Written by willshoob on Monday, 31 of August , 2009 at 8:14 pm
Dayve Hawk makes music just because he enjoys doing so. All the hype was unintentional. The New Jersey native had no intention to keep his persona private, it just sort of unfolded that way. Now that his alias is confirmed, we can all move on and focus on the music, something I’ve been doing a lot of lately. Memory Cassette and Weird Tapes are both former projects of Mr. Hawk, which combined form his current project, Memory Tapes.
“Plain Material” starts out with a heavier guitar line than we’re used to with his projects. Dark, calming lyrics surround the guitar part giving it a more “traditional” Memory Tapes feel. I feel silly calling anything he does traditional, since he’s been making music for such a short time, but let’s call it traditional anyways. The track feels as though it’ll be taking a far less dancy approach than most of his other tracks, but then the drums kick in and we have another ass shaker. I’ve heard the entire album a couple times through, and although it’s very good, “Plain Material” is very much a stand out track. That’s probably why they released it as a single… Anyways, you can download that below along with a mix that he put together which includes many unreleased/remixed tracks he did. That’s courtesy of GvB. You can also download the remix he did of the Fool’s Gold track “Nadine.” I posted it a little while ago, and I was rather harsh… Since then it has grown on me quite a bit.
You can pre-order the album, Seek Magic right here.
The mixtape is taking far too long to upload, so just pick it up here.
Written by hKWAP on Monday, 31 of August , 2009 at 2:54 pm
As you may very well know, drummer extraordinaire Zach Hill is generally up to some pretty cool shit. Be it his mind blowing work with Hella, his Nervous Cop collab with Greg Saunier and Joanna Newsom, or even his recent work with Wavves. So, naturally, when we heard about CHLL PLL, his collab with Zachary Nelson of Hexlove, we had high expectations. With their most recent product “Dick Moves” the duo delivers a blend of Zachs virtuosic chops, some catchy manufactured vocals, and of course, an endearing message about dick moves. The result is more than satisfactory and hopefully speaks towards the quality of their upcoming LP release, “Aggressively Humble”-expected to come out Oct. 20. Take a listen below and peep the track list from the upcoming release…
1. Dick Moves
2. She Owns
3. Tales from the Crypt
4. Pass Out
5. Superzodiac
6. Hello Woman Hello Man
7. Now Then and When
8. Hold This Hand of Rowdy Light
9. Aggressively Humble
10. CHLL PLL
Written by hKWAP on Monday, 31 of August , 2009 at 12:13 pm
Today, Tape favorite Grizzly Bear quietly released While You Wait For The Others in single format. As most of you know, it would be redundant to discuss the sheer brilliance of that track any longer. Indeed, it is the unexpected B-side to this release that is causing such surprising perplexity. The second side of the single features WYWFTO but with a truly unexpected vocal contribution from none other than former Doobie brother Michael McDonald. It’s an incredible ridiculous juxtaposition but its definitely worth a listen. Stream it below…
Also check out Jay-Z digging Grizzly Bear at a Williamsburg Pool Party…
Written by hKWAP on Monday, 31 of August , 2009 at 11:39 am
cLOUDDEAD reunion? Not quite, but these two brilliantly unclassifiable Anticon artists have decided to, however briefly, re-ignite the proverbial fire of their previous collaboration. However, it has been long since these artists were merely content with making ambient tracks about mutilated canine carcasses laying on a desolate road. Indeed, each group respectively has gone over such drastic transformation that this new incarnation yields jarringly different results from their previous collaboration. On “Canada” these Nor-Cal crooners create a product more akin to the delicate indie-pop style of Eskimo Snow and besides the oddly alien quality off Dosone’s voice, I really can’t hear anything that is distinctly “Themselves” about this track. I feel like Yoni and Co. have lost some of the brutally awkward and sometimes cringe-inducing qualities of their former work and have opted to pursue a more accessible and less interesting sound. Considering that the track comes from some of the most fearless and creative musicians out there, the whole thing seems a little timid to me. However, as a song, it is by no means bad track and is worth a listen whether you are an Anticon connoisseur or not. I just feel a little upset with the path that one of my favorite artists is choosing to follow. Peep it below…
Written by pistachionut on Monday, 31 of August , 2009 at 9:42 am
We’ve written about Mica Levi and her project Micachu and the Shapes before. So now we get to bring you something really cool. The good folks at They Shoot Music sent over a live session the band just recorded in front of the defunct Templehof Airport in Berlin. They played “Guts” and “Hardcore” (the hidden track) off their album Jewellery. So if you’re into the Take Away Shows and that kind of thing… check the videos below. They’re quite good.
Written by willshoob on Sunday, 30 of August , 2009 at 5:33 pm
A wonderful take on the Animal Collective track. This comes off of her new album, which will see light September 8th courtesy of Matador Records. As soon as I’m allowed to post the mp3, I’ll be posting it so make sure to check back for that.
Yeah, she is the girl that sang on the Peter, Bjorn, & John song “Young Folks.” Pre-order East of Eden here (LP or CD), it’s fucking great.
Written by pistachionut on Sunday, 30 of August , 2009 at 2:51 pm
We seemed to have overlooked this when it came out, but Pterodactyl Squad, a “videogame music net label” released an 8-bit Weezer tribute album last month. The compilation features Anamanaguchi, Bit Shifter, nordloef and many more covering some of Weezer’s greatest. Power pop has always lent itself nicely to 8-bit music, and this is no exception. Weezer’s melodies fit in perfectly with the bleeps and bloops of the genre and the rhythms sound perfectly fine fuzzed and thrashed. It’s a fun listen for any Weezer fan.
Written by willshoob on Saturday, 29 of August , 2009 at 1:40 pm
The Very Best have a new 7″, which recently came out on Green Owl Records. I snagged mine a little while back in fear of it selling out, but I believe there are still some left, so you really should pick it up. You can do so here. Anyways, the 7″ consists of “Warm Heart Of Africa”, the wonderful track you should all be familiar with by now. The b-side is “Yalira”, which happens to be the first song on their upcoming album. The album, also named Warm Heart of Africa is now available digitally, and you can pre-order a physical copy right here. Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit followed up last years stellar mixtape with an even better debut LP. It’s truly fantastic, I highly recommend picking it up.
“Yalira” is a wonderful track, starting off the album really nicely. Plucked strings and background vocals by children provide a structure for the song, while Esau shows off an almost rap sounding vocal line. It’s of course beautiful and melodic, but his speed and precision is on display on the track, something we’ve rarely seen from him. Some drums and and snaps accompany him in the beginning, but the song hits a new level when everything kicks in. The 7″ is truly unique, with the cover being an exclusive commission from master painter BP Konan of the Ivory Coast. The 7″ is also very “green”, it was made in Brooklyn with vegetable-based ink using windpower on 100% postconsumer paper.
“Rain Dance” which features M.I.A. has also been floating around the internet, so you can check that one out as well. The Fader debuted it a couple of days ago, so go say thanks.
Written by willshoob on Saturday, 29 of August , 2009 at 12:51 pm
So it turns out Twitter may be the greatest thing ever. Between following P Diddy, Ron Artest, Diplo (he’s always very drunk or high) and countless others, we’re always entertained. But as soon as Kim from Matt & Kim posted this rousing rendition of “Daylight”, I became eternally grateful for Twitter. Sit back and enjoy.
“Though I Have Wronged You” is a stunning track, simply put. J has absolutely beautiful vocals, but the way he sings on this track blows my mind. Harmonies are included, the vocals on this track are perfect. J has made remarkable strides as a solo artist, I don’t really consider his work to be a side project any more. The track is accompanied by some strings that join for the chorus, and a few creative percussion parts. The snare/clap in the chorus really reminds me of the snare for WHY?’s “The Vowels Pt. 2.” Anyways, check out the track below, you won’t regret it.
Track Listing
Year In The Kingdom
Crosswinds
Earthly Bodies
Howling Light
Though I Have Wronged You
Age Of Man
There Is No Good In Me
Marked In The Valley
Light Of The Living
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