Matt & Kim

Today I want to bring your attention to a duo from Brooklyn called Matt & Kim. Their music falls into the trendy category of indie-dance/rock that has been so popular for the last little while. Their third album Sidewalks is set to be released on November 2 so keep an eye out for that, but today I'm bringing you the first single off of that album, a track called Cameras. 


Despite their indie cred, Matt & Kim are unabashed about how they want to be heard. While bands like MGMT shun the spotlight even after releasing an album to both commercial and critical acclaim, Matt & Kim say they want to write songs that connect people, songs that stick in your head and songs that stick in your grandmother's head too in the mold of Gorrilaz' songs Clint Eastwood and Feel Good Inc.

Check out a couple songs after the jump.

Twin Shadow "Forget"

The other day, while listening to my satellite radio, a song came on that caught my ear because it sounded at once so familiar and at the same time so different from anything you hear these days. The song was 'Castles in the Snow' by Twin Shadow. Now there isn't a whole wealth of information about Twin Shadow out there, but this is what I've tracked down: Twin Shadow is a band formed by Dominican-born, Florida-raised George Lewis Jr. who has gone from fronting a punk band to performing for European theatre troupes to the 1980s inspired Twin Shadow. Lewis' sound on this album draws on the sounds of 80's New-Wavers Roxy Music, The Smiths, Depeche Mode and Morrissey while mixing in some of the synthesized guitar and bass sounds found on Radiohead's more recent albums - no doubt courtesy of Chris Taylor's (bassist for acclaimed indie-rockers Grizzly Bear) production.

The songs on Forget are more than 80s throwbacks though, the lyrics have a depth to them that can only come from being inspired by experiences and it is this aspect that gives the album repeat-listening value. It is this quality that takes Forget to the next level: the 80s sound is not the show, it's a vehicle for Lewis' nostalgic stories. 

Although the album may end with a repeating chorus of "This is everything I'm wanting to forget" that's not a possibility because these songs, and this album will be sticking around in your head for the foreseeable future.

Listen to a couple tracks after the jump.

The Notorious xx

This next feature has everything to do with the last one. A guy calling himself "wait what" has taken the xx album and remixed it with lyrics from Notorious B.I.G. Check out his website and download the torrent for the album here.
If you aren't sure if you'll like this mashup album (you will) check out the vids after the jump.

XX

To kick off the music reviews I thought I would go with an album that was released about a year ago but is still making noise. The band the xx released their eponymous debut last summer and it was picked up for wider distribution in October 2009, named pitchfork media's third best album of 2009, and in early September 2010 picked up the prestigious Mercury Prize as the best British album of the year. The album comes in at a tight, very listenable 38 minutes. There is no filler on this record, and almost every song is a standout. The group's vocalists, Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim have incredible chemistry: their hushed vocals playing off of each other just beautifully, while Jamie Smith delivers some of the most nuanced and apt production/drum programming I've heard in a long time.

The album begins with the simple but eerie guitar riff of 'Intro' followed by the uptempo sound of 'VCR', the steady build-up that is 'Crystalised', then the chilling guitar-based 'Islands', before starting the descent into the soft and beautiful sounds of 'Shelter', 'Basic Space' and 'Night Time'. The tension that the album begins with is expertly balanced with the softer, gentler songs on the second half of the record.

Every now and again there comes along an album that just works perfectly. This is one of those albums.


Enjoy a few samples after the jump.

Welcome

Welcome friends, strangers, and people in between. This blog is dedicated to bringing you the best music available, and where to find it. The aim is to keep you informed about current and upcoming releases, and to provide you the opportunity to listen to new music that you may otherwise not hear on traditional radio stations. My musical preferences are diverse and span from blues to rock to hip hop to dance music, so there will likely be a little something for everyone. That's all I'm going to say about genres for now, as I believe that better music is better music and I don't want to risk pigeonholing the music selections that I post; I believe in an organic evolution of taste, and I recognize that sometimes an album may not immediately resonate until listening to it some time after the first listen. In the coming weeks and months I will be adding new music as it is released and as it comes to my attention.

Welcome, and thanks for visiting.