As any music blogger can probably attest to, it sometimes takes days — even weeks — to get through all the music submissions that show up in our inboxes. That’s why sometimes when I get bogged down with reading e-mails, I rely on label newsletters to give me a shortcut straight to good music. Case in point, this recent Hozac Records July update where I stumbled across the Aussie garage-pop duo of Super Wild Horses.

Striking a perfect balance between harsh and harmonic, Amy and Haley (no last names given on the myspace) are about as good of a catchy, fuzzed out group as you can get, which, being in an era of catchy, fuzzed out groups, is important if you want to make a name for yourself. If you sign up for Hozac Records Hookup Klub, you’ll get a copy of the group’s 7”. Also, there is an LP in the works (cover art shown above), entitled Fifteen, which you’ll be able to cop in the near future from the label. Until then, enjoy the hazy, sun-soaked video the group recorded for their track “Golden Town” as well as an mp3 of the track:

Super Wild Horses // Golden Town

A lot has been said about New Jersey natives Real Estate (and arguably the best was written by Lou over at Salad Fork), and if the quartet of Martin Courtney, Matthew Mondanile, Alex Bleeker, and Etienne Pierre Duguay keeps doing what they’ve been doing the past year-and-a-half, a lot more will be said. I have to say that I’ve never shelled out twenty-five bucks for a vinyl EP consisting of six crudely recorded tracks, but when I stumbled across a first pressing of their Mexican Summer release at my local record store, I was more giddy than apprehensive about the purchase. That’s how good this band is.

Before continuing, I must confess something: I hate the beach. I hate everything about it. I easily get sunburned, so I don’t particular enjoy sprawling out on the coarse sand and feeling three different types of UV radiation do a blitzkrieg on my skin. I also loathe swimming, so much so that it was the last required merit badge I got before getting my Eagle Scout (I was the lone 16 year-old in a class of early middle schoolers). For me, the entrance to the 7th circle of hell would be Satan handing me a beach towel and saying, with a smirk on his face, “enjoy.” So when people — mind you, most of which sit at the computer 16 hours of the day — talk about how Real Estate produces quintessential beach jams, I don’t particularly view it as a positive.

Somehow though, Real Estate’s music rises above my disdain for the shore so much that I can’t help but call them my favorite band of the moment. Although evidently clear that this was one of their first releases together (background hiss on the recording, a little bit of inconsistency on the tempo, etc…), there is something endearing about listening in at such an early stage. With a solid S/T LP to come later, Reality seems more like a bedroom practice session, giving the listener an intimate look at the inspiration and song writing process of the group. Take for instance the opener “Motorbikes”: a two-minute instrumental jam featuring enough guitar tinkerings that it seems more improv than polished piece. Bleaker gives the group a solid foundation on the bass while Mondanile and Courtney shimmer in and out with whatever rip they feel like playing. Musical discovery at its inception.

Much of the album continues in the same fashion, with half of the tracks on Reality never appearing on any of the groups later releases — and none making the cut for their critically acclaimed S/T LP. For newcomers to the group, Reality is probably not the best starting point, however, die hard fans should really get hold of a copy. Thankfully, Mexican Summer has made it easier by repressed the album, so you can cop one right now at the discounted price of $19.98. To whet your appetite, check out my two favorite tracks from the vinyl as well as a video of the group from one of their performances at SXSW ‘09:

Real Estate // Dumb Luck

Real Estate // Basement

“Relatively new” video for Girls guitarist Ryan Lynch’s side-project Dominant Legs. It’s been a while since I heard a peep from the group, however, from the looks of things, they are slated to have a pretty busy August. The absence of “Just Silly Ones” from their upcoming Young at Love and Life EP tells me that this Lefse-released record is going to be really, really good.

Got wind of the mind-melting electronic tracks of one, Andy Petr, from a recent blog post by PT-Music favorite RxRy, and I haven’t turned away from listening since. When googling the name, I came across only a trio of blog posts about him: one of a Yeasayer remix he did a couple of months ago, an extensive post by the always interesting ladies at Widows/Watch, and a quick blurb by my new favorite (possibly Czech?) site All, Everyone, United. Mr. Petr’s subterranean habitation in the blog-world is probably due to the fact he started making music four months ago (or at least posting them on his soundcloud), however even in such a short time he’s been able to crank out jams right and left — making the process look pretty damn effortless.

Below, you can check out a video RxRy put together for “Float Up” using archive.org footage as well as mp3s of my three favorite tracks of Petr’s: the dizzying 80s-inspired “Fractal Bump”, the hip-hop-ready (and Clipse-esque) beats of “Telescopium” and the universal favorite “Float Up”. You can also download a pair of collections which contain pretty much everything he has created thus far at his myspace page.

Andy Petr // Float Up

Andy Petr // Telescopium

Andy Petr // Fractal Bump

There’s been a lot of Mountain Man live recordings in scenic places floating around the internet for quite sometime, but this video showcasing Alexandra, Amelia, and Molly’s vocal talent at Iveagh Gardens in Dublin, Ireland — in the rain, nonetheless — might be the best I’ve seen since Yours Truly captured the trio “from a tunnel on a hill.” Featured in the video are the delectably sweet songs “Mouthwings”, “Arabella”, and “Animal Tracks” as well as a beautiful new track loosely titled “Whale Song”, so prepare yourself for not doing anything for the next ten minutes while watching/listening to this vid.

Unfortunately, I haven’t copped their Underwater Peoples 10” or their Bella Union 12” yet, but after watching these videos I’ve certainly bumped them further up the queue, so that should be remedied in the near future. For the uninitiated, check out a lengthy post of mine about the spiritual experience of witnessing their live show as well as a couple of mp3s (courtesy their bandcamp page) below:

Mountain Man // Animal Tracks

Mountain Man // Soft Skin

]]> http://www.parttimemusic.com/2010/07/22/mountain-man-live-in-dublin/feed/ 0 http://www.parttimemusic.com/2010/07/22/las-robertas-v-for-you/ http://www.parttimemusic.com/2010/07/22/las-robertas-v-for-you/#comments Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:38:18 +0000 bryant http://www.parttimemusic.com/?p=2329

I haven’t been excited about a Latin American group since I feel in love with Jóvenes y Sexys a full six months ago, but Las Robertas changed that in a flash yesterday when I watched the above video for their track “V For You”. Hailing from San José, Costa Rica — one of the happiest places on earth — Las Robertas make some of the best fuzzed out pop gems, or ‘fuzzy buzzy’ as Carles would say, I’ve heard all year (and trust me, I’ve heard a lot).

The group garnered a lot of attention this past May when they exploded onto the scene courtesy of GvB, prompting me to download their LP, entitled Cry Out Loud, from their bandcamp page where, unfortunately, it remained unlistened in my iTunes library until earlier this morning. You can still download three tracks from their site here, as well as listen in to my favorite song of the album below:

Las Robertas // Tele

Don’t know how I missed this video back in April, but better late than never. Thanks to this NY Times piece, I discovered this meta-site Pitchfork Reviews Reviews, which led me to this amazing video to an amazing song. Hyperlinking, ftw!

Here’s the description of the video from the band: “This guy who does a blog called Pitchfork Reviews Reviews randomly emailed us this video that he made for a girl named Anna. We like it, so now it’s our official video!”

Maybe it’s because I’ve been playing Casiokids’s vinyl nonstop all day (an outstanding LP that I’m sure is being blasted from every discoteque from Oslo to Athens), but I have to say that I really dig this reworking of Hooray For Earth’s track “Surrounded By Your Friends” by Brooklyn’s Twin Shadow. Although the tempo remains relatively at the same pace, the remix comes across as much more club-ready with the added astral flare ups and over-accentuation of the bass line. It’s a great listen and a perfect way to kick off your weekend night.

You can check out the mp3 of the remix as well as the previously featured video for the original track below. If you like what you hear, Twin Shadow has a couple more remixes you can cop from Stereogum and Hooray for Earth has an EP out now on Dovecote Records, so check them out!

Hooray for Earth // Surrounded By Your Friends (Twin Shadow Remix)

For those who aren’t as late on the ball as I am, LA noise rockers HEALTH have released their second remix album, appropriately entitled “Disco2″, giving a refreshing new look into one of my favorite albums of 2009. Below, you can find the fourth single from that record which has found its way on the web, a 70s discoteque ready reconstruction of “Die Slow” done by fellow LAers Nite Jewel. Also included are a pair of live videos shot by the University of Minnesota’s campus radio station (Radio K) at one of HEALTH’s recent Minneapolis gigs — one for “Die Slow” and the other for a new song called “Drugs Beach” (via: TMT).

HEALTH // Die Slow (Nite Jewel Remix) [via: WOW Mag.]

Love the idea behind this video for “Liquid Crystals” by the Denver indie-rock band Vitamins. Unlike most archival music vids you see on the web these days where the song comes first and footage is plucked out of a digital library and paired with the music, “Liquid Crystals” is actually a score composed by the band for Jean Painleve’s 1930’s short film of the same name. Now I’ve seen a couple of these “bands provide the soundtrack to an old obscure movie” things live here in Portland recently, however, none are as polished as this seven-minute arrangement — with the music matching perfectly to the visuals of the film up to the “syncing of the strings whenever liquid flows” as noted by one commenter.

Check out the video above and head on over to the band’s myspace page to listen in on some more of their great stuff (really dig “Sequined Dress”).