“Bayberry Lane” is the first single off m4w, the second album from Uncles, a Queens-based band comprised of Will Schwartz, Dan Bateman, Tom White, and Graham Watson. The song tumbles peacefully along, shifting through a somber tone before culminating in a sincere, satisfying peak.
I cant’t seem to track down when m4w was released, but you can stream the album over on Uncles’ Soundcloud.
Just to get this out of the way, I don’t think I have much kind to say about Lil B. My first exposure to him was through Clams Casino and when hearing the track he did for Lil B with and without vocals…I vastly preferred the version without his rapping. This song tumbles down the same route; the beat is amazing and while Stunnaman does a good job, the moment Lil B starts, the quality drops. While I didn’t intend for this to just be a slam on Lil B, I guess I’ve never really been called to voice my opinion on him. Instead, focus on the head nodding, glitchy clatter that Star Slinger brings to the table and enjoy.
I’ve had this fucking post sitting in the queue since before new years and I just lost interest in the futile act of writing, so it sat. Though we’re now into shorts weather here in Atlanta, it’s still not too late to celebrate a few of the best songs of last year:
M83 – Midnight City
I do love this song, despite a few major complaints.
1. Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming and much of M83′s catalog in general suffers from a bit of Manic Pixie Dream syndrome. The faux vintage haze of idealism gets under my skin after a while.
2. That fucking sax solo. I think this single is amazing, right until the worst trend of 2011 slaps me in the face…and still it deserves a place on the list.
‘Midnight City’, when it works, showscases the spacey soundtracks to adolescent daydreams they’ve nearly perfected over the years. Despite the melodrama, the highs are dizzyingly high. See also: Kim & Jessie.
Sabrepulse – Close To Me
Probably the best man in Chiptunes, expanding his sound into a more polished realm. Worthy of repeat. Click the graphic above and buy the album. Keep some money in his pocket so that he can continue to evolve his sound. Plus, the download comes with a few great remixes.
Yuck – The Wall
Nostalgia for the 90′s doesn’t really appeal to me, as I suffered through most of the highs and lows of that decade. Despite leaning heavily on the playbook of many early 90′s staples, Yuck manages to create something simultaneously forward looking and seeped in the right notes of the past.
Phantogram – Don’t Move
Eyelid Movies was one of my very favorites of 2010 and this cut off their newest EP holds great promise for what’s to come. Shaking off a touch of the gloom, “Don’t Move” remains moody, yet catchy and just the right tempo for swaying along.
The Joy Formidable – Whirring
This song reminds me, in all the good ways, of the stomp and harmony of Pretty Girls Make Graves, all while offering a meatier, layered guitar sound. Ritzy Bryan’s pummeling coo floats perfectly above the noise, just as Leona Marrs & Andrea Zollo’s voices did in PGMG.
Eric & Magill – You Make It So Good
I don’t usually find this kind of indie-psych-folk at all appealing, but there’s something amazing tucked into this hypnotically mixed song. The spiraling blend of vocals and crisp drums just sinks in perfectly. However, I can’t make heads or tails of the video.
Stream All Those I Know on Eric & Magill’s bandcamp
I’ve always been on the fence about pairing Flylo’s layered snares, shuffling percussion and heady madness with any MC, but I do love to be wrong. Blu’s monotone drive fits well up against the controlled chaos of both the track and kinetic clip.
Video is by RUFFMERCY, who did the animation for another equally interesting video to accompany the Blu/Flylo collab “BNG”. Check that out here.
The most popular of all Frank Zappa songs has been given the chiptune treatment and well, it works. I don’t honestly know if I’d ever thought of an 8-bit cover of anything Zappa, but the bouncy melodies work perfectly. Credit is given to Super Zappa Brothers and bonus points for their resisting an easy Princess Peach pun.
Remix Artist Collective have built a pretty excellent portfolio of high profile remixes of bands like U2 and Yeah Yeah Yeahs as well some great left field stuff like Anamanaguchi. They’ve got a particular polish to their sound that I love. A RAC remix often takes rock songs outside their genre into a slick, beat driven style. Recently they tackled ‘Wait Up (Boots of Danger)’, a track from Tokyo Police Club’s awesome release Champ, which has grown to be one of my favorites of the year.
TPC released video for the original version of the song, which focuses less on the band and more on a rather ragtag bunch of dogs charging about the neighborhood and sneaking into a backyard pool. What better than the marriage of dogs and indie rock? By purchasing the single through the band’s website for a price of either $1, $5 or $10 you get the video, remixes by RAC and DOM and 100% of your money goes to the ASPCA. Get a videos of dogs jumping into a pool, good music and help save future dogs. Win-win…er, win.
RAC have allowed you to stream their great remix, so check it out:
Gone are the guitars and live drums, replaced with some electro synths and a head-nodding beat. The new sun drenched, almost tropical feel is something I never could have possibly conceived of working, but like with most RAC remixes…they manage to make magic.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention their RAC’s Nintendo vs. Sega remixes. Their version of the Super Mario theme is amazing enough, slapped with a sick Justice style compressed beat and some squiggly synths.
Hell, I’m listening to all the tracks as I write and remembering how fucking fantastic they are. You can download the whole EP via the player above. Sonic’s level music was always far funkier than was probably appropriate for a hedgehog. A perfect example: this shockingly good Lady GaGa vs. Sonic mashup. (download link on the youtube page)
And that’s how you abstractly connect Tokyo Police Club to Lady GaGa.