Jordan Bolton

Much like the beginning of     "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the 19-year-old Jordan Bolton uses a similar quick strumming pattern to establish a platform for his new song "Love Was Always Cruel, It Just Wasn't Cruel To Me".  Building on top of this base, the solo artist manages to add some cozy guitar lines cradled by a comforting bass rhythm.  Bolton isn't new to this, though, there is a resemblance to similar atmospheres in songs like "Duluoz Nights" and portions of "Black and Grey".  Listening to his set you really see he's trying to stretch out and experiment with new ideas, and since "Love Was Always Cruel, It Just Wasn't Cruel To Me" is the first of a collection of three songs to be released, it'll be exciting to see what comes next.  Have a listen to the track below keeping in mind that Bolton is playing every instrument except the drums, and afterward head over to his SoundCloud to download his repertoire for free.

 Love Was Always Cruel, It Just Wasn't Cruel To Me by Jordan Bolton

Happy Valentine's Day!

My lovely dates I'm taking out to dinner tonight.

Yep, it's that time of year again...Valentine's Day!  It has got to be the most loved and most hated holiday ever brought to existence; I have never seen so many opposing posts come up on my Facebook.  One half are people ecstatic for love and romance, the other half are disgusted and couldn't give less of a fuck.  Me?  As you can see from lovely mistresses, I'll be quite okay.  Anyway, I've made a little Valentine's Day playlist for all of you to enjoy...nothing too special.  In an attempt to mix it up a little, not all songs are happy, but all of them have to deal with some sort of relationship or connection whether good or bad...I guess we can call it some form of "love"?  All of them have managed to strike an emotional chord in me at some point in life.  So without boring you, I've placed the quick 10-song list below.  I've also created a Mediafire link at the bottom to download if it interests you.  Hope you enjoy! And of course, Happy Valentine's Day to all you lovebirds.

"Our Way To Fall" by Yo La Tengo
"To The End" by Blur
"You Are My Sun" by Sun Kil Moon
"Vapour Trail" by Ride
"Darling, I Am Almost 20 Years Old" by Cherry Chapstick
"Your Arms Around Me" by Jens Lekman
"Photobooth" by Death Cab For Cutie
"When You Were Mine" by Prince
"It's Been Eight Years" by The Radio Dept.
"In Spite of Me" by Morphine

If you want, you can pick up the playlist here.

The Man Whom

What is the point of music? For some it's to dance, for some it's scream, for some it's to unite, and for others it's to relax.  There is a multitude of reasons why we listen to music, but the base root is the same; to make us feel something, to instill some kind of emotional embodiment.  Ian Doyle, the lead singer of Ireland's The Man Whom, understands this. On his upcoming album The Greatest Event, Doyle makes strides to have you look into yourself and come out with sentiment.  It's a deep exploration, and with Doyle's swooning strings and melancholy atmosphere the door is wide open for self-reflection.  As the band writes, it "takes the experience of losing everything in the great Irish recession and translates it into rich, soulful layers of sonic longing".  Complemented with a mellow tempo, The Greatest Event simmers, allowing it to soak in.  The album is due out February 28th in America, but you can get a little preview with one of my favorites "I Know Your Face".  Have a listen to it below!  Enjoy!

 The Man Whom - The Greatest Event - 03 I Know Your Face by matchlessminds

Cloud Nothings

Ok I'll admit, I'm one of those kids on campus riding a bike to and from class.  For some reason we don't get much appreciation, but now that I do it I can't go back to walking.  Besides the obvious reasons of speed and efficiency, I've come to absolutely love throwing on some headphones while I'm cruising around and jamming out.  Loud, pulsating waves of music are just superb for it; for example, Crystal Castles is a great way to get amped in the morning. Another contender is Cloud Nothings and their new album Attack on Memory which came out on January 24th of this year.  The noisy release coincides perfectly with my recent affection for punk music, so naturally the stomping vibes have been satiating my appetite.  One of the great things of this album that makes it special are the adrenaline-laced guitar rhythms; it's some of my favorite work that I've listened to in quite some time, everything just fits.  One of my favorite bangers on the album is the instrumental "Separation", which I've posted below.  For those groggy morning classes, it's the perfect remedy to get my blood pumping.  To add some perspective, I've added another song, "Fall In", to show their lyrical side (but with no loss of delicious guitar).

Separation

Fall In

Tut-Piece

I have another beat tape coming to ya from the up-and-coming Bronx producer who calls himself Tut-Piece.  Released only four days ago on February 2nd, the album Gold Jury is a mellow collection of jazz and soul infused hip-hop influences.  Leaning more on the chill side of things, Gold Jury provides a solid platform to get lost in the breezy beats. He offers the whole thing for free over at his Bandcamp, so be sure to snag it up. Below I've posted one of my favorite hits from the release, "Honky Tonk".  Enjoy!

Porcelain Raft

I'll leave you off on this fine Friday afternoon with Porcelain Raft, the solo project of the Italian Mauro Remiddi, and his new album Strange Weekend which came out January 24th of this year.  After releasing a few EPs and gaining some buzz through some hit singles, I was finally able to give the album a listen last week.  Although it's still early on in the year, Strange Weekend has been one of my favorite releases to come out in 2012.  It may not be breaking boundaries in its composition, but it has been a dream pop delight regardless.  It think it's pretty fair to say that Remiddi has listened to his fair share of My Bloody Valentine, for both Loveless and Strange Weekend share a lot of the same fuzzy sonic textures.  I've posted two of my favorites below, so feel free to check out "Unless You Speak From Your Heart" and "Put Me To Sleep" below.  Have a great weekend all!

Unless You Speak From Your Heart

Put Me To Sleep

Jean Caffeine

At this point last year my university was being pummeled with feet and feet of snow, we had at least one snow day per week for the first four weeks of school. Today is a different story; somehow, what is usually tundra is a lively 60 degrees and people are out in t-shirts and shorts.  To fulfill this spring spirit, I present to you the happy-go-lucky Jean Caffeine.  To say that she is new to writing music would be a complete lie; she used to be a drummer for the all-girl punk outfit called Pulsallama, and before the band separated they had the good fortune for opening for such legendary groups as Public Image Ltd. and The Clash. Unfortunately following the break-up, music was "thrown on the back burner"....until last year, when Jean released Geckos In the Elevator, a departure of her punk roots for some upbeat, fun, indie folk sensibilities.  It's hard not to sneak a smile when listening to the album's first single, "Jane Rearranged", it's just so damn happy!!  Luckily for us listeners, Jean has posted the track for free on her Bandcamp, which you can pick up here.  The rest of the album is also available here.  For your convenience I've placed the bright and melodious "Jane Rearranged" below.  Enjoy!