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Just Encoded: Beach Fossils – “What a Pleasure”

Wednesday, February 9th, 2011

357147 72 Just Encoded: Beach Fossils What a PleasureBeach Fossils
download icon Just Encoded: Beach Fossils What a Pleasure “What a Pleasure” (mp3)
from What a Pleasure (Captured Tracks)

icon landing page Just Encoded: Beach Fossils What a Pleasure More On This Album

Following the critically acclaimed self-titled debut, Beach Fossils returns with the beautifully crafted EP, What a Pleasure. In this brilliant new release Dustin Payseur shares songwriting duties with bassist John Peña which makes for their most dynamic songs yet. Also, on the “Out in the Way” Payseur teams up with the talented Jack Tatum of Wild Nothing for a song that reveals both artists’ visions in a way that the world has yet to hear. “What a Pleasure” is full of clean, simple guitar lines that build up to melancholic endings. The mature sound and cleaner production value on “What a Pleasure” presents glimpses of where Beach Fossils have been and where they aim to go.

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Just Encoded: Typhoon – “A New Kind Of House”

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

By: Elijah Carroll
354497 72 Just Encoded: Typhoon A New Kind Of HouseArtist: Typhoon
Title: A New Kind Of House
Label: Tender Loving Empire
Genre: Rock : Pop
Release Date: 3.8.11
UPC: 751937404224
Territory: Worldwide

Portland indie orchestra Typhoon turned many a critical head in 2010 after releasing their epic LP Hunger and Thirst on Tender Loving Empire. They were named as one of Portland’s best new bands by Willamette week, toured in support of Yann Tiersen, and opened for Belle & Sebastian and Avi Buffalo. A New Kind of House is Typhoon’s sequel to Hunger and Thirst. With these five multi-movement song cycles, A New Kind of House is far more than an EP. This fully realized recording finds the now 12-piece ensemble at the height of their powers. For those of us craving more after Hunger and Thirst this EP is the perfect thing to satisfy that craving. Picking up right where Hunger and Thirst left off A New Kind of House is equal parts beautiful, enrapturing and exciting!

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Just Encoded: DAD

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

352737 72 Just Encoded: DADDAD
download icon Just Encoded: DAD “Grand Piano” (mp3)
from “Push”
(ObliqSound)

icon landing page Just Encoded: DAD More On This Album

Just Encoded: DADDAD sure is a band with a real aptitude for multitasking. The band consists of skilled musicians often alternating between instruments mid-song: a spoken word vocalist who plays a synthesizer (Gabriel Gorman), a saxophonist who plays keyboard (Adrien Daoud), a bassist who plays bass clarinet (Maxime Daoud), and a drummer who plays glockenspiel while drumming (Thibaut Brandalise). “I started to play music on the piano at 12 and a year later I picked up the saxophone but I never stopped practicing the keyboard. On stage I have to often play both instruments at the same time,” explains Adrien Daoud. Each member of the band sings and participates in the typically emphatic percussion that DAD loves to thrust upon their audiences and listeners. Together they make a quartet ready for nearly anything with a concept and attitude in line with this world and its fast paced life-style. (more…)

Just Encoded: Tommy Guerrero

Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

Tommy Guerrero Just Encoded: Tommy GuerreroArtist: Tommy Guerrero
Title: Lifeboats and Follies
Label: Galaxia
Genre: Indie : Indie
UPC: 702932003820
Territory: USA, Canada, & Puerto Rico
Digital Release Date: 02.01.11

Tommy Guerrero has two major passions that he’s actively pursued throughout his life: skateboarding and music. As a pro skater, he’s considered to be a legend; Tommy was one of the prominent members of the Bones Brigade along with Steve Cabellero, Tony Hawk, Mike McGill, and Lance Mountain. He won the first street-style skating contest in 1983, skateboardings incarnation that he helped pioneer on the streets of San Francisco. After riding for Powell Peralta, Guerrero and Jim Thiebaud (a hometown friend and PP teammate) started the skateboarding company, Real. Tommy quit pro skating in 1995, in part to work on his second passion, music. He’s played guitar in a number of projects including his brother’s band Free Beer and his own local group Jet Black Crayon. Since his retirement from pro skating, he has released a number of solo albums that focused on his guitar work. His critically acclaimed albums, Ep’s, and singles combine various genres from rock, rap, funk, soul, and jazz to create something distinct. His 2003 release, Soul Food Taqueria, was ranked as the 2nd best album of 2003 by Rolling Stone Magazine. Guerrero also had numerous unreleased songs appear on the video game series Skate by Electronic Arts. To augment his playing, he’s featured vocal guest spots from some of today’s biggest names including Lyrics Born and Gresham Taylor.

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Just Encoded: Loch Lomond

Wednesday, December 8th, 2010

347895 72 Just Encoded: Loch LomondLoch Lomond
download icon Just Encoded: Loch Lomond “Elephants & Little Girls” (mp3)
from “Little Me Will Start A Storm”
(Tender Loving Empire)

icon landing page Just Encoded: Loch Lomond More On This Album

Just Encoded: Loch LomondAfter a string of head-turning, critically acclaimed releases on Hush Records, Portland’s Loch Lomond has brought their unique brand of raw symphonic chamber pop to Tender Loving Empire. Loch Lomond has slated their much anticipated second full length Little Me Will Start a Storm for release on Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011. The album was mixed by Adam Selzer (who has recorded all of M Ward’s records), Tucker Martine (Laura Veirs, The Decemberists), and Kevin Robinson (of Viva Voce).

In addition to employing notable visceral and expert melodic acrobatics, the co-ed sextet of Loch Lomond distinctly incorporates the use of harmonic vocals, mandolin, theremin, bass clarinet, and all manner of exclamatory percussion minutia to foil the even more distinct and arresting voice of lead singer/multi-instrumentalist Ritchie Young. He’s able to switch from high-pitched fragility to alto thunder in the turn of a phrase, yet he knows the power of restraint intuitively, saving vocal tornadoes for emotional apexes buoyed by string swells and moving arrangements. Few bands, especially of Loch Lomond’s unique ilk, come from as disparate of backgrounds or intents: some members are teachers; some are computer programmers, some are visual artists and small business owners, and almost all are former high school band nerds, although one would never know it given the band’s tapestry-tight weave of mesmerizing grandeur.

Check out the album’s first single, “Elephants & Little Girls,” and keep an eye out for the full release in Febuary!

Just Encoded: Invisible Allies

Wednesday, November 10th, 2010

345211 72 Just Encoded: Invisible AlliesArtist: Invisible Allies
Title: Hyperdimensional Animals
Label: Native State Records
Genre: Electronic : Downtempo
UPC: 847108004611
Territory: Worldwide
Release Date: 11.30.10

Hyperdimensional Spacefunk Pioneers Unite! Invisible Allies is a collaboration between well known West Coast downtempo aficionado Bluetech and Philadelphia electronic mastermind KiloWatts. Both established with numerous releases and projects spanning various genres, the Invisible Allies collaboration is a meeting between two distinct and imaginative minds, each with acute musical sensibilities and signature aesthetics.

Exploring futuristic spacefunk, textural ambient, odd time signatures, complex harmonic developments, detailed digitalia and a sublime sense of the exotic, the first Invisible Allies release “Hyperdimensional Animals” gives a first look into what promises to be an exciting and evolving conversation between two singular and eccentric producers.

Keep a look out for a free promotrack coming soon!

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