Featured Archive

Morning Benders change their name, offer free EP

– 03/27/2012Posted in: Downloads, EPs, Featured, News, Rock

The Morning Benders are back with a new name and a new sound. The New York (but sometimes San Francisco, other times LA) band has given way to their own unyielding political correctness and re-branded themselves “POP ETC” after learning “bender” is a derogatory term for “homosexual” in the UK. In the process, the group has departed from the lush, organic retro-rock we flipped for on Big Echo, and developed a more synthetic, stylish tone. While the new name is kinda’ sorta’ okay, the new sound is kinda’ sorta’ awesome. Stream their new, self titled EP below, or download it free.

Tags: Morning Benders, POP ETC

Hip-hop collective ‘Quakers’ drop their self-titled debut

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– 03/27/2012Posted in: Downloads, Featured, Hip-Hop, News, Songs

Fuzzface (Portishead’s Geoff Barrow) leads this, um, 35-member hip-hop crew (Really? Thirty-five members?) called Quakers. We were impressed with lead single “Fitta Happier (f. Guilty Simpson & Med)” which masterfully companied prominent samples by Run DMC and Radiohead. Check it out…

Download “Fitta Happier”

Later, we were (even more) impressed with “Smoke (f. Jonwayne)” (free download), and not just because (the guy we once knew solely as a DJ) Jonwayne’s mic skills have been quickening, but because the beat here also kicks ass. Today, the group’s self-title debut hits stores, and from the sound of this album preview, it’s likely an end-to-end banger…

Tags: Guilty Simpson, Med, Quakers

Death Grips – The Fever (Aye Aye) – video

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– 03/27/2012Posted in: Downloads, Featured, Hip-Hop, Songs, Video

So, Death Grips are turning into one of those bands where, like, everything they do we talk about it because they’re rad. And by “rad”, we think they piss off as many people as they make really happy (they make us smile). That to us is great art. Anyway, if you’re new to this Sacramento crew’s aggressive, jagged deconstruction of hip-hop, their latest bit of propaganda, a video for “The Fever (Aye Aye)” (from their — ahem — major label debut, The Money Store, due April 24), is a good place to start. Stream it below. Then go get some free shit here. And here.

While we’re on the subject, we just found “The Fever” in downloadable form for you obsessive possessive types…

Tags: Death Grips

Action Bronson – Blue Chips – Album Review

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– 03/26/2012Posted in: 4.5, Album Reviews, Downloads, Featured, Hip-Hop, Mixtape

Early last year we were impressed by the sample-heavy swag of Action Bronson’s debut, Dr. Lecter (we were also pretty stoked with the Bon Appetite mixtape). The effort was enough to land the former chef on our list of favorite new hip-hoppers (we didn’t actually write that up… but we wish we had… Danny Brown and Death Grips would have been on that list, too). However, as 2011 rolled on, we were underwhelmed by the one-offs (“Cliff Notes”, “Muslim Wedding”) and collaborations (with Ghostface Killah, Apathy and half-a-dozen others). Not disappointed. But underwhelmed compared to the spark we heard on Dr. Lecter.

Actually, we were a little disappointed with a single, “Blue Chips” that we later learned was the title track from Bronson’s forthcoming mixtape. Not a good sign. But Blue Chips is here. And there was absolutely no need to worry. This mixtape killer (free download).
All of the swag and vigor from Dr. Lecter is back, and then some. The R+B, funk and jazz samples (even some 50s pop) are more killer, the bass loops are funkier and Bronson’s flow has finally drifted to a comfortable distance from Ghostface’s. But the key aspect is range and pacing. Action Bronson has done an exceptional job of shifting tempo, mood and rhythm across Blue Chips, which gives the mixtape a spark that last from the simple nostalgia of “Pouches of Tuna” to the rich thump of “Tapas”.

Tags: Action Bronosn

Clark preps “Iradelphic” LP

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– 03/26/2012Posted in: Downloads, Electronica, Featured, News, Songs

UK producer Clark has kept us guessing with each successive leak from his forthcoming LP, Iradelphic (due April 3rd on the mighty Warp records). First, there was the Boards of Canada-inspired digital wonder of “Com Touch” (free download), now we’ve got the brooding, swerving trip-hop of “Secret” featuring Martina Topley-Bird. Who is Ms. Topley-Bird? It’s the girl that was on Tricky’s 1995 breakthrough Maxinquaye.

Both songs are totally awesome. We’re very much looking forward to April 3rd.

Tags: Clark, Martina Topley-Bird

Venomous Maximus – The Mission – Album Review

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– 03/20/2012Posted in: 4 Stars, Album Reviews, Featured, Metal

[Here we go again!] Here is The Mission: Rape and Destroy. Fuck their permission. You’re all just my toy…Houston four-piece Venomous Maximus make good use of sludgy riffs and galloping assaults on their latest, The Mission. And yeah, you’ve heard all that before. But what sets these guys apart from your standard Black Sabbath, Pentagram or Blue Cheer reboot is singer Gregg Higgins’ approach.

Rather than attempt to sing, Higgins presides over The Missions‘ hustling collection of proto metal with vocals recalling a stadium announcer at some satanic rodeo. An experience you’re surely familiar with. So you should find The Mission both comforting and bad ass.

Stream it…

4 / 5

Stream The Mission…

Tags: Venomous Maximus

RxGibbs – Futures – Album Review

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– 03/20/2012Posted in: 4 Stars, Album Reviews, Electronica, Featured

Download the title track, “Futures” [XLR8R]

Hypnotic effects and swirling ambiance ride a golden wave of bobbing bass and pop beats on RxGibbs latest, Futures. It’s a surprisingly fresh, techno-slanted (no vocals) rendering of chill wave. But whereas pioneers Washed Out, Neon Indian and Toro y Moi have pushed the genre toward the analog, Minnesota producer RxGibbs’ approach is decidedly more machine than man. The balance reminds us of Tycho’s Dive (2011), but without occasionally and uncomfortably conjuring scenes from “Gossip Girl” or “90210″.

4 / 5

Tags: RxGibbs

Blu drops ‘No York E Mo Work (Rmx Z 1.3)

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– 03/19/2012Posted in: Downloads, Featured, Hip-Hop, Mixtape

Rad. LA emcee Blu dropped a set of remixes today from NoYork!, our favorite album of 2011. The mixtape, called No York E Mo Work (Rmx Z 1.3), has a more familiar tone than the Low End Theory-warped original, but we’re not complaining. Mo Work features a gritty collection of sample-rich remixes bearing little, if any, resemblance to the previously available works. Stream it below and grab it of free over at DatPiff,

Tags: Blu

Stream Wild Belle’s tiny breakthrough ‘Keep You’

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– 03/19/2012Posted in: Downloads, Featured, News, Rock, Songs

Aside from getting a lot of mainstream publications excited (Chicago Tribune, Rolling Stone) down at SXSW this year, we don’t know much about the brother/sister duo called Wild Belle. But we like what we hear from Elliot and Natalie Bergman, even if they will be one of NPR’s favorite break through artists of 2012 (we guarantee it). It’s rounded+glossed indie pop, but instead of playing the breezy country card or repeating the hazy dream pop script, they take their lead single, “Keep You”, down a dub-infused path. And it’s worth following for a bit…

A little more familiar, but no less charming, is “Take Me Away”.

Tags: Wild Belle

Diplo tees up ‘Express Yourself’ EP

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– 03/15/2012Posted in: Downloads, Electronica, Featured, News, Songs

Diplo has our attention again this month with “Express Yourself”, the title track from his forthcoming EP (due in May). Earlier, we were impressed with his warped remix of Katy B’s “Witches Brew” (free download). Now, the Philadelphia DJ brings us something more grimy, and a lot more jagged, featuring vocals from Nicky Da B who, by the way, sports a camo Cosby sweater throughout the clip. High swag!

Download “Express Yourself (f. Nicky Da B)” [Stereogum]