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Motopony – “Daylights Gone””

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Look & Listen! // Visual Artist: Caleb Hahne [via]

Listen to enough Motopony (like I do) and its easy to forget that they are an actual band of flesh and blood.Daniel Blue’s heartbreak rarely feels like his alone, instead striking that chord of universal understanding. I imagine them more as mystical guides in an alternate musical universe. Ones whose mission are to lead the meek and mild through the world, whispering rock motivation in their ears, and lashing them forward with big bass licks. We all need a little guidance, we all need a little Motopony. And tonight in LA you can get both at the Troubadour with other TBE faves Bootstraps. Motopony’s new album Welcome You is out next week.  Read more

Motopony rocks like no other

[LIVE] SXSW Day 3 Recap + 360° Interviews

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Motopony rocks like no other

Motopony rock like no other

Day 3 was the smoothest yet. An eclectic afternoon lineup led into a rock party evening that had the whole Firehouse moving. Here are the few interviews I was able to grab. If I survive today I’ll have more tomorrow! Read more

[EVENT] The Burning Ear’s FREE 2012 SXSW Parties

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Yes, the rumors are true. The Burning Ear is in full effect at this year’s SXSW. With the help of Joel’s Lights & Music Entertainment and the awesome people at The Firehouse Lounge & Hostel we have cooked up the biggest blog curated lineup Austin has ever seen. Plus, it’s FREE!  Seriously. Sit down before you click through to the full event page.

I wont even get into too many details here lest those of you not in Austin this week flip out with jealousy. If you feel strong enough then dip down below for some teasers. I hope to see some of you come and rock out! Don’t forget to say hi and high-five!

Event Page HERE | RSVP HERE

4 Days  |  3 Levels  |  40+ live shows | FREE

FEATURING: Jukebox The Ghost – Gigamesh – Gemini Club – Polarsets – DWNTWN – Slow Club – ANR – & many more!

The 20 Best ALBUMS of 2011

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We all know I hate Best of Lists that come out before the year is over so nearly 4 weeks into 2012 I finally present my best albums of 2011! (Still a day faster than last year!) Below are the top 10 albums from my 2011 followed by 10 honorable mentions. The list was compiled by weighing total play counts along with longevity. Not only did I Read more

Brandon’s TBE Digest 29 – [10.11.2011] New Jams, Remixes, & Covers!

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Artwork by Jacob Youngblood Ziegler

Brandon’s TBE Digest is a place where I gather up all the recent jams that are worth a listen (or 10) but don’t necessarily need their own post. Here you will find new tracks by known bands, remixes, covers, and even mashups if they are interesting. My favorites of the lot are in bold.

It’s a big one folks. Proceed with caution (and good speakers). Also note the new Digest logo that will be here to stay. Enough of that little weird cartoon guy we had for so long, amiright!? Cheers to new beginnings! And new jams!

For more jams by any of these artists use the ‘tags’ links at the bottom of the post!

NEW RELEVENT JAMS

♫ Toro y Moi – All Alone / Toro y Moi continue their Digest domination with this great jam off their new EP Freaking Out.

♫ ROSTAM – Wood / Vampire Weekend’s resident production whiz goes solo.

♫ Sigmund Droid – Night Race / Sigmund Droid return!

REMIXES

♫ The Rapture – How Deep Is Your Love? (A Trak Dub aka Dub For Mehdi) / The tragic loss of DJ Mehdi last month is Read more

[PLAYLIST] The Best SONGS of 2011 – Part 1 (Jan-June)

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The best of the best… so far. My list ordering is always fast and loose so don’t sweat the numbers too much. For more on any of these artists use the tags links at the bottom of the post. Read on and rock out!

25 – ♫ Baby Monster – Mr. Success / These guys snuck in with a jam that just kept getting better with each listen. Oooooh ooooo ooooo!

24 – ♫ The Weeknd – House Of Balloons/Glass Table Girls / Dark, dirty, and not for public consumption. But damn if I can’t get enough.

23 – ♫ Motopony – King of Diamonds / Should be higher up on the list but with another Motopony track below I am basically sneaking this track in. An amazing song.

22 – ♫ Vacationer – Trip / A love song written by Read more

[LP] MOTOPONY have a GOD DAMN good debut with songs even your GIRL will like

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you show me why love is critical, you show me my love is pitiful

I posted the original version of “King of Diamonds” back in February and haven’t been able to get Motopony out of my headphones since then. The absolutely stunning “Wait For Me” followed soon after and then the full album landed in my inbox. Go ahead and grab the acoustic version of “Diamonds” above (and watch the great Vegas video) but know the original is still available for free. Once you have caught your breath it’s time to dive into the Seattle band’s full length which is out now and streaming in full below. “God Damn Girl” is my current jam of choice and puts a 3rd track of theirs in Top Songs of 2011 contention. Motopony work with such basic ingredients (guitar, drums, bass, piano) but somehow manage to craft things that are far more delicate and indelible than they should be. It doesn’t hurt that frontman Daniel Blue’s voice is like cashmere butter. The self titled album changes things up now and then, getting a bit rowdy on “Seer” and even going all twangy on the foot stomping “I Am My Body.” The back stretch of the album can feel a bit sleepy but once you hear it in the right mood the music will click and it will all seep right into your subconscious. But enough of me, listen!  Read more

[MP3] MOTOPONY may be the KING OF all those songs with DIAMONDS in the title

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spades and clubs they just ain’t shining, and my heart knows nothing’s free

♫ Motopony – King of Diamonds

So how many awesome things are going on here? The name says rock n roll tempered with tenderness. The logo is t-shirt ready. The album art is prime for it’s own adventure comic. And the music, oh, the music, is just perfect. Shuffling percussion, sparse piano, delicately churning guitar, and just a splash of xylophone roll through my speakers as I sink into my chair and soak in frontman Daniel Blue’s uniquely gripping vocals. Seattle’s Motopony have only just broke on the scene with this one track but have already been given love from KCRW and were named “Tacoma’s Best New Band by KEXP. I look forward to more jams. And that comic spin-off.

Bury your face in MySpace /// Amazon too