I have lately been deciding that I want to focus on photography in my future career, and because of this I have been looking up photographers such as Tim Barber, Hannah Davis, Lin Zhipeng and Adriana Petit for much inspiration.

On one of my journeys this week, I came across Lina Scheynius, an ex-supermodel-turned-photographer. Her polaroid video on youtube was accompanied with a fabulous song playing in the background. It’s such a beautifully-mellow piano melody with a husky female sweeping across the middle of the tune! I’m in love. This song is called Coco by Parov Stelar, an Austrian musician that produces downtempo singles along with amazingly funky electroswing tunes  - check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJFrqOMgvBI

“But I tell you what’s inside of me will never die, will never die…”
Maybe this is the perfect lyric in the song to describe itself, it’s never-ending, timeless.

Sveta x

Music world prepare to be infected with one super funky tune. This is the addictive sound of “Alt J”  a four piece music assembly from Leeds. Since meeting at Leeds university Gwil, Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamilton,  and Thom Green have been performing to thousands of people up and down the country and gathering quite a  reputation for being a professional group of badass’s. As well as being swamped with acclaim they recently invaded radio one and were selected as Greg James’s “Big Thing” for the week. This has propelled them to the brink of mainstream success and with their album “An Awesome Wave” set for release in the coming weeks, the big money doors are sure to open.

Alt J’s style clearly takes influence from a verity of different types of music; techno, rock and dance are a regular feature in all their tracks creating a varied and technically well developed sound.

This track “Breezeblocks” is the epitome of what the next big music scene could be exploring different genres and combining them to make something unique and edgy. If you like music by bands like Django Django, Hot Chip and MGMT you will love Alt J. Vocally the band is similar to Mavric Saber (the UK pop, soul singer) and this unusual vocal really sticks out as giving the band something different yet current. With the vocal performance becoming more and more important in recent years, the more unusual or powerful the greater success the artist will have.  Bands such as The Black Keys, Alabama Shakes, The Maccabees, and singers such as Amy Winehouse, Adele and Rihanna have all become hungely successful due to the uniqueness of their voice. They all offer something different to the mainstream and generically successful top ten acts.

I feel that Alt J could be one of the next big acts to crash into the limelight, clearly talented this summer they will start to pull in masses of support all over the UK  as they take to festival stages this summer.  Be sure to check out their website for all the latest news and music tastiness to excite your dancing feet.

You can also download it right here right now on Tune Love just click the link in the player.

Everyone needs a bud on a rainy day.

chilllllls – the redemption mix (click to download)

Tracklist:

1. Dear Prudence – Valentine (Blood Diamonds R&B Fantasy)

Blood Diamonds crushes this remix of “Valentine” by keeping things simple: the vocal samples are creatively up-pitched and the bass is kept to a soothing thrum.

2. Kitty Pryde – OK Cupid

Based Rap has reached the final frontier: cute 19-year-old girls from Orlando. Apparently, Kitty started rapping over instrumentals as a joke a few months ago and slowly began to gain a following on her tumblr. Now, she has a write-up in last Sunday’s New York Times and she gets her own beats; “OK Cupid” was produced by Beautiful Lou, one of the most prominent independent rap producers at the moment. I’ve spent the last few days listening and relistening to her EP, The Lizzie McGuire Experience, and I still don’t know what to think. That’s also one of the weirdest sentences I’ve ever written.

3. Future – Same Damn Time (Nacey Remix)

As one-third of legendary D.C. club trio Nouveau Riche, Nacey makes me proud to live near the nation’s capital. Nacey is more interested in trap house tracks like this remix of “Same Damn Time” after spending his early formative years making B-More Club; his other two collaborators are focused on progressing moombahton, another genre that has its roots in the District. D.C. and Baltimore are becoming the sites of innovation of U.S. club music just like Detroit and Chicago were in the late 70s.

4. Chief Keef and Fat Trel – Russian Roulette

Since being name-checked by Kanye, Chief Keef has gained prominence as Chicago’s answer to Waka Flocka. Currently, Chicago has an emerging rap scene to rival the Bay Area’s: from Chief Keef or King Louie’s banger anthems to the super-catchy drill rap subgenre (check out Katie Got Bandz or Lil’ Durk), Chicago is on the rise. The best way to listen to “Russian Roulette” is turned up to full volume while riding in a blacked-out SUV to a party.

5. d’Eon – “Al-Qiyamah”

This is the magnum opus of d’Eon’s upcoming album, LP. The title and the lyrics refer to Surah 75 of the Quran, which describes Judgement Day. A powerful epic of modern electronic music, “Al-Qiyamah” ends with a doppler siren that mimics the trumpeting horns that are said to accompany the Resurrection.

6. SSION – My Love Grows In The Dark (Nightfeelings remix)

SSION (Cody Critcheloe) has the creepiest mustache I’ve ever seen. Seriously, open a new tab in your browser right now and do a Google Image search for him.

7. Young Jeezy – I Do (Sammy Bananas bootleg)

This is not really a remix but rather Sammy Bananas reworking the original disco-flavored sample into nu-disco and stealing a few stylistic flourishes from the Jeezy version. “I Do” was overplayed on the radio to an absurd extent but this sample is the one part of the song that I liked.

8. LLLL – Because of my eyes

LLLL sound a lot like M83 but without the ridiculous amount of layered bloat that Anthony Gonzalez has become so enamored of over the last two or three albums. “Because of my eyes” has just enough overdrive and reverb to make things crunchy without it feeling like a slog through molasses. The vocals are terrific little frozen bits of wind shearing against your ears.

Extremely careful vocal harmonies, folk roots, rock rythms and a bunch of  words loaded of  social, cultural, pacific and political messages that give sense to beautiful lyrics (for instance songs like “Chicago” and “Ohio” referring to the Vietnam war or the Kent State shootings).That is the formula of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Everything started in Joni Mitchell’s place, where Crosby, Stills and Nash were introduced and discovered that there was a spiritual link between them and they were able to create some beautiful vocal harmonies. Something big was going to start in the musical panorama of those years, specifically in 1968. And that was CSN. In 1969 they played in the Woodstock festival and after that, Neil Young joined the band, who give a more electric and rock style to their sound.

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young were the influence of some great artists and bands like Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, The Eagles, America or Fleet Foxes.

Here it’s a video of a Woodstock performance, “Suite Judy Blues”, one of the most beautiful CSNY’s themes that really meets their esence. By that time Neil Young  still didn’t play with them, but, if you like this song I recommend you to look for some more like “Ohio”, “Down by the river”, or “Deja Vù” where we can perceive Neil’s touch in the compositions.

Great musicians, great compositions and great live performances. Ladies and gentleman, this is music. This is art.

Genre: alt-grunge

Cap’n Jazz got played to me in the music library the other week, and the sheer rawness hit me like a wall. Just from the album you can hear the energy – it’s phenomenal. This is another band for jumping around shouting and screaming and breaking things to. What more could you want?

Cap’n Jazz are a band part of the 90s-grunge era (formed in 1989 Chicago) and have released this album, which is essentially their “best hits” at the perfect moment – this style of music is one I keep seeing as a key influence for new bands. Nirvana and Pixies are all bands that you can hear coming back to life, and Cap’n Jazz are obviously another key influencer for the newer bands of the same genre.

What makes Cap’n Jazz different is the ups-and-downs of the music – there’s gentle singing whacked up to full-on screaming in about 10 seconds, thrashing drums and thudding guitars all fall through. I think my favourite musical aspect of this band is probably the singer – he really pulls off all the different styles. The eclectic mix really goes and, as much as my flatmates all hate it, there’s a fantastic cover of “Take Me Out”, full of the previously promised screamy/thrashy/generally alive music. There’s a mix of times and complex rhythms, going above and beyond the average new-era-grunge band.

This album is actually a compilation, a “best hits” album if you will, because Cap’n Jazz have actually been around a surprisingly long time. And we can see why – although this is a compilation, I don’t suppose the energy was ever dissipated.

C x

She Moves in Her Own Way- The Kooks

In my complete excitement for the impending Kooks concert at the House of Blues in Boston (May 26), I have decided to share one of my favorite Kooks songs.  But firstly, if you have never listened to the Kooks before, I’m going to share with you a few reasons why you should love them.

Reason #1- They sound raw.  Maybe that’s not a good thing to you, but I love it.  They’re the essence of sounding like they recorded it in their garage and yet it doesn’t matter because they sound great.

Reason #2-  Much more subjectively, you can hear lead-singer, Luke Pritchard’s strong British accent.  (A big plus for me because I love foreign accents)!

Reason #3- Their music is seriously catchy.  With rhythms and beats ranging from pop to reggae and ska, it was bound to be catchy.

Reason #4- Their lyrics are original.  Not that there is anything wrong with variations on a theme but I can actually say that from song to song and album to album, it does not come off that way.

Reason #5- Well, you’ll just have to take my word for it that they are great.

The band has three albums out, as well as several EPs and singles. This particular song is from their first album, ‘Inside In/Inside Out’.   They are touring right now while promoting their newest album, ‘Junk of the Heart’, which was released last September.

Listen and enjoy, guys!  Much love,

Chelsea

A Sunday Kind of Love- Etta James

We’ve all heard ‘At Last’.  All you have to do is go to a wedding or watch a movie that has a wedding in it and you have heard the song.  It’s beautiful, don’t get me wrong, and wildly romantic.  The nice thing about great artists though is that their catalog of work is huge.  Etta James is one such artist.  She was impeccable- her voice, magical.  ’A Sunday Kind of Love’  is my favorite Etta song.  Just the first few bars raises the hair on my arms!  Also, the idea of having a kind of love that lasts all the time- even on lazy Sundays when nothing exciting or new is going on, it’s a kind of love that we all would want, right?

Thanks for putting up with my second jazz post, guys.  It’s rainy again today, and I figured that if I did a post about one of jazz’s best male singers, there should only be the same for one of the best females.

Much love,

Chelsea

Clear Plastic Masks – When the Night Time Comes

I’ve rarely been as excited to discover a new band as I was upon first listening to these guys.  Clear Plastic Masks are one of the more exciting acts to come out of the Brooklyn Rock scene in a long time (which is saying something, because it seems like everyone in Brooklyn is trying to be either the next Black Keys or LCD Soundsystem).  They have a raw, powerful sound that rocks to your core, and while lead vocalist/guitarist Andrew Katz has an impressive vocal range, the entire band is really on the same wavelength – from what I’m told, and the research I’ve done (a… uh, google search), this video is of a live performance.  One take – no syncing or overdubbing.  These guys just sound that good.

I was fortunate enough to catch a preview of their as-of-yet-untitled album, slated for release sometime this summer, and I think it might be one of the more pleasant sonic surprises of 2012.  Recorded totally in analog format by the band at the end of their tour through the American South, producer Andrija Tokic (better known for his work with Alabama Shakes, another Tune Love favourite) has done his damned best to keep these boys sounding like Jack White’s unkempt cousins (a compliment of the highest order round these parts).  Show them some love and share this video.

The Clear Plastic Masks are:

Andrew Katz (Vocals, guitars, keys)

Matt Mennold (Guitars, keys)

Eduardo Duquesne (Bass, keys, backup vocals)

Charles Garmendia (Drums, beard)

Like them on Facebook!  Let’s give these guys our support: https:.//www.facebook.com/Clearplasticmasks

Video Credits:
Created by Joshua Shoemaker

Camera Operators: Garrety Coyte & Alec Dixon

Audio Engineers: Jeffrey Salter & Randy Wade 

After a one week hiatus for a trip to Atlanta and seeing A$AP Rocky in concert in VA (expect a review soon), here’s this week’s mix.

chilllllls – the best intentions mix (download)

Tracklist:

1. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – Promises

“Promises” is the opening track from TEED’s debut album due out in June on Polydor Records, and the entire album is full of these danceable but very relaxing house gems. Already a staple on BBC Radio 1 in the early morning hours, expect great things out of producer Orlando Higginbottom in the future.

2. Little Dragon – Ritual Union (Bufi remix)

My friend Julian took me to see Little Dragon at a pretty small (less than 50 people) venue a few years ago and every nerdy white boy in the place was absolutely smitten with lead singer Yukimi Nagano. During songs, she would strut around the stage while smacking her tambourine to emphasize her yearning vocals. Julian tried to hit on her after the show while she was signing his t-shirt and she playfully flirted back. Side note: remixer Bufi is a relatively unknown producer from Mexico; expect him to blow up with this remix.

3. Meyhem Lauren – Special Effects feat. Himanshu & Action Bronson

Solid hip hop track where the features completely dominate the original artist. Himanshu is from the always great Das Racist (who I’ve been using a lot lately) and Action Bronson is a fat white guy (who moonlights as a chef)  that has a similar rap style to Wu-Tang Clan’s chef (that’s Raekwon, for those of you who haven’t gone to hip hop grad school). Bonus Info: The movie sample used at the end of this song is from David Lynch’s Blue Velvet, one of the greatest movies of all time.

4. Best Coast – The Only Place

Simple, pretty stoner surf rock. Best Coast’s new album is out next Tuesday and it is super mellow.

5. Kuhrye-00 – Give In (For The Fame)

Kuhrye-oo is Calvin McElroy, a producer who is also a member of Grimes’s touring band. The music video for “Give In (For The Fame)” was shot on an iPhone, was directed by Grimes, and consists of Grimes dancing around various industrial wasteland locations. I have a big crush on Grimes.

6. Darq E Freaker – Blueberry feat. Danny Brown (Pills & Cocaine)

I saw a website describe this as “British Trap,” a genre I’m pretty sure they invented for the post. I usually find Danny Brown’s delivery too overwhelming to be palatable, but the strong organ riff with churning drums serves as a nice production counterpoint.

7. Iamsu! – Made It

There must be something in the water in the San Francisco/Oakland area. Central California is absolutely crushing hip hop at the moment and Iamsu! is another one of the seemingly endless stream of rapper/producers from the area. While probably not the strongest lyricist, his production has a firm grasp on the ethereal synths and snappy hi hats that are trademarks of the West Coast’s “Cloud Rap” scene.

8. Boy Friend – The Lair (Alex DeGroot remix)

Alex DeGroot is the man behind Zola Jesus’s production and he adds my favorite musical flavor (heavy doses of reverb) to Boy Friend’s “The Lair.” Boy Friend will be playing a show at the King Kong Club in Berlin on May 15th; if you’re making the euros rain in Germany’s capital, I highly recommend slamming some down to see the Austin, TX-natives deliver their version of dream pop/shoe gaze.

Bryn Martin a.k.a. Bryyn (formerly Pinkle) is an American independent artist (no, not the hip-indie independent type, the I-record-at-home independent type) based in Vulliens, Switzerland. I found him thanks to a friend’s band who remixed one of his tracks (how cool?).
I would qualify his music as some kind of minimalist folk. Sometimes melancholic, sometimes refreshing, but always, alwaaays inspiring!

He seems to be very enthusiastic about hearing reworks of his songs because quite a lot of his tracks are remixed and he publishes them happily on his soundcloud.

I checked it out recently, and my ear was caught by the Technobears remix of his song So Well.

Technobears is Ed Haskins. It was quite hard to find information about him, but if there’s something to know about him, it’s that he’s a remixing freak. And he does that well.

What he did with So Well wasn’t turning it into another song, it was keeping the best of it and giving it his own twist. At the end, he preserved the folk side, but brought a fresh beat and added an eclectic mix of experimental, ambient and electro.

Take a listen:

Here‘s Bryyn’s soundcloud, help yourself, all the tracks are free, and if not on soundcloud you’ll find them on his website. And here‘s Technobears’ soundcloud.

Enjoy!

Amanda