Esben and the Witch at SXSW 2011 – Photo: Sandra Burciaga Now this is the kind of music to practice your witchcraft to, perhaps a séance or just some deep meditation (probably the latter). England’s Esben & The Witch are all the mesmerizing dark things you seek outside of this bubblegum-indie pop infested sphere of […]

Wow, who ever thought the Netherlands have such authentic soulful vibes? Well, not that they don’t — but the country isn’t exactly known for being major players in turning out R&B/hip-hop/soul artists, but Fuel Box just might change all that. The soulful group, consisting of Remy “Lil’ Bucket” Britsemmer, Josh “Bone Four Oh” Boon and DJ Durian, […]

The Soft Moon, the musical evil genius of Bay area based musician Luis Vasquez (and performing as a trio plus visuals for live shows) released their Total Decay EP on October 31, 2011. Out on Captured Tracks and available for streaming on Spin.com, this handful of “post-apocalyptic” songs was all too fitting for the Halloween […]

It seems that M83’s newest album, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming is as epic as Anthony Gonzalez said it would be last year when he first talked about the highlight anticipated follow up to 2008’s Saturdays = Youth. The sixth studio album by the French electro-indie act debuted at number 15 on the U.S. Billboard 200 […]

  Swahili Blonde at the Echoplex – Photo: Matt Fisher OK. There is a LOT going on here. I mean there is a hell of a lot going on here. Swahili Blonde’s newest release Psycho Tropical Ballet Pink mixes elements of krautrock, Afro-beat, psyche, dub, skronk, no wave and I don’t think I’ve even covered […]

  Leading with a low, organ-esque hum and trailing with pretty, plucky guitar chords that conjure images of foggy moors and unrequited love, you’re welcomed into the lyrical blue heart of super sappy indie rocker, Low Roar and his self-titled debut album released on Tonequake Records. Icelandic transplant via San Francisco, Low Roar (aka Ryan Joseph […]

Grecian electronica-downbeat pop duo Keep Shelly in Athens (KSiA), should change their name to Keep Shelly in Los Angeles because after listening to their new Our Own Dream EP L.A. is where I’d like them to stay.  The 12” EP will be released in limited silver and white vinyl (500 total copies) as of November 8, 2011 via Forest […]

Dum Dum Girls have left some of the teenage nostalgia of their 2010 debut, I Will Be behind and are fresh faced with a 10-track dose of pop songs steeped in harsh reality with their sophomore album Only in Dreams released via Sub Pop Records on September 27, 2011. The album kicks off with the punchy “Always […]

  Maybe its the shadow of Halloween just around the corner, or my new found obsession with American Horror Story, or maybe it was intended to sound like the soundtrack to Suspiria. Regardless Still Corners’ debut LP matches the October vibe of all things creepy. They come from foggy London, baring with them foggy new-wave […]

Well, this is just a two-song EP with some remixes so it’s going to be a quickie. Spoek Mathambo is the newest singing to SubPop and there is a lot going on here. Spoek is a South African rapper with multiple styles, sing-songy, backpacker, dub, dense, sparse—his flow is distinct or all over the place, depending […]