No radio show this week

This week's radio show is cancelled, due to a high-profile screening of GasLand that both Knox & I will be attending (Josh Fox is coming for a panel tomorrow!).

Instead, I urge you to check out Absent Fever, a "digital release label" run by hazy-nostalgia-maven Tyler of Flashlight Tag and precocious-adjective-poet Eloise of verb/re/verb. There's been a proliferation of really awesome digital labels lately, and it looks like theirs is poised to join the best.

Something New

Chicago-based Closed Sessions has thankfully provided all of us stuck scavenging for tracks off Full Metal Jack-It with some new Freddie Gibbs. "Something New" has that Isaac Hayes sample that maybe some of you remember from that Dr. Dre song from like a decade ago, and the beat's not as bangin as that old Dre song but Gibbs of course blows it up on his verse and the thing about that is he was probably just fucking around.

Also from Closed Sessions, out on their ATX compilation, is "Heads of the Heads" with GLC, which I guess I could only find a video of, but still. Gibbs's flow on this song suggests pretty strongly that all these collabos are really like his civic duty to the rap game. I guess he can't be the only rapper working, even if he is the best.

For more Gibbs coverage check out this video of him getting a fucking huge Huey Newton tattoo on his back, listen to his entertaining and informative interview with Hype Men, and definitely go read as much of his twitter page as you have time for; that shit will make you laugh.

Dope Valley Fuck

Crash Symbols and Get Off The Coast gifted the world with another mixtape Wednesday. Dope Valley Fuck is/could be the second installment in what might or might not be a series of superb Dope Fuck mixtapes (the first being the soon-to-be classic Dope Mountain Fuck), and features a veritable Spring bouquet of chipper & chilled out demos and new songs from the likes of Blackbird Blackbird, Foxes in Fiction, Cop Magnet, Pepepiano--and lots of others I mean the mix has 21 songs on it, and it's only choice songs on there you know. And you know what else: it really makes you appreciate what's going on in music and blogs and labels and everybody coming together right now. So, if you think you will want to think you know about cool music anytime soon, or if you feel like feeling pretty good, download this mixtape, and follow ya boys on Tumblr, probably, too.

And I want to point out just real quick--I just noticed--that the cover art for this mixtape kind of suggests some imagery of a place from which you can expect regular dispatches in the near future: Brazil. And I dunno what the dispatches will be like but I know that that's where they will be comin from. Viva!

Local Winds

Adam Sarmiento over at Alchemist Records graciously sent us these couple songs from their latest release: In the World, an EP by the up-and-coming Local Winds--out today! The flowy, ambient sweeping sounds get your feet to tap while also sort of setting you afloat. In general, Local Winds's first EP promises good vibes and good music to come. Get at it here, and the tunes below.

"Small Towns" - Local Winds

"Tree Gathering" - Local Winds

Johnny Whopper episode 16

Broadcast on 02/21/2011:

01. Panda Bear - Last Night At The Jetty
02. Bass Drum of Death - Young Pros
03. Yuck - Get Away
04. Memoryhouse - When You Sleep (My Bloody Valentine cover, live at The Sub)
05. Toro y Moi - New Beat
06. The Fresh & Onlys - Do You Believe In Destiny?
07. Bartin Memberg - Hammered Enamored
08. Aux Arc - Round House
09. The Beach Boys - Disney Girls (1957) [Adam's weekly music column]
10. Julian Lynch - Terra
11. Promises - One Two Thirteen
12. Soft Healer - Grand Isle-lores
13. Akron/Family - Fuji 1 (Global Dub)
14. Weed Diamond - If You Love Me Let Me Go

Julian Lynch was definitely the highlight this week, unless you count the Beach Boys, whose "Disney Girls (1957)" has been an important musical touchstone of the past few years. Bass Drum of Death is from the Cats Purring collective in Oxford, MS and is blowing up fast, and Panda Bear's new album Tomboy is sure to make critical and cultural waves in the near future.

Bass Drum of Death - Young Pros

Bass Drum of Death - Young Pros

Considering our love of Mississippian jammers like Dead Gaze and FLIGHT, it only makes sense to speak of Bass Drum of Death. BDod just signed with Fat Possum and they are going to drop their first LP, GB City in April. "Young Pros" is a howling pop song, which should get you pumped enough to pre-order the LP from Infiltrated Records.

Week's end

I know I'm kind of late on the Valentine's day tip, but hopefully y'all were too preoccupied on Valentine's day anyway to check out the variety of mixtapes that some of our blog buds put out in the name of love. Unholy Rhythms and Cactus Mouth tag-teamed on this mixtape and I mean let me tell ya it's stimulating and gratifying. Yvynyl also composed a mix that's like a it's-our-first-valentine's-day-together-card that says, you know, Let's keep it quality and casual. My favorite mix, though, is from Digital Outhouse; it's a mix of some kind of dated but probably classic smooth dance-y electronic music--I mean I'm just a sucker for that sort of thing--and Daft Punk is on there.

But in any case, listening to these mixtapes has introduced me (& thanks again blog buds) to these interesting acts:

Sutja Gutierrez is a dude from Spain who is also in the Fruhstucks who are also pretty cool but Sutja's songs are a little more toned down and rawer and kind of poppier or something--catchier, and like you can tell it's just one talented guy making music. His website is impressive and all his stuff is available for download there. He released a song especially for Valentine's day called "I Can See the Devil (Valentine's Day)" which he described as a song for the devil which I mean hell yeah but there's another song called "Lucy (Love Scene)" that was on that yvynyl mix (and also on this Matinee as Hell mix which is, by now predictably enough, solid) that I like better:

"Lucy (Love Scene)" - Sutja Gutierrez

Moths makes beautifully smart beats and is from celtic old County Kildare, Ireland. It's cheerful and original music, with real subtle, lo-fi hints at dubbier stuff, I'd say. Fun and enjoyable to listen to. He collaborated with Synesthesiae Films to make this really kind of breathtaking video, for the track "<3"

"<3"> - Moths

And check out Moth's bandcamp too.

And here's an extra mp3 of the Cold Crush Brothers, pictured at the top of the post, talkin' about, Y'all it's the motherfucking weekend. Have a good one.

"Weekend" - Cold Crush Brothers

Compilation Watch

"There's a world outside this blanket, but right now we're all that we have."

For a city that routinely weathers snowstorms several orders of magnitude larger than the ones that have shut down most of Arkansas several times this year, Chicago was thoroughly humbled by last week's record-breaking blizzard. So while most of us in the South know the feeling of being snowed in, unable to go anywhere, it's a relatively uncommon occurrence in the Windy City.

Enter Chicago DIY institution Ball Hall, which has put together a a free two-disc compilation of songs Chicago musicians wrote on their snowed-in day. Entitled Deep Shit Vol. 1 and Deep Shit Vol. 2: Deeper Shit, they're a great window into the varied and talented Chicago music scene. Vol. 1 runs the gamut from spoken word to thrash-punk and airy electro-synth (with everything in between), while Vol. 2 showcases more long-form drone and ambient compositions.

Grab Sheep Numbers' Pavement-inspired "All We Have" and The Humminbird's beautiful and creeping vocal performance on "Adorned With Feathers" below, or better yet, head over to Ball Hall's blog and download the whole thing for yourself.

Cover art by Pizza Gang.

MP3: Sheep Numbers - "All We Have"

MP3: The Humminbird - "Adorned With Feathers"

Promises

Jeremy Malvin of Ann Arbor's Chrome Sparks just started what he's calling a "new lo-fi pop project" called Promises. Check out his Bandcamp, where he just posted a pair of early Beach House-inspired tunes. "One Two Thirteen" is the "Apple Orchard" to "I Was Wrong"'s "Master of None." If my metaphors are too messy for you, just head over there and check it out for yourself, or grab A-side "One Two Thirteen" below.

MP3: Promises - "One Two Thirteen"

Chrome Sparks Bandcamp

Previous Chrome Sparks coverage

Promises Bandcamp

Sgnow Sowngs

Tuesday a couple of EPs dropped that'll fit your feelings about the snow y'all are either ensconced or enshrouded in (depending on your feelings, right).

Atlantic at Pacific is a chill mustachioed producer from Santa Cruz named Austin Wood. His new EP, Seasons, was released on Eric and Adam Sarmiento's Alchemist Records (as was his full-length album, Weddings like back in August). The cheery and layered sounds blend kind of jazzy, easygoing, almost Dilla-type hip hop beats with the kind of wintry but somehow upbeat piano-y instrumental music of maybe like the Album Leaf or somebody. Fix up some Swiss Miss, check out this track and lounge.

Atlantic at Pacific - "My Fault"

Or, if your soul is swooning slowly as you hear the snow falling faintly like the descent of the last end upon all the living and the dead or whatever--like, the snow's kind of a bleak thing for you--then zone out and brood with ∆Aimon's new Amen EP out on Tundra Dub. The album is creepy in a heavy epic and mischievously smirking sort of way. Fucked up stuff. Get gloomy I guess and maybe let this song drone out the existential burdens the weather's making metaphors of.

∆Aimon - "A Screw (Holy Money)"

And well here's a bonus track in case what you're feeling about the snow is to do some drugs. Enjoy.

Chrome ft. Frayser Boy - "What Cha Need"

Announcing: Kudzu Music Fest

It's here! Johnny Whopper, working with The Ivory Tower (full disclosure: I work with both organizations) is pleased to announce Kudzu Music Fest, to be held March 12, 2011 at Brick House in Conway, AR.

Heading off the billing are Denver's heavy chaos-trippers Woodsman, who just released their latest album, Rare Forms, on Lefse/Fire Talk. You might have heard their mega-jam "Insects" on episode 14 of our show, but if not, you can grab it below.

Representing Fayetteville are blown-out swamp reverb gods Voyageurs and lo-fi retro-psych dealers Niall.

From Russellville, William Blackart lends his guitar and gravelly voice to his "poor man's Gothic" songs, and Conway collage composers The Light Brigade round out the bill.

More acts will be announced, though, so stay tuned for additional information, as well as complete coverage of the festival itself.

MP3: Woodsman - "Insects"

MP3: Voyageurs - "Lil' Jimmy Swing"

MP3: Niall - "Faces"

Johnny Whopper episode 15

Broadcast on 2/7/11:

01. Lord Huron - Auld Lang Syne
02. Lia Ices - Grown Unknown
03. Sun City Girls - Esoterica of Abyssynia
04. James Ferraro - Killer Nerd
05. Dos - The Rescue
06. Forest Swords - Rattling Cage
07. Tim Hecker - The Piano Drop
08. Vivian Girls - I Heard You Say
09. Dum Dum Girls - He Gets Me High
10. Hype Williams - Rescue Dawn
11. Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx - NY Is Killing Me [Adam's weekly column]
12. Range Rover - There's Nothing For Me Here
13. Sic Alps - Do You Want To Give $$?
14. Hurt Valley - Monuments
15. Baths - Pop Song

Adam's Gil Scott-Heron/Jamie xx pick just made me more excited for their forthcoming album We're New Here. Also, San Diego teens Range Rover delivered on their dreamy jam "There's Nothing For Me Here," and I wish Dos had more of an internet presence outside of his Soundcloud.

Hear Hums

We're barely 40 days into 2011 and it's already off to a fast start. Aside from the quality LPs we've seen from Tennis, James Blake, and Smith Westerns, Hear Hums have dropped one of my surprise favorite albums of the year. We first heard from the Jacksonville, FL trio (wonder if they hang out with unouomedude?) on the Dope Mountain Fuck cassette, where their 6:23 marathon jam "Mokom Wolos" made episode #9 of our show. Then the beautiful Feels-inspired "BXYZ" made epsiode #14 of our show last week.

On their second album, Psych Cycles (Crash Symbols, 12/21/10), there are no shortage of beautiful songs, from the soundscapes of "Mokom Wolos" to the stuttering breakbeats of "Change" to the, well, sunsoaked shimmer of "Sunsoaked." And, of course, there's "BXYZ," which could legitimately be accused of sounding a little too much like "The Purple Bottle," but we're not going to bother with pedantic influence-spotting exercises because it just sounds so good.

Besides, Psych Cycles never lets one influence dominate. The fact that all of these songs can fit together in one album means you should go buy it now. It's only limited to 300 copies, and because Hear Hums are nice dudes, there's even a free download link further down the page.

MP3: Hear Hums - "Woo"

MP3: Hear Hums - "BXYZ"

Hear Hums Bandcamp

Hear Hums Blog

Crash Symbols Bandcamp

Sinden Presents: Free Gucci II, the Burrrtish Edition

Dunno if Gucci is a free man or not, but then I dunno if Gucci will ever be a free man, and so Sinden and Mad Decent have come through with a Burrrtish edition of Diplo's so flossy classic of last year and of same inspiration. Cop it mostly for the cachet you'll earn when people lookin through your iChunes and see it, and for the grime guest verses, which are pretty raw innit.

Galapagos

Galapagos makes songs that remind you of how pretty soon you'll be sitting outside pretty much doing nothing but sitting and there'll be lemonade and girls in shorts and the grass will be a healthy green stretch to lie on if you feel like it because it'll be Spring. And it'll be songs like this one below playing in the background from somebody's iHome, and people will remark like, "Who is this? This is cool." Maybe things are like that all the time in Phoenix which is where this guy is from, and that's how he can make such take-it-easy sounding songs in the dead of winter. Hell yeah. Pretty sure he puts out his stuff on his own, too?

So check out his Soundcloud and Bandcamp--lots of good vibes and downloads, too.

"No Where Else," Galapagos

DUDES - King of the Hips

DUDES - King of the Hips

DUDES is an elusive solo-project or group project from San Diego. Their only page contains no information on who or how many people are in the band. It certainly seems that some of the members from Da Bears have something to do with DUDES. But all of this doesn't matter. With an EP due out at some point this year, DUDES have created some sweet tunes that are rather endearing. Until NARCISSISTS ANONYMOUS comes out, dig on the above mp3 and this video.