London-based indie rock band Yuck are stopping through the District tonight to perform at Rock & Roll Hotel, with support from Big Thief and Bad Moves. The predominately shoegaze-inspired outfit have dabbled in a number of genres in their career, which first launched in 2009. Listen to the more minimal, melancholic song “Southern Skies” off their 2014 EP of the same name and head on out to the show this eve if you’re in the mood for some live music.
Highasakite have revealed the drop date of their forthcoming album Camp Echo — due out May 20 on Propeller Recordings. In advance of the release, the Norwegian collective previously shared the tempestuous track “Someone Who’ll Get It” and now they’ve unveiled the lead single “Golden Ticket.” The more upbeat, pop leanings of the track belie the dystopian subtext of the song, the opening line of which references a post-World War II poem by Gunvor Hofmo, ‘Det er ingen hverdag mer’ [translation: there’s no more every day]. “It’s a very famous verse, and was used a lot around the time of the Norwegian terrorist attacks [Oslo and Utøya, 2011],” explains vocalist Ingrid Helene Håvik. It’s this substantive nature of Highasakite’s lyricism alloyed with their sonorous arrangements that makes their music so resonant.
Camp Echo is available for pre-order HERE.
Von Sell came onto our radar in 2015 with his infectious electropop track “Ivan,” making CCP’s list of electronic artists to keep an eye out for in the future. Now the Brooklyn-by-way-of-Berlin musician has made good on that prediction with a new song out called “I Insist.” More mellow and pensive than previous effort, “I Insist” is a soulful electro jam with smooth production and delectable vox.
Listen below, we insist.
One of Scandinavia’s most intriguing exports at the moment comes by way of Copenhagen — the experimental pop artist known as Kill J. The songstress, aka Julie Aagard composes her music, plays the piano and does much of her own production which is probably what makes her such a unique entity. Although the artist has been on the scene for a few years, she’s had a good buzz surrounding her in 2015, and released her debut EP Quasi last month. Listen to the accompanying single to the EP “Coda” to hear her signature tremolo and striking, eclectic sound, which as stated in a press release “morphs effortlessly between drone-like beats, Bollywood-inspired refrains and bubblegum sweetness.” Her other hit track, “You’re Good But I’m Better” also has a great remix by LA producer Sad Money so scope it out below.
Austin-based composer Roger Sellers aka Bayonne released his debut album Primitives last month via Mom + Pop Music. Ahead of the record release, he shared the song “Appeals,” a solid follow up to previous single “Spectrolite.” “Appeals” is a colorful, piano-driven number with looped vocals and a playful melody that reminds us a little of Animal Collective. Listen below.
DC denizens can catch Bayonne opening for Small Black at Rock & Roll Hotel on April 16.
Even after a six year hiatus, Holy Fuck is not a name that can soon be forgotten. The Canadian electronica outfit has announced a surprise new record, Congrats, scheduled to drop on Innovative Leisure May 27. Previewing a track on Zane Lowe this week, “Xed Eyes” is a bold and dark indie dance-rock number that cuts to the pith of what makes the experimental act so appealing. They’ve also announced a slew of North American tour dates this summer, which you can eye below while you listen to the single. Lou Reed once said they were the best band he’d seen at SXSW, so you won’t want to miss their electric live set. DC brethren can catch their performance at DC9 July 21.
2016 Tour Dates:
June 4: Toronto, ON – Field Trip at Historic Fort York
June 12: San Diego, CA – Casbah
June 13: Los Angeles, CA – Club Bahia
June 14: San Francisco, CA – The Independent
June 16: Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
June 17: Vancouver, BC – Levitation Festival at Malkin Bowl, Stanley Park
June 18: Seattle, WA – Crocodile
July 14: Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
July 15: Detroit, MI – Shelter
July 16: Ottawa, ON – RBC Ottawa Bluesfest at LeBreton Flats
July 18: Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
July 19: Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
July 20: New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
July 21: Washington, D.C. – DC9
July 22: Philadelphia, PA – Boot & Sadd
If you’ve ever wondered how the popular NPR Tiny Desk Concert series came to be, you may be surprised to learn that the origins actually began at a SXSW show in 2008, when NPR Music’s Bob Boilen and Stephen Thompson made a futile attempt to see a performance by singer-songwriter Laura Gibson.
After a frustrating experience trying to hear Ms. Gibson’s subdued vocals over a noisy crowd, Thompson mentioned to the singer post-show in jest that she should just come play at their desks. Three weeks later, the “joke” became a reality and Gibson showed up at NPR, ready to impart her folk-like melodies in person. Now eight years and hundreds of performances later, the series is still going strong and Gibson has the distinction of being the first artist to ever traverse the tiny desk.
This Saturday, as Gibson plans to drop her fourth record, Empire Builder tomorrow April 1 via Barsuk Records, she will once again bring her supple sounds to the DMV as she’s set to play Iota Cafe. Gibson’s been through a lot lately, having packed up all her things from Portland to move to New York for grad school, only to have her East Village apartment burned down last year. While she lost everything, the tragic event certainly provided ample fodder for storytelling and growth as a songwriter. Hear the new album’s title track, along with older effort “Where Have All Your Good Words Gone” via Spotify below.
If you’re in the DC area, we encourage you to check out the show at Iota this weekend. Who knows, maybe Boilen and Thompson will make an appearance (just try to keep your noise levels in check, please).
All hail Queen RiRi. We were big fans of her No. 1 hit “Work” and collab with Drake, so we’ve got a special treat for you today. Although we personally feel the official remixes of the single let us down by not capturing the energy of the original, there’s no denying that the addictive track has spurred a profusion of creativity — so today we’re rounding up the most innovative of the “re-works” in this exclusive edition of Remix RiRi Roundup.
First up is a bootleg by DJDS (formerly known as DJ Dodger Stadium), the LA duo comprised of Jerome LOL and Samo Sound Boy who recently lent their production chops to Kanye‘s The Life of Pablo. The mix flips the original by replacing the dancehall rhythm with aerial piano lines and deep house production. The only thing missing in this rendition is Drizzy, but it’s still an inspired reinterpretation that you can pick up for free on Soundcloud.
Another unauthorized remix comes by way of Rihanna collaborators, R. City or Rock City. The Caribbean-born brothers Theron and Timothy Thomas stay closer to the original on their revision, leaving the island influences intact but adding their own verses to the beginning. We dig the lyrical addition on this cut — which is also available for free download.
Last but not least, future-funk artist Brayton Bowman serves up an immaculate mashup of Rihanna and *NSYNC with “It’s Gonna Be RIH.” I mean, does it get any better? Produced by MNEK, the result is what would happen if NSYNC and Rihanna were to have a love child. Brayton Bowman, you win.
We receive music from a variety of sources, and in this instance it was through a seemingly random yet serendipitous Soundcloud message. Super pleased that the Canadian quartet Men I Trust reached out and entrusted us with their communiqué as we’re digging their understated, electropop lounge vibes. For a band that only formed in 2014, Men I Trust have a solid catalog that we recommend without reservation, particularly if you’re fond of fuzzy, ethereal bands like Radiation City and Brave Shores. Based on the burbling, lush production, you would never guess that the Quebec outfit’s latest effort, “Humming Man” is a song about a reclusive old man who becomes suspicious of society and shuts himself off from the rest of the world.
Listen to “Humming Man” and earlier effort “Quiet” below.
Today’s feature comes courtesy of a Greek group called Night Knight — the side project of an active musician in the Athens underground scene named Serafeim Giannakopoulos. Together with bandmates Stelios Provis (bass), Manolis Giannikios (drums) and Minas Liakos (guitar), they created the album God Is A Motherfucker, released via Inner Ear earlier this year. While standout track “Set It On Fire” is not terribly innovative, it does have the feel of a warm embrace from an old friend — the kind of comfort that can only come from familiarity. Acknowledging as much, Giannakopoulos proudly recognizes his influences — ranging from Neil Young to Creedence Clearwater Revival to Radiohead — rather than neglecting them in the name of “pseudo-originality.” And sometimes, that’s just enough. Stream “Set It On Fire” below.
poetry in an empty coke can 