Category Archives: Favorites

David Douglas cover sleeve- David

Favorites: David Douglas – Royal Horticultural Society

The electronics tipping the scales of David Douglas’ Royal Horticultural Society all sound familiar…the beats have been struck before…the synths have buzzed my ears once or twice in the past…I have heard this so many times in so many forms…so many speakers echoed these sounds…yet why is it so fresh.  I guess this is why I’m so taken with this Dutch producers album – its beautifully crafted electronic dance/chill music that is molded and chipped and massaged so wonderfully that every song on it makes you just want to close your eyes and fall backwards into a sleepwalking dance.

mp3: David Douglas – “California Poppy”

Buy and Stream the full release at Atomnation.

sweet lights

Favorites: Sweet Lights – S/T

sweet lights

Lets just say this.  Sweet Lights (Shai Halperin) and his S/T High-Line released album is nostalgia all over.  Seriously.  Playing this thing…I’m hearing McCartney, Floyd, etc, etc.  It’s silly really…I almost took this as a bad thing.  Then I was like…who am I kidding…these songs are great….beautiful…I’m singing along…waving along…submerged in the breakdown.

mp3: Sweet Lights – Message On The Wire

mp3: Sweet Lights – Ballad Of Kurt Vile #2

 

 

Nomadic Firs

Favorites: Nomadic Firs – S/T

Nomadic Firs

The more I’ve listened to Nomadic Firs‘ debut S/T LP (out now on Crash Symbols) the more I’m swept in…the more I’m in love with it.  Ryan Boos has taken some folk like po like songs and blanketed them in beautiful electronic grime.  He’s rehashed rock and roll and freewheeled it into cut up/sampled/delayed synth wonders.  There’s even a beach time sunset sonnet dream (“Cover Bombs”) buried in sand and burned by the sun.  What really takes me by storm is the true unexpected nature of the LP.  There are moments where there’s a fairly concise pop song structure, but other times he just completely lets loose and rides a groove hard the whole song.  And because of this…I get lost in this album.

mp3: Nomadic Firs – In The Morning

mp3: Nomadic Firs – Cover Bombs

 

walter tv Appetite

Favorites: walter tv – Appetite

walter tv Appetite

Vancouver’s walter tv have created some seriously mind altering rock in their new LP Appetite.  Don’t take it from me – just check their facebook bio:

“Walter Tv is a chopped and screwed remix of an epic dubstep riff. undeniably bassy, these 3 lewd dudes from Vancouver Canada ruin the stage. onlookers rant as they fall to their knees in splendor and awe. the force of sound emanating from inside these incestuous creodonts is in close resemblance to a putrid defilers rugose moan. hoping to play in a city near you, and to kiss you on the lips.”

So there.  Basically if you like straight up frenetic guitars and drums with spiraling and swirling tripped out vocals raining down on your glazed over eyes…then, hey, come have a taste:

mp3: walter tv – Necessity 

mp3: walter tv - Siddhartha

Get Appetite via bandcamp.

 

Case Point EP

Favorites: Case Point – Case Point EP

Case Point EP

Case Point (Ryan Boos aka Nomadic Firs and Adam Stolz) have just released their debut S/T EP via Bad Pop and it’s staking claim to my ears.  Where they go on this collaboration is one that doesn’t seem to be tackled that often – jazz, trip-hop, pop, r&b – all blended into something quite unique…as well as soothing.  Go listen/purchase the digital on Bad Pop’s bandcamp.  Meanwhile…

mp3: Case Point – Broadway Lights

mp3: Case Point - Subtle Advances Featuring GVK

Case Point Links: Bandcamp | Facebook | SoundCloud

joseph stallion

Favorites: Joseph Stallion – White Lodge EP

joseph stallion

It’s rare that I latch onto music this quickly, but the duo Joseph Stallion (Erin Ross and Max Petrek) and their White Lodge EP have completely trashed my mind as of late.  Ross has soft pop vocals sucked into and redirected through the large networked scope of Petrek’s production.  Going from chopped lo-fi to booming dark waves, but always ultimately hanging around their modern pop ideals.

“We are dream pop classicists with an open mind to the minimal beats of the trap/swag rap of recent years. Our music is made on the internet through the exchange of emails and we are heavily influenced by the cheap recording and youtube quality encoding. We believe strongly in pop progressions and structures, and are trying to bring the extreme sonic pallet of modern electronic music to the classic pop song form.”

Stream the full thing via SoundCloud…meanwhile:

Joseph Stallion Links: SoundCloud | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter

KYNAN - Abel EP

Favorites: KYNAN – Abel EP

KYNAN - Abel EP

I don’t know if I’ve run into a more catchy and immediately accessable three songs than LA’s Joel Kynan Williams aka KYNAN’s newest Abel EP.  This is that enjoy-singing-along indie rock that seems to be a rarity these days…and it’s free.  Support this dude if he comes to your town – totally worth your $.

mp3: KYNAN – He Just Wants To Make Love (this song gets stuck in my head so so easily)

mp3: KYNAN – Abel

KYNAN Links: Bandcamp | Facebook | SoundCloud | Twitter