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This past weekend Barcelona welcomed musicians and their fans from all over the world, who flocked to the city for the revered Sonar festival. During interludes between acts, fest attendees may have noticed lengthy pieces of synth-based music soundtracking the space. Thanks to two former Red Bull Music Academy graduates, Claude Speeed and Yosi Horikawa, festival-goers were treated to spiraling soundscapes and captivating field recordings. The two pieces, entitled Inside and Outside, were released by RBMA and, clocking in at about 32-minutes total, they’re the perfect score to a quiet evening or post-party comedown.

Claude Speeed is a member of the post rock outfit American Men (which is misleading, since he’s Scottish) and part of the LuckyMe label family. As a solo artist his discography is sparse, but what is available paints a vivid picture of a more than competent sound designer. About 5,000 miles away, Yosi Horikawa manipulates ordinary sounds into rhythmically interesting pieces of music complete with a melancholia many strive for. This year’s Whispers From An Angel is a perfect example of that. Both Inside and Outside are available to stream below.

The post Listen: Claude Speeed And Yosi Horikawa Score Interludes For Sonar Fest appeared first on CMJ.

Yeezus has risen, Tom has weighed in, and you can hear it legally now. But if you want to dig a little bit deeper into your listening, Babylon Cartel’s Gianni Lee and Mike Blud have made a mix of songs they think Kanye West sampled for the album. The collection is not perfect — “Black Skinhead” does not actually sample Marilyn Manson’s “The Beautiful People,” as per the credits. It also nods to the C-Murder reference by calling the song West quotes on “Blood On The Leaves” a Snoop Dogg song, but hey! Yeezy name-dropped the wrong housing project C-Murder grew up in, so we’re not working with a perfect science here. Check it out below and download here.

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The Patriarch II" title="Download the latest mixtape from Deniro Farrar, The Patriarch II" width="685" height="457" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-160584" />

The Charlotte, NC rapper keeps things grim on his latest effort.

Deniro Farrar has released a sequel to March’s impressive The Patriarch mixtape. Once again, Farrar uses his gravel-and-smoke voice in service of reality-rooted storytelling over woozy, cloud-meets-Memphis beats.

“Written in some of darkest and most bleak times in my life, this is my therapy,” Farrar writes. “Facing indescribable personal trials and tribulations, coupled with my family crumbling as I watch my lil bro and biggest supporter face a serious trial and jail sentence, I did the thing I was born to do. Write and express my life.” As you can imagine, Farrar is far from upbeat, but his personal struggles have inspired some moving material.

Beyond the boards, frequent collaborator Ryan Hemsworth returns and is joined by Australia production team KIRA, genre agnostic OWSLA-signee David Heartbreak, Felix Snow, Ryan Alexy, and more. Good Kid, M.a.a.D. City vocalist JMSN also makes an appearance on the Hemsworth-produced ‘Separate’. Stream/download The Patriarch II below.

Portland band Blouse offer up minimal, gauzy track “No Shelter” from their upcoming Captured Tracks release Imperium. The cut is a full blast of throwback pop that sounds almost liquid. Check it out here.

Imperium is out 9/17 via Captured Tracks.

You know that thing we do when a new Swedish pop artist emerges and feel it totally necessary to compare them to a) Robyn, b) Lykke Li or c) The Knife? Yep. It happens. Everyone is guilty.

Whilst Frida Sundemo is – to all intents and purposes – another up and coming hopeful emerging from the ever effervescent Swedish pop landscape, there seems to be something more organic at play here.

Stripping away the thrusting percussion and glacial sounding synths; imaging the song sung acapella, you’re thrown deep inside a classic melody akin to say, Loney Dear. There’s that yearning element to the vocal that makes everything that little bit more human.

Frida will open for Charli XCX tomorrow night (Wednesday 19 June) at London’s Islington Academy.

In their new video for Hummingbird opening track “You & I”, Local Natives offer the heart-wrenching tale of the last living dog on Earth. In other words, the most unforgiving episode of The Twilight Zone. Think about it: Could you imagine a world without Obsessive Corgi Disorder? Or a street with only shitting pigeons, scurrying rats, and sticky ant piles? That place would absolutely suck, and goddamn them for making me think about it. (Especially since it would mean this little guy would no longer be able to chill out with me.) Anyways, if you’ve got the mind, body, and soul for that nightmare, watch Local Natives, Daniel Portrait, and Kamp Grizzly’s horrifying vision below. (Full admission: It’s actually really, really well shot.)

The Top Star-earning Hummingbird is currently available now via Frenchkiss Records. If you’re looking for a textual upper, per se, revisit our cover story with the band here.

Brooklyn’s Nude Beach write buoyant, boisterous punk-based rock music made for drinking or driving — it’s like they’ve taken all the best elements of your favorite Replacements and Cheap Trick songs, combined them, and used them in the service of crafting summertime party anthems. Following their excellent 2012 LP II, the band are back with a new EP, “What Can Ya Do,” whose B-side, “I’m Giving Up,” we first listened to in April. Today we’ve got the A-side, in advance of the band’s upcoming tour, and it’s a goddamn blast, all jangle and fuzz and melody, like sunshine itself played through a Marshall stack. Listen, and check tour dates, below.

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Nude Beach at Bowery Ballroom, March 2013 (more by David Andrako)

Brooklyn's Nude Beach, who played over the weekend, are readying a new 7" for Other Music -- "What Can Ya Do" b/w "I'm Giving Up" -- out on July 9th. Stream both sides of the release below.

The band will be breaking their own release date, though, as they'll have copies on hand when they head out for a string of dates this week that include a stop in Chicago at Empty Bottle and here in NYC at Knitting Factory on July 5 with Prince Rupert's Drops and Pop Zeus. Tickets are still available.

All dates are listed, along with those song streams, below.

Continue reading "Nude Beach ready new 7" & playing shows (dates & stream)" at brooklynvegan

Scheduling problems got in the way of any potential duet

The Daniel Portrait of Kamp Grizzly-directed video for Local Natives’ “You & I” is truly upsetting until the last twenty seconds. Puppy enthusiasts be forewarned: This clip takes place in a future where dogs become extinct. Fortunately, in this terrible future there are also dog detectives (not like Wishbone, who is a dog that is also a detective, but actual human people who sleuth to find pups) and there is hope! Check it out below.

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The XX Files EP; preview it now" title="Matrixxman announces The XX Files EP; preview it now" width="685" height="682" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-160578" />

The San Francisco producer/digital avatar readies an EP of house and techno mutations.

Matrixxman is no stranger to these pages, whether for his work as half of 5kinAndBone5, his biblical house/snap rap collaborations with Mykki Blanco, or his solo material and remixes.

Next month will see another edition to the latter category. The XX Files joins four originals with remixes by UK producers Ill Life and Myler. With nods to “classic Detroit techno and WBMX-era Chicago house,” the EP ranges from the lush groove of ‘Credentials’ to the percussive intensity of ‘Protocol’. Meanwhile, both remixers take their tracks in darker, metallic directions.

The XX Files is due out July 23 via Brooklyn newcomers Fifth Wall. Preview it below; the cover art and tracklist follow.

1. Case Closed [A1]
2. Credentials [A2]
3. Protocol [B1]
4. A Witness
5. Case Closed (Ill Life Remix) [B2]
6. Credentials (Myler Remix)

Screaming Females at Cake Shop in 2010 (more by Lori Bally)

As you may know, legendary Hoboken venue Maxwell's is unfortunately closing at the end of July. As we've said before, many local bands who have called the venue home for years are playing in its final months (check out the upcoming schedule), and another one's just been added. NJ DIY heroes Screaming Females will play the venue on July 21. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

Screaming Females' Don Giovanni labelmates/collaborators Shellshag have a show there with Screamales' pal Ted Leo, and another Don Giovanni band, Black Wine also play one with The Everymen, Life Eaters, and The Brooklyn What.

In related news, Screaming Females' Marissa Paternoster produced the new Modern Hut (the project of Don Giovanni co-founder Joe Steinhardt) album, Generic Treasure, which is due out on August 7. You can check out a track from that album, "History," below.

Continue reading "Screaming Females playing Maxwell's; Marissa Paternoster produced the new Modern Hut LP (stream a track)" at brooklynvegan

The phrase “sob story” doesn

The concert's proceeds will go towards the victims of the F5 tornado

Singer-songwriter Bill Callahan (aka Smog) has announced the release of his new studio album, Dream River, due out September 17th via Drag City. Serving as the follow-up to 2011′s excellent Apocalypse (which made our list of the Top 50 Albums of 2011), the album was recorded in Cacophony, TX this past year, and is described by Drag City as “easily the most sensual and soulful of Callahan’s career.”

A number of topics are covered across the album’s eight tracks, including “flying home in a small plane, drinking with the sleeping inhabitants of a hotel for company, painting boats for the summer, or flying towards the sea along the path of the dream river without the aid of any craft.”

In support of the album’s release, Callahan will hit the road this fall. Stay tuned for those dates.

Dream River Tracklist:
01. The Sing
02. Javelin Unlanding
03. Small Plane
04. Spring
05. Ride My Arrow
06. Summer Painter
07. Seagull
08. Winter Road