“Purple Yellow Red and Blue” is the second single from the new Portugal. The Man album, Evil Friends. It’s a little less abrasive than their first single and it returns to their signature sing-a-long melodies that I’ve known them for. As a complete sidenote: Portugal. The Man was still one of the best live shows I’ve been to in the past two years. Why they aren’t more popular then they are is a complete mystery to me. My opinion aside, if you ever get the chance to see them live you shouldn’t miss it. Especially now that they have new material.

Visit their website to see all the Portugal. The Man Tour Dates

Bibio’s latest album entitled Silver Wilkinson (a play on the author Stephen Wilkinson’s name) was released this past Wednesday. We tipped you off about the forthcoming album last month when I posted up my favorite track: “A Tout A l’heure” and now we have a couple more singles for you to listen to.

Swipe the record from Warp Records.

Bibio – A tout a L’heure

Bibio – The First Daffodils

Bibio – You

Silver Wilkinson Tracklist
01. The First Daffodils
02. Dye The Water Green
03. Wulf
04. Mirroring All
05. A Tout A l’heure
06. Sycamore Silhouetting
07. You
08. Raincoat
09. Look Et Orion!
10. Business Park
11. You Won’t Remember

Bibio – Take Off Your Skirt

If there is any artist that can live up to the hype, it’s Daft Punk. And they will put that to the test next week when their fourth album Random Access Memories is released in the US.

By now, everyone and their mother has heard the album’s debut single, “Get Lucky” featuring Pharrell Williams and you are just tingling to the thought that Daft Punk will finally go back on tour.

I want to interrupt your excitement for just a moment however and point out how good Daughter’s reinterpretation softly pays tribute to the track. Elena Tonra’s voice is a great compliment to this slow-burning cover of “Get Lucky” that put’s a new spin on how you can listen to Daft Punk.

Random Access Memories is out now in the UK to buy as an MP3 booklet and will be released in the US on May 21st on Amazon and iTunes.

Daughter – Get Lucky (Daft Punk cover)

And as if you haven’t gotten enough of “Get Lucky” here are a few more reworks of the track

Daft Punk – Get Lucky (feat. Pharrell Williams) (Extended version)

Daft Punk – Get Lucky (Obenhaus RMX)

Daft Punk – Get Lucky (George Barnett mix)

Daft Punk – Get Lucky (Willy William disco remix)

The sleeping bags are packed and the t-shirts are patiently waiting their Tye-dye. In one weeks time, I will be joining the convoy of musical enthusiasts and making the trek down to the Gorge for Sasquatch! 2013. This being my first musical festival of this magnitude, there are quite a few jitters in my jimmies as the departure date draws near. Four days or so of camping with thousands of smelly youth on varying degrees of narcotic influence certainly isn’t my cup of tea. Shedding the conveniences of daily showers, a quiet sleep and lush toilet paper will surely be difficult, but alas, it is all part of the experience.

Today on the Fuzz we’re going to listen to a bushel of songs from artists performing at this year’s festival. There are a lot of artists performing this year, but for the sake of some brevity i’m going to focus (selfishly) on the bands I am most excited for.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes

Ed Sharpe was one of my first soirees in to the smorgasbord of indie-folk. I caught a live performance last time they were in town in September and was mesmerized by their stage presence. There had to be at least ten of them, trading instruments between songs and bouncing wildly between sounds. At one point in the concert, the lights dimmed and the tempo slowed as a lead guitarist began a heartfelt solo. Just one man’s voice and guitar. The poignant moment was spoiled by a group of vapid hippie girls on my left, gleefully shouting their daily activities and the gluten-free food-of-the-day. This wasn’t the first occasion during the concert that this coven chose to cackle, and my blood was at a boiling point as I turned to them and said

“Do you mind shutting the fuck up?”

Accosted, the nearest ball of incessant energy spun towards me in disgust. Quickly I continued, “I came here to listen to music not a bunch of fucking idiots laughing and shouting..” Her rebuttal slithered from her forked tongue, profanities and poison, and her response to my request was to loudly and obnoxiously smash her tambourine in a full-bodied frantic retch. “That’s fine, at least you’re listening to the music instead of gabbing like morons”. I was met with cheers from the surrounding audience. A blonde girl, wrapped in a man’s arms, cocked her head and said ‘Oh my god thank you’ while a strong hand patted my shoulder in approval.

Hopefully, those girls won’t be joining the convoy on Wednesday.

The concert, however, was amazing. And Edward Sharpe is in a league of his own. Here are two of my favorite tunes that are sure to rock the gorge

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Home

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – 40 Day Dream

Tame Impala

Tame Impala bleed rock and roll. Their latest album “Lonerism” vaulted them in to the public eye, and only good vibrations can be expected from these Australian rock gods. I bought “Innerspeaker” nearly three years ago to the day and they continue to headline the imaginary concert on my mind on a daily basis. It’s not easy to genuinely say you love ALL the music a band has made, and personally my musical collection is more of a song here and there from everywhere. However, they are a rare exception, and truly the band I am most excited to see live.

The first track, “Lucidity” is a summer radio jam from their first album. “Elephant” is the equivalent from “Lonerism”. Hear how the band has evolved. I can’t say enough about these guys..

Tame Impala – Lucidity

Tame Impala – Elephant

Father John Misty

Father John Misty is a peculiar mystery. The former Fleet Foxes drummer is making the music you might expect from someone driving a van down the coast with a bag full of mushrooms. Which is appropriate, considering that’s exactly where John Tillman found the inspiration for Father John Misty. The music is weird and wacky, sort of like if Dr. Hook’s “Freakers Ball” had a baby who grew up to make batshit crazy indie-folk.

We start with the first single I heard “Nancy From Now On”, which highlights Tillman’s ability to bounce from the serious and melodramatic to the absurd all within the first line. And we top it off with “Writing a Novel”, a tour-de-farce of ridiculous gibberish and imagery.

Father John Misty – Nancy From Now On

Father John Misty – Writing a Novel

The Tallest Man on Earth

I wrote a small piece about The Tallest Man on Earth a few weekends ago for the fuzz. I don’t know a whole lot of work from singer song-writer Kristian Matsson, however I look forward to discovering more of his talent at the gorge this year. Here’s my favorite song, “1904”.

The Tallest Man On Earth – 1904

Youth Lagoon

Youth Lagoon is Trevor Powers. There’s something very poetic about some lonely kid in Idaho making nostalgic and atmospheric electronica, and with Trevor there is an added element that I can only describe as pure magic. The music he creates summons up emotions that don’t have words describable in our language. They’re all some form of nostalgia, perhaps, but it’s not that simple. Youth Lagoon does something to the chemicals in my brain, and the resulting feelings are strange and unexplainable. I get transported to half-remembered dreams from my childhood, and hazy visions that might not even belong to me.

Youth Lagoon is the noise from other dimensions. Tears in space and time that cause memories and sounds to leak through at odd paces, whisking you away to the familiar yet the strange. It is the most beautiful music I have ever heard, yet the most unclear.

I had a very difficult time deciding which songs to include, so i’ll leave you with a slightly larger dosage than any other artist. The first track, “Montana”, is the first song I heard by Trevor Powers and arguably the single saddest piece of music I have ever heard. I’m not entirely sure why, but when I listen to this track late at night when I’m all alone, i’m often brought to tears. The second track is from his latest album “Wondrous Bughouse”, when I first heard “Raspberry Cane” I wrote;

“Like walking down an abandoned fairground, neons and hues of yellow faded and dulled with the dust and decay of the dying years. Flashbacks of laughter and noise, the whir of the the merry-go-round drowned by the music orchestrated from liquid happiness. The looming threat of mortality stirs up within you, the observer, all things pass, as did these memories. The song hits it’s emotional peak at 5:30, and is absolutely heart-wrenching. The sun sets, the dust long settled, the fair frozen in time, weeds creeping through the cracks and garbage trampled so deep it became part of the concrete itself. The lights flicker on one last time as the ferris wheel lurches to a start, beckoning you, only you are no longer yourself. You are a child once again, holding your fathers hand. Faint laughter, and all fades slowly in to the darkness.”

And the last song I featured my second week on the fuzz. For a more comprehensive and descriptive analysis, I suggest giving it a read. The short version is that I liken the track to falling asleep in the tub, and drifting underneath the water to swim with mythical neon creatures swimming to the sounds of a grand sunken chorus. This is “The Bath”.

Youth Lagoon – Montana

Youth Lagoon – Raspberry Cane

Youth Lagoon – The Bath

CHVRCHES

And finally, last but certainly not least, it’s the Scottish trio Chvrches. Power-synth indie-pop perfection, they drew early comparisons to lo-fi minimalists Purity Ring, but have long since surpassed that limiting definition. Their EP “Recover” is just a snippet of what to expect in the future. I first blogged about them last September when I said they would be the next big thing, and I haven’t completely cashed in on my prediction just yet but I’m quite confident that their first full length album (due later this year) is going to blow up like Krakatau.

They are a volcano of energy and fresh sound, and a perfect representation of the direction music seems to be heading in. I am beyond excited to see this band, and I certainly hope it won’t be the last time. Here is their second single, “The Mother We Share” followed by the title track “Recover” off their EP.

CHVRCHES – The Mother We Share

Chrvrches – Recover

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And that wraps up my Sasquatch preview! I will certainly have more to talk about in two weeks time once I have returned, so hopefully I’ve given you all enough of a musical fix to tide you over until then. Certainly there will be plenty of bands I’ve never heard of that might capture my heart over the weekend, and i’ll be sure to take plenty of pictures and write plenty of creative pieces during my stay at the gorge. Wish me luck folks! Enjoy your weekend and stay fuzzed!

Mr. Little Jeans first caught my attention with her cover of Suburbs and now the Norwegian artist has done it again with her new single “Oh Sailor.” This time she’s enlisted vocal help from the the Silverlake Conservatory of Music Youth Chorale to make a very uplifting track that is equal parts organic magic and buzzing electricity.

Mr. Little Jeans – Oh Sailor

Lana Del Rey is stepping in the right direction on this new collaboration with A$AP Rocky and his track “Ridin.” I feel like whenever she plays with 60′s and 70′s inspired sound she shines. A$AP’s swagger… and that flute singing throughout the track. damn!

Of course the track comes with a little bit of drama and skepticism. The track was first released on a mixtape put out by Kickdrums. It was pretty hyped once it dropped and so A$AP was rumored to have pulled it off the tape before too many people could get a proper listen because he wanted to use it for his debut album, LiveLoveA$AP. Then there are the rumors that the track is entirely fake. Supposedly Rocky said so himself on his twitter, but I still haven’t seen that tweet.

What really matters is that the track is back online for you to get your swerve on to.

This weeks Chillwave Wednesday is dedicated to just one track… a wrinkle-free remix of a classic. An anthem of chill dedicated to an anthem in its own right. Maribu State pays tribute to Fatboy Slim’s “Praise You” in a chilling reinterpretation of the quintessential dance track.

First off, we have “Possessed” By  Machel Montano. It’s a Soca track; Soca has its roots on calypso and originates from Trinidad and Tobago, I dare you to not feel good after this one..

Next, Jah Cure gets the Reggae vibes going with “That Girl”

Our third track has us switching gears and welcoming the dancehall.”Jump” by  RDX  was introduced to me by Dondelion back in the late fall, and I’ve been waiting to get this out.I’ve included the video as well, because.. well, you’ll see.  Dondelion is responsible for the day to day operations of RASFM (rasfm.com)  – your online source for all good things related to caribbean/west indian music.

Lastly, I’ve included a live set from DJMadBomber. Hailing from Suriname, DJMadBomber  is in demand all over the world; spinning Reggae, Soca, & dancehall is a given, but he plays Trance and EDM as well. Keep your eyes on him.

https://www.facebook.com/DjMadbomber

You saw him here first. Enjoy the music, and let’s bring in the sun.

DJ MadBomber – NEW YORK TO MIAMI 2012 CARNIVAL MIXX (DJMADBOMBER A.K.A THE PROTEGE)

Dim the lights, spark the candles and grab that bottle of Shea butter lotion, this week on the fuzz we’re all about making love. Music has always been about love, but in special cases, vocals and sounds who love each other very much get together and make sweet tender music. These tunes could sooth even the most savage of beasts in to a storm of hormones and reproductive bliss, a full-bodied eargasm that’ll send shivers shooting up the spinal column. Warning, these songs may be safe for work, but once they start playing, YOU might become NSFW.

Oliver Tank – Up All Night

Oliver Tank’s most noticeable credit seems to come from a lackluster mash up of Snoop Dog songs, which is unfortunate, because people have missed the actual music that this Sydney-based introvert has made. “Up all Night” is our foreplay track to get you in the mood, so don’t take off your belt just yet.

Lovage – Stroker Ace

Jennifer Charles coos and twirls her tongue around this voluptuous track from 2001′s Lovage. Dan the Automator is the genius producer behind some of the best music of the 00′s, with credits ranging from the Gorillaz, Deltron 3030 and of course way back to 96 with Doctor Octagon. The ever talented Mike Patton of Faith no More fame provides the backing vocals for “Stroker Ace”, and it’s no surprise that an album called “Music to make love to your old lady by” finds it’s way on to the fuzz today. Charles’ clever kitty wordplay gives me a good naughty chuckle, and there are few voices in the business that sound more like pure sex than hers.

Giraffage – Undress U

Giraffage drops a new track in to the blogosphere at least once a month and the result is a collective down-tempo orgasm from the internet. My favorite piece by the young mixmaster is a baby-making delight, “Undress U” practically oozes with sex, and it’s bound to put your partner in the mood for genital to genital magic.

Rhye – Open

The feature presentation, it’s Rhye with Open. Perhaps the most blogged about song this year (i’ve counted at least 88 blogs and countless remix ‘attempts’), “Open” is bound to get your blood to the boiling point. Milosh’s breathy vocals are more than sufficient to send you to a sensual climax as the words just float out of his throat. The real highlight is the ambiguity; there’s no explicit language, no obvious sexual references, and no specific gendered material. Mike Milosh even manages to sound somewhere between a husky female and a slender tight-lipped crooner. It’s all very neutral, yet full blown sexy.

Beacon – Drive

On the theme of ambiguity, Brooklyn’s ‘Beacon’, fresh off their first full length album, hit us with a track that’s hard to describe. The beat screams electro neon-nightdrive with mid 80′s influence, yet the vocals tip the scales in a completely different direction. It’s hard to tell if this song about lovemake or heartbreak, but we’ll leave it up to your interpretation. All I know for sure is that the smooth sounds send me swooning for my sweetie, and the passion is purposeful and palpable in this palette-whetting piece.

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That brings us to our inevitable climax on this week’s episode of the Fuzz. Mail us in nine months time and we’ll help you with baby names.

I’m really digging this album from Joe Flory aka Amateur Best. It’s happy, it’s sad, it’s been compared to some of Hot Chip’s more understated tracks with a vocal style similar to David Bowie. Overall it’s a cool, downtempo album that exudes warmth on a dreary, rainy NY day.