Easy Fleece

there are lots of things

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RAC is the remixing brainchild of Andre Allen Anjos, a producer with a very distinct aesthetic that seems to fit a wide array of musical styles. He's remixed everything from John Legend to Lana Del Rey to Holy Ghost to Radiohead to Delorean, he's done it all. But he's never put out his own LP, until now. Strangers is a two-part effort that hit shelves last week with the second half coming April 1st. He got a slew of buddies to contribute, including Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe and the Magne.... and other people too. Now RAC has authored some of my favorite remixes over the years, always adding a sense of playfulness and pseudo 90s energy to whatever he touches, and Strangers Part 1 is chock full of those vibes. It would have made sense for me to post one of his songs off the album, but his remix of Joywave's "Tongues" is so wonderful that i'm convinced you'll have a higher chance of checking him out by listening to this. And besides, the widget has a free download and the people want free download links and i'm all about giving the people what they want. 

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One more month until Avey Tare's new project Slasher Flicks releases their debut LP titled Enter the Slasher House. It'll be nothing short of an interesting listen i'm sure, anything he puts out always is. "Little Fang" is a surprisingly smooth cut with all the ghoulish quirks of an innocent haunted house. It sort of made me think of a modern take on "Monster Mash", it's got that boogie element with lyrics about some special freak who's "...makers must have kissed in cosmic dust." Avey's kept the same vocal style from 2012's Centipede Hz, feeling a little more unleashed and naked then his earlier days. It's great to see the AC guys busy at work on their own stuff so soon after their last tour (Panda Bear is apparently working on another solo effort). I shouldn't say own stuff, as this is really a collaboration between Avey, Jeremy Hyman, and the beautiful Angel Deradoorian of the Dirty Projectors. enjoy

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The year is young but St. Vincent has already got one of the gems of 2014. I've been digesting the always eclectic Annie Erin Clark's newest self-titled album the last week or so, and while i may not have a concrete opinion about the work as a whole, i sure as hell know "Prince Johnny" is the most compelling 4 minutes of music i've heard lately. Where to start, well on a purely sonic level this song is just plain fun. The choral melody in itself is enough to keep the song on repeat. It's so catchy and singable and expressive and St. Vincenty and ultimately addicting. But there's so much more! The airy descant bedded along a comfortable beat creates the perfect platform for Clark to paint a somewhat solemn sentiment without it feeling too, well, solemn. The song portrays this prince as a charismatic personality who's confidence isn't as strong as it seems. After boasting about his voyaging and sexual exploits, the chorus sings she saw him "pray to all to make you a real boy". But it's the way Clark describes him that makes the song so rich. She's a master of turning prose into poetry, taking what seem to be straightforward verses and mincing them with a subtle veil. They're specific enough to follow without digging too deep, while simultaneously carrying a heavier meaning that leaves you feeling the hopelessness of the character. And there it is, a light-hearted and almost blithe take on an unfortunate and relatable story. Ah, I want to be a real boy.

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"Childhood's End" by Majical Cloudz

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Thankful for this tasty "Olivia" remix by Seams. the best part about Seams is that he takes a good thing and makes it more good. i like that

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There's a lot to like in this track off Blood Orange's new release Cupid Deluxe. The song's disco engine, the playful sax, the excellent key change, the multi-instrument medley towards the end, it's all very inviting. I found "Uncle Ace" to be the premier moment on Cupid Deluxe, but it certainly isn't the only worthy 4 minutes on the LP. You'll find plenty of curious and unexpected surprises along the way, whether it's a touch of hip-hop or a splash of chillwave (guest appearances range from Clams Casino to David Longstreth for crying out loud), it can be a tricky album to pin down. There's been a notable surge in the direction of more eclectic projects in the indie-rock/indie-electronic world over the last year or so. Regardless of what you think of a band like Autre Ne Veut or even an Alt-J, i think it'd be hard to argue that songs like "Counting" or "Taro" would have been nearly as successful in years past. Is the casual listener becoming more adventurous? Does Blood Orange have a chance in today's Of Monsters and Mumford world? i dont know i just like this song.

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Milosh is back! Gosh i'm just so happy about this. His work holds a special place in my musical heart, and although his side project Rhye was a welcomed surprise earlier this year, all it really did was make me miss 2008. Well it looks like his foray into the poppy sounds of Woman was the creative kick in the butt Mr. Milosh needed to get back to his bread and butter. 5 years since the last release under his surname comes the shiny new work Jetlag set to drop Tuesday the 26th. Fortunately our friends at NPR featured him in their First Listen this week and the album can be streamed here. I really only posted "This Time" because it's one of only 2 songs he uploaded to his soundcloud page, but the track i'd like to advertise is definitely "Skipping". It's got all the familiar tones that made Milosh so perfectly distinguishable, but what struck me was the curious opening melody and its tasty transition into a far more palatable tune the rest of the way. It's the kind that makes itself comfortable on your cochlear couch and stays awhile. Jetlag feels a little more adventurous than past efforts, and yeah i'm just really happy about the whole thing. go listen

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"The Softest Voice" by Animal Collective

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"Sinuses" by Caribou

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Son Lux really brought his A-game to his newest effort Lanterns. Might be my favorite of the month. This track "Easy" encapsulates a lot of what i love from the whole album, a nice blend of his usual murky synths with some welcomed brass and even a hint of R&B. I felt this was an appropriate song to post on Halloween with the howling ghost sounds floating throughout. you could call it spooktacular but that'd be embarrassing.

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Arcade Fire's Reflektor is streaming in full in this little video above. And yeah we all knew that James Murphy was on board but i still cant believe how groovy this thing is. To say he influenced the sound of this album is an extreme understatement. At times it sounds more like an Arcade Fire influenced LCD Soundsystem album. Reminds me of the time in 2007 when they were touring together and i chose not to see them at Red Rocks and instead chose a life of regret, shame, and calculus preparation. but that's the past and this is the future. Hybrid indie-disco groove rock is here and David Bowie couldn't be happier. When Suburbs first came out, i remember being significantly underwhelmed only to eventually fall in love with it. I dont know yet how Reflektor compares but i can say it definitely gives a better first impression.

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Trentemoller had one of my most preferred album releases last month and i realized today that i had made no mention of it. So here's one of my preferred tracks, "Come Undone", featuring the shadowy angel that is Kazu Makino (of whom my unending infatuation is well-documented). Trentemoller is a master of mood, whenever i want to feel eerie or spectral, his music always comes to mind. Throw in Kazu's voice, wait, I would like to take a timeout, i think i have 2 left. Kazu Makino is the greatest thing to happen to electronic music as far as vocals are concerned since the vocoder. That is an extreme statement but i believe it. I just love her. I want to sit next to her and dream about music and maybe eat a sandwich. Throw in Makino's voice with Trentemoller's already permafrost tones and the result is a magical musical tundra. On a side note, Lost is no one-trick pony. Anders displays a nice amount of variety throughout that aids in keeping the listener's attention. you can go see yourself if you would like but you dont have to.

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Pardon the initial language on this new track "Triumph of Disintegration" by Of Montreal (off their newest album released yesterday Lousy With Sylvianbriar) but dont excuse the sentiment. To do that would be to ignore the key ingredient that's fueled this longstanding fake Canadian group for almost 2 decades now. Sure they've been around long enough to earn immunity from notions of recycled sounds or the idea of another face in the indie-rock crowd, but the truth is that a lot of what's been heard from them over the last several albums has hardly been what anyone would call pioneering. But distinct? Well thats a whole different story. As exhibited in the opening line of this track, Of Montreal has always had a gift for the cathartic expression of our most basic emotions, with Kevin Barnes' clever wordplay able to break down the convoluted shells they're most often concealed in. The result is and always has been a fresh sense of fun that helps the listener not take everything so seriously. I mean just listen to the 'oohs' on this song, nobody oohs better than Ooh Montreal. Can anyone hear that and not smile? if you can then i'm not sure you're someone i'd really like to know 

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Here's a little pop for your Friday night. I've posted a track by Jacques Greene in the past, the buttery "Quicksand" from his EP earlier this year. This one was the result of a single day collaboration with Tinashe, it's got a short trap moment towards the end that i'm not crazy about but other than that this one's a thumbs up. if you like it he has it up for download here

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I really love the way Four Tet goes about his business, it tends to be against the grain with a healthy dose of angst towards the status quo. But it's always in the interest of the music and that's what i appreciate. Like posting his newly minted album Beautiful Rewind on his Soundcloud account ahead of its scheduled release. So there it is folks, Four Tet's self-proclaimed best album yet in its entirety in the widget above. I'll reserve final judgment for a later time, but as for my first thoughts i think

Headed out to see the abstruse Mount Kimbie tonight here in Denver, something i've waited months for. Cold Spring Fault Less Youth has continued to grow and grow on me as the year's progressed, and the chance to hear "Made to Stray" live is just about as exciting as it gets for this music nerd. This will be the second London based electronic act i've seen in as many days, as i was able to catch a Gold Panda set last night that didnt disappoint. Slow Magic opened for them and it was the best opener i've seen in a while. If you like to get roudy, put this guy on your list of shows to see. It got out of control and i cant stop thinking about it. His mask alone is worth the money.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Kieran took down the album stream so I uploaded the second track "Parallel Jalebi" instead. It is nice.

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Dr. Dog's newest audible adventure B-Room came out yesterday. I found it to be decently entertaining. It definitely has its moments and "Broken Heart" to me is the shiniest. The lyrical melody gives it a catchiness and bounce that i'm fully onboard with. This has to be the happiest a song titled Broken Heart can get. 

In other news, where's the love for MGMT??? Last week's self-titled (the group's 3rd following the spiteful Congratulations that followed the eye-opening Oracular Spectacular) was one of the best records i've heard all year, but hardly anyone seems to be talking about it. i've read a couple reviews that praised it and some that wished it dead. Pitchfork traded an honest review of the album for an awkward psycho-analysis of the band as if they've been their therapist for the last 8 years. In these situations i'm glad the music speaks for itself. It's got all the excitement of an Animal Collective album mixed with some retro-psychedelic sounds from the 60s, all colorfully arranged into a sonic burrito that i've been craving since breakfast. Go listen to it, i cant name 5 albums better than it this year.

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It's been slow goings for me in the world of music for a while now. The listening is still there but the writing/thinking on it has taken a back seat to bullshit lately. This new album Engravings by Forest Swords has had my ear for the last week so i wanted to put some thoughts down on it before i creep back into musical MIA territory again. This time last year i was knee deep in Clams Casino's second mixtape, so it's no surprise that this similarly sounding release caught my attention with the arrival of fall. It's got those thicker tones and deep bass giving off an appropriately chillier aura, mixed nicely with some echoed voice samples on this track in particular ("Ljoss") that completes the effect. The album seems to have some XX influence that i think goes a long way in the melodic realm. This isn't strictly beat heavy electronic music and it's much more compositionally interesting than just a hip hop shell. This is the first i've heard of this Liverpoolian, and i am pleasantly impressed. I'll be coming back to this frequently over the next few months.