LA's Local Natives are one of those bands that everyone is quick to claim as a favorite -- there's something so warm and likeable about their music, whether they're crafting the sort of breezy summer pop found on 2010's Gorilla Manor or the sprawling growers on this year's Hummingbird.
sprawling views -- and singer/guitarist Taylor Rice (via FB)
Turns out the dudes themselves are pretty warm and likeable too. Over at The Key, I caught up with singer/guitarist Taylor Rice -- to talk Instagram, catharsis, and what tune Local Natives like to blast while getting pumped up for a show (hint: its title totally describes the band.) Head over there to check it out!
Two very different videos I've been grooving two this week:
Violeta Vil hail from Spain by way of Venezuela, Chile and the
Canary Islands, and craft hazy, electronic dance grooves with a tropical-goth sensibility. "Lápidas y Cocoteros" means "Coconuts and Headstones" in Spanish, and the vid plays like a vaguely morbid dream sequence that ends with life being extinguished:
"Lápidas y Cocoteros" appears on the record Lápidas y Cocoteros, out now.
And on the other side of the spectrum, Cali hip-hop-pop collective (hip-pop-col?) Drop City Yacht Club don't allude to anything but fun on new single "Crickets," feat. Jeremih. It's least-common-denominator pop to be sure, but damn, isn't this video a lot of fun?
"Crickets" appears on the EP of the same name, out now.
Anyone who knows me well knows that it's much harder to draw me in with a hip-hop song than it is, say, some lo-fi garage pop (b/c I'm a nerdy White girl who hearts Belle & Sebastian too much.) Which means that Seattle duo Art Vandelay really had to pull out all the stops on their new vid for single "Eye 8 The Crow / So What?":
Love the sexy, slippery beats on the first half (although I'll have nightmares about those hockey masks all week); love juxtaposition of the creepy with the mellow. "Eye 8 The Crow / So What" appears on the record Eye & The Crow, out April 2.
Looking back through the archives, I noticed that most of my Music Video Mondays picks are upbeat, indie charmers -- because nothing is tougher than waking up early for work on a Monday -- and nothing alleviates the headache quite like a joyous melody. In this week's pick, Sweden's The Shout Out Louds seek magic crystal power, in this bewitching vid for single "Walking in Your Footsteps":
"Walking in Your Footsteps" appears on the record Optica, out now.
Free music: there's little I enjoy more! In a world where everything, even a draft beer, seems ridiculously expensive, it's nice every now and then to be able to download a free song. Free music is also often key for small or local bands, who might have trouble convincing potential fans to shell out $12 for a record...but who certainly can convince them to download a free 3-song sampler.
Free music, free love, free old man legs
Being a music aficionado myself -- not to mention an incessant mailing list subscriber -- means that every month, tons of sweet, free music lands in my inbox. Here are some of my faves from the last month. Check out the details below -- then stream the entire list (for free!) via 8tracks.
Cold Fronts, "Heart Attack." Rock'n roll with a kick! (DL it for free!)
Welter, "Jackalyn." Lament for the scene girl that never comes by any more. (DL it for free!)
Royal Shoals, "Negative Thump." Night music, w/ a twinkle. (Stream it for free!)
Cult Choir, "Layers." Sun-dappled beach tunes (DL it for free!)
Faces Together, "Hands Apart." Percussive, cinematic jawn (Stream it for free!)
Night Panther, "Lionness." As regal + seductive as you'd expect (DL it for free!)
Bridge Underwater, "Skeleton." Grungy garage fun! (DL it for free!)
Work Drugs, "Sunset on High." Another killer jam from the forerunners of free music. If anyone's made free work for them, it's these guys! (DL it for free!)
Happy first full week of March everyone! Summer is a mere 3 months away, which means it's never too early to start daydreaming of beach days and watermelon beer. Here, LA band The Little Ones have a blast while surfing in wrestling masks...b/c when you live in LA it is summer all year long (or maybe they just filmed this back in August. Whatevs.)
"Argonauts" on appears on the record The Dawn Sang Along, out now.
