♫ Pump Up Tha Volume ♫: 2015

Episode180 - #ComeOneComeAll

Episode180 - Come One, Come All to hear inviting, new music by St. Germain, Paul Weller, Jim James, Lou Barlow and Qiet...

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Previous: Episode179 - Dynamite

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♬Liner Notes♬: After two weeks off there's no way to catch up here - but the Spotify playlist's three-plus hours of awesome! We just went for the big boys this week with the return of St. Germain, Paul Weller, Jim James, Lou Barlow - and a band called Qiet that I discovered while back in my home state of West Virginia. "Come One, Come All"!

St. Germain
"Sittin' Here"
'St. Germain'
Primary/Parlophone, 2015
Notes: "The career of St.Germain, French producer Ludovic Navarre, has been a lengthy tease for his fans. In 1995, Navarre gifted the world his tremendous debut—Boulevard... Five years later, Navarre returned with his follow-up, Tourist on Blue Note Records...[plus] a tour that ran for the marathon length of two and a half years. But, even after all that success in the studio and on the world's stage—St.Germain disappeared... [15 years later] In May of 2015, St. Germain finally emerged with news of a new self-titled album, forthcoming European live tour, a single..." Now the full-length's out and we're starting this episode with the lead track from the album.
(#StGermain)

Paul Weller
"Going My Way"
'Saturn's Pattern'
Solid Bond/Parlophone, 2015
Notes: "Saturns Pattern continues the purple patch Weller hit in 2008 with 22 Dreams, when he suddenly began to experiment with new ways of writing and recording. Weller is a magpie in terms of where he finds inspiration. Long Time chugs along menacingly like the Stooges’ I Wanna Be Your Dog, while Going My Way’s simple refrain veers into a Todd Rundgren-meets-the Beach Boys stomp." That's from a 5-star review by the London Guardian from back in May when the legendary Jam/Style Council mastermind dropped his 12th solo album. I just missed him play Portland a couple weeks and, yes, I'm pretty bummed about that... but this song makes me feel better!
(@PaulWellerHQ)

Jim James
"Take Care Of You"
'No Escape' (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Lakeshore, 2015
Notes: "Fresh off My Morning Jacket's new album The Waterfall and helping to serve as Roger Waters' backing band at Newport Folk Festival, Jim James is back with a surprise new solo track titled "Take Care of You." The heartfelt, spirited song appears on the soundtrack for the upcoming drama No Escape."
(@JimJames)

Lou Barlow
"Redeemed"
'Brace The Wave'
Joyful Noise, 2015
Notes: "As part of Dinosaur Jr., Deep Wound, The Folk Implosion, Sebadoh, or his solo work, lo-fi pioneer Lou Barlow has proven himself to be one of the most prolific and influential musicians of his generation... His latest solo release, this year’s Brace The Wave, was written and recorded in a Massachusetts studio with engineer Justin Pizzoferrato, and finds Barlow revisiting his early songwriting methods. On the surface, “Redeemed” seems like it would fit snugly alongside a number of his records – in trademark Barlow fashion, it sounds like it was recorded in a bedroom – but Barlow’s assured vocal performance on the melodic, straightforward track sounds infinitely more confident than he did twenty years ago."
(@TheLouBarlow)

Qiet
"Come One, Come All"
'Pet Driftwood (Composition #8)'
self-released, 2014
Notes: "Rock singers aren't known for their stability. But stability is exactly what Christopher Vincent, 27, has found through his band Qiet. The ensemble, once large enough to field a football team, is smaller than ever but is gaining big attention. Fans delight in Qiet's strange blend of gypsy music, rock, jazz and punk. They are playing shows all over the East Coast, their upcoming album "Pet Driftwood" is getting good reviews and they were recently featured on West Virginia Public Radio..." I got to see these guys in my hometown two weekends ago before Bridge Day, a large West Virginia festival. They rocked my socks off and I'm glad to swap out a local PNW band in favor of a local WV band this week.
(@Qiet)

Don't miss the Spotify playlist for each and every episode - it's got all the new music we can't fit here!

There's even a YouTube playlist.

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♬@PumpUpThaVolume Music News♬:
#AlbumOfTheWeek: Beach House - 'Thank Your Lucky Stars'
Work on a new Gorillaz album has officially begun
Blur stage victory lap at hits-filled Madison Square Garden show
David Bowie reportedly releasing new album ‘Blackstar’ in January
Suede announce UK dates to support new album ‘Night Thoughts’ - Will they play USA again?
Jeff Lynne's ELO reveal new song, 'One Step At A Time'
Stream ‘Dillatronic’, the forthcoming 41-track collection of posthumous J Dilla instrumentals
Watch Run The Jewels' new video for "Angel Duster"
Run The Jewels unveil ‘Meow The Jewels’ merch and "paw-cumentary"
Tom Petty’s True Confessions: Inside his revealing new biography
Watch Joanna Newsom's "Divers" video, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, in high quality
Watch GWAR cover Cyndi Lauper's "She Bop"
Watch Dixie Chicks cover Lana Del Rey's "Video Games" at a Bridge School Benefit
Underwhelming Record Store Day Black Friday 2015 List Revealed
Shaken up or shake it off? #Music streaming displaces both sales and piracy, new study says
Jerry Heller sues Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, more Straight Outta #Compton producers for defamation
Arcade Fire wrap contract w/Merge Records, considering label options - Bet a milkshake they sign w/"clueless" major?
Smashing Pumpkins ‘Mellon Collie’ came out 20yrs ago
Pulp's 'Different Class,’ 20 years later
20 years since ‘Disco Volante’, it's clear that Mr. Bungle was more than a Patton side project
Today in 1985: Whitney Houston notched her first No. 1 with "Saving All My Love for You"
At NoLa Elementary School, Santigold "...told the students...they should check out the Smiths “with this guy Morrissey.”"
Stream #VoodooNola all wknd w/ Florence, Modest, Jane's and more

(Thanks again to our #SongOfTheDay sources at @KEXP, @KCRW, @KUTX, KPSU, @TheKeyXPN, @TheCurrent, @MagnetMagazine and more. Thanks to @TwilightCircus1 for the bed music - and thank you for listening!)

Episode179 - #Dynamite

Episode179 - Dynamite explodes with great new music by Peaches w/ Kim Gordon, Run The Jewels, Kali Uchis, Empress Of and Beat Connection...

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Previous: Episode178 - Creeper Weed

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♬Liner Notes♬: Another sweet slice of sounds as we head into fall and I'm wondering: what are *you* listening to? (BTW, we might have to take next week off for vacation...)

Peaches
"Close Up" (w/ Kim Gordon)
'Rub'
I U She, 2015
Notes: "Over four studio albums (as Peaches), eye-popping concert tours, a one-woman remake of Jesus Christ Superstar and collaborations with artists as diverse as Iggy Pop and Feist, Peaches has made it her life’s work to take frankness to places it doesn’t usually venture: the realm of the absurd, into art, into politics (Impeach My Bush was the title of her 2006 album). "Close Up", the lead track from her fifth album, Rub, is a breathy collaboration with Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon stuffed with attitude and tongue-in-cheek wordplay." We got to meet & greet with Peaches at Music Millennium this week when she came through town!
(@Peaches/@KimletGordon)

Run The Jewels
"Rubble Kings Theme (Dynamite)"
‘Adult Swim Singles’
Williams Street, 2015
Notes: "Dynamic rap duo and noted cat aficionados Run the Jewels have shared a thrilling, feline-free new track one of the last entries in this year’s Adult Swim singles program. “Rubble Kings Theme (Dynamite)” comes from an upcoming documentary of the same name about gangs in the Bronx during the 1970s. The track has a fittingly old-school feel, yet it’s polished with Little Shalimar’s thundering production and the pair’s merciless flow." We heard ASS#6 from Swervedriver recently on Episode173. And we heard 'Crown' from RTJ last December on Episode139 (ooh, that's a good one!) and a solo joint from El-P on Episode169. Just being thorough...
(@RunJewels)

Kali Uchis
"Lottery"
'Por Vida'
self-released, 2015
Notes: "Virginia-based singer can go retro like a pro, when she wants... In her most recent music, Uchis whips up soul, hip-hop, and Spanish pop (the 20-year-old was born in Colombia and spent much of her childhood there) with a no-holds-barred approach to songwriting. Take “Lottery,”...the production twinkles like a classic Supremes song, Uchis quivers between pretty singing and straightforward rapping for some very frank lyrics about life and love in the modern world. “I sampled ‘Oh Honey’ by Delegation because they dedicated that entire song to glorifying a woman’s loyalty. No one seems to really care about that anymore, people mostly only do things for self,” Uchis explains..." The album features production by Tyler the Creator and there's a great video interview with her by the one and only Narduwar!
(@Kali Uchis)

Empress Of
"How Do You Do It"
'Me'
Terrible, 2015
Notes: "Transparency reigns on “Me,” the coolly assured debut album from Empress Of, a.k.a the songwriter Lorely Rodriguez. The tracks use just her voice and her electronics, and they are as clean-lined and skeletal as a blueprint under plexiglass. Born and raised in California and now based in Brooklyn, Ms. Rodriguez [wrote, performed and produced everything herself]... When things are going well, as in “How Do You Do It,” the beat moves toward electronic dance music and the tunes grow more symmetrical. But there’s always tension somewhere..." Say hello to another #BestOf2015 contender...
(@EmpressOf)

Beat Connection
"So Good"
‘Product 3’
ANTI-, 2015
Notes: "Seattle is probably best known for grunge, but is also home to a wide variety of styles. Case in point is Beat Connection, a quartet of musicians living firmly in the pop realm. "So Good," from their CD Product 3, captures some of their best beats to date." We heard Beat Connection two summers ago on Episode117 and waay back on Episode006 - since then they've signed with a little label called ANTI-.
(@BeatConnexion)

Don't miss the Spotify playlist for each and every episode - it's got all the new music we can't fit here!

(There's even a YouTube playlist.)

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♬@PumpUpThaVolume Music News♬:
#AlbumOfTheWeek: Saintseneca - 'Such Things'
Less than 2 months after 'Depression Cherry', Beach House announce *another* LP due next week, 'Thank Your Lucky Stars'
Boston declares October 10th "Patti Smith Day"
No Doubt's 'Tragic Kingdom' on its 20th anniversary
Watch Don Cheadle as Miles Davis in first 'Miles Ahead' teaser 🎺
Are LCD Soundsystem reuniting?
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 2016 noms include the Smiths, N.W.A., Nine Inch Nails, many more
Weekend 2 of #ACLFest in full swing

(Thanks again to our #SongsOfTheDay sources at @KEXP, @KCRW, @KUTX, KPSU, @TheKeyXPN, @TheCurrent, @MagnetMagazine and more. Thanks to @TwilightCircus1 for the bed music - and thank you for listening!)

Episode177 - Avalanche

[audio mp3="http://mediamonarchy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/20150926_PumpUpThaVolume177.mp3"][/audio]

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♬@PumpUpThaVolume: Episode177 - Avalanche drops crushing new music from Eagle Rock Gospel Singers, Boogarins, Farao, Persian Leaps and Pure Bathing Culture...

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Previous: Episode176 - Heatwave

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♬Liner Notes♬: Shuttin' down September with the official start of fall (the first rain's failing here in Portland as we prep this episode!) and we've got an "Avalanche" of cool, new music this week from the Eagle Rock Gospel Singers, Boogarins, Farao, Persian Leaps and Pure Bathing Culture...

Eagle Rock Gospel Singers
"Little Light"
'Heavenly Fire'
Ba Da Bing, 2015
Notes: "Will Wadsworth formed [L.A.'s] Eagle Rock Gospel Singers in the winter of 2010 following a failed relationship, a band dissolution, and a scary airplane ride. In order to re-spark his interest in music, he and his roommate, Jeremy Horton, gathered friends together to sing old Gospel songs. Inspired by their love of Washington Phillips, The Staples Singers, Mahalia Jackson, Sister Rosetta Tharpe — you know, the real classics... Heavenly Fire is an explosive barn-burner, taut with electricity..."
(@ERGospelSingers)

Boogarins
"Avalanche"
'Manual'
Other Music, 2015
Notes: "Brazil's tropicalismo revivalists Boogarins are back with second album Manual. It's a big step forward for Fernando "Dino" Almeida and Benke Ferraz, who began playing music together as teenagers in the central Brazilian city of Goiânia- recording psychedelic pop in their parents' gardens... From teenagers to young men, Boogarins are now set to release Manual, the same dual meaning in both Portuguese and English, "to work with your hands" and "an instruction book"."
(@Boogarins)

Farao
"Warriors"
'Till It’s All Forgotten'
Arts & Crafts, 2015
Notes: "London-based, Norway-born artist Farao - born Kari Jahnsen - has announced her debut LP Till It's All Forgotten...." Performing all instrumentation other than drums and bass, her vast army of tools – guitars, synths, organs, glockenspiel, sitar – radiate with intense emotional and musical craft. With international accolades, Farao will take her captivating live performance across North America as lead support for The Cribs... last week's full playlist.
(@FaraoMusic)

Persian Leaps
"Under The Lilacs"
'High & Vibrate' EP
self-released, 2015
Notes: "[MPLS trio Persian Leaps' 3rd album in 3yrs] High & Vibrate, celebrates the indie-rock resonance they perfected on their first two albums, and climbs its way from a rumbling, dense-yet-light sound with bright spikes and sharp edges... [City Pages talked to frontman] Drew Forsberg: "For me, it's all about the hooks. It's a fault, perhaps, but I don't have much patience for music that doesn't have an immediate pop hook. It can be played on a ukulele, drenched in guitar feedback, or buried under lo-fi hiss, but it needs to be there for me.""
(@PersianLeaps)

Pure Bathing Culture
"Pray For Rain"
'Pray For Rain'
Partisan, 2015
Notes: "Portland [duo] return this fall with Pray For Rain... its title track...adds new oomph to the duo’s crystalline transcendental yacht-pop. It’s still recognizable as the band behind “Pendulum,” but there’s a brisk uptempo drum programming, and both the synths and the guitars pulsate with new urgency and rawness. It reminds me of the way My Bloody Valentine’s sound jolted into a new gear on Loveless closer “Soon.”" Pure Bathing Culture's the only band this week that's been on PUTV before - having rocked ep071 on my birthday back in 2013 ;)
(@PureBathingCult)

Don't miss the Spotify playlist for each and every episode - it's got all the new music we can't fit here!

And even there's a YouTube playlist, too!

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♬@PumpUpThaVolume Music News♬:
#AlbumOfTheWeek: Run The Jewels - 'Meow The Jewels'
New albums out by CHVRCHES, Dead Weather, Kurt Vile, Silversun Pickups, New Order, JR JR, Don Henley and more
Big Boi and Phantogram collab as #BigGrams
Kendrick Lamar and George Clinton reunite on new Funkadelic remix
Jeff Lynne’s ELO prep first LP in 14yrs w/new song, "When I Was A Boy"
The Zombies are back again with "I Want You Back Again”
Sam Smith's safe Bond theme for SPECTRE could use more drama
Damon Albarn must've been right about Adele's new LP being boring if she tried to buy Sia's "Alive" for $1M
Pope Francis releasing prog-rock album called “Wake Up!”
Slayer captured their career best chart debut with 'Repentless'
Morrissey explains new novel 'List of the Lost' which centers on a 1970s relay racing team cursed by a demon
Score one for Fox: Foo Fighters say channel nixed 'Sonic Highways' Emmys performance
Arcade Fire's Win Butler explains Tidal's botched launch and why major labels are clueless
Viet Cong are changing their name, they haven't decided to what yet
Decibel Festival thumps EDM all over the Pacific Northwest Sep22-27

(Thanks again to our #SongsOfTheDay sources at @KEXP, @KCRW, @KUTX, KPSU, @TheKeyXPN and @TheCurrent. Plus all the music blogs, sites and nerds that help out, too. Big thanks to @TwilightCircus1 for the bed music - and thank you for listening!)

Episode176 - Heatwave

[audio mp3="http://mediamonarchy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/20150919_PumpUpThaVolume176.mp3"][/audio]
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Episode176 - Heatwave melts with new music by Communions, Dâm-Funk, Saul Williams, Purple and Wild Ones...

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Previous: Episode175 - Light

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♬Liner Notes♬: It's only our second week with the new, shorter and sharper PUTV - and I'm already loving it! We've got another powerful set of new music this week from Denmark's Communions, LA's Dâm-Funk, Purple from BeaumontTX, NY's Saul Williams and Portland's own Wild Ones.

Communions
"Forget It's a Dream"
'Communions EP'
Tough Love, 2015
Notes: "Across a pair of EPs and a 7″, brothers Martin and Mads Rehof, Jacob van Deurs Formann, and Frederik Lind Köppen, Communions have become one of the more prominent bands in...Copenhagen as a whole through their immediate, melodic, atmosphere-heavy songwriting... True to its namesake, “Forget It’s a Dream” is filled with gauzy tones, albeit ones that mask the band’s underlying strengths, namely their sense of rhythm and Martin Rehof’s incisive vocal performance." Some are saying they're one of the best new bands from Denmark in a long time - and even talking "#BestOf2015".
(#Communions)

Dâm-Funk
"Glyde 2nyte"
'Invite the Light'
Stones Throw, 2015
Notes: "The L.A. roller-disco synth freak Dâm-Funk has kept himself very busy these past few years with collaborations, EPs, and one-offs, but he hasn’t released a proper solo album since 2009’s Toeachizown... he comes roaring back with the massive 20-song double album Invite The Light. The album features collaborations with Ariel Pink, Snoop Dogg, Q-Tip, Jody Watley, Nite Jewel, Kid Sister, Slave’s Steve Arrington, and others." We heard another smooth track from Dâm-Funk's critically-acclaimed new album back on Episode168. This will definitely show up on a lot of #BestOf2015 lists.
(@DaMFunK)

Saul Williams
"Burundi" (w/ Emily Kokal of Warpaint)
'MartyrLoserKing'
Fader, 2015
Notes: "Saul Williams’ artistic pursuits are many and varied, but from his beginnings at mid-90s poetry slams through a handful of albums and poetry collections, his focus has remained unchanged: using revolutionary words to remind audiences that the personal is political... Williams [5th length LP], the evocatively-titled 'MartyrLoserKing', and his diatribes are as timely as ever, with protests about police brutality, government control and economic disparity erupting around the world. 'MartyrLoserKing' tells the story of its eponymous fictional character, a Burundian miner-turned-hacker who starts a revolution from his computer." A long-time favorite of mine makes his first stop on PUTV, Saul Williams released this song a couple months ago and I was only reminded when he released another new song this week from his forthcoming 'MartyrLoserKing' album. He's also got a brand new book out, too!
(@SaulWilliams)

Purple
"Beach Buddy"
'409'
PIAS, 2014
Notes: "The kind of beach music Purple makes is grittier, more Gulf Coast than Left Coast. The trio hails from Beaumont, Texas, and like a lot of small-town bands, they have an ambivalent relationship to their home. On the one hand, Beaumont was tough for creativity, prizing oil and strict Christianity above everything else. On the other hand, that kind of pressure breeds creativity. Good art comes from struggle. Purple named their debut album (409) after Beaumont’s area code, but they’re looking to break out of East Texas. The record is a mix of punk and grunge ferocity, spiked by pop hooks courtesy of the band’s two singers, guitarist Taylor Busby and drummer Hanna Brewer. “Beach Buddy” is party-ready, but Purple keeps its individuality on its sleeve."
(@PurpleTxMusic)

Wild Ones
"Heatwave"
'Heatwave EP'
Topshelf, 2015
Notes: "Portland synthpop outfit Wild Ones emerged with a tumultuous start. While readying to record their 2012 debut album, Keep It Safe, guitarist Clayton Knapp blew out an eardrum and drummer Seve Sheldon found himself in the hospital with a punctured lung... Thankfully, those grim days are behind them, and the trials have only made them a stronger and more inventive group. Now, they’ve taken a second go at recording without turmoil on their latest EP, Heatwave... This time around, Wild Ones brought in Telekinesis’ Michael Lerner to mix and Grammy-nominated engineer Jeff Lipton to master the project." Congrats to Portland's Wild Ones on their new EP - and you can also check out my recent interview with the band!
(@WildOnesTheBand)

Don't miss the Spotify playlist for each and every episode - it's got all the new music we can't fit here!

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♬@PumpUpThaVolume Music News♬:
#AlbumOfTheWeek: Lana Del Rey - 'Honeymoon'
Sharon Jones reveals cancer return, but promises to "keep fighting"
QOTSA’s Josh Homme and Justice join cast of Iggy Pop-starring silent film ‘Gutterdämmerung’
Keith Richards' new documentary, ‘Under The Influence’, is on Netflix now
Microsoft finally puts Zune subscription service out of its misery
The late, great band Broadcast's ‘Tender Buttons’ LP turns 10
Insane Clown Posse's lawsuit against the FBI revived by appeals court
Morrissey says next week's concerts likely his last ever in the UK
This wknd: 🎶 I'm. Seeing. @Kraftwerk. *bloop *bloop *bleep *blop 🎶 👾

(Thanks again to our #SongsOfTheDay sources at @KEXP, @KCRW, @KUTX, KPSU, @TheKeyXPN and @TheCurrent. Plus all the music blogs, sites and nerds that help out, too. Big thanks to @TwilightCircus1 for the bed music - and thank you for listening!)

Episode175 - Light

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Episode175 - Light has new music by Destroyer, Odesza w/ Little Dragon, The Dears, Beach Slang and Gibraltar...

Previous: Episode174 - Fired Up