Flume

19-year-old Harley Streten, an Australian who goes by the name Flume, has quite a knack for the creation of sampled and remixed beats. Such talent has to start somewhere I suppose, and for Streten it was a music production program he discovered within the depths of a cereal box....at the age of 13.  Why didn't I ever find anything so awesome in Corn Flakes when I was younger? The song that really caught my attention was "Sleepless (ft. Anthony for Cleopatra)", a track off the self-titled single Sleepless, which also includes two other songs "Over You" and "Paper Thin".  All of his stuff is very electronica oriented, and while this can sometimes mean a more upbeat or danceable result, Flume is definitely geared toward a more chill environment.  The holidays are coming quick and it can be a stressful time for many, so take a breather and throw on some of the songs below.  I've posted "Sleepless (ft. Anthony for Cleopatra)" and "Zimbabwe (Flume Remix)".  Jump on over to SoundCloud to look at some of his other stuff as well as some downloads.  Enjoy!

 Sleepless (ft. Anthony For Cleopatra) by Flume

 Zimbabwe (Flume Remix) by Flume

GRMLN

It's hard to imagine anyone not liking some laid-back, breezy, Cali-influenced lo-fi guitar ballads.  It feels like the purest form of post-surf music, much like the addicting melodies of Real Estate are a symbol to lazy summer afternoons.  Although slightly differing in sound, both styles come from the same idea: serenity.  A place of relaxation.  GRMLN, a solo artist from Santa Cruz, is one of the newer performers in the Beach Fossils type of lo-fi beach rock.  Recorded in his house, his three-song EP First Phase is a fantastic collection that debuts his oceanfront vision.  Clocking in at just over 7 minutes, First Phase is a little gem hidden within a sea of bedroom releases.  It accomplishes exactly what it's set out to do, to place the listener on a pier in southern California, the sun just about to dip below the horizon on a warm June evening.  Check out "Depressions" from the EP below, and if you like it, the whole thing is free over at his Bandcamp, so hurry on over to snag it before he changes his mind.  Trust me it's totally worth it.

"Depressions"

The Black Bull

His name is M. Perri, and he calls himself The Black Bull. The name is striking, a bold statement that exudes a confidence which isn't too arrogant.  Put simply, I get the impression that Perri is self-assured.  And why not? As a singer/songwriter, he has been able to put out three fantastic folk-driven tunes, all of which include an array of instruments from drums, guitar, and piano recorded solo (a feat I always find impressive).  It's also apparent that he isn't afraid to take risks, on the "The Great Unknown" Perri doesn't hesitate to reach a falsetto that one could only dream of trying.  As his main single, "The Great Unknown" serves as a theme to his journey into the music word.  "Steppin' into the great unknown..." is sung in repetition, and it might as well act as metaphor for his new album's release.  After all, in the music industry you never know what you're gonna get....but with such talent and a brilliant compilation of songs, whose to say it's not possible?  I've posted two of those songs below, "Faint Young Sun" and "The Great Unknown", so be sure to give those a listen.  If you dig em, head out to the ol' Soundcloud to listen to "Your Lips For Mine"; you can also download all of them for free.  What's not to love?

 Faint Young Sun by The Black Bull

 The Great Unknown by The Black Bull

See you all next week!

Jensen Sportag

Well, it turns out that my perception of Jensen Sportag has been completely misconstrued for the past couple of months.  Since I've started listening to the Pure Wet EP I carried this impression that Jensen Sportag was simply a name of the musician, a single person who was native to a Scandinavian country.  The music seemed to fit the bill too, for a lot of fantastic electronic influenced indie artists have been emerging from countries like Norway and Sweden lately. But....no.  This is why we should never assume; I found out recently that Jensen Sportag is actually a moniker for the duo of Austin Wilkinson and Benjamin Craig, and they're from Nashville, TN.  I'm pretty embarrassed by this.  Pure Wet was the first EP I fell in love with this year, and it was with me for a lot of my initial travels when studying abroad, providing a kind of theme that became pretty important to me.  Regardless, I'm pretty surprised that Pure Wet hasn't earned more attention since its February release earlier this year.  The 4-song collection pulls sounds from an array of domains; funk, synthpop, and jazz can all be thrown into the mix.  Soft lounge music isn't too wild of a description, and yet neither is a tamed form of techno or a subdued, mature Prince-like '80s style.  What's impressive is that despite all of these seemingly contrasting labels, the EP has a great flow and has the ability to remain unified under a common idea.  Ultimately, it's a listen that goes down oh so smooth. All right, enough writing.  Posted below is "Mapquest" and "Everything Good" from the Pure Wet EP.  If you like these, check out their Soundcloud to listen to the whole thing and their main homepage to listen to their "Wet Mix" and find out any addition info. Peace.

 Mapquest by Jensen Sportag

 Everything Good by Jensen Sportag

Young Dreams

Since the Australian label Modular started a joint-venture with EMI in 1998, they've done a great job at recruiting an all-star roster. The list of bands involved include some of my favorites; Cut Copy, Tame Impala, Chromeo, and The Avalanches all call Modular home.  The newest signing is the huge Norwegian group called Young Dreams, a 12-person "collective" of indie pop practitioners.  The cool thing is that the band's roots go deep, and they derive their inspiration from a multitude of areas.  The original creator of Young Dreams, Matias Tellez, has been quoted as saying "I am a big fan of the harmonies and arrangements of the romantic period of classical music".  His inspirations also include Martin Denny (a lounge music pioneer) and Waldo de los Rios (an Argentine composer).  With these influences in mind, along with a large band, one can only imagine what's to come out.  The answer is the aptly named single "Young Dreams", a pop gem textured with minor synths and, of course, beautiful harmonies.  Gotta love the lyrics:  "Like sailors we set for the sea, we're restless, that's why we keep on moving, not empty, because of our young dreams".  Watch out for these guys!

 Young Dreams by Young Dreams

Nouveaunoise

Artists such as Four Tet, The Field, and Pantha Du Prince pretty much make a living out of constructing beats.  Their songs are usually instrumental, and yet these guys are so talented that a full album can be carried just on grooves and rhythms alone.  A lot of the time, just the song name can give away the intended story that lyrics would have filled in, but with such skill, the excess words are not needed.
"She Just Likes To Fight" is a perfect example of an instrumental piece that exudes a narrative without even saying anything, it's understood just by the title.  Another band emerging with a similar formula for beat-making is Nouveaunoise, an Irish duo with a knack for creating organic electronica.  Last year's album, Paraphrase Accolade, falls into that category; it also carries a lot of influence from glitch hop, and in some instances jazz.  It's pretty cool, and definitely worth breezing through.  The best part is that it's offered as a free download!  I've posted "Goni" from Paraphrase Accolade below, and if you dig it be sure to grab the album at Bandcamp.  You can also view the entire thing at their Soundcloud.

 Goni

Sound and the Urgency

Sound and the Urgency's "White Kids", a spacious folktroncia ballad that's as dramatic as it catchy, has been stimulating interest amongst the webscape recently with it's mix of experimental "guitar-drenched electro pop" and heavy sentiment.  Yet upon hearing the remainder of the album, the self-titled Sound and the Urgency, I found that the Portland songwriter has even more to offer.  The 10-song record is loaded with ambition, striving to achieve a spectrum of moods that range from uptempo folk to emotional indie-rock, and as mentioned before, elements of folktronica.  At points it's even fair to say that many of the tracks carry country undertones.  It's most certainly a contemplative release, one which permeates a sense of feeling; sometimes there's anguish, sometimes anger, and at other times disappointment.  Below I've posted two songs from Sound and the Urgency, "Killing Communists With a Smile" and "Sound and the Urgency", both which also include a free download from Soundcloud.  If you like what you hear, you can also check out his Bandcamp to get the rest of the album or find more information at his Facebook.  Chhhhheeeccckkkk it.

 Killing communists with a smile by Sound and the Urgency

 Sound and the Urgency by Sound and the Urgency