Monday, April 26, 2010

Wild Tonic Has A New Home!

Wild Tonic has moved here.

The archives have been shifted there but will remain here as well. Please visit the latter for new posts.

See you over there for more refreshments offered in mp3 and videos!

Thank you!
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Thursday, April 22, 2010

Robyn: Dancing On My Own

And... we have the fourth Robyn song off of Body Talk pt. 1! I cannot wait until the damn record is released. All these teasers are just getting too good and this one is the best of them of yet! Remember her hit song, 'Be Mine," where she sings about lusting for a love she'll never have? "Dancing On My Own" could be a sequel to "Be Mine" as far as I'm concerned because this is the stuff that made the world fall in love with her again on her last album.

Robyn could come off as pathetic by pitying herself in lyrics such as "I'm in the corner/Watching you kiss her/Ohhhh!" but thank God she deals with heartbreak alongside a hot disco beat! There's nothing like a good rhythm to help you dance your troubles away and with "stilettos and broken bottles," it doesn't sound like Robyn is going to be sitting down anytime soon. (Hey, it's better than eating your feelings.)

I'm still enjoying "Fembot," "None of Dem" and "Dancehall Queen" but this one is the cream of the crop so far. Check the new track out below!
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Devendra Banhart Music Video: Foolin

Devendra Banhart will always hold a special place in my heart. Whether it's his androgynous looks, his long locks, his quivering vocals, or just his whole hippie folk-freak appeal, Rejoicing in the Hands, will continue to be one of my all time favorite albums.

His latest album, What Will We Be, is his first album released on Warner Brothers and with a bigger and mainstream label, his sound did unfortunately change. It's not that I don't like the fact that "Baby" is still playing off of Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon's "Lover," but it is straying away from his original folk roots which echoed Vashti Bunyan.

However, with a new album and a new sound, comes new videos (with hot haircuts!). I suppose I should have mentioned this in the beginning of the post, but the video for "Foolin" is pretty much NSFW. It's not anything extremely gory or sexual, but just enough to make you feel embarrassed if your supervisor walks by your desk while you watch it.

Check Devendra Banhart's video for "Foolin" out below!

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Inara George: Q (with Gus Seyffert)

Inara George has pure talent running through her veins. Literally. Her father was Lowell George, the late founder of a rock and roll group called Little Feat. Perhaps you've heard of them? So with music in her blood, George was bound to bring us some great material of her own. Although very different from her father's sound, George does bring something different to the table each time whether she's wrapping silky jazz melodies around pop chords with Greg Kurstin (the other half of The Bird and The Bee) or when she's playin' a little country with her girls in The Living Sisters.

Kurstin is a well known producer and boasts a very impressive resume with names such as Lily Allen (It's Not Me, It's You), Marina and the Diamonds (The Family Jewels), and Sia (We Are Born). All of this is on top of being an incredible multi-instrumentalist and appearing on more than 40 albums. He's often busy in a session so this leaves George to wander off into other projects as well.

Her latest project (besides the Hall and Oates cover album in The Bird and The Bee) happens to be part of a Sargent Singles series which is being overseen by Gus Seyffert (of Los Angeles' Willoughby). Her song "Q," which is off of Sargent Singles Vol. 1 and also a part of the Vosotros family, is a nice duet with Seyffert. The soft beats and bare arrangements that dip into jazz-pop welcome George's smooth vocals as if Kurstin were writing the beats. However, the accompanying vocals definitely carry Seyffert's tone.

Vosotros lives up to the meaning of their name (music for you all) and has once again added a nice collection of songs to their label with the revolving door of musicians they bring together. You can download George's track along with Charlie Wadhams' "Arranging My Life" over at Sargent Records' site. You can also stream and grab "Q" from the widget below!
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Au Revoir Simone: Only You Can Make You Happy (PUNCHES remix)

There aren't too many indie bands which consist of three very elegant and slender gals who play three synths and pretty much sound really rad as well. Au Revoir Simone first caught my attention when they released their debut album, Verses of Comfort, Assurance of Salvation back in 2005. Their sweet electronica chords and delicate riffs layered underneath angelic vocals in songs such as "Hurricanes" and "The Disco Song" separated them from other female groups and since then, they've gotten even better at it.

In 2009, they released their third studio album, Still Night, Still Light, and although it lacked the cohesiveness the first two albums had, "Only You Can Make You Happy" definitely stood out as one of the best tracks. For a very mellow band who has personified "ethereal" to another level, the intro was what impressed me. The beats dug a little deeper and the keyboard riffs tremendously sparkled  - even for them.

So, when I heard Brooklyn duo, PUNCHES, had officially remixed the song, I was curious to listen to it as a real dance song. Since the duo's mission is to "plan on setting the night ablaze in a club near" me with their indie disco vibes, I checked it out and guess what? It's good. It's really good. Check it out below!

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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

The Golden Filter: Hide Me (Peter Bjorn and John's Hortlax Cobra remix)

Half Ohio, Half Australian-based band, The Golden Filter, is getting ready to release their debut album, Voluspa, in the US on June 15th. You can head on over to the band's set to stream the entire thing since it's already been released over in the UK.

To get us ready State side, they've released their single, "Hide Me" and are also offering a remix of it done by Peter Bjorn and John. What's interesting about this is that they've previously remixed PBJ's "Lay It Down." It reminds of me of the time Violent Femmes covered Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" after Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse covered "Gone Daddy Gone."

The Golden Filter has been a band on the rise for a while here in the States and I unfortunately missed them at SXSW due to a long line. If you haven't heard their music yet, I highly recommend checking out "Hide Me" below along with the remix!

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Jetskiis: Bodymore

"Last year Jetskiis was formed by a singer living under house arrest, a bassist without a valid mailing address, two recently unemployed drummers, and a guitarist in the midst of a gender epiphany." If that doesn't describe the life of every other band, I don't know what does. Times can be rough especially when a person's drive and passion dares to steer away from typically financially-stable career path.

However, the rough times are what make the blood of musicians stronger and it is essentially what pumps out of them during the best of songwriting times. Luckily for us, San Francisco-based band Jetskiis have taken all their downtime to churn out some rad material such as "Bodymore." Honing the "Island Grunge" genre, the band comprised of former members from New Centuries and Send for Help, is getting ready to release Spraycation which is receiving guidance from Apollo Sunshine's Jeremy Black.

Their sound definitely echos their influences. Vocals are reminiscent of Roxy Music. There are hints of Meter-esque funk and a bit of pop swagger a la Billy Ocean somehow manages to come together with lo-fi grunge. The melodies are solid enough to carry the song, but the reverb-drenched guitar and bass lines tell me they're not in a hurry. When a band offers laid back hazy textures and credibility, it's worth taking the time to sit down and listen.

Grab and listen to "Bodymore" below!

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Crystal Castles vs. B.o.B: Celestica In The Sky

Apparently, all the kids are raging about this B.o.B character. I'm only aware of his existence because he features the butter-smooth vocals of Bruno Mars on "Nothin' On You," and now, the hype is currently surrounding his new track, "Airplanes Pt. 2," which features with Eminem and Haley Williams.

Eminem is a great artist in his own right but I don't find myself blasting his music... ever. Hayley Williams has some pretty amazing vocals but I'm not a fan of her pop punk band, Paramore. The track they all collaborated on together isn't exactly my cup of tea either.

However (as you may have previously seen and read)... I am, indeed, a fan of Crystal Castles. "Celestica" has been on repeat all weekend and I'm still loving it. So when I was approached by DJ Tanner (Yep, just like the Full House character) with a mash-up of Crystal Castles and B.o.B, I took a listen for the sake of Alice Glass. It turns out that I like the combo much better than B.o.B's original version alone because Crystal Castles really enhance the flow.

Each track in the mash-up complement each other quite well in a very clean-cut layered fashion. Take a listen below and grab the track if you wish.

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Monday, April 19, 2010

Sensual Harassment: Fever, Daddy Long Legs (D as in Dead Remix)

I'm a bit late on discovering this group. However, that's what is so great about the internet these days. I reach out to bands with open arms and they come running in for a strong embrace. That's basically a ridiculous sappy metaphor for how Sensual Harassment found me on Sound Could. (Yay, the DropBox is working. Keep 'em coming!)

With that said, I'm glad they found me because I almost missed out on the the opportunity to share this Brooklyn-based band who slides New Wave and Shoegaze together in such a manner, the Electronica genre, itself, gets dizzy from all the different textures. Ultimately, Sensual Harassment lives up to their name as their songs are drenched in smooth, player-like psych-pop melodies and reverb that gropes at you from another space-time continuum. After you discovered the end of a track has placed you in a new destination, you realize you've enjoyed yourself on the way there.

Take a listen to "Fever" and "Daddy Long Legs" below!

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Blur: Fool's Day

We have a new single from Blur for the first time in seven years. Yes; that's what I said. I don't know what else to say about this except that it must be a miracle. In celebration of Record Store Day, the band's official website has made "Fool's Day" available as a free download so no one is stuck with an illegally obtained and low quality version of it. Let's face it. If anyone's going to download a new Blur track, they're going to want the best sound quality.

It goes the same for the band. As much as I enjoy Gorillaz, Blur will always trump Damon Albarn's new project which is unfortunately mostly known for "Feel Good Inc." (Don't get me wrong. It's a great track; that's why it got so popular. However, the mainstream needs to dive deeper than that radio track!) They've got to uphold their legacy.

It's a bit odd posting a new Blur song. I feel slightly closer to the twilight zone by doing so. Take a listen to it below and grab the Mp3 at the link below!

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