Big K.R.I.T. "K.R.I.T. was here"

A badass rap mixtape that you need if you like rap/hip hop ect. in any capacity. The second half shines particularly.



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Forest Feeling "Aitken Jamhouse"

Much of the source material for this album was recorded 6th-14th July 2010 in a hand built shack in a town called Lexington in east Michigan on the shore of Lake Huron. The material varies in quality but an attempt at capturing and presenting it in a clear and audible way using digital technology has been made. The music is mixed and intended to be played on amplified analog speakers. I apologize for any inconsistencies or glaring blemishes on other means of music consumption. It is a free download after all;)

All sounds and music by Tyler Ambrosius and Travis Siegfried

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Hella "Tripper"

Fucking new hella album and its probly their best. Every part is clever, and never repeated too many times, every transition is killer. Super dark scary parts beside super epic happy ones....all with jaw dropping rhythmic intensity. Get it.


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Omar Rodriguez-Lopez "The Apocalypse Inside of an Orange"

Though many of you will probly find the shrieking blasts of improvisational shronk appalling, its all tied together with plenty of rhythm and funk. This music is spiky, twisted and insane without being an unlistenable racket like many of his other records....well maybe for short bursts at few a choice moments...but thats for effect! Not for everyone, but I love wild shit like this sometimes....and the album art is fuckin sweet.

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From Sam

Hey guys, this is Sam, sorry I don't post anymore but all I listen to is Built to Spill and Superchunk. So yeah. Go Tyler!

Love, Sam

Daniel Striped Tiger - "No Difference"

Riffy experimental indie/punk/hardcore type stuff. Kinda noisy and nonsensical at times but it is creative material nonetheless. "Latchkey" is a pretty cool song.

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Age Sixteen

Again, not exactly breaking news but i'm jamming it currently so up it goes. Skip it if you just can't get past screamo-y vocals, otherwise this will satisfy your need for an intense listen. I love the propulsive strumming of epic guitar chords and neat-o riffys. The recordings are less than awesome but you can make out all the instruments at least.

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kidcrash - "jokes"

I'm sure most of you guys have seen this album before, so this is for those who havn't come across it yet. These guys pretty much do the whole post hardcore/whatever thing better than anyone else, and with a serious helping of fantastic musicianship to boot....without being....here comes the forbidden term...MATHROCK. No, thus album is just chock full of awesome riffs, clever transitions, nifty passages, interesting rhythms and engaging (albeit raw) vocals. I dig it and I think some of you might too.

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Bells Whistles

warm tones, crisp beats, get into it reptilians



bandcamp

Sorry No Ferrari- Ternary

Genre: math rock

Great semi-new release from Atlanta's Sorry No Ferrari. You can stream the whole album at the URL below and get as much tappy math rock goodness as you can handle. RIYL: Rooftops, (old) Maps and Atlases, Piglet, etc.

Listenz

Otis Jackson Jr.

Beat K.onducta vol.5-6



This is Madlib's personal tribute to J Dilla, released in 2009. It original occupied two slices of vinyl and is probably name divided into two volumes because of it's length. It is essentially a long form beat tape...and a fabulously engaging one at that. I have listened to all the way through many many times, as it has proved to be an excellent way to soothe ones nerves on on extended drives.


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Casa Castile- Umbra

Genre: bedroom pop

My band in Nashville just released a new CD called "Umbra." I tell people that it sounds like tropical Radiohead, but you can judge for youself. My personal fav tracks are "One Day You'll have Your Castle" and "Slowly Folding." I'd love to hear what you guys think of it! (You can also download our first CD for free there.)

Fleet Foxes- Helplessness Blues

Genre: Folk

This is my little mini-review of the new Fleet Foxes album. You can find bigger and better reviews elsewhere if you need more info.

Overall, this feels like it should've been the first Fleet Foxes release, not the third due to the stripped down arrangements. The album as a whole is way more centered around Robin Peckhold's songwriting and acoustic guitar strumming and less about the other members of the band. Gone are the guitar experimentation and twangy riffs that littered S/T and Sun Giant. There's a weird free jazz saxophone solo somewhere, but that doesn't really count. I walked away feeling like Fleet Foxes wrote this album for my dad's generation, not mine, although the lyrics and engineering definitely improved for this album. Obviously this is a great folk album, the band just went in a direction that I personally don't think was the right one. Standout tracks include "Grown Ocean," "Helplessness Blues," and "Battery Kinzie."

7/10

"Helplessness Blues" is out now! Buy it and support good music!

RadFriends Digital Releases

An artist collective started by some of my pals at Belmont. All the albums are free, and they are all full of super talented musicians. I will particularly recommend Big Surr, Youth Ripper, and Diarrhea Planet (still gross). My band Casa Castile's new album will be released on this "label" as well very soon.

http://radfrnds.bandcamp.com/

Crash of Rhinos- Distal

Genre: punk, old school emo

Great recommendation by a blog reader, these guys bring back some great memories of old 90's emo bands. Punky but also a little mathy and twinkly. RIYL: Castevet, Colour, Algernon Cadwallader

Blackbird Blackbird- Halo LP

Genre: chillwave, dream pop, dubby

Cool little album I stumbled upon today It's "pay what you want" on bandcamp so get it for very little! RIYL Broken Social Scene, The Radio Dept., Beach House

Musical Mathematics Comp

Our friends at Musical Mathematics have put together a really great compilation of the current stars of math rock. Featuring some of our favorites like Noumenon, Tera Melos, and Native, as well as some great bands I'd never heard of. Well worth the free download.

Some New Releases

Man, we've gotten so lazy with this thing. Sorry guys. Here's some albums we've been playin lately:

Buke & Gass: "Riposte" (acoustic math punk duo with homemade instruments and kick drum beats)





sweet live performance
Downloadz


Joan of Arc: "Life Like" (simpler, just drums, guitar, and bass and featuring Victor Villareal on second guitar. A great return to form.)



Downloadz

Bibio: "Mind Bokeh" (Not as good as Ambivalence Avenue, but still has good tracks)
Downloadz

As always, please buy any albums that you enjoy. The music industry is dying, and as members of it, we want to believe that people will still support music they love so that it can be a viable, profitable art form just like architecture or film or photography or whatever.

Thanks, and much love,
Sam and Tyler

Frank Ocean- Nostalgia/Ultra

Genre: R&B, rap, indie

I'm not sure I'm on board with all the Odd Future guys, but I'm lovin Frank Ocean's debut. Just as well produced as anything on the radio, and way more thoughtful. Opening up with a Coldplay cover is a bold move, but it's awesome and works. Not sure I dig the closing MGMT cover as much, but the originals in between rule. Check it out if you want to groove.

Downloadz

Chalk Talk/Sirs- Bvvvvvvvvv

Genre: punk, indie

Cool little split from two pretty sweet bands. I love the Chalk Talk cover of "Wouldn't It Be Nice" hahah

Downloadz

Light Skits Twitter!

Last spam post, promise. We have a Twitter now for Light Skits, which I'm sure I could link here somehow but I don't know how. So just search for "Light Skits" if you're into that sort of thing.

Love Sam

Lord Huron- Mighty EP

Genre: folk pop, tropical

I don't really know how to describe this album. it's like if Fang Island was a folk band kinda. And there's some Vampire Weekend in there. I'm sure there's better comparitive bands, but I'm bad at that. Great little folk EP if you wanna be kinda happy, but not too happy.

Light Skits Show!

Genre: power pop, math rock

Sorry, gotta spam a little for me an Tyler's band, Light Skits. We'll be playing at The Bottletree Cafe in Birmingham, AL on Feb. 18th with Unwed Sailor if any of you guys live around there. Say hey if you do! You can download the CD here:

Yamon Yamon

New band namers take note. Having a name that makes people feel foolish saying is a lousy plan. That said, ignore this particular name and give its attached ep and album a listen. It is pop music in the sense that they find one theme and stick with it for most of the length of each track, but you'll find yourself air guitaring and tapping the parts and rhythms they use to yourself. Something to snap your fingers to in the car, if so you need.

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Star Slinger- Rogue Cho Pa EP

Genre: beach-hop

I made up that genre. Super beachy hip-hop jams that are perfect for pulling you out of the snow day blues. Also, I'm way too lazy to have a blog.

(My mediafire link was dead, but here's the stream)
Rogue Cho Pa EP by Star Slinger

Bibio- Mind Bokeh sampler

Genre: fuzzy acoustic beat pop

Out on Warp on March 29th. Doesn't sound like a huge departure from 2009's "Ambivalence Avenue," but that album was awesome, so I'm pretty excited. Here's the video sampler:

Happy 2011!

We might make a list of some sort for the end of the year, but I can't really remember what all came out this year. I (Sam) listened to Best Coast the most for sure. Pretty sure the Kanye album wouldn't make either of our lists.

<3 sam and tyler