The Digital Outhouse

Jenny Lewis “Acid Tongue”

The evolution of musical preferences for an individual is, often times, a nightmare-filled journey through several bad iterations of Kidz Bop. That’s just the way it works, unless you’re lucky enough to have a musical mentor who steers you towards the Rolling Stones rather than the Black Eyed Peas early on in life (obviously, I wasn’t so fortunate).

The funny thing is (much like your high school reputation) certain preferences (or in the case of high school, embarrassing moments) never fade away. Rather, they grab hold of you like a parasite and stick around for the ride. I’m not going to get into my wonderful High School experience (it really was quite thrilling), but I will say this: I used to listen to this.

Now I listen to Jenny Lewis. Acoustic guitars and female vocalists. Some things never change.

(Source: cplxsimplicity)

TOBACCO + Air “Sing Sang Sung (Remix)”

Unsurprisingly, TOBACCO and the rest of Black Moth Super Rainbow blew my mind at their show in San Francisco a few weeks ago. It was a smorgasbord (what a funny word) of aural  wonder, splattered with hints of hip hop, rock and psychedelia.

I once read that BMSR’s music was “the missing link between Daft Punk’s cosmic kitsch and the wistful bliss of ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’”, and I couldn’t agree more. I mean, doesn’t this excite the pants right off of you?

Because my pants are definitely off. 

Anyway, TOBACCO’s remix of this Air track is one of the most appropriately stunning remixes I’ve heard in a long time. I’m almost inclined to say it’s better than the original. 

Really though.

Norwegian Arms “Tired of Being Cold”

Trust me when I say this is the perfect song for the approaching (well, technically it already is here) Summer. 

This wonderful tune was waiting for me in our submission inbox, and fortunately I had the sense of mind to give it a listen. What better way to peace out the colder months of the year then by blasting an anthem in staunch declaration of how over it you really are?

This quirky psych-folk duo from Philadelphia is made up of Brendan Mulvihill and Dr. Dog’s Eric Slick (yeah, Dr. fucking Dog), and they sum up this song better than I ever could:

Tired of Being Cold is quite literal, after dealing with the psychological effects of an extended winter and -40 degree temperatures, one finds it difficult not to ruminate on one’s past and reflect upon the choices they make. That being said, the song is upbeat, frantic, fast, and hopeful.

Keep an eye out on their bandcamp page, as this dynamic duo is set to release their first LP, Wolf Like A Stray Dog, later this year.

Lower Dens “Brains”

No, this isn’t a song about the ever-impending zombie apocalypse. And no, this isn’t a side project from Beach House’s Victoria Legrand (though there is most certainly an undeniable similarity between the two bands).

No, this is Jana Hunter, the Texas based singer/songwriter, at her best. Hunter is known to have various side projects scattered throughout the land, but the Lower Dens is definitely my favorite. Their combination of dark, minimalism and Hunter’s ethereal voice make me want to join a cult (or something sort of outrageous like that).

Unfortunately for me, I already belong to several cults (tumblr non-withstanding). 

On the bright side, the band recently unveiled their newest LP, Nootropics (if you’re unfamiliar with what Nootropics actually are, you should check this article out) on Ribbon Music, and scored an 8.2 on you-know-who’s website.