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Podcast 026

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Silversun Pickups – Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings) Chromatics – The Page Temper Trap – Need Your Love Winter People – Gallons Chet Faker – I’m… Read More »Podcast 026

Emika – Emika

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This post is syndicated from Indie Shuffle.

What’s so good?

Poignant yet fierce, striking and soft, the UK-born and Berlin-based Emika is a much needed beacon in electronic music, a space seemingly laden with emo-ridden dudes sporting thoughtful beards with a five o’clock silhouette for any given niche.

Emika shakes things up by bringing some serious skin to the game. She’s a force to be reckoned with — the anti-Ellie Goulding — leaving behind anything sugar-coated and sweet that offers a gently affected tonality for remixers to deepen. Emika singularly achieves depth by speaking through her superb technical and artistic prowess. Her style is unique with a tonality that’s consistent. And this is just her first album.

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Eleanor Friedberger – Last Summer

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This post is syndicated from Indie Shuffle.

What’s so good?

I saw avant-pop duo The Fiery Furnaces perform an acoustic set a few months back at the Largo in L.A. and was immediately captivated. The first thing I thought about was the remarkable result of the brother and sisters’ stripped-down set paired to their signature poetic lyrics.

“The cool affectation of Matt and Eleanor is gripping – they’re clearly favoring their art over any commercial notion of entertaining that coerces objectification.”

The second thing I thought was: ”God I’m starving! What’s for dinner?”

I had listened to albums by The Fiery Furnaces in the past. And like many artists, it took going to a live performance before I really understood what they’re all about. I expressed interest on Twitter that night for a book of their lyrics to read. Like a changing green light at just the right moment before pause, I was thrilled to learn that there was in fact such a book.

Arty? Refreshingly so. Entertaining? You betcha. Spoken word tends to validate itself well, particularly so on paper.

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SBTRKT – SBTRKT

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This post is syndicated from Indie Shuffle.

Sounds like: James Blake, Jaime xx, Burial

What’s so good?

There’s something to be said about the anonymous producer, the artist who chooses to hide behind a mask and forgo all marks of physical identity. Greats like MF Doom, Deadmau5, and the gents from Daft Punk all perform in disguise. Why do they present themselves this way? In a culture where the creator can play the part of celebrity, is it a noble effort to force the hand of the art itself? Is it an attempt to retain personal privacy while in the public eye? Or is the artist simply… shy?  What’s going on behind the mask?

Whatever the reason, SBTRKT is a producer who clearly puts his musicianship first by eschewing all norms and expectations for a mostly — in the traditional sense of the genre — electronic record.  That’s not to say it’s not an innovative album. In fact, the opposite is true. SBTRKT incorporates the wobbly, arrhythmic sensibilities of fellow electronic and R&B line-toers like James Blake, Com Truise, and Jaime xx while infusing his own point of view.

We hear hints of dubstep paired with a similarly clean production sound, developed with the finessed ear of maybe a daylight-driven Burial or simplified Clubroot. The silent upbeats we hear are filled with meaning, just as the vowels omitted from his name.

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Other Lives – Tamer Animals

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This post is syndicated from Indie Shuffle.

What’s so good?

Whether you’re a serious music aficionado or someone simply workin’ the biz, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by all the great new material out there. And with the amount of great stuff coming at us from seemingly every angle, it becomes difficult to tune in to everything that piques our interest — let alone find time to connect with that one great album.

That personal connection is at the root of what makes music great. Somehow, we need to get back to that crazy-good feeling of wanderlust. You know, the emotional part of the music experience that’s all about getting lost and descending deep within those arresting waves of sound.

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Introducing The {Fancy 4}

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The {Fancy 4} is a new monthly series where we feature four artists of the moment!

You might discover someone about to become huge or maybe it’s just an artist you heard awhile back on Grey’s Anatomy (what? I don’t watch it either!). I write a lot about uber-indie musicians. But for those familiar with my mixtape, you know we’ll drop a Top 40 artist from time to time (hey, indie kids like their swagger, too)! Either way, the goal is to present 4 artists – musical and other – that are rockin’ the free world, as someone once said.

All four will be featured in the latest Music Hi Fi podcast. In the podcast, we take a listen to new tunes and talk about the latest news in music and tech. This week, we briefly touch on Google music, Soundcloud, and more. You can hear it in the player below or at http://feeds.feedburner.com/musichifi.

So without any kind of further-ness, let’s cut to it, shall we?

1. The Femme fatale

Produced by  long-time faves Simian Mobile Disco, Beth Ditto of The Gossip has a new EP out later this month that’s like a dream come true. It’s a place where dance meets electro, the videos are funky, and the lyrics decidedly relatable. With hook, song, and style, Beth further cements her superstar status.

2. The New School

When I did a Google search for “Braids Music”, I learned that Kim Kardashian is sporting “full on braids” for her upcoming music video. Whaaaa?  I mean, that must have been labor intensive. She must have sat for at least 4 hours for that! Thanks for reminding me about the hardship and many intricacies of ladies hairstyling, Google!

I discovered the actual band Braids not from Google but from someone else’s mixtape.  I then found the full-length on Spotify and becamed hooked.  These guys are sweetly mysterious because it’s hard to pin down their sound – they take you on a journey without losing their identity to genre constraints. Braids gives electronic music a new twist.

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MHF Podcast for the week ending in 3/11/11 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In The Mix: Winter’s Revenge

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Like winter, this mix begins all shiny and bright but soon takes a turn for the dark side! Here, you’ll hear some tech, deep house,… Read More »In The Mix: Winter’s Revenge

13: Winter Revenge [ 42:50 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download