Post-Thanksgiving Thankfulness

I hope everyone had a radical Thanksgiving, I know I did. On Thursday, I quoted myself being thankful for Ans, Niles Neverman, Davis Haus, Lizzy McGuire, Corkie, Friends Abroad, Legacy, Indexers, K Sophs, CC Rust and anyone who reads this blog. "I am with you... I love you." (Link relevant at 3:42)

I'm still in Michigan visiting folks and friends, but I'll have some new tunes up come Monday.

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The Perpetual Self, or "What Would Saul Alinsky Do?" - Sufjan Stevens

Sleigh Bells Have Burst My Eardrums

If there's one thing I can appreciate about music, it's pure volume. Turn it up to eleven and all that nonsense. If there's a new band getting buzz and all I'm reading about them is that they're loud, I'm hunting down those MP3s like a bloodhound. It's why I love acts like A Place to Bury Strangers or Times New Viking. It's why I'm as far up front as I can be at any given show. It's why I require a speaker pointed directly at my face when I DJ. It's why I'll probably be deaf at fifty.

Brooklyn's Sleigh Bells fit nicely into this just-built niche. Every one of the tracks I'm posting soar into the red. It's not hip-hop, but to call it indie rock is a stretch. At the heart of every song is a dirty beat -- Lead singer Alexis' vocals and fuzzed-out guitars take a back seat to one powerful drum machine. Despite being incredibly minimalist, Sleigh Bell's manage to keep things damn catchy. It all kind of reminds me of a slowed down Big Black, they just need to label their drummer Roland.

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Crown on the Ground - Sleigh Bells

A/B Machines - Sleigh Bells

Infinity Guitars - Sleigh Bells

Class Actress Wants You to Shake Yr Ass

Remember when Dane Cook used to be funny? He had that great appearance on Premium Blend, followed by his stint on Comedy Central Presents and that first CD so comical, it almost caused a car accident during my first listen with friends.

Back in those earlier, funny days, Dane Cook had a bit about women just needing to dance. The joke hinged on women loving to dance, regardless of men, whereas as guys went to clubs solely on the prowl. Stitch up your sides for a second and hear me out. While the witty observation is mostly true, there are more than a few guys out there who do love to dance -- I knew a group who once huddled in a circle and gyrated along to "Hot N Cold."

Because boy, I've got to move and get into the groove more than anyone, I'm posting these equal opportunity retro-electro-dance tracks from Brooklyn's Class Actress. Both tracks are dripping with gothic synths and pulsing bass, like if Nigel Godrich produced Debbie Gibson.

Besides, there are people studying abroad in places like Ireland and they need hip dance music because they've been wearing out their Ace of Base cassette and copy of Cher's Greatest Hits.

EDIT:// I'm throwing in the excellent "Cannibal" from Fan Death, because its disco aesthetics make me and my "girl butt" want to groove too.

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Careful What You Say - Class Actress

All the Saints - Class Actress

Cannibal - Fan Death

¡Aye Carumba! Meet Maluca

So a few days ago when I saw DJ /rupture live, one of the numerous opening acts was Maluca. She's this hyperactive electro act with a heavy Hispanic flair -- Think El Guincho meets American Apparel. Maluca hails from Brooklyn, no doubt linking her to Santigold's thang, but the most casual listener will walk away with M.I.A. allusions.

For what's it's worth, she's signed to Diplo's Mad Decent label, with the DJ extraordinaire providing "El Tigeraso" its attention-deficit electronics. That should give you an idea of what to expect. Seeing her perform made me want one thing: Tequilla... With salt and limes 'cuz I'm a wuss.

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El Tigeraso - Maluca

Palmitos Park - El Guincho

Baile Funk One - M.I.A./Diplo

Shove It (Grandtheft's Disco Remix) - Santigold

Chief Escape Google, Only Slightly Ape Fleet Foxes

Chief’s band name may be ungoogle-able, but Evan Koga, Mike Moonves, and the brothers Fujikawa aren’t as bland as their moniker suggests. Reveling in the psych-folk sound of the Pacific Northwest, Chief songs ooze four-part baroque harmonies and bass-EQ’d reverbed guitars.

Signing to Domino Records way back in July, the quartet from Santa Monica just released their debut 7” on Tuesday. “Mighty Proud” is the single’s A-side and it sounds anything but SoCal. Spilling over with blues-laden harmonies, the track’s lynchpin is a chorus larger than the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Once that blistering guitar solo comes to a close, consider me sold.

Unite with your bearded, flanneled brethren below. After all, it's fall and no one can deny an A minor, C major, D major chord progression in the fall.

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Chief - Mighty Proud

The Hood Internet Presents The Mixtape: Vol. IV

For those with fingers far removed from the pulse, here's a gentle reminder that the excellent Hood Internet have released their fourth mixtape. Essential downloading? Yessir.

Feel free to check out the MP3s I'm hosting below, but really, do yourself a favour and head over to their website and download the mix yourself. These guys have the art of dance-music-party-mash-up down pat. Get the whole thing, for free, here and impress your friends with your amateur DJing.

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Passion Pit vs Juvenile : Back That Sleepyhead Up - The Hood Internet

Kid Sister (feat. Pitbull) vs Phonat : Free Control Ocho - The Hood Internet

OJ Da Juiceman vs Discovery : Make The Loop Say Aye - The Hood Internet

The Beastie Boys vs Matt And Kim : Good Ol' Fashion Rump Shaker - The Hood Internet

The Soft Pack Can't Think of a Clever Headline

I've been listening to The Soft Pack for a while now, back when they used to call themselves The Muslims. Even scored myself a first pressing of their limited run, shot-to-hell debut LP.

It's been about a year and a half since I've heard anything from these up-and-comers. You can't imagine the sighs of relief I breathed when I learned their follow-up release was right around the corner.

What do they sound like, you ask? It may sound cliché by now, but I liken the San Diego boys to The Stokes, just cut out the New York mod and replace it with Californian sun. Yeah, that sounds about right.

Anyways, their second record is due out January 2nd of next year, but who wants to wait that long for catchy garage pop? Not me, or you, presumably. That's why I'm hosting two new songs and a couple of Jurassic MP3s to round out your iTunes library. Those oldies might actually be stronger than the new tracks, but I'll leave that for you to decide.

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New...

Answer to Yourself - The Soft Pack

Down on Lovin' - The Soft Pack (Removed by Request)

Old (Better?)...

Right and Wrong - The Soft Pack

On My Time - The Soft Pack

Bright Side - The Soft Pack

Gucci Mane Goes to Jail (BURRR)

Welp, he was on a nice run. After releasing four (yeah, four) mixtapes recently, it looks like Gucci Mane is headed to prison for probation violation. According to initial reports, he should only be away for 12 months. Insert your own jokes about him sharing a cell with Wayne or whatever, I just wanted another reason to type BURRR.

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Krazy (feat. Gucci Mane) - The Game

Steady Mobbin' (feat. Gucci Mane) - Lil Wayne

Them Crooked Vultures Bring the Business

So I've been putting off talking about Them Crooked Vultures until some official MP3s were issued. I finally get internet at my apartment and voila: MP3s are on the web.

If you've been living under a rock for the past few months, Them Crooked Vultures are the rock 'n rolla super-group made up of Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, and John Paul Jones. If you don't recognize those names then you probably shouldn't be reading this blog and we probably aren't friends anymore.

Even though the band just released some full tracks a few days ago, their songs have been wildly available for a while. Bootlegs were rampant on YouTube ever since their first live show, then some song snippets leaked out, followed by full songs posted on YouTube, until finally (today) the entire album was up for streaming on their YouTube page.

With the album officially dropping on Nov. 17th, it'll be interesting to read how the indie press reacts to the record. I'm sure publications like Spin or Rolling Stone will give it healthy reviews, but it's anyone's guess as to how all those hip New York journalists, who've given the band a slew of coverage thus far, will rate things.

Despite the three distinct musical influences at play, it's safe to say that the music leans most on the Queens of the Stone Age side of things. Not bad at all, I say; there's nothing wrong with straight up jams chock full of heavy riffs and everything I've heard delivers on that front. Plus, any reason to hear Grohl back behind the drums is a worthy cause to me.

Listen to the whole thing for free on YouTube by clicking here or download the tracks I'm hosting below. Either way, you win.

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Mind Eraser, No Chaser - Them Crooked Vultures

New Fang - Them Crooked Vultures

Papercuts Hurt, but Not Your Ears

Allow me to play catch-up... With a sound that's all over the map, at times sounding like Grizzly Bear, at others like Grandaddy, the new Papercuts record has warranted multiple listens ever since I first got my hands on it.

The singer/songwriter out of San Francisco (and his backing band) is all about atmosphere, like the dirge of "Future Primitive," the happy hymnal of "A Dictator's Lament," or the muted romance of "The Machine Will Tell Us So."

Uniquely, every song on the record is coated with this reverb haze, like the fog resting over a cold beachfront. It's easy to misconstrue this as amateurish Phil Spector homage, but really, the effect solidifies the album's dreamy nature.

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Future Primitive - Papercuts

A Dictator's Lament - Papercuts

The Machine Will Tell Us So - Papercuts

I'm Back (Back) But Only Ironically Grooving

I know, I know, I know...

Things have been hectic since departing Michigan. I moved to Brooklyn, fought off hordes of C.H.U.D., and started work at a music magazine that I can't comment on here. Awesome? Yeah.

Anyways, consider this my "official" return to the blogosphere. What better way to celebrate than hosting New York's newest "unofficial" anthem? "Empire State of Mind" has blown up around these parts, no doubt in part due to Jay's performance of the track during the World Series.

While Yankees fans have been annoying ever since I moved out here, no doubt in part due to their run in the World Series, "Empire State of Mind" has yet to wear its welcome. Well, that's not entirely true. Despite slick production and above-average verses, Alicia Keys' hook is still awful no matter how many times I hear it. Thankfully, the former outweighs the latter.

If you've heard enough of Blueprint 3 Jay-Z or want to avoid the stupidity of Alicia Keys' lyrics, I'll direct you to Ace Frehley's cover of Hello's love letter to New York because, well, there's nothing better than grooving.

From here on out, blogging resumes in full. Y'all come back soon now, y'hear?

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Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z

New York Groove - Ace Frehley