old waver: 2011

8/16/2011

visit our new & improved site

If you're reading this, you've somehow stumbled into the cyber ghost town of our original Blogger site. We've since migrated to a self-hosted site with a new look and what we believe to be an improved user experience.

The archives have been moved over too, so anything you find here is also available on the new site. Check it out, won't you?

8/09/2011

noel gallagher b-side, 'the good rebel'

Noel Gallagher's solo debut, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, will be released on October 17. Comprised mostly of tunes written during the Oasis days, it will reportedly be followed by a more psychedelic record in early 2012.

The first single, "The Death Of You And Me," was a promising start, and today we can hear the b-side, "The Good Rebel." It starts out a little chicken-fried, but hold out for the epic wall of guitars Oasis-style finish:

In case you missed it, here's the video for the a-side with its "to be continued" ending:

8/05/2011

pains of being pure at heart, twin shadow remix

Brooklyn buds The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Twin Shadow spent a good part of the year touring together. Seems all that bonding on the road has resulted in a pretty cool collaboration.

George Lewis, Jr., or Twin Shadow, has taken the twee guitar powered lead single from Belong and stripped it down — adding reverb, handclaps and a house piano line to build it back up. See what you think:

Download it in the widget below, and also check out the official video for the original version featuring the band as slacker music store employees.

8/05/2011

new air france "it feels good to be around you"

The Swedish duo Air France have released their first material since 2009's No Way Down. It's a single entitled "It Feels Good To Be Around You" that features some tropical percussion, call-and-response vocals, and the production skills of Star Slinger:

You can download it from the player above, and look for an official single release — and possibly a full-length — from Sincerely Yours.

8/03/2011

more new neon indian - 'polish girl'

Era Extrana, the second album from Alan Palomo's Neon Indian, arrives September 13th. With producer Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, MGMT) at the helm, Palomo appears to be morphing his chillwave into straight up synthpop.

Hear for yourself, courtesy of NPR, as Palomo debuted a second single from the album today:

That's even more dance floor ready than the album's first look:

Neon Indian - Fallout
(via pma)

Can't wait until the whole thing drops next month. Until then, download "Fallout" for yourself in the widget below:

8/03/2011

violens & erika spring-forster split 7" single

Erika Spring-Forster of Au Revoire Simone has released a split 7" with fellow New Yorkers, Violens.

Both sides evoke the best of new new romanticism. Spring-Forster sings and plays keys on her tune, "6 More Weeks," accompanied by the Violens' Jorge Elbrecht on drums and MGMT's Will Berman on bass. Beautiful song:

(via fader)

Meanwhile, the Violens side is more of their signature fuzzy pop, entitled "It Couldn't Be Perceived":

(via stereogum)

To round out the Brooklyn love fest, the video was directed by Chairlift’s Caroline Polahcek. Pow.

8/03/2011

new solo stuff from hot chip's joe goddard

If you're not familiar with Hot Chip and their nerdy brand of electropop, Joe Goddard and Alexis Taylor are the founding members and primary voices of the band.

Since last year's One Night Stand, Taylor has done some guest vocals for the likes of Win Win and Gang Gang Dance, and now Goddard has released his first solo EP on Greco-Roman, and DFA in the US.

The title track, "Gabriel," features the sultry vocals of UK songstress Valentina:

Goddard lends his own voice to the epically chill "All I Know":

Pick up the EP at iTunes for less than 4 bucks. Help a Hot Chip out.

7/29/2011

download: old waver july mix tape

Ready for some summertime jams to carry you through the dog days? The July mix tape has some great new stuff from M83, Toro Y Moi and Neon Indian — plus the latest from Radiohead and The Cure's Robert Smith.

Download or stream it below — and if you like it, feel free to check out the previous mixes (January, February, March, April, May and June).

download:
old waver july 2011 mix tape (77MB file)

tracklist:

streaming version:

7/27/2011

happy 10th anniversary to the strokes 'is this it'

To this day, one of my favorite albums of the last 20 years is The Strokes' debut Is This It. Sure, it was over hyped and overplayed — and they've had their struggles living up to its legacy, but it was a seminal record at a pivotal time in 'alternative' music.

Released 10 years ago this week, the album is being celebrated over at Stereogum with a free tribute album. Every track has been covered, or reimagined, by the likes of Owen Pallett, Peter Bjorn & John, and former Dum Dum and Vivian Girl Frankie Rose.

Download a zip file of the whole thing here, or peruse some of the highlights below. We'll start with the aforementioned PB&J, who do a faithful rendition of the album opener and title track:

Peter Bjorn & John - Is This It

New Jersey psych-rockers Real Estate chose "Barley Legal," giving it a half-time beat and lazy vocal harmonies:

Real Estate - Barely Legal

Classicly trained synthpop songstress Austra turns "Alone Together" into something beautiful, yet hardly recognizable:

Austra - Alone Together

Perhaps the most fun is the mach 2 version of The Morning Benders with an autotuned summertime jam version of "Last Night":

The Morning Benders - Last Night

Good job, everyone.

7/27/2011

download new neon indian single 'fallout'

The second album from Alan Palomo's Neon Indian arrives September 13th. Era Extrana appears to be a more accessible turn from the experimental chillwave of Psychic Chasms.

Produced by Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, MGMT), the sound leans more toward Palomo's other project, VEGA — at least judging by the first single, "Fallout":

Neon Indian - Fallout
(via pma)

Download the track and get yourself on the email list in the widget below — and enjoy the always amusing unofficial video for "Should Have Taken Acid With You":

7/27/2011

'blown minded' video from young galaxy

One of the gems of 2011 is the sea change third album from Canadians Young Galaxy, Shapeshifting. Their shoegaze drone has evolved into artful dream pop, a style accompanied beautifully in the new video for "Blown Minded."

Filmmaker Carine Khalifé created frame-by-frame animation by manipulating oil paint on a light box. It's a pretty stunning effect:

(via gvsb)

Young Galaxy - Blown Minded
(via mu-zique)

Have a listen to more of Shapeshifting and check out the "Paranoid Android" inspired video for "We Have Everything" here.

7/25/2011

noel gallagher single 'the death of you and me'

Recently, Noel Gallagher said he was shocked by the poor chart performance of brother Liam's band Beady Eye. He told NME "To be quite honest, it was a bit of a wake-up call. 'Cos I was like, right, well fucking hell, maybe that's what's out there for me, do you know what I mean?"

Well, he's about to find out. His solo debut, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, will be released on October 17 and its first single, "The Death Of You And Me," arrived today.

While, Liam and his former Oasis bandmates chased a '60's garage sound, Noel seems to have returned to the Beatlesque territory of Be Here Now. Check out the video and/or mp3 below:

(via weallwantsome1)

Don't expect to find a free download of the track — at least not from Noel. "No free downloads. I value my music. I don't sit in a studio, and fucking make it up as I go along and go, 'This one's free then.'"

At least he's honest, if brutally so.

7/25/2011

grizzly bear's chris taylor goes solo

One of our favorite albums of 2010 was Forget, the debut album from Twin Shadow. That album was produced by Grizzy Bear frontman Chris Taylor, and released on Taylor's Terrible Records label.

Now, Twin Shadow's George Lewis Jr. has returned the favor, contributing to Taylor's upcoming solo debut under the CANT moniker. Due out September 13th, Dreams Come True is the sound of Taylor freed from the folky constraints of his band and pursuing his more experimental, electronic side.

Grizzly Bear opened for Radiohead back in 2008, and CANT lead single "Answer" demonstrates a similar style of haunting harmonies and layered production:

Looking forward to more of that.

7/22/2011

download new st. vincent single 'surgeon'

Singer-songwriter Annie Clark, or St. Vincent, will release her third album, Strange Mercy, on 4AD September 13th.

The label had the clever (or annoying) idea to have fans tweet "#strangemercy" 4,000 times to "unlock" the first track from the album. It took four days, but today "Surgeon" was made available as a free download.

It continues the evolution of Clark's chamber pop influenced sound. "Surgeon" still incorporates strings, but it also features an electronic sheen and quirky guitar line that eventually gives way to an oscillating wall of sound:

St. Vincent - Surgeon

You can right click to download, or head to the Strange Mercy page to grab it there, as well as watch several teaser videos. Or stick around here and watch "Actor Out Of Work" from 2009's Actor:

Here's the full Strange Mercy track list:

Chloe in the Afternoon
Cruel
Cheerleader
Surgeon
Northern Lights
Strange Mercy
Neutered Fruit
Champagne Year
Dilettante
Hysterical Strength
Year of the Tiger

7/22/2011

rip, charlatans keyboardist rob collins

It was 15 years ago today that Rob Collins, keyboardist for The Charlatans, died in a car accident on a country road in Wales.

The band was midway through the recording of fifth album Tellin Stories, which was completed with the help of Primal Scream keyboardist Martin Duffy. By the next album, Us And Us Only, Tony Rogers had become Collins' permanent replacement.

Arguably, Collins' signature Hammond organ sound is what set The Charlatans apart and first gained them notice in the Madchester scene. He was a technician with an instrument that had fallen out of favor since the prog rock movement of the 70's.

In honor of his singular virtuosity, check out live recordings of "Indian Rope" and "Weirdo" from the 1992 Reading Festival. And below, find a download of debut album jam "Polar Bear." Enjoy:

7/21/2011

hooray for earth 'sails' video, 'no love' download

Brooklyn electropop act Hooray For Earth released debut full length True Loves last month. It's a bright, percussion heavy album that fits in nicely to a summer listening rotation.

Today a video for "Sails" was released, which features a very disorienting Groundhog Day premise. Watch as the heroine seems caught in a loop, and make sure you hang in for the hook at 1:21:

If you dig that, download "No Love" via pitchfork and/or stream the whole album in the widget below (sorry about the autoplay):

Hooray For Earth - No Love

7/20/2011

dum dum girls 'coming down' + jamc cover

Dee Dee and the Dum Dum Girls, will release their 2nd full length, Only In Dreams, September 27th on Sub Pop.

The recent He Gets Me High EP hinted at a departure from the fuzzed out grrrl power of debut album I Will Be. Initial single "Coming Down" confirms that direction — as Dee Dee tweeted "don't fuck with me no more circa 1965."

The new track is a slow burner that has more than a little bit in common with Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You":

With the obvious affinity for Mazzy Star, it should come as little surprise that Dee Dee also recently laid down a cover of The Jesus And Mary Chain's "Teenage Lust." The single, out on True Panther, is the first offering from her collaboration with Tamaryn, Les Demoniaques:

Pretty cool. If you want to download the former track, enter an email in the widget below.

7/19/2011

listen/download brand new m83 'midnight city'

Joy. The first glimpse at this fall's M83 double album, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, arrived today. "Midnight City" is available as a free download here in exchange for your email address.

It's definitely cut from the same cloth as Saturdays=Youth, but with more buoyancy and pop sensibility. Check out the fantastic bassline, the wild rhythmic vocal effect and the sax solo. Yes, a sax solo:

And if you're not fired up yet, check out the epic album teaser that was floated about a month ago. Can't wait:

7/18/2011

tom vek video/download 'aroused'

UK indie hero Tom Vek has released a third video from his long awaited second album, Leisure Seizure, which is out now digitally and will arrive in physical form September 13.

Directed by Saam Farahmand, it features stylishly shot models and dancers really enjoying drags from their cigarettes. The song is typical of Vek's new album with its off kilter groove and sterling production:

If you want to download a copy for your very own, right click below via wnyc:

Tom Vek - Aroused

7/15/2011

radiohead 'morning mr magpie' & 'bloom' rmxs

The Radiohead summer remix series continues with reworks of The King Of Limbs tracks "Morning Mr Magpie" and "Bloom." This is the second release in an ongoing series — the first included mixes of "Little By Little" and "Lotus Flower."

Nathan Fake's remix of "Morning Mr Magpie" is really quite wonderful and gives the previously guitar driven track a whole new life:

The first of two "Bloom" remixes by Mark Pritchard is entitled the "Harmonic 313 RMX." It's got one of the coolest extended fades I've ever heard:

Finally, the "Bloom (Mark Pritchard RMX)" gives Thom some killer vocal effects:

This 12" will be available in the UK on Monday, but delays will keep it out of the hands of US and Canadian fans until August 2nd. And Radiohead confirms that once this series is done, there will be an aggregated CD release. Get details here.

7/15/2011

violens 'totally true' and 'every melting degree'

Hopeless new romantics Violens continue to release one-off singles to follow up last year's impressive debut, Amoral.

The former members of Lansing-Drieden have been posting new tracks on their website for the past several months. The latest, "Totally True," is delicious post new wave in the vein of Wild Nothing:

"Every Melting Degree" was last month's selection. It's got a little more shoegaze guitar crunch in the style of Pale Saints:

Looking back at Violens previous releases, "Spirit," is more hazy dream pop that has gorgeous harmonies and delicate guitar:

The earliest single, "Be Still," has a more insistent groove that is most reminiscent of the debut album:

Not sure if these will eventually be collected on an album, but definitely a fan of where these guys are headed.

7/14/2011

charlatans 'the only one I know' factory floor remix

As we mentioned yesterday, filmmaker David Lynch recently teamed with Interpol to release a new video for the song "Lights." Lynch also has started a charitable music label, DLF Music.

It's a lovely idea that gives artists (such as Ben Folds, Iggy Pop, Dave Stewart and Peter Gabriel) an opportunity to essentially donate their music to charity. Here's the official lowdown:

"This intern-fueled non-profit organization assures that the funds raised from music sales go directly to the charitable programs and not on support staff.

DLF Music is currently inviting select artists to donate previously unreleased, exclusive audio tracks for our music archive. These unreleased tracks could be a new track, an unreleased master, an outtake from a prior release, a live recording or even a remix."

Check out the full Download For Good list here. The track we're most interested in is the Factory Floor remix of The Charlatans classic "The Only One I Know." It takes the Madchester hedonism of the original and turns it into meditative, Far East flavored psychedelia:

Pretty cool, although you really can't improve on perfection:

7/13/2011

toro y moi 'saturday love' & cut copy remix

Odds are, Toro Y Moi's Underneath The Pine will end up on plenty of year-end lists. But Chaz Bundick isn't done.. in fact he's got an EP coming out in September on Carpark.

Today "Saturday Love" was released as a teaser for Freaking Out. It continues the late 70's flavor of Underneath The Pine with a bit more of Bundick's previous DIY aesthetic:

If you dig that, download it for an email address below. And while you're here, go ahead and check out the remix of Cut Copy's "Blink And You'll Miss A Revolution" from Toro Y Moi that will appear in a remix bundle and on a 12" later this month:

(via gvsb)

7/13/2011

interpol release david lynch clip and new remix ep

Back at Coachella, Interpol performed "Lights" off of last year's self-titled album accompanied by a short film from famed director David Lynch.

Entitled "I Touch A Red Button," it was made available for viewing on the web today. As you might expect, there's a red button:

(via p4k)

On the subject of Interpol, they have re-released their UK Record Store Day remix EP for the US. You can get it digitally or on vinyl, with remixes of "Try It On" by Salem, Ikonika and Banjo or Freakout — plus a bonus track of Moths' previously unreleased remix of "The Undoing."

Check out the latter here and the Salem mix below:

7/13/2011

new cat's eyes video/download 'over you'

Next Tuesday is the release of The Horrors' third album, Skying, which you can stream way down below.

Today, Faris Badwan's other band, Cat's Eyes, posted a new video for the track "Over You" from their self titled debut. It features Rachel Zeffira on vocals and has a very 60's baroque pop feel:

Cat's Eyes - Over You

Another video surfaced recently of Cat's Eyes performing the classic "The Crying Game" at the Musical Museum of London. Definitely worth watching:

Now, as promised, here's Skying. Love it.