Saturday, February 27, 2010

Cool Video Funtime #142 - Clear Cut

If you're going to purchase the new Jónsi album..


"Go" for the limited edition..

--Immediate download of "Go Do EP"
--"Go" mp3 download link on release date
--"Go" on CD
--"Go Quiet": a full length dvd of Jónsi performing the entire album acoustically, shot at home in Reykjavík, Iceland over new year 2010 by Dean Deblois, the acclaimed director of ‘Heima’.
--Jónsi + Nico Muhly live at Bethnal Green 4 song performance – download link on release date
--… more surprise goodies


Purchase it HERE.

Check into Babe Rainbow..

Babe Rainbow - Shaved

Reminds me of the music from Tetsuo..

New Max Richter album on the way..!

From Fat Cat:

Max's new album "Infra" will be released later in the year, a soundtrack to and accompanying pieces written for a Royal Opera House ballet of the same name. Be sure to keep up with Max's website for more info on this record.

Easily my favorite Neo-Classical artist..

The Delta Mirror cover TV On The Radio..



Is it a sin to say it may be better than the original?

Have you heard the about this?

From Tor:

"Illinoize" is a free remix tape put together by Montreal-based producer Tor, sampling songs from multi-instrumentalist and indie hero, Sufjan Stevens. Tracks are sampled from his 2005 LP "Illinoise", as well as 3 of his other albums, "A Sun Came", "Seven Swans" and "Songs for Christmas", blending Sufjan Steven's acoustic guitar, piano and horns with MC's Aesop Rock, Big Daddy Kane, Gift of Gab (Blackalicious), C.L. Smooth, Outkast, Brother Ali, and Grand Puba. Download HERE.

Word.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Good (free) music laying around the interwebs..

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Cool Video Funtime #141 - Blinking Pigs

Thom Yorke's other project on tour with Flying Lotus..!

Thom Yorke's other band (with Nigel Godrich, Joey Waronker (Beck drummer), Mauro Refosco, and Flea) "Atoms for Peace" will be touring in a few select cites across the US with Flying Lotus. If you live in or around any of these cites and decide not to go you're obviously dead or attending your mom's funeral..

Atoms For Peace '10 w/Flying Lotus

04-05 New York, NY - Roseland Ballroom
04-06 New York, NY - Roseland Ballroom
04-08 Boston, MA - Citi Wang Theatre
04-10 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
04-11 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
04-14 Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre
04-15 Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre


Please go and rub it in the faces of all those that can't (like me)..

Check into Pollination..


A good mesh of harsh IDM drum bursts with Shoegaze-esgue guitar sounds, its-a oh so niiice..

Massive Attack 2010 tiny US tour..

Massive Attack '10

05-11 New York, NY - Terminal 5
05-12 New York, NY - Terminal 5
05-18 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern Theater
05-19 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern Theater
05-25 San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theater
05-27 San Francisco, CA - Warfiled Theater
05-30 George, WA - Sasquatch Festival


I need to see these guys live at least once before I die, this may not be the tour for me though..
Heligoland isn't my favorite release of theirs (in-fact, it's my least favorite) but I do look forward to the MA/Burial remix album coming out!

REVIEW: Autechre - Oversteps

8 out of 10

"Oversteps" is Autechre's 10th full length album. Autechere, for those of you unaware, are one of the pioneering artists from the golden era of avant garde/cutting edge electronic music. They are one of the bands that shaped Warp Recrods into the label that it is today. Chances are if you ever watched MTV back in the mid to late 90's (when they still played music videos) and happened to catch a show called Amp TV you saw an Autchere video or two. Chris Cunningham did a few of their videos, which if you haven't seen the Director Works that's a whole other deal you need to get into.. Anyway, back to Autechre, they can be a "hard" band to listen to/focus on at times, some people may think the band's "sound sculptures" are just too sporadic and make no sense at times, but really their time structures are more precise, brilliant, and a hell of a lot more confusing (which is a good thing here) than even the best of Jazz albums out there. Autechre's form of electronic music is definitely an acquired taste, but once your ears discover "that sound" you wont be able to pull your headphones off.

The great thing about Autechre is although they evolve and (somewhat) change up up their style with each new release they remain true to what their hardcore fans ask for. On "Oversteps" the drones are pushed forward a little more, darkness is over saturating each glitchy note, and the beats are "bob your head terrific" (some of their most user friendly if you ask me). I liked the last two Autechre albums, but I think this may be their best work since "EP 7". This is the type of electronic album people will be talking about for years to come. Every sound, note, beat, click, twitch and impulsive din serve the purpose of spoiling you with one of the smartest IDM albums you will hear in 2010. I don't think there's much more I could say about this band that hasn't already been said, you're either into them or your not. If you are, you will be very pleased with this release. If you still "don't get it" I might recommend giving up on IDM, because it doesn't get much more absolute than Autechre.

When you look up IDM Autechre should be in the definition somewhere, the amount of intelligence this band continues to show in their music would've been enough to inspire Einstein to dabble in electronic music. Now that's something I'd like to hear, sure he can split an atom, but can he split soundscapes and splice em' back together? RECOMMENDED.

Standout Tracks: Known (1) (reminds me of the EP 7 days), See On See, Treale (nice chill track), D-Sho Qub, St Epreo, Krylon (also nice and chill), Yuop (couldn't have ended it better)

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Check into Korine Conception..

Korine Conception - Glow In Transparancy Aurora EP

Influenced by Slowdive and Sigur Ros, nice new Shoegaze act from Indonesia..

New(ish) Doves album on the way..

Doves "The Places Between: The Best of.." comes out April 6th via Astralwerks.

Here's the tracklisting:

CD1 (The Best Of):
1. There Goes the Fear
2. Black and White Town
3. Snowden
4. Here It Comes
5. Words
6. Kingdom of Rust
7. Sea Song
8. Pounding
9. 10:03

10. Catch the Sun
11. Jetstream
12. The Man Who Told Everything (Summer Version)
13. Andalucía
14. Caught by the River
15. The Cedar Room

CD2 (Rarities, B-sides, and alternate versions):
1. Blue Water
2. Eleven Miles Out
3. Rise
4. Darker
5. Push Me On
6. Willow's Song (Bury Version)
7. Valley
8. Northenden
9. M62 Song
10. Drifter
11. Friday's Dust (Capitol Tower Session)
12. Almost Forgot Myself (Demo)
13. Your Shadow Lay Across My Life
14. The Last Son
15. The Sulphur Man
16. At the Tower (Instrumental Edit)
17. Reprise
18. Ambition
19. Firesuite (Noise Version)

DVD (music videos):
1. The Cedar Room
2. Sea Song
3. Here It Comes
4. Catch the Sun
5. The Man Who Told Everything
6. There Goes the Fear
7. Pounding
8. Caught by the River
9. Black and White Town (Director's Cut)
10. Snowden (Live Edit)
11. Sky Starts Falling
12. Kingdom of Rust
13. Winter Hill

So generally I think "Best Of's.." are a waste of money, but the B-sides and music videos make this album worthy of any hardcore Doves fan's collection..

Cool Video Funtime #140 - Let Go

REVIEW: Memoryhouse - The Years

8 out of 10

Memoryhouse are a fresh young duo from Canada. They mix chill Indie Electronic atmospheres with a few Lo-Fi sounds and rich (beyond your astral dreams) layers of keyboard and guitar sounds. "The Years" is their official debut EP, and on top of being their first album is also one of the best/most relaxing experiences your ears will have all year long.

Beautiful female vocals await you, they will awaken your senses and bring you down to a comfy state of mind with warm perception. Simple Casio keyboard drum patterns keep the beat at a slow steady pace while guitar samples (almost surfer-esque at points) fill the void in-between GORGEOUS (yes, all CAPS) layers of dreamy/reverberated synth sounds. Listening to "The Years" is like being washed away to an arctic ocean aboard a lonely iceberg where the air is filled with ghostly spirits and unimaginable lights. You may get the sense of frigid atmospheres surrounding you, but you will feel warmer than you could on a nice spring afternoon.

If the milieu of Atlas Sound mated with production of Washed Out & Bachelorette, and then preceded to add glacial synth dreamscapes on top this would be the product of their love. Oh, and did I forget to mention IT'S FREE? Highly Recommended.

Standout Tracks: All, but ESPECIALLY; Lately (Deuxieme) (love the use of the Eternal Sunshine sample on this one -- my fav track), The Waves (kind of reminds me of Boards Of Canada), To The Lighthouse

Monday, February 22, 2010

EIC'S10Q'S w/Bohren & Der Club Of Gore

"..Interpretations of dreams and crazy metaphors..Daaaaark Jazz, dreamy "acid-like" sequences, minimal atmosphere's, and of course emotionally drenched notes with every pluck, slam, and twinkle.."

Bohren & Der Club Of Gore
Crepuscular Extrinsic Spontaneity

Bohren & Der Club Of Gore Bio:
Founding BOHREN members Thorsten Benning (drums), Robin Rodenberg (Bass), Reiner Henseleit (guitar), Morten Gass (guitar/piano) started playing music together in 1988. They were friends from school and they shared a common taste for all kinds of extreme music like Grindcore, Hardcore, Death or Doom Metal.

Driven by the idea of a more unique style of music, they formed BOHREN (german word for drilling) in 1992 to play, as they called it, “doom ridden jazz music”.

1993 the band released a 7” e.p. for Suggestion Records. 1993 also the band expand their name to BOHREN & DER CLUB OF GORE, as a link to the dutch instrumental band GORE, which inspired BOHREN to play instrumental music.
1994 followed the longplayers GORE MOTEL and the double set MIDNIGHT RADIO (1995), both on Epistrophy Records, where Bohren introduces its musical vision between slow jazz ballads and doom guitars.

1996 Reiner Henseleit left the band and the guitar disappeared out of the BOHREN Music.

1997 Christoph Clöser, a cologned-based composer and musician (saxophone, piano) joined the band and in the cast T. Benning (drums), C. Clöser (saxophone), M. Gass (Fender Rhodes), R. Rodenberg (bass), which still exist till today, the band released SUNSET MISSION (2000), a “slow but nonetheless melodious blend of Saxophone, Fender Rhodes, Bass and Drums” on the Hamburg-based label WONDER.

2002 BOHREN released BLACK EARTH where the band tried to expand the possibilities of new avenues explored in SUNSET MISSION, followed by the subsequent conceptual CD GEISTERFAUST (2005). GEISTERFAUST carries the principles of reduction and compression to extremes and at the same time it is a bandexperiment in new “tone colours” (Tuba, Bass-Trombone, Vibraphone, choir). Both CD`s are released on WONDER.

In autumn 2008 the CD DOLORES appeared on the belgian label PIAS (worldwide) and IPECAC (U.S.A. and Canada).


Hello, how are you?
Clöser: I am tired
Gaß: I am fine, thank you.

What are you currently listening to?
Clöser: Tricky - "C`mon Baby", Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band - "Between My Head and The Sky"
Gaß: Horseback - "The Invisible Mountain"

Your main influences growing up were from the metal scene, can you explain the transition from that to producing Jazz music?
Bohren: We don`t play jazz music.
The main force on our way from metal to Bohren was the aim to create a sound of our own.

Are you guys big David Lynch fans?
Bohren: On a scale from 1 (=hate) to 10 (=love) we are on a 7+.

Who are your favorite Jazz musicians?
Clöser: Art Ensemble of Chicago, Mose Allison
Gaß: Helge Schneider & Milt Jackson.

I’ve been wondering, do all of you guys switch off on which instruments you play or is it pretty consistent?
Bohren: Only Clöser and Gass switch between instruments: Clöser between Fender Rhodes, saxophone and sometimes vibraphone and Gass between fender rhodes, organ and bass.
We are a four musicians and probably we need a fifth member. but we don´t want one.

What song are you most proud of?
Bohren: We always had and have high demands to our songs. It is getting harder and harder to full fill this demand. So we would like to say that every new song would make us proud.

Visually what does your average live show consist of?
Gaß: 1% light, 4% smoke and 95% darkness.

You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
Clöser: Trio - "Bye,Bye"
Gaß: Omen - "Battlecry"

Are you living your dream?
Bohren: Noyesnonoyesnoyesyesnoyesnono yesyesno...

Thanx Stefan!

Bohren & Der Club Of Gore are currently working on the follow up to 2008's AMAZING "Dolores", look for that in the near future...

Check into Mathemagic..


Reminiscent to Washed Out..

New Cox 'n Co. Micromix..

Micromix 25

Tracklisting:
1. Peggy Lee - Fools Rush In
2. Fela Kuti - Dog Eat Dog
3. Faust - J'ai Mal Aux Dents
4. Chris Spedding - Video Life
5. Glass Candy - Lady From The Black Lagoon
6. Nobukazu Takemura - Moth (Edit)
7. Robert Johnson - Hold My Body Down
8. The Feelies - On The Roof


Thanx (again) BC!

Another mystery vid..

VID #5: 15.6.6.9.3.9.14.1.18.21.13.56155
DECODED: 0.F.F.I.C.I.N.A.R.U.M.EFAEE
There's a Lama image at the end of this one

Keep em' coming, I love this stuff.

New Broken Social Scene track..

Broken Social Scene "World Sick" off of the upcoming new album "Forgiveness Rock Record" which comes out May 4th via via Arts & Crafts.

This is a pretty sweet track, I am more than looking forward to hearing what these guys have been up to for the past 5 years or so..

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Cool Video Funtime #139 - Kingdom Of Rust

Good (free) music laying around the interwebs..

REVIEW: Minamo - Durée

7 out of 10

Minamo's "Durée" is a special treat for all of you Ambient/Acoustic-Electronic loving fans. The band emerged right around the time this particular style of music was born in Japan, so one might say they are originators in a sense. The style of music I am referring to is "Neo-Ambient" music, which is a mixture of field recordings, stretched/cut/click takes of acoustic guitars, micro electronic sounds/keyboard fx, slight touches of Jazz and Classical music, and long droney sounds with a few other beautiful effects that may be hard to put your finger on. "Durée", which is a reference to French philosopher Henri-Louis Bergson’s concept of “pure durée,” an idea that one’s consciousness is a constant flow and not something that can be divided, reversed, or measured, is Minamo's fourth full length album. "Durée" is also off of the STUNNINGLY-beautiful label 12K, which if you know what I am talking about, you know what you're about to get into.

Most of the music on "Durée" was created from improv, after tightening the direction of the noise a little bit the band then took the music to the studio and created what sounds like a lovely stroll through a beautiful/organic dimension with nothing but the music and your own self-conscience to guide you through. In the past Minamo have focused on creating more of a synthetic environment, with this album they loosen up their instruments and just let whatever flowed out of them become apart of your headphones. You can focus on the acoustic samples in the forefront, or you can pay attention to the drone going on in the background, but no matter what with each listen something new will grow & evolve. To listen to "Durée" is like watching a flower slowly bloom while the environment around it takes on radical new changes.

Droney Micro-Electro-Acoustics may not be for all, but for any of you looking for good sleepy-time music you can finally lay your head on that comfy pillow of yours and relax, your soundtrack has arrived.

Standout Tracks: Elementary Domain, Help Ourselves, First Breathing At Last (my fav track, love the piano on this one)

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Animal Collective to do something artsy..? Who would've suspected?

From The Guggenheim:

For the Guggenheim's 50th Anniversary, the band Animal Collective has collaborated with artist Danny Perez on a site-specific performance piece that will transform the museum’s rotunda into a kinetic, psychedelic environment. Transverse Temporal Gyrus will feature original recorded music composed specifically for the work along with video projections, costumes, and props, rendering the band members and performers into intense, visual abstractions. During the evening, guests are invited to freely explore the space in order to fully immerse themselves in the environment created by Animal Collective and Danny Perez.

The band describes their inspiration:

One of the things that you notice almost immediately in the jungle are the birds; so many different sounds coming from so many different directions. Are they communicating to each other? What are they saying? Does each variation serve a purpose? Why are there repetitions? Is there a pattern or is that just your imagination? If you don’t know the first thing about bird songs, these questions can rack a brain for days. The jungle seems louder than most New York apartments but its symbiosis makes it subtler if not more pleasing to foreign ears. The longer you sit awake in bed listening at night, the more you hear. It brings to mind Jane Goodall hanging out with chimpanzees in Tanzania and how she noticed them reacting to distant or inaudible sounds that at first she couldn’t hear, but as her ears adapted to the environment after months she began to hear them too.

But as the environments around us change quickly, as people encroach more and more on land where only select symbioses occur, we wonder how this will change the sounds around us and how this alters the way we hear things and react to them. As New Yorkers we are all familiar with the everyday noise around us—the car alarms, the subway trains braking, the music in bars—so familiar that sometimes we drown them out. But then do we not realize how these sounds are affecting us? How they make us feel or act? With this in mind we wanted to create an environment where people could take some time to listen to other kinds of sounds and get away from those familiar sounds of the city. Keeping in mind the birds of the jungle, we’ve created an array of sounds with Animal Collective's music that is seemingly random...or is it? We invite you to come take some time out and sit with us. As time passes it is our hope that you will wonder if you are hearing songs or patterns or maybe simply hearing more. The visual work of Danny Perez has been incorporated to turn the environment of an empty museum into a more mysterious hideaway. The core elements and colors are worked into the piece in order to unite this room of sound with the inside of your brain. We hope you enjoy.

Thanks for joining us.
—Animal Collective


You can purchase tickets HERE. You can also let me know if you would like to pay for my ride out there.. I also have no problems with excepting charities ;)

If only I lived here..

One day, I promise myself, I WILL go to SXSW..

REVIEW: Jj - Nº 3

8 out of 10

Jj are a relatively new band, "Nº 3" is their third album (second full length) and it came out only a year after the first LP. Some of the things I worry about when bands release albums so close together are; Will there be a lack of "quality sound structures"? Will it just be left over tracks? Will it not be as "original"? With "Nº 3" I am reminded of why I like this band so much, their version of Balearic Dub mixed with Nu-Age electronics make me feel so comfortable and at peace with everything around me, their strong productions are something to be admired, and with this album there are even a few songs that seem to go in new-ish directions. I don't feel as if any of these tracks are fillers or left-overs, the quality is still there, and the originality is just as strong as it was before. Lot's of equatorial rewards await you once you finally get your headphones around it, and if you're taste is anything like mine you will be playing it back to back to back to back to back to etc.

The first track on "Nº 3" is a slower piano ballad which seems a bit out of place with first listen, but after you hear it enough you can't imagine a better opener. After the opener the "Jj-isms" begin; light-hearted/beautiful female vocals tuck you in and hug you with the warmth of an atomic heat wave while keyboards create beautiful string sounds, whimsical synth melodies, and a few other tropical atmospheres. Each song on this album nearly sounds different from the other, cohesive but the mood goes from sad, to beachy, to serious, to silly. This is exactly how I would want Jj to "evolve" from their last album, not much different, but still unique and relaxed. If you live in a cold environment like I do this is the heat wave you have been waiting for, someone please pass the sunscreen?

Fans of Jj, this is a no-brainer, buy the album now. If you haven't heard Jj, please do your ears a favor and give them the stoic sabbatical they deserve. RECOMMENDED.

Standout Tracks: All. If I had to be picky; Let Go, Light, Voi Parlate Lo Gioco, You Know

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Quality Mixtape find..



The Diogenes Club - Various

Tracklisting:
1. Black Kids - I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You (Twelves Remix) - Almost Gold
2. Van She - So High - Modular
3. the Diogenes Club - Tete - Urban Torque
4. Tesla Boy - Fire - Mullet Records
5. Lindstrom & Christabelle - Baby Don’t Stop - Smalltown Supersound
6. Pnau - Baby (Breakbot Remix) - Etcetc
7. Stardust - Music Sounds Better with You - Roule
8. BB & Q Band - Dreamer - Cooltempo
9. Dusty Kid - Nemur - Boxer Recordings
10. the Diogenes Club - Tie Ourselves Around - Urban Torque
11. Scope - Audio Tonic - Urban Torque
12. Midfield General - Disco Sirens - Skint Records
13. Yuksek - I Like To Play - Fiction Records
14. Barbara Mason - Another Man - Metronome
15. Tom Tom Club - Wordy Rappinghood - Island Records
16. the Diogenes Club - Early May - Urban Torque
17. Booka Shade - Sweet Lies - Get Physical
18. the Diogenes Club - Come Back to Us - Urban Torque
19. Junior Boys - Hazel - Domino
20. Friendly Fires - Paris (Aeroplane remix) - XL
21. Mario Bastinov - Caribbean Girl - (TDC Part 1) - Unknown
22. X-District - Color Correction - Playhouse
23. Zoot Woman - Automatic - Wall Of Sound
24. Zapp n Roger - So Ruff So Tuff - Lastrada Entertainment Co.
25. Lindstrom - The Magnificent - Smalltown Supersound
26. the Diogenes Club - Do You Know How To Feel It? – Urban Torque
27. Telefon Tel Aviv - My Week Beats Your Year - Hefty Records
28. Anoraak - Nightdrive With You - Endless Summer Recordings
29. Casio Social Club & XS Night - More Love - Mullet Records
30. Zoot Woman - Nobody Knows (Part 2) - Wall Of Sound
31. Sharon Brown - I Specialize In Love - Profile Records
32. Michael Mcdonald & James Ingram - Yah Mo Be There - Qwest Records
33. Lovebirds - Tuesday - Teardrop
34. BB & Q Band - Genie - ZYK
35. Midnight Star - Midas Touch - Solar
36. Eat More Cake - Red Sky - Urban Torque
37. Latryx - Lady Don’t Tek No - Solesides
38. Kool And The Gang - Fresh - Best Records
39. Aretha Franklin - Jump To It - Arista
40. Long Distance Analogue - Plecked Medium - Mullet
41. Toto - Africa - Columbia
42. Tom Browne - Brighter Tomorrow - Arista
43. Five Star - System Addict - RCA
44. Empire Of The Sun - Standing On The Shore - EMI
45. the Diogenes Club - Untitled - CDR
46. Art Of Noise - Moments In Love - ZTT
47. Radiohead - Talk Show Host - Parlophone
48. Mario Bastinov (TDC Part 2) - Caribbean Girl - Phonica


Too bad, it's ONLY 48 tracks long...?

Cool Video Funtime #138 - Kool Aid River

Check into Evan Voytas..

Evan Voytas - I Run With You, Spirit Animal

Just listened to this a few times in a row, super catchy!

Stream a new Robert Smith track..



"Very Good Advice" off of the upcoming Alice In Wonderland (does anyone else think this movie looks bad?) soundtrack..

Monday, February 15, 2010

EIC'S10Q'S w/Bloodgroup

"..blend dancey Euro Pop with funky Electro Pop beats; the synthesizers are heavy, fun & sleek (exactly what you need to soundtrack a fun day), the vocals (mostly female with a few male accents) sound extraordinary, and the beats (rather than just your average 4-count sound) are unique and audacious. Really, what you have here, if they get the stateside attention they deserve, is an Indie Electronic dance smash-hit.."

(Photo Credit: Sigga Ella)

Bloodgroup
Diverting Thermionic Dance Savants

Bloodgroup Bio:
Despite its sibling members, participation in musical contests and the familial reference in its band name, don’t expect Bloodgroup to be an Icelandic version of the Partridge Family. While the latter was a premeditated collaboration of tactful children in tacky clothing, Bloodgroup’s poppy electronic dance stylings were formed nearly on accident.

In 2004, lead singer Lilja Jonsdottir entered a singing contest and received musical help from her brother, Raggi Jonsson. They felt as though something had “clicked,” and after winning the contest, decided to keep playing together. Later, their brother Halez Jonsson and longtime friend Janus Rasmussen were added, and the group was born.

Oddly enough, three of the musicians were raised in the same household but never officially collaborated with one another until a year and a half ago. “We all love music and have been doing it separately for most of our lives,” Jonsdottir says. “There is a pretty big age difference between us all, so that’s probably the reason. But my brothers influenced me into loving music and enjoying it.”

With influences of pop, dance music, and a bit of rocknroll, it’s interesting that Bloodgroup’s Jonsdottir — whose sweetly melodic vocals are laid over punchy, digitized drumbeats — has a background in classical music. What began with casual singing and cello lessons at the age of 7 has led her far from Bach and Beethoven and straight to front woman position of the heavy-synthed electronic band. While the entire experience is new and exciting — “I’ve never been in a band before, so this is my first time,” she says — it seems as though she’s had no difficulty rising to the occasion. “I love singing, dancing, and going crazy in front of people,” she says. “It’s like letting out this monster inside you when you go on stage and start screaming your lungs out.”

Jonsdottir credits Bloodgroup’s performance at Iceland Airwaves festival in Reykjavík as one of her fondest memories but wouldn’t consider it the band’s greatest accomplishment. Even though the festival has previously featured Hot Chip, one of her favorite groups, Bloodgroup’s musical growth is what she finds most remarkable. “We sucked when we started out,” Jonsdottir says. “I mean, really sucked. For some reason we didn’t give up — there was some kind of a spark, and we kept going.”



Hello, how are you?
Hello to you! we are great!

What are you currently listening to
Sykur - Frabaert eda frabaert, John Frusciante - Empyrean, Bat for
lashes - Two Suns

Why the name “Bloodgroup”?
It was just a kind of a joke to begin with. A reporter for a local
newspaper asked Raggi what the band was called before we had thought
up a name, and he just responded "Bloodgroup" and it got stuck to us.

Can you explain your sound in 5 words or less?
Dark, Melodic, Alternative Pop

Any plans on a US release of “Dry Land”?
Yes actually, but we can not comment any further on who is releasing
and when. Stay tuned!

Will there be a US tour shortly after?
Yes definitely! We will use the first chance we get to come over for a tour!

Where is your favorite venue to play and why?
There are a few... But our all-time favorite is in Berlin, a small gay
club called Schwutz.

What band would you love to play live with the most?
We really love to play with our friends here in Iceland, bands like
Sykur and Skátar (R.I.P). I don't know I would not say no to
performing with John Frusciante, although it would be a weird combo!

You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
I would say "Curtains" by John Frusciante.

Are you living your dream?
Yes totally!

Thanx Hallur!

Bloodgroup are currently gearing up for a US release of "Dry Land", as well as a tour, look for that soon...

REVIEW: Bloodgroup - Dry Land

7 out of 10
Find it here.

Bloodgroup are a group of young Indie-Electro music makers from Iceland. They formed around the year 2006 and were quickly noticed after that, they are now considered one of Iceland's "best live acts to see". "Dry Land" is the group's second full length album, and much like the debut is chopped full of catchy synth hooks, perky/danceable drumbeats, sterling vocals, and enough "pop" to hook in anyone from the very first listen.

I'll admit it, I had never heard of Bloodgroup until a certain other Icelandic composer told me about them, however, I immediately checked them out once I (finally) knew of their existence. You see, I not only have a HUGE weakness for French music, but Icelandic music as well. Generally most of the music I hear from Iceland is downbeat & melancholy Ambient/"sad bastard" music (which is usually exactly how I like it), so when I found out Bloodgroup was "upbeat", "perky", and apparently AMAZING to witness live I had to know more. After soaking in their music on the web for a bit, I knew I had to have an entire album (Thanx BG!) and once I finally had said album in hand I knew I was in for a treat. Bloodgroup blend dancey Euro Pop with funky Electro Pop beats; the synthesizers are heavy, fun & sleek (exactly what you need to soundtrack a fun day), the vocals (mostly female with a few male accents) sound extraordinary, and the beats (rather than just your average 4-count sound) are unique and audacious. Really, what you have here, if they get the stateside attention they deserve, is an Indie Electronic dance smash-hit album. There a few "slower" moments as well, to say that it's just a "dance album" may be being a little too broad, it's an Electro album most definitely. So keep in mind, although it's mostly upbeat, it doesn't mean you couldn't chill out to "Dry Land" as well. I think you're in for a treat once you finally get a moment to wrap your headphones around this overall pleasing experience. Ok, my neck hurts now from all the bobbing, excuse me while I go get this massaged..

For fans of Chromatics, Sally Shapiro, The Knife, Figurine, and just all around catchy Electro-Pop music. Recommended.

Standout Tracks: My Arms, Wars (like the strings in this), Pro Choice (catchy-catchy), Moonstone (love the vocals and once again, strings), Battered (LOVE THE BEAT ON THIS ONE)

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Free Ghostly album..!

Various Artists - Ghostly Essentials: Rarities One

A compilation of rare, unreleased, and hard-to-find music from the Ghostly vault.. Featuring: Aeroc, Audion, Ben Benjamin, Matthew Dear, Michna, Mobius Band, Outputmessage, The Sight Below, and Midwest Product.


~njoy

Cool Video Funtime #137 - Agg Report

A couple new releases to look forward to..

Zola Jesus "Stridulum EP" comes out March 9th via Sacred Bones. (awesome cover)
&

Solvent "Subject To Shift" comes out May 25th via Ghostly. (bout time..)

"Educational, I am, It's me, Mandragora"

A little bit ago I posted a few videos that had surfaced online.
The mystery of the artist "iamamiwhoami" grows bigger (it seems) every other week now..

Here is the latest video:


HERE are the older ones..

If you notice the names of the songs/videos are all in some sort of numerical code, well I began to think to myself, "What if it's a numerical/alphabet code of some sort....?"
Now I know, I am not the first person to think of this, but, I haven't found too many posts anywhere else, sooo...

Here's what I came up with:

VID #1: Prelude 699130082.451322-5.4.21.3.1.20.9.15.14.1.12
DECODED: FIIAC__HB.DEACBB-E.D.U.C.A.T.I.O.N.A.L.
There's a Goat image at the end of the video, why?

VID #2: 9.1.13.669321018
DECODED: I.A.M.FFICBJR
There's a Owl image at the end of the video, why?

VID #3: 9.20.19.13.5.723378
DECODED: I.T.S.M.E.GBCCGH
There's a Whale image at the end of the video, why?

VID #4: 13.1.14.4.18.1.7.15.18.1.1110
DECODED: M.A.N.D.R.A.G.O.R.A.KS (perhaps the "KS" isn't needed here)
There's a Bee image at the end of the video, why?
Mandragora by definition means "demon" OR "plant"..
Perhaps the last part in this code is referring to a release date?? "November 2010"

So, although some of the words are just gibberish, they almost form a sentence when placed together:
"Educational, I am, It's me, Mandragora"

P.S. I no longer think it's The Knife (maybe), I am now leaning towards Aphex Twin (MAYBE?). The titles of these tracks, if I decoded them correctly, seems like something Richard D. James would do...

WHO KNOWS?
Did I just waste your time, or is this mystery something that interests you too??

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

New Blonde Redhead track..!

New Under Byen track/video..


Under Byen - Alt Er Tabt

..from "Alt Er Tabt", which comes out April 6th via Paper Bag.

Small Black signs to Jagjaguwar..

Small Black (EIC's 72nd best album of 2009) have just signed to Jagjaguwar. On April 26th they will re-release their debut self-titled album with a few bonus tracks. They will also be touring with Washed Out and Pictureplane. Dates are below, and if you haven't done so by now I strongly suggest checking out the Small Black album once it get's remastered/reissued in April..

Small Black w/Washed Out & Pictureplane '10

03-06 Hartford, CT - The Wadsworth Atheneum ^
03-07 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
03-08 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
03-09 Philadelphia, PA - The Barbary
03-10 Baltimore, MD - Floristree
03-11 Washington, DC - DC9
03-12 Charlottesville, VA - Tea Bazaar
03-14 Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone Cafe
03-15 New Orleans, LA - The Den
03-17 Austin, TX - SXSW
03-18 Austin, TX - SXSW
03-19 Austin, TX - SXSW
03-20 Austin, TX - SXSW
03-24 Phoenix, AZ - The Black Forest Mill
03-25 San Diego, CA - Sushi Arts
03-26 Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex *
03-28 San Francisco, CA - Riskshaw Shop
03-29 Portland, OR - Holocene #
03-31 Seattle, WA - The Vera Project
04-02 Denver, CO - Rhinoceropolis
04-05 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
04-06 Detroit, MI - The Cafe

^ with Tanlines
* with YACHT
# with Tobbacco, the Hood Internet
$ without Pictureplane

If only I lived here..

Do you think "Jewel" is headlining? Oh!

REVIEW: I, Parasite - The Sick Are Not Healing

7.25 out of 10

Growing up I listened to a lot of Industrial music, in-fact if it wasn't Industrial I didn't really care. One of the bands that stands out the most from my "heavier/darker/more depressed" listening days was I, Parasite. The album "On This Cold Floor", I, Parasite's third official album was and is one of the BEST Industrial Rock albums of all time (seriously it's f&*^ing amazing, I have to go back to it constantly to remind myself what Industrial Rock music should sound like). It is one of the most underrated albums I own, consider it a must have if you're a NIN fan. Christopher Jon (I, Parasite) also co-wrote some music for Android Lust who is another Industrial band I could go on and on about (if you haven't heard Android Lust check them out now). Anyways, that was my listening preference from the ages of about 13 to about 22, I just couldn't get enough of that "angsty-metallic-mechanical beat". Since then I have gone on to listen to more "soothing"/"ambient"/"laid-back" music, I guess through out the years I just settled down and became less "angry"/way more relaxed. There was almost a point in my life when I wanted to give up on music in general, because the music that had shaped me as a teenager was going down hill and I didn't want to go with it, I needed something new. That being said, it's rare that I purchase a new "Industrial" album these days, I only really go back to the bands that I consider "must owns". Once I heard about a new I, Parasite album I had to know more, and I gotta tell you, although the wait was long (and somewhat unbearable), it was worth it.

Nearly 6 years after the release of "On This Cold Floor" I was beginning to wonder if I, Parasite would ever even release another album, there were bits and pieces of new songs that would pop up on his page, but no solid release date was ever posted. Well, it seems (this time) patience paid off, "The Sick Are Not Healing" delivers the same "punch" as older IP material and it continues to show off off Mr. Jon's stronger than most production skills. Although Experimental-Industrial music (Coil, Throbbing Gristle, Tuxedomoon, The Young Gods, etc.) is definably one of my favorite genres of music I have found that the Industrial world has gone stale. It has become overrun with EBM commercialism, there is no such thing as originality anymore, leave it to I, Parasite to defy this crappy rule that I call the "Metropolis Empire". On "The Sick Are Not Healing" Christopher continues where "On This Cold Floor" left off with his "beyond what should be asked of any producer" producing skills, classic Industrial arrangements, Heavy Metal/Rock guitar riffs/drum beats, colder than ice synthesized dins, and vocals that go from despondent to angrier than a heart broken teenager. This is exactly how I want my Industrial music when I want it heavy, not only "heavy sounding", but "heavy hearted" and well though out. To Christopher Jon; Thank You, don't stop doing what you do so wonderfully. With solid albums like this, it's hard to understand why anyone would want to listen to the current "Industrial (the quotes are important here)" movement going on. What today's generation of so-called "rivet heads" have so easily ruined, you are trying to rebuild..For that I am forever in your debt.

The angst, the originality, the movement of REAL Industrial music has indeed long been gone, but during this dark period, there are few shining moments, I, Parasite being one of them. "The Sick Are Not Healing" is easily one of the best Industrial Rock albums I have heard since the late 90's. Recommended.

Standout Tracks: The Stone Doctor, Unwanted Visions II, A Violence At Rest, Moths, The Flatterer

Monday, February 8, 2010

EIC'S10Q'S w/Taxi Taxi!

"..fans of gorgeous piano melodies, beautifully plucked string instruments, accordions, and out of this world/gorgeous female vocal harmonizing will fall in love quite easily.."


Taxi Taxi!
Tender Effeminate Ethnomusicology

Taxi Taxi! Bio:
Taxi Taxi! are twins, Miriam Eriksson Berhan and Johanna Eriksson Berhan from Stockholm, Sweden. They write brilliant songs and sing them out so mesmerizingly sweet, that it is hard to believe these two remarkable girls were born not before 1990.On the basis of just two demos (made public via the Internet) they have made many friends all around Sweden and Denmark and have already performed at such festivals as Roskilde and Hultsfred Festival. Their debut self-titled ep was released in Spring of 2007 (in collaboration with producer Björn Yttling from Peter, Björn and John) on Rumraket.


Hello, how are you?
J: Very well, thank you! I'm at my favourite café here in Stockholm. It's called Louie Louie.
It feels good to be back home again after two months on the road.
M: Hejhej! I'm good. I just got a new job! Besides from music, I mean. I've been packing pills for sick and old people today. So I'm tired but happy, because I know that I will have some money on my bank account!!!

What are you currently listening to?
J: Right now; Lhasa De Sela, Fleet Foxes, a swedish band called Musette.
M: Right now, at the moment I'm writing this, I'm listening to Monsters of Folk. Before that; Nina Simone.

How long have you guys been writing music together?
J: I think we wrote our first song together when we were about 9...
But at the age of like fourteen or something, it started to get serious.
I think the oldest song we still play live is from 2005.

What’s with the band name?
J: Everybody asks this, but we don't really have a good answer..! We created a MySpace page because we had recorded two songs at home, that we wanted to show to our friends. So we didn't really have a "band", it was more that we needed a name to our MySpace page. So, we chose Taxi Taxi! because Miriam had just recieved a post card from NY with taxi cabs on it... or something like that :)

Rasmus Stolberg from Efterklang manages your band right? Did he discover you, or did you introduce yourselves to him?
J: Efterklang emailed us on MySpace and said that they liked our music. We were so happy, because we really loved Efterklang already. And then, Rumraket (Efterklangs record label which they run themselves, through Rasmus) emailed us and asked if we wanted to release anything on their label. We said YES. We felt that we really could understand why he liked our music, and why he wanted to sign us. Because he really liked it, and we also liked the other bands on Rumraket and felt that we had something in common, I guess. And then it all became management as well :)

Peter Broderick covered the song “Belle” on your “Step Out Into The Light” EP, how did that idea come up?
J: I think it was Rasmus who came up with the idea about letting some one else cover one of our songs, and release it together with our song on the EP. We chose Peter Broderick because we love his music, and he also is a friend of ours. He chose to cover Belle, and he did a great job. The cover is better than the original.

What’s a song you wish you wrote?
M: No idea!

You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
J: Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
M: I dooooooon't knooooooow.

Are you living your dream?
J: ... not yet!
M: Noo who could ever say they're living their dream? It says itself, that if something is really happening for your eyes, you can tell that's not your dream. But, I mean… in real life, or in my real life, I would say to sing, in any form, is the closest I could get to Dream in Life. D.I.L.

Thanx Johanna and Miriam!

Taxi Taxi! are currently touring Europe, listen to the song "Heart" and become insanely jealous over what we are missing...