Blind Man's Colour - "The Warm Current's Pull" & "Jimmy Dove"

I recently posted some fantastic Animal Collective covers that Blind Man's Colour recorded. At the time, I had not sampled many of the band's original compositions, and I regret making them seem like a cover band when they are very much a real band with a plethora of recorded material. They recently signed to Kanine Records and their debut LP, Season Dreaming, will be out in early summer. Not surprisingly, the band's music is heavily influenced by Animal Collective. What is surprising is how fast I stopped caring about their blatantly derivative sound. "Jimmy Dove" and "The Warm Current's Pull" (both from Season Dreaming) are flat-out fantastic songs. "Jimmy Dove" is especially infectious and, with its twilit electronic sheen, reminds me a bit of Cut Copy.

Download MP3: "The Warm Current's Pull"
Download MP3: "Jimmy Dove"

Balmorhea - "Harm & Boon"

Before listening to Balmorhea, I cannot recall ever hearing a band attempt to combine the genres of classical, Americana and post-rock - and, certainly, not as seamlessly and beautifully as them. For the sake of simplicity, imagine Explosions in the Sky with piano, banjo and strings (coincidentally, both Balmorhea and Explosions in the Sky hail from Austin, Texas). Over the course of 8 minutes, "Harm & Boon" moves hypnotically from passage to passage. Beginning with a solo piano, the song gradually builds - accumulating drums, cello, violin, banjo, acoustic and electric guitar along the way.

All Is Wild, All Is Silent is due 3/10 on Western Vinyl.

Download MP3: "Harm & Boon"

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Heads Will Roll"

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs took their sweet time writing and recording their forthcoming third album, It's Blitz!, and it was definitely time well spent. I've only given it a few spins, and I'm already confident saying it's their most consistent and eclectic album thus far. The band employs not only a multitude of synths and electronic textures, but also a newfound sense of restraint and mood. "Heads Will Roll" is an unabashed dance-floor stomper - equal parts Blondie and New Order. Also, call me crazy, but hearing Karen O yelp out "I'm dripping with alchemy" is pretty goddamn hot.

It's Blitz! is out 4/14 on Interscope.

Download MP3: "Heads Will Roll"

The Veils - "Killed By The Boom"

I only recently became familiar with The Veils, but I fell for them pretty hard and fast. Coincidentally, they have a new album, Sun Gangs, coming out soon. The first single, "Killed By The Boom," is a barnstormer and an interesting dichotomy: the song alternates between verses that grind and lurch (think Nick Cave or Tom Waits) and choruses that positively soar (think Jeff Buckley or Thom Yorke). Frontman Finn Andrews possesses a fascinating, emotive wail of a voice, but I'm willing to concede that it may be an acquired taste. Full disclosure: I love this song an extra little bit because Mr. Andrews revealed it to be a tribute of sorts to my favorite character from The Wire, Omar Little.

Sun Gangs is out 4/7 on Rough Trade.

Download MP3: "Killed By The Boom"

Deradoorian - "High Road"

If you've been following this blog for a while, you've probably noticed that I'm quite enamored with the Dirty Projectors. While the band possesses many wonderful idiosyncrasies for which they should be loved and admired, I am especially fond of Amber Coffman and Angel Deradoorian's angelic voices. They provide a perfect balance to lead Projector Dave Longstreth's tenuous warble. So, quite naturally, I was pleased to hear that Ms. Deradoorian has been working on music of her very own. "High Road" is the first taste of her Mind Raft EP, and, with the exception of her unmistakable voice, there is little that recalls the Dirty Projectors. It's a slinky, minimal tune that actually reminds me of Portishead quite a bit; albeit a warmer, more organic Portishead. Angel, you've got my attention.

The Mind Raft EP is due 5/5 on Lovepump United.

Download MP3: "High Road"

Heavy Rotation: I Was A King

I am constantly amazed at the stream of talent that has been pouring out of Scandinavia this decade, and I'm ready to add another band to the "talented motherfuckers" pile: Oslo, Norway's I Was A King. In the little bit of press I've seen on I Was A King, three bands are continually earmarked: Teenage Fanclub, Dinosaur Jr. and My Bloody Valentine. I can't really argue with these comparisons - I Was A King's sound could be accurately described as shoegaze power-pop. And write radiant pop songs they do - filled with guitars that simultaneously swirl, chime and chug and drums always bursting front-and-center. I Was A King's first single "It's All You" features an incongruous piano intro from, of all people, Sufjan Stevens. It reminds me of Mike Garson's piano-playing on Bowie's Aladdin Sane. After Soof's intro, the band kicks into full bloom and a fuzz-encrusted, tightly coiled tune emerges. If you tilt your head just enough, "Norman Bleik" could almost pass for a wobbly Tom Petty song - one which features a killer solo that perfectly channels J. Mascis.

I Was A King is out 4/7 on The Control Group.

Download MP3: "It's All You"
Download MP3: "Norman Bleik"

White Antelope - "It Ain't Me Babe" (Bob Dylan cover)

As you can probably tell from the above picture, White Antelope is the nome de plume of Fleet Foxes' esteemed leader, Robin Pecknold. He recently set up a myspace page under this name as a way to share covers that he records sans foxes. Not surprisingly, his take on Dylan's classic "It Ain't Me Babe" is bedazzling. He also gets bonus geek points from me for presenting White Antelope as part of the Dharma Initiative (if you're a LOST fan, you know what I'm talking about). He left the following mission statement on his myspace page:

"White Antelope is the latest and greatest in a long line of exciting animal-named and themed music groups. This particular word synergectomy, "White Antelope," has heretofore never been used for such an application and we at the Dharma Initiative could not be more pleased to reveal this innovation to you, the listening public. This is our first serious co-branding initiative with Microsoft's animal-named music group software Fleet Foxes. We hope you enjoy this new animal-name, our most graceful and polysyllabic concoction yet!

Mr. Halliwax
Band Name Synthesis Division"

Download MP3: "It Ain't Me Babe" (Bob Dylan cover)

Radiohead - "15 Step (w/ the USC Marching Band)" video & MP3 *updated*

At last night's Grammy Awards show, Radiohead performed "15 Step" with the USC marching band. Not surprisingly, it totally fucking slayed.



Download MP3: "15 Step (w/ USC marching band)"

Heavy Rotation: Lotus Plaza

Lotus Plaza is the solo project of Deerhunter's Lockett Pundt. Sonically, Lotus Plaza falls somewhere between the chugging shoegaze of Deerhunter and the narcoleptic haze of Atlas Sound. In short, it's a dreamy, evocative set of tunes. At this moment, I just realized Lockett Pundt is basically the Johnny Greenwood of Deerhunter: he is the lead guitarist that contributes a tune here and there (i.e. "Agoraphobia" and "Dot Gain") and, trivially, Lockett also sports boyish good looks and foppish black hair. His debut LP as Lotus Plaza, The Floodlight Collective, is an aural stew of hushed, gauzy vocals and chiming guitars awash in reverb that even conjures up Panda Bear at times.

The Floodlight Collective is out 3/23 on Kranky.

Download MP3: "Red Oak Way"
Download MP3: "Whiteout"

Alela Diane - "Dry Grass & Shadows"

Alela Diane's To Be Still is one of my favorite albums of this young year so far. I've already written a good deal about Alela and the album's fantastic first single "White As Diamonds." To Be Still's lead track, "Dry Grass & Shadows" is currently available from itunes as the free single of the week. Below is a video of Alela Diane performing the song with her father for a Dumbo West session (courtesy of GvsB).

Download MP3: "Dry Grass & Shadows"


alela diane | "dry grass & shadows" from gorillavsbear.net on Vimeo.