Restless People - Don't Back Down

Restless People's debut is pretty high on my most anticipated ish of the year list. Have loved everything I've heard so far and glad to hear that on September 14 we will finally having something tangible to hug and smother. Don't Back Down is a different side of the band (ya know, as opposed to those other two songs they have out there). The song has that spazzy energy that made Victimless Crime so lovable, but also uses casio-like keyboard lines to drive the song's chorus deep into our brains. All in all it only furthers my admiration for these guys. This is undeniably hooky stuff with a unique energy that is distinctly their own.

Restless People - Don't Look Down

Silly Kissers - Precious Necklace

A video by Jane. All that 80s psychosexual tension suits the song well.

Silly Kissers - Precious Necklace from jane on Vimeo.

Sufjan Stevens--I walked

And a week after he debuts a new EP, we get word of a new album via Sufjan scheduled to drop Oct 12.

Washed Out-- Hold Out video

Washed Out - "Hold Out" from John Lipari on Vimeo.

slandercat - Blood of a Broom Tree

slandercat sent over a link to his wonderful and FREE Ep, 'Blood of A Broom Tree'. This is some solid off-kilter electro. In the man's own words "It has vocals and samples and little squelchy sounds". The song Broom Tree combines elements of glitch and synth-wave to create it's own beast. It's at once enchanting and menacing. Elijah Runs reminds me of one of my latest (and recurrent fixations), John Harrison's score for Day of the Dead . There's something balearic and almost Fever Ray-ish in the song. A lot of the EPs songs are a contradiction in terms when it comes to mood, but all works to create something you can't help be more than a little hypnotized by.

Hit up the slandercat bandcamp page to get 'Blood of a Broom Tree' gratis

Wishing Wars

Another great end of summer surprise. Wishing Wars is a guy named Anthony and this project is pretty new... I think. As far as I know. The music has a balearic feel mixed with a deep 80s synth vibe. It works incredibly well. In a way it reminds me of the awesome Bathcrones in the sense that this is incredibly textured stuff. It's all about the whole and not the parts with this stuff... But the parts themselves are pretty damn good if you're a detail hound. Really strong stuff. Put this guy on your radar.

Andrew Hargreaves -- Handwritten Notes

Prologue 1:
I love when someone tells me they hate a genre of music. Even better yet when someone says regarding their musical tastes "I like everything except _____". Really? You've heard EVERY single song in a particular genre of music. Shit, you must have one hell of an attention span and a record collection to boot. The reason I bring this up is because I think for many people who may not like or have lost touch with electronic music, this is the song strong enough to entice you back or pique your interest if you've never perused this world.
Prologue 2:
Can you call something genre-defining even if you have a hard time defining the genre? Last year I had hoped Peter Broderick&Machinefabriek would drop the album that made everyone go "Ahh! I get it". Modern Classical-meets-electronic minimalism. Instead they released a pretty decent album that had lesser expectations of itself. Still good, but my hopes may have been too high.
The business:
This astonishing bit of loveliness today comes to us courtesy of Andrew Hargreaves who is one half of The Boats (read more on them later). He also makes music as Beppu. And also as Tape Loop Orchestra. This is the sort of music that's a contradiction in terms; on one hand it seems to be begging you to relax ( or 'chill' as blunted out 14 years old like to say), on the other hand there is immense attention to detail and nuance to this stuff. Handwritten Notes begins like an all consuming fog, and then slowly a piano melody emerges like a hand reaching to pull us in. And from there, Hargreaves has us at his mercy. The good news is that wherever it is (or whatever genre it is) he's taking us too, it's a lovely place to be. Something tells me that Hargeaves may have this (')genre(')'s 'Endtroducing' in his back pocket. Wait and drool for the September release of the album proper.

Sail A Whale & The Dream

love(the-dream)king - sail a whale from Sebastian Rozenberg on Vimeo.

New Sufjan Stevens!

One of my musical loves is back!

Real Estate--Out of Tune

Wow! This one is a gem. I had the chance to see Real Estate here in Ottawa about a month ago and they were amazing. I remember being blown away by this here song and wondering where it came from. As summer winds down I couldn't imagine a better farewell. This track is still very much 'Real Estate' but you can also here a band maturing and evolving. These guys stole my heart last summer and this song has done it again.

Pre-order via True Panther for the Oct. 12 release date here

Out Of Tune by truepanther

Demdike Stare-- A Forest of Evil (Dawn)

Look at that cover art. Isn't that a thing of beauty? And it compliments the music inside perfectly. I've been listening to the new Sleep Over and Panda Bear singles like my life depended on it lately. I've also been listening to a lot of Goblin lately too. Some how Demdike Stare fits that theme well.

Demdike Stare is made up of Sean Canty (who runs the awesome Finders Keepers label) and Miles Whitaker (who runs the Modern Love label and released one of my favourite albums of last year under the guise of Daughter Of The Industrial Revolution). Now this song is a ten minute journey into the sort of nightmarish stuff that Goblin created on the Suspiria soundtrack. I guess it's electronic music but it feels limiting even to use that broad term. Regardless, it's the sort of stuff that sticks with you long after the final notes ring out. For all of you wanting to see a horror film tonight but only having ten minutes to spare, enjoy.

get the single digitally via Boomkat here.

Restless People--Days Of Our Lives

Yeasayer - Madder Red Video

Starring Kristen Bell. If you haven't seen 'Veronica Mars' do it. Genius.

Little Loud Remixes Goldfrapp

Little Loud has made my summer. This one is fresh from the oven.
goldfrapp - believer (little loud remix) by little loud

SALEM--Asia (video teaser)

SALEM have a new album coming out, in case you haven't heard. Here is a video teaser featuring the track 'Asia'.

Perfume Genius - Your Drum

I sort of feel that if you aren't moved by Mike Hadreas's work you might be dead inside. Click play to check your emotional pulse.

Slow Motion Shoes

No Modest Bear posted Brendan Fraser about a month ago and I really liked it and then forgot about it, and then came back to it and remembered I really liked it. Damn, it's hard being part of a culture that makes ADD mandatory, but somehow we still find a way, right? These two songs by Slow Motion Shoes require attention in the sense that you can't just listen half way through and then stop - they evolve. So even if they don't get their hooks in you right away, give it time and the melodies will seep into your sub-conscious. Another new band to keep your eye on.

Sleep Over--Outer Limits

Sleep Over have a new 7" coming out on Forest Family Records and at first I was not digging these two tracks. But, slowly they have contaminated my soul. In fact, Outer Limits is one of my fave songs right now and I think this 7" is on my shortlist of must-haves for the year. From disinterest to awe, it's quite a leap I know, but these songs take time. This is a band in full-bloom right now, and it's exciting to see where they are going because it is already not where I had expected. As for Outer Limits, it manages to be both beautiful and unsettling. It retains some of the creepiness that I so loved from the Night People cassette, but adds something new to the Sleep Over pallet as well. These are going to go fast, so make your move.

Order from Forest Family Recs here for the August 10 release.

Sleep Over- Outer Limits

Museum of Bella Artes

This was one of my favourite songs of 09 and I really should've posted it long ago. Now, thanks to the fact the song is going to be released as a B-side to a new Museum of Bella Artes 7" via Transparent, I have good cause to post it. The 7" should be available some time in September according to Transparent. In the meantime, drool:

Street Meat - Need to Know

Street Meat is another project featuring my homie Leigh Newton. I've mentioned his awesome death/doom/drone project The Sun Through A Telescope a few times, and now here he is with a more electro project. There's something lo-fi in these recordings that really works for them. Screw cranking the guitars to 10 on the amp, set the mics to ten. How to describe Street Meat? There's some Le Tigre, Ladytron, Dickies, Peaches, Mount Sims all buried in there. Cock rock guitars mixed with Riot Grrl stuff. If you were fourteen and heard it for the first time you might suddenly feel a strong urge to tell your parent(s) to go fuck off and then slam your bedroom door. But not in a childish way, more in a life-affirming way. I'm still not there yet. How to describe Street Meat? Well; two females on the mic bringing their swagger, dirty drum machines, punky guitars reminiscent of the great Celebrity Skin. Let's call it Glamwave. Is that a thing? Do we want to do that? Glamwave? Whatever, just listen to the damn song.

Dirty Beaches - Paris

From the Night People cassette available here.

Death In Plains - Whirlwind

Lately, I haven't been digging any new guitar based music. I go through phases like that. Then comes along this little burner by Death In Plains. This track doesn't give away how noisy and electronic his sound can get, but there is some serious blown-out keyboard sounds propelling this one along. Definitely a band to keep your eye on.

W h i r l w i n d / Death In Plains from Enrico Boccioletti on Vimeo.