Slugabed - Moonbeam Rider

WATCH IN FULL SCREEN
FULL QUALITY
more on this guy, a VERY overdue post (the drafts are 3 months old), soon. 

///patkins///

Stepdad - Ordinaire EP

This is pt. 7304857 in a series of posts entitled, "Patkins is a lazy fuck and El Langosta feels obligated to keep up appearances." (he's actually been out of town at some awesome music festival, so I really can't blame him. it's just really fun)

Stepdad are an awesome synthpop group from Michigan. Their lead singer is known only as "Ultramark." Their song "My Leather, My Fur, My Nails" has been stuck in my head for a month now, and my eyes are continually dazzled and delighted by the accompanying video, which you may watch below.



Today, I found that my craving for more Stepdad had boiled over, so I caved and dropped the $1 (!!!) necessary to procure their Ordinaire EP. And man, am I impressed. This was just what I wanted: a cornucopia of fun, catchy, and colorful pop tunes, with a few splashes of 8-bit and a healthy dose of the 80's. They've got a great sound and they do a lot with it. But Stepdad are no one-trick ponies: every song comes with its own feel and a unique set of sounds; sometimes I hear the spectre of Gobble Gobble's ecstatic dance-pop melodies, at other times I hear shades of fellow Michiganers Tally Hall in the vocal production...basically, this EP impresses the hell out of me.

My Leather, My Fur, My Nails - Stepdad

Grab this if nothing else. Maybe after a month you'll wind up doing the same thing I did and getting the EP out of sheer craving for more of this badassery.

They're working on an LP, Wildlife Pop, which is being produced by none other than Chris Zane. If that doesn't mean anything to you, let's just say that Patkins and I have an unhealthy obsession with Passion Pit, whose INCREDIBLE first album, Manners, was produced by Chris Zane. So you can imagine how excited this makes me.

So you should really go grab the EP. It's essentially 8 slices of epically good pop music, and you only have to pay $1 for it, though you're allowed to pay more. You will not regret it.

It's over at their Bandcamp.

Stay sparkly, folks.

Lobster out.

Free FoF Comp

New Friends of Friends compilation, I'll Be Your Friend. It's free. You have no excuses. Fantastic intro to an excellent label and some of my favorite artists (dat Baths remixxx).

GO GET IT

01. Shlohmo – “Places”, from the ‘Places EP’
02. Groundislava – “Creeper Shit”, from the ‘Book of Tech EP’
03. Salva – “Wake Ups”, from ‘Complex Housing’
04. Mexicans With Guns – “Highway To Hell” ft. Freddie Gibbs and Bun B (Ridin Dirty 7″ Mix), from ‘Highway To Hell’ 7″
05. Shlohmo – “Pretty Boy Swag” (Soulja Boy Pop Massacre), from ‘Pop Massacre’
06. Salva – “Blue” (My Dry Wet Mess Remix), from ‘Complex Housing’
07. Groundislava – “Animal” ft. Weary, from ‘Groundislava’
08. Groundislava – “Shlava” ft. Shlohmo and Jonwayne, from ‘Groundislava’
09. Shlohmo – “Post Atmosphere” (Baths Remix), from the ‘Camping EP’
10. Mexicans With Guns – “Icaros”, from ‘Friends of Friends Vol. 3′
11. Salva – “I’ll Be Your Friend”, from ‘Complex Housing’
12. Mexicans With Guns – “Me Gusto” ft. Chico Mann (Toy Selectah Remix)

Lobster out.

New Skrillex EP Preview

1. First of the Year (Equinox)
2. Ruffneck (Flex)
3. Ruffneck (FULL Flex)
4. Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites (Dirtyphonics Remix)
5. Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites (Phonat Remix)
6. Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites (The Juggernaut Remix)
7. Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites (Kaskade Remix)

Yeah, feel obliged to do this. First original sounds like a carbon copy of his iSquare remix except without all the, well, iSquare; second two tracks sound decent. The remixes, on the other hand, sound frickin boss, and pretty diverse to boot (Phonat and Kaskade?? tiiiiiight). And that Dirtyphonics remix is off the chizzain...Skrilly + DnB/Drumstep has been a long time coming. In fact, you should check out/grab that FACE-SMASHER of a track HERE.

And although I was a bit lackluster in reviewing his new productions just now, I can hardly blame the guy; he lost the hard drives with all of his (probably epic) new material earlier this year, so it looks like he wound up having to start from scratch.

Also, I love that he's badass enough to suggest that you torrent it if you can't buy it...what a G. We will surely aid you faithful readers in that quest when the time is right.

Lobster out.

Second Summer Mix

Sup, y'all.

A wise man once said, "free your mind and your ass will follow."

So I concocted a little mix of funky, booty-liberating electro-pop jams foy y'all.

Really proud of the transitions in this one.

Sorry for putting in so much Javelin, especially that one HEALTH remix that was in the last mix.

But I'm not sorry about the Depeche Mode.

The 80's rule, deal with it.

Dance, sucka.

~ The "Free Your Ass" Mix ~

1) The Girls - Calvin Harris
2) Hurricane Jane (The Twelves Remix) - Black Kids
3) Fancy Footwork (KOLT13 Murdaphunk Remix) - Chromeo
4) Rich Girls (Hemingway Remix) - The Virgins
5) Still Sound - Toro y Moi
6) Play A Slow Jam - Javelin
7) Cottonmouth - Sam Sparro
8) Leonard pt. 6 - Javelin
9) Bad Day (Javelin Remix) - Darwin Deez
10) In Heat (Javelin Remix) - HEALTH
11) Let Me Go - Heaven 17
12) Policy of Truth - Depeche Mode

(( and you can grab my first summer mix here if you missed it ))

Lobster out.

MOAR JAMZ

Shit on my recent listening list. I'm just going to keep doing these until patkins gets off his ass and posts. Enjoy!

Radar Detector - Darwin Deez

I have been getting into Darwin Deez in a BIG way lately. Just got his self-titled album, and regardless of the mixed reviews, I can't help but love it. He makes lo-fi indie pop that's right up my alley: original but catchy melodies, poppy chord progressions but with regular detours into epic harmonic territory...check his shit out, dude!

Freaks and Geeks - Childish Gambino

Yeah, I now this is "in" right now, don't kill me. But the beat is fuckin great, and Donald Glover is a damn good rapper even if he's being more clever than anything else (Drake comparisons abound). But such gems as "I'm runnin this bitch/you are just a dog walker?" and "Took the 'g' out your waffle/all you got left is your ego?" certainly deserve props. Download Childish Gambino's EP for free HERE.

Radicals - Tyler, the Creator

...yeah, this is pt. 2 of a series entitled, "Our Blog Posts EXACTLY What You Expect It To." Say what you will about OFWGKTA and Tyler (musically or ethically) but they're blowing up in a big way...a kid at my school suggested they might be "the Sex Pistols of our generation," and this song sort of hits that particular nail on the head. Plus, it's got all the upper-middle-class white kids (myself included) chanting "KILL PEOPLE, BURN SHIT, FUCK SCHOOL," a sight I'm still trying to wrap my head around.

Forever (feat. Will.I.Am) - Wolfgang Gartner

This track was pretty divisive when it came out. All the EDM purists started calling Wolfgang a sell-out, which is kind of understandable, because fuck Will.I.Am. But then you listen to the track in question: it's accessible but well-made, it's still got that signature Gartner sound (obviously scaled down a bit for pop purposes), and Will.I.Am actually doesn't ruin it! But if you're just not into pop/electro house crossovers, feel free to ignore this one. I just think it deserves mention that someone cooler than David Guetta is getting big names on his shit.

Generation - Skanek

For those of you who hated the above track, this is for you: a healthy serving of some straight up, un-poppy, nasty-ass electro for all the heads out there. Got this from Daftwho?, who post heavy shit like this (plus lots of dirty dubstep jams if that's also yo thang) on the regular. ((WARNING: play this in your car IF AND ONLY IF you are driving in a zone where going 60+ mph is LEGAL))

Louder (Doctor P & Flux Pavilion Remix)

And this one should please both crowds, except for that particular brand of EDM purists who just refuse to enjoy anything that sounds too much like "brostep." But fuck those guys. Genre aside, good music is good music. Also, it's influencing the mainstream in ways you can't even imagine... Anyways, this is actually one of my favorite Flux Pavilion productions: he and the Doctor just OWN that (crucial) balance between awesome, catchy chords and fucked-up, bassy noise. Pop dubstep/brostep at its best.

Hope y'all enjoy! Sorry for the long descriptions, obviously the tracks come first in case you don't want to read my wordvomit. I just like writin and shit.

Lobster out!

BONUS JELLY:
Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima - Krzysztof Penderecki



Penderecki can sound-paint catastrophe, fear, and horror like no other. Tonality's overrated anyways. This one's for the classical heads (I took a Musical Style/History course this past semester, deal), though you might recognize this from "The Shining" and "Children of Men."

Hide yo young money...

...cuz there be some Young Crooks on the loose.

Hailing from the same isolated central Ohio college town as yours truly, The Young Crooks are three of the chillest dudes I've had the pleasure of meeting, and they make some badass pop music to boot. Their sound on the recently-released Phone EP could be described as a cocktail of Sublime's rap/reggae fusion, the Strokes' melodic sensibilities, and Darwin Deez's overall (lo-fi) aesthetic, but they're hardly just the sum of their influences. They have quite an original voice in their own right, thanks in no small part to Win Dunham's songwriting, which covers such themes as youth, ennui, loneliness, and lots and lots of hedonism (by way of alcohol, weed, ritalin, and acid, though the list certainly doesn't end there) with an impressively nimble sense of wit and lyricism.

But for all their immature content, Dunham tells these stories with a sort of resigned nostalgia and self-consciousness that manages to steer clear of one-dimensional irony. His writing stays mature and honest throughout, but not without a keen sense of humor: the EP opens with the words, "I used to give a fuck, but/lately I've been givin up/and I gotta say I feel fine/molly and red wine," and you're not quite sure whether he's being entirely sincere when he slyly croons, "we're just dumb kids anyway" in (my personal favorite) "Today."



You can grab the whole EP for free at their Bandcamp, and I would highly suggest you do so. It's fun, catchy, and smart, and you know you love the feeling of downloading free music without that feeling of corrosive guilt eating away at your sense of self-respect.



~ GO GET IT! ~

Lobster out.

NEW GEOTIC EP!

no, it's not inspired by "paranormal activity"

GO GET THAT SHIT

Geotic is the blissful ambient side-project of Will Wiesenfeld, aka Baths/[Post-foetus], who (if we haven't yet beaten you to death with the fact) has been one of our favorite artists of the past year.

He's been kind enough to post the whole Geotic discography online for free, though if you have any you should throw some ¢a$h at the DONATE button, lord knows this man of all people deserves it.

To celebrate 20,000 (!!!) likes of the Baths facebook page, he posted a new EP, Bless the Self, so you should go get it!

HELL, GO GET ALL OF HIS SHIT
(though my personal recommendations are Realms, Winter Loops, and/or Eyes)

Lobster out.

MOAR MIXEZ

come party with these folks. it'll be totally legit.

Because patkins obviously hasn't unpacked after getting home from college, I present to you:

~ THE "POST-APOCALYPTIC RAVE" MIX ~

A lovingly curated compilation of laptop-crafted 21st-century jams, leaning towards the electronic/colorful/poppy side of things, this mix should serve as the ideal soundtrack to the neo-pagan post-rave bacchanalia of the future, after the bombs have stopped falling and the human race has re-emerged from hiding to rebuild...and party. Also reflects the ecstatic mood of early summer break. The focus here was more on track selection than super-impressive translations (and at the end I sort of just gave up, as you'll see), but I did my best.

Check our archives/artist labels (on the right side of the page) if you hear something you like and want more. I can safely say I've been listening to every one of these artists WAY too much recently. :D

1) The Upside - LandLord
2) All This Evil - Newman Wolf
3) End of Days - Gobble Gobble
4) Wherever We Are - Human Life
5) Folds In Your Hands - Passion Pit
6) Talamak - Toro y Moi
7) In Heat (Javelin Remix) - HEALTH
8) Cathode Drama - Exeter
9) My Leather, My Fur, My Nails - Stepdad
10) Lawn Knives - Gobble Gobble
11) Over (jonwayne's analog world) - Drake
12) Pillz (jonwayne's drum circle) - Gucci Mane
13) Post Atmosphere (Baths Remix) - Shlohmo
14) Eat Sun, Son - Gobble Gobble

Lobster out.

Jamz

oh hot damn.

So we can still claim to be a blog that posts at least ONCE a week, here are some jamz for y'all. As to be expected from us, there's something here for everybody...but we really really like electronic music. (patkins is on a classic american folk binge, so hopefully he'll share some of that with us soon if that's more your thing)

ENJOY!

~ ~ ~

Levels - Avicii

If you know the name Avicii, you're probably a fan of ANTHEMIC HOUSE MUSIC. Well, this one's getting a lot of love lately, so I figured it was worth a repost. Nice to see progressive house getting attention, despite its often..."flamboyant" nature. Grabbed this from Crescendo and Drop, go "Like" those guys if you've got facebook, they pump baller music straight to your newsfeed on the daily.

Cathode Drama - Exeter

This one's a neck-breaker. Absolutely killer beat from Exeter, found this one over at Unholy Rhythms, who import quality music into your tumblr feed on the semi-daily. See, we've got something for everybody!

Hold It Against Me (Radiex Remix) - Britney Spears

Trippy, sonically colorful dubstep in the vein of Skrillex. Interestingly, all of Radiex's album artwork (and his name, in fact) seems pretty similar to Skrillex. But he's a damn good producer, so I'll let it slide.

Stylo (Labrinth Remix ft. Tinie Tempah) - Gorillaz

Gah. Incredible remix. The intro is a bit meh, but that drop just slays you with pure swagger. And lord knows I love me my Gorillaz. Also found this at Crescendo and Drop.

Da Art Of Storytellin (Asura Remix) - OutKast

Really neat experimental hip-hop remix of OutKast by Asura. Go grab his FREE album Unreleasables, and then go buy the new EP he released under his own name (Ryan York), Zipperlegs. One of my favorite producers, he just crafts such gorgeous soundscapes.

{ whole post in a .zip for youse }

Lobster out.