The Flaming Lips- "With A Little Help From My Fwendz"

 

There's an old saying that simply states: "Everything old is new again..." and like most things, this is a feeling that is expressed in extremes by The Flaming Lips.

The Flaming Lips have had their collective third eye open for a while now; a case could be made that throughout the band's 14 album career they've actively ridden the spiraled staircase straight to the enlightened rock gods of Mars and returned to share the good word (a sentiment that would probably be adored by enigmatic frontman, Wayne Coyne.) Without a moment's hesitation to expand sonically with each album, the Lips have become a psychedelic mainstay thanks their exuberant, unquenchable zeal for the bizarre and ZERO label interference (which in itself is a miracle, considering it's Warner Bros. Records-- give credit where credit's due). So what's the next logical step for the little band of oddballs and their merry cult of starchildren? Cover The Beatles.

But The Flaming Lips aren't JUST covering The Beatles, that band that's practically universally-appreciated (even the biggest of music critic naysayers tend to avoid arguing the fab four's relevance and THAT speaks volumes)-- no, Coyne and Co went straight for assimilating the entirety of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". A massive undertaking that makes COMPLETE sense on paper, "With A Little Help From My Fwends" boasts some of the strangest choices ever made by the band; which includes the guest appearances of My Morning Jacket, Moby, Electric Wurmz, Grace Potter, Tegan and Sara, and (WHAT?) Miley Cyrus.  Take all these elements, throw them in a blender, hit "frappé" and you have the finished product: An odd smattering of unrelated oddities miraculously mashed amidst each other until they resemble an album that you at one point owned. Recognizable and alien simultaneously, it's fever dream nostalgia at its peaks-- they hope you will enjoy the show, sit back and let the evening go.

Get YOUR copy of The Flaming Lips' "With A Little Help From My Fwendz" RIGHT HERE!

Flying Lotus- "YOU'RE DEAD!"

 

Steven Ellison, known more commonly to the irreverently-inclined as Flying Lotus, took the electronic music scene by storm with his Warp Records debut- Reset EP. Reluctant to be confined to traditional EDM tropes, FlyLo employs a myriad of obscurities into his mixing pot- a recipe that often includes deep jazz cuts, scattered loops and hip-hop fused beat production that are patchworked into otherworldly musings. As a producer, he demonstrates the precision of a surgeon tapering layers of sounds like an audio Jenga that never topples over.  With four full-length albums under his belt, Ellison doesn't show any signs of slowing down on his latest release, You're Dead!

Expanding his already expansive tools of the trade, You're Dead! is a record of maturing introversion and examination hidden between the cracks of acid-warped genre-bending and cartoon whimsy.  The deeper explorations of death (as a metaphoric concept, rather a finite limitation) are guided by an eclectic ensemble of guest stars including the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg and Herbie Hancock- all of which seamlessly cohabitate this parallel universe. You're Dead! is an otherworldly aural journey that grows within the listener with each spin and leaves you with new discoveries under each layer of sound.

Get YOUR COPY of Flying Lotus' "YOU'RE DEAD!" Right Here!

Prince- "Art Official Age/Plectrumelectrum"

 

Prince. So rarely has an artist maintained such a curious veil of mystery and mystique, while simultaneously producing a body of work that remains singular to the individual; Prince makes Prince music and while often imitated, its rarely the genuine article. Putting aside the proven track record for the bizarre, the memorable oddities of a career highlight reel, and the unending penchant for borderline-dictatorship creative control- Prince is the genuine article in mind, body and (what we'd safely assume is an otherworldly) spirit.

Reuniting with Warner Bros Records after nearly 18 years of disconnect, Prince has returned with not one- BUT TWO full length albums to prove his venerable presence is an essential voice in modern music. Both "Art Official Age" and "Plectrumelectrum" (with his hip-chick protege trio, 3rdEyeGirl) flex Prince's patented flair for the fret-fused, pop-sensible, funk n' roll grooves, while still treading into uncharted territory for his royal badness. "Age" is an eclectic pop tryst with nuanced autotune and dance beats more akin to familiar radio RnB that one would expect from the man that once publicly bashed Top 40 tunesmiths. While his outing with 3rdEyeGirl proves naysayers that Prince can still shred with the best of them- mixed with the bass and bombast of an arena rock record, this is an interesting and arguably welcome detour from his usual frequencies.

Not to be outweighed by his past accomplishments, Prince seems to be in flux at the moment- redefining who is is as an artist TO THIS DAY. 

Grab your own copy of PRINCE's "ART OFFICIAL AGE" HERE!

Julian Casablancas + The Voidz- "Tyranny"

It's been nearly a decade since the great rock and roll revival of New York City which introduced us to a slew of grisly, pseudo-throwback acts and genuine art school confidants masquerading as guitar-slingers by night. Post 9-11 New York was a bubbling geyser of forging acts that carried the casket of modern rock quietly into the night, with the likes of bands such as Interpol, The Rapture, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and The Strokes. Founded by Julian Casablancas and maintaining their relevancy way past their expiration date, The Strokes' stripped-down garage rock managed to garnish the attention of mainstream radio
long after the hype ran out of steam.

The charismatic frontman has carved a niche with accessible melodies and subtle lyricism; a songsmith with a knack for pop sensibility and vintage execution. Enter the black sheep in his discography: THE VOIDZ. "Tyranny", the debut album from Julian Casablancas and his new band The Voidz, is the complete antithesis of any of his previous work in the best possible way.

Unpolished, unhinged, noisy, and virtually inaccessible to anyone whose excitement begins and ends with The Strokes' "Last Night"; "Tyranny" stands on its own as a rambunctious debut. Unafraid of 15 minute meanderings into 21st century cynical romanticism ("Human Sadness") or Black Flag-worthy proto-punk howling (the inexplicably catchy "Where No Eagles Fly"), the album's Warriors aesthetic is matched by its lack of pomp and circumstance, which one can only assume were chucked down a garbage disposal in a wash of grimy guitars, 80's-inspired blast-beat drums, and kitschy-casio keyboards.

It's a strange album, to say the least, especially when you take into consideration who's the ringleader behind it.

Grab your copy of JULIAN CASABLANCAS & THE VOIDZ "TYRANNY", Right Here!

Simian Mobile Disco- "Whorl"

After the disbanding of the nearly-forgotten Astralwerks band Simian, electronic wizards James Ford and Jas Shaw began producing analogue works under the moniker: Simian Mobile Disco.  Receiving much-deserved attention for their remixes of various britrock mainstays such as Klaxons and Muse, the duo's momentum lead to the release of their debut album "Attack Decay Sustain Release". The album, which received favorable reviews on the electronic circuit (no pun intended), launched them onward to immediate levels of productivity, churning out five albums worth of material within 5 years (a rare level of tenure in the genre).

Ford & Shaw's latest outing finds the typically-expansive production team gravitating inward toward the more intimate, minimalist approach.  "Whorl" is in itself an ethereal listening experience and an inadvertent art project from the get-go- the album was recorded live, outside at Joshua Tree with each member being limited to only 1 sequencer and 1 synthesizer, respectively. The results are a sweeping, almost percussionless, soundwave that is the direct result of its environment- echoing chasms of starlit desert. Pensive and altruistic at times, "Whorl" has no apprehension about shaking off potential singles, it embraces the album format as a whole (seriously, from start to finish is the ONLY way this record should be enjoyed) and mesmerizes in the process.



Get your copy of SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO's "WHORL" Right Here!

Rowland S. Howard- "Pop Crimes"

Rowland S. Howard is a name that should ring throughout the halls of gloom-trodden rock n' rollers; discouraged former-goths of the 80's should have a framed portrait of the man on their mantle beside their respective Poe omnibus. Howard's guitar work helped shape the Aussie-punk-fused roots of what would echo throughout The Bat Cave for decades to come- he's the very definition of an unsung hero.

A founding member of The Birthday Party, which went on to spawn Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, JG Thirwell and the likes of Lydia Lunch, Howard's angular, slow-rolling approach to songwriting conjures the knock-down/drag-out aesthetic that's been lost to music for far too long.  His world-weary drawl echoes across each film noir-worthy ballad on his second solo album, "Pop Crimes".

Released posthumously (after losing his battle to liver cancer) stateside, Howard's unintentional swan song is a strong, engrossing collection of cohesive tragedies weaved amidst his patented cynicism. "Pop Crimes" is a disaffected record- it demands nothing of you and expects even less- but its thread-baren honesty and brood-worthy shuffle seduces you without warning. Thank you Rowland, your songs are the words that ghosts whisper in starstruck city alleys.

Grab your copy of ROWLAND S. HOWARD'S "POP CRIMES" HERE!!!

Death From Above 1979- "The Physical World"

Time has a funny way of illuminating the past; nostalgia may be a bittersweet notion in these ever-changing times, but it does manage to illustrate something's relevance in the long run. 2004 wasn't necessarily a standout year- Bush was still in office, Friends ended, music snobbery on the internet was in its infant-stages (the word "Pitchfork" was still a mere farming farming tool and not a self-important hub of music critic one-upsmanship)- we were an aggressive, cynical nation overall. Enter DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979- a two-man skull-cracking, riff-driven, madness machine bent on disinterested mayhem. On their debut album, "You're A Woman, I'm A Machine", vocalist/drummer Sebastien Grainger and bassist/synth player Jesse F. Keeler delivered a blast of relentlessly unhinged post-punk songs that weren't afraid to shed its violent backbeat into 70's-dance rock melody and hooks.  Despite helming such an exciting record, the duo parted ways soon after- scoffing at rumors of ever making a follow-up.

It's 2014 now, amidst our wave of evolving personal politics, elevated vicarious lifestyles through constant self-promotion on social networks (words that are now commonly used), and rising kale popularity- we're boring. Stagnant, even. The majority of the music that impacts the charts (and more importantly, the afformentioned hub of music critic one-upsmanship) typically falls into three camps: acoustic guitar whining, sterilized synthy-driven dance pop, or nonsensical avante garde instrumental compositions. This looks like a job for DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979!

With the nearly a decade passed, DFA1979 triumphantly returns with a second (and much-needed) release: "The Physical World." Barely straying from their initial sound, the duo fervently rekindled the manic, angular pop sensibility demonstrated on their debut and didn't spare a moment to second-guess. It's the same band, making the same kind of music- the only thing that's changed is the musical landscape. Somebody had to save the world from the industry's vanilla-tinged boredom, our stereos will thank us for DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979.

GET YOUR COPY OF DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979's "THE PHYSICAL WORLD HERE!!!