A Message from Deacon of Animal Collective

Hey everyone,

Josh (deacon) here. I'm posting up here to let everyone know about
something i'm really psyched about. I've been given an opportunity to
go play a show in Mali, Africa, followed by some a few shows in Europe
by myself and opening up for Noah. On a personal level I am really
excited to be playing my first solo shows ever. But I am also really
psyched to be using the trip and the opportunity it provides to raise
money for a very real slavery problem in Mali. I know we aren't
normally the the type to get involved directly this way, but I felt like
this was a really great time and way to do it. please go look at the
details of the project at

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/legupmgmt/deacon-animal-collective-at-the-festival-in-the

if you had already seen this project in it's original form, please look
again. We've gotten some really helpful backing from Paw Tracks that
make it possible for this project to be entirely humanitarian now.

If you feel you want to and can donate to this project it would be
great. $50 or more will get you a hand packaged album that i will be
making using sounds I have collected from the trip as well as the music
i have been writing. and if you feel you can't help right now but you
know someone that might, please pass it on.

thanks to everyone.
happy holidays,
josh

A call to all WRMC blog viewers. Band your friends together. Get 5 of you to contribute 10 dollars and you have a hand packaged album! We at WRMC love seeing humanitarian efforts by bands we adore so let's celebrate and support!

A new dance mixtape for everyone that is a special person

This includes you, darling. This mixtape is for you, because you are special and deserve an equally special mixtape.

It's called "Lion Sex", it was mixed by Mr. Whiskers (yours truly) and it will make you "dance till you're dead", to quote Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Heads will roll, folks, so turn up the volume, play it loud, and dance.

Tracklist:

1. AC Slater - "Play the Record Again (Original Mix)"
2. The Subs - "Mitsubitchi (Original Mix)"
3. 2manyDJs vs. The Bloody Beetroots - "Warp Fu (BONES Edit)"
4. Kid Sister - "Pro Nails (Rusko Remix)"
5. Dada Life - "Let's Get Bleeped Tonight (Phatzoo Remix)"
6. Major Lazer - "Pon De Floor (BeatauCue Remix)"
7. Daniel Haaksman ft. MC Miltonho - "Kid Conga (Blood Shake Tropical Flavour Remix)"
8. Lil Jon ft. Mr. Catra & Mulher File - "Machuka (Prod. by Kassiano)"
9. Will Bailey & Hot Mouth - "Underwear Funk (Original Mix)"
10. Solo - "Rawmania (Original Mix)"
11. Riva Starr ft. Noze - "I Was Drunk (Douster Remix)"
12. Chelley - "Took the Night (Alvaro Remix)"
13. Will Bailey - "Hit the Club (Sidney Samson Remix)"
14. Malente - "I Like It (Riva Starr Snatch! Mix)"
15. Laidback Luke & Lee Mortimer - "Blau! (Original Mix)"
16. Drop the Lime - "Set Me Free (Harvard Bass Remix)"
17. Diplo & Laidback Luke - "Hey! (Foamo Remix)"
18. Dub Pistols - "I'm In Love (Foamo Remix)"

DOWNLOAD/LISTEN:

Lion Sex - Mr. Whiskers 2010 Mixtape by djmrwhiskers

Alternate download (Mediafire)

Winter-y Music Wednesdays featuring Allo, Darlin'

Christmas music.

Ukuleles.

Who knew, huh?

Allo Darlin' comes from down under and just knows how to get your hips moving with a pop-y electric guitar or swaying with a mellow uku.

They're great. Just great. So here's a nice winter-y song to warm you up through this cold cold week.

Baby It's Cold Outside - Allo Darlin'

noah and the whale

"the first days of spring"

New Music Thursdays (?) featuring Freelance Whales

I realize.

It's Thursday.

You somehow made it past the hump without a new song for your listening pleasure and I apologize.

To make it up let's talk about Freelance Whales.

This year's "Band To Watch" according to stereogum, Freelance Whales hails from Queens, New York where many will find them playing their amalgamation of unique instruments on street corners or (as shown above) in the subway.

The band describes their sound as "if someone wired their heart to a synthesizer" which I think greatly discredits their own work and makes them sound like Passion Pit (not a bad thing, but still).

I say this because the band indeed breaks away from the all-too-familiar synth-y sound of '09 with tunes like Generator 2nd Floor which sounds like something off of the Little Miss Sunshine Soundtrack (in a very positive way). Sterogum's description is spot on describing:

sounds that are acoustic and precious, boldly baring bespectacled sensitivity and couching touching melodies in delicate instrumentation: everything from guitars, banjos, tambourines, harmonium, and glockenspiels to yes the occasional keyboard and laptop assist.

But I will stop telling you and let you find out yourself with a video displaying their incredible acoustic talents in a pitch black room (something I would not mind seeing replicated in the Gamut Room) and a song showing their ability to rock out a synth-y tune.

Freelance Whales - Hannah

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - SALVO!

The second installment of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros 12 part music series called SALVO! came out recently. So far they are incredible, and I am loving the added visuals to my favorite album of 2009, Up From Below.

Small Black "Despicable Dogs"

this is really wonderful

another new Vampire Weekend song

Been keeping up with the steady trickle of material from VW's uber-hyped second album, Contra? If so, you've already heard the blistering "Cousins" and seen its joyful music video.
This track, "California English, Pt. 2" (whose Pt. 1 counterpart appears on the album's tracklist) is the bizarre/awesome B-side to the "Cousins" single. Be ye a Vampire Weekend fan? (That's kind of a dumb question, isn't it...) Then give this'un a listen!

ABC Jesus Rap

Think I've found a gem here, could be the next AnCo. Someone call Domino Records.

"The ABC Jesus RAP is hip, fresh, fun, researched based, exciting but most importantly engaging.
•Teaches letter and letter sounds
•Teaches beginning reading skills
•Teaches phonics
•Teaches bible words
•Increases vocabulary development
•Increases listening skills
•Increase phonemic awareness"





Very good, yes? Compare to AnCo "My Girls" remix I enjoy.
Animal Collective - "My Girls (Gigamesh 'Proper House' Remix)"


What do u think? Will this hip new track reach Pitch4rk's Best New Music section? Discuss in comments.

Patrick Swayze Driving

Have you ever watched something so powerful, that it resonates with you deep in your core and makes you jump to your feet with unadulterated confidence, feeling like you can do anything in the world!? A few days ago, I hadn't either. Until I saw this video made by Samuel Kuhn and my world was completely rocked. Prepare to get fired up, I'm going to go wrestle some dinos and swim in lava. late.

New Music Wednesdays featuring Darwin Deez

You have finals! I have finals! So here's a quick post to keep your week moving!

Hailing from NYC, the way they choose to describe themselves is pretty accurate:

"indie music with a side of calisthenics"

"happy music for sad people"

"white music for black people"

Their most popular single floating around the blogosphere (Radar Detector) is pretty infectious. It's difficult not to have that song stuck in your head after a few listens (even more difficult to not try and sing along).

Recently it's been remixed (quite well) by Xaphoon Jones (the guy who consistently turns popular indie songs into hip-hop samples for Chiddy Bang) which has made it even MORE infectious.

Give it a listen. Tell us what you think. Also, check out a clip of one of their performances. Looks pretty rad (Especially the interpretive dancing toward the end). Something we should consider bringing to campus...

death by audio|darwin deez|march '09 from darwin deez on Vimeo.

Darwin Deez - Radar Detector

Darwin Deez - Radar Detector (Xaphoon Jones Remix)

Brazilian Fever

LIL JON - MACHUKA (feat. Mulher Filé & Mr Catra) prod by Kassiano from NOSSA on Vimeo.

While Lil Jon is generally revered for being a man of few words [What, Yeah, Hey, Ok], in his new track "Machuka" (out 2010) he proves himself capable of spitting some pretty heavy verses. The rapper trades his traditional hype shouts in for more coherent lyrics, establishing himself as an accomplished and versatile artist. One can’t help but speculate that Lil Jon’s inspiration comes from the unusual combination of beats that accompany his verses: the roots of this track trace back to funk carioca, a movement that originated in the favelas (slums) of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The release of “Machuka” could mark the first appearance of Funk Carioca in the filtered and auto-tuned American mainstream. The collaboration of infamous Crunker Lil Jon with two established Brazilian artists--Mulher Filé & Mr Catra, both important figures in the baile funk movement--accentuates the cross-cultural appeal of "Machuka".

Kassiano--the Brazilian/ American producer who has been promoting Brazilian culture for many years through his music and his company Nossa--was able to encapsulate the styles of all the artists while weaving together the intricacies of two different cultures. The first layer of an easily-recognizable euro-house beat from Steve Angello & Laidback Luke’s “Be” is accompanied by quintessential Brazilian percussions that make particularly strong appearances at the beginning and very end of the track. As these two styles combine into the driving backbeat of the track, Kassiano tops the mix off with a flawless meshing of the various vocals and languages. For a track that contains so much cultural contrast and so many different influences (Brazil vs. U.S.A., percussions vs. euro house beat, crunk, rap, funk carioca, male vs. female vocals, Portuguese vs. English), it’s coherent flow is as impressive as it is refreshing. Machuka's insidiously infectious pop veneer ensures that it’s culture-clash complexity doesn’t take away from it’s bar-audience appeal: I’ll certainly be expecting to hear it along side of “Party in the USA”.

[ Stay on your toes for Lil Jon's album Crunk Rock, set to drop in 2010 and keep an eye out for new things from Kassiano ]