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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

LISTEN: Die, My Child - "Your Turn To Burn"

While the band name and song title might suggest this would be a rather dark, abrasive listening experience, that couldn't be farther from the truth. It sits somewhere between new wave chill and pop infection, working a kudzu-like melody over a deep synth riff. Pain has never sounded so enjoyable. And with influences like Soulja Boy, Alan Jackson, Frederic Chopin, and Slayer*, it makes sense that their music would encompass more than one feeling.

Die, My Child, the Waco, TX duo of Cameron Everett Smith and Jake Taylor, recently released their new album, Little Bibles. You'll find "Your Turn To Burn" and plenty of other gems on it.  Hear the whole thing below.

LISTEN: Robocut Slum - "Test Take 1"

Via

Do you ever stop to think about how the human body is the greatest percussion instrument of all time? Think about it. The heart holds it down like a kick drum as our breath, blood flow, blinking, breathing, and more all create their own rhythm to the beat of this kick drum heart. They say that no two people are alike, and I'd bet that the same could be said for our individual body rhythms. We're all living to our own beats, and when things click maybe that's love, maybe that's happiness.

LISTEN: Trails and Ways - "Como Te Vas?"

MP3: Trails and Ways - "Como Te Vas?"

When a question becomes an answer, or when an answer becomes a question, how do you know where it all starts and where it all ends?

You may not believe it -- may not want to believe it -- but one divergent path will always find its way back to where you've been before. Life is a cyclical maze -- in many respects a result our own creation and in many respects a result of fate's will. Take for example the past: it's always going to be there even if it's in your rearview. You may never physically encounter the things you've left behind, but you'll forever carry them around in your heart and mind as experiences and influences for your future self. It's not so much about acceptance in moving on as it is about being receptive to change. And once you learn to navigate these sorts of tides, you'll come to appreciate every moment, good or bad, as something to build upon.

LISTEN: Aleos

Moments are, in their own way, the stitches of that fine fabric we call time. Separate they can mean nothing or everything, but together moments weave together to define a person, an era, a history. We could quantify a moment as a second, a minute, a day, or a month, because everyone seems to define time in the duration of a feeling or a memory. And let's face it, sometimes those things last more than what one could literally define as a "moment" in time. But hey, maybe I'm waxing poetic. Point is, moments have more to them than we realize -- just imagine all the ones that have passed at this stage of your life and how they've collected to define where you are right now.

LISTEN: Hey Anna - "Dance Until Three"

MP3: Hey Anna - "Dance Until Three"

Shortly before my grandfather passed away a number of years ago, he gave me a collection of cassette tapes featuring big band and pop songs from the World War II era. A lot of the groups featured on these compilation tapes were girl groups, the kind with the sweetest, most golden harmonies -- to the point that they sounded just a notch above angelic. Outside the fact that their harmonies were immaculate and they were the epitome of charming, their songs were infectious. Way before auto-tune and modern day recording magic, these ladies were crafting pop perfection during a rather depressing period of history -- so, of course, their sound was all the more rewarding and welcomed.

I always wonder what these girl groups might sound like in a modern context, but outside of the mainstream pop paradigm. With "Dance Until Three," I feel like Hey Anna are the embodiment of that dream, filtered through an indie pop lens.

LISTEN: Brass Bed - "I'll Be There With Bells On"

MP3: Brass Bed - "I'll Be There With Bells On"

"I'll Be There With Bells On" is a raw but polished, jangly but melodious song that's sure to open the book on a great summer. Scrappy, earnest, joyous, and all-around lovely. It's like ice cream melting in the summer heat, or like finding out that the cute girl in your office likes you, too. This is the sound of a new beginning, foreshadowing the best days on the horizon.

LISTEN: Lunar Maria - Beginnings

Camera shy.

Lunar Maria is the new project from Bluejay's Matthew Livick. And while it recalls the sound of that band to an extent, this solo venture illustrates the impressive scope of his artistic vision as he both wrote and performed every part on Lunar Maria's debut, a 2-song EP entitled Beginnings, which was released yesterday. It's an anthemic, electrifying set of electro pop that leaves little to be desired.

The EP's second track "Roger" is like Passion Pit, Peter Gabriel, and Talking Heads hanging out with its layers of synthesizers framing wily guitar riffs and progressions. Take that for what you will as I haven't slept much recently -- so I may be crazy -- but I can say with certainty that it's slick, fun, a pinch abstract, and quietly profound to make for a strong debut.

Livick is donating every cent earned on the release to The Trevor Project. Grab/hear the whole thing below.

Christopher Paul Stelling Set to Release, Er, Unleash 'False Cities'

Last year, I finally had the opportunity to catch Christopher Paul Stelling live down in D.C. The folk torchbearer is a rousing force on record, but his live show is truly something else -- it's down right spiritual. In a world where everything is moving more and more into a digital realm, music has begun to lose a sense of not only originality but humanity, as well. In these modern times, you'd be hard pressed to find something as truly raw, human, and emotionally compelling as the songs of Christopher Paul Stelling. His conviction and passion for his craft is so evident in each string plucked, in each note sung, that it's hard not to connect with his music on some level. He's a folk artist, but at heart, his sound is rooted in the timeless nature of soulful gospel. As I said before, see him live and try to tell me it's not a near religious experience.

Army Navy Offer New Single for Free Download

LA indie-pop practitioners Army Navy are offering up their new single, "Pickle," for free download. The infectiously radiant track is from the band's forthcoming album, the follow up to their critically acclaimed sophomore release, 2011's The Last Place. More details on the new album are on the way. Give "Pickle" a spin below.

LISTEN: Rock Candy Funk Party - "Spaztastic"

The title says it best, as this wild, fast-paced track moves from blasts of guitar chords to racing guitar leads to mellow breaks. Blending a mastery of funk's magnetic grooves, the pounding rhythm and energy of rock 'n' roll, and the soulful riffs of the blues, this supergroup sounds like they were born to play together. The quintet consists of guitarist Joe Bonamassa, guitarist Ron DeJesus (Tito Puente, Hugh Masakela), bassist Mike Merritt (Conan O'Brien's Basic Cable Band, Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble Band), keyboardist Renato Neto (Sheila E., Prince & the New Generation), and drummer Tal Bergman (Luther Vandross, Chaka Khan, Rod Stewart). Buckle up and hold onto something.

SEE & HEAR: Vampire Blow - "He's Alright"

I swear the Nordic countries are doing garage rock better than anyone these days. Take Copenhagen's Vampire Blow for example. Their latest single "He's Alright" has '60s free spirit rock 'n' roll at heart, but it's been fed a diet of '70s hard rock, metal you could even say, as evidenced by the bridge, the band's self-proclaimed tribute to Black Sabbath. The classic psych-tinged melody will hook you in, but the pummeling rock 'n' roll along the way will pin you down and make you hungry for more.

The band also released a video for the song in which two dudes vying to be the life of the party become the best of friends after an intergalactic journey together. Yep. See and hear both below.

LISTEN: Phantoms - "Do Yer Thang"

This LA electro-funk duo splits the difference between timeless grooves and modern flair, as exhibited here with "Do Yer Thang," the bonus track off their new EP. Often times bonus tracks can wind up sounding more like b-sides or less accomplished cuts, but that couldn't be farther from the truth with this track. It's got soul, it's got funk, and it's got a heavy dose of electro bass, which all wind together to create a propulsive, seductive jam. Spin this and turn your Monday into a Friday.