69

Hear a new song from Fever Ray called "No Face," from a benefit album called We Are the Works In Progress

Stream it now at Disco Naïveté

68

Hey, remember 2009? It was such a great year, wasn't it? I thought so

01. The Crying Light, Antony & the Johnsons
02. Merriweather Post Pavilion, Animal Collective
03. Fits, White Denim
04. Middle Cyclone, Neko Case
05. Fever Ray, Fever Ray
06. Monoliths & Dimensions, Sunn O)))
07. Bitte Orca, Dirty Projectors
08. The Eternal, Sonic Youth
09. BiRd-BrAiNs, tUnE-yArDs
10. Bromst, Dan Deacon
11. Jewllery, Micachu & the Shapes
12. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Phoenix
13. Veckatimest, Grizzly Bear
14. Album, Girls
15. Tarot Sport, Fuck Buttons
16. Two Dancers, Wild Beasts
17. jj no 2, jj
18. Two Suns, Bat for Lashes
19. Embryonic, The Flaming Lips
20. xx, The xx
21. Unmap, Volcano Choir
22. The Conformist, Doveman
23. Sisterworld, Liars
24. Born Like This, DOOM
25. Beware, Bonnie "Prince" Billy"
26. Farm, Dinosaur Jr.
27. A Mountain Is a Mouth, Bruce Penninsula
28. Fleurs, Former Ghosts
29. Music for Men, Gossip
30. Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do, Major Lazer
31. The Life of the World to Come, The Mountain Goats
32. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. 2, Raekwon

Also,  The Bachelor by Patrick Wolf- it's got some of 2009s best moments, but also some of its worst. It got a lot of playtime back in the day, and it deserves a shout-out!

67

2008, an interesting year: the last time folk was relevant, dance music killed it, Diamanda and Sunn O))) dominated with live albums, and no releases from my Big 7 (save for Antony's Hercules & Love Affair cameos). A fruitful year, though. Oh yeah- some great debuts

01. Third, Portishead
02. Hercules & Love Affair, Hercules & Love Affair
03. For Emma, Forever Ago, Bon Iver
04. Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!, Diamanda Galas
05. In Ghost Colours, Cut Copy
06. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
07. Microcastle, Deerhunter
08. Safe Inside the Day, Baby Dee
09. Crystal Castles, Crystal Castles
10. Nouns, No Age
11. Dømkirke, Sunn O)))
12. Santogold, Santogold
13. New Amerykah Pt. 1: 4th World War, Erykah Badu
14. Street Horrrsing, Fuck Buttons
15. The Bake Sale, The Cool Kids
16. Dear Science, TV On the Radio
17. Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill, GrouperDear
18. Tha Carter III, Lil Wayne
19. This Is It And I Am It And You Are It And So Is That And He Is It And She Is It And It Is It And That Is That, Marnie Stern
20. Lie Down In the Light, Bonnie "Prince" Billy
21. There Will Be Blood OST, Jonny Greenwood
22. 808s & Heartbreak, Kanye West
23. The Midnight Organ Fight, Frightened Rabbit
24. Heretic Pride, The Mountain Goats
25. Beach House, Devotion
26. Saturdays = Youth, M83
27. Impermanence, Meredith Monk
28. Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, Sigur Ros

66

Motile performing "Blip Drip," a song from his forthcoming album Princess, live in Lisbon. Filmed by Giulia Essyad

65

My favorite albums of 2007, including the strongest Top 10 albums to ever appear together- it's always been a bit impossible to rank them

1. The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn, CocoRosie
2. Untrue, Burial
3. Kala, M.I.A.
4. In Rainbows, Radiohead
5. Strawberry Jam, Animal Collective
6. Volta, Bjork
7. White Chalk, PJ Harvey
8. Person Pitch, Panda Bear
9. Graduation, Kanye West
10. Neon Bible, Arcade Fire

11. Robyn, Robyn
12. Spiderman of the Rings, Dan Deacon
13. Sound of Silver, LCD Soundsystem
14. Cryptograms, Deerhunter
15. American Gangster, Jay-Z
16. Silent Shout - An Audio-Visual Experience, The Knife
17. Icky Thump, The White Stripes
18. Back to Black, Amy Winehouse
19. All Hour Cymbals, Yeasayer
20. Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, of Montreal

64

"The Daily Mail" b/w "Staircase"
Radiohead (2011)

Download it here

63

Leading up to 2011's lists, I'd like to share with you some old ones for the next few days. Here is 2006
One could argue Ys and Silent Shout have yet to be matched in the 5 years that have followed

1. Silent Shout, The Knife / Ys, Jonna Newsom
2. He Poos Clouds, Final Fantasy
3. The Drift, Scott Walker
4. Desert Doughnuts, Metallic Falcons
5. Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, Neko Case
6. Fur and Gold, Bat for Lashes
7. Yellow House, Grizzly Bear
8. Boys and Girls In America, The Hold Stead
9. Hell Hath No Fury, Clipse
10. Futuresex/Lovesounds, Justin Timberlake
11. Bring Me the Workhorse, My Brightest Diamond
12. The Eraser, Thom Yorke
13. B'Day, Beyonce
14. Fishscale, Ghostface Killah
15. Beach House, Beach House
16. The Letting Go, Bonnie "Prince" Billy
17. Drum's Not Dead, Liars

62

As 2012 (alien apocalypse?????????) draws nearer, I've got a handful of posts planned

First up is a playlist featuring my favorite songs of 2011, including short write-ups on the ranked Top 20. My friends Richard & Francisco (Motile) are going to contribute, too

Next up, a ranked list of the year's best albums. I always like to read other year-end posts, like those at Tiny Mix Tapes or The Quietus, before making my own- I can't think of a year when I haven't discovered a great album from a good list. It can be hard to catch each great release as they happen throughout the year, wouldn't you agree?

Please remember that many lists cannot be trusted. Check back next week for some fun reads- and while you're waiting, please feel free to share with me your own favorites or your own lists by commenting this post. That would be so great!

xx

61

Hello friends, Sorry I have been MIA. I was hanging out with MIA, hard at work recording some new music. Only one of those clauses is true.

December is always a nice month for music. We can reflect on our past year of listening and look forward to the always-exciting triple punch of January, February, and March releases. While I take some time to compile a list of my favorite albums of 2011, I would like to share with you a few download links.

Also, please check back late tonight for a post on one of my favorite acts of 2011, Hubble. I'll be seeing a Hubble performance tonight, and have written a lengthy post about Ben Greenberg's work on the project and its recent developments. 



Your First Ever River
United Waters (2011)

My friend Richard turned me on to this record a couple days ago, and I'm really enjoying it. You can find a great review of the album over at the ever-thoughtful Tiny Mix Tapes

Download it here


50 Words for Snow
Kate Bush (2011)

 

I assume you might already know how I feel about this album. Sorry to have taken so long with the download link! Princess Jeremy, the ball is in your court now- smoke a j, pretend you're somewhere cold, & enjoy

Download it here

60

Bjork performing "Crystalline" on Later... with Jools Holland

59

Stream Kate Bush's unfathomably beautiful new album, 50 Words for Snow, right now via NPR
I will provide a download link as soon as I get a hard copy, next Tuesday

58

Sorry for my recent absence! Here are three new releases worth checking out while waiting for 50 Words for Snow to come out

King Krule
King Krule (2011)

Download it here



Takes Place In Your Work Space EP
White Denim (2011)

Download it here



Four Walls / Paradise Circus EP
Massive Attack & Burial

Download it here

57

"Cloudbusting (Organon Mix)"
Kate Bush

56

Lulu
Lou Reed & Metallica (2011)

Read the lyrics from the album here
Download it here

55

Bad As Me
Tom Waits (2011)

 

01  Chicago

02  Raised Right Men

03  Talking At the Same Time

04  Get Lost

05  Face to the Highway

06  Pay Me

07  Back In the Crowd

08  Bad As Me

09  Kiss Me

10  Satisfied

11  Last Leaf

12  Hell Broke Luce

13  New Year’s Eve

Download it here

54

Replica
Oneohtrix Point Never (2011)

01 Andro
02 Sleep Dealer
03 Power of Persuasion
04 Remember
05 Replica
06 Nassau
07 Submersible
08 Up
09 Child Soldier
10 Explain

Download it here


Watch the video for "Replica" below

53

Trust Now
Prince Rama (2011)

01 Rest in Peace

02 Summer of Love

03 Trust

04 Portaling

05 Incarnation

06 Golden Silence

Download it here 

52

Here's our second listen from Oneohtrix Point Never's new album Replica: its title track

Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica by Mexican Summer

Another fantastic single this week, following yesterday's release of Kate Bush's "Wild Man"
You can read more about Replica and OPN by clicking the tags on this post
Enjoy

51

The freshly-premiered single "Wild Man," from Kate Bush's forthcoming 10th album, 50 Words for Snow!

The full song is available to stream here
And the radio edit here:

 

The single is on sale at iTunes today in Europe and tomorrow in the US

50

One Pig
Matthew Herbert (2011)

01 August 2009
02 September
03 October
04 November
05 December
06 January
07 February
08 August 2010
09May 2011

Download it here


More on this fascinating album...
In an interview with Matthew Herbert here
His making-of blog here (interesting posts here and here)
The drum made from the pig's skin here

49

Hello friends,

I have set up a Dropbox for storing and sharing albums.
If you use Dropbox, you can send me a special message requesting an invitation to the 'Alien milk' folder- I'll set you up as soon as I can.

To start, I've uploaded each of my favorite 2011 albums (so far)...

48

Last night I saw Portishead play their first NYC show in over a decade at the Hammerstein Ballroom. Needless to say, it was incredible. One of the best bands working... and that Beth Gibbons, she is a christ

Photos via Brooklyn Vegan

 

Silence

Hunter
Mysterons
The Rip
Sour Times
Magic Doors
Wandering Star
Machine Gun
Over
Glory Box
Chase the Tear
Cowboys
Threads

Roads
We Carry On 

47

33 EP
Zs (2011)

01. 33\     
02. 33~          
03. 33/           
04. 33- 

Download it here      

46

A few days ago I had the pleasure of seeing Oneohtrix Point Never perform pieces from his forthcoming album, Replica (due out on OPN's own Software Label), outdoors on Boston's Atlantic Wharf.

Much of the new material is made up of TV samples and carries a warmth rarely spotted on 2010s (brilliant) Returnal. I'd rather not spoil anymore of its surprises: I'm very much looking forward to the album, out November 20.

45

On the Water
Future Islands (2011)

1. On the Water
2.Before the Bridge
3. The Great Fire
4. Open
5. Where I Found You
6. Give us the Wind
7. Close to None
8. Balance
9. Tybee Island
10. Grease
11. (untitled)

On the Water follows last year's incredible In Evening Air- so, my highest recommendation to those who haven't heard it
Download it here

44

TKOL REMIX 1234567
Radiohead (2011)

CD1
Caribou – “Little by Little Rmx”
Jacques Greene – “Lotus Flower Rmx”
Nathan Fake – “Morning Mr. Magpie Rmx”
Harmonic 313 – “Bloom Rmx”
Mark Pritchard – “Bloom Rmx”
Lone – “Feral Rmx”
Pearson Sound – “Morning Mr. Magpie Scavenger Rmx”
Four Tet “Separator Rmx”


CD2
Thriller – “Give Up the Ghost Houseghost Rmx”
Illum Sphere – “Codex Rmx”
Shed – “Little by Little Rmx”
Brokenchord – “Give Up the Ghost Rmx”
Altrice – “TKOL Rmx”
Blawan – “Bloom Rmx”
Modeselektor – “Good Evening Mrs. Magpie Rmx”
Objekt – “Bloom Rmx”
Jamie XX – “Bloom Rework”
Anstam – “Separator Rmx”
SBTRKT – “Lotus Flower Rmx”


Download it here

43

The first track from Lou Reed & Metallica's collaborative album Lulu, "The View

The View by Lou Reed & Metallica

42

Bjork's "Moon" music video, from her new album Biophilia
Directed, produced, and art directed by Björk, Inez and Vinoodh, M/M Paris and James Merry



björk: moon from Björk on Vimeo.

41

Biophlia, Bjork (2011)
256kbps leak

Please pre-order a copy of Biophilia here before you download
This is maybe the best album you've heard in the past 10 years

01 Moon
02 Thunderbolt
03 Crystalline
04 Cosmogony
05 Dark Matter
06 Hollow
07 Virus
08 Sacrifice
09 Mutual Core
10 Solstice

Download it here

40

 Bjork has posted a note explaining Biophilia's two-week delay

dear folks

i would like to explain why my album is coming out later than was first intended

after humongous and fun adventurous work with the app builders we handed in the music for the app box last may i felt sonically it fitted that underworld of apps and virtual reality like a glove , kinda acoustic and clean with a slick dark sub but somehow the cd needed more blood and muscles , oxygen and stuff

i felt the album had different kinda growth potential than the app box and it is important to follow those hunches even though they are slippery and you don't know sometimes where they are taking you

i played biophilia for few weeks in manchester and some of the songs grew while playing them live and i decided to add some of this into the album , i ended up even using a live recording of one of the songs on the album . take my hunch the whole distance but in order to do that i had to put the album back a bit

my friend , the incredibly talented music maker leila arab came to iceland with no notice and added some sonic sculpting , especially to the bottom end and the great talented mastering engineer mandy parnell came over as well and helped me give the whole thing more warmth and flesh somehow

i am really happy i did this , seems like biophilia the album has a body

leila also introduced me to "current value" who now has put a new beat into one of the songs

hope you like it

warmth , björk

As if we needed more to be excited about...
OCTOBER 10

39

NPR is hosting an early stream of Tori Amos's new album, Night of Hunters
You can listen to it here



38

The four most exciting dates of the year...

October 10 - On the Water, Future Islands
October 11 - Biophilia, Bjork


November 20 -The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
November 21 - 50 Words for Snow, Kate Bush

37

Kate Bush has just announced a NEW ALBUM called 50 Words for Snow! The album is 65 minutes of brand-new material, on the heels of Director's Cut, an album of reworked songs from her albums The Sensual World and The Red Shoes, released earlier this year

The album will be released on Kate's label Fish People on November 21

50 Words for Snow

01 Snowflake
02 Lake Tahoe
03 Misty
04 Wildman
05 Snowed in at Wheeler Street
06 50 Words for Snow
07 Among Angels

36

Fantastic new video for Ford & Lopatin's "I Surrender," from their album Channel Pressure

 

35

"Blue Jeans," Lana Del Rey

34

Biophilia packaging
28 days...

Please note that the cover depicted in these pictures is not the final cover, and the release date has been moved back to October 9/10. You can see the cover in an earlier post by clicking the 'Bjork' or 'Biophilia' tag attached to this post

33

The King of Limbs Remix Series, Vol. 6, Radiohead
Featuring remixes by Modeselektor and Objekt

Stream them via Radiohead's Dead Air Space

32

"Video Games," Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey - Video Games by PurplePR

31

Oneohtrix Point Never is releasing a new album, Replica, on November 8
You can stream a new track from the LP, "Sleep Dealer," over at Tiny Mix Tapes

Replica

01 Andro
02 Sleep Dealer
03 Power of Persuasion
04 Remember
05 Replica
06 Nassau
07 Submersible
08 Up
09 Child Soldier
10 Explain

OPN Tour (via Pitchfork)

09-08 Raleigh, NC -  Hopscotch Fest
09-28 Boston, MA -  TBD
10-01 Chicago, IL - Heaven Gallery *
10-02 St. Louis, MO - The Luminary
10-25 Brooklyn, NY - Public Assembly #
10-06 Pittsburgh, PA - FRKWYS Vol. 7 Ensemble at VIA Fest
10-28 Asheville, NC  - Moogfest

* with Sun Araw
# with Oval, Burning Star Core

30

Hooray! PJ Harvey's incredible Let England Shake has won the 2011 Mercury Prize! Deservingly so

Let England Shake is currently among my favorite 2 albums this year. Download it here

29

Bjork's "Moon" single, from the (recently delayed) Biophilia, is availble now available on iTunes The corresponding app, a music sequencer, is also available to download. You can preview it below...

With each new moon we complete a cycle and are offered renewal —to take risks, to connect with other people, to love, to give. the symbolism of the moon as the realm of imagination, melancholy, and regeneration is expressed in the moon song and app by musical patterns and visual images which wax and wane, and by lyrics about rebirth.
The moon app connects musical structure, human biorhythms, and cycles of the moon and tides : robs of pearls are strung out attached to a spinal chord whose fluid rises and falls with changing phases of the moon and the harp sequences.
The animation shows the changing shapes of and relationships between the harp melodies, allowing us to find connections between musical and natural cycles.

28

Destroyer has a new video for Kaputt-highlight "Savage Night At the Opera"



Destroyer - Savage Night at the Opera from Merge Records on Vimeo.

27

The second single to be offered from Future Islands' forthcoming On the Water, "Balance," has a new video
Via s. an▲cker



Future Islands - Balance from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.

Future Islands Tour...

Sat Sep 3 Los Angeles, CA Fuck Yeah Fest
Sat Sep 10 Raleigh, NC Hopscotch Music Festival
Sat Oct 1 Grand Rapids, MI Pyramid Scheme
Tue Oct 25 Washington, DC Black Cat *@
Wed Oct 26 Millvale, PA Mr. Small's Theatre *@
Thu Oct 27 Cleveland, OH Beachland Tavern *@
Fri Oct 28 Detroit, MI Magic Stick Lounge *@
Sat Oct 29 Kalamazoo, MI The Strutt *@
Sun Oct 30 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall *@
Tue Nov 1 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry @
Wed Nov 2 Omaha, NE The Waiting Room @
Thu Nov 3 Lawrence, KS Jackpot Saloon @
Fri Nov 4 Norman, OK The Opolis @
Sat Nov 5 Austin, TX Fun Fun Fun Fest
Mon Nov 7 Marfa, TX Padre's @
Tue Nov 8 Santa Fe, NM VFW @
Wed Nov 9 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge @#
Thu Nov 10 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court @
Fri Nov 11 Boise, ID Neurolux @
Sat Nov 12 Seattle, WA The Vera Project @
Sun Nov 13 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios @
Tue Nov 15 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill @
Wed Nov 16 Santa Barbara, CA Muddy Waters @
Thu Nov 17 Los Angeles, CA The Echo @
Fri Nov 18 Long Beach, CA Alex's Bar @
Sat Nov 19 San Diego, CA The Casbah @
Sun Nov 20 Phoenix, AZ Rhythm Room @
Wed Nov 23 New Orleans, LA Circle Bar @
Fri Nov 25 Birmingham, AL The Bottletree @
Sat Nov 26 Atlanta, GA The Earl @
Sun Nov 27 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle @
Mon Nov 28 Wilmington, NC The Soapbox @
Thu Dec 1 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom @
Fri Dec 2 Philadelphia, PA Kung Fu Necktie @
Sat Dec 3 Baltimore, MD Ottobar @

* w/Javelin @ w/Ed Schrader's Music Beat #w/Pictureplane

26

We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves (2011)
John Maus

Download it here

25

 The King of Limbs Remix Series (2011)
Radiohead



01. Give Up the Ghost (Brokenchord RMX)
02. TKOL (Altrice RMX)
03. Bloom (Blawan RMX)


Download it here

24

The prolific Grouper has a new limited 7" out from the Marfa Recording company, "Water People" b/w "Moving Machine." It's sold out at the moment, but will be available next month from Mississippi Records.

Download it here

23

I am very excited to bring you news of a new album from Future Islands, On the Water
It will be released on October 11 from Thrill Jockey

 






























01 On the Water
02 Before the Bridge
03 The Great Fire
04 Open
05 Where I Found You
06 Give Us the Wind
07 Close to None
08 Balance
09 Tybee Island
10 Grease


The press release is quite interesting, give it a read...

Future Islands' romantic synth sound scales new heights with On the Water, the Baltimore trio's most ambitious and fully realized statement yet. Built around a song cycle exploring love, loss, and memory, their latest album finds the band continuing to deliver pounding rhythms, swelling melodies, and undeniable hooks - but finding new ways to probe inner space and tug at hearts.
Convening in March 2011 in Elizabeth City, NC's historic, waterfront Andrew S. Sanders House, vocalist Samuel T. Herring, bassist William Cashion, and keyboardist Gerrit Welmers lived together in a space that served as both studio and sleeping quarters. The band used this tranquil retreat to refine their most reflective and mature batch of songs to date, adding new material in the process.
What emerged is a lush yet visceral album about two parallel journeys--one physical and one psychological. On the Water's narrator offers enough detail that their story feels personal, yet open enough that any listener can inhabit each twist and emotional pang as their own.
Travelling on foot, we seek something - an exorcism, an epiphany, an ending. Memories wash across us as in life: non-linear, linked by emotional resonance rather than conventional chronology. And so, the pain of letting go channeled by "The Great Fire" collides with a moment's fleeting serenity in the Eno-esque "Open"; the triumphant rallying cry "Give Us the Wind, " despite its confident declaration of individual strength, remains a mile away from final chapter "Tybee Island." It is there the song cycle ends, and what is discovered in "Tybee Island" will be as different as the lives lived by each person who finds their way to this album.
On the Water may unearth aural memories as well. The mind may flash upon our first encounters with New Order's "Ceremony," David Bowie's "Heroes," or The Cure's Disintegration, memories which, are continually reborn and re-imagined in the context of the here and now. And as the song-cycle's narrator comes to terms with his own memories, his singular journey collapses into the collective experience of album-closer "Grease." It is here that the "I" of the nine previous songs collapses into the "we" of Future Islands, now singing the literal journey of the people who came together by the ocean to deliver these songs into our ears. Far from just a narrative trope, the ocean played an integral role in On the Water's creation. The bulk of the album was recorded with waves pounding sand mere feet away. The album opens and closes with field recordings made by the band on a nearby dock, and one pivotal track, "Tybee Island," began with vocals recorded on the beach (subsequently fleshed out in the studio with additional instrumentation).
The ocean inhabits every note of these songs. On the Water is an addictive ride that demands repeat listens, eagerly awaiting the test of time. To produce these results, Future Islands fleshed out its sound with the additions of cello, violin, marimba, and field recordings. As with their 2010 breakthrough album In Evening Air, On the Water was produced by frequent collaborator Chester Endersby Gwazda, perhaps best known as producer of Dan Deacon's Bromst. Noted guests include Wye Oak's Jenn Wasner, who provides vocals on "The Great Fire," and Double Dagger's Denny Bowen on live drums and additional percussion.
For all its undeniable weight, On the Water is not a sullen concept album. Every track on the record works both as a contribution to the whole and as a stand-alone pleasure, evident in the insistent throbs, addictive melodies, and stirring vocals of tracks like "Close to None," "Balance," and first single "Before the Bridge."
Make no mistake, On the Water is a record that aims to both break your heart and heal your wounds. 


The first single is called  "Before the Bridge," released on a sold out 7" b/w b-side "Find Love

It is is available to download here


If you are unfamiliar with Future Islands, I most highly recommend their last album, 2010's In Evening Air. It is undoubtedly one of my favorite records of the past 5 years, and certainly one of 2010's very best releases. They are also an incredible live band

Future Islands' website is here
& their MySpace is here

22

"Terra Incognita," the first single from Atlas Sound's new album Parallax, can be streamed here

21

"Fall Creek Boys Choir," Justin Vernon & James Blake

20

Bjork's fourth Biophilia single "Moon" can be streamed here
MP3 soon!

Headphones recommended 

19

Antony singing "Cut the World" with the Heritage Orchestra at the Wilderness Festival

18

Bjork's Biophilia cover

17

Tonight I saw my beloved White Denim play the Magnet Club in Berlin. Their second album, Fits, is one of the top albums of 2009, and their new record, D, sounded brilliant live

See them if you can!

16

Today I would like to share a feature The Quietus has written on the fire rioters started at the Sony/PIAS warehouse in London. The warehouse is a distribution center for nearly 150 different independent labels. The feature provides a list of some of the labels effected, as well as some suggestions for albums you may be interested in buying to help support these labels in such a difficult moment for business - among those included by The Quietus are Bjork's Homogenic and Joanna Newsom's Have One On Me, two of my very favorite records, as well as Destoryer's Kaputt, one of 2011's best offerings. Please be reminded that this is already an icnredibly difficult time for independent labels and record stores, and they very much need the support of listeners like yourself. If you are an independent music fan, it's very likely that an artist you like is represented by one of these many labels. I invite you to give it some consideration.

You can read the feature Help PIAS Labels By Buying Today - 20 Suggestions here

Among the labels effected...
4AD
Fat Cat
Domino
Drag City
Jagjaguar
Kompakt
Mute
Rough Trade
Secretly Canadian
Sub Pop
Thrill Jockey
Warp
XL/Beggars

15

Watch the Throne (2011) Deluxe Edition
Jay-Z & Kanye West

01 No Church in the Wild (ft. Frank Ocean)
02 Lift Off (ft. Beyonce)
03 Niggas in Paris
04 Otis (ft. Otis Redding)
05 Gotta Have It
06 New Day
07 That's My Bitch
08 Welcome to the Jungle
09 Who's Gon Stop Me
10 Murder to Excellence
11 Made in America (ft. Frank Ocean)
12 Why I Love You (ft. Mr. Hudson)
13 Illest Motherfucker Alive
14 H.A.M
15 Primetime
16 The Joy (feat. Curtis Mayfield)

Buy it on iTunes now (out physically 8/12/2011)
Download it here

14

Last night I saw Bon Iver play at Mountain Park in Holyoke, MA

Bon Iver have really come into their own as a band, and Justin Vernon put out a truly incredible performance. The live arrangements, particularly from Colin Stetson (sax) and Rob Moose (violin), were nothing short of brilliant. If you haven't heard their new album, Bon Iver, Bon Iver, I suggest you find it today- it happens to be the best album released in 2011 so far

Perth
Minnesota, WI
Towers
Brackett, WI
Holocene
Beach Baby
Hinnom, TX
Wash.
Blood Bank
Flume
Michicant
Re: Stacks
Calgary
For Emma

Skinny Love
Beth/Rest
Wolves

Highlights: "Perth" "Minnesota, WI" "Blood Bank" "Beth/Rest" "Wolves"

13

"Virus" is here a few days early!
I will continue to update the stream link until (and add a download link only when) we have a full quality file

Download it here

The following essay is included in the "Virus" app (pictured above) within Biophilia, written by musicologist Nikki Dibben. Each song has one

In "Virus," Björk captures her relationship with a recurring throat infection —candida, a normal part of the human body system but one which causes infections when it overgrows. Fungi such as candida grow in a close and long-term relationship with plants and animals —what’s known as "symbiosis"—and it’s this bond which Björk describes.
Björk’s lyrics reference well-known symbiotic relationships : mushrooms and trees, viruses and human. Viruses are incredibly abundant and found in every ecosystem on earth, infecting animals, plants, and bacteria. Whereas animal species replicate cell division, viruses need a host cell to make copies of themselves, sometimes lying dormant, but often resulting in the death of the host cell. The virus app takes you through the drama of this life cycle.

Björk’s deadlier inspirations for virus include parasitic symbiosis in which one organism benefits at the expense of another, often by taking over the host, or even changing the host’s behaviour — an alarming analogy for love between humans! For example, a parasitic worm infects the garden snail, making its eye stalks swell and throb with larvae so that the stalks resemble caterpillars, and causing the snail to crawl to the top of foliage at sunrise—something they would never normally do. This lures birds to eat the larvae with reproduce in the gut of the bits who excretes the eggs, and these are then eaten by other snails who themselves become infected.

Another inspiration from nature was the control of ants by a parasitic fungus : the fungus attaches to ants as they cross the forest floor and releases chemicals in the ants’ bodies that cause them to fix to leaves a certain height from the floor where they die. the fungus then sprouts from the head of the dead ant and the spores drop to the ground, starting the cycle again.

Listen to the song’s juxtaposition of its grim subject matter with its romantic-sounding music —an irony you’ll find more often in the music of the sugar cubes, of of Björk’s earlier bands, than in her latest solo work. We get a musical hint that all is not well in the symbiotic relationship just before the fourth verse when there is a sudden shift to a new key, wild modulation, and pitch bends in the choir on the lyrics "you fail to resist".

As in other tracks from Biophilia, Björk uses musical sound and structure to communicate her ideas in "virus". For instance Björk took the idea of a virus multiplying and created its sonic equivalent in the busy gameleste arrangement, using a generative music program —a sequence of rules expressed as an algorithm (a set of mathematical interactions) which operate on musical material put into the program such that the compositional process takes on a life of its own.

Instruments containing copper, like gameleste, cymbals, brass and hang (a bronze flying-saucer-shaped object struck with the fingers) appear throughout Biophilia and it was a happy coincidence when Björk discovered that copper was used to cure candida. The use of generative computer programme highlights the similarity between biological and digital (computer) viruses, linking the themes of music, nature and technology that run through Biophilia.

12

This week, the song in heaviest rotation is "Athol-Brose" by the Cocteau Twins, from their superclassic Blue Bell Knoll LP. It happens to be one of my favorite Cocteau Twins songs

I've been working on a post about the Cocteau Twins and their music, hoping to finish it soon

11

Air France released a new single today, their first release since 2008's fantastic No Way Down EP
It's called "It Feels Good to Be Around You," and you can download it from Sincerely Yours here

10

Bjork's Biophilia track list has been revealed in the credits of the Biophilia iPad/iPhone app, and by the order of the tuning forks displayed in pictures for Biophilia: The Ultimate Edition.

As you may know, Bjork is my very favorite artist. If you're a bit lost with the onslaught of new Biophilia information, please check back here for a large post about the wonders and workings of Biophilia as its release nears (Sepember 26!)

The next single to be released from the album is "Virus," next Tuesday, August 9!


Biophilia

01. Moon
02. Thunderbolt
03. Crystalline
04. Cosmogony
05. Dark Matter
06. Hollow
07. Virus
08. Sacrifice
09. Mutual Core
10. Solstice

www.bjork.com

9

Fantastic performance from the incomparable Merrill Garbus on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night

8

Some things to look forward to in 2011...



7

King of Limbs 12" Remix Series #3 (2011)

Radiohead

1. Feral (Lone Remix)

2. Morning Mr. Magpie (Pearson Sound Remix)

3. Separator (Four Tet Remix)

    

Buy it here

Download it here

6

Do not miss the Delta Aquarid and Perseid meteor showers tonight
You can read more about them here

Delta Aquarid, Perseid Mix

01. "Frosti," Bjork, Vespertine

02. "Alien Observer," Grouper, A / A: Alien Observer

03. "Lazy Calm," Cocteau Twins, Victorialand

04. "Svefn-g-englar," Sigur Ros, Ágætis byrjun

05. "Homeless," Burial, Untrue

06. "Returnal," Oneohtrix Point Never, Returnal

07. "Alice," Sunn O))), Monoliths & Dimensions

08. "Grey Oceans," CocoRosie, Grey Oceans

09. "Beth/Rest," Bon Iver, Bon Iver, Bon Iver

10. "Cosmogony," Bjork, Biophilia

Download the mix here

5

Crystalline Remix Series (2011)
Bjork & Omar Souleyman

1. Crystalline (Omar Souleyman Remix)
2. Tesla (Omar Souleyman Remix)
3. Mawal (Omar Souleyman Remix)

Buy it here
Download it here

4

"Here, In Heaven 2" Elite Gymnastics

Elite Gymnastics are releasing a 12", Ruin 1 b/w Ruin 2, on September 9. You can preorder it here
There is more information about Elite Gymnastics here, on their website

3

Recent National Geographic articles, photos

'Death Dance' Stars Found here
Space Shuttle Pictures here
'Uncontacted' Tribe Found in the Amazon here
Snails Survive Being Eaten by Birds here
& Star Caught Eating Another Star here