Faronheit

Glasser is Cameron Mesirow. Cameron Mesirow is Glasser. That’s the basic information you need to know. If you’re curious and want to know more, a few fun facts: she’s from Los Angeles, her dad is in Blue Man Group, her mom played in the short-lived (but relatively popular) band Human Sexual Response, and she came up with the pseudonymn Glasser after having a vision of a figure hovering over a body of water. There’s been one EP, the three track “Apply”, which came out in late 2009 and attracted the right sort of attention to build anticipation for what’s now her debut full length “Ring”, which is out this week.

Describing the sound of Glasser is a small challenge, but that’s a good thing considering how many artists fall plainly into certain genres. Mesirow’s early demos were very rough and unproduced, composed primarily in GarageBand and utilizing only a handful of instruments. With a label in True Panther Sounds and a producer in Foreign Born’s Ariel Rechtshaid, she worked for months to not only re-work a couple tracks from the “Apply” EP but also to craft a collection of songs that had deeper and fuller arrangements than ever before. Enter bass, xylophones, strings, saxophones and a vast selection of beats and percussion to help turn these sparse songs into ones packed with enough variety that it takes multiple listens through the record to even begin to process them. The foundation of most Glasser tracks is electro-synth based, but thanks to things like tribal percussion and the presence of woodwinds it goes beyond mere pop music. One minute she sounds like Kate Bush, the next Bat for Lashes, the next Bjork and the next Fever Ray. It may be a somewhat wide range of female artists, but each is brilliant in their own unique way, as is Glasser. “Ring” is exceptionally composed in large part thanks to how Mesirow commits herself to each individual song no matter where she’s pulling from and concentrates a laser beam-like focus to avoid steering off course. The entirety of the record is built around the titular concept as well, each track carefully placed in an order that spirals inwards to the middle and then back out again, returning to where it all began. At the end of the final track, “Clamour”, the first notes of opening song “Apply” pop up again. Were you to have the entire record on a loop (aka ring), it’d move perfectly from end to end by design.

Then there’s Mesirow’s voice. Smooth as silk, but prone to bits of oddities in that good sort of way. On “Apply”, she takes a fairly normal vocal turn amidst the heavy tribal percussion, but as the synths start to push the melody further and further, she gets out of control with a couple yelps, and then balances it out with some multi-part harmonies that eventually take over the entire track, drowning out the drums entirely. For the chorus of a song like “Plane Temp”, Mesirow repeats the same nonsense word over and over again as the vocal track doubles then triples and it all just turns out simply gorgeous (and easy to remember). A track like “T” serves well to show her vocal chops on a synth ballad, and it turns out sounding like a lost Bat for Lashes track in the best sort of way. One of the best things about “Mirrorage” is that it seems to take the title almost literally when it comes to the vocals, because of the sheer number of vocal tracks piled on top of one another. It’s like staring into a mirror with another mirror right behind you, thereby creating an endless mirror that looks like it goes on to infinity (you could call it…a loop). There’s something Karin Dreijer-ish about that song, in a very positive sort of way.

To Mesirow’s credit, for a record that’s so diverse and creatively stimulating, she’s also made “Ring” largely accessible. There are no tracks that feel too “out there” or experimental, even if this is very different from what you might find in a more mainstream female synth-pop album. There’s far too much ambience and tribal fodder to be placed in a bin anywhere near mainstream. Yet she’s also not quite of the same cloth that Icelandic hero Bjork is, which feels “weird for the sake of weird” sometimes. No, Glasser is far more straightforward with her intentions, despite the wide array of instruments that are used throughout the record. The way each song is organized, and the way each track works in collaboration with the ones that came both before and after it are a big part of why “Ring” is so wonderful. Step in at any singular point in these 9 tracks and 38 minutes and ride it all the way back around and you’ll have a far better understanding of the power this record possesses. The issue, if you want to call it that, is when you only absorb bits and pieces. A few songs like “Apply” and “Home” serve as good introductions to Glasser, but for the most part hooks and individual memories are hard to come by. You’ll definitely remember the album once its over, but trying to select standout moments is like spending time analyzing a gigantic “Where’s Waldo?” poster – damn difficult. In today’s single-a-minute world where most everyone is looking for 3 minutes of pure sugary pop, Glasser is the warm glass of milk you typically drink before bed. Its calming and lovely atmospherics are just what the doctor ordered at the end of a long day. Should you actually commit to it in its entirety, it can go a long way towards ensuring you get exactly what your ears have been searching for.

Glasser – Home

Buy “Ring” from Amazon

Today is most definitely the best edition of Pick Your Poison this week. To put it another way, if you’re going to pay close attention to one post this week, let it be this one. New songs from Queens of the Stone Age/Them Crooked Vultures member Alain Johannes, Club 8, Class Actress and No Age are all clear highlights. You should also check out Bonjay’s cover of the Caribou song “Jamelia” which is pretty fascinating as well. Oh, and I can’t forget about Sarah Kirkland Snider and her lovely track featuring Shara Worden aka My Brightest Diamond.

Alain Johannes – Return to You

Bonjay – Jamelia (Caribou cover)

Class Actress – Careful What You Say

Club 8 – Closer Now

Hannah Georgas – Chit Chat (ZIP)

Home Video – The Smoke

Le Switch – Call Out
Le Switch – All About Heart

No Age – Fever Dreaming

Sarah Kirkland Snider – This Is What You’re Like (ft. Shara Worden)

Scattered Trees – Four Days Straight

Yuzima – Manic
Yuzima – Trapped in a Border Town

It has gotten to the point where a year without new material from the brains of Bradford Cox or Lockett Pundt feels genuinely out of place. The boys of Deerhunter have been consistently hammering away with more new music than most bands compose across their lifetimes, and they’ve really been pushing hard for only the past four years or so. That was when “Cryptograms” caught the attention of many an ear and brought Deerhunter to the forefront of psychedelic indie rock. Since then, there’s been the single-but-unofficially-double album known as “Microcastle” with its companion piece “Weird Era Cont.” in 2008. Last year saw Pundt’s side project Lotus Plaza release a record, while Cox’s solo project Atlas Sound put out a great sophmore record as well. During that time, Deerhunter was “taking a break”, which for most bands means a couple years off. Yet here we are, 2010 and with all the touring they’ve done Deerhunter has been on break for well under a year. Now comes the new record “Halcyon Digest” and this sort of progress makes you wonder what other bands are wasting their time doing. Not that an album a year is a problem, especially when the music is so great, but there is always the risk of oversaturation aka too much of a good thing. Of course the band also isn’t quite at the pinnacle of what The Beatles did, releasing multiple records filled to the brim with hit singles over the course of a single year. Still, the band’s prolific streak has been impressive, and this new record only continues it further.

Album opener “Earthquake” is a remarkably steady and subdued way to start the record, piecing together a looped guitar, slowly flowing electronic elements, and Bradford Cox’s calming, echoed vocals. The track draws you in with gorgeously psychedelic fever dream and holds your interest without ever feeling the need to expand into something overtly catchy. Accessible has never been Deerhunter’s forte, but mood and atmosphere are their specialty. “Halcyon Digest” keeps that theme going, but there are moments of pure throwback pop goodness. “Don’t Cry” feels like a 50′s ballad filtered through a plume of smoke and gentle fuzz. Chosen as a first single, “Revival” hits all the right notes in that department, with a nice bit of jangly acoustics that stick with you long after the song is over. The purpose of “Memory Boy” seems to be exactly what the title suggests, an energetic 60′s pop tune that holds your brain hostage. “Desire Lines” fills the void needed in a 7-minute electric guitar psych-out that feels most like “old school” (three years ago) Deerhunter, for those that aren’t the biggest fans of some of the stylistic advances the band has made recently. Almost as if purposely trying to echo The Everly Brothers classic “All I Have To Do Is Dream”, Bradford Cox’s extended plea of “dreeeam” throughout the track is almost an update, but with some modern technology and paranoia thrown into the mix. That dream turns from something sweet into what more closely resembles a nightmare. The guitars on “Helicopter” shimmer like the sun reflecting off a wind-swept lake and the plinks of synths mixed with watery electronics make for one of “Halcyon Digest”‘s most gorgeous and memorable compositions. If there’s one track that’s perfect evidence of how Deerhunter has evolved over the last couple years, “Coronado” is it, taking what would otherwise be a simple piano and guitar song and throwing some blaring saxophone in like spice in an already good sauce. The sax is most definitely a good thing, and it was smart of the band to save it for something close to the end of the record as an almost last minute curveball. Provided they don’t overdo it in the future, a little saxophone now and then could really make for a strong addition to the tools already in Deerhunter’s toolchest. Closing out the record is “He Would Have Laughed”, a 7.5 minute tribute song to Jay Reatard. Not only are the lyrics odd and mysterious, but there’s also humor in the idea that the band has put together this epic song for a guy who seemed to prefer plainspoken 2 minute hard rock songs.

If there’s a singular dud on “Halcyon Digest”, it comes from “Sailing”, which is about as boring as doing the actual activity on the most placid lake without a single breeze. It drifts but mostly aimlessly and without purpose, which is pretty much why you might be left questioning its placement on the record. Really though, it fits in for the most part with Deerhunter’s sonic palette, but not necessarily well with everything that comes before and after it. Even without subtracting that song, “Halcyon Digest” remains a drool-inducing amazing record. While it won’t really work if played at a party, giving it a handful of studied listens in your bedroom with headphones will reveal the amazing depths it travels to. This band continues to evolve at an alarming pace, and with the addition of throwing a couple new instruments into the mix and an increased sense of pop accessibility, Deerhunter show they’re not content with simply staying the course. Should they continue the pace they’re on with the same exploratory sensibilities, there could be another handful of brilliant records in their future. Because of their more psychedelic and decidedly un-pop-like tendencies, Deerhunter seems to have avoided the insane level of respect and love that some of the most popular indie artists today are getting. Hey, if Animal Collective can reach that pinnacle with a record like “Merriweather Post Pavilion”, Deerhunter should be able to do the same with “Halcyon Digest”. It might not quite hit that fever pitch where people get diarrhea of the mouth and proclaim things like “album of the year”, but honestly it’s pretty damn close. One of the ten best of 2010 so far? You can put money on it (and you should).

Deerhunter – Revival (ZIP)

Buy “Halcyon Digest” from Amazon

An interesting collection of mp3s being offered up in today’s Pick Your Poison. There’s a Bob Marley cover from Kae Sun that’s fascinating mostly for how it gets re-interpreted. You might also be so inclined to check out tracks from Rooftop Vigilantes, Shilpa Ray and Darren Hanlon. The great Robert Wyatt is also part of a new trio that’s got an album coming out, the first mp3 of which you can dlownload below as well.

Amy Bezunartea – Doubles

A Bad Think – I’ll Wait Forever  (m4a)

Darren Hanlon – Buy Me Presents

Kae Sun – Natural Mystic (Bob Marley cover)

Lucinda Black Bear – Knives

Nive Nielsen & the Deer Children – Good For You (I Would Be)

Rooftop Vigilantes – Kitty Vacant

Shilpa Ray – Venus Shaver

Teletextile – What If I

True Womanhood – Dream Cargoes

Wyatt, Atzmon, Stephen’s – Laura

Today’s Pick Your Poison highlights include tracks from Echo Orbiter, HolySons, Soars and Wheels on Fire. You’d also be wise to have a listen to Active Child remixing School of Seven Bells.

Alfa – Sky Patrol

Deluka – OMFG (Lauren Flax Remix)

Echo Orbiter – Mouth of an Incomplete Twin
Echo Orbiter – This Worm in Rigor Mortis

Gary Wilson – In the Night

HolySons – Slow Days

Josephine Foster and the Victor Herrero Band – Anda Jaleo

Pet Marmoset – Little Bird
Pet Marmoset – The Ballad of Maynard Noe

School of Seven Bells – Heart Is Strange (Active Child Remix)

Soars – Figurehead

The Tins – The Green Room

Wheels on Fire – Black Wave
Wheels on Fire – Cherry Bomb

Bedroom recordings have taken huge strides in the past few years. With the advent of better technology and the ability to purchase sampling and mixing programs for cheaper than ever before, more and more people are making music their own way on their own dime. If it’s good enough and the person or band does the right sort of promotion, the music will be heard and popularity will move up or down accordingly. One of the bigger indie successes in recent memory has to me that of tUnE-YarDs, the one woman project of Merrill Garbus. She recorded her entire debut album “Bird-Brains” only using the microphone built into her laptop, and it pretty much sounds like it. Still, poor audio quality or not, plenty of people fell in love with the songs on that album and she’s also managed to establish a bigger fan base thanks to what many call a jaw-droppingly great live show. So if the DIY star of 2009 was Garbus, there’s little doubt the 2010 one is Tom Krell, a philosophy student that records under the moniker How to Dress Well. Last fall, How to Dress Well surfaced via a blog where Krell began posting a series of EPs for free download. Thanks to that easy availability, a number of keen ears caught wind of HTDW and the press cycle began. Now a year later, How to Dress Well has only picked up more steam as his debut album “Love Remains” has finally arrived in stores thanks to Lefse Records.

For those that caught onto How to Dress Well back in the “early” days of 2009, a number of songs on “Love Remains” should be immediately familiar to you. Much of the debut album is composed of tracks that appeared on the several EPs released months back. Many of the versions that are on this record have been touched up, but never to the point where they sound in any way professional. The new songs also carry that same aesthetic, and in some of the louder moments you get the fuzz that comes with taking your recording “into the red” aka beyond the capabilities of a microphone not connected to a carefully calibrated soundboard. So what makes up the core sound of How to Dress Well? When reading most anything about the man, you’ll catch references to “strong R&B influences”. If you have listened to a lot of R&B, most specifically from the 90s, you can definitely hear pieces of it on “Love Remains”. Where How to Dress Well differs is primarily in the use of general electronic textures and overdubs to create music that’s less rhythmically inclined and more adrift in the ether. Songs flow in an almost organic way, and when it comes to beats, the unconfirmed mixture of computers and handclaps stays static no matter how fast or slow everything else might be going. It creates a few moments of what feels like imbalance, but the reality is actually a bit brilliant, throwing you just off the mark enough to take notice but never enough to ruin what’s already going. The vocals are another highly fascinating aspect of How to Dress Well. Either due to the poor recording quality or through pure manipulation, you’ll barely be able to make out a word of what’s being said at any given point in the record. Without a doubt the words are there, but they’re sung like a person who recognizes a melody from a long time ago but can’t seem to remember exactly how the lyrics go. Suddenly the spotlight and a microphone is in front of you and the crowd wants to hear you belt it out…but you can’t, so you do the next best thing which is mumble to the point where it SOUNDS like the words are right but nobody can make them out clearly. Yeah, the muffled lyrics don’t help should you want to sing along, but if you’re so inclined, feel free to hum along to the melody of a track like “Ready for the World”.

While R&B may be a standard frame of reference for How to Dress Well, should you not normally listen to or enjoy that sort of music, no worries. In indie terms, think of “Love Remains” like a less percussive, early stage Animal Collective record with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver on lead vocals. Krell does sound an awful lot like Vernon, and the overdubbed and often harmonized backing vocals only add further creedence to that. Actually a great model on the whole for HTDW would be the group Gayngs, of which Vernon is a member. They’ve got a slow, soft rock sort of vibe with a hint of that same R&B flavor – the difference in the end being the high level of production and wide variety of instruments used. For a home-recorded, very limited range record, “Love Remains” does an incredible amount of things with an incredibly small number of tools. Krell’s ability to manipulate just a couple of sparse sounds on a song like “Endless Rain” into something that feels fully formed is fascinating to hear and really establishes him as a talent. That he can also pull off such a serene mess of a masterpiece without using much in the way of lyrics is even more impressive. At any moment it feels like the songs could just dissolve into nothingness or simply ambient noise, but none ever do and that’s a big part of what makes “Love Remains” such a gripping listen. It goes without saying that you should pick up a copy of this record. It’s one of the year’s finest, and might just inspire a whole new collection of musicians crafting smart music using just a handful of instruments in their bedrooms. Chances are very few will find the sort of success that How to Dress Well has, but if the next Tom Krell is out there somewhere tinkering around, we’d all be idiots to not give him or her some positive attention.

How to Dress Well – You Won’t Need Me Where I’m Goin’
How to Dress Well – Ready for the World

How to Dress Well – Ready for the World (Twin Sister Remix)

Buy “Love Remains” on CD/LP from Lefse Records
Buy it from iTunes

Ah, it’s Monday. If you’re on the West Coast, I hope you’re surviving record heat. If you’re on the East Coast, I hope the rain isn’t getting you down. If you’re in the Midwest, what the hell happened to 70 degree temperatures? 80s one week and then 60s the next. Not losing much heat is Pick Your Poison, and there’s another solid collection of mp3s for you to download today. Great stuff from In Grenada, Roman Ruins and Wintersleep. There’s also a song from a band known as Writers Strike, who were formerly known as First Aid Kit. They’re not to be confused with the Swedish female folk duo still known as First Aid Kit. Still, Writers Strike is good, so be sure to check them out too.

Ben Forrester – Swings & Roundabouts
Ben Forrester – Urgency

Dumbo Gets Mad – Eclectic Prawn

In Grenada – Hills (Flooded Valleys)

Kno – La Petite Mort (Come Die With Me)

Meiko – You Gotta Fuckin’ Tip (Live at Hotel Cafe)

Nottz – Blast That (ft. Black Milk)

Roman Ruins – Pastor/al

Seamonster – Oh Appalachia

Wintersleep – Trace Decay

Writers Strike – Bad Time

Earlier this week, I reviewed the new of Montreal album “False Priest”. I wouldn’t say I was unkind towards the band, but the review wasn’t completely positive. Die hard fans might not like what I had to say, but I stand by what I think are fair words. That being said, I’m white hot about this session the “band” did on Minnesota Public Radio just yesterday. The reason I put “band” in quotes is because Kevin Barnes performs solo, with just him and a piano. The results are remarkably awesome. Stripping back all the layers that make up each of Montreal song and taking it to such a minimal level actually works wonders. Barnes does “Flunkt Sass vs. The Rute Plume” to start and there’s something so emotionally satisfying about the rendition. At many of their live shows recently, the band has also been performing the song “Tonight” by the obscure folk artist Sibylle Baier, which Barnes does here as well. Finally, Janelle Monae (who’s currently on tour with of Montreal) steps up and does her part on the “False Priest” cut “Enemy Gene”, and the piano only version is once again pretty jaw-droppingly great. For the interview portion, should you want to hear it, Barnes talks a little about his dislike of discussing the meaning of lyrics and the importance of having a strong visual element within live performances. It’s good, and not what I expected to hear from him. So you could say this is one great session on the whole, and it’s actually served a good point in getting me to develop a new found appreciation for of Montreal. Also, if Kevin Barnes released an album of solo piano songs, I’d buy it in an instant.

Of Montreal – Flunkt Sass Vs. The Rute Plume (Live on MPR)
Of Montreal – Tonight (Sibylle Baier cover, Live on MPR)
Of Montreal – Enemy Gene ft. Janelle Monae (Live on MPR)

Stream the entire interview/performance

Buy “False Priest” from Amazon

For a Friday, this is a damn great Pick Your Poison selection. Plenty of songs to choose from, and a few higher profile cuts as well. Be sure to have a listen to songs from Botany, Nightlands, Parting Gifts and Pearly Gates Music. Also exciting is a remix of a song from Jose Gonzalez’s band Junip, along with a Paul McCartney cover from none other than The Morning Benders. Have a great weekend everybody.

Blank Dogs – Northern Islands

Botany – Feeling Today

Clare Maguire – Ain’t Nobody (Breakage Remix)

Dwarr – Animals

Higgins – Wayne Wayne (Go Away) (R. Stevie Moore cover)

James Apollo – Happiness
James Apollo – How Hard

Junip – Always (Run Roc Remix)

The Morning Benders – Ram On (Paul McCartney cover)

Nightlands – Suzerain (A Letter to the Judge)
Nightlands – 300 Clouds

Parting Gifts – Keep Walkin

Pearly Gates Music – Bad Nostalgia

Solar Temple Suicides – A Rough Road Leads to the Stars

The Wagner Logic – Years From Now

Will Eastman – Feelin’ (Nacey Remix)

With all the intense focus on glo-fi/chillwave these days, more normal-sounding dance records can skate under the radar with relative ease if you’re not paying attention. And dance rock, the genre upon which guitars hit hard amidst the beats, well that’s been as good as dead in the last couple years. This is why once highly prolific bands such as Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand find themselves in a bit of a struggle to survive in their current state. Evolve or die is the mantra, and that tends to go for dance rock bands both popular and unpopular. In keeping a close eye on the trends, many record labels are signing bands according to what’s hot, which is why glo-fi continues to make the (chill)waves it does. Not calling anything a mistake, but now and then you do get the occasional band making their debut while playing up trends that have already passed. The progressive dance label Warp signed the duo known as The Hundred in the Hands and is putting out their self-titled debut record this week, but one listen and you’ll get a firm grasp on a the hot sounds of 2005. Now it stands to argue that judging music purely based on the public zeitgeist is foolish, because you never know when some band will turn in a brilliant record using an outdated sound. Hell, if there’s a rap-rock record that comes out in the next couple months that’s incredibly smart and well put together, the general public would be idiots to not give it the proper attention. So let’s not judge The Hundred in the Hands based on what genre they’re choosing to exploit, but rather the content and composition of their songs.

Having hammered that point home, it’s a shame that The Hundred in the Hands don’t have something stronger to offer for a debut album. These two first attracted my attention a few months back when I caught their live set as they were opening for another band. It was such a strong show and such fun that they pretty much blew all the other bands on the bill that night out of the water. As a direct result, I picked up a copy of their “This Desert” EP and continued to be captivated by their somewhat quirky take on what would normally be a standard dance rock album. The issue is that the band apparently made the conscious choice to avoid that sound in order to move in a bit more of a mainstream and “traditional” direction. The sonic gap between what appears on that EP and this self-titled full length isn’t as big as you might think, but when you’re working in a world of stale ideas, any unique spin you can put on your music is an advantage. This is why the squeaky clean production on “The Hundred in the Hands” turns out to be a very bad thing, along with the easy melodies that occasionally feel like you’ve heard them before. As disappointing as that might be, the band still does well for itself on a few levels. First is simply Eleanore Everdell, who is simply amazing on virtually everything she puts her voice to. Those are some seriously strong pipes, both incredible in their range and depth of emotion. When she gets all bedroom eyes on “Lovesick (Once Again)”, it turns into one of the most beautiful and intense moments on the record. “This Day Is Made” is haunting and immensely gripping thanks pretty much entirely to her singing. It doesn’t always work out though, and a song like “Gold Blood”, which is heavy on the rock angle and ups the BPMs just a bit turns Everdell into a Karen O-like figure. Unfortunately, she’s no Karen O, and the track makes that all too clear. Instead of a wild child she’s best in the character of an ice queen, freezing you out with talk of empty houses and wasted time. Jason Friedman’s role as guitarist and general foil works just fine, though he does very little to distinguish himself on the record. Everdell’s synths are generally the more dominant instrument, and the mixed use of drum machines and live drums doesn’t seem to make much of a difference except to pile more polish on top of what’s already there.

Thankfully “The Hundred in the Hands” doesn’t fall prey to every dance rock cliche there is. There are moments, glimmers if you will, of a potentially great band amid the blatant attempts to generate hook-filled choruses that will reach more ears and rise them above many of their indie bretheren. Songs like the opening “Young Aren’t Young” and “Pigeons” stand out for their ability to maneuver around the simplest melodies and try for something greater. There’s potential here, as there was potential on the “This Desert” EP, just not nearly so much of it. When faced with two paths to travel down, The Hundred in the Hands chose the easier walk. They’re now paying for it by being tagged with the “just another band like dozens we’ve heard before” label. It’s a shame too, because Warp pretty much only signs “above average” bands, which this duo seemed to be based on my brief history with them through a live show and an EP. Hopefully this debut record does well enough for them that they’re able to hold onto their label for another one. That will truly be the test of how ready they are to play in the big leagues of indie. They don’t need to be glo-fi to make waves in dance music, they just need to be great. Right now, The Hundred in the Hands are only moderately good.

The Hundred in the Hands – Dressed in Dresden

Buy “The Hundred in the Hands” from Amazon

The weekend is just a day away, so try to stay distracted until then. Pick Your Poison is here to help you out. A new song from British Sea Power that’s quite good is available for download below. You’re also going to want to give the Lower Dens track a listen. And even though they’ve broken up, The Lucksmiths still have one little piece of music still left to give, and it’s worth hearing below.

Belfi / Grubbs / Pilia – Onrushing Cloud

British Sea Power – Zeus

Climber – I Have Seen Everything

David Gergen – The Streets I’m Walkin’

The Five One – Mandatory

Geoffrey Armes – Sweet Breakfast

Kokayi – Autumn Rules (Radio Edit)

Lower Dens – Blue and Silver

The Lucksmiths – Get-to-Bed Birds

Masonic – Lifetime of Deception

Shuteye Unison – Our Future Selves

Sights – How Do You Sleep

Plenty of wonderful songs this mid-week for your downloading pleasure. Exceptionally great stuff you’ll want to pay attention to today comes from Abby GoGo, Johanna and the Dusty Floor, Sonny and the Sunsets and The Thermals. There’s also a solid remix of a Phantogram song and a little bit of stand-up comedy from the one and only Bill Hicks.

Abby GoGo – Louder Than Dreams

Anika – Yang Yang

Bill Hicks – Please Do Not Disturb

Brandi Emma – Let It Go

City of Satellites – BMX

Coco Et Coco – State of Radio

Eux Autres – Go Dancing

Innercity Pirates – Seen It All Before

Jay Nackashi – My Earthly Creature

Johanna and the Dusty Floor – Forest of Sorrows

Kaka – Below This Sun

New Collisions – Ne’er Do Well

Phantogram – When I’m Small (Chuck Brody Remix)

Sonny and the Sunsets – Lovin’ On An Older Gal

The Thermals – Never Listen to Me