Woo! It seems like it took a minute, but 2012 is finally bubbling with all sorts of fantastic new music and sounds. You don't believe us? Well, that's why we have trust issues. Check out our weekend playlist with new entries from Xiu Xiu, Damien Jurado, Veronica Falls, Matthew Dear, Young Prisms, Scissor Sisters, The Joy Formidable and much more. Be safe and stay sharp.
Hello! We're looking for an excellent editorial assistant/intern.
Requirements include: deep knowledge of contemporary music, first-rate writing skills, mastery of social media (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr), expertise at making playlists and mixes in a variety of formats for a variety of goals and a PMA about music discovery.
Applicants must be organized, able to work 10-15 hours/week in person and based in the NYC area.
You will be working directly with Carter Maness, our Editor-In-Chief, on many exciting projects.
If you're interested, hit up carter [at] rcrdlbl.com with "Editorial Internship" in the subject line. No need for a resume, just send us a few sentences about yourself and why you'd kill it, as well as links to samples of your work.
Hey everyone, Fair Ohs is finding its own groove! I gotta admit, for a while I thought the London band had spent a bit too much time listening to Abe Vigoda, but on "Gold Hill" they show me up for the idiot that, deep down, I truly am: lithe vines of guitar cascading over the kind of rhythm that makes me wanna see dogs dance. You're all dogs, right? Then go sick this on the B-side of Fair Ohs new single "Salt Flats", which is streaming here and out now through X-Ray. Better still, pick up a flexi-postcard featuring both tracks and personalized messages from the band for way cheap. Flexi-postcard? Yeah, it's a postcard you can play on a record player. Don't ask me how it works. What do I look like, a fucking prophet?
No matter where he's gone, Jamie Stewart's Xiu Xiu always brings an unparalleled emotional intensity. "Hi" features his distinctive vocals over a relatively accessible 8-bit-teasing club roller. Snares attack, junk synths croak away, bells pop like flashing bulbs and there's lots of great counter-melody. "If you are wasting your life," teases Stewart, "Say hi." There's no doubt we will when this track gets packaged with 11 others on Always, which comes March 6 on Polyvinyl.
Everyone knows who the Scissor Sisters are, but who's Krystal Pepsy? It's Azealia Banks, silly, looming over this track she co-wrote with Jake Shears and his mates. As you'd expect, given Ms Banks involvement and Silkie's remix skills, this version of "Shady Love" is club: snares pushing the melodies on as synths drizzle over the top like crystal bliss melting in the pit of your belly.
Only Veronica Falls could make a “Bad Feeling” good. This beachy-keen gift comes from one of my favorite records in recent years, an equally dark and bright LP that can be played unobtrusively in the background as you write, paint, work, or like I’m doing today, mope around in a terrible mood stomping my rain boots. At least, that’s what I was doing, before the tune's gentle propulsion of energetic guitars, quick drums and chilled-out duet vocals made me cut the crap and start shaking along.
And the treats from Azealia Banks keep coming. Take this France-meets-New York heavy-electro record entitled "Bambi," which was recorded for the MUGLER Mens FW 2012 runway show. This one is super 'fashiony' with heavy breathing, pickup lines and music that's very prime for nightmarish club experiences. "Like, what the fuck are we supposed to do now," she asks. "Do you guys do drugs?" Well, damn.
Chicago’s Hidden Hospitals is a new group from Damiera singer/guitarist David Raymond and guitarist Steve Downs. Joined by former Kiss Kiss drummer Jared Karns and bassist John Scott, the band self-released its debut EP, titled EP 001, digitally last year and will offer the album as a physical release on February 14. “Controlled Chaos” is one of the record's propulsive indie rock tracks – a good taste of the introspective, prog-tinged numbers throughout.
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