[EP] Tiny Victories – THOSE OF US STILL ALVIVE (w/ “Mr Bones”)

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i’ve been trying to get in but all i can say is they’ve got a million different ways to make you pay

♫ Tiny Victories – Mr Bones

Remember when Tiny Victories gave us “Lost Weekend” and we fell in love with it’s big propulsive beat and sweet vocal hooks?  Remember when we bought the EP with real money and were so stoked to find out that all 5 of the songs work perfectly with the repeat setting? Remember when we fell in love with “Mr Bones” and its sunrise synth stomp grooves? Remember when we say that Tiny Victories played a Brooklyn show with Black Light Dinner Party and we were bummed we couldn’t be there? Remember when we read the post on The Burning Ear that said Those Of Us Still Alive was one of the best EPs of the year so far and that Brandon has had it on loop for weeks?

[LP] Black Taxi – WE DON’T KNOW ANY BETTER (w/ “Do What You Gotta Do”)

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i want food, shelter, sex, money, dont be shy

♫ Black Taxi – Do What You Gotta Do

If you didn’t take notice when I wrote about Black Taxi‘s epic SXSW set or their airtight jam “Tightrope” then this is your last warning. We Don’t know Any Better is a perfect resume of Black taxi’s various talents. The bouncy groovers like “Do What You Gotta Do” play well with stompers like the title track, spaced rock like “Hands” and tenderer fare like “Vultures.” It;s a sprawling album but fir me it just means there are new favorites to uncover with each spin. I highly doubt you will be disappointed.

[EP] Haim – FOREVER (w/ “Forever”)

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go get out of my memory, no not tonight i dont have the energy

♫ Haim – Forever

  • Who: The Haim sisters Danielle, Alana, and Este. Plus a guy suspiciously named Dash Hutton.
  • What: Rhythm-and-folk pop, like Jenny Owens Young, Regina Spektor
  • Where: Los Angeles, CA + Facebook
  • When: The 3 song Forever EP is free now.
  • Why: Is it folk? Is it funk? Wait, is she rapping? Damn I just dont even know anymore. As if it wasn’t hard enough looking at 3 of the same person in that album art I have to explain what makes Haim’s blend of folk rock so irresistibly catchy that I’ve had Forever on repeat all week. I think this bio from Last.fm says it best: Haim are three sisters from Los Angeles. They play rock music. They play it well.

[QUICKIE] Mona – MONA (w/ “Lean Into The Fall”)

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is it sex or is it love, hoping you don’t call my bluff

♫ Mona – Lean Into The Fall (Piano Version)

Listen to “Lean Into The Fall” “Shooting The Moon” or “Listen To Your Love” & you know there is heart. And rock. And roll. Underrated magic.

[Quickies are mini-reviews that can fit into a 140 character tweet. They are of albums that people already know of but perhaps are curious about our take on it. What did you think of the disc?]

Mona on Facebook

[LP/LIVE] Trust – TRST (w/ “Shoom” & “Bulbform”)

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seems to me its suffocation

♫ Trust – Shoom

  • Who: Robert Alfons & Maya Postepski (The drummer from Austra)
  • What: Black synth pop, like XX
  • Where: Toronto + Online
  • When: Debut LP TRST is out now on Arts & Crafts.
  • Why: Sometime early this year when Trust was getting blog buzz I saw that album cover and decided they weren’t for me. Then Scott played them for me in the car on the way to The Firehouse one day in Austin and suddenly this dark wall of base had taken over my ears and I was hooked. I’ve been doing gothy variations on The Creep to their debut album ever since. That decrepit old goth’s face says a lot of things but not many of them have to do with how good this album is. TRST is music for Read more

[LP] Baron Von Luxxury – THE LAST SEDUCTION (w/ “Terry Richardson” & “That Disco Beat (feat. Little Boots)”

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take me to the top, don’t ever stop taking me higher now cause i want some, but she’s much too young

♫ Baron Von Luxxury – Terry Richardson

  • Who: Blake Robin.
  • What: “Post-post-synth-pop”, like LCD Soundsystem, Citizens!, Johnny Neon.
  • Where: Los Angeles + Facebook / Bandcamp
  • When: LP The Last Seduction is out now for name-your-price.
  • Why: For a second try to ignore the sweet moniker, killer shoes, topless babe, and baller eagle. Ok, now stop that nonsense and focus on all of them at once as you listen to the sultry sex-disco of Baron von Luxxury. All those things are part of his package (!) and feed flesh-on-flesh dance party vibe that The Baron would surely approve of.

♫ Baron Von Luxxury – That Disco Beat ft. Little Boots

While it’s easy to dismiss Luxxury as a gimmicky act, it’s worth noting that his day job is a writer for Razor & Tie records and he has contributed to songs from artists like The Mae Shi, HEALTH, and Little Boots. He also produces for TBE alums Bullet and Snowfox. The dude is serious about his music and straddles and interesting line between underground and mainstream. You can see some of that pop culture winking at play in the goofy video for “Terry Richardson.” (Like anything related to Terry Richardson it is NSFW) Grab The Last Seduction for whatever you think it’s worth but after scoping other album highlights like the title track and big closer “I’m Not Bad, I’m Just Drawn That Way” I think you’ll find a few dollars for eagle food.

 

[LP] Gamble & Burke – THE COLD LOVE MIXTAPE (w/ “Time For Love” & “Driven Girl”)

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where she goes i go along, as the road turns on my shoulder she leans

♫ Gamble & Burke – Time for Love

  • Who: Kaz Gamble & Daniel Burke
  • What: Rocking funk disco, like Capital Cities, Cherub, Rick James.
  • Where: Boston, Mass + Facebook / Soundcloud / Amazon
  • When: Cold Love Mixtape is out now and free!
  • Why: If you rearrange the letters in “Gamble & Burke” you get “Hearth-side seduction with dirty martinis and Reebok Pumps.” It’s dance floor music for making love. Or making love music for the dance floor. Or walking music. Thats generally what I’ve been using it for. Previous jams like modern classic “Isolated With You” and “Lay Low” are fleshed out by some hot stuff like album opener “Time For Love.” Every track is a skin-tight concoction of bouncy grooves and dimmer-light vocals that turns any sidewalk into that Big piano. For extended dance routines see “Let’s Go Together (Baltic Chill Remix),” and their cover of “It Must Be Love.” Also, all the usually annoying interstitial movie bits are really well done. Could be cause they are from classics like Groundhog Day, From Russia With Love, etc.

♫ Gamble & Burke – Driven Girl

I have to admit I’ve been selfish. The Cold War Mixtape has been putting pep in my step for over 2 months but it just got lost in the SXSW shuffle and I am way overdue in posting. It’s criminal really, Gamble & Burke have treated us too right for me to treat them so wrong. Help them forgive me by making beautiful babies to this album and then naming them Gamble & Burke. 1st names please. Pairs only.

[MP3] Best Coast – “The Only Place”

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we’ve got the ocean, got the babes, got the sun, we’ve got the wav(v)es

♫ Best Coast – The Only Place

Best Coast has never struck a chord with me until now. It’s not just that the song is an absolutely accurate accounting of all the great things about California but it’s a swinging beachside country jam. Like cowboys with umbrellas in their beers. Or surfers roping cows. Or Best Coast finally getting a little rock rubbed off on her from Wavves. She does well to put a bit of pep in her step. Plus, that album art is just adorable.