Flume | Chet Faker | Our Flume Interview

It’s no surprise to see these Australian natives coming together again for an official release. Flume and Chet formerly collaborated on “Left Alone,” one of the many standout tracks on Flume’s double-platinum, self-titled record. When you see Chet’s lumberjack-esque and raw exterior, you’d never imagine the range and power of his vocals. Combined with a textbook Flume beat on “Drop the Game”, and you’re feeling weightless; gliding just overhead a foggy rain forest. Is that weird? See for yourself below.

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IHEARTCOMIX | TICKETS

Our IHeartComix homies are celebrating the three year anniversary of their incredibly popular Check Yo Ponytail series tomorrow! As we’ve come to expect from CYP, the talent is absolute top notch and suggestive of an insane, memorable night. Alice Glass of Crystal Castles will be playing a DJ set and self-proclaimed party god Andrew W.K. will be bringing his energy as well. We’re expecting some good ol’ chaos of the finer varieties.

IHC has also announced there will be special guests in attendance. It should be noted that CYP has had superstar DJs show up on a normal basis. As always this will be held at the Echoplex, one of Los Angeles’ more intimate venues that generally brings a passionate crowd. Expect to be a part of one of the ~coolest~ parties in the country.

How To Enter

Standard procedure: The contest ends at 5PM Thursday October 31st! The more ways you enter below, the better your chance is to win. Be sure to be ready to check your e-mail/twitter, because we’ll be giving it to the first people who respond when the winner is chosen. See you guys there!

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Buy Don’t Talk To | RAC

Last weekend, we had the privilege of catching RAC’s fifth ever live show at the Observatory OC. Having only seen DJ sets by Andre and Karl, we didn’t know how this would fly. They were continually retweeting people talking about how the set was high energy, but how…was the mystery. We got into the venue filled with anticipation – it’s been a while since we’ve been this giddy to see an artist we’ve seen before. The band stepped out on stage to the roaring crowd: Andre, Liz (Andre’s wife), Karl, and Jeffrey Jerusalem of YACHT. I have to add right now that there was this weird feeling of insane happiness to see Andre and Liz up there following through with their passion together. True love is real people! They got right into it with one of our favourites: Foster the People’s Houdini and the room started heating up almost instantly.

They continued to play their crowd classics in a fresh new way that only live instruments could orchestrate. Among them were Two Door’s Something Good Can Work, Temper Trap’s Sweet Disposition, Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Zero, Hollywood, and a guest appearance by MNDR for the encore: Let Go. The standout tracks of the night were Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros’ Home, which they completely revamped to incorporate the kind of energy the song always lacked, and their original off the latest EP, Tourist. RAC also decided to surprise us with a completely new original that showcased Karl on vocals! Can’t wait to see that one surface for us all to fawn over. We were thoroughly impressed with how the live instruments brought the fire out of tracks we always viewed as being more “chill” than anything. Not to mention the eye candy they brought to the table:Strangeloop’s Reactive Pillar was a work of art!

We have no qualms with saying we were dancing and singing along non-stop. And all too soon, the show was over. I have to say, though, it was getting pretty unbearably hot in there – sweat dripping from the ceiling status. That’s just how you know it was a special show! One of our friend’s summed it up quite well: “RAC is one of the bands we’d follow around the country on a live tour.” We agree and absolutely hope they incorporate more live shows into their schedule. Best of luck to the crew and big up on a glorious transfer to a live band.

Haim | Buy ‘Days Are Gone’

Ever since Haim dropped their debut EP Forever early in 2012, their buzz has been real. Since then, the hype for the three San Fernando Valley sisters has increased exponentially. I can gladly say they exceeded all expectations with the release of their LP aptly titled Days Are Gone. The trio’s first full length album is a diverse concoction of influences. From indie, soft rock, and pop to RnB and punk, the girls manage to create their own unique sound.

The first three tracks off the album will be familiar to anyone who has gotten to know the band over the years, but that certainly isn’t a bad thing. Standout tracks on the album include ‘The Wire,’ a stadium ready rock song, ‘Days Are Gone’ a modern take on indie disco, the riff heavy ‘My Song 5’, and the RnB influenced ‘Let Me Go’. Overall, the sisters have really outdone themselves with this release. I was lucky enough to catch them live at Treasure Island Festival last week, and wow…they are truly something to witness live. Their energy and stage presence is something you need to be a part of first hand. Haim has nowhere to go but up, and I plan on seeing them topping festivals as a regular in the future.

TRACKLIST

1. Falling
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/Music/Haim/Falling.mp3]
2. Forever
3. The Wire
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/Music/Haim/The%20Wire.mp3]
4. If I Could Change Your Mind
5. Honey & I
6. Don’t Save Me
7. Days Are Gone
8. My Song 5
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/Music/Haim/My%20Song%205.mp3]
9. Go Slow
10. Let Me Go
11. Running If You Call My Name

Cut Copy | Soundcloud | PreOrder Free Your Mind

Cut Copy have been front runners in the indie/electronic sound since the style’s inception. Being from Australia, every song has an unmistakeable tropical feel to go with its inherent danciness. With their upcoming album Free Your Mind coming out next month, we can surely expect them to take us into untrodden territory of indie dance. They’ve always had an influential role in the genre. “We Are Explorers” is their latest single off the album, and it’s a true piece of art. LA you can catch them at HARD Day of the Dead music fest on 11/2! Check the first single and a classic Boys Noize remix after the jump.

BONUS

Cut Copy – Lights and Music (Boys Noize Remix) (right click > save as)
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/Music/07%20Lights%20%26%20Music%20%28Boys%20Noize%20Remix%29.mp3]

Arcade Fire | Buy Reflektor October 29

“Afterlife,” Arcade Fire’s most recent preview track from their forthcoming album Reflektor, is dancey and depressing and haunting and catchy all in the same earful. It’s a whirling blender of emotion, morbidity and youthful hope in a way ever so characteristic of Win Butler and company. It seeks for the deeper meaning of life and fumbles desperately for a greater significance like a depressed teenager making sense of his suburban surroundings. While this might be true of almost all of their music up to this point, there is something almost foreign about “Afterlife”-otherworldly even.

The Canadian seven-piece is set to release Reflektor in a week and though they’ve provided their fan base with a slew of previews on television talkshows and the like, “Afterlife” and the title track are the only studio recorded songs to have been officially released thus far; sporting similar sentiments. They’re the kind of songs that make perfect sense if you don’t pay attention to the lyrics (which often contradict the bouncy and energetic melodies). Speaking of lyrics: lyrical master and recording genius James Murphy–the brain behind LCD Soundsystem–is confirmed to have produced three or more songs off the album. With so many great musical minds in collaboration, it’s almost as though Reflektor has no choice but to be a top contender for album of the year. Check the single “Reflektor” after the jump.

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Cults | Buy Static

There are few bands as aptly named as Cults. With a completely unique sound–which to be frank, only they could ever pull off–the Manhattan duo and their 2011 self-titled debut took the indie scene by storm. Their sound is difficult to define, and their influence not easy to pinpoint. There’s a frosty sweetness to the girl-pop of bygone days, mixed with a haunting distortion, akin to the washed out static of an old television set. Their music has a way of transporting you to a place vaguely familiar, yet unrecognizable. Two years since the release of their fuzzy, yet pleasantly optimistic debut, the two-piece is back, this time with a noteworthy edge of bitterness.

The second album, while well-polished and beautifully composed seems slightly jaded and almost sexually frustrated, with lyrics such as “I wonder how you sleep at night” and “I can hardly make you mine.” The idealized romance might be gone in their sophomore album but they have certainly maintained their Cultsy charm. The album is pulsing and charged and electric and lo-fi and…well, static. While the album is undeniably full of post-breakup regret, it is also undeniably wonderful.

Cults – I Can Hardly Make You Mine
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/2013/CULTS/02%20I%20Can%20Hardly%20Make%20You%20Mine.mp3]

Cults – So Far
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/2013/CULTS/06%20So%20Far.mp3]

Cults – Keep Your Head Up
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/2013/CULTS/07%20Keep%20Your%20Head%20Up.mp3]