MUSIC: Why?

Seriously, this is the best track I've heard in a long while. And, to make things even better, they're fellow East Bay kids. Part of the Anticon mob, it falls neatly into my obsession of damaged/crashing/folk/indie stylings. This is the title track off a new vinyl EP (details below), and it is the perfect companion to this brisk Friday in the Bay.

::: WHY? - The Hollows

The Hollows EP will be released as a 12" vinyl in the US by Anticon and in the EU through Tomlab, both with different B-sides. Tracklists are as follows:

US:
A1. The Hollows
A2. By Torpedo Or Crohn's (a remix by Dntel)
B1. Yoyo Bye Bye (a cover by Xiu Xiu)
B2. Pre-teen Apocalyptic Film Acting (Medley) (a cover by Half-handed Cloud)

EU:
A1. The Hollows
A2. Good Friday (a remix by Boards of Canada)
B1. Yoyo Bye Bye (a cover by Dump)
B2. Broken Crow (a cover by Islands)

You can pick up the vinyl EP from Anticon here.

[WHY? on myspace.]
[Download Music from eMusic; free 25 song free trial.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to junebug in july.]

Tags: mp3, music, anticon, why, oakland

MUSIC: Bon Iver

The story behind Justin Vernon's construction of Bon Iver has been well documented, almost to folk-hysteria; I've been avoiding posting these tracks as the path is well trodden. However, his music does resonate with me, and I find myself mindlessly smiling when listening to the "Skinny Love" track. Recently signed to Jagjaguwar, who will release his debut LP titled For Emma, Forever Ago at some point, he's currently trekking around the East Coast (dates here). Enjoy the hell out of this stuff.

::: Bon Iver - Skinny Love
::: Bon Iver - For Emma

[Bon Iver on myspace.]
[Bon Iver on virb.]
[Download Music from eMusic; free 25 song free trial.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to KIM.]

Tags: music, mp3, bon iver, folk

RELEASE: The Parish (Storm Driven Bird EP)

Gold Robot Records is pleased to announce the newest addition (GRR004) to their catalog. This vinyl/digital release is an EP by The Parish (out of Oakland) titled Storm Driven Bird. Here's the stats:

+ limited edition (500)
+ 33RPM 7-inch record (pilsner colored translucent vinyl)
+ officially drops on December 18th, but you can pre-order it now.
+ all artwork done by Ian Umlauf (Brooklyn, NY)

Venerable online mag Deli SF recently described their sound: "The Parish have an interesting blend of new(er) and old, that feels familiar but never photocopied". And, of course, this is their strongest release yet.

Tracklist:
A1 - Through the Boughs
A2 - Humboldt County Line [stream]
B1 - Wishbook [stream]
B2 - Dummy in Trouble [stream]

And here's a free MP3, courtesy of the band.

::: The Parish - Dummy in Trouble (f/ Storm Driven Bird EP)

Pre-order the album now. Each 7-inch vinyl includes a digital download code for the entire release. I promise you'll love it.

Also, don't forget that Gold Robot Records has screened some new t-shirts! Limited to 30 total, it features the GRR logo (designed by DJG) in two-color (yellow and black) hand-placed. These hand-screened shirts are on American Apparel Athletic Grey Tri-blend Tees in both men's and women's sizes (see here for a picture). Order one for only 13 bucks here.

[The Parish Official Website.]
[The Parish on myspace.]
[Gold Robot Records official website.]
[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Download Music from eMusic; free 25 song free trial.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]

Tags: mp3, music, the parish, oakland, vinyl, limited, edition, new release, indie rock, americana

CONTEST: FADER 49 + Mixtapes

UPDATE: This contest has ended, congratulations to Chris of Memphis!!! You can always find a direct link to the latest contest using the "current contest" link found in the sidebar.

The good folks over at FADER are once again providing some goodies for a contest. The new issue features Spank Rock and Bradley Cox (Deerhunter) on the cover. You can download FADER 49 now.

Up for grabs in this contest are:
1.... A physical copy of FADER 49
2.... Cornerstone Player 074 (two discs featuring tracks by Interpol, White Williams, Drug Rug and many more) [not available in stores]
3.... Suite 903 Mix (two discs featuring Cool Kids, Chuck Brown, Q-tip, and others) [not available in stores]

To enter the contest, simply send an email to macktronic (at) gmail (dot) com with the subject line "FADER 49 CONTEST" including your mailing address in the body of the email. Winners will be chosen at random on Wednesday November 21st. Good luck!

[Download Music from eMusic; free 25 song free trial.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]

Tags: music, contest, fader, deerhunter, spank rock

MUSIC: Health

Now here's an album that is very mood-specific, at least for me. HEALTH, hailing from LA, have garnered some recent press and interest for their attacking ambient constructions. I've listened to the album, and while very consistent (no real misses), my favorite track comes near the end. "Glitter Pills" is all pulsing slaps and longing chants, and I love it for that. Just a fantastic song.

::: HEALTH - Glitter Pills

Their new album is on sale over at Insound.

[Current Macktronic Contest.]
[Download Music from eMusic; free 25 song free trial.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to courtland.]

Tags: mp3, music, health, los angeles, electronica, drone

MUSIC/SHOWS: Lady Genius

Here's another exciting new Bay Area band, and you've got many chances to catch them live if you live in the SF area. Lady Genius (featuring members of the short-lived Macktronic favorite Volunteer Pioneer) are doing a Tuesdays in November residency at The Hotel Utah in San Francisco. Dates and opening acts are listed below.

Nov 6 @ the Hotel Utah (SF) w/ Beat Beat Whisper, Fits, Megamoog, Lamb, and Little Naps
Nov 13 @ the Hotel Utah (SF) w/ Foma and Drones Club
Nov 20 @ the Hotel Utah (SF) w/ Lazarus, Jessica Pratt, and Katrina Lamb
Nov 27 @ the Hotel Utah (SF) w/ Coconut and The Fat Acrobats

The esteemed SF Weekly described a recent show as "Shimmering, clean keyboards back up syncopated boy-girl harmonies for a harsh but pretty effect when Lady Genius takes the stage. Oh, sure, there's a plain guitar/bass/drum setup in there too, but this new local band is in the indie-wall-of-sound realm, so we hesitate to call it rock. We don't want to mislead you: This five-piece has too much sugar to be rock. In fact, Lady Genius even seems to be chewing some bubblegum, if you know what we mean. Good early-1960s bubblegum, but still, it's an unusual pop influence, at odds with the folk and metal that seem to lay down the law for a lot of groups. The result is like the Magnetic Fields crash-landing a flying saucer in New Pornographers-land."

::: Lady Genius - New York Through York

Keep an eye out for some debut recordings, and certainly check out the shows if you're in the Bay Area. These guys are super good.

[Lady Genius on myspace.]
[Current Macktronic Contest.]
[Download Music from eMusic; free 25 song free trial.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]

Tags: mp3, music, san francisco, lady genius, hotel utah, shows

MUSIC: Glass Candy

Last Thursday I was at The Fillmore in SF to catch Panther (always awesome) open for Architecture in Helsinki (who were great), but what I didn't know was that I'd walk away with a new musical obsession. Glass Candy (Ida No and Johnny Jewel) hit me square in the face with death/disco/electronica; their show sounded amazing, their stage presence looked perfect. They've got 4 songs for free download over at their myspace page, here are the first two.

::: Glass Candy - Beautific (f/ 2007 Beatbox Tour CD)
::: Glass Candy - Digital Versicolor (f/ 2007 Beatbox Tour CD)

There is an absolute wealth of free downloads from previous Tour CDR's, sold-out 7-inch releases, and demos over at Glass Candy's official website. It's an absolute joy to see the songs take on new lives, following the growth and progression of a band. This website provided me with all kinds of excitement (I love the presentation and free distribution). Here are a couple sample tracks from an old tour CDR.

::: Glass Candy - Nite Nurses (f/ 2005 Tour CDR)
::: Glass Candy - Sugar & Whitebread (f/ 2005 Tour CDR)

As a thank you to the band for providing all those free tracks, you should buy a 7" single or CD, they've got a fantastic back catalog available. They've also got a new 12" out on Italians Do It Better, which you can pick up here. I would also suggest catching up with them on their current tour, which hits up most of the western states soon.

Nov 6 (Los Angeles @ The Troubador)
Nov 7 (Los Angeles @ The Troubador)
Nov 9 (Tucson @ Realto Theatre)
Nov 10 (Santa Fe @ The Moon)
Nov 12 (Norman @ Opolis)
Nov 13 (Denton @ Hailey's)
Nov 14 (Austin @ Emo's)
Nov 15 (New Orleans @ Republic)
Nov 17 (Houston @ The Backroom)
Nov 23 (Los Angeles @ Weekend Warriors)
Nov 24 (San Francisco @ Frisco Disco)
Nov 29 (Seattle @ Chop Suey)
Nov 30 (Portland @ Rotture)
Dec 7 (Miami @ Art Basel)

The most recent list will be up on their myspace page.

[Glass Candy official website.]
[Glass Candy on myspace.]
[Current Macktronic Contest.]
[Download Music from eMusic; free 25 song free trial.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to dearestchloe.]

Tags: mp3, music, glass candy, portland, panther, tour, electronica, death disco

REMIXES: New Quarterbar Tracks

Brand new remix tracks from our boy Quarterbar. Self-described as "female rappers spittin' in an old school way even if a couple of the songs aren't actually old. the beats have a fun 80's synth type of sound." However, I would describe it as "super great." He's doing some of my most favorite remix work these days, and you should be into him as well. Check these out:

::: Salt 'N Pepa - Spinderella's Not a Fella / Shake Your Thing (Quarterbar Remix)
::: Lady Tigra - Bass on the Bottom (Quarterbar Remix)
::: The Go! Team - Grip Like a Vice (Quarterbar Remix)
::: Roxanne Shante - Big Mama (Quarterbar Remix)

And don't forget that Qbar recently dropped his Shock 'Em Dead mixtape on Sneakmove which includes the following two tracks along with many other gems. (Seriously, I love this remix of Birdman and Lil Wayne, which is probably why I've posted it a couple times now)

::: Birdman & Lil Wayne - Stuntin' Like My Daddy (Quarterbar Fast Remix)
::: Wale - Good Girls (Quarterbar Remix)

You can get the whole mixtape in two formats: CD-R for 5 bucks or digitally for 2 bucks. Seriously, that's amazingly cheap and incredibly worth it.

[Quarterbar official website.]
[Quarterbar on myspace.]
[Current Macktronic Contest.]
[Download Music from eMusic; free 25 song free trial.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to jgual.]

Tags: mp3, music, remix, quarterbar, birdman, lil wayne, wale, the go team, shante, lady tigra

MUSIC: Tempo No Tempo

I've had my eye on this Berkeley-based band for a while, and now is as good a time as ever to introduce Tempo No Tempo to the Macktronic faithful. Their debut EP (The Get Down) is as good a collection of dance/rock/goodness as anything I've heard in a while. Now they're set to release a new EP (Repetition), and they'll be celebrating this with a release party at Bottom of the Hill on November 15th along with The Donts, The Lovely Public, and DJ Pasternak (of Lemonade). Hosted by the good folks of The Deli SF, it promises to be a good time.

::: Tempo No Tempo - A Different Weapon (f/ The Get Down EP)

You can buy the EP's through their myspace page for only 7 bucks (shipping included).

[Tempo No Tempo on myspace.]
[Current Macktronic Contest.]
[Download Music from eMusic; free 25 song free trial.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to sansonic.]

Tags: mp3, music, tempo no tempo, deli sf, berkeley, rock