12.04.2009

WHITE ANTELOPE :: unrealeased



The last few days I've been maxing out on White Antelope, which is Robin Pecknold's (lead singer of Fleet Foxes) solo-effort. He doesn't have an official release, but he did put a bunch of songs on a myspace page a lil while ago. Most of them are covers, but there are a couple originals. If you like FF, you will most definitely like these tunes. In related news, Robin has started a separate side-project w/ his sister, & supposedly they are recording soon. Also, Fleet Foxes are starting to prepare their 2nd album. Totally Righteous.

Note: The recordings are pretty lo-fi & quiet, so make sure you turn this ish up!

mp3s:

white antelope - "wild mountain thyme"
white antelope - "silver dagger"
white antelope - "guitar duet"
white antelope - "false knight on the road"

*right-click to dload tracks

11.18.2009

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE :: "FALL BE KIND"



"LIKE, TOTALLY DOWNLOADABLE, BRAH"

Animal Collectve - "Fall Be Kind EP"

.01 - Glaze
.02 - What Would I Want? Sky
.03 - Bleed
.04 - On A Highway
.05 - I Think I Can

**PS - i fixed it so you can right-click on the linkz & save as mp3s
**PPS - "what would i want? sky" is the mutha feckin JAM!

BEACH HOUSE :: "TEEN DREAM"



The new Beach House LP "Teen Dream" was leaked yesterday & you know I was on dat w/ the quickness! It's been playing non-stop in our apartment since I snagged it up. Yeah, it's the heat. This has actually been a hella good week for music, cause today the Animal Collective EP "Fall Be Kind" also got leaked. Speaking of AC, if you liked Merriweather Post Pavilion you will totally dig the newest offering. It's a seamless extension of the MPP style; once again they blend melodic vocals w/ their idiosyncratic brand of electronic psychedelia. Anyway, back to Beach House - I was fortunate enough to grab the album before it was taken off the web...so ima share it w/ you. BANG!

01. Zebra
02. Silver Soul
03. Norway
04. Walk in the Park
05. Used to Be
06. Lover of Mine
07. Better Times
08. 10 Mile Stereo
09. Real Love
10. Take Care

**PS - i fixed it so you can right-click on the linkz & save as mp3s

11.08.2009

DILLVEGASVOL4



In nooooo particular order, we have Dill Vegas Volume 4...

Vega -- side project of Neon Indian, elctro-pop.
Surfer Blood -- reverb laden rocknroll coming straight from Flar-i-dah.
Hudson Mohawke -- break beat, dance.
Vampire Weekend -- new tune from the band we all love to hate. its about horchata, greatest drink EVER.
Karen O & the Kids -- the best song from "Where the Wild Things Are". emotive & comtemplative.
Kurt Vile -- one of my faves off his new album, "Childish Prodigy".
Cinnamon Chasers -- electronic/dance/house.
Taxi Taxi! -- 2 dames that craft amazing acoustic music w/ lovely harmonies. any suprise that theyre from Sweden?
Dam Funk -- like the name implies...its some dammm funk!
Royalchord -- solo artist from Melbourne, tropical/acoustic/electronic
The Amazing -- indie folk pop
Flaming Lips -- heavy spaced out jam from "Embryonic"
Air -- my fave off the new record "Love 2" (which actually wasn't that good)

download --> DILLVEGASVOLUME4

10.21.2009

fleetwood crack



thats right, im addicted...to fleetwood mac (& you should be too).

ok, so everybody knows the fleetwood mega hits like "dreams", "the chain", "yesterdays gone", etc., & not many can argue w/ the level of amazing-ness of said tunes. this band of pop geniuses have so many more jams that dont receive as much recognition tho. i put together a little zip file of some of my favorite underplayed / lesser-known tracks. all of these are from the stevie nicks & lindsey buckingham era (aka, the coke years). this is the time when they were truly at the top of their game & also amidst the most emotional tumult - divorces, breakups, extreme drug use, band members quiting - you know, the good stuff that exponentially fortified their song-writing. lindsey shreds on guitar & stevie, well, stevie is a diva & lyrical demi-god. if you dont know a lot of fleetwood mac, this is a nice intro to their sound. if you already have all these cuts, then youre prolly as hooked as me. either way, enjoi!


**PLAYLIST & INDIVIDUAL MP3 DOWNLOADS (right-click & save-as)

01. love in store
02. what makes you think youre the one
03. book of love
04. sara
05. im so afraid
06. walk a thin line
07. beautiful child
08. i dont want to know
09. sisters of the moon
10. eyes of the world

p.s. --> if you arent familiar w/ their history, check it out, its pretty incredible.


10.07.2009

DO WERK SEN

hello hello. its been a little while, hasnt it. how is everyone? good to hear that. hows the job, the kids? excellent. what the hell am i talking about? quite frankly i have no idea.

just got back from a night ride. L Gray, Charmaine & I formed a bike gang...a synchronized bike gang, actually. we cruised around the mish & checked out the wednesday bar scene. stopped @ dolores, not a gd thing happening there. then we cruised over to this park on hampshire & 26th skreet. we road on the tennis courts & took snaps of us attempting synchronized-figure-biking moves. it might not have looked pretty, but it was funnn. will post pictures soon, but for now, imagine....

I = Brian Boitano, L Gray = Kristi Yamaguchi, Charm = Nancy Kerrigan




music-wise, i got some heavy funk/dance cominatcha. check out Dam Funk, hes the heat.

partytime jamz --> dam funk - galactic fun & dam funk - hood pass intact

10.02.2009

breakout: tyler james



tyler james looks like hes 15, but hes really a 25 year old folk country singer-songwriter, on the verge of breaking out.

i first stumbled upon tylers music when i moved to tennessee, around 2004. since then hes put out 2 eps that were well received in the nashville area, where he resides. hes done a couple of solo tours across the united states, but has yet to amass a real following outside of TN. in my opinion, this wont be the case for long. tyler is currently recording a full-length @ House of David studio on music row in nashville, & i believe this album will be a game changer.

quick list of notables that have recorded @ House of David: neil young, elvis presley, roy orbison, yo la tengo.




tyler released studio video footage on his blog, & by the sound of it, the new album is gonna be great. the kid has serious talent, & is an excellent songwriter. his rustic & worn look is highly indicative of his music - he crafts folky alt-country tunes, & has a knack for honest lyrics & resonating melodies. another thing i really dig is that he frequently posts work-in-progress demos (purportedly recorded in his apartment) on a separate myspace page reserved for b-sides/unreleased material. they sound much rougher than the studio tracks, but the songs themselves are just as good if not better than the glossier ones. he recently started a side project w/ fellow nashvillian kate york, & recorded a live 3 song demo. the result is a wonderful pairing; their harmonies are...mellifluous.


check out 2 tracks from the tyler & kate collaboration, & 2 from the "sweet relief" ep (released in 2007)

mp3s:

--> tyler & kate - groovy kind of love
--> tyler & kate - you never wake up

--> tyler james - shenandoah
--> tyler james - for my generation

9.29.2009

kauai vidz!

i finally uploaded the kauai videos, so i figured id post em. most of the footage is from kipu falls. its a "secret" (totally in the guidebook) waterfall in the central part of the island. you have to walk thru hard junglezzz for 5-10mins, then it opens up. there was a rope swing & you can jump off the cliff. a jolly good thyme! our 1st visit there we met these serbian mugs that showed us the ropes (pun intended). they were crazy & one jumps out of a tree, which you will see. oh & then the last vid is the house that charmaines family stayed @ on the island. that place was thebombdotcom. we ended up camping in the backyard for 1/2 the trip, which was snice.

jung-lee walk to kipu


serbian drop


rope swang


cliff jhumpingz


thee mansion

9.23.2009

september playlist



alright, heres a lil something something for your collective ear holes.

dill vegas himself has hand-picked & comprised a bright, shiny, brand new playlist for download!

click me --> DILLVEGASVOL3.ZIP

track | artist | deetz

01. yacht - dance dance dance.
02. wild nothing - dreamy 80s lo-fi pop.
03. strange boys - twangy 60s-70ish psyche rock. 13th floor elevators+the seeds.
04. cotton jones - folk. slow-tempo, weathered voices, pretty harmonies.
05. neon indian - electro+80s. listen to this LOUD.
06. crooked fingers - a friend showed me this recently, & i dig, a lot.
07. white denim - the music kind of sounds like allman brothers for a second.
08. the beets - 60s garage punk.
09. dead mans bones - the actor ryan goslings band, damn good actually.
10. raveonettes - shoegaze/garage. fuzz bass, distortion, reverb.
11. health - single from their newest. hard hitting, industrial, cacophonous.
12. kurt vile - indie/pop.

9.22.2009

frisco daze / frisco knights


this kid knows what im talking about

back in SF after 8 great daze in kauai, hawaii. charmaine posted a bunch of pictures & you can check em out on fbook. we also have some vids of us cliff jumping, ill post those as soon as we upload em. radical trip, but im also glad to be back @ home base. you dont think about missing a city until your gone, its true. tons of great stuff coming up in SF -- treasure island music fest, clarion alley block party, charmaines solo art show, etc etc etc. very exciting!

ok so randumb sidenote tangent... always sunny in philadelphia had its season premier last thursday, & KUDOS, its back to being amazing! the 1st episode was a return to form after a dismal 4th season. hope they can stay on this path of hilarity. if you didnt get to see it, check it out; i posted a link to a decent quality stream of it below.
:: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 5 Episode 1 ::

oh & did i mention that GIRLS are blowing the F up? seriously...just this month --> story in spin where they are deemed "best new band", huge show @ ameoba records, cover of sf guardian, featured on p4ks don't look down series, & so on. its almost ridiculous how much press their getting. then again, i tend to agree...their debut is one of the (if not THE) best new album(s) of the year. heres some recent footage from girls playing "darling" on fader tv.


9.15.2009

kipu fall, kauai

so as you may or may not know, im currently in kauai w/ my gf & her fam. its been amazing - 90 degree weather & 80 degree ocean water. good people, good times! yesterday we found this "hidden" waterfall called kipu falls in lihue. you have to walk down a narrow path pushing through 6 foot tall vegetation for about 10mins before it opens up to the spot. the water was super deep, & there was a rope swing & cliffs you could jump off. heres a snap of the falls.



we took some video of kipu that ill post when we get back. there were also some serbian guys that were climbing like 40+ feet up in this tree & dropping in (we got some footy of that too). straight up nutzzz!

alright, music thyme...check out
"when they fight" by the band the Generationals. theyre a duo from new orleans that make sugary 1950s-style pop songs. perfect track for a sunny day!

mp3 --> generationals - when they fight

9.10.2009

showtime: girls / papercuts / cass mccombs


(girls)

ok, 1st & foremost... girls straight-up STOLE THIS SHOW. as the opening act, they blew the top off. the duo is touring as a 4-piece band, & the sound was killer. girls basically played the entire new album, & also an unreleased song "substance", that was really f-ing good. check out the shorty vid below.

"lust for life"

then papercuts & cassy mcC played; it was...alright. heres the thing, they probably both played great shows, but it just wasnt captivating. girls set the bar ceiling-high, & its difficult to keep that momentum going. pcuts did end their set w/ the jam "future primitive", which was rad. heres a couple snaps.



(cass mccombs)


(great american music hall)

it was our friend lindseys 21st birfday, so after the show we wandered around in the tenderloin & went to the lush lounge. its a dimly-lit joint w/ fun decor, full of strange light fixtures, hanging plants, & sundry tchotchke. oh & the most important part, they have ALCOHOLIC SLUSHIES. kind of like the ones you drank in middle school & got brain freezes, but stiff as ell. we all got watermelon, & it was GD delicious. everybody had a blast, & now lindsey can finally ditch the fake! check out the photo stream of the late night.






9.07.2009

beat it up: Heartbeater



"i will lead you astray, when youre tired of straight lines"

these are the kind of tempting lyrics you get from Heartbeater, 3-piece (now 4) rocknroll band straight outta Cashville, TN. they recently released their 1st self-titled ep on Meltface Music, which was recorded @ the glorious Toy Box Studio.


(studio pic: frontman greg mabry)

Heartbeater offers a solid sound on the 4-song record; permeated w/ thick bass lines, driving rhythms, layered guitar solos, & canopied in hazy reverb flowing from vintage tube amps. lead singer mabry pens crafty lyrics w/ memorable melodies, leaving remnants of songs stuck in your head for days.

after a couple listens you can start to pick out a subtle but potent concoction of influences: 1 part nirvana, 2 parts pixies, 1 part stooges, & a dash of black lips. that being said, they dont truly resemble these predecessors outright. instead, they blend sounds & ideas of the aforementioned groups to coin their own style of punk, surf, & garage rock.


the 3rd track "lead you astray" is the slowest song on the ep & my personal fave. it starts to build around 1:35, where a cello & electric guitar feedback swells into a huge sound bubble, then bursts, resulting in the heaviest jam on the album.


mp3 --> heartbeater - lead you astray

you can purchase a physical copy of the album (limited-edition, hand block-printed) for $5, or download it digitally for free on their Band Camp page.



  • greg & i formed the band DANG! the last year i lived in TN. you can download the 3-song ep we recorded HERE
  • greg has been known to drink copious amts of whiskey in parking lots before shows, & play shirtless wearing a massive golden eagle necklace

9.04.2009

a.a. bondy



a.a. bondy
(aka scott bondy) is a new school folkster & the former frontman of the band verbena. he put out his 1st solo album "american hearts" in 2007. his debut was a collection of slow contemplative folk songs, laced w/ finger-picking guitar work & clever storyline lyrics that evoke visions of woody guthrie & bob dylan. his latest release is entitled "when the devils loose" (Sep 2nd on fat possum records), & it features a similar down-tempo music styling as the former.

here is a clip of "the mightiest of guns", my fave track off the new album. recorded 8.11.2008 @ Exit/In, Nashville, TN

Backstage Sessions : AA Bondy - The Mightiest of Guns

9.02.2009

donora

song & video of the day:

THIS GURL IS UHMAZING



mp3 --> donora - i think i like you

9.01.2009

dude, cool dude

got back to SF yesterday night. heres a picture of me all surfed out in encinitas.




now heres a snap of me about 30 mins later after i got rocked in the chin by the board.




needless to say, i didnt catch onto short boards as quick as longs. i also didnt have a leash which made it rill difficult, esp on some hella choppy waves. it was still a blast tho. im going to kauai w/ charmaine & her fam sept 12th-20th. less than 2 weeks away! which reminds me, check out charmaines blog; she does artwork for the european home-furnishing company Bolia, & their newest catalogue just came out. were in one of the images that is an in-store wall display. crazy!




check out this track by Nite Jewel, aka Ramona Gonzalez from LA. its kinda 80s lo-fi disco dance. the song "artificial intelligence" is from "good evening", her album that came out last month on No Pain in Pop.

mp3 --> nite jewel - artificial intelligence

8.28.2009

mini-vaca in encinitas

whaddddap yallll.

im currently in socal hanging out w/ my girlfriend & her folks. they live in encinitas, which is about 25mins north of san diego.



its been fun & beachy so far. went surfing yesterday but it was a bit too choppy. 1st time on a short board was a mild success...definitely going out again today. hopefully i can catch some festy barrel waves, brah.

heres a beachy-electro song by washed out. this kids from souf carolina & hes blowing the F up.

mp3 --> washed out - lately

8.25.2009

hot: girls, the band that is



what can possibly be said about the band girls that hasnt already been said? not a whole lot, which is surprising since the san francisco duo have yet to put out an album. in the last year the lo-fi indie two-some have released a couple 7" vinyls featuring 1-2 songs, but nothing more substantial. then again, those few infectious tracks were all that they needed to break out; slow-jam "hellhole ratrace" & lively "lust for life" set the stage for major buzz & blogosphere love.

how much TLC are girls getting? well, if were talking about the band, enough to land a deal w/ nyc label true panther sounds & secure a (current) us tour w/ the ever-more-prominent the pains of being pure at heart. then directly afterwards, girls embark on a european leg where they headline each show. not bad at all.
girls drop their full-length album, laconically titled "album", on september 22nd.

girls live in sf:
september 9th @ the Great American Music Hall w/ cass mccombs & papercuts
september 15th @
Amoeba Records

mp3s from the forth-coming "album"

girls - laura
girls - g*ddamned
girls - hellhole ratrace


randumb notes:
  • song "lust for life" was included on the mix in the 1st blog post
  • "hellhole ratrace" was filmed in the mission district & bernal heights, sf



8.23.2009

rock make skreet fest

yesterday was the Rock Make street festival. free event between 17th/18th & treat in the mission district that was put on by The Bay Bridged. there was a stage on either end of the block, & vendors in between. we got to see the band Odawas. their sound can best be described as ambient folk w/ an occasional touch of electronica, & heavily drenched in reverb.

on their records they create beautiful orchestal landscapes (totes gorge) w/ layers of strings, synths, & tranquil piano parts, usually backed by a sampled drum beat. it kind of ends up resembling a pure mood soundtrack, in the best possible way. i mean who doesnt dig a lil enya, "sail away"? real talk, that sh*t is the ILLest. anyway, Odawas played a great set live as a 5 piece; they used a harmonium @ one point, & also dropped down a mandolin. it was pretty packt. pictures/video below.

dload the track "the case of the great irish elk" from their latest album, "the blue depths" below.



right click the link to dload
Odawas - The Case of The Great Irish Elk




odawas


we found a good lil spot to sit down


packt


charmaine & adum


even dawgz like odawas, its true. meet "charlie".




8.21.2009

i needz a hurrrcut

so charmaine is cutting my hair today. i have some ideas. pictures below. at this moment im quite inclined towards the "ballcaphathair" look (reference 3rd image). thats some serious class. or maybe the last image w/ the uneven bangs & negative sideburns. we'll see what happens.

oh & heres a song by haircut 100. it really has nothing to do w/ haircuts at all, buts its a good azz 80s jam.










8.19.2009

1st post

hello fine peoples. thank you for visiting a work in progress.

this is going to be my spot to post music, pictures, anecdotes, etc.

i will put up randumb mp3s for download ever-so-often, & then each month im gonna post a fat mix of the stuff thats been hot on my headphones. the 1st of these mixes can be dloaded below - i broke it into 2 parts. not all of it is new music, but most of it is. enjoi, & come back frequently for updates!

here are the links to dload the mix (scroll down, click the orange download button) --> dillvegas.vol1, dillvegas.vol2


track layout

volume 1

1. atlas sound – bradford cox (deerhunter)+ panda bear (animal collective).
2. highlife – lead singer of the band “woods”. looking forward to the full length album.
3. beirut – my cut off “march of the zapotec/realpeople holland”.
4. girls – gotta represent for fellow frisco kids, & they live in the mission dist.
5. lemonade – brooklyn by way of sf. rave-esque indie music.
6. cave singers – standout track from the new album “welcome joy” that dropped aug 18th.
7. danger mouse & sparklehorse ft. flaming lips – phil collins style w/ a definite flaming lips touch.
8. banjo or freakout – sounds like it was recorded near the ocean. heres the VIDEO.
9. glasser – saw her last year w/ a team of dancers. think feist, but way more spacey.
10. crocodiles – steady drum build & explosion at 2:35.
11. hockey night – pavement + thin lizzy dueling guitars.
12. sleepy sun – bay area psyche-rock-folk. this band will blow up very very soon.
13. boat club – amazing beach music. nuff said.
14. camera obscura – 1st song on the newest album & definitely a gem.
15. low anthem – slowcore/folk w/ great harmonies. this is for all the ohioians.

volume 2

16. pains of being pure at heart – can you say “my bloody valentine”? i can, & its GREAT.
17. teengirl fantasy – casio/electro duo from Oberlin College the track breaks out around 1:05.
18. jay reatard – garage rock/one man band. my favorite cut off “watch me fall”.
19. suckers – it gets your body movin’, albeit, slowly at first. big wall-of-sound build.
20. washed out – shoegaze/electro slow jam. i love this track.
21. papercuts – hazy/reverb/shoegaze/mellow.
22. titus andronicus – new jersey kids. angsty punk w/ thick layers of guitars & an epic finish.
23. neon indian – 80s-psyche-electro-ish.
24. ty segall – loud, spastic, rocknroll.
25. ganglians – fun reverbed out rock w/ a driving bass line.
26. vetiver – again frisco musician, repping the bay hard on this mix. tour partner of devendra banhart.
27. black lips – my fave. garage rock. fuzz. featuring gza of wu tang.
28. russ chimes – french electro. super dance. think daft punk & justice.
29. ott – atmospheric electronic music. in the same vein as thievery corp.
30. dishwasher – canadian. layered vocals + beach boy harmonies.