Here's a tasty little treat for this sunny Friday afternoon.
Girl, if you were in this park with me we would have a romantic picnic. I'd shower you with Charles Shaw and mini-quiches. We could play frisbee barefoot and feed the ducks. I love ducks. I'd let you push me on the tire swing while we watch the sunset. Then we'd head back to my place to re-enact scenes from Overboard.
But first, I need to remove my satin blouse. I'm starting to chafe in this heat.
xo
Kurt
"Dizzy" - Kurt Russell
Friday, March 18, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Daedelus + Inara George = Magic
Thanks to Dan Wilcox, I discovered this little gem over the weekend. Can't stop listening...
"Penny Loafers" - Daedelus featuring Inara George
"Penny Loafers" - Daedelus featuring Inara George
Daedelus' experimental sounds always feel intelligent and classy. But with Inara George on board, this tune jumps to a whole new level of elegance. Those operatic trills alone give me goosebumps. Add to that her honey-sweet vocals modulating a most sharp and tactful verbal smack-down. Always the master of layering, Daedelus sprinkles in effected 50s jingle-style harmonies as that rich synth foundation rocks us steadily on a wave of new-school luxury.
Alfred Darlington, aka Daedelus, pioneered the live use of monome (as pictured above), bringing the electronic experience to a whole new level. This Santa Monica native has been "rocking my dime" (in the best way) for about 10 years now on a multitude of different labels. You may also recognize him as a founding DJ of Dublab, the Los Angeles based internet radio station and canvas for a collection of progressive audio and visual arts.
His latest album, Bespoke, will be released April 11th on Ninja Tune. He's described the album title as "a term employed to mean an item custom-made to measure." Ever the perfectionist, Bespoke is a paragon of his meticulous style of production. I already pre-ordered my vinyl, but it can't get here fast enough. Here's another taste:
"One and Lonely" - Daedelus featuring Young Dad
If you are heading out to Austin this week be sure to catch him at SXSW to see his mastery of the monome first-hand.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Trust - for fans of The XX and Fever Ray
How is it they make this relatively uneventful roadtrip look so badass?
Damn, I want a gummy worm...
Robert Alfons and Maya Postepski were looking for an outlet during the cold Canadian winter of 2009, so they decided to form a band. Freezing temperatures and gloomy forecasts inspired their chilly and, dare I say, penetrating sound.
Trust brings us a fresh take on emotronica. Their songs are filled with dark synths, coldwave techno beats, and Alfons' deliciously spacey baritone. They immerse blatantly erotic tunes like "Candy Walls" and "Gloryhole" in a new wave mystique that yields a pseudo hipster gothtronic desire. I can only imagine they wear their sunglasses at night.
Candy Walls will be released March 29th as a 7". Mixed by Mikey Apples of Crystal Castles, the B-side is another stunner entitled "Trinity." Listen below.
This Canadian duo are already creating a lot of buzz in Toronto, opening for Hercules and Love Affair, Zola Jesus, and more. You can catch them next week at SXSW. Let's hope they make their way down to L.A. soon...
Damn, I want a gummy worm...
Robert Alfons and Maya Postepski were looking for an outlet during the cold Canadian winter of 2009, so they decided to form a band. Freezing temperatures and gloomy forecasts inspired their chilly and, dare I say, penetrating sound.
Trust brings us a fresh take on emotronica. Their songs are filled with dark synths, coldwave techno beats, and Alfons' deliciously spacey baritone. They immerse blatantly erotic tunes like "Candy Walls" and "Gloryhole" in a new wave mystique that yields a pseudo hipster gothtronic desire. I can only imagine they wear their sunglasses at night.
Candy Walls will be released March 29th as a 7". Mixed by Mikey Apples of Crystal Castles, the B-side is another stunner entitled "Trinity." Listen below.
This Canadian duo are already creating a lot of buzz in Toronto, opening for Hercules and Love Affair, Zola Jesus, and more. You can catch them next week at SXSW. Let's hope they make their way down to L.A. soon...
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Tristen - Beauty With A Bite
She's one pretty voice with one seriously dark sense of humor. Check out the video for "Matchstick Murder" and you'll get the idea:
Tristen's album Charlatans at the Gate was released a little over a month ago courtesy of American Myth Recordings. Having written and produced the album almost entirely by herself, she clearly has a strong point of view. Her style is refreshingly unique. Pop melodies infused with a pseudo-southern rockabilly sound. Her use of harmonies and background vocals adds a sort of apron-doo wop feel that makes light of the surprisingly dark topics she tackles on this 11 song debut: liars, drug addiction, breakups. Standard singer-songwriter topics I suppose, but she delivers lyrics that surprise at every turn with double entendres and witty metaphors.
"Baby Drugs" is another stand-out track. Take a listen.
"Baby Drugs" - Tristen
The entire album is filled with gems like the above. Make sure you stop by her website, here, for a free 4 song download.
Tristen is currently on tour, hitting up SXSW next week. And if you aren't one of the lucky few (and by few I mean 13,000, give or take), you can catch her at The Satellite, May 6th.
Tristen's album Charlatans at the Gate was released a little over a month ago courtesy of American Myth Recordings. Having written and produced the album almost entirely by herself, she clearly has a strong point of view. Her style is refreshingly unique. Pop melodies infused with a pseudo-southern rockabilly sound. Her use of harmonies and background vocals adds a sort of apron-doo wop feel that makes light of the surprisingly dark topics she tackles on this 11 song debut: liars, drug addiction, breakups. Standard singer-songwriter topics I suppose, but she delivers lyrics that surprise at every turn with double entendres and witty metaphors.
"Baby Drugs" is another stand-out track. Take a listen.
"Baby Drugs" - Tristen
The entire album is filled with gems like the above. Make sure you stop by her website, here, for a free 4 song download.
Tristen is currently on tour, hitting up SXSW next week. And if you aren't one of the lucky few (and by few I mean 13,000, give or take), you can catch her at The Satellite, May 6th.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Baths, Braids & A Mini Euro-Rave at the Troubadour
I had the pleasure of attending the Baths/Braids/Gobble Gobble show at the Troubadour this past weekend. Who is Gobble Gobble you ask? See my review on the KCRW blog for deets.
Baths/Braids Show Review
Friday, March 4, 2011
Why Don't More Bands Use Autoharp?
Here's my favorite track off the brand new debut album, The Color (Royal Potato Family Records).
"In Our World" - Yellowbirds
Suntanned dreamy rock that bears a nostalgia for decades past. The album feels a lot like the artwork (above), a retrospective collage which was also handmade by Cohen. With layers of autoharp, organ, fuzz guitar, and delicious harmonies on top of solid classic rock drums and timeless lyrics, this album nods to bands like Big Star and The Velvet Underground.
Take a listen to their single, The Honest Ocean, and be transported to your own private Woodstock. Love that organ...
While Apollo Sunshine's albums were more musically surprising from track to track, The Color moves pretty seamlessly, making it an easy choice for your next breezy road trip.
Speaking of which, if you're headed to SXSW this year be sure to catch them live.
Fun Fact: Sam Cohen performed as a session musician on Shakira's "She Wolf." Owoooooooo!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Timber Timbre - If Frankenstein Could Sing...
He would probably sound like this.
Those estranged vocals. That playful use of horns. The unapologetic bass. A twinkling from a surely cobweb-filled upright. And all of these elements mixed to perfection in such a deceptively simple arrangement. Did you feel those 6 minutes go by, or were you busy daydreaming of overgrown cabins hidden away amid some dank and haunted marshland?
"Black Water" is a beautifully crafted piece that lives in a world of it's own, along with the rest of Timber Timbre's musical offerings. Their goosebump inducing sound engulfs the listener in a most beautifully dramatic and eerie swamp blues. Like Tom Waits or Patrick Watson, their music is darkly cinematic, conceptual, and yet unassumingly palpable. It's no wonder Taylor Kirk, (singer and multi-instrumentalist for the band) sites Bernard Herrmann as one of his key influences. Timber Timbre could easily be the soundtrack for some twisted high society zombie gathering.
These Canadians first came into the spotlight in 2009 with a self-titled album that garnered critical attention, and frankly turned a lot of heads. Personally, I fell for them the minute I heard "Lay Down In The Tall Grass." Listen below.
Creep On Creepin' On is their fourth studio album, to be released April 5th on Arts & Crafts. Fittingly, they will be playing alongside Patrick Watson late March. May be time for a road trip to Canada...
Those estranged vocals. That playful use of horns. The unapologetic bass. A twinkling from a surely cobweb-filled upright. And all of these elements mixed to perfection in such a deceptively simple arrangement. Did you feel those 6 minutes go by, or were you busy daydreaming of overgrown cabins hidden away amid some dank and haunted marshland?
"Black Water" is a beautifully crafted piece that lives in a world of it's own, along with the rest of Timber Timbre's musical offerings. Their goosebump inducing sound engulfs the listener in a most beautifully dramatic and eerie swamp blues. Like Tom Waits or Patrick Watson, their music is darkly cinematic, conceptual, and yet unassumingly palpable. It's no wonder Taylor Kirk, (singer and multi-instrumentalist for the band) sites Bernard Herrmann as one of his key influences. Timber Timbre could easily be the soundtrack for some twisted high society zombie gathering.
These Canadians first came into the spotlight in 2009 with a self-titled album that garnered critical attention, and frankly turned a lot of heads. Personally, I fell for them the minute I heard "Lay Down In The Tall Grass." Listen below.
Creep On Creepin' On is their fourth studio album, to be released April 5th on Arts & Crafts. Fittingly, they will be playing alongside Patrick Watson late March. May be time for a road trip to Canada...
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