New Video: Matmos - "Exciter Lamp"

Download: Matmos - "Rainbow Flag"

If your artistic raison d'etre is to craft an entire album's worth of material with no microphones allowed in the studio for an ALL-SYNTHESIZER record, then I'd imagine that you'd want to have videos from that album be as high-concept as possible. Lo and behold, here comes Matmos with a video that looks like it's footage taken from a documentary about man's first attempt to fax a human being across the galaxy.

Actually, the video for "Exciter Lamp", a track from the experimental duo's forthcoming album (the creative concept of which we've just discussed) called Supreme Balloon* does a very good job of playing with light and shadow, and the video's color motif, involving green, helps establish the kind of dreadful mysteriousness of an imminent UFO landing.

Supreme Balloon is out May 6th. Buy it here. Check out an MP3 at the top of the post.

Matmos MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)


*seriously, how much post bong-hit giggling was involved when these words were first spoken?

Bonnie "Prince" Billy - New Album, New MP3

Download: Bonnie Prince Billy - "So Everyone" (Demo)

From the Drag City Newsletter:

We put together a sales slate of perfect balance, and then we go and add something else to throw the whole GD thing out of whack! It’s the Drag City way — and besides, who are we to not release a fantastic new Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy album that we feel super-strongly about? It’s called Lie Down in the Light and it’s coming along on LP and CD in May with these other records that I just described. You heard it here first. Did that just happen?

Oh, yes it did! Not only that, but the label was generous enough to give away a track from the upcoming record. The song is "So Everyone", and it's available in demo version. As long as there are tapes hissing, you can count on me to be a happy camper. And, though hearing the finished product would be good for the sake of comparing/contrast, this demo has the bare-bones quality of vintage blues and folk recordings--as a frame of reference, this track is more Leadbelly than Robert Johnson.

Lie Down In The Light is available in May.

Listen to "So Everyone" at the top of the post.

Bonnie Prince Billy on MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

Asthmatic Kitty Gives Away Free "Music For Videogames" Compilation

Download: Sufjan Stevens - "Year of the Boar"
Download: Fantastic Mr. Fox - "Paths" (previously unreleased)

Audiosurf is a online game which combines those two most magically nerdy obsessions--video games and music, respectively--to create a self-described "music-adapting puzzle racer" where "the shape, speed, and the mood of each ride is determined by the song you choose." One earns points by clustering together blocks on the same highway and can compete with others on the internet for high scores. Sounds pretty bitchin', no? The folks at Asthmatic Kitty couldn't agree more with you. That's why, fine folks they are, the label has put together a free album designed especially for AudioSurf

From the Asthmatic Kitty Website:

(The label) decided to round-up a few friends of the label and put together a compilation designed especially for play in AudioSurf. The call was quickly answered by signed and unsigned alike, including folks from Anticon Records, Sounds Are Active, and imputor. The end result is a driving, definitive, compilation comprised of previously released and some unreleased material that is cohesive if only because our criteria was playability in addition to quality. Apparently, there is a mathematical and musical beauty in that.

We're releasing it for free as a digital download, to be enjoyed with AudioSurf, or without. Download it here, or stream from AKradio here. If you have a Windows PC, you can play a demo of AudioSurf here, or buy it for a mere $10 here.

The sampler, featuring acts like Sufjan Stevens, Dosh, and the Fantastic Mr. Fox (who contribute an unreleased track), can be downloaded here.

(Jonathan Graef)

Saddle Creek Gives Away Free Sampler On BitTorrent

Download: Bright Eyes - "I Must Belong Somewhere"
Download: Georgie James - "Look Me Up"

Click here to download tunes which were released last year by the Omaha-based record label. Included are tracks from the likes of Two Gallants, Bright Eyes and Georgie James. Once again, click here.

(Jonathan Graef)

Deerhunter Blog Posts Ominous Castle's Cover Of "Cryptograms" (Plus New Atlas Sound MP3s)

Download: Deerhunter - "Cryptograms"
Download: Ominous Castle - "Cryptograms"
Download: Atlas Sound - "I'll Be Your Mirror"
Download: The Velvet Underground - "I'll Be Your Mirror"
Download: Lotus Plaza - "What Grows"
Download: Atlas Sound - "Walks Backwards"
Download: Atlas Sound - "Cobwebs"

Here's something which you don't necessarily see everyday: An artist posting a cover version of his original song on his very own blog. But that was the case yesterday with Deerhunter's Bradford Cox posting a cover of "Cryptograms", the title track of Atlanta-based quartet's full-length LP released at the beginning of the year, on the Deerhunter/Atlas Sound/Lotus Plaza Blog. Of the cover version, Cox said:

(The Ominous Circle)cover of Cryptograms' title track that in my opinion is far better than the original. Whoever made this please identify yourself and let use know where we can here more of your stuff...
and tell us what you used to record this cover. it sounds amazing.
you improved the vocals a LOT.

After having listened to both versions of "Cryptograms", the original definitely still has the upper hand on the cover. Ominous Castle's version is sounds like someone kidnapped Devo and forced them to record "Cryptograms" as the theme song for a daytime TV game show. It makes sense to bring out some of the new wave influence in Deerhunter's songs, which in turn could highlight any sort of humanism that's been previously hidden in Deerhunter's work. But, in trying to achieve that artistic goal, OC strips away many of the elements which made the original version so compelling. Namely, the dark, hypnotically robotic pulse which drives the song, Bradford Cox's forceful monotone vocals, and the incredibly lush guitars. You could certainly take those elements away and have a compelling version of the same song. However, Ominous Castle's version simply does not work because the band did not replace the original's merits with different ones.

Still, listening to both is absolutely recommended, because it shows what a world of difference something like instrumentation can make.

Listen to both versions of "Cryptograms" at the top of the post, in addition to recent Atlas Sound MP3s, (which includes a cover of The Velvet Underground "I'll Be Your Mirror. We've also gone ahead and posted the original of that one) as well as an Lotus Plaza MP3.

Read the original post here.

Deerhunter MySpace Page
Ominous Castle MySpace Page (maybe)
Deerhunter Blog

(Jonathan Graef)

Band To Know: Astra Moveo

Download: Astra Moveo - "Dollface"
Download: Astra Moveo - "Wrecked"

Is Denver the new Omaha? Probably not, but the jam bustin', disco punkin', synth wailin' trio Astra Moveo is about to encroach on The Faint's territory. Moveo is a hot little dance rock band gearing up to hit the nation's indie rock scene with a fresh infusion of disco.

Astra Moveo is currently recording their first LP (so remember where you heard it first, folks!), which is due for a spring release. Moveo's balance of finessed dance beats and an aggressive punk stomp provides a wonderful backdrop for any dance party: There's enough smoothness to their sound to get listeners out on the dancefloor, but not so much that the band sounds unpalatably saccharine. The one problem with the songs as they stand now is that the vocals are mixed in a little rough. There are a couple clunky moments that result from the vocals being a little too prominent. But honestly, if the skeleton in your closet is a rough mix, I'd say you're doing pretty damn good.

And, on top of it, Astra Moveo is happy to share the wealth. Check out their MySpace page for the songs at the top of this post as well as some remixes. Listen to MP3s of "Dollface" and "Wrecked" at the top of the post.

(April Wright)

Sub Pop Creates Digital MP3 Store

Download: The Thermals - "A Pillar Of Salt"
Download: Iron and Wine - "Sodom, South Georgia"
Download: The Go! Team - "Doing It Right"

Sub Pop opened a digital download store, where you can buy music by their artists online. So far, the Go! Team, the Thermals and Iron & Wine have posted their current releases, along with about 200 other offerings from the label's catalog. Once you've bought an mp3, you can download it multiple times, so when you're computer crashes, or if you're iPod magically clears itself, you're covered. And when bonus racks are added to a record, you can download those without incurring extra costs, too! Smashing Pumpkins, eat your heart out.

The website seems to be lagging a fair bit right now, but as someone with no place to put an ever-burgeoning CD collection, I will definitely be using this service in the future.

(April Wright)

New Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene) MP3

Download: Kevin Drew - "tbtf"

I realize that I am a day late and a dollar short on this one, but I figure it would be worth posting anyway. The jam above is from Broken Social Scene-ster Kevin Drew's forthcoming solo album entitled Spirit If..., which will be released Sept. 18th. on Arts and Crafts. If this track is any indication, Drew's solo album (first in a series of albums presented by Broken Social Scene) should continue the mellow, atmospheric, psychedelia that he brings to BSS.

(Jonathan Graef)