'Gloss Drop'in complex synapses and 'W H O K I L L E D' killin it!!

Battles is about to drop a new album titled Gloss Drop (avail. June 6).
They definitely live up to their sound and just magnify it even more from their debut album Mirrored. With Mirrored I always skipped one song "Ddiamondd" because I never felt it fit with the flow of the album. "Atlas" should just flow into "Tonto".
Anyways, just LOVING the flow and each song of Gloss Drop so far. I feel Cloud Dog (local to Lawrence, KS) has been influenced so much by this band, except they are achieving SO much more because their drumming is almost entirely live (the body paint doesn't hurt either!) The complexity of beats from Mirrored is seen in this album as well. Wonderful and interesting. My brain hops back and forth with synapses.
Just in case you were wondering, this album DOES get heavy for those of you who like that kind of thing...I just found "Ddiamondd" jarring. "White Electric" from this album is heavy without being annoying. The last track "Sundome" is definitely my favourite song off this new album!
Give this album a listen! AWESOME! (still nothing as catchy as "Atlas" though. Pure GENIOUS)

*watch this video for the track "Ice Cream":

NOW something my mother has been bugging the crap out of me to listen to for months and I have for no other reason than not making the time to find this album online, have not checked it out...(and unfortunately had to miss them playing in Seattle due to working over the weekend....NO MORE WEEKENDS AFTER THIS ONE!)... The Tune-Yards' 2011 album W H O K I L L


Ok...just the opening of this album so far tells me my mom (as usual) is incredibly right. The complexity and awesomeness of this band is very unique! Just a quick search on Wikipedia revealed this: "When performing live, Garbus creates drum loops on the spot, and layers these with ukulele, voice, and electric bass (played by Nate Brenner)". I am impressed highly! Wikipedia also told me a live sax section will join them for their 2011 tour...if only they were here in two weekends in Seattle! (and unfortunately if you are in Lawrence you missed them as well....)...anyone else -- Check them out ASAP! It's got some funky awesome beats with a sexy lounge singer voice on top of it with sampling going on in the background.
I can barely handle how amazing this second track is:

I am a sucker for bari sax.
Right. Not even going to keep describing anything I'm hearing. It is indescribable. You must listen NOW ("Riotriot" is nothing like I've heard!).
And for their single "Bizness"'s music video:

Still just floored by this band and their talent! This music video is super awesome and really fun and it reminds me of Fever Ray meets Bjork. EXACTLY my thing!

This is their second album....so I will now be finding their first album to check out their roots...but WOW for what's happening right now! WOW!

*I see they toured with Buke and Gass...a very weird, eclectic band I found out about from a shorts off a podcast from an NPR science podcast (Radiolab) I listened to where they needed music for the sound of tapeworms or and it didnt work but they liked their sound so much they needed to do a short portrait on them....anyways...I'm trying to find Buke and Gass (Bass ukele and a guitar/bass I believe??) now. Very unique...They have a new album Riposte I cannot find...found some .flac called +/- so I'll download that and check it out...in the meantime, give 'em a listen here at their bandcamp, I think you'll enjoy it ALOT!: http://bukeandgass.bandcamp.com/album/-*

~ I'll be honest -- I am not into Fleet Foxes from what I've heard, I'm open to being persuaded otherwise...just not my thing...it's why I'm not reviewing it...but maybe you should check the band out? ~

** Currently downloading: Panda Bear's 2011 album Tomboy
                                            new track by Datsik and Bare "King Kong"
                                            DJ Shadow's 2011 "I Gotta Rokk" EP
                                            Zombi's 2011 album Escape Velocity
                                            Dumbo Gets Mad's 2011 album Elephants at the                                            Door**


--- I'm always on the lookout for awesome new, cool, kid-friendly music to play here over the PA at my job as I am SICK AND TIRED of Justin Bieber and Katy Perry and shitty pop bands from the 90s....please help if you know of anything appropriate for 4th-8th graders that isn't going to drive me bonkers! ---


PS: SordoMusic....Accent on the Music

Sound Immersion for a Long Drive

So I've been lacking on new music lately, and on updating at all. I have not been making music a priority in my life, when it is.
I was in a terrible mood today and knew that a long drive with an immersion into  music would cure me of my ills.
The first album to cure my mood was one I have been meaning to blog about for awhile -- Bibio's new one 'Mind Bokeh'. This album is one of those albums that you get to the end and you just have to start it over again because you'll miss it too much if you listen to something else.
The album starts off like a soft rainfall crecendoing higher and higher with many complexities to it. At 1:55 some electronic noises come in that really remind me of the amazing game "Machinarium". At 2:09 the volume starts to increase dramatically to lay out the vocals and main beats of this song. Dreamy, robotic, rainy. Great way to start off my drive and have the music layer in with my mood. 4:22 brings about a very ROM sounding break that is reminiscent of something Antennas Up would do.

The second track starts off with a melancholy music box that reminds you how shitty and down you're feeling, but the vocals that come in are upbeat and remind me of something I cannot place...I want to say Animal Collective-esq in the tone? This album (and maybe this band) is all about psyching you out to think the song is over and then throw you a curveball.

The third track starts off with a great repetitive dance beat. In general this song makes me think of my Islanders LEGO set and the song that would be playing as they sit there sipping their goblets and pondering to go on their jet ski once more....Those snarky bastards and their black, plastic hair and resort clubbin' wear. VERY well mixed song! Nice vocoder use. I bet Jonny Universe loves this song.

Fourth track "Wake Up" - exuberant

"Light Sleep" Track 5 -- sexy, funky to open us up! Nice and groovy and I get a taste of rainbows. (not a taste of Of Raiinbows. a taste of rainbows...the phenomenon....sometimes associated with Skittles...and pots of gold)

"Take off your shirt" is kinda more generic rock sounding. Not as much my thing as the others, but its a good change up for a mood alterer...but I do really enjoy the chorus. Its damn catchy and has f'in cowbell. Need I say more why this is generic and catchy?

Track 7 - ethereal, electronic...reminiscent of a Baths song from his new album. Like Baths mixed with Panda Bear; beautiful bass line heard in here. Great track for wandering through the country.

Track 8 is goddamn just fun as hell! Dance! sing! Be happy! Once again back to island feeling. Steel drum and glass bottle feeling. Mmm...Happy warm sunshine dancing!

Track 9 just passed without me noticing...thought it was a comedown from Track 8. Just flowed effortlessly

"More Excuses" track 10 is great. His pitch is interesting on this...kinda flat coming up to notes...sorta falsetto? around 2:43 has a great cut into a different whole side of the song, as I think is quite the usual for Bibio.

"Feminine Eye" -- love his voice on this. Very high and Mayer Hawthorne-esq.

"Saint christopher" last song....nice stormy reprise again but good dancey guitar as well... love around 2:43 as it picks up again into the dance beat.

*Check out this album sampler of this album*: 

So along with this album I listen to James Blake's new album, which I have been meaning to tell everyone about as well, but have also been selfishly listening to this on repeat instead of telling the world. If you have not checked out James Blake -- DO SO IMMEDIATELY! I was lucky that before I even heard his new album, I had some of him on a Diplo album which is PHENOMENAL (the track is: "Sparing the Horse" off the 'Blow Your Head' - Diplo Presents album. Wow. SEXY AS HELL!

But if you don't want to take the time to listen to the full album (A HUGE mistake on your part) at least check this out -- PUT OVER THE EAR HEADPHONES ON NOW!:

My favorite song for the car ride home was "To Care (Like You)" -- the entire album is just PHENOMENAL and I always start it over again and play it halfway through before I realize what I'm doing. It flows beautifully and is so diverse with a unique voice and very unique sounds!

The other album I listened to was Mayer Hawthorne's album from last year...I had taken it off my ipod for space for dubstep, and it was a nice addition back into the mix. So beautiful...but I definitely love Bibio and James Blake so much more...if only they were touring in the states.