Sometimes I need to connect with my inner BAMF. Go HAM. Or (insert assorted acronyms here). And lately when that happens, I listen to Childish Gambino.

If you’ve turned on a television any time in the past year, you probably recognize Donald Glover as “Troy” from NBC’s Community. And if you and I were really meant to be friends forever, then you’ll remember him from the internet sketch comedy phenomenon known as Derrick Comedy. Either way, reintroduce yourself to Childish Gambino: prolific, witty, masterful.

After releasing an untitled EP earlier this year, the first single from his debut album dropped a couple of days ago. But the bigger news? He’s about to hit the road for the “Sign Up” tour in support of his forthcoming album CAMP, and it all kicks off two weeks from today right here in Memphis. CAMP is due out November 15. Check out all the dates below, and enjoy the aforementioned single “Bonfire.

Bonfire by Childish Gambino

::: TOUR DATES — Childish Gambino :::
10/5 – Memphis, TN - New Daisy Theatre
10/6 - Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom
10/7 - Athens, GA - Georgia Theatre
10/8- Orlando, FL - The Plaza ‘LIVE’
10/30 - Asheville, NC – “Moogfest”
11/1 - Silver Springs, MD - The Fillmore
11/2 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
11/3 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
11/4 - Atlantic City, NJ - House of Blues
11/5 - Austin, TX - “Fun Fun Fun Festival”
11/12 - Los Angeles, CA - Club Nokia

::: MP3 ::: Childish Gambino, “Bonfire”

It’s like The Tallest Man on Earth, Mumford and Sons and The Avett Brothers had a blissed-out, stripped-down baby. And that baby was called Saintseneca. And the baby was good.

Saintseneca hails from Columbus (the Ohio version), and according to their Tumblr will “play anywhere, especially where it echoes and there’s a good floor to stomp on.” Which frankly just about sums up what you need to know before you press play on their debut full-length release Last.

This record will get in your bones a bit. It travels from sparse, plucked banjo to rich, full dulcimer to hand claps and stomps and probably pots and pans being struck with spoons in the space of those 12 tracks. Not only is this the debut release for Saintseneca, it’s also the debut release for the band’s label, Mama Bird. Last hit the world this week on 12″ vinyl and digital download. Check out the first track from the album, “Acid Rain.”

::: AUDIO: Saintseneca – Acid Rain :::

Saintseneca – “Acid Rain”

Daniel Trudeau calls himself Pregnant, and the music he makes is not at all unlike that idea: beautiful, uncomfortable at times, and fraught with significance.

Life Hard : I Try is Pregnant’s first release on Mush Records. It’s a thick and complex landscape of pop, decorated with Trudeau’s lilting vocal and punctuated with glitchy beats and unexpected instrumentation and melodic shifts. Check out “Letter to a Friend” below and watch for the full album to drop on September 6.

::: AUDIO: Pregnant – Letter to a Friend :::
Pregnant – “Letter To A Friend”

It’s been less than 24 hours since marriage equality passed the New York senate, and what better way to celebrate than with a gay icon (Adele ) singing a song of heartbreak that’s been remixed into (you guessed it) a dance beat. The synergy is so fabulous I almost wish they could’ve spun this at Stonewall last night.

Kwestro is a hip-hop producer out of Austin who’s been dabbling in electronic and ambient music in recent years, and is currently at work on his debut album. He says this remix was almost abandoned, unfinished, but he decided instead of producing a beat around the entire song to focus in on one killer lyrical moment: “The scars of your love, remind me of us. They keep me thinking that we almost had it all.”

Like any good remix, this is an entirely new sonic experience. Kwestro’s managed to get a hook stuck in my head that I simultaneously already knew by heart and yet had never heard before. Listen for the way he chops up the vocal toward the end, using the blips to create a secondary beat structure. It’s a little trance, it’s a whole lot of dance. So take a…chance?

Rhymes. Sue me.

::: AUDIO: Adele – Rolling In The Deep (Kwestro Love Scars Remix) :::
Adele – “Rolling In The Deep (Kwestro Love Scars Remix)”

I’m a sucker for a good back story. So when I stumbled upon the Wikipedia entry for “ghost estates” while searching for the band of the same name and found out that the term refers to abandoned houses from a boom and bust in Ireland called the Celtic Tiger period,  I was pretty much smitten (luckily it turns out ).

These guys have played together for about a year and a half after the members’ two previous bands — Sickboy and 8Ball — collapsed. They recorded their debut album as Ghost Estates at Sun Studios Temple Bar. (In the Temple Bar district of Dublin, not to be confused with that other place with a similar name.) The album was mixed by Marc Carolan, whose previously worked with Muse, Snow Patrol and The Cure.  According to the rather sparse information that’s available on the band at the minute, the plan is to release singles throughout 2011 as they tour (nationally, for now: only Ireland dates have been announced thus far).

The first single is called “Paris,” and while I’m hesitant with only the one single in my ears to start drawing comparisons, you’ll probably like these guys if you like Passion Pit, Blonde Redhead, Animal Collective and the like. It’s electronic, it’s ethereal in places and poppy in others. Something about it is working, though. I pressed play on this track no less than four times yesterday.

Stay tuned for more, check out the band’s label – Slap in the Face Records — and listen to “Paris” here.

::: AUDIO: Ghost Estates – Paris :::
Ghost Estates – “Paris”

I recently heard Athens-based Reptar‘s live show described as a “sticky dance riot.” And while I don’t really remember being sticky when I saw them, I can’t really argue with dance riot. So let’s not split hairs on the sticky part.

Ever since that show, though, I have been fairly impatiently waiting for the July 11 release of the band’s EP, Oblange Fizz Y’all. Luckily to tide me over a bit they’ve got a 7″ coming out on Black Bell Records next month. And while I’m at it, I’ll just keep the joy coming straight to you — they’ve just announced a series of dates this summer with Art Brut and Matt & Kim.

Check out this video of the band performing “Blastoff,” the first track from the forthcoming EP, at North Avenue Studios in Orange City, Fla.

::: TOUR DATES — Reptar :::
5/31 – Philadelphia, PA – Trocadero*
6/1 – Baltimore, MD – Ram’s Head*
6/15 – Chicago, IL – Double Door+
6/16 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom+
6/20 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall+
6/21 – Hoboken, NJ – Maxwell’s+
6/22 – Washington, D.C. – Black Cat+
6/23 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall Williamsburg+
6/18 – Governor’s Ball with Girl Talk + Empire Of The Sun
8/5 to 8/7 – Lollapalooza (date TBA)

<sub>* dates with Matt & Kim
+ dates with Art Brut</sub>

It seems like Memphis was overdue for a song that lets you know where we all come from (there just aren’t any, are there?), and it appears that “Representing Memphis” may well be the one. Well, okay, I kid — there are almost 1000 songs that mention the city of ‘Memphis’, validating the cultural impact and significance that the bluff city holds in the history of recorded music.

In that tradition, a new simmering soul stirrer giving props to the city that I call home appears on the new album from Memphis music legend Booker T. Jones, The Road From Memphis, which will be released on 10 May 2011 from Anti- Records.

With an all-star supporting cast, the album (produced by Booker T., Questlove and Rob Schnapf & recorded by Gabriel Roth from Daptone) features Booker T. being backed by the Legendary Roots Crew with special guest vocals from Yim Yames of My Morning Jacket, Lou Reed, and this song which features both Matt Berninger of The National and Sharon Jones.

Can you sing this one with me, Memphis? And hey — in case you’re not familiar with Harlem House (referred to in the song), they were restaurants that served the African-American community, intended to give service to those who were denied service at lunch counters in Memphis during segregation. A staple of African-American communities from one end of Memphis to the other, Memphis was once home to nine Harlem House Restaurants.

Booker T. Jones – Representing Memphis (feat. Matt Berninger and Sharon Jones) by antirecords

[ Pre-Order The Road From Memphis (VINYL) from Amazon here. ]

::: CHECK OUT ::: the video for Booker T.’s cover of “Everything is Everything” by Lauryn Hill.

I’m not going to lie to anyone: this update is being written by someone who has always felt Sade could do no wrong. Being a fan of Sade’s sultry voice and soul-searching music for many, many years, I’ve listened to this single, “Solider of Love” from her forthcoming album of the same title and… I’m not really ready to make comment on this one just yet. It’s definitely a Sade track. That’s the most I can say myself right now. What do you think of it?

A new video from one of our favorites, Orenda Fink (O+S, Azure Ray) has a new album out on Saddle Creek. This video comes from that album. Enjoy.

[Official Site : Buy Ask The Night @ Lala]

Is the world ready for Total Savage? Fresh off an opening bid with the Mashter of Ceremonies Girl Talk, Memphis rapper Total Savage is about as next as it gets. I think this video, directed by Brad Phelan, speaks for itself — so let there be no question. Tonight, he’ll be blowing up the stage at Hi-Tone with the grand masters of Aristocrunk, Lord T and Eloise. Get ready to get it bumping out the frame, Memphis.

I got a tweet from my boy over at NASDANK about this track which, I guess, Charles Hamilton decided to just one-off to commemorate November 10, 2008. It’s pretty smoking, so I guess you oughta listen to it! NASDANK tells me that this comes straight from Mr. Hamilton himself, so if you’re one of those people combing the nets for “illegal MP3′s”, take it up with Charles. And Charles, if that’s you, I hope reposting this was okay?? Email me if it aint and I’ll get rid of it.

In the meantime, the Hamiltonization process continues…word.

Charles Hamilton – November 10, 2008

(HT: NASDANK)

As demoed at the TECHcocktail event in Chicago last week, the concept is simple and ingenious: listen to free music from unsigned bands, and “sign” your favorites to your own virtual record label. When your signed artists become hits on the site, you score points.

Simple…ingenious…and very addictive.

I like the concept, but it’s really nothing that new in the universe. I remember when Garageband.Com tried something similar (though not the same) many years ago. I’m sure there are other websites who have used comparable methods by which to break new music, but if this catches on it could become a movement all its own.

What are your thoughts? I guess if you’re in the throes of your own “funemployment cycle”, you’ll have plenty of time to get involved with this new concept. I’ll give it a whirl and let you know more after testing it out.

(TheNextBigSound — HT:Mashable)

For more on my experiment with The Next Big Sound, read on after the jump.

Well, it took me a while, but I found some really good stuff on here. http://loudersoft.thenextbigsound.com. Especially like blahblahblah. Very original.

However, here are my criticisms of the site design:

a) You can’t fast forward through tracks. This is a critical design flaw that needs to be addressed in order to save me from sitting through an entirely crappy song to find ten good seconds.

b) There’s no feature by which to report people. Crap like this: http://warrenc.thenextbigsound.com/ can be posted with no way to report the offense (in case its been taken down, the “artist” uploaded an empty track entitled “Obama Is the Anti Christ (WarrenC meets VJ NicoHitler StudioMix)” — nice). So, it’s a pranksters playground as it sits.

c) There’s no way to mark acts I’ve already heard as “heard” so I have to listen to eighteen tracks by the same shitty band even though I’ve already decided I do not like them.

Fix this stuff, and you’re on to something guys. Don’t fix these things, and watch it tank.

For you fans of Robert Zimmerman, as we are around here, you know where we will be on Tuesday, September 30th at 12 a.m. — clicking this link to listen to Bob Dylan’s newest album, Tell Tale Signs in its entirety. Dylan has been giving folks a free preview track from the album at bobdylan.com which has us all buzzing. Check out this song, “Dreamin’ of You” then check out the full preview at midnight Tuesday. See you then.

Bob Dylan – Dreamin of You

Exclusive Preview: Bob Dylan’s ‘Tell Tale Signs’ : NPR Music.

Ok readers, don’t think I’ve jumped off the deep end here. I am not a Britney Spears fan. Never have been.

That’s why it’s so weird that I really love this new song she just released as her new single — so much so that I’m reblogging this post from Pretty Much Amazing which contains said new track, “Womanizer”. It’s a vast departure from her recent string of mediocrity, way more accessible, and much more confident. Good for you, Brit-Brit. Welcome back.

Enjoy it while you can & thanks to Pretty Much Amazing for posting it.

Listen: New Britney – Womanizer (First Single) at Pretty Much Amazing! The Music Blog.

UPDATE: A better version of the single can be found by clicking here instead.

In a group of names like that, I might have forgotten about Chad VanGaalen except for he doesn’t let me. Thanks to an opportunity to catch him at the Sub Pop showcase at CMJ a couple of years back, I became an instant fan. His newest release, Soft Airplane continues his love affair with experimental noise pop and tender love songs, a pattern developed over the course of two other fine albums (2004′s Infiniheart and 2006′s Skelliconnection). The resonant difference is the maturity of the material & the confidence evident in the performance and songwriting.

Vangaalen’s gift has been to apply pressure only when necessary: to take dissonant arrangements and manically depressive subjects into his arms for a taste of sweetness. Thematically, it has always seemed to me, one of his central themes throughout all three albums has been death. On Soft Airplane, he doesn’t really stray too much from that mode; however, there is an unsubtle celebratory atmosphere around the subject which I found to be missing from his previous outings. Death is no longer merely an ominous figure hiding in the dark. He wants to, and wants us, to some degree, to dance with death as with a friend or loved one. On “Rabid Bits of Time”, VanGaalen’s chorus resonates his vision clearly: “No one knows where we go/When we’re dead or when we’re dreaming”, as if it were a song to be sung at the end of the universe while we ponder the destruction in our wake.

Oh, and one more thing — The easy comparison of VanGaalen’s voice and style to Neil Young are sincere and not merely cliched; they become even more favorable with this album, a comparison which is both complimentary and deserved.

Mixing tender acoustic ballads on death like “Willow Tree” and “Rabid Bits of Time” with the disaffected Casio-tone-laden indie rock of songs like “Bare Feet on Wet Griptape” and “TMNT Mask”, VanGaalen never ceases to fascinate himself (or us) with the process of discovery. For fans of Helium, The Shins, Built to Spill and others, you will find Soft Airplane both accessible and exceptional. It’s a confident, accomplished album of dream resonance worth hanging on for.

Chad VanGaalen – Willow Tree
Chad VanGaalen – Bare Feet on Wet Griptape

BUY: Soft Airplane from Amazon.Com [cd|digital]