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Quick Brew Review: Hot Chip "One Life Stand"

Hot Chip
One Life Stand
Release Date: February 9, 2010
Label: EMI/Astralwerks

Britian's beat geek's fourth album is decidedly more genre hopping than their last outing. It starts off with a fine run on the disco-ish Thieves In The Night, stomper Hand Me Down Your Love, house tech I Feel Better, and the terrific title track, a turn of the classic cliché. Then we hit dull middle section of buddy tune Brothers, the ho-hum Slush, and mangey Alley Cats. The band bounces back to its electropop roots at the end, especially with the fine finale Take It In. Overall, it's very good when the band stays close to familiar ground, but be ready to exercise the skip button on a soft middle.

KEY TRACKS:
Take It In
One Life Stand

Listen On :


Enjoy, GB


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Posted by Wake Up and Smell The Music at 2/9/2010 8:00 AM | Add Comment

Quick Brew Review: Yeasayer "Odd Blood"

Yeasayer
Odd Blood
Release Date: February 9, 2010
Label: Secretly Canadian

You could describe this Brooklyn band's sound as a blend of hometown mates TV On The Radio with a splash of Animal Collective. Perhaps more precisely, it's a recipe of equal parts 80's electro funk and trippy psych rock mixed to tribal drums and a dash of space alien samples. If that sounds interesting, well, it is. Lyrically, it's more optimistic and less world weary than their debut. With such a long lead time between the release of arguable the best single of the year Ambling Alp, some might be mildly disappointed the rest of the album doesn't reach such lofty heights, but it's awash in sounds that reward repeat listens.

KEY TRACKS:
Ambling Alp
O.N.E.

Listen On :


Enjoy, GB


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Posted by Wake Up and Smell The Music at 2/8/2010 8:00 AM | Add Comment

WUASTM Top Twenty Tracks For W/E Feb 5th

Seven new tracks stampeded the chart this week and the top spot is no "mystery zone". Spoon owns the number one track with The Mystery Zone off their recent Transference. The biggest gainer from last week belongs to Charlotte Gainsbourg for Greenwich Mean Time from IRM. The top newcomer is Caribou with their single Odessa off their upcoming album Swim out April 20th. We had several artists appearing again after having left the chart. Field Music, Beach House, Broken Bells and Sleigh Bells are all back with new songs. The Happy Hollows claim a second chart position with another track off Spells. Lastly, new artist Bear Hands lands at #13 with their single What A Drag. Watch for more on them soon.


WUASTM TOP TWENTY TRACKS FOR THE WEEK ENDING 2-5-10


Enjoy, GB

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Posted by Wake Up and Smell The Music at 2/6/2010 8:00 AM | Add Comment

Brewing: Free Energy

We just got some info on Free Energy's upcoming debut and a brand new track. Last year, we already featured the first singles, Dream City and Free Energy. James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem) produced the album and his label, DFA Records, in conjunction with Astralwerks, will release it digitally March 9th and physically on May 4th. The band is embarking on a national tour throughout February and March with Foreign Born. Here's the track listing, the mp3's, and cover art for the album. We also have the tour dates below.

Track Listing:
1.   Free Energy  
3.   Bang Pop 
4.   All I Know 
5.   Bad Stuff 
6.   Dark Trance 
7.   Young Hearts 
8.   Light Love 
9.   Hope Child 
10. Wild Winds




Free Energy Tour Dates (* with Foreign Born):
02/22: Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
02/23: Los Angeles, CA @ Spaceland
02/24: San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Shop *
02/25: San Francisco, CA @ Popscene
02/26: Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios *
02/28: Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey *
03/03: Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry *
03/04: Madison, WI @ The Frequency *
03/05: Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle *
03/06: Bloomington, IN @ Video Saloon *
03/08: Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern *
03/09: Toronto, ON @ El Mocambo *
03/10: Buffalo, NY @ Big Orbit’s Soundlab *
03/11: New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge *
03/12: Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory *
03/13: Philadelphia, PA @ Marathon Lounge *
03/14: Washington, DC @ DC9 *


Enjoy, GB

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Posted by Wake Up and Smell The Music at 2/5/2010 10:33 AM | Add Comment

Video Cafe: Passion Pit, Julian Casablancas, Cold Cave, Heartless Bastards

So many new videos popped up the past couple of weeks for tracks in our Top 100 Songs of 2009, we thought we would make it our theme for this Video Cafe edition. Here are four videos from our Top 100 countdown with the chart number (#) indicated next to the song name.

This song may be remembered most for the TV commercials, but here's the official video from Passion Pit for Sleepyhead (#56) off their album Manners.
VIDEO Sleepyhead:

Video Link


Before he heads to the studio with his band to record the long awaited new Strokes album, Julian Casablancasas made a new video for 11th Dimension (#67) from his fine solo album Phrazes of the Young.
VIDEO 11th Dimension:


I think this looks like the cover guy/girl(?) on Cold Cave's debut Love Comes Close. Not really sure of that, but we do know this is a new video for the hit song Life Magazine (#83).
VIDEO Life Magazine:
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Lastly, Heartless Bastards performed Out At Sea (#47) on Jimmy Kimmel Live recently. The song appears on one of our recommended albums last year The Mountain.
VIDEO Out At Sea:


Enjoy, GB

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Posted by Wake Up and Smell The Music at 2/4/2010 11:59 AM | Add Comment

Quick Brew Review: Toro Y Moi "Causers of This"

Toro Y Moi
Causers of This
Release Date: February 2, 2010
Label: Carpark Records

This South Carolina newcomer joins the chillwave movement staked out most prominently last year by Neon Indian and Washed Out. He integrates some world music and funky bass grooves into the synth's ebb and flow, but many tracks lack a distinctive identity, blending together. That's not altogether bad for your first at-bat, but it makes it worse when it's released during  a glut of great new albums and big hitters of electronica like Hot Chip and Yeasayer are on deck next week. Still, he's got real potential.
KEY TRACK:
Blessa

Listen On :


Enjoy, GB


DISCOGRAPHY:

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Posted by Wake Up and Smell The Music at 2/3/2010 8:00 AM | Add Comment

Quick Brew Review: The Soft Pack s/t

The Soft Pack
The Soft Pack
Release Date: February 2, 2010
Label: Kemado

Lots of indie bands these days are riding the wave of garage surf rock. Few are practicing it with such intensity as this San Diego band. Sure, it's all been heard before, but that can said for most music today. Like our review of Surfer Blood a couple a weeks ago, it's fine to show your influences, as long as you execute as well as they do. Even the slower track Mexico, a fine Bossa Nova, is just a breather before the punky Parasites rocks it to a close. While not anything ground breaking, just turn it up and ride the wave.
KEY TRACKS:
Answer To Yourself
C'mon

Listen On :


Enjoy, GB


DISCOGRAPHY:

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Posted by Wake Up and Smell The Music at 2/2/2010 8:00 AM | Add Comment

Quick Brew Review: The Happy Hollows "Spells"

The Happy Hollows
Spells
Release Date: January 26, 2010
Label: Autumn Tone Records

This LA band honed their eclectic garage rock for several years and it shows on this terrific debut. They draw easy comparisons to in-state cohorts Deerhoof, both female fronted bands with arty ambitions, although less experimental than them. Singer Sarah Negahdari has great vocal range and control and a buzz saw of a guitar. She's been compared to Kim Deal in her Pixies/Breeders days and it's not hard to connect the dots. Charlie Mahoney's slinky bass runs abound, but he's not an emotive lead vocalist which drags down two tracks, Delorean and A Man, A Plan, A Canal. Still, a marvelous opening salvo from an up and coming indie band.

KEY TRACKS:
We Will Find You
Faces

Listen On :


Enjoy, GB


DISCOGRAPHY:

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Posted by Wake Up and Smell The Music at 2/1/2010 8:00 AM | Add Comment

WUASTM Top Twenty Tracks For W/E Jan 29th

Five new tracks hit the chart along with a new #1 this week. Vampire Weekend made a "Run" for the top spot. It's from their highly recommended, album Contra. The very next track made the biggest gain from last week. Up 12 spots is Spoon's The Mystery Zone off another of our recommended albums Transference. Spoon also had another track to enter the chart with I Saw The Light. Two other acts placed a second track on the chart this week, Los Campesinos! and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Those are both off brand new album releases, Romance Is Boring and IRM, respectively, and both are...wait for it...recommended! The newbie this week is from Los Angeles band The Happy Hollows with We Will Find You from their just released debut Spells. Watch for a review of that album next week.

WUASTM TOP TWENTY TRACKS FOR WEEK ENDING 1-29-10


Enjoy, GB

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Posted by Wake Up and Smell The Music at 1/30/2010 8:00 AM | Add Comment

Video Cafe: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Beck, Surfer Blood, The Very Best

Here's a round-up of some of our favorite videos from the week. You may have saw yesterday's review of Charlotte Gainsbourg 's just released album IRM , which we recommend. She teamed up with producer Beck Wednesday morning for a live performance of Heaven Can Wait in the studios of KCRW.
VIDEO Heaven Can Wait:

Speaking of Beck, in case you missed it, he appeared on stage for a star studded send off to Conan O'Brien as his tenure on the Tonight Show came to a close last Friday. The all-star group included Will Ferrell singing (?), Ben Harper, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, and band leader Max Wienberg performed Free Bird. Conan actually grabbed a guitar and proved he knew his chops as well.
VIDEO Free Bird:

Surfer Blood justed released a new video for their anthem Swim, a song that had stayed on our Weekly Top Twenty chart for some time. The songs off their recent, and also recommended, album Astro Coast.
VIDEO Swim:
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Finally, a recent video from The Very Best with Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend on hand for their upbeat song Warm Heart of Africa. The track was one of our Top 100 Songs of 2009 and the title track to their album released last year.
VIDEO Warm Heart of Africa: