The Digital Outhouse

Made in Heights - “Skylark Interabang?!” As much as...

lizisms — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 01:33:00 -0800

Made in Heights - “Skylark Interabang?!”

As much as I wanted to grace your screens with a picture of Alexei Saba’s very attractive face, I can’t discredit Kelsey Bulkin’s vocal contributions to Made in Heights’ music. So here is an artistically ambiguous photo from their Facebook.

Excellent independent music has never been hard to find in Seattle and this is partially due to local icons like Saba (aka Sabzi) who is also known for his ingenious work with Common Market and Blue Scholars. Made in Heights only has two albums, both of which are annoyingly good, making it difficult for myself to feature just one track. I can’t be the only one who likes sonically ethereal indie with the tiniest bits of hip hop. Can I?

Whatever the case may be, I recommend listening to everything they’ve ever made together.

Guts - You Know Dat Shit!!! File under “Happy Sunbeams...

lizisms — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 01:01:28 -0800

Guts - You Know Dat Shit!!!

File under “Happy Sunbeams Radiating from Ass Music” or “Blunt Smoking Jams”. Either will do.

Beck “Soul Of A Man” Throughout the years, Beck has...

joewhistle — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:38:00 -0800

Beck “Soul Of A Man”

Throughout the years, Beck has has steadily proved that the soul of a man is indeed the dark bottomless pit everyone envisions it to be.

Well, a dark bottomless pit with a candy center. Yeah, we’re Tootsie Pops.

Pandr Eyez “Shining” I’m still recovering...

renostache — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:41:00 -0800

Pandr Eyez “Shining”

I’m still recovering from this past President’s Day weekend, but Pandr Eyez’s Eyes On You soothes my soul.

Emmy The Great “Exit Night (Live)” I have always felt that...

joewhistle — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:06:00 -0800

Emmy The Great “Exit Night (Live)”

I have always felt that music is an expression of people’s inner most feelings, a way to communicate on an almost transcendent level.

With that being said, Emmy The Great remains to be one of my favorite “transcendent communicators”. Why? Well, first off, Emmy does happen to be quite great, but it’s not because of her band name, or because she is stunningly beautiful (and enough emphasis cannot be placed there).

No, she’s great because there is a sincerity present in each of her songs that (somehow) doesn’t equate to complete and utter bullshit. It’s real, and seriously, what more can you ask for?

Except maybe a date.

Charlotte Gainsbourg “Heaven Can Wait (Breakbot...

joewhistle — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 22:05:00 -0800

Charlotte Gainsbourg “Heaven Can Wait (Breakbot Remix)”

I don’t know about y’all, but I do believe you would be hard-pressed to find a better example of an artist taking one thing (and a beautiful thing at that) and creating a completely separate work of art (but isn’t that what art is anyway?)

Maybe Gainsbourg and Breakbot should get together some time. Just saying.

Yelle “S’enteint le Soleil (Cosmo&Paat’s...

renostache — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:08:00 -0800

Yelle “S’enteint le Soleil (Cosmo&Paat’s Turbo Funk Remix)”

I’m at hour #7 in my 15 hour day. This will be my fourth 15-hour day of this week. I’m horrendously tired, but it’s President’s Day weekend and it looks like I’ll be escaping the Bay Area for San Diego.

I expect to listen to this song synced up with a sunset or maybe even a sunrise.

Also, this post is dedicated to my one and only Cilanbro. She did some sleuthing to find this song, which I had all along.

The Internet “Live It Up” I can appreciate what the OFWGKTA gang is doing as a whole...

lizisms — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:20:00 -0800

The Internet “Live It Up”

I can appreciate what the OFWGKTA gang is doing as a whole but I like what Syd the Kid and Matt Martian, aka The Internet, are doing most.

I would choose neo-soul/jazz over dark hip hop any day (no offense to Tyler and Co, and also, welcome home Earl Sweatshirt). In a documentary capturing the making of The Internet’s newest album, Purple Naked Ladies, Syd says that what they’ve created is unlike anything that has ever been heard before. While I can’t say I agree with that — “Fastlane” sounded oddly like MJ’s take on “Stevie Wonder’s “I Can’t Help It” and several other songs channel N.E.R.D dangerously close — it’s still intriguing and different enough that find myself supporting their endeavor.

More than anything, I appreciated their collaboration with Quadron, one of my favorite indie groups. Coco’s voice melds perfectly with these beats and Robin is, as always, a multi-instrumentalist force to be reckoned with.

Purple Naked Ladies came out last month but after it was released, The Internet released an additional 4-song EP saying that they had some technical difficulties with the physical release. And it’s free. So that’s exciting! You can download the EP here.

Mark Ronson “A La Modeliste” Oh thank God this film...

lizisms — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:51:00 -0800

Mark Ronson “A La Modeliste”

Oh thank God this film is coming out otherwise I’d have nothing to do while waiting for D’Angelo’s next album.

RE:GENERATION is a documentary about five DJs who are charged with the task of rearranging a genre of music they are relatively unfamiliar with to create a remix using their own music. This means Skrillex was working with the Doors, Pretty Lights mixed LeAnn Rimes and a bunch of other improbable collaborations.

This was my favorite: Mark Ronson taking on jazz with Erykah Badu, Mos Def, members of the Dap Kings Band, and Trombone Shorty. The result is something that makes me want drop everything I’m doing and move to NOLA tomorrow. If you have a soul, you’ll know what I mean.

MMOTHS “Little Secrets” - Passion Pit (MMOTHS...

lizisms — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:40:00 -0800

MMOTHS “Little Secrets” - Passion Pit (MMOTHS Remix)

Fine. I’m willing to share great things.

I like the sounds that are coming out of bedrooms these days. Via angsty 22-year old bedroom producers, armed with nothing but an Ableton and a lot of unrequited emotion. Plus a good stash of weed, I’m sure.

Mmoths is this really cool dude from Ireland who, I hate to say, is blowing up like it’s nobody’s business (I talked to him once so I know that he is cool). And I say “hate” because as I mentioned, I dislike sharing great things.

He just collaborated with Keep Shelly in Athens, who will be at this year’s Coachella, on her song “<3”, which is also worth checking out.

No lie. When I’m feeling inspiration-less, I watch this...

lizisms — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:03:49 -0800

No lie.

When I’m feeling inspiration-less, I watch this video and feel a little invigorated. The verses, the music, the video concept, the lyrics…

Genius, right?

Devendra Banhart “Angelika” I envy Devendra for...

joewhistle — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:04:20 -0800

Devendra Banhart “Angelika”

I envy Devendra for several reasons, but mainly because of that totally rad beard. No, but seriously, what is there not to like? His song’s are catchy, and have that freak-folk vibe that only freaky folk people can pull off (right?).

He also has the ability to stop a song midway, switch languages, and continue to rock it.

Pero en serio, esa barba (ver lo que hice alli?).

Stars “Your Ex-Lover Is Dead” While Mr. Renostache...

joewhistle — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:02:00 -0800

Stars “Your Ex-Lover Is Dead”

While Mr. Renostache opted to go for the cordial Valentine’s Day greeting, I simply cannot (though this has absolutely nothing to do with my personal feelings towards the holiday, which are, in fact, overwhelmingly positive).

Today’s particular song obviously touches upon a subject most of us are familiar with: ex-lovers (and makes for a great tie in for today’s lovely holiday). But of greater interest to me is the underlying theme of vacating oneself from a former love.

Torquil Campbell and Chris Seligman exchange verbal lacerations (yup) at one another throughout the course of the track, and while both travel down seemingly contrasting paths, both clearly convey a sense of apathy towards (presumably) one another.

Undoubtedly, one of the most important characteristics of humanity is our ability to forget (and perhaps to a certain extent, our optimism of the future). This allows us to move forward and recover from seemingly devastating tragedies. Without this we would be fucked.

If you can’t see how this connects to song in question, I’ll lay it out for you:

There’s one thing I want to say, so I’ll be brave
You were what I wanted
I gave what I gave
I’m not sorry I met you
I’m not sorry it’s over
I’m not sorry there’s nothing to save

Personally, I don’t see how you can feel nothing for someone you truly loved. I’d title the song “The Person You Tricked Yourself Into Believing You Loved But Didn’t Really Is Dead”.

Happy Valentine’s Day :)

Brenton Wood “Oogum Boogum” Happy Valentine’s...

renostache — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:18:00 -0800

Brenton Wood “Oogum Boogum”

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Chiddy Bang “By Your Side” All we do is bang,...

lizisms — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:37:00 -0800

Chiddy Bang “By Your Side”

All we do is bang, bang, bang.

Chiddy Bang is quickly becoming one of my favorite neo-rap outfits (I just coined that genre, 5 seconds ago) because of their likeable rhymes and ultra catchy beats. If you haven’t listened to their last mixtape, Peanut Butter and Swelly, I wholeheartedly recommend it. Plus, mostly anything that comes out of Philly is certified legitimate.

This is a new track they just released called “By Your Side”. It’s a good intro to anyone unfamiliar with them as they’re known to be unconventional about who they sample (Radiohead, Passion Pit, and MGMT to name a few). There’s something so lighthearted and earnest about this jam.

The Art Museums “So Your Baby Doesn’t Love You...

joewhistle — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:24:00 -0800

The Art Museums “So Your Baby Doesn’t Love You Anymore”

I’ll always have a soft spot for music showcasing the always entertaining, though often misunderstood genre of garage-rock. The allure of lo-fi music isn’t as glamorous as other more prevalent subsections of music, but then again, lo-fi and and glamorous probably don’t belong in the same sentence.

That’s not the point though. The point is that the SF (holler) based Art Museums’ scored a 7.9 on Pitchfork for their EP Rough Frame way back in 2010.

That means something. Even if they’re no longer around.

Jesse Boykins III “I Can’t Stay” Who the hell...

lizisms — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:51:00 -0800

Jesse Boykins III “I Can’t Stay”

Who the hell is chopping onions in here?

What is it about this song that makes me want to cry? Are the lyrics even sad? I can’t tell because Jesse’s voice is too beautiful, I get distracted. And then there is Gold Panda producing those haunting beats.

Jesse Boykins III, ladies and gentlemen. He’ll make you fling yourself face first into the nearest pillow.

Blonds “Kite” So this chick, Cari Rae from West...

lizisms — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:42:00 -0800

Blonds “Kite”

So this chick, Cari Rae from West Florida, she fronts this band called Blonds with her loverboo, Jordy Asher, and I have a very bad feeling she’s going to get comparisons to Karen O. for the rest of her life. Poor girl. Karen O. has a killer voice and great fashion to match.

Blonds is relatively unknown at this point though several heavy-hitting blogs (primarily this one) have begun to take notice of their feel-good indie vibe.

Their endearing 4-track EP, Dark Roots, is downloadable here for absolutely nothing. Quickly now, the bandwagon is filling up fast.

Air “Sonic Armada” Despite efforts by both Jordin...

joewhistle — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:37:00 -0800

Air “Sonic Armada”

Despite efforts by both Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown to ban Air from the “airwaves” (yeah, I went there), the French duo has overcome all odds to release their latest LP, Le Voyage Dans La Lune (or Voyage to the Moon, for the French illiterate).

I’m glad they did.

Here’s my favorite track off the new album. It’s essentially a 5 minute long keyboard solo.

Which is totally rad.

St. Vincent “Cheerleader Via nothingsoundsbetter: There’s...

joewhistle — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:47:39 -0800

St. Vincent “Cheerleader

Via nothingsoundsbetter:

There’s really not much to say here, other than that this is more evidence of why every indie kid is crushing on Annie Clark. The video lives up to the previous one for “Cruel” - well-shot with an intriguing concept and some odd twists.

Well said, bro.

Oh and please include in the “indie-kid crushing on Annie Clark list” please. Though admittedly, I’ve been there longer than most.