Check out a new song called “Oh My Love” that Christopher Owens of Girls played in his bedroom. The video came from a chat he had with director Travis Matthews about many personal things, plus Girls. Oddly enough Chris says this new song was inspired by Dwight Yoakam and Taylor Swift. TwentyFourBit points out that he does all this while next to a poster signed by Miley Cyrus. Oooooook then. You can watch the interview in two parts, here and here.
Either way, the songs stunning:
Bravestation are a band from Toronto who recently released their second EP, 2010. I just checked it out, and it’s 5 songs of awesome. Rich layered harmonies, colorful harmonies, lively percussion. There is a huge pool of bands I could pull from that Bravestation’s sound reminds me off. Their vocal especially remind me of Yeasayer, & Local Natives. There’s a little bit of The Talking Heads here and there. These guys craft home cooked songs that sound good upon first listen, but grow into beautiful favorites.
I haven’t turned off this EP ever since I first played it. Each song is engaging and warm in its own way. There are hooks, but there are also emotional moments. Yeah, they got it all.
[mp3]: Bravestation – Clocks & Spears
Guess what? The entire EP is available for a free download on their bandcamp. Go grab it now.
Gorillaz have announced dates for their 2010 World Tour. These include a stop at Madison Square Garden on October 8th. The rest of the North American dates will be announced at a later time. I hope I can afford to go to the MSG show. I’d love to attend, but then again it’s in October and I will be at school.
I’ll keep you updated when more info comes in on when the tix go on sale.
Full dates posted after the jump:
Faded Paper Figures have been a really pleasant surprise for me these past couple of days. I blindly stumbled upon their myspace with no prior knowledge of who they were. I left the page greatly impressed, eager to get my hands on more. I discovered their new album (their 2nd), New Medium, and have been obsessing over it.
Their songs are warm layered electronic delights that you can’t help but obsess over. Their sound is full, completed by incredible male/female vocals that bring everything full circle. Their sound hits you instantly, hooking you in. You won’t even know why, but you already begin to like Faded Paper Figures before they even speak a word. Their is just this instant charm about songs like “Invent It All Again”, that is simply magical. These guys just may be my favorite new discovery. I hope they plan to tour the east coast. I’d love to see these guys live.
Hey Sub Pop, you guys should sign this band up. They have proudly taken over where The Postal Service left off.
You can download the stunning “Invent It All Again” below. I also put two other great songs from New Medium as a stream. All three are with their managements blessings:
[mp3]: Faded Paper Figures – Invent It All Again
[stream]: Faded Paper Figures – Small Talk:
[stream] Faded Paper Figures – The Cold Wars:
Are you a fan of lovely girl harmonies? If so, Brooklyn’s Lucius are the perfect gals for your ears. “Shenandoah” stars out slow and lovely, but soon it breaks out into an upbeat heartwarming tale that is simply undeniable. I was floored by the way these girls put their voices into use. These lovely ladies know how to pen uplifting songs that you shouldn’t be without.
[mp3]: Lucius – Shenandoah
“Shenandoah” is off their debut album Songs From The Bromley House which was released last year. The girls will be playing in NYC very soon. They will be at Rockwood 2 tomorrow night, and Pete’s Candy Store on July 28th. For more on them, visit their myspace.
So I just ran across this little gem called ‘Who Wouldn’t” from a wonderful Los Angeles band called Luna Is Honey. This song has pretty much everything I love about music: tight guitar riffs, good melodies, and a fun attitude. Who wouldn’t dig that?
[mp3]: Luna Is Honey – Who Wouldn’t
“Who Wouldn’t” is taken off their new album Copy Cats, which the band actually made available to download for free right here.
Also included on the album is the band’s cover of Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U”. Watch their music video for it, below:
Zola Jesus re-recorded “Sea Talk” from her 2009 album Tsar Bomba, for her new EP that is coming out October 12th via Sacred Bones. It will also be a part of the reissue of the Stridulum EP, called Stridulum II. I remember liking the song when I saw her open for Wolf Parade last week, so it’s a nice refresher.
Really powerful song, led by her beautiful vocals. She can sing.
[mp3]: Zola Jesus – Sea Talk
Check out Kele’s reflective video for his song “Everything You Wanted”:
Oh man this is awesome:
It’s a cover of Amy Winehouse’s classic “Rehab” done by The Jolly Boys, who bring Jamaica’s mento sound to life on their new album Great Expectation, where they have 12 of interpretations of contemporary songs such as “Rehab”.
For more on The Jolly Boys, visit their website.
Props to Confusion from Pigeons and Planes for this find. He posted a really fun cover of LCD Soundsystem’s (already near classic) “I Can Change” done by See Green. See Green mastermind Courtenay Green packs all of the original’s best parts into 4 minutes of pure perfection. She transforms the song out of it’s ballad(ish) state and gives it more of a ferocious pop appeal. Well, it works.
The random bit (around the 2:50 mark) where a man screams out all the LCD Soundsystem titles is a major win. This cover is the definition of fun. Tons of awesome.
[mp3]: See Green – I Can Change (LCD Soundsystem Cover)
For more info on See Green, visit her website.
