Marumari makes electronic music just the way I like it, when I’m in the mood to chill to it, not dance to it (‘cuz let me tell you, it ain’t no easy feat to harness the energy of my dance moves in a little song. Nuh, uh. No way. But I’m not dancing now. And I imagine you aren’t either if you’re reading this—unless you’ve got moves I’m unfamiliar with). It’s smooth, warm, and he keeps things interesting without the glitch, klack, sputter. There’s an Eastern sensibility at work here, as if he’s creating extended mixes of haiku. All this from a young American raised on Pee Wee’s Playhouse with an unexplicable penchant for Gap clothes. Problem is, Marumari, aka Josh Presseisen, has been regrettably silent for the past four years, with the exception of this EP that he’s been giving away on his site since last year. Only for “awhile” he warns. Well, the links are still good, but who knows for how long. Get ’em while you can (btw: some of the smaller files sound like clips). I should mention here that Sam turned me onto Marumari back in the last millenium, and Brian over at Fun Time OK hipped me to the free Pathscrubber EP.
Brightblack Morning Light
A few helpful things to know about Nathan Shineywater and Rachael Hughes, aka Brightblack Morning Light: 1) They live in tents in the summer, a small cabin in the winter. 2) They’re from Northern California via Alabama. 3) They pal around with Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom. 4) They care about the world around them. 5) They roll out amazing, narcotically tempered grooves. 6) If only “punkers” were as punk as these hippies…
New Domino Signings
Sarah Shannon
Today Minty Fresh announced the signing of Sarah Shannon and they tell us we can expect previews soon. Her second solo album is slated for a Fall release. Needless to say (for those who know me), I’m completely giddy at this news and it’s sent me digging through all my old Velocity Girls albums. You see, Sarah Shannon put the girl in Velocity Girl, one of the early bands that moved Sub Pop beyond their grunge roster. At one point, Velocity Girl’s 1993 album, Copacetic, had sold more than any other Sub Pop album with the exception of Nirvana’s Bleach. By no means did Velocity Girl reinvent pop music, they just did it so well. They made it sound so good. Lo-fi production and fuzzy guitars eventually lead to a perfect pop polishing by producer John Porter (The Smiths), then in 1996 it was all over. I’ll admit, Sarah Shannon’s voice sealed the deal for me. Pure aural comfort food. Timeless. Soft and smooth and never close to being cheesy. In 2000 Shannon released an under-appreciated solo record on her own label, Casa Recording Company. These MP3s are from that recording. She obviously steered clear of the shimmering indie rock Velocity Girl mastered in favor of a big ’70s pop sound. As I write this I feel like I’m reading a page-turner of a novel and I’m so ready for the next chapter. This is gonna be a good summer!
The Futureheads
With the first hit of the drum, pluck of the bass and strum of the guitar, for a split second, I hear the opening of AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” (gotta throw in an obligatory reference to today’s once-in-a-century date). All you rockers, don’t get your hopes up. The stadium rock doesn’t continue, at least not in an AC/DC sense. However, the herky-jerky pogo beats, the Hyde brothers’ thick, northern British accents, and their soaring harmonies kick in full force. The Futureheads are often compared to XTC, with good reason (and not in a bad way: they sound neither nostalgic nor derivative), and the similarities continue on their second record, News And Tributes, out next week. “Worry About It Later” sounds as if it was pulled from the English Settlement sessions, mixed with a little pop-opera. Don’t expect anything near a slump for these blokes as their powerful/playful style, which has earned them opening spots (on stadium shows!) for Oasis and The Pixies, has only matured and had this come out some forty years earlier I can imagine The Futureheads playing with the likes of Townsend and company. Here we are, back to the future and you’ll find them out on the road in North America, starting next week, with French Kicks for the first leg and Tapes ‘N Tapes for the next.
Goodnight Monsters
If you’re fluent in German you might enjoy the online magazine Spoonfork (in English we call it a “spork”). I don’t speak German, so I can’t give it a proper review. They’re kind enough to link to our entries once in awhile, so I’ll stop by there every so often to hear what they’re listening to. They seem to have a weak spot for sunshiney pop, and indeed Finland’s Goodnight Monsters are beaming with it. “20 Fingers 20 Toes” is an anatomically wonderful love song which captures a couple cataloging their combined body parts. Contemporaries might include The Boy Least Likely To, influences obviously include The Beach Boys and Burt Bacharach. This is a shimmering gem you’d be wise to add to your forthcoming Summer mixes…
(By the way: today is the last day to enter our Psapp contest)
When Life Gives You MP3s, Make a Podcast
Play It As It Lays #239
Win Tix to Psapp, Jose Gonzalez & Juana Molina
Balún
The emerging theme from the last two days is unintentional: more electronic treats from Latin America. Today it’s Balún—Puerto Rico’s answer to Múm. You had no idea Puerto Rico had an answer to Múm, did you? I certainly didn’t. Consider ourselves clued in. Balún’s songs tend toward the cinematic: gentle textures unfolding into soft rhythms and child-like vocals. These downloads are from the past couple years, but they do have a new album coming out in June on Brilliante Records out of Chicago. The video below is their first from that release, Something Comes Our Way. Oh, and Sam, let’s hear you work this phrase into conversation, “hay una piscina en la nube (there’s a swimming pool in the cloud).”