You may recognize this face as "the girl from M83" ... but guess what? She is much more than being the lone female in one of the biggest electronic bands today. Her name is Morgan Kibby, and has a solo project called White Sea that's produced quite a few gems including "Lady Killer" & "Mountaineer." Earlier today she posted on the Facebook page for WS that a new song called "They Don't Know" was streaming over at Gorilla vs. Bear, and as cliche as it sounds - my heart literally skipped a beat.
Driving home from work tonight couldn't have been a better time to have listened to this song for the 1st time. It's definitely her strongest vocal performance yet, and is an exciting first taste of forthcoming album due out sometime next year via Mom + Pop Records! If you're not familiar with M+P, its an independent record label that is home to artists such as FIDLAR, Flume, Smith Westerns,and Polica to name a few.
The big day is almost here! On Wednesday I'll be making the move from California to Pennsylvania & begin the next chapter of my life - IN PHILLY!
To sum it up, FYF was a great experience! I learned quite a bit last weekend while covering the sunny LA festival. I cannot wait to share the details with all of you, including the details of a VERY special interview that I had the opportunity to take part in during Day 1. Until that post arrives, check out a few of the shots I snapped (wouldn't have been possible without being granted a Press Pass for the event, thanks Vanessa)! The festival lineup was incredibly stacked both days, and each day felt never-ending (but in a good way)! I was lucky enough to catch almost everyone that I had planned on watching, but unfortunately I missed out on Aesop Rock, Wild Nothing, Tycho, and Future Islands.
In case you weren't aware: this upcoming weekend is not only Memorial Day Weekend but it also marks the 10th annual Sasquatch Music Festival held at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington. It's a 3-day festival sponsored by: esurance (an AllState company), Kokanee, Honda, Verizon, Matador, and Alaska Airlines. Some of the high notes for the festival are without a doubt: Jack White, Beck, Bon Iver, Tenacious D, The Shins, and Pretty Lights.
So HERE is the first dose of my personal high notes that I highly suggest you check out for yourself while you're there (because unfortunately I'm a full-time student and finals are in less than two weeks, boo).
If you want to learn more about the festival itself, feel free to checkout their website by clicking here!
Alright, so you're probably thinking "no shit sherlock" that Metric is a must-see on my list. I might be a fairly young(22) music enthusiast, but Metric and I go WAY back. Thanks to a dear friend of mine, I was immediately attached to this group following the 2003 release of their first full-length album Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? "Dead Disco", "Combat Baby", "Wet Blanket" were bonafied jams of mine. They have an undeniable "sparklepunch" sound that I find addicting; and spikes your curiosity about what influences the words that come out Emily Haines' mouth. Other tracks of mine that I'm head over heels about and hope you'll hear live are: Police in the Private, Monster Hospital, Help I'm Alive, Collect Call, Gold Guns Girls, Gimme Sympathy, and this newly released track you'll find below titled "Youth Without Youth". This single will be on their upcoming release Synthetica that is out on June 12th. If you think about it, this is the perfect time to expose some of the new material.
Take it from me as I've had the pleasure of catching The Joy Formidable live twice last year-THEY PUT ON AN AMAZING LIVE SHOW. Not only did I catch them at a festival setting (Outside Lands), but also at a small nearby venue (SoHo). TJF is a trio consisting of Ritzy Bryan(lead vocals/guitar), Rhydian Dafydd(bass guitar/backing vocals), and Matt Thomas(drums/percussion) from the UK. Don't let Ritzy's pint-size frame fool you, she's a beast (just watch how big her eyes get). It really amazed me how identical they sounded to their recordings. Below is my favorite track by them "A Heavy Abacus" off their first (and only so far) full-length 2011 album The Big Roar. Have no fear, the amount of roar in their music will not cheat you whatsoever.
I predict Purity Ring to be one of the standout sets for this music festival. With the amount of hype that's been generated off their 3 tracks that have been swimming for what feels like forever, Purity Ring is barely a year old. After an amazing delivery at this year's South By Southwest (SXSW), a surprise release of a new single "Obedear" that was followed by the announcement of an upcoming album release has graced our attention. Shrines is the first full-length from Purity Ring, and will be released July 23rd on 4AD/Last Gang Records. Below is the first single off Shrines titled "Obedear".
Recently when I posted about favorite duets, Active Child was featured in it along with How To Dress Well for their hypnotizing track "Playing House". Active Child (aka Pat Grossi) is easily one of the most talented solo artists today, and I am extremely envious of you who get to catch him in the flesh this weekend! I would love to hear what your thoughts were in regards to his live performance. Enjoy Active Child's Live Performance on KEXP Radio below from last September.... that harp-playing is mighty wonderful.
Zola Jesus aka Nika Roza Danilova is the voice of your darkest dream. The first word that comes to mind whenever I listen to her music is "release". Therapeutic or cathartic also appear. In my opinion I wasn't much of a fan at first for her 2nd EP Stridulum, which is the 6th release from Zola. Conatus on the other hand, was an immediate attraction for me. What I found is that the music on both Stridulum and Conatus reflect identically upon their album covers. While Stridulum captures Zola completely drenched in a dark liquid, Conatus displays Zola wrapped in a white sheet as well as wearing white clothes. This isn't to say that the music on Conatus is super airy and lacking the operatic darkness, because it is still there in full force. Also, Zola Jesus is featured on the first track "Intro" of the latest M83 album Hurry Up We're Dreaming & collaborated with Orbital on "New France". Those are two tracks that are definitely worth checking out if you haven't already. Below is my favorite Zola Jesus track which is found on Conatus titled "Seekir". Enjoy!
Looking for a pick-me-up jam or 5 after a rough night or in need of some study tunes for the adventure you're about to endure at Davidson today? Have no fear, here's some tunes (both new & old) that will be by your side while you're studying your ass off....or reading last night's text messages. ouch.
Just some mellow vibes with different electronic spins to help create a slightly energetic mood that you might be on the hunt for. If this isn't what you're looking for, either leave me a comment or proceed to the next blog. ENJOY!
