Project Rhythm Seed

music news for music fans

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Free Music Friday With Benjamin Gibbard And Lymbyc Systym

Hi everybody. Welcome to another edition of Project Rhythm Seed's Free Music Friday. We have some great music for you today. The first is a track straight from Benjamin Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie) called "Set Yourself On Fire". The second track today is from a duo that we really like a lot. They're called Lymbyc Systym. The track is "Falling Together" and it's a wonderfully rich atmospheric piece.

We are in Seattle right now, getting ready for three days of great music at Bumbershoot Music & Arts Festival. We're thrilled to have been invited for the second year in a row and will be bringing you lots of front of house and behind the scenes photos, interviews and more. We hope you have a great weekend wherever you are and look forward to having you join us next week for more music news for music fans.

Benjamin Gibbard No, that is not a misprint. It seems Death Cab's Ben Gibbard is calling himself Benjamin these days. Guess we all have to grow up sometime.

Other cities, other plans; different friends, different dreams; former loves, former lives. After fifteen years in Death Cab for Cutie, Benjamin Gibbard didn't make his first solo album in search of a new beginning; instead, it closes a door. "These songs span eight years, three relationships, living in two different places, drinking then not drinking" he says of the dozen tracks that comprise Former Lives. "They're a side story, not a new chapter." Still, what we keep for ourselves is often just as interesting as what we choose to share. Former Lives is a gorgeous shadow anthology, the exuberant sound of one of our best songwriters finding his voice by experimenting with those of others.

Former Lives will be released October 16th on Barsuk in North America, and on City Slang in the UK and Europe on October 15th. Today we have two tracks from Benjamin. The first track, from Former Lives is called "Teardrop Windows" and it's streaming only. The second track is called "Set yourself On Fire" and it's available for download.

Teardrop Windows by Gibbstack

Set Yourself on Fire - Gibbstack mix by Gibbstack

Lymbyc System During the three years that brothers Michael Bell and Jared Bell spent writing and recording their new album Symbolyst, they spent more time apart than they ever have before.  After several years of steady touring in support of two full-length releases and an EP, the brothers found themselves on opposite sides of the globe, with Michael living in Japan and Jared studying graphic design in Brooklyn.  The geographic distance led them to rely more than ever on the trust they’ve developed over the years spent creating together.  On their third full-length, the brothers have assembled an immersive album of melodic pop songs.

Symbolyst draws on the band’s eclectic pool of influences – The Jackon 5’s funk, Jung’s dream theory, Bergman’s existentialism, Baudelaire’s prose, and Wright’s organic architecture. The distinctly catchy melodies and head-bobbing rhythms are immediately inviting, while the densely layered polyrhythms, harmonies, and countermelodies reveal themselves over multiple listens, making for an incredibly rewarding experience no matter how many times you’ve heard the album.

The album’s title, Symbolyst, refers to the late 19th century movement in visual art, literature, theater and music. Much like the Symbolists, Lymbyc’s music evokes ideas, feelings, and experiences, rather than explicitly stating anything about them.  The resulting songs tell stories without words, using a musical vocabulary to construct landscapes of universal joy and dread…disappointment and optimism. And now, here is "Falling Together":

Falling Together by western.vinyl

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Bumbershoot 2012 Kicks Off This Weekend

The 42nd Annual Bumbershoot®: Seattle’s Music & Arts Festival kicks off this Saturday, September 1st, 2012. Project Rhythm Seed will be there all three days. Beginning next week we will be featuring interviews with select artists, as well as photos, show reviews and a whole lot more. This year’s lineup runs the gamut – from Tony Bennett to Skrillex, and everything in between. Click here for the entire lineup or watch the video below. The festival runs Saturday, Sunday and Monday, September 1st, 2nd and 3rd.  Single day and three day tickets are still available. Purchase in advance and skip the long lines on site. Click here to purchase tickets.

The Bumbershoot Music Lounge returns for its 7th year with a series of intimate performances from some of the festival’s brightest stars, all of which will be broadcast live on 90.3 KEXP/KEXP.org during Bumbershoot weekend. The performances take place on a small indoor stage inside the festival grounds, the exact location of which is top secret. Other than the free KEXP reservation process, the only way to access this secret stage is by buying a Platinum Pass.

This year, the Palo Alto company, TuneIn is making it possible for music fans everywhere to enjoy the festival by creating Bumbershoot Radio.  Now music fans across the globe can virtually join the 100,000 plus fans set to attend this year's festival. Bumbershoot Radio currently features tracks from all of this year’s artists, and during the festival, Bumbershoot Radio will present full, live performances from M. Ward, Passion Pit and more, thanks to KEXP 90.3 FM, so TuneIn in advance for a whole lot more music.

We hope to see you there. It’ll be a blast! But if you can’t make it, remember to tune in to KEXP 90.3FM or TuneIn and join in the fun no matter where you are.

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Chad Valley Releases First Track From New Album

Chad Valley, aka Hugo Manuel of Oxford, UK's Jonquil and the Blessing Force collective, has announced his debut full-length, Young Hunger, featuring collaborations with Twin Shadow, Glasser, Active Child, El Perro Del Mar, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, and more. Released on October 30 via Cascine (US) and November 19 on Loose Lips (UK), the LP follows his last year's Equatorial Ultravox, which as it turns out was one of our favorite albums of 2011.

"It's an '80s record in every sense," says Manuel about his euphoric new outing. "Overdue, over-budget...!" This is the first time Chad Valley used a professional studio, and worked with a producer. Young Hunger is a personal record at heart and Manuel admits his lyrics and vocals on earlier Chad Valley releases were mostly guided by sound and feel rather than meaning. Last year he toured North America with Active Child and Com Truise, after making a set of debut performances at SXSW and in NYC. After touring the UK with Friendly Fires and SBTRKT, and performances in Asia, he released a string of remixes for Noah & The Whale, The Drums and Lana Del Rey in between putting the finishing touches on this new album. Chad Valley will return to the states in October for CMJ '12.    

Listen to "Fall 4 U" from Young Hunger:

Chad Valley - Fall 4 U (Feat. Glasser) by CASCINE

Young Hunger Track listing: 1. I Owe You This (Feat. Twin Shadow) 2. Tell All Your Friends 3. Fall 4 U (Feat. Glasser) 4. My Girl (Feat. Jack Goldstein) 5. Evening Surrender (Feat. El Perro del Mar) 6. Interlude 7. Up and Down 8. Young Hunger 9. Fathering Mothering (Feat. Anne Lise Frøkedal) 10. My Life Is Complete (Feat. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs) 11. Manimals (Feat. Active Child)

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Rhythm Seed Artist Spotlight On Gus + Scout

In anticipation of its official release, Gus + Scout are streaming their self-titled debut EP today (see below). Gus Wenner, 22 and Scout Willis, 21, recorded it at The Clubhouse in Rhinebeck, NY with producer Charlie Klarsfeld.

After growing up on the same street in Hailey, Idaho the Gus + Scout lost touch only to be reunited at Brown University. Once together again, the two unearthed their lost connection through music and songwriting. Ultimately, they created Gus + Scout EP, a five song collection of emotional, country-inflected folk rock tunes.

On August 20th the bluesy duo played the Mercury Lounge to a packed house.  Scout is the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore. And Gus’ dad is Jann Wenner, founder of Rolling Stone magazine. Although Bruce was there, along with Scout’s sisters, Tallulah and Rumer, Demi and Jann were no-shows.

The 5 song EP collection is led by Scout’s full-throated roar of a voice -- one that sometimes rides the edge of over-singing. But her foil is in Gus, whose laid-back warble coaxes things back down. You can hear the forlorn country influences of their heroes and heroines including Jim Reeves, Gram Parsons, Barbara Dane and Karen Dalton

You can stream the Gus + Scout EP in its entirety until the album drops tomorrow morning, Tuesday, August 28th.  And, check out the video for "Don't Bother You Much."

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Free Music Friday With Prince Rupert's Drops And Nervous Curtains

Welcome to another installment of Project Rhythm Seed’s Free Music Friday. Our featured bands today share a common affinity for psychedelic pop and 60’s music. The first, Prince Rupert’s Drops comes to us from Brooklyn, NY. Their track, “Pillar To Post” is a beat driven trip back to San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury scene. Track 2 today comes to us from the Lone Star State’s Nervous Curtains. It’s called “Wired To Make Waves” and it has punk overtones, yet smacks of early Devo.

We hope you enjoy both free tracks. Download them and use them as part of this weekend’s soundtrack. We’ll see you next week for more music news for music fans.

Prince Rupert’s Drops At the inspired urging of original bassist Brad Truax (Home, Dan Melchior's Broke Revue, Interpol) the somewhat secretive Prince Rupert’s Drops were formed in the Brooklyn of 2005, comprised of acclaimed comics-artist Leslie Stein (guitar, vox), fellow  former Broke Revue-er Bruno Meyrick-Jones (guitar, vox), and former Osprey Steve McGuirl (drums, percussion). The band soon drew comparisons to the likes of The Groundhogs & Captain Beefheart- a sound that quickly developed and broadened to accommodate the emerging song-writing styles of each member.

Following Brad's departure in 2008 to focus on high-end tour-managing, the band were joined by longtime friend and multi-talented bass-player Chad Laird (Land of Tomorrow, Jantar), thus adding another powerful cylinder to the songwriting engine. Their increasingly versatile and engaging approach has won them occupying support slots for acts broad in scope as psychedelic noiseniks Black Dice to country rockers Oakley Hall (to whom Steve has lent his talents on occasion).

In 2012 PRD has been joined on stage and in the studio by another longtime-friend and former guest-musician, synthesizer-sorceress Kirsten Nordine (Jantar), turning the musical feast into a rich sonic banquet set to wow the ears of one and all. Here is “Pillar To Post” off of their upcoming debut LP release Run Slow:

Prince Rupert's Drops - Pillar to Post by PressWolfPR

Nervous Curtains With their creeped-out, cryptic vocal hooks, Nervous Curtains' new record, Fake Infinity, is dominated by dark, spacey organs and pulverized-sounding synthesizers. The grand piano that dominated the Dallas, TX-based trio's 2010 debut, Out of Sync with Time, is used sparingly, lending these songs an aura of impenetrability and blackness.

Sean Kirkpatrick, formerly of The Paper Chase (he also had stints in Spoon and Maxine's Radiator), has written a record rich with the dislocation and anxious agitation of '70s post-punkers such as Magazine or early Ultravox. Possessed of a jagged, moody aesthetic, Kirkpatrick creates narrators whose pathologies and disorders put them at odds with the world around them. Album centerpiece "It's the End of Eternity" is an invitation into a post-apocalyptic adulthood world; he describes a landscape where discarded metal bakes on the broken concrete foundations of abandoned buildings and carefree summers of youth have given way to oppressive heat waves.

And now here is the track “Wired To Make Waves” from Nervous Curtains newest album Fake Infinity:

Wired To Make Waves - Nervous Curtains by Free Music Friday

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Rhythm Seed Artist Spotlight On Ultraísta

Ultraísta, the multimedia trio comprised of vocalist/artist Laura Bettinson and multi-instrumentalist/producers Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Beck, Paul McCartney) and Joey Waronker (everybody else), will see the U.S. release of its self-titled debut album October 2 on Temporary Residence.

Founded in London in 2011 on a mutual love of Afrobeat, electronic and dance music, visual art, and tequila, Ultraísta has created 10 tracks of exquisitely crafted electronic kraut-pop for this phenomenal first outing.

Favoring mantras over traditional choruses and distilling their compositions to the barest essentials, the band possesses the kind of masterful control over the pure anatomy of a pop song that only comes from having played a significant role in redefining the form in the 21st century.

Listen for yourself. This is “Bad Insect”:

Bad Insect by ultraísta

As for the band name - It seems to have been inspired by the Ultraist movement, which took root among Spanish poets and authors in the early 20th century. What that has to do with a four-minute pop song is for them to know and us to figure out. In the meantime, hit play on “smalltalk,” the band’s newest video:

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Jared Followill and Nick Brown Team Up For Smoke And Jackal

RCA Records has announced the upcoming release of EP1, the debut EP from Smoke & Jackal. EP1 marks the first collaboration between Jared Followill (Kings of Leon) and Nick Brown (Mona). Smoke & Jackal were revealed to the universe earlier today as BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe debuted the EP's electrifying first single, "No Tell," officially declaring it to be the "Hottest Record in the World."

Followill and Brown began recording as Smoke & Jackal earlier this year, fueled by multiple bottles of red wine and a shared fascination with timbre, rhythm, and aural adventure. They set to work at Brown's Nashville home studio and before the first evening was through, the duo had crafted both "No Tell" and the stunning psychedelic slow jam, "Fall Around." The two musicians immediately understood they had created something special, an evocative and original melding of oceanic rock with bottomless grooves and hypnotic dub textures.

Just over one week later, EP1 was complete. Defined by Followill's liquid bass lines and Brown's soaring and expressive vocals, songs like "Road Side" and the closing "Safe Face" are both ingenious and accessible, their surprising soundscapes counterpointed by indelible melodies and haunting hooks.

Listen to "No Tell":

No Tell by Smoke & Jackal

Smoke & Jackal's EP1 is the sound of two talented friends allowing their music to freely go places no one could have anticipated. "It was all about tone and vibe and what felt right in that moment," Brown says. "Not second guessing, just having fun in that moment."

"Coming together just worked," says Followill. "I think it's because we took such an easy approach to it, we didn't bring any egos to it. We just talked about each other's ideas, neither one of us got our feelings hurt. It just worked."

EP1 was produced by Smoke & Jackal, and engineered by Nick Brown. All songs were written by Smoke & Jackal (see attached tracklisting). The six-track collection arrives in stores and at all digital retailers on October 16.

Smoke & Jackal’s EP1 Tracklisting:

Fall Around

No Tell

You're Lost

Road Side

OK OK

Save Face

Original Article

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Keane Go Analog For Legendary United Record Pressing

On September 18th Keane will release Upstairs At United - Vol. 5, a special edition 4 track vinyl 12 inch. The disc was recorded in analog for Nashville based label 453 Music, a division of United Record Pressing.  This special edition is available for pre-order here.

The band performed a stripped down version of four catalog songs for an exclusive “Upstairs At United” series of all-analog recordings in one take straight to tape, inside the historic United Record Pressing plant in Nashville, Tennessee.

All recordings are captured directly to analog tape, then cut to 12” EP’s at 45 RPM. Mastering engineer, Chris Mara from analog recording studio Welcome To 1979, supervised the recording process.

The vinyl is presented in a Kraft-style packaging that highlights the authentic approach used in making these records. It includes session specific inserts with color photos from the recording session, and is delivered in archival quality re-sealable poly bags.

Check out footage from the recording session:

Keane will be donating their royalty from this release to the Scott Johnson Bursary, a fund set up by Scott's parents to benefit young musicians at schools in Rotherham, UK. A close friend and colleague for many years, Scott tragically passed away earlier this year. For more information visit here.

Keane released their fourth studio set Strangeland May 8th on Cherrytree/Interscope Records.  The band continues their world tour with a stop back in the states September 2nd to perform at Bumbershoot in Seattle.

Original Article

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Frank Ocean To Headline Manhattan’s I’ll Be Your Mirror Festival

The world famous All Tomorrow's Parties will present the I'll Be Your Mirror USA festival this September 21st-23rd at Pier 36 in Manhattan, New York. Pier 36 is a new indoor venue sitting on the edge of the East River between the Manhattan & Williamsburg Bridges, with an outside area that boasts glorious views of Brooklyn and the Statue of Liberty.

It was announced today that Frank Ocean will headline on the Friday night. He was picked by co-curator Greg Dulli of The Afghan Whigs. The Whigs recently released an amazing cover of Frank's “Lovecrimes” - download it for free here.

Also confirmed is ATP fan favorite Hannibal Buress who joins the Friday comedy line-up, and a second performance from ex-Sonic Youth member Lee Ranaldo - his previously announced Friday night performance will now be a special 'Hanging Guitars' show, and he plays an extra full band show featuring Steve Shelley on drums on the Sunday. Edan The Deejay also returns to ATP for one of his inimitable DJ sets on the Friday.

The Saturday night of this year's festival will be headlined by The Afghan Whigs (who have reunited after a 13 year hiatus) and curated by their frontman Greg Dulli, with ATP curating the Friday and Sunday nights - the line-up also features The Roots, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, José González, The Antlers, DJ Questlove, Charles Bradley, The Make-Up, Dirty Three, Mark Lanegan Band, Hot Snakes, Thee Oh Sees and many more - see below for the full line-up so far!

Tickets are on sale now via ATPfestival.com priced at $199 for the Weekend. A limited amount of day passes are also available priced at $60 for Friday & $75 for Saturday/Sunday.

Acting as sister events to the ATP Festivals which usually take place in holiday resorts, I'll Be Your Mirror is a series of artist curated music, film and art events taking place in cities worldwide. IBYM is ATP without the accommodation aspect and is named after the b-side to The Velvet Underground's original All Tomorrow's Parties 7" single.

Here is an updated look at the line-up so far including the new additions. Please note that I Break Horses have postponed all U.S. dates until 2013 so will no longer appear on Sunday.

Friday 21st curated by ATP: Frank Ocean Philip Glass & Tyondai Braxton Janeane Garofalo Lightning Bolt Lee Ranaldo’s ‘Hanging Guitar’ Hannibal Buress Edan The Deejay Kurt Braunohler

Saturday 22nd curated by Greg Dulli: The Afghan Whigs The Roots Jose Gonzalez Mark Lanegan Band Dirty Three The Antlers Chavez The Dirtbombs Scrawl Emeralds Joseph Arthur Vetiver Charles Bradley & the Extraordinaires Afterhours DJ Questlove

Sunday 23rd curated by ATP: Godspeed You! Black Emperor The Make-up Hot Snakes The Magic Band Autolux Thee Oh Sees The Album Leaf Lee Ranaldo (full band show) Braids The Psychic Paramount Quintron and Miss Pussycat Tall Firs Blanck Mass Endless Boogie Demdike Stare DJ Jonathan Toubin

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Jack White And The Peacocks Live In Seattle

Story and Photos by Alana Crawley

There are some people who exist on a completely different level than the rest of the world.  They possess such incredible talent and their creations are so complex, with every detail tuned to perfection.  After seeing Jack White play the WaMu Theater in Seattle on August 14, I am convinced that he is one of these people.

Outside the theater before doors opened was a line stretching at least a quarter of a mile down the block.  Anxious fans from every walk of life waited for what they knew was going to be a mind-blowing performance.  Opening was a young man from St. Louis, Missouri named Pokey LaFarge and his band The South City Three, who looked and sounded like they had just been picked up out of the 1930s.  Then men in black suits and top hats took the stage and set up for Jack White and his band.

White has quite an extensive catalog to draw from, and he definitely utilized it, playing songs from The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather, and his first solo album, Blunderbuss, released in April of 2012.  He hit the stage and got right into it, opening with a classic White Stripes song, "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground."  He then jumped into his solo work, playing songs such as "Missing Pieces" and one of his newer singles "Love Interruption."  The chemistry between White and his all girl band, The Peacocks, was striking.  They were all so in tune with one another and their sound was so full and tight.  Each one of the girls rocked it, providing White with excellent support and aiding him in creating his powerhouse sound.  The sounds that he managed to produce out of his guitar were incredible.  He attacked each note and chord he played, seeming to tame his guitar to create his dirty, raw signature sound that resonated throughout the theater.

After wowing the crowd with a completely satisfying rendition of "The Hardest Button to Button," (which I thought was a fantastic selection), White and his band left the stage for what felt like a lifetime.  Despite half the audience enthusiastically chanting the "Seven Nation Army" anthem, and several screams of "I Love You Jack," Jack didn't return right away, leaving the crowd anxiously staring at the ominous, empty stage and begging for an encore.

White finally gave into the audience's pleading and rocked "Sixteen Saltines" and "Freedom at 21," off of his new record.  Joking, he exclaimed “Let’s start the show!” and went on to play an encore that was almost as long as the set.  White and his band managed to give a whole new sound to White Stripes classics, creating new depth with the addition of elements such as steel pedal guitar, violin, bass, organ, and a very soulful backup singer.  Then the moment that everyone had been waiting for finally arrived - “Seven Nation Army”.  The bassist played on a five-string bass, giving the riff an extreme low.  Between the bass and the kick drum, it felt as if your heart had lost its own beat and it was now beating at the command of Jack White and his band, leaving them in control and you hanging on every note.  White wound it down and wrapped up the two hour show with a cover of Leadbelly’s "Goodnight, Irene."  The audience stumbled out of the theater in complete awe.

Everything in this show seemed so well thought out: from the men in black suits and top hats setting up the stage before the show adding an element of drama, to the semi-circle arrangement White’s band around him allowing him to interact with each one of the girls.  White, who was dressed in a dark suit and hat, surrounded by a band of beautiful women wearing light shades and sparkles, appeared to have an aura of mystery around him.  He paced the stage, exuding a sense of confidence that made him seem larger than life.  His shadow was projected onto the drapes behind him to further extend his presence in the theater.  No one in the audience could take their eyes off of him.

I must admit, after seeing how his all-female band rocked it, I’d love to see how the sound and energy would morph with his all-male band, The Buzzards.  Jack White and his bands are touring throughout North America and Europe through October.  If he’s coming to a city near you, go see him.  You will not regret it.

Set List: Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground Missing Pieces Weep Themselves to Sleep Love Interruption Hotel Yorba Top Yourself Hypocritical Kiss Screwdriver Blue Blood Blues I'm Slowly Turning Into You I Guess I Should Go to Sleep The Same Boy You've Always Known The Hardest Button to Button

Encore: Sixteen Saltines Freedom At 21 Steady, As She Goes Blunderbuss We're Gonna Be Friends Take Me With You When You Go Ball and Biscuit

Suzy Lee Seven Nation Army Goodnight, Irene

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Heineken City Arts Fest Spreads Out In Seattle

The 2012 Heineken City Arts Fest begins on Oct. 17 with a performance by David Byrne & St. Vincent at Seattle's historic Fifth Avenue Theatre. The festival will run through Oct. 20, with performances by Mos Def, Devotchka with the Seattle Rock Orchestra, Blind Pilot, Ghostland Observatory, Two Door Cinema Club, Reign Wolf at the Laser Dome, Joshua Radin, Collie Buddz, A Fine Frenzy, and many more taking place in iconic clubs, halls, and venues throughout Seattle. All access wristbands and staggered performance schedules allow festival attendees to explore downtown Seattle and see multiple shows in the same night.

A dynamic new vision for 2012 art programming, Urban Arts Adventure is a curated collection of programs that treat Seattle’s streets, businesses and buildings as one big venue, canvas and playground. The programming highlights how art helps us experience our city; sending audiences on adventures around the city to see limited capacity shows in non-traditional venues and secret and unexpected locations.

Tickets and wristbands for the 2012 Heineken City Arts Fest are on sale now. Click here for more info.

Original Article

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Album Review: Azure Ray’s As Above So Below

By J. Brown

When artists Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor harmonize their sounds under the moniker Azure Ray, listeners have come to expect a dreamy essence to the pop duo’s sound but on their forthcoming six-song EP, As Above So Below, Fink and Taylor take Azure Ray into an alternate universe.  The dream-like quality remains, but these songs are almost eerie-sounding, far more electronic, minimalist and sonically rich. The album is inspired by parallel realities that seem cruelly just out of reach when lulled into a state of calm by their honeyed and wispy vocals, as though the words float above you like clouds your hands will never grasp.

The folk aspect of Azure Ray’s earlier work is gone from this album but Fink and Taylor still have no trouble blending their unique styles, thereby bringing together both an airy and frequently electronic sound. In addition to alternative universes, the latest album touches on Mother Nature, beginnings, endings, re-birth, and love. Notably, Taylor was eight months pregnant during the recording of the album, which clearly inspired many of the themes that flood these tracks.

Listen to and download "Scattered Like Leaves" from As Above So Below:

Azure Ray - Scattered Like Leaves

In describing the thought process behind the album, Fink commented: “We looked for inspiration from James Blake, Nicolas Jaar, and Apparat in keeping the music minimal and modern but still working as a textural and emotional extension of the lyrics. We enlisted my husband, Todd Fink (from the electronica band The Faint), and Andy LeMaster (Bright Eyes, Now It's Overhead) as our dream team.”

Since Taylor was pregnant, both Finks moved into Taylor’s home. Together they focused on an experimental approach to the album and worked side by side for an extended period of time. The uncertainties of being a new mother likely shaped Taylor’s own contributions to the album’s beautiful exploration of the unknowns of the beginnings. Taylor commented that the album “reflects the uncertainties in the future that we all feel--along with the wonder and beauty.”

As Above So Below will be released by Saddle Creek Records on September 4th. Fink and Taylor plan to hit the following tour dates once the album is out:

9/4 Birmingham, AL - Bottletree 9/5 Atlanta, GA - The Earl 9/6 Athens, GA - Caledonia Lounge 9/7 Raleigh, NC - Hopscotch Music Festival 9/9 Washington, DC - Hamiliton 9/10 Philadelphia, PA - The Chapel 9/11 Boston, MA - TT The Bears 9/12 New York, NY - City Winery 9/20 San Francisco, CA - Swedish American Hall 9/21 Los Angeles, CA - Largo 9/22 San Diego, CA - The Irenic

Original Article

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Muse Gets Cut From Olympics Closing Ceremony Broadcast

At the closing ceremonies in London for the 2012 Olympics, Muse performed their song ‘Survival.’ Earlier this year the song was picked as the official song for this year’s Olympic Games (read about it here). As it turns out, their energized and highly anticipated performance was cut from the NBC broadcast that aired in the U.S., and music fans are pissed. Not only that, they also cut performances by Ray Davies, Kate Bush and The Who.

Many disgruntled viewers took to social media as a way to express their frustration and anger with the network. A slew of negative comments immediately appeared on Twitter, accompanied by the hashtag “#NBCfail.” A particularly pissed tweeter made the following comment: “Did they not know that Muse did the OFFICIAL SONG OF THE LONDON 2012 GAMES? UGH. #NBCFail.” Another said, “Shame on you NBC for skipping Muse. Shame shame on you. #nbcfail.”

Fans have also been speaking their mind on Facebook and YouTube, although video footage of the music portion of the 2012 Olympics has now been removed.

Many viewers were looking forward to the music performances of the NBC Olympics broadcast, however this isn’t the first time they’ve been cut. A similar issue reportedly happened during the Olympics opening ceremony, when performances by the Arctic Monkeys and several other artists were replaced by commercials. Just one more reason to dump the networks and go with internet coverage.

Listen to "Survival":

Muse Survival

Original Article

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Free Music Friday With Wild Nothing And Wojcik

Hi everybody and welcome to another edition of Project Rhythm Seed’s Free Music Friday. Today we offer a diverse selection of music from two completely different bands. Nothing about them is the same; not even similar. But each song grabbed us in its own singular way, and for totally different reasons.

The first track is called “Paradise” from Wild Nothing. It’s rich and dreamy and takes the listener on a sonic voyage to someplace warm and romantic. The second track is “Pick Me Clean” from Wojcik. This track is dirty, gritty and totally in-your-face. It smacks of early Patti Smith, but it’s got an undeniable garage band pedigree. We hope you enjoy both tracks, and we hope you have a great weekend. See you next week for more music news for music fans.

Wild Nothing Ask Jack Tatum what ‘Wild Nothing’ means and he’ll answer: ‘a contradiction’. In 2010, 21 year old Tatum released one of the finest cult pop records of the summer whilst ensconced in his senior year of college in Blacksburg, VA, a small mid-atlantic town better known for producing football fans and engineers than musicians. Tatum lives in contradictions. You’ll often hear Wild Nothing referred to as a ‘one man pop band’. Jack creates in the studio, alone. On the road, he’s with a band. There are two Wild Nothings.

The new album Nocturne, is a window into Tatum’s “ideal world” of pop music. Written largely while living in Savannah, GA during 2011, the songs that became Nocturne speak to a new Wild Nothing where the lines between Jack’s influences and personality have been further blurred. The album features some open references to past music, but it’s also an album that feels much less rooted in anything in particular.

The obsessive nature of Nocturne is inherent in it’s gentle harmonies, orchestrated synths, wandering voice, and songs that speak of Tatum’s experiences as he explores new paradoxes of pop. And yet Nocturne’ isn’t obvious, it is a strange and distinctive musical beast, the product of an obsessive pop vision that creates its own reality. And now hear is Wild Nothing’s “Paradise”:

Wild Nothing // "Paradise"

Wojcik The two-piece band is fronted by Hailey Wojcik who played most of the instruments on the recording, including guitars, vocals, and analog synth. She also incorporated field recordings made over the past year, and formed them into transitional pieces between each song, as well as layers in the songs themselves. The album was recorded at the Seaside Lounge in Brooklyn.

Wise Blood is a project inspired by Wojcik's love of Flannery O’Connor, the Southern gothic, and her childhood in rural Michigan. It's also inspired by her zookeeper parents who worked with coyotes in her youth—developing her empathy for and love of canids, to whom this record is dedicated.

An accompanying short film, Royal Black Royal Blue, shot by Wojcik in Michigan over the summer will be released soon. Wise Blood is the follow-up to a self-titled EP released in the fall of 2011. And now for your downloading pleasure, here is “Pick Me Clean” from Wojcik’s album Wise Blood:

Pick Me Clean - Wojcik

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Deadmau5 To Release New Album

The world of deadmau5 is always fast and furious. He recently overhauled his studio in his Toronto hometown, locked himself in and went on a creative spree to finish > album title goes here <, his new album due out September 25 on Ultra Music.

Following his performance with the Foo Fighters at the Grammy Awards earlier this year showcasing his stellar remix of the group’s “Rope,” deadmau5 continues his collaborations in the rock world by enlisting the vocal talents of Gerard Way, lead singer of My Chemical Romance for his new single “Professional Griefers.” Out on August 14 on Ultra Music in North America, the single sits on the tougher end of deadmau5’s productions and already leading rock stations such as Los Angeles’ KROQ, Live 105 in San Francisco, KNDD in Seattle and SiriusXM’s Alt Nation have been lending early support.

Fans first got to experience “Professional Griefers” as an unreleased instrumental track during deadmau5’s North American Meowingtons Hax tour last year, premiering the track at his critically acclaimed headlining performance at Lollapalooza.  Now “Professional Griefers”--which kicks off with stomping beats and heavily distorted guitar stabs, then builds tension with discordant synth strikes leading into the chorus--features vocals from one of the most distinctive voices in rock.  Look for its accompanying video, featuring both deadmau5 and Gerard Way and created by Dave Stewart’s Weapons of Mass Entertainment production company, to emerge this month (exact date TBA).

All the tracks on > album title goes here < are deadmau5 original productions.  They include collaborations with “Animal Rights” co-producer Wolfgang Gartner (“Channel 42”); vocalists Imogen Heap (“Telemiscommunications”) and Chris James (“The Veldt,” the critically acclaimed track inspired by the Ray Bradbury short story. Read more here); and legendary hip-hop outfit Cypress Hill (“Failbait”).   There are also new pieces like the Close Encounters of the Third Kind classic film-inspired “Closer,” the dance floor burner “There might be coffee” and electronica piece “Sleepless.”  Like “Fn Pig” and “October,” many of these tracks have been available on deadmau5’sSoundCloud as rough edits. For > album title goes here < they come together as finished songs in the format the way he intends them to be heard by his fans.

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Bon Iver Remix Contest

Currently underway is a call-to-arms remix contest for fans of Bon Iver called the Bon Iver, Bon Iver: Stems Project. The band has made the original recording stems (separate audio tracks) for all ten songs on the Bon Iver, Bon Iver album available for download.

Each of the album's ten songs will have its own contest, and the resulting remixes will be up for public voting through the music-based social networking site Indaba Music.  Bon Iver, along with the general public, will decide the final winners. Those ten remixes will then be assembled as a complete album and released elusively on music-streaming site Spotify for the world to hear.

Thanks to Indaba Music and Spotify, everyone will have their shot at leaving their mark on any one of Bon Iver, Bon Iver's songs.  Each song's stems have been carefully documented and given inspirational place-names, and some songs even include previously unreleased parts that were cut from the album's final mix.

How to participate in Bon Iver, Bon Iver: Stems Project:

1. Visit the Bon Iver, Bon Iver Stems Project remix page at Indaba Music. 2. Create a free Indaba Music membership. 3. Select a song(s) and download the stems. 4. Remixers will have from 08/01 to 08/29 to complete their remixes and upload them for consideration. 5. Voting begins on 08/30 through Bon Iver, Spotify, and Indaba Music's websites and social networks via Facebook (one vote per account). 6. Winners will be announced the third week of September, each earning a spot for their remix on the official Bon Iver, Bon Iver: Stems Project remix album on Spotify and a $1,000 cash prize.

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Meet The Last Royals

Brooklyn-based duo, The Last Royals, are releasing a self titled three-song teaser EP prior to dropping their debut LP, Twistification, on Ooh La La Records in early 2013.  To celebrate the three-song teaser and upcoming LP, the band are premiering their lead track, “Only The Brave,” as a free download today. See below for download details.

In early 2010, writer/singer/producer Eric James and drummer Mason Ingram got together and formed The Last Royals after working on a charity record with producer Mike Beck. Together they seamlessly rounded out their pop sound with rock and roll elements and, with Beck producing, began forging a grander collective that resulted in their self-titled EP and Twistification.”

For Twistification, the group reworked virtually all of James’ original songs to create an album with a narrative flow. “Musicians hold to this idea that people still listen to albums, even though they probably don’t anymore,” James says.  “But there’s something beautiful about that ideal, and it drives me as a songwriter.  I believe the album has a beginning, middle, and an end.  There’s a natural arc of tension, chaos and finally release.”

The Last Royals - Only The Brave by Ooh La La Records

And it’s not just about the music.  James’ original concept of the songs as a “soundtrack for the urban lifestyle” remains the defining core of The Last Royals.  Shimmering pop melodies are extorted from and set against real life experiences in NYC  - skateboarding for groceries, taking artistic photos on a rooftop, or capturing videos in the park - that help to showcase their secondary passions and become another aesthetic for The Last Royals and their music.

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