195 posts
Latest Posts by alwaysmovinginstereo - Page 6
Did ya hear the Oxford Dictionary kicked out the word "cassette tape" in its newest edition?
God dammit. I'm obsessed with this song. A synthy slice of sophisticated pop, "All Eyes On You" is a ballad to think about your girl to. (YES, I DO.)
St. Lucia, a one-man show currently out of Brooklyn by way the UK and South Africa, crafts one catchy tune - with rousing piano and a sax solo(!) to soundtrack those sentimental moments.
(Don't hate, cuz you liked it when Bon Iver got all 80s-era Steve Winwood on your ass with "Beth/Rest.")
AM & Shawn Lee - a duo that came through the Fox Theater in Oakland with likewise outstanding duo Thievery Corporation a couple weeks ago - released their first LP together earlier this month. Celestial Electric (of which you can scoop up from their Bandcamp page) is a blissed-out trip through your Dad's old AM radio. It siphons the best bits of soul and psychedelica, painting a lush soundscape comparable to what the Black Keys did for roots rock.
"Somebody Like You" is the hit. Mark my words.
HEALTH, the experimentally inclined noise band from LA covers their homie Pictureplane's "Goth Star", which in turn was created around an iconic sample from Fleetwood Mac's "Seven Wonders".
I'm just waiting until someone kills it with Stevie Nicks' "Stand Back". God, now talk about a hook of a synth line. MONEY.
This is not a dream, it's simply up the street from my house. Old Hooper's Chocolates became a skate shop. Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA.
This is The Horrors. They're from London. This past week, they released their third lp Skying off XL Recordings (home of every artist that seems to matter at the moment, including Radiohead, the XX, and Adele).
The once punk-and-goth inspired five piece continue to lighten up(only slightly) with lead single "Still Life."
It's a catchy, synth-filled cut that grows until bam! We got horns!
I've been reading reviews on other sites(the big fancy blogs you've heard of) that their new sound mimics early Simple Minds. Like those kids ever really listened to Simple Minds. Who makes that up? Regardless it's got that era written all over it. Along with M83's "Midnight City" and Washed Out's "Amor Fati" we're sure building the greatest John Hughes movie soundtrack that never was.
The Horrors play Bimbo's 365 Club September 10 in San Francisco.
Cat Power's unequaled Jukebox version of her own track "Metal Heart" from 2008.
So last week I grumbled about pretty much everything - sucky weather, utter broke-ness, and the lack of good new jams. I was your prototypical anonymous cynic of the internets!
This week is different. It's currently 75 degrees in Oakland with fair skies, and I'm stoked on a new track. I am however, still broke, but I'm always broke.
French swirly dream pop band M83 dropped new single "Midnight City" off the forthcoming Hurry Up, We're Dreaming. This succeeds John Hughes-movie- soundtrack-inspired LP Saturdays=Youth, which was a damn near perfect record for ME. I mean, c'mon, an atmospheric synth-pop record inspired by moments like Ferris and Sloane bidding goodbye after a long, radical day to Dream Academy's "The Edge of Forever"?
Saturdays=Youth was a record tailor-made for this kid who thought Shermer, Illinois was real way before Jay and Silent Bob.
New single "Midnight City" doesn't sound far off, era-wise. There's a huge sax solo at the end. I've heard this so many times before (Psychedelic Furs' "Heartbreak Beat") but with that, it hits every note of nostalgia without sounding old.
The double(!) record comes out October 18 on Mute, followed by a gig at SF's Independent on November 10.
Call it an off day, hell, an off week.
There's been a handful of new-ish to new tracks I've been wanting to get stoked on enough to post here, but I'm at a loss.
I'm absolutely broke (yet fabulous!) so no outstanding events this weekend to report on. To top it off, the weather sucks. You know, in that way only a Bay Area summer can suck it up, where you wonder, "this is what it must be like living in Seattle year-round."
It's cool, we're still in California folks (well, at least us fortunate ones), so there's that.
Here's an ode to the feeling, to the near rarity, of a warm San Francisco night.
London DJ and producer Gold Panda is killing it. His last LP Lucky Shiner continues to challenge and satisfy it's listeners, while key track "You" could be regarded as a modern electronic classic.
A few months ago he released a remix of Lykke Li's "Sadness Is A Blessing", taking a gorgeous track and making it into something otherworldly. It's on another level.
Catch him play The Independent on October 25.
Brooklyn sends love to stereo-land with synth-pop duo Class Actress dropping the new track "Keep You," streaming above.
It's a heads-up for the full length Rapproacher, out October 18 on Carpark.
Elizabeth Harper and band mate Scott Rosenthal will join Washed Out next Saturday, July 9 at the Great American Music Hall in SF.
Bon Iver recently released the single "Calgary," which contains on the flip-side a gorgeous cover of Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me."
It's unreal good. My mom may just crap her pants.
The Wisconsin band is slated to perform at Berkeley's Greek Theater on September 22.
Sacramento cool kids Sister Crayon are running up and down the state this week. Continuing to make their homies proud, they play a sold-out show on Saturday in LA at the Troubador with the Tune-Yards, and then notably Sunday's last slot at SF Pride's main stage.
The sun-baked crowd this Sunday will undoubtedly cool down with the trip-hop electric soul of Terra Lopez, Dani Fernandez, Nick Suhr, and Jeffrey LaTour.
Streaming above is a remix of one of my favorite SC songs, "Souls of Gold" by fellow Sac native Raleigh Moncrief. You can find the original on their full-length Bellow, which was released earlier this year on Manimal Vinyl.
I just realized, you know which artist played the last slot at the 2008 pride...?
GAGA. That is all. Congrats, SC.
When I was young, my Mom would take my older sister and I in her modest Toyota Tercel on roads to anywhere and nowhere. Day trips to the Mendocino Coast, or down to Santa Cruz, through vineyards or artichoke fields. There was always a soundtrack for the road, for my mother was still young and big on cassette tapes. INXS, Madonna, and Fine Young Cannibals were heavy in rotation. Lest not forget Pat Benatar. My mom would kill me if I didn't mention her.
Alas, another band was often filling my impressionable ears, whether on the tape deck or ol' KRQR, and that band of course was U2.
Now, you could imagine the shit I've gotten over the years for my penchant for the band's music. Especially from music lovers my age, of whom I've endured so many "Bono sucks" rants I've lost count.
In part, I understand, Bono's persona is incredibly self-righteous, and he's always had awful hair. It's too bad, because it detracts those who may be so inclined from their music. And their music my friends, has generally been outstanding. In their prime (1980 -1991), the band's catalog is unparalleled. They became the greatest rock and roll band for their passion, their sincerity and their sound, which now has been ape'd like a bad rash (Coldplay would be served well if Chris Martin stuck to his piano).
I have no qualms stating that tonight I'm seeing my all-time favorite band for the first time. I'm not going out on a limb saying I am who I am in part to the music I've grown up listening to, and U2 is a such a significant part of that.
They're gonna play one of my favorite songs, which you can stream above.
And when they play, I'll sing and holler and put my arm around my brother-in-law(who in fact first saw U2 in '87 for The Joshua Tree tour) and stand in awe of it all.
The Irish band plays the Oakland Coliseum tonight with Lenny Kravitz.
Brooklyn, NY based noise-poppers Sleigh Bells were remixed earlier this year by maestro and stereo-land favorite Diplo. Here he strips down the opening track off Treats, "Tell 'Em" with fantastic results.
Sleigh Bells kick off two-sold out shows tomorrow, Memorial Day, with Neon Indian at The Independent in SF.
I'll be there undoubtedly with a sunburn left over from this weekend.
Yelle at the Regency Ballroom, SF. May 19, 2011. Sweaty, dancey fun. Forgive my iPhone camera's suckatude.
My 14-year-old kid sister Caroline is obsessed with Kid Cudi. In fact, this past Mother's Day when we talked music, she pined over tickets to his show on June 19th at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in SF, which of course, are sold out. This is while now family-favorite Florence + the Machine is playing on the stereo out on my older sister's deck, where we all share homemade sopapillas and good drink.
I was already hoping to scoop some tickets off Craigslist to Florence for the June 12th show at the Greek Theater in Berkeley and taking Caroline. This of course, to solidify my standing, as all-time best older sister #1.
With tickets soaring to over $75 a pop (I'm not desperate, I've seen Flo twice already), the odds of purchase are not good. Especially when there's a consellation like this track - a fantastic mashup by Riley Keating (known as R3K), fusing Cudi's verses off Dan Black's "Symphonies" with Flo's "Cosmic Love."
By the way, when I sent this track to my sister, she replied, "oh...my...god! i LOVE it! LOVEEE ITTTTT!!!"
Ernest Greene, aka Washed Out, was all over the internets yesterday after announcing his Sub Pop full-length debut (out July 12). Additionally it's mentioned he's coming around the Bay with a gig at the Great American Music Hall a few days prior on July 9th. I'm totally stoked...in that chillwave kinda-way.
Streaming from the upcoming Within and Without, is "Eyes Be Closed" - a track undoubtedly influenced by Enya, and that standing outside a phonebooth song.
EDIT (7/20): Two days ago Domino Records (by way of Subpop) released the "short beautiful visual piece" for "Eyes Be Closed," which can be now be seen above.
Don't play no game that I can't win...
Beastie Boys are back May 3rd with Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. This track featuring Santigold is what I wished Santi's new drop "Go" with Karen O was gonna be: SUPER DOPE. 'Dem analog infused horns do it every time.
Roger and John Taylor(above) of Duran Duran signed my vinyl copy of Rio today at Rasputin's in Berkeley for Record Store Day. Big thanks to the pushy, screaming woman behind me. It was lovely.
Duran Duran is at the Fillmore tonight in SF, before heading off to play a slot at Coachella tomorrow...
http://player.vimeo.com/video/20535037?color=cccccc
Yelle's two-part video for singles "Safari Disco Club" and "Que veux tu."
She's another French over-achiever (I sense a theme these past few weeks in stereo land...) and she's playing the Regency Ballroom on May 19th in San Francisco. There's just something about a lovely brunette singing sugary and addictive songs to me in French. Translation: dance.
Phoenix - The French indie-pop band too good for their own good. Their singles became ubiquitous in 2009, and thankfully for my sanity and probably their own, they've stayed away this past year or so. Sure, Girl Talk sampled "1901" on All Day and then Phoenix frontman's wifey Sofia Coppola featured "Love Like A Sunset" in her film Somewhere.
But really, this song above is awesome because it isn't Phoenix. Strange Talk is out of Melbourne, Australia, and they ape Phoenix HARD on this track.
Honestly, I could have very well just said this was new Phoenix, and been on my merry way knowing I had convincingly deceived every one of my 3 followers (hi Mom).
Where would that leave them? With "Eskimo Boy," a fresh and pleasant sounding track perfect for this Bay spring breeze. Holla.
Hey, I noticed that you were excited about The Sounds show! Check out some videos I was able to snag! :Dhttp://what-else-is-there.tumblr.com/post/4438261710/the-sounds-perform-living-in-america-athttp://what-else-is-there.tumblr.com/post/4438322588/the-sounds-perform-painted-by-numbers-atI hope you had fun! I know I did.
Rad! We were the girls on the table stage left bout 10 yards back. So sweaty. So fun. Great video!
While I wait for The Sounds show tomorrow, I look ahead to next weekend, when I'll be seeing Brookyln-ites Holy Ghost! open for Aussie synth dance-rock favorite Cut Copy at the Regency Ballroom in SF. Now, this track "Wait & See" seeps with homages to the 80s, completely unapologetically. But instead of ripping the stalwarts like Joy Division and The Smiths, they're taking cues from Information Society and Wang Chung.
Oh my god, I love it, unapologetically.
The Sounds play this Thursday at the Rickshaw Stop, SF. Which means Maja (at left) will be there. Which means heaven because I die.
P.S. that new Katy Perry alien video w/ Kanye and the deer legs is ridiculous and I'm totally entertained. She's been making up for her suckatude since faking bi-curiousity and calling Lady Gaga "blasphemous."
After "Teenage Dream," "Firework," that Adidas clip, and now this, I'm on the team. We'll just see how much time passes until she's loses me again. You go, K.P.
"I never give up on anything, I just move on to something else."
Includes many of my favorite things - sneakers, new Justice track, skateboarding, killer editing, and Katy Perry.
Well done.
