Golden Silvers - True Romance

Psychedelic rock is such a huge umbrella term now. It covers anything from Of Montreal to MGMT. And I guess I'm okay with that, but there was a time where 'psychedelic rock' wasn't thrown around loosely. I'm about to contradict about myself, but I will say that modern 'psychedelic' music is probably more congruent with actual psychedelic experiences. Regardless, the word psychedelic as it pertains to music was set in precedent in the 1960s by American bands like The Velvet Underground and 13th Floor Elevators and British bands like Pink Floyd, Traffic, Soft Machine, and Cream.

Golden Silvers are true psychedelic rock from where I see it. These young Londoners released this debut last year to little to no hype. The trio has been kicking around singles since 2007 and released "True Romance" on XL Recordings. Synthesizers and dramatic vocals, and anything under the sun used to characterize 'psychedelia' are on this record. I have a sneaking suspicion they'll make waves with a future release as they improve upon their already tight sound.

DOWNLOAD TRUE ROMANCE

Fred Thomas - Night Times

In my short music playing career, I have had few special moments. Actually, I can only think of one. And that was playing a house show with City Center and knowing that Fred Thomas was watching me play music. Fred Thomas is of Saturday Looks Good to Me and City Center fame and is an all-around great songwriter. From the indie pop of his older works to the more ambient and experimental sounding project City Center, Fred is a truly special musician. This is a collection of songs he put out last year in between working on City Center material. Subtle compositions with acoustic and electric guitar tones along with catchy vocals and interesting sounds. A lot of solid stuff here. And it's free. So I don't feel bad. Thanks, Fred. Sorry about the leeeetle cover art, it's all I could find.

DOWNLOAD NIGHT TIMES

Lisa Mitchell - Wonder

DOWNLOAD LISA MITCHELL'S WONDER

(sorry for rapidshare)

Holiday Shores - Columbus'd the Whim

Opening for Surfer Blood is A BIG DEAL. Holiday Shores did it recently, and will hopefully get a little more hype for this 2009 release. Pretty standard fare indie rock here. Reverberated guitars and harmonies dance on playful drum rhythms and melodies. Last.fm said 'new weird america,' but I disagree with that tag. These guys kind of remind me of a looser Local Natives and a softer Surfer Blood. Go for it dudes.

DOWNLOAD COLUMBUS'D THE WHIM

Fang Island - Fang Island

Hello folks! My name is Evan, and apparently I've been a contributor to IWanttogotoBrainville.blogspot.com for quite some period of time, without actually contributing anything.

That changes this morning, Saturday, March 27th.

So I didn't sleep last night, and I thought I'd include some of my insomnia soundtrack. It included the likes of Coheed and Cambria, jj, Animal Collective, Screaming Females (which I discovered tonight), The Talking Heads, Tears for Fears, and ofcourse, FANG ISLAND. Described as “everyone high-fiving everyone”, Fang Island is a 5 member band that rocks a drummer, 3 guitarists (crazy, right?), and a keyboardist. You're probably thinking...in this day and age, new music HAS to have a synthesizer, right? Guitars are slowly becoming a thing of the past.

Fang Island is bringing guitar back. Huge guitar harmonies expand as you are overtaken by group vocals. Every member of the band participates in the vocals, making a gang-like sound that pumps you up. Listen to tracks like "Life Coach" or "Sideswiper" to really get you in the mood to fuck shit up.

I can't believe Robbie hasn't posted Fang Island yet, so it has become my duty to provide where he has failed.






Download to try
PLEASE BUY THIS ALBUM. You won't regret it.

Bombay Bicycle Club - I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose

Just with one listen to Bombay Bicycle Club, it is clear that these guys are the British-est of the British. The English drawl of singer Jack Steadman (no relation to Ralph), is smooth and intriguing. Fast paced and simple songs create a pop vibe with a somewhat darker undertone. These guys are young and are probably going to get even better. For now, this is a great debut.

DOWNLOAD AND SHAKE THEM BLUEZ

MGMT - Congratulations

I'm sorry. I have to.

It really isn't bad. It's still MGMT, but they're weirder. A little less dance-y, a little more 60s. Definitely a step up in terms of consistency of an actual album. I can see myself actually buying an MGMT record. Tickle me surprised.

Pocahaunted - Make It Real

Sorry for the lack of postage. Been engulfing myself in the new Coheed record. Those drinking haterade can click away from this page.

Anyway, a far cry from the prog rock leanings of Coheed & Cambria is Pocahaunted. The darling act of No Not Fun Records. Once a drone-y, dazed and confused psych-jam act hell-bent on bringing the cassette back from the dead featuring Best Coast (i know right?), Pocahaunted revamped their line up and their sound for the masses. This isn't as accessible as some might hope, but for the more casual listener on the psych-folk

outskirts, this might be an interesting listen. Old fans of the band, don't fear, they're still weird. This is just one step closer to creating their perfect sound.

DOWNLOAD. TAKE TO WOODS. BRING FRIENDS/FIRE. DANCE. DIE. REPEAT.

Kisses - The Heart of the Nightlife

This whole chillwave thing is so murky and boundary- less that sometimes I feel like it's not even a real genre. I used to think there was a pretty distinct sound but now I'm not so sure. I guess Kisses is chillwave, but the vocals and some of the instrumentation is so smooth and sexy it doesn't sound like anything you'd hear on a Toro Y Moi record.

The vocals really make this record for me, they fit so well and compliment the music with catchy hooks and interesting melodies. It'll be interesting to see how this album is received by critics.

DOWNLOAD THE NIGHTLIFE MAN

Sore Eros - Second Chants

Lo-fi.

Look at the amalgam of abbreviations. What does it mean to you? Low fidelity is what it stands the verbal juxtaposition signifies. But most music fans would associate the term 'lo-fi' with a genre. Characterized by a persistent tape hiss and fuzzed out guitars, lo-fi music has become the 'film photography' of indie music. You know those photo

graphers that only use film for the aesthetic value. Some would argue that most lo-fi artists out there today have access to better production but would rather use worse production techniques to make their music more.... 'authentic?' I'm not really sure. I mean it's cool to listen to, but I wouldn't say I'm a fan of a lot of lo-fi acts. I remember thinking Wavves was cool before he made bad records. And I mean, it's cool. Sore Eros is lo-fi. That's the point. It's dreamy and psychotic, but it's grainy qualities and loose production give it a lot of almost sensual characteristics. Imagine the sexuality that seems to be so admired from The xx, combined with the aesthetic of Julian Lynch's solo recordings. I haven't really delved to the depths of Second Chants. But I love it so far.

HERES YOUR CHANCE DOWNLOAD SECOND CHANTS

ZAZA - Cameo

standard shoegaze. too lazy to post a good description. boy and girl duo. you get it. loud and noisy. with good melodies! i like that. i'm tired. it's electronic but not. fuck it i'll do it.


Do you ever like someone whispering in your ear? The feeling of a dull voice as it grazes over your ear lobes is often unsettling. Someone's telling you a secret, but you can't concentrate on what they're saying because you begin to feel uncomfortable. You pull away, but you want to know the secret so you stay for a second longer. And then you're trapped.


That's ZAZA.

DO YOU WANT TO HEAR A SECRET? DOWNLOAD CAMEO

Givers - Givers EP

The Ruby Suns - Fight Softly

Ryan McPhun and co. have been kicking around since 2007 or so, creating indie rock comparable to some kind of psychedelic bastard child of Vampire Weekend and Fleet Foxes. With a new label in Sub Pop, the new LP from the Ruby Suns is a record full of interesting songs and attractive textures. The album is straight-forward psychedelic pop. Shimmering keyboards, tribal drums, and reverberated vocals outline the record. A staple of post-AnCo music, the Ruby Suns expertly craft pop songs that are catchy enough to garner replay value, but weird enough to stay refreshing. Standouts include, "Cranberry," "Closet Astrologer," and "Two Humans."



DOWNLOAD FIGHT SOFTLY RIGHT NOW MAN

Xiu Xiu - Dear God, I Hate Myself

I'm new to the Xiu Xiu game. Jamie Stewart is like a better version of Conor Oberst. A more interesting and provocative musician with similar lyrical topics. Xiu Xiu's music is hard to pin down. Some throw around 'art pop' or 'avant-garde.' I don't know about all that. Xiu Xiu has a definite electronic influence in the music, but there's so much more going on than a synthesizer sequencer or a drum machine. Watching a report from the studio, Jamie Stewart obviously has more than just a Moog at his disposal . From Nintendo DS Korg sounds to every percussion instrument in his arsenal, Dear God, I Hate Myself is chock full of interesting sounds and melodies. The pained voice of Jamie Stewart fills in the spaces once again, without the help of Caralee McElroy (now one half awesome band Cold Cave) this time. Standout tracks include 'Chocolate Makes You Happy," "Dear God, I Hate Myself," the delightfully folky "Cumberland Gap," and "Impossible Feeling." The last track listed is also the last track on the record and uses string samples to paint a choppy but brilliant sounding end to the record.

DOWNLOAD

The Love Language - The Love Language

THE LOVE LANGUAGE

quirky low fidelity pop rock with tinges of 70s era soft rock melodical ideas. a pretty large band for such a ordinary writing standpoint. Their debut is self-titled and came out last year. Loud and harmonized vocals cut through sunny chord progressions and fuzzy leads. You would think these songs are all about love. And it is. 'Little girls tell the biggest lies, it seems just yesterday we said goodbye.' Yeah, to an extent.

LEARN ABOUT LOVE AND DOWNLOAD THIS

Suckers - EP

Another Brooklyn psych rock group who are getting mad hype right now. They're on IAMSOUND records and have this sweet EP for downloadz.

Along the lines of Yeasayer, Menomena, and good music like that

DOWNLOAD IT SUCKA

Keepaway - Baby Style EP

so you're like me and you want to move to brooklyn to get your new 'psych rock' band up and going and you think you sound pretty cool. check out Keepaway. barring some understandable production flaws and brevity, these guys have a promising future. check the panda bear-like vocals on '5 rings.' pretty good impressions imo

DOWLOAD BABY STYLE BRO

The Besnard Lakes - ...are the Roaring Night

More shoegaze for staring at yr shoez with. The Besnard Lakes are a 'progressive rock' band according to last.fm. They're pretty standard cute, quiet/loud shoegaze with two part songs and 'concepts' I really dig their new record that just came out/leaked. Not really sure if its out yet. Czech it.

DOWNLOAD IF U LIKE 'PROG' OR GAZIN' AN SHIT

jj - jj nº 3

new jj

check the weezy guest spot on "My Way"

(edit; turns out my way isn't on the record, but it's a b-side to 'let go.' i recommend downloading it.)

haven't listened, cop it before the intertronz police take it

down and blogspot slaps me on the wrist

DOWNLOAD

SUPER DUPER ULTRA POST PART 2

Thanks for hanging around ladies and gentleman. Sorry for these huge unorganized and poorly constructed posts. Honestly, I would just rather make sure you guys hear the music then read some pretty blog. So let's get to itttttt.


The first thing I want to post is just a single from rising Brooklyn duo, Tanlines. These guys have been in other bands that were popular I guess. I forget the names of the bands, but they weren't bad. Anyway now these guys make tons of remixes and recently have begun releasing original tracks. This song is from their new EP, Settings coming out on True Panther. This is just one mp3 and I apologize but it's REALLY FUCKING GOOD. For real, this track is hot fire y'all. Bogart this track dudes. I can't find a downloadable link, but here's the track. I embedded it for your listening pleasure. And please seek out the rest of their stuff, these guys are pretty legit I thinkz.

Real Life by truepanther

The next band I'd like to talk about is The Big Pink from England. Their clever mix of electro-tinged rock and noisy shoegaze create an interesting canvas for awesome pop hooks and vocal melodies. The lead single from their debut record, "A Brief History of Love" is 'Dominos.' A fat drum beat gives way to one of the catchiest hooks I've heard in awhile. This song is basically perfect and fits in well with the rest of the tracks on the record. Expect songs in a similar vein. Some songs are more shoegaze-y; "Crystal Visions," "Love is Vain." While some are more electro-influenced, "Frisk," "Velvet." This is another act I am curious to see live. Their material is extremely dense and hard to decipher in a live setting it might seem. But they're getting pretty big and have been touring a lot, so we'll see what happens. Get this album if you like any kind of shoegaze or British indie music that's been coming out recently

YOU HAVE TO DOWNLOAD THIS JUST BECAUSE OF THE LINE; 'THESE GIRLS FALL LIKE DOMINOS, DOMINOS, DOMINOOOS'

Next up is Y Δ C H T. I definitely did not dig this at first. The girl vocals didn't seem to fit and it sounded very '07-ish with the whole electrohouse pop sound. I got over my apprehension and listened to the record and found a very enjoyable pop album. The man behind it all is Jona Bechtolt. A 29 year old producer from Portland. After countless guest appearances and producing jobs, along with several releases from the YΔCHT project and even solo projects, Bechtolt conceived SEE MYSTERY LIGHTS. A fun and goofy sounding pop record drenched in slick production, interesting drum sounds, and creative synthesizer sounds. Plus there's a song called "I'm In Love With A Ripper!" That's awesome. The first two tracks are catchy as hell and set a bar for the following songs. Most of them meet the bar, while some aren't as impressive, this album is concise and well-structured. Legit record y'all.

DOWNLOAD THIS RECORD AND DRIVE AROUND LOOKING FOR WOMEN. ALSO LOL @ THE DESCRIPTION ON THE MEGAUPLOAD PAGE.

The last band I'd like to cover is Silver Apples. You might or might not have heard of these guys. But one listen to a record of theirs and it's hard to tell what decade it's from. You might be surprised to know, this duo were prominent in the 60s and 70s (and have made a very confusing reappearance, I have no idea what's going on there). They pioneered the synthesizer and the idea of 'electronic' music. They released a couple of records in their prime and I found a link with both of them in the same .zip folder. The first record is self titled and the second is titled CONTACT. Check out these guys and listen for the huge impact they had on today's music.

YOU BEST NOT THINK THESE GUYS ARE RIPPING OFF YR FAVORITE 'ELECTRONICA' BAND CUZ THEY WERE GETTING BEST NEW MUSIC BEFORE IT EVEN EXISTED. SO DOWNLOAD THESE RECORDS

Thanks for reading and I'm going to try and keep posting more! And please tune into my radio show with my friend Jordan on Tuesdays from 6 - 8 PM eastern time. Listen live at http://www.wcnulive.com! We're organizing an interview with Jim from Le Loup, a band who ended up pretty high on my year end list. (Buy the record FAMILY, trust me).

And one more plug that I have to do. Sorry guys I feel like a loser, but please check out my band Everybody Yay!! check me or Ethan's status on facebook for a mediafire link to a new tra...fuck it I'll just leave it here! Please stay tuned for more new music from us and hopefully an EP and more shows in Virginia! This is our brand new song "Knowing" free to download! Tell your friends. DOWNLOAD THE SONG HERE.



LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

SUPER DUPER ULTRA POST

I'm deciding to make up for lost time, and give you a bunch of music I've been digging on recently. This will kind of mess with the idea of archiving posts by month and date on the side, but I guess people should understand that there's a lot of music here just by seeing the title, "SUPER DUPER ULTRA POST." I don't know, seems enticing and attractive enough to me.


Sorry for being so awful at blogging, life is intense in college. Let me tell you. I don't know how I do it sometimes. And I'm not trying to be silly here, I honestly think I might go crazy any given day.

Enough with my cries for sympathy and respect. Not really. Whatever. I'm tired. So music right?

I wanted to start with a really cool band that sort of combines two really interesting ideals in the music scene now. The idea of really cool female led bands combined with this post-Animal Collective sound aesthetic is undeniably intriguing. To explain the former, bands like Bat For Lashes, Florence + the Machine, Chairlift, St. Vincent, and newcomers Sleigh Bells are all female led acts that are blowing up and creating awesome awesome totally rad music. And to explain the latter portion of that sentence way up there, after Merriweather Post Pavilion came out, everyone not only ate that record up, but the newly created die-hard fans worked their way tirelessly through their back-catalog creating an amalgam of sound to create a new genre almost. Bands like Blind Man's Colour and Toro Y Moi are actually really good at it and don't make it lame. Anyway this is High Places's self-titled record. They're releasing a new record sometime soon, probably on a new label. And they put out a new single somewhere. I don't know, I haven't heard it.

It's really complicated and hard to upload my own files onto mediafire or anything with an ethernet cable so I have to find my links for now off the interwebz. And the only thing I could find is a little zip folder of a collection of tracks from High Places. Sorry guys this all I have for now, but I definitely want to put up their actual self-titled as soon as possible.

Download some HIGH PLACES brah

The next band I'd like to share with your lovely ear holes are The Pains of Being Pure At Heart. Probably the cutest shoegaze band I've ever heard. Often times, 'shoegaze' bands are somewhat moody and depressive. But these guys (and girl) create fun yet subdued shoegaze pop songs about being young, love, loss, and everything else that happens before you turn 30. They've released an EP called Higher than the Stars that is really good and has a fantastic remix on it. I recommend it. They also released a self-titled LP last year that was a little underhyped in my opinion just because it wasn't really the same sort of sound as what was popular during 2009. This music isn't about the beach or summer, it's about things that people really care about. Which interests me especially. This is their debut record. I really want to catch them live. And I'm really interested in where their sound goes.

DOWNLOAD THIS RECORD AND IMMEDIATELY LOOK AT YOUR SHOEZ

I love the Roland SP-404. I currently have two friends that dropped the dough to acquire one of these beast machines. An SP-404 is a sampling machine that is a wonderful tool to create weird and interesting music. Popularized by the wonderful Panda Bear on his tours of Person Pitch where he rocked dual 404's to pull of his stunning record live. This new guy's project is called City Center. And if you look at his live pictures, it's a hi-hat or cymbal of some kind, a mic, a 404, an echo/reverb unit, and some percussive instruments like a shaker. This record is his first LP, and is somewhat challenging at first. But once you dig out the melodies, it's a very satisfying listen. This guy seems to be a pretty cool dude and loves to tour so hopefully I can catch him live soon and see how he pulls it off live.

DOWNLOAD IF U DREAM ABOUT BEING PANDA BEAR AND WANT 2 MAKE MUSIC THAT SOUNDS LIKE HIM BUT STILL MAINTAINS 'YR OWN STYLE'

Every blog on the planet worth reading has probably mentioned this guy before. And I'm surprised I haven't yet cause I downloaded his debut record MONTHS ago when it leaked. It still hasn't come out yet and it's really sad that such a small time producer had pride and joy leaked before the new year even rolled around. Due out in Febuary, TORO Y MOI's sound is characterized by Panda Bear-esque samples, IDM-influenced beats and sugary pop hooks. His record 'Causers of This' is about to come out and I really hope this guy blows up. He really deserves it. He's kind of the underdog in the whole chillwave movement. Neon Indian and Washed Out have definitely overshadowed this guy and it's not fair for him to sit back when he made arguably a better record. Anyway, please buy this record when it comes out. I shouldn't be posting this and I feel bad, but hell it's everywhere already.

DOWNLOAD THE UNDERDOG! I THOUGHT YOU LIKED THE SAINTS?

The Very Best - Warm Heart of Africa

PSYCHE

Sorry for the confusion. I switched web bowzers and forgot my wordpress password. Whatevz. The blogspot was always pretty trill. I'm back on this ish for good.