Tunezday! Feat. Lotus Plaza, Of Monsters and Men, Bear In Heaven

UPDATE: If some of the links didn't have audio last time you tried, try again! They should be up now!

INDIE ROCK: Deerhunter guitarist, Lockett Pundt, is releasing his second solo album as Lotus Plaza this week.  The album, Spooky Action At A Distance, is already being heralded as one of the best indie rock albums of the year.  While Pundt’s first attempt at a solo album fell to the wayside as another album of looped guitars and vocals that culminate in background noise, Spooky Action is catchier, more immediate and refuses to drift out of your mind. 

Lotus Plaza - Spooky Action At A Distance

FOLK POP: Icelandic band Of Monsters and Men releases their first full-length album, My Head Is An Animal, today.  If there is one thing I love in an album it is dual vocals and with the beautifully complementary voices of Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar “Raggi” Þórhallsson, Of Monsters and Men had me hooked from the start.  With a plethora of instruments building up to melodic chants, every song on this album exudes an undeniably joyful energy, coming out just in time to get us through the mud season.

Of Monsters and Men - My Head Is An Animal

ELECTRONIC: If you are dying for some synths to dance to this week, check out Bear In Heaven’s new full-length album, I Love You, It’s Cool.  “This album is sort of like Wild Beasts meets The Horrors in the best way possible” says WRMC DJ Ben Goldberg.  It is dark, ambient, dancy, electronic. Woo! Highlights include: “The Reflection of You,” “Sinful Nature,” and “Warm Water."

Bear in Heaven - I Love You, It's Cool

Stream the new single from Jai Paul

It's been a VERY long time (almost two years!) since the British electro-pop-'n'B artist Jai Paul released his sensational debut, "BTSTU," one of 2010's best songs (or 2011's, depending on whether you're counting the original demo leak, which I was when I wrote "almost two years"). And until today, "BTSTU" was not only Jai Paul's breakout hit, it was his only released recording. But that's changed with today's release of the new single "Jasmine" on the high-profile British independent label XL. "Jasmine" is a stunning follow-up composed of funky guitars, ominous low-end synthesizers, a spartan beat, Paul's trademark sliced-and-diced approach to passionate R&B vocals, and a very ample dose of reverb. The result is an irresistible piece of shadowy, gorgeous, danceable lo-fi pop that's sure to be a 2012 favorite for many, yours truly definitely included. Honestly, it sounds like nothing else (though if I had to make a direct comparison, it'd be a reined-in and drugged-out rendition of Usher's excellent recent Diplo-produced single "Climax"). And while it may not boast the instant-gratification high of the classic "BTSTU," I prooooomise the subtler "Jasmine" is just as addictive and emotionally powerful as its predecessor. Here's hoping this release bodes well for the possibility of a Jai Paul full-length sometime soon; in the meantime, though, "Jasmine" should be enough to last us all another 18 months. It really was worth the wait.

Stream "Jasmine" over at Pretty Much Amazing, and listen to the 2011 edit of "BTSTU" here. Enjoy!

RIYL: Grimes, Purity Ring, James Blake, the Weeknd, the xx, How To Dress Well, Phantogram, Jamie Woon. And Usher. Duh.

UPDATE: Another recent gem is streaming at PMA as well -- the totally awesome Shabazz Palaces remix of Spank Rock's new "Car Song," prominently featuring another comeback kid au moment, Santigold. Santi's cold as ice, Spank Rock's mouth has never been filthier, and Shabazz Palaces outfit the track with some seriously menacing bass. Listen up!

FENSTER to perform at 51 Main, 4/6

Fenster, a band including New Yorker-turned-Berliner and Middlebury alumna (!) JJ Weihl, will be performing at 51 Main on Friday, April 6 at 10:00 pm. Fenster were recently featured in Diane Martin's WRMC new-music column "Tunezday," where she compared their unique, dreamy, self-described "deconstructed" pop sound to the likes of the Strokes, Arcade Fire, the Flaming Lips, Beirut, and the xx. If you're in Middlebury that day, don't miss this show! (And if you're in NYC today, they're playing a show there tonight!) Check out Diane's post and its comments for further information about the band and show. Below, listen to the folky "Oh Canyon":

How do you feel about Skrillex?

In the past two weeks, "brostep" figurehead and former Warped Tour small-fonter Sonny Moore, aka Skrillex, has played SXSW and received major coverage on the hipster tastemaking sites Pitchfork and Stereogum. So, some questions:

What's going on here? Is the indie music sphere warming up to Skrillex's bowel-movement-esque bass drops and cheap caffeine high aesthetic? Is this an earnest attempt to cut through the divisive maybe-bullshit about authenticity, legitimacy, and gender politics surrounding the chart-topping dance act? Did Pitchfork post an interview only to further its never-ending competition with Stereogum? Is this a case of the "underground" seizing upon and (possibly ironically) re-appropriating a mainstream sound just to mess with expectations and prove the supremacy of its cultural capital? Speaking of authenticity, how convincing is this sudden attention given that these publications and the audiences to which they cater have a history of derisively ridiculing this very act? Is the high traffic on these articles due to interest in Skrillex or interest in hearing the "victim" (or should that be "enemy"?) speak at long last? Is the polarizing Skrillex worthy of "defense" from the most renowned online independent music criticism publications currently running -- especially after being slammed by one of the most famous figures in U.K. dubstep (the "real" kind) on one of the same sites, to much praise? What is "real" dubstep, anyway? Why does this post require so many quotation marks? Is the U.S. fundamentally uglier, clumsier, worse at dancing, less aesthetically refined, and more misogynistic than the U.K.? Is Skrillex trying to simulate the sounds of gastroenteritis, or is that a coincidence? Is Skrillex's music sexist? Can it be listened to sober without inducing a headache? Is Skrillex a poser? Is Skrillex the 2010s answer to hair metal? I thought that was Sleigh Bells?

And, most importantly of all: Is Skrillex actually any good? Does he have anything interesting to say? Do you care?

If so, check out the articles here (Pitchfork) and here (Stereogum). And below, watch the video for "First of the Year" by Skrillex:



And here is the video for "Come to Daddy" by Aphex Twin. In the Pitchfork piece, Moore claims Aphex Twin as a major influence, and it's not hard to hear "Come to Daddy"'s sinister industrial slice-and-dice (and freaky vocal horrorshow) in Moore's work as Skrillex. In fact, Moore mentions this video (an obvious inspiration for the "First of the Year" video) specifically. If you still don't see why you should watch it, it's also one of the best works of the notoriously twisted British music video director Chris Cunningham.

Video of the Week

One point if you know who Givers are. One point if you know what Black Cab Sessions is. Three points if you know what both things are. Regardless of your score on a quiz created to give myself the highest score, you should familiarize yourself with both the band and the unique music web site.

Black Cab Sessions has been around for a while and they've been taking bands around in their black cab, recording their music in a tiny space, and somehow making simultaneously intimate and wonderful recordings of artists that are now being shown on American television (and you thought it was all trash on at 2 am!). This video demonstrates the playfulness of Givers, while also showing off their amazing talents. I dare you to watch it and not have a huge crush of the girl in the band at the end of it.

Virtual Virtuosos: Clara Chung

This week's featured artist is Clara Chung a.k.a. "ClaraCMusic." She's much better-known than most of the other YouTube artists I've featured so far (she even has a Wikipedia page!), but is still worth mentioning as she has yet to really achieve fame beyond the internet community. On her YouTube channel she posts both covers and original songs/mash-ups, often collaborating with other big-name YouTube musicians or personalities. For example, in the music video for "The Camel Song," Ryan Higa (nigahiga), from the #1 most subscribed channel on YouTube, plays her love interest:



Clara graduated from UC Irvine with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Education, but is now pursuing music full-time. If you'd like to see more of Clara, check out her official website, which has links to all of her social media pages.

No Virtual Virtuosos next week because of spring break, but I'll see you guys again in April!

Video of the Week

In true Lana Del Rey fashion, her latest video includes sultry face shots, exotic animals, and a tattooed man. The Blue Jeans video offers a lot of class to the viewer with its black and white aesthetics and well-planned shots. There's a bit of a Last Year at Marienbad feel to the video that really highlights Del Rey's sexy, yet mysterious, vocal qualities. While maybe not as good as the "Born to Die" video, you should definitely give it a look and listen.

Tunezday! Feat. The Shins, Conduits, and Tanlines

Indie Rock: At this time five years ago, I was driving (I had just gotten my license!) home from soccer practice with my windows rolled down blasting Wincing The Night Away, the third full length album from The Shins.  It seemed to me that James Mercer had created the perfect springtime album, that is, until now.  Today, The Shins release their long anticipated, fourth full-length album, Port of Morrow.  In the past five years Mercer dropped his band mates, dropped his indie label Subpop, and signed onto Columbia Records to create an amazing, intricately detailed pop-rock album.  While we all loved the lo-fi days of Oh, Inverted World, the production quality that comes with working on a major label is more than welcomed as it allows Mercer to really showoff every element of his songwriting.  Mercer hasn’t bought into the electronic scene as so many artists have, but instead sticks to the bright, layered guitars that have defined indie rock for so long.  It seems only appropriate to me that Port of Morrow comes out during the first beautiful spring week here in Middlebury.  So, go sit outside and blast if from your boom box!

Stream The Shins - Port of Morrow 

“Shoegaze” is at least the subgenre being cast upon Conduits; however, they are resisting this label and if you listen to their debut self-titled album, you will understand why.  The Omaha, Nebraska natives' official press release explains, “these aren't affected youth staring at their guitar pedals and hoping that the audience in front of them would just go away. This is music that pulses and crackles with energy and incident.”  And it’s true.  Driven by female vocals, the energy of this album is undeniable.  It is spacious and begs to be listened to under the sun in the open air.   Midway through the album, the track “On The Day” starts out a little quieter, a little calmer, and then breaks into epic cymbal crashes, rhythms, and chanting vocals.  Quit staring at your feet and check out this album being released today on Team Love Records.

Stream Conduits - Conduits

Electronic: Today, Brooklyn duo Tanlines finally release their highly anticipated full length debut Mixed Emotions.  It’s possible that the beautiful weather has made me a little loopy, but I think most people would agree that this album features some of the best summer dance songs yet.  There is an evident heavy club beat influence, but Mixed Emotions also maintains a balance with quirky and accessible melodies and rhythms.  Songs like “Real Life” and “Brothers” have been on the blogosphere for a while, but check out the rest of the album for even more danceable summer tunes.

Stream Tanlines - Mixed Emotions

Stream a few more of this weeks best new releases here:

Daniel Rossen - Silent Hour/Golden Mile EP

Yukon Blonde - Tiger Talk

Listen to Bon Iver's cover of "Coming Down" by Anais Mitchell '04

One of Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver)'s favorite live gimmicks is to cover a song by a lesser-known acoustic artist. Recently, he covered "Coming Down," a track by Middlebury '04 grad Anais Mitchell, at an in-studio live performance at an Australian radio station; listen and download over at Stereogum.

In the past, Bon Iver has covered one of my favorite songs of all time, recent WRMC fave Sharon van Etten's "Love More"; hear his (not as great) cover here and the phenomenal original here. AND here is an exhaustingly comprehensive list of Bon Iver covers (thanks, Stereogum!); there are a few diamonds in the folk-rock rough. Covers are always tricky ground, and I wouldn't say Bon Iver has mastered the delicate craft of making another's song one's own...Swedish-Argentine singer-songwriter Jose Gonzalez has though. Have you heard his wonderful acoustic rendition of fellow Swedes the Knife's "Heartbeats"? If not, get thee to this link immediately!

Don't forget to check out Anais Mitchell's new album Young Man In America and Sharon van Etten's stunning third record Tramp, both on Rotation here at WRMC!

Virtual Virtuosos: Chris Doyle

This week's featured artist is the 18-year-old Chris Doyle. He's only been on YouTube for about two years and has fewer than 1,000 subscribers, but I think he is one of the more talented YouTube musicians I've come across. Check it out:



If you like what you hear, go ahead and check out his YouTube channel, or like him on Facebook.