Cloud Nothings

Cloud Nothings, a.k.a. Dylan Baldi, has been dropping lo-fi bedroom recordings on the internet for a year or so now, and he's finally gotten around to recording an album, to be released early February next year. it's catchy, post-Jay Reatard pop punk with wistful lyrics and a gloriously lo-fi aesthetic

Understand It All will be the lead single off of the new album, presented here in glorious 320kb:

[edit] 


the po-po told me to remove the links but y'all should check em out regardless, they rule.


Understand At All - Cloud Nothings (2011) [Mediafire]

and in addition, the band's released a compilation of the various cassettes, vinyl and cd-r's that Cloud Nothings have released, here collated for ease of listening in the one .zip.

Cloud Nothings - Turning On (2010) [Mediafire]

This year's indie oeuvre was all about the beach thanks to albums from Best Coast and Wavves, among many others (including a train wreck of epic proportions from Kings of Leon...) but Cloud Nothings may have just carved out a place for the 'burbs in 2011.

later,

TAKE ME OVER (THEE LOVING HAND REMIX) - CUT COPY (2010)

I've been looking for an excuse to start this thing up again (been a few months), and i think this might merit a good post: Cut Copy's new album Zonoscope will be coming out worldwide on February 8th, but I've got an album cover, tracklisting and remix of a track ahead of time for you to get all hyped about. without further ado;

The tracklist is as follows, and in no particular order:

1. Need You Now

2. Take Me Over

3. Where I'm Going

4. Pharaohs & Pyramids

5. Blink and You'll Miss a Revolution

6. Strange Nostalgia for the Future

7. This Is All We've Got

8. Alisa

9. Hanging On To Every Heart Beat

10. Corner Of The Sky

11. Sun God

and finally, I dug up a remix by Tim Goldsworthy, co founder of the NY label Mo' Wax and co-owner (with James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem fame) of another NY label, DFA Records. He produced Cut Copy's last album, In Ghost Colours and has done production work for The Rapture, Hercules and Love Affair, and collaborated with Massive Attack on their last album, Heligoland. Here in his remix guise Thee Loving Hand, he's put together an absolute monster of warm, analog synth fuelled chaos, which, at 10 minutes long, travels through several different dance genres before climaxing and receding.

Take Me Over (Thee Loving Hand Remix) - Cut Copy [.mp3 /// MF]

later,

Buzzard - Margot & The Nuclear So and So's (2010)

Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s are a 7 piece indie rock/chamber folk outfit from Indianapolis. Buzzard is their third effort after 2008’s simultaneous double releases Animal and Not Animal on Epic Records, and 2006’s The Dust of Retreat. Buzzard represents a significant step forward for the band, a fuller, thicker yet also grungier and more appealing sound present here when compared to previous records. 

Over nearly an hour, the album is by turns wrenching, bluesy and cinematic, and shows off a certain amount of southern twang. There are moments where they sound like a more mature 78 Saab or less raucous Girls outfit. At times lo-fi and drenched in reverb, it makes me think of being a lazy drifting surfer with big dreams and but little motivation to do anything but wait around for the next swell.

There’s a certain rejection of consumerism and materialism present at times in the themes of the record: “If I could roll up my money and smoke it, I would”, as well as the ever-present standbys of love, loss and youthful apathy and anger. By and large, the vocals of Richard Edwards fit in quite well, and you can tell he is a good singer, but I do wonder what could have been if he’d stretched himself a bit more.

This is uplifting stuff, certainly, but it does lack that extra bit of oomph or zest that would make it a truly important album of this year. Foot-tapping it is, however, and I’m excited to see where next for the So and So’s.

Buzzard (2010)    [fileserve]

dogbite and freudian slips

just a few lo-fi indie finds

unfortunately bad band photo

superman (munk and rodion remix)

some more goodness from the gomma records boys with a rework of a sweet moullinex track

Superman (Munk and Rodion Remix) - Moullinex

that's all for now.

later,

more bibio

last time round, i posted a remix of a bibio song - lovers' carvings by catz n dogs, and i enjoyed it so much that i thought i'd do some research, post the original song and another more laidback remix by letherette, sounding a lot like something flying lotus might produce. i hadn't actually heard of bibio before i stumbled across the catz n dogs remix, but i definitely reckon this guy deserves big ups. he makes lo-fi indie-electronica, with elements of folk, sometimes very prominent and melodic guitars underlaid with some synthier elements, a bit of looping and sampling as well, and some drum machine work. it's largely instrumental stuff, and really quite beautiful, enjoy.











later,

summer madness

this makes me forget cloudy melbourne absolutely and completely.
what a groove.







later,

yes sir, i am a long way from home

mogwai, moguai, mogiua, whatever. post-rock, guitar-heavy instrumentals which pulse and build and build, adding layer after layer of sounds. a bit different to what i've been posting lately but simply amazing stuff.





later,

alley cats

just going to leave these here. really vibing everything today.

.

later,

holy wow!

incredible.
nuff said.

later,

EDIT: more four tet for your listening pleasure: 

Four Tet - As Serious As Your Life

Four Tet - As Serious As Your Life (Jay Dee Remix)

Four Tet - Angel Echoes (Caribou Remix)

m.i.a. - haters

sorry for the lack of activity in the last little while, i've had a bunch of assignments and an exam to contend with in the last little while. over the uni break (starting next week) a friend and i have some pretty cool plans in store, so look out for that, too. in the meantime, a bunch of M.I.A. stuff this time around - this song was released by M.I.A. in the last couple days, after a story was run in the New York Times Magazine by journalist Lynn Hirschberg which may or may not paint her in a critical light - read it for yourself and make a judgement. anyhoo, M.I.A decided she didn't like its tone, and put this out. check it out, it's pretty sweet.

M.I.A. - Haters

segueing now (is that really how you spell segue? wow.) into something else that's making big waves right now in the indie world is this album by Sleigh Bells, 'Treats'. A New York duo signed to M.I.A.'s label, they're probably one of the most refreshing acts i've heard this year, along with gonjasufi's 'a sufi and a killer', and yeasayer.

i had planned to give you Major Lazer's new mixtape collab with La Roux, but the upload was taking waaaaay too long, so i'll have it ready for y'all next time round.

later,

I remember, when I was younger, I would sit around thinking about you.

all the different stuff swirling around in my head right now, spat out onto your computer monitor
whaddya think?

Midnight Juggernauts - Vital Signs

also

The Soft Pack - Answer To Yourself

and



furthermore, some Best Coast tracks

Best Coast - Make You Mine

Best Coast - Something In The Way

Best Coast - In My Room

Best Coast - Over The Ocean

and

Black Eyes - Deformative

later,

Flight facilities

totally digging this right now

here's the download you pirate.

Flight Facilities - Crave You (Feat. Giselle)

sweet keys, sweeter voice, soft buzzing synth, total bliss.






later,

days of future past

some big things on the horizon kids.
going to ramp up the free downloads, hopefully reach a bunch of new people, and start working on a bunch of new stuff, which will hopefully approximate orgasm for your good selves. to tide you over till then, i give you devo.



later,

yacht - psychic city

love this

later

cannibal holocaust and the scourge of the redheads

just a quickie from me now, 

M.I.A, Born Free from ROMAIN-GAVRAS on Vimeo.
Romain Gavras' latest masterpiece for M.I.A.'s new track, Romain Gavras being the twisted dude behind the video clip for Justice's track stress




his videos (well, at least these two) are filmed and edited to make it seem as though the viewer is watching 'home video' footage of actual events, a style known as cinema verité. it uses a whole bunch of techniques which should be familiar to anyone who's watched funniest home videos or an unedited home videotape: abrupt cuts which jump from one scene to the next, little continuity, sometimes jumbled plot elements and scenes out of place. a whole bunch of movies have been made this way, from the blair witch project to cloverfield and Ruggero Deodato's controversial exploitation film cannibal holocaust.
its an interesting editorial choice used largely in order to increase the realism and thus impact of the images being shown; a big-budget-blockbuster-filmed-in-high-definition version of cloverfield might have reduced the mystery and sense of fear we have as viewers of the giant monster, never really given form directly on camera. 
this same element of the unknown pervades the blair witch project, the protagonists lost in a dark and forbidding forest, surrounded by a being hostile to their presence who leaves signs of being near them but again, is never fully seen on camera.
i dig this style a lot, but in terms of feature film length productions, i'm yet to see one that really captivates me. i think so far the best applications of it have been Gavras' music videos; this is probably because over a feature film length production, the style becomes unpleasant and jarring to watch, largely due to being accustomed to the slick hollywood production techniques prevalent in most films.
anyway, just another something for you to mull over this week.


later,

daydream

continuing on the new york theme of a few days ago, here's some tracks from an artist called Beach Fossils, otherwise known as Dustin Payseur. from brooklyn, his self recorded meanderings dreamily float in the back of your ears; guitar melodies weave in and out of each other, over the simple, pop drums and his washed out, lo-fi voice. pretty, rainy day music, for teenage girls and weedy indie boys alike.

Beach Fossils - Daydream EP [RapidShare]

later,

more garage than tool shed

some new york garage/indie goodness... seems like every second band is from there right now


Bed Island - Christmas Island


Able To - Eternal Summers


and the vid





also, ive recently been turned onto a little band by the name of rat vs possum by a friend of mine, they've been gigging around melbourne town a fair bit recently, played sandcastles earlier in the year, they had a residency at the closed-then-opened-again-as-if-anyone-saw-that-coming tote and are playing at rats @ the colonial hotel on saturday 24th april. get down if you like subsequent vids. they also have an album out on sensory projects which can be bought here. it comes highly recommended by myself and lauren.

vid quality is barely listenable but come check em out i spose hey.

later,

breaking the fast

having been spurred back onto the blogosphere after my extended hiatus, i thought it best to dedicate this post to a bit of a mishmash of things, as i have a lot of stuff swirling around my head right now, music- and culture-wise.

first stop this time round.. the new scissor sisters' song. now, i know what you're thinking: scissor sisters? awesome? not in the same blawg, dawg! but just have a listen to this. there are many cool aspects to it, not least the deep 5am techno dancefloor vibe, a big big big improvement on the cheese factory that was i don't feel like dancing, but the capper really... is that gandalf is in it. thats right, ladies and gents. gandalf. or at least the actor who plays him, Ian McKellen, doing a spoken word part that is eerily reminiscent of that deep foreboding incantation of Michael Jackson's thriller. yeah, Jake Shears can't resist a bit of cheesy vocal trill every now and then, but on the whole, i really dig this song.

for those with no interest besides Ian McKellen, his part starts at 4 mins in.
glitter EVERYWHERE.

moving right along with something a little more subdued, and definitely more local, is something you may or may not have heard, from melbourne/perth noise-rock GODS, the drones. far and away my favourite band of all time, i came across their second album wait long by the river and the bodies of your enemies will float by not so long ago, and i'm still digging its psych-rock, noise, fat drums and, as in every drones record, Liddiard's trademark haggard drawl, leering and affronted. wait long wanders more than other drones records, like the loosely focussed havilah (2008) and gala mill (2006), but it is still very recognisably the drones. heaving guitars and thundering bass intertwine with Liddiard's frenetic and wrenching leads and vocals. shark fin blues and you really don't care are standout tracks, but i simply can't pick a favourite. If you like rollicking, loud, swaggering and bluesy rock'n'roll, and something a little less harmonic, more dissonant and noisy, or even a touch of twang every now and then, check this album out.

final thoughts: are we living in a similar cultural epoch to melbourne in the 70's, or indeed at any time in the past? are we part of some landmark cultural event, but we just don't know it yet? maybe the ageing rockers of the pub rock explosion in melbourne's nightlife can see it now, but maybe 30 or 40 years time we will look back, ageing rockers as we will no doubt be, and talk with similar nostalgia to our grandkids about what we did and what we saw every weekend...

later

hello.

this is new.

i have fallen for apples.

that's all i have for now.

Antlers - Two

courtesy my in-the-field reporter/vagabond/other adjective-laced metaphor, Steph.



later,

,

blogosphere stuffed with pretentious wankery.

eek

gameboy gamegirl are BACK. so fucking excited i think a little high pitched squeal is not far off at all.

hit by a bomb

turn your headphones/speakers down before listening. I don't care how low they already are, this'll hurt. specially after 3 mins. it's worth it.



Later,

stick up for yourself son

later,