Monday, January 05, 2009

Macktronic is Dead. (And Risen Elsewhere)




Macktronic is dead.
You may now read about all things related to Gold Robot Records here:
http://gold-robot.com/records/ (official website, blog imbedded)
http://goldrobot.blogspot.com/ (blog only)
Please update your links.

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Wednesday, October 08, 2008

VIDEO: E*Rock Interview on XLR8R



I'm a big fan of the various projects E*Rock is involved with (see here, here, here), so this interview on XLR8R is a treat. It's part of the Portland-centric issue, and there's more interviews/clips/etc over on their website. Anyhow, dude is talented.

[E*Rock official website.]
[E*Rock on myspace.]
[Audio Dregs official website.]
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[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]

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Tuesday, September 09, 2008

REVISIT: Panther



Since I had the pleasure of catching another live Panther show last night, along with the excellent E*Rock and Ratatat, I figured it was topical to post some here. This song has seeped into my weekly spin list, and it comes from a couple different spots: a compilation released by the esteemed label States Rights Records (where you can get the whole double CD for only $10) and a self-released 2007 Tour CD. The track's got a nice lounge feel to it, which I appreciate.

::: Panther - Taxes

AND, as if I wouldn't mention it, we've got a few copies left of the limited edition Panther 7-inch over here at Gold Robot Records. Check it out here, and get one for yourself (and a friend).

::: Panther - How Well Can You Swim

You can catch the Ratatat/Panther/E*Rock tour (and I suggest you do just that) as they dance across the states and into Europe. See here for the dates/venues/etc.

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[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to DB007.]

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Wednesday, August 27, 2008

MUSIC: Man/Miracle



I posted on these guys a while back, when Man/Miracle was known as Bear on Bear. While the name has changed, the talent certainly still remains. This Bay Area band crafts some damn fine jams, with the A-side single "Pushing and Shoving" for an upcoming release features some hand-clapping, sng-alonging, and break-neck pacing. I love how it teeters on destruction and desperation, but never seems to slip over the line. While already posted by more reputable sites, I thought I'd pass this along to the loyal Macktronic readers in case you missed it.

::: Man/Miracle - Pushing and Shoving

You can pre-order the single on either vinyl 7" or CD. The covers are hand-screened and pretty nice, if I do say so myself.

[Man/Miracle on myspace.]
[Man/Miracle official website.]
[Download Music from eMusic; 25 song free trial.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to smoochka.]

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Monday, August 25, 2008

REVIEW: Outside Lands Festival (SF)


[Photo credit goes to llamacafecom.]

So, down goes a long weekend of music in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. I would classify the inaugural Outside Lands Festival as an overall success, but not without the expected hiccups. Since I attended without a press pass, my photos ended up being fairly pedestrian, so I've culled the beloved flickr for some good ones. Sanjay Suchak has loads of other good shots, that I can't imbed here, but you can take a look at if you want to get a better feel of the festival. I won't go into a full-on festival recap (which you can find here, among other places), so here's some odds and ends from my end.


[Photo credit goes to whalesharque.]

+ The first night crowd, most of which were there for Radiohead, pushed the capacity limits of the festival. Everything was crowded (food, beer, bathrooms, etc) and the moving around was pretty limited.
+ One of the main "side" stages, where Beck played had a pretty horrible viewing angle, so unless you were on the hill along the side, or within 50 feet of the stage, it was hard to get a view of the performance.
+ The Radiohead show was excellent, as expected, aside from when the sound cut twice for about 30 seconds. Bad timing for a technical malfunction, when your headliner is on stage. Overall, though, the sound was pretty good. Per Radiohead standards, the visuals were excellent. (Funny side note: KEXP is playing a Radiohead song as I write this)
+ Jack Johnson, who closed out the festival on Sunday night, surprised me. I was wondering if his sound would be able to fill out the huge main stage area (in the Polo Fields), and it certainly did. I think it was a good choice as a closing act, as it sent everyone off on a positive/calm note.


[Photo credit goes to blurb.]

+ I know that Devendra Banhart won over a number of new fans with his performance. He's just a force of a performer, and I think that once you see him live his recordings take on a new dimension. Plus, he had on a rad old school Lakers t-shirt, which was funny. (Side note: I first ran into Mr. Banhart at a Ratatat show a little over 2 years ago at Great American Music Hall. He was chilling in the back, as a fan, which I thought was cool.)
+ Beck's set was great and eclectic. Although I'm really into his new album (my friend calls it a "creeper", as in it gets better with each listen), the highlight track for me was "Que Onda Guero" for some odd reason. Never been a huge fan of the track, guess the wind was just right at the time.
+ One complaint commonly heard, concerning the festival at large, was the corporate nature of the event. Although they made many "green" efforts, it seemed like everything (and I mean everything) was sponsored. Now, I get that they've got to do in order to cover costs, but it does get a bit tiring. (C'mon, a Visa Signature Series VIP Lounge??!?!). Since the 3-day pass was $225.50 (plus all the service charges), you'd think the sponsorships would be a little less prevalent. Probably just wishful thinking on my part.
+ Wilco were amazing, seemed like the stage they played on (not the main one) had the best sound. The crowd was definitely into it.


[Photo credit goes to ppparasol.]

+ Tons of folks jumped the fence into the festival the first night, so security was beefed up the next couple of days. I even talked to a few people who just walked past the ticket-takers. (Side note: As we were leaving the first night, one guy stole a huge flagpole, which there were lots of, and was running out the exit with it. A security guard yells "Hey, slow down, stop running!" and didn't even care/notice the flagpole.)
+ Saturday and Sunday were much more mellow than Friday night, probably around 40,000 folks instead of 60,000. Made getting around alot easier for sure.
+ My personal favorite set was The Cool Kids, someone who I enjoy but probably wouldn't catch outside of this kind of setting. Rap is hard to pull off live, and I've seen some horrible sets in my day, so I was duly impressed. Plus, the stage banter is damn good. (So, if you run into them, tell them they did a good job.)
+ Bon Iver also was able to pull off his sound live, which I was curious about. Really humble guy, it seemed.
+ Set I wish I saw: The Black Keys. Even though I've seen them about 6 times, I love their live performances. Too bad they were running parallel to Beck, who I hadn't ever seen (I know, how does that happen?), so I'll catch them next time around. Also heard good things about The Walkmen's performance, but I've seen them alot too. Oh well, can't see everything.

It'll be interesting to see if they make this into a yearly event, haven't read anything from the organizers about their expectations. If you also were at the festival, I'd love to hear your thoughts as well. Here's some tracks, while we're at it.

::: The Cool Kids - Black Mags
::: Devendra Banhart - Sea Horse
::: Radiohead - Nobody Does It Better (live)
::: Jack Johnson - Wasting Time
::: Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
::: Bon Iver - Skinny Love

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Friday, August 22, 2008

RELEASE: Meanest Man Contest (Digital Only)



Wow, these Meanest Man Contest fellows are quite prolific. On the heels of some wonderful new tracks through RCRD LBL and the previous GRR release comes a new EP featuring some remixes, a cover version, and a new original track.

We Blame You is the first in a series of odds-and-ends EPs from the San Francisco/Los Angeles hip-hop/electronic pop duo. Three remixes of MMC faves – by Paris-based producer Débruit (Musique Large), San Francisco laptop king Mochipet (Daly City Records), and Dutch up-and-comer Multi-Panel – are rounded out by a cover from Roman Ruins (Gold Robot) and a new MMC track ("You're Right. It's Ballin'.").

Check out the tracklist:

1. We Wouldn't Want It Any Other Way (Débruit remix)
2. Throwing Away Broken Electronics (Mochipet remix f/ DJ Lion)
3. You're Right. It's Ballin'.
4. They Do (Multi-Panel remix)
5. They Do (Roman Ruins version)

The Multi-Panel remix was selected from numerous entries to our "They Do" remix contest. They were all excellent, and you'll start seeing some of them pop up over the coming months.

Here's a free MP3 from the EP, feel free to spread it around.

::: Meanest Man Contest - We Wouldn't Want It Any Other Way (Debruit Remix)

You can download the album through a number of digital retailers, including Emusic and iTunes.

[Meanest Man Contest on myspace.]
[Gold Robot Records home.]
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Monday, August 18, 2008

RELEASE: Lady Genius



The rumors are true, Gold Robot Records has another new release! Coming on the heels of the already-sold-out Bonnie Prince Billy vinyl single, we're proud to present the first 10-inch record of GRR's brief history. San Francisco's very own Lady Genius offer up this 6-song gem of an EP, featuring stunning artwork and red colored vinyl in a limited pressing of 500 copies. Details and a full tracklist can be found here.

Buy your very own copy of the beautiful EP here. Each vinyl purchase includes a digital download code for the entire album. (If you're a digital-only kind of person, it's already up on iTunes, eMusic, and many other fine digital retailers.) Also, cruise on over to the esteemed Deli SF and cast a vote for Lady Genius is their "Band of the Month" poll.

Free MP3 sample to boot!
::: Lady Genius - New York Through York

[Lady Genius on myspace.]
[Gold Robot Records home.]
[Download Music from eMusic; 25 song free trial.]
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[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]

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