Fan Death//Erol Alkan

Remember when I said that Erol Alkan was interested in Fan Death? Well Erol is now releasing this extended dub of "Veronica's Veil" next to the original for the groups first single. (via. HaveFunClub)

Download:
Fan Death - Veronica's Veil (Erol Alkan's Extended Rework)

Also (I find this funny) Fan Death is according to Wikipedia: "a South Korean urban legend which states that an electric fan, if left running overnight in a closed room, can cause the death (by suffocation, poisoning, or hypothermia) of those inside. Fans manufactured and sold in Korea are equipped with a timer switch that turns them off after a set number of minutes, which users are frequently urged to set when going to sleep with a fan on."

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somewhere else:

I recommend reading this interesting article by Aquarium Drunkard on the soundtrack of the 80's porn film Deep Throat. I have come to really like one of the songs and am thinking about getting the whole album. Also all the artists are unknown.

Download:
unknown - She's Gotta Have It

Megapuss

This past June Devendra Banhart and Priestbird’s Greg Rogove made their debut appearance as Megapuss at the hammer museum in LA with Devandra wearing a skirt made of plastic dicks and Greg in a summery man dress. The group also includes the Strokes' Fabrizio Moretti. Megapuss was inadvertently formed when the Devendra and Greg where touring together in their separate groups trying to pass the time away backstage. Banhart says, "Before a show, we'd have fifteen minutes to get in the zone. So the plan was to have a finished song written in fifteen minutes each night." Banhart also reassures us that this isn't just him spit balling songs at us. "Usually, a lot of my songs are based on stuff from my shitty diary. Megapuss is a lot more fun." Its true. Surfing, Megapuss' debut album, is more pop oriented than Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Mountain, with out loosing the hippie folk aspiration. The album also contains a constant feeling of jocularity, and it is advised to take each song (especially "Duck People", "Mister Meat") with a grain of salt.

Download:
Megapuss - Theme From Hollywood
Megapuss - Surfing

Chromatics

I just noticed that Chromatics have posted a new demo on their myspace. "Lady" is another one to add to the list of Johnny and Ruth's well constructed synth pop ballads.

Download:
Chromatics - Lady (four track demo)

Passion Pit

I see that this is catchy and why it would appeal to some, but I feel like Passion Pit is just another hype band ready to decay under the scrutiny of time. Some of these songs do contain quality pop, like the single "Sleepyhead" (really catchy). However the song "Better Things", which has been commemorated by some, spells out my reaction in the first lines, "You're driving me crazy/You're driving me mad". My teeth get set on edge when hit with high, whiny electronics and equally irritating voices. Here is the groups first single off the Chunk of Change EP.

Download:
Passion Pit - Sleepyhead

Snake Flower 2

Snake Flower 2's debut album, Renegade Daydream, preaches the way of dusty highways, dialing up the volume, and flooring it to ninety just as well as The Stones or Steppenwolf. These lo-fi San Fransisco rockers could give any teenager the motivation to liberate themselves from the confides of society as well as any playing in the sixties. Matthew Melton, the lead singer and guitarist of the trio, says that Renegade Daydream is basically ""the first batch of songs I wrote after I escaped from the South (Memphis)."

Back in his formidable years Matthew Melton, grew up playing in various garage punk bands alongside others of the scene like Jay Reatard, who Mathew Melton later came to photograph with blood dripping down his chin for the album cover of Blood Visions. On making his way towards his "illusive California dream" Matthew left everything and moved west. Surrounded on every side by the sense of "new", Matthew forged Snake Flower (1) and with it his first romance on the west coast with fellow band member "bunny". This later fell through and after their first tour the band split. But the group was able to converge back together again (Snake Flower 2), minus "bunny", and Matthew set to writing about "the world-weary stature gained throughout the course of a firey succession of trials and errors."

Download:
Snake Flower 2 - No Way Home
Snake Flower 2 - I woke Up In A Dream

via. Raven Sings The Blues

MGMT x Chemical Brothers

Well it seems that the Chemical Brothers will be producing the next MGMT album, and its going to be a double. Andrew VanWyngarden (MGMT) told NME, "We'll experiment with them to create a different sound. It won't be dance music." The first side of the album will be pop music, the other psychedelia. The Chemical brothers weren't the first guys I would consider for this job but apparently they loved Oracular Spectacular, and have been talking with MGMT via. email since. MGMT also sound excited about the team up, vouching for the electronic duo, "They've collaborated with people like Noel Gallagher before and they have this psychedelic side to them, so we'll find a common ground." Hope this works out.

I also hope this is not the last version we get to hear of this remix.

Download:
MGMT - Kids (Soulwax Remix)

Blitzen Trapper

When I first heard "Furr" I thought of Dylan (harmonica sealed the deal), and when I heard "Black River Killer" I thought of Tom Petty. I have to say though that the vibes don't stop there. I keep hearing the influence of different rock and folk legends every time I listen to Blitzen Trapper, and I find it pretty funny when I read that their previous album, Wild Mountain Nation, is heavily compared with Pavement. Frankly these guys just can't lose. Though these influences are recognizable, Blitzen Trapper is not just rehashing the same sounds of a previous generation (like Dr. Dog's Fate). No, these hardy Portlanders have their own story to tell. I compare them to Dylan only due to their lyrical beauty, which offers much to dissect after the first listen. Their sound is fertile with that down to earth feeling that northwesterners can inspire.

Download:
Blitzen Trapper - Furr
Blitzen Trapper - Black River Killer
Blitzen Trapper - Gold For Bread

Justice

Hell this isn't what I usually post but I was intrigued and was pleasantly surprised. Here is the first of four out of Justice's Planisphere releases.

Justice - Planisphère (Part 1)

Chad Vangaalen

Chad Vangaalen is a new find for me. I was first introduced through his song, "Echo Train" (great), off Infiniheart about a week ago. And have been meaning to pick up the album ever since, but have now found out that he will be releasing his third album, Soft Airplane, through Subpop & Flemish Eye and just wanted to put up word because every song I've heard has been fabulous in its own way.
From what I've found out, he does everything from animation and painting (album cover) to extreme sports on Letterman. His songs are recorded on an old tape machine in his basement with a quirkiness and freeness that is expressed in everything he does. Through out Soft Airplane, he incorporates a mix of guitars, synths, and any other instruments he can acquire. The end product is an incredible collection of acoustic pop, lo-fi synth pop, as well as some playful and sharp (sometimes sad and eerie) song writing.

Download:
Chad VanGaalen - TMNT Mask
Chad VanGaalen - Willow Tree

High Places

From small speck of stardust to wondrously sentient
Revolving and spinning in space
Waking and sleeping and yielding to gravity
It starts to show on your face

Millions of forces of physics and providence
Teamed up and brought us all here
Waking and sleeping and yielding to gravity
Pointless to measure in years

Out in the desert your thoughts are as clear as the stars
You feel golden
You're billion year old carbon.

Download:
High Places - From Stardust to Sentience

This is High Places. And like their lyrics portray, they write beautiful spacey surf trance. High Places self-titled debut will be available September 23rd through Thrill Jockey. I was late in the game to discover them, missing their 03/07 - 09/07 comp, but now having seen them live and listening to what they have to offer, I have been captured by their eloquent spoken word lyrics ("You feel Golden") whispered over spacey electronic rhythms, that almost feel tribal.