You may recognize the name Mikky Ekko… If not for his own brilliant work, Mikky also wrote and performs “Stay” with Rihanna. His video for “Pull Me Down” has garnered over a million views on YouTube, and he’s just released a new track called “Disappear,” which you can stream here. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing [...]
Fronted by Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett, Rilo Kiley formed in 2008 and released their first full length album, Take Offs and Landings, in 2001. Several more studio albums and EPs later, Under The Blacklight was the band’s major record label debut, released in 2007 by Warner Bros and solidifying the group as an American [...]
This little gem just hit our radar and we’ve already looped it nearly ten times just trying to think of the words to describe it. So while we hit play again, the first things that come to mind when we hear Treetop Flyers are eyes shut, windows down, late summer evening, shirt unbuttoned. Incredibly warming harmonies, [...]
Ain’t In It For My Health pays tribute to one of the greatest American singer/songwriters that ever lived. Levon Helm might not be a familiar name until you hear one of the many singles that he and The Band produced over a span of nearly thirty years. April 19th of last year marks the death [...]
We look out for new music just about every single day. Our finds might be freshly released or simply new to us, but we’re always looking. To be honest, it’s been about a week or so now since we’ve really heard something we’re in love with. Cat Power’s Manhattan video instantly got stuck in our [...]
Daughter is London-based Elena Tonra singer/songwriter with beau Igor Haefeli, who have been said to masterfully blend “fluttering, heart-on-the-sleeve acoustic ballads with brooding, ambient soundscapes” (vogue.com). The moody, electronicized duo just released a crooning cover of Daft Punk’s party anthem, “Get Lucky”, just a few weeks after the original took the world by storm. If you [...]
Before this post, I think I was becoming slightly tired of synth. Not that I would avoid it, but the stuff I had been hearing was either too much or too little. However, we can always rely on our dear friend Matt over at Everybody Taste to really showcase the best of what’s around. He [...]
We’re excited to announce the release of the second issue of our biannual print magazine, Human Being Journal. Issue 2 includes work by contributing photographers Charlie Engman, Ashley Florence, William Godwin, Matt Licari, Olivia Malone, Duy Nguyen and Harper Smith, along with 192 pages of 9 species, 1 haiku, 5 colors, 2 paper stocks, 9 [...]
We have a love affair with Manhattan (who doesn’t?). We also quite like Chan Marshall, the ever-cool chanteuse behind the stage name Cat Power. Earlier this month Cat Power released the video for her song “Manhattan,” the chiming and bittersweet track off her 2012 album Sun. Cat Power, who was forced to postpone her European tour last fall [...]
Let us paint you a picture. Imagine leaving an incredible summer day in San Francisco. You jump in your car with a couple of best friends, windows down and head south to California’s famous Big Sur – an area that simply can not be described with words. As you reach the coast and the hills [...]
Whether you consider Yoko Ono a wrecking ball of sorts, breaking up marriages and bands in one fell swoop, or you see her as a committed woman single-mindedly pursuing her dreams, there is no denying it: her romance with John Lennon is the stuff of legends. Today we thought we’d take a retrospective look at [...]
A Band Called Death is a documentary by Mark Covino and Jeff Howlett on the 1970s punk trio Death and their newfound popularity decades after they disbanded. Making its world premiere at last year’s Los Angeles Film Festival, the film will show next Sunday at Candela Books + Gallery as part of the James River [...]
We absolutely love HAIM. Like for serious. How can you not love that much PMA packed into every single song the three sisters put out? Los Angeles is doing some amazing stuff right now and these three girls are a large part of it. “Falling,” is their newest EP that was just released, featuring remixes [...]
Jordan Bruner is a illustrator and visual artist based out of Brooklyn. Her work has been described as being full of ”whimsy and intellect” and we think that is pretty apt. She has appeared in galleries around the world, been nominated for an Emmy, is sought after by bands and filmmakers for music videos and graphic [...]
In Boyne City, Michigan, in the parking lot of a Dairy Queen is the magical spot where Micah Middaugh, a printmaking student at Grand Valley State University, met up with Andréa Moreno-Beals, a lifelong student of classical cello about to start at Oberlin College. Over a delicious half-chocolate, half-vanilla soft serve cone, somehow the flavors blended [...]
We’re big fans of anything with the word “friends” included in it. So when Matthew E. White (Richmond, VA), one of our favorite people in the whole wide world, reached out to us about Friend Island at SXSW this year, we listened. “Friend Island is a dream to be a part of. Hometapes (Portland, OR) [...]
London’s WALL (aka Lyla Foy) built her own studio using rudimentary recording equipment and creates these hyper-detailed, minimal backdrops behind her fragile vocals. There’s a real haunting warmth in her sound, deliberate in its intimacy and simplicity…think muted basslines, analog synth patterns, muffled snares. What’s interesting and impressive to me is her clear knowledge and [...]
Richmond just trudged through what will hopefully be our last snow fall of the season, plus it’s almost Friday, and all of this means it’s time to pretend it’s summer! Listening to the music of Oakland, CA-based band The Hot Toddies, we can almost feel ourselves sitting on the sun-soaked, sandy shores of decades past, sipping [...]
This post would not have happened if my iPod hadn’t run out of juice about 2 miles from my apartment. So on this rainy Tuesday night, I resorted to the radio, and sometimes the radio actually surprises you. You know those times when you turn on the radio at the exact second that one of [...]
We just discovered Aly Spaltro, also known as Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, the self-given name she used to keep herself anonymous. She wanted to share her sound but didn’t want the attention that might come with it. We can’t blame her, especially with a voice like that. So she recorded 12 songs, burnt them to a [...]
Let us introduce you to one incredibly talented man, his name is Mark Knopfler. Mark was born in 1949 in Britain, and immediately fell in love with the guitar, an instrument that he could play quite well from an early age. When he was 28, along with his brother, he co-founded Dire Straits, where he [...]
Urbanears are a Swedish brand of headphones that have become nearly as common to see on the morning commute as Fjällräven backpacks. Their minimal and iconic designs, which come in a spectrum of vivid colors and special editions wrapped in denim or Harris Tweed, speckle the cityscapes in the land of Spotify and Pirate Bay. Apart [...]
1. If it’s your first time at Lunch Beat, you have to dance. The first rule of the Lunch Beat manifesto is clear—dance or find some place else to eat. Swedes love music and have a rich history of exporting bands that heavily influence the international scene. Swedes also love to dance, so it’s no accident that [...]
I got the gift of a mixtape this morning, one of those gifts that are starting to slowly fade away. It was an incredible mix tape. The last track, out of many great ones, was by Bahamas, the solo project of Canadian Afie Jurvanen. Prior to Bahamas, the Toronto-based musician was most noted as being [...]
Once again, we’ve discovered an incredible new east coast band from our friends over at Everybody Taste. Let us introduce you to Adam Lempel and The Heartbeats, a Baltimore-based group that just put out their “You Belong to Me EP” that we’re currently diggin’. Take a second and listen to Echo, a track featuring Amanda Glasser [...]
In 1974, after a few years of no big moves from the superstar, Bob Dylan headed back out on the road with his back up band from 1966, The Band. The Band would of course later rise to fame with their own sounds, but this particular tour after Dylan’s hiatus was already spreading fast in [...]
You can thank us for this one later, but for now, just sit back and turn your speakers up loud. There’s not much we know about this mystery band from Brooklyn that goes by Haerts besides they have a Facebook. As of now, this duo has just released one track, but that’s all we needed [...]
At age 66, Gregg Allman sits high, proudly flaunting beautifully faded tattoos, a ponytail, and a smile the size of Georgia. Gregg is the brother of the late Duane Allman, both founding members of one of the greatest bands to ever play music, The Allman Brothers Band. The Allman Brothers Band is a sound that [...]
Hailing from the amazing city of Perth on Australia’s Southwestern coast is psychedelic rock band Tame Impala. Lead by frontman Kevin Parker, the band started their groove in 2010 with the release of their debut album, Innerspeaker. Tame Impala likes to refer to themselves of “a steady flow of psychedelic groove rock band that emphasizes [...]
I’ve had a couple of Lord Huron tracks in my playlists before, so the name was certainly familiar to me. But it wasn’t until I heard it playing over a laptop in my girlfriend’s bedroom that I asked, “who is this?” Many might be familiar with their hit single, Time to Run, and you should [...]
Muthoni Ndonga represents Nairobi. Just like Nas is to Queensbridge and Jay-Z is to Marcy, Muthoni (aka The Dummer Queen or The Bauss Lady) holds down Nairobian dancefloors. In every single way. Alongside her is right-hand man, Octopizzo, an attractive sidekick with similar appeal to that of A$AP Rocky or Pharrell Williams, and together they [...]
Alice Glass started out as a runaway and ended up a famous chanteuse. Glass is one half of the Canadian band Crystal Castles, and along with fellow bandmate Ethan Kath, the synth-heavy band has been creating washed out dreamy tunes since 2004. Glass was discovered by Kath, who is also a music producer, on the streets [...]
Tomorrow, Yo La Tengo will release their 13th full length album, Fade, on Matador Records. Fade is said to be musically “reminiscent of landmarks like 1997′s I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One, and 2000′s And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out.” Matador even claims Fade is the most direct, personal and cohesive album of [...]
Brooks Nielsen’s voice is one of a kind. As I sit here trying to think of something to compare it to, I quickly realize I can’t. At the front, Neilsen completes the five-person California “beach-goth” group The Growlers, (as they call it), compiled of Matt Taylor, Scott Montoya, Anthony Braun, and Kyle Straka. With plenty [...]
We’re loving this new video from Parisian band, Tahiti Boy and The Palmtree Family, it’s perfectly suited to make a voyeuristic heart swoon. Directed by photographer, Vincent Ferrané, and filmmaker, Arnaud Delord, the heavily hued video gives us a nocturnal look into the lives of fictitious urbanites. The song, “The Park”, is their first release since 2008 and [...]
You can consider the music video an art form itself, though out of context from the music, probably couldn’t stand on it’s own or make any sense. But what it can do is elevate a song to a whole other level, and then you show all your friends and they think it’s amazing, but what [...]
25 years ago, Georgia’s R.E.M. released the single that would forever be stuck in peoples heads, yet sung with a smile. It’s The End of the World As We Know It appeared on the band’s 1987 album Document, and eventually reached No. 69 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Little did the band know that 25 [...]
We’re gonna go ahead and say it: There’s probably no one cooler than Beyonce. She is one of the best-selling artists of all time, and her reputation is just as great for her philanthropic efforts as for her multi-faceted stardom. Beyonce is full of style and grace, champions female strength and independence, shakes that famous [...]
It’s literally impossible to just listen to once. As of now, I’ve replayed “Will You Love Me“, the new video from Richmond’s Matthew E. White, more than six times, and that number will probably grow even more. A nearly perfect combination of soul, gospel, and harmony is met with beautiful Richmond cinematography that reminds you of [...]
Tomorrow, legendary jazz musician Dave Brubeck would have turned 92. In 1959, his legendary piece, “Take Five”, written by Paul Desmond and performed by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, became the first million-selling jazz recording. He was a pianist, a composer, and a master of polyrhythms, harmonies, and complex notes. His work with the Dave Brubeck [...]
The nice thing about catching up with old acquaintances is that you don’t really know well enough to start talking about some serious stuff. So, if you’re not ready to take it to that level, filler conversation topics always come up. “Are you listening to any good music these days?” is a common one, and [...]
They’re everywhere you go these days. They’re in the grocery store, the laundromat, on every station you can pick up on your car radio. Holiday tunes will be inescapable for the next month or so and their omnipresence, while sometimes annoying, is also intriguing. What do we really know about all these songs we’ve been [...]
Hats off to Nashville, you’ve done it again – surprising us and many others with your ability to produce amazing sounds, constantly. Wild Cub is no exception. If you’re doubting, then listen to Thunder Clatter. You’ll love it within the first 15 seconds of hearing it. It has soul, fast-paced percussions, almost an island-vibe strings [...]
Out of Los Angeles comes yet another band that is sure to stay on the radar. Line & Circle just finished an East Coast tour finishing with their own label’s (White Iris) showcase in October. They’ve got a sound that’s almost hard to write about, because it’s so good. Their newest single, Roman Ruins, hits [...]
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu does a bit of everything in her native Japan. She’s a singer, a model, a blogger, and she’s also insanely popular. It’s these images of her done up in her signature full Harajuku style that caught our eye. If you’re unfamiliar with Harajuku, it’s named after the Tokyo neighbor where it first originated [...]
When we’re in the mood for some new music and we’ve gotten no recommendations from friends, the go-to solution is Everybody Taste – an independent music blog and now label run by Matt Carr. In the years visiting Everybody Taste, we’ve discovered more artists and singles that we’re truly in love with than we can [...]
We love getting a text message from a friend that simply says a song and an artist. Usually, as quickly as we can, and with the power of this thing called the internet, we’re able to hear that song fairly quickly. Snowblink Rut & Nuzzle was the text we got a few days ago. Not sure what [...]
These guys just straight up rock. No other way to put it. I sat here for a minute trying to write some filler to describe what Austin’s TV Torso sounds like, but I can’t. I’m sure someone out there can though. They just released a three-song EP that you can download for completely free on [...]
Natasha Khan is the woman behind femme indie musical act, Bat for Lashes. She is set to release a new album later this month and we came across this beautiful video in which she talks about her views on creativity, love, and being a woman. Take a watch and maybe get some insight into your [...]
Lets look back to some reggae classics for a minute. Not for any particular reason, just for the fact that it’s simply so good. If you’re not familiar with a man named Don Carlos, then it’s time you change that. Within the many categories of reggae, there is a small section called “lovers rock” that [...]
