The Afrika Time Travel Program

DJ Shadow and Afrikan Boy bring us this bouncy and warped story of an African Dictator trying to explore time travel while he inhales hallucinogenics.

On a side note, the video was directed by Ian Pons Jewell who long time fans of the blog could remember from his earlier work on "Follow" by Crystal Fighters. If you don't remember that post go here, you will not regret it.

DJ Shadow's new LP comes out in September, this song will be there:

DJ Shadow Ft. Afrikan Boy - I'm Excited from Ian Pons Jewell on Vimeo.

The wave finally broke and rolled back

New video from Samo Sound Boy to support his EP which is out today. You can listen to the EP and/or buy it here. The animation, in the style of Das Racist, was done by Mykola Dosenko . I can best rationalize his music by calling it sort of a kim chi esque house-dub, in that it smells funky but is spicy and good with rice. I'm also fairly sure that the end of the video is a fear and loathing metaphor, so that's a win. Enjoy.

"...So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark — that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back."

Samo Sound Boy - Shuffle Code from Trouble & Bass on Vimeo.

Inanimate Objects on Fire

Hearts is the debut album of Swedish duo I Break Horses.

Here is the video for "Winterbeats", the glassine first track and single. It features lots of inanimate objects crystallizing, shattering slowly, shattering quickly, and combusting. Oh yeah, and they sprinkled in some time lapse clouds.

Baby Drugs-Tristen

Last Choice has a thing for Nashville women. Tristen Gaspadarek oozes with the kind of hooky folk pop that makes me cling to the last scraps of summertime.

Torture by way of papier maché

Bikinians are a pop-rock outfit from Belgium, the place that invented French Fires but let the French take all the credit.

They put out their album "Hit the Fan" in march and while I haven't listened very carefully, their first single and video (also titled Hit the Fan) has me plenty curious. It feels like a return to simpler days of straight pop-rock, fun to jump to and easy to sing along.

B I K I N I A N S - Hit The Fan from La Film Fabrique on Vimeo.

Our first planning meeting for the Fall Last Choice Party went pretty well last week, except that Safety Rat beat me in pool. Ever since he learned how to use hyperlinks he's become better at everything. If anyone out there has suggestions on a nice Austin venue, or if anyone out there knows of good bands willing to play for booze and glory, give us a shout.

Small Girl, Big Voice

Kyla La Grange lives in London and she has an album coming out this October. I've included her latest single, via soundcloud, and latest video. If you find her on Soundcloud you can download the free single Heavy Stone. She also has a Tumblr, which got me thinking about how many musicians seem to be expanding their role as cultural ambassadors to include all facets of life via Tubmlrs. My best example of this being Gambino. Kyla's music is a bit outside my comfort zone, so someone with better taste, or at least more catholic (lower case c), than I will have to tell us if she's any good. The cogs for the next Last Choice are spinning away and Parkour, Jovi and I are expecting big things. Details will follow.

I Could Be by Kyla La Grange

My kind of super group

Icebird is the new collective effort between RJD2 and Aaron Livingston. Their first album, maybe their only album, is due in October but they've been releasing teasers all summer. Below is the first single from the album. Two new remixes by RJ and IllVibe were released yesterday, they don't dissapoint. Find the remixes on Some Kind of Awesome along with a bunch of other material from Icebird. If Going Going foreshadows whats to come on the full album I for one am excited. We'll let you know when album drops, so stay glued to the facebook page.

Icebird (RJD2 & Aaron livingstone) - Going And Going. And Going. by Republic of Music

Last Choice Late Guest

Self-described Italian eclectic rave rockers and Filter described pop vanguard, Late Guest At The Party are now in NYC and working on a new album. They released a single yesterday, which I wasn't blown away by. Most likely it just didn't mix with a Tuesday, or possibly I'm getting too old for Italian eclectic rave rock BUT video to the rescue. Best described as I'm on a boat and on acid, the combination of track and visuals works like honey mustard onion pretzel pieces and chocolate chips (try it). In an effort to keep things even keel I also included the new video from Fools Gold. The IAmSound group will be in austin for ACL and hopefully will play an after party or two. Last year the Very Best played a private show for Last Choice and we're hoping for something similarly brilliant this year. Oh and if you haven't already read Jovi's post, shake off you're Gen X/Gen X + 1 apathy and help out in the horn.

You Make Me Nervous (Official Music Video) from Reynolds Records on Vimeo.

Fool's Gold - "Wild Window" from Paul Tao on Vimeo.

Ten kids every day

Remember A Band Called Quinn, them of wolf stories in their songs? They just posted a remix album on bandcamp. Check it out. Quite enjoyable and danceable, at least upon first listen. I liked a couple by Kid Loco and Celebrity Murder Party.

Not a bad option for your $10 of monthly legal music. AND: you will get double karma credits, as all proceeds will go to DEC, who are organizing aid efforts in the Horn crisis.

Ten kids are starving to death every day there. I don't mean to preach. To whom, any way? Only the Parkour Movers Company (and a few in company) read this blog. But even 50 of your cents will help.

If you don't feel like buying music in quid, there are many other places you can go to and donate. For example, through the UN World Food Program.

Every kid's dream

Becoming a ninja and exacting revenge. It's everyone's dream, right?

In this Wes Andreson inspired piece, Maps and Atlases manage to make maybe the most endearing and cute video that I've seen.

"Israeli Caves" is part of their tremendous 2010 release, Perch Patchwork.

Maps & Atlases - Israeli Caves from handheldcineclub on Vimeo.

Subtract

Aaron Jerome, aka SBTRKT, is a DJ/producer of dubstep or postdubstep or whatever they're calling it in London now. He's not embarrassed of the trip-hop roots of his music ('Wildfire' sounds so Tricky/Massive Attack), making a much more R&B sounding record than fellow postdubteppers (e.g. James Blake).
The result is one of the most accessible albums of the genre. It came out in June, and has already been well received by Pitchfork, Fader and even Rolling Stone. So pardon if this one comes a bit late for you guys, but I really like it.

Here's the stream of the whole album.


...and here's the video for the first single, "Wildfire", which must've been filmed in the Texas summer. Little Dragon's Yukimi Nakano sings.

Unicorn headbands at the Fall Party

Sorry Safety Rat. I've abandoned you this past month.

Oh Land is a favorite of this blog, mainly due to her bouncy music but also because of her angelic long legs. Her new video takes us through dreamscapes galore, including unigirls riding horses, African dancing, virtual reality, and my favorite: jumping from a rock into the water in your underwear.

Also, we can definitely make unicorn headbands to give out on the next Last Choice party.

Here it is, enjoy:

We need You!

New unofficial video for Gold Panda's You. Which reminds me, if You care about Last Choice, show us some love. Which also reminds me, Jovi and Parkour where have You been? I'm wondering if we're still throwing a fall party for You, I sure hope so. More on that to come. You stay cool our there.

Gold Panda - You from Thomas Borowiak on Vimeo.

That's a great question

Nickelodeon is going to start re-running many of the popular shows from our formative days (aka the 90s). I'm really not sure that this video is related, but I have often wondered what happened to Alicia Silverstone, bat girl anyone? The project is a collaboration between J Good and Rufio and is being released by MMVIII (check that action out Jovi). I've also put up the new single from Beirut, their album is out digitally tomorrow. And if you're really feeling hard up for summer hits The Very Best just released another Warm Heart of Africa remix album (it's old to the rest of the world but new to us). Find them on iTunes.

MMVIII | J.GOOD X RUFIO from MMVIII on Vimeo.

Beirut - Santa Fe by smithblogsatlanta