For me, music is more than just art. Music is more of a force, able to stir one's emotions, awaken one's senses, and unite people under a common denominator. It is an essential part to my life.
If there were a better word to describe the London quartet Mt. Wolf than 'ethereal', I would use it. But alas, such a descriptor is non-existent; with gossamer vocals, angelic harmonies, sweeping strings, and deep bass embedded in the music they make, how could there possibly be a more perfect adjective? The evidence gathered for this conclusion comes from their Life Size Ghosts EP, a 4-song assemblage that exhibits all of Mt. Wolf's heavenly qualities. The term that they've come to describe it as is "dreamfolk", which just so happens to fit them ideally. One element to Life Size Ghosts that surprised me were the pronounced beats that appeared out of no where in some of the songs. In one full swoop they're able to turn a dreamy wash into what sounds like a soulful downtempo track, perhaps along the lines of a darker How to Dress Well. Either way, Life Size Ghosts is well worth a listen for curious ears, and the good news is that it is streaming over at SoundCloud now, so be sure to have a gander at it. For more information you can visit the band's Twitter or Facebook. Below is "Cry Wolf", which comes directly off the EP.
A little gem appeared in my inbox a few days ago in the form of an "Old Pine" remix by two young DJs that comprise Peking Duk. Hailing from Australia, the duo has been quite successful as of late, really making a name for themselves. Not only have they received support from Steve Aoki, MSTRKRFT, and Tiesto, but their single "Welcome" hit #34 on the ARIA club chart and their remix of "Take A Walk" by Passion Pit garnered more than 70,000 plays in two weeks on SoundCloud (that number is now 87,384). Their remix of "Old Pine" by Ben Howard (which can be played here) seems to be on a similar track. It sticks true to the original while doing a good job of creating something new and exciting for fans of Ben Howard and Peking Duk alike. I also find it refreshing to see a successful remix hitting the blogosphere that doesn't derive from dubstep or techno, so really I think this is one for all kinds of varying music interests. Stream it below, and hit up their SoundCloud for a free download. Their main SoundCloud site, complete with other tracks, can be found here.
