W♥M (Archive)

EZ EPs IX: Ladytron, Cex, Generifus

Ladytron: Ace Of Hz (Punks Jump Up Remix)

HZ SO GOOD
I remember the first time I heard about Ladytron, it was for "Discotraxx" and it really introduced me into what's called electro-clash. I picked up 604 based on the strong single and followed with Light and Magic, which I also really liked, despite some poor reviews. I got Witching Hour eventually, but by this time, my interest in the band had declined slightly. I never picked up Velocifero, which came out a few years ago, but I am excited about their forth-coming album, Ladytron 00-10... which sounds like a greatest hits compilation.

Well, I got to hear some remixes of "Ace of Hz" via Nettwerk's Soundcloud, and I have to say, I liked what I heard.

The five-track Ace of Hz features the album mix, along with five other remixes. What you won't find on the EP if you bought it, or download it via amazon, is Hermanos Inglesos' remix. You may remember this band, because of this amazing music video.

As for Punks Jump Up Remix, it's available as a free download via the vowels-hating website rcrdlbl.cm.

CEXXXY
Coming out next week, January 25^th is a digital EP called Megamuse from Cex, from his forth-coming album Tiny Creature. The EP is mostly remixes, so I'm assuming the remixes are just a little taste of what's to come.

Tigerbeat6 Records was kind enough to let me preview the tracks, which I have to say is very "DJ", based on the flagship song "Megamuse". Lots of sample and incomplete beats and warps... a little too much going on for my liking.

The Baconhead remix of "Secret Monog" brings it down a bit, but somewhere in the song it sounds like a video game. If you listen with 5.1 sound, there is a bit in the mix that feels like it's moving around your head.

It's definitely not really my cup of tea, but if you like that sort of DJ mix music, you should check this out for free on soundcloud.com. The best song on the EP is "Trumpetflower", mostly because I enjoy the vocal samples.

KERRIFIC
Our favorite K Records's K Singles Zip-Pak is a weekly singles club, all for $35 a year, that's less than your Xbox gold account.

This week is Generifus, aka Spencer Sult, which is supposed to sound like Karl Blau and LAKE. Reading the small bit of information, apparently, "My Cave"/"I Know" was part of the International Pop Underground series of 7” phonograph records (which actually isn't available for purchase until April), but as a special singles member, you can hear "I Know" as well as three new songs: "Die Together", "Some Days", and "Good Graces". Remember, this is exclusively for singles club members.

Before you get too excited about the exlusive tracks, it seems that the three songs were all recorded live Northern on October 11^th, 2009.

Track listing:

1. I Know
2. Die Together
3. Some Days
4. Good Graces

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

EZ EPs VIII: BNLX, Poplin, Annuals, Kassidy, JIVE64

 

BNLX - Do Without

BNLX

BNLX

facebook.com/bnlxmusic ♥ susstones.com

BNLX-flyer

BNLX is having an EP-releasing party this Saturday, March 20^th. Those of us not at SXSW will want to attend this event. Check it out, four bands (BNLX, Red Pens, Mercurial Rage, and Blue Sky Blackout) for $5 at the Sauce Spirits et Soundbar in Minneapolis. I love the pricing, I will be attending this Saturday, mostly to check out BNLX and also one of my favorite local band, Red Pens.

BNLX, having listened to their EP, is a bit more aggressive and noisy and a bit more electro-art than I had expected. I believe it's Ed and Ashley Ackerson, the couple is also in The Mood Swings (but that band is more pop-friendly). I think BNLX is more fun and should be interesting to see what they are like live.

For the most part, I actually really like EP #1, it has a very 80s feel to it, yet modern. I am looking forward to hearing my favorite tracks, "Do Without" and "LMAO CMEO", done live. LMAO should be fun.

The Sauce is located at 3001 Lyndale (corner of Lake and Lyndale), the show starts at 9pm. If you're attending, be sure to check the handmade, limited number of copies of BNLX's EP #1.

PS, You can download "Do Without" on their record label's website, susstones.com

POPLIN poplin.sg ♥ facebook.com I have not been to Singapore in ten years, but I know that they do love their music. Poplin is self-described as a jazz/60s French chansons/funk/bossa new band. They have recently released their 4-track EP called Une Débutante Au Jeu on iTunes. I did get a chance to listen to their EP, I would not describe it as funk, but it certainly has that 60s bossa nova pop feel to it. It's mostly because the music is very easy to listen to, combined with sweet vocals from two singers, Bridget Low and Lilia Yip. To be honest, and I'm sure they'd be offended, but I could not tell who is singing on what track, they both sound similar. If you like 60s pop songs, you should check them out. They are streaming their EP at their official website poplin.sg.		ANNUALS annualsmusic.com ♥ myspace.com The Annuals are back with Sweet Sister EP, to be released on March 30th on Banter Records. I'm told that in conjunction with their EP, that they will be setting out to do a Spring tour, so keep your eyes out for additional tour dates. So far, between "Loxtep" and "Turncloaking", I get a sense that they're doing more quirky noises. The former features what sounds like a movie projection turning on, followed by zill sounds (finger cymbals). Their title track, "Sweet Sister", has a pretty consistent percussion and a weird girl-singing chorus. Look for Annuals to be on tour and also pick up Sweet Sister EP at the end of the month. Please read our previous articles on the band on W♥M.
KASSIDY kassidymusic.com ♥ myspace.com Kassidy is a Glaswegian quartet, signed to Vertigo/Mercury Records. They recently released their EP called Rubbergum and currently working with Jim Abbiss (Arctic Monkeys, Adele, Kasabian - all the bands we like here), on their debut album. They seem to have a bit of bluegrass and country in their music, but they are mostly a good-time rock band. My favorite track on the EP is "Yeah", it's just toe-tapping with plenty of acoustic and lots of good vocals. I am told they are excellent live, so if you're in the following area, check them out: 25.03.2010 Barfly 28.03.2010 Sneaky Petes, Edinburgh 19.04.2010 The Garage 20.04.2010 Hare & Hounds 21.04.2010 King Tuts 22.04.2010 Roadhouse (Manchester) 01.05.2010 Holy Trinity Church 02.05.2010 Camden Crawl 08.05.2010 Darvel Seasons Music Festival 15.05.2010 Hectors House (The Great Escape)		JIVE64 jive64.com ♥ myspace.com JIVE64 is an electropop duo from Tel Aviv. Judging from the 8-bit Pac Man to the BASIC reference of Goto 10, whoever is known as Jive64 is clearly a bit of a geek. The music on this 9-track EP is an electronic album. The title track, "Goto 10", is uncomplicated, with repeating lyrics of "print, delete, copy, paste, eat, sleep, goto 10", but in its repetition it made the song easy to dance and sing along to. Very catchy. "Truth Theme (I Know it's a La La Lie version)" is a big beat song, similar in tone and style to IIo. If you like dance electronic with lots of samples and remixes, you should check out Goto 10. As a bonus, there's even remixes of Beyonce & Jay-Z's "Crazy in Love" and Rufus & Chaka Khan's "Any Love". Their new single is called Not a Prince and they are currently working on their next album, The Surprising Obvious.

 03/17/2010 13:45:11 ♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com

 

EZ EPs II

Brandi Carlile - The Story Brandi Carlile BRANDI CARLILE brandicarlile.com ♥ brandicarlile.co.uk ♥ myspace.com Speaking of ridiculously hot, the first time I saw a picture of Brandi Carlile, I knew I was in love. She had shorter hair back then and had a boyish charm to her looks, reminiscent of Louise Wener (here's an example). She recently released her iTunes-only EP called Live from Boston, and it was a real pleasure to listen to. Of the four songs, I thought "The Story" was easily, easily the best. Her emotionally charged lyrics is best experienced live. By the way, a close second was her Johnny Cash cover "Folsom Prison Blues". You can purchase the EP via iTunes only, the most popular digital music store, so chances are, you probably already have an account. Incidentally, the reason why the 4-track is listed at $4.99, it is because it comes bundled with a video for "Josephine". As a bonus, enjoy her cover version of Radiohead's "Creep", recorded at The All About The Music Festival 2006. If you like what you heard, you can buy a superior recording from the same Live in Boston set via iTunes.

The Safes-Sight of All Light The Safes THE SAFES www.thesafes.com ♥ myspace.com Released last week (Sep 23th), the Safes' Sight of All Light EP are a great mix of rock n roller. Rolling Stones calls it "Atomic Pop", while Paste Magazine compares them to The Kinks and The Who... so apparently the popular press loves these guys. The five-track fourth Safes release does start off strong and rocking, especially with the first track, "Sight of All Light". It looks like, starting in October, they are heading out for a national tour, be sure to check them out. Tour Dates 10/09 Champaign, IL @ The Courtyard 10/10 Carbondale, IL @ PKs 10/11 Saint Louis, MO @ Lemmons 10/12 Kansas City, MO @ Fred P. Otts 10/13 Wichita, KS @ The Anchor 10/15 Austin, TX @ Club 1808 10/16 Denton, TX @ J&J's 10/17 Albuquerque, NM @ Atomic Cantina 10/18 Phoenix, AZ @ Rubyroom 10/19 San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick 10/20 Los Angeles, CA @ The Cat Club 10/21 Oakland, CA @ The Stork Club 10/22 San Francisco, CA @ The Hemlock Tavern 10/23 Salt Lake City, UT @ Burt's Tiki Lounge 10/24 Denver, CO @ Bender's 10/25 Omaha, NE @ Universe 11/01 Pittsburgh, PA @ Garfield Artworks 11/02 Long Branch, NJ @ The Brighton Bar 11/03 Arlington, VA @ Galaxy Hut 11/04 Richmond, VA @ Rumors Boutique 11/05 Baltimore, MD @ Joe Squared 11/06 New York, NY @ Pianos 11/07 Boston, MA @ O'Briens 11/08 Philadelphia, PA @ Mojo 13 11/09 Danbury, CT @ Larry's 11/10 Sheffield, MA @ Off The Beat N' Track 11/11 New Haven, CT @ Cafe Nine 11/12 State College, PA @ Bar Bleu 11/26 Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen

Mark Williams-Giving Up Mark Williams MARK WILLIAMS markwilliamsmusic.com ♥ myspace.com Mark Williams didn't give me much to work with. The EP is a five-track CD-R with no album artwork. No offense to anyone, but I have different priorities when it comes to music reviews and CD-R, demos, & MP3s are at the bottom of my list. I will mention that there was something in the package that did make me take a notice: there was a Lipton Herbal Peach Tea. I'm not saying to bribe me, but it was one of those WTF moment. So, his EP is called Shallow Eyes. I could not find any album artwork online, so I'm using a picture of his band. The whole EP has a Motion City Soundtrack feel to it, but slower. I would even bet Shallow Eyes would sound better live than what's on recording. I see a lot of potential in Williams, he's only 16, right now, it should be interesting to watch him as he grows up, and perhaps take up a different musical direction. Whatever it takes for me to be a lifetime musician, that’s what I’m going to do. The band's already found early success by being included on last Summer's Warped Tour. They are playing an upcoming show in Stroudsburg: 15 Nov 2008 Sherman Theater - INVINCIBLE CLOTHING SHOW! Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania

Bryn Christopher - The Quest Bryn Christopher BRYN CHRISTOPHER brynchristopher.com ♥ myspace.com People tells me that they discover new music "Grey's Anatomy". I mean, who looks for new music on television shows? Well apparently it does work, and Interscope Records invested in having Bryn Christopher's "The Quest" to appear on an upcoming season of Grey's - so watch for it if you're already a fan of the show. "The Quest" is a lead-in single (released September 16th) to his January 13th, 2009 album called My World, and if the song is any indication I would have to guess that the album is pop/soul. If you like that genre, you definitely need to give "The Quest" a listen. The story I got out of the Quest was that he wrote the song on his mobile phone, and is about his brother's experience as a solider in Basra. He just finished up a few dates in the US, and is now heading through the UK supporting The Script: Tour Dates 22 Nov 2008 Barrowlands - Glasgow 23 Nov 2008 Academy - Leeds 24 Nov 2008 Academy - Newcastle 26 Nov 2008 Academy 1 - Manchester 27 Nov 2008 UEA - Norwich 28 Nov 2008 Academy - Bristol 30 Nov 2008 Academy - Birmingham 1 Dec 2008 Academy - Oxford 2 Dec 2008 Shepherd’s Bush Empire - London 3 Dec 2008 Shepherd’s Bush Empire - London * Supporting The Script

Links: weheartmusic.com news.weheartmusic.com

 

EZ EPs

Stalk us on lastfm!

Here is another collection of random EPs:

Treva Blomquist - Fire With Fire

TREVA BLOMQUIST
trevamusic.com ♥ myspace.com
Let me stress that this is a Summer EP (released in late June of this year), so it's full of warmth and happy feelings.

Treva Blomquist is a singer/songwriter, and apparently a vagabond (she's currently somewhere around Tennessee and Washington). If you like pop music, with some folk (this includes banjos & fiddles), then you'll love Blomquist's latest EP.

Looking at the track listing on her debut album, Plain Vanilla Me, from 2005, I see that two of those songs ("Home" & "I Could Get Used to This") appear on the EP. This isn't a surprise to me, as I think whenever bands re-use songs - that they are great songs.

Of the six songs, "Fire With Fire", I feel is the best. This song is more upbeat and the lyrics seem to be from someone with a devil-may-care attitude.

Be sure to see her on tour:

Album Discography

[2005] Plain Vanilla Me

[2008] As It Should Be - EP

Tour Dates

09/27/08 Preservation Pub (Treva & The Suits) Knoxville, Tennessee
09/28/08 Roland Bland Park (Treva & The Suits) Bowling Green, Kentucky
09/30/08 French Quarter Nashville, Tennessee
10/02/08 Durango Songwriters Expo Colorado Springs, Colorado
10/03/08 Durango Songwriters Expo Colorado Springs, Colorado
10/04/08 Durango Songwriters Expo Colorado Springs, Colorado
10/05/08 Durango Songwriters Expo Colorado Springs, Colorado
10/18/08 Private Event Sewanee, Tennessee
11/06/08 Bluebird Cafe Nashville, Tennessee
11/23/08 Chattanooga Market Chattanooga, Tennessee

WOODFISH woodfishmusic.com ♥ myspace.com Woodfish-Bamm Diddley Woodfish are a funky jam band from Red Bank, New Jersey. It would seem, based on their track listing for their 2006 album, Bamm Diddely, that this new 2008 EP, Breathe, that there is only one new track: "In My Eyes". I suspect these same-titled songs might have been updated for the EP, lots of sax used on these songs.  Like most jam bands, this music is really meant to be experienced live. The band sounds like they are having a great time playing the funky bass and wild guitar.  I would hazard a guess that any party or outdoor concert would love to have these guys as entertainment. So, I listened to the EP on my iPod with headphones and I noticed myself head-bopping to "Bamm Diddely" (I'm not sure if that title is an homage to Bo Diddley, but I hope it is), "Losing My Mind" and "Love Another". Tour Dates 09/27/08 Long Island Walk to Defeat ALS West Hempstead, New York 10/08/08 The Stone Pony with Buckethead asbury Park, New Jersey 10/10/08 Buffstone’s Hamilton, New Jersey 10/11/08 Paul"s Tavern Lake Como 10/15/08 Mexicali Blues Live Teaneck, New Jersey 10/18/08 La Boca Middletown, Connecticut

CAW! CAW! cawcawmusic.com ♥ myspace.com Caw! Caw!-Organisms Caw! Caw! are an indie rock trio from Chicago, Illinois. Their biography lists them as originally formed in 2001 as a punk quartet. I believe this EP, Wait Outside, is their debut with their current incarnation. The seven tracks are a quick listen, it's been on repeat in my car for a while. The problem I have about listening to music in my car is that I couldn't take notes on the songs I liked. I remember two key songs that I liked: Tracks two and five. As it turns out, two is "Organisms", which is available as a free download. The good thing about this song is that there are a ton of lyrics, with these standing out: "tigers, panthers, little trees, bumblebees". The other is "Work", which shows off more of an experimental side and their punk origins. Wait Outside was released September 23rd on Slanty Shanty Records. Tour Dates 09/27/08 Bela Dubby Lakewood, Ohio 09/29/08 Arlene’s Grocery (21+) New York, New York 09/30/08 Pianos NYC New York, New York 10/01/08 Corey Dubya’s House Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 10/04/08 Bennington College Bennington, Vermont 10/11/08 The Sitting Dutchman Madison, Wisconsin 10/16/08 Mixtape Records East Moline, Illinois 10/18/08 The Loft Macomb, Illinois 10/21/08 FANATIC Showcase Original Sessions Art House New York, New York 10/22/08 Wesleyan University Middletown, Connecticut 10/24/08 424 Clark St (w/ Mose Giganticus) Morgantown, West Virginia 11/19/08 Beauty Bar Austin Austin, Texas 12/12/08 The Mill Iowa City, Iowa 12/13/08 The Blue Fugue Columbia, Missouri

TIGER! SHIT! TIGER! TIGER! trevamusic.com ♥ myspace.com Tiger! Shit! Tiger! Tiger! - Crime Wave Hands down for the best name for a band: Tiger! Shit! Tiger! Tiger! This 8-track EP comes from a New York trio.  It has a very garagey/DIY punk feel to it. What comes across is that they are fun, fun, fun! You shouldn't take them too seriously - I mean, just look at their name! Spin magazine agrees with me, they recently put a blurb about them in their September issue. Like typical punk music, these eight songs are all very short, practically all under three minutes each. The most interesting song on the EP is "Insert Disco Beat Here", which seems to have some sort of synth or keys in there. I reckon the best song is the introduction song: "Crime Wave". This is a high-energy song, complete with Superchunk-ish singing. If you enjoy brand new raw/unpolished punk, you should check these guys out. They are going to be playing with the legendary The Slits on October 22nd! Tour Dates 09/26/08 Urban Club w Ex-Otago dj set by Fab. Perugia 09/27/08 tba 10/04/08 WHITE OUT c/o Suono Club w/ The Banshee, Scuola Furano, Peedoo / Polaroid djset Ferrara 10/21/08 NY ny 10/22/08 w/ The SLITS, MADEINMEXICO, MANIQUI LAZER @ Lit Lounge, Blueghost PR /Poni Republic CMJ 2008 New York 10/23/08 per le strade di jersey city nj 10/25/08 nyc ny 10/25/08 NY NYC 10/26/08 NYC NY 10/27/08 56° strada - NY NYC

NELSON. nelsonrock.com ♥ myspace.com/nelsonrock Nelson. - The (Over) Song (Album Version) Note the period. That's "Nelson.", not to be confused with the twins Matthew & Gunnar. Released last Monday in the UK was Nelson.'s The (Over) Song Remixes EP - just prior to their album Revolving Doors to be released on September 29th on Ctrl Alt Del Records. I'm not sure if the album will be available domestically in the US - please check with the label if you are interested. The title track (and best song) is the album version of "The (Over) Song".  JB Devay, I think, is the singer (?). Well, his accent doesn't sound particularly Frenchy as I had hoped when I saw that Nelson is based out of Paris. It's still cute though. On the EP is four different mixes for "Chicken Lips", two instrumental mixes with one dub version. Each of the four versions are very long, clocking in at 9 minutes each. They're very electronica/disco-y, so I felt it had a very slow build, until the lyrics kick in: "this is not over, this is not over..." The (Over) Song Remixes EP is available now, look for Revolving Doors next week. Tour Dates 09/29/08 REVOLVING DOORS - ALBUM UK RELEASE! UK 11/25/08 LE TRABENDO + WOLF PARADE PARIS

Links: weheartmusic.com news.weheartmusic.com

EPs: The Small Cities / Venna / Retar-D2

 

The Small Cities - Fargo

The Small Cities

 

I have on my calendar to talk about St Paul, Minnesota's The Small Cities (thesmallcities.com) today, because they have an EP coming out on May 23^rd on Common Cloud Records (edit: the official release date is May 27^th). Their biography doesn't really list anything that exciting - however I can draw a conclusion that one of the guys might be Swedish: Leif Bjornson. I would also reckon that they (Leif and David Osborn) met in a small town (Amery, Wisconsin).

I had to look that up on googlemaps, which actually looks kind of close to Minneapolis/St Paul.

Having listened to the EP, I thought "Fargo" was a little more exciting than the opening track "This City", which seems to have a backup singer on the lines "the city's grown bigger since you've gone". "Fargo" is also a faster-paced song, and I enjoyed the bassline on this track.

The two other songs, "Trust Me, I'm NOT a Stalker" (just that title alone is kind of creepy) and "I'm Gone" (with some interesting use of some odd sounding percussion instrumental) sums up this band as very indie/alternative. They're a little slower sounding band, but it's introspective, which also means you have to be in the mood for this.

I am told that they are playing at The Turf Club for a CD release party on May 23^rd and at Eclipse Records in St Paul, on June 13^th.

 

 

Venna - The Reckoning

I wasn't asked to talk about Wisconsin's Venna (vennamusic.com) who released their debut EP, last month on April 22^nd, but I thought I should mention it as they're also on the same record label.

Apparently this band is working on some demos and currently selling it via etsy.com, and as you know I'm actually a big fan of homemade/handmade craft stuff. The CD case looks like it's wrapped in tissue paper (?) and held together by yawn with a pin.

I did manage to listen to their 6-track EP, and this bands seems to be mostly acoustic guitar-driven. They're centered around some folky vocals by singer Heather.

Of all the songs, I thought "The Reckoning" was the best in the EP, which features some other instruments and you can hear the thumbing from Mikey.

 

 

Retar-D2 - 10 - GAME OVER

Finally, I was recently offered "Game Over", from Pennsylvania's Retar-D2. You can grab even more demos MP3s from his myspace.com/retard2, and apparently they are from his to-be-released album High Scores!

The song starts off with that very, very familiar Pac-Man dying theme and then goes into a trance/beat song. It's repetitive at first, but waiting to the middle of the song and you start to hear some melody. This song should definitely appeal to all nerds and gamers.

I later read that all his songs are constructed from samples from drum-machines made in the '70s or '80s, so just keep that in mind when you hear it.

Links: thesmallcities.com myspace.com/thesmallcities vennamusic.com myspace.com/vennamusic