Stream: Yeasayer, “Ambling Alp” (DJ/Rupture Remix)
- story Sam Hockley-Smith
- photo Guy Martin (F49)
Last week Yeasayer officially released sophomore album single “Ambling Alp,” and today DJ/Rupture’s version popped up on the internet in what feels like record turnaround time. The remix makes sense too: live, Yeasayer have always approached a more intense club thump, and Rupture furthers that idea, pushing “Ambling Alp” from spacey inspiration into deep bass tones and manipulated vocals. Both versions are great, it just depends if you want to feel happy about the world or like you’ve been swimming in thick mud for a couple hours. Stream it over at Stereogum.
Video: Grizzly Bear, “Ready, Able”
- story Matthew Schnipper
Five years, countless months and a loan/ Hope I’m ready, able to make my own good home totally makes us think of rainbow Play-Doh monsters. We actually directed this, Alison Schulnick is our pen name. We had the interns take turns melting.
Video Premiere: Bobby Birdman, “Weighty Weight”
If you’re the kinda person who smokes a J like once every six to eight months, do it now and watch this slo-mo skate vid with Bobby Birdman multiplying and flickering on and off like a ghost or Donnie Darko. What’s crazy is like, you’re watching the TV, but also Bobby is INSIDE the TV. Mega meta-mind-warp. Or don’t smoke, and just get lost in his sludgy dreaminess, cozy with all the waves-crashing glory of his voice, cause it’s the kinda song that makes you sad you’re not in love.
Schnipper’s Slept On
- story Matthew Schnipper
Each Tuesday, FADER editor Matthew Schnipper highlights an underappreciated recent release he thinks we need to know about. This week it’s Atlas Sound’s Logos LP. (Which Schnipper bought but left at home because he listens to it all the time like a total fanboy.) Download “Walkabout,” buy Logos and read Schnipper’s thoughts after the jump.
Small Black, “Kings of Animals” MP3
- story Sam Hockley-Smith
Who knew Small Black had some drunken at Christmastime spirit in their music? On “Kings of Animals” which comes from their new 7-inch, the band gets wistful in that one-last-drink-at-the-bar-and-then-I-swear-I’m-going-to-spend-time-with-my-family way. But mainly it’s just Small Black doing what they are really good at, which is creating warm songs around cold electronics and woozy vocals. This song is maybe about animals, but it might as well be about every 4am walk home we’ve ever had.
Download: Small Black, “Kings of Animals” (via Transparent)
Birds & Batteries, “Sneaky Times” MP3
- story Sam Hockley-Smith
What if John Carpenter kept up on new music? He’d be like, Why do all these bands play the keyboard like me but with the VHS tracking all fucked up and wobbly? And no one would be able to answer him with anything else except to let him know that it sounds awesome. This Birds & Batteries song is like watching Halloween on a bunch of cough syrup and then having a dizzy and slowed dance party at the end—it’s wildly unsettling and makes us feel kind of nauseous in a good way.
Download: Birds & Batteries, “Sneaky Times”
Woodsman, “Dikembe Mutombo” Mp3
- story Sam Hockley-Smith
It must be pretty fun to be an instrumental band. You can just name your songs whatever you feel like and go nuts. Woodsman did that with “Dikembe Mutombo,” which as far as we know has very little to do with basketball or being from the Congo. But that’s okay! Instead it’s a whirlwind of guitars clamped down by constant drumroll. Maybe they’re hoping to soundtrack the next big, dramatic and inspiring sports movie, or maybe they all just got really stoned and inspired by tall dudes. You can grab Woodsman’s new album digitally on Mexican Summer right now.
Download: Woodsman, “Dikembe Mutombo” (via Weekly Tape Deck)
Primary 1, “Foaming” MP3 (+ Weird Tapes RMX)
Primary 1 already had us at “Who’s There”, this past summer’s 3AM weed theme, as reimagined by the bol L-Vis 1990. But how didn’t we know that he made such dreamy pop jangles, almost like Phoenix’s stoned younger bro? The demo version of “Foaming” makes us want to fly a kite in the park and lie on a blanket with our lover in some JAZZ SWEATERS. It drops in limited red vinyl on November 2 on Erol Alkan’s PHANTASY records, so all you bearded dudes better cue the site up in your bloglines and get your trigger fingers psyched for clicking. The remix is a total spa jam, ultimate relaxant, with Weird Tapes sampling an erhu then sliding into mellow rave mode before pulling a total Dam-Funk three minutes in. Hey man, it’s a long song.
Download: Primary 1, “Foaming” (email sign-up required)
Download: Primary 1, “Foaming (Weird Tapes RMX)” (via PartyCMYK)
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posted on Oct 30, 2009 in MP3 / STREAMS tags electronic/dance, L-Vis 1990, Memory Tapes, Primary 1, Riton, rock, Weird Tapes
Yeasayer, “Ambling Alp” MP3
- story Peter Macia
A live revelation of recent Yeasayer shows, “Ambling Alp” indicates a definitive move away from All Hour Cymbals‘ mystic journeys toward an ecstatic and thick pop (layered sax!) that the band first really revealed on the absurdly good “Tightrope” from the Dark Was The Night compilation. The song, which is the first single from 2010’s Odd Blood LP, will be released as a single with remixes by Memory Tapes and DJ/Rupture on November 3rd, but in the meantime, feel free to make it your go-to jam for ceremonial dances invoking better times ahead.
Download: Yeasayer, “Ambling Alp” (requires email registration)
The Soft Pack, “Answer To Yourself” MP3
- story Peter Macia
- photo Robert Yager (F58)
When we stopped by for some Studio Time with The Soft Pack in New York recently, they still had no title for their new album but seemed in pretty good spirits and sang a little of what’s to come. But today brings the official first listen to the fruits of their labor with producer Eli Janney in the form of new single “Answer To Yourself.” They apparently thought our interview was awkward, so we’ll be “Talking To Ourselves” for the rest of the day. 
Great song though, dudes.
Download: The Soft Pack, “Answer To Yourself” (via NME)
