8 Albums Your Ears Need To Hear

If you thought to yourself at some point that there were a large handful of album releases taking place yesterday, you're absolutely right. Not sure how or why this was the week to explode with new music for the world to hear, but it happened & it happened in a way that is far from a bad thing. There were so many that I had to cap this post at 8. Spend the rest of your day (or week) by checking out the selection below because you're bound to find something & besides - this post isn't going anywhere. ;)

Delta Spirit - Into The Wide 

It's nice to hear from these guys again, actually it's really, really nice. This band blends alternative rock and country so well I can't decide what it sounds like more, so rather than spend time thinking about it I just choose to dive head first into the music.

(Grab the album on vinyl or cd here via their website.)

Interpol - El Pintor 

We can sit here and discuss that Interpol will never make another album that's as great as Turn On The Bright Lights or we can acknowledge the fact that Interpol has made an album post Carlos D & still carries the same drive that we've always loved about the NYC band. I don't care what anyone says, the candle that Interpol holds has never burned brighter.

(Get the album on iTunes here.)

   

BANKS - Goddess

Goddess is a great debut album from Jillian Banks with most of the material lingering our ears for the past year. I must admit the rest of the album filled in quite nicely with tracks such as "Fuck Em Only We Know" & "Someone New." 

(Take my word & go for the deluxe version on iTunes by clicking here.)

TENNIS - Ritual In Repeat 

Since the release of their debut album Cape Dory, the Denver duo have developed into one of the most promising indie-pop duos. Releasing Ritual In Repeat just in time before their US tour has me extra excited for their date at The Troubadour (10/25.) Plus, "I'm Callin'" is easily one of my favorite songs of the year.

(Grab Ritual In Repeat on iTunes here.)

ODESZA - In Return

Ain't nothing wrong with an album full of solid vibes. In fact, a good friend of mine declared In Return "dream music" over on The Kollection & I couldn't agree with her more.

(Grab In Return on iTunes here.)

Karen O - Crush Songs 

In short, this is the album I've always dreamt of someone like Karen O creating. "Do I really need another habit like you?" Centered around her life at 27, one (at any age) can relate to what Karen O conveys in Crush Songs, simply that having a crush can open the floodgate of tumbling emotions. Keep in mind, these are all demos.

(Grab Crush Songs on iTunes here.)

Like Swimming - Structures

This is the proper debut from the Swedish indie-pop trio. LYED featured LS a couple weeks ago as a Friday Fascination & ever since it's been nothing but good vibes coming from these guys. They recently announced that they're coming to NYC this fall, one can only hope that a stop on the West coast is apart of that plan as well.

(Grab Structures on iTunes here.)

Jhene Aiko - Souled Out

I'll keep it short & sweet. Souled Out is easy on the ears from beginning to end and drenched in sultry talent. Plus Buzzfeed featured an article titled "11 Ways Smoking Weed Can Improve a Woman's Life According to Jhene Aiko" so you can only imagine that certain things go well with listening to her album.

(Grab Souled Out on iTunes here.)

Other albums you should definitely check out while you're in the mood for new music:

Slow Magic - How To Run Away

Avi Buffalo - At Best Cuckold

Death From Above 1979 - The Physical World

Cathedrals - Cathedrals EP

FRESHVIBESMONDAY #32

23 songs for FVM#32 on the 23rd of June? You got it. Hope you dig this week's selection of remixes, original releases, and there's even a cover in there if you can spot it. It's been a minute since we've heard from Lucy Rose, and this may or may not be the most upbeat tune I've heard from her (FYI I LOVE IT.) She's not the only one who's been hiding away making new music, just take a look at the list and you'll know what I mean. It's a sweet preview of what's to come, and I couldn't be more excited about what Tennis, Mesita, Jessie Ware, and Zola Jesus have all dropped in the past week or so. I could go on, but you have quite a bit of listening to do. Enjoy!

LYED Favorite Treats of 2013: The EPs

Welp, it's that time of the year again when music writers & bloggers from all over post their "end of the year" lists. Last year I was a little late to the party, so this year I'm doing things a little different. Below are 16 EP's (also known as Extended Play) from this year that we really had a thing for. Most of these EP's were the first proper release from the artist, or were a form of a follow-up to the last studio release. They're in no specific order, although I will say one thing - Phantogram's self-titled release & Young Wonder's sophomore EP didn't make it far from leaving the repeat button. 

I'm well aware that I'm might be leaving out a few from the list, but hey I'm not trying to post a novel here. Feel free to leave your thoughts/comments/concerns below &

stay tuned for more treats of 2013!   

Dan Croll - From Nowhere

Phantogram - Phantogram

Panama - Always

Iggy Azalea - Change Your Life

Young Wonder - Show Your Teeth

Flume & Chet Faker - Lockjaw

Fmlybnd - Gold

Jessie Ware - If You're Never Gonna Move 

FKA twigs - EP2

Jaymes Young - Dark Star 

Bear's Den - Agape

Sir Sly - Gold

Tennis - Small Sound

MØ - Bikini Daze EP

Cold War Kids - Tuxedos

Kitten - Like A Stranger 

No Tricks Just Treats

It's the day before Halloween, and after experiencing my fair share of Halloween adventures while living in Isla Vista (which usually lasted up to a week) - I must admit that it just isn't the same when the 31st rolls around. This year is a different story as I am especially excited for the upcoming celebration because I will be seeing Arcade Fire, or should I say The Reflektors at the Hollywood Palladium! Yesterday they released their 4th studio album Reflektor, which I'm just going to go ahead and call it one of my favorites from this year thus far (in my book.) I'll leave the reviewing to Lindsay Zoladz of P4K who couldn't have said it better in her album review of Reflektor.

Grab Reflektor on iTunes here!

Last night The Reflektors performed a "secret show" in LA, which happened to be at Capitol Records. Attendees were granted tickets through a series of "social media tasks" along with a contest courtesy of The Music Experiment! For the Palladium show, those who pre-ordered Reflektor were given a code to purchase pre-sale tickets. For the rest of us, tickets went on sale at 12pm last Saturday, and sold out in about a minute. If you were one of the lucky ones who managed to get a ticket by clicking at the speed of light, I'll see you there!

 

In addition to Arcade Fire, White Denim released their latest Corsicana Lemonade yesterday as well - an album that's true to their Texan roots. Here's a heads up for all my Texans, White Denim will be headlining the KXT radio's Holiday show on 12/14 at The Live Oak, aka the one place I didn't catch a show during the 10 months I lived there. Here's the link for tickets/more info! 

After a few solid listens via Spotify and a couple days worth of surfing live performances via YouTube (e.g. the one above) I'm looking forward to watching them open for Tame Impala at the Belasco Theatre tonight! 

Like what you hear? Do your ears a favor & grab Corsicana Lemonade here!  

If you didn't already know, you can now stream Small Sounds, the forthcoming 5-track EP from Tennis via Pitchfork Advance by clicking here! 

On Monday night I had the pleasure of seeing Yeezus himself as well as Kendrick Lamar at the Staples Center! It was a great experience, but what added to the Yeezus cake were the comments I heard from those surrounding where I sat. When I stumbled upon this on BuzzFeed, it was nice to know I wasn't the only one hearing obscenities in response to Kanye West's unique two-hour performance. 

If you haven't heard of F M L Y B N D already, then today is your lucky day. I stumbled across this six-piece band from Isla Vista all thanks to my good friend Vanessa Palmer. They just released their debut EP Gold, which is a great way to define their first body of work. F M L Y B N D recently played at the 2nd annual New Noise Block Party in Santa Barbara a couple weekends ago along with Cayucas and HAIM as the headliner! 

P.S. If you head over to their SoundCloud account, you'll find a handful of songs that are free downloads! This band has an exciting future ahead of them.
Last, but not least - the boys of Holy Ghost! recently remixed RAC's "Let Go" featuring Kele from Bloc Party & MNDR. It's a fun one, and you can grab it on iTunes here!  

Songs That are Younger Than They Sound.

Hope all of you are enjoying the new Beach House album Bloom. Despite what other critics say, I do recognize slight similarities...but this is THE STYLE OF BEACH HOUSE. Cryptic, Classic, and overall it's JUST WHO THEY ARE. Respect this powerhouse duo who convey some of the most mind-boggling lyrics through a voice that literally gives a grown man the chills (who will remain nameless for now) and to this day their setup of instruments is just as simple as it was when they first started. I read an interview on Pitchfork with the members of Beach House (Victoria Legrand & Alex Scally) recently that needs to be read by everyone, words can't explain their intelligence. 

 http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/8831-beach-house/

So if beach house isn't your style, here are some jams that go great with sunshine, or possibly make you stir-crazy if you're somewhere in the world where the sun doesn't shine. 

ENJOY FOLKS! :)

TENNIS

"ORIGINS"

After releasing the crafty & extra retro Cape Dory , Tennis (a husband & wife duo from Denver consisting of Alaina Moore & Patrick Riley) joined forces with Patrick Carney of the Black Keys to create their 2nd LP titled Young & Old. Tennis has a way of literally taking you back in time with their sound, and their chemistry when performing live is absolutely something to love. The sound in Young & Old definitely has a more mature sound to it overall, yet maintains the same quality of passion that you find in Alaina's voice. Catch them in August at this years Outside Lands Music Festival, you won't be disappointed. 

Other tracks to check out: Petition, Deep in the Woods, Marathon, My Better Self (newly released video for this track on YouTube now!). 

"IT ALL FEELS THE SAME" on the Dave Letterman show (4/9). 

Never underestimate the power of a voice that comes from a body so petite. 

SURFER BLOOD

(if you go to UCSB, here's some time for you to complete a little bit of your Extravaganza homework, because they will be performing live).

"FLOATING VIBES"

One of their most popular songs from their 2010 album Astro Coast, and overall it's a pretty decent album. The award for my favorite song is actually from their 2011 EP Tarot Classics, and you can access their Halfway House Sessions performance of "I'm Not Ready" HERE!

& feel free to call me crazy, but towards the end of the "I'm Not Ready" track that John Paul Pitts starts to sound like Glenn Danzig? You know, "MOTHERRRRRRRRR, can you keep them in the dark for life?"

REAL ESTATE 

"EASY"

Mmmm. mellow, fresh, and totally something to read the newspaper to. Or put together your new fixie bike? Close your eyes and imagine drinking a forty on Venice Beach in the early 1960's, does that do the trick for you? Phew. If you are diggin' Real Estate, I recommend going back to their first self-titled album and starting from there. Your ears will be so chilled you won't know what to do with yourself. 

"IT'S REAL" (Live on KEXP)

These indie sweethearts have only been around for a few years, but here's a live version of "It's Real" to let you know...... well, they're real. 

SUMMER CAMP 

"BETTER OFF WITHOUT YOU" a track found on the first track on their 2011 full-length Welcome to Condale. With a name like Summer Camp, what were your expecting? It's flirty. It's borderline dramatic. It's hopeful. These are just a few of the emotions exposed at Summer Camp. Elizabeth Sankey nails it as a lo-fi version of Alison Mosshart in the track "Nobody Knows You". I suggest your ears have a listen & let me know.

CAMERA OBSCURA

"FRENCH NAVY" off their 2009 full-length album My Maudlin Career. They have a sweet sound, and I literally mean sweet. After listening to their 2006 LP Let's Get Out of This Country, I literally wanted to go layout at the beach with my cassette tape player. 

Except, it was nearly 2AM on a Tuesday night, 

and I don't own a cassette tape player. 

"THE SWEETEST THING"

Other tracks to check out from Camera Obscura: Tears For Affair, Comeback Margaret, Honey In The Sun.

Feel free to let me know what you & your ears think! Tweet about it. Share with everyone and your mother... Please & Thank You! :)

& let's begin.

It's impossible to start a blog without sounding cliche to the bone, so bear with me on this. When you're looking at blogs, WHAT is it that you're looking for? something new. something unfamiliar. & usually something that catches your eye. & hopefully this blog will not only catch your eye, but catch your ears as well (sorry, but I couldn't help it.) All you have to do is click. listen. & let your ears decide. If you know me, you'll already have the impression that it's impossible for me to stick to one genre, and even harder to focus on the most recent tracks so expect a few throwbacks every now & then. 

Here's 3 of my favorite tracks at the moment in no particular order. 

Trust- "Sulk" 

Album: TRST (2012)

Trust is one-part Maya Postepski from AUSTRA & one-part Robert Alfons. Needless to say "Sulk" is the perfect ticket into their album that will have you feeling like you're in your own twilight paradise.   

Young Magic - "Sanctuary"

Album: Melt (2012)

This is my favorite track from their newly released album, as it's the kind of song that immediately isolates your mind from every possible nuisance for a little over 3 minutes. Don't be surprised if you find yourself looking up the rest of the album after listening. Grab it on iTunes 

Little Dragon - "Nightlight"

Album: Ritual Union (2011)

A. It's Little Dragon. 
B. This will put you in a better mood than the one you were in before. 

C. Enough said. 
~~~

Each track gives a different feel, so which one do you like best? 
TONIGHT: Catch TENNIS on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. They're a duo of husband & wife and have a classic touch to their music that takes you back. In short: Imagine if She & Him and Best Coast had a child together. 

& 22 DAYS UNTIL COACHELLA! This will be my 2nd year attending, and the lineup is unreal. The sets that I'm dying to see off the top of my head: NERO, Metronomy, Avicii, First Aid Kit, Laura Marling, Feed Me, Borgore, Justice, and Beirut (trust me I'd name the entire lineup if I wanted to because it's that good).   

Till Next Time!