Oh dear it is Friday, and oh woe is me do I need a day off, but before I disappear into a bucket of ale, here is the best of what hit my (the editor of DiS') inbox this week...
M83
This a special premiere of a new remix of M83's 'Steve McQueen' by Parisan duo SALM, which stands for SomethingALaMode. This goes out to anyone who saw the final European date of Hurry Up, We're Dreaming tour last night in London, which was an incredible extravaganza of lights and music. Those lazers were 'off the hook'!. This is a free download which you can get by CLICKING YOUR MOUSE RIGHT HERE.
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School of Seven Bells
With Ghostory SVIIB made one of the albums of the year (so says I!), and before the year is out they've slipped out this EP. It's a little bit dancier than most of the recent album, but lovers of their seasick choirs and sweet synth-dripped lullabies will know what they're in for. It's delightful, obviously, and perfect for your pre-party, post-party and desk-party... if you come to my house, it will be on at The Party, but I'm sure you'd rather listen to Beyonce before the sun comes up, but that's your prerogative. Anyway, point and click your mouse on the play button below and thank me later...
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How to Destroy Angels
If you didn't know by now, Trent Reznor (yes, him from Nine Inch Nails!!) has a new band called How to Destroy Angels with his wife Mariqueen Maandig, soundtrack collaborator Atticus Ross, and illustrator/designer Rob Sheridan. They sound weirdly like an evil remix of St. Vincent. It's all steamy dark streets and thrusting beats, as well as some odd country vibes. This new EP appeared on the Hype Machine and Pitchfork this week and it's really rather good. If you like it, it's out next week on Columbia Records - available digitally and on 12" vinyl.
There's also this badass Factory Floor remix:
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Ninetails
My love of ambienty things and hazy-shoegazy pop precedes me these days. One nice PR sifted me out and suggested I might like this, and yes, predictably, this tickled me in all the right places. I don't know much about them, but I'm planning to pick up their LP Slept and Did Not Sleep when it's out in a few weeks time, and I suspect some of you might not hate it either. Dreamy.
Save the Clock Tower
I got a sweet email form the dudes from Save the Clock Tower this week. Had never heard them before by their Pheonix-y Shins-y Freelance Whales- indie-pop had me bopping from the off. They're from Chicago, and weirdly have that Tortoise/Sea & Cake vibe drifting over the surface of their Cut Copy-ish grooves. They self-released their album Through the Glass earlier this year and you should seek it out if this does to you what it does unto me...
Chromatics
Not sure I've done a weekend listening that doesn't feature Chromatics, and seeing as their London show this week was rather good, and that they slipped out what is essentially the offcuts of one-of-the-albums-of-the-year Kill for Love I thought I better share it.
Jet lagged & buzzing from Friday's show in Paris, I couldn't sleep...so I stayed up all night with Oko talking about color based dreams while blending these tracks together. Since the album came out, a lot of people on the road have been telling us they are curious to hear some of the unreleased music from the Kill For Love sessions...Recorded November 2009 through December 2011, these songs were all mixed between 4 & 6 a.m. After hours of tracking at the studio in Montreal, we'd clear the channels on the mixer, open a bottle of wine, & feel around in the dark...working our way through the atmospheric elements & peeling back layers of rhythm...throwing the songs into the abstract pile & playing them while driving home in the snow. In Amsterdam right now trying to upload it from the hotel. Fingers crossed...
This is a lullaby for you... Sweet Dreams! xo Johnny Jewel
Chrvrches
The much tipped new band, that features an ex-member of Twilight Sad (who played his last show with the band when they played the DiS stage at Summer Sundae, fact fans!) did a session for Huw Stephen's Radio1 show this week. You can listen to it on this 'ere YouTube playlist:
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Vinyl Williams
Our friends at No Pain In Pop have this new LP for you to slip your lips around and sink your teeth into. Careful, there's reverb in there...
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Melody's Echo Chamber
At the moment I'm kinda obsessed with this self-titled album by Parisian lady Melody's Echo Chamber. It's the perfect mix of Broadcast's sunken heart, Deerhunter's cage of shoegaze sounds and Blonde Redhead's soaring wide-screenery. Side bar fact: It was produced by the dude from Tame Impala.
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Ed Harcourt
Ok, so I'm gonna end this with a JAG! but, it's my website, you pay nothing but time to be here, and I think it's ok if I sling something here if it isn't a completely blatant advert filled with ridiculous superlatives... Anyway, I have started a new label-slash-management-company 'thing' called CCCLX and signed one of my favourite artists Ed Harcourt to release his sixth album. To preview the record, this week we slipped this free download up here themanthattimeforgot.viinyl.com and posted the audio on YouTube. Back Into the Woods is kinda darker (or at least further from the sunshine) than his previous few albums. It was recorded in just six hours at Abbey Road, as you can hear on 'The Man That Time Forgot' it is mostly piano and strings, but there is also a bit of guitar on a Buckley-ish track too. It'll be released in Feb 2013, but before that Ed is going to play a show in which he performs the album in full, followed by a greatest hits set (and probably a Christmas song or two) on December 19th at Cecil Sharp House in London (Tickets here)...
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Scott Walker
And finally... mad as a bag of badgers? So said someone on the DiS boards. Scott Walker is back, new album in December and this video appeared online this week:
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Pretty sure that'll do you for this week. Back to the email mountain...