Just when I thought I might actually make it a full month without putting up anOrca Orcasong Jim Hewett went and released “Say So.”
Comforting yet important, spacious but deep, might as well call it “Experiencing An Oxymoron” instead.
While “Say So” is playing I really want to come outright and say it is the best song on this weeks mix, as well as my favorite, unfortunately I can’t say that for sure, I’m pretty stoked to be closing out March with such a solid playlist, still without ranking it is more than worthy of a side-one track-one status on this weeks mixtape.
In February of 2011, on one of the first Heycoolkid! posts ever (Winterishly Trapped), I included a track from the band Chairs In The Arno, at the time it had been years since I’d heard anything from them and mentioned the hiatus in the review, turns out it wasn’t just a hiatus but instead the band had succumbed, as so many bands do, to life and parted ways.
So randomly last week I received an email mentioning the former bass-player for Chairs In The Arno, Jeff Knight‘s new project Endless Loop.
There are four Endless Loop songs getting steadily played on my ipod this week. There was a novelty to CITA that attracted me to them, novelty is fleeting and there is no remnant of it on any Endless Loop song, instead you’ll find charisma wrapped in an electro-pop blanket of understated confidence.
My favorite element within the Endless Loop sound is Samantha Hughes and her ideal vocals. “Across The Atlanta” is the perfect example where each time she joins in with Knight’s singing the two voices combine making things feel spot on, as if they were meant for the other’s.
More than likely I’ll be putting up some other songs from these two in the near future.
Here is that Chairs In The Arno track so you can contrast and compare.
I may actually enjoy this cover more than the original. I’ve dug Pictureplane for some time so that isn’t meant to take anything away from what he does, Health just know how to draw certain feelings from a song better than any other artist in the genre.
That guitar use is a straight forward way of setting the entire songs vibe which gets sealed completely by the Fleetwood Mac samples which destroy with angelic fierceness.
For some reason whenever I play this song I picture the Gleaming The Cube warehouse skating scene in my head (I watched Gleaming The Cube and Friday the 13th part six on repeat as a kid, which is not an exaggeration. Most kids had Disney movies, I had Christian Slater with Tony Hawk and Jason Voorhees soundtracked by Alice Cooper collaborating with Kenny Loggins).
—- Okay so I just pulled up the clip from Gleaming The Cube and figured out that if you start the song just between :12 and :13 and start the clip without sound, every time the deck hits the ground it goes with the beat… I know I’m probably the only person on the planet who cares about that combination but if you could have seen the little move I made when I got them aligned you might come close to understanding how much enjoyment I found at four in the morning by aligning the two together (think professional bowler after getting a winning strike, that whole elbow into the side reverse fist pump disgruntled “yeah” face thing they do… just happened)—-
Picture your favorite scary movie from the 80′s, now think of the one scene that you remember being both awesome and creepy at the same time, now imagine “Cold Hands” from V A L I S playing, tell me they don’t fit PERFECTLY together. The one movie above all others where this song would have absolutely killed in…. The Lost Boys ( another glorious movies that helped define my childhood).
V A L I S are out of Chicago and it is nearly impossible to find anything out about the electronic new comers (in part due to an extremely shitty band called Valis…there is nothing worse than old dudes who think they are making “rock” music,these are the same guys that throw the “rock” hand sign in every lame picture they take, you know what I’m talking about, and then the second being that three times in there bio it mentions that one of the members was once in Screaming Trees and then in the last paragraph it says “Say what you will about VALIS… Just as long as you can do it without using the words “trees” or “screaming” because Van Conner has stepped out of the shadows and landed front and center in what can only be described as a total reinvention of self,” don’t name drop your ex-[and much better]band and then talk trash about comparing the dude to them.
Sorry for the digression back to V A L I S the gnarly industrial/techno duo.
If you dig this song then take the time to follow the Soundcloud link below and check out some of their other stuff there, especially “Cobra” which is one hell of a song sampled around the Sylvester Stallone movie with the same title; if you’ve ever had a hangover on a Sunday there is a good chance you’ve seen it a few times like myself.
The number of friends who have that random clinging person who I wish I could just send this song out to are many.
The strength lies in the work Trentemøeller‘s put in allowing an escape from the lyrics themselves causing “Too Insistent“ never to have a chance at balancing out, things consistently changing to give numerous angles on the singular message.
1860 are an Icelandic band with a folk backbone and pop mindset. “For You, Forever” is a start to finish hold-hands and sing-along track meant for crush mixtapes and subtle playlist for co-ed drives.
I love that these guys do half of their songs in English and the other half in Icelandic which makes for a very enjoyable listen with their combination of confident steady lyrics and borderline swooning vocals. (Via)
I featured “Riptides” from Strange Fur on the I Saw The Best Minds Of My Generation Choking On Birthday Cake post. “Couldn’t Wait” is a very similar song, although with slightly more upbeat instrumentation, with lyrics of concentrated remembrance of better times shared with someone else.
The direct one-on-one focus to their songs is the one tangent of Strange Fur‘s music that appeals to me more than any other aspect within their creativity.
More than any other band I’ve found in 2012 none have made me feel anywhere near as comfortable as The Parade Schedule. There is some unspoken undertone to Matt Kinder, a longing sadness of some sort yet deeper, for some reason I have instantly attached to it and more-so can relate with.
His fearlessness to weave his faith into his lyrics is of utmost importance to me and it pains me that so many other artists lack the courage to express who they are fully through their art. The Parade Schedule is genuine and I dig it.
I’m not sure what it is about “By And By” that I love so much but I do enjoy this track immensely. The first time I heard it I kept picturing the scene inThe Go-Getter (oh my love for The Go-Getter!) when Lou Taylor Pucci is helping his brother’s ex-girlfriend with community service by singing hymns to young kids, it’s one of my favorite movies and I realize these two have no real relation but that was the image playing in my mind, “By And By“ may now be my favorite from The Parade Schedule.
I recorded this just before leaving Indiana and have listened to it a good twenty times, I hope you listen intently so as not to miss the sense of awe that came over the crowd as “Towers Of Our Heart” developed.
This is the song Caleb McCoachopened his set with, I first heard it last fall at Broad Ripple Music Fest and have been eager to hear once again ever since, BRMF was also the first time I’d seen him joined on stage by the ever-so-talented Lisa Berlin on the keys.
Having caught him live so many times over the last few years I can say that the difference of having Lisa play along has not only helped transfer his sound in a completely new direction, there is also a calm that is apparent which she brings to the stage, seeming to ease the nervousness that before played an element of contrast to the music he performed. Oddly what that nervousness has been replaced by is a guy who is finally as massive as his lyrics have always been.
Caleb McCoach is easily one of the greatest songwriters living today and now he has a presence when performing that accentuates it. For a while I was afraid that Caleb would begin drifting off into that void of life so many artist dissipate into, it’s beginning to be clear that something more important is happening, a transformation, it is unbelievable to feel the change. His lyrics have always given me chills yet to be there and see a loud room transfer into wide eyes with open jaws mouthing “WOW” to each other felt epic, like stumbling into Cafe Wha? in the early 60′s .
Take everything you love about Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and possibly even Tom Waits (depending on which direction he eventually goes in) and I guarantee you Caleb McCoach fits right in beside them as an equal. He is one of the last remaining songwriting gunslingers, we need someone like him in music now more than ever.
He’s supposed to have a new EP coming sometime in the near future, I cannot wait to own it.
Bonus:
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Here is a live take on my favorite Caleb McCoach song “Brother In The Kitchen” :
Finally some new music from the group that gave us one of the best songs of 2011 “Belly Of The Beast.”
Howthare a developing band out of Brooklyn who are one of those rare collectives to walk the fine line between solid controlled instrumentation and deep heavy lyricism.
Initially “Out In Eagan” is my favorite song from Newkirk which will be available on May 1st (you can stream it now through their Bandcamp link), although with such a strong effort I have a feeling once I’ve listened through it a few more times something else will take it’s place.
Bryan John Appleby has created one of the more organic songs I’ve heard lately, with it’s uncanny ability to drive rhythm upon rhythm that makes this song chug along with importance. “The Words Of The Revelator” is as much a necessity to see performed live as it is to throw on a mix to get your body moving in that uniform “yeah” motion.
“Like Vines” is more poetry than anything else. Joseph Williams using his Boyhood Bravery moniker puts out introspective sketches that are so well written that they make the stripped down nature to his recordings sound necessary.
i wore 3D glasses and i stared into your eyes you said “the stars look pretty plain tonight” and i racked my brain right there and then to try to find a solution to ‘when exactly did i start to bore you first?’ was it the first time i mis-quoted Bronte? (and by the way, she still bores me) or was it the ill-fated night of candle-wax? either way i knew back then, as the spectrum bled into a familiar colour, you’d found another.
i could write about the first time that i lay there in your bedroom i could write about the first time we were clay and we both moulded our bodies intertwined like vines on a National Trust building; but it wouldn’t change that things ended this way with you hating me just for liking you more than a friend should do.
take a look at all that happened; i bet it isnt how you dreamed it would be i still have your ring hidden somewhere i still remember everything.
All songs are for promotional purposes only. If you or an artist you represent would like to have content removed email me at heycoolkid@yahoo.com
If you know a band or are in a band that would like to have their music reviewed email me at the above address as well,( hard copies of albums won’t guarantee you a spot on a playlist but they will most definitely guarantee you a spot in my heart).
Holy Hell! How absolutely perfect is this new track from Beach House? That was rhetorical. As soon as I post this I’m pre-ordering Bloom which will come out in it’s most-likely epic entirety on may 15th.
New Beach House; check. Summer playlist; Check. Fulfilled heart; Check.
Just good positive vibes coming from “Neighbor Crimes,” a song about remaining optimistic and looking forward to getting away from a bad place.
Capybara are definitely on my list of bands to catch at SXSW, I haven’t checked their schedule yet but hopefully there is a free show somewhere in the mix.
With Youth Lagoon like creative brilliance and a sound aligned with Nerves Junion, eighteen year old Luca Cage looks to have masses of hype going his way in 2012.
Everything about this song is worth putting on repeat from the sweet horn sounds and the funk like groove to how the vocals feel as if we are hearing them from a jukebox across a smoke thick pool hall filled of bad people with bad intentions.
It’s not much of a stretch saying there is huge potential for Caves in the future psyche of our indie music landscape. – (via)
In the midst of my newly formed obsession with The Golden Hearts I’ve found Field Mouse to share the crush with. Rachel Browne has the ideal voice to make this shoegazey dream-pop feel perfect.
So the Cloud Nothings show last weekend was the first since moving to Austin I had been overtly stoked for and I overslept. Getting super tired at like 2 in the afternoon, and being a lifelong fan of naps, thought it a good idea to lay down for a few minutes. Fast forward seven and a half hours and I was still sound asleep. I really want to catch Cloud Nothings in the wild sometime soon. This song is a sort of atonement for my mistake.
“Forget You All The Time” was the first song that completely sold me on Dylan Baldi. It captures every aspect of the music I grew up on without sounding contrived.
I’m new to Sun Buffalo so not much I can tell you. There isn’t anything about them worth repeating on their facebook page or through any outlet I’ve looked to other than they are a 3 piece out of Maryland, luckily they have a few free albums to grab on bandcamp so we can both get to know them a little better through the music.
As far as electric-guitar goes this is the sound I love the most; simple yet intricate, sparse yet fitting, kind of reminds me of early The Junior Varsity but more chill.
“Fear Instilled” is a prime example of everything that has been great about the resurgence of 90′s garage rock with that rad low-fi touch we have all come to appreciate.
Cousin Brian are out of Philly and still relatively unknown. It may be a few minutes before people catch on to this noise but take my word for it, there are some solid early summer must-haves coming from these guys.
Agent A caught my attention last year with his work with Omae which were some of the best tracks 2011 had to offer, most notably being “Breathing 2007” which came in at #14 on my Best Of 2011 list.
This dude is absolutely solid in everything he touches. From that instantly infectious beat he keys out with ease to the limited but ideally placed lyrics this is about as good as laptop-pop can get.
.Here’s the latest demo from Agent A & Omae in case you’ve been wondering what they are up to, give it a second it gets real good.
Big Gigantic are one of the rare Electronic/Dubstep groups I’m willing to make an effort to catch “Live” because these guys actually do something on stage rather than stand behind an Apple and dance around with some sporadic unintelligible mumbles into the microphone.
I know this video isn’t exactly a live cut but you get what I’m talking about.
Nicolas Jaar knows without a doubt how to get down. I threw up his remix of Missy Elliot last September and still try to fit it into every playlist possible.
“With Just One Glance” showcases just one more way this guy keeps it icy and interesting from start to finish.
I dug this 80′s track up over the weekend when putting a mix together to go along with a couple of Wealth tracks I was sending over to a friend who mentioned looking for similar songs to what is on the Drive soundtrack.
I completely forgot how much I love this song. Baltinore weren’t by any means groundbreaking but still there is a valid relation between what they were doing in ’85 with what is flooding the indie scene lately.
In all honesty I’ve been on the fence with Pickwick; not that I have anything against their music it just hasn’t connected with me all that much before. This live take of “Hacienda Motel” may be the catalyst to change that. The delivery is smooth and comfortable, I may be starting to comprehend what they have been about which has remained out of my grasp before now.
Since moving to Austin this has been the style of music I’m getting more and more into daily. Small Faces and similar bands are the major reason for the delay in today’s mix since I’ve been spending as much time educating myself on all of the incredible music I’ve been neglecting for so long since devoting all of my time focusing on new bands and new music. I would definitely count on hearing much more of this style in the coming weeks on Heycoolkid!.
Odonis Odonis are creating music that directly reflects what all those psychedelic bands from the 60′s would be creating if they were making music today…at least that’s what I hear when “Ledged Up” is playing.
Still to this day Vagrant is one of my favorite labels. They put out a consistent stream of solid bands (and yes my love-fest started with Dashboard Confessional; I’ll stand by Carrabba’s music for the rest of my life no-matter how uncool it makes me in certain pretentious self-righteous circles, even friends whose opinions I respect give me shit for it but DC is in my top 5 hands down… ah get)
Anyways back to Reptar and the feel good, cheer the hell up and sing along song “Sebastian“. This is one of those you can’t help but look forward to sharing with a hundred other sweaty kids. So much fun with an energetic laid back vibe, kind of what I expected would be coming from Tokyo Police Club (that is if TPC weren’t putting out shitty Kelly Clarkson and Miley Cyrus covers and put some real music out again, it is long overdue).
“Brave New Machine” is my favorite track off of American Wolf‘s recently released Tales Of Kamanakera which is an album truly worth digesting in its entirety. These guys are out of Chicago, make the time to check em out.
“Balloon” is delicate romanticism softly delivered yet remaining honest where so many others just appear less than academic and plastic. When in the right mood for Mozey I just can’t help but enjoy a song like this with a fullness of appreciation.
I’m ending this week with an instrumental track from Billy Yu.
“How We Saved A Tree” comes across like a modern touch on the whole Explosions In The Sky sound I love so much.
You can get the entire The Loving Ghost album for free through his bandcamp link (throw the guy some denari if you got it though). The entire album is just as enjoyable, I’ve been using it lately when the stress of being in a new place and trying to get everything started has had me in need of a temporary release.
Things are starting to get a little hectic. Between the trying to get everything prepared for a cross-country move and the fact that I work in a bar in a city that’s about to host the Super Bowl causing me to have one day off in the next two weeks has me more than a little upset with myself about all things Heycoolkid, especially since this site is the release I look forward to each week.
Today’s mix includes a few more songs than usual that have been out for some time, it’s fine though it turns out that without the new-song smell some tracks are still worth listening too (are you taking notes hipsters?). If you’re looking for more new music it should be a strong couple weeks around here, I’ve already got the next two posts slated and they have a much more fresh out of the laundry scent.
