In The Red
3 BASSNECTAR Wildstyle [EP] Amorphous
4 DEERHUNTER Halcyon Digest 4AD
5 !!! Strange Weather, Isn't It? Warp
6 NO AGE Everything In Between Sub Pop
7 ZACH HILL Face Tat Sargent House
8 DUNGEN Skit I Allt Mexican Summer
9 SUFJAN STEVENS The Age Of Adz Asthmatic Kitty
10 BELLE AND SEBASTIAN Write About Love Matador
11 DIRTY PROJECTORS Bitte Orca Domino
12 MATT COSTA Mobile Chateau Brushfire
13 TRICKY Mixed Race Domino
14 GRINDERMAN Grinderman 2 Anti
15 FILM SCHOOL Fission Hi-Speed Soul
16 BLONDE REDHEAD Penny Sparkle 4AD
17 BLACK MOUNTAIN Wilderness Heart Jagjaguwar
18 ROBERT PLANT Band Of Joy Rounder
19 SUN AIRWAY Nocturne Of Exploded Crystal Chandelier Dead Oceans
20 NOBUNNY First Blood Goner
21 WOMEN Public Strain Jagjaguwar
22 DIAMOND RINGS Special Affections Secret City
23 AVEY TARE Down There Paw Tracks
24 BLACK ANGELS Phosphene Dream BLUE HORIZON
25 FLYING LOTUS Pattern And Grid World Warp
26 HALF-HANDED CLOUD As Stowaways In Cabinets Of Surf, We Live-Out Our Members A Kind Of Rebirth Asthmatic Kitty
27 OF MONTREAL False Priest Polyvinyl
28 SALEM King Night Iamsound
29 SUPERCHUNK Majesty Shredding Merge
30 JOHN LEGEND AND THE ROOTS Wake Up! Columbia

Thank You

2010-11-03T20:38:00.000-07:00

Check out this sweet new trio from Baltimore! They have a new record coming out in January on Thrill Jockey Records!

Pattern + Gridworld

2010-11-03T12:29:00.000-07:00

The other day I was sitting in the WUSB music director’s office seriously wishing I had some headphones capable of deciphering whatever it was that was happening to me. Listening to Flying Lotus’ EP “Pattern+Grid World” is most definitely an experience within itself. It’s one of those “what the fuck!!??!” kind of experiences, but in a good way. You’ll have no trouble finding this EP worthy of infinite listens. The 1st time around everything hits you in a flurry. From the 8-bit video game blips and beeps to the almost calming manipulated vocals and synth sweeps, this EP leaves you itching to go back and delve deeper into the layers and layers of chaos to uncover how they are so intricately compiled to solidify this work as a whole. The opening track “Clay” is a whirlwind of what sounds like phased out voices from some realm unknown, desperately trying to make their way into some saving soul’s ears, and an astro-funk synth mixed with a smooth bass line. “Kill Your Coworkers”, the second track, begins with a sparse IDM-like drum beat that only takes a few seconds to build into a pulsing percussive background to 8-bit Mario coin grabbing sounds. Considering the rather violent tone present in the title of this track, its sound is relatively calm compared to most of the other numbers on this EP. Following “Kill Your Coworkers” is “Pie Face”. The dirty synth utilized in this tune makes it sound like a sped up dub step track. This one is almost danceable considering its repetitiveness.
Now we’re back to complete weirdness. “Time Vampires” is a track that sounds as eerie as its title. This is definitely one of those nightmare inducing tunes you would hear late at night snuck in behind some Adult Swim bumps while you’re lying half asleep on your living room couch, covered in a blanket of potato chip crumbs. The mixture of creepy voices and underwater sounds incorporated into the percussion make for a perfect Halloween song. The strange stillness present throughout “Time Vampires” leads into the chaotic, tribal “Jurassic Notion/M Theory.” This is probably the busiest track on the EP, but the tribal chants and percussion along with the pulsing bass provide the foundation to captivate the listener and leave them in a trance.
To continue the trance “Camera Day” comes along to keep the listener subdued. This is probably the calmest track on the EP and it makes for a nice, headnodic come down from the chaotic state induced by “Jurassic Notion/M Theory.” “Camera Day” would make for a great hip-hop instrumental. Once again the 8-bit sounds are present, this time reminiscent of intergalactic sounds. There is a sense of contentment present in the laid back vibe of this number and this in turn makes it aware to the listener that the EP is nearing its end, its final destination. It seems like this is where FlyLo is telling us that he’s taken us where he wanted to on this trip; he’s shown us the polar opposites of outer space, the teeming and kinetic energy of asteroids on collision course along with the still and dreamy aura of the cosmos.
And to close the EP, it’s back to chaos. “Physics for Everyone” is is like being in a futuristic space ship’s first trial on the outer edges of the galaxy with all of the alarms going off full blast while you know all you can do is wait and see what happens, maybe you’ll land on some paradise planet or be sucked into the never ending abyss of a black hole. Man, it would’ve been nice if things were as simple as in “Camera Day”, but they’re not and Flying Lotus decides to leave us with a head scratching end to the EP that fits perfectly with the drastic shifts of mood that pervades throughout “Patttern+Grid World” and our own world. There is no doubt that this EP is teeming with frenetic energy, but there always seems to be some underlying calmness on “Pattern+Grid World”, whether it is found in the background of a vivacious track or existing in one of the astral transition tracks, this is what Flying Lotus does so well. He knows how to stun his listeners into a hypnagogic state through the use of subtle cues looming in the created chaos. Maybe he’s trying to show us that there is still some peace and tranquility to be found in the restlessness of this modern world. Nonetheless, putting all philosophical interpretations of this EP aside, “Pattern+Grid World” is certainly worth a listen. No, it’s worth infinite listens.
Written by Stephen Hayes.

Allo Darlin'

2010-11-01T03:54:00.000-07:00

Check out this pretty rad video from Allo Darlin'!

La Sera

2010-11-01T02:57:00.000-07:00

New video from Katy Goodman's new band La Sera!

Down There

2010-10-17T11:05:00.000-07:00

Animal Collective is not every indie kid’s favorite band. In fact I hear some actually prefer Titus Andronicus, and the ones who’ve never been to Brooklyn like The Arcade Fire. There are probably a fair amount of kids traversing Brooklyn in skinny jeans and baseball caps (their brims un-folded) who could only name one member of the Animal Collective: Panda Bear. Noah Lennox has gotten to be the loveable member of Animal Collective, despite seeming more socially awkward and reticent than his band mates and never quite sharing equal billing with Animal Collective’s core member Dave Portner or Avey Tare, compositionally. Panda Bear is a great songwriter, but his songs don’t overshadow Tare’s as the great disparity in the popularities of their solo works suggest. Avey Tare sings less like Sting. His solo work lacks the swaggering hip hop beats of “Slow Motion.” He is not a dad, yet. He doesn’t live in Lisbon. These might all be a part of the problem.

Down There opens with “Laughing Hieroglyphics,” a seven minute song that evokes a hung-over morning after a night at a frightening vaudevillian carnival. Based largely on an accordion, which instantly brings his wife, who played accordion in múm, to mind, it might be the album’s best track. The album is somewhat top-heavy, with many of its best tracks appearing in the first half , but much like Animal Collective’s 2005 album Feels, (on which Avey Tare wrote every song but one) the album picks up again toward the end after a spacey lull. Unlike Feels, this lull is under ten minutes long and it is not the best part of the album. If Feels captured the motes dancing in the percolating sunlight of a valley and then receded into a dark, mystical forest only to emerge again triumphant at a sunny shoreline, Down There seems to follow a temporal arc that could not be more different, but is also oddly the same.

The light one wakes up in during “Laughing Hieroglyphics” is like the city on a foggy morning. Down There is a little chilly, and sounds like a cross-town walk on a sleepy morning of a day on which the sun never truly rises. “3 Umbrellas” is as close to ebullience as Down There gets. Its lyrical imagery and plinking piano evoke soft rain. Its guitar passages (which are masked exactly as those on Fall Be Kind are) play the haze. The dubiously titled “Oliver Twist” sounds subterranean, evokes a long cluttered wait for the R train. Avey Tare’s voice’s pitch is tweaked to eerie and hooky effect. Its chorus is the catchiest on the album, and is shrouded in rustling and wafting drones that would not have been foreign to an early Small Black song.

Like Feels, night falls, but when it does the sun doesn’t rise. There are a few slower songs that recede from the listener’s attention, flowing seamlessly into one another, one of Down There’s most admirable characteristics. The segues between songs are orchestrated perfectly, reminiscent of AC’s Merriweather Post Pavilion and Strawberry Jam, but in a manner consistent with Down There’s sound, are even subtler. The album picks up again during the second half of “Heather in the Hospital” and continues through closer and first single “Lucky 1.” “Lucky 1” is a walk beneath the el. Something that you pray is water drips down on you steadily, beneath the tracks. A familiar electronic buzz resounds; the album’s best percussion hisses and clinks, a far-off cymbal is struck. The sun has yet to rise and you worry for your wallet. This night is warmer than the last. A strange image of Brooklyn, Tare’s current place of residence, passes in the periphery, somewhat akin to Henry Miller’s idealized dystopian Brooklyn of Tropic of Capricorn. An organ pumps, suggesting the accordion of “Laughing Hieroglyphic” and a full circle is drawn out in the yellow fog that rises from street-side vents. You can almost see Avey Tare smile, as he grimaces, inquires, “Are you crying?”
Written by Josh Ginsberg

New Light Asylum Video

2010-10-15T18:34:00.001-07:00

Madd deep.

Top 30 Jamz

2010-10-12T11:24:00.000-07:00

1 DIRTY PROJECTORS Bitte Orca Domino
2 MARNIE STERN Marnie Stern (2010) Kill Rock Stars
3 NO AGE Everything In Between Sub Pop
4 VASELINES Sex With An X Sub Pop
5 NOBUNNY First Blood Goner
6 DEERHUNTER Halcyon Digest 4AD
7 BLONDE REDHEAD Penny Sparkle 4AD
8 FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS Pickin' Up The Pieces Dangerbird
9 LES SAVY FAV Root For Ruin Frenchkiss
10 OCTOPUS PROJECT Hexadecagon Peek-A-Boo
11 CLINIC Bubblegum Domino
12 JENNY AND JOHNNY I'm Having Fun Now Warner-Warner Bros.
13 GONJASUFI The Caliph's Tea Party Warp
14 WOMEN Public Strain Jagjaguwar
15 DIGNAN PORCH Tendrils Captured Tracks
16 FLYING LOTUS Pattern And Grid World Warp
17 GRINDERMAN Grinderman 2 Anti
18 OF MONTREAL False Priest Polyvinyl
19 CHROMEO Business Casual Atlantic
20 CORIN TUCKER BAND 1,000 Years Kill Rock Stars
21 BLACK ANGELS Phosphene Dream BLUE HORIZON
22 PRINCE RAMA Shadow Temple Paw Tracks
23 FRANKIE ROSE AND THE OUTS Frankie Rose And The Outs Slumberland
24 HOT PANDA How Come I'm Dead? Mint
25 HALF-HANDED CLOUD As Stowaways In Cabinets Of Surf, We Live-Out Our Members A Kind Of Rebirth Asthmatic Kitty
26 FUR CUPS FOR TEETH FCFU
27 ARCADE FIRE The Suburbs Merge
28 !!! Strange Weather, Isn't It? Warp
29 MICE PARADE What It Means To Be Left Handed FatCat
30 DARKER MY LOVE Alive As You Are Dangerbird

Dignan Porch

2010-10-09T09:36:00.001-07:00

Dignan Porch is a dreamy pop band from South London. Their newish record from Captured Tracks is full of delicately crafted hazy pop jamz that are too catchy for their bitter-sweet shortness. They really should be longer. Distorted instruments and thick distant weathered vocals make Tendrils feel like a memory found in an acid trip, probably from the 60's. It's a pretty great record and you should really give it a listen! (it won't take long). "As You Were" is without a doubt the catchiest track on Tendrils, but it feels like an idea that never really has an ending. The verses feel more like choruses and right when you get to the sweetness of something else, it suddenly ends at a short 81 seconds. Check out this sugary pop gem now!

Featured: The Dollyrots

2010-10-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

This year The Dollyrots released their third full-length album, entitled A Little Messed Up (Blackheart Records), to its ever-expanding fanbase. With a host of tours, recording sessions, t.v. and movie appearances, plus a sizable repertoire of songs, The Dollyrots aren’t fresh out of the garage. If there’s one thing that experience can offer, it’s learning from past missteps and building on the successes. And they’ve got a lot to be proud of! After meeting the band on Warped Tour, Joan Jett quickly signed them to her label, Blackheart Records and in 2007 released their next album, Because I’m Awesome. It was this sophomore effort that really propelled the band to awesome new heights. They supported these releases with a couple years of steady touring (Bowling For Soup, Buzzcocks), plus song placements and acting stints in television shows (Ugly Betty, CSI: NY, Greek, The Price Is Right) and commercials (HP, Kohls). And, fortunately for the band (which also features powerhouse drummer Chris Black), they struck these deals during the right decade. [from thesyn.com]

Top 30 Jamz

2010-10-05T13:48:00.001-07:00

1 NOBUNNY First Blood Goner
2 NO AGE Everything In Between Sub Pop
3 SUPERCHUNK Majesty Shredding Merge
4 PRINCE RAMA Shadow Temple Paw Tracks
5 INTERPOL Interpol (2010) Matador
6 RA RA RIOT The Orchard Barsuk
7 LES SAVY FAV Root For Ruin Frenchkiss
8 BLONDE REDHEAD Penny Sparkle 4AD
9 INTELLIGENCE Males In The Red
10 VASELINES Sex With An X Sub Pop
11 MAVIS STAPLES You Are Not Alone Anti
12 FRANKIE ROSE AND THE OUTS Frankie Rose And The Outs Slumberland
13 DUNGEN Skit I Allt Mexican Summer
14 FILM SCHOOL Fission Hi-Speed Soul
15 OCTOPUS PROJECT Hexadecagon Peek-A-Boo
16 BLACK ANGELS Phosphene Dream BLUE HORIZON
17 HUSKY RESCUE Ship Of Light Catskills
18 FOUR TET Angel Echoes (Remixes) Domino
19 MICE PARADE What It Means To Be Left Handed FatCat
20 KYLE ANDREWS Kangaroo Elephant Lady
21 JENNY AND JOHNNY I'm Having Fun Now Warner-Warner Bros.
22 JUNIP Fields Mute
23 MOUNTAIN MAN Made The Harbor Partisan
24 EELS Tomorrow Morning E Works
25 GRINDERMAN Grinderman 2 Anti
26 DEERHUNTER Halcyon Digest 4AD
27 CHILLY GONZALES Ivory Tower Arts And Crafts
28 GROWLERS Hot Tropics Everloving
29 DIRTY PROJECTORS Bitte Orca Domino
30 DOLLYROTS A Little Messed Up Blackheart

Nickelus F

2010-10-04T20:14:00.000-07:00

Nickelus F is definitely the man to watch in 2011. His new free mixtape, Season Premiere, has taken the world wide web by storm. Clean beats, smooth flow, and smart lyrics have driven Season Premiere to be one of my favorite things at the moment. One track, Never Comin Down, I think I've listened to at least 100 times in the last week. Never Comin Down is like the love child of Kanye West and Wale. Hailing from Richmond, VA, Nickelus F is making noise from the same scene that gave birth to the sweet talent of Pharrell Williams and Clipse.

Twin Shadow

2010-10-04T18:41:00.000-07:00

Dustin Wong

2010-10-03T20:45:00.000-07:00

Infinite Love is the musical adventures of Dustin Wong taken by incredible layers of guitar loops and the rare appearance of the drum machine. Infinite Love is, in many ways, like an RL Stine novel. Remember when you were able to choose the ending of the story? Well, Infinite Love was conceptualized to be experienced as two different journeys which begin on the same path. Wong calls his adventures twins, a brother and sister, that are separated and then rejoined. Each path has magnificent orchestras of webs spun by guitar loops, each one toggled with the magic of a pedal to expand and stretch, building on the fullness of each song. With Infinite Love, Wong has crafted one of the finest records of this year. Check it out in CR1 now!

Halcyon Digest

2010-10-02T17:48:00.000-07:00

After a disappointing 2009 EP, Rainwater Cassette Exchange, a release steeped in sixties pop posturing and a woefully apparent love of the Strokes, Deerhunter returns with the pleasant, pastoral—aw, fuck it—halcyon space-pop of Halcyon Digest. Halcyon Digest is held together by hazy motifs like reinvented memories, mystified as a result of front-man Bradford Cox’s demystifying effluences: statements issued to the press and blogosphere with clocklike regularity. What makes Halcyon Digest a good album is largely its cohesion. As evocative of Cox’s side project Atlas Sound’s Logos as it is of Microcastle, Halcyon Digest finds the healthy balance among the different touchstones that Cox has been, well, touching upon since Cryptograms in 2007.

The slow motion opener “Earthquake” seems to breathe: swelling with each intake of air to grandiose, sail-like proportions: efflorescing, slowly: chiller than chillwave… “Revival” would have been the best track on last year’s EP. Brief, beautifully textured garage rock, “Revival” offers the most top-knotch-Deerhunter per minute, by concentration.

The album’s best track comes just before the middle: secondary singer and guitarist Locket Pundt’s “Desire Lines.” With a vocal melody subtly lifted from the Strokes (actually, quite overtly—any subtlety stems only from the fact the stolen hook is from First Impressions of Earth, an album the indie-tastic community has seemingly forgotten), “Desire Lines” is Halcyon Digest’s most Microcastle-like song: a groovy, tumescent cousin to “Nothing Ever Happened,” with the album’s catchiest guitar work (a riff evocative of “Just Like Heaven” with a jolting, visceral crest) and swells, the top of its mix rendered cellophane.

The two best tracks on the album’s second half are spiritually akin. The elegiac “Helicopter” and “He Would Have Laughed” are culled of space-age harpsichords. The former tells the story of a Russian politician’s gay lover, who meets his death being thrown from a helicopter. The story is told in flashes. There is no narrative, only the God-fearing confusion of the murdered man, faced with the hideous and frightening realization that his welcome and that the love felt for him have been exhausted. The latter, recorded by Cox alone, an apparent farewell to nü-punk’s fallen angel, Jay Reatard and sounds more like Logos than anything else on the record.

Like Cryptograms before it, Halcyon Digest is more about mood than a consistent good time. Halcyon Digest has its lulls, but within the context of the listening experience they are less boring than—fuck it, I’ll say it again—halcyon. If calmness, a record that drifts, languishes, considers a time “when you were young and your excitement showed” that has passed bear any allure, check it out. Listen while driving, at day or night.

Written by Josh Ginsberg

Top 30 Jamz.

2010-10-01T21:12:00.000-07:00

1 DUSTIN WONG infinite love thrill jockey
2 DEERHUNTER "Halcyon Days" [Single]
3 WOMEN Public Strain Jagjaguwar
4 DIAMOND RINGS Special Affections Secret City
5 HEY CHAMP Star Townie
-
1 FRANKIE ROSE AND THE OUTS Frankie Rose And The Outs Slumberland
2 THERMALS Personal Life Kill Rock Stars
3 EELS Tomorrow Morning E Works
4 RA RA RIOT The Orchard Barsuk
5 MAVIS STAPLES You Are Not Alone Anti
6 SUPERCHUNK Majesty Shredding Merge
7 BLONDE REDHEAD Penny Sparkle 4AD
8 WAVVES King Of The Beach Fat Possum
9 ARCADE FIRE The Suburbs Merge
10 TROMBONE SHORTY Backatown Verve Forecast
11 CHILLY GONZALES Ivory Tower Arts And Crafts
12 INTERPOL Interpol (2010) Matador
13 LES SAVY FAV Root For Ruin Frenchkiss
14 LIMES Rhinestone River Goner
15 GRINDERMAN Grinderman 2 Anti
16 DARKER MY LOVE Alive As You Are Dangerbird
17 AMI SARAIYA Archaeologist Self-Released
18 SHANNON STEPHENS Shannon Stephens Asthmatic Kitty
19 JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE Harlem River Blues Bloodshot
20 ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS Thank You For Your Love [EP] Secretly Canadian
21 VASELINES Sex With An X Sub Pop
22 OF MONTREAL False Priest Polyvinyl
23 DUNGEN Skit I Allt Mexican Summer
24 BEAR IN HEAVEN Beast Rest Forth Mouth: Remixed Hometapes
25 !!! Strange Weather, Isn't It? Warp
26 NO AGE Everything In Between Sub Pop
27 INTELLIGENCE Males In The Red
28 WEEZER Hurley Epitaph
29 MODERN SUPERSTITIONS All The Things We've Been Told Pink Noise
30 SWANS My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky Young God

Top 30 Jamz.

2010-09-24T07:29:00.001-07:00

1 GROWLERS Hot Tropics Everloving
2 WEEZER Hurley Epitaph
3 SISTERS Ghost Fits Narnack
4 NO AGE Everything In Between Sub Pop
5 NOBUNNY First Blood Goner

1 THERMALS Personal Life Kill Rock Stars
2 ARCADE FIRE The Suburbs Merge
3 OF MONTREAL False Priest Polyvinyl
4 FRANKIE ROSE AND THE OUTS Frankie Rose And The Outs Slumberland
5 DUNGEN Skit I Allt Mexican Summer
6 EELS Tomorrow Morning E Works
7 BOOKS The Way Out Temporary Residence
8 FILM SCHOOL Fission Hi-Speed Soul
9 SCREAMING FEMALES Castle Talk Self-Released
10 INTELLIGENCE Males In The Red
11 CUT SUPREME The Trial Mad Knightz
12 SWANS My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky Young God
13 BLACK ANGELS Phosphene Dream BLUE HORIZON
14 LES SAVY FAV Root For Ruin Frenchkiss
15 WOVEN BONES "I've Gotta Get" [Single] Hardly Art
16 MAHJONGG The Long Shadow Of The Paper Tiger K
17 SUBWAY SURFERS Three Chords And A Mission DEEP EDDY
18 TROMBONE SHORTY Backatown Verve Forecast
19 !!! Strange Weather, Isn't It? Warp
20 WALKMEN Lisbon Fat Possum
21 PERFUME GENIUS Learning Matador
22 BEAR IN HEAVEN Beast Rest Forth Mouth: Remixed Hometapes
23 CHILLY GONZALES Ivory Tower Arts And Crafts
24 MATTHEW DEAR Black City Ghostly
25 PRINCE RAMA Shadow Temple Paw Tracks
26 RA RA RIOT The Orchard Barsuk
27 SUPER WILD HORSES Fifteen
28 BLONDE REDHEAD Penny Sparkle 4AD
29 ABE VIGODA Crush PPM
30 MAVIS STAPLES You Are Not Alone Anti

Hookup Klub

2010-09-16T21:11:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite labels of all time, Hozac Records, has just released most of Round One of their special Hookup Klub series. Hookup Klub is like a magazine subscription, but only for epic 7"s that you will rarely find copies of unless you're subscribed to it. There are tracks from some your favorite bands including Dum Dum Girls, Woven Bones, and Box Elders! Check out this track from a band called White Mystery, the red-headed duo of Alex and Francis White from Chicago, IL. It's pretty bad ass and has killer vocals, but it's not too FCC friendly.

New Darlings EP!

2010-09-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

About a year ago, Darlings released an epic full length on Famous Class Records that tore up the tender airwaves of WUSB. They're at it again with a new EP and they've actually released a really sweet sugary single called Big Girl that has the same poppy vibes that Weezer had back in the day. Being compared to the old Rivers is never a bad thing, right? I'm pretty stoked to hear what the rest of the EP will be like, so stay on the look out for it's birth in our studio! In a meantime, check out this insanely catchy single, Big Girl!

Top 30 Jamz

2010-09-14T18:23:00.000-07:00

1 THERMALS Personal Life
2 CUT SUPREME The Trial Mad Knightz
3 WALKMEN Lisbon
4 ARCADE FIRE The Suburbs Merge
5 MATTHEW DEAR Black City Ghostly
6 FRANKIE ROSE AND THE OUTS Frankie Rose And The Outs Slumberland
7 BEAR IN HEAVEN Beast Rest Forth Mouth: Remixed Hometapes
8 PRINCE RAMA Shadow Temple Paw Tracks
9 WOVEN BONES In And Out And Back Again Hozac
10 SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS Disconnect From Desire Vagrant-Ghostly
11 !!! Strange Weather, Isn't It?
12 LES SAVY FAV Root For Ruin Frenchkiss
13 SOCIAL STUDIES Wind Up Wooden Heart Antenna Farm
14 THEE OH SEES Warm Slime In The Red
15 BEST COAST Crazy For You Mexican Summer
16 TROMBONE SHORTY Backatown Verve Forecast
17 INTELLIGENCE Males In The Red
18 DUNGEN Skit I Allt Mexican Summer
19 GRASS WIDOW Past Time Kill Rock Stars
20 BOOKS The Way Out Temporary Residence
21 DEVO Something For Everybody Warner Bros.
22 ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS Thank You For Your Love [EP]
23 EELS Tomorrow Morning E Works
24 FOUR TET Angel Echoes (Remixes)
25 MOUNTAIN MAN Made The Harbor Partisan
26 CHILLY GONZALES Ivory Tower Arts And Crafts
27 MAHJONGG The Long Shadow Of The Paper Tiger K
28 SCREAMING FEMALES Castle Talk Self-Released
29 JUNK CULTURE West Coast [EP] Illegal Art
30 FILM SCHOOL Fission

Frankie Rose

2010-09-10T10:26:00.001-07:00

Frankie Rose is probably the coolest chick around. She walked out on some of the best bands in the "indie" rock scene including Vivian Girls, Dum Dum Girls, & Crystal Stilts. She just released her debut LP on Slumberland which is full of sweet jangley pop jams laced with sugary delicate harmonies. Check out the track Candy which is probably a lot bolder and more dancey than anything else on the record!

New Video From The Humms!

2010-09-10T06:57:00.000-07:00

The Humms' latest release, Lemonland, tore up the WUSB airwaves over the summer. Check out this new video for a track called, Buttermilk!

Chilliez

2010-09-09T19:20:00.000-07:00

For all of you disco-heads, there's this Canadian dude called Chilly Gonzales that ran away to Berlin some years ago and now makes epic piano based disco jamz with heavy electronic and hip hop influences. It's like Boyz Noise meets Wallpaper. meets some kind of crazy insane piano player. There's a track on the album called I Am Europe and it's probably the catchiest disco jam I've heard in a really long time. There's another track called Never Stop that is also pretty insane. Each jam starts off slow, breaks in with catchy piano melodies, and then bursts with a bass line that screams disco. Don't Stop continues to get other instrumental loops layered in like this epic disco cake, but I Am Europe calms down and gets coated with humorous clever lyrics
about European stereotypes and then explodes into a stellar dance jam. You're really gonna love it. I'm gonna post both tracks since I can't choose one.

The Intelligence

2010-09-09T18:57:00.000-07:00

Seattle natives, The Intelligence, just released yet another epic record on In The Red Records. If you're into A-Frames or Unnatural Helpers, they're all in each others bands or were at some point. It's a pretty good record, although the production is a lot cleaner sounding that anything else I've heard of theirs. There's a pretty sweet track called c.b. and I wish I could write something here, but maybe you should just listen to it instead!

Top 30 Jamz

2010-09-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

1 ARCADE FIRE The Suburbs Merge
2 !!! Strange Weather, Isn't It?
3 FILM SCHOOL Fission
4 BEST COAST Crazy For You Mexican Summer
5 DEVO Something For Everybody Warner Bros.
6 SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS Disconnect From Desire Vagrant-Ghostly
7 INTELLIGENCE Males In The Red
8 CUT SUPREME The Trial Mad Knightz
9 SOCIAL STUDIES Wind Up Wooden Heart Antenna Farm
10 MAHJONGG The Long Shadow Of The Paper Tiger K
11 FRONTIER RUCKUS Deadmalls And Nightfalls Ramseur
12 RA RA RIOT The Orchard Barsuk
13 BRAD LANER Natural Selections Hometapes
14 MOUNTAIN MAN Made The Harbor Partisan
15 SCREAMING FEMALES Castle Talk Self-Released
16 WAVVES King Of The Beach Fat Possum
17 MAGIC KIDS Memphis True Panther Sounds
18 DREAMEND So I Ate Myself, Bite By Bite Graveface
19 GRASS WIDOW Past Time Kill Rock Stars
20 BOOKS The Way Out Temporary Residence
21 RATATAT LP4 XL
22 WALKMEN Lisbon
23 PVT Church With No Magic Warp
24 TO ROCOCO ROT Speculation Domino
25 LES SAVY FAV Root For Ruin Frenchkiss
26 EELS Tomorrow Morning E Works
27 LAND OF TALK Cloak And Cipher Saddle Creek
28 SUPER WILD HORSES Fifteen
29 FOUR TET Angel Echoes (Remixes)
30 DARKER MY LOVE Alive As You Are Dangerbird

Food Videos

2010-09-02T22:24:00.000-07:00

Seem to be pretty popular these days. Big Troubles kicked it off with their latest food adventures in the suburbs, but now Strong Arm Steady rhyme about the kind of food they like their girls eating. It's clearly all about the food these days.

The Thermals Are Like Rabbits.

2010-09-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

I don't know if these baby rabbits are the most adorable things in the world or just tiny frightening creatures. I kind of feel the same way about the last few Thermals records. They're all pure sugary punk jams with catchy choruses that will have you shouting along and bouncy bass lines to leave you dancing, but they aren't too spectacular. Or are they? See I told you so, it's just like those damn bunny rabbits. Personal Life delivers more of the same, but isn't that why we love the Thermals? Yes indeed it is. Honestly, I would suggest every track following the first two tracks, but you should really check out "A Reflection" and the song for this pretty rad video below, "I Don't Believe You."

Magic Kids

2010-08-31T22:09:00.000-07:00

Check out this strangely produced video for the new Magic Kids single, Superball. It makes me a bit uncomfortable, but still an awesome poppy jam!

Top 30 Jamz.

2010-08-31T08:38:00.000-07:00

1 ARCADE FIRE The Suburbs Merge
2 WAVVES King Of The Beach Fat Possum
3 !!! Strange Weather, Isn't It?
4 BOOKS The Way Out Temporary Residence
5 LOVE LANGUAGE Libraries Merge
6 ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI Before Today 4AD
7 ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO Street Songs Of Love Fantasy
8 BEST COAST Crazy For You Mexican Summer
9 CANDY CLAWS Hidden Lands Twosyllable
10 MATTHEW DEAR Black City Ghostly
11 ELI PAPERBOY REED Come And Get It Capitol
12 MENOMENA Mines Barsuk
13 MAGIC KIDS Memphis True Panther Sounds
14 BUDOS BAND The Budos Band III Daptone
15 GOV'T MULE Mulennium Evil Teen
16 PVT Church With No Magic Warp
17 OF MONTREAL "Coquet Coquette" [Single] Polyvinyl
18 KYLE ANDREWS Kangaroo
19 TOM JONES Praise And Blame Lost Highway
20 BATHS Cerulean Anticon
21 DAN MANGAN Nice, Nice, Very Nice Arts And Crafts
22 PERFUME GENIUS Learning Matador
23 MOUNTAIN MAN Made The Harbor Partisan
24 DREAMEND So I Ate Myself, Bite By Bite Graveface
25 LOST IN THE TREES All Alone In An Empty House Anti
26 DALE EARNHARDT JR. JR. Horse Power [EP] Quite Scientific
27 CALIBRO 35 Ritornano Quelli Di... Nublu
28 SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU BORIS YELTSIN Let It Sway
29 COLOUR REVOLT The Cradle New Fear-Dualtone
30 ELSINORE Yes Yes Yes Parasol

Fitz

2010-08-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

Fitz & the Tantrums just released their second full length record, Pickin' Up The Pieces, on Dangerbird records. Their music is inspired by the sweet sounds of 60's Motown and AM Radio. These California natives make striking soul pop jamz that will have you singing and dancing like you never did. Pickin' Up The Pieces, continues to keep the retro Motown sound fresh and saucy without taking away the essence of it. MoneyGrabber is a jam that is full of funk and dancey beats. As I'm writing this, my mother keeps storming in here and telling me to lower it because she hates it. Anyway, Fitz is quite a vocalist, keeping every word he sings fearless and sweet. MoneyGrabber is the perfect jam, regardless of what your mother thinks. I think after you listen to this, you'll seriously be singing the chorus for the rest of the day.

Top 30 Jamz

2010-08-24T22:24:00.000-07:00

1 ARCADE FIRE The Suburbs Merge
2 LOVE LANGUAGE Libraries Merge
3 BOOKS The Way Out Temporary Residence
4 PVT Church With No Magic Warp
5 FOUR TET Angel Echoes (Remixes)
6 TOM JONES Praise And Blame Lost Highway
7 R.E.M. FABLES OF THE RECONSTRUCTION I.R.S.
8 TROMBONE SHORTY Backatown Verve Forecast
9 BUDOS BAND The Budos Band III Daptone
10 JUNK CULTURE West Coast [EP] Illegal Art
11 WAVVES King Of The Beach Fat Possum
12 AMI SARAIYA Archaeologist Self-Released
13 BEST COAST Crazy For You Mexican Summer
14 COMMON GRACKLE The Great Depression Fake Four
15 PERFUME GENIUS Learning Matador
16 CARISSA'S WIERD They'll Only Miss You When You Leave: Songs 1996-2003 Hardly Art
17 LOST IN THE TREES All Alone In An Empty House Anti
18 ELI PAPERBOY REED Come And Get It Capitol
19 FOL CHEN Part 2: The New December Asthmatic Kitty
20 OF MONTREAL "Coquet Coquette" [Single] Polyvinyl
21 MAHJONGG The Long Shadow Of The Paper Tiger K
22 ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI Before Today 4AD
23 CEO White Magic Modular
24 DAN MANGAN Nice, Nice, Very Nice Arts And Crafts
25 JAILL That's How We Burn Sub Pop
26 WOVEN BONES In And Out And Back Again Hozac
27 SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS Disconnect From Desire Ghostly-Vagrant
28 GOV'T MULE Mulennium Evil Teen
29 THEE OH SEES Warm Slime In The Red
30 COLLEEN AND PAUL Colleen And Paul Boompa

Women

2010-08-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

This fall, Calgary's Women are finally releasing their heavily anticipated new record, Public Strain, on Jagjaguwar Records. Public Strain is a brilliant record full of fuzzy layered instruments and distant drowning vocals. Their Self-Titled release in 2008 was perfect, but somehow Public Strain goes even further than what they previously created. This is probably one of my favorite records of 2010 and hopefully it'll be yours, too! The jam that first caught my attention was the second track, Heat Distraction. It starts off as this poppy retro jam that could be a White Fence song, but pulls back with creepy haunting vocals and strangely tuned guitar melodies. Look for it in CR1 this fall!

Acid Baby Jesus / Hospitals

2010-08-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

The sweet dudes of Acid Baby Jesus enjoyed a nice spot on our top 30 for the few weeks that their S/T cassette was in the studio. Their awesome garage punk jamz took a spot in the hearts of many deejays at WUSB, but what's next for this Athens based band?! They just put up a new jam called Hospitals, which probably won't end up in the studio until there's an official release for it. Hospitals moves to a cleaner, harder sound for the band with the addition of some sweet keys at the end.

Beach Fossils

2010-08-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

So this summer, I listened to Beach Fossils a lot and I added their new S/T record to our studio, but I never actually told you how rad it was! Beach Fossils make warm catchy pop music that will make it feel like it's summer any day of the year. The track that always get stuck in my head after one of their shows is this song called Vacation. Fuzzy vocals and the catchiest guitar melodies make this song one of the greatest jamz from 2010. If I made a list of the top jamz of 2010, this would probably be close to number one. I didn't actually listen to the record so much, mostly because it's a bit redundant. But if you like one song, you'll probably like all of them! Check out this record before it's time in the new music library expires! Oh no!

Big Stomaches

2010-08-20T16:27:00.001-07:00

The boys of Big Troubles released a video a while ago hitting all the sweetest food joints in their hometown. Check out the awesome video and dope jam!

Drowning.

2010-08-19T10:50:00.000-07:00

God, how I hated reading about Wavves: Wavves this, Wavves that, Wavves has some kind of mental breakdown, Wavves gets 31 women pregnant, Wavves jacks Jay Reatard's band, etc. I hate the web's infatuation with the young and tender Nathan Williams, but nevertheless; I fell into the trap. I mean how could you not! The newly released King Of The Beach was the only thing I could listen to this summer! I actually had withdrawals from the record when I wouldn't listen to it. It was pretty much the only thing that put me in a good mood. You should listen to the jam Linus Spacehead. It's all about flying, being god, or taking madd acid.

Super Wild Horses

2010-08-18T11:56:00.000-07:00

The newest full length release from Hozac Records!

Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr

2010-08-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr bring the world delightful jamz with a sweet tropical sound reminiscent of the sun soaked landscape in their hometown of Detroit. JPPP. But these Detroit babies just released a really sweet EP called Horse Power with four catchy pop jamz that will make the rest of your summer feel longer. I wasn't hooked in until I heard the second track called Vocal Chords that will surely be stuck in my head for the next month. It's the ideal tropical electro-pop jam with a really sweet blissful chorus. You can also check out the fourth track that covers the Beach Boys' God Only Knows! It's pretty dope!

Top 30 Jamz.

2010-08-10T07:15:00.000-07:00

Adds

1 ARCADE FIRE The Suburbs Merge
2 REVOLVER Revolver [EP] Astralwerks
3 COTTON JONES Tall Hours In The Glowstream Suicide Squeeze
4 DAN MANGAN Nice, Nice, Very Nice Arts And Crafts
5 BLUE GIANT Blue Giant Vanguard--

Top 30

1 WAVVES King Of The Beach Fat Possum
2 SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS Disconnect From Desire Ghostly-Vagrant
3 BOOKS The Way Out Temporary Residence
4 ELI PAPERBOY REED Come And Get It Capitol
5 DEVO Something For Everybody Warner Bros.
6 MINIATURE TIGERS Fortress Modern Art
7 SOCIAL STUDIES Wind Up Wooden Heart Antenna Farm
8 JAMMER Jahmanji Big Dada
9 OPEN MIKE EAGLE Unapologetic Art Rap Mush
10 DANGER MOUSE AND SPARKLEHORSE Dark Night Of The Soul EMI
11 FOL CHEN Part 2: The New December Asthmatic Kitty
12 TAME IMPALA Innerspeaker Modular
13 JAILL That's How We Burn Sub Pop
14 GAYNGS Relayted Jagjaguwar
15 MORCHEEBA Blood Like Lemonade Pias
16 MAPS AND ATLASES Perch Patchwork Barsuk
17 TO ROCOCO ROT Speculation Domino
18 WE LIKE CATS Proper Eats Marriage
19 BATHS Cerulean Anticon
20 GLITCH MOB Drink The Sea Glass Air
21 DRUMS The Drums Downtown
22 CHEMICAL BROTHERS Further Astralwerks
23 R.E.M. FABLES OF THE RECONSTRUCTION I.R.S.
24 BEACH FOSSILS Beach Fossils Captured Tracks
25 TELEGRAPH CANYON The Tide And The Current Spune-Velvet Blue Music
26 ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO Street Songs Of Love Fantasy
27 PERFUME GENIUS Learning Matador
28 UPSILON ACRUX Upsilon Live
29 HERBALISER Herbal Tonic Ninja Tune
30 STREETS ON FIRE This Is Fancy Currency Exchange

Top 30 Jamz.

2010-07-07T13:28:00.001-07:00

Adds

1 CLOUD NOTHINGS "Didn't You " [Single] Old Flame
2 BATHS Cerulean Anticon
3 LOVE LANGUAGE Libraries [
4 DRUMS The Drums Downtown
5 GLOBES Sinter Songs [EP] Self-Released

Top 30

1 CHEMICAL BROTHERS Further
2 BLACK KEYS Brothers Nonesuch
3 TAME IMPALA Innerspeaker Modular
4 MARCO BENEVENTO Between Needles And Nightfall Royal Potato Family
5 ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI Before Today 4AD
6 TENDER TRAP Dansette Dansette
7 SHARON JONES AND THE DAP KINGS I Learned The Hard Way Daptone
8 MATES OF STATE Crushes (The Covers Mixtape) Self-Released
9 DEVO New Traditionalists Warner Bros.
10 CESCHI The One Man Band Broke Up Fake Four
11 ALEX B Moments Elm And Oak
12 WILD NOTHING Gemini Captured Tracks
13 FUNKI PORCINI On Nina Tune
14 TENDER FOREVER No Snare K
15 PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART Say No To Love [EP] Slumberland
16 DANGER MOUSE AND SPARKLEHORSE Dark Night Of The Soul EMI
17 FROG EYES Paul's Tomb: A Triumph Dead Oceans
18 CRYSTAL CASTLES Crystal Castles II Universal
19 FLYING LOTUS Cosmogramma Warp
20 WOODS At Echo Lake Woodsist
21 HUNDRED IN THE HANDS The Desert Warp
22 BOOKA SHADE More! Get Physical
23 COWBOY JUNKIES The Nomad Series Volume 1: Renmin Park Latent
24 SLOTHBEAR Qids
25 GASLIGHT ANTHEM American Slang SideOne Dummy
26 DAMIEN JURADO Saint Bartlett Secretly Canadian
27 THE LIKE Release Me Downtown
28 WE ARE SCIENTISTS Barbara MRI
29 TY SEGALL Melted Goner
30 CASIOKIDS Topp Stemning Pa Lokal Bar Polyvinyl

Top 30 Jamz.

2010-07-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

1 MAPS AND ATLASES Perch Patchwork Barsuk
2 PROCEDURE CLUB Doomed Forever Slumberland
3 PERFUME GENIUS Learning Matador
4 CESCHI The One Man Band Broke Up Fake Four
5 FOL CHEN Part 2: The New December Asthmatic Kitty

1 TAME IMPALA Innerspeaker Modular
2 LCD SOUNDSYSTEM This Is Happening EMI
3 WOLF PARADE Expo 86 Sub Pop
4 LCD SOUNDSYSTEM This Is Happening EMI
5 ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI Before Today 4AD
6 JANELLE MONAE The ArchAndroid Bad Boy
7 TEENAGE FANCLUB Shadows Merge
8 HERE WE GO MAGIC Pigeons Secretly Canadian
9 CHEMICAL BROTHERS Further
10 TENDER TRAP Dansette Dansette
11 DEVO New Traditionalists Warner Bros.
12 NEW PORNOGRAPHERS Together Matador
13 DEER TICK Black Dirt Sessions Partisan
14 MARCO BENEVENTO Between Needles And Nightfall Royal Potato Family
15 CRYSTAL CASTLES Crystal Castles II Universal
16 DANGER MOUSE AND SPARKLEHORSE Dark Night Of The Soul EMI
17 FUNKI PORCINI On Nina Tune
18 RATATAT LP4 XL
19 CLUB 8 The People's Record Labrador
20 WILD NOTHING Gemini Captured Tracks
21 WOODS At Echo Lake Woodsist
22 PEGGY SUE Fossils And Other Phantoms Yep Roc
23 ACTIVE CHILD Curtis Lane [EP] Filter
24 MAGIC BULLETS Magic Bullets Mon Amie
25 GLITCH MOB Drink The Sea Glass Air
26 TY SEGALL Melted Goner
27 DEAD WEATHER Sea Of Cowards Warner Bros.
28 SIA We Are Born Jive
29 PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART Say No To Love [EP] Slumberland
30 TOKYO POLICE CLUB Champ Mom And Pop

Tame Impalas Are Everywhere

2010-06-27T19:54:00.000-07:00

Innerspeaker is like wild psychedelic adventure through the sixties. Tame Impala have crafted an epic new record that is quite amazing from start to finish. If you haven't explored the many sounds of Innerspeaker, I suggest you get on it ASAP! It's definitely a delicious summer record!

Wild Nothing.

2010-06-27T19:32:00.000-07:00

total summer jams.

So one night I was driving home listening to Finn's Royal Revolution and I heard this really fantastic jam that had guitar melodies that reminded me of Beach Fossils. I had to know what he was playing because it was so good! Virginia's Jack Tatum is the mastermind behind the brilliance of "Gemini," the new record recently released on Captured Tracks. It's full of warm melty nostalgic jams with insanely catchy guitars melodies and whiney choruses. Yupp, Tatum sometimes sounds like he whines and every song sounds like some song you've heard before, but it's all so great. It will indefinitely be the soundtrack to your wild summer days. "Summer Holiday" is my favorite track off the record. I'm pretty sure it's the track Finn played that night and it's also the track that tour up the secret show at Death By Audio. SO CATCHY.

Collector

2010-06-26T19:30:00.001-07:00

Here is a strange video from Brooklyn's Here We Go Magic. Weird video.

Peggy Sue

2010-06-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

Brighton's Peggy Sue have just released a brilliant new record from Yeproc. "Fossils and Other Phantoms" is full of epic dark folk jams with beautiful chilling harmonies. Those harmonies are probably my favorite thing about Peggy Sue besides their splendid poetic lyrics. "Read It In The Paper" is one of my favorite jams from the record. Acoustic guitars are layered with their beautiful harmonies and then the drums cut in and those gorgeous harmonies just explode creating a jam that almost hints at St. Vincent. In fact, if St. Vincent and Laura Marling made a baby, this would probably be it!

Olafur Arnalds

2010-06-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

Icelandic musician Olafur Arnalds just released his newest and most gorgeous effort, "And The Have Escaped The Weight Of Darkness." Arnalds writes soft dreamy elegant orchestral arrangements opening the realm of classical music to minds that don't often adventure there. Check out his new record in CR1.

Top 30 Jamz.

2010-06-26T16:55:00.001-07:00

1 JANELLE MONAE The ArchAndroid Bad Boy
2 LCD SOUNDSYSTEM This Is Happening EMI
3 BLACK KEYS Brothers Nonesuch
4 BLACK FRANCIS NonStopErotik Cooking Vinyl
5 TOBACCO Maniac Meat Anticon
6 BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE Forgiveness Rock Record Arts And Crafts
7 FROG EYES Paul's Tomb: A Triumph Dead Oceans
8 TEENAGE FANCLUB Shadows Merge
9 NEW PORNOGRAPHERS Together Matador
10 FOGHAT Last Train Home InGrooves
11 HEAD LIKE A KITE Dreams Suspend Night
12 HERE WE GO MAGIC Pigeons Secretly Canadian
13 MGMT Congratulations Columbia
14 SOLEX VS. CRISTINA MARTINEZ AND JON SPENCER Amsterdam Throwdown King Street Showdown! Bronzerat
15 LIVING SISTERS Love To Live Vanguard
16 SIA We Are Born Jive
17 SLEIGH BELLS Treats Mom And Pop
18 GASLIGHT ANTHEM American Slang SideOne Dummy
19 DEAD WEATHER Sea Of Cowards Warner Bros.
20 DANGER MOUSE AND SPARKLEHORSE Dark Night Of The Soul EMI
21 GITAR Stuffed Seeland
22 DIRTY PROJECTORS One Beacon In The Strand Domino
23 FLAMING LIPS AND STARDEATH AND WHITE DWARFS Dark Side Of The Moon Warner Bros.
24 WOODS At Echo Lake Woodsist
25 HOT HOT HEAT Future Breeds Dangerbird
26 GOGOL BORDELLO Trans-continental Hustle Columbia
27 SHARON JONES AND THE DAP KINGS I Learned The Hard Way Daptone
28 COCOROSIE Grey Oceans Sub Pop
29 FJORD ROWBOAT Under Cover Of Brightness
30 AM TAXI We Don't Stand A Chance Virgin

Magic Bullz.

2010-06-08T19:38:00.001-07:00

So the Magic Bullets are this really great pop band from San Francisco. Their latest release off of Mon Amie Records is bursting with delightful pop jamz that have vocals reminiscent of indie pop legend Morrissey, but with hints of playful Californian surf-pop guitar melodies. You can check out their new fantastic record in CR1!

Top 30 Jamz.

2010-06-08T19:20:00.000-07:00

1 LCD SOUNDSYSTEM This Is Happening EMI
2 CRYSTAL CASTLES Crystal Castles II Universal
3 BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE Forgiveness Rock Record Arts And Crafts
4 SHARON JONES AND THE DAP KINGS I Learned The Hard Way Daptone
5 COCOROSIE Grey Oceans Sub Pop
6 BLACK KEYS Brothers Nonesuch
7 FLYING LOTUS Cosmogramma Warp
8 HOLY FUCK Latin XL
9 FM BELFAST How To Make Friends Kimi-World Champion
10 TOBACCO Maniac Meat Anticon
11 DEAD WEATHER Sea Of Cowards Warner Bros.
12 FUTURE ISLANDS In Evening Air Thrill Jockey
13 JANELLE MONAE The ArchAndroid Bad Boy
14 GOGOL BORDELLO Trans-continental Hustle Columbia
15 JONSI Go XL
16 BAND OF HORSES Infinite Arms Columbia
17 MGMT Congratulations Columbia
18 HOORAY FOR EARTH MOMO Dovecote
19 BELLFLUR Asleep.asleep Sad Sewer Alligator
20 CARNIVORES All Night Dead USA Double Phantom
21 MARCO BENEVENTO Between Needles And Nightfall Royal Potato Family
22 CLUB 8 The People's Record Labrador
23 BROKEN BELLS Broken Bells Columbia
24 HOLD STEADY Heaven Is Whenever Vagrant
25 JAMIE LIDELL Compass Warp
26 FUTUREHEADS The Chaos Dovecote
27 FROG EYES Paul's Tomb: A Triumph Dead Oceans
28 DEVO New Traditionalists
29 PILL WONDER Jungle Surf
30 QUITZOW Juice Water Young Love

Villagers Hit Up NYC

2010-06-07T22:40:00.000-07:00

Villagers began with the musical songwriting brilliance of a single Irish man, Conor J. O’Brien. After writing beautiful songs with charming lyrics, he asked a few of his friends to play other parts and they soon became what is now know as Villagers. The Meaning of the Ritual is an incredible jam with gorgeous instrumentals and gloomy lyrics that will pierce through you with every depressing beautiful phrase. Their newest release, Becoming a Jackal, is now in CR1!

Check out Villagers in NYC this summer:

06-16 Brooklyn, NY - 8:40pm - Knitting Factory (w/ Marissa Nadler, Natureboy, Mongold, Rey Villalobos, DJ Victoria Bergsman of Taken By Trees)
06-17 Brooklyn, NY - 10:30pm - Union Hall
06-23 New York, NY - 9pm - Joe's Pub

FM Breakfast.

2010-06-05T17:39:00.000-07:00

Some people can just make amazing catchy awesome delicious juicy Icelandic electropop tunes. That's why Underwear is righteously going taking over your life.

WE ARE RUNNING DOWN THE STREET IN OUR UNDERWEAR.

Summer Jam.

2010-06-05T17:30:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn's The Hundred In The Hands offer the world fun bass heavy synth jamz that you'll be blasting on those late night summer drives. The song Tom Tom lures you in with a sweet beat and Eleanore Everdell's haunting vocals and then a really catchy high pitched melody and then the bass joins them all creating this amazing dark disco jam. Definitely a perfect late night summer jam. So serious.