LISTEN: Gaphals - "Regimen" LP

Whoa. Been a while, huh? Did you even notice I haven't posted since July? I'm still alive. I moved to a new state. I got a new job. I moved to an area where I don't really know anyone, so maybe this will mean getting back to regular posting? Ah, who knows.

Anyways, I'm sitting here at work trying to power through this mental block, and I'd have to say my main motivator are these Swedes Gaphals playing their invigorating, electric, unrelenting punk rock into my eardrums. Screw coffee or an energy drink, just put on Gaphals' 2013 LP Regimen and feel the adrenaline rise. Give it a spin below.

Teach Me Equals and RedRumsey (Unwound, Long Hind Legs) Announce Tour

Teach Me Equals (formerly Bard & Mustache) and RedRumsey (Vern Rumsey of Unwound, Long Hind Legs) will be hitting the west coast for an 18-date joint tour this September. And oh what a celebration it will be: Vern Rumsey last toured over a decade ago.

In 2002 following the split of Unwound, Rumsey effectively retired and quit making music. Over 10 years later, he found himself returning to his massive back catalog of work. It was the key to starting a new chapter in an already impressive career, one defined by his bass and guitar work in the aforementioned Unwound as well as Long Hind Legs, Fitz of Depression, Witchypoo, and Blonde Redhead.

LISTEN: Campo - "Heartbreaks" (Remix) & More

To show you just how behind I am, this post is about a song I heard in my car driving back from the bar a few weeks ago. Yes, I heard it there and thought, "Oh man, I have to break this stretch of not posting and do at least a quick write-up on this song." Sadly, I'm just getting to it now.

But you're not here to read about my life, you're here to, I would assume, put some fresh jams in your ears. Enter Uruguay's Campo with their self-described "subtropical music," a mix of "british indie pop, electro, rock and tango." That fateful Friday night a few weeks ago is when my ears met Campo's remix of their own original track "Heartbreaks." This reinvented version is from the group's recently released remix and rarities EP Remixes & Rarezas and is a lively mix of latin pop and salsa that makes for the best kind of summer soundtrack. It's electric, smooth, infectious, soulful and entirely organic. If you can't let this rhythm shake your skeleton, I guess I don't know what will invigorate that winter chill bitten body of yours.



Dig that? Hear the whole EP below.

LISTEN: Sluggers - "Turbo Fade" (Lazerdisk Remix)

Hey there. It's been a while, but I'm back to it now that the site is back up and running. Shall we?

I'm not typically a fan of remixes -- for anyone just checking in -- but sometimes they steal my attention like Mondays steal your cheer (Eh? Ok ok, sticking to music writing). Anyways, one of the few songs I've had on repeat recently has been, you guessed it, a remix. I had never heard the original version of Sluggers' "Turbo Fade," so I had zero context for Los Angeles duo Lazerdisk's reworked version of the song -- and maybe that's why I enjoy it so much. That uninhibited first listen had me hooked just moments in, with it's mix of hard-hitting, infectious beats, ethereal drapery, and adventurous synth lines.

And maybe the best part about this whole story of man meeting remix is the fact that I discovered this track from this video. That music director is on point, huh?

Coldplay Release Their "Magic" At "Midnight"

When Coldplay released their debut album Parachutes, I was young and rather taken by its mood, songwriting, and tonal beauty. The albums that proceeded that debut grew the band's fame into superstardom and everyone became a Coldplay fan -- or made jokes about how you liked Coldplay ("40 Year Old Virgin" anyone?). There seems to be some invisible line that divides bands and groups, and with the release of Coldplay's smash hit "Clocks," they crossed over to the status of "group."

What does that even mean? Maybe I just fashioned these categories in my own mind? Well, for me anyway, it's when a band just seems bigger than anything, bigger than themselves. It's not necessarily related to ego in any way, it's just a status certain bands reach where they become so ingrained in popular culture, so beloved by the masses, that people seem to lose sight of what makes a band so great: the relationship the members share. For the most beautiful, memorable, and meaningful, music that is created is that which is bred in the bond a collection of individuals share with one another. As the great Tom Petty said in Dave Grohl's "Sound City" documentary, "[Music] is all about people relating to each other and doing something that's really from the soul."

Cloud Nothings Share Their "Psychic Trauma"

Hey, listen...I hate to be that blogger who posts the hot track of the day, but I'm going to because I said I'm really only motivated to write and share things I'm stoked on. Enter "Psychic Trauma," the latest track released from Cloud Nothings' forthcoming album Here and Nowhere Else, out April 1st on Carpark/Mom+Pop (US) and March 31 on Wichita (UK/EU).

The title pretty much says it all, with a rattling, guttural, explosive brawl between noise rock and post-hardcore. In the past few years, Cloud Nothings' 2012 LP Attack On Memory has been one of the few newer records to come out that actually held my attention for repeated listens. There's something about the rough but calculated punch of passionate, aggressive rock music that's just as musically energizing as it is emotional. And based off of "Psychic Trauma" and first single "I'm Not A Part of Me," it seems like Cloud Nothings haven't missed a step in delivering another collection of exciting, guitar-driven jams. If you're feeling frustrated, I recommend spinning some Cloud Nothings from 2012 on and you'll probably feel that frustration slip away.



Pre-order Here and Nowhere Else here.

LISTEN: black channels - "Oracles"

Finding beauty in comforting, welcoming sorts of things is all well and good, but finding beauty in darkness, in the haunting aspects of life, is a rather remarkable thing. That unexpected discovery of warmth in a seemingly unsettling void of nothingness makes beauty all the more enrapturing, inspiring, and lovely. Hanging on the fence between light and dark, you can see the true nature of both sides and how the contrast between the two defines all that surrounds us.

Welcome to the New Mixtape Muse

Happy New Year, everybody!

Welcome to the new Mixtape Muse. I updated the template and design, so please let me know if there is anything that's not working or seems wonky. I'm still working some kinks on the back end of things.

REVIEW: Son Lux - Lanterns

Son Lux - Lanterns


Within the grit of honesty is something rather beautiful, even if that something first appears rather chilling. For it’s the way in which the darkness marries the light that makes us see the brilliance of our world, as contrast translates the difference between good and evil while providing us the definition we need to gather meaning from all that we experience. It’s this marriage of light and dark that makes life so fascinating, so endlessly exciting and unpredictable.

LISTEN: Panama - 'Always' EP

Lest you think I had completely given up on Mixtape Muse, something has, once again, brought me back to the fold. And while I'm sure there is a ton of great music I've neglected in my mess of an inbox, I've found myself scanning through Bandcamp as of late. About a week ago, I came across one particular October release that caught my attention. But of course, as it turns out, Sydney, Australia's Panama was one of those many recent submissions I've neglected -- so now I just feel foolish.

WATCH: Brontide Perform New Song for CutLooseTV

In 2011, UK instrumental math rock/post rock/post-hardcore trio Brontide released one of the year's best albums with their debut LP, Sans Souci. That album was consistently strong throughout, playing out like one giant riff-fest with each song connecting to the next; it was a behemoth of musical proficiency and dizzying, exciting arrangements. Naturally, quite a few people around the globe, including me, have been anxiously awaiting the band's follow-up album, one that's been teased since the tail end of last year. No official release date has been offered, but new music has started to surface online.

PREMIERE: Upstairs Downstairs - "Parkas Indoors"

Kicking of this fine week, Mixtape Muse has the honor of premiering the video for Upstairs Downstairs' single "Parkas Indoors," off their new, self-titled sophomore album. Animator Ric Carrasquillo's stop-motion work provides a clever, pensive visual treatment for this charmingly melancholic and melodic track that sounds like the sun sneaking glances through the clouds. With nothing more than some tape and imagination, Carrasquillo creates life out of seemingly mundane things to evoke a sense of lost time, regret, and longing for something more. It's a strong complement to the San Francisco quintet's dreamy indie folk pop song. As a pair, they produce something rather thought-provoking, with the implication that sometimes it's the little things that mean the most. Watch the magic below.



"Parkas Indoors" is from Upstairs Downstairs new self-titled sophomore album, out tomorrow on 20 Sided Records.

Upstairs Downstairs
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LISTEN: The Jazz/Hip Hop/Soul Sampling Magic of France's ProleteR

Toulouse, France's ProleteR, a self-described "swing-hop producer," has created something quite impressive with his latest release, the Feeding the Lions EP. Jazz, hip hop, soul, and, yes, swing, all melt together to brew something that sounds as if downtempo music became obsessed with decades old jazz and soul records. There's an understated cool and subtle grit sewn throughout the upbeat samples from those older generations, giving Feeding the Lions a classically modern, accomplished character that's undoubtedly debonair but quietly ready to get wild, as well (as the cover art above might suggest). Check out some jams below. It's all I've been listening to at work recently.





If you dug those, check out/pick up the entire Feeding the Lions EP below.

Molly Drake, Mother of Nick Drake, Has An Album Out

The brilliance of Nick Drake's crushing, quiet poeticism was certainly unique and undeniably classic. It was a signature sound, though, that finds its roots in the musical works of his mother, Molly (née Mary Lloyd). Boutique label Squirrel Thing Recordings released Molly Drake a few months back in March of this year, collecting 19 originals recorded in the 1950's at the Drake home by father Rodney. These never-before-heard recordings were beautifully restored by Nick Drake’s engineer John Wood, bringing forth a vivid sound that makes the Drake family's musical legacy feel all the more significant and relevant in today's musical landscape. Songs like "I Remember" and "Poor Mum" (below) demonstrate the source of Nick's vulnerable-yet-commanding voice, as Mrs. Drake sings over a bed of bright, lovely piano playing.

You'll be hard-pressed to find anything that sounds as charming and effortlessly exquisite as Molly Drake this year.



Molly Drake is now available on Squirrel Thing Recordings. Pick it up here.

LISTEN: The Martha's Vineyard Ferries - "She's A F***ing Angel (From F***ing Heaven)"

I’d be lying to you if the title of this song alone didn’t provoke me to hit play. Aside from the quaintly wonderful band name, calling your song “She’s A Fucking Angel (From Fucking Heaven)” pretty much leaves no doubt as to how you feel about a girl -- and, no, surprise this was written right after a phone call drummer Chris Brokaw had with his fiancé. You can dress the lyrics up in as much metaphorical mystery as you want to, but, ultimately, this title is a bull’s-eye of honesty. And how fitting, then, that the actual song itself sounds like the heartfelt, no B.S. indie rock that most discovered in high school or college to hang all their emotions on. As if that didn’t all make things feel full circle, The Martha’s Vineyard Ferries has quite the indie rock pedigree: Elisha Wiesner (Kahoots) on guitar, Bob Weston (Shellac, Volcano Suns, Mission of Burma) on bass guitar, and Chris Brokaw (Come, Codeine, The New Year) on drums. Rad.

You Must Listen To This Song Now, Listen to What "The Fox" Says

Song of the summer? Song of the year? I'm at work, and I really can't set this up too much. Best thing to do is just hit play.

LISTEN: The New Zealand Soul of Ladi6

New Zealand's critically-acclaimed Ladi6 recently released their third album, Automatic, and it's one of the best modern R&B/hip-hop infused albums I've heard all year. With an underlying ethereal chill that's as striking as the snowcapped Alps that rise high into the New Zealand skyline, this trio conjures up the perfect amount of soul to lift their mix of seductive '90s R&B and groove-heavy hip-hop above many of their contemporaries -- and the pop hooks don't hurt either. In the crack between summer heat and winter's bite, you'll find the vibe of Ladi6.

Check out two standout tracks from Automatic below.

Did You Ever Hear This Biggie & Lana Del Rey Mixtape?

NYC producer Terry Urban teamed up with Dope Couture last year to release Born Ready To Die, which, you guessed it, is a mash-up of Lana Del Rey's Ready To Die and Notorious B.I.G.'s classic Born To Die. The mixtape may have dropped last year, but between the fact that it still sounds fresh and I just heard about it I figured I'd share -- just in case you've been living under a rock like me.

"FTW" is a mix of Del Rey's "National Anthem" and Biggie's "The What," including Method Man's guest verse. The grand, rousing instrumental of "National Anthem" works well as a complement for Biggie's rhymes, adding a new dimension of sincerity to an already classic recording. Spin it below.

LISTEN: Dapuntobeat

It's hard to overlook the wealth of great dance music that's been coming out of Latin America the past few years, and Dapuntobeat is no exception. This electro/disco/funk jam feels like that rush of adrenaline that flows through you when you lock eyes with someone at a bar -- or better yet a dance floor.

LISTEN: Indigo Jam Unit - "Pirates"

MP3: Indigo Jam Unit - "Pirates" (via last.fm)

Caught this 2008 gem while checking out a bike video and couldn't let it go thanks to its slinking bass line. This japanese quartet is the epitome of true jazz music: progressive, exciting, and cool. As shuffling rhythms party with unique-yet-united piano and bass parts, "Pirates" communicates much more vividly than any collection of words ever could -- the mark of great instrumental music.

Scope a music video for the track below.