With the 2010 Pitchfork Music Festival finally over after a weekend of heat (both in intensity and, you know, temperature) we feel it necessary to feature some of the notable acts to make for certain they have made it on to your iPod. LCD Soundsystem is one of those artists.
You may have heard the single “Drunk Girls” recently on the radio and for good reason: it’s crazy catchy. LCD Soundsystem has a knack for creating retro-synth beats that mix in a plethora (yes plethora) of different genres including electronic, disco and rock. This is none more prevalent than on the latest album release This Is Happening.
In my opinion, the album is best experienced with a set of headphones, but don’t let that stop you should you be the only one on earth that doesn’t own headphones. I personally like my music spoon-fed directly to my ears when it has so much character and pizazz. You can actually feel the bass shaking your brain. It’s awesome.
Check out the latest release This Is Happening for an eclectic mix of techno-awesomeness. Each song is quirky (in a good way) including “Pow Pow”, “One Touch” and the opening track “Dance Yrself Clean”. In fact, the opening track is so awesome, it didn’t even need all of the letters in the name. Take that other tracks.
If you’re feeling saucy check out his other albums for an overdose of LCD. Don’t worry, LCD isn’t a drug it’s a type of TV display. You can only metaphorically overdose on it. But you should still take it in moderation.
Check out the video for “Drunk Girls”:
Buy This Is Happening:
LikeWhat is in a name? Well, in the case of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, you get gritty hard-rock music. They certainly live up to their name which pays special homage to Marlon Brando’s motorcycle gang 1953 film, The Wild One. Peter Hayes, Robert Levon Been and Leah Shapiro make up the west coast super group that has been churning out honest-to-god rock music under the flag of B.R.M.C. for the past ten years.
Last month B.R.M.C. released the much anticipated Beat the Devil’s Tattoo. This record holds true to their formula of delivering rock and roll to the masses. The album has an overall sound that makes it feel like you got your hands on a bootleg recording that the band put together at 3am in their garage. And that style is what makes the album so darn good. B.R.M.C. delivers the kind of rock that encourages you to whip out your air guitars and invisible drumsticks and play along.
B.R.M.C. hit the mainstream spotlight when they had a track land on the 2009 New Moon movie soundtrack. That exposure coupled with ton of global touring is the combination needed to get their sound out to everyone. B.R.M.C. has a strong music catalog to listen through, but you will want to certainly start with Beat the Devil’s Tattoo for a great taste of what they guys are cookin’.
KC’s Personal Picks: “Beat the Devil’s Tattoo”, “War Machine” & “River Styx”
Listen to the album
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Enjoy the music of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club? If so, you will need to check out the hard rockin’ Them Crooked Vultures.
I have been a fan of Justin Nozuka ever since he broke onto the scene in 2007 with his album Holly. “After Tonight”, the smash hit from the record, is still getting play and placement three years later. Nozuka’s got an incredibly soulful voice that is coated with peace, love and harmony. You can’t just listen to a Justin Nozuka record, you gotta feel it.
Nozuka wrote the tracks on Holly when he was just a teenager. It has always amazed me that a young man was not only able to write such incredibly insightful tracks, but he was able to support the songs with such a soulful voice that often sounded beyond its years. Nozuka has had three years to grow and over the course of that time his global touring has matured his writing and tone even more. April 13, 2010 brings the U.S. release of his sophomore album, You I Wind Land and Sea. This very well could be the album that makes Justin Nozuka a household name.
Tank and I had the pleasure of catching up with Nozuka recently as he was testing out some of his material in preparation for the release of the new album. You I Wind Land and Sea is emotional storytelling at its finest. Each track oozes heart and soul and when Nozuka talks about the project you can truly tell that he has connected with what he has done. Check out our exclusive interview with Justin Nozuka and get a deeper look into the mind of an artist that is on verge of a major breakthrough.
KC’s Personal Picks: “Woman Put Your Weapon Down”, “My Heart Is Yours” & “Heartless”
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Hey, remember JET? You know, they had that song “Are You Gonna’ Be My Girl”? Ok, what about “Cold Hard Bitch”? Yeah, I know it was all the way back in 2003, but they are (cliche alert) back and they are better than ever! Admittedly, JET is one of my favorite bands so I have always believed they never actually left, but some would argue that they flew a little out of the limelight. But I guess some would be wrong…suckers.
With their first album, Get Born, the band kicked off a massive following with a slew of hit songs including the two mentioned above as well as “Rollover DJ”, “Get Me Outta Here” and “Last Chance.” On an overall scale of 1 to 10, they cranked the gauges all the way up to 11 and gained an immense following with their first singles made with pure rock and roll (all also instruments I imagine.)
Jet
I had the chance to see JET live in Milwaukee on their first major tour back in 2004. It was the fourth of July and as they stormed the stage and allowed the fires of rock to enter their souls to ignite a show for hundreds of screaming fans, fireworks went off in the sky right above the stage. It was so patriotic Abraham Lincoln joined the mosh pit. I cried red, white and blue that night. That was honestly one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. It was so high energy; I felt like I was watching the beginnings of something great.
Fast forward to 2009. I’ve been listening to JET on my iPod for going on 5 years wondering, “Where the hell did these guys go?” Well, as luck would have it I came across a new song entitled “She’s A Genius” on the radio and immediately fell in love. I thought to myself, “This is the real deal. These guys rock.” Little did I know that the “guys” I referred to in my internal dialogue were none other than JET. Destiny had brought them back. Now, three months later, they have released their new album, Shaka Rock, and I couldn’t be happier. In the same way that Get Born delivered on (sort of) massive proportions, their newest album mixes flavors of Rolling Stones, Beatles and straight up badassery.
I recommend checking out “K.I.A.”, “17″ and “Start the Show”, but of course make sure you peep the video for “She’s A Genius”:
Check out the entire new album Shaka Rock:
Amazon Music
If you like JET, check out Girl Talk!
