I’m coming off a horribly shitty day. I’ve been abused by friends, talked shit about, put in the corner and given a virtual timeout, and now I’m so angry I’m seeing spots. My thoughts are so jumbled, I feel like I have to censor myself with every keystroke. I keep backing up and starting over as if I’m trying to compose one lengthy email I’ll never actually send wherein I tell everyone that I have ever had any kind of a beef with to go fuck themselves.

You know that feeling, right?

You probably have go-to songs that you’ll hit up when feeling like you, too, want to blow up the world, some of them played so many times you could recite the words as you sleep. I have my fair share of those songs. A couple of weeks ago, though, they were all suddenly replaced by The Weeknd’s soon-to-be-bigger-than-life song “Wicked Games” from their recently-released free mixtape House of Balloons, a stunning piece of R&B/soul music that came out of nowhere and shattered the glass ceiling of the genre. Since I first laid ears on this song, I feel like it’s taken the upside down parts of my life and put them right side up again. Even if I ended up back in that place, there was some momentary comfort from the act of playing this one song over and over again.

The Weeknd – Wicked Games by The_Weeknd

Yeah, I know, every music blog and music publication on the internet has shit themselves about The Weeknd already for weeks. But you? You’re probably so cool you downloaded it the day it was posted to October’s Very Own or maybe the day Drake tweeted about it.

In case you didn’t or you haven’t and you don’t know what The Weeknd is, I’m here to share with you that Toronto’s Abel Tesfaye is the thing of the moment with good reason. And for his part, the previously unknown 20-year-old Tesfaye (backed by the ill beats of Doc Mckinney & Illangelo) seems to have maintained radio silence through it all. The swagger and sadness, the raw honesty and the unbridled highs and lows that come out of the songs on House of Balloons aren’t likely to be the victim of any hyperbole by the press. There’s something about this collection that defies any definition besides, simply put, real.

Who Tesafaye is and what he’s out to do may still be up for debate, but one thing certainly isn’t: there’s an unholy sadness and pain in his voice on this song that takes my pain away. For that, I am thankful today.

[ You can download The Weeknd's mixtape House Of Balloons by clicking here. ]

If you didn’t know it, the most anticipated indie album of 2011 has been from Animal Collective member Noah Lennox’s solo incarnation, Panda Bear. Have a first listen to the new album by Tomboy by Panda Bear in it’s entirety, courtesy of NPR.

To listen: follow this link to NPR & read their complete First Listen write-up.

Tomboy will be released via Paw Tracks on 12 April 2011. Pre-order the vinyl from Insound here. If you can wait just four more days until 16 April (which is Record Store Day), you may be able to get one of the 1000 limited t-shirt bundles which will only be available during Record Store Day 2011 with a t-shirt like the one below. _{(HT: Brooklyn Vegan)}

Manchester’s WU LYF have developed a moniker that stands for World Unite Lucifer Youth Foundation. I first heard about them last January from Veronica at CreamTeam. While I’ve been looking the other way, WU LYF have been blowing up huge, and with good reason. Here is their latest video for the song “L Y F” from their forthcoming debut album Go Tell Fire To The Mountain due 13 June 2011. If you’re going to watch this, watch ALL THE WAY TO THE END. Trust me: it’s worth it.

[ WU LYF on Facebook | WU LYF Official Site ]

WU LYF – L Y F

:: WU LYF 2011 TOUR DATES ::

30.07.11 Fuji Rock / Naeba / JAPAN
16.07.11 Manchester International Festival / Manchester / UK
09.07.11 Optimus A Festival / Lisbon / PORTUGAL
31.05.11 Sydney Opera House Studio / Sydney / AUSTRALIA
30.05.11 Sydney Opera House Studio / Sydney / AUSTRALIA
29.05.11 Sydney Opera House Studio / Sydney / AUSTRALIA
28.04.11 Messeglande / Donaufestival/ Krems / AUSTRIA
09.04.11 Domino Festival / Brussels / BELGIUM
08.04.11 Motel Mozaique / Rotterdam / NETHERLANDS
02.04.11 Shea Stadium New York / USA
01.04.11 Glasslands / New York / USA

As the unofficially official wunderkind of the dubstep modernist set (and currently most important name you need to know in music), 21-year-old James Blake had a lot of expectation laid upon him when he took the stage during SXSW 2011 at Stubb’s Bar-B-Que last night. The results speak for themselves: his precociousness never overshadowed his soul-stirring performance, and the audience seemed to pay nearly rapt attention to him — a stunning accomplishment for an artist performing outside at Stubbs. Check out this recording of his performance, courtesy of NPR.

We’ve been consciously anticipating the release of Bosco Delrey’s forthcoming album on Mad Decent/Downtown Records, Everybody Wah, for some time now. If you read this blog, you know we’ve been digging the tracks he’s been putting down for a long time.  Thanks to the good people at MD, we have a track to share with you from that album. This song, “20 Flight Dub” is the last song on the album, lucky number 13.

Put on your seatbelt: the Bosco Delrey Great Space Coaster is ready for ignition. (Release Date: 29 March 2011)

Tracklist:

01 Baby’s Got a Blue Flame
02 Get Outa Dodge
03 Don Haps
04 Lovely Sleepy Dead
05 All Are Souls The Same
06 Glow Go the Bones
07 Expelled Spelled Expelled
08 Archebold Ivy
09 Afterlife
10 Down We Go
11 Cool Out
12 Insta Love
13 20 Flight Dub

Tyler the Creator of OFWGKTA drops a video for the single “Yonkers” from his forthcoming album Goblin. You can cop this single on 2/15 from iTunes.

If you don’t know about OFWGKTA, they’ve got next, like it or not — so get familiar. Prepare to be outraged and amazed at the same time.

FREE EARL

ODD FUTURE WOLF GANG KILL THEM ALL ON TOUR

02/14 – Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
02/15 – New York, NY @ Santos Partyhouse
02/17 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Barbary
02/22 – San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s
04/15 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Music Festival

[ OFWGKTA on Tumblr | OFWGKTA Official Site ]

I’ve purposefully taken my time enjoying and toying with The Hundred In The Hands self-titled album in spite of it’s fast-burning reputation. The terrific second single from this momentous self-titled debut is called “Commotion”.

Jason Friedman (no relation) and Eleanore Everdell have tempered an album filled with shimmering songs poised to shoot them past the point of mere dance rock innuendo and well into the consciousness of electronic and modern rock fans.

The Hundred In The Hands – Commotion

The single, “Commotion”, will be released November 2nd. Tracklisting:
A1. Commotion (3:39 Edit)
A2. Commotion (Tiger & Woods Remix)
B1. Aggravation (LA LA-LA LA)
B2. Commotion (Capracara’s Red Zone Dub)

[ Purchase the S/T album (Bonus Track Version) from The Hundred In the Hands via iTunes ]

We’re trying to fix up, look sharp. Nahh mean?

Mark Ronson & The Business INTL – Bang Bang Bang feat. Q-Tip & MNDR by loudersoft

Along comes a video for yet another totally ill track off Skewby‘s epic “Proving You Wrong Since 1988″ mixtape which, if you don’t have already, you can get by clicking here and downloading it, aiight?

Skewby – “Talk 2 em’”

For three years now, we’ve watched as Beach House has gone from humble, subtly hypnotic Baltimore slack-key-core twosome to a fully realized and accomplished recording act. With the forthcoming release of Teen Dream on their new home label of Sub Pop, the team of Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally will have completed a transformation that has allowed them to take on a new sense of direction in the music and in their lives.

Check out this track, “Norway”, from the forthcoming album & head over to Sub Pop for further details on the band and their new record.

Beach House – Norway

[Beach House at Sub Pop]

Skewby, “Proving You Wrong Since 1988 – The Mixtape”

Hip-hop heads, Skewby is in the house and he’s letting you know right up-front: this ain’t what you’re used to. Proving You Wrong Since 1988 is a warning filled with shots fired at the status quo of Memphis’s traditional style of rap. I’ve had this sitting in my queue for a couple of months now, and to say I slept on it would be an understatement. Don’t you be a sleeper, too — if you do not have this mixtape, you are sleeping on one of the illest mixtapes I’ve heard come out of Memphis in my life.

If you’re looking for another gangsta rap mixtape, you’re in the wrong place — this is straight original styles mixtape with the love and respect to the masters I have never seen the likes of here. Shouts to DJ Crumbz and DJ Charlie White. Wake up and download it here now now now gooo.

Skewby – “I’m Here Now”
Skewby – “No Critics Allowed”

(You can find out more about Skewby over at his blog, Something About Skewby or follow him on Twitter)

On April 7, the release of their full-length debut, Black Diamond, Buraka Som Sistema will unleash their hybrid of kuduro, hip-hop, grime and hard-edged dance music on North America. Ten days later, on Friday, April 17, their live show – with physics-defying dance troupes, serious percussion and rotating rapid-fire MCs – kicks off at Coachella. Festival-goers will be the first to see the explosive multi-decked performance, an event that travels cross-continent through Vancouver, San Francisco, Toronto, Chicago and Boston, finishing up at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom on May 2.

The half-Portuguese, half-Angolan DJ/producer team has already managed to blow away European fans and critics, as a recent sold-out show at London’s the Scala this past February attests. No wonder why The Observer, the UK’s premier newspaper, called them “the best thing since electricity was harnessed,” and Belgium’s De Standaard described their show in Brussels as “the party of the year.”

In anticipation of their time abroad, Buraka Som Sistema have also just announced their Sound of Your Community YouTube Dance Contest. Their song, “Sound of Kuduro” featuring DJ Znobia, M.I.A., Saborosa & Puto Prata, celebrates the music, dance and culture of Angola, but for their trip to North America, they want to see our dance moves, showing off our own communities, cultures, and customs.

The winner will get his or her video played on stage during their North American tour in their set. The runner-up will receive a customized Buraka Som Sistema skateboard deck and an autographed copy of Black Diamond.

The full details can be found here:

http://www.youtube.com/group/burakacontest

FREE MP3:
Buraka Som Sistema – Kalemba (Wegue Wegue)(Hot Chip Remix)

Pre-Order Black Diamond by clicking here (out April 7)

BURAKA SOM SISTEMA SPRING 2009 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
Apr 17 Indio, CA @ Coachella
Apr 21 San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
Apr 23 Portland, OR @ Rotture
Apr 24 Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
Apr 25 Seattle, WA @ Nectar Lounge
Apr 28 Chicago, IL @ Sonotheque
Apr 29 Toronto, ON @ El Mocambo
Apr 30 Montreal, QC @ Zoobizarre
May 01 Boston, MA @ Harper’s Ferry
May 02 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom

You already know how much I love the new O+S record. I’m thrilled to offer you a second song from the album, one that I think will give you an even better window into their sonic diversity. “Permanent Scar” is the first single from the self-titled album, and I hope you’ll dig it as much as I have been.

O+S – Permanent Scar

_{You can purchase o+s from Amazon by clicking here. O+S will be appearing at SXSW on Friday, March 20th, 11pm @ The Radio Room.}

There’s a tricky dissonance that wafts through the undercurrent of the most beautiful recordings I’ve listened to in my life. It’s the unexpected collaborations or spellbinding accidents of circumstance that unite elements into original flavors. The illogical syllogisms in music are the ones that surprisingly seem to work the best. Such is the case of O+S, whose self-titled debut will be released via Saddle Creek Records on March 24th.

Each originally hailing from Birmingham, the combination of Orenda Fink (of Azure Ray and Art In Manila) and Scalpelist aka Cedric LeMoyne (of Remy Zero) rely on their shared and essential love of found music and recorded voices to serve as a binder to their haunting, and frequently swellingly harmonic, sonic adventures. With the help of Michael Patterson (producer/engineer of Beck, Notorious B.I.G. and others), they seamlessly merge elements of their musical specialties together into a sound which, while resembling art-rock, seems to transcend those into a wellspring of warm, lush drone pop.

In the most humbling sense, the collective sound of O+S resembles a mesh of classic 4AD recordings, the elemental 90′s offerings of Hope Sandoval and Mazzy Star, my favorite music from noted Lynchian soundtrack contributor Julee Cruise and music of Canadian songbird (and longtime personal favorite) Jane Siberry. Though O+S is by no means a copy of the aforementioned, the vocal qualities of Orenda Fink and the textual layering of her vocals bears a fair and uncanny resemblance, particularly on the songs “We Do What We Want To” and “Survive Love”. These ten songs come across with an unnerving cool at times, touching on subjects that we don’t talk about in ways that songwriters often fear to express themselves.

The musical landscape of the record, thanks to Scalpelist and Patterson, is dotted with punchy drum loops, backwards-maskings and psychedelic meanderings clicking beneath the surface of simple guitar and piano parts, imbuing the songs with sonic cacophonies and droning folk-pop anthems unlike anything I’ve heard in recent memory. O+S have unleashed on the world a record that bears witness to pop sensibility while embracing a fearlessly experimental approach in it’s songwriting and performances. I would urge my readers to seek out this album & hopefully see O+S when they perform live in a city near you this spring.

O+S – We Do What We Want To

_{You can purchase o+s from Amazon by clicking here.}

An observation: I think if Erlend Oye were a type of fabric, he’d be a smooth vinyl suede.

After all, the Norwegian crooner has made his career out of experimenting with various combinations of the synthetic and the smooth. The latest of these efforts is Rules, the second release from The Whitest Boy Alive, due out on Bubbles in March. The Berlin-based group’s 2007 debut, Dreams, was about as close as dance-rock can come to producing a concept album; the stripped-down guitar/bass/drums/vocals galvanized by spare, funky rhythmic consistency made for an album as danceable as it is listenable.

This sophomore release resists the temptation to rehash the formula and instead elaborates on that signature sound by way of more ambitious compositions and an expanded sound palette. Rules sacrifices some of what made Dreams such a standout, mostly in terms of restraint. Oye’s smooth but angular guitar phrasing is still insistently there, as are his haunting, ever-so-slightly-flat vocals, but they are augmented by a smattering of vintage synthesizers, fuzzy basslines, and lots of adrenaline-inducing dynamic shifts in the drumming. The songs are still irresistibly catchy and the lyrics wry as always, but nevertheless Rules comes off as less of a carefully-edited statement and more of an enthusiastic exploration of the possibilities of rebuilding on a solid minimal framework.

The Whitest Boy Alive – Island

_{You can purchase The Whitest Boy Alive – Rules by clicking here.}