Written by hKWAP on Wednesday, 31 of March , 2010 at 8:02 pm
For a long while now, Will Wiesenfeld (Post-Foetus, Geotic, Nephews) has casually established himself as one of the more prolific and eccentric artists on the Los Angeles community arts circuit. Lauded by some as prodigious and brilliant, it seemed only a matter of time until Will’s vision was realized on a slightly more mainstream level than the backyards of his friends. And, low and behold, this day has finally come to pass. In a transformation that seems to have occured over a matter of hours, Will went from little-known hometown hero to Anticon signed and Pitchfork acclaimed, mentioned in the same breath as Flylo and described as a cross “between the sun-drenched haze of glo-fi torchbearers (Washed Out, Toro Y Moi) and the woozy beat math that lights the spliffs of Los Angeles’ Brainfeeder collective”. High praise indeed. Well all I can say is, we were there first (see Post-Foetus) and we wish Will the best of luck in his promising career.
Written by willshoob on Wednesday, 31 of March , 2010 at 4:06 pm
Senryu hail from Knoxville, Tennessee, and play music that’s hard to describe. Aspects of power pop make their way into the music, although their tracks are far more complex than your average power pop song. Hints of psychedelics also find there way into tracks, giving us little tastes of shredding guitar lines and manic drum parts. The band is lead by the spastic Wil Wright, who sounds like a fantastic front man on record. Wright and folks are known for their insane live show, garnering attention from many, and leading to tour dates with bands such as Dirty Projectors and Jucifer. Senryu have a new record coming out on April 13th, called Inkling. I’m lucky enough to have heard the record, and I’m really digging it. The record as a whole is super solid from beginning to end. Inkling features a couple of cool guests as well, the first being Ariel Saldivar from Polyphonic Spree and Broken Social Scene, and the other being Daniel Hart who did some work with both St. Vincent and John Vanderslice. In anticipation for the new record, the label is offereing “Inklings” as a free download, which you can grab below. Enjoy!
Written by willshoob on Wednesday, 31 of March , 2010 at 3:00 pm
This track title would be considered odd… If it was coming from anyone other than Tobacco. When you think of Tobacco you think of some pretty weird titles, a few that come to mind are: Black Moth Super Rainbow, Eating Us (most recent Black Moth LP), Fucked Up Friends (last solo record), and now Maniac Meat. “Sweatmother” is the first single off of Maniac Meat, which is coming May 25th, courtesy of Anticon. “Sweatmother” features an insanely grimy synth, backed by a fat hip hop drum beat. The vocals are fucking scary, words like “horrifying” or “evil” don’t do them justice. Some of the famous Tobacco synth sounds enter the track a bit later, sounding more like a car motor than anything else. “Sweatmother” has me eagerly awaiting Maniac Meat, in what is easily going to be the grimiest record of the year. Download “Sweatmother” below, and check out the tracklisting as well.
Maniac Meat
01. Constellation Dirtbike Head
02. Fresh Hex (Featuring Beck)
03. Mexican Icecream
04. Lick The Witch
05. Sweatmother
06. Motorlicker
07. Unholy Demon Rhythms
08. Heavy Makeup
09. Grape Aerosmith (Featuring Beck)
10. New Juices From The Hot Tub Freaks
11. Six Royal Vipers
12. Overheater
13. Creepy Phone Calls
14. TV All Greasy
15. Stretch Your Face
16. Nuclear Waste Aerobics
Written by willshoob on Tuesday, 30 of March , 2010 at 4:02 pm
Future Islands come from North Carolina and are currently located in Baltimore. They’re affiliated with the whole Wham City scene, and recently did some touring with Dan Deacon. They have an EP coming out next week, entitled In The Fall, with a full length coming in May. Both records are coming courtesy of Thrill Jockey, and we have the first single from the EP available for you kids. You may recognize Katrina Ford’s name from her work with sort of existing band Celebration, or from her work on all three of the TV On The Radio albums. TVOTR absolutely adores her, taking her on tour with them whenever she has time. Anyways, Ms. Ford is now lending her talents to Future Islands, giving us the wonderful “In The Fall.” The track is a slow tempo synth jam, apparently recorded after a blizzard hit Baltimore. The track was recorded after the record was done, rounding out a few oddities that make up the In The Fall EP. One thing I like about this track is that if you wanted to be lazy you could categorize the instruments as chillwave, but the vocals don’t suck and the instruments are more complex. The band shows talent and complexity within the track, giving it an edgy feel that I believe lacks in a lot of the lower-fi music these days. I highly recommend you download “In The Fall”, and make sure to buy the record when it hits stores next week.
Written by ashkap on Monday, 29 of March , 2010 at 11:59 pm
The Tape would like to share a special moment with our readers. Tonight is the one-year anniversary of our guest appearence on Pitchfork.com. (click for article)
Written by willshoob on Monday, 29 of March , 2010 at 3:08 pm
Sam Buck Rosen is a New Yorker who simply makes some awesome music. He’s signed to the Secretly Canadian/Dead Oceans/Jagjaguwar imprint called St. Ives, a boutique vinyl (and MP3) only label. Sam’s voice has a great range, with a tremendous amount of flexibility. This is showcased on his new record Dominant Mind, where his voice spastically jumps around. If Dave Longstreth had spent his earlier years mastering various electronic and analog instruments, as opposed to just focusing on guitar, his music would have sounded a bit like Rosen’s. This comes as no surprise, seeing that both Nat Baldwin and Angel Deradoorian of Dirty Projectors have collaborated with Rosen in the past. However accurate or inaccurate this comparison may be, it’s not quite fair to pigeon hole Dominant Mind, because it doesn’t really sound like anything else. It exists in its own world, which is why it’s so fucking cool. The record starts off with “Rich”, one of my favorites on the record. Bleeping synthesizers prepare the listener for Rosen’s voice, which sounds just as much like an instrument as anything else being played. Hand claps keep the pulse as various instruments frantically try to find their place within the track. “Sam BF Rosen” is another favorite of mine, although it’s a bit more structured than “Rich.” A building piano underscores the entire track, accompanied by rolling snare drums and multiple layers of Rosen’s voice. “Sam BF Rosen” features one of the catchiest and most accessible hooks of the record, with Rosen establishing a clear cut melody, as opposed to following wherever his voice wanders off to.
Sam’s Dominant Mind is an extremely well constructed record, with every song having a distinct and important purpose. I highly recommend you buy the record here, for it’s easily one of my favorites of the year so far. Make sure to download “Sam BF Rosen” below.
Written by willshoob on Monday, 29 of March , 2010 at 8:24 am
We finally have some action from the post-Mae Shi group. Check out the video for “What Dreams” below, and buy their new single right here. You can also download previously released track “Spector” below.
Written by willshoob on Sunday, 28 of March , 2010 at 4:25 pm
Everyone here at The Tape have been longtime fans of Canadian quartet Tokyo Police Club. From their two fantastic early EPs, to the pretty good Elephant Shell, we have nothing but good things to say about the music and the dudes who make it. The band recently announced that they have a new album coming out, which obviously thrills all of us Tape Homies. The new record is coming June 8th, courtesy of Mom & Pop Records. Champs is the band’s second full length (first with Mom & Pop), and they’re giving away “Breakneck Speed” to hold us over while they finish mastering. The track premiered over at Stereogum a couple of days ago, and it’s absolutely fantastic. “Breakneck Speed” is their longest song to date, clocking in at a solid three minutes and forty-five seconds. According to lead singer Dave Monks, the record features – among other things, “eleven songs, a Disney character, fuzzy bits, Canadian spelling, hockey sound effects, me singing the lowest note in my range, one (1) saxophone note.” This first single is quite the buzz producer, showing off the band in a new light. I’m extremely excited to check out the progress the boys have made with Champs, with “Breakneck Speed” being an excellent starting place. Download it below and enjoy!
Written by ashkap on Saturday, 27 of March , 2010 at 5:45 pm
One of our favorite new bands, Local Natives, recently recorded an outdoor set for Pitchfork.tv. It’s really great to visually see the musical teamwork this band works with, effortlessly melding two drummers and two vocalists into a unified and cohesive sound. Check out their album opener “Wide Eyes” below.
All songs featured on this blog are for promotional use only. If your song is featured on this blog and you would like it taken down, or if you would like to have your song featured, just click the contact form below.
(see Post-Foetus) and we wish Will the best of luck in his promising career.
