West Ghost!

the newest mixtape from K.flay is finally here!

West Ghost finds K.flay at her very best - the most mature, refined, addictive tracks I've heard from this lady so far.

 "life is just what circumstance has given you"

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Unknown Mortal Orchestra needs a new name. After the release of their debut self-titled album in 2011 the band gained an insane amount of attention in the blogosphere — attention that has only increased with the release of their sophomore album II earlier this month. And here I am to further escalate (however insignificant) the attention. 

Frontman Ruban Nielson grew up in New Zealand but relocated to Portland, OR with his former band The Mint Chicks. After the band broke up, Nielson started writing with Portland-based producer/bassist Jake Portrait and drummer Riley Geare.

[the secret is out boys and it's time to embrace your less-than-hipster status]

I would describe their sound as a late 60's abstract rock with thick bass and refined guitar parts —a mix of Tame Impala and the Black Keys. 

(((Help me influence the increasing irrelevance of their name >> take a listen below.)))

Also, take a listen to Nielson's solo acoustic session at Oregon Public Broadcasting:

fthrsn releases Middle School Swag

fthrsn is back with his most all-encompassing release yet, and this time it's all about that Middle School Swag. Airy looped sythns laced with pop beats and even a little R&B vocals will have you reminiscing about the angsty pre-hormonal years of the past.

ON AN ON

When a couple members of the band Scattered Trees decided to make like a tree and scatter, remaining members, Nate Eiesland, Alissa Ricci, and Ryne Estwing were left with a booked studio and some space to fill. A skeleton of it's former self, the group took the opportunity to build themselves back up to something even more substantial. The result: ON AN ON. Their new sound: dark electro beats and low synths put to flight above yearning vocals and tensile echoes.

Their debut album was just released on January 29th and I honestly love every track.

/ / w a i t / / l i s t e n / /

Now, Now [revisited]

After being introduced to their music while they were on tour with the Naked and Famous last April, I spent a month straight listening to Now, Now's music on repeat.
Their sound is a sort of dark indie rock with some electronic keys layered on top to add some lightness. The perfect mix of dark and light which reflects itself in their incomparably honest and personable lyrics. I've blogged about them before but I thought I'd revisit the band as I consider them to be one of my all-time favorites.

 Here's a shot I took of lead singer Cacie Dalager during their set at Bunbury Muisc Festival in 2012.

 I listed their album Threads as my number 1 choice for the Top Albums of 2012 for the IMPACT 89fm [student radio station at Michigan State University] and I highly recommend purchasing it if you haven't already.

For now, however, I just wanted to share the bands newest video for the opening track of their album, The Pull. The video perfectly visualizes the eary memory-recalling sound of the song and sets the tone for the entire album. I thought it was beautifully well done.

Micachu and the Shapes

Experimental act out of the UK headed by classically trained multi-instrumentalist Mica Levi or "Micachu". Together, Micachu and the Shapes create a particularly unconventional (grimey pop) sound which is the result of some homemade instruments and a wealth of creativity behind them.

c h e c k. i t.





The bands most recent album NEVER was released this past July. The band released a video for each song on the album, which you can find at the bands site (the coolest band site i've ever seen) here.

Local Natives

because I just remembered how excited I am about this.

Local Native's new album Hummingbird comes out on January 29, 2013 as if to say "happy new year! > here's an earful of infinite beauty". Yup, that's how excited I am.

The band's latest single came out in October and I've been jamming to it since. They just released the official music video yesterday – in case you missed it, here's "Breakers" assuring fans that they're purely capable of following up their seemingly irreplicable first full length album with something just as inventive.