Team Ghost

There's just something about Paris, and France actually, when it comes down to music. It's not that French ears are tuned exquisitely or that they have better equipment or more complex ideas, it's just everything is so goddamn cool. And slick. You walk around the Paris quartiers and always seem to bump into their same, stylish, guitar-carrying, leather jacket-wearing dude material: everyone always equipped with their own trendy walk. It's this attitude-drenched ambience that is reflected in their music. The new kids on the arrondissement (well I say new, but one of them was in M83 6 years ago) that are doing this are TEAM GHOST. These guys are producing brilliant Chilled-out fuzz pop in a familiar, but better, vein to our The Big Pink. The soporific vocals of former-M83-member Nicolas Fromageau relax the listener yet strangely give them a feeling of strong emotion. The group used a mix of Guitars and Synths on their recent EP, sounding like a New Order-tinged Dinosaur Jr. A complex fusion, but a fantastic one that'll hopefully see them one day get as much recognition as fellow Frenchmen Phoenix and Air.

 Check them out on Myspace here.

Blast from the past.

What with every other band/artist existing nowadays making pretentious folk songs and being tipped as the next Arcade Fire, Joan Baez or even Mumford and Sons?!, I thought I'd choose this:



From Joni's '74 album Court and Spark. Fabulous.

jj - Let Go

The National _ High Violet - Stream

Possibly the most anticipated album of the year, The National's High Violet, released 11th May, is available to stream here on the NY times website. So far it Sounds to me 100 times better than Boxer - incredible!

The XX - Islands (New Video)

I swear they've already released this is a single, but here's a new video they've made for it. It's probably the most pop-orientated song on the album X, and will see them get loadsa airplay. It's a pretty cool video too - although I do think I've had enough of the large Xs.

New Crystal Castles Tunes: Suffocation! and Year of Silence!

Okay, Doe Deer was shit. But these new beauties have emerged, taken from the forthcoming second eponymous album Crystal Castles.

This one keeps in the spirit of this trending chillwave genre, with added trance!
Enjoy.



This is one sounds like Jonsi gone apeshit! Perfect anthem!

Blur - Fool's Day *FREE DOWNLOAD*

As mentioned yesterday, Blur released their first new material in seven years especially for RSD. They've put it up as a free download on their website. You can download it here, by signing up to their mailing list (no hassle).

New Slow Club video

Brand new video (and new recording) for Slow Club's Giving Up On Love. It stars Mackenzie Crook (of The Office, Pirates of the Caribbean fame etc).

Kill Rock Stars sampler

Kill Rock Stars have posted a fantastic sampler of (old and new) odds and ends, featuring established names; The Gossip, Elliott Smith, the Decemberists ETC and newer names such as Horse Feathers. Its a bloody comp anyway. Here's the full tracklist:

1. Elliott Smith - 'Angeles' from Either/Or
2. The Thermals - 'Now We Can See' from Now We Can See
3. Gossip - 'Standing In the Way of Control' from Standing In The Way of Control
4. Thao - 'When We Swam' from Know Better Learn Faster
5. Sleater Kinney - 'Oh!' from One Beat
6. Panther - 'Love Is Sold' from Entropy
7. Unwound - 'Corpse Pose' from Repetition
8. The Paper Chase - 'What Should We Do With Your Body? (The Lightning)' from Someday This Could All Be Yours (Part 1)
9. Xiu Xiu - 'Dear God, I Hate Myself' from Dear God, I Hate Myself
10. Deerhoof - 'Believe E.S.P.' from Friend Opportunity
11. Quasi - 'Repulsion' from American Gong
12. Marnie Stern - 'Transformer' from This Is It...
13. Stereo Total - 'I Love You, Ono' from My Melody
14. Liliput - 'Ain't You' from Liliput
15. Bikini Kill - 'New Radio' from New Radio
16. Bratmobile - 'Die' from The Real Janelle
17. Comet Gain - 'Kids In The Club' from Realistes
18. The Shaky Hands - 'Allison and the Ancient Eyes' from Let It Die
19. The Decemberists - '16 Military Wives' from Picaresque
20. Horse Feathers - 'Curs In The Weeds' from House With No Home
21. Jeff Hanson - 'Hiding Behind the Moon' from Son

And here's where you can download it.

The Black Keys return

Here's the video for the new Black Keys' Danger Mouse-produced song "Tighten Up".
Phunky as Phuck.