PacificUV releases the new Weekends LP tomorrow (January 31st) off Mazarine Records. The album mixes ethereal shoegaze sounds with electropop and features guest appearances from members of Montreal and The Olivia Tremor Control. I’m digging the single entitled “Funny Girl,” which houses a unique surreal vibe that really captures the album’s essence.
A refreshing advancement of the established post-rock premise, self-taught guitar prodigy Alex Fedorov’s nuanced, polished sound offers an alluring modernity, while still retaining a depth and complexity reminiscent of The Album Leaf or Mogwai. Fedorov seamlessly weaves elements of Heavy Metal, Ambient, Trance, and Classical to craft a signature sound that transcends genre lines, and appeals to a vast array of tastes. Currently unsigned, Fedorov continues to work out of Bedrock Studios in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, and his already extensive library of material can be further explored at http://www.reverbnation.com/alexfedorov…
We introduced you to Ronald Kaufman, AKA Kauf, with the noir thriller “Relocate” a while ago, and we’ve been following him closely since. It’s been a minute, but the Southland’s Kauf has checked in with a DJ set released through the Lost in Records website. He also has a remix for the Tony Castles song, “Heart in the Pipes” coming down the pipe later this month, again through Lost in Records, so we won’t need to wait quite as long for the next Kauf post…Kauf’s music truly captures the darker side of living in Los Angeles, and his captivating, darker perspective explains why he is currently one of the city’s quickly rising stars…
Adelaide-based duo MANOR materialized nearly a year ago as Nathaniel Morse began writing and collaborating with Caitlin Duff. Touched by The Beach Boys, Paul Simon, and the blurry brilliance of the Cocteau Twins among others, MANOR makes rich, intricate pop music driven by a jangling guitar, and built atop a foundation of multi-layered percussion. The duo’s first single, “Rhodesia”, inspires wonder while acceding skyward towards a spectacular crescendo where spectral, lilting vocals are aligned with Nathaniel’s icy, reverb-drenched guitar. “Rhodesia” is out now on iTunes, and MANOR’s debut LP is currently being recorded, and is due for release in 2012…
August Eight may or may not have issues with authority, but don’t allow the sporadically surly demeanor to distract from a profound talent that became apparent around age 8. Eight has been an outspoken opponent of self-limitation, and has never believed in stifling other creative urges. Distractions to some, Eight claims his music would be void of it’s signature depth should he be unable to enjoy his alternative artistic pursuits. The primarily self-taught August Eight explains a conspicuous fascination with different genres and artistic mediums by recalling his travels as a citizen of the world; embedding himself amongst our planet’s most exotic societies, soaking up culture, and marveling at indigenous song and dance. A strong believer in not setting limits to what one is capable of, and always overflowing with brilliance, Eight handles his own graphics, photos and website. You might call the 21-year-old Californian an ultra-auteur, who capably produces, mixes and records his own music in a private, self-built studio in the hills above Los Angeles. With plans to release his first official solo project this coming summer, August Eight has been relentlessly writing and producing tracks for an upcoming EP that will mark the beginning of a ceaseless tour of enchantment…
01 – Far From Over by TOUTNOIR
01 Love Trip Ft. Nina Foot 1 by TOUTNOIR
August 8 – Far From Over (offical video) from August 8 on Vimeo.
Mint Julep is the husband and wife team of Keith and Hollie Kenniff, and they continue to produce the lustrous modern pop music that sets us adrift atop a cloud of bubbles. Keith Kenniff is best known as the brains behind dulcet ambient/electronic practitioners Helios and Goldmund, and he has also composed music for Harmony Korine’s ‘Mister Lonely’ and the trailer for Sam Mendes’ Revolutionary Road. The forthcoming album, Save Your Season, will be made available on the 19th of November on Village Green, but for now, check out track “Aviary” remixed by our favorite post- rock Scotts Mogwai, as well as the music video for another of Save Your Season’s tracks, “Days Gone By”…
www.myspace.com/mintjulepmusic
www.mintjulepmusic.com
www.facebook.com/mintjulepmusic
Mint Julep – Aviary (Mogwai Remix) by Keith Kenniff – Helios
Snow Patrol have re-recorded U2′s song “Mysterious Ways” to mark the 20th anniversary of the seminal album Achtung Baby. The album has been re-recorded for a special CD, titled AHK-toong BAY-bi and is available with this month’s Q magazine, out now. Other contributing artists include Nine Inch Nails, Patti Smith, Depeche Mode, The Killers and Jack White, each tackling a track from the classic record just for this release. Snow Patrol will be releasing Fallen Empires this January 12 via Island Records. The current single, ”Called Out in the Dark” is now available for purchase via iTunes and the video can be streamed here…
Official Site: http://www.snowpatrol.com
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/SnowPatrolband
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/snowpatrol
Stream Snow Patrol’s Cover of U2′s “Mysterious Ways”:
http://soundcloud.com/snowpatrol/snow-patrol-mysterious-ways-u2
Yes, July is over and the 2011 Pacific Festival is slowly inching it’s way nearer. On Saturday, August 13th The Oak Canyon Ranch (located in Orange County, CA) will play host to a litany of recognizable names, including Cut Copy, Calvin Harris, Toro Y Moi, and recently added headliner, and perhaps our greatest ambassador to west coast hip-hop, Snopp Dogg. We had mentioned previously our appreciation for the single day, concentrated dose of brilliance promised by the 2011 Pacific Festival, and to get you in the mood, the Official 2011 Pacific Festival Sampler is available now!
nab your tickets to the 2011 Pacific Festival below!
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2011 Pacific Festival on Facebook
2011 Pacific Festival on Twitter
Pacific Festival: OC 2011 Official Sampler by FILTER Magazine
The debut EP from The Glass Chain, Fer et Verre, foreshadowed greatness for the trio from Ottawa composed of creative principals Evan Mullen (Bass), Alie Lavoie (Vocals) and Nik Salad (Production, Beats & Synth). Catchy as hell, and moody, with sounds drawn from both the deep and concrete houses, Fer et Verre was balanced by warm, disco-drums that make perfect sense on a sweaty dance floor. The trio, now solidified as such, come from diverse musical backgrounds, so it would make sense for them to be a bit antsy, and eager to sharpen Fer et Verre’s captivating stylistic elements. Their new, no-nonsense EP, Circuit, shares it’s predecessor’s flair for the dramatic, but richer, and nuanced, and strategically layered to hold a dramatic tension throughout. “Bad Teenagers” is the first single, and it unfolds like a three act play, and ends with a lulling horn solo that nobody could’ve seen coming. “Bad Teenagers” alludes to what promises to be another strong collection from The Glass Chain, who we will be following as the Circuit EP is set to arrive on August 18th…
She’s the Queen is Drew Kuryloski and vocalist Emily White, and we’ve been enjoying their self-titled debut EP for a while now. I had been wondering what the NYC/Philadelphia based duo had been up to, so it was a lovely surprise when Ms. White passed along their new track, “The Way”. “Waiting Game” was an exciting release for She’s the Queen, and “The Way” is more of White’s impassioned vocals, galvanized by Kuryloski’s beautiful synths, and this time they’ve created something fitting for warm summer nights…
“I love Miami. I am from Miami. I take from Miami. I represent Miami to the rest of the world as a recording/performing artist.” – Jesp
It’s beginning to get warm and beautiful in Los Angeles, but Jesp has me thinking about TropiChops, Cuban Coffee, and deco adorned with neon. J. Espinoza proudly embodies the current Miami scene with his brand of electro-noir-pop that embraces the city’s darker side in a way that would send shivers up and down the back of Michael Mann’s neck. Since emerging on the Miami scene on June 5, 2009 @ Vagabond Fridays, Espinoza has worked diligently to hone his sound into something endemic to Miami, and the Magic City has responded with positive press reviews, radio play, and packed houses. I’ve always felt like Miami mirrors the same bi-polar feel of LA after nightfall, and Jesp’s music speaks to the nocturnal theatrics of any pulsating, incendiary, South-Floridian dance hole. Now in summer 2011, Jesp’s imagery has myself and others seriously considering taking our talents to South Beach, as he readies to release his highly anticipated EP Step Into the Dark. He introduced himself to us with his new track “Eat My Heart (Sharks vs Mermaids Edit)”, and his soundcloud is very strong, including a couple of personal favorites you can enjoy below, and keep watch as Jesp prepares to drop the Step Into the Dark EP…
Jesp-Eat My Heart (Sharks vs Mermaids Edit) by JespMusic
Jesp-Rising Sun by JespMusic
Jesp-Removing the Heartache by JespMusic
Cascine currently has a very impressive stable of artists. We told you about Realism, the debut album by Cascine artist Shine 2009, as well as the first single from Chad Valley’s shimmering new EP on Cascine , entitled Equatorial Ultravox. Cascine seems to be the place for dreamy, blissful music, by artists dabbling in neo-Shoegaze, and, just in time for the summer solstice, Southern Shores have taken that recipe and added a tropical garnish to something already soothingly beautiful. The Atlantic EP, out July 12 on Cascine, is six enchanting songs where Southern Shores prove you can lower the BPM while elevating your heat-rate. “Night Is Young” is a vivid flashback of every perfectly wasted summer evening spent on the beach, gently swaying your hips and waiting for the sun to rise. I’d often wondered, “What if The Cocteau Twins played at a beach party???”. I’m left to wonder no longer, thankfully. I love how palm trees are peppered about urban centers as a reminder of places where the trees occur naturally, and for all of Atlantic‘s exotic locales, Southern Shores aims the focus not towards a specific destination, but rather an undisturbed fantasy. Atlantic is a hopeful prayer that paradise is out there, someplace, and wherever you experience the music, you can rest assured that beautiful places are waiting to be explored and adventures are always on standby…
The first single from Chad Valley’s shimmering new EP on Cascine , entitled Equatorial Ultravox, is ’Now That I’m Real’, an uplifting ode to the fragility surrounding adolescence dreams. The track’s corresponding video was directed by Cascine‘s Lucy Bridger, and seeks to capture the endless quest for “completeness through perfect circles”. The remix was done by the Bay Area’s Courtship, AKA Patric Fallon, and it really picks apart the original, and strips it down to the innards, to reveal a sordid underbelly, rife with covetous thoughts, but well concealed behind a glistening veneer. A real original, enjoy Courtship’s thoughtful interpretation of Chad Valley’s decadent, indulgent sound…
Chad Valley – Now That I’m Real (Courtship Remix) by CASCINE
Now That I’m Real (How Does It Feel?) from chad valley on Vimeo.
Build’s “Palm Tree” might be one of my all time favorites, even better though, was the remix of Minitel Rose’s ’Wild Birds’ that he did with Clancy. The two have spent the last year working together on a variety of disco-electro-synth productions, and recently decided to break-ground on a new project, Miroir. The most endearing feature of the collaboration, for me, has been the retro-synths, but Miroir steers away from the usual 80’s inspired, synth-dominated material offered by Clancy & Build thus far. It feels like they took those dark synthetic groans into Studio 54, and brightened them into something uplifting, that pulsates with deep chugging beats against epic melodies, and eventually climaxes with all the theatrics of a proper disco track. The So fewer particles scatter EP is five breathtaking tracks that run the gamut of emotions, and serves as a surprisingly strong first helping from Miroir, and more moving music from the Clancy/Build brain trust…
Miroir – So fewer particles scatter EP by Holographic People
The New Division have given us some pretty amazing remixes (John Kunkel’s remix of Toro Y Moi), but little original material since the release of the band’s stellar EP, The Rookie. We are happy to report a pair of fresh originals have arrived via the band’s soundcloud, and the Riverside CA four-piece have continued to use their retro-synths to create some sweepingly beautiful moments on both “True Lies” and “Saturday Night”. I love how unabashedly proud The New Division are of the crisp modernity they bring to sounds initially introduced by the likes of Joy Division, New Order, and Depeche Mode. Currently on our “must watch list”, everything we get from The New Division is highly anticipated, and we will continue to alert you when the guys quietly drop their next gripping original…
The New Division – Saturday Night by The New Division
The New Division – True Lies (Radio Edit) by The New Division
