New Music: Why?, The Dodos, Girls

It seems Bay Area bands have been feeling especially generous lately...

Why? - "This Blackest Purse" (mp3)
The Dodos - "Fables" (mp3)
Girls - "Hellhole Ratrace" (mp3)
Girls - "Solitude" (mp3)

Briefs: Division Day, Grand Lake, JETSKIIS, Twilight Singers, Dengue Fever, Free Music

+ Division Day have signed with LA label Dangerbird Records, joining a roster that already includes Silversun Pickups, Sea Wolf and Darker My Love. The band's second full length, Visitation, is out August 18 and the band is currently streaming two new songs on their MySpace. [via Buzz Bands]

+ Oakland's Grand Lake posted some good news and some bad news this week. The good news: the band is featured in a Bay Bridged podcast and has begun selling their new cassingle. The bad news: the band's van ("Lucy") was stolen. We are hoping for a safe return.

Grand Lake - "Sandusky Sunset" (mp3)

+ New SF band alert: JETSKIIS, featuring members of The New Centuries.

+ Spin has a commissioned a Purple Rain tribute album and is streaming the Twilight Singers' take on "When Doves Cry" featuring Apollonia.

+ Anticon artists Themselves have announced West Coast tour dates.

+ Dengue Fever will release a new digital EP on July 14 entitled Radio Dance Floor featuring a collaboration with the Bird and the Bee’s Inara George on lead vocals for a cover of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love."

+ And finally some free music - the latest Urban Outfitters comp, LSTN#5, is out featuring tracks from St. Vincent, Grizzly Bear, Cymbals Eat Guitars and more.... Cassettes Won't Listen is giving away his (F)Remix EP. Download the .zip here.

Faunts - "Explain" (Cassettes Won't Listen remix) (mp3)
Cassettes Won't Listen - "Into the Hillside" (mp3)

Will's New Music Picks (Best of '09 so far): Bat For Lashes, O+S, Telekinesis

On occasion, N&UR founder Will Benham listens to new music, and sometimes he likes what he hears so much he decides to recommend it to others. Will recommends you pick these up - though bear in mind Will did think that "808s and Heartbreaks" was the best album of 2008.

Two Suns, Bat For Lashes
I breeze through music so quickly it seems, moving past one record after just a couple of spins, eager to hear the next. But sometimes, a record is just so stunning that it demands my attention for days and sometimes weeks. You can hear Bat For Lashes' Natasha Khan channeling Kate Bush on the brilliant "Daniel." Elsewhere, songs recall such unlikely sources as Loreena McKennitt and Fumbling Towards Ecstacy-era Sarah McLachlan. The musical arrangements are rich reflecting Khan's art school background and a Celtic influence. Two Suns is brilliant, truly unique and one of a kind.

O+S, O+S
Azure Ray's Orenda Fink and Remy Zero's Cedric LeMoyne teamed up to form O+S, releasing their debut on Saddle Creek earlier this year. The two recorded the album with a host of musicians and a gang of found sounds ("Haitian rituals, street noises or whatever," says LeMoyne) turned into loops. The loops and beats crafted by LeMoyne create an ominous setting, before Fink's vocals come in to set a tone that is at times dark, at other times peaceful. The album opens with a pair of brilliant songs ("New Life" and "Permanent Scar") from which it continues to build off on, reaching its peak with the two dueting on "Lonely Ghosts." Note: They also put on one of the best live shows I've seen this year.

O+S - "Permanent Scar" (mp3)
O+S - "We Do What We Want To" (mp3)


Telekinesis!, Telekinesis
"I've got a heart but it's afraid to love, sometimes I think the damn thing's full of rust," croons Michael Benjamin Lerner at the album's opening, setting the stage for the tales of a hopeless romantic. Lerner's debut as Telekiniesis rarely strays from his desire to be in love. Musically, the album goes from brilliant indie pop hooks that recall Rogue Wave and Nada Surf, to lo-fi acoustic recordings that sound as if they were sung into an old tape machine. Sometimes it is both, as in the case of "Tokyo" and "Coast of Carolina." At barely a half an hour, Telekinesis! is a modern record in that it knows its purpose is to get in, get to the point and get out. By keeping it simple, this is one record you can easily listen to beginning to end.

Other albums that have received extensive play:

Here We Go Magic, Here We Go Magic
Here We Go Magic - "Fangela" (mp3)

Merriweather Post Pavillion, Animal Collective (duh)

Dark Was the Night, Various Artists

So Far Gone, Drake

Ringleader of the Tormentors, Morrissey

Briefs: Mixtapes, Sir Lord Von Raven, Grand Lake

+ If you're upset about losing some of your monthly downloads due to Emusic's recent deal with Sony, here's some free music for you ... tons of new mixtapes: Mick Boogie's MC Hammer mixtape, R. Kelly's first-ever mixtape (SendSpace link), a new Kanye West mixtape from Tapemasters Inc, and a live Drake mixtape.

+ I Guess I'm Floating has posted the first video from Oakland band Sir Lord Von Raven. The band includes Eric Von (The Time Fly's) on vocals and guitar, as well as Greg Ashley (Gris Gris, the Mirrors, solo career) on several instruments and production duties.

Gris Gris - "Year Zero" (mp3)
The Time Fly's - "Zodiac Killer's Son" (mp3)
Greg Ashley - "Fisher King" (mp3)
Greg Ashley - "Apple Pie and Genocide" (mp3)

+ Oakland's Grand Lake are releasing a cassette single/digital download behind the track "Sanddusky Sunset." It is a limited run of 100 cassettes. Each cassette comes with a digital download and a button, which will be sold only at shows. The b-side is a brilliant track entitled "Why Do You Lie To Me."

Grand Lake - "She's A Hater" (mp3)
Grand Lake - "Concrete Blonde on Blonde" (mp3)

New Music: Kid Mud - "Federated" / "Questions or Comments"

On Monday, we revealed the cover art and tracklist for Kid Mud's Now They Shut Us Down (available June 16 from New and Used Records). Today, we are happy to give you a pair of mp3s from the album...

Kid Mud - "Federated" (mp3)

Kid Mud - "Questions or Comments" (mp3 at RCRDLBL)

Kid Mud was featured in today's Demo Days column on RCRDLBL. Samuel Duke says, "San Francisco one-man-band makes brokenhearted indie-folk."

Jukebox: Friday Mile

Jukebox is a feature where we ask our favorite artists, bloggers and DJs their opinions on four songs that are currently generating buzz. Then we ask them for songs that we should be buzzing about. This week, we put quarters in the record machine with Jace Krause of Friday Mile...

Clues - "Perfect Fit" (mp3)
I am not familiar with these guys, and I didn't like this song the first, second, and third times I listened to it. The songwriting, vocals, lyrics, and arrangement didn't connect with me. However, I did enjoy the sound they got on the keys. It sounds like a Wurlitzer... it's a very nice sound. I am curious if all their songs are like this, so I will probably go check them out to see what their other tunes sound like.

Passion Pit - "Moth's Wings" (mp3)
Only recently have I been hearing stuff from these guys. This song is anthemic. Perfect for summer deck parties. The shouty vocals and melody lines sound great over the shimmering synths. Not sure if I could take a whole album of that shouty vocal sound, however. Also, the dynamics of the tune don't vary much, so by mid-song I was getting a little bored and wanted something else to happen. Overall, not a bad track... I'd play it at a party or put it on a mix for a friend.

St Vincent - "Actor Out of Work" (mp3)
Annie Clark's new album might be the most-played thing in my world right now. This song is great because of the driving, spastic drums, and the way her lovely vocals are singing this nervous melody. And it clocks in just over two minutes--in and out. The whole record is like this track--beautiful melodies over instrumental tension--yet all the songs stand out in their own way. As a musician, I am very curious about what her writing process is like. I'm getting excited just writing about it. I would pick "Laughing With A Mouth Of Blood" as another standout track that people should check out.

John Vanderslice - "Too Much Time" (mp3)
This probably isn't fair, because I am a total Vanderslice fanboy. I first listened to him while I weeded tree beds in the cold Northwest rain in January (I was a groundskeeper in college). This song, like 99% of his songs, tells a cryptic story where we are only given a glimpse of the whole picture, and we're left to fill in the blanks. I really admire his lyrics. His voice is an acquired taste, but I love it. There's a raw sincerity to it, especially in this track. It's pure and cuts through the mix, and when he layers his vocals it only takes his songs to another level. I don't think this song is one of his best, but I still like it (me = JV fanboy). I think his newer stuff is good, but seems to lack an edge that his first few albums had. Sometimes I just want to see this guy rock the fuck out.

Jace's picks...

Weinland - "Breaks In The Sun"
This is the titular track from Weinland's third album, and one of the standouts. I had a really hard time picking just one song. These guys are from Portland and, surprise, play a brand of folk/Americana-inspired music. What sets these guys apart from the crowd is the delicate lead vocals by Adam Shearer, and the beautiful interplay between the instruments in the songs, all played skillfully by the rest of the band. Piano, mandolin, lap steel guitar all can be heard in their songs, but nothing is overdone; it's all tasteful and beautiful. And if you like the album stuff, you'll almost certainly love them live.

Miike Snow - "Burial" (RCRDLBL)
It's hard to classify this song. Much of it is Euro-ish dance, but there's an indie pop feeling to it as well. What gets me is the catchy chorus... I find myself walking around singing it out loud around the house.

Marissa Nadler - "Ghosts And Lovers" (MySpace)
This one kind of snuck up on me. I found myself transfixed by this track and many others on her latest album. It was one of those serendipitous happenings... I bought the album, got really into it, and then saw she was playing the next night at the Tractor Tavern here in Seattle. I live nearby, so it seemed like I was supposed to go watch her play. What she and her band lack in stage presence, they make up for by creating haunting melodies and harmonies that draw you in.

Grizzly Bear - "While You Wait For The Others"
Grizzly Bear probably doesn't need another person fawning over their music, but from what I've heard of Veckatimest, it sounds like they are bringing a little more pop into their atmospheric recordings. I won't be complaining. Of the 2-3 tracks I've heard from it, this one stands out to me as one of my favorites. The chorus here is fantastic, shiny 60s pop.

Friday Mile are a Seattle-based band. Their music is available at iTunes and CD Baby.

Videos: Crystal Stilts, Tigers Can Bite You, The Strokes

In my college days, one of the many film classes I took was in found footage. The late great Bruce Conner was a pioneer of found footage films, and his shorts laid the groundwork for many a music video that has followed. The new video from Slumberland recording artists Crystal Stilts, entitled "Love is a Wave," is built entirely around found footage.

Crystal Stilts - "Love is a Wave" (mp3)

If you watch closely at 0:10, you will see the same footage that was the foundation of Tigers Can Bite You's 2008 video, "Taking and Running Away."

Tigers Can Bite You - "Taking and Running Away" (mp3)

And while we are on the subject of found footage, here is my favorite found footage video - "Hard to Explain" by The Strokes.

Sly Charles Playlist 5/11/09

[mp3; starts at 0:35]
1. Silversun Pickups "There's No Secrets This Year"
2. Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band "Cabbage Town"
3. Wilco "The Jolly Banker"
4. Bat for Lashes "Good Love"
5. St. Vincent "Laughing With a Mouth of Blood"
6. The Whitest Boy Alive "Courage"
7. Akron/Family "River"
8. Camera Obscura "Careless Love"
9. Peter Bjorn & John "Just the Past"
10. Swan Lake "Paper Lace"
11. Telekinesis "Coast of Carolina"
12. The Thermals "I Let It Go"
13. Wavves "Friends Were Gone"
14. Dinosaur Jr. "I Want You to Know"

Sly Charles is a N&UR contributor whose radio show broadcasts on KSDT Mondays 10-11AM.

New Music: John Vanderslice - "Too Much Time"

John Vanderslice - "Too Much Time" (mp3)

I promote a concert series called LA[Heart]SF and, as a music fan and label owner, I passionately follow the LA and SF music scenes. When it comes to baseball, however, my loyalty lies with SF. And when it comes to baseball, LA does not [Heart] SF. Tonight, the San Francisco Giants are in LA to take on the Dodgers who, despite a hot start, are reeling from yesterday's suspension of star Manny Ramirez who tested positive for a performance enhancing drug. This has nothing to do with John Vanderslice, and if you wish to read more of my thoughts on the San Francisco Giants, you should check out Still Orange and Black.

Now, on the subject of John Vanderslice, Dead Oceans has released another tune, "Too Much Time," in anticipation of the May 19 release of Romanian Names. This is Vanderslice's first album on Dead Oceans, and while I have not heard the whole thing, my friends at The Bay Bridged have tweeted that it might just be his best. Vanderslice celebrates Romanian Names' release with a show at Rickshaw Stop May 19 with the Morning Benders. He plays Amoeba Records the night before, and then heads out on a lengthy tour - first with the Morning Benders and then The Tallest Man on Earth.

John Vanderslice - "Fetal Horses" (mp3)

Silian Rai's And I You, to Pieces Out Via 500 Records

Local label 500 Records just added another fine album to their catalog, digitally releasing Silian Rail's I, You To Pieces this week. I was fortunate to catch the duo of Robin Landy and Eric Kuhn a few times last year and was immediately struck by the strong musicianship. While there is an epic quality to their instrumentals, there is also a strong pop sensibility, which qualifies Silian Rail for me as instrumental indie rock. Robin’s guitar playing is so pretty and Eric’s drums so driving that it feels as though lyrics and vocals would actually betray the experience that is being created in these songs. With just guitar and drums, Silian Rail create something very special - instrumental music that is engaging and melodic without being avant garde or chaotic. Here's a couple of songs from And I You, To Pieces for you to check out...

Silian Rail - "Tituba" (mp3)
Silian Rail - "'I' is Somebody Else" (mp3)

And I You, To Pieces is available at iTunes.

Dreamdate's Patience Out Now Digitally

Oakland's Dreamdate have unveiled their latest album, Patience, digitally via Skywriting Records and will celebrate with a release party at the Knockout in San Francisco on Saturday, May 9. To re-use some descriptive musical terms, the duo of bff's Yea-Ming Chen and Anna Hillburg play jangly, lo-fi indie pop often suplemented with dreamy vocal harmonies. If you like what you hear, the band are heading out on tour with stops in LA, Davis, Seattle, Vancouver, Portland, Olympia, Sacramento and Nevada City. We've got a couple of tracks from Patience for your listening pleasure...

Dreamdate - "Have I Told You?" (mp3)
Dreamdate - "8 Sleeves" (mp3)

Patience can be picked up at iTunes.

Great Northern's Remind Me Where The Light Is Out Now

Actually it came out last week.

I've been just a little bit behind in posting about all the exciting new music I've been listening to as of late, and one of the casualties of that is the new Great Northern record, Remind Me Where The Light Is. We were at the Hotel Utah a few weeks back when Kid Mud opened for the band and we've been greatly anticipating their album ever since. The LA duo of Rachel Stolte and Solon Bixler have crafted an indie rock/electro sound that is somewhere between Ladytron and their LA counterparts the Silversun Pickups. The duo craft some good melodies, but it is Stolte's gorgeous vocals that are the real draw here. Great Northern are doing some extensive touring behind this album so be sure and check them out. You can stream the whole thing at the band's iLike page, and here are some downloads:

Great Northern - "Story" (mp3)
Great Northern - "Houses" (mp3)
Great Northern - "Warning" (mp3)

Remind Me Where The Light Is is out on Eenie Meenie Records and is available via iTunes

New Papercuts Out Today

MP3 - "You Can Have What You Want" - Papercuts

Sometimes, a listener is so fortunate as to have a week such as this where the new music arrives in copious amounts. This week, I am thrilled to see the arrival of new releases from Silversun Pickups, the Boy Least Likely To, Dengue Fever and the Whitest Boy Alive - not to mention the highly-anticipated second album from Papercuts. We've been quite thrilled about what we've heard from "Future Primitive" and the title track, and cannot wait to dive in further. Jason Quever and his band play Cafe du Nord on April 24 with Cryptacize and The Finches, before hitting the road with Vetiver. And if you happen to be in research mode, Quever could use your help with something. In the influences section of the band's MySpace page, Quever includes:

some book I read when I was very young about a kid who found out his life was the subject of an experiment and he is being watched closely and he travels to the edge of town and sees there's nothing past it, it's all a hoax, does anyone know what book that was? Maybe it was a dream I had.

Bonus Tracks:
MP3 - "Future Primitive" (Ruby Suns Remix) - Papercuts
MP3 - "Future Primitive" - Papercuts

Dengue Fever Doc, Soundtrack Out Today

MP3 - "March of the Balloon Animals" - Dengue Fever

Out today on M80 is the latest release from Dengue Fever - a two-disc set that includes the documentary Sleepwalking Through the Mekong and an accompanying soundtrack. Directed by John Pirozzi, Sleepwalking has made the rounds at a number of film festivals and chronicles the bands visit to lead singer Chhom Nimol's native Cambodia during the 2005 Water Festival. The accompanying soundtrack includes a number of Cambodian musicians, in addition to Dengue Fever's score.

This Saturday, April 18, the band will make a special 7" available in honor of Record Store Day. Dengue Fever contributed the unreleased track "Genjer Genjer" to the 7", which is a split with Brooklyn-based Chicha Libre. Pressing is limited to 1000 and will be available in stores, online and on tour.

Sleepwalking Through the Mekong Trailer

Bonus Tracks:
MP3- "Sober Driver" - Dengue Fever
MP3 - "Seeing Hands" - Dengue Fever
Buy Dengue Fever at iTunes

Sly Charles Playlist 4/13/09

[mp3]
1. The Gaslight Anthem "The '59 Sound"
2. Junior Boys "Dull to Pause"
3. The Whitest Boy Alive "1517"
4. Peter Bjorn & John "Living Thing"
5. Bat for Lashes "Sleep Alone"
6. The Decemberists "The Hazards of Love 1"
7. Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Runaway"
8. The Thermals "When I Died"
9. Handsome Furs "Talking Hotel Arbat Blues"
10. Cymbals Eat Guitars "Indiana"
11. Fever Ray "When I Grow Up"
12. Here We Go Magic "Only Pieces"
13. Papercuts "You Can Have What You Want"
14. Silversun Pickups "Panic Switch"

Charles is a N&UR contributor whose radio show broadcasts on KSDT Mondays 10-11AM.

New Music: Papercuts - "Future Primitive" (Ruby Suns Remix)

The arrival of a new album from San Francisco's Papercuts is an event with have been greatly anticipating. On Tuesday, the wait will be over, as You Can Have What You Want, drops via Gnomonsong. The album's first single, "Future Primitive," has gotten a number of spins around these parts, drawing us in with a timeless sound that combines addictive indie pop with nostalgic 1960s jangle and reverb vocals. Now that song has received the remix treatment from Ruby Suns, who drop out the pop and jangle, quite possibly bringing the song into the future with a synthy dance beat. Jason Quever and co. play Cafe du Nord on April 24 with Cryptacize and The Finches, before hitting the road with another one of our favorite local bands, Vetiver.

Bonus Track:
MP3 - "Future Primitive" - Papercuts

Video: Michael Zapruder - "Ads For Feelings"

From Michael Zapruder's new album, Dragon Chinese Cocktail Horoscope - out now on Sidecho Records.

MP3 - "Ads For Feelings" - Michael Zapruder

Jukebox: ipickmynose

(Photo by David Franusich)
Jukebox is a feature where we ask our favorite artists, bloggers and DJs their opinions on four songs that are currently generating buzz. Then we ask them for songs that we should be buzzing about. This week, we put quarters in the record machine with Adrian Bischoff, a KZSU DJ who runs the SF-based music blog, ipickmynose...

Fever Ray - "When I Grow Up"
I know this is a side project of the woman from the Knife, but I didnt' know much more about Fever Ray beyond that. It's fairly similar to the Knife in style and her distinctive vocals are there. It's got a certain charm to it, but I can't say I'll listen to this again.

Wavves - "No Hope Kids"
I feel like there's a nice pop tune in here, but I'm listening through a bunch of stuff to hear it. For me, the intense lo-fi fuzz of this obscures the song rather than enhances it. For fans of Times New Viking, I would think.

Okkervil River - "Pop Lie"
I like quirky, upbeat pop, but this, like much of the Okkervil River catalog, doesn't do anything for me. I can't really explain why.

Say Hi - "Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh"
This is a great, great horn line. The rest of the song is buoyed by it every time it comes in, so why did they only use it twice? Nevertheless it's a pretty good song otherwise and sort of makes me think of an 80s song--in a pleasant, nostalgic way--for some reason.

Adrian's picks...
•Tallest Man on Earth - "Pistol Dreams" (MySpace)
•Shirley Ann Lee - "There's a Light" (Stream)
•Fanfarlo - "I'm a Pilot" (MySpace)
•Mumford & Sons – "Little Lion Man" (MySpace)

New Music: Rae and Christian - "Play On" (Regrind '09 feat. Jungle Brothers)

MP3 - "Play On" (Regrind '09) - Rae and Christian

Back in Christmas 1999, my cousin gifted me the debut album from Rae and Christian (Northern Sulphuric Soul), dubbing it one of the best DJ albums he'd ever heard. That was a pretty fair description, judging from the artful mix of soul and hip hop coupled with stellar guest appearances. Unfortunately the duo's followup, Sleepwalking, lacked the same flair and Steve Christian decided to walk away. The duo remained friends, while Mark Rae struck up a solo career and started a label called Yes King. After years of trying to lure his buddy back into collaboration, Rae has teamed up with Christian once again for Raiding The Vaults. If you were hoping for completely new Rae and Christian material, you may be disappointed as Raiding finds the duo remixing tracks from their two previous albums. Still, it is great to have the duo back together again. I am excited for the new take of Northern tracks and hopefully an improvement on the Sleepwalking ones.

New [to me] Music: Headlights - "Cherry Tulips" (TJ Lipple Remix)

MP3 - "Cherry Tulips" (TJ Lipple Remix) - Headlights

Somehow I missed out on Headlights when Some Racing, Some Stopping dropped on Polyvinyl last year. That mistake was corrected after I heard "Cherry Tulips," a positively gorgeous, jangly pop tune that is now getting the remix treatment from TJ Lipple. Lipple's remix adds a little experimentation while preserving the originals bounce and melody. If you as well are looking to correct your Headlights ignorance, the band is on tour all through April, playing Bottom of the Hill on April 9 and Spaceland on April 11. All dates are with Love Language.

Bonus Track:
MP3 - "Cherry Tulips" - Headlights