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Showing posts with the label beach boys

3 Feet High & Rising: New Emcee Visitor Shares Debut Offering "Fruit Day 1," Via Exclusive Cold-sent Emails (The Witzard Interview)

Last week, we received a mysterious cold-sent email including only an MP3 entitled "Fruit Day 1" and the above image. It was attributed to a new artist going by the name of Visitor. From our understanding, said song, "Fruit Day 1," was sent out to a selection of parties, who might have been interested in listening to, writing about, sharing it, etc. Honestly, that's about all we can say, at the moment... but those well-versed in Underground Hip-Hop might hear something a tad bit familiar. However, it's easy to see Visitor is a well-versed, introspective emcee, who sincerely loves and enjoys what they do. Some of our personal favorite lines includes: "if he's tryin' to come correct, then, hit me up and, maybe, we'll connect. You'll wind up interviewin' for the few and the select. Better pay your dues or you know who will come collect. And though it's entertainin', I am not an entertainer. When I'm not on the scene, I stea...

Mad Decent Presents: Diplo, Ed Droste & Rostam - "LONG WAY HOME" (Ty Dollar $ign Remix?)

"[a] beach boys meets ty$ kinda vibe," @diplo Tweeted early Thursday afternoon, attempting to best describe his latest Soundcloud upload, "LONG WAY HOME;" a quasi-remix, or more so a loose cover, of Ty Dollar $ign 's non-album single, "Stand For" re-recorded with Grizzly Bear/Vampire Weekend members Ed Droste & Rostam . "its about time that indie rock acts started to co-opt rap beats," Diplo lamented in the track's short-lived Soundcloud description, which Pitchfork points out, was imminently deleted. I was just telling my beautiful girlfriend, in terms of sheer line-blurring concept, "LONG WAY HOME" vaguely reminds me of Vampire Weekend 's middle-of-the-road Indie Rock/Hip-Hop hybrid track, "Step (Wintertime Remix)" featuring appended verses from Danny Brown , Heems, and Despot . "Stand For," the structural basis for "LONG WAY HOME," was actually co-produced by Diplo ...

"Drop Down & Get Your Weezer On:" Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Jr. - PRODUCE (Vol. 1)

Not since Interpol frontman Paul Banks unleashed his semi-awkward Everybody On My D*ck Like They Supposed to Be have I heard a more un- Hip-Hop sounding mixtape; But with that said, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. uploaded their long-rumored PRODUCE (Vol. 1) mixtape mid-Wednesday afternoon. It's an oddly endearing juxtaposition of Weezer -indebted Indie Rock and Underground Hip-Hop with a little help from their friends, Asher Roth , Murs, Chuck Inglish , 112 crooner Slim, King Chip , Quelle Chris, and more. While it's actually a pretty legit-sounding Hip-Hop affair, there are still in fact flavors of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. 's deeply-ingrained Pop tendencies subtly inter-woven through out PRODUCE : a light-hearted Beach Boys/Biggie mash-up, a cover of Nina Simone covering Randy Newman , and even decades-old interpolated P aul Simon lyrics. The 16-track mixtape is flanked by two album tracks remixed by Absofacto and Jon Zott (Goldenboyz), brother of co-frontman Daniel ...

I Wish They All Could Be California Girls: HAIM - "Don't Save Me" (Basketball Show?)

HAIM are a band made up of 3 20-something sisters from LA who's only recorded output includes: the 3-track Forever EP , a Fleetwood Mac cover, some hook work for Childish Gambino , and now "Don't Save Me/Send Me Down." Ever since the imminent break-up of family band Rockinhaim about 5 years ago, Danielle, Alana & Este have been secretly recording together non-stop... fine-tuning their sun-soaked Rock "N" Roll meets 90's R&B sound. They seem to be equally inspired by everyone from Usher to The Beach Boys , but HAIM have somehow been able to meld together a unique brand of Power/Girl Pop . I personally think it's pretty SICK [AWESOME] that 3 hot, model-ish chicks like Danielle, Alana & Este Haim can Rock this hard, whether or not you really even dig their music! While they're slowly but surely chipping away @ finishing up their major label debut, the Haim sisters unveiled a music video for "Don't Save Me...

Cowboy Maloney's Electric City: Dent May - "Shakedown Street" (Grateful Dead)

While he's mainly known for wielding a ukelele and generally garners comparisons to The Beach Boys , Dent May is just as downright Funky and rebellious as the next 20-something young adult. In promotion of May's recently-released Paw Tracks LP, Do Things , the label unveiled a faithful cover of The Grateful Dead 's Disco -tinged cult hit, "Shakedown Street." Stereogum writer Amrit Singh vividly details the scene way back then... "Back when Dead shows were a thing [1978], the main drag of the parking lot where kind veggie burritos, ganja goo-balls, and sundry wares of that ilk were at their highest concentration was called "Shakedown Street."' By most accounts, Do Things is a little more Surf Rock -leaning than his first album, The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele (2009). Every so often, Dent May records Dance music under the moniker, "Dent Sweat" and has been working on an unfinished Psych-Count...

She Wants The Young American: Topher Mohr - "Forever Yours" (PHLOTILLA 12")

I must admit that I've kept in contact with Topher Mohr since our last featured article (2010)... he's parted ways with Mayer Hawthorne & The County , recorded a second full-length album, and is currently shopping new material around to major labels. I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of said album, Phlotilla and I must admit: What a varied, cleanly-produced piece of work we have here! 4 of it's 11 tracks previously appeared on Topher Mohr 's self-released Ruthless EP in slightly altered form(s). As a whole, I think it'd be safe to categorize Phlotilla as "Soft Rock;" Sonically reminiscent of Steely Dan, Hall & Oates , and The Beach Boys with touches of Reggae and Funk-Soul . Friends and frequent collaborators: Quentin Joseph, Alex Elena , and Quincy McCrary added unique musical flourishes [backing] to the record's 11 original compositions. "Forever Yours" -- one of the newly-penned, unreleased tracks of the bunch --...

The Tale of "Honey Bunny," As Told By: A Couple of Girls

"Honey Bunny" is a loaded American [slang] term that generally refers to a person of particular endearment. The music video for Track #1 from Father, Son, Holy Ghost was directed by Girls guitarist Chet "J.R." White with Ivan Shumaker , features Christopher Owens (vox) as leadingman, and co-stars his real-life girlfriend, Hannah Hunt (Dominant Legs) . It all starts out with Owens in a belly-shirt sweater... scouring the sun-drenched streets of Downtown LA . While on a valiant quest for true companionship, he runs into a couple of duds, gets tangled up in their van, and then proceeds to hi-jack a sleek, white Corvette . All the while, the jangling, Surf Rock (Beach Boys) tune progressively builds and crescendos in the background. Almost instantaneously, Christopher Owens proceeds to pick up his own personal "Honey Bunny" - Hannah Hunt . Let the gushiness, lovesong , and FUN-TIMES ensue! Girls' latest record: Father, Son, Holy Ghost , is now ava...