Audiovisuals...Unknown Mortal Orchestra- "Can't Keep Checking My Phone"

For a band whose music (and interviews) openly delve into the dark depths of witchcraft and the occult, it's fitting that Unknown Mortal Orchestra's latest video depicts all sorts of damnation and turmoil. In his own words, frontman Ruben Nielson describes the video for Can't Keep Checking My Phone as such: [the song] is so full of sounds and its lyrics are so elusive so I decided that one idea wouldn’t do the track justice.” In opposition to the song’s upbeat funk-induced sounds, the montage of entitled hysterias elicit nothing of the sort, though they do serve as safe, vicarious ways of experiencing oddities like capgras syndrome and hybristophilia.

Moral of the story? There are worse things in life than someone not responding to your text.

+ Warning: This video contains a very brief segment of nudity.

+ Also, catch a live version of this track from UMO's KEXP studio sessions. [Link]

Audiovisuals...Tame Impala- "Let It Happen"

One needs to only watch five music videos to come to a simple consensus- Music videos don’t make sense, and they don’t need to. If the randomly assembled images or “story” mesh with the sounds and feel of the song, this lack of logic will go untested, and sometimes praised.

Case in point with Tame Impala’s new video for “Let it Happen,” the opening track off their latest album Currents. In it we follow a man running through an airport, presumably late for a flight, though by his overly distraught and sweaty demeanor, there seems to be more troubling him. The man passes out, wakes up on the plane, passes out again, wakes up in a hotel room, passes out again, and sees a sandwich talking to him. There’s no definite reason as to what goes on in the four minute video. Nothing of this sort comes up in the song’s lyrics. What matters though, is how the images seamlessly blend with the hypnotic, trance-inducing sounds of the track. His darting glances and unnerving composure are elevated by the song’s quick successive opening beat. When the buildup slows down and comes to a halt, the man promptly falls over, hits the floor and his hunger-induced (or probably drug-induced) nightmare ensues.

It’s a shame they cut the song in half for the video. After seeing a talking sandwich, I would be curious to see what else the man’s festered mind could conjure up.

Free Music Fridays...#5

1. "I Remember" Bully

A riotous little track from Pitchfork standout Bully that packs a grungy sucker-punch in under two minutes. Lyrics about throw up and shit have never sounded so awesome.

DWNLD | https://bullythemusic.bandcamp.com/

Free Music Fridays...#4

1. "Be Cool" Home School
A snappy little pop song with petals of rosy guitar jangles-- the perfect song for our first official day of summer

DWNLD | 

2. "Born to Die" King Khan & the Shrines 

Described by Khan himself as "an apocalyptic ode to the heinous war machine that to this day ruins our lives." In other words, a way-cool, joyous soudning psych antem complete with brass and string sections, richly obssessed with a wah-wah pedal.

DWNLD | http://kingkhanmusic.com/#!/king-khan-and-the-shrines


3. "Hello" The Mantles
A brawny piece of garage rock with a refrain that suddenly tingles between the ears.

DWNLD | http://themantles.tumblr.com/


4. "Honeypot" Thom Yorke
Once a discarded remix of Radiohead's All I Need, Honeypot is a dark trance of cycling beats, switches and ticks under Yorke's whimpering falsettos.
DWNLD | http://www.radiohead.com/

Hear This...Arctic Monkeys' Brand New Single "Do I Wanna Know?"

Having earned the fastest selling record ever in Great Britain with the outstanding and dynamic debut, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not [2006], the Arctic Monkeys have since stood at the forefront of English alternative rock— without question one of Britain’s best outputs in recent memory. Despite the almost effortless legacy affirmed in their home country, the Arctic Monkeys have never truly equated the same impact across the pond. Whether labeled by American critics as just another over-hyped UK band or outshined by homegrown alt acts like the Foo Fighters, the Arctic Monkeys have certainly not received the credit they deserve in our land of the free and home of the brave.

And since that marvelous debut, the Arctic Monkeys have made few faults otherwise, hitting critical stride with each continued effort (though of course that is subject for discussion in the U.S.). Eleven years in, the Suffield boys are that no more, now confidants, even masters of their trade. And as Turner and company have grown up, so has their music, ever so slightly. Their dashing, red-blooded riffs have slowed down some, albeit never losing that deep, commanding sound evident on their under appreciated 2011 LP Suck it and See. And their latest single to be released, "Do I Wanna Know?," moves forward in that same direction; a slow burner of a song, fit with steady heartbeat of a drum, fuzzy guitar riffs and a bellowing chorus. Chances are Do I Wanna Know? will be the lead single for their fifth album, which Turner has added could be out later this year. If so, it’s a strong start.

Check out the track along with the official music video over on YouTube

Hear This..."Take Your Time" The Cairo Gang

Psychedelic rock owes its earliest years to the hippie counterculture era that was the 1960s.  It is a blessing that the genre earns itself a place at such a time within history, at the same time, such an association I fear has deeply confined people's understanding of the genre.  Simply put, when one thinks of psychedelic rock, the first association is often times drugs.  In this day and age, I could type in psychededlic rock into YouTube, and one of the first videos that appear bears the title "(Rock to trip to) :) I guess there's no avoiding that, but psychedelic rock came forth built on much more than a bunch of stoned "free-thinkers"  Psychedelic rock transfused genres and crossed cultures, finding influence from as close as Southern blues and as far away as India.  

"Take Your Time," a new track by The Cairo Gang is a quintessential example of psychedelic rock.  Of course the uneasy genre has taken off to various sub-categories (space rock, ambient rock, shoegaze, etc), but this track remains grounded in the original flux of twangy guitars, tamborines and Eastern raga sounds of the early 1960s psych rock.  Its hard to believe that this here is a new song, with the obvious influences of late Beatles and The Byrds pinned to the very sleeve of this song.  Obvious as it is, that is not such a bad thing. The optimist in me takes this as a good sign, that the absurd sub-categories of psych have not truly taken over. "Keep negative spirits away."

The Cairo Gang have a small six song LP set for release 7/23 titled Tiny Rebels
https://myspace.com/thecairogang

Useless Clatter...David Bowie Announces New Album + Single

With its many perks and glories, fame can be a deceptive trap.  Old age can squander any star athlete's sports career, but this is not the case with music.  Call it a blessing, but also call it a curse.

The Rolling Stones are no doubt one of the greatest rock bands ever, but I am probably not the only one that finds issue with a man my grandpa's age jumping about on stage swinging his hips while wearing skinny jeans.  The music is not the issue; its just the image.  

With the release of Reality in 2003, David Bowie placed himself into an elite category of musical acts, alongside the Rolling Stones, whose career has spanned over five decades.  Its is a remarkable feat for an artist to remain relevant through 50 years of music, withstanding the test of time amidst an ever-changing musical landscape.  After a number of rather quiet years went by without any talks of a new single or album, many thought that Bowie's time has passed.

Audiovisuals...In Guards We Trust [album promo]

Quite easily my favorite band that doesn't yet have a full-length album, New York trio Guards have been circulating on my iPod ever since I stumbled upon their fabulous Guards EP January 18, 2011.   But that was two years ago.  Being that it is now January 2013, I have beaten that EP to death, memorized just about every verse and rhyme, yet it never gets old.

Thankfully, come February 5th, the wait will finally end as Guards has announced the coming of their debut album In Guards We Trust for that Tuesday.  In anticipation of the new LP, the band released a quick album teaser reminding us all to save the date.  a quick teaser little promo video featuring a brand new track called "Nightmare" that we can assume will pop-up somewhere on the upcoming album.  The song features a darker sound, blending their oft familiar brand of rock pop with a hint of psychedelia.  An off-shoot of what we have heard thus far with the twp previously released IGWT singles, but versatility proves fare when it comes to music.

And what goes better with the sounds of smoky psychedelia than a straining montage of fast cars, race tracks at night, and motorboats gliding across across the sea with people wearing veils over their faces? Its hard to describe as it is one of those "you have to see it" things, but trust me it fits like a glove.

With barely more than a few songs to their name, Guards are still in limbo, apart of that endless category of "emerging indie-bands hailing from New York" until February 5th, but this video surely deals them them an elusive hand.  Sure every band wants that Gwendolyn Brooks-we-cool-type mantra attached to them, but few actually do it. All in all, Guards has got it, and come February 5th, I see no signs of that changing.

                       

Useless Clatter...First Cuts/Demos- Tennis, Cults, The Brian Jonestown Massacre

      Like a writer's rough draft, a song goes through countless edits and re-edits as demos before the finished product finds itself on an album.  Sometimes big changes are made once a band is settled into the recording studio and begin to play. The Rolling Stones originally wanted "Start Me Up" to have a more reggae feel to it, until four years in the recording studio turned it into the song we know and love today.  In most cases though, it's just a tweak or two that comes by way of the producer or sound engineer meant to "clean up" a song and give it a crisp finish.  These demo tracks, or first cuts as they are sometimes called, often get tossed out and forgotten once the band discovers the perfect sound, records it and calls it a day.  

      In some cases, bands save their demos and first cuts to be released as promotional material for a forthcoming album.  The songs are let free into the realms of the internet and find their way onto various music blogs, tabloids and websites taken as evidence for what to expect next from the band.  We sit and listen to these first cuts as the band heads back to the studio to work the final nooks and crannies for another, better release.

[Personally I enjoy the Tennis demo versions better than the actual album tracks]

TENNIS
demo/first Cut                                                                          released on CAPE DORY  [2011]

demo/first Cut                                                                           released on CAPE DORY  [2011]

                                

CULTS
demo/first Cut                                                                         released on CULTS  [2011]

                               

THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE
released on TAKE IT FROM THE MAN  [1996]                         re-released on STRUNG OUT IN HEAVEN  [1998]
                               

Hear This...Stream Demos/First Cuts by Blackfeet Braves

Fresh off the latest post dealing with the staggering differences between a band's initial rough first cuts and the remastered album songs, we here at TUNEclatter (hah, there's only one person here) dug up a goldmine of rough cuts from a relatively unknown outfit located deep in the valleys of southern California by the name of Blackfeet Braves. 

Who Are They?

As far as any background info goes on these guys, I know just about as much as you all do.  This could be one guy or it could be an eighteen person hippie-colony along the lines of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.  Who knows. Few details are given concerning who they are.  However, I see that they do have a variety of shows coming up in California so I'm pretty sure they are real.  But their name bearing resemblance to a real group of Native American tribes of northern America could lead to another theory.  For all I know, this could really be a pack of wild Indians sitting in a tee-pee making psychedelic riff-raff as they smoke piece pipes.  Just sayin'...

Free Music Fridays...#3

+I've made a bit of a change to these Free Music Fridays worth pointing out: The link next to DWNLD is no longer a download link, (assuming you could all decode DWNLD to mean "download").  Instead, I embedded the download link into the word DWNLD, so clicking on the word will lead you to the link to grab your free song.  Now the URL to the right of that is a link to the artist's website/band page if anyone has the immediate desire to learn more about the band.

1. "Chasing My Mind" Holograms
With a bit of revved up 90s arcade-like techno thrown into the mix, this song steers back to the nostalgic days of Nintendo when punk rock was fast, messy and unbearably raw.

DWNLD | http://capturedtracks.com/artists/holograms/

2. "Flesh Dance" Gothic Tropic
Vibrant little piece of psych-pop with perfect impromptu-sounding guitars and smooth bass line.  The words take a bit a backseat here and allow everything to mesh together perfectly- not a single piece commanding the other.
DWNLD | http://gothictropic.bandcamp.com/

3. "If You Want It" TV Girl
Fresh and delightfully cheery song about the harmonizing "upsides" of one-night stands.  Sleigh bells always make things more pleasant.  

DWNLD | http://tvgirl.bandcamp.com/

4. "Henrietta" Yeasayer
A vibrant, swirling mix of fanning strings, beats and bops with a T.Pain auto-tune tossed in at the end to break it down.  This time, it actually sounds good.

DWNLD | http://www.myspace.com/yeasayer

Hear This...Stream Gothic Tropic's Awesome Problems EP

      
"They have the summer songs that blow 'Pumped Up Kicks' out of the California Pacific..." [Straight from their own bio page]  I'm not totally sure who or what designates a song to be a summer song, though it has always been the whistling in 'Pumped Up Kicks' that did it for me. 

      But this Cali trio goes way beyond whistling. Sure they don’t stand a chance overtaking Foster The People with the catchiest song ever written because frankly no one does, not even Lady Gaga. 

      Gothic Tropic took the handbook on “How to Make a Catchy Song Remain No. 1 on iTunes All Summer” and threw it out the window.  They take the atypical and often overused jangly guitar sound and add some zing to it. In their songs “Monkey Bars” and “Kill Lloyd Opus,” they throw in the occasional bongos, maracas, hand claps and distorted guitar riffs wherever they deem necessary. It’s an almost organic approach to music where a little Do-It-Yourself and impromptu touch ups are welcomed and encouraged. The end result actually sounds quite organized. Whether or not they blow out “Pumped Up Kicks” is debatable but no doubt, if I had the suitable conditions I would certainly add Gothic Tropic to my “Late Night Summer Barbecue on the Beach” playlist.

+ Gothic Tropic is offering a free download of the last song on the EP "Flesh Dance."  It will be added as a part of Free Music Fridays which I will post tomorrow.  [LINK]

Useless Clatter...2012 Album Releases [June]

Here's a general list of the albums I am most excited to hear when they release in June.  Its a good mix of new bands with debuts (Friends, solo Glen Hansard) as well as some veteran rockers breaking a sleepy hiatus (Smashing Pumpkins, Neil Young + Crazy Horse).  I even threw DMX up on the list too for some good fun, despite the fact that his music is still angry as hell.  It's all fun and anyways even without DMX,  June looks to be a terrific month for music.

June 5
Crocodiles – Endless Flowers

Friends – Manifest!

Hear This...Stream Foxygen's New EP "Take The Kids Off Broadway"

      From the same label that brought you the San Fran rock band Girls, Jagjaguwar Records moves across the country to grab a group of up and coming rockers hailing from the Empire State.  They call themselves Foxygen and these guys have generously decided to stream their second EP "Take The Kids Off Broadway" for free via their Bandcamp site.

      Describing Foxygen is no small task.  It took me a while.  Sure they're indie rock, but to pinpoint that sound is something else.  I hear something like a mix of MGMT psychedlia fused with the loose, jangly texture of The Strokes. A little Mick Jagger doesn't fail to show up either, especially on "Waitin' 4 You."

Here's the full track list-

1. Abandon My Toys  6:04

2. Make It Known  4:51

3. Take The Kids Off Broadway  3:14

4. Waitin' 4 You  4:07

5. Teenage Alien Blues  10:05

6. Why Did I Get Married  4:03 

7. Middle School Dance Song (For Richard Swift)  3:58

Five Songs From...The Black Keys

If Brothers was their breakout album in 2009, then the Black Key's seventh album El Camino, released last December and debuting at number 2 on the Billboard 200, was certainly their most widely heard, appreciated, Googled, etc.  It only took seven albums for everyone to realize how talented and widely appealing they could be.  Even in their earliest days as two college drop outs playing music in a small town in Ohio, their sound, performance style and energy all pointed towards something great.  Nonetheless, they sat patiently without a care for fame and produced a stellar array of rock n' roll worth revisiting.

Formed back in 2001 and consisting of singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney, the Black Keys were formed at a time when rock 'n roll had slowly seceded its monopoly hold of American ears in favor of the fast emerging hip-hop and R & B scenes.  Rock still had its big hitters in Pearl Jam, The Foo Fighters and Green Day, but at the time, it seemed no one could outsell Eminem, 'N sync or The Backstreet Boys.  As a result, the Black Keys came along during a time where rock formed itself on "revival" acts.  Post-punk revival was headed by acts like The Strokes and Interpol, while garage revival came back with The White Stripes and The Black Keys.  The revival of the latter genre meant a return to the raw sound and sheer simplicity formed by early blues rock 'n roll.  Recorded in Carney's basement, their debut album The Big Come Up did just that.  Stripped down guitars, drums and that's basically it.  

Met with some small, initial success, Auerbach and Carney remained a relatively unknown and mainly an "underground" act until the release of 2010's Brothers which earned them three Grammys including Best Alternative Music Album.  With this and the release of their latest album El Camino, the Black Keys have established themselves as something far greater than just two guys "reviving" old tunes.  Selling out their first stadium concert late last year, it's obvious they've done just that.