San Francisco grunge gazers Whirr are set to release their debut LP, “Pipe Dreams”, on March 13.
The quirky LA beatsmith, an expert in spacious hip-hop beats, joins forces with a very rad label.
Of course, the first single is awesome. But don’t take our word for it. Click and listen.
Boston-based 70′s soft rockers Quilt made us all happy and stoned last year with their self-titled debut. And they’re still making us smile with this clip.
Canadian rock duo The Pack A.D. hit us with a tight, stomping number recently, “Haunt You”. It’s got some melody. It’s got some frayed edges. It’s got some spark. Comparisons to The Black Keys and White Stripes are inevitable, and a Joan Jett link would be fair. But that none of that takes away from the fact that these chicks totally rock. Look for “Haunt You” on their recent album, Unpersons.
Cassidy unloads on a booming, staggering beat with an assist from Styles P on his latest, “Money Money”. It’s a banger. And we’re stoked for the Philadelphia rapper’s forthcoming Apply Pressure 3 mixtape, whenever it comes out (it’s simply listed as “coming soon” everywhere we looked).
It’s been a little quiet on the King Khan front since late 2009 when the Canadian garage rocker was arrested on drug possession charges. Sucks, because he kind of hit his stride that year with the pretty good Invisible Girl LP and that totally rad collaboration with the Black Lips, The Almighty Defenders. Well, King Khan is slowly making his way back this year. On February 10th, he’ll release a new song, “Bight My Tongue”, on a split 7″ with SF lo-fi rock guy Mikal Cronin. (What, you haven’t downloaded Cronin’s “Apathy”? Wow. Get it free. Now. Soon. At some point. Whenever.) Anyway, here’s Khan’s contribution to the single. Let’s hope this is the first of lots to come from him this year…
Brooding and pulsing, we like the lush, gothic pop of Trust’s latest, “Bulbform”. The Toronto-based electro duo are set to release their debut LP, TRST via Canada’s Arts & Crafts (Feist, Phoenix, Los Campesinos!, Stars) on February 28th. As you’re making your way through “Bulbform’s” shadowy hallways, you may notice a familiar chill. If you looked over your shoulder expecting to see Austra, that’s probably because one of the Austra chicks (Maya Postepski) is half of Trust (the other is Robert Alfons).
Atlanta MC Young Scooter cuts a wicked path on “Shut Up and Listen” from his latest mixtape, Married to the Streets (free download). That is indeed Jadakiss and 38 Special dropping versus and sure enough, that wicked, stomping march was put together by the mighty DJ Green Lantern.
Haunted and disembodied like a shadow moving across the wall behind you, Bam Spacey’s remix of “Aging Out”, by Albert Swarm, is pretty rad. This is a matchup conceived on a cold Scandinavian night by smudged candle light and glasses of thick red wine. Bam Spacey is Finnish. Swarm is Swedish.
Splitting the difference between psychedelic and folk, Imbogodom are riding a beautiful, strange wave with their latest, “Heir Looms”. The track left us stoned, smiling and anxious to dig into their forthcoming LP, And They Turned Not When They Went (due January 24th).
Kkoee’s remix of Star Eyes “The Night” strips out the dub and builds in a driving, techno thump. It’s the best of “The Night” remixes that have been floating around (listen to a bunch of them here), and something that should put Star Eyes on your radar (if she wasn’t already).
Star Eyes is from Brooklyn. kkoee is from Berlin. Between the two of them, we have a hit…
Ab-Soul, the quiet member of Black Hippy (you’ve heard of Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q and Jay Rock), just dropped a shadowy, badass march called “Black Lip Bastard”. We’re not sure if this is from a forthcoming mixtape or his second LP in two years (last year, Ab-Soul quietly released Longterm Mentality), but we’d like to hear more…
One advantage to being a cute chick that suddenly ends up as the hottest thing in indie music despite a lack of talent: you attract people with talent to remix your work and make you sound pretty cool. First, Balam Acab made Lana Del Rey sound like a haunted elvish priestess in his “Video Games” remix (free download). Now Clams Casino is making her sound like witch-pop royalty with his deconstruction of “Born to Die”…
Nicolas Jaar – With Just One Glance (f. Scout LaRue) – mp3
Ceremony – Hysteria – free mp3
A$AP Rocky – Pretty Flacko – free mp3
Asher Roth – Choices (f. Action Bronson) – free mp3
Blonds – Kite – free mp3
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats – Blood Lust – Album Review
Charlotte Gainsbourg – Stage Whisper – Album Review
Martyn – Ghost People – Album Review
Elder – Dead Roots Stirring – album review
Tyler Ramsey – The Valley Wind – album review
