Get it started right…

mp3: Phantogram – Mouthful Of Diamonds
mp3: Little Dragon – Runabout
mp3: The Joy Formidable – The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade
mp3: Chromeo – Ah Oui Comme Ca
mp3: Crystal Castles – Air War
mp3: Neon Indian – Terminally Chill
mp3: Passion Pit – Little Secrets
mp3: DJ Rootz – Gguuhh
mp3: Miike Snow – Song For No One
mp3: School of Seven Bells – Babelonia
mp3: Gorillaz – Empire Ants (feat. Little Dragon)
mp3: Pretty Lights – Hot Like Sauce

Tags: Chromeo, Crystal Castles, DJ Rootz, Gorillaz, Little Dragon, Miike Snow, Neon Indian, Passion Pit, Phantogram, Pretty Lights, School of Seven Bells, The Joy Formidable

School of Seven Bells trigger psychedelic expeditions into colorful soundscapes infused with the sensual vocals of twin sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza and the ethereal guitar wanderings of Benjamin Curtis. Their multi-layered songs are saturated with melting guitar tones, lush vocal harmonies, raw synths, electronica-edged beats, and heavy production. The band’s love for rhythm, atmosphere and melody is overwhelmingly apparent throughout their explorations.

The members of School of Seven Bells met on tour supporting Interpol in 2004, Curtis performing with Secret Machines and the Dehezas with On!Air!Library!. When first exposed to his future bandmates, Curtis perceived a rare vibe and communication between the girls and fell deeply in love with the sound. Alejandra revealed to Curtis her dreams for a collective entitled School of Seven Bells. The name stems from a fabled training academy of thieves and pickpockets in Columbia. They began making music here and there and by 2007 put some tracks together that they had affection for and released them as the Face to Face on High Places EP. That same year, the band began touring and had the fortune to support both Blonde Redhead and Prefuse 73 on the road.

mp3: School of Seven Bells – Face To Face On High Places – Face To Face On High Places (2007)

Initially, the group spent time translating elements programmed in the studio to other musicians who could fill them out in the live setting. Soon, they began featuring the tracks as originally created. If the sounds were programmed, they’d leave it that way, and if they played them themselves, they’d play it on stage. The sound became more honest and the evolution was liberating, enabling the group to remain a trio.

School of Seven Bells’ debut album Alpinism was released in 2008 on Ghostly International. The trio fused their two disparate previous projects into a new sound anchored in gorgeous, winding melodies and beguiling synth backdrops. The recording is glittery and uplifting, peaceful and hymn-like, yet at points dark and tension-filled. Each track is a distinct being, possessing its very own magic. The distorted vocals on “Chain” gorgeously lean in the direction of Black Moth. And at points, School of Seven Bells recall another one of Brooklyn babies, St. Vincent. In 2009, they supported Alpinism on tours with both Bat for Lashes and Black Moth Super Rainbow.

mp3: School of Seven Bells – Chain – Alpinism (2008)
mp3: School of Seven Bells – For Kalaja Mari – Alpinism (2008)

The trio recently announced that Disconnect from Desire, their 2nd full-length release, will drop via Vagrant/Ghostly International and Full Time Hobby in Europe on July 13th. The album, produced by band member Benjamin Curtis and mixed by Jack Joseph Puig, was recorded in the band’s home studio in Brooklyn. “Babelonia” is the gorgeously fuzzy first track off the album, which they’ve released for free into the blogosphere.

mp3: School of Seven Bells – Babelonia – Disconnect From Desire (2010)

“From the start, we knew we wanted to make a record that connected on more of a direct and personal level than we ever had before,” Curtis revealed in a statement regarding Disconnect. “It’s a complete account of our lives this past year, and it’s crazy how taking an honest look at yourself can tell you the most about the world around you.”

In support of the release, the trio will perform one date at The Echo in Los Angeles on June 2nd and two at the Mercury Lounge in NYC on June 9 and 10. And in July, the band will journey abroad to the Netherlands, the U.K., Germany and Australia.

Last year, SoSB brought another atmospheric dream pop group on the road with them, upstate New York’s Phantogram. With their thudding beats, lush synthesizers, psychedelic art-rock and interchange of male/female vocals, Phantogram creates dazzling sounds reminiscent of SoSB. Don’t miss Phantogram on tour throughout the U.S. in May and June. May 13th brings them to the Larimer Lounge in Denver. They’ll also hit Sasquatch in 2010.

mp3: Phantogram – Mouthful Of Diamonds – Eyelid Movies (2010)

School of Seven Bells: MySpace | Website
Phantogram: MySpace

: Download Alpinisms through iTunes
: Download Alpinisms Deluxe through iTunes

Tags: Black Moth Super Rainbow, Blonde Redhead, Brooklyn, On!Air!Library!, Phantogram, Prefuse 73, School of Seven Bells, Secret Machines, St. Vincent

I recently caught Phantogram within the gorgeous IFC Studio at SXSW and the experience has held onto a special place in my memory. The duo created a unique vibe in the small blue-imbued 50-capacity space that I became wrapped within until the last notes of their set. I’ve been craving that feeling since and will experience it again on Monday when they surface at the Fox Theatre in Boulder on their tour in support of The Antlers. The group is hitting major cities and smaller ones as well between now and June.

Phantogram is the sonic manifestation of junior high friends Sarah Barthel (synth and vocals) and Josh Carter (guitar, samples, and vocals). The two came together in 2007 to push boundaries of indie-electronica with their unique style of atmospheric dream-pop. The sound walks a tightrope of genres as they weave sampled and electronically-generated hip-hop beats with shoegaze, trip-hop, R&B, indie/emo and pop. With their thudding beats, lush synthesizers, psychedelic art-rock and interchange of male/female vocals, Phantogram creates expansive, dazzling sounds of unfaltering quality that float.

While the band’s sound implies the city, the duo resides in the small town of Saratoga Springs, populations 26,186. To write and record, the two drive further into rural lands of upstate New York to a farmland barn they call Harmony Lodge. The unconventional space acts as their homemade studio/practice-space/think-tank, equipped with various samplers, tapes, records, synths, drums, and percussive and stringed instruments. It is here that Phantogram melds metropolitan influences and those of their natural surroundings to create their textural, psychedelic, beat-driven pop.

The band’s debut, Eyelid Movies (Barsuk Records, 2010), is filled with grand ideas and even better songs. In speaking of the record’s title, Barthel explains: “We ran across a description of dreams somewhere that used the phrase ‘eyelid movies’ – and it really struck us both as something that fit our music.” “Daydreams, the spots you see moving around when your eyes are closed tight, and the shapes you see in the world – those are the kinds of things we want to surface in your mind when you hear a Phantogram song,” adds Carter. Barsuk Records is home to indie greats including Death Cab for Cutie, Rilo Kiley, Ra Ra Riot and Viva Voce.

There tends to be an undercurrent of loneliness and isolation in much of the band’s work, counter-balanced by awe-inspiring moments of untethered bliss. “Mouthful of Diamonds” is one of those highpoints on the record. Its gorgeous guitar melodies, repeating samples, and Barthel’s astounding voice could lift any mood. In case you were wondering, the band’s intriguing name refers to a type of optical illusion that brings 2D images into 3D, creating a lovely parallel with the rich music that this duo brings to life.

mp3: Phantogram – When I’m Small – Eyelid Movies (2010)

Phantogram’s Spring Tour
Apr 23 – BLIND PIG (w/ The Antlers), Ann Arbor, Michigan
Apr 24 – ROCK ISLAND BREWERY (w/ The Antlers), Rock Island, Illinois
Apr 26 – FOX THEATRE (w/ The Antlers), Boulder, Colorado
Apr 28 – CASBAH (w/ The Antlers), San Diego, California
Apr 29 – DETROIT BAR (w/ The Antlers), Costa Mesa, California
Apr 30 – THE TROUBADOUR (w/ The Antlers), Los Angeles, California
May 1 – INDEPENDENT (w/ The Antlers), San Francisco, California
May 3 – DOUG FIR LOUNGE (w/ The Antlers), Portland, Oregon
May 4 – THE BILTMORE CABARET (w/ The Antlers), Vancouver, British Columbia
May 5 – NEUMO’S (w/ The Antlers), Seattle, Washington
May 8 – WILLAMETTE VALLEY MUSIC FEST, Eugene, Oregon
May 10 – KILBY COURT, Salt Lake City, Utah
May 12- THE BELLY UP, Aspen, Colorado
May 13 – LARIMER LOUNGE, Denver, Colorado
May 14 – RIOT ROOM, Kansas City, Missouri
May 15 – RACHEL’S CAFE, Bloomington, Indiana
May 17 – GROG SHOP, Cleveland, Ohio
May 18 – MAXWELL’S, Hoboken, New Jersey
May 19 – THE BOWERY BALLROOM, New York, New York
May 20 – WRBC BATES COLLEGE, Lewiston, Maine
May 21 – JERKY’S, Providence, Rhode Island
May 22 – NORTHERN LIGHTS, Clifton Park, New York
May 31 – SASQUATCH! MUSIC FESTIVAL, George, Washington
Jun 1 – GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL (w/ The XX), San Francisco, California
Jun 2 – GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL (w/ The XX), San Francisco, California
Jun 3 – HENRY MILLER MEMORIAL LIBRARY (w/ The XX), Big Sur, California
Jun 5 – HENRY FONDA THEATER (w/ The XX), Los Angeles, California
Jun 6 – WILTERN (w/ The XX), Los Angeles, California

MySpace

Download through iTunes

Tags: Phantogram

Ahh, SXSW. This 4-day conference and music festival has taken over as my favorite event of the year. Nowhere else can you experience the sheer quantity of quality artists, both high profile and emerging, back to back, all day and night long. Checking schedules for the day parties and evening showcases, running back and forth along the crowded streets between venues, wolfing down BBQ, and battling to see as much music humanly possible is the task. The reward is witnessing killer sets on intimate stages surrounded by audiences who care deeply about what is happening in music now.

Here are the 60 artists I caught this year: Band of Horses, Best Coast, Big Light, BRAHMS, Broken Bells, Broken Social Scene, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Dam-Funk, Dawes, Delorean, Dengue Fever, Diplo, Estelle, Fat Mike, First Aid Kit, Free Energy, Freelance Whales, Frightened Rabbit, Hey Champ, Hole, Holy Fuck, Japandroids, jj, Lissie, Lord T & Eloise, Macy Gray, Major Lazer, Maluca, Mayer Hawthorne & The Country, Memory Tapes, Miike Snow, Muse, Nas & Damian Marley, Neon Indian, Nick Catchdubs, Pase Rock, Phantogram, Real Estate, Rival Schools, Rogue Wave, Salem, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Sleigh Bells, Solid Gold, Stardeath & White Dwarves, Stars of Track and Field, Street Sweeper Social Club, Surfer Blood, The Antlers, The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, The Black Keys, The Glitch Mob, The Low Anthem, The Walkmen, The xx, Titus Andronicus, Tobacco, and Uffie, and Yourself and The Air.

Now for the highlights…

Broken Bells
Hometown: New York, NY
The band’s first performance at SXSW was in a parking garage across from Stubb’s as part of AOL Spinner’s pop-up show series. It was completely epic to see the band perform in such an obscure spot. Bizarrely enough, the sound was sonically blissful. James Mercer and Dangermouse along with their explicitly skilled band played some of the best music I’ll hear all year. Their woozy, psychedelic pop sounds even better live than on record.
MySpace | Website

Nas & Damian Marley
Hometown: New York, NY / Kingston, Jamaica
The smoky haze and resulting vibe in Emo’s Main Room was the perfect environment for skilled hip-hop lyricist Nas to ride atop the all-for-love energy of Damian Marley’s and his band. The gorgeous sounds of resounding djembe, female back up vocalists, and the Marley legacy contrasted with the Nas’ rhapsodic power felt legendary. Look out for their upcoming album, Distant Relatives.
MySpace | MySpace

mp3: Damian Marley & Nas – As We Enter – Distant Relative (April 20, 2010)

Band of Horses
Hometown: Seattle, WA
The magic of Band of Horses dense musical glory was surely felt in Stubb’s on Thursday evening. The band seems to be at the height of their live performance and I recommend catching them now.
MySpace | Website

mp3: Band of Horses – Is There A Ghost – Ceases to Begin (2007)

Broken Social Scene
Hometown: Toronto, Canada
I caught two sets by BSS, one at Stubb’s and the second at The Parish as part of the Arts & Crafts Showcase. The gorgeous complexity of their music was awing at Stubb’s and they played a large array of tracks off their forthcoming album Forgiveness Rock Record. The Parish proved to be an entirely intimate experience as I suspected. The energy inside the 425 cap room as the band announced their plan to play a 2.5-hour set was infinitely special. Kevin Drew asked the crowd to put down their cell phones and cameras and to exist with him and the band in the moment. “Just enjoy the music,” encouraged Drew. They played songs live for the first time, created suspense regarding “unknown” guests (The Beauties from Toronto), and strummed through an array of classic BSS songs in a wholly raw fashion. By the end of the night, there were only 150 left in the room, making it feel as though we were catching an early career performance.
MySpace | Website

Free Download of “World Sick”
mp3: Broken Social Scene – World Sick – Forgiveness Rock Record (May 4, 2010)

The Black Keys
Hometown: Akron, OH
I had yet to be converted into a Black Keys fan until I ended up on Mohawk Patio for the band’s MOG party performance. Halfway through the 75 minute set, I was a true believer. Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney’s impeccable musicianship and moving bluesy rock imbued with tangible metal influences produced one of the most exciting moments of my 2010 SXSW experience.
MySpace | Website

mp3: The Black Keys – Tighten Up – Brothers (May 18, 2010)

Muse
Hometown: Devon, England
The British prog-pop stars played MySpace’s “Secret” SXSW Show at Stubb’s on Saturday night. Big energy from a big band that I never thought I’d see live, especially in a 3000 capacity outdoor setting. Epic.
MySpace | Website

First Aid Kit
Hometown: Stockholm, Sweden
This Swedish female folk duo was more special than I could have imagined live. Sisters Klara and Johanna Soderberg accompanying their impassioned vocal harmonies with guitar and synth as they played through woodsy song from their recent album, The Big Black & The Blue (2010), was an epic treat. Sweden is currently producing incredibly innovative and relevant music.
MySpace

mp3: First id Kit – Hard Believer – The Big Black & The Blue (2009)

Neon Indian
Hometown: Austin, TX
I hadn’t yet joined the swarms exclaiming about Neon Indian, but after their psychedelic indoor set as part of the Pitchfork/Windish party at Emo’s JR, my opinion shifted. The band’s dance electro wanderings are more poignant than I had imagined.
MySpace

mp3: Neon Indian – Terminally Chill – Psychic Chasms (2009)

The Asteroids Galaxy Tour
Hometown: Copenhagen, Denmark
Potentially one of my favorite finds at SXSW, The Asteroids Galaxy Tour from Denmark, provided an entirely captivating experience on the Billboard outdoor stage. Not only is Mette Lindberg likely the hottest performer in her Nordic country, but her rich and boisterous voice triumphantly meets her alluring stage appeal. As my brother aptly stated, it’s Parliament Funkadelic in blonde waif form.
MySpace

mp3: The Asteroids Galaxy Tour – Around the Bend – Sonic Arts Ep (2008)

Hey Champ
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Another lucky find came in the form of Hey Champ. I was immediately lifted by the electro-synth-dance-rock trio’s boundless energy. The set was filled with impeccable drumming and dramatic interplay onstage and with their aggressively exuberant audience.
MySpace | Website

mp3: Hey Champ – Cold Dust Girl – Cold Dust Girl (2009)

Free Energy
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
I only caught a couple songs from Free Energy, but I got it right away. Love their form of hook-laden rock that’s both glammy and classic. The explosiveness of the entire band yelling of “Bang Bang Pop Pop!” and lead singer Paul Sprangers shaping the curves of a female figure in the air while singing “cherry lips and long hair” is a lasting memory. I’m craving more.
MySpace

mp3: Free Energy – Bang Pop – Stuck On Nothing (2010)

Freelance Whales
Hometown: Queens, NY
While I like the tracks I’ve heard from the band’s studio album, Weathervanes (April 2010), significantly more than what I experienced live inside the Paste party at the Galaxy Room, it was certainly a treat to catch a band that we’ll be hearing a lot from over the next year. Their pop-driven folk rock with its precarious arrangements has lasting appeal. Together the fivesome created interlocking rhythmic patterns beneath lush textural layering and group vocals. The band used whatever musical gadgets they could get their hands on during the set including harmonium, banjo, glockenspiel and water phone on top of synthesizers, guitars, bass and drums. Did anyone else hear the lead singer say that it’s not such a good idea to roll in Austin as sweat was pouring down his face?
MySpace | Website

mp3: Freelance Whales – Hannah – Weathervanes (April 13, 2010)

Big Light
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
I managed to see around 45 bands by the time I caught Big Light’s set on the Galaxy Room’s patio. Their raging set of thoughtful indie-driven rock outshone many of the hyped artists performing over the weekend. It won’t be long before this incredible group gets its just due.
MySpace | Website

mp3: Big Light – Monster – Animals in Bloom (2010)

Estelle
Hometown: London, England
It was high on my list to see this Brit soul-rapper live and the set was worth the effort. Estelle was super high energy as she went off about cheating boyfriends and made sure the audience was enjoying themselves, including playfully threatening to come down into the crowd if it appeared anyone wasn’t having fun. She raged her hit song “American Boy” and deftly covered Coldplay’s “God Put A Smile On Your Face”.
MySpace | Website

Hole
Hometown: Los Angeles/London
Courtney Love is another artist I never thought I’d see live. I managed to catch Hole’s first live show in over a decade as part of the SPIN party at Stubb’s. Love’s girl garage rock unexpectedly seemed rather relevant despite the hiatus and he looked more attractive and alive that I could have imagined. Her stage banter was raucous as usual. She introduced her 2nd to last song as being the kind of song you write when you’re getting off dope and got righteously pissed off when she found out they only had time for one more. At the closing of the set she apologized to the audience for not stage-diving, saying she was too elderly!! Hilarious.
MySpace | Website

mp3: Hole – Skinny Little Bitch – Nobody’s Daughter (April 27, 2010)

Miike Snow
Hometown: Stockholm, Sweden
Miike Snow’s performance on the Galaxy Room Patio was truly the most out of this world show I experienced at SXSW. It’s difficult to know what to make of the combination of potent, layered synth-heavy electro topped with highly emotive, hippy-folk vocals, but the experience is one to be had.
MySpace | Website

mp3: Miike Snow – Sans Soleil – Miike Snow (2009)

Tobacco
Hometown: Parts Unknown
I stumbled in on Black Moth Super Rainbow’s frontman Tom Fec (aka Tobacco) performing a gem performance at Emo’s Annex as part of IODA’s day party. Ironically, a highly talented girl on synth contributed more than half of what was so compelling about Tobacco’s set. The duo is a must see for those moved by glitchy, synth heavy electronica.
MySpace

mp3: Tobacco – Dirt (featuring Aesop Rock) – Fucked Up Friends (2008)

Stars of Track and Field
Hometown: Portland, OR
This band has been one of my favorites since 2007 and I catch them as often as I can, which unfortunately is quite infrequent due to their spurts of inactivity. The band played their best version of highly layered indie rock within The Parish on Saturday night. I’m consistently amazing at the vastness of sound that comes from this trio. I get completely lost inside.
MySpace

mp3: Stars of Track and Field – Movies Of Antarctica – Centuries Before Love and War (2006)

Frightened Rabbit
Hometown: Selkirk, Scotland
I’m as taken as most by this folk rock band from Scotland and their urgent songs dealing with emotional turmoil. The effect of Scott Hutchinson’s plaintive and passionate vocals is devastating The quality of sound in the Galaxy Room during their appearance at the Paste party left much to be desired, but the band’s raw spirit came through.
MySpace | Website

mp3: Frightened Rabbit – Swim Until You Can’t See Land – The Winter of Mixed Drinks (2010)

Titus Andronicus
Hometown: Glen Rock, NJ
A more raw, ruthless, energetic, and punk form of Bright Eyes is how I might best describe Titus Andronicus. Kept trying to leave their set to check out the next show, but Titus kept drawing me back in with their defiant vocals, heavily distorted guitars, and rambunctious, I don’t give a f**k attitude.
MySpace | Website

mp3: Titus Andronicus – A More Perfect Union – The Monitor (2010)

Phantogram
Hometown: Syracuse, NY
Within the gorgeous IFC studio with its vibe-inducing blue-lighted backdrop (designed by Niki Eways of Nikipedia), the girl/boy, synth/guitar duo created another reality with their downtempo trip-hop for the intimate 50-person crowd.
MySpace

mp3: Phantogram – Mouthful Of Diamonds – Eyelid Movies (2010)

Street Sweeper Social Club
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
SSSC’s is Tom Morello’s best project to date since his days with Rage Against The Machine. The band had all the energy and attitude of Rage with Boots Riley from The Coup turning it hip-hop style. The crowd was rowdy, just as they should have been, and Morello’s guitar skills were jaw-dropping as always.
MySpace | Website

mp3: Street Sweeper Social Club – 100 Little Curses – Street Sweeper Social Club (2009)

Major Lazer
Hometown: Jamaica (hmm…)
I knew Major Lazer was a nationwide sensation, but give it to SXSW to enable me on a whim to experience that up close and personal. Honestly it was the spectacle of hypeman Skerrit Bwoy jumping around and his hot bikini clad counterpart Mimi doing things such as bouncing her butt in a tri-pod headstand that took the set to its ultra-high level. Unfortunately, no Switch.
MySpace | Website

mp3: Major Lazer – Pon de Floor (feat. VYBZ Kartel) – Guns Don’t Kill People… Lazers Do (2009)

Diplo
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
After the Major Lazer set, I caught Diplo at the Mad Decent/I HEART COMIX/Jelly NYC After Party. The affair was dying by the time I’d arrived, but Diplo had it going on. Packing his back to get on a 7am flight while intermittently joining the DJ on hand and shooting his finger in the air and at the crowd to pick the energy back up was insane. Yep, Diplo’s ultra cool.
MySpace

mp3: Diplo – Smash a Kangaroo – Decent Work for Decent Pay (2008)

And here are the artists I’m bummed to have missed, but you can’t see everything at SXSW, though you might try: Ra Ra Riot, Local Natives, Oh No Ono, Fanfarlo, Bachlorette, Wye Oak, Ortolan, Rafter, The Very Best, Javelin, Jookabox, Anais Mitchell, Joshua James, The Black Angels, Pretty Lights, Passion Pit DJs, Diamond Rings, Washed Out, Twin Sister, Matt Morris, Beats Antique, The Cool Kids, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Lights, Evan Dando, Chiddy Bang, Snoop Dogg, Stone Temple Pilots, Chamillionaire.

Tags: Band of Horses, Big Light, Broken Bells, Broken Social Scene, Diplo, Estelle, First Aid Kit, Free Energy, Freelance Whales, Frightened Rabbit, Hey Champ, Hole, Major Lazer, Miike Snow, Muse, Nas & Damian Marley, Neon Indian, Phantogram, Stars of Track And Field, Street Sweeper Social Club, SXSW, The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, The Black Keys, Titus Andronicus, Tobacco