Natural Child new album and interview etc.

Natural Child's debut LP, 1971, came out last Wednesday, 4/20. The kind of album it is, it's such a surprising and exciting thing to hear, because yeah it sometimes sounds like the Stones or more generally an album from 1971, except it's in 2011 and these are just some regular dudes; they haven't made history yet. But then, these songs are cause enough to reconsider how regular these dudes are. They're regular, I mean, in that they're not millionaires yet, not headlining music festivals at any California speedways yet, not making movies yet. On the other hand, the songs aren't regular at all, and the feel and the attitude, and that they did all this stuff all the while being just some regular dudes--none of that is regular. It's really new, however reminiscent of old it is. It's a sound that nobody's putting out, but that everybody's getting into. But it seems like Wes and Zack and Seth have been into it for a while; the Stones and Stooges and Neil Young and Bob Dylan and all those 60s and 70s rock and folk and blues records that everyone's looking for are their influences, except that they've figured out how to keep it at that, at just influences, and how to keep their sound theirs. The result is this solid album, which is like a showcase for how to be inspired but original, rock-n-roll but honest and still confident, high as fuck but at the same time talented as fuck. So the album rules.


The interview here is from a couple weeks ago. I talked with Wes and Zack on Skype about the West Coast half of their nationwide tour. After, I sent them a transcription to look over, but they had already left for the East Coast, the other half of the tour. I wanted to wait until we had it all straight before putting up this review and everything, too, so that's why it's only being put up now. I heard from Wes last night; he said the interview was "fucking hilarious" and "perfect." I asked him how the rest of the tour went and he asked me, "You ever seen Jackass 2? Jackass number two. It was just like that."

Here's a couple of back-to-back tracks from 1971.

"Yoko" - Natural Child

"Let It Bleed" - Natural Child

Pick up the album from the Infinity Cat store.

Also, I encourage you to check out Nashville's Dead's hell of a good album review. It's like, after reading that review, I had to think really if there was a point to writing this one.

And don't forget the interview below!

Read more »

Johnny Whopper episode 22

Aired on 4/25/2011:

01. Alan Sparhawk - How the Weather Comes Over the Central Hillside

02. LAKE R∆DIO - I Wish You Could See In Technicolor, Too

03. Julian Lynch - Fort Collins

04. Clams Casino - Realist Alive

05. Neko Case - This Tornado Loves You

06. Kohwi - Reeling the Warmth

07. d'Eon - Kill A Man With A Joystick In Your Hand

08. John Maus - Believer

09. Bad Brains - Big Takeover

10. Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run

11. Swimming - Summer Turtleneck

12. Nicolas Jaar - Colomb

13. Sunshower Orphans - Sunspots

14. Speculator - I Wait All Day

Really great playlist today. Of course I could just be saying that because I picked all the songs, but I am loving Clams Casino and d'Eon right now. Also can't wait for forthcoming albums by Swimming and John Maus that should be dropping soon.

Premiere: Swimming

Neil Lord (of Niall & Voyageurs et al.) sent me this track from his new project, Swimming, with Jared Hennessey (pictured above) and Brian Kupillas of Where's Lawrence?. Really great stuff, kinda sounds like Robin Pecknold singing for Real Estate, only with more sinister undertones than that pairing would imply. Swimming's album will be out "in the next few days," according to Neil, and the track below, "Summer Turtleneck," is apparently about "a guy coming to our bassist's door in Houston and asking, 'Do you wanna fool around?'" It's also going to be featured on the forthcoming Art Amiss 13 compilation.

Swimming will also be playing at the final show at the Brick House, along with Cats Purring denizens FLIGHT and Fort Smith surf-punkers Taifas. If you're not super stoked about this show already, you should be.

MP3: Swimming - "Summer Turtleneck"

Star Slinger mix

For real, I'll probably just keep grooving to this whole R&B/soul thing for as long as it stays fresh. This is a mix that UK producer Star Slinger did for Yours Truly's Other People's Poetry series. It's called What Your Mouth Don't Say, Baby Your Thighs Do. Be sure to check out the original post, as it has more pictures and is generally cooler and more professional.

And for even more smooth sounds, here's this mp3 from Odd Future dude Domo Genesis that should've been posted yesterday but yesterday everybody was stoned.

"Cashmere" - Domo Genesis

Johnny Whopper episode 21

Broadcast on 4/18/2011:

01. Ty Segall - The Slider
02. Triptides - Coastlines
03. Youth Lagoon - Cannons
04. Antony & the Johnsons - Swanlights (Oneohtrix Point Never Edit)
05. WU LYF - Heavy Pop
06. Arrington de Dionyso's Malaikat - Madu Mahadahsyat
07. Chad vanGaalen - Sara
08. Sutja Gutierrez - Borderline (Hell, I'm The)
09. Brainstorm - Flat Earth
10. Caetano Veloso - Nao Identificado [Adam's weekly music column]
11. Deerhunter - Nosebleed
12. Cults - Abducted
13. Calm Palm Vapor - Hate To See You Smile
14. Twin Sister - Meet the Frownies
15. Deradoorian - Marichka

Maybe I only end up shouting out my own tracks because I'm the one who actually writes these "playlist" posts, but WU LYF was my runaway favorite this week. Deerhunter's track was also super good, and the Oneohtrix Point Never edit of the Antony & the Johnsons track was all sorts of psychedelic. Thanks for listening! See you next week.

Dirty Gold

You might remember Dirty Gold from their sundazed track "California Sunrise", which was our #19 track of 2010. In the meantime, these barely-out-of-high school kids have come out with their debut EP Roar. They still practice the same dreamy afro-pop as before, but this EP shows them broadening their range. Opening track "North" could be a lost Vampire Weekend cut, and closer "Overboard" is equally indebted to Teen Dream-era Beach House.

Listen and preorder Roar on their website, or grab it now on iTunes. And grab "Quiet Life," the fourth track, below.

MP3: Dirty Gold - "Quiet Life"

Tonstartssbandht - Susie

Tonstartssbandht - Susie

I learned of Tonstartssbandht via Boy Attractions and these brothers have some crazy stuff going on. Their style of psychedelia is much in the vein of the tropical niche similarly found in Ducktails or Sun Araw. This song, "Susie," comes off their most recent tape, Hymn, which was originally meant to be a tour only cassette, but now available to everyone via bandcamp. This song lasts about 8 minutes long and moves in and out of some great layers and textures. Also, check out their Guest Mix on Rose Quartz where they play some Lynyrd Skynyrd and Audioslave.

Royal Bangs - Flux Outside

Royal Bangs is a band that is very dear to me. I can remember the early days of the band when they used to play as the headlining act for high school bands at a little coffee joint in my hometown of Knoxville, TN. They have come a long way since then with the endorsement of Patrick Carney of the Black Keys, tours in Europe, bringing in Scott Minor (Sparklehorse) and Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips) to do their production, and their recent Letterman appearance.

Flux Outside is their third official release. Flux Outside does not vary much in style from their previous two as the album is just as audacious and daring as its predecessors. There is no reason to attempt to label their sound as each song brings in all sorts of sounds. Don't let that discourage you either from giving this a listen as Royal Bangs are probably one of the best bands out there to utilize all sorts of styles and sounds in one song to make a harmonious agreement of sounds.

This album is probably their most cohesive work. Having Minor and Fridmann help with their production gives the album a more increased sound with songs that are much more focused. Flux Outside is also their longest album, but the variance in sounds keeps you hooked.

Definitely check out the album and make sure to purchase yourself a copy.

Grimes

Obligatory post of Grimes video for "Vanessa" that premiered yesterday on Gorilla vs. Bear which actually kind of warrants its obligatory-ness, because by the song you can tell that Grimes is really talented and creative and keen, and by the premiere on GvB/the subsequent hype you can tell that the talent and matching deftness is going to earn her something she really deserves.

"Vanessa" is off the upcoming Grimes split with fellow Montrealers D'Eon, which is called Darkbloom and comes out next week.

The mp3 is below for you to download and let it make all the ordinary stuff that you do like walking around or doing dishes into a movie--you know how some songs do?

"Vanessa" - Grimes

Trouble Books & Mark McGuire

Trouble Books & Mark McGuire - Song for Reinier Lucassen's Sphinx

Every time that Mark McGuire releases new material, it is always worth getting excited for. Whether it be his solo stuff, with Emeralds, or with the husband and wife duo from Ohio, Trouble Books. Trouble Books & Mark McGuire have announced a collaboration LP, which will hit the shelves early this summer via Bark and Hiss. "Song for Reinier Lucassen's Sphinx" is a terrific blend of Trouble Books' synth work and McGuire's signature guitar work. Keep on the look out for this LP.

Johnny Whopper episode 20

Broadcast on 4/11/2011:

01. Saskatchewan - Beast Coast

02. Assassins 88 - Scanners

03. Family Portrait - Other Side

04. Jacuzzi Boys - Your Flags

05. Greatest Hits - Ten Little Indians

06. Sleep ∞ Over - Casual Diamond

07. Secret Colours - Follow the Drone

08. Michael Jackson - Off The Wall [Adam's weekly music column]

09. Superhumanoids - Persona

10. Co La - Dreamin (Hair Splitter Version)

11. Trouble Books & Mark McGuire - Song For Reinier Lucassen's Sphynx

12. Dominant Legs - Young at Love and Life

13. Sun Araw - Bump Up

14. Memory Screen - Treehorse

15. Ken Seeno - Another Leaf Lying on the Ground

Sorry for taking so long to get the formatting right. Computers in the KHDX station run IE, which is not exactly the friendliest of platforms.

There were almost too many super-good tracks to count this week. Sun Araw, Greatest Hits, and Family Portrait stuck out to me in particular, and I really, really can't wait for Trouble Books & Mark McGuire to come out with their collaborative album. That's all for now - see you next week!

Watercolor Records

So I was reading up on the consistently wonderful Head Underwater and his post on Matthew Papich's Baltimore-based woozy/dubby sample-pop project Co La, and a few clicks later (while in pursuit of some Co La mp3s) I found myself on the website of Watercolor Records. I couldn't find any information on them except that they were based in Bmore, released mostly on tape, and had put out stuff by area mainstays Cex and Teeth Mountain.

There's tons of more music to be found though. Most of their releases are available for free download, and include the aforementioned (and excellent) Co La tape Rest in Paradise and an intriguing release by Ponytail guitarist Ken Seeno called Open Window, which will remind more than a few of you of the kosmische musik-inspired explorations of Emeralds.

Give it a click, though. Great ground-breaking stuff for sure. And grab the two mp3s by Co La and Ken Seeno below.

MP3: Co La - Dreamin (Hair Splitter Version)

MP3: Ken Seeno - Another Leaf Lying on the Ground

Johnny Whopper episode 19

Broadcast on 4/4/2011:

01. Heavy Times - "Too Many Dreamers"

02. The Death Set - "Can You Seen Straight"

03. Lumerians - "Atlanta Brook"

04. Royal Bangs - "Fireball"

05. The Sandwitches - "Lightfoot"

06. Dead Ghosts - "I Want Your Love"

07. Indian Wars - "8 Feet High"

08. Nerve City - "I Am Alive"

09. Ted Nugent - "Stranglehold" [Adam's weekly column]

10. Ford & Lopatin - "Emergency Room"

11. Iceage - "New Brigade"

12. Teenage Reverb - "Ghostgaze"

13. Choongum - "Meteor Baths"

14. Alice Cohen - "Higher" (Creed cover)

Been loving the hell out of that Sandwitches track lately. Lumerians and Ford & Lopatin have been satisfying all of our groove needs. And Royal Bangs are on the up-and-up, so look out for them.

Thanks to those who listened! We're on every Monday at 8pm CST on www.khdx.fm!

It's the Weeknd

It's sort of surprising that I first heard the Weeknd on this past week's show, since the free mixtape he released on Sunday brings up its own News page on Google (and has already caused several websites to crash?). But the hype is for real. House of Balloons is so innovative and inspired that it's hard to believe this guy is only 20 years old. The combination of his originality and his youth has generated apt comparisons with Odd Future--which is not necessarily to suggest similarities in how it feels or how it's played, but just to say that here are these kids with the creative spirit to match demand for some new sounds with a quality product. One difference with the Weeknd, though, is that the quality has been esteemed par with the xx's debut and like Timbaland's greatest hits. It's like this guy (real name Abel Tesfaye, maybe) recognized that people wanted to like R&B, that smart, chill, smoothed out music with cool ass lyrics is always appreciated yet scarcely heard. But the mixtape is all that stuff--smart, chill, and, indeed, silky smooth. And it's got this coolness to it, too; it's got the potential to be one of those albums you put on while you're pouring your first drinks and getting ready to go out.House of Balloons has the daring and assuredness enough to make its generically R&B-type confessions of cheap lust, exorbitant spending and doin drugs perfectly chosen, and makes the work as a whole well-ahead of its time. He does it with samples from like Siouxsie and the Banshees and Beach House brilliantly backgrounding the fucked up dramatic and surprisingly rich stories of vulnerability and nightlife. As the Village Voice notes, albeit with a tone of bitterness, these tracks are pro. Yeah the kid is only 20, but there's a lot of production expertise behind him, with Illangelo and Don McKinney collaborating on the beats. But that's cool, because I think the Weeknd is accomplishing something important with these songs--also noted by the Village Voice: they're changing--I'd say refreshing--a genre.

For more writing on how this mixtape is effecting R&B, head over to the yes-that's-right-motherfucking Guardian. Check out the Weeknd's website, which'll basically connect you to everything else. And definitely give a listen to these samples below.

"What You Need" - The Weeknd

"House of Balloons" - The Weeknd

"The Morning" - The Weeknd

P.S. These three songs are consecutive, in this order, on the album. I mean goddamn.

P.P.S. Have a good weekend, y'all.