plus luv

New Gorillaz

2010-01-20T13:00:00.000-08:00

New Gorillaz track can be streamed here. They're headlining Day 2 of Coachella this year!

Hare Rama Hare Krishna - Dum Maro Dum

2010-01-19T19:47:00.000-08:00

Sky and Sand

2010-01-18T21:27:00.000-08:00

This track is off the soundtrack for the 2008 German film Berlin Calling composed by Paul Kalkbenner (who also stars). I definitely recommend checking both the album and the movie out.

Paul Kalkbenner - Sky and Sand
[mp3]

chillness is the move

2010-01-14T20:44:00.000-08:00

"Is the life under the sun just a crazy crazy dream? Isn't life just a mirage of the world before the world? Why am I here and not over there? Where did time begin, where does space end, and where do you and I begin?"

Dirty Projectors - Stillness is the Move
[mp3]

luvstep???

2010-01-14T11:35:00.001-08:00

listening to Flying Lotus

2010-01-13T14:50:00.000-08:00

Eating ramen and listening to the new FlyLo beats on his myspace. Pretty dope.

HOW TO SLOW DOWN LIFE mix

2009-12-28T22:53:00.000-08:00

T R A C K L I S T
1. Best Coast - The Sun Was High (And So Was I)
2. Wavves - So Bored
3. Washed Out - Feel It All Around
4. Doki - Friend

5. Best Coast - When I'm With You
6. Toro Y Moi - Blessa
7. Neon Indian - Deadbeat Summer

8. Small Black - Despicable Dogs

9. Memory Tapes - Plain Material

10. Future Islands - Little Dreamers (Jones Remix ft. Victoria Legrand)

[download the mix]

Hot Chip - We're Looking For A Lot Of Love

2009-11-23T17:45:00.000-08:00

South Park is awesome

2009-11-10T12:13:00.000-08:00

November.mp3

2009-11-04T13:19:00.000-08:00

Lovers, I know, long distance relationships can be hard. "You're never here!" you lament, "you never call, you never ask to hang out, what happened to us Plus Love?" And to all those claims I can rightfully say, yes, I am guilty. I have abandoned you, I had gotten bored, and I went out into the streets seeking other lovers and mistresses. But its November now, and its cold outside, and even the sunny days get dark too soon. Don't you see, cans of soup and body heat is our only hope. So listen to these tracks and take me back, will you?

the following artists are brought to you in haiku

special thanks to California national parks and services

JAVELIN

javelins dope beatz:

an 8bit glitch dance party

at funky Santos

vibrationz

[mp3]

std fury
[mp3]

CYMBALS EAT GUITARS

both modest like mouse

and smooth like PB&J

lovers eat guitars

and the hazy sea
[mp3]

MEMORY TAPES

ambient lo-fi

drift melody, opiate dream.

then, it hits. Fuck Yes!

plain material
[mp3]

bicycle

[mp3]

Some remixes for your weekend

2009-10-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

these remixes are awesome huge have fun

klaxons - as above, so below (justice remix)
[mp3]

le tigre - deceptacon (DFA remix)
[mp3]

the big pink - dominos (switch remix)
[mp3]

My favorite Spike Jonze videos

2009-10-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

As all you lovers probably already know, Where the Wild Things Are opened yesterday. It’s a lot like a waking dream. And seeing it inspired me to share my favorite video work by Spike Jonze:

Weezer – Buddy Holly

Jonze did a lot of work with Weezer which I think is all good and this is just the one I like the best. Dig the washed out graininess, the old preppy look, the random Fonzie appearence, the bewildered Asian man. Check out the videos for Island in the Sun (elastic shininess happy times) and Sweater Song too.

Praise You – Fatboy Slim

Before YouTube and before Napoleon Dynamite Jonze perfectly captures the weirdness of dancing weird people.

Electrobank – Chemical Brothers

I love how this video is graceful and dirty at the same time. It’s also the best story I’ve seen told in a music video.

Da Funk – Daft Punk

Out of everything I had read, seen, or heard about New York City before I moved here, this is what I thought my life would be like most. A true lover just doesn’t ditch the boombox. (And it works out for the better)

Drop – The Pharcyde

Everything about this video is dope. The backwards effect gives it that surreal touch which Jonze likes to drop right into the real world. I mean, how do you even rap backwards? I don't know what else to say...it's just so dope.

CRS - Us Placers

2009-10-12T20:55:00.001-07:00

[mp3 ]

CRS is Child Rebel Soldier, the now defunct rap group consisting of Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, and Pharrell. Obviously Kanye West is too busy being a jackass/gayfish/himself to be making music like this right now and I know this track hasn't really gotten the exposure it deserves. C'mon, rapping over a Thom Yorke sample...Kanye obviously knows his shit and will do anything to expand his audience to include everyone, including people who can recognize Thom Yorke samples.

And as long as we're on the subject, I've always been on Kanye's side since he got real and told America about George Bush's view on black people. I think as a side effect of fame and everything that comes with it, a lot of popular artists' music loses the more grounded, sincere aspects of their first albums (a la College Dropout, Late Registration), so I've accepted the fact that just like REAL PEOPLE Kanye has changed and is not the same voice we fans of the older stuff once knew. But Graduation was still tight and I honestly give 808s the benefit of the doubt. The man's got an ego but he's talented as fuck and has practically singlehandedly produced/guest featured every big hit since forever. I mean I practically expect to hear his voice if I'm ever around a radio. So yeah, a little bit of a stale subject, but its only ever really about the good music and he makes a lot of it.

Justice "Let Love Rule 2009" video

2009-10-07T12:29:00.000-07:00

[mp3]

Highway 1 (Beach House)

2009-10-04T22:09:00.000-07:00

The 1 is a gray snake of asphalt that lies right up against the coast of the Pacific, all the way up and down the entire span of California. For drivers, its never the most practical choice, but neither is California generally; driving with your windows down is required by law. The air is cold and fresh, brisk I guess, and a bit salty. The sun hangs pinned to a blue wall sky in your side mirror. On bad days or in the morning, there is fog that rolls over the roads, obscuring notoriously rocky terrain and sudden sharp turns. For this reason it's important not to light a bowl until after the most dangerous curves have been navigated safely, at which point it is by all means recommended to smoke, and is in fact required by law in some counties and state national parks. Eventually you reach Big Sur, the approximate center of the coastline, a towering forest of redwoods with cliff side views of the sea in the gaps between trees. Various artists have spent long months there lodged in isolation, seeking to capture its elusive essence in words and songs. Various other people just take pictures on their cell phones. And it goes on, and on, the road. One of those roads that’ll take you as far away and back again as long as you eventually remember to turn...

This Post is Brought to You By:

CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS AND SERVICES
NOSTALGIC REMEMBRANCES
WEED
BEACH HOUSE

beach house - gila

[mp3]

beach house - d.a.r.l.i.n.g.

[mp3]

London +Love

2009-09-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

the xx - vcr
[mp3]

the xx - shelter (them jeans drum edit)
[mp3]

Hello neglected lovers, long time no see. The air is getting colder, the coats are coming on, and so the sounds like leaves change accordingly. Love takes on new forms. No one knows gray weather better than the British, and much-hyped The xx sounds like a warm double bed on a cold day. Listen to these songs while walking with your iPod and watch as your life is transformed into a beautifully framed slow motion tracking shot.

the big pink - dominoes
[mp3]

the big pink - velvet
[mp3]
And here, another British band, The Big Pink. They've got a bit of a noisier sound, but under all that distortion is a big heart. High volume intensifies the pleasure she can offer. Give her a chance ('Dominoes' is a good poppy track, but 'Velvet' is where the real shits at) and if you're interested read my full review of their album, A Brief History of Love, on PMA. Maybe one day we can all start bands with a name like The Big Pink and get mysterious girls to pose for album covers, but until then we'll just enjoy the music. ♥

Yacht - Psychic City (Classixx Remix)

2009-09-18T16:59:00.000-07:00

yacht - psychic city (classixx remix)
[mp3]

A lovechild of two summer lovers: a wunderbar Classixx remix of Yacht's summer anthem Psychic City. It's been electro funkified to the chillest degree for maximum autumn funtimes!

Listen to Ceci G!

2009-09-14T16:03:00.000-07:00

Oh, to be young, carefree, maybe even a bit lost. You know, those days of happily laying in bed even as daylight fades away. Maybe you are right now, as you read this. But if not, perhaps Ceci G can remind you. Her new EP, The Sleep, sounds like the morning after. The good kind.

Ceci G is a 19 year old singer-songwriter in New York City in Tisch's Recorded Music program at NYU. She's an emerging artist without a large following yet, but if this EP is any indication she will have one soon. The Sleep’s superb mix of acoustic and electronic instrumentation pad her sweet, Feisty voice. Her songs sound kinda like a nice rainy day in the city. Then again, I might still be dreaming. How about you start off your day right – whatever time that might be - and just give it a listen?

ceci g - help myself

[mp3]

ceci g - weather tether

[mp3]

The Sleep EP, released last Saturday, is currently avaliable on iTunes.

Man On The Moon: The End Of Day (Album Review)

2009-09-09T12:05:00.000-07:00

Honestly, I didn’t expect anything this fresh from Kid CuDi. Personal expectations for his debut Man On The Moon: The End Of Day were low. I wrote him off as just another blog fad, riding the electro wave to its crash with the Crookers remix of megahit ‘Day N Nite’, and overshadowed by a star-studded guest list and production on ‘Make Her Say’ without proving anything about his own artistic merit – of which I believed he had none. His flow was too awkward, too much of a pale imitation of his producer and mentor, Kanye West (and we all know by now the world only needs one Kanye West). But after giving the album a solid listen and more, the music has spoken and I’ve had a change of heart: CuDi is for real.

But before we begin, a preface. People who know me know I’m a sucker for this intangible musical quality which I like to call sincerity. What I mean by that is the music isn’t just a critic or fan pleaser but it’s clear that what the artist wanted most was to make a recording that actually carries some vestige of meaningful personal depth. A truly excellent work sounds like putting a stethoscope up to the heart and mind of its creator. Anyone who has ever labored over something that personal knows the vulnerability of putting whatever it is ‘out there.’

Well, for someone who already has two hugely popular songs with massive radio play, CuDi has put an album out there that is raw, expressing throughout his own deepest fears, especially his lifelong vulnerability to failure and loneliness. And he’s done so in an original way. First, there’s the track list. The album is split into five acts, each act transitioning with spoken word narrations by Common. They form a vague narrative about his childhood as a loner to his present-day search for identity and pressure to be great. The precise meaning of it all will be better left resolved amongst stoner circles and blunts in the coming months. Which is probably how CuDi would want it anyways, considering how often the dude raps about weed, but it’s exactly that kind of honesty about his own life I’ve come to love about the guy.

But how does it sound? Most who have been following his meteoric rise since his mixtape A Kid Named CuDi dropped last year saw it is only logical to think that Man on the Moon would be CuDi’s College Dropout. But the album is more 808s and Heartbreaks than College Dropout, a genre-bending release that exists in that musically ambiguous gray area between hip hop, R&B, pop, and electronica. Instead of taking the easy way out and depending too heavily on Kanye and his label G.O.O.D. Music’s high profile connections, CuDi shows a commitment to originality by keeping the production fresh and the guest stars low. The best beats are by little known beatsmiths Emile ('Soundtrack'), Plain Pat (‘Simple As’), Dot Da Genius ('Day N Nite'), and two particular phatties by Ratatat (‘Pursuit of Happiness’, ‘Alive’). Together, the album has a consistent ambient, downtempo, spacey feel that complement CuDi’s flow and persona perfectly.

But for all its freshness and innovation, I would hardly call the album a masterpiece. Fifteen tracks seems too long, with the album dipping in quality after the first act before picking up again six tracks later in the fourth, which is easily the best. But for all its ambition, CuDi deserves some recognition, if not a second or third listen. The way the album is put together means it’s quality is definitely enhanced by listening to it all the way through, from beginning to end. That way, even the worst, most awkward songs sound better in context.

If anything at all, the album has four or five standout tracks that make it at the very least more than worthwhile to check out. To name a few: ‘Soundtrack 2 My Life’ (CuDi at his rawest and with the best opening lines of a hip hop song I’ve heard since, well, I first heard 99 Problems), 'Pursuit of Happiness' (the third single and an amazing collaboration – Ratatat owns the beat as CuDi rap-sings with backup vocals by MGMT, followed by a signature electrorock solo), and ‘Up Up & Away (The Wake and Bake Song)’, which is a hybrid of rap and rock that I’ve never heard pulled off fantastically, but I give CuDi mad respect for making it sound more than decent. Then there’s the good stuff you’ve already heard, ‘Day N Nite’ (which I am just recently being able to tolerate again after massive overkill) and ‘Make Her Say’ (tl only big name collaboration).

All in all, while it’s not on the same level of game-changing debut that College Dropout was, Man on the Moon is definetely one of the most original and exciting new sounds of this year. It is definitely a promising start to CuDi’s career as a rapper, a career that is about to take off and take CuDi off his lonely moon and into the spotlight.

kid cudi - man on the moon: end of the day

· +love · like · lo/ve

Band of Outsiders

2009-09-07T07:14:00.001-07:00

Chromeo - Mercury Tears

2009-09-03T08:32:00.000-07:00

People say its hard to be alone in the city. I think being in the city is a cause for a redefinition of 'alone.' Always being around people, the city breathing down your neck all the time, it's hard to find anything that resembles the suburban idea of solitude. Even in your room, the city peeks through the windows like a million glass eyed voyeur. But, fuck it. City alone is walking around knowing that no one gives a damn about you. And if you can find a strange sort of peace in that...

music +love

2009-08-29T04:54:00.000-07:00

electrelane - to the east

Well, well, well lovers, what does 4:54AM bring? Only the most weary, bleary eyed blogger, that's what, 4am being a true badge of smug unprofessionalism. But of course, 4am is also always an hour never without its reasons. It's a special kind of time for that reason.

Today -- snuck into a music festival, the highest form of music piracy. The music piracy gods may rain bad karma on me for the rest of my life, for I have commited the gravest of sins. And it was awesome as hell. But what can they expect, for love? And no I'm not waxing poetic over some cupid b.s. either, I'm just talking (and have always been talking) about whats real: actual flesh and bones people, playing real instruments, percieved by real eyes and ears because live music is true love; it is purest expression without any of these pesky digital barriers. Music +love is all about inspiration, the electricfying kind, the kind worth climbing 10ft fences for.

So that's another day in the good life, lovers. You may think I am crazy, but I'm just tired. Tomorrow, +Love goes East! So for the long days ahead, I present to you this song.

PS.

“New York, New York. Big city of dreams, but everything in New York ain’t always what it seems.”

- Last (twittered) words of DJ AM, RIP

San Jose, California (Waiting for My Ruca)

2009-08-26T21:17:00.000-07:00

Pssst, Feist

2009-08-25T20:04:00.001-07:00

One day, a friend of mine walks into class with ipod headphones on, so naturally I ask him what he's listening to. "Feist," he tells me, winking, "but keep it on the DL." That's always kind of stuck with me anytime I put on some Feist nowadays, like listening to her songs is some kind of secret affair you've got to keep hidden from the masculinity gestapo. But, on behalf of closeted male Feist fans everywhere, it's about time Feist and I went public. And I don't think there's a better way to do so than posting two excellent remixes of songs off her underrated first LP, Let It Die.
feist - gatekeeper (one room one hour mix)

feist - mushaboom (k-os mix)

Post-Party, Post-Bullshit

2009-08-24T19:09:00.001-07:00

atmosphere - sunshine

Party & Bullshit

2009-08-21T11:16:00.000-07:00

ratatat - party & bullshit (biggie smalls)

Lovers, fear not! The summer sun may be setting but now we get to watch the sunset. That's the best part! The ending of things brings out the best of everyone. Ah yes, this is my last weekend home in the golden Bay, so tonight: the shittiest of shitshows. May this song guide us, and you, to hedonistic justice. Then the next morning, it is time to climb a mountain. From its top, this pair of hungover eyes will swallow a view of the homeland in its entirety. Adieu!

Telepopmusik - Breathe

2009-08-20T22:11:00.001-07:00

Your breath should be light, even, and flowing, like a stream of thin water running through the sand. Your breath should be very quiet, so quiet that even the person next to you cannot hear it. Your breathing should flow gracefully like a river, like a watersnake crossing the water, and not like a chain of rugged mountains or the gallop of a horse. To master our breath is to be in control of our bodies and minds. Each time we find ourselves dispersed and find it difficult to control ourselves by different means, the method of watching the breath should always be used...after about 10 to 20 minutes, your thoughts will have quieted down like a pond on which not even a ripple stirs.- Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness

Daft Love

2009-08-13T21:26:00.001-07:00

daft [daft, dahft]
–adjective, -er, -est.
1. senseless, stupid, or foolish.
2. insane; crazy.
3. [French.] absolutely bitchin'

something about us:

digital love:

The Work of Vincent Moon

2009-08-11T19:45:00.001-07:00

These videos are the work of French video director Vincent Moon. His intimate, sepia-toned style has been used to film a lot of bands performing their songs in a unique fashion, usually out in a public space or in some kind of peculiar arrangement. I find his videos -"concerts a emporter", or "take away concerts" - to be of superb quality. Enjoy these three, and then check out the whole list at his blog, La Blogotheque.

(skip to 1:26)

Dude, MGMT

2009-08-10T02:52:00.000-07:00

MGMT - Hot Love Drama

Are you or your lover at risk of contracting MGMT?

Any of the following symptoms may be a sign that you and your lover have contracted MGMT and need to stop whatever you are doing and chilll: a sudden retro-appreciation of psychedelic imagery, a lyrically nostalgic attitude towards childhood, liberal positions toward drug consumption and promiscuis sex, and an inability to feel shame at painting and dressing yourself like a 4 year old again.

Yes, 4 out of every 5 college students reportedly have tried or are chronic users of MGMT. So far, the only known cure for MGMT is to smoke weed, enhancing all of the its best qualities while making you too high to care about the shortcomings of the other 7 songs on the album.

This knowledge was gained through a recent controversial study done by a team of MGMT experts conducting an experiment in a college dorm room. Those involved in the study have recently issued this statement: "Well, the towel did stop some of it from getting through the door, but it still smells in the hallway. Wait, what was the question again? Oh and do you have any Febreeze? Actually, whatevs, fuck it. Turn off the lights dude, that visualizer is siiiiick."

MGMT's next album is set for a January 2010 release. Until then, there are only grainy YouTube videos of them performing new songs during their handful of sold-out summer tour dates. This is a video of them performing the title track off their new album, Congratulations.

New material aside, I haven't really tired of their old stuff yet. Electric Feel and Time to Pretend still never fail to get groovy. And the opening keyboard notes of Kids continue to echo in the eardrums of this generation - a melody that I think may very well define who Young America was at a certain point in history. So light one up for MGMT, man, but take only what you need from it.

Otis Redding - (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay

2009-08-05T22:27:00.000-07:00

T-Rex - Children of the Revolution / Jay-Z Beastie Boys Tribute

2009-08-03T11:28:00.000-07:00

(1972)

(2009)

Yo, listen to this album

2009-08-02T21:03:00.000-07:00

clap your hands say yeah - clap your hands say yeah [download album]*link removed

Hi, I like this piece of music a lot and I think you should listen to it. By posting four songs I think you should hear, I hope that their sonic qualities entice you to indulge any aural curiousities which may develop spontaneously while listening. (Oooh!) In addition to the songs, I have included a link to full lyrics. They will be there if you care...and you should because it's damn good poetry.

Personally speaking, I have had an affair with this album since 2005 and have been on and off since. And because its summertime, we're on like old friends. To her future lovers: she has a weird voice, but once you get used to it, she's easy love.

I have also posted a link to download the entire album - clicking this link is illegal in 50 states. But I am willing to take that risk and so should you. All in the name of true love, my friends.

+Love

PS. I do not know why the text is reformatting into this column but I sort of like it. I also love music way too much to be healthy, but when it comes to CYHSY I honestly DGAF.

PPS. After a month of constant (purely figurative and hypothetical) ecstascy flashbacks since EDC, I have officially ended my electronic kick and have entered back into an indie rock phase. It's a cycle. Gotta love those guitars.

CYHSY - The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth

"Far, far away from West Virginia
I- will try on New York City
Explaining that the sky holds you in
The sun rushes in and a child
With a shotgun can shoot down the honeybees that sting
But this boy could use a little sting! Alright!" [full lyrics]

CYHSY - Is This Love?

"You say you can't say anymore
You've already said it before
In a million different ways which
were all not quite right" [full lyrics]

CYHSY - In This Home on Ice

"Shout just let it on out
Confusion becomes philosphy
Down we're reaching the town where we dont have to stand around and look over our shoulders
Hell i never knew was what we made it
Lets just take it slow in this home on ice" [full lyrics]

CYHSY - Over and Over Again (Lost and Found)

"A clean shave in the morning
And a full beard with no warning
Time has gotten by on alibis and wine" [full lyrics]

Electrelane

2009-07-30T11:32:00.000-07:00

Lovers and gentlemen, the end of July is upon us. But even as the dark storm clouds of responsibility and academia gather on the horizon, the sun's rays still continue to sow the seeds of music, love, peace and weed in the hearts of the young and the young at heart. And a great chill came across the land, and the dry morning eyes of the stoner looked out his window 'pon the golden hills of his youth and saw that, still, all was good.

- Book of Genesis; 3:24 (Justice Remix)

electrelane - the greater times

Handsome Boy Modeling School (f. Jack Johnson) - Breakdown

2009-07-27T20:43:00.000-07:00

Where are you going? Where will you be? A lot of the time we don't know. And even when we do know, sometimes where we are going isn't even somewhere we want to be. We get mentally stuck, living life sitting on the inside, looking out. But man, life isn't some perpetual transition from waiting room to waiting room. There's always somewhere you'd rather be than here, but then again, what's the rush?
handsome boy modeling school (f. jack johnson) - breakdown

wompwompwompwompwomp: The Dubstep Post

2009-07-14T17:58:00.000-07:00

Dubstep without bass is like rock without guitars. SO:

Connect any subwoofer or headphones into your audio jacks.
Press 'HQ' on the YouTube player when streaming.
Make sure the volume on the player is all the way up.
If you do not feel it yet, its not loud enough.
~~Ingest illegal drugs and dance~~

Deadmau5 & Kaskade - I Remember (Caspa Remix)
La Roux - In For The Kill (Skream's Let's Get Ravey Remix)
Emalkay - When I Look at You
DZ - Old Timers
Rusko - Cockney Thugs
The Streets - Blinded By the Lights (Nero Remix)
Kode9 & Space Ape - 9 Samurai
Burial - Archangel

Birdy Nam Nam - The Parachute Ending

2009-07-09T17:56:00.000-07:00

Don't let the name fool you, this is a Justice-produced tune. Its all about this animation though. Reminds me of old Saturday morning cartoons, only electro'd. Result: awesomeness.

Wale - New Soul

2009-07-08T16:07:00.000-07:00

wale - new soul (f. yael nakim)

· +love ·like · lo/ve
New track by DC-based rapper Wale. I dig. He drops a line about twitter, but I forgive him because I like him better than fellow freshmen rappers Asher Bro-rap Roth and KiD KanYe, er, KiD CuDi.

Here's his collab with Lady GaGa:

Wale freestyles:

Passion Pit - The Reeling

2009-07-07T20:55:00.000-07:00

Awesome video by Passion Pit - much better than the recently released Kids video by MGMT. Oh, MGMT always trying so hard to be "trippy." In 2009, trippy is the new sober!

Wavves knows whats up

2009-07-06T17:08:00.000-07:00

Hello lovers new and bored, yours truly has just returned from an epic hiatus which included beaches in Mexico and one big rave in LA. But now, with the drugs and shamanistic curses adequately purged from my system, I am ready to return to doing what I do: getting you to hear some awesome music.

wavves - so bored

Ok, so this song is by a band called Wavves. They come out of San Diego, California, so typically they are all about that laid-back, not-gibbn-uh-fuck attitude. Sunshine and beaches, man, those are things that do not go well with productivity. What the hell is productivity anyways? People on the internet call Wavves a mix between the Beach Boys and the Sonic Youth, two bands that were big before I was born and have not listened to. Personally, I call Wavves "hella chill." And really distorted. Take this track, "so bored." The vocals come out at you through a wall of static foam. Everything in the track has to reach you through an ocean of hazy noise, till you're drowning in sine waves and jaded disillusionment. It's kind of like watching the TV on a dead channel, only cooler.

Now the lead singer has gotten into some trouble. Apparently all the helium blog hype got to his head and made him think he was better than the drugs, took a bunch of painkillers and ecstacy before playing his first show on an extensive European tour, and fucked up badly. But that's ok. Honestly, the kid sort of looks like a douchebag. But here is a video for their other single, No Hope Kids. Wavves understands you.

People Under The Stairs

2009-06-23T11:34:00.000-07:00

First saw these guys put on a legit show in the Gobi tent at Coachella. They had the crowd going, everyone yelling awwwwwwwwww shit! in unison. People Under the Stairs are from LA, been around for awhile, making hip hop with that classic sound, like Tribe. The perfect kind of sound for those orange nights in The Bay after the sun is done scorching the hell out of the place, and all that golden mass of land exhales, cooling it off to make for well...a warm San Franciscan night. Check it outtttttttttttt

people under the stairs - san francisco knights

people under the stairs - acid raindrops

Fresh Daily - Hard Work

2009-06-13T03:36:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn based raper Fresh Daily drops a raw, recession concious flow, but the main reason I like this track is because hearing any flow over a FlyLo beat is the shit. If this is what FlyLo produced hip hop sounds like, I can't wait for more tracks with his production to drop.

fresh daily - hard work

· +love ·like · lo/ve

Yacht - Psychic City

2009-06-11T21:26:00.000-07:00

Described on their lame blog as a "subversive damaged zombie pop banger", Yacht's new single off their forthcoming See Mystery Lights fufills none of those abstract descriptive adjectives yet still is a great song. It's bubblegum, it's saccharine, it's a sunny day. The kinda song that'll inspire pasty kids everywhere to shed their hoodies and get some Vitamin D. Yay!

yacht - psychic city

· +love · like · lo/ve

What the fuck is a Veckatimest? Part 2

2009-06-10T21:23:00.001-07:00

I wanted to like Veckatimest, I really did. But with the album’s pretentious, abstract-proper-noun name and all the press hype, I doubted the music would deliver on any of its promises. I could tell first off that the album was trying to be big. It was ambitious, layered, complex – I decided to withhold judgments based on my first intuition: that the album is a slow, meandering bore.

Repeated listening only consistently reminded me how dull it is with every revisit. I mean, it sounds good but it doesn't sound interesting. Singer Daniel Rossen’s vocals sound like a heartbroken wounded animal attached to a reverb pedal. The kind of wounded animal that you wish Papa would go out and back and shoot with his rifle to put out of its misery.

For a band named after the California state animal (Rossen is a LA expatriate, NYU alum), Grizzly Bear doesn't come off sounding very fierce. Two Weeks’s poppy piano melody is catchy, but the rest is just this anamorphic melacholic haze. And this is supposed to be their accessible record? Their sound is known to be whimsy, dreamy. I agree, it’s a summer album that's like a dream, but one during a nap in the shade and forgotten 15 minutes later.

As for all the other songs, they all sound like endings to sad movies. I’ve imagined my own ending to Veckatimest: the band riding off into the Western sunset, fading into the distance until it’s nothing more than a black speck on the memory of this summer’s better moments.

grizzly bear - veckatimest

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Ian Barry is the Rosa Parks of Weed

2009-06-09T02:22:00.000-07:00

Remember that story about kid who smoked a joint in front of his class that I blogged about a couple days ago? Apparently it has gained worldwide attention and Ian Barry, above, has done much for opening up the national dialogue on marajuana legislation.

Yes, ladies and gentleman, you are looking at the Rosa Parks of weed.

Thanks to blogs, Ian's statements have been multiplied and amplified far beyond what a single individual, much less a 17 year old high school senior, is capable of. A video of the historic deed has surfaced as well (warning: this video is not suitable for minors or people with a low tolerance for young whippersnappers).

And so, the Internet has turned what was doomed to be a stunt worthy of merely yearbook notoriety into a potent statement of rebellion. Is this what political activism looks like in 2009?

Michel Polnareff - Love Me, Please Love Me (1967)

2009-06-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

Lykke Li sings 'Little Bit' on the Beach

2009-06-07T21:57:00.001-07:00

Use Yooouuutuuuube 2 Trippify Ur Vidz

2009-06-06T22:40:00.000-07:00

Props to my bro for showing me this. Basically yooouuutuuube.com converts the youtube video which you input from the url and shows a frame by frame Warholian image in motion. Like, woahhhhh, man. The effect is quite mesmerizing, especially for videos that sync well to music. See for yourself:

Never Knows Best presents: The Clear Light

2009-06-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

This is a video I did for my friend rioux called "The Clear Light." It is made entirely of stock footage from a film version of Timothy Leary's The Psychedelic Experience and various other clips I found on public domain. The music is an original song made by rioux in colloboration with Nuuro and Felix Snow.

High School senior fights law, law wins

2009-06-04T19:15:00.000-07:00

A fellow lover was seized by The Man today for smoking weed inside a classroom after presenting an essay about the legalization of marijuana. According to the article,

"He then finished his essay, sat down, finished smoking the joint and then ate the end after it was fully smoked."

Not only then did he give up his freedom for The Cause, but like all operatives undercover, promptly disposed of the evidence. Unfortunately, The Man and all his mysterious, omniscient psychic ways knew the crime he had committed and proceeded to arrest him.

The article tastefully mentions his 3.7 GPA and posts the full text of the essay which he read aloud to his class before going right ahead and smoking weed in front of his teacher.

To his credit, the essay is rather good read. He opens by quoting many famous stoners and lovers throughout history, ending his first paragraph with a quote from statesman Immortal Technique:

“Government ties is really why the government lies” – Immortal Technique, The Cause of Death

He then provides a salad of information, debunking many pot-related myths with the appropriate UCLA medical studies while making the classic case that alcohol and cigarettes are far more dangerous substances. He also writes about how much money the U.S.A. would save by easing costly weed patrols (which target minorities) and how much money America could actually make by selling not only the bud, but the hemp product of the cannabis plant.

After presenting a solid case full of legitimate facts, he goes down like a champ with joints blazing. Bravo, 17-year old Ian Barry of Ms. Napier's 1st Period class. You truly don't gibba fuuuck.

Now enjoy this track by Peter Tosh (pictured above) about sticking it to The Man, then light one up for all yo homies that couldn't make it, brah.

Peter Tosh - Legalize It [download]

What the fuck is a Veckatimest?

2009-06-03T19:53:00.000-07:00

I've only listened to Grizzly Bear's new album, Veckatimest, once but so far, so deep. It's a trip. A journey down a dark well, as Haruki Murakami might say. So far, they sound like a cross between The National, Beirut, and Sufjan Stevens. Repeated listens may be required before any judgment can be made, but a lot of critics have already blown their load over this album. These sort of critical circlejerks make it a bit hard to form any sort of original opinion on the art without second-guessing your own intuition. It makes the listener ask him or herself, what am I missing? Why don't I "get it?" At that point, the only option is to go deeper into the auditory rabbit hole until you find the right words to describe the mess.

Anyways, here's the album's poppy, upbeat single. It's hard to hate, and easy to love.

Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks [download]

Oh, and Veckatimest is apparently an island off the coast of Massachusetts. Duh.

It's a tightrope, Spud

2009-06-02T21:20:00.000-07:00

This morning my local paper, the San Jose Mercury News, ran this story:

Economic downturn makes finding summer jobs tough for teens
As of April, the national unemployment rate is 8.9 percent. But for teenagers ages 16-19 — who are actively, but unsuccessfully looking for work — it's 20.9 percent, more than twice the national average and the highest in a decade, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The "youth labor force" rises sharply in latespring and early summer, as large numbers of high school and college students take summer jobs and newly minted graduates enter the labor market.
But economists note that in a downturn, young workers are often the first to lose their jobs — or not get hired in the first place.

So Me makes good videos

2009-06-01T22:42:00.001-07:00

French video artist/graphic designer crew member So Me has got the touch when it comes to making things look fresh. He works primarily with Ed Banger, designing a lot of their flyers and album art, and hes most known for his sick videos with Justice, Kanye, and most recently Kid Cudi. I like this Day N Nite video better than the video for the Crookers version. I think it captures the feel of the original song a lot better.

Deadmau5 throws it down phat

2009-05-31T23:13:00.000-07:00

I've been listening to Deadmau5 since I watched this video of him at HARD Haunted Mansion in LA last Halloween:

Deadmau5 - Brazil [mp3]

Daft Punk - Harder Better Faster Stronger (Deadmau5 Edit) [mp3]

Since then he's grown massively more popular. Here is him killing it at ETD.Pop in San Francisco:

legit

Passion Pit, Harlem Shakes, Cale Parks; Bimbos, 365 Club, San Francisco, 5/26/09

2009-05-29T09:20:00.001-07:00

Passion Pit [link]

Harlem Shakes [link]

Cale Parks [link]

Awesome show and a good crowd with good energy. San Francisco is still my favorite place to see a show. Passion Pit really killed it that night, but on an equal level so did Harlem Shakes, so make sure you check them out too.

all photos by Rich Thach

Starfucker.

2009-05-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

Goddamn, I'm caught up on this song German Love by Starfucker. It's been on repeat since I heard it. They've just released a new LP, Jupiter, check it out if you like these two tracks from their other release, The Artic Sausage.

Starfucker - German Love [mp3]

Starfucker -Rawnald Gregory the Second [mp3]

The blog will be on hiatus for a couple of days as I pack my bags and take a trip to hit the beaches, ending with seeing Passion Pit at Bimbos 365 Club in San Francisco. I will report back from that as soon as all the sweet love making is over. Peace!

Black Moth Super Rainbow put drugs in the sunshine

2009-05-21T22:23:00.000-07:00

Sup lovers, here to tell you about something beautiful I stumbled over the other day called Black Moth Super Rainbow, a psychedelic electronica band that makes all their music in complete seclusion in the forests near Pittsburgh. The result is the kind of music that makes you want to sink into a grassy lawn, cloudspot, and just let your ego melt. No laptops either: it's got analog synths, vocoded vocals, real drums & real people - yup, 100% organic, locally grown, electronica indica. Their new LP, Eating Us, is coming out next week (but can be streamed for free on their myspace). So until then, lay down, light up, and vibe this shit.

Black Moth Super Rainbow - Born On A Day The Sun Didn't Rise [mp3]

Black Moth Super Rainbow - Twin of Myself [mp3]

Remix After All Rules The Nation

2009-05-20T16:03:00.000-07:00

Daft Punk - Human After All (Disco Villians Remix) [mp3]

Check out this Daft Punk remix album put together by some of the top electro blogs (10 blogs, 10 tracks, one track each) - Remix After All. Kind of like Daft Punk's own hard-as-fuck retooling of their stuff in their legendary live set Alive: 2007, this album modernizes the most recent (and least accessible) Daft Punk release, 2004's Human After All.

1. Human After All (The Disco Villains Remix) // Disco Demons
2. The Prime Time Of Your Life (Tits & Clits Remix) // Data Sapiens
3. Robot Rock (Immuzikation Remix) // The Cold Cut
4. Steam Machine (The Company Kang Remix) // Cream Team
5. Make Love (Chew Fu and Substantial Small Room Sax Fix) //Sheena Beaston
6. The Brainwasher (Melee Beats Remix) // Danger! Danger!
7. On/Off (The Noizy Kidz Daft Zapping Remix) // The Lemur Blog
8. Television Rules The Nation (Dirty Disco Youth Remix) // Noise Porn
9. Technologic (Kids At The Bar Remix) // Pretty Much Amazing
10. Emotion (Werewolf By Night Remix) // Binary

read: this album owns. download it now and reprogram to the frequency of our electronic overlords

Download Remix After All [rar]

If Passion Pit wasn't this good, they'd be kinda creepy

2009-05-19T20:00:00.000-07:00

Passion Pit, the prize pony of Brooklyn-based Frenchkiss Records and the latest electropop hype sensation to come out of The Internet, USA, had their much pre-cummed about first album Manners drop today. The album, which has nobly survived an early web leak, is being hailed early on by other bloggers/critics/lovers as one the year's best. And yeah, it's good. Really good. Maybe not that good. But pretty damn good.

Passion Pit - Sleepyhead [mp3]

I first heard the Passion Pit song Sleepyhead (off their EP, Chunk of Change) when a friend showed it to me last October, who himself had got the track from his friend who called Sleepyhead the "new Electric Feel." I didn't really buy it, but I dug the song a lot, weird falsetto and all. Eight months later, and having run the playcount on Sleepyhead and Cuddle Fuddle into digital oblivion, the prophecy has been fulfilled and Passion Pit has matured into the summer buzz band of MGMT-ish proportions.

Passion Pit - Eyes As Candles [mp3]

And rightly so, because what Passion Pit has done with Manners is shed some of the synthetic skin from their more palpably electronic EP and gone for something more organic, more accessible - without losing any of the endearing whimsy stuff. In fact, lead singer Michael Angelakos's falsetto may have regressed in age even further to the point where he sounds like the most adorable little robotic choirboy. The differences between Chunk of Change and Manners makes the disc scratch at the beginning of Sleepyhead so appropiate - without it, the huge kick drum and whirring electronics would feel out of place on this much more ambitious, deeper album.

What they've crafted here is a 10-track injection of childish euphoria straight to the mainline vein. Optimistic, upbeat, its an album that is at best as epicly hopeful as an Obama speech, and at worse as cheesy as the narration in a bad French romance. But even at its omelet du fromage cheesiest, you can't help but like it the same way your girlfriend liked your poetry in middle school.

Passion Pit - Little Secrets [mp3]

All in all, its nothing solid enough to call a classic -- besides a strong start (Make Light, Little Secrets) and solid climax (Folds in Your Hands, Eyes As Candles, Sleepyhead), the rest of the tracks sort of run together -- but considering this album had big shoes to fill with all the bloghype, it has filled those shoes quite impressively. And besides, all that extra toe space just shows that this bright-eyed band of kids has room to keep growing.

passion pit - manners

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Passion Pit - Sleepyhead (Neo Tokyo Remix) [mp3]

Passion Pit - The Reeling (Calvin Harris Remix) [mp3]

Pogo is hella trippy

2009-05-18T10:34:00.000-07:00

Video remix artist Pogo has released two new videos on his youtube page: a remix of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone with an original track using sounds from the movie called Alohamora, and a remix of The Sword and the Stone with a track called White Magic.

But I don't think either of these new videos can top his original classic, Alice, made up of clips and sounds from Alice in Wonderland.

Classixx brings the summer funk

2009-05-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

What's up lovers, this time I'm here to tell you about something funky coming out of LA, a DJ duo (what else?) that goes by the name of Classixx. All the hype has got them a deal with French label Kitsune Maison, bringing them the blog hype but only a bunch of remixes to show for it - including one of LA bro-rap star Schwayze's Buzzin.'

Classixx - Cold Act Ill (Extended Mix) [mp3]

Schwayze - Buzzin' (Classixx Remix) [mp3]

Their next single, "I'll Get You (Feat. Jeppe)", won't be released digitally until June 1, but I was able to find a video by LA culture-pimp Cobrasnake with the song in it. Enjoy it and all its glitzy LA summer-ness glory.

Gui Boratto has a beautiful life

2009-05-15T21:02:00.001-07:00

Hello future, past, and present lovers. Welcome to music + love, a place where I tell you what sounds awesome. The skies are a clear blue here in California, the hills are golden, and the bronze rays of the setting sun look amazing through the dense clouds of smog. Yup, summer has officially hit and it is here to stay.

Ah yes, summertime - the season of love. As you kick back, relax, and enjoy everything the bountiful gifts of the sun has to offer -- especially this season's slew of summer festivals -- you may be wondering: what songs will be the soundtrack to the coming months? Because remember: the music you listen to now will form a powerful, irreversible bond of association to this very time and space, a bond indisolluble by even the best musical therapists or post-summer breakups!

That said, allow me to make some recommendations.

This first artist is one who I recently fell in love since seeing him perform live under the fabled desert sun of the Coachella Valley. His name is Gui Boratto, a DJ from Sao Paolo, Brazil. His music has a rhythm heavy, minimalist edge that still manages hits the dance floor hard. (At his live show, he had the knack of leading the crowd on and releasing the build-up at the moment just after you would expect to a disorienting but amazing effect.) All in all, its a lush sound, a sparse but refreshing tropical rainfall of kicks and snares on the eardrums.

If theres one track of his you need to check out its his most well-known: Beautiful Life. If your summer is anything like this song...well, you're livin' the dream then.

Gui Boratto - Beautiful Life [mp3]

Gui Boratto Essential Mix [link]