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Puget Sound | Funky, rough, and riff-based, there is something blatantly bluesy and rocked-out within The Slew’s hip-hop sound. A spoken-word chorus, repeated on top of “It’s All Over”, revels in the band’s dedication to interweaving 70’s hard rock with modern turntable anarchy. It laments the absence of people power, in its own way calling all of you to band together and embrace their new sound on 100%. Assisted by musicians formerly of the Grammy-award winning Wolfmother, Slew hopes to gain a little more retro, Marshall-amped credibility to add to their hard rock status.

Slew – It’s All Over

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The Slew – You Turn Me Cold

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Words by Jeff Nau

4.33 (6 votes)

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Swim Records | Anyone remember the label 4AD stalwarts Lush, the London alt-rockers that pioneered shoegaze during the heyday of grunge when there was no alternative to alternative? Well those of you who miss the dreamy vocal wanderings of Miki Berenyi and all that Robin Guthrie-influenced guitar chorus sound, (or those of you who missed it altogether), there’s always Githead, also from London, which is pretty much the next best thing.

Githead – Landing

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4.33 (6 votes)

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Giant Step | Mixing different styles of electronica, techno, trance, and more, many of  Scott Hardkiss‘ song titles are both self-explanatory and satirical: Beat Freak encompasses a wide variety of different beats, both percussive and synth-based, while others like The Revolution Has Begun are less genre-bending revelations than catchy, quirky observations on electronic music’s self-indulgent obsession with retro effects. Star Power, with its satirical view of trite celebrity fashion concerns, could be a newer mix between Right Said Fred and Rick James, while What We Got is somewhere between self-deprecating and genuinely just plain fun.
On Technicolor Dreamer, Hardkiss breaks a bit further away from his God Within moniker to focus more on this specifically solo musical venture; fans familiar with his jazz and funk influences will find a great deal more of both at play than on other outings. But Hardkiss seems intent on both covering familiar ground as well as surprising the listener: On tracks like It Comes From Above, many of those familiar Euro-pop elements mix with a simple five-word mantra, repeated ad infinitum in praise of electronic music’s more intangible and ethereal qualities.

Words by Jeff Nau

Scott Hardkiss – Intro

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Scott Hardkiss – Come On, Come On

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4.29 (7 votes)

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The Mary Onettes’ critically acclaimed debut was described as the perfect mix between A-ha and The Jesus and Mary Chain.  Now they are back with a grandiose new album.  Imagine a Swedish equivalent of The National on a diet of speed, Planet Earth DVDs, and 80’s guitar pop singles and you’ll have a vague idea of how amazing this is.

The year 2008 was characterized by the deaths of close relatives and friends of Philip Ekstrom (singer and songwriter of the band) and on Islands he’s put more focus on the lyrics.  ‘The Disappearance of My Youth’ and ‘Cry for Love’ were written in his girlfriend’s mother’s estate and most of the songs on the album are highly marked by his time in Stockholm after her death.

The Mary Onettes – Puzzles

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3.80 (5 votes)

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“There’s not a lot of dudes making me rewind these days. Everything now is fast forward, next song. Everybody wants to go in the studio and not write their rhymes. What good is not writing your rhymes? It shows!” Blaq Poet’s words drip with venom, his face contorted like some mask in a Greek tragedy when discussing the current state of rap music. This is hardly a new diatribe. But the verbal slings take on renewed vitality when voiced by an artist who has participated in one of rap’s greatest feuds —the Bronx vs. Queens— as spearheaded by KRS-One and MC Shan, respectively. In this derivative era of MCs with their noses open, their eyes closed, and their imaginations overactive, Blaq Poet’s unapologetic streetwise bluster is refreshing and welcome. And the irony of getting back to rap’s essence —“bangin’ boom-bap, crazy lyrical content”—as something novel isn’t lost on the grizzled Queensbridge native.

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5.00 (1 votes)

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A look back at 10 great songs we posted for download in July 2009!

Pseudo Slang – Bedouin – Pheudo Slang is the collaborative effort of Emcee Sick of Xtracts of Slang and producer Tone Atlas of Pseudo Intellectuals.

Corridor – Barricks – Corridor is the alias for multi-instrumentalist Michael Quinn’s musical project.

Rainbow Arabia – Omar K Max Justus Remix – inspired by Sublime Frequencies comps, Factory Records, Congotronics adding many new tropical, african, eastern flourishes to their latest material.

Adultnapper – Echologist The Score – One of electronic music’s most important artists, this Brooklyn based producer and DJ comes to the scene after stints in grad school (philosophy) and hardcore punk bands.

Afghan Raiders – Admirals Doorbells - these generally peaceful guys have been electrifying dance floors with their infectious riffs and outrageous stage antics, which include showering the audience with gold balloons and bringing hardcore headbanging to dance music.

Battlehooch – The Special Place – perhaps more than their music, their attitude toward their work and the art of their peers had the Bay Area underground embracing Battlehooch as the way forward.

Nas- Film – The Red Bull Big Tune 2008 winner, C-Sick collaboration with Hip-Hop lyricist Nas.

Stellastarr – Freak Out – American Indie Rock band based in NYC.

Black Heart Procession  – Rats - Indie Rock band based in San Diego, CA.

Awol One- Celebrate – Since coming up through the indie hip-hop scene in the late-90s, , Awol with his gruff resonance is a voice to remember but one that has never been easy to define.

5.00 (1 votes)

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Kanine Records | Riding in on oceanic waves of drone and immense muscular drums, enter the spectral pop duo Zaza. While associated with their peers in Brooklyn’s recent exploding indie-pop/shoegaze scene, Zaza sonically contrast from their guitar-pop brethren in favor of something darker, more mysterious driven by haunting, ethereal vocals and rolling, cavernous rhythms.  Recently signing to Kanine Records (Chairlift, Grizzly Bear),  the duo is set to release their mesmerizing debut EP “Cameo” this August.

Zaza – Sooner or Later

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5.00 (1 votes)

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As Tall As Lions - photo by Shawn Brackbill

The third full-length album by New York’s As Tall As Lions, You Can’t take It With You, is a thoughtful, textured tour de force of soundscapes, vocal harmonies, melodies and insightful lyrics about the modern world.  The songs’ subject matter faces head-on the politics of God, love, war, and the human condition while examining everyday struggles such as anxiety, isolation, and money.” With You Can’t Take It With You, the band; vocalist-guitarist Dan Nigro, guitarist Saen Fitzgerald, bassist Julio Tavarez and drummer Cliff Sarcona, has made its smartest and most impressive album to date.

As Tall As Lions – Circles

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Album available in stores August 18th 2009

08/11/09      Gothic Theatre, Denver, CO
08/12/09     Murray Theatre, Salt Lake City, UT
08/13/09     Neurolux, Boise, ID
08/14/09     Neumos, Seattle, WA
08/15/09     Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR
08/17/09     Empire Event Center, Sacramento, CA
08/20/09     The Casbah, San Diego, CA
08/26/09     The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
08/28/09     Detroit Bar, Costa Mesa, CA
08/29/09     Velvet Jones, Santa Barbara, CA
08/30/09     El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
08/31/09     El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

5.00 (1 votes)

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The LA based mondo motorcycle band, The Lords of Altamont give me faith in rock n roll. Lead singer, Jake “The Preacher” Cavaliere is a true showman, whether he’s standing on his electronic organ, or owning the microphone, he commands attention. The show this past Friday night at the Good Hurt in Mar Vista CA started with a wall of sound and ended with 5 stylish but sweaty dudes giving it their all.

The Lords just returned from playing 32 shows in 35 days throughout Europe. No luxury tour coaches for these boys, just 5 guys in a rented van with a map and the passion to play. None the worse for wear they managed to make it out a little tougher, a little wiser, completely selling out of every piece of merch they took with em. Turns out they actually are big in Belguim.

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4.79 (19 votes)

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Pseudo Slang is the collaborative effort of Emcee Sick of Xtracts of Slang and producer Tone Atlas of Pseudo Intellectuals. Based in Buffalo and Chicago respectively, PS have been closely followed for almost a decade, garnering international praise and acclamation for creating music that steps outside the standard boundaries of contemporary rap.

Under the umbrella of self-founded and managed record label Baby Steps Hip Hop, Inc., Pseudo Slang released their debut project The Catalogue in October 2004, a compilation of tracks PS recorded between 1999 and 2004 serving as a comprehensive collection of Xtracts’ and Pseudo’s unreleased work leading up to the formation of Pseudo Slang.

Pseudo Slang – Bedouin

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5.00 (1 votes)

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