Outside Lands 2010 Preview: Janelle Monae – The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III)
August 10th, 2010 | by Hannah Simon | published in female vocalists, festivals, funk | 5 comments
Listening to Janelle Monae is like squirting hot sauce over your taco — her fresh sound packs a punch. She likes to shake things up, and the whopping 18 tracks on her newest album are a tribute to her creative ambition and vision.
Yo La Tengo – Here To Fall Remixes
June 21st, 2010 | by Taylor Fife | published in funk, hip-hop, indie rock, jazz, remixes | 2 comments
RJD2 gets the nod for best remix with his jam that makes Yo La Tengo feel right at home in your favorite underground jazz club. Ira Kaplan’s vocals sound perfect over the Hammond organ, slick guitar riffs, and funky baseline. The new drum track is the real clincher that somehow converted a song by Yo La Tengo into my new favorite disco ballad.
Digikid84 – Supernature Love E.P.
June 14th, 2010 | by Taylor Fife | published in disco, funk | 2 comments
Digikid84’s hot off the presses Supernature Love E.P. may or may not be a tribute celebrating his love of Goldfrapp, but it certainly shares the same disco dance influences. In fact, Digikid84 takes it up a few notches with some seriously funky basslines and retro synth licks bound to get you feeling like clubbing 1984 style.
June 3rd, 2010 | by Jason Grishkoff | published in experimental, funk, jazz | 12 comments
The first time I encountered Gayngs was when Hannah suggested that we write a review about them in the context of “music to have sex to”. The second time I heard Gayngs was at a smooth jazz/90s party where, quite appropriately, they had been selected to segue into a more modern array of genres as the night progressed/devolved.
Otis Redding – (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay
April 16th, 2010 | by Jason Grishkoff | published in funk, song of the day, soul | 3 comments
Pants for Bears – A Relative Concern
April 3rd, 2010 | by J Meagher | published in funk, psychedelic, rock | 2 comments
So what is the difference between a progressive psychedelic band with indie cred and one without? Three or four synthesizers? A fabricated lo-hi aesthetic? A complete unwillingness to make music people can dance to? Well the truth is I don’t know, and don’t really care. This is the kind of band that is just going to get better and better on record, with each member pushing each other to get weirder, better, more exploratory, and willing to take risks.
Citizen Cope – The Rainwater LP
March 14th, 2010 | by el gringo rico | published in blues, folk-rock, funk | 3 comments
Citizen Cope (or Clarence Greenwood and co.) isn’t exactly indie music. If anything, the band’s second album “The Clarence Greenwood Recordings” launched them into relative mainstream pop success. Songs like “Sun’s gonna rise” and “Bullet and a Target” remain anthems for many a bar, night club, or sorority girl IPOD. Nonetheless, I admit I always enjoyed the hell out of Citizen Cope and was particularly surprised when I found out that for The Rainwater LP, they passed up a major record label and decided to launch independently. He passed up the big bucks for an independent release, something we at IndieShuffle commend, right? Therefore, by definition, “Rainwater” is an indie album, and not too shabby of one either.
The Phenomenal Handclap Band – The Phenomenal Handclap Band
December 4th, 2009 | by Daniel Surwit | published in funk, indie rock, psychedelic | 1 comment
To be fair, the Phenomenal Handclap Band probably can’t do all things for all people. In some ways, with an end product that is not overly unique or extraordinary, this group might not be able to live up to it’s own name (can you think of a catchier one in recent memory?). But with a core of members from other bands such as TV on the Radio, L’Trimm, Calla, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Mooney Suzuki, and Sí Se, as well as the accompaniment of multiple other cameos, this collective puts forth an album that is undeniably magnetic.
Bibio – The Apple and the Tooth
November 11th, 2009 | by Jason Grishkoff | published in ambient, experimental, folktronica, funk | no comments
It has been a matter of weeks since I first posted about Bibio, and his June 2009 album Ambivalence Avenue, and to be honest, the last thing that I was expecting was to see a new album released less than six months later. The feat is perhaps dampened by the fact that only four of these tracks are completely original to the artist, but the eight additional remixes featured on The Apple and the Tooth provide some real gems.
October 21st, 2009 | by Jason Grishkoff | published in ambient, experimental, folktronica, funk | 4 comments
Like English compatriots Bonobo and Caribou, Bibio has developed his own electronica style that is at once warm, funky, and full of all things experimental. Following a few releases that embodied a folk/field recording blend, Stephen Wilkinson signed with Warp records, home of my favorites, Boards of Canada. The product of his evolution stands in stark contrast to his prior work: it is as if he has evolved into a whole new beast.
