Rae Davis

I so need this right now. Lately my brain has been swelling at the seams as I work through my first year of teaching (in the face of pending budget cuts that may very well force me into retirement decades too soon), grading (English teachers do too much), and, the really hard part: snowboarding, skateboarding, biking, legoing, and birthday-partying with my kids. Just as I'm about to lie down to sleep (quick usage lesson) I came across this chilly gem. How chill is it you ask? As chill as a stay-cold pillow my friend Mitch talks about developing. I'm gonna cozy up to these beats and deep, bone-shaking bass plucks, and pass out. Like this photo of Mr. Davis himself. You're about to be schooled in the ways of quality downtempo and quality down time courtesy of this up and coming Texan.

Yesterday's History [MP3, 5.6MB, 192kbps]
This I Dig of You [MP3, 5.6MB, 192kbps]

www.antipop.net

Matthew Dear

Even if you've only listened to my radio show a handful of times, chances are you've heard me play Matthew Dear. His more immediate songs (the ones offered here are such examples) have chameleon-like qualities. They fit so well next to other electronic songs, obviously, but they also segue well with pop songs, new wave tracks, especially the darker ones (like Joy Division), and well, just about any other track I throw them up against. Ironically, Dear's lackadaisical vocal delivery lends a populist air to his minimalist-techno tracks (it's a warmer version of Kraftwerk's robotic vocals) and with every release he gets deliciously close to busting out a crossover hit. When it comes right down to it, I just dig this stuff. Plus, his albums are easily accessible in the KUCI music library, just over my left shoulder, which saves my show from ever embarrassing bouts of dead air.

from Asa Breed: Black Edition (2008):
Neighborhoods [MP3, 4.0MB, 172kbps]
Deserter [MP3, 5.9MB, 205kbps]
Don and Sherri (Hot Chip Version) [MP3, 5.2MB, 166kbps]

from Leave Luck to Heaven (2003):
But for You [MP3, 5.2MB, 189kbps]

Buy from iTunes

www.ghostly.com
www.matthewdear.com

Teargas & Plateglass

Label this track from Teargas & Plateglass "dark." Not dark like teen angst dark, but dark like Darfur, like the Balkans, like Kenya, like Cambodia. Dark like genocide. Dark like 4,000 more U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq than W.M.D.s found in Iraq; that kind of dark. "One Day Across the Valley" is almost too much; the percussive drum track, the spoken word memory of pure violence, the sparseness of the sound. Like the photos from My Lai or Rwanda, you want both more and less in the given output — more justice, less brutality, more hope, less reality. "I felt a lot of pain," says the narrator, and it's hard to understand how this could not be a universal response. From the album Black Triage, with accompanying videos available on the band's website.

One Day Across the Valley [MP3, 5.1MB, 128kbps]

www.waxploitation.com
www.teargasandplateglass.com

Meho Plaza

Each dose of Meho Plaza's quirky, hooky electro-punk takes care of business, then bolts—leaving you craving more. I'd hardly call it minimalist, only that each musical element is used cunningly and sparingly. If there is an imbalance worth noting, it's that Mike Thrasher's lyrics take a back seat while the Moog gets its own dressing room—but it's all for the good. From what I've read, their live show's even better than the recorded version, and quite different. Alas, I'll never know firsthand until they get enough funding to tour beyond of their SoCal homebase...so buy this record (available on iTunes), if only for me and everyone else east of the Pacific Time Zone.

P.S. Whew, I made it to the end of the post without referencing Wire... Oops!

from Meho Plaza (2008):
The Beach [MP3, 3.4MB, 192kbps]
I Sold My Organs [MP3, 4.8MB, 192kbps]

Special Easter Egg Track:
Love Plus One (Haircut 100 Cover) [MP3, 3.6MB, 160kbps]

www.betterlookingrecords.com
www.mehoplaza.com
www.myspace.com/MehoPlazaMusic

The Love of Kevin, Colour, Chaos, and the Sound of K

Compare and contrast my post of May 18, 2005, with this one. Same band. Same song title. But just as the Swedish duo of Lindefelt and Fredrik have changed their performing name from The Lovekevins to The Love of Kevin, Colour, Chaos, and the Sound of K (or "The LK" for short), they have also changed their style. "Stop Being Perfect" has gone from being a textbook Swedish guitar-pop song to a textbook Swedish electronic pop song (there's the contrast). No change though in their ability to craft a catchy pop song, one that induces singing along and toe-tapping. For the curious, some of those older "guitar" songs from their 2005 Max Leon EP can be downloaded from the Songs I Wish I Had Written website below.

Original Post (as the Lovekevins) 5/18/2005:
There's nothing quite like blindly buying an album at the local record store and finding something you just love. Trust me, I've bought some real junk over the years (Betty Boo circa 1990, anyone?) in that pursuit. But I've found some really good stuff. Sometimes it's the album cover (Jessamine), sometimes it's the record label (Henry's Dress), sometimes it's just a good vibe (Super 5 Thor). Even today, in the new millenium, that still happens with the world wide web. I stumbled across a real gem of band, the Lovekevins, on the online store Delicious Goldfish Records. Fantastic Swedish pop that soars and bounces and captivates and I just have to go listen to "Stop Being Perfect" again right now.

Stop Being Perfect [MP3, 6.7MB, VBR]
Tamagotchi Freestyle [MP3, 4.8MB, 192kbps]
Private Life of a Cat [MP3, 5.4MB, 192kbps]

www.thekorarecords.com
www.songsiwish.com/thelk
www.thelkhideout.com

Pretty Good Dance Moves

P.G.D.M. will, as the title implies, keep the dance floor packed at the silent disco. It's fitting because the electronic instrumentation approximates The Postal Service while the lovely female vocals will be a warm wooby for fans of Cat Power and Bat for Lashes – in other words, it's great music for dancing with yourself, even when you're dancing with the masses. I'm giving the band short shrift with such simple comparisons because I'm in a hurry today, but I ask—nay, admonish—you to not give them short shrift yourself, because beats like these don't often come with such pretty and smart heartstrings attached.

Demons Dancing [MP3, 3.7MB, 160kbps]

myspace.com/prettygooddancemoves

Vanilla Swingers

It was my daughter's birthday yesterday and the major festivities happen today, so the in-laws are in town (they just walked in the door) and my hosting and fathering skills are required, but I don't want to short change the 'hive or this band. Lucky for me, Anne and Miles of Vanilla Swingers just dropped these tracks of gold into our suggestion box yesterday, saving me the trouble of digging through piles of mail, electronic and snail. While their name rings oxymoronic (I imagine swingers to be more of a Rocky Road or Chocolate Fudge Ripple variety) there's nothing contradictory about Vanilla Swingers' music. Moody, electronic tracks are the backdrop for hushed boy/girl vocals telling the story of two lovers who run away to London then travel back in time. "I'll Stay Next to You" epitomizes Vanilla Swingers' cinematic themes and sound, while "Danger" sounds as if the Pet Shop Boys slowed things down to about 90 bpm and were fronted by a gorgeous, brunette chanteuse. Oh yes, despite their name Vanilla Swingers sound very brunette, the color of my desire.

I'll Stay Next to You [MP3, 12.2MB, 252kbps]
Danger [MP3, 5.6MB, 180kbps]

www.vanillaswingers.com
www.myspace.com/vanillaswingers

Honey Claws

As most of the music world heads to Austin, Texas this week for the annual South By South West music festival I'm stuck here in my front bedroom doing the virtual bar crawl hunting for something new to listen to and re-living past SXSWs. Honey Claws is just the sort of thing I'd hope to run into at 1 A.M. my feet weary from the walking, my head hurting from all the rocking, but these grooves would buoy me up for another couple hours. These two tracks sound a bit like Nine Inch Nails tempered and mellowed through Beck's beatbox and microphone. The rest of the album will take you on a wild bounce deep into the heart of Austin's freak-hop-tronic scene. Sure, that may just be the Honey Claws' garage but bigger things have blossomed from humbler origins.

SXSW showcase: Wednesday night @ 115 Club.

Villains [MP3, 4.8MB, 256kbps]
July [MP3, 4.8MB, 256kbps]

www.honeyclaws.com
www.myspace.com/honeyclaws