Meet Mirror Talk, the LA-based quartet who combine new wave grooves with silky smooth vocals and ’80s soundscapes. In fact their new track, “1/M/T” sounds just like an ’80s power ballad, complete with choppy bass and dancey synths. The single will be featured on the group’s upcoming EP 1997, due out May 19 on Yellow Year Records.
We’ve got a special treat in store for you today — in a new segment we’re calling The Cover-Up, we’re sharing a refreshingly innovative new cover from French trio We Were Evergreen. A contempo take on the track “I Wanna Be Like You” from Disney’s The Jungle Book, the electropop group give the original a fantastically modern makeover that will have you scratching your head wondering where you’ve heard this one before (had we not just told you).
Regarding the cover choice, the band said: We wanted to revisit a classic tune from everyone’s childhood: the original song not only has a great melody, but the lyrics themselves have a much deeper meaning than what the Disney film shows. By keeping the melodic base but making the arrangements darker, we wanted to bring out the idea lurking behind the song: that universal feeling of envy, the need to fit in – a theme that we already developed in our first album.
We Were Evergreen released their debut album Towards in 2014 and is currently at work on their second album. Get groovy with “Be Like You” below.
Alex Winston is the New-York-by-way-of-Detroit songstress who generated a decent amount of buzz in 2012 with her debut album, King Con. Now the classically-trained opera singer turned pop singer is set to release her sophomore LP via 300 Entertainment sometime this spring. Whereas on the last effort she used others’ stories for material, the forthcoming album sees the artist step out of her comfort zone by drawing from her own experiences.
“I’ve never been comfortable writing songs about myself,” she revealed to Stereogum. “It’s always been easier for me to tell stories, so I wasn’t used to being as vulnerable, but . . . I felt like I was doing myself a disservice not making the album personal because I’ve had a few tumultuous years.”
Listen to “Careless,” the lead single off the upcoming album below. Also revisit the stellar Starslinger remix of her earlier single “Sister Wife.”
Our DC readers can check out Winston at the All Things Gold concert series tonight at U Street Music Hall, along with local favorites The Walking Sticks and Louis Weeks.
Trails and Ways taunted us with their tropical, calypso sound a couple of years ago, and now the Oakland outfit is back with the first single off their forthcoming record, Pathology. On “Skeletons”—recorded in their drummer’s bedroom along with the rest of the LP—the quartet wanted to create a “dance banger,” which they achieved through lithe guitar lines and dungeony synth bass twisting over a heavy club groove.
The much anticipated debut album, Pathology will be released on Barsuk Records June 2 and they’ll be on tour in June and July. You can view the full schedule on their website, but locals can catch their set at DC9 on June 14.
Sufjan Stevens, the musical genius from Michigan released his new album Carrie & Lowell March 31, and by this point you’ve likely already heard a few tracks if you consider yourself a fan. Named after his mother and stepfather, the elegiac album is essentially a cathartic meditation on death in musical form — after losing his mother to cancer in 2012.
Regarding the record’s subject matter, in a compelling interview with Pitchfork Stevens said: It’s something that was necessary for me to do in the wake of my mother’s death—to pursue a sense of peace and serenity in spite of suffering. It’s not really trying to say anything new, or prove anything, or innovate. It feels artless, which is a good thing. This is not my art project; this is my life.
Without question Stevens’ most profound and personal album should be listened to as a whole, but you can hear a couple of our favorite dirges — “Should Have Known Better” and “All Of Me Wants All Of You” below.
Stevens is going on tour in support of the album next week, and will be bringing his majestic sounds to DC’s DAR Constitution Hall May 5.
Another singer being hailed as a breakthrough artist after a successful run at SXSW, Tei Shi is on a bit of a hot streak right now. The chanteuse captivated us with her track “Bassically,” and now she’s shared another effort off her forthcoming EP, Verde — due out via Mermaid Avenue / Mom + Pop Music on April 14. Appropriately mellower than the aforementioned single, “Go Slow” is an airy, mellifluous number accompanied by a metered bassline.
Don’t miss Tei Shi on her upcoming North American/European tour, which kicks off in our very own DC on April 25 at DC9. Find the full tour schedule below.
4.25.15 – DC9 – Washington, DC
4.27.15 – Great Scott – Allston, MA *
4.29.15 – The Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY *
4.30.15 – MilkBoy – Philadelphia, PA
5.1.15 – MIT – Boston, MA
5.2.15 – Theatre Fairmount – Montreal, QC
5.8.15 – Popscene – San Francisco, CA ^
5.9.15 – Lyrics Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
5.11.15 – School Night – Los Angeles, CA ^
5.14.15 – The Great Escape 2015 – Brighton, UK
5.15.15 – Beursschouwburg – Brussels, Belgium
5.17.15 – London Calling Festival 2015 – Amsterdam, Netherlands
5.19.15 – Pop Up du Label – Paris, France
5.22.15 – Dot to Dot Festival 10th Birthday 2015 – Manchester, UK
5.23.15 – Dot to Dot Festival 10th Birthday 2015 – Bristol, UK
5.24.15 – Dot to Dot Festival 10th Birthday 2015 – Nottingham, UK
6.2.15 – O2 Academy Bournemouth – London, UK
6.3.15 – O2 Academy Brixton – London, UK
6.6.15 – Field Day 2015 – London, UK
6.7.15 – The Parklife Weekender 2015 – Manchester, UK
* w/ Shy Girls
^ w/ Lapsley
In the wake of SXSW, the musical illuminati have spoken and the consensus is that singer-songwriter Leon Bridges is poised to be the next big thing. Drawing comparisons to Sam Cooke with his retro, 60s-soul inspired sound and matching sartorial aesthetic, if you’re as keen on this era as we are you will definitely want to get acquainted with this Fort Worth artist.
Although the crooner has only a few singles to his name currently, keep an eye out for an album to be released via Columbia Records later this year. Meanwhile, doo-wop your way through “Better Man” below.
Brighton-based producer Aeble has just released his debut track, and we are into it. “Better By Your Side” is a wispy, glistening house number, perfectly complimented by the affective Rhye-esque vocals of Tom Aspaul. Speaking to FADER, Aeble states: “I wanted to say everything that needed to be said in one line. It’s hard to boil it down to something so simple and leave no one guessing as to what you mean, or how you want something perceived.”
So there you have it. No room for misinterpretation on this one — and we’re better with this intoxicating track in our collection. Luckily it will be available on new label Estate soon.
New electropop duo known as KALEIDA is the combined talents of Londoners Christina Wood (vocals, lyrics) and Cicely Goulder (keys, production, lyrics). Honing their minimal style and sultry rhythmic sound over the past year or so, the duo is now primed to release their debut EP, entitled Think on April 6 via Lex Records. Stream standout tracks “Think” and “Tropea” below.
Father John Misty, the moniker of Josh Tillman and former member of Fleet Foxes released his sophomore album last month to near universal praise. Misty seems to have mastered the perilous arch between earnest artistry and satirical indifference, as Tillman’s natural talent merged with his unabashed lyricism is a risk that pays off in dividends on the new album. On the ironically titled LP, I Love You, Honeybear, the Baltimore-bred artist bands together a brazenly beautiful collection of music, covering everything from drugs, to religion, to marriage, and so much more.
“Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins)” is a melodic, feel-good folk number, appropriately dedicated to his wife and filled with playful harmonies, strings and mariachi horns towards the end. However, our truest adoration lies with the subsequent song to “Chateau,” the more electronic-leaning track entitled “True Affection.” The whole endeavor is worth experiencing start to finish though — find it on iTunes here.
Additionally, Father John Misty will be playing a sold-out show this Saturday at DC’s 9:30 Club so if you got tickets, good on you.
poetry in an empty coke can 