2012 is shaping up to be an exciting year for Tim Presley and his basement 60′s-rock revival outfit, White Fence. First, he and Ty Segall collaborated on an album titled Hair, which is due out on April 28. Second, Presley’s own double LP, Family Perfume is due out on Woodsist Records this year, with Volume 1 set for release on April 3. And third, both albums are going to fucking awesome. Want proof? Grab “Swagger Vets and Double Moon” below.
Presley has cranked up the distortion a bit on this track and croons his monotone vocals over moody blues riffs and rough strumming. What was more reminiscent of 60′s pop outfits like Buffalo Springfield and The Byrds on his 2011 release …Is Growing Faith has now taken a turn towards the grittier side of things, and we’re all the more lucky for it. The style may be a bit edgier, but it’s the familiar voice and authentic spirit that unifies each piece of art that White Fence releases. This may only be the second single to be released from Family Perfume, but so far, Presley is batting 1.000.
Saint Motel’s “At Least I Have Nothing,” the A-side from the band’s first 7″ single from late last year, doesn’t exactly paint a pretty picture of twentysomethings in the Twenty-First Century. Lamenting a general lack of goals, the song doesn’t spare anyone the band’s disdain, though it’s said to be open to interpretation. It’s strange, however, that a song that is as bleak as this one can be so damn catchy. It’d be a miracle if you could listen to it and not have “we are just stuck inside their business model” wrapped around your brain.
In the end, though, the band is onto something. There’s a certain freedom to having nothing, and it’s that pulling oneself up feeling that will undoubtedly work in their favor. Saint Motel is bringing their live act out on the road starting later this month on a tour that includes a few dates with Toronto’s Young Empires, as well as a stop at The Bug Jar here in Rochester on Monday, March 5th.
This video is just an excuse to listen to this song. The video means nothing. I suggest you just close your eyes and appreciate the simple brilliance of Menomena-inspired hip hop. ScHoolboy Q is an affiliate of the esteemed Kendrick Lamar. They are both members of the so-called Black Hippy. Mr. Q has three previous releases to his name. His most recent, Habits and Contradictions, was independently released earlier this month. I can’t recommend it enough. But the song that really stands out to me is “There He Go.” Using Menomena’s “Wet and Rusting,” ScHoolboy Q presents us with something quirky and often quite funny.
While I was stuck at work on Christmas, Blu & Exile made my day a whole lot brighter. Los Angeles emcee Blu has been sorta elusive (and almost reclusive) in the five years since he dropped his first collaboration with Exile. Below The Heavens is a classic – a combination of incredible production from Exile and truly thought-provoking rhymes from Blu. It’s one of those albums that I constantly find myself coming back to. And while it would be unfair to compare him to Neutral Milk Hotel’s Jeff Mangum, some fans were undoubtedly starting to feel this might be an apt comparison. There were rumblings and rumors that something might be forthcoming.
And then Christmas happened. The duo dropped Give Me Flowers While I Can Smell Them quietly on their Bandcamp page (although it no longer seems to be available). Supposedly, the album was completed in 2009, but it never saw the light of day for some reason. This new album is breathtaking and surely would have found a home in my 2011 top 10 (or 12 or even 13 in this case) list. It’s really that good. “More Out of Life” is my favorite song on the release. Blu drops knowledge with every verse. He really forces the listener to be active and constantly challenges. The dude is seriously talented and Exile’s beats perfectly compliment this thoughtful delivery.
If you haven’t heard Below The Heavens, make sure to seek it out before diving into this new release.
It’s been a bit since we heard something new from Los Angeles’ Princeton, though one of their ranks is part of saccharine pop duo Kisses who were everywhere last year. That could be the reason for Princeton’s hiatus, but with this first single, the title track from their forthcoming album, Remembrance of Things To Come, the wait seems worth it.
The track is a building, chamber pop jam, filled up with bright strings and a driving beat and the falsetto vocals. The album itself was recorded with the Los Angeles New Music Ensemble, a septet that promotes “new music, collaboration within the arts, the commissioning of new works, and the creation of multimedia presentations within innovative live performances.” If the rest of the album is as dense as this first single is, then we’re in for something impressive. It’s instantly memorable, easily put on repeat and wholly arresting.
Remembrance of Things To Come will be released on February 21st through Hit City U.S.A./Easter Everywhere, and can be pre-ordered now on 12″ vinyl (limited to 500 copies).
001: Joywave - Ridge/Traveling At The Speed Of Light 7"
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Upcoming Western NY Concerts
NOTE: Concerts are in Rochester unless otherwise noted.
1/5: Les Racquet
1/12: Joywave with Old Tapes, Dave & Marissa
1/13: The Dads
1/14: My Brightest Diamond
1/17: Josh Netsky Band with Cuddle Magic
1/18: Tycho (Buffalo)
1/26: Avicii
1/26: A$AP Rocky (Buffalo)
1/28: The Crystal Method (Syracuse)
2/11: Blind Pilot (Ithaca)
2/22: William Fitzsimmons
2/24: Mike Doughty
2/25: Charles Bradley (Buffalo)
2/29: Summer People
3/3: Matthew Good
3/5: Evening Man
3/23: The Men
3/30: tympanogram’s 3rd Birthday with Born Gold, Old Tapes, TBA
4/20: fun.
4/23: Cults (Buffalo)
5/6: Bear In Heaven (Ithaca)
5/7: M83 (Buffalo)
an examination used to test the condition of the middle ear and mobility of the eardrum, and the conduction bones by creating variations of air pressure in the ear canal.
Basically, it sounded like a cool name for a blog intended to be primarily about music. We’d both had other blogs previously, but over beers it was decided that more damage could be done as a joint venture. And here we are.
We share a passion for the undiscovered and under-appreciated, and hope that you’ll be able to find something you love as well.
Disclaimer
The music offered on this blog is for sampling purposes only. If you enjoy something you hear here, please go out and buy the music, see a show, or purchase some merchandise. Posted mp3s are available for a limited period of time only.
If there are any materials featured here that are your intellectual property, and you would prefer them removed, please notify us and we will be happy to oblige.
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About the Author: Dave
I like music. I can't describe how I came to like the music I do, because I don't know how or why, I just do.
Many years ago, Napoleon's brother, my great-great-great-great-great-great Grandfather, came to America. He was asked his name on Ellis Island while being processed as an immigrant. Not understanding English, he was under the impression that he was being asked how he had arrived in the new land. So he turned around and pointed at the sea vessel and said, 'LaBarge.'
About the Author: Andy
I come by my music taste of my own free will. My friends listened to 2Pac, my parents to contemporary Christian and me? Sunny Day Real Estate. I can’t explain it.
“Music, true music, not just rock ’n’ roll, it chooses you. It lives in your car, or alone, listening to your headphones…” - Lester Bangs
![303726 207140659351676 109125289153214 476798 1457811825 n [mp3] White Fence // Swagger Vets and Double Moon](http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/303726_207140659351676_109125289153214_476798_1457811825_n.jpg "[mp3] White Fence // Swagger Vets and Double Moon")
![saint motel [mp3] Saint Motel // At Least I Have Nothing](http://tympanogram.com/files/saint-motel.jpg "saint motel")
![BluExileAlbumCover [stream] Blu and Exile // More Out of Life](http://tympanogram.com/files/BluExileAlbumCover.jpg "BluExileAlbumCover")
![princeton remembrance of things to come cover [mp3] Princeton // Remembrance of Things To Come](http://tympanogram.com/files/princeton-remembrance-of-things-to-come-cover.jpg "princeton remembrance of things to come cover")
