Hedi Slimane and Savages

I was checking in to see what visual delights Hedi Slimane had dreamed up, and, lo and behold, what should I see, but an entire photo series featuring London’s hottest new post-punk band, Savages.

To say nothing of the fact that they’ve smashed the indie world in the face and sprung from the womb of Joy Division as a fully formed force of nature, these photos are amazing. Slimane’s crisp black and white photos fit perfectly with the bands black and white aesthetic, so really it’s a match made in heaven.

Have a look at a few of my favorites below and be sure to head over to Slimane’s photoblog to see the rest oh and be sure to listen to "City's Full" and "Flying to Berlin."

Work Drugs – Absolute Bearing

It’s here! The new Work Drugs album just dropped recently and it does not disappoint.

So 80’s dance-tastic (Thank you Microsoft Word, I know that’s not a real word) it hurts – and by that I mean your feet will be aching because their blend of smooth beats and catchy hooks will have you dancing all night – especially if it’s an all-night coke party (and by that I mean Coca-Cola party of course).

On Absolute Bearing it’s all about future sex, space sex, moon sex, synth sex – get the picture yet? It’s a sexy sex album exploding with mellow, yet danceable beats and a crap ton of synths.

In the band’s words, “Please buy, borrow, or steal it! We don't care as long as it keeps you dancing, yachting, sexting, and living.” – you heard em, so what are you waiting for!

Listen to “Perfect Storm” and “Pluto” below and head over to Bandcamp to snag your copy.

The Hives – Hate To Say I Told You So

Turn it up! The Hives are in the building today.

Just a bit of thrashing garage rock to get your weekend started right.

Enjoy.

Happy Birthday Mick!

Mick Jagger, 1963

Skipping Girl Vinegar – Chase the Sun

Have a listen to Skipping Girl Vinegar’s “Chase The Sun,” some delirious indie-pop goodness a la Arcade Fire when they’re not in mourning.

The video is equally entertaining as the band launches a vagabond monkey named Baker to the edges of space “in a low rent spaceship made from foam and gaffa tape.”

Beatlemania

She Keeps Bees – Counter Charm

She Keeps Bees, one of Brooklyn’s swampiest, sultriest blues rock duos, are back with another slow-boiler.

Recorded on Halloween night last year in a makeshift studio set up in a Parisian restaurant, “Counter Charm” growls ominously and crackles with dark voodoo. For an even more foreboding air of menace, the duo collaborated with French cellist Gaspar Claus to add an eerie howl that swells in and out of the track.

Listen to the track in every way – the studio and live version are below – and be sure to head over to bandcamp to snag your copy now.

Oh yea and the B-Side, a cover of the classic "Blue Moon," is amazing!

Freelance Whales – Locked Out + New Album!

Fuck yes! A thousand times fuck yes! Indie darlings Freelance Whales have announced that their sophomore release Diluvia will hit stores October 9th on Mom+Pop Music and Frenchkiss Records.

To hold us over until then, they’ve dropped the lead single “Locked Out.” Eschewing the lush and orchestral feel of esoteric instruments from their first album, Freelance Whales have opted to experiment quite heavily with electronics. Diehard fans of Weathervanes need not be alarmed as their sound is every bit as textured, involved, and thematic.

According to a press release, this album is all about “the possible survival – or peril – of space-faring humans and other arguably fantastical scenarios”, with the band referencing topics including space exploration, ancient astronauts, dreams, and natural and artificial selection to “evoke both prehistoric and pseudo-futuristic sensations.”

Have a gander at the psychedelic video below and then head over to their website to snag your free download.

Hyde Park Pop Festival 1970

Summer means many things -- among them naked babies at music festivals with their crunchy parents. Looks like some things never change. 

The Royal Concept – Gimme Twice

If you’re in the mood for some insanely catchy indie pop then you’re in the right place.

Have a listen to The Royal Concept’s latest track “Gimme Twice” – an ebullient track drenched in Phoenix.

Stream and download it or have a gander at the hilarious video below.

Stillwater Giants – Not Like the Others

For their latest release, Stillwater Giants opt to go with a rocking lo-fi sound. Leaving behind the breezy, surf-twinged indie pop of their previous releases, on “Not Like the Others” these Aussies have packed up their boards and headed indoors for a bit of a thrasher.

Stream the new single below, or head over to Triple J to grab your free download.  

Early White Stripes Tour Photos

Have a gander at tour photos from the glory days of the White Stripes courtesy of Evan Spencer.

The photos offer a glimpse of the enigmatic duo off the stage and harken back to a time when people still had heated debates over the fact that the White Stripes didn’t have a bassist, when their brand of skuzzy blues rock was the rawest thing you had heard in years, and when they weren’t blaring from the speakers of every frat house and football stadium in the world.

To see more from Spencer’s series Three’s A Crowd, head over to Rolling Stone.

The Black Cadillacs – Choke

Start that hootin’ and hollerin’ because The Black Cadillacs are in the building today.

This six-piece from Knoxville is back with their brand of raw scuzzy blues rock for their sophomore release, Run, which is out now on Young Giant.

On “Choke,” filthy guitar lines dripping in southern languor roll from your speakers in a slow and endless stream as the blistering vocals scream by like a bald eagle draped in the American flag carrying the Constitution and a can of Budweiser – America, fuck yea! The track simmers gently before boiling over into a searing guitar battle that bathes bystanders in smoky hell-fire and cheap whiskey.

Bottom line: hide your kids, hide your wife – the Black Cadillacs are in town.

Kids of 88 – Just A Little Bit

Just a little New Wave dance floor banger courtesy of Kids of 88 to get your Friday started right.


Kids Of 88 - Just A Little Bit from Tim van Dammen on Vimeo.

Slowdance - Boyfriend

Those irresistibly charming Francophone rockers Slowdance are back with another adorable track.

Put on “Boyfriend” and be prepared to frolic about town with that special lady friend because she will seriously love you for it – or if you’re just in the mood to feel insanely happy and groove out to some New Order-tinted synth pop.

The 7” is currently out on White Iris along with the B-Side “Airports.”

Waterlaso – Rosebell

Get ready for some delirious Indie pop courtesy of Waterlaso.

Taken from A Dictionary of Sailing, their fifth LP and their second of the year, “Rosebell” sounds a bit like the collision of The Cure’s shimmery synths and frenetic energy with the hazy vocal stylings of Winter Gloves.

Paul and Pete

via

Gold and Youth – Time To Kill

Just stumbled upon the dark Depeche Mode-tinted sound of Toronto quartet Gold & Youth.

Their debut album Beyond Wilderness is expected to drop sometime this summer on the always reliable Arts & Crafts. In the meantime, have a listen to “Time To Kill,” a spacey, dark New Wave thriller that features a thumping bass line, minimal guitars, lush textures, and an amazing duet that contrasts a deep baritone with disembodied female vocals, which evokes a seedy neo-noir nostalgia.

Check out the video below or head over to the band’s tumblr to snag a free copy of “Time To Kill.”

Fiona Apple – Anything We Want

I’ve been a huge fan of Fiona Apple ever since her first album burst into my adolescent consciousness, so it’s good to see that she’s every bit as quirky, dark, and insanely talented now as she was when she was a brash 19 year-old.

Anyhoo, I was perusing her recent live performances online and recently came across this gem from her show at the Bowery Ballroom in New York earlier this year. It is hands down the most heartbleedingly romantic thing I’ve seen in a long time. The way she writhes and shakes it seems like there are far too many raw emotions rushing to escape her wiry body as she struggles to cope with the bottle neck. In short – it’s fucking amazing.

Enjoy.

Shark? – Slap Dash

A very wise (read: drunk) man once said to me, “Either thrash it up or thrash it down.” Heeding his sage advice, today we’re going to thrash it up a bit courtesy of East Coast surf punks Shark?.

“Slap Dash” is just as the name implies – a thrashing 2-minute thrashing electromagnetic crackle that implodes before you even know what hit you.

Taken from their forthcoming tape True Waste which is out on Old Flame Records.

Happy Birthday America!

Hedi Slimane

The Antlers – Drift Dive

Have a listen to the insanely good “Drift Dive” by The Antlers.

A lushly layered dreamy whirl of soft trumpets, breezy guitars, and a pillowy falsetto are perfect to slow down the ever quickening pace of the summer as the days heat up.

Eugene McGuiness – Harlequinade

Eugene McGuinness is back with “Harlequinade,” the latest cut from his forthcoming album The Invitation To The Voyage.

Featuring a kaleidoscopic swirl of colliding synths, McGuinness’s spinning vocals, and a recurring Safety Dance-esque rhythm, Harlequinade is a fantastic voyage into the eclectic musical mind of one Mr. Eugene McGuinness.

Check out the video below and keep an eye out for the new record which drops on August 6^th on Domino Records.