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

Tags: mp3, music, meanest man contest, roman ruins, mochipet, multi panel, debruit, remix, cover, gold robot records

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.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]

Tags: mp3, music, lady genius, san francisco, gold robot records, vinyl, limited

RELEASE: Bonnie Prince Billy

Gold Robot Records is extremely (!!!) happy to announce the release of a new single by Bonnie Prince Billy. This 2-song 45RPM vinyl record features two unreleased tracks. Here's the pertinent information:

Title: Notes For Future Lovers
Format: 7-inch colored vinyl (translucent blue)
Run: 500 (individually numbered)
Release Date: July 29, 2008

Tracklist:
A1 - Notes For Future Lovers
B1 - Donde Esta Prufrock

Details:
Music/Vocals: Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
Lyrics: John Harmon
Recorded: Tusi
Cover Art: Hunter Mack
Rear Photograph: WCM
Design/Layout: Ian Umlauf

There's only 500 of these things, so it'll run out pretty quick.

Buy it here.

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

RELEASE: Railcars

Gold Robot Records is please to announce another new release, this time by San Francisco's very own Railcars. Crashing and wonderful, this 5 track 7-inch vinyl is sure to make your day. Here's the blurb on the EP, titled Cities vs Submarines:

Recorded in the kitchen of Xiu Xiu frontman Jamie Stewart, cities vs submarines is a ten minute journey into Aria Jalali's most vivid, reoccurring dreams. Railcars is an attempt to bring the images that have haunted Aria's mind to life using drum boxes, synths, and noise pedals with sentiments recreated in lyrical form. The current four member lineup for railcars' live performances was established by Jalali when asked to play some shows with Handsome Furs in April 2008, however Aria Jalali has also performed railcars sets by himself, with only a laptop, guitar and pedal effects.

And the Tracklist:

A1 - There Is Ice; It Is Blue
A2 - Saints Are Waiting For Me, Outside My Door
B1 - Concrete Buildings
B2 - Through The Trees Lay Smokestacks
B3 - Bohemia Is Without A Sea

::: Railcars - There is Ice; It is Blue

Pre-Order the vinyl EP!
(Each vinyl comes with a digital download code for the entire EP)

[Railcars on myspace.]
[Gold Robot Records home.]
[Download Music from eMusic; 25 song free trial.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to qsySue.]

Tags: mp3, music, railcars, gold robot records, vinyl, xiu xiu

MUSIC: Sweetie

Time for another release from Gold Robot Records, this time from San Francisco's very own Sweetie. The 4 song EP, titled Saturdays, will officially drop on May 27th. It is being released on red colored vinyl in a limited run of 500 copies with hand-screened covers. See more details here. Jen Chochinov of Wiretap sums up Sweetie's sound nicely:

"To me Sweetie is the quintessential Indie pop/rock band. Catchy, catchy guitar & synth hooks with really sweet, laid back vocals. Omar's vocals remind me of a slightly softer and more soothing Ira Kaplan (of Yo La Tengo), and I was bobbing my head in total joy.
Their brand of indie rock is the kind I can listen to non-stop – it was like that feeling when you're on a road trip and you chance upon an awesome college radio station that is playing everything you want to hear exactly how you want to hear it. Sweetie brought back the joy of new band discovery for me, and for that I say thank you."

Here's a free track off of the Saturdays EP (get a copy for yourself pronto).

::: Sweetie - Killing the Crown

Pre-order the vinyl EP for only 5 bucks. Each purchase also receives a digital download code for mp3's of the entire release.

[Sweetie on myspace.]
[Download Music from eMusic; 25 song free trial.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to falcos11.]

VIDEO: Meanest Man Contest

Gold Robot Records has just released their first proper video, and I'm excited to share it with you. Directed by Greg Tuzin of On the Fly Films, it features Meanest Man Contest doing the title track from their Throwing Away Broken Electronics release. Check out the dancers wearing cardboard boombox heads, the slow-mo shots of shattered televisions, and the enviable dance moves of MMC.

::: Meanest Man Contest - Throwing Away Broken Electronics

You can buy the vinyl/digital EP here.

[Meanest Man Contest on myspace.]

[Gold Robot Records official website.]

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

MUSIC: New Meanest Man Contest EP

The talented boys of MMC have released a new digital EP on Plug Research titled Some People. The cover art comes courtesy of Jeff Hurlow. They've been kind enough to offer the title track as a free download, so enjoy the heck out of it.

::: Meanest Man Contest - Some People (Just Get Off On Breaking Hearts)

Details and ordering information can be found here.

(Disclaimer/Reminder: Gold Robot Records has just released a limited edition 7" single by MMC; see the particulars here.)
And a bonus track from that cut.

::: Meanest Man Contest - Throwing Away Broken Electronics

And, you can pick up the nicely-reviewed-by-Pitchfork debut album from MMC over at Insound.

[Meanest Man Contest blog.]
[Meanest Man Contest 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 box of birds.]

Tags: mp3, music, rap, hip hop, meanest man contest, plug research, gold robot records

NEW RELEASE: Meanest Man Contest

Gold Robot Records is pleased to announce the newest release, out officially on September 1st. It features the hip-hop stylings of Meanest Man Contest and includes a remix by COPY. This limited edition (500, individually numbered) 4-song vinyl EP is a collection of 3 previously unreleased tracks, plus an a cappella version of "They Do" (from their split LP with Languis). Trackilist:

A1 - Meanest Man Contest - Throwing Away Broken Electronics [mp3]
A2 - Meanest Man Contest - We Wouldn't Want It Any Other Way
B1 - Meanest Man Contest - Throwing Away Broken Electronics (COPY Remix)
B2 - Meanest Man Contest - They Do (A Cappella)

Other details include:
Cover artwork by San Francisco's Casey Jex Smith.
Tracks A1/B1 feature guest vocals by Marchelle Bradanini (Bedtime For Toys)
Track B2 features guest vocals by Kaia Wong (Mixel Pixel)
Two cover versions: gray and green
more info here

Each EP will include a download code for a digital download of all songs.
Additionally, uncompressed versions of the "They Do" a cappella track will be released for a remix contest in the near future. Stay tuned for details on that.

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY NOW

Here's some bonus tracks from the amazing artists involved in this project.

::: Meanest Man Contest & Languis - Sneakmove Split Sampler
::: COPY - This Is Promotional
::: Bedtime For Toys - Cold Fever (more on myspace)
::: Mixel Pixel - You're The Kind Of Girl (more here)

[MMC on myspace.]
[COPY on myspace.]
[GRR 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, gold robot records, meanest man contest, copy, mixel pixel, bedtime for toys, casey jex smith, vinyl, independent, label

RANDOM: Odds and Ends

One of the new additions to my art collection is a piece by Matthew Feyld, a great artist out of Saskatoon. My piece isn't on his website (I should take a picture, I know), but I like the painting seen above. He's got alot of art for sale from his flickr page linked below, so go get yourself some of that goodness.
[Matthew Feyld flickr page.]



The first run of Gold Robot Records t-shirts is almost sold out! It comes in olive green and yellow gold colors on American Apparel unisex t-shirts. Super cheap at only 12 bucks. The next run will be on heather gray tri-blend AA tees (men's and women's sizes) with gold ink. If you want to reserve one of those, email me at goldrobotrecords(at)gmail(dot)com. Also, the third release is about to be properly announced, so keep an ear out for that.
[Gold Robot Records official website.]
[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]



I'm still in love with my Buddha Machine (seen above).
The Buddha Machine is a little plastic box that plays music. Specifically, FM3 constructed nine drones, varying from two seconds to 42 seconds, which repeat endlessly in the listener’s ear until the “track” is switched to the next drone (or the two AA batteries run out). The machine has its own built-in speaker, in case one would like to fill a room with the drones, but there is also a headphone jack for more personal meditative experiences. There’s a switch on the side that allows for traversal of the tracks, and a DC jack (though an adapter is not included) for those who would like the Buddha Machine experience be truly endless. In a way, it’s like the cheapest pre-loaded IPod you’ll ever be able to buy.
- excerpt from review at PopMatters.com
Buy one of your own for here.
[Official FM3 website]



There's a sick show coming up on Saturday July 28th here in San Francisco. It's the Terrorbird 1 Year Anniversary plus a Daly City Records release party. It'll have sets by Boom Bip, Mochipet, Panther, Copy, Meanest Man Contest, Daedelus, Jel, The Bad Hand, and many others. Plus art and other assorted great things. It's being held at 111 Minna Gallery and is sponsored by XLR8R. Tickets are 10 bucks. I'll be there, and you should be as well.



Like the masses, I'm a fan of The White Stripes. Therefore, I always jump at the chance to catch them live. They're playing at the Greek Theater in Berkeley on September 21st (with support from the Cold War Kids). The new album is fantastic, especially when heard on vinyl (of course, I'm biased).
Buy the Icky Thump vinyl here.
[Official White Stripes website.]

And what would a music blog be without some tracks?

::: The White Stripes - Icky Thump
::: Mochipet - Robot Girl (feat. Ellen Allien)
::: Meanest Man Contest - I Was Only Kidding
::: Copy - This Is Promotional
::: Panther vs Quarterbar - Secret Lawns Remix
::: Cold War Kids - Saint John

That's it for now, over and out. Sorry for the random nature.

[Current macktronic contest.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]

Tags: matthew feyld, buddha machine, fm3, gold robot records, terrorbird, white stripes, panther, meanest man contest, copy, cold war kids

REMIX: Panther by Quarterbar

The extremely talented Quarterbar has provided Macktronic with an exclusive mash-up of Panther's new album Secret Lawns. As if the tracks weren't amazing enough, Quarterbar has combined his awesome beats with Panther's brilliance to create 7 minutes of ass-shaking magic. This is your weekend anthem my friends.

::: Panther - Secret Lawns Album (Remix by Quarterbar)

Remember that you can (should!) buy the limited edition 7-inch record of Panther's single "How Well Can You Swim" out now on Gold Robot Records.

You can also buy Panther's full-length debut over at Frykbeat.

[Panther on myspace.]
[Quarterbar on myspace.]
[Current Macktronic Contest.]
[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to jaclyn jean.]

Tags: mp3, music, panther, quarterbar, gold robot records

VIDEO: Panther (How Well Can You Swim)

So this video is a couple weeks old, and we all know that Macktronic loves some Panther, but I've got to post it anyhow. Plus, here's the album version of the track.

::: Panther - How Well Can You Swim (album version)

Also, run on over to Gold Robot Records to get yourself a copy of Panther's limited release 45rpm single for "How Well Can You Swim". Only 500 pressed and going fast.

[Panther on myspace.]
[Current Macktronic Contest = Free Stuff.]
[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]

Tags: mp3, music, panther, gold robot records