Hey everyone. Just wanted to give you a heads up: I'm not going to be posting very much (if at all) over the next few weeks, while I attempt to salvage my academic standing. This blog has been exceptionally productive lately, so maybe take this opportunity to catch up on all those excellent bands we've posted that you may have missed? Give it some thought, okay?
On that note, there's a few points I want to address:
∞ We'd like to thank all the artists who have thought so highly of us to submit their music over the past few months. Without you, very little of this is possible. Not to mention that some of my favorite albums of late have been submissions that I never would have heard otherwise. Please, keep it up! We love hearing from you.
∞ As of last week, we accept mp3 submissions. Check the CONTACT page for more details. This is an experiment, for now.
∞ In an attempt to address complaints about corrupted tracks on Mediafire, albums I'm uploading personally will be on Megaupload from now on. Links (Mediafire and otherwise) provided by artists will be used when they're available. If you think waiting on Megaupload is annoying and you have Firefox, Skipscreen might help.
Thanks for reading. See you around.
April 14, 2010
April 12, 2010
Lush Cola
Lush Cola
Didn't know about Weed Diamond until a few days ago, so I was pleasantly surprised when Patient Sounds (same label that put out the M. Pyres and Smelly Magic cassettes last year) sent this little beauty over. Lush Cola is an old project of Weed Diamond's Tim Perry. The sparse, minimal arrangements often lean on his calm ghost harmonies and drum machine beats, occasionally joined by a guitar or bass that sounds like it's being played in the basement with the door ajar. Perfect music for driving at night down a road surrounded by forest but close enough to the city for you to be able to see a faint glow through the brush. Watch a cool video on Get Off The Coast, put together by Jheri Evans himself, and preorder the cassette from Patient Sounds below.
Myspace // Last.fm
Buy it!
Megabats
in/out
Spaced-out psych/drone made by two dudes utilizing one Korg DS-10 each. Imagine taking an elevator to the ∞th floor and when you exit you're in the blindingly dark expanse of a huge cave chamber (why is it up so high?) and it's so disorienting and you can't see the top and you think to yourself, "I've never seen the stars so bright before." Get it if you dig Oneohtrix Point Never, Caboladies, Fuck Buttons, Endless Endless Endless, etc. Stream it (I recommend "Battleground Sky") and buy it HERE from Debacle Records.
Myspace // Last.fm
Buy it!
April 09, 2010
1st Mix!
STR SPH MIX VOL. 1
(photo by S. Faitell)
This is a big deal for me -- the first mix I've created for Stratosphering, and the first that I've ever compiled for "public consumption." A lot of thought went into this; I've been tweaking it consistently throughout the past three weeks. I'm just glad to finally be able to share it with you. And if it ends up being a "success" (or even if it doesn't), I'll probably be making more mixes in the future.
The idea to make this mix happened to coincide with my discovery of Awesome Tapes From Africa, so a few tracks from that blog are here. I'm also indebted to the recommendations of All, Everyone, United, Collected Animals, and several good friends.
Read on for the tracklisting, including the last-minute addition of "Window View," that corrupted track from my Beach Fossils link (and, incidentally, my current favorite song on the album). I've also tried to make things easier for you by including (mostly other people's) download links to full albums, where applicable/possible. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the mix.
#. "Song" - Artist (Album)
1. "Cruiser" - Edibles (Super Space/Mind Peace)
2. "Ka Na Wu" - Snr Eddie Donkor (Eye Banker)
3. "Send Me Dub" - King Tubby (Explosive Dub)
4. "Trapez" - Black To Comm (Alphabet 1968)
5. "Come On Let's Go" - Broadcast (The Noise Made By People)
6. "Reaching" - Boas (Boas)
7. "Spring Break" - Atlas Sound (Another Bedroom EP)
8. "Highlight" - Growing (Pumps!)
9. "Latin Lover" - Mi Ami (Steal Your Face)
10. "That's Not Me" - Junk Culture (West Coast)
11. "You're My Excuse To Travel" - Baths (Cerulean)
12. "Splitted" - Illteeno
13. "West" - Endless Endless Endless (Things I Saw)
14. "The Bublight" - Joe Meek & The Blue Men (I Hear A New World)
15. "Winter Is Here" - Dirty Projectors (The Glad Fact)
16. "Moussa" - Sourakata Koite (Sourakata Koite)
17. "Transparent Popsicle" - Orchard Thief (Melt Day)
18. "Window View" - Beach Fossils (Beach Fossils)
April 08, 2010
Box Elders
Box Elders is currently on tour with Black Lips. I had the extreme pleasure of seeing them both play last night in St. Louis. Box Elders' psychedelic garage rock was an awesome precursor to Black Lips' anarchic set. They have a fairly interesting setup. Their drummer plays standing, and doubles as an organist for the band. The other two came out both sporting double-necked guitars, one a bass/six string combination and the other a 6 string/12 string. This will make you want to shake your rump and get grimy.
Parallel Pyres
Parallel Pyres
Distorted drums and organ, sometimes looped and layered, with the occasional garbled vocal echo. Those are pretty much the only sounds heard on this self-titled release, but it's the kind of basic structure that can easily amount to more than the sum of its parts. Here, that means subverting pop and new wave in a way that's just as catchy as anything Wet Hair and Vacation Dad have done. Could totally be a cassette on Not Not Fun. Visit All, Everyone, United to watch a few music videos he made.
Myspace // Last.fm
Kites Sail High (EP 2)
Secrets :: megaupload // mediafire
No excuse not to get this if you dig Teebs, RxRy, dreaming on beaches, hallucinating underwater, or playing Super Nintendo (perhaps specifically Donkey Kong Country) in a secluded cabin miles away from anyone. Start out with his first EP, if you haven't yet. The progression from there to here is evident -- I don't know if it's just me, but I get the sense that he's more comfortable now, taking interesting tonal detours and rhythmic risks on tracks like "Miracle" and "Dancing Sprinklers".
The new EP's closer, "Always," which evokes a cross between "Since I Left You" and a relaxed version of Teengirl Fantasy's "Love Don't Live Here," is streaming on his myspace now. Both EPs will be released on a split 12" by the dreamboats that comprise LIFE'S BLOOD in May, and I'm totally picking it up.
Myspace // Last.fm
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)