Ocean Floor For Everything
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“Ocean Floor for Everything” by How to Dress Well // Total Loss (Autumn, 2012)
Tom Krell’s How to Dress Well is one of my favorite things in the world. Hands down. In my opinion, the man has done no wrong so far in his career and now that he’s finally announced his new album (following last year’s excellent Just Once EP), we’ve got a taste of the new material and it’s magnificent. Once again, he slips into lo-fi R&B soundscapes, manipulating his voice to act as an instrument that glides over abstract beats and ambient textures. Of course, I can do no justice with a description, it’s best you just press play and hear one of the best songs to drop this year. Highest recommendation for fans Top Girls, Active Child, and Balam Acab.
(download) “Ocean Floor for Everything” by How to Dress Well (via HTDW Soundcloud)
Arrange - I Want To Be Alright
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“I Want to be All Right” by Arrange // New Memory (Bonus Track) (Out 7.2.12)
New tracks from Malcom Lacey’s Arrange project are always welcomed bits of goodness to my ears, but I was truly not expecting what I heard when I clicked play on “I Want to be All Right”. Lacey’s previous tracks have walked the line of songwriter confessional, ambient pop which often lead to some dark places. Here on “I Want to be All right” it sounds as if the darkness is sliding away and in it’s place is something warmer, more vibrant, and expansive. Sure, there are no vocals this time outside of a warped and looped sample, but the overall effect is something wonderful. It’s a gorgeous, ethereal bit of r&b infused, electronic dream pop. An absolute must hear, for fans of Top Girls, How to Dress Well, and Stumbleine.
(pre-order) “New Memory” by Arrange (via Bandcamp)
Saskatchewan - The Morning (The Weeknd Cover)
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“The Morning” by Saskatchewan // Originally by The Weeknd
Hearing Saskatchewan’s spin on The Weeknd’s “The Morning” is an interesting ride. It’s got a dark, jazzy, 80’s vibe that creates sort of a hypnotic, late night chillout. Here’s what they had to say about the creation:
ssktchwn:
A little more than a week ago a friend of mine suggested that we do a cover of The Weeknd. The idea was definitely a stretch for me but I figured it would be an interesting challenge. The end result of our version of The Weeknd’s “The Morning” is like a forensics TV show soundtrack mets sleezy lounge jazz mets saskatchewan. I hope you enjoy.
Pretty damn accurate. I’m into it. I’m loving the bedroom pop/ r&b / dream pop crossover sounds. Definitely worth hearing for fans of How to Dress Well, Active Child, and Top Girls.
Radio Slow Riot Episode Seven
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RADIO SLOW RIOT /// a p|m|w podcast /// Episode Seven (1.11.12)
Back to basics this time around for the first all new Radio Slow Riot Podcast of the new year. No special episode or look back, just straight up new music from bands to watch and love. I stick within the usual genres and also keep my interruptions to a minimum so you can enjoy 90 or so minutes of great jams. This week features lots of favorite new music and hopefully there will be some pleasant surprises to discover along the way.
Please don’t be afraid to share/reblog with others and or support any and all artists that strike your interest. Stream or download as you wish. Thanks for listening to Radio Slow Riot.
Featured Music (click the name for band info):
(DOWNLOAD MP3) /// (STREAM OFF SITE)
(previous eps) Slow Riot @ P|M|W
Please support the artists that you find and enjoy. Buy their music, merchandise and tickets to see their shows. Supporting them is the only purpose in doing this blog. Contrary to the opinions of some, music blogs are a great way to discover new music, but there will only be so much new music to go around if these artists can’t afford to support themselves through their art and commerce. Only use these mixtapes as a guide to find something to throw your (financial and emotional) support behind.
High For This (Weeknd cover)
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“High for This” by Top Girls // Originally by The Weeknd
With a few small releases, Top Girls have proven themselves one of my most eagerly watched new acts. Combining the lo-fi r&b soundscapes that you might hear on a How to Dress Well record, with the more overt beats and atmospheres that you might find on a Burial or James Blake record, they create something really special and exciting. Here with a cover of The Weeknd’s “High For This”, they bring that sound alive in dark, haunting, and sexy glory. Highly recommended.
SIX SONGS WORTH SPINNING /// (week of) 10.28.11
Another week of great music comes to an end, so let’s gather up six of the songs of that jumped out and made my ears happy. Of course, you’ll also want to check out the picks made by Danceyrselfclean, because she’s much more thorough. Of course, this being Halloween weekend, I should have made this all Halloween songs, but you can be my guest and visit my Halloween Mixtape pages for those spooky gems.
Click on the title to bring up the original post with audio and description and do what you can to support the artists who tickle your fancy. Happy listening and have a wonderful weekend!
PLAYLIST (in no particular order)
There you have it - six excellent tracks for your ears and hearts on this lovely Autumn weekend. It’s the end of October so get out there and fall in love with Halloween. Take care, get lost in the Halloween spirit, and be safe. Have a great weekend!
Top Girls - Spells
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“Spells” by Top Girls // We Will Rise EP (2011)
It’s impossible for me not to love something that sounds like the dark, hypnotic, ghosts of an eerie dance party being broadcast over crackling wires from some other dimension. The haunting vocals calling out from beyond the swirling synths and cascading beats don’t hurt either. Top Girls are on top of their game and have produced one of the best EPs of the year with “We Will Rise”.
(stream and purchase) “We Will Rise EP” by Top Girls (via Bandcamp)
SIX SONGS WORTH SPINNING /// (week of) 10.21.11
Taking a cue from Danceyrselfclean and also returning to the days when I did it myself, I thought I’d start putting together a collection of my favorite songs from the week and posting them as an easy catch-all for anyone looking for a crib sheet on the fun stuff that might have slipped through the cracks. This has been the first week in a long time that I’ve managed to squeeze in enough time to actually (sorta) keep up with the releases that caught my ear.
Click on the title to bring up the original post with audio and description and do what you can to support the artists who tickle your fancy. Happy listening and have a wonderful weekend!
PLAYLIST (in no particular order)
… and hell, why not a bonus seventh pick for an unsigned band who deserves to be heard!
There you have it. Six (nay, seven) wonderful songs to help usher in a cool Autumn weekend. These are by no means intended to be some end-all list of everything worth hearing, but simply some of the tracks that I really loved this week that I hope you enjoy as well!
Take care, get lost in the Halloween spirit, and be safe. Have a great weekend!
Top Girls - I Know You Suffer
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“I Know You Will Suffer” by Top Girls // We Will Rise EP (2011)
Top Girls continue to drop dark, hypnotic, sexy jams on the reg and I am happy to consume them. The recent rise of the lo-fi experimental r&b movement (How to Dress Well, Active Child, Deptford Goth, etc…) has been one of my favorite go-to genres to watch, and Top Girls fit perfectly among those sounds. I’m excited to see them grow and expand as some of the other groups mining similar vibes have been doing on subsequent releases. Exciting, dark, sexy stuff.
(stream and purchase) “We Will Rise EP” by Top Girls (via Bandcamp)
(via danceyrselfclean)
Chill Mega Chill presents THE CHILLER
For all of you Halloween loving music nuts out there, Chill Mega Chill has done us all a solid and created a wonderful little collection of spooky indie nuggets from a ton of great under the radar bands. It’s available for stream and purchase at Bandcamp. You’d be hard pressed to find a batch of new Halloween goodies this much fun.
* Watch the official promotional video by VHS Dreams
THE BEST OF BANDCAMP // VOLUME ONE
I’ve been tossing this idea around for a couple of weeks now and I’ve finally found the time to start piecing it together. This compilation is just what it sounds like, a collection of some of the best recent tracks to have popped up on Bandcamp in the past couple of months. It’s not meant to be some definitive collection, as I only focused on genres of interest and recent postings (there are thousands of great songs out there from before, but that would take way too much time).
With the help of Danceyrselfclean, I’ve managed to whittle it down to a respectable number, but by all means - follow her for daily Bandcamp discoveries. This is a collection of bands that I felt deserved a little extra recognition and hopefully in the coming months they’ll start gaining the momentum that they deserve. Included are links to each bands Bandcamp page, where you can most often times find free downloads (and or name-your-own-price and discounted albums) as well as fairly regular updates. Give something new a chance. You won’t be disappointed.
Playlist (click the band name for more info on the band):
- Hoop Dreams - XCPR
- Adorations - Young Friends
- Dorean - Darling
- Cheerleader - Dreamer
- ARMS - Heat & Hot Water
- The Bilinda Butchers - Boyfriend
- Witch Gardens - Small Darling Boy
- Crush - Everything to Lose
- Warm Speakers - Waves
- Wealth - Better Days
- Stay+ - Young Luv
- Elite Athlete - Last Winter
- Sun Glitters - Things Are…
- Top Girls - Truth
- Georgiaa - Weeks
- Team Team Spirit - Love Song
- Widowspeak - Wicked Game
- Deleted Scenes - Bedbedbedbedbed (Acoustic)
- Small Sur - Pretyboy
- Grandpa Was a Lion - Mobile Alabama Blues
- Gem Club - Breakers
- Stumbleine - Wasted Summer
(download) THE BEST OF BANDCAMP // VOLUME ONE (mediafire)
or STREAM OVER AT 8TRACKS
Please support the artists that you find and enjoy. Buy their music, merchandise and tickets to see their shows. Supporting them is the only purpose in doing this blog. Contrary to the opinions of some, music blogs are a great way to discover new music, but there will only be so much new music to go around if these artists can’t afford to support themselves through their art and commerce. Only use these mixtapes as a guide to find something to throw your (financial and emotional) support behind.
Top Girls - Truth
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“Truth” by Top Girls // Rise (Digital 7”)
If you’ve been digging on the lo-fi, abstract R&B of How to Dress Well as of late, then I think you’ll dig this track from Top Girls. It’s got a similar vibe of muted beats and hard to decipher vocals all balled up with a gorgeous melody and atmospheric production. It’s pretty much stellar.
(Top Girls @ Bandcamp // MP3 @ Altered Zones)
