. . . . .

......happy holidays

Planningtorock

Planningtorock aka Janine Rostron

Psychedelic - Kaleidoscope - Infatuation

Her debut "Have It All" came out in 2006 - but she is prepping to tour again here in 2009.

familjen

"Det snurrar i min skalle" // familjen


Video by Johan Söderberg

hooray!

You know you have a classic when you have a room of people from across the world (Bolivia, Nigeria & the USA, ages 6 - 60) all appreciating the wonder of Boney M. The perfect soundtrack for the holidays.



If you are unfamiliar with Frank Farian's West German disco legend Boney M, check out "Rasputin," a dance-floor favorite.

The Knife & a Darwin opera

today's inbox:

THE KNIFE IS WRITING AN OPERA

Danish Hotel Pro Forma has invited The Knife to write music and libretto for "Tomorrow, in a Year" a Darwin opera.

From hotelproforma.dk:

"In November 2009, it is precisely 150 years since Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species, a work that describes the biological and geological world, as it has come into existence and continues to do so every single day. Our view of the world has been changed for ever as a result of the theory of evolution. Tomorrow, in a year uses Darwin’s way of observing and describing the world. Change as a process and the interrelationship of all things is the basic material of the performance."

Olof Dreijer is now at a field recordning in the Amazon to record animals, fish and plants.

Read more at Hotel Pro Forma.dk:
http://www.hotelproforma.dk/side.asp?side=2&id=438&ver=uk

Premiere will be in Copenhagen September 2009.

Love,
Frau Rabid

www.theknife.net

Fever Ray / Honey is Cool

för Sverige - I tiden
-
Karin Dreijer Andersson
The Knife
Honey is Cool
Fever Ray

While brother Olof has been busy DJing & sending music into the outer orbit, Karin of The Knife has been working on her new project : Fever Ray.

An album is due out "early 2009"

mog.com

More about this song

Share

--------

If you are curious of what Karin was up to before the Knife, check out her 90's band - Honey Is Cool.

uh-huh

uh-huh

trio."da da da".

a-ha

shempi

we've seen: Schwarzenegger do a war dance
Chevy Chase and Paul Simon slink & ignite

now ABBA turn creepy & lose their heads.
-----

----
ratatat released a new 12" - Shempi- with remixes by Zongamin & Evan Mast's brother E*rock.

get it here

congotronics

Kasai Allstars
In the 7th Moon, The Chief Turned into a Swimming Fish and Ate the Head of His Enemy By Magic //Congotronics 3



"Mpofu" (The Blind Man)
----------------------
If you are unfamiliar with the Congotronics series, check it out

..distorted likembes, electronic guitars, homemade microphones & plenty of dancing..

el Guincho

el Guincho

• 1. a Cuban seagull

• 2. one-man "space age-exotica" band, Pablo Díaz-Reixa

Leg jittering, hypnotic beats sprinkled with sandy pop hooks via Barcelona/the Canary Islands.
-----
If you found a mysterious cassette on a sun-soaked, wide-eyed journey, this is the tape
-----
el Guincho's ALEGRANZA sees its world release via Young Turks / XL : Oct 07 2008



"Palmitos Park"

Yelle

A little french electro-pop for your Thursday.



Yelle "Ce Jeu"

die roboter

kraftwerk

why not?

tourist videos, busking, electric violin

Ed Alleyne-Johnson

Waayaha Cusub

Waayaha Cusub (New Era) is a group of Somali refugees based in Nairobi, Kenya who are ready for change.

They are currently a local hit, providing East African "synth pop" with a mix of hip hop. The music brings commentary of the Somalian conflict, urging for reconciliation. Realizing the power of music, Waayaha Cusub make use of their tracks to bring awareness of social issues facing their community such as AIDS, clan rivalries and women's rights.

summer vibes :: (3)

Good grief...

though they say "We're from Barcelona" - let us get it straight.
Sticky sunny pop : Summer at heart : Sweden once again.

I'm From Barcelona recently announced that their 29 person band will be releasing a new album following their 2006 debut : Let Me Introduce My Friends.

Who Killed Harry Houdini? is out October 14 via Mute
-----------------------------
This basic smile-inducing video was directed by Andreas Nilssons (director of many of The Knife videos)

summer vibes :: (2)

Gothenburg, Sweden duo: Air France (Joel & Henrik) brought to you by Sincerely Yours

. Breezy beach music .

. Soaring utopian pulse .

. Laid-back dance music .

. Balearic beat .

mog.com

More about this song

Share

Everyone says "there must be something in the water" .....
maybe it is hype, maybe it is air.

summer vibes :: (1)

All of a sudden it is August & it feels like the summer is gone before it even started. Time to focus on the sounds of summer. . .



M83 (Anthony Gonzalez) just released this 80's teen summer flick for "Kim and Jessie" off the "Cocteau Twins meet John Hughes (Breakfast Club / Sixteen Candles)" inspired Saturdays = Youth.

31july08

the last day of july:

a sticky swarmy night .. . .. dengue fever* is in the air.

Dengue Fever:
A Cambodian pop-star, Mulatu Astatke fanatics & plenty of LA sun.



They released Venus on Earth earlier this year off M80

mog.com

More about this song

Share

* more likely west nile virus, but hey.

i got flattened by a pig farmer

Prairie, here I am.


"I Got Flattened by a Pig Farmer" / The Horse / Lo Recordings
-UK's The Chap.

mog.com

More about this song

Share

porky deadpan dance . pop trot
The Chaps have a new album out via Ghostly International :: Mega Breakfast

///////

* * * * *

"Cracked Share"
Expanded Celluloid, Extended Phonograph
film- Lee Hanjun
sound- Hong Chulki

Balloon & Needle

Apparat Organ Quartet

Apparat Organ Quartet
:::
4 Icelandic organists (including Jóhann Jóhannsson) & a drummer.

dang.

mog.com

More about this song

Share

This Bliss

Solitudinous musings for a summer night.

mog.com

More about this song

Share

Pantha du prince (Hendrik Weber) of Hamburg, Deutschland searches for utopia in 2007's This Bliss.



Weber creates light layered minimal electronic textures weaving a loose fitting sonic fabric to engulf your senses and lose yourself in.

Romanticism seems at the heart of Pantha du prince, with painter Caspar David Friedrich listed as an influence & songs "Walden" & "Walden 2" titled after Henry David Thoreau's transcendentalist book. The music embodies the Romantic spirit, expressing the sublime & creating a sense of human smallness within the world, through his swelling landscapes and wandering spiritualistic approach to sound. While encased in the sphere of electronics (which may seem contrary to the "romantic" approach), Weber manges to create a "natural vibe" through discrete tribal pulses, sweeping strings, and breathing tunes.

----------------------------------------

If you are curious - - check out Pantha's loose "remix" of Animal Collective's "peacebone." Is there a line between remix & a new song?

the american dystopia

...
emily haines & the soft skeleton
knives don't have your back
"dr. blind"
- - - -
haines provides lush mellow meandering away from the dance-y bump of 'her' metric.
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
did you know bankers get 'incentives'?
*3 months of perfect balancing = a $5 Wal-Mart Gift Card

uh

some news - - though a bit old now.

Fujiya & Miyagi, the Brighton duo turned trio & now quartet, are back with another album on the way:

Lightbulb is out in September.

The ablum includes "Uh" - their 2007 single

---

electro kraut funk : the new Neu!

mog.com

More about this song

Share

organic cadence

by glitcher/prankster - fluorescent grey (Robbie Martin) : owner of experimental electronic Record Label Records

the new national anthem

A quavering emotional anthem for the down-trodden American via David Wingo.

mog.com

More about this song

Share

You may have heard of Wingo through his recent project Ola Podrida. They released their folky self-titled debut last year. (the ones who share with Interpol a love of the Natural History Museum's taxidermy collection)



Wingo has extensively worked with film, scoring David Gordan Green's George Washington & All the Real Girls and now Craig Zobel's debut comedy Great World of Sound, which features "New National Anthem" (lyrics by George Smith)



NYC / Atlanta director Zobel who co-created Homestar Runner with the Chapman brothers and like Wingo has been greatly involved with David Gordan's productions now has them working for him. Great World of Sound tells the story of two wanna-be producers who come to find they have been scammed into scamming others. Based on events Zobel's father encountered, the film warns us of a real music industry scam: song sharking, while demonstrating how even the well-intentioned can inadvertently fall into a career of hurting others.

The 2007 film amalgamates 'documentary' and 'narrative' creating a blend of American Idol and The Office. Zobel placed ads in local papers guised as the production company "Great World of Sound" & used elaborate hidden camera set-ups to record real musicians trying desperately to make it big. The result is a deceptive but honest, comic yet sad exploration of our culture's obsession with $ and fame.

.-------.
oh, here is a crazy video for Ola Podrida's "Lost & Found"

zeigeist

The younger euro-pop electro-dance sibling of the Knife.

:Zeigeist:

Citing Matthew Barney, Comme des garçons, Peter Greenaway, Andy Warhol, David Lynch, and Alexander McQueen as influences, the Swedish trio take a multi-disciplinary *visual* approach to their art.

think Fischerspooner // the Knife

They released The Jade Motel earlier this year off Spegel

mog.com

More about this song

Share

"the lake"

mirando

from LP3 :: video by E*Vax (Evan Mast)

ssion

not sure what to say....
The name of their label: Sleazetone basically says it all..

Ssion is a Kansas City project spearheaded by artist/musician/personality: Cody Critcheloe.

:::::

:::::
:::::

"street jizz" - ha!

.

//// both songs are off ofFools Gold - released earlier this year...

.

mog.com

More about this song

Share

.dream drifter.

hypnotic + enchanting hums & mums from one bedroom to another



silje nes - multi-instrumentalist mystery of norway
--------------
bringing moments of isolated wonder


she can be found off of fatcat


her debut - Ames Room - was released late last year. In March she released a digital-only EP titled Yellow

mog.com

More about this song

Share

spring love

The critters are out & romping
::::
A fitting time for Mates of State

The husband-wife duo are back with their new album Re-Arrange Us.

Born out of Lawrence, Kansas - the keyboard/drum band of Kori Gardner & Jason Hammel are now soaking up the California sun.

They've been busy showing our furry friends some love:



& now their new anthromorphic music video.... "Get Better"



//

though, this was my first impression in 2006:

>

mog.com

More about this song

Share

shy child

I was a bit surprised to see this posted on pitchfork today... Shy Child has been out of my mind for quite some time. I came by them last year at the Faversham (a quaint place by the uni in Leeds where you can grab a pint, catch a gig & do a mighty jig)




While Shy Child were the final act, Fujiya & Miyagi were by far my highlight.maybe its the whole brit/american:american/brit fascination thing.

For some reason I remember getting creeped out by Pete Cafarella's frozen grin when he sang.

Anyway, here was my initial description of them to a friend:

"nyc's electro punk duo, 'shy child' headlined - a couple songs sound a bit like the faint meet nu-rave - & maybe a hint of timbaland"

ha.
--------


well they finally released Noise Won't Stop, back in the US after all their fun across the pond.

***Here is their video for "Noise Won't Stop" -

Which brought to mind Battles:

rRr a tTt a tTt a tTt

feast your eyes & click your little finger

"Shiller" - out now

LP3 - July 8th!

IDM . o de ba concrète

Matmos is back ... maxing out their synthesizers : 100%

mog.com

More about this song

Share

This time M.C Schmidt & Drew Daniel hold back their urges to sample the universe [no sounds of bible pages turning, liposuction surgery, dogs barking, cards shuffling, and acupuncture tools here] In fact, a microphone wasn't even used during the creation of the new album : Supreme Balloon


A happy helium-filled hula - squirm & squeak all you want.
They also released their first video from the album

"Exciter Lamp and the Variable Band"
- - - -

an homage to the experimental film-maker/animator/sound artist - Norman McLaren.

check out McLaren's "Neighbors" (1952)

banking

I have found a theme song for my current job.

mog.com

More about this song

Share

"Bank" by Midwest Product

from World Series of Love // a title alluding to Prince & cover citing J.D. Salinger. *( I never knew the great lengths Salinger went to have control over his covers)



digital + analog
electro-rock
dead.

they are survived by Ben Benjamin... the 'solo' project of Ben Mullins - electronics/guitar component of Midwest Product.

Both projects are children of Ann Arbor label, Ghostly International (who also brings us Matthew Dear). The label recently collaborated with Adult Swim to bring Ghostly Swim , a crisp compilation free for download at Adult Swim's site.

p.s.
.dealing w/ $ is a dirty job
.my boss wants to be a mortician

lovework

"oh, I like everything except rap or country"

you know the person, perhaps it is even you...

It seems like an automatic response & I suspect they're just listening to the wrong stuff.

=========

Gabriel Teodros is a Seattle born artist who released a solid hip-hop album last year.



Lovework is a smooth-grooved social commentary addressing a range of topics including: neocolonialism, sexism, racism while tying in his Ethiopian heritage & individual experiences.

The result is a personal yet global record that is bound to make you listen & move.

No Label (Esma Remix)

mog.com

More about this song

Share

beef jerky

I'm getting sick of words.

Cibo Matto + Michel Gondry =



Sugar Water

During my lunch break as I was staring at grey rain, 'beef jerky' emitted from my lips - the phrase, not the meat.

[i]
searched for songs
[then]
found one by these Japanese girls
[which]
led me to this video.
[eventually]

automatic lover

The other day as I was browsing through Jay-jay Johanson's discography, I came across the name Dee D. Jackson & Johanson's cover of her hit, "Automatic Lover." Curious, I thought I'd check her out. . . .

Dee D. Jackson is a British disco queen from the 70s who before turning to music was a film producer in Munich. (I wonder how active she was in her music video production...) Her biggest success came at the beginning of her musical career with "Automatic Lover" in 1978 off of Cosmic Curves.



While Dee D. (born Deirdre Elaine Cozier) is an Oxford child - her main following came from non-English speaking countries: Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Italy, France, Spain, Japan..... In fact she was so massive in Brazil, that 'impersonators' popped up to fill the much yearned for intergalactic love & were introduced as D. Dee Jackson (instead of Dee D.) to dance & lip-sync to the songs.

Gotta love the thrusting, chest bumping & galloping!
...
Dee D. now owns a record label in Italy & evidently has a cosmic child named Norman.

happy earth day

hopefully it is full of environmental friendliness....

Though we still have a far way to go, especially here in the heartland of the usa - where we are still competing against the 'bigger is better' attitude and non-existent public transport & recycling programs..... agh.



On a more upbeat note: I thought I'd share Maasukos: a band from Mozambique. They make use of Niassan rhythms to bring public awareness of environmental & health issues facing their communities and much of the rest of Africa.

Feliciano dos Santos - who spearheads the group - won this year's Goldman Environmental Prize for his efforts & inspiration for action - particularly through bringing awareness of the significant problem of sanitation/water-borne illnesses.

Here is a video for "Mudacia Wana" off their new album Bumping released by Poo Productions.

cheers!

oh jay-jay, you melancholy man..

some late night listening of jay-jay johanson.

little to compare with, the swede is a trip-hop swooner.

light:dark:sappy:detached

he co-wrote "marble house" with the knife & i'm sure holds a dab of influence on their sound.

so tell the girls i am back in town.

marble house - (ptr remix)

mog.com

More about this song

Share

earth girls are easy

Julien Temple
+
furry musically inclined aliens
+
Jim Carrey, Damon Wayans, Jeff Goldblum, & Geena Davis
=
an 80s sci-fi musical

---------------

//radical\\
---------------

Don Was (a producer/musician who has worked with the likes of Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Brian Wilson, Ziggy Marley, Bonnie Raitt & BB King) did a bit of work with the soundtrack, including this track under the guise of Luis Restraunt's World - with David Was & Luis Resto.

"The Appliance Symphony" isn't even included on the official soundtrack, but here you go...

mog.com

More about this song

Share

mindless

The weekend is once again coming to an end & the realization of another long week of meticulous work is sinking in. I identified with this video for The Golden Dog's "Never Meant Any Harm" - as I've held my share of tedious, mindless jobs, whether in a field detassling corn, scrubbing pans or counting sherds. During these experiences I've come to find the musical essence in repetition, which makes the acts bearable & even occasionally - dare I say - fun.

On another tangent>>>I currently work in a setting that enforces conformity through 'business career apparel' & a clean-cut conservative appearance .... How many of us set bits of our 'personal identity' aside for the sake of our jobs? What about when we take it a step further & keep our true passion sealed in a 'safe' using our job only for financial gains .... how long can it remain locked up before the door pops open?

ok, enough of my rambling...
This is The Golden Dogs, a Canadian quintet who I suspect may take their name from classic Canadian literature via William Kirby's The Golden Dog / Le Chien d'Or - a historical romance. The band has the chemistry (lead singer/guitarist & keyboardist hitched after surviving a 3 year long-distance relationship) They also have some gusto & may get stuck in your head....



*good luck with monday

'environmentally sound' sound

Have you spent much time thinking of the environmental impact of your listening habits?

Sure, the "environmentalist" attitude is growing more hip & maybe slowly mainstream.... with the likes of Radiohead & others becoming conscious of their Carbon footprint in touring. But what about the rest of the process in the industry?

Minnesotan group Cloud Cult have taken their action a step or giant leap further, looking more holistically at their entire process and how it impacts the environment.

Cloud Cult is the brainchild of Craig Minowa, an environmental science major who began the project as a solo endeavor in 1995. It has grown through the years with additional musicians & talents to the point that their live shows are now more of a multi-media ‘happening’ than a concert: with video, live painting and occasionally activists accompanying their music. Cloud Cult bleeds in and out of sounding like a mix of The Polyphonic Spree and Modest Mouse (& perhaps with a little stretch - the occasional dash of the Postal Service or Animal Collective).

Cloud Cult - though offered deals with major labels - has vowed to remain independent and be a product of Minowa's Earthology Records, a non-profit environmental record label that is based on a sustainable farm in Northern Minnesota. The studio is powered by wind & solar energy, while the space is heated/cooled by geothermal waste. For their products, they re-use old jewel cases & use non-toxic 100% recycled materials for the rest. If all of that weren't enough, they calculate the amount of Co2 that was emitted from production & transport and offset that by planting trees....

With all the focus on the environment & sustainability, you might suspect the topic would leak into their music; however, the albums remain quite personal with many songs hinting at the untimely death of Minowa's son in 2002.

If you are unfamiliar with Cloud Cult, their album The Meaning of 8 was included on several lists last year & they just released a new album Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes) this past week.

mog.com

More about this song

Share

blizzard

because there is a blizzard here.....(& for no other reason)

you get The Blizzard :



: : a little bit of Norwegian trace so you can dance like an akward teenager.

mog.com

More about this song

Share

The Blizzard are Lars Nyheim and Tore Vatie Jensen of Sørreisa, northern Norway. Their single "Kalopsia" -which Dutch label Armada hooked- became a 'hit' in certain circles last year. They have a couple remixes coming up sometime around May...

shoegaze mashup

Sonic Cathedral: club night/record label are releasing a new single on April 7th. It consists of a Maps remix of M83's "We Own the Sky" as well as M83's take of Maps' "To the Sky."

James Chapman (Maps) provides a pulsing rush for Anthony Gonzalez's (M83) "We Own the Sky" - - - providing enough excitement for the inverse that I feel like a child in anticipation for Christmas morning.

Evidently these bedroom shoegazers must be looking up for a change.

M83 has a full-length album - Saturdays = Youth - coming out on the 14th and both Maps & M83 have some live shows popping up soon.

time ::: in constant flux

As another year of my life passes away, I come -once again- to readjust my understanding of time.

News of the oldest recorded voice brings much appreciated intimacy with the past.

The recording of a segment of the French children's song "Au clair de la lune" was recorded in 1860 using a phonautograph 17 years before Thomas Edison sang "Mary had a little lamb"

mog.com

More about this song

Share

If you're like me & don't exactly know what you should be listening for, here is a more recent recording of the song.

mog.com

More about this song

Share

elephants

You may have heard of painting elephants - the result of a project Russian conceptual artists Komar & Melamid began in the 90s.

Turns out our large gray friends also have a bit of an ear for music.

Dave Soldier and Richard Lair put together an ensemble of elephants that perform traditional Thai tunes & improvisations, as well as a little Beethoven and Hank Williams on specially designed musical instruments.

Meet the Thai Elephant Orchestra.



They have two albums out off Mulatta Records.

mog.com

More about this song

Share

lonely planet

Noted in the "Music" section of the Lonely Planet Guide to Vienna are Kruder & Dorfmeister : your Austrian source of old downtempo dub from G-stone Recordings.

A fitting selection for the week - as the annual electronic 'Winter Music Conference' (that they performed at last year) is currently finishing up in Miami.



I stumbled upon this video of the Kiel Canal, that I assume a K&D fan put together. It will either bore you to sleep or leave you in awe. ....or maybe both.

The featured song "Rollin' On Chrome (Wild Motherfucker Dub)" is found on Kruder & Dormeister's The K&D Sessions & is a mix of the Aphrodelics song.

a shot of lithuanian bliss

labas!

Yesterday I came across Lithuanian sound artist - Gintas K (Gintas Kraptavicius).

Beyond creating some engaging minimalist electronic albums, he has worked on sound installations, music for film & provided a dose of commentary & theory for aural art.

"reloaded beauty" is off of 2004's titled# from the Retinascan label; however, Gintas released 13 tracks & Elementary Particles last year and already has a soundtrack & compilation credited for 2008.

sit back, relax & enjoy Gintas K's calm, clean, experimental ambiance that will reduce your blood pressure and bring you an inner peace.

mog.com

More about this song

Share

if you're in the mood for conceptual - check out Elementary Particles : harmony, disharmony, hell & heaven all in Hz

apples

the apples in stereo
a return in 2007 brought the tasty New Magnetic Wonder

While it has probably been over a month since I first listened to the album (& considerably longer for any of their older stuff)- for some reason they have been stuck in my head throughout the day. While New Magnetic Wonder definitely seeps with the 'apples in stereo' sound & distinctive voice of Robert Schneider - they chart new ground with the occasional sidestep of experimentation, including work with Schneider's "Non-Pythagorean" musical scale.

though - I'm particularly drawn to Hilary Sidney's sunny "Sunndal song" - providing a change in pace with her sticky vocals.

mog.com

More about this song

Share

The Apples are releasing Electronic Projects for Musicians - a compilation album of rarities & b-sides next week (April 1) off of Yep Roc Records. You can currently stream it on Yep Roc's site.

Populous

The other day, being in a bit of a mood for neu-shoegazy headphone music, I created a Maps station on Pandora Radio. The first song that loaded up was "Breathes the Best" by Italian producer Populous (not to be confused with the early videogame). Populous aka Andrea Mangia collaborated with Short Stories for this song, which appears on the Breathes the Best EP put out by Berlin record label - Morr Music. Populous shares the label with Lali puna, Múm, & the notwist, so you'll likely correctly assume that the project has a pleasant fuzzy & bleepy aura.

After perusing Populous' videos, I realized the "Breathes the Best" video seemed vaguely familiar. After a second view, I pinned in on the striking simliaries and references to Rauol Servais' animation Chromophobia (1965)!

check it:





Oh, the 2nd artist to pop up on the Pandora playlist was Freezepop. how amusing...