Gluttony Is The New

DIANA New House (Live @ Mercury Lounge, CMJ 2012)

For far too much of my 2012 CMJ experience, I was stuck in a hellish hip hop phantasmagoria that involved me undressing rappers on stage, drinking free booze while watching rappers perform, or just being overall disappointed with the quality of the rap performances at the fest in general. When I wasn’t drinking that dirty ass, generic brand of rap kool-aid, I managed to catch a few acts garnering some serious love from the online music community that were not terrible. One of the bands that turned out to be fantastic was DIANA. I kind of skipped over their recordings floating around on the netz because they reminded me too much of Pure Bathing Culture. DIANA’s live show however, sold me on their brand of lackadaisical disco, awash with sultry pop ballads, synthesizer grooves and super smooth guitar riffs, that fade in and out of focus giving their sound this organic vintage feel. Kind of like that shoe-gazey, chilled-out sexbeats vibe that exploded in 2010/11 with bands like Washed Out/Small Black, and Toro y Moi and even Puro Instinct with their glammy, reverbed, Ariel Pink making cameos in their videos feel, but remove all the hipster and replace it with undeniable musical talent and just the right amount of disco-soul, and you get DIANA. 

Actually fuck whatever i just said, DIANA sounds like the band Body Language got high on a lot more than just weed and decided to take a GAYNGS approach to their sound. I think the next craze is to chase the 70’s disco, fade to vintage-sounding, 80’s-synth pop dragon until you figure out how to make it your own. Congratulations to DIANA for figuring it out before everyone else. 

This is one of their tracks not floating around on the netz. DIANA’s recordings do not do them justice, so thanks to iwaseasymeat for capturing DIANA in all their hazy, shimmering, but not-on-the-internet-yet glory.

Forest Family Recs are dropping DIANA’s 12” single “Born Again” on limited vinyl so stay tuned.

Glass Animals Cocoa Hooves (Video)

All you need. All you need. #bnmv (best new music video) (new category) (just decided) (fuck yeah)

Calling it now, next huge deal. Had the chance to catch one of their first live sets in London and they are incredible. No backing tracks, all live, magnetic. They have an amazing album and tour coming up in 2013, so get ready. Glass Animals are the real deal. 

Buy Glass Animals Leaflings EP now.

Stubborn Heart Need Someone (Video)

I didn’t love Stubborn Heart at first, but then I realized I need to stop being a stupid hooker about new music. Now I can’t get enough. This track is dark and lovely, smart and sexy all at the same time, devoid of any pretentious undertones you might assume would accompany such a project. Subtle brilliance. It’s a refined sound that you can tell didn’t develop over night, which I can appreciate because neither did I. Nothing ever does. 

Kaya Kaya Records be killing it in 2012. 

Get “Need Someone” on iTunes, plus two other sexy ass tracks HERE.

Ifan Dafydd at Reading Festival 2012

A glimpse at one of the hottest young producers doing his thing live. Super sexy set list, wish I could have been there for that. Much <3 for Ifan Dafydd and Push & Run Recs.

(via All Tomorrow Music)

Trails and Ways Mtn Tune (Video)

I really dig this band. Consistently solid and neither too dreamy or summery. Just great pop music. Plus they are from the bay area, my long, lost love. Dig this so hard. 

Trails and Ways | Website | Facebook 

Twigs Ache

THE VIDEO THAT MADE MY WEEK: Twigs - “Ache”

Little Dragon and Holy Other made a baby. Frightenly beautiful. 

Twigs | Tumblr | Youtube

(photo via i-d magazine)

Ryan Hemsworth Charly Wingate (Video)

I was lucky enough to get to premiere Ryan’s new video for the first single off his forthcoming EP on Wedidit for Yours Truly today. Here’s what I wrote:

Giving a black and white description of your music is never an easy task, so Yours Truly asked Ryan Hemsworth to describe his sound as a food or dish instead, his response only confirms his status as a creative genius,

“Kitchen sink cookies, and well baked. There are a lot of artists making kitchen sink cookies and taking them out before the buzzer goes off or putting more than they should into them. Fresh buttery cookies off the pan into your ears.”

And kitchen sink cookies are exactly what we’re serving today. Yours Truly is beyond excited to be able to premiere Ryan Hemsworth’s first single and video off his forth coming EP, Last Words.

“Charly Wingate” is a two parter, a dark rhythm, hip hop underground jam building into an R. Kelly-esque after party anthem for the ages, inaugurating Hemsworth into the Wedidit family of top notch producers on the rise. The more you strip away Hemseworth’s infectious black and yellow lullabys and rap spattered samples, it becomes more apparent those hat tricks are just icing on the cake, for what lies underneath is dramatic, carefully crafted originals gently floating of the top of a sample-filled glass. The accompanying video for “Charly Wingate” is an animated ‘Through The Looking Glass’ take on Ryan Hemsworth’s playfully colorful world of deconstructed samples, beats built to touch the sky and the creative thought process that ties that brilliance together.

Out of the trap-withered, samples-in-the-place-of-beats ashes, our phoenix has risen, no pseudonyms or burnt edges here, Ryan Hemsworth is going for household name status.

Ryan Hemsworth’s Last Words EP with remixes by Shlohmo + friends, drops August 21st via Wedidit. 

Ryan Hemsworth | Soundcloud | Twitter

Video by Hector de la Vallee and Octave Abaji

Schoolboy Q There He Go Official Video

“Ain’t got no jewelry on, still I’m shinin’ hard…”

I can’t lie, I sweat Schoolboy Q so hard, even reppin’ him on da Instagram.

Stupid fresh Menomena sample, lyrics that flow hard and some 90s-esque “Cool World” animation shit tagging up the Los Angeles backdrop. Don’t matter, Schoolboy can do no wrong. You so crazy… <3

Ango Paralyzed

THE VIDEOS THAT MADE MY WEEK: ANGO - “Paralyzed” (Prod by Prison Garde & Eames)

Ango | Website | Soundcloud | Facebook