Category: music

Bank Head

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Kingdom – Bank Head (feat. Kelela)

My summer song

from Pitchfork:
Fade to Mind boss and New York native Kingdom has a new EP on the way called Vertical XL (due May 28) and the first single very much lives up to the “XL” tag. It’s an update to the track he contributed to the recent Night Slugs Allstars Volume 2 compilation and features LA vocalist Kelela (who you might recognize from her back-flipping range lent to Teengirl Fantasy’s “EFX” last year) out-singing the original version’s chipmunk chops.

Against Kingdom’s clipped club beats– plaintive tones sliced by skittering drum rolls– Kelela is given free reign. Emotionally, she dances from wistful to teasing to sheer release on climatic central lyric, “And I need to let it out.” Alliteration aside, Kingdom and Kelela make a perfect match on “Bank Head”, providing further proof of the dancefloor’s knack for throwing up new pop shapes.

Brigitte Fontaine

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Brigitte Fontaine – J’ai 26 Ans

I’ve been doing a small, informal study of Paris for a possible upcoming trip this summer. One of the books I’m reading Paris: The Secret History, mentioned the singer Brigette Fontaine as being the sound of avant-garde Paris in the 60s, so naturally I looked her up on YouTube. This amazing song, among others, is what I found.

One of my favorite jazz groups, The Art Ensemble of Chicago collaborated with Fontaine on this song.

Animated Shoes

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Jenny Wilson – Let My Shoes Lead Me Forward

I’ve been hearing the Nu Shooz song “I Can’t Wait” all over the place. Strange because it was only really popular among aficionados of freestyle. But lately, it seems to be having a small resurgence on the retro-pop stations. (Nu Shooz is from Portland, I think that’s strange for some reason.) I’ve always preferred their tune “Point of No Return” especially because the video is so fantastic. So of course when I saw the video for Jenny Wilson’s “Let My Shoes Lead Me Forward,” I immediately thought of “Point of No Return” and a blog post was born.
I’ve never promised quality.


Nu Shooz – Point of No Return

Radical Leap

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Dumbo Gets Mad – Radical Leap

It’s 2013, time for a radical leap even if it’s backwards.

From Wikipedia:
‘Dumbo Gets Mad’ is a psych-rock duo project from Italy. The project started out when the duo moved to Los Angeles in 2010. The band’s debut, Elephants at the Door, has received several positive reviews and reached over 100K digital downloads.

Ah, Los Angeles. I guess that means I should look out for their live shows.

A few good songs of 2012

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ULTRADEMON – Step Into Liquid (It’s A Trap)
Favorite seapunk/trap-ish song of 2012


Tomas Barfod – November Skies (feat. Nina Kinert)
My favorite melancholy song with my-birthday-month-in-the-title of 2012


Planningtorock – Patriarchy (Over & Out)
Favorite dance song about patriarchy of 2012


NHK’Koyxeи – 01-587
Favorite melding of hip hop/techno/IDM beats that makes me compulsively move by a Japanese DJ in 2012.


AraabMuzik – I Remember
Favorite 2012 song about remembering by a Dominican-Guatemalan DJ Producer with a misleading stage name.


Ph̬dre РIn Decay
Favorite gratuitous use of honey in a video combined with lyrical and visual references to polyamory in a 2012 song.


Grimes – Genesis
Favorite song to bust out during a dining room dance party so that I can dance like a 7th grade goth who almost won best dancer for the class yearbook but lost to the more popular girl who liked to freak.


Major Lazer – ‘Get Free’ feat. Amber (of Dirty Projectors)
Favorite Summer of 2012 jam that I stopped listening to after I heard a bit of it used as an intro for a show on KPFK. Get free.


Gonjasufi – The Blame
And finally, MY FAVORITE SONG OF 2012! It’s such an amazing, sincere song, I wrote Gonjasufi to ask him about it. He sent me a very personal answer which I don’t feel comfortable sharing. He did say the song was about “being judged by those who fear truth.” The video is pretty awesome too.