Lost Valentinos “The Bismarck (Canyons Remix)”

Despite apparent copyright issues over their name, Sydney’s wacky foursome, The Lost Valentinos, have soldiered on and recently dropped a new 12″, “The Bismark” on Bang Gang, thusly proving that a snafu over trademark agreements isn’t going to keep them down.

As singles go, they did this one up proper, with an original–and very danceable–cut, along with a few remixes. This one’s from nu-disco dons Canyons, who slowed the tempo of the original down and darkened the mood up. Or perhaps the gist of the track is best told in the words of its press kit–”a slow, drugged-out version you could imagine Bez loosing his nut to at the Hacienda before he was on celebrity Big Brother.

“The Bismarck”
A1 Bismarck
A2 Bismarck (Goldenbug Remix)
A3 Bismarck (Canyons Remix)
B1 Bismarck (Dexpistols Remix)
B2 Bismarck (Knife Machine Remix)

Lost Valentinos – Bismarck (Canyons Remix)

Jesse Rose Announces Album Details

He’s unarguably a master at remixing the work of others (everyone from Underworld to Simian Mobile Disco), but let’s not forget Jesse Rose is also something of an ace when it comes to making his own music.

The Berlin-based DJ and producer will remind us of this when he releases What Do You Do If You Don’t early next year on Dubsided. With the exception of his 2006 single, “You’re All Over My Head,” all tracks on the album are brand-new cuts, a few of which had help from the likes of Hot Chip, David E. Sugar, and The Incredible Beatbox Band.

Rose is busy promoting the first single off What Do You…, “Forget My Name.” The song will be released on vinyl on December 15. Stream it now via his MySpace page.

What Do You Do If You Don’t
01. Forget My Name ft. Hot Chip
02. Well Now
03. Pop Yer Porn
04. Miss Taker ft. David E Sugar
05. Wine Gum
06. Asided
07. Night At The Dogs
08. Day Is Done ft. Hot Chip
09. Heavy Still ft. Afra & The Incredible Beatbox Band
10. You’re All Over My Head
11. Touch My Horn
12. Never Ending

Dates:
12/13 Berlin, Germany – Panoramabar
12/19 Middlesborough, England – Arena
12/26 Zurich, Switzerland – Hive Club
12/27 Juarez, Mexico – The Hard Pop
12/28 Playa Del Carmen, Mexico – La Santanera
12/30 Seattle, WA – Neumo’s
12/31 San Francisco, CA – 1015 Folsom*
01/10 Berlin, Germany – Panoramabar
01/17 Leuven, Belgium – Silo
01/30 Berlin, Germany – Transmediale Festival^
01/31 Newcastle, England – Shindig
02/07 Paris, France – Social Club
02/14 Leeds, England – Mint Club
02/19 Cologne, Germany – Gewölbe

* = w/ Diplo
^ = w/ Henrick Schwarz as Black Rose

Black Lips Plan Big Album, Big Tour

Never a band to do anything half-hearted, Black Lips will rush into 2009 with a brand-new album and a ridiculously large set of tour dates. The new full-length, 200 Million Thousand (even the title is a bit larger-than-life), is said to be 14 more tracks of straightforward garage rock, packed with guitar riffs that lend themselves to the onstage antics these guys are known for the world over.

The official tour kicks off March 4 in Carrboro, North Carolina. The band has a couple dates in the South planned prior to that, and presumably some West Coast dates to be announced soon. In the meantime, the new album will be released February 24 on Vice.

Dates
02/26 Birmingham, AL – Bottle Tree
02/27 Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
03/04 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
03/05 Washington, DC – Black Cat
03/06 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
03/07 Cambridge, MA – Middle East
03/09 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
03/10 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
03/12 Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
03/13 Detroit, MI – Magic Stick
03/14 Chicago, IL – Logan Square Auditorium
03/15 Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall Ballroom
03/16 St. Paul, MN -Turf Club
03/17 Omaha, NE – Waiting Room
03/18 Lawrence, KS – Bottleneck
03/20 Austin, TX – SXSW
03/21 Austin, TX – SXSW
03/23 New Orleans, LA – One Eyed Jacks
03/25 Tallahassee, FL – Club Downunder
03/26 Tampa, FL – Orpheum
03/27 MIami, FL – Churchill’s
03/28 Gainesville, FL – Common Grounds
03/29 Jacksonville, FL – Jack Rabbits
03/30 Orlando, FL – The Social

Photo by Daniel Arnold.

Sweet Lies

The official video for this track, off Booka Shade‘s The Sun and Neon Light, runs something like the opening credits to a movie–a very somber one, which matches the musical mood of the track. Think drug deals, drunks on the street, car burglaries, relationship troubles, and being denied entrance into clubs, all set in the ever-exciting landscape of New York, and you’re on the right track. There’s even a little surprise twist at the end.

Maus Haus “Dead Keys Drop”

Maus Haus is a relatively new band from the Bay Area who’s been selling out shows and playing alongside the likes of Black Moth Super Rainbow and Dark Meat over the last year (and one random date with Four Tet). Call their music cut-and-paste pop, with a sprinkling of vintage electronics woven throughout the guitars, bass, and drums. The band first garnered attention with a five-track demo that turned many pairs of ears, and have since crafted a debut full-length, Lark Marvels, which you can cop now digitally or wait for the physical release on January 13 via Oakland-based imprint Pretty Blue. “Dead Keys Drop” is second to last track on the album, and we’re feeling its off-kilter nature.

Lark Mavels
01 Rigid Breakfast
02 Secret Deals
03 We Used Technology (But Technology Let Us Down)
04 Radio Dials Die
05 Reaction
06 Irregular Hearts
07 Cold In August
08 Tumbling
09 Conversational French
10 Stereo Ghosts
11 Dead Keys Drop
12 Million Volt Lights

DeadKeysDrop

Lady Sovereign Readies New Album, Label

After a couple tumultuous years that included numerous onstage outbursts and canceled shows, Lady Sovereign is back to work, with a new album ready for release in Spring 2009. Jigsaw, the follow-up to her 2006 debut, Public Warning!, will arrive on April 7 in the U.S. and April 6 in the U.K. Sov is said to be putting the finishing touches on the album, which will include collaborations with Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco, and Medasyn.

She’s also left her former home at Def Jam and begun her own label, Midget Records, which falls under the EMI umbrella. Tour dates are scheduled to begin in February. In the meantime, head over to her MySpace Page to download the track “I Got You Dancing.”

Photo by Liz Johnson-Artur.

Best of 2008: Fucked Up

Damian Abraham, lead singer of Toronto’s finest hardcore punk outfit, Fucked Up, celebrates Nodzzz, No Age, and his dad’s cross-hatching talents.

Who was the best artist of 2008?

No Age. We played a show with them and they covered the Urinals, GG Allin, and The Misfists. Afterwards we hung out and talked about Chopping Block (West Coast proto-power violence gods). It is rare to meet a band that are good people, have great taste, and are doing something exciting.

Who was the worst artist of 2008?

Tegan And Sara. I don’t get it. I used to think I did, but now I realize I was lying to myself.

What was the best album of 2008?

Nodzzz S/T (What’s Your Rupture?). This is the album Pavement would have made if they were formed in the U.K. in 1982 instead of 1989 in California. (Actually, the Nodzzz are from California circa now.)

What was the worst album of 2008?

Metallica, Death Magnetic (Warner Brothers). When will the bleeding stop? The only thing worse then Metallica trying to reinvent their sound is Metallica trying to recapture it. It is like a not very good Metallica cover band trying to write originals.

What was the best music trend of 2008?

Hardcore kids taking over indie rock. It is well established that many an indie rock icon has some hardcore skeletons in their closet but this is the year when we took over that shit. No Age, Sex Vid, Vivain Girls, Pissed Jeans, etcetera. I even saw the singer of Les Savy Fav rocking an o.g. Gorilla Biscuits shirt. This is our time.

What was the worst music trend of 2008?

Heartfelt Bruce Springsteen punk. I’ll admit that Nebraska was a good record but do we really need a whole genre worth of bands berating us with that?

Who is the best visual artist of 2008?

My dad Graham Abraham. My dad did a ton of art in the ’60s and ’70s for bands and posters but stopped until this year when he had his first gallery show. He is to cross-hatching what Drew Friedman is to stippling.

Best of 2008
Drop the Lime
Abe Vigoda
Bradford Cox
Andrew Jeffrey Wright
eLZhi
Cut Copy
Fucked Up
Evidence
Vivian Girls
Matt Furie
dj/ Rupture
Telepathe
The Death Set
Holy Ghost
Mochipet
CTRL
Plump DJs
Jose James
Worship Worthy
Peter Beste
Hercules and Love Affair
Magda
The Alchemist
DC Recordings

Various Artists Basswerk Sessions Vol.3

The last Basswerk Sessions volume came out in 2003 and unfortunately, Vol. 3 only reinforces that drum & bass has not advanced much in the past five years. Although the Cologne-based label has done an admirable job assembling a massive collection of tunes, no amount of quantity can override the lack of new ideas. The compilation is split into three distinct sessions (“Chill,” Groove,” and “Technik”), but all the usual clichés are present: rolling jump-up beats, scary raved-up synths, hard-hitting tech-step bangers, and an overwhelming sense of tedium. At least the compilation is unmixed–aspiring DJs could just dump this 50-track arsenal into their laptop and immediately sound like every other drum & bass DJ out there.

Sascha Funke Watergate 02

Watergate 02 finds German techno don Sasha Funke at the top of his game. Recorded live at Berlin’s famed Watergate Club (where Funke is a resident DJ), he effortlessly weaves his way through electro fuzz, propulsive tech-house, and punchy techno. Often referred to as Ellen Allien’s right-hand man, Funke clearly shares her diverse tastes and playful spirit, as Watergate 02 features leftfield cuts like Miss Kittin’s remix of Allien’s “Alles Sehen” giving way to classics like Closer Musik’s “Giganten” and newer anthems like DJ Koze’s “I Want to Sleep.” Pleasantly free of minimal techno’s tedious devotion to process, the mix proves that Funke hasn’t forgotten that dance music is supposed to be fun.

Various Artists Iller Sessions

Seattle’s Iller clothing and San Francisco’s Bomb Hip-Hop imprint unite here for a compilation centered around good old-fashioned beats and rhymes. While there’s no blatant concept to this disc, the true-school sound reigns supreme. The consistency can be attributed to the frequent production of Bean One (Luckyiam, Jurassic 5, Supernatural) and an assembly of “keep it true” acts, which includes golden-era greats (Black Sheep, Large Professor) and a few new-school MCs (Ra Scion, TruFam) as well. Bean One and Company occasionally throw a curve ball, like on Dyme Def’s hyphy-flavored single “Rebel2TheGrain,” but those looking for next-level material might want to keep searching.

Page 2797 of 3781
1 … 2,795 2,796 2,797 2,798 2,799 … 3,781