Sunny Sound Box

Tons of joy with "Little Joy"

2010-12-06T23:11:00.000-08:00

I came across Little Joy in 2008 as they released their self-titled freshman classic. However, at the time I was accumulating such an abundance of music that I didn't dedicate much time to really listening. Jump forward a year to 2009. We were at Coachella watching Devendra Banhart. He had this great guitar player with him. I was strangely drawn to the guys stage presence, voice and perfect chops. It was almost like I enjoyed his contribution to the show more than Devendra. Later on in their set Devendra introduced his band and I found out that it was Rodrigo Amarante of Los Hermanos playing guitar alongside Noah Georgeson. They then performed "Keep me in mind." Everybody in the tent danced like puppets to that sound of rock and roll that has roots in the 60's and leaves made of new age indie pop. At the time I thought the song to be written by "Los Hermanos" yet I could never find it, nor could I hear the title of the song when they performed it. Anyhow, a few weeks ago I thought I would listen to "Little Joy," I had the time to finally really give the album a thorough listen. To my surprise I ran across "Keep me in mind!" I about lost my mind. I have probably listened to that song about 100 times since then.

Doing a little background research I found out that "Little Joy" is made up of "Los Hermanos" front man Rodrigo Amarante, The Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti and multi-instrumentalist Binki Shapiro.
One thing I have always known about "Little Joy," is that their music supersedes barriers or genres, as each songs is unique in some way, yet you hear the similarities all at the same time. I can completely get lost in their music. This is such a great album that it is steadily moving up in rank of my all time favorites PERIOD. Give it a week or two........

Info: (Wikipedia)
Little Joy is a Brazilian/American rock band formed in 2007 by Los Hermanos singer/guitarist Rodrigo Amarante, The Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti and Binki Shapiro. Amarante and Moretti met in 2006, at a festival in Lisbon where both their bands were performing, and the idea came up to start a new musical project unrelated to their respective bands. In 2007, with Los Hermanos on hiatus "for an undetermined amount of time"^[1], Amarante travelled to Los Angeles to collaborate with Devendra Banhart on his Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon album. He and Moretti met during recording breaks and talked about "anything but music." Through mutual acquaintances, they met multi-instrumentalist Binki Shapiro, who encouraged the pair to work on a few songs Moretti had begun writing. The band then moved into a house in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles to write more original music and record some demos. The band was christened "Little Joy" after a cocktail lounge not far from their house. Their eponymous debut album was recorded with the help of producer Noah Georgeson and engineer Beau Raymond, whom Amarante met during his sessions with Devendra Banhart. It was released by Rough Trade Records on November 4, 2008, and was hailed by Pitchfork Media as "one of the sweetest, most listenable, consistently enjoyable records of the season." ^[2] Their debut album was given four stars by Rolling Stone magazine and Nick Hornby^[3] voted it his favourite album of 2008.

Listen
*Support great music. If you like it BUY IT!

Purple Panda Project

2010-11-16T21:22:00.000-08:00

Here's a great demo track from local duo "Purple Panda Project." Give it a shot and you are sure to thoroughly enjoy this tune... Definitely something new and worth the listen. If you have any info on these guys, please feel free to inform me...

Purple Panda Project- Ode to The Bright Red Heart by Purple Panda Project

Saturday Looks Good To me

2010-11-09T13:02:00.000-08:00

Two Reasons you should be listening to them!

Info:(wikipedia)
Saturday Looks Good to Me is an experimental indie pop band. The group is led by singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Fred Thomas (former member of His Name Is Alive, Lovesick, Flashpapr). Through Fred Thomas, the group's major songwriter, the group creates intricate soundscapes which hearken back to Detroit soul.

The band built up a considerable following on the back of the indie pop albums All Your Summer Songs and the more polished Every Night. Every Night introduced new singer Betty Marie Barnes who became the nearest to a permanent female singer that the band ever had.

By 2007, Barnes had semi-left the band and Thomas took over as the band's sole front person. SLGTM's music also changed and the resulting "Fill Up The Room" album was more adventurous both lyrically and musically than the bands previous two albums (especially on the 6 minute 48 second pop odyssey of "When I Lose My Eyes").

Following another European tour in 2008, Thomas put the band on ice to concentrate on other projects.

Albums

* Saturday Looks Good to Me (Here Forever Always May 18, 2000)
* Cruel August Moon (Little Hands 2001)
* Love Will Find You (Whistletap 2002)
* All Your Summer Songs (Polyvinyl May 18, 2003)
* Every Night (Polyvinyl September 14, 2004)
* Sound on Sound (Redder Records 2006)
* Fill Up the Room (K Records 2007)
* Fill Up the Room (How Does It Feel To Be Loved 2007) UK version contained exclusive sleeve notes & bonus tracks (No Reaction & No Reception

Minor releases:

* Cassingle Series #3 (Sanitary Records, April 2006)
* The Girl Is Distracted 7" record
* Green Mansions (limited tour EP)
* Money in the Afterlife b/w All the Sidewalk Birds 7" (Ernest Jenning Record Co.) - February, 20 2007)
* Cold Colors EP (Polyvinyl - July, 24 2007)
* Dianne Falling Off Her Horse b/w Springtime Judgment 7" (Ernest Jenning Record Co.) - July, 8 2008)

Jonsi- Go (2010)

2010-11-09T09:41:00.000-08:00

      Although it has been many moons since my last post, I return with a special treat that is too incredible to keep to myself. Probably the best album of 2010, Jonsi returns with a solo venture to reach inside our souls one more time and take our minds on his journey through the depths of his Icelandic inspired songwriting and folklore reenactments. Every song on here touches me in some extremely important way! I urge you to give it a listen and support this intertwining of electronic and acoustic bliss...

Info: (taken from http://jonsi.com/go)

"Go" contains nine songs amassed from the large pool of songs written by jónsi during his many years with sigur rós. the album is sung in english and icelandic, and was co-produced by jónsi, his partner alex somers and peter katis (the national, interpol).

when he began working on go, jónsi initially thought he would be making a low-key, acoustic album until, as he says, “somewhere along the line, it just sort of exploded.” that explosion resulted in sheer aural fireworks. not a straight ahead pop record, nor rock, folk, ambient or electronic, it encompasses all of these to create an expansive musical palette that’s been brought to life by jónsi alongside a number of free-spirited collaborators.

chief among these is nico muhly, the philip glass protégé who is renowned for his work with björk, antony & the johnsons, bonnie “prince” billy and grizzly bear. muhly has arranged all the songs on go, bringing strings, brass and woodwind to dance playfully alongside his offbeat piano playing. add into the mix the percussive genius of samuli kosminen, whose original drumming powers many of the songs along, and you have a sonic landscape that bears little relation to anything else around today, yet explodes from the speakers with sheer happiness and wonder, wide-eyed and eager to be heard.

Listen

TITA LIMA RECORD RELEASE PART!!!!! SUNDAY JULY 11TH

2010-06-14T02:02:00.000-07:00

Tita Lima - 11:11

2010-05-20T10:46:00.000-07:00

Today I bring you none other than Brasil's very own Tita Lima... A great friend and great musician playing everything from keys, to the Cazoo.. This album is a must to check out.. Enjoy..

Info:
A modern-day Tropicalista, singer-songwriter Tita Lima was born into a family of musicians (her father was the bass player for 70s rock band Os Mutantes). She paid her dues in Sao Paulo's musical scene playing bass, singing and sharing the stage with widely-recognized artists such as Bocato (Metalurgia, Elis Regina, Gal Costa, Maria Rita), Joao Donato, Luz de Caroline.

Tita Lima now delivers a fascinating debut album, entitled ‘11:11’ consisting of eleven melodious, relaxing songs that hover somewhere between acoustic soul, dubby electronica, samba-jazz and spaced-out hip-hop/folk. With a little help by distinguished musicians and producers including Apollo Nove (Otto, Cibelle), André Caccia Bava, Kassin, Beto Cascales (Alberto López), Bryan Velasco and Quincas Moreira, ‘11:11’ sees life given to the mélange of influences and curiosities of Tita Lima.

The sultry vocalist’s music has become a favorite among DJs in Brazil, the US and Europe, including Rafael Moraes, Garth Trinidad (KCRW) and Gilles Peterson, who included the song "A Conta Do Samba" in his superb compilation ‘Brownswood Bubblers.’ Sophisticated and subtle, songs like " Flutuando" and "Catatonica" are perfect accompaniments to warm up the short winter days for those living in the Northern hemisphere. Simply indulge in the Tita Lima groove.
Tita Lima Official Website | Tita Lima MySpace Page

Suddenly Spring. Listen Close...

2010-05-05T00:33:00.000-07:00

It's been a minute since I've posted something really thought out. Life has kept me on the go and I've had little time to blog. Although I haven't had much time to blog, the music has been flowing out of my finger tips. I habitually create new tunes as part of my daily meditation, it's what keeps me somewhat centered.
Moving on, I can't help but share this gem I've been sitting on for years. Royksopp is one of the greatest groups born in this electronic era. I am extremely picky about Electronic music, and I must say that this album is like some Wonka chocolate. So hit the listen link, grab a glass of milk and enjoy this rich electronic stereo duo. A must in every taste makers crate!

Info:
Röyksopp (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈɾøʏksɔp]) are a Grammy nominated [1] Norwegian electronic music duo from Tromsø, composed of Torbjørn Brundtland and Svein Berge. The group formed officially in 1998 and released their debut album Melody A.M. on Wall of Sound in 2001.

The word Röyksopp is a stylized version of the Norwegian word for the puffball mushroom, "røyksopp" or literally, "smoke mushroom".

History

Brundtland and Berge were schoolmates in their hometown of Tromsø, experimenting with electronic instruments in the early 1990s, being a part of the Tromsø techno scene. They were members of various electro acts in their youth, such as Aedena Cycle, Alanïa and Drum Island. Their childhood in Tromsø and the spectacular northern Norwegian scenery have often been mentioned[2][3][4][5] as one of their most important inspirations. However, the duo did not appear as Röyksopp until years later when they met again in Bergen. The city had now overtaken Tromsø's position as the most vital scene for underground electronic music in Norway, and Röyksopp worked with other Norwegian musicians such as Frost, Kings of Convenience’s guitarist/singer Erlend Øye and Bjørn Torske in what was called the Bergen Wave.

Röyksopp's first singles were released by local independent label Tellé, and their album Melody A.M. on British label Wall of Sound. It spawned the single "Eple", one of the group's most known tracks,[citation needed] along with "Poor Leno", "Remind Me" and "Sparks". Eple (IPA: [ˈɛplə]) means "apple" in Norwegian. Their single "Eple" was used by Apple Inc. as the music for the startup video for Mac OS X 10.3

The popularity of the duo’s music was boosted by several graphically experimental music videos. One of them, an infographic-styled video by French company H5 for the track "Remind Me", won the 2002 MTV Europe Music Award for best music video. In this same event the duo was nominated in three more categories: "Best Nordic Act", "Best New Artist" and "Best Dance Act", but only won the award for best video. The duo performed the song "Poor Leno"[6] at the event. One year later the duo received a nomination to Brit Awards, the most prestigious British music award in the category "Best Group", though without winning it.

Röyksopp's second studio album The Understanding was released in 12 July 2005, preceded by the single “Only This Moment” in 27 June, 2005. The video “Only This Moment” is closely based on the events of the Paris 1968 riots[citation needed] and elements of propaganda are found throughout the video clip. The album's second single, “49 Percent”, was released on 26 September, 2005. A third single, "What Else Is There?", reached #1 on the British Dance Chart.

In 2006, Röyksopp released a nine-track live album, called Röyksopp's Night Out. The album contains a new dance version of their single “Sparks” and a reinterpretation of the song “Go with the Flow”, originally by Queens of the Stone Age.
Röyksopp performing at Fuji Rock, Niigata, Japan, in 2005

In 2007, Röyksopp compiled their favourite tracks by other artists for the Back to Mine series. The album was released in the US on March 5 2007 and in the UK on April 27 2007. The album also includes their own track “Meatball”, released under the pseudonym “Emmanuel Splice”, which is actually a remix version of Mike Oldfield's “North Star/Platinum Finale” from the album Platinum. This year Svein Berge also contributed as a board member for the celebration of the Grieg year, as Norway celebrated their famous composer Edvard Grieg[7].

Röyksopp's website was changed to coincide with their 10th birthday. They released a new track “Happy Birthday” for free on 15 December 2008 to celebrate this event, in both MP3 and WAV formats.

On March 23, 2009, Röyksopp's third studio album Junior was released, which features the single "Happy Up Here". The song debuted on BBC Radio 1's Pete Tong show on 9 Jan 2009. It was officially released digitally on January 18, 2009 and was released physically on 9 March 2009. The music video features elements from the arcade game Space Invaders. Both the single and the video were met with positive reactions from the press and fans.[8][9][10][11] Junior will be followed by an album Senior, a counterpart to Junior, which is quiet, "withdrawn and introspective" and "create an atmosphere and an ambience".[12][13] The album will be released during spring/summer 2010.

"The Girl and the Robot", the second single from the album Junior including vocals from Swedish singer Robyn, was released on June 15 2009 in Europe, June 16 in America and on June 29 in the UK, with remixes from Kris Menace, Chateau Marmont and Spencer & Hill. "This Must Be It" is the third single from the album, including vocals from Swedish singer Karin Dreijer Andersson of The Knife and Fever Ray. The single also featuring remixes by Thin White Duke, LehtMoJoe, Rex the Dog and Apparat, among others. The band has also released "Tricky Tricky" stems as part of the remix competition. The winning entries were released on October 27, 2009.[14]

The tracks "What Else Is There?" and "Eple" were chosen among the top 500 tracks of the decade by Pitchfork Media. They were placed in respectively 375th and 336th place [15]. Another track written by Röyksopp, Annie's "Heartbeat" was placed 17th on the same list [16]. On November 24th 2009, Melody A.M. was named the best Norwegian album of the decade by Norways largest newspaper, VG[17]. The Understanding came 5th on the same list. The song "Eple" was placed 3rd in the selection of the top 10 Norwegian tracks of the decade[18]. "What Else Is There?" came 6th.

A number of Röyksopp tracks have been used in commercials or as background music in television programs and films.

* The song "Eple" (literally "apple" in Norwegian) was licensed by Apple for use as the welcome music to the company’s Mac OS X Panther operating system, playing the first time a user booted a new Mac.[19] It was also used as the music for the title sequence for BBC World’s Click Online (now Click) and as background music during DJ talk on Virgin Radio.
* Röyksopp's first single "So Easy", originally released on the Tellé label before their commercial breakthrough, became popular in the UK after it was used in a T-Mobile advertisement. The song was re-released as a single in the UK, combined with "Remind Me".
* "Remind Me", one of the two Röyksopp and Erlend Øye collaborations found on Melody A.M., can be heard in a Geico car insurance commercial in the U.S. The commercial is the fourth of the "It's so easy a caveman could do it" ads, and features said caveman riding a moving sidewalk in an airport terminal when he comes across a poster displaying the inflammatory ad campaign.
* Röyksopp's sixth single, "Only This Moment" was featured in the film "Just My Luck" starring Lindsay Lohan and Chris Pine.
* Two of their songs were used in the EA Sports football video game franchise FIFA. "Follow My Ruin" was used in FIFA 06. "It's What I Want" is used in the soundtrack for FIFA 10.
* The tune of "Happy Up Here" is played in the co-sponsored-by ads on VH1 India.
* The hit song "What Else Is There?" was featured during a scene in the 2007 American film, "Meet Bill" Starring Aaron Eckhart. It was also used during the end credits of the 2006 film "Cashback".
* 'Circuit Breaker' off 'The Understanding' was in the 2007 soundboard film Picture This - Mack Dawg Productions.

Awards
at the 2005 Glastonbury Festival

2001

* Spellemannprisen (the Norwegian equivalent to the Grammy)
o Best Music Video - (for "Eple")
o Best Electronic Album - (for "Melody A.M.")

2002

* Spellemannprisen
o Best Music Video - (for "Remind Me")
o Spellemann Special Award
* MTV Europe Music Awards
o Best Music Video - (for "Remind Me")
* Alarmprisen
o Best Pop - (for "Melody A.M.")
o Best House/Techno - (for "Melody A.M.")
o Best Music - (for "Eple")

2003

* Brit Awards
o Best International Group (Nominated)

2005

* Spellemannprisen
o Best Pop Group

2006

* Alarmprisen
o Best Club - (for "The Understanding")

2010

* Spellemannprisen
o Best Composer (for "Junior")
o Best Electronic Album (for "Junior")

Discography
Main article: Röyksopp discography

* Melody A.M. (2001)
* The Understanding (2005)
* Junior (2009)
* Senior (2010)

Tracklisting:
1. So Easy
2. Eple
3. Sparks
4. In Space
5. Poor Leno
6. A Higher Place
7. Royksopp's Night Out
8. Remind Me
9. She's So
10. 40 Years Back/Come

Listen

Some Recent Updates.... ENJOY!

2010-04-12T22:51:00.001-07:00

Latest tracks by b.mark

Múm- Sing Along to Songs You Don't Know

2009-11-19T23:12:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful day it was today... The Sun(Sol!) is a reminder to keep your head up... Another day with Sun is another day won! Be thankful for being able to breathe.. Life is one long song of chaos and order. Balance it out and experiment as much as possible! Which leads me to the icing on the cake, Múm. A fantastic Icelandic experimental pop group! Some great electronic music with the right amount of vocals and ear vitamins... Give it a listen... Let me know what you think...

Info:
múm (pronounced [muːm], moom) are an experimental Icelandic musical group whose music is characterized by soft vocals, electronic glitch beats and effects, and a variety of traditional and unconventional instruments.

The band was formed in 1997 by original members Gunnar Örn Tynes and Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason, who were joined a year later by twin sisters Gyða and Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir. According to Kristín, the band's name was not intended to mean anything. In 2002, after the first American tour, Gyða left the band to return to her studies in Reykjavík. Shortly after Gyða left, Ásthildur Valtýsdóttir joined for singing duties and Serena Tideman replaced Gyða on cello, for a European tour. Then the ensemble evolved to include Ólöf Arnalds and Hildur Guðnadóttir. In early 2006, Kristín also left the band, although it was not officially announced until November 23 of that year.[1]

Despite the departure of some of its members múm has remained together as a collective of musicians. Their fourth album, recorded during 2006, was released on 24 September 2007, entitled Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy.

In November 2007, múm toured the East Coast of the US with German musician, Hauschka. They returned in Spring 2008 with the same set list. Both tours included songs from their latest album, Go, Go Smear the Poison Ivy.

On 27 August 2008, múm announced on their official website that "múm is quietly but surely [working on] their new album. No release date has been etched in stone, but every day will bring it closer." múm also released several pictures of themselves during the recording process on their My Space page.

On 22 May 2009, during a concert in Burgos, Spain, múm played songs from their newest album Sing Along to Songs You Don't Know. It was released as a download through Gogoyoko on 17 August 2009, and on CD on 24 August 2009.

Albums:
Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today Is OK (TMT, 2000; reissue Morr Music, 2005)
Finally We Are No One (Fat Cat Records, 2002)
Loksins erum við engin (Smekkleysa Records, 2002) — the Icelandic version of "Finally We Are No One"
Summer Make Good (Fat Cat Records, 2004)
Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy (Fat Cat Records, 2007)
Sing Along to Songs You Don't Know (Morr Music, 2009)

Compilations:
Blái Hnötturinn (2001) — Soundtrack
Motorlab #2 (2001) — 3 tracks contributed to compilation album by Kitchen Motors
Please Smile My Noise Bleed (Morr Music, 2001) — 3 New Tracks + Remixes
Remixed (TMT, 2001) — Versions of Yesterday Was Dramatic - Today Is Ok
Fálkar (Smekkleysa Records, 2002) — contributed "Grasi Vaxin Göng"
Wicker Park (soundtrack) (Lakeshore Records, 2004) — contributed "We Have a Map of the Piano"
Screaming Masterpiece (2005) — Appeared in the documentary with the video for "Green Grass of Tunnel" and contributed the same song to the soundtrack.
Friends of the Random Summer (2005) — 3 CD, Unofficial Release.
Kitchen Motors Family Album/Fjölskyldualbúm Tilraunaeldhússins (Spring 2006) — contributed "Asleep in a Hiding Place"

EPs:
The Ballað of the Broken Birdie Records (TMT, 2000)
Dusk Log (Fat Cat Records, 2004)
The Peel Session (Fat Cat Records, 2006) (Maida Vale 4 Studio 2002)

Singles:
"Green Grass of Tunnel" (Fat Cat Records, 2002)
"Nightly Cares" (Fat Cat Records, 2004)
"They Made Frogs Smoke 'til They Exploded" (Fat Cat Records, 2007)
"Marmalade Fires" (Fat Cat Records, 2007)

Tracklisting:
01.I Were a Fish – 4:16
02.Sing Along – 5:39
03.Prophecies and Reversed Memories – 4:06
04.A River Don't Stop to Breathe – 4:45
05.The Smell of Today Is Sweet Like Breastmilk in the Wind – 4:47
06.Show Me – 3:45
07.Húllabbalabbalúú – 3:27
08.Blow Your Nose – 4:07
09.Kay-Ray-Kú-Kú-Kó-Kex – 3:57
10.The Last Shapes of Never – 2:27
12.Illuminated – 4:09
13.Ladies of the New Century – 3:45

Listen

The Octopus Project- Golden Beds & Hello Avalanche

2009-11-02T17:34:00.000-08:00

It's been some time since my last post... I really only like to post albums, I can't help but share. These two albums really take me somewhere else.. It's like the Octopus Project had disected part of my brain and maid some music! Perhaps, some of the best music I've heard all year..

Info:
The Octopus Project is an American indietronica band based in Austin, Texas. Its unique sound, blending pop and experimental elements, is a combination of digital and electronic sounds and noises (including drum machine, keyboard, synthesizers and other devices) and analog equipment (including guitars and live drums). Its music is mostly instrumental.

On April 30, 2006, the band played the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. They were offered the opportunity after a fan, unbeknownst to the band, entered them in a contest held by the festival on MySpace in which voters were to "nominate their favorite band for an open slot at the festival".[1][2]

In 2007, the Octopus Project supported underground hip-hop star Aesop Rock on his national tour.

Members
All members are known to switch instruments live (for instance, Josh Lambert playing drums while Toto Miranda plays guitar, or Yvonne Lambert playing guitar while Josh Lambert operates the electronics), but each member can be said to play a primary instrument.

Josh Lambert: guitar, bass, keyboards
Toto Miranda: drums, guitar, bass
Yvonne Lambert: samplers, keyboards, theremin, glockenspiel, guitar
Ryan Figg: guitar, bass, keyboards
[edit] Discography

Ryan Figg and Josh Lambert exchange guitars in the midst of a song in San Francisco, August 2008.[edit] Albums
Identification Parade (2002)
One Ten Hundred Thousand Million (2005)
Hello, Avalanche (2007)
[edit] Splits, remixes, singles and EPs
Christmas on Mars (EP, Soda Pop Productions, 1999)
Black Octopus Lipstick Project Foam Party (Peek-A-Boo Records, 2004)
The House of Apples and Eyeballs (Collaboration with Black Moth Super Rainbow, Graveface Records, 2006)
Wet Gold/Moon Boil (7" Peek-a-Boo records, 2007)
Golden Beds (EP, Peek-A-Boo Records, 2009)

Listen

Help Me Name The New EP And Win Some Prizes!!!

2009-10-18T19:01:00.000-07:00

A few tunes from the forthcoming album, that has yet to be named. The person to come up with the best title will win a copy of the album and a Thought Clouds Music pack, containing the full catalog.(MP3 Versions)
Please submit all ideas to b.mark@thoughtclouds.net
Submissions due by October 31st

Help Me Name The New Album And Win Some Prizes!!! by b.mark

Some Sketches and Designs...

2009-09-26T17:18:00.001-07:00

Taken By Trees- East of Eden (2009)

2009-09-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

Taken by Trees is the solo project of Victoria Bergsman, former lead singer for The Concretes. The act's debut album, Open Field, was released on June 18, 2007. Four demo songs ("Tell Me", "Too Young", "Lost and Found" and "Hours Pass Like Centuries") had previously been recorded under the production of Björn Yttling (of Peter Bjorn and John) and were available on the band's official website beginning September 13, 2006. The second Taken by Trees album, East of Eden, was available for streaming on Drowned in Sound, and was released on September 7th, 2009 in the U.K., and the next day in the U.S.

This album is by far one of the best, if not the best, album that has come out this year. With a cover of the famed Animal Collective track "My Girls," Victoria Bergsman sings her rendition entitled "My Boys." An absolutely incredible tune. This album is like going to india and making some indie pop. Pure Genius! Please enjoy.

1. To Lose Someone 4:46
2. Anna 4:25
3. Watch The Waves 4:24
4. Greyest Love Of All 3:41
5. Tidens Gång 1:45
6. Wapas Karna 2:36
7. My Boys 3:11
8. Day By Day 3:25
9. Bekännelse 4:20

Listen

Max Romeo Vs. Chase

2009-09-18T19:01:00.000-07:00

Ridiculous dub by the almighty "Chase." All the d'n'b dj's must have this single!

The Best of Chet Baker Sings

2009-09-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a while and I'd like to make up for that by giving you guys one of my all time favorite albums... Chet Baker is probably the greatest, and my favorite voice of the early Jazz era. Here's some info on the man himself...

Info:
Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (born Yale, Oklahoma, December 23, 1929 - died Amsterdam, Netherlands May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhorn player and singer.

Specializing in relaxed, even melancholy music, Baker rose to prominence as a leading name in cool jazz in the 1950s. Baker's good looks and smoldering, intimate singing voice established him as a promising name in pop music as well. But his success was badly hampered by drug addiction, particularly in the 1960s, when he was imprisoned.

He died in 1988 after falling from a hotel window

Early days
Baker was born and raised in a musical household in Yale, Oklahoma; his father was a professional guitar player. Baker began his musical career singing in a church choir. His father introduced him to brass instruments with a trombone, which was replaced with a trumpet when the trombone proved too large for him.

Baker received some musical education at Glendale Junior High School, but left school at age 16 in 1946 to join the United States Army. He was posted to Berlin where he joined the 298th Army band. Leaving the army in 1948, he studied theory and harmony at El Camino College in Los Angeles. He dropped out in his second year, and re-enlisted in the army in 1950. Baker once again obtained a discharge from the army to pursue a career as a professional musician. Baker became a member of the Sixth Army Band at the Presidio in San Francisco, but was soon spending time in San Francisco jazz clubs such as Bop City and the Black Hawk.

[edit] Career breakthrough
Baker's earliest notable professional gigs were with saxophonist Vido Musso's band, and also with tenor saxophonist Stan Getz, though he earned much more renown in 1952 when he was chosen by Charlie Parker to play with him for a series of West Coast engagements.[3]

In 1952, Baker joined the Gerry Mulligan Quartet, which was an instant phenomenon. Several things made the Mulligan/Baker group special, the most prominent being the interplay between Mulligan's baritone sax and Baker's trumpet. Rather than playing identical melody lines in unison like bebop giants Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, the two would complement each other's playing with contrapuntal touches, and it often seemed as if they had telepathy in anticipating what the other was going to play next. The Quartet's version of "My Funny Valentine", featuring a memorable Baker solo, was a major hit, and became a song with which Baker was intimately associated.

The Quartet found success quickly, but lasted less than a year because of Mulligan's arrest and imprisonment on drug charges. In 1953, Pacific Jazz released Chet Baker Sings, a record that increased his profile but alienated traditional jazz fans; he would continue to sing throughout his career. Baker formed quartets with Russ Freeman in 1953-54 with bassists Carson Smith, Joe Mondragon, and Jimmy Bond and drummers Shelly Manne, Larry Bunker, and Bob Neel. The quartet was successful in their three live sets in 1954. In that year, Baker won the Downbeat Jazz Poll. Because of his chiseled features, Hollywood studios approached Baker and he made his acting debut in the film Hell's Horizon, released in the fall of 1955. He declined an offer of a studio contract, preferring life on the road as a musician. Over the next few years, Baker fronted his own combos, including a 1955 quintet featuring Francy Boland, where Baker combined playing trumpet and singing. He became an icon of the West Coast "cool school" of jazz, helped by his good looks and singing talent. Baker's 1956 release, The Route, with Art Pepper helped further the West Coast jazz sound and became a staple of cool jazz.

[edit] Drug addiction and professional decline
A heroin user since the 1950s, the effects of drug addiction eventually caught up with Baker, and his musical career declined as a result. Baker would pawn his instruments for money to maintain his drug habit. In the early 1960s, he served more than a year in prison in Italy on drug charges, and was later expelled from both West Germany and England for drug-related offenses. Baker was eventually deported from West Germany to the United States after running afoul of the law there a second time. He settled in Milpitas in northern California where he was active in San Jose and San Francisco between short jail terms served for prescription fraud.[2]

In 1966, Baker was severely beaten (allegedly while attempting to buy drugs) after a gig in San Francisco, sustaining severe cuts on the lips and broken front teeth, which ruined his embouchure. Accounts of the incident vary, largely because of Baker's lack of reliable testimony on the matter. It has also been suggested that the story is a fabrication altogether, and that Baker's teeth had just rotted due to heavy substance abuse -- two missing teeth can be clearly seen in a 1964 performance in Belgium, Chet Baker: Live in 64 and 79, suggesting this is indeed the case. From that time he had to learn to play with dentures.

Between 1966 and 1974, Baker mostly played flugelhorn and recorded music that could mostly be classified as early smooth jazz or mood music.[2]

[edit] Comeback and later career
After developing a new embouchure due to his dentures, Baker returned to the straight-ahead jazz that began his career, relocating to New York City and began performing and recording again, notably with guitarist Jim Hall. Later in the seventies, Baker returned to Europe where he was assisted by his friend Diane Vavra who took care of his personal needs and otherwise helped him during his recording and performance dates.

From 1978 until his death, Baker resided and played almost exclusively in Europe, returning to the USA roughly once per year for a few performance dates.

From 1978 to 1988 was Baker's most prolific era as a recording artist. However, as his extensive output is strewn across numerous, mostly small European labels, none of these recordings ever reached a wider audience, even though many of them were well-received by critics, who maintain that this was probably Baker's most mature and most rewarding phase. Of particular importance are Baker's quartet featuring the pianist Phil Markowitz (1978-80) and his trio with guitarist Philip Catherine and bassist Jean-Louis Rassinfosse (1983-85).

In 1983, British singer Elvis Costello, a longtime fan of Baker, hired the trumpeter to play a solo on his song "Shipbuilding", from the album Punch the Clock. The song was a top 40 hit in the UK, and exposed a new audience to Baker's music. Later, Baker would often feature Costello's song "Almost Blue" (inspired by Baker's version of "The Thrill Is Gone") in his live sets, and recorded the song on Let's Get Lost (film).

The video material recorded by Japanese television during Baker's 1987 tour in Japan showed a man whose face looked much older than he was; however, his trumpet playing was alert, lively and inspired. Fans and critics alike agree that the live album Chet Baker in Tokyo, recorded less than a year before his death and released posthumously, ranks among Baker's very best. "Silent Nights", another critically acclaimed release, and Baker's only recording of Christmas music, was recorded with Christopher Mason in New Orleans in 1986 and released in 1987.

Chet Baker's compositions included "Chetty's Lullaby", "Early Morning Mood", "Two a Day", "So Che Ti Perdero", "Il Mio Domani", "Motivo Su Raggio Di Luna", "The Route", "Freeway", "Blue Gilles", "Dessert", and "Anticipated Blues".

[edit] Death
At about 3:00 am on May 13, 1988, Baker was found dead on Prins Hendrikkade, near Zeedijk, on the street below his second-story room at the Prins Hendrik Hotel in Amsterdam, Netherlands, with serious wounds to his head. Heroin and cocaine were found in his hotel room, and an autopsy also found these drugs in his body. There was no evidence of a struggle, and the death was ruled an accident.

Baker's body was brought home for interment in the Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California. A plaque outside the hotel now memorializes him.

[edit] Legacy
Jeroen de Valk has written a biography of Baker which is available in several languages: Chet Baker: His Life and Music is the English translation, Chet Baker: Herinneringen aan een lyrisch trompettist (remembrance of a lyrical trumpet player) is the Dutch edition (updated and expanded in 2007),[4] and it is also published in Japan and Germany. James Gavin has also written a biography: Deep In A Dream — The Long Night of Chet Baker.

Baker's own "lost memoirs" are available in the book As Though I Had Wings, which includes an introduction by Carol Baker.[2]

Geoff Dyer's book But Beautiful: A Book About Jazz has a chapter which deals with Baker.

Baker was immortalized by the photographer William Claxton in his book Young Chet: The Young Chet Baker. An Academy Award-nominated 1988 documentary about Baker, Let's Get Lost, portrays him as a cultural icon of the 1950s, but juxtaposes this with his later image as a drug addict. The film, directed by fashion photographer Bruce Weber, was shot in black-and-white and includes a series of interviews with friends, family (including his three children by third wife Carol Baker), associates and lovers, interspersed with film from Baker's earlier life, and with interviews with Baker from his last years.

Time after Time: The Chet Baker Project, written by playwright James O'Reilly, toured Canada in 2001 to much acclaim.[5]

The musical play Chet Baker - Speedball, explores aspects of his life and music, and was premiered in London at the Oval House Theatre in February 2007, with further development of the script and performances leading to its revival at the 606 Club in the London Jazz Festival of November 2007.

Baker was reportedly the inspiration for the character Chad Bixby, played by Robert Wagner in the 1960 film All the Fine Young Cannibals. Another film, to be titled Prince of Cool, about Baker's life, was cancelled as of January 2008.[6]

The song "Chet Baker's Unsung Swansong" appears on the American folk singer David Wilcox's 1991 album Home Again.

Listen

Wolf Parade- Apologies to the Queen Mary (2005)

2009-06-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

I try not to relate music and my personal life... I've ruined too many great songs by attaching personal feelings for another person to a song... I'm extremely reluctant to say "this is our song," and yet i must admit that "this album is our album..." Love conquers all... Stay agile in your movement in life and keep forth on your journey to find inner peace...
-Stan Freeberg

Info on Wolf Parade:

Wolf Parade began in April 2003, when former Frog Eyes member Spencer Krug was offered a gig by Grenadine Records' Alex Megelas. With only a 3-week deadline to form a band, Krug contacted a fellow Canadian guitarist Dan Boeckner (formerly of British Columbia band Atlas Strategic) and began writing songs in Krug's apartment.[1] Initially using a drum machine for their rhythm section played through computer speakers, Krug later invited Arlen Thompson to the lineup as the drummer;[2] however, the newly formed trio rehearsed as a full band only the day before their first show.[2] During the tour, Wolf Parade recorded and released their self-titled debut EP (referred to as the 4 Song EP).

In September 2003,[3] Hadji Bakara joined Wolf Parade, contributing his synthesizer and sound manipulation skills to the lineup.[1] By the summer of 2004 the band released its second independent, self-titled EP, commonly referred to as the 6 Song EP.

In September 2004, the band traveled to Portland, Oregon to record with Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock. Brock had recently signed the band to Sub Pop; Brock was an A&R man for the record label at the time. He had been following Dan Boeckner as Boeckner's old band, Atlas Strategic, had toured with Modest Mouse and were offered a Sub Pop signing just before the band split up. Wolf Parade spent two and a half weeks working 14-hour days in Portland. After some remixing, the band returned to Montreal to finish recording. The album was scheduled for a May release, but then pushed back.[4] On its new record label, the band released its first widely-distributed EP, Wolf Parade, in July 2005. In September 2005, the band's debut album Apologies to the Queen Mary was released on Sub Pop Records to critical acclaim, earning a 2006 Polaris Music Prize nomination.[5]

Dante DeCaro (formerly of Hot Hot Heat) joined sometime in 2005 as a second guitarist and percussionist.[1]

The second album, At Mount Zoomer, followed in June 2008.

An on-stage announcement[6] in November 2008 that Dante DeCaro would no longer be playing with the band was later revealed to have been a joke.[7]

Wolf Parade will get together in October 2009 to work on their third album.[citation needed][8]

[edit] Band members

* Dan Boeckner – vocals, guitar
* Spencer Krug – vocals, keyboards
* Arlen Thompson – drums
* Dante DeCaro – guitar, bass, percussion

1. "You Are a Runner and I Am My Father's Son" (Krug) – 2:54
2. "Modern World" (Boeckner) – 2:52
3. "Grounds for Divorce" (Krug) – 3:25
4. "We Built Another World" (Boeckner) – 3:15
5. "Fancy Claps" (Krug) – 2:51
6. "Same Ghost Every Night" (Boeckner) – 5:44
7. "Shine a Light" (Boeckner) – 3:47
8. "Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts" (Krug) – 3:39
9. "I'll Believe in Anything" (Krug) – 4:36
10. "It's a Curse" (Boeckner) – 3:12
11. "Dinner Bells" (Krug) – 7:34
12. "This Heart's on Fire" (Boeckner) – 3:59

Listen

Stereolab- Aluminum Tunes (1998)

2009-05-31T11:26:00.000-07:00

Stereolab is one of those groups that will live eternally through their music...They combine a fusion of Kraut/Psych/retro rock with Brazilian/electro/trip-hop/downtempo/jungle/house/everything else, and make these amazing sounds that is in a genre of their own... This album in going to be the soundtrack to your life... Feel free to dance whilst in the listening process...

Now For Some Info on Stereolab:

Stereolab are an alternative music band formed in 1990 in London, England. The band originally comprised songwriting team Tim Gane (guitar/keyboards) and Lætitia Sadier (vocals/keyboards/guitar), both of whom have remained at the helm across many lineup changes. Other long-time members include Andy Ramsay (drums) and Mary Hansen (vocals/keyboards/guitar). Ramsay joined the group in 1993, while Hansen joined ten years before her accidental death in 2002.

Called "one of the most fiercely independent and original groups of the Nineties",[1] Stereolab were one of the first bands to be termed "post-rock". Their primary musical influence is 1970s krautrock, which they combine with lounge, 1960s pop, and experimental pop music. They are noted for their heavy use of vintage electronic keyboards, and their sound often overlays a repetitive "motorik" beat with female vocals sung in English or French. Stereolab often incorporate socio-political themes into their lyrics. Some critics say the group's lyrics carry a strong Marxist message, and Gane and Sadier admit to being influenced by the Surrealist and Situationist cultural and political movements. However, Gane is skeptical of labels such as "Marxist pop", and defends the band against accusations of "sloganeering".

Although many of the band's albums have been underground hits, they have not found larger commercial success. The band were released from their recording contract with Warner Bros. Records when Warner's imprint Elektra Records folded. The release was reportedly due to poor record sales, and since then Stereolab's self-owned label, Duophonic Records, has signed a distribution deal with Too Pure. Duophonic holds the copyrights to the band's recordings, and on the label the band have released many limited-edition records.

On 2nd April 2009 Stereolab manager Martin Pike posted a message on the band's website, announcing that after 19 years the band would go into hiatus as "there are no plans to record new tracks".

In 1985, Tim Gane formed McCarthy, a band from Essex, England known for their left-wing politics.[2] Gane met the French-born Lætitia Sadier[3] at a McCarthy concert in Paris, and the two quickly fell in love. The musically-inclined Sadier was disillusioned with the rock scene in France, and soon moved to London to be with Gane and to pursue her career.[4] After three albums, McCarthy broke up in 1990 and Gane immediately formed Stereolab with Sadier (who had also contributed vocals to McCarthy's final album) and ex-Chills bassist Martin Kean.[5] The group's name was taken from a division of Vanguard Records demonstrating hi-fi effects.[1]

Gane and Sadier, along with future Stereolab manager Martin Pike, created a record label called Duophonic Super 45s—which, along with later offshoot Duophonic Ultra High Frequency Disks, would be commonly known as "Duophonic".[6] The 10" vinyl EP Super 45 was the group's and the label's first release, and was sold through mail order and the Rough Trade Shop in London. Super 45's band-designed album art and packaging was the first of many customized and limited-edition Duophonic records. In a 1996 interview in The Wire Gane calls the "do-it-yourself" aesthetic behind Duophonic "empowering", and says that by releasing one's own music "you learn; it creates more music, more ideas".[7] Other independent bands such as Tortoise, Broadcast, and Labradford would also release material on Duophonic.

Stereolab followed up with another EP, Super-Electric, and a single, "Stunning Debut Album" (not actually their debut). The band's early material was rock and guitar-oriented; of Super-Electric, Jason Ankeny wrote in Allmusic that "Droning guitars, skeletal rhythms, and pop hooks—not vintage synths and pointillist melodies—were their calling cards …."[8] In 1992 Stereolab's first full-length album, Peng!, and first compilation, Switched On, were released on independent label Too Pure. Around this time, the lineup coalesced around Gane and Sadier plus vocalist Mary Hansen, drummer Andy Ramsay, bassist Duncan Brown, keyboardist Katharine Gifford, and guitarist Sean O'Hagan of the 1980s famed Microdisney duo. Hansen, an Australian, had been in touch with Gane since his McCarthy days. After joining, she and Sadier developed a style of vocal counterpoint that distinguished Stereolab's sound until Hansen's death ten years later in 2002. O'Hagan would later leave to form The High Llamas, but would frequently return to contribute to Stereolab's records.[9]

1990-1993

Starting with their 1993 EP Space Age Batchelor Pad Music, the band began incorporating easy-listening elements into their sound. This release raised Stereolab's profile and landed them a major-label American record deal with Elektra Records. Their next album, 1993's Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements, was their first American release under Elektra, and became an underground hit in both the U.S. and the U.K.[11] Mark Jenkins commented in The Washington Post that with the album Stereolab "continues the glorious drones of [their] indie work, giving celestial sweep to [their] garage-rock organ pumping and rhythm-guitar strumming".[12] In the U.K. it was released on Duophonic Ultra High Frequency Disks, which is responsible for domestic releases of Stereolab's major albums.[6] The year would also see a collaboration with industrial stalwarts Nurse With Wound, in the form of the Crumb Duck EP.

1994-2001

On 8 January 1994, Stereolab achieved their first chart entry when their 1993 EP Jenny Ondioline entered at #75 on the UK Singles Chart. (Over the next three years, four more releases by the band would appear on this chart, ending with the EP Miss Modular in 1997.) With their 1994 full-length, Mars Audiac Quintet, Stereolab focused more on pop and less on rock, resulting in what Allmusic described as "what may be the group's most accessible, tightly-written album".[14] Mars Audiac Quintet makes heavy use of vintage electronic instruments, and also contains the single "Ping Pong", which gained press coverage for its allegedly explicitly Marxist lyrics.[15] After releasing a 1995 collection of singles and B-sides called Refried Ectoplasm: Switched On, Vol. 2, Stereolab followed with an EP titled Music for the Amorphous Body Study Center. This EP was their musical contribution to an interactive art exhibit put on in collaboration with New York City artist Charles Long.[16]

Stereolab's 1996 album, Emperor Tomato Ketchup, was a critical success and was played heavily on college radio.[11] A record that "captivated alternative rock", it represented Stereolab's "high-water mark" according to music journalists Tom Moon and Joshua Klein, respectively.[17] Krautrock techniques were still present, but the band stirred the pot with hip-hop sounds and complex instrumental arrangements.[18] Stephan Davet of French newspaper Le Monde claimed to see musical influences as diverse as The Velvet Underground, Burt Bacharach, and Françoise Hardy on the album.[19] John McEntire of the band Tortoise assisted with production and also played on Emperor Tomato Ketchup, while Katharine Gifford was replaced by Morgane Lhote before its recording, and bassist Duncan Brown by Richard Harrison afterward.

Dots and Loops was released in 1997, and was Stereolab's first album to enter the Billboard 200 charts, peaking at #111. Barney Hoskyns wrote in Rolling Stone that with it the group moved "ever further away from the one-chord Velvets drone-mesh of its early days" toward easy listening and Europop.[21] A review in German newspaper Die Zeit echoed this observation, claiming that in Dots and Loops Stereolab transformed the harder Velvet Underground-like riffs of previous releases into "softer sounds and noisy playfulness".[22] Contributors to the album once again included John McEntire, along with Sean O'Hagan of The High Llamas and Jan St. Werner of German electropop duo Mouse on Mars.[11] A second Nurse With Wound collaboration, Simple Headphone Mind, appeared in 1997, and the third release in the "Switched On" series, Aluminum Tunes, followed in 1998.

The band then took a break from traveling while Gane and Sadier had a child.[11] In 1999, Stereolab's next album appeared, titled Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night. Co-produced by McEntire and American producer Jim O'Rourke, the album earned mixed reviews for its lighter sound, and peaked at #154 on the Billboard 200.[23] An unsigned NME review said that "this record has far more in common with bad jazz and progressive rock than any experimental art-rock tradition."[24] In a 1999 The Washington Post article, Mark Jenkins asked Gane about the album's apparent lack of guitars; Gane responded, "There's a lot less upfront, distorted guitar … But it's still quite guitar-based music. Every single track has a guitar on it."[25] Stereolab added a new bassist, Simon Johns, for the Cobra and Phases Group … tour.[11]

The full-length Sound-Dust followed in 2001, and rose to #178 on the Billboard 200. Again featuring producers McEntire and O'Rourke, it was more warmly received than Cobra and Phases Group ….[26] Critic Joshua Klein said that "the emphasis this time sounds less on unfocused experimentation and more on melody … a breezy and welcome return to form for the British band." Klein also commented that "never has it been harder to discern just what [Sadier] is singing, but rarely has her gibberish sounded so pleasant."[20]

2002

In 2002, Stereolab began to plan their next album, and started building a studio north of Bordeaux, France. In October 2002, the band released ABC Music: The Radio 1 Sessions; a compilation of BBC Radio 1 sessions. The year also saw Gane and Sadier end their romantic relationship.[27]

On 9 December 2002, longstanding band member Mary Hansen was killed when struck by a truck while riding her bicycle.[28]. Born in Maryborough, Queensland, Australia, Hansen earned the most attention for her vocal work with Stereolab, although she also played the guitar and keyboards. The music journalist Pierre Perrone said that Hansen's "playful nature and mischievous sense of humour came through in the way she approached the backing vocals she contributed to Stereolab and the distinctive harmonies she created with Sadier."[1] For the next few months, Stereolab lay dormant as the members coped with their grief. They eventually decided to continue; as Sadier explained in a 2004 interview: "Losing Mary is still incredibly painful … But it's also an opportunity to transform and move on. It's a new version. We've always had new versions, people coming in and out. That's life."[29] (Future album and concert reviews would mention the effects of Hansen's absence.)[30] In a 2004 interview, Sadier said that "Our dedication to her on the album [2004's Margerine Eclipse] says, 'We will love you till the end', meaning of our lives. I'm not religious, but I feel Mary's energy is still around somewhere. It didn't just disappear."[27]

2003-Present

The 2003 EP Instant 0 in the Universe was recorded in France, and was Stereolab's first release following Hansen's death. According to the music journalist Jim DeRogatis, the EP marked a return to their earlier, harder sound—"free from the pseudo-funk moves and avant-garde tinkering that had been inspired by Chicago producer Jim O'Rourke".[31] That year, Sadier's side-project, Monade, released their debut album Socialisme Ou Barbarie: The Bedroom Recordings. Both the name of the group and the title of the album were references to the work of Greek-French intellectual Cornelius Castoriadis.[32]

The full-length album Margerine Eclipse followed in 2004 to generally positive reviews, and peaked at #174 on the US Billboard 200.[34] The track "Feel and Triple" was written in tribute to Hansen; according to Sadier "I was reflecting on my years with her...reflecting on how we sometimes found it hard to express the love we had for one another."[27] The Observers Molloy Woodcraft awarded the album four out of five stars, and described Sadier's vocal performance as "life- and love-affirming", and the record as a whole as "Complex and catchy, bold and beatific."[35] However, Kelefa Sanneh argued in Rolling Stone that Margerine Eclipse was "full of familiar noises and aimless melodies".[36] Margerine Eclipse was Stereolab's last record on their American label Elektra Records, which closed down in 2004.[37] Future material would be released on Too Pure, the same company which released some of the band's earliest material.[38]

The album was followed by Oscillons from the Anti-Sun; a 2005 three-CD and one-DVD retrospective of the group's rarer material. Monade's second album, A Few Steps More, also appeared that year.[39] In 2005 and 2006, Stereolab released six limited-edition singles which were collected in Fab Four Suture, and contained material which Mark Jenkins thought continued the brisker sound of the band's post-Hansen work.[40] Serene Velocity, a "best-of" compilation focusing on the band's Elektra years, was released in late 2006. As of June 2007, Stereolab's lineup comprises Tim Gane, Lætitia Sadier, Andy Ramsay, Simon Johns, Dominic Jeffrey, Joseph Watson, and Joseph Walters. The band has finished the production of their next album, entitled Chemical Chords, which was released in August of 2008 on the 4AD label. The release of the album was followed by a tour of Europe and the United States in fall 2008. [41] They toured Australia in February 2009 as part of the St Jerome's Laneway Festival

On April 2, 2009 the band announced the end of their career together for the time being. After working together for 19 years, the band stated they felt it was time to take a rest and move on to new projects.

Musical style
Stereolab's music combines a droning rock sound with lounge instrumentals, and overlays it with singsong female vocals and pop melodies. Their records are heavily influenced by the motorik technique of 1970s krautrock groups such as Neu! and Faust.[43] Tim Gane has supported the comparison: "Neu! did minimalism and drones, but in a very pop way."[44] Stereolab's style also incorporates easy-listening music of the 1950s and '60s. Said Joshua Klein in The Washington Post, "Years before everyone else caught on, Stereolab was referencing the 1970s German bands Can and Neu!, the Mexican lounge music master Esquivel and the decidedly unhip Burt Bacharach."[20]
Picture of a 1970s-era Minimoog analog electronic synthesizer. Stereolab often use vintage Moog synthesizers in their music.

The band make use of vintage analog electronic instruments such as the Farfisa and Vox organs, and the Moog synthesizer, which was featured prominently on 1994's Mars Audiac Quintet.[45] Gane has praised these older instruments for their superior controllability: "We use the older effects because they're more direct, more extreme, and they're more like plasticine: you can shape them into loads of things."[46] Funk, jazz, and Brazilian music are inspirations,[47] and the sound of minimalist composers Philip Glass and Steve Reich can be found on 1999's Cobra and Phases Group ….[20] Several critics have commented that the band's later work, like Instant 0 in the Universe (2003) and Margerine Eclipse (2004), sound similar to their guitar-driven earlier style.[48]

Lætitia Sadier's bilingual French and English vocals have been a part of Stereolab since the beginning.[11] She writes the group's lyrics, which have a tendency towards Marxist social commentary rather than "affairs of the heart" (in the opinion of music journalist Simon Reynolds).[44] In reference to Sadier's laid-back delivery, Peter Shapiro wrote in The Wire that she has all the "emotional histrionics" of 1960s German singer Nico.[7] Sometimes Sadier will just sing wordlessly along with the music.[20] Before Mary Hansen's death in 2002, she and Sadier would often trade vocals back-and-forth in a singsong manner that has been described as "eerie" and "hypnotic".[1] Critic Jim Harrington commented that Hansen's absence is noticeable on live performances of Stereolab's older tracks, and that their newer songs could have benefited from her backing vocals.[49]

In interviews, Gane and Sadier have discussed their musical philosophy. According to Gane "to be unique was more important than to be good."[50] On the subject of being too obscure, he said in a 1996 interview that "maybe the area where we're on dodgy ground, is this idea that you need great knowledge [of] esoteric music to understand what we're doing." In the same interview Sadier responds to Gane, saying that she "think[s] we have achieved a music that will make sense to a lot of people whether they know about Steve Reich or not."[7] The duo is up-front about their desire to grow the group's sound—for Gane, "otherwise it just sounds like what other people are doing,"[51] and for Sadier, "you trust that there is more and that it can be done more interesting."[52]

On stage
Stereolab tour regularly to support their album releases. The band are not afraid to turn up the volume in concert. In a 1996 The Washington Post gig review, Mark Jenkins wrote that Stereolab started out favoring an "easy-listening syncopation", but eventually reverted to a "messier, more urgent sound" characteristic of its earlier performances.[53] In another review Jenkins said that the band's live songs "frequently veer[ed] into more cacophonous, guitar-dominated territory", in contrast to lighter albums like Cobra and Phases Group ….[54] In the Minneapolis Star Tribune John Bream compared the band's live sound to feedback-driven rock bands like the Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine.[55] However, several critics have said that Stereolab lacks stage presence, arguing that Sadier's vocal delivery is too subdued and that the band tends to play instead of perform its music.[56] Regarding being onstage, Gane has said that "I don't like to be the center of attention … I just get into the music and am not really aware of the people there. That's my way of getting through it."[25]

[edit] Lyrics and titles

Stereolab's music is politically and philosophically charged. Lætitia Sadier, who writes the group's lyrics, has reportedly been inspired by her anger at the Iraq War.[57] The Surrealist and Situationist cultural and political movements are also influences, as noted by Sadier and Gane in a 1999 Salon.com interview.[50] Stewart Mason commented in an All-Music Guide review that the lyrics from the 1997 song "Miss Modular" "sound influenced by the Situationist theory of the 'spectacle'."[58] When asked to explain her intentions in a 1991 Melody Maker interview, Sadier responded that "Basically I want to change the world. I want to make people think about how they live every day, shake them a bit."[4]

Critics have seen Marxist allusions in the band's lyrics, and several have gone so far as to call the band itself Marxist.[60] "Ping Pong", a single included on Mars Audiac Quintet (1994), has been put forward as evidence. In the song, Sadier sings "about capitalism's cruel cycles of slump and recovery" with lyrics that constitute "a plainspoken explanation of one of the central tenets of Marxian economic analysis" (said critics Simon Reynolds and Stewart Mason, respectively).[59] The song opens with these lines:

It's alright 'cause the historical pattern has shown,
How the economical cycle tends to revolve,
In a round of decades three stages stand out in a loop,
A slump and war then peel back to square one and back for more.

Band members have resisted attempts to link the group and its music to Marxism. In a 1999 interview, Gane stated that "none of us are Marxists … I've never even read Marx." Although Gane admitted that his partner's lyrics touch on political topics, he argued that they do not cross the line into "sloganeering".[25] Sadier herself has mentioned that she has read very little Marx.[50]

Stereolab's album and song titles occasionally reference avant-garde political groups and artists. Gane said that the title of their 1999 album Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night contains the names of two Surrealist organizations, "CoBrA" and "Phases Group".[50] The title of the first song on Dots and Loops, "Brakhage", is a nod to experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage.[50] Other examples are the 1992 compilation Switched On, named after a 1969 Wendy Carlos album; "International Colouring Contest," which is a tribute to eccentric musician Lucia Pamela; and the 1992 single "John Cage Bubblegum", named after experimental composer John Cage.[61] Another recurring theme among Stereolab titles is references to vintage electronic musical instruments ("Farfisa", "Motoroller [sic] Scalatron", "Jenny Ondioline") and hi-fi terminology ("Wow And Flutter", Transient Random Noise Bursts With Announcements).

Impact
Stereolab have been called "one of the most influential alternative bands of the '90s,"[11] and one of "the decade's most innovative British bands."[62] Simon Reynolds commented in Rolling Stone that the group's earlier records form "an endlessly seductive body of work that sounds always the same, always different."[44] In The Wire, Peter Shapiro compared the band favorably to Britpop bands Oasis and Blur, and defended their music against the charge that it is "nothing but the sum total of its arcane reference points."[7] Stereolab was one of the first groups to be called post-rock—in a 1996 article, journalist Angela Lewis applied the "new term" to Stereolab and three other bands who have connections to the group.[63] The band's 1996 album Emperor Tomato Ketchup, their "high-water mark" according to critic Joshua Klein,[20] was a critical success and underground hit.[11] Stereolab has also received negative press. Barney Hoskyns questioned the longevity of their music in a 1996 Mojo review, saying that their records "sound more like arid experiments than music born of emotional need."[64] In The Guardian, Dave Simpson stated: "With their borrowings from early, obscure Kraftwerk and hip obtuse sources, [Stereolab] sound like a band of rock critics rather than musicians."[65] Lætitia Sadier's vocals were criticized by author Stuart Shea for often being "indecipherable."[66]
The tracks on Stereolab's 1995 EP Music for the Amorphous Body Study Center were recorded for use in an interactive art show.[67]

A variety of artists—musical and otherwise—have collaborated with Stereolab. In 1995 the group teamed up with sculptor Charles Long for an interactive art show in New York City, for which Long provided the exhibits and Stereolab the music.[16] They have released tracks by and toured with post-rock band Tortoise, while John McEntire of Tortoise has in turn worked on several Stereolab albums.[68] In the 1990s Stereolab and veteran industrial band Nurse With Wound released two limited-edition records together; both contained Nurse With Wound remixes of original tracks provided by Stereolab. In 1994, Sadier sang vocals on Blur (band) single 'To The End' which reached number 16 in the UK charts.

Stylistically, music journalist J. D. Considine credits the band for anticipating and driving the late 1990s revival of vintage analog instruments among indie rock bands.[69] Indie rock band Pavement (who also toured with Stereolab) acknowledged the group's sound on their song "Half A Canyon."[70] Stereolab alumni have also founded bands of their own. Guitarist Sean O'Hagan went on to form the The High Llamas, while keyboardist Katharine Gifford created Snowpony with a former member of My Bloody Valentine.[71] Sadier herself has released three albums with her four-piece side-project Monade, whose sound Mark Jenkins called a "little more Parisian" than Stereolab's.[72]

Despite earning critical acclaim and a sizable fanbase, commercial success has eluded the group.[73] Early in their career, their 1993 EP Jenny Ondioline entered the UK Singles Chart, but financial issues prevented the band from printing enough records to satisfy demand.[74] When Elektra Records was closed down by Warner Bros. Records in 2004, Stereolab was dropped along with many other artists, reportedly because of poor sales.[37] Since then, Stereolab's self-owned label Duophonic has inked a worldwide distribution deal with independent label Too Pure.[38] Through Duophonic the band both licenses their music and releases it directly (depending on geographic market). According to Tim Gane, "… we license our recordings and just give them to people, then we don't have to ask for permission if we want to use it. We just want to be in control of our own music."[6]

Listen (updated link with no password)

Wolf Parade- I'll Believe in Anything Video

2009-05-30T11:49:00.000-07:00

This song is absolutely beautiful... From their 2005 album "Apologies to the Queen Mary," released on Sub Pop Records... Wolf Parade with "I'll Believe in Anything."

"So Give me your eyes, I need sunshine"

Sound Stylistics-Play Deep Funk

2009-05-29T17:27:00.000-07:00

Recorded in 2002 as a Bruton library album, The Sound Stylistics Play Deep Funk album has weaved its way into funk folklore for collectors the world over, becoming a word of mouth phenomena and a collectors wet-dream due to its failure to ever get a proper release. Despite file-sharers, bootleggers and back-street dealers pushing illegitimate copies of the tracks, the legendary status of this lost album has not waned one bit.

Performed by some of the best musicians on the planet, and a veritable whoâ€™s who on the London funk scene, the list is simply too amazing not to acknowledge fully here: James Taylor (JTQ), Jim Watson (Incognito), Mark Van der Gucht (Galliano], Eddie Roberts (New Mastersounds), Neil Robinson (JTQ), Simon Lee (Dr. Seuss), Andy Ross (The Herbaliser), Mike Smith (Jamiroquai), Nichol Thompson (Brand New Heavies), and Snowboy. Collectively they make up The Sound Stylistics, a virtual group and jam band of the highest order.

Anyhow, here's the album for your friday night... Nohing but that heat... All the way through... This is for my funk heads...

1. Shake and Hip Drop
2. Soul Dynamite
3. Players Theme
4. Down Home Style
5. Heavy Soul
6. Polariser
7. Fast Eddie
8. Party People
9. Night Theme
10. Back on the Streets
11. Keeping On
12. Get Ya Some
13. Move It Up
14. Homebrew
15. Message
16. Put It in the Pocket
17. Freedom Sound

Listen

Nice Playlist...

2009-05-28T09:39:00.001-07:00

Thought Clouds Radio Hosted By: Mikestyles (03/19/08)

2009-05-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

As promised, I'm back with the "Thought Clouds Radio," hosted by your favorite dj's favorite DJ, Mikestyles... With special guest and queen of the Brasilian Beat, Tita Lima. This broadcast gets deep into Brazil and the culture...

Here's an Interview By Cazembe Abena (07-13-07)

I met the Brazilian artist Tita Lima, through Garth Trinidad at the KCRW studios during a broadcast of ‘Chocolate City’. Garth’s musical taste is impeccable, so when he endorsed Tita with four stars, I knew I had to interview her. OK, I’ll admit it – the voice and the smile hooked me too. While in the studio, I remember glancing in a mirror once and seeing ‘sucker’ on my forehead. But, luckily for me, Tita is a chanteuse of tremendous talent and sensual soul. Musical acumen has surrounded her since birth. Her father is an accomplished bassist and breathed the Samba muse into her that gave birth to a skillful bass player. Tita learned to play piano from her grandmother. São Paulo’s musical scene has sharpened Tita as an adept singer, composer, and musician. She has shared the stage with genre greats such as Bocato, João Donato and Luz de Carolina to name just a few. She has been given respect by DJs world wide from the UK’s Gilles Peterson, to the US’s Garth Trinidad, to Brazil’s Patricia Palumbo and Rafael Moraes. Her first solo album ’11:11’ is a shining accomplishment of songwriting and an outstanding collection of world-class musicians. The Bossa Nova, Hip-Hop, and Samba grooves cover you like palm tree shade on Concha Beach. Ms. Lima is of a new breed of Samba artists whose musical palette includes Jazz, Hip-Hop, Funk, Reggae, Electronica and a host of disparate musical styles that influence their music. The result is an artist who can amass a broad audience through infectious compositions. If Tita’s music doesn’t make you smile, you’ll at least be thinking pleasant thoughts. And, it doesn’t matter that the lyrics are in Portuguese because from the sound of the first note you know that the vibe is coming from the right place – straight from Tita’s heart. Her unpretentious, pure and simple resonance defies any language barrier. To meet her is to experience the palpable warmth of sensuous positivity that lives in her music. We decided to conduct the interview over sushi in Venice – how very LA of us. During our conversation I learned about her inspirations, the meaning of ‘11:11’… and… well… how it feels to get punked doing a wasabi toast. Cazembe Abena (LA2DAY) – So, you were saying that you’ve been running away from music for a long time? A pregnant pause and then a recoil. Tita Lima – …Ouch. (Laughter) Tita Lima – Not the last four years, but yes… I did for a while. Cazembe – Because you didn’t see much of a future in it? You saw other musicians struggling? Tita Lima – Yes I did, and that was kind of discouraging. But… it’s my passion. Cazembe – How long have you been together with the members of your band? Tita – Five years. I have a big jazz band. Cazembe – How many members? Tita – Seven. I can’t travel with them, so what I’m doing is I’m meeting musicians from every city and forming bands there. I’m going to have a band in New York... I’m going to have one in LA… one in Portland… Seattle… London… Because I don’t have the money to afford travel for members of my band yet, I have to do it this way. Cazembe – How do you categorize what you do? Tita – I do a lot of old classic Sambas and Samba Jazz – stuff from thirty years ago. I listen to a lot of Flora Purim, João Donato, and Astrud. I also listen to a lot of Jazz. I love Shirley Horn. I always wanted to sing like her. I also listen to Chet Baker. I mix it… I listen to the stuff from my generation – Hip Hop. I love Hip-Hop. I love Reggae. I love Dub. I love bass. I’m also very into horns. I love horns and I try to keep everything raw. I try to keep things simple and raw, but with energy. When it gets too complicated – too many keyboards, too much stuff - you lose something. I try to cut it a little bit. But, there are some things that we did with programming the MPC, and noises with synthesizers. Cazembe – So, a little Electronica is in there? Tita – A little bit, yeah. Cazembe – What does the title ’11:11’ mean? Tita – It’s kind of a personal thing, but I have to talk about it because everyone always asks me. I didn’t know what it meant when I started seeing those numbers. It started to happen about six years ago. I would see them every morning and every night. Cazembe - You would see the number on a clock? Tita – On clocks, hotel rooms, the number would show up a lot and I didn’t know what it was. It has a different meaning to each person… after I started seeing it… to me it means synchronicity. When you start to doubt something… this tells you that it’s OK… where to go… it’s like a light shining. But it means synchronicity, when things are supposed to work together. And it’s a lucky number. I would see it after making good decisions. Cazembe – Eleven is considered a very powerful number in metaphysics. Tita – Yes, it is. I have a book my mother gave to me called ‘The Portal of 11:11’ - it’s an intense book. I’m still studying, so I can’t really talk too much about it without knowing the numerology behind it, you know? Our waiter brings our food. Cazembe – I understand. Ahhh… the sushi has arrived. We decide to talk and eat. I decide to try and do something macho. Cazembe – OK, let’s do a ‘wasabi toast’. I got this from a good friend of mine. Have you ever done it? Tita – No. What is it? Cazembe – You take your chopsticks and scoop up a good amount of wasabi. We both do this. Tita’s got way too much. Cazembe – Whoa. Ok, you’ve got too much – more than me. You better scrape some of that off or your head will explode. Tita takes her wasabi portion down to a workable amount. Cazembe – OK, now we toast and eat it. Cheers. We tap our chopsticks together and down the wasabi straight, right off the sticks. wa·sa·bi (wə-sä'bē, wä'sə-) n. Wasabia japonica, Cochlearia wasabi, or Eutrema japonica) is a member of the cabbage family. Known as Japanese horseradish, its root is used as a spice and has an EXTREMELY strong flavor. Its hotness is more akin to that of a hot mustard than the capsaicin in a chili pepper, producing vapors that irritate the nasal passages more than the tongue. The plant grows naturally along stream beds in mountain river valleys in Japan. OR Hydrochloric acid nose candy. Tita and I stare at each other for a moment while the wasabi hits our nasals like a smooth explosion of acid. I try my best to stop my eyes from watering. I fail. Miserably. Tita – Mmmmm… mmmm… I love it. Cazembe – (Cough) Good flavor… (Cough) huh…? (Cough) So much for my manhood. Tita – Mmmmm… I love it. I want to do more. Cazembe – You want to do more…?! Tita – More. Cazembe – You want to do it again? Wow. We scoop again. This time I make sure that she gets ‘enough’ wasabi… dammit. The explosion again… Tita – Oooooo… now I got it… Tita shows me that she’s human after all as her eyes water while she twitches her nose. I think that perhaps my manhood has been salvaged. Cazembe – It got you that time. (Laughter) I thank the wasabi gods. Tita – It got me that time. It didn’t before. Cazembe – It got you… Tita – Oooooo… that’s better. Now I can breath. (Sniffle) Cazembe – Do you like to take chances? Tita – I do. I used to worry too much. Now, I don’t worry anymore. I just do what I want to do. If I want to play the keyboards live – I’ll do it. I don’t play it that much, but… I make good melodies… I can go with a vibe… it’s all intuitive. Cazembe – What do you sing about? Tita – It really depends. I’m all over the place. One day I’m in love, one day I want to kill somebody… one day I’m OK and life’s beautiful… (Laughter) Tita – That’s how it is. I have one good song that I wrote when I was depressed, but that really doesn’t work for me. I only write when I’m happy. Cazembe – So, you’ve found that you’ve written your best work when you’re in a good space… when you’re happy… because that’s what you want to communicate? You don’t want to communicate any negativity? Tita – That’s right. Not at all. No negativity. The world is already too negative. But, I do have a few strong lyrics in a couple of songs. Because I was upset with behind the scenes stuff. There’s a song I wrote called ‘Esquizofrevo’, it’s about people who want to be stars, and they are all struggling and trying to find their way in the market. And at the same time they are very frustrated and they put down other people. They talk behind your back, they try to steal your fame, you know? I have a song about that. It’s very strong. But I’m going to work on the translations for my songs because everybody asks me about them. And most of the time they are stories and situations that have happened, that’s what I sing about. It’s hard to translate, but I will. And we will be waiting. Until then, however, we’ll let Tita continue to touch our hearts through the most powerful language known to man – music. By Cazembe Abena Discography 11:11 (Kajmere Sound 06/07) www.titalima.com

Listen

Thought Clouds Radio Hosted By: B.mark (03/05/08)

2009-05-27T12:58:00.000-07:00

You guys are in for a delicacy... A bugged out experimental mix by b.mark, that goes down the list of need to knows, and already knows... Again, the Thought Clouds Culture Collective should not be slept on... Out of Southern California, these hometown hero's are rapidly spreading across the globe like the swine flu... Keep an eye out for the upcoming documentary to be released in 2010 entitled "Beats of All Nations: Foco em Brazil." Where this team of music enthusiasts interview the latest and greatest, along with the classic Brazilian sambistas, tropicali revolutionaries and musicians that shaped Brazil into the country it is today... Tomorrow i'll give you guys an episode featuring Tita Lima, Brazil's reigning queen of the Brazilian beat and daughter of Liminho, the great bass player from one of the most reknown Brasilian Psychedelia groups, "Os Mutantes." Tita Lima is interviewed by Mikestyles of the Thought Clouds Culuture Collective and has since become their affiliate in Brazil, linking them with such artists as Seu Jorge and Banda Black Rio...
Stay Tuned
Stan Freeberg

Listen

Electrelane- The Power Out (2004)

2009-05-27T10:26:00.000-07:00

The Power Out is the second album by English rock group Electrelane. It was released on compact disc and vinyl in 2004 by Too Pure. It was recorded in Chicago, Illinois in early 2003 by Steve Albini. The album's lead single, "On Parade" was a hit on college radio. My Favorite would be "Birds." By far, their best song! The album did not receive mainstream commercial success, despite receiving mostly positive critical reviews.

Signing with Too Pure

The band's first release, Rock It to the Moon received a lackluster commercial response due to limited distribution, promotion and exposure. The band signed with Too Pure, a member of the Beggars Group for their follow-up. As drummer Emma Gaze explained, the new label had "so many people and departments, and we knew, purely for that reason, that there would be more response to the new album."[2]

Critics also commented that Too Pure was a good fit for Electrelane, as many of the other label's acts (such as Stereolab and Th' Faith Healers) shared similarities with the group.[3][4]

[edit] Production

The band brought in producer Steve Albini for The Power Out. Initially, the band had contacted him to try to get a spot on the All Tomorrow's Parties (ATP) music festival. The roster had already been filled, but Albini wrote back to the band telling them to contact him if they wanted to work with him in the future.[2] The band went to Steve Albini's Electrical Audio studio in Chicago, Illinois and recorded the album in a break-free three week period from April to May 2003.[5]

Electrelane still handled production duties, while Albini was in charge of recording and mixing. With Rock It to the Moon using overdubs and Pro Tools mixing, Albini was renowned for frills-free, all-analog recording, generally keeping effects to a minimum; he used these techniques on The Power Out as well.

[edit] The music

The Power Out is perhaps best characterized by a "starling and unique" "stylistic hodgepodge".[6][7] The major stylistic themes of the album, which often overlap, are foreign languages and literary references.

The album opener, "Gone Under Sea" is sung entirely in French. The following song, "On Parade" was inspired by Radclyffe Hall's 1928 lesbian novel, The Well of Loneliness. A large part of the lyrics in "The Valleys" come from Siegfried Sassoon's 1917 poem "A Letter Home" (from The Old Huntsman).[2] The literary references continue, with "Oh Sombra!", the sixth track. The song's Spanish lyrics are a sonnet by 16th century Catalan poet Juan Boscán Almogáver. Finally, on "This Deed" the German lyrics are from Friedrich Nietzsche's Die fröhliche Wissenschaft followed by the inclamation "Hände hoch!" (or "Hands up!"). The lyrical content marked not only a pretty wide departure from the average rock record, but it also came as a big change from a band whose only album to date had been almost entirely instrumental.

Musically, the album is less diverse than the lyrics, with Electrelane playing within their usual Krautrock-inspired range, although the songs could be considered to be more within conventional pop structures than their predecessors. Perhaps the most notable musical departure from Electrelane's norm is the inclusion of the Chicago a cappella ensemble to invoke a 1960s gospel hymn to the song.[6] A saxophone and a piano are used in the two closing tracks.

[edit] Critical Reception

Critical reception to The Power Out was generally very positive. While the band's use of other languages and literary references may have been referred to as gimmicks, they were regarded as gimmicks with merit.[8] The album was more focused than its predecessor,[3] with Emma Warren of The Observer, considering the album to be "a great example of how the band have transformed themselves from a sparky but essentially limited instrumental four-piece into the major league" and the New York Times calling it "impressive".[9]

One notable critic who felt the album was weaker than its predecessor was Piero Scaruffi, who noted that the album's songs were "more regular" than their predecessors.[10]

1. "Gone Under Sea" – 3:12
2. "On Parade" – 2:35
3. "The Valleys" (Electrelane, Siegfried Sassoon) – 5:20
4. "Birds" – 3:53
5. "Take the Bit Between Your Teeth" – 4:58
6. "Oh Sombra!" (Electrelane, Juan Boscán Almogáver) – 2:58
7. "Enter Laughing" – 3:42
8. "This Deed" (Electrelane, Friedrich Nietzsche) – 3:24
9. "Love Builds Up" – 5:24
10. "Only One Thing Is Needed" – 4:33
11. "You Make Me Weak at the Knees" – 3:24

Listen

Brazilian Girls- Brazilian Girls (2005)

2009-05-26T08:41:00.000-07:00

Brazilian Girls is a band from New York City known for their eclectic blend of electronic dance music with musical styles as diverse as tango, chanson, house and lounge. None of the members are actually from Brazil and the only female in the band is lead singer Sabina Sciubba[1]. Other members include keyboardist Didi Gutman, drummer Aaron Johnston and former bassist Jesse Murphy.

The band has released three studio albums up to date: Their self titled debut album in 2005; their second album, entitled Talk to La Bomb, released in September 2006; and third album New York City, released on August 5, 2008.

The daughter of Italian and German parents, Sciubba was born in Rome on February 23rd 1975 and grew up in Munich and Nice. Growing up, she learned to speak Italian, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese and English, languages which she regularly incorporates into her songs (all six languages are featured on their debut album). Before the formation of Brazilian Girls, Sciubba recorded two jazz albums - You Don't Know What Love Is with pianist Chris Anderson and Meet Me in London with guitarist Antonio Forcione.

The band itself formed in 2003, while jamming at a New York club, Nublu. While playing a weekly gig, the band wrote many of the original songs that would appear on their debut album.

1. "Homme" – 5:21
2. "Don't Stop" – 3:51
3. "Lazy Lover" – 4:00
4. "La Sirènes de la Fête" – 4:46
5. "Corner Store" – 4:13
6. "Long" – 4:47
7. "Pussy" – 4:08
8. "Die Gedanken Sind Frei (Thoughts Are Free)" – 4:28
9. "All We Have" – 3:46
10. "Dance Till the Morning Sun" – 4:38
11. "Me gustas cuando callas" – 5:42
12. "Ships in the Night" – 3:29

Listen

Dosh- Wolves & Wishes (2008)

2009-05-26T08:30:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest Dosh Album... Don't forget to purchase his albums and show some support... I must remind you guys that I only put up these albums for you to listen, not to share... Dosh is one of those artists that we must support... His music is some of the most creative music of our time... Thanks you...
-Stan Freeberg

1. "Don't Wait for the Needle to Drop"
2. "Bury the Ghost"
3. "If You Want To, You Have To"
4. "First Impossible"
5. "Kit and Pearle"
6. "Wolves"
7. "Food Cycles"
8. "Keep Up Appearance"
9. "The Magic Stick"
10. "Capture the Flag"

Listen