The multi-talented graphic artist and producer, Dan Nguyen (aka Demon Slayer) has been steady on his grind, performing live sets regularly as well as being commissioned for various mural projects. Luckily for those of us unfortunate enough to not have experienced a Demon Slayer performance as of yet, filmmaker Eye Tape has shot and edited an amazing video to accompany one of the artist’s cosmic tracks. The music video features snippets from one of Nguyen’s performances at the “Fly Ball” event at the Grand Star Jazz Club in Los Angeles.
It should come as no surprise that Canadian electronic pop maestro Caribou (alternately known by his former alias, Manitoba) is not only a gifted essential one-man band, but an accomplished mathematics scholar. Daniel Victor Snaith’s 2010 breakthrough release, Swim, is wholly demonstrative of the musician’s cerebral approach to both his passion in academia as well as in his aural craft. The dance-worthy lush soundscapes Snaith creates in his latest album are the result of his application of chord sequences and logic in his songwriting and some truly and feasibly evocative of progression.
Check out the correspondingly trippy new music video for Caribou’s latest single “Sun”:
Download and listen to “Sun” (Courtesy of Ca Va Cool):
Australian psychedelic indie rockers Tame Impala are the talk of the town (or rather, the ‘blogosphere’) and with good reason. The Perth natives bring to the table a refreshing sound that hearkens back to a generation in which tunes were most inspired and driven by the latest magic mushrooms or LSD an artist had consumed. Retro guitar effects and distortion? Check. Crazy tempo/time changes sure to blow the mind of the young stoner listening intently? Check. It would seem that the band went about their songwriting for their hit self-titled EP bearing these thoughts in mind as the end result was a groovy retro work capable of transporting listeners to other aurally-induced realms that would otherwise necessitate a whole lot of acid. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if a friend had me listen to their record and told me that these lanky Aussie hipsters wrote it in the 60’s.
Already hitting number one on the Australian Independent Record Labels chart as well as huge supporting slots with the likes of heavy hitters such like Yeasayer, The Black Keys, and MGMT and with the release of their debut full-length under their collective belt, it’s safe to say these newcomers are set to take over. Thanks to Annie Nguyen for reminding me about their album.
Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam a.k.a. M.I.A. is no stranger to controversy. Much of the eccentric U.K.-based recording artist’s works have incorporated very strong socio-political messages accompanied perfectly by uniquely dance-able, highly infectious tunes. More recently, outside of the musical aspect of her illustrious career, Arulpragasam has made broad statements regarding pop musician Lady Gaga in an interview with British publication, NME, touting her as a ‘mimic’ and going on to allege: “People say we’re similar, that we both mix all these things in the pot and spit them out differently,” she said, “but she spits it out exactly the same. None of her music’s reflective of how weird she wants to be or thinks she is.” (NME Interview).
Now, following an airborne advertising campaign in promotion of the June 29th U.S. release of her upcoming third full-length album (in the form of a blimp during rapper Jay-Z’s set at the recent 2010 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival), M.I.A. has released a controversial new music video for a recently distributed track entitled “Born Free”. The video, which was directed by French director Romain Gavras (whose portfolio includes Justice’s “Stress” and Simian Mobile Disco’s “I Believe”), is one chock-full of violence, nudity, and lots of explosions and gore. The song is pretty dope, too.
Check out the NSFW music video for “Born Free” here:
What do you think of the new music video and song? We’d love to hear your opinion in our comments section below.
Michael Uzowuru, also referred to as “The Afro Buttefly” is a dope kid and beat maker representing Southern California. His Instrumental Mixtape “The Mellowest Trip” is a mellow, fixating ensemble of jazzy samples, crisp drums and voice over samples from a mixture of films and historical icons. Easy to listen to the mixtape draws you into it’s simplicity to then take you into another world of deep conflict, truth and conviction. This kid is definitely someone to look out for.
Download or Listen to the “The Mellowest Trip”: Here
Remember this Swedish singer-songwriter? Right, you probably don’t. Let’s refresh your memory; this is the bird that dropped the mid-90’s jam “Show Me Love”.
Don’t lie, you couldn’t get enough of that track back in the day. Well, Robyn hasn’t exactly faded into obscurity since then. A few huge electronic collaborations (”With Every Heartbeat” with producer Kleerup amongst others) and a Grammy award nomination later, the pop artist is still going strong.
In anticipation of her fifth studio record, Body Talk Pt. 1, Robyn has thrown up a teaser in the form of a new track/single, “None of Dem”. The song, which marks yet another partnership with Norwegian electronic giants, Röyksopp, (Robyn lent her vocal stylings on the track “The Girl And The Robot” on their 2009 release Junior) features the type of sound you’d expect to find yourself vibing hard to at an obscure Euro discotheque or Hollywood club alike. Robyn comes strong on the track lyrically (touting the ineffectiveness of drugs and guys frontin’ on her) and it already appears that the album’s title encompasses the style/sound that she’s looking to achieve.
Body Talk Pt. 1 is set for release on June 14th via Cherrytree/Interscope and is part of a 3-mini album series.
Tracklisting and album artwork:
“Don’t Fucking Tell Me What to Do”
“Fembot”
“Dancing on My Own” (feat. Kleerup)
“Cry When You Get Older”
“Dance Hall Queen”
“None of Dem” (feat. Röyksopp)
“Hang With Me (acoustic)”
“Jag Vet En Dejlig Rosa”
Listen to “None of Dem” as well as the “The Girl and The Robot” here:
It can be said, without a shred of doubt, that Godspeed You! Black Emperor was one of the most influential instrumental rock bands. To this day, the Canadian post-rock pioneers (active during 1994-2003), are widely regarded as a seminal symbol of the genre and tremors of their style and innovation are felt to this day.
Shockingly, the band has abruptly announced an end to their almost decade-long hiatus and will be getting a running start with a headlining/curating slot on the Nightmare Before Christmas event presented by All Tomorrow’s Parties in Minehead, England on December 3-5. The lineup also includes: Bardo Pond, The Ex, Deerhoof, Tim Hecker, Mike Watt and Scout Niblett. According to the band’s announcement, a slew of European/U.K. dates and a small 9-date trek through America are also on the horizon.
It’s no surprise that Barcelona-based synthpop band Delorean are garnering great attention with the anticipation of their full-length record Subiza. The Spanish collective made huge waves with their last release, the Ayrton Senna EP, which showcased their unique blend of dreampop and electronica and are currently touring with Miike Snow throughout North America.
Peep the retro-inspired and visually stimulating music video (directed by Weird Days) here:
In commemoration of the Dr. Martens 50-year celebration, Stones Throw’s Dam-Funk has covered “Things That Dreams Are Made Of” by British synth-pop band, The Human League. Director Ace Norton also took the helm in the creation of a visual accompaniment as seen below:
Catch Dam-Funk on his short European trek:
EUROPE TOUR
Apr 01: Dam-Funk in London
Apr 02: Dam-Funk in Paris
Apr 03: Dam-Funk in Bristol
Apr 09: Dam-Funk in Amsterdam
Apr 09: Dam-Funk in Brussels
Apr 10: Dam-Funk in Rotterdam
Apr 11: Dam-Funk in Rome
Apr 15: Dam-Funk in Moscow
Apr 16: Dam-Funk in Moscow
Apr 17: Dam-Funk in Athens
Listen and download the track below (via Stones Throw):
Broken Bells has announced a slew of shows spanning North America in support of their self-titled debut. The group, comprised of Shins vocalist/guitarist James Mercer and producer extraordinaire Danger Mouse, has seen a great deal of praise in the short amount of time since their indie pet project has dropped and performed a few one-offs (most recently at SXSW). Supporting Broken Bells is the up-and-coming San Francisco-based Morning Benders.
Broken Bells Spring Tour:
05-18 San Diego, CA - Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay *
05-19 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre *
05-21 San Francisco, CA - Regency Ballroom *
05-24 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom *
05-25 Seattle, WA - Showbox at the Market *
05-26 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom *
05-29 Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre *
05-31 Chicago, IL - Vic Theater *
06-01 Detroit, MI - St. Andrews Hall *
06-02 Toronto, Ontario - Queen Elizabeth Theatre *
06-04 Boston, MA - RoyaleNightClub *
06-05 New York, NY - The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza *
06-06 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory *
06-07 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club *
06-10 Atlanta, GA - Center Stage *
06-11 Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club *
* with the Morning Benders
Check out the music video for the band’s single, “The High Road”:
Demon Slayer - Asteroid Shredder (Music Video)
