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Singles

• 09.02.10
  Anamanaguchi’s Covers – Wavves – ‘So Bored’ & Beach Boys – ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’   Singles (0)

  

  It’s said in the about page of this website that chiptunes is one of the genres to be talked about within these virtual pages. Sadly, I think it’s been about 2 years since any such mutterings have happened. To rectify that, I went poking around the recesses of my mp3 collection and found a lovely little fraction of a cover of The Beach Boys’ ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ by Anamanaguchi. Though only about 30 seconds, it’s a pitch perfect chiptune rendition of a radio staple. If you do a little research on the band, you’ll see that their love of Brian Wilson & Co. is much publicized.
  
  ANAMANAGUCHI – WOULDN’T IT BE NICE (BEACH BOYS COVER)

  Though barely a full cover, I think that’s how it got released ages ago. The band’s 8bit Collective page back in 2005, but the mp3 has been lost in the stratosphere. I’m pretty certain this is where I grabbed it from back in the day. More recently, they posted up a cover of a track by sunshine and bong-hits So Cal noise punks Wavves track ‘So Bored’. Their rendition keeps the forward propulsion and adds the chiptune sheen that is a trademark of all their songs. Definitely recommended.
  
  ANAMANAGUCHI – SO BORED (WAVVES COVER)

  Anamanaguchi is also in the habit of giving bits of their music away to the fans. You can find the above track and a bunch more over at their 8bit Collective page.

  

  This summer, the band has also gotten together a free singles program. Every two weeks they’ve been releasing a new free A & B side download. They’re off recording their next album, but awesomely finding the time to release tidbits of interstellar chip-rock to brighten our summer. Each single comes with original art and the psychokinetic gif above (from the first week’s single Airbrushed) features the work of Paul Roberston.

  

  Robertson is an amazing animator and illustrator who specializes in the 16-bit retro style. Some of his amazing early shorts include Kings of Power 4billion% and my favorite Pirate Baby’s Cabana Battle Street Fight 2006. Go watch the shit out of those before even finishing this post. Most recently, Robertson was lead animator on theon the PSN/XBOX Live game adaptation of the (should have been a hit) film Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. He was even nice enough to release some sprites from the game on his blog.

  

  In possibly one of the best pairings since peanut butter and bacon, the game was scored by Anamanaguchi. Though they’re tossing about the word ‘flop’ in regards to the movie, reception of the game has been exceptionally positive and the score is a big part of that.

  The Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World video game soundtrack was released on August 24, 2010 via ABKCO Records. You can purchase it digitally from iTunes.

• 08.08.10
  Junk In My Trunk 02 – Even Moar Junk! (Good Junk, I Swear)   Singles (0)

  My brain is still pretty blown from a 16 hour solo drive, so all the plans I had for posts last week just kinda fell by the wayside. Much of my listening lately has consisted of Anthony Bourdain’s new audiobook Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook, so the musical selections have taken a backseat. I can definitely recommend Medium Raw as it’s probably his best. For a man who was one thing in the past attempting to co-exist with an older, dare I say it mellower current self; it’s a smartly self-aware narrative, still bristling with the rage that is a staple of all eras of his persona. Enough about audiobooks, here’s some music:

  
  
  ARIEL PINK’S HAUNTED GRAFFITI – REMINISCENCES

  I was terribly skeptical of this album with all the press that proceeded http://arielpinkshauntedgraffiti.com/">Ariel Pink’s newest release, but it’s a twisted charmer. ‘Reminiscences’ will most likely be what you will listen to on the not-yet-built space elevator up to the Frank Zappa memorial that will orbit the moon. Or, maybe…during the local forecasts on the Weather Channel in 20XX.

  A man can dream, can’t he?

  
  
  BREAKFAST MOUNTAIN – FUTURE GUNNZ (MAY LING REMIX)

  I already gave him a write-up just over a month ago, but this one track seems to just stick out the more I revisit Hooooded Plus*. A multitude of cascading synths, headnodding electro beatsand cooing, halfway there vocals…what more do you need?

  He gives his album away for free. You’ve got few excuses as to why it’s not on your HD already.

  
  
  DAEDELUS – MAKE IT SO

  While not new by any standards, Daedelus’s ‘Make It So’ is still a fantastic song by an equally good performer. The track is is a perfect example of the casual, beat heavy beauty that he seems to produce so consistently. I had the chance to catch him ages ago at LA’s best weekly event Low End Theory and he performed, as per usual, in a charmingly odd suit with his Monome pointed out toward the crowd for an extended mix of beat stylings from the last 3 decades. His live sets are always worth the price of admission.

  Also worth checking out is the XXXChange remix of ‘Make It So’ hosted over at RCRDLBL:

  
  
  CANDY CLAWS – SUN ARROW

  The syrupy thick layers of sound in any given Candy Claws song seems to leave them dumped with a ton of bands buried under the banner of the new and quickly reviled genre de jour that is Chillwave. There’s something more in their work in their music though; the lush vocal pairings of couple Ryan Hover and Kay Bertholf flow perfectly with an shockingly well mixed array of sounds. While I think much of the Chillwave genre arrives at the muddy and distant sound out of organized chaos, everything on ‘Sun Arrows’ seems to be aligned perfectly…as Candy Claws most likely wants it.

  A highly recommended song and album. Do check out the just released album Hidden Lands:
  

  

• 06.18.10
  Junk in my trunk – A backlog of MP3s (Wild Nothing, Dom, Scissor Sisters & more)   Singles (0)

  I’ve had a ton of shit floating around on my HD that just hasn’t made it up to the site…tracks just nabbed from random websites that I mostly swooped off the shelf blind and have been digesting for a while now. Here’s a few from that batch:

  
  
  WILD NOTHING – CHINATOWN

  Given that it’s so soaked in a summery warm haze of reverb, it’s a pretty easy sell for me. Wild Nothing dips into a fair number of influences to make something contentedly charming that feels like a second cousin to the Cocteau Twins. The subdued cavernous vocals and plucked strings nestled into a clatter of backbeat create something discordantly beautiful.

  
  
  DOM – JESUS

  Even if for some reason the dude’s squeaky pangender vocals alway make me think of Silversun Pickups and the opening bass line feels nicked from ‘My Sherona’, I still enjoy the hell out of this track. It’s a simple, lo-fi jam poured out with a kind of fresh effortlessness that charms. Clocking in at 2 minutes, it’s the kind of tune that is over before you’re bothered by any single element.

  
  
  SCISSOR SISTERS – INVISIBLE LIGHT

  Off their forthcoming release Night Work…it’s not in line with what I usually listen to, but this is the perfect example of how a great hook can change something from generic to worth of repeat. Bonus points for getting Ian McKellen in to do contribute some spoken word. I hope to be guesting on tracks when I’m 71.

  
  
  TOKYO POLICE CLUB – BREAKNECK SPEED

  I’ve posted before about these guys, so I don’t feel the need to on about them too much. That said, this single is something I can contentedly leave on repeat for a while. As with earlier TPC, the core elements are simple which for them is less a detriment and more part of their charm. The layers gel quite wonderfully and are accompanied with the usual lyrics that deal with old friends and lost memories. The whole album is solid, but this is a standout track.

  
  
  UNICORN KID – DREAM CATCHER

  A killer, midtempo chiptune stomper grabbed from the Ministry of Sound blog. They released the song in honor of his signing to the label a few months ago. Unicorn Kid seems to have snagged a lot of high profile slots in recent years – opening for Pet Shop Boys, Owl City & remixing The Gorillaz – something especially awesome considering he’s a chiptune artist. (The previous sentence is in no way an endorsement of Owl City)

  
  
  EMANCIPATOR – SIGUR ROS VS MOBB DEEP (EMANCIPATOR MASH UP)

  I’m not even sure where this one came from, but as mash-ups go, it’s a pretty bizarre pairing that works like magic. Chopped up vocals from Jonsi and a chill minimal beat paired with some Mobb Deep verses come together in an unexpectedly satisfying way. Emancipator is a clever clever man.

• 06.17.10
  Two from Post*Records – Attachedhands & 1991   Singles, Video (0)

  Attachedhands have \this awesome video for ’shape/mode’ their contribution to the Post*Records compilation Fucking Friends Forever. The filtered wash of disconnected video clips created by Discovery of Magnetic North sits perfectly along side the pulsating, shimmering track. I’ve also got an mp3 of the track for download here at TTM:

  
  ATTACHEDHANDS – SHAPE/MODE

  

  1991, another Post*Records roster member, has just released an interesting cassette on the label. The Florida guitar and drums duo mash out a blisteringly odd mix of raw thrash, rock and noise. Check out Side A of the tape, which features the songs: ‘Winter Olympics’, ‘Total Fucking Freedom’, ‘Fireblood’, ‘With Wings’ and ‘Bobby Whitehouse’.

  
  1991 – SIDE A

  Pick up the cassette with a full digital download for four bucks at the website.

• 06.16.10
  Alan Wilkis’s remix of Phantogram’s ‘Mouthful of Diamonds’   Singles (0)

  

  Ever listened to Phantogram and just said, “Well, I like this…but it’s just too darn sad?” Alan Wilkis has the cure for you with this remix, giving you a window into a parallel universe where singer keyboardist Sarah Barthel became the lead singer for CSS instead of Lovefoxx. The crystalline tone of the original is tossed in favor of party synths and a 80’s electro breaks. As much as I love Phantogram’s take on things, I’d probably be down with them just as much if the whole album was like Wilkis’s remix.

  
  
  PHANTOGRAM – MOUTHFUL OF DIAMONDS (ALAN WILKIS REMIX)

  Check out Alan’s soundcloud for a whole lot more quality remixes and originals.

  For good measure, here’s a live version of the original ‘Mouthful of Diamonds’ live on KEXP

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