It’s 4 AM. I can’t seem to find the means to sleep. I’m just too excited for this weekend and I’m really pumped on this release. Foster the People gave out yet another remix of “Pumped Up Kicks” on their facebook. I know we’re up to our neck in remixes of these guys, especially of this song, but this one is just as good and unique as any. I’m proud to say that another artist from my hometown is finally getting recognized for their talents. Jason Suwito of Irvine, Ca has been involved with many musical endeavors and seems to have found his niche in Polaris At Noon. Gave “Pumped Up Kids” a poppy rework and turned it into a dance fiends dream. Give it a gooooooo

Foster the People – Pumped Up Kicks (Polaris At Noon Remix)

I wrote about Stu McLamb’s solo-project-turned band The Love Language a while back after the release of sophomore album “Libraries.” McLamb’s first, self-titled album was completely a solo effort, recorded in a storage space on $200 worth of equipment. It’s muddy and distorted, benchmarked by boom-snare drums and heavy instrumentals that pool together to create angsty but oh-so enjoyable summer jams. I’ve linked one of my favorites below. Download it, take it for a spin, add it to your summertime playlist.

Providence

Portland-based trio Unknown Mortal Orchestra has caused quite the stir on the blogosphere lately and deservedly. Their debut album dropped last week and though it’s homemade like many buzz bands of the moment, there is something about it that distinguishes it from everything else–a sort of extraterrestrial, supersonic feeling that’s especially rare in a homemade album. It feels more like the product of another time in the not-too-distant-future than something that was whipped together in a modern American bedroom. Yet it maintains a sort of dusty, second-hand vinyl quality that makes it even more enigmatic. Rowdy and delinquent it’s just distorted enough to crash-land a spot next to rock ‘n roll classics and contemporaries. With androgynous, falsetto delivered vocals that you cannot sing along with without sounding ridiculous, it manages to blend in a tasteful degree of youthful pop.

Be sure to download their remixes (including “Jesus” by Dom, “First Of tha Month” by Bone Thugs N Harmony and “Try Again” by Aaliyah).

Tracklist

1. FFunny FFriends
2.Bicycle
3. Thought Ballune
4. Jello and Juggernauts
5.How Can U Luv Me?
6. Nerve Damage!
7. Little Blu House
8.Strangers Are Strange
9. Boy Witch
10. I Want to Be Left to My Own Devices
11. Cyrus’ Theme

Fresh on the music scene, San Diego’s Mrs. Magician is slowly but steadily churning out drum-kick, post-punk singles. With only five tracks released, it isn’t yet apparent exactly what their deal is—whether they’re trying to make a point or simply speak for a generation. With a bedroom pop sensibility driven by screeching guitar riffs, they are reminiscent of a rowdy night on the town. Whatever they’re doing, these guys are up to no good, with egregious track titles such as “I’m Gonna Hang Out With the Lesbians Next Door and Drop Acid” and “There is No God.” You almost get the sense that their primary aim is to point a middle finger at their conservative parents or elicit head shakes from the media. They take a slower spin with “Angel Baby,” a less controversial, doo-wop nap-track that feels like a slow dance in a 1950’s dream. Controversial as they can be, they’ve nailed a pretty cool sound and offer free downloads of all of their songs on their SoundCloud.

The Spells

Angel Baby

Tabloids

It’s surprising that Long Island one-man-show-turned-five-piece Beat Radio isn’t a more prominent face in the indie scene. An ultra-palateable blend of folk and indie electronica, Beat Radio paints a landscape you wouldn’t mind crawling into and getting lost in for a while. The electronic progressions and digital beats hardly overwhelm the music, rather subtly enhance it. The vocals are what ultimately win you over, in a soul-healing sort of way reminiscent of folk-outfits such as Blind Pilot. They’ve released three albums and an EP, each track uniquely delicious and eclectic, perhaps most beautiful when it’s stripped from its electronica sensibility and left only to its natural devices–a guitar and a voice. Check them out below and if you like what you hear, check out their site where they offer more free music (a difficult offer to pass up).

Free Samples

Memoir of a Lightning BoltAlbum: Safe Inside the Sound

Stranger FlowersAlbum: Safe Inside the Sound

Hard Times For DreamersAlbum: Safe Inside the Sound

Golden AgeAlbum: Golden Age

YOLO Mentions bring attention to special
songs featured in that week’s YOLO List. Get the latest list here!

I still don’t know how this EP got past me since it’s been out for over six months. I want to be ashamed, but the bottom line is I have it now. If you like Born Ruffians at all, you’re going to be extra stoked on this. If you don’t like Born Ruffians yet, hopefully the extra tracks below will show you the light.

The EP features five new songs and two remixes. With normally high standards for the Ruff’s, I went into the Plinky Plonk EP with low expectations. I figured there must have been a reason it took so long for the EP to find me. The first five tracks were just about as good as they could get. The Born Ruffians I love, moving forward with an already uniquely amazing sound. Luke Lalonde is a creative mastermind when it comes to his catchy guitar riffs. His lyrics are on another level as they always seem to be right on point and pleasantly easy to sing along to.

My favorite off the EP would have to be “Like When You.” The track starts off really ambient but slowly transforms into a light hearted dancy jam. It gives me a feel of Hot Hot Heat back in the Elevator days. Another track I thought really stood out was “Pool Party Fun.” As upbeat as the name suggests, the song actually is one of the more mellow Born Ruffians song I’ve heard. More on the sad side, but very easily relatable. “It sucks when you find someone, but they don’t find you.” It’s just cool to see the emotional range of these guys, while they still manage to stay positive and have lots of fun through their other tracks. The only thing keeping the EP from being perfect is the Acorn remix of “Nova-Leigh.” That being one of my favorite tracks off Say It, this rendition fails to encompass the initial greatness and leaves this EP with its only dud.

Overall, really great stuff from a really great band. I got it a few days ago and have not been able to give it a rest…but I’m shuffling through all their stuff old stuff at the same time too. They’ve got some pretty cool live recordings on Daytrotter.com that are free for download. If you like this EP, buy it on iTunes here. It’s only 4 bucks, and hey! I’m sure they could use the help.

TRACKLIST

1. Plinky Plonky
2. Like When You
3. First Date Kid
4. Retard Canard II
5. Pool Party Fun
6. What To Say (VOWLS Remix)
7. Nova-Leigh (Acorn Remix)

BONUS RUFFIANS

I was going to put Delightful Choice! by the one’s i thought were best, but if you like even one of these you’re bound to like them all. They’re some of my favorites.
I’m One Of Those Girls Album: Self Titled
Little Garçon Album: Red, Yellow and Blue
Barnacle Goose Album: Red, Yellow and Blue
Nova-Leigh Album: Say It
Oh Man Album: Say It

Click here to download all the songs in this post in one shot!

Shoe-gaze duo the band in Heaven is a blissfully distorted pop concoction. What sets them apart is the unique contrast they create—they manage to be severe yet sweet at the same time. Listening to their demo, you are sucked into a homespun dream sequence though not in such a way that it blurs together as many bands of the dream-pop genre tend to.

Each song, though equally confusing and aimless, manages to stand on its own as a sort of individual trance. The hauntingly vivid kind you remember and want to write down. Suppressed amongst dizzying repetition and reverb, the vocals have a sort of calming effect, like they’re letting you in on a secret. In this way they manage to command attention. You want to know what they have to say next, even if what they actually are saying doesn’t make sense.

They strike a nice balance between lo-fi fuzz and guitar distortion. Though at times their presence is vaguely reminiscent of the Velvet Underground traveling in time to cover ‘80s pop essentials such as the Cranberries, they’ve really managed to create something distinctive. Each song has something special to offer. Even their covers (of the Cranberries and Q Lazzarus) present something successfully reinvented. The band in Heaven could very well be influential in the movement to revive the shoe-gaze genre.

Check out their bandcamp