Time to unwind from your Manic Monday with this week's edition of FVM. A good friend of mine has been on a roll with releasing music under the moniker Olivver, and his latest "Lucy (Hurt People Hurt People)" has won my ears over as one of the best songs of the summer. It's been a minute since we've heard from White Arrows & Lemonade, so stumbling across these releases was a nice surprise. ICYMI: Wilsen was last week's "Friday Fascination" on the blog, and you can get the full scoop on the band here. & this definitely won't be the first or last time that you'll hear about the latest from Bondax & Ryn Weaver whom have both released stellar tracks that have been blowing up since day 1.
I'll be the first to admit that I've never played Grand Theft Auto, but when my newsfeed was flooded with "GTA V" statuses, links, photos, etc... I had no other choice but to figure out what the hype was about. Before I could get into the game itself, I stumbled across the Soundtrack - which is one amazing compilation of music from artists such as Health, Wavves, Neon Indian, Yeasayer, and Age of Consent. "Colours" is a funky little number that made me quite curious in getting to know about this mysterious duo from across the pond.
"Another Story" is the latest to be released from The Head and The Heart's forthcoming sophomore release Let's Be Still due out October 15th (via Sub Pop.) This track sounded beautiful from the Outside Lands livestream when they performed it this year in San Francisco along with their other new hit "Shake." Needless to say I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of the album from this talented band from the Pacific Northwest.
Without a doubt these are three artists I would have never imagined to collaborate together, but am not an ounce surprised that it's one of the best tracks my ears have heard in awhile. This is apart of the Hunger Games Catching Fire Soundtrack, along with new music from The National, Phantogram, Lorde, and more!
P.S. Last night's post on LYED featured Lorde's debut album along with two other new releases, check it out if you haven't already!
Saint Motel covering Major Lazer, who da thunk it? After catching a show of theirs at Lola's Saloon in Fort Worth, Texas - I am digging this band to a T. This cover is nothing short of delicious, and Click here to listen to their latest single "My Type" which sounds just as amazing live as it does on SoundCloud.
I shouldn't be posting this as I am knee deep in makeup work, but when I read that one of my favorite artists EVER covered another artist who I LOVE I just couldn't let this slide. Earlier today Ellie Goulding released her cover of The Weeknd's "High For This" on her Soundcloud account. I am absolutely in love with the sound/flow of it and in case you were wondering, it was produced by Xaphoon Jones. If Xaphoon Jones doesn't ring a bell to you, he's 1/2 of the hip-hop/experimental/alternative duo Chiddy Bang from the East Coast. It's been quite awhile since we've heard new material from Ellie Goulding, and definitely didn't see something like this coming our way.
Here's the original JUST in case you've never heard of The Weeknd.
What's better than listening to your favorite band in the car or in the shower? SEEING THEM LIVE! This is definitely the case for me, (actually I can think of a select few that didn't impress me live but i'll save that for another post). Recently I've been stumbling across tour announcement after tour announcement, and I just can't keep it to myself what my eyes have seen! & tis the season for new music... as this season seems to continuously keep giving.
Twin Shadow recently announced a string of tour dates that will take place two weeks after the July 10th release of his sophomore LP album Confess on 4AD. Quite excited when I read that he will be performing at a local venue here in Santa Barbara (SoHo Restaurant & Music Club) on August 18th! For a list of tour dates and more information about Twin Shadow himself, click here!
This is their first track since falling off the face of the media world in 2009. If this is your first time listening to CocoRosie, you're in for one hell of a treat. CocoRosie was first formed in 2003 by sisters Bianca & Sierra Casady. What first comes to mind when I think of CocoRosie is indeed "freak-folk", a term several others have described this duo as. Bianca & Sierra each have their own individual singing style (Bianca's exotic mix of hip-hop/folk vocals while Sierra's hand-crafted sound stems from studying opera and is as dreamy as her kaleidoscope look). If their unique vocal collaboration doesn't grasp your ears, then you should know that this duo uses wind-up children's toys and a variety of gadgets that produce animal noises which definitely increases the freak in their sound. The single is officially out on June 5th with the b-side track "Tearz For Animals" on Touch & Go. They'll be coming to the golden state next month:
June 6 - The Regency Ballroom (San Francisco)
June 7 - Rio Theatre (Santa Cruz)
June 8 - Bellyup Tavern (Solana Beach)
June 9 - Luckman Fine Arts Complex (Los Angeles)
After an amazing first go-around for Bombay Bicycle Club, their upcoming US/Canada tour through the US & Canada has been extended to the west coast ! After catching BBC back in February (San Diego on the 14th & Los Angeles on the 15th), I wasn't sure that I would have the opportunity to catch them in California for awhile. They put on an amazing set both nights, and I highly recommend it if they're coming to your city. Here's Bombay Bicycle Club telling you why you should listen to them & their latest album A Different Kind of Fix in the time-span of 60 seconds.
This is an unreleased track by The Weeknd, and was the first track ever recorded (2006/2007). My, has he developed since then.
& if you haven't heard already, The Weeknd will be joining Florence + the Machine on tour later this year, along with The Maccabees and Blood Orange on select dates. Just the sound of those four names is a match-made in musical heaven for yours truly.
Today marks the release date of Neck of the Woods, the new full-length album from Silversun Pickups. It's almost uncalled for to hear a Silversun Pickups track that's less than 4 minutes long (an exception would be Broken Bottles, you bet I did my homework). I truly appreciate the longer length tracks, maybe it's because i've developed a high level of patience thanks to working in retail. With Silversun Pickups, it's a different story. Each track is like a spectral amusement ride, and in order to get the full satisfying effect-you need to listen to each track in it's entirety. Brian Aubert's raspy hiding-under-the-bleachers voice will always be one of a kind, and I love the way it brings me back to their last album Swoon with this first track "Skin Graph".
& with The XX recently announcing their summer tour through Europe which begins next week in London, one can only hope that this is a sign that the new album will be released before we imagined it to be. (I've listened to their first self-titled album so much that I can almost recite it backwards, yet I still get the butterflies when the tracks pop-up on shuffle.
& maybe a US tour? (fingers crossed). They released a demo titled "Open Eyes" last December, check it out below!
Welp, it's been real Spring break. Sadly tomorrow starts a new quarter, but what's really on my mind is the fact that WE LEAVE FOR COACHELLA IN 11 DAYS! So much excitement, and so much to do in such little time. I'm hoping to share with you guys as many Coachella acts as possible, but for those who dwell on my Coachella posts, I'll share some other tunes as well.
I heard about these guys last summer when the track "Colours" was a free track from Itunes, and caught a bit of their set at Outside Lands Music & Art Festival (great festival to check out in San Francisco around August). I love watching bands live that have more then a few people in the band, as it's an experience to watch them feed off each others' energy. What I really like about this track is the way that it builds up to the chorus before exploding with intensity. The way Christian Zucconi's voice weaves in and out with the sound of the instruments makes it super catchy. Other tracks to check out: Colours, Tongue Tied, Slow. (DAY 2)
I literally screamed at the top of my lungs as I read that Feed Me was on the Coachella lineup. Thankfully I was in my living room, and home alone. I've yet to see the infamous "Feed Me" (also known as Jon Gooch). I was immediately hooked when I first heard "Pink Lady" around this time last year. As you already know, I am horrible at giving descriptions.. so by providing you with the videos I hope that you'll understand why I chose these songs in the first place. In ways this track seems repetitive but it's the type that you'll get lost in for 6 minutes and 46 seconds & not realize it. Other tracks to check out: One Click Headshot, Whiskers, Relocation, Strange Behaviour (DAY 1)
First & Foremost: MIIKE SNOW IS NOT ONE PERSON. It's actually three guys from Sweden: Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winnberg, and Andrew Wyatt. This is your ideal pop indie "band" with an electronic twist. The video for "The Wave" is the sequel to the video for "Paddling Out" which was the first single from their recently released album Happy To You. Words can't describe how excited I am to actually experience this set "live". (DAY 2)
This was a great surprise to see a local Santa Barbara band on the 2012 Coachella lineup, and even better that it was Gardens & Villa. Pitchfork describes the bands' sound as "mixing gothic mysticism and hazy dream pop", and I definitely have to agree. I've had the pleasure of attending two of their shows within the past 8 months and with their last show at Casa de la Raza in Santa Barbara, it made me even more pumped for their upcoming set at Coachella. I've heard nothing but great things about these guys and I wish them the best of luck! Without a doubt, catching Gardens & Villa's set will be a great way to start the last day of Coachella! (DAY 3)
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NEW BEACH HOUSE!!
Yes it's true....The Baltimore duo of Victoria Legrand & Alex Scally are about to release a new album titled "Bloom", and a few tracks have already been released. As tranquil & elegant as their previous albums sound, expect a continuation. I was very pleased with their performance at last years' Treasure Island Music Festival, as they played on the Bridge stage while the sun went down. The first single from their new album was released around 3 weeks ago and if you haven't stumbled across it already, enjoy!
Another track has also surfaced on the web, "Lazuli" which also sends a dark chill down your spine. Recently I've been listening to a lot of Memoryhouse, where I receive similar vibes.... this isn't something to do a keg-stand to, but more along the lines of when you have a night to yourself and feel like busting out a blank canvas. Or maybe that's just me......
