Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Oneohtrix Point Never - "I Only Have Eyes for You"

Oneohtrix Point Never has plenty of competition in terms of covering this 1934 classic, due to Doug Aitken's excellent Song 1 installation in Washington D.C. The likes of No Age, Beck, James Murphy, and more took this one on for the soundtrack to the installation. Geologist (of Animal Collective) and blog favorite Nicolas Jaar showed off their versions live at the installation as well. For what it's worth, OPN seemed to have dissected every inch of the song and put it back together in a way more beautiful than any other version we've heard so far. You can hear the song at Soundcloud and watch the installation with a ton of live performances at Pitchfork.

Fergus & Geronimo - "The Strange One Speaketh / Roman Tick"

This is a weird and fun one from the duo who have brought you similarly odd but awesome music for a while now. They are a Texas band whose music tends to fall somewhere between garage pop and psychedelic punk. If that doesn't interest you, the band's personality might. From lyrics to great songwriting quirks, Fergus & Geronimo has already managed to make an interesting and rewarding first album with last year's Unlearn. FWTSOA is their second full length in as many years, and it shows no signs of slowing down. This track starts with an odd dating profile narration and ends in a Black Lips inspired shouted chorus. Hear the new song at Soundcloud.

Lace Curtains - "High Fantasy"

Austin based garage bank Harlem put out an overlooked but superbly written album called Hippies back in 2010. Since then, it seems like most people, including myself, have forgotten how great their work has been to this point. Michael Coomer, who splits frontman duties within the band, has a new project entitled Lace Curtains with a release on the horizon. The first taste of this release is "High Fantasy," a driving and youthful piece that sounds a lot like Harlem and a little bit like indie darling Girls. Hear the song at Gorilla vs. Bear and listen to Harlem if you're late to that party.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Horseback - Half Blood

Horseback is a nice change of pace in the world of metal, especially in the increasingly controversial world of modern black metal. More words have been written about the stupid things people say than the more interesting music to come out of the scene, which is pretty sad. Horseback doesn't aim to be controversial, but its unique blend of black metal and Americana influences is definitely head-turning. This album, Horseback's third, sounds like some unholy mix of Earth's Hex; Or Printing in the Infernal Method, o'death's excellent 2011 release Outside, and Wolves in the Throne Room.  It's really country music in it's purest form, more concerned with the darkest corners of the wild west than beer and romance. You can hear and download the whole thing at the group's Bandcamp.

Animal Collective - Honeycomb / Gotham

Contrary to popular belief, Animal Collective has not been in hiding since the release of their most popular release yet in 2009's Merriweather Post Pavilion. There's been the incredible and underrated Fall Be Kind EP, their cassette collaboration with Keep, and the weird visual freakout ODDSAC, with some other odds and ends occupying the three (!) years since Merriweather was released. On top of all of that, their live shows have contained new material for years. Still, it feels like an event every time Animal Collective puts anything onto tape. "Honeycomb" and "Gotham" comprise a new 7 inch coming out in June on Domino Records, and it's as weird and awesome as you expect. Listen for yourself at AnCo's official website.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Siamese Twins - In a Box/Stutter

I've talked about Siamese Twins once before, covering their excellent cassette demo from last year, and word on the street is that they have a new inch on the way, titled In a Box/Stutter. As you should know, the band is trio based in and around Massachusetts, and they make cool and dreamy post-punk not unlike some of the most revered material by The Cure. If you haven't yet, download their demo, it's a great snapshot of their influences and styles. You can hear their other stuff, including Side A of this over at their website. If you like what you hear, consider getting the whole thing when it comes out in a month or so via Labor of Love Records.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Kishi Bashi - 151a

K Ishibashi, who records as Kishi Bashi, is a founder of Jupiter One, a touring violinist with St. Vincent, Sondre Lerche, and Deerhoof, as well as a new member of Of Montreal. Most importantly though, he is an excellent and original multi-instrumentalist and songwriter with a new album out. 151a is a worldly chamber pop type of album, with a lot of crazy instrumentation and hand-clap percussion to back up it's homemade aesthetic. The hums, whistles, harmonies, and layered vocals call to mind songwriters like Owen Pallett if he lived in the crazy Japanese wonderland of Katamari Damacy. If that sounds at all interesting to you, stream and buy his album at his Bandcamp.