Episode143 - Tools


Episode143 - Tools
♫Makin' a soundtrack for another planet to hear♫ on Episode143 - Tools which features brand new sounds from Cult of Youth, Mighty Sceptres, Motopony, Holiday Friends, Deerhoof, Yellerkin, Bonobo, Dark Rooms, Eliot Lipp, Ty Segall, Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield, Walker Lukens, Phosphorescent and The Weather...



Download/Subscribe

Previous: Episode142 - Freedom

****************************************
♬Liner Notes♬: We've got the "Tools" to find the cutting edges of new music this week with the hottest from Yellerkin, Ty Segall, Cult Of Youth, Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield, Bonobo, Motopony and tons more!

Cult of Youth
"God's Garden"
'Final Days'
Sacred Bones, 2014
Notes: "Across the past seven years, Cult of Youth has progressed from a solo bedroom project to a vital, neofolk band with both a commanding leader and equally as ferocious performances. Brooklyn-based...band’s fourth and latest album, 2014’s Final Days, is their most vivid outing to date, built with more fury and pace than any of the band’s previous work. “God’s Garden” exemplifies the band’s newfound drive, moving at a relentless speed..." Damn if that doesn't sound like Spencer from Murder City Devils on vocals!
(#CultOfYouth)

The Mighty Sceptres
"I Found the Letter"
'All Hail The Mighty Sceptres!'
Ubiquity, 2015
Notes: "All Hail The Mighty Sceptres! boldly announces the arrival of the band and is also the rightful title of their debut album. [UK duo] Nick Radford and Angeline Morrison have crafted an extraordinary collection of songs showcasing their love of all things “Soul”, from funk, R&B, jazz, and doo-wop with just a bit of rock, all informed by the sound and attitude of the ‘60s."
(@MightySceptres)

Motopony
"Daylight’s Gone" (Live On KUTX)
tinyOGRE, 2014
Notes: "It’s been a long, strange road for Motopony. The Seattle band turned heads way back in 2011 with their self-titled debut, buoyed by the strength of single “King Of Diamonds.” But since their formation in 2006, frontman Daniel Blue has been the lone constant... After solidifying a core of six members this past year, Motopony is picking up the tempo again. They toured India and released two EPs in 2014... Austin’s Mike McCarthy–who’s lent his expertise to Spoon and Heartless Bastards–produced Motopony’s full-length, which is expected just before SXSW. In the meantime, the band has been trying out material on the road, and they stopped by Studio 1A late last year." And we heard "Get Down" from Motopony last October on Episode130.
(@Motopony)

Holiday Friends
"Astral Observations"
'Major Magic'
self-released, 2014
Notes: "Although Astoria, Oregon is best known to multiple generations of pop-culture observers as the cinematic setting of the ‘80s cult classic The Goonies, the rugged riverfront city now has another distinction: as the home of the fab new pop-rock combo known as Holiday Friends. On its consistently uplifting debut album Major Magic, the spirited quintet...deliver ten joyous new tunes that strike a decisive blow for the enduring values of infectious melodic hooks and emotional engaging lyrics. The band’s catchy, playful songs are refreshingly free of hipster cynicism, and has been described as what the Beach Boys might sound like if they’d been raised in the Pacific Northwest on a steady diet of John Hughes film soundtracks, or what The Cars might be doing if they lived at Big Pink."
(@HolidayFriends)

Deerhoof
"Paradise Girls"
'La Isla Bonita'
Polyvinyl, 2014
Notes: "Nick Sylvester is the guy in charge of Godmode Records, a small New York indie that’s been releasing very, very good music for a couple of years... Sylvester is producing La Isla Bonita, the [latest] album from the long-running [Berkeley/San Fran] indie-skronk band Deerhoof... La Isla Bonita give Deerhoof some extra heft by giving their sound an Albini-style physical immediacy... the jittery “Paradise Girls,” a song about the band’s female musical heroes." 12 albums in 20 years?!
(@Deerhoof)

Yellerkin
"Tools"
self-released, 2014
Notes: "Yellerkin is the duo of Adrian Galvin and Luca Buccellati, Brooklyn pop experimentalists who seem to have ingested Animal Collective and Passion Pit in equal measure. “Tools,” their new single, brings a wanton, whimsical spirit to bold, bright synthpop, veering through a handful of twists and turns en route to its big finish. “You don’t have the tools to realize God won’t talk to you,” they sing."
(@Yellerkin)

Bonobo
"Flashlight"
'Flashlight EP'
Ninja Tune, 2014
Notes: "Bonobo, aka Brighton producer Simon Green [and his]...Flashlight EP arrives as the bitter winter winds howl in... Its three tracks differ in sonic texture enough to provide a welcome sense of variety... The title track, whilst equipped with a near-pounding beat, is arguably one of the most blissful things you’ll hear this year, as looped guitar licks waltz with restrained-siren synths." Bonobo makes his second appearance on PUTV after we first heard him on Episode061.
(@SiBonobo)

Dark Rooms
"Beyond The Lens"
'Dark Rooms'
self-released, 2013
Notes: "Daniel Hart’s eclectic resume points towards his collaborative nature. The Dallas native earned a music degree at SMU and cut his chops in a jazz band as a violinist. Soon, Hart was lending his talents to St. Vincent, the Polyphonic Spree, John Vanderslice, and Broken Social Scene while sharing bills with Radiohead and Andrew Bird... Dark Rooms takes Hart’s craft for composition and dips it in darkness. “Beyond The Lens,” from the band’s self-titled debut, takes its cues from moody electro-pop, with Hart’s strong voice front-and-center."
(@DarkRoomsMusic)

Eliot Lipp
"The Western" (w/ Cherub)
'Watch The Shadows'
Pretty Lights, 2014
Notes: "Eliot Lipp is a rising star hailing from the electronic music epicenter of Brooklyn, New York. This Pretty Lights Music protege is blazing his own path with a sound and style all his own. Eliot already has a substantial and vastly diverse musical catalogue that has established him as one of electronic music brightest talents. With his newest [fifth?] album, Watch The Shadows, Eliot has embarked on a new chapter of his career, bound to solidify his standing as one of the most exciting names in dance music."
(@EliotLipp)

Ty Segall
"Music For A Film"
'$ingle$ 2'
Drag City, 2015
Notes: "Prolific musician Ty Segall released two albums in 2014. $ingle$ 2 is a collection of non-album singles and B-sides from three of his previous releases, as well as some covers." This one had an original release a few years ago, but now it's back and bigger than ever as Ty Segall makes only his second stop on PUTV. (Though he's been a b-side more than a few times!)
(@TySegall)

Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield
"Somebody That I Used To Know"
'Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield Sing Elliott Smith'
Ramseur, 2015
Notes: "The songs of Elliott Smith are widely revered — especially by those who came of age in the '90s — but a new generation of listeners is only beginning to discover him. Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield Sing Elliott Smith is likely to expose new fans to the great singer-songwriter. Smith released five albums in his lifetime and died in 2003 from two stab wounds to the chest; he'd left a suicide note. His songs, which often dealt with depression and desperation, were beautiful and frequently quiet. This album, by Jessica Lea Mayfield and The Avett Brothers' Seth Avett, was made over a four-year period with great love for the man and his songs. The production is lean, the harmonies are beautiful, and the words and melodies are kept at the center of all 12 songs."
(#SethAvett/@JessicaMayfield)

Walker Lukens
"Every Night"
'Baked Goods'
TBA, 2015
Notes: "Led Zeppelin and the Four Seasons don't often meet in the same song, but singer/songwriter Walker Lukens namechecks both legendary groups as infleunces on his excellent new strutter "Every Night." The single, from Lukens' upcoming second LP, Baked Goods, mixes Frankie Valli-style doo-wop — down to the snaps — with a Spoon-like nocturnal groove and a "How Many More Times"-esque Zep outro. (The former influence makes a good deal of sense, considering Spoon drummer Jim Eno produced the song.) For a track that works with such a wide swath of influences, "Night" still ends up surprisingly coherent and not even explicitly retro-sounding, a testament to Lukens' confidence as a writer and performer." We heard "Lover" from Mr. Lukens on Episode101.
(@WalkerLukens)

Phosphorescent
"Nothing Was Stolen (Love Me Foolishly)"
'Live At The Music Hall'
Dead Oceans, 2015
Notes: "On February 17th, Phosphorescent will release Live at the Music Hall, featuring recordings from the singer’s December 2013 residency in Williamsburg, Brooklyn... Matthew Houck further previews the release by unveiling his inspired rendition of “Nothing Was Stolen (Love Me Foolishly)”. Though it retains the same structure and progression as the album version, the song bubbles with new life in the live setting: Houck’s croon burns much more earnest and sentimental, while the swelling organ really drives home the boundless romantic energy."
(@Phosphorescent)

The Weather
"1983"
'Waters Electric'
self-released, 2015
Notes: "As The Weather... [the Seattle musicians] take the atmospheric songwriting skills they honed under the name Campfire OK and reconfigure them into vibrant, electric rock songs... In late 2014, the band announced that the band’s moniker would change to The Weather, attributing the name change to a change in style and sentiment in the band’s music. “1983”, the first single from the newly rechristened band, is a dense, layered pop gem... “1983” is not only a shimmering slice of electric pop that sounds great in any year, but also a resounding, brilliant reboot for the band." Hey, we played Campfire OK way back on Episode029!
(@TheWeatherBand)

This week's B-sides: Electric Peanut Butter Company, Lord Buffalo, Hamell On Trial, Phosphorescent, Ultimate Painting, RONiiA and Jessica Pratt

****************************************
@PumpUpThaVolume Music News:
#AlbumOfTheDay: Sleater-Kinney (@Sleater_Kinney) - 'No Cities To Love'
#AlbumOfTheDay: @TheDecemberists - 'What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World'
#AlbumOfTheDay: Belle & Sebastian (@BellesGlasgow) - 'Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance'
#AlbumOfTheDay: @LupeFiasco - 'Tetsuo & Youth'
#AlbumOfTheDay: @MarilynManson - 'The Pale Emperor'
SPIN Album of the Week: @vietcongband make like the last post-punks on debut
Aphex Twin streams 'Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments PT2' EP
@CannibalOx have announced Blade Of The Ronin, their first album in 14 years
After its early leak, @Bjork's new album Vulnicura is out on iTunes right now
@BobDylan giving away 50k copies of new Sinatra covers album to @AARP Magazine subscribers
Johnny Ramone’s rare guitar sold for $71,000 at a recent auction
@CHVRCHES @mogwaiband @thetwilightsad will sell newspapers in Scotland to support #VendorWeek
@beastieboys want Monster to pay them another $2.4 million in legal fees
Apple, Sony and Google have all been named in lawsuits for playing pre-1972 music
Rich Robinson announced that after 24 years, The Black Crowes have broken up
Former Negativland member Ian Allen has died at the age of 56
R.I.P. Tangerine Dream founder Edgar Froese
Tangerine Dream founder Edgar Froese dead at 70
#Sundance kicked off with Nina Simone doc and John Legend performance

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