Greg Brown

TNGHT (Hudson Mohawke x Lunice) - Bugg’n (Warp, 2012)

Oh. My. This is big. Two forces combining for a massive instrumental… phenomenal on its own, but I wonder which MC has the chops to murder it?

Pre-order the 12”.

Greg B - “Nightcap Minimix” (2012)

I made a quick little 90 bpm, smooth, ride-out mix. The Anthony Valadez track is phenomenal.

Tracklist:

Erykah Badu - Gone Baby, Don’t Be Long (Motown, 2012)
Lapti - Leaving Home (Brownswood Recordings, 2012)
DJ Mitsu the Beats - Change (Jazzy Sport, 2012)
Anthony Valadez ft. Mar & The Park - Under Water (Plug Research, 2012)

GPOYW

joshsternberg:

shortformblog:

Etch A Sketch may not have a political position, but it knows when to capitalize on a trend involving its suddenly-popular product. (Click for more.)

Both political parties have a right knob and a left knob? That’s how I read that copy.

^ wot he said

Jai Paul - “Jasmine” (XL, 2012)

Oh shit yeah. Clap-clap-clap-clap…

lifeaquatic:

Thank god this photo exists. 

Any news about the new Avalanches album, already 12 years in gestation, is understandably greeted with some enthusiasm.

It’s a bonus when the news is as unexpected as this: unhinged Detroit rapper Danny Brown is set to feature on the new Avalanches LP. The collab, conducted with the Australian group over email, features Brown spitting over an Avalanches track in its entirety.

WUT. Worlds colliding.

beerandrap:

This is what rap looked like at sxsw 12 years ago

Of note: Detroit hip-hop group Clear Soul Forces droped their proper full-length, Detroit Revolution(s), today. And it is really rad.

Well played

It’s been a while. What’s the word?

pbdy:

JJ DOOM - “Banished” Jneiro Jarel + DOOM = JJ DOOM

2 good

(click 2 enlarge)

Azizi Gibson - “Azizi’s Advice” (Internet, 2012)

The Style Council - “Shout To The Top” (Polygram, 1986)

Happy Dilla-born day.

theartsyclown:

Dillas’s Studio.

In an effort to make every vinyl collector on the planet jealous, The Doctor’s Orders have unearthed these rare snaps of Jay Dee taken while he was fine-tuning Common’s Like Water For Chocolate in Studio A. Aside from the obvious Costco-sized collection of records, do you see how every single one of them is in a plastic sleeve?

That’s dedication.

#DILLAMONTH

didn’t cha know

Monday afternoon treat!

Kyle Andrews - Sushi

To combat those Monday blues - I wanted to share this song by Kyle Andrews. It’s not new (the song was released in 2008) but I think it’s kind of the perfect india pop, pick-me-up song for a dragging afternoon. 

I also recommend checking out some of his music videos. They’re adorable. “Sushi” is featured in a color festival video, the video for “You Always Make Me Smile” features a giant water balloon fight and the music video for “Kangaroo” has Andrews in a marsupial suit for goodness sake!

“Sushi” is on Andrews’s 2010 EP, Kangaroo.

James Vincent McMorrow - If I Had a Boat

James Vincent McMorrow is like when you throw together leftovers (maybe some Bon Iver, Band of Horses, Otis Redding, a touch of William Fitzsimmons) and come out with a result more delicious than you ever could have anticipated.

He’s soulful, he’s folky, he’s alternative. He croons. He composes. What I like best about McMorrow is something incredibly familiar and comforting in his raspy, falsetto voice. 

His music’s well-worn in feeling embodies nostalgia - as if you’ve always listened to his CD, Early In The Morning, on repeat, in your bedroom, on road trips.

WWTB

Been in a bit of a lull lately, but these two releases should tide me over until the next big wave.

• Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls (buy the CD/buy the MP3s)
• M. Ward - A Wasteland Companion (buy the CD/buy the MP3s)

WWTB

It may be an all-new line-up (except for Mercer), but I’m still hugely excited for this album.

• The Shins - Port of Morrow (buy the CD/buy the MP3s)

WWTB

Another quiet week in the music release game.

• Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself (buy the CD/buy the MP3s)
• Magnetic Fields - Love at the Bottom of the Sea (buy the CD/buy the MP3s)

WWTB

Some good surprises this week; I had no idea any of these were coming out.

• Carolina Chocolate Drops - Leaving Eden (buy the CD/buy the MP3s)
• Fanfarlo - Rooms Filled with Light (buy the CD/buy the MP3s)
• School of Seven Bells - Ghostory (buy the CD/buy the MP3s)

Ewert and the Two Dragons - (In the End) There’s Only Love

Estonia! You gave me Skype and now Ewert and the Two Dragons? You shouldn’t have but I’m so glad you did.

I discovered this band in an article that described them as “the crown jewel of Estonian rock,” which (unfairly) made me laugh so hard I snorted. And I don’t know what I expected from this quartet but every song I’ve listened to by Ewert and the Two Dragons has blown me away. There’s the evocative and complex lyrics, the melancholy instrument combinations,  the sweet melodies that sometimes border on acoustic.  

Their song plays off of different genres of alternative, folk, country, etc. And while “Good Man Down,” the title song of their second album, is more well known “(In the End) There’s Only Love” is the one that immediately got stuck in my head.  

Ewert Sundja, the lead singer, speaks impeccable English but with the undertones of an Estonian accent, I like what it does for his voice. It helps to distinguish Ewert (and the Two Dragons) from a lot of other indie folk-rock. 

This band has been busy. While they’ve only been together a little over 3 years and have released two albums (each song is was written and produced by the band members). Their next album is currently being recorded and their first North American tour dates start next month in Canada!

WWTB

Not a much being released this week, and even less commentary from me.

• Field Music - Plumb (buy the CD/buy the MP3s)
• Grimes - Visions (buy the CD/buy the MP3s)
• Sleigh Bells - Reign of Terror (buy the CD)

…and an “oops we missed it last week” bonus:

• Burial - Kindred EP (buy the MP3s)

WWTB

Happy Valentine’s Day! You should celebrate by buying yourself and/or your valentine some music.

• The Explorers Club - Grand Hotel (buy the CD/buy the MP3s)
• Islands - A Sleep & A Forgetting (buy the CD/buy the MP3s)
• Shearwater - Animal Joy (buy the CD/buy the MP3s)
• Tennis - Young and Old (buy the CD/buy the MP3s)

WWTB

Now 2012 is starting to get rollin’…

• Air - Le Voyage Dans La Lune (buy the CD/buy the MP3s)
• Dr Dog - Be The Void (buy the CD/buy the MP3s)
• Of Montreal - Paralytic Stalks (buy the CD/buy the MP3s)
• Sharon van Etten - Tramp (buy the CD/buy the MP3s)

Azealia Banks - 212

Azealia Banks is just one bad ass bitch. She’s blowing up right now. Kanye follows her on twitter, Pitchfork featured her in the top 10 tracks of 2011, she played a show at Karl Lagerfeld’s house and Universal Records signed her in January. Also, she was just profiled by the New York Times

The high school dropout comes from Harlem but attended private schools early in her life and as a listener, you can definitely pick up on these dichotomous lives she experienced.

The “212” music video has been out for almost six months but is just now picking up the public’s attention. I love this song not only for its raunchy content but also because it shows just how talented a of an artist Azealia Banks is. She’s also a great collaborator: the guy in this video is Montreal producer Jacques Greene who was just tapped by Radiohead to remix their King of Limbs album.

The sound of “212” is current, she says her inspiration comes from the streets, but clearly Azealia been influenced by previous generations and genres of music. She pulls together a wide array of these influences in “212,” I don’t even think I could name them all. There’s the unsymmetrical chorus, the synth undertones, the pop backbeat that’s also vaguely latin and the perfect cartoon voice of satire. Her sound is unique and infectious.

It’s Superbowl Sunday in the United States but you can find me shrine of Banks, not of the Patriots or Giants.

KYNAN - I Fly So High

This song randomly appeared on my dash a couple of days ago. It’s weird, it’s funky (pop-y but also retro and electronic). The music video is so l-phi I’m not sure what to make of it but I think that’s kind of the appeal; and the truth is I Fly So High has been stuck in my head for the last 48 hours. It’s super catchy.

The stop-motion quality of its music video is actually kind of endearing - it fits the vibe of the sound perfectly. Plus, the concert footage reminds me of a lot of basement shows I attended in college. 

Kynan has the song for free on his SoundCloud page.

p.s. the internet rumor mill tells me this kid might be the little brother of Wavves frontman, Nathan Williams.

WWTB

Just one this week, but it’s highly anticipated and I may just buy it for “Video Games” alone…

• Lana Del Rey - Born to Die (buy the CD/buy the MP3s)

WWTB

So this is the first week of 2012 where there’s been more than one thing worth buying. Welcome to 2012, kids.

• First Aid Kit - The Lion’s Roar (buy the CD/buy the MP3s)
• Kathleen Edwards - Voyageur* (buy the CD/buy the MP3s)
• Nada Surf - The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy** (buy the CD/buy the MP3s)
• Rodrigo y Gabriela - Area 52 (buy the CD/buy the MP3s)

* And this was actually already released, but didn’t seem to warrant a WWTB all on its own…and I’m a slacker.

** I don’t care what else comes out this year, this album has already won “Most Pretentious Album Title of the Year”.

Daveed Diggs - Small Things (To A Giant)

Daveed Diggs is one third of The Getback (the other parts of the triumvirate being Rafael Casal and Chinaka Hodge). The Getback is a Bay Area originated art collaborative with fingers in music, film, and theater. The Getback music tends to be hip-hop featuring live instrument production and incredible lyrics, which shouldn’t be a surprise given their poetry and theater backgrounds.

Daveed just released his first solo album “Small Things To A Giant,” which is available as a free download from his official site. His collaborator Rafael Casal is dropping his solo album next month, and I suspect it’s going to be just as awesome.

This was a guest post by Keith. Thanks, Keith!

Pogo - Jaaam (The Fresh Prince Remix)

Saturday treat!

Gotye - Somebody I Used to Know (featuring Kimbra)

Sometimes, at tuneage, we accidentally let great music slide past our radar. Allow me to now rectify this mistake and present Gotye’s Somebody That I Used to Know.

I love the Peter Gabriel and 80s pop influence in this song but it’s the music video that really won me over. Unlike the narrative arc within the lyrics, the music video isn’t necessarily trying to tell a story. It emotes and I find it to be at once be enchanting and heartbreaking. 

This song has really launched Goyte’s international career and he will even be playing at Coachella in April.

With another year out of the way it’s time to find out what the Tuneage gang’s favourite albums of the year were.

Dave

• Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
• Laura Stevenson & The Cans - Sit Resist
• Cloud Nothings – Cloud Nothings
• Wilco – The Whole Love
• Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks – Mirror Traffic

Tristan

• Fucked Up - David Comes To Life
• M83 - Hurry Hurry Up We’re Dreaming
• tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l
• Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde
• Disco Inferno - The 5 EPs (reissue)

Greg

• Elzhi - Elmatic
• Toro y Moi - Underneath the Pine
• Thundercat - Golden Age of Apocalypse
• Quelle Chris - Shotgun and Sleek Rifle
• Real Estate - Days

Sophie

• The Drive Soundtrack
• Beirut - The Rip Tide
• Girltalk - All Day
• Jay-Z & Kayne West - Watch the Throne
• Black Keys - El Camino

Bill

• Bon Iver - Bon Iver
• The Weeknd - House of Balloons
• The Field - Looping State of Mind
• Cults - Cults
• tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l

Richard

• Jay-Z & Kayne West - Watch the Throne
• Fucked Up - David Comes To Life
• tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l
• Real Estate - Days
• Black Keys - El Camino

What were your favourites?