Posts Tagged: Discovery


16
Nov 09

Sleigh Bells

Sleigh Bells listenPhoto by Punk Photo

Sleigh Bells is the loud, creative forced brought to life by Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss. Derek played in a hardcore band, and Alexis well, she was a, uh… school teacher who played in a pop group in her teenage years. With a winning combination like that, you’re bound to to make some noise. Sleigh Bells are, by most accounts, a new band with a fresh take on pop music, and their EP really hits it out of the park.

They demanded everyone’s attention at this year’s CMJ with their loud and undeniably enjoyable set. Sleigh Bell’s EP/introduction to the world, the Magic Metal CDR sounds like what Discovery’s album would sound like if they pumped the volume up to max.

Sleigh Bells’ defining moment, and my favorite song of theirs so far, “Crown On The Ground” is the perfect mix of Beyonce’s “Upgrade U” and Wavves’ “So Bored“.

MP3: Sleigh Bells – Crown On The Ground

Sleigh Bells have also released a new track not found on their Magic Metal CDR. It’s called “Infinity Guitars” and it easily become my second favorite Sleigh Bells track.

MP3: Sleigh Bells – Infinity Guitars

Read on for three other Sleigh Bells tracks: Continue reading →


14
Oct 09

pmaCAST #19: The Indie Melodrama

DOWNLOAD: M4A / iTUNES

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5
Oct 09

The Absolute Best Songs of 2009 (75% of it)

The Absolute Best Songs of 2009 (75% of it) featureArtwork by the talented and generous Adam Sparpalius.
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9
Jul 09

pmaCAST #16: For Summer Only

pmaCAST #16: For Summer Only listen
DOWNLOAD: MP3 / iTUNES

There are many reasons why I feel that summertime is the best time of the year, and most of them are here on this playlist. Spanning thirty-six songs (!!), this 16th pmaCAST — and our longest podcast ever, clocking in at over 2 hours and 10 minutes — is all about the tunes that make a perfect summertime listen. Download this here or on iTunes (via the links above), put it on your iPod, put it on a mixtape-shaped flash-drive (seriously, buy one) and give it to your friends, play it at a beach party — do something with it!

pmaCAST #16 The “For Summer Only” Episode Tracklist
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9
Jul 09

Discovery – LP, Album Review & Vinyl + CD Giveaway

Discovery   LP, Album Review & Vinyl + CD Giveaway album reviews reviews 2 Discovery
LP

XL
out July 7th

86/100
[Rating Scale]
Buy it at Insound!

[rating:86/100]
With the recent passing of Michael Jackson, every blog I read had some kind of eulogy to the king of pop – by the same writers who, a post earlier, had extolled the music of Dirty Projectors or Grizzly Bear or Animal Collective, or by musicians whose work seems worlds apart from Jackson’s. We might see indie music and pop music as worlds apart, but the trick is not to think of indie music as a reactionary measure, but as a division of pop music that is just less well-known. I feel like sometimes in our day and age people have a genre allegiance that thoroughly blinds them – a weird pretentious image, “too good for pop music.” “Too hip for pop music.” When you think about this, I’m sure you can realize how useless it is. Where would any of us be without pop music? There would be nothing without pop music. None of us is too good for the music we grew up with, and the music that inspired every musician we know.

In short, pop music is not a crime, and what I’ve been getting at this whole time is that Discovery’s LP is not a crime and it is perfect summer pop music. What’s wrong with that?

Continue reading →


23
Jun 09

Discovery – So Insane/I Want You Back (Jackson 5 Cover)

Discovery   So Insane/I Want You Back (Jackson 5 Cover) covers
“So Insane” is another track off Discovery’s metronomic album, LP that has a so-insane hook, “oh baby you got me going so insane and I just don’t know what’s going down” that, along with “Orange Shirt,” this song will go down as one of LP’s highlights. Discovery, one big part Vampire Weekend and an even bigger part Ra Ra Riot, stick to their formula of breaking down the walls the indie and pop communities built between them.

Throughout the song’s 3 short minutes, you can hear finger snaps from the house of T-Pain (not to mention the Auto-Tune!), Crystal Castles glitch-breaks, and synth reminiscent of Hot Chip. However, like all of the Discovery tune’s I’ve heard, “So Insane” sounds unmistakeably fresh. Listen to “So Insane” here. Continue reading →


14
Jun 09

Discovery – Carby (ft. Ezra Koeing of Vampire Weekend)

Discovery   Carby (ft. Ezra Koeing of Vampire Weekend) listen

I didn’t ever think I’d hear Vampire Weekend auto-tuned out. Especially since auto-tune died and everything… Alas, auto-tune is very much alive, no, it’s actually thriving in Discovery’s debut LP, called, well LP.

The exciting project features a member of Vampire Weekend (Rostam Batmanglij) and a Ra Ra Riot frontman (Wes Miles) making some nice electro music. In one song, “Carby,” 50% of Vampire Weekend are present when VW vocalist Ezra Koeing joins Miles and Batmanglij in the making of the most danceable Vampire Weekend song you’ll ever hear.

Give “Carby” a listen here. Continue reading →


7
Jun 09

pmaCAST #14: Yes, I Love Fred Falke Remixes

pmaCAST #13 The Twist on Natural Law Episode mp3

DOWNLOAD: MP3 / iTUNES

And here is the fourteenth installment of the pmaCAST, a bi-monthly playlist that I hope will enrich and soundtrack your week. This week I went with a digital vibe that I have been shaking off for a while now. It has caught up with me, and has now permeated through the pmaCAST. I use some all-time favorites (Belle & Sebastien, LCD Soundsystem, Roisin Murphy, Daft Punk, Peaches) as well as some new-found loves (Fred Falke, obiously, everyone else).

I’m not going to upload and post up all of the tracks like I did last time, but I will put up a few tracks featured on this weeks’ playlist that I think will make your life a lot less sucky.

Ratatat – Lex
MEN – Credit Card Babie$
The Pragmatic – You Blame Me
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour – Push The Envelope

Please (HEART) these songs if you enjoyed them!

Read on for the full tracklist. Continue reading →


30
Apr 09

Vampire Weekend plus Ra Ra Riot equals Discovery

Vampire Weekend plus Ra Ra Riot equals Discovery listenI have three confessions: I love Vampire Weekend, and I love Ra Ra Riot, and I love Discovery.

What Discovery is, besides the spaceship and a TV channel, is Ra Ra Riot’s Wes Miles and Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij, and instead of churning out lovely orchestral pop as they do with their respective bands, they churn out… jams. Z100-style club-banger jams, with autotune and fuzzy synth and lyrics like “google yourself when you get home.” Jams I, a white girl, feel comfortable awkwardly gesticulating to whilst driving in my car or whilst alone in a room (sometimes, I must admit, in a room with other people). Jams of the caliber of “Single Ladies” or “Yeah!” era Usher.

Discovery have two songs as of now, so maybe I’m taking things a step too far when I laud them so passionately.

But listen to this: Continue reading →