We All Want Someone To Shout For

Damn today is a good day for new music. MGMT posted a new song titled “Flash Delirium” for free download on their website. Then Congratulations, a song sharing the same title as the album, leaked. Weird timing huh, almost seems deliberate.

Flash Delirium starts off very subdued, taking some time to explode into it’s spiced up groove. It has a funky vibe that only MGMT could pull off.

Congratulations is one of the most clear cut MGMT songs to date, relying on one sunny melody that is eagerly awaiting the summer. I honestly think that this is one of the best tunes that MGMT have written in their young career. It is partly a ballad, and I think that is why I love it. It doesn’t try to drown us in effects our unnecessary sounds. It is a band spilling their heart out in a pretty vulnerable way, and for that, I applaud MGMT. Sometimes less is more people!

These are only my initial thoughts. I still have to absorb all of the little details a bit more, but I gotta say, I am impressed. I was a little worried abut how MGMT would follow up Oracular Spectacular, but so far I have high hopes for the rest of Congratulations. They seem to have found a way to expand themselves, while maintaining the best parts of their previous efforts.

[mp3] : MGMT – Flash Delirium
[mp3] : MGMT – Congratulations (Sony asked me to take it down) – Youtube is your friend though

Make sure to grab your copy of Congratulations from insound on CD, Deluxe CD or Vinyl. Remember the album cover is sratch off. Totally worth a buy!!

EDIT: There is also a nice little video with the lyrics of Flash Delirium posted via MGMT’s official youtube page embedded below:

Greenberg is a upcoming movie by acclaimed director Noah Baumbach starring Ben Stiller. It is one of the rare serious Ben Stiller film’s, so I am totally interested to see how it pans out. What is even cooler about the film is it features brand new exclusive music by LCD Soundsystem/James Murphy.

One of the songs was recently played on NME Radio, and someone ripped the song and sent it my way. It’s pretty crummy quality and features a DJ bit from Jon Hillcock’s show at the end, but it is still well enough to give us a decent impression of the song. It features a sporadic guitar riff that is brushed aside by the bleak tone set by the rest of the song. It has a really interesting complexion that seems a lot more soulful and well….bluesy than the usual LCD Soundsystem joint. It sounds disconnected, isolated, and mysterious all at once.

[mp3] : LCD Soundsystem – Oh You (Christmas Blues)

You may want to pre-order the soundtrack, ’cause there are plenty of more new James Murphy gems waiting for us. Also be sure to check out the rest of Jon Hillcock’s show, which includes an interview with James Murphy himself. You can hear it over at his blog.

I wish I had this experience when I was a young lad, getting to cover a Phoenix song when you were a kid? How bad-ass is that? I want to give this music teacher a hug!

The chorus has their own blog. Phoenix even showed their approval of the gorgeous cover.

I’m working on my paper right now and am using tunes as my aid to stay on track. This timely exquisite remix of the xx’s Islands from CHLLNGR really hit the spot. CHLLNGR is the moniker of Steve Borth, a producer from Denmark. He finds ways to fit new sounds into the songs empty places, creating a very solid interpretation of the already great song.

[mp3] : the xx – Islands (CHLLNGR remiXX)

[via stereogum]

Check out the groovy video for the trippy song “In The Dark Of The Night” from new DFA artist Michoacan.

Michoacan – In The Dark Of The Night from DFA Records on Vimeo.

Hey guys. I just want to take a minute out of music posting and ask one tiny favor from you. My girlfriend Jade, is trying to win a scholarship for $20,000 from zinch.com. All she needs is too get some support on facebook and she could be considered for it.

She supports herself as an emancipated minor, and could really use the money. All she needs is for you guys to go to this facebook group and become a fan. The more fans she has, the more likely she is to be nominated.

All you gotta do is click one button on the facebook page. It would mean a lot to her and I if you all became fans. If you could invite your friends on facebook, retweet my tweet on twitter, or send out a mass email…anything can help!

Thanks guys!!!

A Youtube user named eineinmeier put together a bass heavy remix of all the iamamiwhoami sound clips to create a remix that fans of jungle and house music will cherish.

Posted the clip below with a mp3 rip. This is a pretty cool clip that will tide me over until the next clip emerges.

[mp3] : iamamiwhoami remix

thanks to mand rake for the tip!

You gotta love the Keith and Chris’s sense of humor. I feel like they would be cool bro’s to hang out with. Try to argue against that after watching this:

Back in January I caught Passion Pit at Terminal 5 after grabbing some tickets before the show. I had no idea about either opening bands, Brahms and Tragedy. They both turned out to be just as interesting as the main act. Tragedy were a heavy metal cover band of The Beegees. Enough said. Brahms were an exciting dance rock band that left me impressed. I was excited to see Passion Pit, but I was also very excited to learn more about Brahms when I got home. I did some research and learned that it was the new band of Cale Parks (who is the drummer for Aloha & has his own solo work).

They are a brand new NYC based band that has created some decent buzz due to their great live shows. They have mostly stayed loyal to the NYC circuit playing a ton of shows here. With that said, you can see the band at numerous SXSW Showcase Shows during the festival.

An easy comparison would be a dance rock act like Cut Copy or the legendary New Order. They have only released 4 songs, all of which were given away for free as a trade off for signing up on their mailing list. The 4 songs should be put together as an EP because it would make for one hell of an EP. “Brought It Out” and “Subtext Is Deadly” bring out the feelings of a successful night out on the town, cherishing the parts that you can still remember. “Another Time” is smooth and cool, re-creating the atmosphere of that damp club where most of the night was left on the dance floor. The songs have enormous hooks and strong melodies that have the power to make even the most uptight listener dance. The standout track in my opinion is the infectious “Toward The Ghost”. It has a colorful chorus that is filled with feelings of ecstasy and passion.

Brahms are an act that you shouldn’t sleep on. I feel privileged to be alive during a time where we are graced with great young act such as Brahms.

[mp3] : Brahms – Toward The Ghost
[mp3] : Brahms – Another Time

You can grab two more songs from the band by signing up to their mailing list at their website. Visit them on myspace/facebook, follow them on twitter, or visit their blog. Keep an eye out for my interview with the band later today/tomorrow!

Broken Bells debut album is finally being released next Tuesday and I can assure you it’s a good record. Here is The Mall & Misery, the excellent album closer. The song has a completely different vibe from anything else on the album. It’s almost like it knows it’s better than the rest of the album (which is a very good album).

It starts off with a country twang guitar with lush strings gracing the background. Soon the kick drum kicks in and pushes the song into a smooth groove. The very warm and familiar vocals from James Mercer have not sounded this good since “Turn On Me”. It has a smart and effective chorus that sounds like all of the best parts of The Shins that we probably will never get again.It is one hell of an album closer, and one of the best moments on the entire album for sure.

[stream] : Broken Bells – The Mall & Misery

As always, go to Insound if you like what you hear and support Broken Bells. Grab their self titled debut album on Vinyl or CD.