betterPropaganda

New Songs: 11-01-2009 - 11-08-2009

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

	Molina and Johnson - Almost Let You In [MP3] - Molina and Johnson - Secretly Canadian
	Yeasayer - Ambling Alp [MP3] - Ambling Alp - We Are Free
	Thavius Beck - Go! [MP3] - Dialogue - Mush Records
	Cold Cave - Theme From Tomorrowland [MP3] - Love Comes Close - Matador Records
	Fool's Gold - Nadine (Memory Tapes Version) [MP3] - Fool's Gold - IAmSound
	Via Tania - Become Forest [MP3] - Moon Sweet Moon - The Hours Entertainment
	Audion - Instant In You [MP3] - Instant In You - Ghostly International
	OOIOO - OOIAH [MP3] - Armonico Hewa - Thrill Jockey Records
	Annie - My Love Is Better (Sunkh Knight Remix) [MP3] - Don't Stop - Smalltown Supersound
	Annie - I Don't Like Your Band [MP3] - Don't Stop - Smalltown Supersound
	DJ/Rupture - Layin' In Bed, Overture: Watermelon City, Autumn Rain [MP3] - Solar Life Raft (with Matt Shadetek) - The Agriculture
	Lindstrøm - Baby Can't Stop (Lindstrom & Christabelle) (Aeroplane Remix) [MP3] - Real Life Is No Cool (with Christabelle) - Smalltown Supersound

Fingertips Explores the Archives: Okkervil River - Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:17:00 GMT

Jeremy from Fingertips joins us each month as he scours the betterPropaganda archives, highlighting gems buried a few years back in our database.

This week we bring you "Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe" from Okkervil River.

From its wonderful if off-kilter title to its highly disciplined if slightly unglued sense of both song and production, "Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe" strikes me as pretty brilliant from beginning to end. Front man Wil Sheff is a wordy sort of guy (he's spent some time writing music criticism for a living, as I recall), but rather than do as other wordy sorts of guys do and cram too many syllables into lyrics ("look at all my words!"), Sheff's a savvy enough songwriter to have figured out how to manipulate triplets and time signatures to embrace the extra syllables (you'll hear this for the first time at 0:22, when he sings--I think--"When the love that you locked in the suite says there's no crying"). So he's a wordy guy who makes room for the music, which makes sense when you've got a crack outfit around you like this. Me, I'm especially enjoying the drum work: listen throughout to how Travis Nelsen uses all of his drums, from snares to toms to bass drum, with great energy and sensitivity. Part of me keeps waiting for Okkervil River to break through to the big time, but part of me keeps suspecting that this band--Scheff is a guy who once related the concept of downloading music to a Borges short story--may be too literate/inscrutable for mass consumption. "Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe" is the lead track on Okkervil's River excellent CD, The Stage Names, which came out in 2007 on Jagjaguwar Records.

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Okkervil River - Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe

- Jeremy Schlosberg
www.fingertipsmusic.com

Weekly Batch: November 2 - 6 '09

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:53:00 GMT

Every Friday we bring you our weekly batch of uploads. Download all the songs that went up the week of 11/2-11/6 right here, right now.

You can download the following mp3s individually OR play them all in a row. Click on the artists at the right under Related Downloads to learn more about each band and see similar music suggestions.

[RICH MEDIA, CLICK TO VIEW ON SITE] Play All [RICH MEDIA, CLICK TO VIEW ON SITE]

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Molina & Johnson - Almost Let You In {Secretly Canadian}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Yeasayer - Ambling Alp {Secretly Canadian}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Thavius Beck - Go! {Moodgadget/Ghostly}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Cold Cave - Theme From Tomorrowland {Matador}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Fool's Gold - Nadine (Memory Tapes Version) {IAmSound}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Via Tania - Become Forest {The Hours Entertainment}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Audion - Instant In You {Ghostly}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] OOIOO - OOIAH {Thrill Jockey}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Annie - My Love Is Better (Sunkh Knight Remix) {Smalltown Supersound}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Annie - I Don't Like Your Band {Smalltown Supersound}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] DJ/Rupture & Matt Shadetek - Layin In Bed, Overture {Agriculture}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Lindstrøm & Christabelle - Baby Can't Stop (Aeroplane Remix) {Smalltown Supersound}

Interview with The Raveonettes

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:06:00 GMT

In and Out of Control: An Interview with The Raveonettes

The Raveonettes emerged in 2001 from the acclaim of Rolling Stone's editor, David Fricke, and were later described by the magazine as the "Next Wave" of contemporary music. Four albums later and a bad record label situation, the Danish duo of Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo, are now touring in support of their new album, In and Out of Control. The lo-fi sounding group, have never been afraid of comparisons, as their name is a direct reference to The Ronettes and Buddy Holly's "Rave On!" In the past their reverb drench sound, has been critiqued as dark, compared to a wall of sound. On their new album the melodies are lush, and the harmonies are upbeat; but, a dark ironic tone remains embedded in the lyrics of songs like, "Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed)." In an interview with Sharin Foo, David talked about their journey to the US and how their music continues to evolve.

*Photo by C Davey Wilson

David: How did you and Sune get started together?
Sharin Foo: Well we met in Copenhagen. I think it was about a decade ago. We met through mutual friends. Both of us were hanging out in the alternative Copenhagen music scene. Sune had just gotten back from the US. After he had written the material for Whip It On, he called me and asked me if I wanted to try the stuff out with him. He was looking to making a band with a female and male vocal. It just worked out really well and we started out. Not a very interesting story.

David: You guys do a lot of touring between the States and Europe. Do you as a person ever feel lost between your dual identities?
Sharon: The more you start to integrate in the place you moved to, the more you also start feel like its home. It’s strange. When I’m in Denmark I miss my home in LA, and when I’m in LA I miss Denmark.

David: It seemed that when you left Denmark, heading to London and then the US, you were done with the scene. What was going on?
Sharon: It was more like being young and rebellious and having lots of ambition for our band. Denmark was too small for us. I sound very cocky, but I don’t mean it like that. Denmark is a small country of five million people. There are only so many people you can reach if your music is alternative and we wanted a broad audience. We also felt like our music would appeal to a crowd especially in the bigger cities around the world.

David: At points it’s been implied that your music is kind of an escape from politics, life, or just a wall of sound. Is music an escape for you?
Sharon: Well, yeah I guess you could say that. There is definitely some escapism in our music for sure.

If you listen to the new album it’s definitely very confrontational. The last previous album was more an introvert and personal album; whereas this album is more reflection and stories from the world around, and the people we know and their stories. There is always a sense of nostalgia and in a sense irony. It’s full of contrasts, the themes in our music. It tends to always have a little sentimental, nostalgic creation, for example “Suicide.” It still has innocence to it, though it’s such a harsh topic.

David: My question is more directed at your personally. I know when I listen to music, and I need to push something aside, I can use music in that way. So I’m curious if that is something that is a part of your creative process. Is this where music comes for you?
Sharon: I guess it’s both really. It is a way finding an outlet for whatever you’re dealing with emotionally and any kind of reaction to the world. It’s an outlet for that, and it’s also getting away from it.

David: You were saying that this album is more confrontational, and so I want to ask you about the song, “Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed).” Can you tell me where this song’s inspiration came from?
Sharon: It is from hearing stories from people that we know. That’s what it is, and also, it’s our way of making a bubblegum tragedy. It’s a tragedy, but then we apply the contrast. If you listen to the song it’s seem like an innocent, happy song, but then it becomes sort of bizarre because it is confrontational as an anti-rape song.

Songs like “Gone Forever,” and this one, were done later in the recording because we felt the album needed these songs. This song was the really crazy, bizarre element on the album. I think it’s the most bizarre song we’ve ever done as a whole with the lyrics, and how it sounds, and comes across. It has this sweetness to it and then it’s kind of dark.

David: This album has a lot of a lot melody which I think is somewhat unusual with typical lo-fi groups. After your last album was described as really dark by several critics, was this a conscious decision to go with more harmony and melody?
Sharon: We’ve been in that dark space for several years, that I think we just needed something that was more celebratory. When Sune and I met up in New York, to listen to new ideas and also have a conversation about what we wanted for this album. We were talking about how we wanted a lot more chorus on this album, and sung, not this sort of reverb drenched vocals, but more this in-your-face vocals.

We also talked about working on songs individually, whereas previously the albums have a sort of drone, hypnotic feel. This one we wanted to take each song and go where that song needed individually. We didn’t consciously decide whether it should be an upbeat, or down beat, or extroverted or introverted that was more just in the process gravitating towards ideas. This album was done in basically in six to eight weeks. Some songs the sketches were there before that, but really we just went into the studio and went with it.

David: I read that you wrote and recorded the album in the studio which was new for you. Sune has even admitted in an interview that he doesn’t remember all the lyrics. Does this album feel as personal for you?
Sharon: Well—that’s a tough question. All of our albums feel personal to us one way or another, but I would say this album is more of a celebration, and kind of the fun part of us sonically. It’s not the most personal and emotional album we’ve done, but this is more the fun, the party if you don’t think about the lyrics too much.

- David Johnson-Igra

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Raveonettes - "Last Dance"

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Raveonettes - "Suicide"

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Raveonettes - "Black/White"

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Raveonettes - "Lust (Trentmoller Remix)"

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Raveonettes - "Aly Walk With Me"

New Songs: 10-25-2009 - 11-01-2009

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

	James Pants - Thin Moon [MP3] - Seven Seals - Stones Throw
	Dãm-Funk - The Sky Is Ours [MP3] - Toeachizown Vol. 5: Sky - Stones Throw
	Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM (diskjokke Remix) [MP3] - IRM - Vice Records
	Xiu Xiu - Volcana! (I Hope Your Train Crashes Remix) (The 6ths) [MP3] - SCORE! 20 Years of Merge Records: The Remixes! - Merge Records
	Matias Aguayo - Rollerskate [MP3] - Ay Ay Ay - Kompakt
	Mr Chop - Straighten It Out [MP3] - For Pete's Sake - Stones Throw
	Claude VonStroke - Monster Island [MP3] - Bird Brain - Dirtybird
	Pants Yell! - Cold Hands [MP3] - Received Pronunciation - Slumberland Records
	Home - Photographed With Ease [MP3] - Seventeen - Jagjaguwar Records
	White Rabbits - Percussion Gun [MP3] - It's Frightening - TBD Records
	Mux Mool - The Ballad of Gloria Featherbottom [MP3] - The Nocturnal Suite - Moodgadget

Batch of Tracks: October '09

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:07:00 GMT

Find everything that went up in the month of October. You can download the following mp3s individually OR listen to the whole batch in one playlist. Click on the artists at the right under Related Downloads to learn more about each band and see similar music suggestions.

[RICH MEDIA, CLICK TO VIEW ON SITE] Play All [RICH MEDIA, CLICK TO VIEW ON SITE]

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Black Hollies - Gloomy Monday Morning {Ernest Jenning}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Larytta - Play Me Loud (Futuro) {FoF Music}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Florence & the Machine - You've Got the Love (the XX Remix) {Arts & Crafts}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Dutchess & the Duke - Living This Life {Hardy Art}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] The Raveonettes - Last Dance {Vice}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Black Heart Procession - Witching Stone {Temporary Residence}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Dam-Funk - Hood Pass Intact {Stones Throw}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Vampire Weekend - Horchata {XL}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Mum - Illumnated {Euphono}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Phenomenal Handclap Band - You'll Disappear (Prins Thomas Diskomiks) {Arts & Crafts}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Built To Spill - Hindsight {Reprise}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] King Khan - Desert Mile {Viva Radio}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Molina & Johnson - Twenty Cycles to the Ground {Secretly Canadian}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Themselves - You Ain't It {Anticon}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Lackthereof - Safely In Jail {Barsuk}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Fela Kuti - Zombie {Sony}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Boys Noize - Jeffer {Last Gang}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Tickley Feather - Don't Call Marilyn {Paw Tracks}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Citay - Eye On The Dollar (White Rainbow Remix) {Dead Oceans}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Phantogram - When I'm Small {Barsuk}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] On Fillmore - Master Moon {Dead Oceans}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] The Slew (Kid Koala) - You Turn Me Cold {Ninja Tune}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Mogi Grumbles - Disco Belafonte {Moodgadget}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Midnight Juggernauts - This New Technology (Memory Tapes Remix) {Acephale}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Mates of State - You Are Free (The Mae Shi Remix) {Barsuk}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Kings of Convenience - Boat Behind {Astralwerks}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Tempo No Tempo - Kilometer {independent}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] proj::echts - Flash Flood {unsigned}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Syntaks - Sudden Dream {Ghostly}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Syntaks - Mistral Moon (Illuminated Version) {Ghostly}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Old Canes - Little Bird Courage {Saddle Creek}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Silver Starling - Closer {Last Gang Records}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Via Tania - Wonder Stranger {The Hours Ent}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] James Pants - Thin Moon {Stones Throw}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Dam-Funk - The Sky Is Ours {Stones Throw}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM (diskjokke Remix) {Vice}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Xiu Xiu - Volcana! (I Hope Your Train Crashes Remix) {Merge}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Matias Aguayo - Rollerskate {Kompakt}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Mr. Chop - Straighten It Out {Stones Throw}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Claude VonStroke - Monster Island {Dirtybird}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Pants Yell! - Cold Hands {Slumberland}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Home - Photographed With Ease {Jagjaguwar}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] White Rabbits - Percussion Gun {TBD Records}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Mux Mool - The Ballad of Gloria Featherbottom {Moodgadget/Ghostly}

Weekly Batch: October 26-30 '09

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:03:00 GMT

p>Every Friday we bring you our weekly batch of uploads. Download all the songs that went up the week of 10/26-10/30 right here, right now.

[RICH MEDIA, CLICK TO VIEW ON SITE] Play All [RICH MEDIA, CLICK TO VIEW ON SITE]

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] James Pants - Thin Moon {Stones Throw}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Dam-Funk - The Sky Is Ours {Stones Throw}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM (diskjokke Remix) {Vice}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Xiu Xiu - Volcana! (I Hope Your Train Crashes Remix) {Merge}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Matias Aguayo - Rollerskate {Kompakt}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Mr. Chop - Straighten It Out {Stones Throw}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Claude VonStroke - Monster Island {Dirtybird}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Pants Yell! - Cold Hands {Slumberland}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Home - Photographed With Ease {Jagjaguwar}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] White Rabbits - Percussion Gun {TBD Records}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Mux Mool - The Ballad of Gloria Featherbottom {Moodgadget/Ghostly}

The Sounds Live at the Warfield

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:48:00 GMT

(Almost) Hot Damn: The Sounds at the Warfield 10/24

The stage was set for The Sounds performance to be a good time. The lineup was everything you could ask for in terms of glamorous, retro-influenced rock and the Warfield provided a super-luxurious backdrop for the whole thing. Semi Precious Weapons, Shiny Toy Guns, and Foxy Shazaam: the names of the opening bands alone spell out a party. With all the talent and fun onstage, however, a little something was off about the night.

Generally, one expects the crowd at rock shows to mirror the overall style and energy of the bands in the lineup. Given the excellent fit of this colorful group (and the setting) I expected it to be pretty much hipsters and gays. Not the case! For the most part, attendees were a less fashion-conscious, more mainstream group of heterosexual couples. Sure there were a few punk kids here and there, a few groups of young ladies dressed to the nines for a Saturday night out. But overall, it was a pretty bland audience. I reserved judgment until I saw them on the floor, and some of them did dance. It was a strange and rather unexpected group, however, and I couldn't help but wonder if The Sounds' popularity has finally reached a wide American audience. I also wondered if the price had something to do with it. At $25 and up, these tickets did not come cheap. Good thing the music (for the most part) delivered.

Semi Precious Weapons is a rather startlingly good rock outfit from Brooklyn, NYC. Startling both because their live performances literally startle and because for all the emphasis they put on theatrics, in the end they are a group of highly talented musicians. Their music is grittier than their looks or lyrics would suggest and showcases the individual skills that make them such a successful group. It's that glamor with a bit of an edge that made them such a perfect fit for the bill.

The Shiny Toy Guns, are similar, as it's impossible to not give them credit for their well-crafted electronic sound meets hard-rock sound and captivating use of the stage. They, of course, finished their set with their low-key electronica cover of "Major Tom", originally recorded by Peter Schilling in 1983 (in German). You might have heard it in a Lincoln commercial if you've watched TV at some point ever. The song has a whole new surge of energy when performed live and was a great way to set the stage for the main act of the evening.

The Sounds are one of those bands that I can honestly say put on one hell of a show in spite of their music being kind of mediocre. Everything that I’d heard about lead vocalist Maja Ivarsson being a total fox on stage was proven right. Her above-and-beyond showmanship added an energy that was a little bit lacking in the music itself. The Sounds’ first album, Living in America, was a fairly strong representation of what can happen when contemporary New Wave is done right: just enough synthy keyboards and high-energy bass lines mixed with a touch of rock edge to balance it out, and a bit of something weird that’s hard to pinpoint.

They can't help, of course, drawing numerous comparisons to Blondie (Maja looks more than just a little like Debbie Harry if you’re not looking too closely) and their music has a similar “is it punk or is it pop” vibe. While those characteristics are still true of their newest release, Crossing the Rubicon, something was missing. The songs performed were mostly from the new release and didn't seem as memorable, daring, or complex as their previous work, something that was evident whenever they played a song off another album. That said, both the crowd and I were too wooed by Maja (in leather hot pants, smoking a cigarette) and the boys dancing around, switching instruments, and storytelling to complain. While The Sounds might not have put out their best work with their latest release, they shouldn't be written off as a one (or two) hit wonder. With that level of intensity and sexiness, they're bound to put out something that's worth a listen again.

- Eve Marcellus

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] The Sounds - Painted By Numbers

New Video: Mayer Hawthorne - Green Eyed Love

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Mayer Hawthorne - Green Eyed Love
"Green Eyed Love" was directed by Self Aviary. The new album from Mayer Hawthorne is out now on Stones Throw Records.

Lights & Stars of Track and Field Tix Giveaway!

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:28:00 GMT

We have a couple of free passes for Lights & Stars of Track and Field at the Bottom of The Hill in San Francisco next Wednesday, November 4th!

You know the deal: we've got two passes to the show. Send an email to contact@betterpropaganda.com and include your name. We'll take all the emails we receive by Sunday, November 1st and randomly select our winner. Best of luck and see you at the show!

Make sure you include your full name and the email address you'd like us to contact you with if you win. Good luck!

Lights newest release, The Listening is out now on Warner Brothers.
A Time For Lions from Stars of Track & Field is also out now on Wind Up Records.

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Stars of Track and Field - Movies of Antartica

Interview with Akron/Family

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:59:00 GMT

Just a Name: An Interview with Akron/Family

The musical process is unique for every band. As a journalist, often we're asked to explain, or conceptualize a band's sound within a context (genre, comparison, etc). In truth, there is nothing worse, because no artist strives to make music like someone else. When speaking with Seth Olinsky of Akron/Family, this couldn't be more true. Seth told me when people ask about his style of music, "we say psychedelic rock. I don’t know." Akron/Family are very experimental. Their song structures aren't always mainstream friendly (intro, verse, chorus etc.). The samples, and noises they use can be very free, and reference so many different styles. As I spoke with Seth, it became clear that music was an ever changing process for him and a name, is just a name.

David: What was the first album you’ve ever owned?
Seth Olinksy: I had some cassette tapes. I remember I had Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet on vinyl. It was back when I had to ask my dad to put it on a record player for me. I know the first CD I ever bought was Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. I had Milli Vanilli on cassette and New Kids on The Block—that was way back in the day.

David: What was the first instrument you played?
Seth: I took piano lessons as a little kid, but I never took to it that much. When I was twelve I played the guitar, which was something that the whole time I’d wanted to do.

David: There is some vagueness since each member of the band plays several instruments, what instruments do you typically play?
Seth: I play guitar. Live we kind of stick to the same set. I play guitar, Miles plays bass, and Dana plays drum. We all do a little bit of keyboard and samplers. When we record, Dana for example one of the more technically proficient on instruments so he can pick up a bass, guitar, piano, or whatever and do some pretty amazing things with them. Miles might be a little less technically proficient, but he comes up with unique ideas too. When we’re recording it’s kind of a free for all, with everyone doing a little bit of everything. When Miles or Dana writes a song they tend to do it on guitar, so that is included in the approach to recording too.

David: How was the Brooklyn scene in regards to developing music for you?
Seth: It was great. When I moved there I wouldn’t characterize it as particularly the Brooklyn scene [now]. When I went to New York I really wanted to partake in the downtown jazz scene. Not so much John Zorn and those guys, but William Parker and all the guys playing around the Mission Festival. When I lived there, there were usual four bands that would play every Sunday night in the basement of CBGB, bands like Pip, Joe Morris, we had a teacher from the conservatory that was playing down there, Daniel Carter.

When I first moved here, I was kind of more into that. You could go out every night and absorb some type of music, whether free jazz, which was what I was interested in or more experimental, improvisation stuff or go to galleries or museums. It was definitely pretty influential by being inspired by so many different things. When I first moved to Williamsburg, Kip from TV on The Radio worked at the coffee shop and Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Liars were happening. They were cool, but it wasn’t what I was totally into, but it was a cool time.

David: How did your interest in free jazz translate into Akron/Family?
Seth: I was simultaneously interested in that, but I also was interested in song writing. I’ve always been a part of a rock band. Dana and I were in a rock bands throughout high school. I studied jazz, and wanted to be involved in jazz, but was always slightly drawn to having a band, more than being alone, which is more a part of the jazz structure. You’re kind of individual entity that has this or that ability to be mixed and matched with these peoples.

It’s cool, I like the idea of playing with less people, but I always kind of more drawn to be in a band. I got more into four track recording. When I first moved there I didn’t know anyone, so I would just record songs. When I met Miles we developed off of that, working off this four track in my apartment. It took us a few years as we worked though all the different ideas we were inspired.

When we were recording we were recording all these quieter sounds, interludes, and songs. When Ryan and Dana moved to town we started playing loud rock music. We would improvise all the time. We’d go out and do shows and combine a lot of influences. We were simultaneously developing this own recording personality with Akron that was more subtle, sonic, and subdued and not so much rock. Then there was this more improvisation thing that we would when we played live. I think over the years we melded those things together. The first record was a little more oriented around the recording stuff. Then when we went out touring we got to develop the live improvised, loud part of ourselves too and bridged the two.

*photo of Seth Olinksy courtesy of Victoria Smith

David: When we spoke at Outside Lands, you mentioned how you started slowly, and then wanted to build on your set. When you prepare for live shows, what factors do you consider? What influences your improvisation?
Seth: Sometimes I think we take too many things into account. I see other bands, and I feel like they have more success just trying to do their thing. So I think we’ve partially tried to do that in recent times. I think consciously we take into account how much time we have, where were slotted, who were performing to and where. I think just as musicians we’re just affected by who were playing to and for, whether it’s outside or inside, or the day time or the night time. We can play the same exact songs one day and the next day, and one day is outside at Big Sur, and the next day is inside at The Great American Music Hall and it would be totally different even though we played the same set because there are so many nuances, and faces in our music that are open to interpretation that all those factors affect the set.

For us what we ended up doing rather than one long three month tour, we did these three weeks out, two weeks out, organized around festivals. Each time we add a new song into the mix, or flip around the structure of set. It doesn’t work the first two shows, we discuss it, problem solve, and by the end of the two weeks we come up with something that really works in regards to the whole performance. Usually, by the next time things are working quite right again, so we fix it. We are always changing from night to night slowly, even though it seems similar, someone sends you a recording and when you sit back and listen to it, it’s changing.

David: It seems like you guys prefer not to label your music, or categorize your sound. If you were forced to describe or label your music, how would you?
Seth: I haven’t met a musician who is really excited with labeling their music. I don’t think musicians prefer to do that. I don’t think anyone sets out to make music because they want to make, say, indie rock with a reggae twist or whatever. I don’t know what people are looking for when they ask me that question anyway.

I was talking to William Parker, we were fortunate blessing to play with him a few times. He is a pretty influential jazz bassist. He probably has over 500 recordings. He is kind of a New York City staple. He was saying Peter Brötzmann's, who is a pretty famous German pre-improvisation saxophonist, is known for playing this in your face, non-stop, kind of brutal saxophone kind of squealing thing. It’s very full forced all the time. William was saying that Peter loves to listen to Lester Young who is famous for playing with Billy Holliday. He is a very smooth, sweet, lyrical tenor saxophone tone. You never would put the two anywhere in the same category. Peter Brötzmann's two main influences were Lester Young and bird watching. Really, nothing to do with his intense music that he’d make, but that what was he’s inspired by.

I was talking with William, and we were just laughing about how most of the time musicians or even artists what they think they’re doing, or what they are influenced by, or try and emulate or make a reaction to, is so totally off what they actually do. It just happens to be what they’re inspired by.

In this sense I think myself and my band, that generally we are inspired by so many things at any given time that we try and incorporate with what we do either directly or indirectly. I feel ultimately, no matter what we are trying to do draw from, inescapably we make what we make for better or for worst. I think with each album, and as time grows I think we get even more non-specific, if that makes any sense. This newest record, I haven’t listen to a lot, but when I have listened I feel like we are getting closer to the point of making something that is us, but it doesn’t seem to fit anywhere. I don’t feel it fits into art rock, or indie rock necessarily and it’s not improvisation or world jazz.

David: I’m very curious about the band name.
Seth: Unfortunately there isn’t much exciting about the band name. Like I said when we first started recording this four track stuff, Miles and us, we had recorded enough stuff so Miles was like what if we call it Akron. I was like yeah that’s cool and it didn’t think much about it. Then Ryan moved into the town, and then other people would sit with us sometimes, so we added Family to the name. It was more just kind of open ended, extended thing.

- David Johnson-Igra

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Akron/Family - "River"

New Songs: 10-18-2009 - 10-25-2009

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

	Midnight Juggernauts - This New Technology (Memory Tapes Remix) [MP3] - This New Technology - Acephale Records
	Mates of State - You Are Free (The Mae Shi Remix) [MP3] - Re-arranged: Remixes Volume 1 - Barsuk Records
	Kings of Convenience - Boat Behind [MP3] - Declaration of Dependence - Astralwerks
	Tempo No Tempo - Kilometer [MP3] - Waking Heat - independent
	proj::echts - Flash Flood [MP3] - Flash Flood - Unsigned
	Syntaks - Sudden Dream [MP3] - Mistral Moon - Ghostly International
	Syntaks - Mistral Moon (Illuminated Version) [MP3] - Mistral Moon - Ghostly International
	Old Canes - Little Bird Courage [MP3] - Feral Harmonic - Saddle Creek
	Silver Starling - Closer [MP3] - Silver Starling - Last Gang Records
	Via Tania - Wonder Stranger [MP3] - Moon Sweet Moon - The Hours Entertainment

Treasure Island Music Festival: Day Two in Photos

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:57:00 GMT

Day 2

Sunday was overcast with heavy winds, coupled with fact that we were on an island meant that it was even colder. For some it was too cold to enjoy the festival.

Not for babies, and men in bunny suits--they always stay warm with smiles.

(D): It’s cliché, but nevertheless true—the sun broke through the clouds exactly as Grizzly Bear began to play. Grizzly Bear’s set, acoustically, and sonically was the most impressive and harmoniously beautiful of all the two day performances. Daniel Rossen's voice is uniquely sweet, with a lullaby tone. As he played the crowd grew and everyone seemed to stop and watch.

Grizzly Bear

(E): It was a rare over the weekend to hear a band recreate their stunning studio albums into equally stunning live performance, but Grizzly Bear was an exception. The balance of energy and restraint, the haunting vocal harmonies, and the judicious use of electric sounds made for a pretty special show. Both "Two Weeks" and "While You Wait for the Others", great singles that truly show why Veckatimest blew so many fans out of the water, sounded even better live.

Bob Mould

(D): Bob Mould is a veteran, and that’s not a comment about him being one of oldest performers on both days' lineups. He’s confidant from experience, which shows as he rocks out on stage, easily climbing scales on his guitar while youthfully jumping around the stage. His vocals belted quickly, as he bobbed his head back in forth—a man unfazed by time. His music is reminiscent of rock angst, and rebellion: a reminder of a time when Beirut was considered alternative like the Cranberrys.

(E): The sheer 90s of it all made me want to go home, drink whiskey and listen to the Replacements. Bob Mould (besides being a fellow Alumni of Macalester College - go Scots!) is a legend for those appreciators of what was punk and grunge in the 80s and 90s. On Sunday, a crowd probably too young to know what to expect, got to see just what makes someone a legend. A grey-haired rock star and his highly-talented, high energy band put out some of the best music of the weekend and didn't hold back. Having that type of experience on such an intimate scale was one of the things that made this performance, and the festival as a whole, such a gem.

Beirut

(E): I have nothing bad to say about Beirut. The songs are beautiful. His style stands out in the sea of the indie rock guitar-synth model, and I like it. That said--Sunday's performance was a bit of a shoulder-shrug. Whether the sound techs were baffled by the presence of trumpets and ukuleles or someone simply forgot to turn up the lead vocals, the whole performance felt a bit flat. Several people I spoke with felt that the Beirut sound would do better indoors at a venue with sick acoustics, and I can't help but agree.

The Walkmen

(D): Like Bob Mould, The Walkmen provided a needed edgy rock throughout most of their set. On occasion they slowed their tempo, more folksy, less the scream which hooked us early on. In comparison to some of the contemporary bands on bill, The Walkmen came out in the dawn of indie rock movement, along with The White Stripes and The Strokes. They performed with similar bravado, and feverish flare. They were the ambassadors of indie rock, providing roots for the festival.

As nightfall grew, the clouds loomed over the island, dropping the temperature ten more degrees.

The Decemberists

(D): At this point, I bailed like a wimp beaten by the cold, preferring sweat pants and hot chocolate to The Decemberists, Yo La Tengo, and the The Flaming Lips. A decision I still haven’t settled with Swiss Miss.

Yo La Tengo

Yo La Tengo is another indie rooted performer. During his performance he ripped on the guitar, pulling the feedback out of the amplifier in Jimi Hendrix fashion.

The Flaming Lips

(E): The Flaming Lips’ show was amazing. The set began with a great white light flashing out of the crotch of a female dancer, with Wayne Coyne being born on stage, emerging in his bubble (shown above). Their performance is always a spectacle, which makes them one of the most memorable groups, and one that surely people will tell their kids. In truth, the next generation might be able to see Wayne Coyne crowd surfing in a bubble, wearing the "same fucking suit" (a member in the crowd stated) in 25 years.

- David Johnson-Igra & Eve Cohen

You can also see all our pictures from Day One - Treasure Island Music Festival: Day One in Photos

A big thanks to our photographers. Check them out:
Victoria Smith - www.victoriasmithphoto.com
Patrick Kelly - www.hipsterhamster.org

Treasure Island Music Festival: Day One in Photos

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:47:00 GMT

In its third year, this year's two day Treasure Island Festival had an incredible lineup with headliners MGMT, Girl Talk and MSTRKRFT playing Saturday, while Sunday featured The Flaming Lips, The Decemberists, and Yo La Tengo. Here at betterPropaganda we journeyed to the Island to discover the treasures of the festival. Located on Treasure Island, a man made island halfway between the East Bay and San Francisco, formerly an army base, the island is rarely explored by locals. The Festival featured twenty-five bands, with Saturday focusing on electronic dance music, and Sunday geared towards indie rock.

With two writers (Eve and David), each paired with a photographer (Victoria and Patrick), we searched, sniffed through scents, captured moments, and trailed costumed aliens, all the while consuming as much food possible, meeting as many "real" people and listening to as many bands until we could take no more. We returned from the Island with a bountiful booty of opinions, images and stories. This is our story, through our lens, and with nothing but our opinions. Enjoy.

Eve successfully avoided Saturday’s line to the Island, while I was stuck knowing I was going to miss Passion Pit. On the bus, counting the time before their set ended, I received a text message from Eve, which read: “Overheard@Passion Pit. This band kinda sucks. Let’s do some drugs”. I didn’t feel as bad after that.

On Saturday, everyone who appeared to be over twenty-five kept echoing a similar sentiment: “What is this, Lovefest?” It was hard not being distracted by what felt like an island full of unaccompanied minors wild on illegal substances. The weather was a sunny perfect 70s, without a cloud or breeze of disturbance.

David (D): I was so excited for MGMT, Girl Talk, and The Streets, I found myself showing love to a cupcake. This was one of the many “interesting,” and fun costumes at the festival.

Eve (E): Big kids (and sleepy hipsters) appreciated that all the electro music and hip hop had their very own day. While this meant that Saturday’s crowd was a little younger, a little more drug-addled, and certainly slower to load and unload in shuttles, it made for a much better atmosphere. It was almost as if the weather knew gave the scantily clothed kids the sunshine and warmth it needed to keep them happy.

The Streets

(D): Michael Skinner, aka The Streets, performed with swagger, pushing a stage speaker sideways, then standing on top of it before saying, “I’ve been performing for a long time, I know my speakers." Later he reiterated something Tupac stated long ago on “California Love”: San Francisco “is much better than Sacramento." Like a true gentleman, he asked a girl in the front row if she was old enough to drink, before suggestively flashing a back stage pass.

Oh, and his music was good too. Often rappers’ lyrics become jumbled in the bass, or their lyrical delivery is weak minus the “wonders” of studio effects. However you want to critique it—an emcee sucks when you can’t hear his lyrics, and there is no balance with the DJ (sound) and emcee (vocals). This wasn’t the case with The Streets. It’s important to note that Michael Skinner has a distinct British accent, and that any accent can create language barriers when rappers speak so quickly.

In attempt to engage the crowd, The Streets asked the audience to get on their knees. Those that disobeyed got the Royal treatment.

It’s Almost Dinner

There was plenty of good food at the festival, and lines were, for the most part, mercifully short.

(E): The most popular snack item of the weekend was a hot and portable spinach and potato knish from local vendor, Tante’s. Even Murs (pictured above) was a fan, returning to the booth both days to get his fix.

The just-bigger-than-a-hockey-puck handmade delicacy is essentially a filling of potatoes and seasoning wrapped in a light flour dough. It was portable, warm, and filling making it nearly perfect festival food.

Dan Deacon

(D): Dan Deacon’s music is a wall of electronic sounds, distortions, and effects. At times it can be bombarding like heavy metal, though there is never any thrashing guitars or screaming vocals.

I was mainly excited for the experience of his set. I read once on Deacon’s blog an article by Rjyan Kidwell, where Kidwell stated that Deacon has “drawn heavily from the mythology surrounding Lightning Bolt and its productive Providence, R.I., art space, Fort Thunder.” It was at Fort Thunder that bands like Lightning Bolt created these heavily interactive, and unifying musical performances.

In the beginning, Deacon asked the entire crowd to point to the sky (pictured above) as a warm up. Later, he stepped down from the stage into the crowd to organize a dance line by showing the audience their task. The dance line began with one couple creating a bridge with their hands. The members of crowd followed each other dancing through the growing bridge of hands, before reaching the end and become a part of the bridge. This was by far the most engaging, and exciting performance of the two days.

Oh My Baby

(D): If PDA was ever an issue for me as a teenager, it sure wasn't an issue for most of the kids on Saturday. There was one young couple, hookup, best friends, lab partners, or however you word it, rolled around in the grass making out in front of me for several minutes. During this time, two photographers bent over near them and took their pictures circa Teens Gone Molly.

"Oh man down!" oh, wait "I mean, boy down!" Upon arriving at the festival, an ambulance took an unlucky patron to the hospital. I noticed several kids who either passed out, or were receiving medical attention.

Most members of the crowd were able to stay collected and chilled.

DJ Krush

(D): I was surprised by the heavy emphasis of drum & bass with DJ Krush’s set. Knowing Krush as one Japan’s founding fathers of hip hop, I expected hip hop. Though his set was not void of intriguing moments, such as his seamless mixing of California references with tracks likes the Eagle’s “Hotel California,” or The Mamas & The Papas “California Dreaming,” the drum & bass was overwhelming.

The Brazilian Girls

(D): As a fan of The Brazilian Girls, I was disappointed by their set, which sounded flat and unenthused. Placed between DJ Krush and LTJ Bukem might have affected my feelings. The Brazilian Girl’s styles vary, but are often mellow, atmospheric and thin with instrumentation—whereas the drum & bass of the two DJs is pounding, and thick with layered drum patterns. Sadly, this is one arrow that isn't hitting vocalist Sabina Sciubba (pictured above) in the heart.

LTJ Bukem

(D): Having never seen LTJ Bukem, like Krush, I had skewed expectations. From a few brief listening, and shorts descriptions, I imagined and expected LTJ Bukem to be energized electronic music with hip hop layers, and jazz twirks. What I got was more heavy drum ‘n bass—really good too, but not what I anticipated.

As the evening approached, the sunset provided a magical back drop to the shows. At this point, the line for the Ferris wheel was longer than the lines for bathrooms.

MSTRKRFT

(D): Like Daft Punk, MSTRKRFT create aerodynamic, electronic melodies with lift off energy and captivating hooks, sounding both pop friendly, and indie edgy. MSTRKRFT’s stamp is their remixes of popular artists from an arrange of styles from John Legend, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, to Panthers.

There remix of Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E.” is almost, if not more, catchy than the original. I blame MSTRKRFT for my aching and evidently aging knees. A result of jumping around like it was ’92, listening to House of Pain on repeat. I danced almost their entire set, or in Yay Yarea terms--I went DUMB.

The set was ended with the duo playing Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” in full. Some might critique this for its lack of skill, but I see this as two DJs understanding what makes a party—karaoke time.

Girl Talk

(D): Hidden amongst the crowd, Girl Talk played his mashups. I wasn’t thrilled by the performance. Having seen, and followed Girl Talk for several years, watching thousands of kids go berserk to his quick twenty second mixes, never fully appreciating (or hearing) a full song, felt like a bunch of kids losing their virginity at MTV Spring Break. It was too quick, too soon, too young, and more a dream scene than the real thing.

(E): I don't listen to Top 40 Radio, mostly because I don't care for mediocre rap and have been rapidly losing faith in mainstream pop songs. The idea of a whole performance of mashups sounds ridiculous to me, but I felt Girl Talk’s performance showcased just why it works. Spectacle, and a good dose of musical/mathematical beat-matching skill, turned it into one of the most energetic sets of the weekend. Who could resist a full-force dance party, with toilet paper flying, finished off with fireworks?

Clearly, some kids thought the madness was fun.

MGMT

(D): I’ve heard criticisms of MGMT’s live performance, but after Saturday I can’t fathom the reasons. They began their set with the notable “Kids,” which instantly got the crowd riled. Stating this would be their last show for a long time, they went through their entire first album, Oracular Spectacular, never losing steam. When “Electric Feel” played, a roar grew in the crowd, as the audience began to sway back and forth like electric eels.

- David Johnson-Igra & Eve Cohen

Stay tuned for pictures from Day Two! We'll have them up shortly!

A big thanks to our photographers. Check them out:
Victoria Smith - www.victoriasmithphoto.com
Patrick Kelly - www.hipsterhamster.org

Weekly Batch: October 19 - 23 '09

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:38:00 GMT

Every Friday we bring you our weekly batch of uploads. Download all the songs that went up the week of 10/19-10/23 right here, right now.

[RICH MEDIA, CLICK TO VIEW ON SITE] Play All [RICH MEDIA, CLICK TO VIEW ON SITE]

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Midnight Juggernauts - This New Technology (Memory Tapes Remix) {Acephale}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Mates of State - You Are Free (The Mae Shi Remix) {Barsuk}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Kings of Convenience - Boat Behind {Astralwerks}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Tempo No Tempo - Kilometer {independent}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] proj::echts - Flash Flood {unsigned}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Syntaks - Sudden Dream {Ghostly}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Syntaks - Mistral Moon (Illuminated Version) {Ghostly}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Old Canes - Little Bird Courage {Saddle Creek}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Silver Starling - Closer {Last Gang Records}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Via Tania - Wonder Stranger {The Hours Ent}

Featured Song: proj::echts - Flash Flood

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:51:00 GMT

One of the raddest blips on my radar is proj::echts (did I stutter?), and his latest effort may very well be the song that graduates him from “promising” to “arrived.”

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] proj::echts - Flash Flood

It’s kind of dreamy, kind of sleepy, and drenched in liquid, like an insomnia-driven walk through a persistent drizzle in the darkest hours of the early morning. You’ve got about three different pads sharing space at the outer edges of the mix, ducking in and out to provide a drony, atmospheric feedback, while the stutter-step drum beat starts out confident but trails off like a daydream near the ends of certain bars. Ten or twelve listens in, I’m starting to notice the subtle details that pull this whole song together – like the near-demure wobble that brings the entire track back into focus, seemingly snapping the drums awake again. In this case, I can’t say much more than what’s felt – grab the mp3 and pay him a visit for a few more looks at an artist I hope to hell will make the step into the public view soon.

- Phillip Taylor-Parker
www.alphamaledictaphone.com

Check out proj::echts on The Sixty-One: www.thesixtyone.com/projechts

We previously wrote up The Sixty-One in our Best of the Web Series: Best of the Web: The Sixty-One

2 Treasures of Treasure Island Festival

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:50:00 GMT

One is the loneliness number, so then two is the best way to enjoy the Treasure Island Festival. Just look at all the twos: We gave two different bands, two sets of questionnaires, collected from two different points (pre- and post-performance), together giving two different perspectives, on two very different days of the Treasure Island Music Festival.

The Limousines performed on Saturday along with other electro influenced groups like Brazilian Girls, Passion Pit and MSTRKFT to a young, almost rave audience. Tommy Guerrero performed to an older crowd, on a gloomy and cold Sunday where the lineup focused on indie rock with veteran artists like Bob Mould and Yo La Tengo. Check out their answers below:

Pre-Performance

Simon and Garfunkel have a song called "The Rock", where they sing, “A rock has no name, and an island never cries.” If you were an island what would your name be?

Limousines: Garfunkeland
Tommy Guerrero: Drowned

If you were lost at sea, who would have been the captain?

Limousines: Captain EO or Captain Crunch. They both have the credentials but couldn’t be more varied in their skill sets.
Tommy Guerrero: Me

Out of all the fish in the sea, describe your best catch?

Limousines: Hail Mary, caught a cold once or twice.
Tommy Guerrero: A case of crabs.

Every ship has a flag, what symbols would be on your flag?

Limousines: Joystick, Ipod, naked people...
Tommy Guerrero: If I were a drummer it would be zildjian

If your ship was to crash aboard an island, what skills do you have to survive?

Limousines: We could sooth savage beasts with our music, and then eat them while they sleep?
Tommy Guerrero: Perseverance.

After Performance

What moment from the festival is worthy of placing in a treasure chest?

Limousines: Surprise fireworks while someone was having sex in a plastic outhouse.
Tommy Guerrero: Bob Mould and Yo La Tengo

If you were taken captive on a pirate ship who would be the first band mate made to walk the plank, and why?

Limousines: We'd do a tandem plank walk.
Tommy Guerrero: Me. The captain always goes down with the ship.

Treasure Island used to be an army base, which band from the festival’s lineup would you march to war with?

Limousines: The Flaming Lips would probably be very creative and resourceful warriors.
Tommy Guerrero: Bob. He's an intelligent cat. He'd get us out alive.

Performing on an island is an unusual venue. What’s the most unusual thing you saw?

Limousines: A family of monsters invaded our tent and ate our bananas.
Tommy Guerrero: San Francisco as a backdrop.

Ginger or Mary Anne?

Limousines: Both, of course - pleasure island.
Tommy Guerrero: That's double trouble.

Check out our massive Treasure Island Music Festival Playlist and download over 40 mp3s from MGMT, Girl Talk, Passion Pit, Yo La Tengo, The Decemberists and more.

[RICH MEDIA, CLICK TO VIEW ON SITE] Play Our Treasure Island Music Festival Mix [RICH MEDIA, CLICK TO VIEW ON SITE]

New Songs: 10-11-2009 - 10-18-2009

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

	Lackthereof - Safely In Jail [MP3] - A Lackthereof Retrospective 1998-2009 - Barsuk Records
	Fela Kuti - Zombie [MP3] - The Best of the Black President - Sony Music
	Boys Noize - Jeffer [MP3] - Power - Last Gang Records
	Tickley Feather - Don't Call Marilyn [MP3] - Hors d'Oeuvres - Paw Tracks
	Citay - Eye On The Dollar (White Rainbow Remix) [MP3] - Remixes - Dead Oceans
	Phantogram - When I'm Small [MP3] - Eyelid Movies - Barsuk Records
	On Fillmore - Master Moon [MP3] - Extended Vacation - Dead Oceans
	Kid Koala - You Turn Me Cold (The Slew) [MP3] - The Slew - 100 Percent - Ninja Tune
	Mogi Grumbles - Disco Belafonte [MP3] - The Black Box - Moodgadget

Weekly Batch: October 12 - 16 '09

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:59:00 GMT

Every Friday we bring you our weekly batch of uploads. Download all the songs that went up the week of 10/12-10/16 right here, right now.

[RICH MEDIA, CLICK TO VIEW ON SITE] Play All [RICH MEDIA, CLICK TO VIEW ON SITE]

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Lackthereof - Safely In Jail {Barsuk}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Fela Kuti - Zombie {Sony}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Boys Noize - Jeffer {Last Gang}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Tickley Feather - Don't Call Marilyn {Paw Tracks}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Citay - Eye On The Dollar (White Rainbow Remix) {Dead Oceans}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Phantogram - When I'm Small {Barsuk}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] On Fillmore - Master Moon {Dead Oceans}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] The Slew (Kid Koala) - You Turn Me Cold {Ninja Tune}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Mogi Grumbles - Disco Belafonte {Moodgadget}

New Video: Thao & The Get Down Stay Down - Cool Yourself

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Thao & The Get Down Stay Down - Cool Yourself
We have the video premiere of "Cool Yourself" from Thao & The Get Down Stay Down! The new album, Know Better Learn Faster, is out now on Kill Rock Stars.

Video Premiere: Thao & The Get Down Stay Down - Cool Yourself

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:02:00 GMT

We have the video premiere of "Cool Yourself" from Thao & The Get Down Stay Down! Click on the screen shot below to watch the new video! And don't forget to check out the free mp3s.

From Kill Rock Stars:

The album is named Know Better Learn Faster because you can't," explains Thao. "By the time you realize you should, it's too late. And I enjoy the predicament and the totally devastating, unfunny humor of that."

Thao and the ever-versatile Get Down Stay Down (Adam Thompson on bass, keys and additional guitar, and Willis Thompson on drums and percussion) return with the follow up to their critically lauded and riotously applauded previous album, We Brave Bee Stings and All, the breakout success and best-selling record of 2008 for Kill Rock Stars. With super-producer and friend Tucker Martine (The Decemberists, Bill Frisell, Spoon) again at the helm, Know Better Learn Faster perfectly captures the band as their more mature, tastefully raucous, tastefully subdued and musically adventurous selves. Honed, trimmed and tightened over the last year and a half of constant touring, the now-trio delivers Thao's cleverly crafted and emotionally evocative songs with vibrant, innovative instrumentation, incredible energy and a still-acutely-solid sense of what sounds good. The new batch of songs spans all genres and influences, all the while staying faithful to their distinct style, sharp wit, and the infectious and enamoring exuberance of their renowned live shows.

mp3s:

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Thao & The Get Down Stay Down - "Know Better Learn Faster" (from Know Better Learn Faster newest album out now on Kill Rock Stars)

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Thao - "Beat (Health, Life & Fire)" (from We Brave Bee Stings and All)

Treasure Island Music Festival 2009 - Free Mix!

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:27:00 GMT

The 3rd Annual Treasure Island Music Festival is coming up! The festival will be taking place THIS WEEKEND in San Francisco, California!

Check out our massive Treasure Island Music Festival Playlist and download over 40 mp3s from MGMT, Girl Talk, Passion Pit, Yo La Tengo, The Decemberists and more.

[RICH MEDIA, CLICK TO VIEW ON SITE] Play Our Treasure Island Music Festival Mix [RICH MEDIA, CLICK TO VIEW ON SITE]

You can download each mp3 individually OR play them all in a row. Click on the artists at the right under Related Downloads to learn more about each band and see similar music suggestions.

San Francisco’s Indian summer is around the corner and with it brings the 3rd Annual Treasure Island Music Festival, the West Coast’s most anticipated boutique music festival. Set against panoramic views of the city by the bay, Treasure Island Music Festival will stick true to form in offering an electronic and dance centric lineup on Saturday, October 17th and an indie rock lineup on Sunday, October 18th. With two stages and no overlapping sets, fans can enjoy every note of every act.

Treasure Island Music Festival will continue its tradition of exposing emerging and critically established artists to the tastemakers and fans of independent music… all going down smack-dab in the middle of the San Francisco Bay. In addition to the tunes, there will be a multitude of activities for the audience including a 60-foot tall Ferris wheel, an interactive art tent, a vendor village showcasing local designers and an array of healthy and affordable food and beverages.

Saturday, October 17th, 2009
MGMT
MSTRKRFT
Girl Talk
Brazilian Girls
The Streets
Passion Pit
LTJ Bukem feat. MC Conrad
DJ Krush
Federico Aubele
Dan Deacon
Murs
Crown City Rockers
The Limousines

Sunday, October 18th, 2009
The Flaming Lips
The Decemberists
Beirut
Grizzly Bear
Yo La Tengo
The Walkmen
Bob Mould
Thao with The Get Down Stay Down
Vetiver
Spiral Stairs
Sleepy Sun
Tommy Guerrero
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

Visit www.treasureislandfestival.com for details.

Weekly Batch: October 5 - 9 '09

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:09:00 GMT

Every Friday we bring you our weekly batch of uploads. Download all the songs that went up the week of 10/5-10/9 right here, right now.

[RICH MEDIA, CLICK TO VIEW ON SITE] Play All [RICH MEDIA, CLICK TO VIEW ON SITE]

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Jamie T - On The Green {Astralwerks}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Black Hollies - Gloomy Monday Morning {Ernest Jenning}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Larytta - Play Me Loud (Futuro) {FoF Music}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Florence & the Machine - You've Got the Love (the XX Remix) {Arts & Crafts}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Dutchess & the Duke - Living This Life {Hardy Art}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] The Raveonettes - Last Dance {Vice}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Black Heart Procession - Witching Stone {Temporary Residence}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Dam-Funk - Hood Pass Intact {Stones Throw}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Vampire Weekend - Horchata {XL}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Mum - Illumnated {Euphono}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Phenomenal Handclap Band - You'll Disappear (Prins Thomas Diskomiks) {Arts & Crafts}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Built To Spill - Hindsight {Reprise}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] King Khan - Desert Mile {Viva Radio}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Molina & Johnson - Twenty Cycles to the Ground {Secretly Canadian}

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Themselves - You Ain't It {Anticon}

Raphael Saadiq Interview

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:11:00 GMT

Interview with Raphael Saadiq: Running A Marathon

His charming smile, and good looks will fool you, Raphael Saadiq is forty-two years old, and has been making music since the late 80s when he started with Tony! Toni! Toné!. Almost thirty years later, eight Grammy nominations, and a list of production credits from the likes of Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, D’Angelo, Q-Tip, Ludacris, The Bee Gees, Joss Stone, Earth, Wind & Fire and many others--many people still don't know his name. That's okay with him, because the way he sees it, he's just running the marathon at his own pace.

*all photos courtesy of Victoria Smith

Where in the Bay Area are you from?
I grew up in east Oakland, not too far from the coliseum.

What is your favorite type of food?
Mexican food.

If you had to choose one, Mexican food or soul music, what would it be?
I’d choose soul music, rather than listen to mariachi music and eat soul food.

You have had a long career as an artist, and producer, where do you feel like you are now with completing your goals and your future?
It’s looking like I wanted it to, a natural progression for me. The saying goes, “It doesn’t happen in a sprint, it’s a marathon,” and I always looked at it like that. I’m at that stretch where I’m speeding up on everybody. In front, I have created myself over and over again as an artist, which really helped me prepare where I am right now in my career.

Over the years your sound has changed a lot from Toni Tone Toné to Lucy Pearl, to now. Are you in a different place now, are you listening to different music, or have different influences?
I have more freedom to be me and define myself by not being in a group. It’s different thinking for yourself and not having to answer to anybody. I had great times with the groups that I was in, but you still have to alter your thinking to the group. Now, I don’t really have to that.

Even your work from Instant Vintage to The Way I See It is very different, as solo work, where were you going with The Way I See It?
Yeah. It takes a while for you to get to know who you are. After Instant Vintage, I was coming off of Lucy Pearl. I titled the album [The Way I See It] because I finally can see where I need to go. If you listen to Instant Vintage I have songs like “Charlie Ray,” which makes a statement “I see you / and you see me / how serious can this be” and what that was saying was at that point I started seeing my full potential as an artist. At the time I was really talking to myself, telling myself where I need to go to the next level.

I’ve heard you describe The Way I See It as the way I see it “downtown,” would you explain?
Downtown is my vision of Motown. Like being a little boy you want to hang out downtown with the grown folks who are claiming nice things and good clothes. All the things I probably meant or want living at twenty-four or twenty-five in Detroit or Memphis or Harlem. That is my downtown, that’s why I call it downtown sound.

You reference Motown a lot, but what about Stax?
I have always had a lot of Stax records. This album reflects more Motown for most people. When making this album I was reflecting on a lot of things that a lot of black bands really forgot about with the soul of Stax and Motown. They might listen to them, but they don’t use it in their production. A lot of rock bands, a lot of white bands, pay attention to Motown and Stax and I didn’t see myself doing that. So I wanted to make myself a part of it in my own way, and bring it to the future. If you want to be like the greats, you got to borrow from the greats.

In your press release, a lot of your tracks are compared to old 60s Motown groups, do you want to be compared to that?
No, I can’t say I want to be compared to them, though it’s great company to be in. I just want to make music. Most rappers, bass players, guitarists, and drummers love that rhythm section of Motown and Stax records. To be compared is an honor, but I’m just doing me and the best that I can.

How do you feel about contemporary artists that are called “neo-soul?”
[He laughs] I don’t think any of the artists would have anything to do with. I think it was a corporate label to sell records to fans. It just a name that should probably die and people should make music.

If you get rid of “neo-soul,” would you have a different term you’d prefer?
[He laughs] “Music,” man. Neo-soul means new soul, and I don’t want to have a different soul than Al Green. Call it music. R&B was rock and roll at first, so call it rock and roll. What I’m playing is not neo-soul, it’s more than that. Neo-soul is a sinful word.

- David Johnson-Igra

Ladyhawke Live at the Fillmore

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:44:00 GMT

As part of the "Perez Hilton Presents Tour," last Wednesday the enigmatic and adorable Kiwi singer known as Ladyhawke (aka Pip Brown) took to the venerable Fillmore stage. For full disclosure, this was my first time at the Fillmore, which is an awesome venue. It is a little striking that the lineup of shows for the next several months is eclectic enough to include everything from Foreigner to Matisyahu to Dinosaur Jr. to five nights (yes, five) of the Black Crowes. With the exception of Brown and her London-based band's extremely satisfying performance, it was a strange and awkward evening.

*all photos courtesy of Patrick Kelly

For a place so focused on it's history (photos of past performers line nearly every wall) I was a little surprised that the website listed "Perez Hilton Presents" rather than, say, any of the musical acts to be featured that evening. Once inside, however, it made sense. While Ladyhawke was the headlining act, the supporting bands rotated through a number of lesser-known names over the course of the tour's seventeen dates. Some of the tour's other acts, including Semi Precious Weapons and Sliimy, are signed to Perez's new record label venture, while others, such as Natalie Portman's Shaved Head, have earned some considerable indie buzz in recent months.

With all that talent to throw around, it's too bad Perez couldn't curate a more seamless show. The over-the-top branding, in the form of huge fluorescent pink banners with the tour's logo (a cartoon likeness of the man himself, naturally) and aggressive corporate sponsorship (with sampling!) made the music feel like somewhat of an afterthought, at least to the people putting on the show. The crowd was mixed to say the least, and rather small, taking up less than half of the Fillmore's ample danceable space.

Thankfully, what the show lacked in atmosphere was more than made up for when Ladyhawke took the stage. Brown herself is one of those artists that is as exciting to watch for her striking appearance onstage, as she is for her personal intrigue behind the scenes. Born and raised in New Zealand, the 28-year old has been a fairly outspoken educator on the subject of Aspberger's Syndrome, a form of autism with which she was diagnosed as a teenager. Stories abound of her health issues (near death as a child to a rare disease, allergies to nearly all medicines, lactose intolerance, etc.) and her unique fashion choices (she refuses to wear woman's clothing). All this intrigue could be hard to live up to, but Brown and her positively adorable British band put on a great show.

In contrast with the album versions of her songs, Ladyhawke's live show draws many more similarities with music's other iconic front women of Stevie Nicks or Chrissy Hind. While the album makes full use of a variety of tools (Brown describes herself frequently in interviews as a "gadget freak"), the live sound is pure, well executed classic rock. The singles "Paris is Burning" and "My Delirium" inspired the crowd to move, either because they were the only songs they'd heard before or because they were some of the evening's most energetic. "Danny and Jenny" a slightly grittier, but no less catchy and energetic track featured on the extended version of her self-titled album, was for me the standout track and memorable enough for me to scour the internet for a download when I got home.

Despite it's many shortcomings, this was a great opportunity to see a truly exciting band that has yet to fully break onto the U.S. scene. After all, the girl's got great style, both in music and dress. That combination should always be celebrated at shows, not pushed aside for the sake of some gossip blogger.

- Eve Marcellus

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Ladyhawke - My Delirium

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Ladyhawke - Paris Is Burning

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Ladyhawke - Paris Is Burning (Alex Gopher Remix)

Brand New Jamie T (mp3 Premiere!)

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:50:00 GMT

betterPropaganda has the premiere of the new Jamie T single, "On the Green." Stream or download the song here.

[ play ] Jamie T - On the Green

Jamie T's Kings & Queens is out tomorrow, October 6th on Astralwerks Records.

Kings & Queens is Jamie’s first album since Panic Prevention, his 2007 debut. Pick up a track from his previous release, below:

[ play ] | [ download mp3 ] Jamie T - Salvador

Find out more about Jamie T: