Julian Casablancas: Phrazes for the Young • MYSPACE • OFFICIAL SITEIf Julian Casablancas’ new CD, Phrazes for the Young, was a movie, I might have walked out midway. The once-and-future lead singer of The Strokes’ first solo record starts out well – a trio of up-tempo, surprisingly groovy songs, culminating in the new wave-ish, new-sounding lead single “11th Dimension.” But it goes o
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When I was a kid, the constructs of pop music were much simpler, and if you heard an amazing song on the radio, like “When Doves Cry” or “Wishing Well,” there was a good chance it would go to Number One on the charts, or at least place. (Even Depeche Mode’s “People Are People” was a Top 20 hit in the U.S.) No longer, as evidenced by the failure of brilliant track “Lies” by UK buz
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This month’s podcast features music from Shrag, The Soft Pack, Fenech-Soler, Glass Cake, Silver Swans, MuteMath, Yeasayer, The Twang, Pictureplane, Frightened Rabbit, Exlovers, Freelance Whales, LoveLikeFire, Gift of Gab, Hannah Georgas, The Beatings, Javelin, ARMS, Fred, and Washed Out.To purchase music from these artists, visit jeffmix.com.JeffMix podcasts: 20 songs, every month, the best in .
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Lauren Flax’s “You’ve Changed” is not only the most under-rated song of last year – I failed to include it on my year-end list of songs, Pitchfork neither, and pretty much everyone missed it (except, brilliantly, Sasha Frere-Jones) — but it gets me moving every single time I hear it. It’s a top-notch dance song, featuring vocals by Aussie pop singer and Zero 7 collaborator Sia (hear
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Mumford & Sons: Sigh No MoreI don’t usually care for bands with banjos, and I come across a lot of groups that have spent too much time watching O Brother Where Art Thou and not enough time writing great songs. UK band Mumford & Sons, despite touting banjos and looking like they’re ready to hop boxcars, don’t fall into that trap, as they’ve come up with one of the more solid set of tracks
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Swedish Prince and Nu Shooz fans, O’Spada, return with another unapologetic slice of early-1980s pop funk, “Ten Strikes.” It’s on the heels of excellent first single “Time” (which can be heard on JeffMix2009.06.27), both songs that would be candidates for the soundtrack if anyone dared do a remake of Purple Rain. Morris Day would be proud...O’Spada: Ten StrikesMP3 • • MYSPACE
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I’m amazed at how quickly Animal Collective have become a major influence. It usually takes bands a generation before they’re cited or imitated, but it seems I’m writing about the latest Animal Collective-inspired band every other month or so (Atlas Sound, Toro Y Moi, Bagheera, Akudama). And Brooklyn-based Yeasayer are another one that wear their experimental, groove-laden AC influences prou
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Tegan and Sara: SainthoodTegan and Sara have a great album in them, but Sainthood isn’t it. It’s close on several fronts, especially when it plays to the Calgary twins’ strengths, their teenage-girl harmonies and affinity for strong pop hooks, like on lead single “Hell” and “On Directing” (with its cutie-pie “go steady with me” chorus). But it’s also a frustrating record, as th
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One thing that’s missing from today’s crop of folk singers is a darker, Leonard Cohen-ish edge. And American singer-songwriter Emily Jane White recaptures the more miserable end. Don’t believe me? Here’s what she says: “I don’t write happy music. I’m drawn to writing sad songs. Reflective, contemplative songs. I truly believe that’s my job. I’m okay with that.” Well, so am I, e
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If music had a stock market, I’d buy big in Chiddy Bang. The unsigned Philly rapper-producer duo, who just released the free-to-download mixtape The Swelly Express, have got all the right ingredients: indie samples; smooth, non-threatening flow; college pedigree (apparently they’re both still students). Looking for who comes next in the Cudi-Drake-Asher-Lupe line? Give “All Things Go,” wit
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Seventeen-year-old Florida rapper Dominique Young Unique may not be as original as her name suggests – it’s easy to compare her sound to other alt-hip hoppers Santigold and M.I.A. – but she has reason to be confident. Only two tracks sit on her MySpace page, slinky “Hot Girl” and the more accessible “Music Time” (downloadable below) – both with a spicy, mashup-style sound from Yo M
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Atlas Sound: LogosApparently the cover of Logos is a photo of its creator, the hyper-talented and clearly emaciated Bradford Cox, vocalist for Deerhunter, sometimes drummer for Lotus Plaza, and solo force behind the Animal Collective-inspired lofi bedroom project Atlas Sound. And it’s an apt image for Logos, equal parts entrancing, creepy and mysterious. It’s also an unexpectedly intimate reco
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Occupying the space somewhere between Massive Attack and Saint Etienne, Sweden’s Little Dragon may not be new (they’ve got two albums under their belt, including last year’s not-iTuned-yet Machine Dreams), but the electro foursome, helmed by vocalist Yukimi Nagano, is not big yet. I think it’s because not enough people have heard their completely haunting 2007 single “Twice,” a candida
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I know a song has megahit potential when my six-year-old daughter loves it as much as I do. So far this year, her favourite songs have been “Warm Heart of Africa” by The Very Best, and “Black & Blue” by Miike Snow, both big choons. Now add Museum of Bellas Artes’ “Who Do You Love,” a cover (of sorts) of a mid-’60s mild hit by the forgotten girl group The Sapphires. If that isn’t
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The Big Pink: A Brief History of LoveI liked The Big Pink’s full-length debut record, A Brief History of Love, more than I expected, especially after not being too moved by first-leaked tracks “Velvet” and “Too Young to Love,” which was soon followed up with the hard-to-outplay brilliance of “Dominos.” It’s a strangely evocative record, reminding me of first indie-fuzz bands like M
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I’d love to see Phoenix band Kinch get big, not just for their 1990s-style, piano-driven rock (which makes me think of bands like Ben Folds Five, Counting Crows or Brad, especially on recent track “Tie Me Lightly,” downloadable below), but also for their very 2009 approach to the music business. All of their music can be downloaded for free (they charge for physical CDs), including recent EP
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Basement Jaxx: Scars • MYSPACE • OFFICIAL SITEI’m surprised by the lack of buzz – despite today’s unexpected Pitchfork review — surrounding the release of Basement Jaxx’s new album. After all, they’re one of the preeminent dance acts around, with a string of classic club tracks and fairly decent records to their credit during the last decade (starting with 1999’s underrated Remed
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I was sent a link of Adam Arcuragi playing an impromptu acoustic set at an “underground NYC flea market,” and the publicist who emailed it to me knew what she was doing – it’s an excellent way to be introduced to the singer-songwriter’s aim-to-please talents, showcased on the new CD (his second), I Am Become Joy. Arcuragi, despite the seeming complexity of his last name, keeps his brand
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I’ve been slow to catch on to the atmospheric folky brilliance of “Island, IS,” the debut track from Volcano Choir’s first, recently released CD, Unmap. I blame it on the change of seasons. The band — comprised of members of little-known Wisconsin band Collections of Colonies of Bees and vocalist Justin Vernon of the much-better-known Bon Iver — recorded the album last fall in the land
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You know a band is Next-Big-Thing material when you play the first song you hear from them about a dozen times in a row. That’s what I did with Australian band The Middle East and their newly released track, the stunning and slightly menacing “The Darkest Side” (which sounds a bit like a Thom Yorke track, without the bleeps and adding a female co-singer). The song, along with four others cas
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