Sacramento avant hip-hop crew Death Grips are set to release two albums in 2012, according to a post at their Facebook. And that’s all we know. They don’t give us release dates. They don’t tell us the album names. And they don’t hint at guests or collaborators (of which we’re sure there will be tons). We’re not even sure that this song, “Black Jack”, appears on either album, but we like it…
Death Grips broke through in 2011 with the raw, chopped and savage Exmillitary (which made our list of best hip-hop albums last year). Grab it free here.
Speaking of Exmillitary, and as long as we’re watching Death Grips shit. Put this on full screen, turn up your headphones and hurt yourself…
The drowsy, experimental wash of Shlohmo meets the gritty, dream-inspired sonic ramblings of Teems on the “Wen uuu” remix. It’s the latest sample from Shlohmo’s recent Vacation remix EP. If you like what you hear, stay tuned. We’re very stoked to hear another remix EP is on the way from Shlohmo fettering works by Salva, Grounislava, Airhead and Nicolas Jaar. Wow.
Vancouver glitch-pop duo are set to release the shadowy, pulsing 12-inch, SAYSO / OHSO, on February 20th. Listen as vocalist Evelyn Mason’s haunted croon mixes with warped synths and glitchy accents over waves of pulsing, asymmetrical rhythm.
Chicago MC Add-2′s debut LP, Save. Our. Souls. doesn’t have a release date yet, but it’s already attracting a healthy buzz. Add-2 was signed to Team RMG by the mighty Common, and his recent single, “Going, Going, Gone” was produced by 9th Wonder. Very cool, yes. Dig it…
Looking for something a little heavier? Add-2′s got you covered. Check out this thump…
Los Angeles producer Static Shock (whom you may recall from his Furious + the Static Shock days) surprised us recently with his latest, LEMMIEHOLLA@CHU. The EP plays like an agoraphobic steam of consciousness, where random noises and instrumentation are layered in chaotic arrangements. There’s a certain awkward comfort to the collection, which sounds vaguely like a set of Nicholas Jarr demos. It’s cool. And we’re curious to hear more from The Static Shock as he evolves from his “tough pop” phase with Furious.
We’re really not sure what to make of Phedre’s self-titled debut. Goth, pop, greek mythology and a little hip-hop (seriously) mix in the band’s strange, lo-fi fantasy world. The band describes themselves as “three lovers from Monaco, raised in a cave of gold”, and we believe it. Actually, we’d bet the real story is more bizarre than that, but we’ll leave that to your imagination. For now, dig Phedre’s excellent debut…
Earlier, we featured Phedre’s “In Decay”. Grab it free.
This is cool. Last we heard from Brooklyn sextet White Rabbits, they had this indie rock sound with a strongly rhythmic, almost tribal, edge to it. We liked they’re sound. But we’re impressed with the new, dance-noise direction they’ve taken on “Temporary”, a single from their forthcoming LP, Milk Famous (due March 6). To be honest, we dismissed the song when we noticed it was featured at Rolling Stone, but when we saw that Sterogum had it posted, we decided to give it a spin, and we’re pleased to say we hardly recognized what we heard…
We don’t know much about LA bass duo The Two.Fifteens, and despite our (admittedly half-ass) efforts to learn more about them, we didn’t come up with much before writing this post. But were not sure it matters. We think The Two.Fifteens want to keep the origins of their shadowy, choppy and bumpy beats shrouded in obscurity. And to be honest, it lends to the group’s hazy, magnetic aura.
Below, we’ve got a couple tracks for you to check out.
First, it’s a track from The Two.Fifteens’ The Commute Vol. 1 (free download). Here’s the swervin’ and knockin’ “Ballad of El Guapo”…
Download “Ballad of El Guapo” [XLR8R]
Second, here’s the haunted, slow-burning “MBISON” from the group’s more recent Stripes (free download)…
Chattanooga rockers Moonlight Bride have a new EP, Twin Lakes, on the way featuring a noisy-restless edge and indie pop trimmings. It’s noise pop. And we like where it’s headed. You’ll have to wait until February 28th to pick up Twin Lakes, but you can dig the album preview below and stream the EP at the band’s Facebook.
And, for the record, we do like it when bands do pictures where they chop of their heads. Heads, faces or whatnot usually bring bands down a notch until you really get to know them.
There’s a strange, droning geometry at work in Dustin Wong’s odd approach to songwriting. Rather than a series of brush strokes, Wong seems to strategically apply paint to a brush and then drag that brush along along the canvas until the paint runs out. It’s fresh. We’re impressed. And we’re looking forward to hearing the rest of his forthcoming LP, Dreams Say, View, Create, Shadow Leads (due February 21).
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