Kavinsky To Release Debut LP, Hear "Protovision" Now

One of the biggest names in the French electro scene is Kavinsky, but you may know him best as the creator behind "Nightcall," the opening track off the Drive soundtrack. That's about to change with the forthcoming release of Kavinsky's highly-anticipated debut album, Outrun, on February 26, 2013 via Casablanca Records. The album comes on the heels of three well-received EPs: 2006's Teddy Boy, 2007's 1986, and 2008's Blazer.

Outrun may not be out until next year, but you can hear a track from it right now entitled "Protovision" via a brand new music video. Relive the magic of '80s car chases below.

REVIEW: Bravestation - Giants & Dreamers

Bravestation - Giants & Dreamers

If you've spent a year on this fine planet of ours, you've undoubtedly observed the changing of the seasons – or even the daily exchange of sun for moon and moon for sun. There's something inexplicably beautiful about the subtleties that characterize these transitions: the way the leaves begin to turn color at the introduction of cold or the way the sun sets not against a blue canvas but rather one decorated with a multitude of brilliant orange, pink, and blue hues. It’s all organic, a series of natural events that mark the passage of time. But that doesn’t change the fact that the sight, or the feeling, of such things is rather surreal.

REVIEW: Conveyor - Conveyor

Conveyor - Conveyor

There are a lot of bands residing in Brooklyn, but there aren’t too many that stick out like Conveyor. After an EP and a handful of singles, the New York quartet just released their eponymous debut album. It’s the sound of bedroom pop having a playdate with worldbeat as Grandaddy and Animal Collective records spin in the background. More simply, it’s a fun and adventurous affair.

LISTEN: Bravestation - Giants & Dreamers

Once upon a time, this guy in the UK e-mailed about some Canadian band with a simple name. That band was Bravestation. As I do with submissions, I did my best to take a second to check them out. Fast forward two years, and I'm still keeping tabs on Bravestation's progression. Why? Well, while you can pick out their influences (e.g. Foals, Wild Beasts, etc.), they're one of the few acts I've had the pleasure of covering who are trying to distinguish themselves, always pushing forward to a new direction. And what's more impressive, they've managed to maintain their identity along this sonic evolution, experimenting just enough to challenge expectations and the boundaries of their prior output. They're some friendly Canadians, but also uniquely gifted musicians. A formal review is on the way, just as soon as I dig myself out of this mess I call an inbox.

Bravestation's debut LP, Giants & Dreamers, is out tomorrow. Hear the whole thing below. Someone (I apologize as I forget who you are!) brought up Peter Gabriel when describing Bravestation's current sound. I'd add to that and say Giants & Dreamers sounds like Peter Gabriel conducting a Foals and Wild Beasts collaboration: it's the sound of post-punk's adventurous edge and dream pop's aural hypnosis.

REVIEW: Shadow Shadow Shade - Shadow Shadow Shade

Shadow Shadow Shade- Shadow Shadow Shade 
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There are times in music when a band gets really excited about all the instruments they can collectively play and try to throw them all into some giant cloud of pulsating noise. There are other times (arguably less, the releases are just more notable) when bands seem to holster their musicianship and compose some big orchestral pieces and manage to work in their skills in all the right places.

It helps having seven capable members giving their whole musicality to the album.

LA's Shadow Shadow Shade display a stunning array of talents on their debut and self-titled LP. These flowering and building rock tunes (big and anthemic like "Say Yes" or subdued and alluring like "Amputee") are the result of a massive meeting of the minds. There are complicated vocal harmonies built into already sprawling and impressive instrumentation (see "Did Not the Lights Go Out for You"). There are notable thematic changes within each song, each with an attention to dynamics that always keeps the ear engaged.

Read the rest of the review and sample four great tracks below.