Portland based psychedelic pop trio Unknown Mortal Orchestra unveiled yesterday the official video for ‘Strangers are Strange’, a track off their 2011 eponymous debut album released via Fat Possum.
Sam Kristofski of Pharm directed the amusing 70’s espionage themed video, à la ‘Sabotage’. Check it out below.
Inca Gold are a London based psych experimental pop quartet comprising Ezequiel Claverie (Vocals/ Guitars/ Keyboards), Ben Chatwin (Guitars/ Keyboards), Chris Howarth (Bass) and Alex Lewis (Drums).
The foursome describe their music as a blend of “the tribal grooves of Gang Gang Dance, the guitar noise of The Jesus and Mary Chain and the clinical electronics of Portishead all filtered through the bands strong pop aesthetic.”
Inca Gold released today the third and last of a triptych of self titled EPs that were all recorded, mixed and produced by themselves.
Inca Gold III features four enticing tracks, and what’s more, you can download it free via Inca Gold’s bandcamp.
Opening track ‘Atom’ is a slice of dreamy psychedelia, check it out below.
A Loom And Not Me is the brand new album by IG88, the moniker used by Seattle-born electronic artist Branden Clarke.
A Loom And Not Me is an astounding and heartfelt album with beautiful melodies and harmonies combining lush electronics with organic instruments that won me over after just one listen.
“Sometimes, we want sound — bleeps, burps, squawks, zips, static, clicks –- and sometimes we want the kind of auditory sensation that swells our brain and dead-weds us to the measure. Sometimes we want a damn guitar. Most of the time, we want it all.” says the blurb that goes with the album’s release. “With A Loom and Not Me, IG88′s first release with Nueva Forma, our ears give praise. Collaborator Jenni Potts grabs your hand from the start and grounds the album throughout in a way that only an balletic, weightless voice can. Intentions of a Dart Frog is a projectile, kinetic jam that won’t let you go. Bed of Stars enter just in time with the titular track to tie you up into a ball and bounce you on into the second half of things.
Then there are the brilliant clusters of abounding space in between until Coughing on Syrup Shores clangs around in your jellied head like the guts of an arcade game and spits you back out like a contraband nickel that’s just had the ride of its life. Listen for flux, for soul, for willful racket. Listen for it all.”
A Loom And Not Me is out today via audio/visual label Nueva Forma. Head over to bandcamp to stream and buy the album.
Here’s ‘Intentions of a Dart Frog (feat Jenni Potts)’ and ‘Gateway Hug’, two radiant tracks off the album. Enjoy.
London 4-piece Theme Park only formed last year but with monster tracks ‘Wax’ and ‘Milk’ released in August and December respectively, it was clear they were on the rise to great things in 2012.
Their yet-to-be-titled debut album is due out sometime later in the year. Theme Park unveiled yesterday ‘Two Hours’, the first single taken from the upcoming album and also their first release on Transgressive Records.
The single will be available on April 2nd as a limited edition 7″ and includes b-side ‘Mourning Crimes’. You can pre-order it now here or here.
According to lead singer Miles Haughton, ‘Two Hours’ is “essentially about expectations around growing and coming into your own emotionally and feeling confident or not confident about that process. I normally only really write songs when I’m feeling very happy, and I think this is one of the few ones where I was feeling a bit numb – an unexpected reaction to certain experiences in life.”
‘Two Hours’ is incredibly catchy, listen to it below.
Just over a month ago, Thrill Jockey added Man Forever to their roster and I’ve been eagerly anticipating a new release. May 14th will see the release of Man Forever’s new album entitled Pansophical Cataract, the first release on Thrill Jockey.
Man Forever started in 2010 as a full drum set ensemble formed by multi-instrumentalist, composer and writer John Colpitts (aka Kid Millions), also the drummer and founding member of Oneida.
Here’s how Pansophical Cataract is described on the issued press release:
“Pansophical Cataract is propulsive without a pulse. Patterns evolve and burst through the static surface of the material, much of which was produced by electric instruments, though “Ur Eternity” remains mostly drums with only a few bass tracks making an appearance. The sounds created by these instruments were based on the drones that Colpitts hears when he is practicing (the not fully conscious singing or humming that arises when one practices alone), and then augmented and enhanced by the other musicians on the record. The repetitive rolls create a phasing effect, a music in and of itself, and the dynamic shifts that occur when the other instruments enter become not mere notes, but grand events.”
The forthcoming album consists of two tracks, ‘Surface Patterns’ and ‘Ur Eternity’, trimmed from their original 30 and 40-minute live versions to around 18-minute pieces and I can’t wait to listen to them.
The first edition of Primavera Sound in Porto has taken a colossal shape after the line-up additions revealed in a press conference held yesterday.
Like the Barcelona edition that takes place every year since 2001, the Portuguese counterpart will be eclectic and diverse.
The Flaming Lips, Atlas Sound, Yann Tiersen, Lee Ranaldo, Wavves, Tennis, We Trust and many more were added to a bill that already included the likes of Björk, Explosions In The Sky and Yo La Tengo amongst others. The festival will hold over 60 performances, check out the line-up here.
As previously posted, ATP will run one the stages like they do in Barcelona for the past few years. The other stages have also been unveiled yesterday. Optimus Stage and Primavera Stage will hold the main performances and Stage 4 will blend emerging bands and electronic music/DJ’s.
Primavera Sound takes place from June 7th – 10th and on the first and last day of the festival, the organizers will put on several free gigs in the city centre.
Portuguese plastic artist João Paulo Feliciano has been commissioned to conceive the festival space.
The capacity for this event is 30000 and the organizers confirmed 40% of all tickets have been sold, 60% of those were sold outside Portugal.
If you never got lost up and down Porto’s cobbled streets, you just found the perfect excuse to do it.
Tickets are on sale for 85 Euros (+booking fee) until February 20th. Points of sale are Ticketline, Ticketmaster, Seetickets UK, Paypal and Optimus Primavera Sound official Facebook.
Visit the Primavera Sound website for more information.
