Author Archives

Sam Hockley-Smith

Sam Hockley-Smith

Sam Hockley Smith is senior editor of The FADER.
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Stream: Spectrals, “Sob Story”

The line of influence from Elvis Costello to Spectrals is immediately obvious, so we’ll get that out of the way now. Spectrals frontman Louis Jones has the same nasal, mopey voice, and he uses it … read more »

POSTED May 15, 2013 2:40PM IN MP3 / STREAMS 0 Comments TAGS: , ,
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Video: Jon Hopkins’ Music Plus Time Lapse Photography of Crystal Growth

Jon Hopkins‘ album Immunity is a warm, vital album that features moments of driving techno interspersed with soft piano stabs and ambient interludes. It’s overwhelmingly pretty, but also just sort of overwhelming. To make a … read more »

POSTED May 10, 2013 3:24PM IN MUSIC VIDEO Comments (1) TAGS: ,
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Stream: Tree f. Danny Brown, “No Faces”

It seems like every time Tree works with another rapper, I end up wanting to write about how well he works with whoever that rapper might be: Roc Marciano, Danny Brown, whatever. The point is … read more »

POSTED May 8, 2013 4:39PM IN MP3 / STREAMS Comments (1) TAGS: , ,
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Stream: Robedoor’s Album Primal Sphere

Listening to an album by LA-based psychedelic duo Robedoor is like bathing in lava. Their latest, Primal Sphere, is a nonstop barrage of sunkissed guitar drone that uses rock-solid rhythm—whether it’s a blown-out drum machine … read more »

POSTED May 7, 2013 11:27AM IN MP3 / STREAMS Comments (2) TAGS: , ,
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Stream: Dennis Callaci & Simon Joyner, “The Frayed End of the Rope”

Dennis Callaci runs Shrimper, a label that pre-dated and inspired other forward-thinking, deeply personal labels like Woodsist. Simon Joyner, from Omaha, Nebraska, is audibly an influence on the Bright Eyes-helmed Saddle Creek scene of that … read more »

POSTED May 6, 2013 1:43PM IN MP3 / STREAMS 0 Comments TAGS: , , , ,
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Stream: King Tuff f. Gap Dream, “She’s On Fire”

Depending on whom you talk to, you’ll probably hear that guitars are totally over, which is an understandable statement. Electronic music’s dominated the conversation for the past few years, but it doesn’t mean that there … read more »

POSTED May 3, 2013 4:17PM IN MP3 / STREAMS 0 Comments TAGS: , , ,
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Stream: Animal Collective, “New Town Burnout” (Shabazz Palaces Remix)

Though Animal Collective have touched on plenty of genres and moods throughout their long, knotty career, it’s interesting to note that the darker elements of their sound are rarely brought to the forefront. You could … read more »

POSTED May 2, 2013 4:54PM IN MP3 / STREAMS 0 Comments TAGS: , , , , , ,
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Lemonade, “Perfect Blue” MP3

Whenever anyone drops the “I liked their early stuff better” groaner (even if its true), I just think of Lemonade, who are perpetually improving on their it’s-3AM-and-the-club-is-winding-down-and-that-magically-illustrates-the-loneliness-of-man vibe to create music that is propulsive as … read more »

POSTED April 30, 2013 5:46PM IN MP3 / STREAMS 0 Comments TAGS: ,
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Stream King Garbage/Kuxxan SUUM’s Self-Titled EP

King Garbage and Kuxxan SUUM are actually both projects by Zach Cooper. The former explores blunted neo soul with the help of vocalist Victor DiMotsis, awash in crawling bass and meticulously shaped soundscapes; the latter … read more »

POSTED April 29, 2013 5:07PM IN MP3 / STREAMS 0 Comments TAGS: , , ,
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Freak Scene: The Mint Chicks and Finding Beauty in Bad Recordings

According to iTunes, since last Tuesday, I have listened to The Mint Chicks‘ “Stolen Hill” 89 times. It’s probably more though. I listened to it while commuting a bunch, and rewound it to focus on … read more »

POSTED April 26, 2013 1:35PM IN FREAK SCENE Comments (3) TAGS: ,