W H O K I L L

Last.fm // Buy it!

Tune-Yards, that's W H O. lol but srsly tho this album K I L L s. I'm not joking, and I hadn't noticed the album title contains that word. I expect reviews might include combinations and variations of ideas like "improves upon its predecessor in so many ways, too many ways to even try to explain," "but mostly recording/production/depth, which were the only qualities needing improvement anyway," and "commanding vocal presence that confidently supports her eccentric style, with accessible confidence," among words like "risky," "fresh," "triumphant," "best," "album," and "woman."

P.S. I have no comment regarding my two-month absence. Furthermore, I have one comment: Tumblr.

Fidel Catastrophe

And The Bleak Shall Inherit The Earth

Fidel Catastrophe is headed by the Original bassist of the Pomegranates (they're on their 3rd bassist right now), who is clearly a force to be reckoned with. They've been plugging their music via Band Camp, a site for unsigned bands that I'm growing more and more enamored of, though I'm surprised that anticon hasn't swiped these guys yet. They put me in mind of a poppy, concise version of Thee More Shallows combined with a less nasally and less rap-prone Yoni Wolf.

They also only have 3 songs available for download right now, and I've had them on repeat all day. I'm in band-love, guys. Deep, deep band-love. As far as I can tell, they're pressing vinyl right now, so there aren't any tracks on what.cd or waffles.fm. I want an album! The suspense is killing me!

Melt Day

This is that split between Glass Buds (a.k.a. Pawlic) and Orchard Thief. It's as awesome as you could have imagined. Glass Buds' side calls to mind an ambient bizarro version of Kickball, and Orchard Thief's contribution is like Beach Fossils and Atlas Sound in a slow-motion light cycle race. The whole thing is streaming on their respective myspaces.

Orchard Thief :: Myspace // Last.fm
Glass Buds :: Myspace // Last.fm

Potions

Roam

Well, okay. I feel weird posting this, because it is a personal project, but I "might as well." This is an album that I recorded. I'm going to quote my myspace blog post about it: "All tracks are improvised clean guitar with delay. No overdubs. Phrases are meant to build upon one another to create self-sustaining organic structures that ascend aurally like glass ladders into swollen cloud eyes."

Someone on last.fm said it reminded them of Don Caballero's What Burns Never Returns. I have no choice but to take that as a compliment.

Myspace // Last.fm <-- preview the album here

Boas

Boas

Sometimes, an album this good will come outta nowhere, just like that. I can't tell you how surprised I am by the attention to detail and the rhythmic intricacy Tyler Newbold puts into his tunes here. I'm thinking of Atlas Sound, Xiu Xiu, Aphex Twin (or anything on Warp Records, for that matter), and Toro Y Moi rolled into one. It's kinda blowing my mind. Don't take my word for it, though -- you can listen to the whole thing and download it for free at bandcamp if you click the artwork above.

Myspace // Last.fm

Pawlic

Kicking Foot

[listen now! description later. riyl: panda bear, vacation dad]

Myspace // Last.fm

Farms/Panda Teeth

Farms/Panda Teeth Split

Download it from Farms' website if the link above doesn't work.
While you're there, get their first EP, it's killer as well.

Farms: Myspace // Last.fm
Panda Teeth: Myspace // Last.fm

A split where neither band overshadows the other is hard to come by. This album fits the bill, due in part to the consistent atmosphere and energy over the course of the four songs that both bands contribute. Vacation Dad's main band, Farms, sounds like Animal Collective's live show circa Feels, but with some math-rock elements thrown in (I'm hesitant to attribute a phrase like "Battles-esque precision", but the influence is definitely there). Panda Teeth is in a noisy electronic realm of tribal rhythms and epic 8-bit synths. Kinda sounds like Street Horrrsing or Broken Ear Record. I'm pretty sure both bands are coming out with new full-lengths this year (check out their myspaces for tracks that'll be on them). If this split is an indication, they won't have any trouble getting your attention.

Here We Go Magic - Tunnelvision (Live)

Soooo I didn't expect myself to want to post this so soon, but wow! I came across it while thinking about making a "Best Live Acts of 2009" post, and just couldn't contain myself. This song live is as epic as the fact that they are performing in front of a huge boat. No, it is more epic. Imagine they are performing on the boat, and it is a Viking boat on its way to discovering Iceland, and then they encounter a portal into another dimension, or something. I don't understand how this video only has three-hundred-something views.



If their new songs are any indication (they played maybe four*, I think, when I saw them two months ago), and if they release an album in 2010, I can't imagine a world in which they do not become huge.

*Sadly, there is no Youtube evidence of this. Total bummer.

P.S. I almost forgot -- Noisevox also has several other videos from this show up on Youtube and they are all Olivia-Wilde-goddamn-beautiful. Check them out.

Vacations

I WAS BIKINI / BUT RAIN AFRAID

I was originally going to post this for the amazing non sequitur album title. Then I was going to post this because it features Bobby Burg of my favorite Joan Of Arc Family band, The Love Of Everything. It also features two members of the somewhat Joan of Arc related band Chin Up Chin Up that broke up some time ago and whom I admit I never was totally into (awkward sentence structure ftw). Then I was going to post it because I started listening and was all like, holy smokes, this is actually really good. And then I remembered, damn, last time I posted something from Record Label it was taken down by Mediafire.

And then something amazing happened. I visited their Myspace and made the incredible discovery that they are offering the album on a pay-what-you-want basis. Fate has been kind to us today, folks.

Oh yeah, and if you're wondering what it sounds like -- kind of a cross between the aforementioned bands and then some Ukulele.

Animal Collective - Fall Be Kind EP (2009)

Well, shit. (320k)

Preorder.

Panda Bear: Live @ ATP

This is a link to a rip of Panda Bear's live set this past September, when he performed at All Tomorrow's Parties. It was pretty much his only solo show this year, I think? It was broadcast by WFMU (there are some significant glitchy sounds in parts, but overall it remains tolerable), recorded to a computer and then split, tagged, and EQ'd by Collected Animals user Maxwell Hell. I can't believe I haven't posted this yet, because it's quite amazing -- better than the other live bootleg I posted a while ago. It's a totally different set of songs as well, including his "remix" (which is actually more of a rewrite) of The Notwist's single, "Boneless", as well as "Ponytail" and "I'm Not" (two songs he didn't perform on his last tour) and two new songs. And a reworked version of Chores, with an intro that some speculate may represent the vocal melody that will be on "I Think I Can", the last track on Animal Collective's upcoming EP, Fall Be Kind. Have I given you enough incentive to download this yet?

Tofu Delux

TOFU DELUX DISCOGRAPHY

I'm gonna recommend that you download Bear Claw (their only full-length record) and October/November EP.

Tofu Delux is on Cozy Home Records. They are very generous, because all of their releases are available to download for free at the link above. They've done all my work for me! Isn't that helpful?

Their recordings are like electronic/ambient/IDM laptop experiments. The prominent vocals give 'em a psych-pop core reminiscent of Panda Bear and Candy Claws. I don't know man, this is hard music to describe. They don't sound like they're the band in that picture, that's for sure. Unless you watch the video on their Myspace.

Panda Bear - Live at The Ottobar (2007)

Tracklisting:

01 Take Pills (Pt. 1)
02 Song For Ariel
03 Take Pills (Pt. 2)
04 Good Girl
05 Laughed For A World Filled With Fantasy
06 Carrots (Pt. 1)
07 Comfy In Nautica
08 Berserker
09 Bros
10 #1
11 Carrots (Pt. 2)
12 Chores

Download
AC Live Archive

Xiu Xiu - La Foret (2005)

There was a request, so here ya go!

EDIT: Hmm, that was a bit odd. I re-uploaded it, lets hope it works.

EDIT EDIT: Of course right now their servers are down, haha.

Try it - 320 kbps
Buy it!

Eric Copeland - Alien in a Garbage Dump (2008)

EDIT: If for some reason google or someone else brought you here, know that this is only half of the full-length that was released almost a year after I originally posted this. That album can be found HERE.



The Black Dice member's recent solo release sticks close to the formula he perfected on his previous full-length, Hermaphrodite. Who am I kidding, loolllz. Anyone who has heard Black Dice knows it's their lack of any conceivable structure that really keeps their unique brand of noise interesting. This feels like another evolution, just on schedule. Worth downloading for the last half of the title track (Stream it here) but the rest is pretty killer as well.

Preview on Myspace
Stream another track (corn on the cob)
DOWNLOAD
BUY IT! (vinyl only)

Storm And Stress x2

EDIT: THESE LINKS ARE DOWN. They'll probably never go back up, because Touch And Go Records is on top of things. Same goes for Don Cab links. Sorry.

However, if you're reading this, please don't give up hope. These are my two of my favorite records of all time, and I implore you to continue your search. You won't regret it. This message has been approved by Bradford Cox.

Preview on Myspace
Buy

This band will more-than-satisfy you when you get tired of Ian Williams' other bands, Don Caballero and Battles. Ian locks his guitar in the basement and feeds it only yearning. He also sings to himself. The drums rumble freely and catastrophically but internally. Under Thunder also includes Eric Ehm, who played bass on the final Don Caballero album, American Don.

Storm and Stress (1997)

Under Thunder and Fluorescent Light (2000)

Rings - Black Habit (2008)

Friends of Animal Collective; includes Avey's sister doing some vocals and keys; Kria Brekkan recorded it. Little children playing in a dark forest with mythical creatures that may not hold themselves to the utmost moral standard. I secretly hope this metaphor has not been used several hundred times before.

Preview on Myspace
DOWNLOAD
Buy it!

Zach Hill - Astrological Straits (2008)

Zach Hill plays drums and occupies an infinity existence plane
He has done these thing in band called Hella and other

Preview on Myspace
Try it -
Buy it!

Maps And Atlases - You And Me And The Mountain EP (2008)

Somewhat different from their first EP, but still the same basic materials added up to make awesome.

Preview on Myspace
DOWNLOAD
Buy it!

Them, Roaring Twenties - Future Sandwich (2008)

All the guitar acrobatics you've grown to love, now with nonsensical vocals, for a limited time only.

Preview on Myspace
DOWNLOAD
Buy it!