Music

NEW ALBUM: Man Without Country - Maximum Entropy

Behind the somewhat confusing name Man Without Country is a musician duo, comprised of Ryan James and Tomas Greenhalf, with live show support from Mike Monaghan on drums/percussions. They’re hailing from South Wales and seem to like their country in the country of Great Britain – despite their band

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Music Quotes: Bass Player

NEW MUSIC: Laura Groves - Committed Language

Let a song start with synthesized mallets and I’m already sold. But from there Laura Grove’s Committed Language becomes only better: she adds more bright synth and vocal layers to something that reminds me on a Kate Bush or Empress Of song. The EP is out soon and

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VIDEO OF THE WEEK: Zhala - Aerobic Lambada

This is Zhala’s second video for Aerobic Lambada. Not a postive and minimalistic as her first one, it is rather nightmarish affair: It finds Zhala in the Swedish forest by night and involves a pomegranate fruit. The song is great and I have probably already mentioned that Zhala is

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Adryelle, Feral The Earthworm and Fifth Nation live at Trash Bar

Adryelle Tuesday night we ventured out to Trash Bar to see Adryelle, an electronic music artist from Baltimore. She is like a darker and less flashy version of Grimes – she also performs alone behind a desk using loops and samples to create her music right there on stage. Last year’

MUSIC BUZZ: Apple // PonoPlayer // More

In the discussion if the Spotify model is good or bad for music it is easy to overlook that one giant has not made its move yet: Apple. But with the acquisition of Beats Music and declining sales at the iTunes Store, it’s clear that change is coming. 9to5Mac

Music

SXSW MUST SEE: Catfish and the Bottlemen

Must See for SXSW are Catfish and the Bottlemen, making their US touring debut over from Wales and if I ever had only seen them performing on Letterman (unlikely, because I don’t watch TV), I would not have really been impressed. Looks too much like a Julian Casablancas impersonation

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LIFE SOUNDTRACK: The Strokes - Is This It

Lately, I’ve been referencing The Strokes too often to not finally come back to them for glamglare’s LifeSoundtrack series. By the time, The Strokes have put out their first album, Is This It in July 2001 (click on the link to read about the album cover controversy), I

FIRST LISTEN: Nite Fields - Depersonalization

Nite Fields is surly an apt name for this Australian band of four. The music is dark and I can hear 80s gloom rock staples Joy Division, The Cure and The Chameleons in it. Most songs center around a melodic guitar line and Danny Venzin’s deep voice. My favorite

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SXSW MUST SEE: Swervedriver

Like every appealing music festival, SXSW also ensures to bring on a few of the big name bands or pioneers/legacies in their field. This year, not only Australia’s The Church will be headlining the festival, but 90s shoegazers Swervedriver are making a stop in Austin too, while touring

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Music Quotes: Good Time

Grimes at Mercury Lounge, March 2012

Music

SXSW MUST SEE: DMA's

DMA’s are three friends from Newton, South Australia. They got signed to I OH YOU without even having played (together as a band) live before. Their videos are refreshingly different, because the three sport a, decisively, nerdy/geeky look but their sound is anything but. The songs on their

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NEW MUSIC: Lower Dens - To Die in L.A.

The Lower Dens have an interesting music journey behind them. Listen to their first album or even to Jana Hunter’s solo work before and then this. I really like it – how about a late registration in Austin?

Music

SXSW MUST SEE: Sexores

Sexores are a three-piece from Barcelona via Latin America. They call their music dream pop and rightfully so: Below the Rainbow feels like a dream, with the vocals barely raise over thick guitar layers.

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VIDEO OF THE WEEK: Zola Jesus - Hunger

Hunger is the third video off Zola Jesus’ last record Taiga. It is our favorite song and the video is simple and fun: it shows Nika Danilova doing some sort of twisted variation of yoga or standing model for various statues. Or whatever else you want to interpret into what

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MUSIC BUZZ: SXSW // Taylor Swift // Spotify

SXSW 2014 It’s a mere seven weeks to SXSW Music. The list of showcasing artists is already impressive, with more joining every week. Elke and I are working through this list and trying to listen to as much music as possible. Find our discoveries here and on our Facebook

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3 Is A Band: Young Empires

While listening to Young Empires‘ debut EP Wake All My Youth, I had to check once, twice and then again to make sure I read correctly: Young Empires do NOT come from Australia? The land of up-beat, positive and lush sounds? The land with a seemingly endless supply of joyful

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Throwback: Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy

1984 was the year when I had to decide what to do with my life and in the spur of a moment, instead of pursuing a university degree, I decided to pick up a trade and started an apprenticeship as hairdresser in the town I’ve lived all my life.

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NEW ALBUM: The Sidekicks - Runners In The Nerved World

This might very well be the album I’ve listened to the most in this still very young year of 2015. Hailing from Columbus, OH, The Sidekicks have released an immediately appealing new album with Runners In The Nerved World. The music is mainly upbeat, the songs are catchy and

Zola Jesus live at St. Vitus

Fortunately, when Zola Jesus announced an “intimate show at St. Vitus”, I just saw her tweet passing by and could secure tickets immediately. Last Fall, I saw her at Webster Hall with the bonus of a full horn section and three additional musicians. But, when it comes to live shows,

NEW MUSIC: Emika - Klavirni

Normally, I wouldn’t be drawn to a record with 13 acoustic piano tracks, all named Dilo. But I love Emika dearly and I actually liked her previous piano work a lot: the closer of Emika, Closing Credits always gets me with its dark intensity and her 2003 Klavirni EP

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Music Quotes: Seduced by Music

Empress Of at Cameo Gallery, CMJ 2013

NEW MUSIC: Sea Change - Square

Sea Change is the stage name of Ellen Sunde from Norway. Her music is melodic and glistening and her voice reminds me of Empress Of or Salt Cathedral. She releases her first record Breakage on February 23rd. Her first challange will be to step out of Beck’s shadow, whose

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VIDEO OF THE WEEK: Color War - Shapeshifting

Although this video has already been released last fall, it is too good to let it pass. Filmmaker Crystal Moselle did this video for the Brooklyn electronic music duo Color War. The song is great, but juxtaposing it with three young ballet dancers having fun all over Manhattan is genius.

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FIRST LISTEN: Until The Ribbon Breaks - A Lesson Unlearnt

Until the Ribbon Breaks at SWSW 2014 When we saw Until The Ribbon Breaks last year in Austin on our way to see a different band. I remember, I liked them, but I was more concerned with freezing on the open deck of Maggie Mae’s and the deadly accident