Deep Sea Diver and the Shins’ James Mercer Bridge Worlds in ‘Creatures of...
On Deep Sea Diver’s latest single, "Creatures of Comfort," frontwoman Jessica Dobson howls, "Tearin’ us apart!" while simultaneously — and perhaps counterintuitively, given the refrain — bridging...
View ArticleListen to a New Side of Hawaiian Music From the Early ’80s on ‘Kona Winds’
Those of you who associate Hawaiian music only with lazy steel pedal guitar riffs, or with ukulele maestro Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (made famous for his rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow") are...
View ArticleMatt Kivel Looks to the Past and Future on ‘Janus’
Though the Roman god Janus was originally one of "new beginnings", his name nowadays is usually only invoked to call someone insincere, i.e. "Janus-faced." Centuries ago, his two-faced image didn’t...
View ArticleJournalism Explore the Bushwick Blues With ‘Watching & Waiting’
With their newest single, "Watching & Waiting," the members of the Brooklyn-based quartet Journalism live up to their name, unafraid to turn a reporter’s eye on the crowded milieu that forms the...
View ArticleGolden Daze Create a Hybrid Rock With ‘Never Comin’ Back’
Golden Daze – the Los Angeles-based duo of Ben Schwab and Jacob Loeb – seamlessly blend modern verses and '60s-inspired vocal refrains on their latest single, "Never Comin’ Back." It's a...
View ArticleGerman Producer Daniel Haaksman Travels to Angola In Brash ‘Xinguila’
Berlin-based producer Daniel Haaksman has history on his mind: His new album, African Fabrics, makes apparent his understanding of the past’s implications for the formation of current power structures....
View ArticleSoulwax Rebrand, Again, on Electrically Charged ‘Ti Ricordi di Me’
David and Stephen Dewaele, the Belgian electronic producers-cum-renaissance men behind Soulwax, have quite the diversified audio portfolio. They two have remixed as 2manydjs, developed their own Radio...
View ArticleAvant-Pop Pioneer Spookey Ruben Conducts a Synth Symphony on ‘Granma Faye’
Iconic '90s art-pop weirdo Spookey Ruben is an artist's artist. The Canadian musician of many hats — you may recognize him from 2010's "The Adventures of Spaghetti Cowboy" video with Feist and/or...
View ArticleSunwatchers Lift the Lid Off of Their Psych-Jazz Cauldron With New Track...
New York avant outfit, Sunwatchers, conjure freewheeling soundscapes of psych-jazz, drone, and sax-punk that transport the listener to fantastical, far-out worlds of sonorous noise. According to Thee...
View ArticleSpace Raft Indulge Their Psychedelic Sides on Power-Pop Jaunt ‘Mountain’
Milwaukee-based quartet Space Raft — a staple in the city's indie scene alongside garage poptimists Jaill — serves up lightweight guitar rock in the melodic vein of early 2000s post-punk revivalists...
View ArticleLuke Top Creates a Hidden World of Folk on ‘Suspect Highs’
You may recognize Luke Top’s earthy intonation from the worldly dance music-informed outfit he co-founded, Fool’s Gold. Now, he’s now taking his voice to new places with a solo folk effort, Suspect...
View ArticleDinner Turns On His Time Machine with ‘Cool As Ice’
You’d be forgiven for mistaking Dinner for a ’80s synth-pop band. His videos appear to be shot on VHS, and his music revels in a bedrock of delightful sine-wave cheese, second only to his unmistakably...
View Articleet aliae Paints Emotional Soundscapes With Debut EP, ‘Rose’
Producer et aliae conjures sweeping landscapes by way of instrumental, ambient pop — evocative aural set pieces that invite viewers to mentally restage their fondest memories. The Singapore producer’s...
View ArticleMaïa Vidal Declares Independence In Glitchy Video for ‘Jell-O’
That Maïa Vidal’s jazzy voice and smooth pop production would so easily attract attention from major fashion houses like DKNY is easy to see: Her music is stylish without overstatement, expressive...
View ArticleClaudio Introduces Us to Séga Music With Frankie Francis’ Edit of ‘Bonom...
Mauritius, a small African island located in the Indian Ocean, is about 788 square miles – roughly half the size of Rhode Island. It boasts, at first Google, beautiful beaches, luxury resorts, and a...
View ArticleTiga: From Montreal to ‘Planet E’
Mid-February marked the first time Tiga had to cancel a show in two decades. When we speak over the phone, it's apparent he’s sick — his voice subdued, his tone congested — but the techno shapeshifter...
View ArticleOutblinker Shrug at Fame on Eviscerating ‘Farrokh Bulsara’
If it seems hypocritical that Glasgow's standard quo rejectionists, Outblinker, renounce fame in a press release — a tool to increase a band's exposure so they become, well, more famous — so be it....
View ArticleAJ Cornell and Tim Darcy Tentatively Embrace the Avant-Garde With ‘Too...
Fans of the Montreal post-punk outfit Ought may be taken aback by lead singer Tim Darcy’s new collaboration with aural experimentalist Andrea-Jane Cornell. Gone are the catchy hooks, synthesizer riffs,...
View ArticleFear and Loathing at Kanye’s Pop-Up Shop Opening
"There goes Kanye!" The desire to falsely shout out Mr. West's arrival at his pop-up fashion store in downtown Manhattan is strong, though doing so would probably incite a riot — the millennial...
View ArticleIslands Share ‘The Joke’ and ‘Christmas Tree,’ Two New Singles From Two New...
Indie shape-shifter Nick Thorburn, a.k.a. Nick Diamonds, has fronted short-lived but influential weirdo darlings the Unicorns, fashioned a jazzy effort as Reefer with hip-hop producer Daddy Kev, and...
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