FRESHVIBESMONDAY #28

#FVM28 on a TUESDAY?! I know, I know (face falls immediately into palm) but maybe someday someone will grant my ongoing wish of making sure that there are more hours in the day. 

Until then, dive into this week's playlist of fresh tunes from the past couple of days. Logging into SoundCloud this morning only to notice that Nero released their first proper track in quite some time was a sweet surprise to say the least.

 I decided to wrap the playlist up with Seattle four-piece Tacocat because I can't get enough of their recent full-length NVM. (Give it a listen on Spotify here.) Catching them at Hardly Art's showcase at SXSW this year was a real treat, and you can watch their KEXP session by clicking here, which I highly advise you to do. 

P.S. The magnificent Poliça from Minnesota will be releasing a deluxe edition of their sophomore album Shulamith which happened to be LYED's #1 album of 2013. Peep the link below thanks to Stereogum to hear more about the release as well as hear a new track "Raw Exit."

http://www.stereogum.com/1680902/polica-raw-exit-stereogum-premiere/mp3s/

15 Remixes Your Ears Need to Hear

Happy Tuesday y'all (which is known to be the proper release day for music in the good ol U S of A.) Just in case you feel like taking the new Tycho or The War on Drugs album off repeat (which might be a problem) here's 73 minutes of remixed gems! Some new, some old, and if you didn't know already - this old thing turns 2 years old on Friday! 

So, which remix was your favorite?

ICYMI: Yesterday's FVB#23 was filled to the brim with some of the best music that's been released in the past couple of weeks. 

LYED SXSW 2014 Wish List

South By Southwest (SXSW) is one of the best places to discover new & rising talent - or see Lady Gaga perform at the Doritos stage? Either way, if you make your way to Austin, Texas this year - you're bound to witness events that are equal parts weird & amazing. Last year was a great experience for me personally, and definitely opened up my eyes to more than what I had imagined SXSW to be. All I have to say is: be prepared to run around (aka wear comfortable shoes) & always have a few extra backup plans because as the week goes on - the crowd multiplies and you might not get to see who you originally wanted to. If that has to happen - look at the bright side, take a chance and go see someone relatively *new* or venture to one of the smaller venues for a showcase, because you'll never know if you'll see those artists in such a small setting ever again. 
This year I'll only be there from 03/14-03/16 (Friday-Sunday) but if I was going to be there for the entire Music portion of the fest, here's who I'd definitely make plans to see! (Cross your fingers I'll get to see the ones who are still playing shows while I'm there.) 

My SXSW Wish List
(in no particular order)

1. Torres
Learn more about this talented singer-songwriter from when I first fell in love with her back in September.

2. Future Islands

3. Tomas Barfod 

03/15 HYPE HOTEL - ISO50 + No Fear of Pop (1pm)

 After reading that Nina Kinert will also be at SXSW this year, I hope the two of them perform a bit together since Nina supplies most of the vocals on Barfod's well-known tracks. 

4. Chela

5. Scavenger Hunt
(SH was one of my favorite finds from 2013, and you can check out their Friday Fascination feature here!)

6. Painted Palms

7. The Casket Girls

8. Young Summer

(Stumbling upon Young Summer was a real treat, check out her FF feature on the blog here!)
03/12: The Iron Bear - 121 W 8th St, Austin, TX (9pm)


9. Wye Oak

03/12: Hype Machine + Consequence of Sound @ Hype Hotel (4pm)
03/13: KUTX Austin @ Four Seasons Hotel Austin (10am)
03/13: Merge Records Official Showcase @ The Parish(11:45pm)
03/14: KEXP + Merge Records 25th Anniversary @ Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop (12pm)
03/14: The A.V. Club Rainey Day Party @ The Blackheart(4pm)


10.Temples
(This UK psychedelic band won my ears over last summer, and it wasn't long before I had to feature them on the blog.)

03/13: South By San Jose (3pm)
03/14: SPIN Day Party (1:30-2pm)

11. Panama

12. Wolf Alice
03/14 All Things Go + Indie Shuffle Showcase @Maggie Mae's Rooftop (11pm)
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/all-things-go-indie-shuffle-sxsw-2014-showcase-tickets-10820431201

If you're on the hunt for finding more artists, check out this: THE AUSTIN 100: A SXSW 2014 Mix for NPR or Showlist Austin.
Hope everyone has a great time in ATX!  xx -Emz

Getting Back Under The Covers: Part III

It's been a looooong time since I last devoted a post to some of my favorite covers, so here they are (all 15 of them!) Some new, some old, and some that I'd never imagine to exist until now.

P.S. Less than a week until SXSW takes place in ATX, stay tuned for my list of artists/bands I'd want to see (if I were going to be there all week.)

Which song did you like the most/least?

Friday Fascination: Young Summer

Young Summer a.k.a. Bobbie Allen is a singer/songwriter from Washington D.C. & I'll just go ahead and say it- i'm in looove with everything about YS. I recently discovered her debut EP titled Fever Dream (released via Ready Set Records,) and it's made up of a sound that's nearly ethereal in each of the 6 tracks. (Preview them all on iTunes!) 
 

"Waves That Rolled You Under" is a mesmerizing standout on Fever Dream. Allen's voice literally floats with ease as she combs through the 4 minutes and 15 second of a melodic endeavor. (Hear the backstroke remix of it here!)

"Fever Dream" video directed by Johnny Ching.

"Why Try" is a soothing little number released early last year as a single, and also featured on Vampire Diaries Season 4. (Grab it on iTunes here!)

"Young Summer presents a new side of artistry for Allen. “It's extremely honest music,” she explains. “It really is no-holds-barred in its honesty. It feels that way when you hear it because that concept is very deliberate. That's the thread that brings all of the songs together and makes them related. It all comes from a very sincere and honest place.” 

- PASTE Magazine

I'm quite upset that I missed her show at the Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles, but I have a pretty good feeling Young Summer will be back to the west coast for more. 

Young Summer SoundCloud

Young Summer Website

If you're a fan of Young Summer, I highly suggest that you check out Scavenger Hunt, who was a previous "Friday Fascination."

FRESHVIBESMONDAY #21

Here is everything I've been listening to for the past couple of days! If you couldn't tell already - the theme of this post is "no words just music." ;)

ENJOY YOUR MONDAY!

Friday Fascination: Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger Hunt is a duo currently situated in Los Angeles consisting of Jill Lamoureux & Dan Mufson. When I stumbled across them a couple weeks ago on the Haim Pandora station - I instantly became a fan of these guys.

"Lost" is electro-pop at its best, with Jill Lamoureux's vocals floating throughout the track perfectly. This is the beginning of something great if you ask me. 

P.S. If you didn't notice - "Lost" is available as a free download! Grab it while you can. 

~~~~~~

The duo covered Kings of Leon's "California Waiting" from their 2003 debut album Youth and Young Manhood. It's always nice to hear a completely different interpretation of a song that already sounds great in its original composition. 

Tonight Scavenger Hunt will debut a new song called "Bones" at the Bootleg Theater with Parade of Lights. I've been to the Bootleg Theater once while I lived in LA, and I definitely recommend catching as many bands as you can at this intimate little venue. Did I mention the show is FREE?
Also, January 20th - catch SH at the Satellite in Silverlake. 
For more information, click here! 
Check out Scavenger Hunt on Twitter!