Civil Civic, 'Less Unless'

Now that Ratatat has made it readily apparent that they are only going to rehash their debut album over and over, there seems to be a spot available for a dancey instrumental duo to step up and fill a void. Smart money should be on European two piece Civil Civic. Live guitar and bass with a layer of electronics and a love of distortion, that seems like a mighty safe bet.

Here they are claiming their legitness with a live version of their song 'Less Unless':



More over on their MySpace and Bandcamp pages.

Rene Hell, Porcelain Opera

Renee Hell is the latest name taken by American electronic musician Jeff Witscher, who has recently released Porcelain Opera. Equal parts light and dark, this album falls more on the repetitive drone side of things and is worth repeated listens. You can preview the entire album below.

Tycho, 'From Home (Mux Mool remix)'

Ghostly International has digitally re-released an expanded version of Tycho's 2006 work Past Is Prologue. Included is a remix by hanBrolo favorite Mux Mool, which you can hear below. Blissful electronic pop that helps cut through the June gloom here in Los Angeles. Or maybe helps one to embrace it.

Tycho - 'From Home (Mux Mool remix)'

More info here.

BEAK>, Wulfstan 12"

BEAK> is a relatively new-ish project from Geoff Barrow (Portishead) that also features Matt Williams and Billy Fuller. They released a debut album last fall and now they give the world the four song Wulfstan 12".

You can preview the tracks over on their Bandcamp page. 'Wulfstan' is dark, repetitive, murky and pretty spooky. It's the kind of music that plays in your head when you are walking down a desolate country road and you keep turning around to see if you are being followed.

If Geoff is going to dabble in projects like this than there is no real rush on that next Portishead album as far as I see it.

The 12" is limited to 500 copies.

Reissued!: Spiritualized, Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space

There's a short list of things that could convince hanBrolo to emerge from the self-imposed blogger exile he lackadaisically entered over a month ago. News that one of the greatest albums of the 1990's is finally being re-released on vinyl is one of those things.

Those who care most likely know that the original pressing of Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space can be located on eBay from time to time, but you're not likely to snag it for less than 100 bones.

That's why the news that this Tuesday, June 15th, Plain Recordings will be releasing a new pressing on 180 gram vinyl should be met with cheers and tears of joy from any self respecting music fan.

Pre-order!

To celebrate, I give you the 1998 Flux Festival performance, where J. Spaceman performed a handful of Ladies And Gentlemen tracks accompanied by a choir:

Spiritualized: Flux Festival / Edinburgh, Scotland / 08.14.98

1. Intro
2. Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
3. No God Only Religion
4. Choir
5. Cool Waves
6. The Individual
7. Lord Can You Hear Me
8. Choir
9. Choir
10. Feel So Sad
11. Feel So Sad

Download!

Menomena, 'FIVE LITTLE ROOMS'

Three and a half years can feel like an eternity when you are waiting for someone like Menomena to release their next album. Good news- Mines is out July 27th on Barsuk.

Take a listen to a new song, 'FIVE LITTLE ROOMS', using the widget below. Hands down the best newsletters you will ever read come from Menomena, so don't worry about giving them that.

It's been a bit since I listened to the last record, Friend and Foe, but I don't immediately recall anything this moody being on there. Sounds like this one is worth the time spent waiting.

 

(original source: P4K, where you can also stream the new song)

Gold Panda, 'You (Seams remix)'

My fascination with UK's Gold Panda originated with this post. This was before I learned that the wonderful Ghostly International had him up their excellent sleeve. They will be relasing his You EP digitally on June 15th with the 12" version following shortly. It will be well worth the wait.

To celebrate this news, take a listen to the Seams remix of 'You'. I think I could hear a hundred different versions of this song before I got bored with it.

Gold Panda - 'You (Seams remix)'

Gold Panda will be a part of one of the more interesting and eclectic lineups I've seen in a while when they play the Echoplex June 8th with HEALTH, Best Coast and Indian Jewelry.

More info, pre-order and additional tour dates here.

Jurado does Dio

Damien Jurado pays tribute to Ronnie James Dio with a rendition of his most famous song for most, 'Holy Diver'. Being a huge fan of Jurado for years, a part of me had fingers crossed that he went electric for this one. Still, I think the resulting acoustic version can be appreciated by Jurado and Dio fans alike.

Hear it over at his MySpace page.

Pulled Apart By Horses, 'Back To The Fuck Yeah'

I'm trying to figure out Leeds quartet Pulled Apart By Horses. Part of me thinks they would be all over Absolute Punk UK, if such a thing existed. The other part of me thinks that 'Back To The Fuck Yeah' is one of the better heavy rock songs I've heard in quite a while.


It's interesting that they list Future Of The Left as a MySpace friend, since in a couple of subtle ways they remind me of a snottier more abrasive version of them. Mclusky after guzzling a twelve pack of energy drinks. Each band member.

Who knows where these guys will go from here, but this song is enough to make me take a second glance somewhere down the line.

So Percussion & Matmos, 'Treasure'

Experimental duo Matmos are one of my favorites, as it seems like they just aren't interested in making the same album twice. Now word comes that they have teamed up with Brooklyn's So Percussion for a new recording entitled Treasure State.

Don't think for a second that these guys aren't up to the aural hijinks we've come to expect. According to releasing label Cantaloupe Music, some of the objects used to create the sounds here include 'ceramic planters, pails of water, aluminum beer cans, cactus needles, cans of house paint'. Sounds absolutely excellent.

Take a listen at the track 'Treasure' below. It starts out with some soothing sunny day xylophones, but certinaly takes a turn for the...uh, Matmos, towards the middle.

So Percussion & Matmos - 'Treasure'

Treasure State is out digitally on June 13th and physically on July 13th. More info here.

(original source: P4K)

Jarvis Cocker: Nature Lover

News comes from NME and The Independent that our old friend Jarvis Cocker has helped put together a free album for UK's The National Trust. It's not quite what you might think though. This is an album that could be best described as ambient life and nature sounds: birds singing, noises of waves...even people walking up stairs and playing billiards. While it appears that Cocker solely plays curator, here is what he had to say about it:

(from The Independent article found here)

Cocker said he hoped that listeners would use the 13 tracks to help them to unwind and get a feel for the historic properties in the 33-minute soundscape.

He said: "It's not really meant to be listened to intently, like a piece of music, but more as something to have on in the background to aid relaxation or contemplation."

He added: "I hope it has the feel of one continuous journey and conjures up an image in the mind's eye of the places featured. I also hope it could inspire the listeners to then visit the sites for themselves."

Such is the musician's appeal that the National Trust website struggled to cope with the number of people logging on to hear the sounds for themselves yesterday.

There you have it. You can download the free album here. And remember to support your national parks and historic landmarks wherever you may be.

Malachai, 'Snowflake'

hanBrolo is constantly listening to hours upon hours of new music to satiate my millions of readers hunger for Best New Bands to be crowned right here on this very blog. I aim to keep things interesting around here and try to post things that haven't been posted on your favorite tastemaker sites.

To get to the point at hand, most of the time hanBrolo tries to pick the best of the best from bands you maybe haven't heard.  Many songs I hear I tend to immediately dismiss as not being worthy of your precious internet browsing time. However now and then I go back to one and listen again and for some reason it instantly feels like I've heard it a million times and have loved it for years.

The newest song / video from Bristol duo Malachai is the latest to seem ultra familiar. 'Snowflake' is a catchy pop tune with just the right amount of British snark, attitude and griminess. These two fellas seem like scrappers. A little rough around the edges. I want them to play my backyard and share a pint with them.


  
Ugly Side Of Love is the album name and it's out now on Domino USA.

Imaad Wasif, 'Ecstasy'

(Imaad channeling Alice Cooper)

Buddyhead points us to the latest track from local brother Imaad Wasif. 'Ecstasy' is a riffy little number that finishes things off with a nice psych solo, which is the equivalent of a happy ending for this style of music. Is Imaad singing about the feeling of love or about the love of the feeling from MDMA? It's up to your interpretation, dear listener.

Imaad Wasif - 'Ecstasy' 

The news gets better- you can pick up this little ditty on 7" starting May 20th. More info at iamsound.

Erland & The Carnival, 'You Don't Have To Be Lonely'

Latest single / 7" / video from Erland & The Carnival (Simon Tong's project with Erland Cooper and David Nock).


You can order the 7" here from Full Time Hobby.

Phosphorescent, 'The Mermaid Parade'

Here's a second glimpse into the upcoming Here's To Taking It Easy:

Phosphorescent - 'The Mermaid Parade'

Excellent, but that's almost to be expected from Matt & co. at this point.

You can pre-order the album now and get an instant digital download.

Harlem gets two videos for 'Friendly Ghost'

Official video:



Fan video (by Greg Szmurlo):



(source: Matablog)

Cheap!: Loose Fur, Loose Fur

All you need to know about this one can be summed up in three surnames: Tweedy, O'Rourke, Kotche. If that doesn't sound appealing then you are in the wrong place my friend.

You can buy the LP for $8 for the next week. Order here.

The Big Pink, 'Crystal Visions' live video & 'Tonight' 7"

There's a new performance site that just launched called For No One. For the first session The Big Pink played an extended version of A Brief History Of Love opener 'Crystal Visions'. One of the better first tracks in recent memory:



There's also a 7" now available for 'Tonight'. This is a re-recorded version of what is found on their debut album and has a cover of 'Sweet Dreams' (Beyonce) on the B-side. Off-kilter covers have become a standard these days and most of them are pretty terrible, but somehow this is a great translation.

Order info and streams over on the official site.

(source: 4AD.com)

Cheap!: Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Lie Down In The Light

Drag City announced something pretty neat recently. Every week they will pick an item from their catalog and sell it at a reduced price.

This week you can purchase the 2008 album from Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Lie Down In The Light, for only $8. Regardless of the artist or the length of the album, $8 for an LP is a rare thing. And who couldn't use more Will Oldham in their collection? Probably people who listen exclusively to hip-hop.

More info and order link here.

People of the North, 'Tunnels'

Seems like this 4 track People of the North record is really shouting at me to listen to it. The first promo track 'Tunnels' is entirely instrumental, the percussives are front and center and they have a picture of trees on the cover. Sold.

This song has been floating around the net for a few weeks now, but how about we give it the official hanBrolo stamp of approval? That will help move some units.

People of the North - 'Tunnels'

People of the North are Kid Millions and Bobby Matador, also of Oneida. Deep Tissue is the name of this one and it's out April 27th on Brah Records.

Can't remember the last time a record with trees on the cover steered me wrong.