JUSTBEAPERSON.

MEMORYHOUSE

2012-01-27T21:39:00.002Z

Memoryhouse - Walk With Me from Future Sweden on Vimeo.

This is from upcoming album 'The Slideshow Effect'. Float.

SELEBRITIES / LISSY TRULLIE

2012-01-27T13:42:00.000Z

PORCELAIN RAFT

2012-01-26T16:21:00.002Z

Getting me through reading about...something so boring I can't quite recall what it is.

CRUSHED BEAKS

2012-01-24T11:42:00.003Z

Usually, the new artists featured, are praised for their ability to concoct bedroom born perfection. Hailing from London, Crushed Beaks have gone one further and nailed 'shed' lo-fi and their effortless style is drenched in reverb and raw acoustics. A dreamy mash-up of distortions and impressive fluctuations, their songs are full to the brim with vision and perspicacity (really wanted to get this word in somewhere today, bonus points.) Get your dose of Crushed Beaks today!

First off, where are you in the world right now and what're you working on?
In a shed in Lewisham, recording some new demos. We also recorded our single in here. It's even being entered into Shed of the Year 2012 (yes there is such a thing) after the folk at www.shedworking.co.uk posted the video for the single on their blog. Totally stoked about that. If we win I will know I have achieved at least one worthwhile thing with my life.

Could you give a brief Crushed Beaks history?
We know each other from school, and our old bands used to play shows together and stuff. We both ended up at Goldsmiths and somehow I found myself in the pub of an evening asking Alex if he wanted to play the drums again in a band. I'd posted some demos on the internet that had got a bit of blog interest so I thought adding someone who could actually play the drums to the mix could only be a good thing. I think that was our first proper conversation since freshers week. I think Alex was a bit hesitant at first because those old demos were gritty, to put it charitably. Once we'd actually started rehearsing it came together really easily though.

Who did you grow up listening to?
When I was about 15 my uncle gave me all his old records, which basically consisted of Black Sabbath and prog rock. That was definitely an important part of my musical education.

Tell us a bit about the most recent song you've written.
Loud and proud. There's a few new ones on the way. Wait and see.

What's the strangest subject you've ever written a song about?
I don't tend to think of them being about anything specifically while I'm writing, they just sort of happen. It's weird when you think that a song is about something that happened to you and then you realise that the something happened after you wrote it, and then you can't really remember what you thought it was about while you were writing it. If that makes any sense...

What would you say was the perfect environment or situation to listen to your music in?
Come and see us play live.

What other artists are you into at the moment?
Kate Bush, Burzum and The Everley Brothers. A potent combination...

Where would you love to tour?
We had some radio and blog coverage recently in Peru of all places. A South American tour would be amazing. Some friends of ours went on tour in Brazil a few months ago and had a blast.

Finally, what's next for you, future plans and such?
Well I don't think a Peruvian tour on the cards just yet, but we're planning a UK tour for early next year, and thinking about the next release.

Close-ups/Sun Dogs by Crushed Beaks

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TEEN DAZE

2012-01-24T10:06:00.002Z

Teen Daze - Winter Mix by teendaze

Winter wonder.

PAWS

2012-01-20T15:22:00.003Z

PAWS are quite different to the stuff I usually post, but we've all got time for a bit of new age punk in our lives, especially Scottish punk. Personally I think 'Pony' is their standout track and it's great to hear that the boys are doing what they do best in the studio at the moment and we should hear some new material soon. Let's PAWS for a minute and learn a bit more about them.....I had no choice but to do that.

First off, where are you in the world right now and what're you working on?
Right now I am sitting in my bedroom in Glasgow. In all honesty, right now myself and my buddy Sean Armstrong are recording a track. We are using toys and small keyboards.
Decided to write and record an album in a day to release on our label, Cath Records.
But PAWS have been rehearsing solidly in the practice space in preparation to record our debut record in January.

Could you give a brief PAWS history?
Well, I met Josh as school and we started jamming together in the bedroom I had in my Mums house in a town called Tain, north of Inverness in the Highlands.
Our good friend Nick introduced us to Matt in this log cabin in the Highlands where we arranged to meet to write and jam as a four piece. But after playing as a four piece called "A Copenhagen Hope" for a while, Nick decided to move on to other projects. We just continued as a three piece and jammed in ways that we hadn't done before and PAWS came out of that really. Just jammed, recorded some tapes at home and played shows wherever/whenever we could/can. We keep throwing fuel in the generator and be as busy as possible.

Who did you grow up listening to?
My oldest brother Paul exposed me to a whole lot of stuff. Alot of Sonic Youth, R.E.M, stuff like that. But then I started digging deeper and found bands like Melvins, Sebadoh and Big Black.

Tell us a bit about the most recent song you've written.
Well, we wrote a song at the practice space last week that I like alot. It's one of our more laid back efforts, slower and less screamy. I'm really happy with it.
It's called "Sore Tummy" and it's about how I always have a really sore tummy.

What's the strangest subject you've ever written a song about?
Cancer. Cancer sucks.

What would you say was the perfect environment or situation to listen to your music in?
I really couldn't tell you. We are still trying to work that out. When I find out, I'll let you know. What do you guys think?

What other artists are you into at the moment?
I've been listening to Eagulls alot. They are so fucking rad. Check them out. Also, Babak Ganjei, Bronto Skylift, Dolfinz

Where would you love to tour?
Everywhere. I want to play everywhere.

Finally, what's next for you, future plans and such?
We are heading to London in January to do record our L.P. Studio is booked and we are real excited to just go in and blast out the record.
Loads of stuff in the pipeline. Just keep an eye on us

PAWS sampler by wehavepaws

KING KRULE

2012-01-19T20:43:00.002Z

king krule noose of jah city from Daniel Trapp on Vimeo.

Bliss.

HALLS

2012-01-18T11:23:00.004Z

London based Samuel Howard smashes it. This is released tomorrow.

Fragile EP by Halls

STEALING SHEEP

2012-01-17T22:00:00.004Z

Haunting harmonies, overlapped with a synergy of sugary melodies and psychedelic synth makes for my first package of pop this year. Hailing from Liverpool, everything seems all the more impressive when you consider that Stealing Sheep have only been together since the summer of 2010..in comparison, when I think of what I've achieved since then, it's fair to say, I'm shit. These girls are going places, they've already been esteemed by loads of super cool radio people and have graced various festivals with their abundance of talent. The future's bright, the future's sheepy.

First off, where are you in the world right now and what're you working on?
We just finished recording a live demo of our debut album in an abandoned school in Liverpool.

Could you give a brief Stealing Sheep history?
We started writing songs in the summer last year, we booked ourselves a tour in October and recorded our first EP that winter. On Valentines day 2011 we released our first single with an indie label in Manchester called Red Deer Club. We did a run of limited 7" singles called 'The Mountain Dogs'. Parallel to that we toured the UK again and stopped off for an XFM session with John Kennedy and dropped in (secretly) during the night to Abbey Road Studios where we recorded our second single 'I am the Rain'. We released this with a London label called Idle Fret in May, we toured Europe this summer and played a host of great festivals. An invite to Maida Vale studios for Rob Da Bank's Live lounge soon followed and we played live on Radio 1. Finally this winter we signed a record deal with Heavenly Recordings and released our first 12" mini-LP. We're now working on our debut record on sale summer next year!

Who did you grow up listening to?
We listened to a lot of classical music and were influence by our parents musical interested stuff like The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkle, Vashti Bunyan, Madonna, Prince...all the classics!

Tell us a bit about the most recent song you've written.
We just wrote a song called 'We Like the Dark' at the moment it's 6 minutes long but that might change, it's quite jammy still with lots of chanting, it's a bit medieval in parts, a bit Easterny too.

What's the strangest subject you've ever written a song about?
Luy's got this lyric that goes ' you look so lizard like it's hot, like it's not, like it's force fed to you by the dark' we can only imagine what that's about!

What would you say was the perfect environment or situation to listen to your music in?
on a record player, with headphones, in bed.

What other artists are you into at the moment?
We're listening to Twin Sister, Tune Yards, PJ Harvey, Bjork and Still Corners in the car.

Where would you love to tour?
Japan!

Finally, what's next for you, future plans and such?
We're playing support for Field Music in February and we've been invited to play at SXSW and Sound City Newyork in March. The debut Album out this summer!

Stealing Sheep - free 3 track download by heavenlyrecordings

FACEBOOK TWITTER SITE

CHET FAKER

2012-01-15T22:31:00.001Z

.com by Chet Faker

Was pointed in the direction of Chet Faker by my Australian sources and this guy has been making strong waves in the Melbourne scene. Really worth a listen.

LIANNE LA HAVAS / SHLOHMO

2012-01-15T14:17:00.002Z

This is just what I needed.
Forget (Shlohmo Remix) - Lianne La Havas by Monrose

SBTRKT / FRIENDLY FIRES

2012-01-06T13:56:00.002Z

Big song.

SBTRKT - Blue Cassette (Friendly Fires cover, Live on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge) by Young Turks

FRANKIE ROSE

2012-01-05T00:40:00.002Z

Reet nice.
Frankie Rose - Know Me by Slumberland Records

TEEN DAZE

2012-01-01T17:49:00.002Z

Happy New Year, I've finally managed to feel human again and what better way to inject some life into proceedings, than with Teen Daze's rework of Earth, Wind & Fire... yep you read that correctly!

Let's Groove by Teen Daze

ALEX HORNE

2011-12-28T23:50:00.006Z

I've been sitting on this for a couple of months..I thought about making a joke about sitting on a horn but that's wrong and I see that now, I'm sorry, I hope you can forgive me. Alex Horne is a graduate of the infamous Footlights comedy group (who cares about Cambridge University itself) and is enjoying a successful comedy career, with a showering of awards and nominations. He's doing this with a great beard aswell, which really adds that extra pizazz (look at it up there, I bet you're stroking the screen).

What advice would you give your 21 year old self?

Beware of the millennium bug - that thing is seriously dangerous. Also, put loads of money on the Green Party coming to power and Liverpool winning the league every year from now on. And eat lots of Big Macs - turns out they're actually really good for you (I don't really like my 21 year old self).

If you were a superhero, what power would you like to have?

I think I'd be called Action Man, and I'd know all the actions to any song that has actions, and I'd be a fairly disappointing superhero.

If you could go back to any period of time in history, which would it be and how would you stir shit up?

Wow. Can your really do that for me? I'd go back to Elizabethan times and I'd bring my little renault clio with me (and some extra petrol - I'm not an idiot!) and I'd just drive round loads with the stereo on really loud - a bit like youths do today, but even cooler. I'd also show them my digital calculator watch just to really impress them.

You're a celebrity in your own right, but if you could be another for a day, who would you be?

Well, I don't think I am but I'll answer any way - I'd like to be Beyonce please. Mainly because I really like Beyonce but I quite often get teased for liking Beyonce but if I was actually Beyonce I'd be well within my rights to like Beyonce.

Is there a musician or band that has consistently featured throughout your life as a source of inspiration and sensory delight?

Apart from Beyonce (I named one of my chickens Beyonce after Beyonce), I'll pick Oompah Brass. They play pop songs with brass instruments. I have all their albums and they're the only thing (apart from Beyonce) that I listen to. Imagine, pop songs - but on brass instruments! Incredible.

What's been your career highlight?

Easily - winning three episodes of Countdown. It was beyond my wildest dreams (and I mean 'wildest').

What's your favourite breakfast?

Truckers' cafe, full english, the works, all cooked together on one of those flat metal hot plates. Ideally £1.99 for the lot. With Oompah Brass in the background. And Beyonce sat on the plastic chair behind me.

What's your best interesting fact?

Chickens can count.

Who is the funniest person you've ever worked with?

It pains me to say it, but Tim Key. He's a funny old chap. Also, he's quite curvaceous.

Find out more about Alex from his WEBSITE and TWITTER

THE STAR DEPARTMENT

2011-12-24T12:08:00.002Z

Antlers by the star department

Put down that mince pie, because it's disgusting and listen to the first taster track from The Star Department's debut album 'The Pea Green Boat'. Merry Christmas from me to you.

CHARLES HAMMOND JR.

2011-12-23T16:46:00.003Z

Hold tight for the new e.p from Charles Hammond Jr. Hitting us in 2012

JAMES BLAKE

2011-12-22T22:57:00.003Z

This track has been around for a while, but the video has just been released. An absolutely stunning song; when he played it live he enchanted the room.

RATIGAN

2011-12-21T12:43:00.004Z

If someone asked me what America would sound like (they do ALL the time, honestly), then I'd play them a bit of Ratigan. Ratigan is the brainchild of Providence Rhode Island born, Patrick Higgins, and his tracks are infused with reverb and this creates an intimate garage crafted sound, that screams of the 90s. Laid back tones and lazy riffs culminate in a mellow, effortless record. Standout track is 'French Kiss', grab the album for free from the bandcamp.

Fortune Metal by Ratigan

CB

2011-12-21T00:55:00.002Z

Charles Bradley "The World (Is Going Up In Flames)" - Feat. Menahan Street Band from Daptone Records on Vimeo.

Not a massive fan of the attire in the video, but this was played at the end of Top Boy and I rate it.

HYPERMAGIC

2011-12-13T18:56:00.006Z

I've never been hypnotised, but I did find myself bordering on a trance-like state as I stared at Hypermagic's cover art and listened to new album 'Sugar'..Derren Brown is missing a trick. The production on this record is tight and intricate; I like interesting music and Hypermagic creates tracks brimming with content and this culminates in a rich, thoughtful album. Big fan of this, watch this space!

First off, where are you in the world right now and what're you working on?

East of England. Recently moved away from London and back into the sticks. Just working on more recordings and ideas.

Could you give a brief Hyper Magic history?

Spent quite a while working with an improv/free-noise collective, and started to miss playing with melodies and lush chords. Started experimenting using feedback loops reverbs and "noise" to build tunes. Really wanted to combine drone, feedback and old-style beats to make nice songs.

Who did you grow up listening to?

Everything and anyone with a guitar. After that the most obvious references would be MoWax, post-rock and noise/improv, but I've been through pretty much every phase and fad there is. Music from skate videos might actually be the biggest unsung influence!

Tell us a bit about the most recent song you've written.

Lasso was an experiment, like they all are. I fumble with odd guitar tunings until something lodges in the brain-ear. Sometimes the beat comes first, but songs don't ever get going until there's at least a few layers of badly-tuned guitars.

What's the strangest subject you've ever written a song about?

I don't write lyrics, they don't mean anything to me.

What would you say was the perfect environment or situation to listen to your music in?

Watching Tom Penny skateboarding.

What other artists are you into at the moment?

A Grave With No Name, Odd Nosdam and his associates, Corsano/Flowers duo, Glockenspiel, Our Love Will Destroy The World, Jack Rose. Suggestions gratefully received...

Where would you love to tour?

The caribbean and south pacific. Maybe south america.

Finally, what's next for you, future plans and such?

Been chatting with a drummer about doing hpmgc live, but its tricky. Would love to do this as a band instead of a studio thing. More recordings in the meantime.

Get over the BANDCAMP for more tunes.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://hypermagic.bandcamp.com/album/sugar"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Sugar by Hypermagic&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

TREE

2011-12-12T11:47:00.003Z

Just received this gem from Oliver Nickell, AKA Tree and it's the best thing I've heard for a while. Bursting with creativity and ideas, this Tree is full of gifts ripe for the picking.

tree - Stuck Down The Wrong Rabbit Hole (ft. Beat Culture & Lena Kuhn) FREE! by tree!

LUKE ARTHUR

2011-12-09T17:56:00.002Z

Check out the sublime short film from Luke Arthur, accompanied by the sounds of 65daysofstatic.

Plug in your headphones, turn up the volume, switch off the lights, be patient and hope for the best.

STRINGS

2011-12-05T17:16:00.002Z

DEVIATION STRING QUARTET: LIL WAYNE - NIGHTMARES OF THE BOTTOM // DRAKE - HEADLINES from Deviation on Vimeo.

3:38 Wow

STEFALOO

2011-12-03T15:00:00.003Z

It's difficult to contemplate how 'Wake me up before you go-go' by Wham could be any more astounding, but Stefaloo's covers album rises to the challenge and makes you melt a bit in the process. I can't embed the e.p, but follow the link....a jitterrrrbug.

COVERS ALBUM

MOSES GOLD

2011-12-01T16:09:00.002Z

Stumbled across this, good stuff.

<a href="http://mosesgold.bandcamp.com/track/stay-positive-radio-one-session">Stay Positive - Radio One Session by Moses Gold</a>

DJ SHADOW / ROBOTAKI

2011-11-27T18:59:00.002Z

DJ Shadow - Scale It Back feat. Little Dragon (Robotaki Remix) by Robotaki

Listen to this and more stuff like it on my radio show. The second half is my set so go delve in.

'We can't think of a pun'. 3nd radio show 25/11/11 by lauracooper90

DRAKE / STAR SLINGER

2011-11-22T12:26:00.002Z

Drake - Over My Dead Body (Star Slinger Remix) by vibetothis

Vibe.

WE CAN'T THINK OF A PUN

2011-11-20T10:43:00.002Z

Listen to our second radio show, which involves Cliff Richard, nuff said.

'We can't think of a pun'. 2nd radio show 18/11/11 by justbeaperson

GIRAFFAGE

2011-11-17T15:40:00.005Z

What did 17/11/11 have to offer? Well, aswell as finding out Bieber unfortunately probably ain't a baby daddy, Charlie Yin, under the alias of Giraffage has dropped his new album ' Comfort' and boy it's good. Download it from bandcamp

&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://giraffage.bandcamp.com/album/comfort"&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Comfort by Giraffage&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

ALECKS AUCLAIR

2011-11-15T18:36:00.002Z

JUSTBEAPERSON bro Alecks Auclair is back with a boom; his new e.p 'Leaving' is fantastic and I can't get enough. Why not overdose on this album aswell and grab it from the bandcamp.

<a href="http://awklr.bandcamp.com/album/leaving">Leaving by Alecks Auclair</a>

CHAD VALLEY

2011-11-13T11:24:00.002Z

Been listening to loads of Chad Valley recently and this track especially is a delight.

Chad Valley - Now That I'm Real (How Does It Feel) by Posh Magazine

WE CAN'T THINK OF A PUN

2011-11-11T11:38:00.005Z

Debut radioshow at 8 a.m this morning, that's right 8 O'CLOCK! We survived somehow and you can catch my music selection in the second half of the hour long slot. Annoyingly, we have to play 3 songs from the set playlist, but we managed to pick out some alright ones.

'We can't think of a pun.' Debut radio show 11/11/11 by justbeaperson

FRIENDLY FIRES / TENSNAKE

2011-11-06T20:41:00.003Z

Freshhhhh

SACRED ANIMALS

2011-10-30T18:50:00.003Z

Hold tight, because of me being shit, this Q&A is a bit dated, so try and pretend it's May...wow I can't believe Sean Kingston crashed that jet-ski, can you? I introduce Sacred Animals, fronted by the immensely talented Darragh Nolan, whose emotive tones lull and croon and are simply gorgeous. I'll let the music do the talking because I'll just be bombarding you with superlatives as usual, but remember the name Sacred Animals, stunning. Sacred Animals collaboration with Ownesie, 'Cat and Mouse' was released October 24th and you can listen after you've read about the band, or whilst reading, go wild.

First off, where are you in the world right now and what're you working on?

I'm at home in Gorey, which is in the South East of Ireland. I'm in my little bedroom studio place working on some new tunes...

Could you give a brief Sacred Animals history?

I've been in a couple of bands before, the one prior to this was a 4 piece indie guitar band & I got to a point in the end where I just wanted to do something a bit different, regroup so to speak on my own & see what happens, with little or no pressure. The tendency when you write with a group of others is to all start playing at the same time to work out parts but sometimes in that process the songs get a little lost & I wanted to try building from the song up as opposed to anything I had been used to prior to Sacred Animals. I wrote a few tunes that would become the 'Welcome Home' EP while figuring out the sound using the instruments I had available, guitar, rhodes, drums.... I knew I wanted it to be semi-electronic but organic, giving the songs room to breathe, arrangement-wise. The name came around that time too... jumped out of the music.

Who did you grow up listening to?

The first thing I discovered in my dad's musical collection that had any impact was a Beatles compilation that had 'I Am The Walrus' on it. Listening to that on vinyl pumped up real loud with those crunchy drums, that driving electric piano, the almost nonsensical lyrics & the general weirdness that oozed from it was pretty much the first time I heard anything that was outside the box musically. It really opened my ears so to speak. There was also a lot of country records in the collection but Johnny Cash was a part of that so that was cool too..

Tell us a bit about recent offering 'Welcome Home'.

It was pretty much what came out of the whole finding my feet thing at the beginning, figuring out as I go. I still am I guess, maybe you always are... Chosen Seed was recorded first & kinda defined what came after it a bit. Welcome Home, the track came last but lyrically seemed to encapsulate the vibe of the EP so became the title of the EP. I prefer not to explain what songs are about in general for a few reasons. I think it can limit the listening experience if you have a stone image in you head of where the song is coming from, but if it's left a little open it can click at some point, maybe after years of listening & become something more powerful as it resonates with the listener. I think it's way more important for the music to move the listener than for the writer to put his or her cards on the table...

Having said that the term 'Welcome Home' is about finally finding your feet.

What's the weirdest thing you've ever written a song about?

Oh god, that's a tough one. I can only really write from emotional experience so every lyric has a base deep within, whether I realise it or not when writing. I'll always know when a song is shaping itself what it's about because the subconscious or whatever it is that is writing through you usually knows. Your conscious mind hasn't a clue, it's just the steering wheel. I guess the songs that I don't remember fondly because of their lyrical content are ones where I write from an angry place, giving out about someone through song. It's not good to be remembering anger. So the weirdest would be me giving out shit about someone in song. Delightful, & probably not that weird.

Are there any specific themes or sources of inspiration you find yourself revisiting often when making music?

That's a good question because you'd imagine with only one mind & your seemingly cyclical thoughts to go on you'd end up writing a load of songs about the same things. Turns out I don't, or haven't anyway... Maybe because you're in a completely different place (metaphorically) every time you write a song that the perspective you have on any situation is different each time. I have wondered about this myself before though, I often wondered when I'd start repeating myself. It' hasn't happened yet though.

What would you say was the perfect environment or situation to listen to your music in?

I don't listen to my own music so it's hard to know in all honesty. I listen to my favourite albums in the car, it tends to be my little sanctuary where I'm alone with my thoughts. If it's a good album it'll sound good in a car. I mean in a dreamworld where you could have anything you wanted the perfect & most romantic environment would be a large room with high ceilings, wooden floors, a record player & some really nice speakers. Somewhere you could lie on the ground & pore over the details of the album cover inside & out on a giant cosy rug, lie down, close your eyes & immerse yourself in the sound.

Where would you love to tour?

I think the US & Canada have the most appeal for me tour-wise. I think musically I have more in common with what's going on over there, or maybe I just tend to listen to more of what you guys produce. We have been over for one short tour already in March but look forward to coming back & meeting more people, playing with more amazing bands & hanging out..

Finally, what's next for Sacred Animals, future plans and such?

We're looking at doing a single or a split 7" pretty soon & then going for an album, which might take a little while to complete. It's all up in the air at the moment, which is the exciting part, never really sure where the next week will take you. Nice places hopefully...

WEBSITE FACEBOOK TWITTER SOUNDCLOUD

Sacred Animals VS Owensie // Cat & Mouse from Feel Good Lost on Vimeo.

LUSHLIFE

2011-10-24T20:53:00.002+01:00

Download the amazingly delicious Lushlife album from the bandcamp. This has genuinely made my day considerably better.

<a href="http://lushlifemedia.bandcamp.com/album/no-more-golden-days">No More Golden Days by Lushlife</a>

COLLEGE

2011-10-20T01:02:00.003+01:00

I've just witnessed the cinematic perfection that is, Drive. It really was something special and hey Ryan Gosling, you will be mine. Think I need to sit, alone in a darkened room, with a stiff vodka to get over some of the more grizzly bits, but maybe I should just man up..Ryan won't be impressed. The film had a sublime soundtrack and this was the standout by College.

College feat. Electric Youth - A Real Hero by College

UNDERWATER SEACREATURES

2011-10-16T19:24:00.005+01:00

Rich, soothing and full of depth (deep water, GET IT? ). Underwater Seacreatures have perfected the vintage 80s sound that reverberates within glo-fi, lo-fi, toe-fi, crow-fi, whatever you want to call it, so much at the moment. Their latest e.p is a dexterous, seductive effort, that is consistently strong throughout. They're perfect to put on in the background, but you'll find their hypnotic tones floating into your forefront regardless. A top album, can't wait to hear more.

First off, where are you in the world right now and what're you working on?

Us: Us is currently in the U.S. right now. Nathan, Marcos and Beans are in Richmond, Virginia attending Virginia Commonwealth University. We are all working on finishing Women, our first official album, and a couple miscellaneous tracks and remixes in between releases to reward fan loyalty as we gain a larger following. We really are very grateful for the response that we’ve had on the Internet in such a short time. It seems that a lot of people like what we do when they’re exposed to it, so we’ve been working on ways we can simply expose more people to our music, like re-edits of old movies or small-budget videos. At the moment our edit of the cult-classic Blade Runner to our song Shudder To Think has garnered the most attention out of our songs on YouTube. However, that was our first foray into video/editing and hardly our most popular song overall. It really just goes to show music + video is more viral a forum. We hope to continue making videos and to distinguish ourselves in time through the juxtaposition of our visual ideas and music.

Could you give a brief Underwater Seacreatures history?

Us: We met through a mutual friend in Richmond while attending Virginia Commonwealth University. At the time we were both making music so we connected in that aspect. We began jamming frequently, making mainly hip hop but sometimes playing guitar and saxophone along to our productions just for fun. In the summer of ‘09 we were introduced to chillwave/glo-fi which, as soon as we heard, we both knew we wanted to transition to. It just seemed to fit so much more, and so Us began.

Who did you grow up listening to?

Nathan Keeys: At the age of 3 I heard raffi….changed my life forever. LOL jk I grew up listening to a lot of my parent’s music as a kid: Stevie wonder, MJ, Pointer Sisters, Sade. Moving into high school I was big into The Neptunes/N.E.R.D and that whole Virginia Beach movement.

Marcos Da Silva: At the age of 5 I heard Jordy, back in Venezuela... and he really did change my life forever haha! Seriously he was a sensation over there, "Dur dur d'être bébé" was insanely popular as I was growing up, and he was my age, like five years old. You should google him if you’re curious. I still have that red cassette, and sometimes listen to it, despite still not understanding it. Music wasn’t always about understanding the lyrics to me, of course I was into all sorts of popular spanish artists at the time, but I wouldn’t have had an interest in American recording artists if a lyrical understanding was what struck me first about music. It’s actually pretty funny now in hindsight, grown-ass Venezuelans singing along to like...Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” both truly enjoying themselves and truly having no idea just what the hell they were saying whatsoever. I guess you could say I was most influenced by a personal fascination with pop music at large, worldwide, and some of my parent’s gems like Mecano, Illan Chester, Ricardo Arjona, Oscar De Leon, Franco De Vita, Ricardo Montaner, Karina, Kiara, and others in that vein.

Tell us a bit about the most recent song you've written.

Nathan Keeys: We've just finished a song that will be dropping before the album along side an autumn-esque music video. The song is simply called So Shy. There’s a constant dilemma where there are two girls who are just as attractive but one always gets more of the attention because shes more umm ..aggressive. Personally, I’ve always been genuinely attracted to those modest girls. In saying that, the song is my thoughts on that “shy” girl.

What's the strangest subject you've ever written a song about?

Nathan Keeys: Our subjects are pretty much feelings and events in our life. For the most part they’re normal happenings…but at times can be weird as shit. I’d say the strangest subject I’ve written about was “nothing”. Describing nothing is a task but I was doing nothing at the time so…I felt it. lol

Marcos Da Silva: I think every subject we write about is pretty strange honestly. In my opinion, I think it’s kind of a strange thing in the first place to sort of translate emotion into music. People usually are used to music making them feel a certain way, but trying to imbue your emotions onto something that doesn’t exist, out of thin air is particularly mystical to me. I’m always sort of surprised when it happens and is accurate. Particularly, with the more complex emotions that we experience. Even when they’re common. Things like, uncertainty, regret, nostalgia, lost innocence, the transition into adulthood, coming home after college, they’re things that most of us, if not all of us, experience and are thus universal, but the part where you communicate what that feels like to you, specifically and accurately, so that others recognize it and feel it too in themselves? I think that process is sort of magical and strange, because its more individual and private than anything else.

What would you say was the perfect environment or situation to listen to your music in?

Nathan Keeys: Waking up to a song you love is pretty nice.

Marcos Da Silva: Stoned. Definitely stoned. The EP anyway, it’s very placid, it sort of lends itself to that. It’s like a lazy summer’s day/night in its entirety.

What other artists are you into at the moment?

Nathan Keeys: Toro y moi and Neon Indians new albums are genius. I just heard Twin Sister’s album In Heaven and I love the stereolab feel…and Andrea Estellas voice lol.

Marcos Da Silva: I definitely agree, also the new m83 is pretty epic, the new Cool Kids is awesome, I’ve recently been craving a lot of Tribe Called Quest randomly, our friend Modern Humanist is doing some great work and coming up with a remix of “Speak Up” which should definitely turn some heads, and honestly almost every.time. we get fucked up we listen to Watch The Throne... that shit cray.

Where would you love to tour?

Nathan Keeys: So many places..Japan is a definite tho.

Marcos Da Silva: Yea seriously, where wouldn’t we love to tour. I’ve always been particularly curious about France. Their electronic music scene has always seemed one step ahead of everyone else, it makes me wonder if this is a cultural phenomenon. I’ve also always been curious about Portugal, because my Venezuelan family is actually originally from the island of Madeira.

Finally, what's next for you, future plans and such?

Us: At this time we’re finishing up the upcoming album Women and perfecting our live performing. We’re also planning on coming out with a few music videos so keep an eye out. =]

FACEBOOK BANDCAMP TWITTER

&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://underwaterseacreatures.bandcamp.com/album/ep"&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;EP by Underwater Seacreatures&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

CHILDISH GAMBINO

2011-10-16T14:30:00.000+01:00

All The Shine by Childish Gambino

CIVIL CIVIC

2011-10-11T23:39:00.003+01:00

You may recall (you won't) all the way back in May last year, I featured a band for the first time. Civil Civic have gone from strength to strength and with the release of their new album, I proposed a catch-up with a metaphorical cup of tea and maybe a biscuit too. Their music can set your pulse into 'overdrive', so if you're elderly, you've had your warning and the anthemic nature of their music makes mundane tasks, such as listening whilst driving your car feel like you're in a police chase or something. The album 'Rules' has been released today, grab it, get it, gain it.

What's going on for you at the moment in terms of projects and where are you in the world?

Right now we're getting ready to hit the road and make noise at people, because we are about to release our debut album, which is destined to become a timeless classic which will be cherished by music lovers for generations. The first single has already been chosen as the official anthem for the 2012 Olympic Games!

How has your summer been? Any standout gigs or festival sets?

Summer was "radical" and "gnarly". Some of our gigs in France were truly historic. Evreux, Bordeaux, Limoges...they all kicked in their own individual ways.

Our set at the Indie Rocket festival in Italy was pretty memorable too. You can read about it here.

Tell us a bit about recent track, 'Street Trap'

It's fast and riffy and has a cool explode-o chorus. It was written for us by the famous Nashville song-smith Roger Murah, who has written ten U.S number 1 hits, including "It Takes a Little Rain" by The Oak Ridge Boys.

Who are you listening to and enjoying at the moment?

The Oak Ridge Boys are at the top of the playlist right now.

And finally, what's next, what does the near future hold?

We're trying to figure that out now. Making a couple of videos and possibly working on new material are two of the things on the agenda, but personally I'll just be grateful to survive this tour.

FACEBOOK TWITTER

&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://civilcivic.com/album/rules"&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;RULES by CIVIL CIVIC&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

REAL ESTATE

2011-10-10T23:14:00.002+01:00

So Real Estate's new album is out 17th October, which enthralls me and I thought I'd post up this The Strokes (they would so be called 'Strokes' if they formed now) cover that they did back in July. Oh and read a past Q&A with them if you want.

Real Estate - Barely Legal (The Strokes Cover) by pillowjungle

ALECKS AUCLAIR

2011-10-08T17:57:00.003+01:00

Alecks Auclair hails from California, but his tracks are far from sunny. His sound is heavy, accompanied by intricate, delicate melodies throughout, creating cloudy layers with neat production. They're pensive songs, that possess an other worldly quality, making you want to pull a few shapes but simultaneously lulls you with a sedative bite. A really talented artist, the outlook is bright.

Could you give a brief Alecks Auclair history?

Born and raised in California, i started making beats and loops, mainly ambient trance like stuff around 2007 when i wasnt jamming with bands, i was making stuff under the moniker YOTO. i actually released a ep back then but i dont think anyone really heard it lol. the area i was in was mainly driven towards metal and indie stuff so it was hard for me to get out there for a bit.

around 2009 i started really focusing on things, 2010 moved to los angeles. and that really affected my outlook on electronic music, i actually saw that there was a huge demographic of people that were into this stuff as much as i was ha! it was a real trip, got me motivated.

Who did you grow up listening to?

i heard so much growing up from my parents, lot of 80s LA Punk stuff, and 80s rock, nina hagen, erykah badu, the rat pack, a ton of psychedellic/folk music from the 70s. I remember specifically loving alot of the rap of that time, Young Mc, Biz Markie, Beastie Boys, and of course michael jackson. i played "bad" everyday almost everyday. the come to daddy video for aphex twin also blew my little mind. Nirvana was definitly my favorite band when i was a kid, as a teenager i was really into hardcore and post hardcore, i think it was my junior year i discovered aphex twin again and just fell in love with idm and ambient music.

Tell us a bit about the most recent song you've written.

i actually seem to write best in threes. but the one i just recently worked on had a susumu hirasawa sample from the paranoia agent soundtrack, ive been really into anime soundtracks lately. its a kind of traveling track, perfect for driving montages. every song i do, i learn something new, i make a point to do that, i want the listener to grow up with me, as cheesy as that sounds.

What's the strangest subject you've ever written a song about?

i was in this experimental hardcore band "Of Forty Thieves" and we had a song called red sonja, that was about a prostitute that frequented the pizza place we worked at. her name was sonja and she was really gnarly, so we named it after the female counterpart of conan the barbarian, seemed appropiate. Besides that, probably this awesome song about dominoes me and my friend roxy wrote, its about dominoes and masturbation, dont ask. hah

What would you say was the perfect environment or situation to listen to your music in?

Anything Late at night, intimate talks bout very unintimate things, Tapping into the greater consciousness and bike rides.

What other artists are you into at the moment?

Lapalux is killing it right now, Kastle, Aker, Susumu hirasawa, Millions, The Notwist, and The cars.

Where would you love to tour?

Northeast, canada and new england, that would be too cool for words. that or the uk! i just really wanna get out there, which should be soon, i may end up getting on sxsw, which would be a great way to kick this off. but i need management!

Finally, what's next for you, future plans and such?

at the moment im workin on this ep/beat tape to share with the world and possibly gonna get onto the sxsw lineup, if not im still gonna tour the greater west coast next year. the ep is due out 11/11/11, and after that ill be focusing on the live set. Until then, its back to the headphones! thanks for talking with me, and stay rad!

Keep your eyes peeled for the release of Alecks Auclair new e.p, set to drop 11/11/11. You can listen to more at the BANDCAMP SOUNDCLOUD FACEBOOK TWITTER

Leaving (Rough Cut) by Alecks Auclair

††† - Bermuda Locke† (Auclair RMX) by Alecks Auclair

Homewardsound by Alecks Auclair

GIRAFFAGE

2011-10-07T19:28:00.002+01:00

Slow Magic - Sorry Safari (Giraffage Remix) by Giraffage

Absolutely lusssssshhhhhhhhh. I'm not Welsh and can't get away with saying that word, but it's appropriate.

GLITTER BONES / TWIN SISTER

2011-10-04T18:43:00.003+01:00

<a href="http://glitterbones.bandcamp.com/track/twin-sister-kimmi-in-a-rice-field-glitter-bones-remix">Twin Sister - Kimmi In a Rice Field (Glitter Bones Remix) by Glitter Bones</a>

Slick reworking of Twin Sister's latest single, grab it from the Glitter Bones Bandcamp.

BERMUDA BONNIE

2011-09-28T19:48:00.004+01:00

Real tight sounds coming from Rebecca Huston, the meistro behind Bermuda Bonnie. Gorgeous vibes being orchestrated and a particular highlight is the Sun Glitters remix, released in June, combining two of my most recent favourite artists. Boundaries don't exist within this music and the ideas depicted are ethereal and eclectic, listen, listen, listen!

First off, where are you in the world right now and what're you working on?

I have just moved in with a bunch of great people in the lovely hood known as Bushwick, BK, NYC, USA, Earth, etc... I just finished a second album called Drama soon to be released on cassette via my sweet new label, Chill Mega Chill Records. Now I am scurrying to finish a Halloween song for their first ever Chiller mix (bands from the label create Halloween awesomeness in the form of song on cassette). This song started out as a creepy story about the dibbik box but then morphed into a BB tale of revenge!

Could you give a brief Bermuda Bonnie history?

Bermuda Bonnie was once a girl with fear of everything, trapped in her little box of discontent. Then she discovered tiny doors behind paintings and all that changed. Now she runs wild in the fern forest where everything is florescent and dewy. And no one calls her a cheese head.

Who did you grow up listening to?

When I was younger I really hated current music. Only Creedence, Doors, Kinks, Syd Barrett, Who, Steve Miller.... Steely Dan!

Tell us a bit about the most recent song you've written.

I have started rapping. Well, not really. It feels a little like spoke word over beats...ish. I am truly obsessed with Fiery Furnaces and Of Montreal so the idea is to say a lot of words. And tell detailed stories. The third album will be pretty different I think....

What's the strangest subject you've ever written a song about?

Let's see... Well, the first song off the new album, Drama is called Aliens Lizza! It's about that thing of when you are chilling with a friend who tries to pressure you into going over to a guys house and make-out with him but you have never done that yet (junior high shit) and you are super weirded out about it because you don't want her to know you are scared but you really don't want to do it. Then an alien ship suddenly appear above you. Everyone goes though this at some point I know.

What would you say was the perfect environment or situation to listen to your music in?

In a car maybe.

What other artists are you into at the moment?

Yacht! And Twin Sister, Born Gold, Hourglass Sea, Kisses..... My new roommate just showed me a new song that is rad. They are called Phone Tag. Very nice sounds.

Where would you love to tour?

Everywhere!

Finally, what's next for Bermuda Bonnie, future plans and such?

I really want to write a proper "tropical" dancy, feel good song or a whole albums worth of them!

FACEBOOK TWITTER BANDCAMP

Invisible - Bermuda Bonnie from Kim Huston on Vimeo.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://bermudabonnie.bandcamp.com/track/houseboat-sun-glitters-remix"&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Houseboat (Sun Glitters Remix) by Bermuda Bonnie (remix by Sun Glitters)&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

SUMMER CAMP

2011-09-25T14:53:00.004+01:00

First of all, just look at Elizabeth Sankey's hair, it's lovely, I think she's my hair idol, that is all. We're a month away from the release of Summer Camp's debut album 'Welcome to Condale' (31st October, spooky) and it's a very aesthetically pleasing album cover, infact pretty much everything to do with the band is aesthetically pleasing. I was a fan of Jeremy Warmsley's solo stuff, I remember buying 'The Promise' when I was 16. Therefore, I was curious to listen to Jeremy's next project, as he teamed up with esteemed music journalist, Elizabeth Sankey. I've been aware of Summer Camp for a year or so but it's only fairly recently that the shroud of mystique and intrigue over their identities has been revealed; it's like Scooby Doo. Their music is blissful, light and romantic, with undercurrents of sharp wip and cynicism. 'Im better off without you' has been the catchiest song of my summer by far and you can't be blamed for floating along, unaware that the lyrics are saying something quite contrasting to what you'd expect.

Hi Laura!

> First off, where are you in the world right now and what're you working on?

We're in London! Elizabeth is doing some writing for hellogiggles.com
and Jeremy is working on a remix.

> Could you give a brief Summer Camp history?

Summer Camps were invented by Lord Baden-Powell in 1910. The first
summer camp was a total disaster, no-one came.....
Seriously though, in October 200 Elizabeth gave Jeremy a mix-tape
which included the song "I Only Have Eyes For You" by the Flamingos.
They thought it might be fun to record a cover version - Jeremy had
his own studio, although Elizabeth had never sung before. We recorded
it and put it online as a fake band, pretending to be seven Swedish
teens. Much to our surprise & delight, Transparent & Gorilla vs Bear
blogs immediately posted about it. We started writing songs and
playing gigs and here we are now.

> Who did you grow up listening to?

Gracelands by Paul Simon, Beethoven and the Stiff Records Christmas CD.

> Tell us a bit about recent offering 'Brian Krakow'.

It's the second track from our album "Welcome To Condale". Elizabeth
wrote it for Jeremy to sing and he put loads of really loud guitars on
it. It's from the point of view of this kid Brian who lives in
Condale. He thinks he's really cool and that the world owes him a
living, as they say, and he's full of confidence. He's a bit of a jerk
but everyone loves him. He's seeing this girl and she's really keen
but he's keeping her at arms length. The sod.

> What's the strangest subject you've ever written a song about?

Hmm.... We're funding our album with PledgeMusic
(pledgemusic.com/projects/summercamp) - people can pre-order the album
now & the money goes directly to paying off our production costs. One
of the things you could get alongside the pre-order was have us write
a song about or for you, which a couple of people have asked for. So
we wrote a song for a marketing dude's website, which was cool, and
then we've had a few people ask us write songs for their partner's
birthday or an anniversary. It's really sweet & it feels really nice
to be a part of people's lives like that.

> What would you say was the perfect environment or situation to listen to your music in?

Hmm, maybe on a long car journey starting your holiday? Or in a lift.
All music sounds good in lifts.

> What other artists are you into at the moment?

We love Fleetwood Mac, Theme Park, Emmy The Great and Fresh Maggots.

> Where would you love to tour?

We really wanna do a massive 3-month road-trip tour of the US. That
would be so much fun!

> Finally, what's next for the Summer Camp, future plans and such?

Well our album comes out in october - on Halloween in fact - so we're
mostly just planning for that. Apart from that, writing for album 2,
remixes, touring... all very exciting!

FACEBOOK TWITTER

Summer Camp - "Better Off Without You" from stereogum on Vimeo.

I Want You by Summer Camp

21

2011-09-23T12:09:00.001+01:00

It's my birthday today, so here's one of my favourite songs.

Marriage from Gold Panda on Vimeo.

WILD BEASTS

2011-09-22T15:56:00.002+01:00

Drown yourself in falsetto tones. New track from November bound single 'Reach a Bit Further'.

Wild Beasts - Thankless Thing by daftdreamy

GIRAFFAGE

2011-09-21T21:52:00.004+01:00

It’s such a pleasure to feature Giraffage, the project of San Francisco based, Charlie Yin, because the music he is making is heavily dominating my ear time at the moment and it deserves to be heard by many more ears. It’s slick, with a variety of interesting samples and underlying hip-hopesque beats. There’s a fresh sound that is reminiscent of Star Slinger and Gold Panda; Giraffage is metaphorically rubbing shoulders with these two chaps and matching them in terms of talent too, I'm predicting major movements.

First off, where are you in the world right now and what're you working on?

I’m in Berkeley, California right now simultaneously trying to earn my degree while working on my LP.

Could you give a brief Giraffage history?

I started Giraffage around May 2011, mostly because I wanted a clean break from the shimmering beeps and boops of my old project, Robot Science. The name comes from this crazy looking graffiti that I always pass every time I take the Caltrain.

Who did you grow up listening to?

We had a Yamaha keyboard that was loaded with all these MIDI preset songs. One of my earliest memories is me putting on this cheesy MIDI-esque rendition of Venus by Bananarama and rocking out hard. There were also a bunch of MIDI Beatles tunes that I really dug. MIDI sample tunes notwithstanding, I grew up in the 90s so I was really into Blink 182, Nirvana, shit like that.

Tell us a bit about recent offering 'Pretty Things'.

It’s an EP of four songs I made over the course of 2 weeks. I released it May 2011. It’s pretty sample heavy and it’s the first time I’ve used vocal samples in any of my music.

What's the strangest subject you've ever written a song about?

One of my new songs is about having an orgasm.

What would you say was the perfect environment or situation to listen to your music in?

In the middle of a gigantic field on an overcast cloudy day frolicking with the person that you love.

What other artists are you into at the moment?

I’ve had R. Kelly on repeat these past couple of days.

Where would you love to tour?

I’d love to tour Europe. I’ve never stepped foot in Europe before but I’m always hearing amazing things about it.

Finally, what's next for Giraffage, future plans and such?

I’m in the process of finishing up my debut LP entitled “Comfort” and that should be dropping sometime October. I’m also working on figuring out how to play live, so expect some shows and whatnot in the near future.

Grab the e.p and learn about Giraffage from bandcamp and facebook...and now twitter

Giraffage - A Bird in Hand from Drinking From a Hose on Vimeo.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://giraffage.bandcamp.com/album/pretty-things-ep"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Pretty Things EP by Giraffage&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

WHITE DENIM

2011-09-20T12:07:00.002+01:00

Hot Thought by WhiteDenim

New track from White Denim, a big ball of funk. Also, read past interview with them while you listen.

JAI PAUL

2011-09-19T12:51:00.004+01:00

New track from the elusive chap. Bit of bhangra for your Monday afternoon.

Jai Paul - Flip Out by ListenBeforeYouBuy

SPECTRALS

2011-09-18T15:45:00.002+01:00

Big fan of Leeds born, Spectrals. You wouldn't be mistaken for thinking this music originated from sunnier dispositions than the north of England, there's something very 60's America about it all. I don't like making this association cos it's like OH HE'S NORTHERN, WHO ELSE IS NORTHERN? ALEX TURNER, THAT'S THE ONE, HE'S NORTHERN, FROM THE MONKEY BAND..THEY BOTH SOUND NORTHERN AND THE SAME...but actually there's a comparable gruff tone, that's where the similarities end. I was reminded more of Belle & Sebastian and Best Coast. The new album 'Bad Penny' drops 17th October and one of the tracks is the humorous 'Big Baby'.

Spectrals - Big Baby by Spectrals

POOR SPIRITS

2011-09-16T20:19:00.004+01:00

Too Easy by Poor Spirits

Really digging this Poor Spirits track that I stumbled across yesterday, great build-up and progression, culminating in slick production and infectious beats.

FRIENDS

2011-09-16T18:00:00.003+01:00

Friends - I'm His Girl by LuckyNumberMusic

I really liked earlier realease 'Friend Crush' and this has been followed up by an equally strong second single by the Brooklyn band. They sound like a fusion of Warpaint and Blondie, with a pop vibe.

JAMES BLAKE

2011-09-15T18:27:00.002+01:00

James Blake - Not Long Now (Radio Rip) by Sound Injections

Chilling. YEP THAT'S A HOMONYMN.

TYCHO / TEEN DAZE

2011-09-14T13:29:00.001+01:00

Hours (Teen Daze Remix) by Tycho

Anything Teen Daze touches turns to gold and this Tycho remix is no exception.

PESTO, THE RIGHT CHOICE.

2011-09-13T18:12:00.006+01:00

After recently making a passing remark at a party about my contempt for pesto, I was faced with astonishment and bewilderment. The backlash I encountered, forced me to question my views on the popular condiment and I was offered a written testament by Josh Shortt, in order to persuade myself and fellow unenlightened friends, to let pesto into our lives for good. An impassioned plea I think you'll agree.

Josh Shortt

It recently came to my attention that there are people amongst us who are ready and willing to speak ill of the deliciously versatile treat that is pesto. As a pesto enthusiast I found this upsetting and was plunged into somewhat of an emotional turmoil. However, after a few hard hours of mulling this over in a dark room, I decided that instead of shunning these people from my day to day life, as a lesser man would have done, it was my obligation to educate them in the ways of pesto appreciation. It is my opinion that this negative feeling around pesto essentially stems from a lack of knowledge and understanding, creating a culture of mistrust and unease. In the interest of education here is a concise history and some nutritional information to help answer any questions people may have regarding pesto, its origin and how it can improve your life today.

Pesto is a sauce of Italian origin, specifically the northern region of Liguria. Pesto traditionally consists of basil, pine nuts, a blend of Italian hard cheeses and olive oil. The name pesto comes from the Genoese word pestâ which translates as pound or crush, this name comes from the original preparation process which involved the use of a mortar and pestle. There are many different variations of pesto; however the most popular versions are the original green pesto, red pesto with the addition of sun-dried tomatoes and red peppers and a French version known as pistou. While it is true that pesto is high in fat it should not be dismissed as unhealthy. It should be noted that the fat content in pesto is largely unsaturated fat, the healthier option when consuming high fat products. Pesto contains beneficial vitamins and minerals, the garlic and basil leaves in pesto contain vitamins A and C. Vitamin A is important for skin and eye health and vitamin C is important for supporting the immune system and generating collagen for skin repair. Pesto also contains Phosphorus and Potassium which is important for teeth and bone composition and heart beat regulation respectively.

As previously mentioned, pesto is considered to be a very versatile and dexterous condiment, lending its unique flavour to a vast variety of dishes. It is not just its range but the incredible ease at which it can be deployed that really makes pesto a firm staple. You can make a gourmet meal out of pasta, an onion, parmesan and a few spoonfuls of our green companion in a matter of minutes, making it universally popular from students to housewives. Although pasta is the most common use for pesto, it can be implemented in other recipes. You can create a simple yet delicious Alfredo sauce by melting pesto with cream or milk on a low heat; pesto also makes an excellent topping for an authentic Italian pizza. Pesto can also be used as a marinade for meat and goes especially well with chicken, it is also considered excellent for fish and seafood such as shrimp, as its delicate yet complex flavours do not over power it. Pesto can even be used as a replacement for more conventional condiments like mayonnaise, complimenting sandwiches and salads equally well if not better.

I sincerely hope that the information I have provided has gone some way to shine some light on this shadow on ignorance surrounding this delicious, versatile and undervalued food. To illustrate the joy that pesto could bring to your life, I leave you with the image of these two gentlemen enjoying their country’s finest export. Thank you and goodnight.

ACTIVE CHILD / CHAD VALLEY

2011-09-13T11:40:00.003+01:00

Active Child - “Playing House (Chad Valley Remix)" by Creeping Wave

I won't lie to you, I'm ever so slightly hungover, but this reworking of 'Playing House' is chilled and soothing and therefore momentarily makes me not want to kill myself.

TROPICS

2011-09-12T15:33:00.003+01:00

Really enjoying Tropics at the moment and great to hear Brit, Chris Ward, tearing up the scene and reassembling it in a tight package of psychedelic ambiance and enchanting synth. His album drops 19th September and thanks to hype machine, you can stream it. Will be interesting to see who ends up reading this, due to the inclusion of the term 'tight package'.

JAPANDROIDS / TEEN DAZE

2011-09-09T18:58:00.003+01:00

WET HAIR from more is more on Vimeo.

This is by no means new, but I'm compiling a load of songs for a party and I can't help but slip this in. Reminds me of so much stuff over the past year, for example, djing to an almost empty room; the crucial word being almost...the hilarious word being almost.

GLASSER / DELOREAN

2011-09-08T18:18:00.003+01:00

Glasser - Treasury of we (Delorean Remix) by deloreandanz

Only got around to listening to this properly today. I use this word sparingly, usually because it's frowned upon and you sound like a teacher trying to be cool, but this is 'funky'.

MEMORYHOUSE

2011-09-08T13:19:00.004+01:00

Memoryhouse e.p 'The Years' has been remastered and is set to be released by Sub Pop, complete with two new tracks

Memoryhouse - The Years EP by subpop

SUN GLITTERS

2011-09-07T15:58:00.004+01:00

I can confess to not having heard anyone music that Luxembourg has to offer before, but judging from the utterings of Sun Glitters, it's a country I'll be revisiting musically. Victor Ferriera's music can't help but aid existentialism and there's something celestial about it; glitches, echo and dub make for a neat, fresh sound that has no borders or barriers musically, it feels like it reaches far and goes on forever. It's easy to get lost in this music, as it pulls and pushes you with a dreamlike, distant quality, so bring a map. A favourite track of mine is 'Love me', it's so dope but haunting simultaneously and the video is trippy. There's resonance with Four Tet and Star Slinger here, but also How to Dress Well, a label for Sun Glitters is evading me, but that makes it even more endearing. I HIGHLY recommend a dip in this pool of disjointed melodies and cleanly crafted fluctuations.

First off, where are you in the world right now and what're you working on?

I'm living in Luxembourg and working as a graphic designer. I have a great family and trying to make great music! ;)

Could you give a brief sun glitters history?

Sun Glitters Is my new project since March 2011, it’s the chosen name for exploring new territories and expanding on my previous work.

Who did you grow up listening to?

There are so many! The most important one is My Bloody Valentine I think...

Tell us a bit about recent offering 'everything could be fine'.

I composed so many tracks since I started making music! This release is very special to me, it represents the transition between my old project and Sun Glitters!

What's the weirdest thing you've ever written a song about?

WOW... This is a very hard question! ;)

Every track has it’s own strange element. In nearly all my tracks, there are mistakes, though after listening to them further, they’ve evolved into something great!

It’s hard to answer this question properly as my music is about the everyday.

Are there any specific themes or sources of inspiration you find yourself revisiting often when making music?

Yes, my everyday life!

What would you say was the perfect environment or situation to listen to your music in?

I like listening to music when I'm driving, but for me, there isn’t a perfect environment or situation to listen to music! Any situation can be ideal, it depends on how you are feeling at any given moment and how you interpret the music at that particular time. An example of this can be heard when listening to 2 of my recent tracks; "things are" and "the wind caresses her hair", each have a more melancholic or morose sound, but this wasn’t my intentions when making them!

Where would you love to tour?

Everywhere where people would love to see me performing my tracks live! ;)

Finally, what's next for the sun glitters, future plans and such?

Playing live, meeting great people, doing great collaborations and continuing to work on my next release...

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://sunglitters.bandcamp.com/album/everything-could-be-fine"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;everything could be fine by Sun Glitters&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Sun Glitters - "Love Me" (Music Video) from Charles Griffin Gibson on Vimeo.

BANDCAMP

TWITTER

FACEBOOK

WEBSITE

Watch out for Sun Glitters remixes too and you can listen and download Sun Glitters sounds and learn more up above.

TOKYO POLICE CLUB

2011-09-06T18:21:00.002+01:00

Tokyo Police Club did a '10 covers in 10 days thing covering 10 years' challenge and the results are fun.

Tokyo Police Club: 10 Days, 10 Covers, 10 Years by TokyoPoliceClub

CASSIDA PAX

2011-09-05T18:48:00.003+01:00

<a href="http://cassidapax.bandcamp.com/album/sin-by-proxy-ep">Sin By Proxy EP by Cassida Pax</a>

This dropped in my inbox today and I was greeted with addictive riffs and reverb that made for a nice Monday morning treat.

BATHS

2011-09-05T09:59:00.003+01:00

Exit the Mine by bathsmusic

Apparently Will Wiesenfeld created this using an iPad, my dad's getting one so hopefully he'll come up with something similar. Full of layers and ambience, Baths continues to sound like no-one else.

MORITZ OBERHOLZER

2011-09-04T23:29:00.000+01:00

London Bus Tour from moritz oberholzer on Vimeo.

And I said I didn't wanna live in London.

KASSEM MOSSE

2011-09-03T16:43:00.002+01:00

BR Berlin #001 Kassem Mosse (live) from BOILER ROOM on Vimeo.

Grab a drink, wear a shirt, be German and pretend you were there.

HOW TO DRESS WELL / HOLY OTHER

2011-09-01T23:30:00.001+01:00

How To Dress Well - Take It On (Holy Other Remix) by TransparentRecs

Haunting.

TEETH

2011-08-31T13:01:00.002+01:00

Flowers by TEETH

Banging. Turn it up LOUD.

JAMIE XX

2011-08-30T23:46:00.001+01:00

Jamie xx Essential Mix by Young Turks

READING FESTIVAL

2011-08-30T01:47:00.016+01:00

Well, I can say that Glastonbury officially shits all over and in the mouth of Reading Festival. I always had an innate sense of knowing, but I now have empirical evidence and disabled feet to prove it. Too many hipster children, just because you have a shirt with a parrot on, it does not make you Tyler the Creator. However, I did thoroughly enjoy it and saw some great acts that I've been mad eager to see and some I haven't, but were good anyway. Thoughts are as follows..

Naked and Famous

This was the first band I saw. What a bunch of liars, they weren't naked or particularly famous, I'd never heard of them. I did recognise 2 of their songs though, they sounded identical to me and they were a tepid start to the festival, but entertaining nonetheless.

Metronomy

Well they were much better in a tent, which is what I concluded after watching them on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury. (What isn't better in a tent, is me as a person. Especially when the tent starts to leak during the night and you are sure there's a mole or a squirrel burrowing about by your head, which is lying on a makeshift pillow made out of a bag and mostly disappointment). They sounded so much better and are such a fun band to watch and continue to wear their white, glowing bra contraptions. They garnered a great reaction from the crowd, radiating infectious bouts of energy that thumped through the tent.

Yuck

Providing a perfect bout of grunge, synonymous with the state of everyone in the crowd. I've wanted to see Yuck for ages and they didn't disappoint; they make their performances seem effortless, without seeming nonchalent, just like they've just got out of bed 5 minutes earlier. Instilling Saturday with a slice of mellow.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zones

Still not sure if I witnessed the return of Christ or not, but Edward Sharpe sure knows how to rouse a crowd and his beardyness and white smock attire made me expect to see him handing out loaves. It was real special hearing 'Home' played live, almost made me get a bit emotional.

Cults

An absolute joy to see live, was really hyped to see this band, especially after they pulled out of Glastonbury for some reason. I was glad they played the Festival Republic Stage, it was relatively small and intimate. What the band possess in hair length, they definitely equate in talent (lots) and it was a tight, snappy set, which was better than I thought. I wasn't fully confident that the vocals would be upto scratch, but Madeline Follin nailed it.

The National

A confident, astute set, that seemed really epic (died a bit inside from using this word) against the backdrop of the setting sun. There's just something about Matt Berninger's voice that makes you imagine he's singing a personal soundtrack for you specifically.

Pulp

I always thought it was too late for me to like Pulp. Jarvis Cocker jokingly asked 'Who was here?' followed by 'Who was born?' in 1994, when Common People was performed for the first time; I think I've been intimidated by their longevity, so never decided to listen. There was some brief political comparison and reflection before Common People was played and it shook the crowd with the same relevance and intensity, as it did all those years ago. Cocker swaggered, crooned and displayed the wit and eloquence that continues to draw such enthusiastic crowds. 'Babies' was one of my favourite songs of the festival and the whole performance made me wish that I'd lived my teenage years to Pulp.

The Strokes

This is the band that I grew up to. 'Is this it' is such an iconic and special album for me; when I hear those songs it reminds me of my 15 year old crushes and thinking that front cover was an egg for ages, instead of a hand on a naked arse, because someone copied me the album and the front cover was too big for the case. I don't care that I'm gonna sound like a Justin Bieber twat, but it was almost a dream come true seeing them, and they didn't disappoint me. I can die a happy, happy woman.

Best Coast

During Best Coast, I began to question everything I have ever known and reassess my life, as I realised that standing next to me was the lanky, goth one from the latest series of Skins, I'm nearly 21 and SHOULD NOT recognise anyone from a programme aimed at 14 year olds..let alone find him fit. However, I quickly forgot about my new creepy, paedo, elderly persona and enjoyed Best Coast's performance immensely. Bethany Cosentino is a really charismatic and warm lead singer and it's nice to feel appreciated as a crowd. Thankfully during 'Boyfriend', (lyrics being: I wish he was my boyfriend, I wish he was my boyfriend) I managed to refrain from singing aloud and looking at Skins boy and being arrested.

Friendly Fires

Another flawless set. The 6th time I've seen them, but they just get better and better over time like a nice bit of funky, dancing cheese. If I was in a band I'd definitely dance like Ed, so I think he should get in touch with me and we can make sweet, sweet music and commit crimes against dancing forevermore.

TORO Y MOI / STARSLINGER

2011-08-22T11:42:00.003+01:00

Toro Y Moi - New Beat (Star Slinger Dancehall Mix) by Hypetrak

FUTURE ISLANDS

2011-08-21T14:59:00.002+01:00

Future Islands - Balance by thrilljockey

From 'On the Water', which drops October 4th.

THE WEEKND

2011-08-19T23:24:00.002+01:00

The Weeknd - The Zone by The_Weeknd

My favourite from the new The Weeknd mixtape, which you can get here

TENSNAKE

2011-08-17T14:02:00.004+01:00

Am so hooked on Tensnake at the moment. Was a massive fan of his Coma Cat remix last year and have been listening to his latest mix, which absolutely kills it, an obscene amount over the last few days and fitting lots of bedroom dancing into my schedule. Ironically, the picture above is also the facial expression I pull constantly whilst listening. Listen to the mix, which I can't recommend enough and enjoy recent offering, Something About You, which has lotsa mini people in it.

Live + Mix (Download from www.tensnake.com) by Tensnake

Tensnake - Something About You from Pondr on Vimeo.

TROPICS / BOTANY

2011-08-16T10:37:00.003+01:00

TROPICS - Mouves (Botany Remix) by Botany

VONDELPARK

2011-08-14T13:56:00.002+01:00

Really perfect stuff. Listen to the Boiler Room set down below too. I can't embed it for some reason, but visit the Boiler Room site and listen there. Predicting big movements.

BEWILDERBEAST

2011-08-13T10:32:00.001+01:00

We're a spoilt lot; not only have we been treated to superb e.p 'Slow it down' in February, but 'U Know' was dropped 19th June, culminating in a double dose of chillwave from BEWILDERBEAST this year. Based in York, Gus Beamish-Cook is one of the most exciting producers around. His music screams 80s; it's slick, outrageously bouncy and brimming with synth. I'm literally bopping away as we speak, yup that's right, BOPPING.

First off, where are you in the world right now and what're you working on?

On an island in the south of france called the Il de Re. Currently working on a new album for a different band I'm in (chalices of the past) to be released early september on the new label Rad Rit cassettes. It's currently called 'Peace 4 tha World 2.0'. I graduated a couple of weeks ago, so I'm pretty much on terminal holiday.

Could you give a brief Bewilderbeast history?

Bewilderbeast started off as a way of making music that wasn't at least 40% self-reflexive parody. Having said that, it's kind of a development of an ironic synth band I was in in high-school. I realised that I actually really liked the stuff I was supposed to be making fun of and decided it would be rad to try and do it in a semi -serious way. All of the stuff that I had loved and really connected to when I was younger couldn't really help but come out. I still beleive there's nothing better than a smooth jamming disco bassline.

Who did you grow up listening to?

In terms of what my parents introduced to me, the stuff that I've run with and has really made a serious impact on the way I think about and make music-

1) Talking Heads (especially 'Remain in Light')

2) Kraftwerk

3) Joni Mitchell

Also a lot of rad disco staples that my older brother introduced me to- Cerrone, Sylvester, Divine, Chic etc- along with a ton of industrial and EBM-Throbbing Gristle/Nitzer Ebb etc.

Tell us a bit about recent offering 'Slow it Down'.

Slow it Down is really just a collection of stuff that I made as a semi serious outlet for the disco side of my musical interests that is constantly fighting to get out. I was really surprised that anyone dug it, but getting it out and about has been pretty rad. The internet is awesome.

What's the weirdest thing you've ever written a song about?

For a while I was really obsessed with the idea of trying to write a track about dreams of 'the American Dream' from the perspective of a hopelessly culturally ignorant individual. I wrote three different tracks trying to capture that vibe(as Chalices of the Past), but as of yet haven't released any of them in any real format. I really liked the idea of a cultural 'dream' with an actual dream. It's kind of like the most laboured pun that ever could happen. I don't know why, but I still find it really funny.

Are there any specific themes or sources of inspiration you find yourself revisiting often when making music?

Any time I listen to Fox the Fox's track 'Precious Little Diamond', or 'I Want Your Love' by Chic, I'm reminded that everything I make is worthless and I need to try harder. Both tracks are perfect gems of disco magic. Having that kind of musical potency washing around really does a lot in terms of motivation.

What would you say was the perfect environment or situation to listen to your music in?

Train journeys, flights, car trips. Any kind of transport or motion.

Where would you love to tour?

Bhutan. Barely even a question. I really doubt that anyone there has heard my music, or ever would do, but it's always seemed rad as fuck. Seeing as only about 5% of people have the internet, it's unlikely I'll ever get asked to play there.

Finally, what's next for Bewilderbeast, future plans and such?

To actually make a bewilderbeast full length, rather than four or five track EPs.

Visit the BEWILDERBEAST bandcamp and grab the e.p here

EVENINGS

2011-08-12T17:43:00.004+01:00

&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://evenings.bandcamp.com/album/lately"&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Lately by Evenings&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Caught up with Evenings last year and am hyped to hear his return, with a sick new album 'Lately', tranquil and mellow; perfect summer listening.

BALAM ACAB

2011-08-12T12:17:00.002+01:00

BALAM ACAB - Apart by TriAngleRecords

That picture up there looks like you're about to get murdered, but that aside, this track gives a beautiful build up to the release of Balam Acab's forthcoming l.p WANDER/ WONDER on 29th August.

POOLSIDE

2011-08-11T12:04:00.000+01:00

PORCELAIN RAFT / MEMORYHOUSE

2011-08-10T14:52:00.002+01:00

Porcelain Raft- I Found A Way (Memoryhouse Remix) by prettypretty

Relaxxxxxxx

SOLIDARITY

2011-08-09T17:51:00.006+01:00

It’s difficult to comprehend the scale of events that have escalated over the past few days in London and beyond. It angers me that there is an unprecedented level of greed, but is
that what people are rebelling against in the first place? ‘We’re showing the police we can do what we want and this is the rich’s fault’, this in itself is disturbing, how does smashing in a charity shop exude or damage the rich in any way; it’s damaging their community and the good their community does. What I would say is, that the victimisation of a community doesn’t matter if an individual doesn’t feel involved or able to invest themselves into that community in the first place. The repercussions are irrelevant because the community and society at large offers them nothing anyway and whose fault is this? Parents? The police? Government? But, sometimes, there doesn’t have to be sociological justification for events, or a wider context, sometimes people are just arses. Feeling disillusioned, disconnected and disengaged doesn’t mean you go out and loot. Moral compasses are going haywire, deindividuation is rife. A really bad example, but one that portrays deindividuation well, is through the internet, for example on youtube comments or twitter accounts; because they are essentially untraceable and under the guise of an anonymous username, people feel like they can displace their true identity and act with another, in amongst a group of haters, they can say and do what they want. Look at London, opportunistic looting, moments of madness, where contrary to what’s being heard, it’s not just young, unemployed, black guys; there’s employees and graduates that have been charged. I’m not sure that people are making a point, it’s all been too rapid, sporadic and spontaneous to be driven by anything definite. I just hope that the EDL and bigoted Daily Mail readers don’t take this whole situation and let it confirm and fuel their stereotypes. And as a 20 year old, I don't like people jeopardising the already strained and tempestuous reputation of my generation. What can come from this is the chance for community and society to reclaim the streets and convey that the rioters are a MINORITY. Heroes are already going out and cleaning the streets with traditional British retort; the broom really is mightier than the sword. Look at the pictures up there, this is London, this is Britain.

TEEN DAZE

2011-08-08T15:49:00.004+01:00

The new Teen Daze record, 'A Silent Planet' drops tomorrow on Waaga Records. Have pretty much drooled over everything that has been released by him, so this looks set to continue the theme, if free download 'Surface' is anything to go by anyway. This track has been around for a couple of months, but I thought I'd refresh it, seeing as it's the 8th.

Teen Daze - Surface by warszawarecords

You can pre-order and grab the album tomorrow at the Teen Daze bandcamp

WATCH THE THRONE

2011-08-08T12:48:00.003+01:00

Jay-Z & Kanye West ft. Beyonce - Lift Off from XOXOXOXOXOXO on Vimeo.

Really enjoying the new album from the Kings, Kanye West and Jay-Z. Especially this track, very anthematic.

TWITTER

2011-08-07T21:11:00.002+01:00

TWITTER

Follow me...in an internet context.

AIR FRANCE

2011-08-06T13:31:00.004+01:00

I love Air France (as professed many times here), they're one of my favourite bands and I'm excessively pleased to hear their new track, which has been mixed by Star Slinger....what a sexy combination.

Air France - It Feels Good To Be Around You by download405

GOLD PANDA

2011-08-05T14:23:00.002+01:00

Ghostly Presents: Gold Panda from Ghostly International on Vimeo.

Interesting little interview with genius, Gold Panda. Watch this space for justbeaperson and Gold Panda developments.

BEST COAST

2011-08-05T11:39:00.004+01:00

A rough demo ( i like it how it is) of some new Best Coast stuff that'll be on their second album, awooo. Can't embed it so you'll have to pay a visit to the clouds. Update: it is there.

Best Coast "How They Want Me To Be" by Yoshiradio

NEON INDIAN

2011-08-04T16:55:00.001+01:00

Neon Indian - Polish Girl from Anastasia Marchal on Vimeo.

New track from forthcoming album Era Extraña.

FOUR TET

2011-08-03T13:48:00.002+01:00

Four Tet present for Fabric.

Locked (TEXT011) by Four Tet

PEPPER RABBIT

2011-08-02T22:01:00.004+01:00

To mark the release of their new album 'Red Velvet Snow Ball', I thought it'd be cool to catch up with Pepper Rabbit since their last interview in September. Their new album is streaming exclusively on hype machine before it's official release and it sounds funky fresh. Have a listen down below and see what Pepper Rabbit have to say about it.

So excitingly, Red Velvet Snow Ball has just started streaming on hype machine, tell us a bit about the album.

I'm happy it's finally being heard! We started writing and demoing those songs in February of 2010, and then went and recorded them last August. We finished mixing the Album last winter, and have been sitting on the final masters since March. So it's been 5 months of anticipation for people to hear it.

The album is more of a collaborative project than "Beauregard" because we started writing after I moved from Boston and into the same house with Xander in Los Angeles. We got to bounce ideas off each other during the writing process instantly . And unlike "Beauregard" this Album was recorded and mixed in a professional studio by producer Ryan Hadlock, at his beautiful hideout just north of Seattle, Bear Creek Studios.

What in your opinion, is the standout track?

My favorite track is the last song "Tiny Fingers" because it nicely sums up a lot of the musical themes and lyrical ideas heard throughout the album. But as for a stand out track, I would say "Murder Room" because it's our most straight up, up beat pop song.

How's your summer been going?

Good. Lot's of resting from our crazy past year in support of "Beauregard," and in preparation for our 8 week tour this fall. Xander's been helping out playing bass and keyboards for our friends band The Chain Gang of 1974, and I've been working with my girlfriend, Kathryn Baar, on demoing her debut album.

What's next for you both?

Pepper Rabbit is doing an extensive tour this fall in support of Red Velvet Snow Ball opening for our label-mates Braids. We'll be all over the U.S. and Canada starting in New York August 31st.

YOUTH LAGOON

2011-08-02T17:05:00.006+01:00

Youth Lagoon is definitely one of the most exciting artists to emerge and arouse my ears this year. Trevor Powers is the mastermind behind the whole operation and he sounds like a superhero, so deserves recognition for that alone. His music is full of echo and reverb and considering his first 3 tracks have been recorded in a garage they’re funking dope. I doubt that this will be the environment of choice for much longer cos this progressive, emotive lo-fi is really leading the way and a perfect complement to these warm summer evenings. Likenesses to Perfume Genius and Bon Iver are rife, but Youth Lagoon has forged a deep and dreamy direction of his own. I heard ‘Cannons’ back in the olden times (April) and it had such an impact, that it’s still my most played tune in 2011. This song was followed up with ‘July’ and ‘Montana’, which satisfied the Youth Lagoon craving nicely and showed a consistent ability to create beautiful, melancholic, hopeful music. I posted Cannons way back, but I've been useless and should've had this interview ready in May, but obviously I've been listening to Cannons too much instead... The debut album ‘Year of Hibernation’ is out 27^th September, so hyped for that.

First off, where are you in the world right now and what're you working on?

I'm located in Boise, Idaho and I'm working on getting ready for tour. Just a lot of practicing and appreciating my time at home.

Could you give a brief Youth Lagoon history?

YL started about a year ago. I had played in all kinds of different bands throughout high school, but eventually just wanted to break away from this box I found myself in. My music tastes have changed drastically since high school. (laughs) I started listening to oldies but goodies like Cocteau Twins and really just found myself being influenced by the mindset of lo-fi recording techniques and really capturing emotion and real-ness in music. And that's when Youth Lagoon started.

Who did you grow up listening to?

I grew up being a big Elvis fan, and also discovered the Beach Boys when I was about 9. ;)

Tell us a bit about the most recent song you've written.

The most recent song is one called "Sounds like a Riot" and it's really just about laying in bed and playing back life in your mind. And it questions what the word 'love' means. I always thought I knew what it meant.

What's the weirdest thing you've ever written a song about?

When I was in junior high, I wrote a song with a friend that was about a bald man who lives on the beach and listens to N'SYNC. Yup..

Are there any specific themes or sources of inspiration you find yourself revisiting often when making music?

The most things that are truly the most inspiring to me to write songs are life events. Basically everything I write is personal so when I have anything happen in my life, it always ends up turning into a song. Or multiple songs.

What would you say was the perfect environment or situation to listen to your music in?

Someone told me it would be the perfect music for someone to listen to as they walk to their first class on their first day of college. It's the fall, and they just moved from their home state where the love of their life still resides. Everything is new and they have all kinds of anxiety and apprehension about what the future holds, but instead of listening to those fears, they just keep walking.

Where would you love to tour?

EVERYWHERE!

Finally, what's next for Youth Lagoon, future plans and such?

Touring everywhere. The album drops on September 27th so I'm going to be touring in support of that a lot.

Youth Lagoon - Cannons from Trevor Powers on Vimeo.

Youth Lagoon - July from pat fairbairn on Vimeo.

Youth Lagoon - Montana from dean jagger on Vimeo.

STRAY KITES

2011-08-01T13:02:00.003+01:00

&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://straykites.bandcamp.com/album/mieux"&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Mieux by Stray Kites&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

JUSTBEAPERSON friends, Stray Kites are back with a vengeance. Releasing their new full-length album, Mieux. Mieux is French for 'better' and already this album is sounding more confident and assured than their last featured effort One Day, Earth Time. They continue to grow musically, whilst retaining the rawness and sincerity that makes their music appealing.

Get the album here

TORO Y MOI / CUT COPY

2011-08-01T12:53:00.001+01:00

Blink And You'll Miss a Revolution (Toro Y Moi Remix) by cutcopymusic

TOM VEK

2011-07-31T11:59:00.001+01:00

Tom Vek - Aroused from Alcohulk on Vimeo.

Sick video.

LUNICE

2011-07-30T18:32:00.000+01:00

LUNICE - Guardian (The Fader Premier) by LuckyMe Music.Art.Parties

Chilled.

FRISKY AND MANNISH

2011-07-30T14:59:00.004+01:00

It’s not often you come across a mixed sex comedy duo, try and think of one… LONG DRAMATIC PAUSE…told you (please don’t say the Krankies). That’s why it’s most refreshing to stumble across Frisky and Mannish, paving the way for cross-genital funny partnerships everywhere. However, the fact they are a guy and a girl is by far, not the most appealing part of their act. Laura Corcoran and Matthew Jones are outrageous, audacious and loud, re-working well known pop songs into their own cheeky bundles and just generally taking the piss out of some of the already hilarious lines in pop songs. And it’s a nice bonus that they both have fantastic voices. I’m still waiting for someone to highlight the fact that Eliza Doolittle seemed to release a song earlier this year about getting a prescription from her G.P ‘Oh, Mr Medicine, I will take anything, what do you recommend?’.

They are Radio 1 connoisseurs and Edinburgh festival darlings, who continue to sell out shows and have this year been rightly so, moved onto a more accommodating stage which will showcase their act with even more glamour, sparkle and dazzle.

What's going down in Frisky and Mannish town at the moment?

All kinds of things! We've just started touring again, we're writing the third show, working on some short scripts that have been commissioned, updating the website, selling our lovely new CD everywhere we can, and perhaps most excitingly, starting to sort out our brand new costumes for the next show. We're poss going a bit more uber-fashion with a crazily talented young designer, so we are beyond excited.

Tell us a bit about how you got into comedy and any tips?

We didn't really mean to get into comedy! We started with just messing around for ourselves and our friends, and then worked on the cabaret/burlesque circuit, hence our image, characters and strong musical element. We consider ourselves as much, if not more, a neo-cabaret act, but we have always been about the funny. For people getting started, we'd just say get out there. There are a billion open-mic nights, and clubs with open spots, and competitions are also a good place to learn your stuff. Not that we did that. We're awful at competitions, just dire. We've never won a bean.

Guilty music pleasure?

We have no guilt about any musical indulgence, be it Rogers and Hammerstein or Stock, Aitken and Waterman (roughly equivalents in their respective times, I think).

What are your favourite ever comedies?

Nighty Night, and indeed anything the almighty Julia Davies does, and similarly pretty much anything by Chris Morris - The Day Today, Brasseye, Jam, Nathan Barley, etc.

Is there a musician or band that has consistently featured throughout your life as a source of inspiration and sensory delight?

We're both enormous fans of Kate Bush. She was completely fearless, and wrote amazing self-contained fantasies in all her songs. She's everything - composer, lyricist, producer, storyteller, contemporary dancer, visual artist. She was from the Prog-Rock school, following almost any imaginative whimsy. Amazing. Why wouldn't you dress in army gear and blink in time to the music?

What's the best thing that's happened so far, career wise?

Being on the bill with people you've really admired is pretty great. Like when Robin Ince invited us to be part of his Godless shows in December, and we found ourselves on a line up with Dara O'Briain. Laura especially nearly died. Similarly when we did a club night and Alan Carr was in trying out some new stuff, and we had to follow him! Not easy, but pretty ace to be able to say you headlined a gig that Alan Carr played... no matter how not-quite-true.

What advice would you give your 18 year old selves if you could?

You're hotter than you think you are, and the boys you fancy will sleep with you. Go!

Who are the funniest people in your lives right now?

Laura's schoolfriend, Sarah, who's been helping us out with all kinds of bits and pieces of late, is one of the single funniest ladies created. You know the kind of laughing where you hyperventilate and your dinner comes out of your nose? She's one of them.

Behind the Scenes with Frisky and Mannish - Episode 1 from Olivia Humphreys on Vimeo.

Check out their website here and you can catch them on these dates at the Udderbelly’s Pasture for what’s sure to be a brilliant show including Justin Bieber and Rihanna, which normally wouldn't be a good thing:

3 Aug–5 Aug Wed–Fri 9.30–10.30pm

6 Aug–11 Aug Tue–Thu, Sat & Sun 9.30–10.30pm

12 Aug–14 Aug Fri–Sun 9.30–10.30pm

16 Aug–18 Aug Tue–Thu 9.30–10.30pm

19 Aug–21 Aug Fri–Sun 9.30–10.30pm

23 Aug–25 Aug Tue–Thu 9.30–10.30pm

26 Aug–28 Aug Fri–Sun 9.30–10.30pm

SUMMER CAMP

2011-07-28T16:12:00.001+01:00

Summer Camp - Better Off Without You by PLSRMSC