Get Off The Coast

On The Strength

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight Pavlovic) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 16:25:00 +0000

Thanks to a modest windfall this winter, our tape buying frenzy has never been more ridiculous - Liz and I got each other a whole drawer full of the things. Among our haul was Justin Peroff's debut effort, Tape One, as Junior Pande (as opposed to Broken Social Scene, with whom he drums) and a receipt for (our preordered copy of) prolific Canadian underground producer Don Cash's latest album, Epic, courtesy of the newly launched Spring Break Tapes. Peroff's ambient beats and noise cocktails on Tape One are a powerful combination with Cash's eclectic repertoire, the one captivatingly elegant and the other unrepentantly experimental, careening across the range of contemporary and retro art rock and hip hop. Highly recommended.

Don Cash - On The Strength by springbreaktapes

Junior Pande - Lisbon by springbreaktapes

Another Old Ugly Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight Pavlovic) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 15:00:00 +0000

As my winter nostalgia for long lost West Virginia rises, Edmonton, Alberta's Old Ugly Records offers a Christmas themed mix from their amply forested hometown, following up on last year's much "beloved" first An Old Ugly Christmas mix. Of course, in Alberta I imagine everyone's far less enthused about all things wintery (their winter temperature averages in the Northern part of the province tend to be around about −11 °F), so take their (surely feigned) Christmas spirit with a grain of salt and just imagine the Santa above as if he were stealing the items he's loaded down with.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://oldugly.bandcamp.com/album/another-old-ugly-christmas"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Another OLD UGLY Christmas by OLD UGLY&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Brutus The Backup Reindeer

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight Pavlovic) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 23:00:00 +0000

According to Phil Radiotes of Phil and the Osophers, It's Christmas Time with Phil and the Osophers was "an exercise in writing pop songs, in the tradition of Christmases I had growing up", so if you're not afraid of some God fearing pop with your Christmas and the stuff of less usual kilter isn't scratching the right kind of itch, give these tunes a try. Having said that, if you're smiling and having a good time driving, and your car looks like the one above, stop driving it immediately. That thickish brown line isn't even surrounding the entire ambiguous-gray-field-as-interior-bits sort of thing going on.

MP3: Phil and the Osophers - Brutus The Backup Reindeer

Download the entire EP for free here.

ISO50 Holiday Covers EP

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight Pavlovic) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:56:00 +0000

Making music for Christmas can't be easy. People's "traditional listening" holidays seems to vary radically and the risk of sounding sappy seems to be something near the top of a lot of minds, so I've tended to find a lot of the really good Christmas mixes out there, are also tremendously short. Ages ago, Jheri made a five song Christmas mixtape that was pretty rad (in spite of it's grotesquely unseasonable cover). Last year, Jakub Alexander - the music curator for ISO50 and the man behind Moodgadget - put together such a mix for the former, composed of only six songs. Featuring the Beautiful Bells, Sun Hammer, Foxes in Fiction, the Depot-Tones, Weed, and Direwires, there are just enough nods to convention to keep it feeling wintery and plenty of avant-pop noise and craziness to make sure you'll be having weird Christmases as long as it lingers on your hard drive.

Download the entire mix here.

Video Premiere: Parentz - Back It Up

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight Pavlovic) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:51:00 +0000

Parentz had a fun time with 2011 - with two editions of his debut cassette sold out, the later of the two from Chill Mega Chill Records, and rumors abounding that mainstay Jeremy Sullivan is getting a "real job" somewhere in the SF Bay, it has to seem like an important year and Sullivan's chosen to end it with a video. Shot on location in Oakland, featuring special guest appearances from "Claude at Sinema Girl, Yalls, James and Evander, Kia..." (Kia sings in the band) "... Dre..." (presumably Dr. Dre) "... and everybody else in the video and who smashed things" (probably means ever smashed things). Although filmed over last summer, I'm presuming that the seasonal climate in the Bay is just barely perceptible enough for the professionally-homemade video to look like a different time of year to anyone from the area, but it's just cold enough for me to not envy Jeremy when the water balloons let loose midway.

Video: The Parallax View - Dark Wrath (feat. Doc Ra)

noreply@blogger.com (Jheri Evans) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:45:00 +0000

[created by: The Parallax View]

Animals

noreply@blogger.com (Jheri Evans) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:40:00 +0000

The animal kingdom is beginning to stir more and more these days. The knowledge of the world's end being but a year away seems to have its adverse effects on the world's fauna. Body Cheetah & Messed Up Coyote have begun to demonstrate their frustrations in their new EP release via Woozy Tribe, titled Clang. Five fairly short tracks merge zonked out beat crafting with somber blues to create a dark, based vibe like nothing we've heard from either party yet. This is certainly a duo I look forward to hearing work together more.

MP3:
Body Cheetah & Messed Up Coyote - Animals
Body Cheetah & Messed Up Coyote - Emily Jane
You can grab Clang in full as a free download via Woozy Tribe.

Russian Girlfriends

noreply@blogger.com (Jheri Evans) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:40:00 +0000

The folks at French Express just dropped off Perseus' new EP, Russian Girlfriends, with some holiday cheer. Since The Magician's Magic Tape Twelve, Perseus has been wowing us with his soulful & tropical sample work. So much so that The Magician has continually gone back to Perseus for new tracks on various Magic Tapes, permitting us this short EP which collects his three most recent beauties. "Running Back To You" just dropped on yesterday's Magic Tape Eighteen and features some stellar sampling from Ashanti's "Foolish". The track is just brilliant enough to have me asking for an Ashanti comeback (though maybe with less Irv Gotti at her back.)

MP3: Perseus - Russian Girlfriends EP
01 Cool Runnings
02 Russian Girlfriends
03 Running Back To You
Head over to Soundcloud to check out Magic Tape Eighteen, as well as any of the previous Magic Tapes.

Video: Fear Of Men - Doldrums

noreply@blogger.com (Jheri Evans) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:55:00 +0000

[director: Natalie Gravy]

"Doldrums" is from the Alice Munroe Demos tape, which is unfortunately already sold out. Here's crossing our fingers for a re-issue.

Video Premiere: Zoos of Berlin - Kingston Gates (Color Controller Remix)

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight Pavlovic) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:31:00 +0000

This is a prolific time for the East Bay, particularly Dan Casey of Yalls and his new guise with Man/Miracle's Dylan Travis, which will hopefully be a serious vehicle for that output in 2012. The addition of the two's new visual work, reflecting the texture of their new Zoos of Berlin remix in constantly fragmenting shards of light and complex patterns, makes the prospect of a live set and new material all the more captivating.

In related news, Zoos of Berlin's Pallister Chant EP, where "Kingston Gates" originally appeared, can be streamed for free on their bandcamp courtesy of Time No Place.

Devil's Pie (Fuck The Slice)

noreply@blogger.com (Jheri Evans) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:05:00 +0000

We're long-time fans of zoney beatsmith Silky Johnson over here. Lately we've also been quite enamored by rapper Deniro Farrar (see DMFv2), so last week when the two teamed up with Emilio Rojas to release "Devil's Pie" I was a little more than excited. Silky's beat on this one is subdued, relying on the minimal yet hazy vibe he's becoming more and more known for. Farrar jumps hard on the beat, starting things off with a slow paced recanting of his own dealings with the Devil. As the beat gains energy so does Farrar, shaking off any hesitations before speaking about the twisted ways of governments. Emilio Rojas also impresses on this one; this is the first I've heard from him and you can already count me as a fan. From the start of his verse he goes in hard with a "fuck everything, I came to get mine" attitude. The point is certainly proven, in the end we all want more than just a piece of the Devil's pie.

MP3: Deniro Farrar x Emilio Rojas - Devil's Pie (Fuck The Slice)

PBUH034: Dope Mountain Fuck Vol. 2

noreply@blogger.com (Jheri Evans) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:00:00 +0000

About a year-and-a-half ago I first met Dwight and his then girlfriend Liz while touring with Born Gold (then Gobble Gobble). It was obvious from the first handshake that I had just discovered two of my best friends in the most unlikely of places, West Virginia. It was upon this first meeting while smoking a bowl on the front porch that the idea of Crash Symbols was born. Fast forward to now; we've released around twenty tapes, our first vinyl release (both a 12" and a 7"), plus Dwight and Liz got married! The three of us couldn't be happier with everything we've accomplished in so little time. To celebrate we bring to you today the second volume of our inaugural mixtape, Dope Mountain Fuck. With just as much energy and twice the confidence, DMFv2 is a symbol of achievement for us. It features new bangers from Main Attrakionz, Oxykitten, Ghibli, changemod, Gahza, Ricky Eat Acid & more; as well as remixes from Emily Reo & Ryan Hemsworth and a Deniro Farrar cut over a previously unreleased Clams Casino beat. This is potentially our most ambitious mixtape to date and we're pretty damn proud of it. 2012 belongs to us and ours.

MP3:
Oxykitten - 50 Times Higher Than Any Normal Man
Main Attrakionz - Brock Lesnar (prod. Joe Wax)
Brown Bread - Ah (Emily Reo Remix)
Head over to the Crash Symbols bandcamp to snag all twenty-five glorious tracks from Dope Mountain Fuck Vol. 2!

Fresh Arrest

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight Pavlovic) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 23:45:00 +0000

Today is Fresh Arrest and we're helping our buddies at Dingus on Music and Meme Movement with the event. As they describe it:

"Yes, this is easily going to be the best thing going on in NYC tonight. Yes, you are still welcome at our party. No, you cannot shit in the porta potties.

Itchy Hearts, No Shoes, Large Lady, Newport Reds, Sitting Ducks, The Jean Jackets. And all the booze you can handle. Fifteen bucks gets you in on the all night open bar."

If you can handle all of that and can make it to 1717 Broadway in Brooklyn this evening, you should seriously consider it.

Premiere: Mathieu Santos - I Can Hear The Trains Coming (Superhumanoids Rework)

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight Pavlovic) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 23:21:00 +0000

"I Can Hear The Trains Coming" (which received a ridiculous, candy-coated video treatment over the summer) comes from Massachusetts 2010, the solo debut from Ra Ra Riot co-founder and bassist Mathieu Santos, conceived in 2010 and finished this year. Superhumanoids' remix blows out the original's casual elegance into a moodier slowburner across a new bassline, much changed from the spareness of Santos and all the better supplement for being so.

Massachusetts 2010 is available as of this fine 2011, from Barsuk.

Lying In State

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:00:00 +0000

Queens three-piece Island Twins recently put out their first release, a self-titled album complete with solid, well-structured pop melodies, awesomely fuzzy bass lines, and a catchy mix of male and female vocals. So far, my favorite song might be "Lying In State", a fast-paced opener with some shoegaze qualities and a little surf flair, but the whole album is worth repeat listens. I can't wait to see what they do next. RIYL: Black Lipstick, Violent Femmes, and Turbo Fruits.

MP3 :: Island Twins - Lying In State

You can stream and buy the full album at their bandcamp.

PBUH030: Good Amount - Opening Eye

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight Pavlovic) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 21:01:00 +0000

Christian Filardo, aka Good Amount, is more than just a friend, he's a blinking glowing media being... an internet chrysalid waiting to plug into the supermind. Opening Eye is a new manifesto of Filardo's ever shifting anticipation of that union; ambient soundscapes littered with clustered bell tones, projecting a sense of monoliths. Big ideas and big narratives to draw them out, from our digital hierophant, Christian Filardo. Proudly hastened into your presence by Crash Symbols.

MP3: Good Amount - Gain

Preorder the limited edition cassette here.

In Processing

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight Pavlovic) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 01:33:00 +0000

Technological Epidemic is a Johnstown, PA based quartet and among the flagship bands from the locally operated, hugely prolific multimedia arts collective, My Idea of Fun. They were kind enough to send me their and MIF's latest physical release, a 7" that preserves what are actually two b-sides, pressed up to accompany their slightly older LP of earlier this year, Hollow Cost. The palette here is solidly DIY pop and lends plenty of fuel to immediate comparisons with the durable genre-core of Elephant 6, further held up by idiosyncratic vocals and personal lyrics. Definitely a winner.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://technologicalepidemic.bandcamp.com/album/in-processing-blowin-in-the-mind"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;In Processing/Blowin’ in the Mind by Technological Epidemic&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Download the single from the widget above and grab the vinyl here. Hollow Cost is available in its entirety for free.

Reindeer's Time

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight Pavlovic) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 23:40:00 +0000

I've already conceded my sentimentality so maybe my goal to cover a few good Christmas releases this December is not altogether unexpected, but that there would be so many worth covering wasn't something I expected. It's lighter fare than some others I'm planning on covering, but Idiot Glee's Christmas EP Reindeer's Time is an honorable addition to the recently less robust corpus of genuinely good acoustic holiday covers.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://idiotglee.bandcamp.com/album/reindeers-time"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Reindeer's Time by Idiot Glee&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Video: The Russian Apartments - Gods

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight Pavlovic) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:31:00 +0000

The Russian Apartments' single "Gods" fantastically rendered alongside Polish animator Piotr Kamler's opus Chronopolis. Download the original single here.

Premiere: Twin Steps - Pinkie Promise

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:06:00 +0000

Merry Christmas, boys and girls! Twin Steps' debut album Serial Parade comes out today on Cola Bruin, as both a digital release and a beautiful matte green 10" record (I'd grab one soon, because there are only 300 of them). We were lucky enough to see Twin Steps perform at a house show in Oakland a few months ago, and we've been huge fans since. Their music is a bit hard to classify (it's been called "violent soul" and "thrashwave"), but whatever genre it may be a part of, these songs are really, really, really good. Of the four tracks and two "interludes" on the album, my favorite is probably "Pinkie Promise" -- it's just over six minutes of blissful, updated 60s pop, a few samples, and Drew's idiosyncratically perfect vocals, all punctuated in the middle by a musical car crash of sorts. This is one of my favorite albums of the year, and I suggest listening to it when you're having a drink/smoke and feel like getting swept away by something strange and wonderful.

MP3 :: Twin Steps - Pinkie Promise

Buy the lovely 10" vinyl right here, and stream four of the six tracks over there if you like.

The Rise of Gahza

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight Pavlovic) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 23:12:00 +0000

Gahza makes sped up pop of a character I'm definitely interested to hear further explored. So far as I know, this is not playing at the wrong speed and that it does often play through at a faster rate radically changes the tone of his music. Some tracks seem to reference the lighter experimentation of the more electronically inclined pop punk producer, though as the chronicles of Gahza unfold on his self-titled debut, slower songs like "Gahza Loves" keep the whole thing from flying apart at the seams. "The Rise of Gahza" is a nice cross section of the album, uptempo and upbeat, with Gahza's idiosyncratic vocals and an incredibly charming string section.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://gahza.bandcamp.com/track/the-rise-of-gahza"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;THE RISE OF GAHZA by GAHZA&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Click through to bandcamp to download Gahza for free.

The Great Unknown

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 22:29:00 +0000

Perhaps I should start off by saying that I'm not usually into the "singer/songwriter" genre, or at least not tunes that include both falsetto male vocals and charming piano work. However, The Black Bull (real name: Matt Perri) seems to have hit upon something different. His song "The Great Unknown" is a sort-of-lengthy expedition through an auditory winter wonderland -- introductory finger snaps and bass kicks are joined by minimal, tinkly piano, smooth bass, and strong vocals that deliver lyrics about possessiveness and uncertainty perfectly. I can't shake the image of stepping out into the first deep snow of the season, your shoes sinking in slightly while you're "stepping into the great unknown".

MP3 :: The Black Bull - The Great Unknown

For now you can check out two other tracks at his Soundcloud; a full album is expected sometime this winter.

Video: Sigur Ros - All Right (Rivka Edit)

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight Pavlovic) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:38:00 +0000

Rivka put Sigur Ros through the ringer and set the results to footage from Jaromil Jires' film adaptation of Vítězslav Nezval's novel, Valerie And Her Week Of Wonders, and Victor Luminera's less well known Psyched By The 4D Witch.

Teapot

noreply@blogger.com (Dwight Pavlovic) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000

Skoal Kodiak exists in my mind mostly through "Tinsel Tongue", their face melting debut single taken from Moon Glyph's Minneapolis-area psych compilation, Regolith Volume 1, and the occasional odd rumination from their good tempered facebook page. I've listened to that song hundreds of times across three or so computers. Every day for at least a year of college. Kryptonym Bodliak, their first emission since a limited 12" years back, follows up the more recent b-side beautifully, comfortably setting my high watermark for noise pop in 2011. "Teapot" eases the experienced "Tinsel Tongue" listener into the album's more angular grooves with vocals culled from exploding packets of razors, edging their way into the cavity left by brain boring beats.

MP3 :: Skoal Kodiak - Teapot

Grab it on CD and LP from Loaded Records.

Fightin' For Your Life

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:37:00 +0000

British musician Gypsy Tongue is a creator of super lo-fi, DIY indie garage-folk -- he says he even recorded everything in his actual garage, including the "paint tins" he used for percussion instruments. His self-titled, self-released five song EP is quite the enjoyable collection of dusty tunes, including "Fightin' For Your Life", a simple acoustic ditty that, despite its name, might be one of the more upbeat tracks on the album (probably due to the friendly chuckles sprinkled throughout).

MP3 :: Gypsy Tongue - Fightin' For Your Life

Download the whole album for free here! Seriously, do it.