Consider this Disco Wednesday.

28 Apr 2010 — NFOP

Of course. Just when I suggested that the big disco revival ended on December 31, 2009, they just had to prove me wrong. Fine, if the music's compelling enough. So kudos to the folks over at Neon Gold for introducing us to London trio Luxury Living and their mandatory floorfiller. We know next to nothing about them, but that'll sure change pretty soon, and right now it doesn't matter anyway. Oh, and thank goodness they've got subtle hand clapping, too.

Luxury Living - Kimberley (Demo) (via Neon Gold)

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Of course. Just when I suggested that the big disco revival ended on December 31, 2009, they just had to prove me wrong. Fine, if the music's compelling enough. So kudos to the folks over at Neon Gold for introducing us to London trio Luxury Living and their mandatory floorfiller. We know next to nothing about them, but that'll sure change pretty soon, and right now it doesn't matter anyway. Oh, and thank goodness they've got subtle hand clapping, too.

Luxury Living - Kimberley (Demo) (via Neon Gold)

The fox is dying.

28 Apr 2010 — NFOP

Avant-garde. Believe it or not, this used to be a quality attributed to French fashion label Kitsuné and their compilations of up-to-date music for the hip and cool. However, with their first CD of the new decade, called The Petit Bateau Edition and the ninth one in the series, the folks behind the roundup appear more and more to be losing focus - arguably, a Kitsuné Maison Compilation has never been more redundant. Irrespective of his genius, what's the point in including Washed Out's Belong more than half a year after the track first was praised by every relevant blog on the net? And apart from this lost timeliness, even more annoying are all those shabby remixes of otherwise rather fine pop songs, though this aspect in particular has always been a problem of the Kitsuné approach to new music.

Anyway, that being said, of course there still are a few tunes worth mentioning.

First, Brooklyn duo Holy Ghost!, long-time member of the illustrious DFA roster, send a brilliant reminder of why we shouldn't give up on hoping for the release of their debut album. And indeed, on May 18 we'll at least be blessed with a new EP, Static on the Wire, which will include four new songs. Say My Name, on Kitsuné Maison and posted below, is among them. Without doubt a beautiful track, although the disco revival was last year, so this might have been even more appealing in 2009.


The other project on Kitsuné Maison 9 I'd like to highlight is the Icelandic male/female duo Feldberg, their song Dreamin' being three minutes of pure hand clapping pop happiness. Well, though hand clapping feels very naughties, too.


Holy Ghost! - Say My Name (via Pitchfork)

Feldberg - Dreamin'

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Avant-garde. Believe it or not, this used to be a quality attributed to French fashion label Kitsuné and their compilations of up-to-date music for the hip and cool. However, with their first CD of the new decade, called The Petit Bateau Edition and the ninth one in the series, the folks behind the roundup appear more and more to be losing focus - arguably, a Kitsuné Maison Compilation has never been more redundant. Irrespective of his genius, what's the point in including Washed Out's Belong more than half a year after the track first was praised by every relevant blog on the net? And apart from this lost timeliness, even more annoying are all those shabby remixes of otherwise rather fine pop songs, though this aspect in particular has always been a problem of the Kitsuné approach to new music.

Anyway, that being said, of course there still are a few tunes worth mentioning.

First, Brooklyn duo Holy Ghost!, long-time member of the illustrious DFA roster, send a brilliant reminder of why we shouldn't give up on hoping for the release of their debut album. And indeed, on May 18 we'll at least be blessed with a new EP, Static on the Wire, which will include four new songs. Say My Name, on Kitsuné Maison and posted below, is among them. Without doubt a beautiful track, although the disco revival was last year, so this might have been even more appealing in 2009.


The other project on Kitsuné Maison 9 I'd like to highlight is the Icelandic male/female duo Feldberg, their song Dreamin' being three minutes of pure hand clapping pop happiness. Well, though hand clapping feels very naughties, too.


Holy Ghost! - Say My Name (via Pitchfork)

Feldberg - Dreamin'

Space Invaders.

27 Apr 2010 — NFOP

The three Californians that form the South African Metaphysical Society, or, a bit more succinct, The Samps, make music that sounds like the soundtrack to a very cheap and rubbish computer game from at least two decades ago. Which is, first, not really surprising as frontman Cole Marsden Greif Neill otherwise performs as part of lo-fi god Ariel Pink's backing band, and, second, absolutely compelling.

The Samps' self-titled debut EP is about to be released sometime in May on Brooklyn's Mexican Summer.


The Samps - F.X.N.C.

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The three Californians that form the South African Metaphysical Society, or, a bit more succinct, The Samps, make music that sounds like the soundtrack to a very cheap and rubbish computer game from at least two decades ago. Which is, first, not really surprising as frontman Cole Marsden Greif Neill otherwise performs as part of lo-fi god Ariel Pink's backing band, and, second, absolutely compelling.

The Samps' self-titled debut EP is about to be released sometime in May on Brooklyn's Mexican Summer.


The Samps - F.X.N.C.

Let your dim light shine.

26 Apr 2010 — NFOP

After a Sunday that reminded us of what summers feel like, let's fight the emerging Monday melancholy with two sweet announcements for all you German gorillavsbearcore devotees:

Soon, two of the most adorable among all those upcoming chillwavers, Georgia's Washed Out and Brooklyn's Small Black, are finally coming to Europe on their shared tour, and on June 4 they'll stop by for a single show in Germany, at Hamburg's Indra. But don't feel rejected if you're from somewhere else, as at least Small Black have promised to come back very soon to visit other cities, in any case Berlin, to present their then-finished debut LP.

Another hyped creator of sun-drenched loveliness is Virginia's Jack Tatum aka Wild Nothing, and besides releasing his debut album Gemini May 25 on Captured Tracks, he'll perform in Berlin at Bang Bang Club on August 9, presented by our dear friends from Let's Kiss And Make Up. Up until now, it's the only show announced for Germany, but we can sure hope for more this year.

Washed Out - Olivia

Small Black - Pleasant Experience

Wild Nothing - Cloudbusting


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After a Sunday that reminded us of what summers feel like, let's fight the emerging Monday melancholy with two sweet announcements for all you German gorillavsbearcore devotees:

Soon, two of the most adorable among all those upcoming chillwavers, Georgia's Washed Out and Brooklyn's Small Black, are finally coming to Europe on their shared tour, and on June 4 they'll stop by for a single show in Germany, at Hamburg's Indra. But don't feel rejected if you're from somewhere else, as at least Small Black have promised to come back very soon to visit other cities, in any case Berlin, to present their then-finished debut LP.

Another hyped creator of sun-drenched loveliness is Virginia's Jack Tatum aka Wild Nothing, and besides releasing his debut album Gemini May 25 on Captured Tracks, he'll perform in Berlin at Bang Bang Club on August 9, presented by our dear friends from Let's Kiss And Make Up. Up until now, it's the only show announced for Germany, but we can sure hope for more this year.

Washed Out - Olivia

Small Black - Pleasant Experience

Wild Nothing - Cloudbusting


In any case, you’re not little.

24 Apr 2010 — NFOP

Fair enough. Now that we've had three girls forming a band called Mountain Man, let's come to four guys hailing from Toronto playing in a band named Little Girls. And just like the Vermont girls, the young Canadians make beautiful tunes, with the manifest difference that in this case, vocals, guitars, melodies, well, just about everything is hidden behind a thick veil of fuzz and reverb. Nonetheless, enchanting pop music.

On May 10, their debut LP Concepts will finally get its Europe release date by Paper Bag.


Little Girls - Youth Tunes (via Gorilla vs. Bear)

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Fair enough. Now that we've had three girls forming a band called Mountain Man, let's come to four guys hailing from Toronto playing in a band named Little Girls. And just like the Vermont girls, the young Canadians make beautiful tunes, with the manifest difference that in this case, vocals, guitars, melodies, well, just about everything is hidden behind a thick veil of fuzz and reverb. Nonetheless, enchanting pop music.

On May 10, their debut LP Concepts will finally get its Europe release date by Paper Bag.


Little Girls - Youth Tunes (via Gorilla vs. Bear)

Introducing: Mountain Man

23 Apr 2010 — NFOP

About a year ago, three young Vermont women called Amelia Randall Meath, Molly Erin Sarle and Alexandra Sauser-Monnig started making music together. Rather oddly, they named their soon formed band Mountain Man, but this fact shouldn't bother us at all, as the trio's stripped-down lo-fi is made of such beautiful harmonies somewhere between Real Estate and the Fleet Foxes that you'll forget everything around you while listening anyway. All three members sing on an equal footing, and some songs are accompanied by Alex' acoustic guitar, the others are purely a cappella. Last year's self-released, self-titled debut was already so intriguing that it made #14 on GvB's albums of 2009. Only 50 copies of the album were actually pressed, but luckily the piece is still available as a download via Bandcamp.

Their first proper release Made the Harbor will be out June 14 on Bella Union.


Listen to the girls' splendid interpretation of the song Animal Tracks below (the Alex Bleeker version of this tune is fine, too):

Mountain Man - Animal Tracks (via Gorilla vs. Bear)

Read more →

About a year ago, three young Vermont women called Amelia Randall Meath, Molly Erin Sarle and Alexandra Sauser-Monnig started making music together. Rather oddly, they named their soon formed band Mountain Man, but this fact shouldn't bother us at all, as the trio's stripped-down lo-fi is made of such beautiful harmonies somewhere between Real Estate and the Fleet Foxes that you'll forget everything around you while listening anyway. All three members sing on an equal footing, and some songs are accompanied by Alex' acoustic guitar, the others are purely a cappella. Last year's self-released, self-titled debut was already so intriguing that it made #14 on GvB's albums of 2009. Only 50 copies of the album were actually pressed, but luckily the piece is still available as a download via Bandcamp.

Their first proper release Made the Harbor will be out June 14 on Bella Union.


Listen to the girls' splendid interpretation of the song Animal Tracks below (the Alex Bleeker version of this tune is fine, too):

Mountain Man - Animal Tracks (via Gorilla vs. Bear)

We’re getting more and more excited.

22 Apr 2010 — NFOP

Today this year's most promising new indie pop darlings have posted a new song in their blog, formerly introduced London delightfulness Yuck. You can get Suicide Policeman for free right here, and you shouldn't miss this opportunity. Oh what a treat.

Read more →

Today this year's most promising new indie pop darlings have posted a new song in their blog, formerly introduced London delightfulness Yuck. You can get Suicide Policeman for free right here, and you shouldn't miss this opportunity. Oh what a treat.

I’ve always had my problems with that novel.

21 Apr 2010 — NFOP

I'm not sure if Innstetten would've approved this kind of music. I'm not sure if it's permitted to make such lame jokes in blog posts, either. However, it's clearly not my fault, it's theirs. Brooklyn all-girl collective Effie Briest's Last.fm page states that said young woman was an "anti-heroine, a victim of circumstance whose spirit nevertheless survives intact". While I faintly recall other possible interpretations of that story, let's simply enlighten our own spirits with Effie Briest's otherworldly psychedelic video for their wonderful song Mirror Rim:



The group's debut full-length Rhizomes will be out May 11 on Sacred Bones.

Effi Briest - Mirror Rim (via Pitchfork)

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I'm not sure if Innstetten would've approved this kind of music. I'm not sure if it's permitted to make such lame jokes in blog posts, either. However, it's clearly not my fault, it's theirs. Brooklyn all-girl collective Effie Briest's Last.fm page states that said young woman was an "anti-heroine, a victim of circumstance whose spirit nevertheless survives intact". While I faintly recall other possible interpretations of that story, let's simply enlighten our own spirits with Effie Briest's otherworldly psychedelic video for their wonderful song Mirror Rim:



The group's debut full-length Rhizomes will be out May 11 on Sacred Bones.

Effi Briest - Mirror Rim (via Pitchfork)

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