Portland Oregon's "Hockey" Plays some Hard Hitting Funk!

Portland Oregon's Hockey hits with the grooves of the Rapture, the raw edge and nuance of the White Stripes wrapped in a Prince funk wrapper. If you're looking for some irresistible dance rock, look no further.

Hockey - 3am Spanish

Hockey Myspace

James Yuill is a Sonic Scientist! No Surprise!

What's the deal? There's been a bunch of solo artists that have been releasing full length albums of electro-folk-rockery that have been excellent. Granted Mr. James Yuill from London, UK released his excellent debut "Turning Down Water For Air" last year, but that doesn't stop it from being new to me. He effectively combines intimate guitar folk/pop with catchy keyboards and dancy glitch beats that are sure to have you nostalgically bopping your head with watery eyes. 2009 has some talented artists making the scene. Keep 'em coming!

James Yuill - No Surprise

James Yuill - No Pins Allowed

James Yuill Myspace

I wish this was the future of coffee shops everywhere.

Iggy Pop.. The Puppet! Plus Remixes!

The BPA has released the official video for their single "He's Frank" featuring Iggy Pop... as a puppet! The puppetized punker gets to some punching toward the end of the video. Very entertaining. In addition to this there are 8, count 'em 8, remixes of the single available here.

The BPA (Ft. Iggy Pop) - He's Frank (Live in Tokyo 1978)

The BPA (Ft. Iggy Pop) - He's Frank (The Twelves Remix)

The BPA (Ft. Iggy Pop) - He's Frank (Don Diablo Remix)

The BPA Myspace

Buy "I Think We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat" by The BPA

Franz Ferdinand Get Down on Their New Album "Tonight"!

Franz Ferdinand is back (as if they ever left) and they have a new album coming out on the 27th of January. The disc is entitled "Tonight", and embodies the feelings that come from a night time of elation and debauchery according to Kapranos and company. The new disc shows off the bands progression; the guitars are less brash, the bass funkiness is cranked up and keyboards add to the slinky grooves of each song. This song unabashedly activates some of those latent disco tendencies that Franz have been flirting with since their smash hit self titled album in 2004. Don't think for a second that this album has a neutered sound, there is more swagger on "Tonight" than perhaps anything else they've done.

There's always been an air of class and timelessness in the world that they create musically. Even when they delve into darker themes, there's a quirky nobility that oozes out of Kapranos' croon, which was addictive on their first album and I think wore somewhat thin on their second album "You Could Have It So Much Better". On "Tonight", there's a clash between the idealized world of that the Franz crew has created and reality. This comes out in songs like "Ulysses", where singer Kapranos mumbles about whether or not he is Ulysses and where his next high is coming from. A little dirtier and muddled than their usual polished sound, but not too off the mark for the subject of one of their songs, it's the tone that differs more. The tone is more like a combination of their previous sound and the dancier songs of The Kills from their recent "Midnight Boom" album. One song even abandons guitar totally for several minutes and focuses on a full out bass synth assault. Franz Ferdinand have added some danger to their sound and it's just what the doctor ordered. The flurry of funk from song to song will have you reeling, like a night out free of responsibity, not totally aware of what's happening, but focusing on any and all opportunities to keep the party going and chasing them until they end. If you have Franz Ferdinand's "Tonight" as your guide you might find yourself still partying even as the sun comes up.

Franz Ferdinand - Ulysses

Franz Ferdinand - Outsiders (Isolee Remix)

Franz Ferdinand - Ulysses (Mr. Vega Extended Mix)

Franz Ferdinand - Ulysses (Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve Remix)

There's also an excellent remix of "No You Girls" over at We Like It Indie.

Franz Ferdinand Official Site

Listen to "Tonight" @ Franz Ferdinand's Myspace

Pre-Order "Tonight" by Franz Ferdinand

Whitest Boy Alive Retuns with New Single "Island"!

Erlend Oye and the rest of Whitest Boy Alive have returned this year with an album called "Rules" to follow up their excellent debut "Dreams". The first single off of the new album is entitled "Island" and features some funky Rhodes keyboard, Erlend Oye's gentle croon, and even some cowbell. Are you ready for the classiest dance party ever? I am.

Whitest Boy Alive - Island

Whitest Boy Alive Myspace

State Shirt Provides Some Fiery Indie Rock For a Cold Season!

Ethan Tufts of California (AKA State Shirt) has crafted some fiery indie rock in the sessions he's spent in his room devoted to writing some epic tunes. These songs are expansive, longing, and sparklingly hopeful. It also sounds remarkably human for being just one guy. Imagine for a second The Stills, U2, and the Postal Service caught in a blender, that's roughly the appeal that State Shirt has. Except it's just one guy. Nuts, I know.

State Shirt - Fell Out of the Sky

State Shirt - Computer

State Shirt - Fell Out of the Sky

State Shirt Official Page

State Shirt Myspace

Red Light Company Covers The Ting Tings! & Remixed By School of Seven Bells!

The Red Light Company is a rising band from England whose line-up consists of 4 British guys and one American bassist who sold everything to play with the band in London. With that kind of dedication their music is bound to turn some heads. Their music springs forth with anthematic hooks that the Arcade Fire or Stars would be proud of and a classic rock fervor that Sebastien Grainger would surely throw up the infamous "Rock Hand Sign" for. Their new single "Arts & Crafts" has just as much emotion and passion behind it as well as a cover of The Ting Ting's "Be The One" and a remix by The School of Seven Bells. Pretty cool.

Red Light Company - Be The One (Ting Tings Cover)

Red Light Company - Arts & Crafts (School of Seven Bells Remix)

Red Light Company Myspace

Muke's "Shutterspeed Lullabies" are an Otherworldly Bedtime Hymn!

Muke is the project of Madeline Liebowitz and Luke Kuzava who met in the dorms their freshman year at the University of Oregon. Out of boredom one day they decided to record a song into an iBook and lo and behold, something fresh and new was born out of the disparate influences of each member. Their sound is something like if Lykke Li was backed with acoustic guitar with the "shoegaze rock filter" on high accompanied by toy store percussion. With a sound this cute and strange, it's only a matter of time before they get some love from Pitchfork.

Muke - Dreamsicle

Muke - Barack Obama

Muke Myspace

Svelt St. Provides some Indie Flavored Rap

Svelt St. is a married dynamic duo who consist of vocalist Feelmore and Emcee Bang! Cheeto. together they craft inventive dance/rap/pop. The track "Po' Boy" kicks off like a track by an indie songstress like Lykke Li or Maybe Robyn with a bouncy electro beat and soft female vocals before Bang! Cheeto starts rapping about "99 bottles". Bang! Cheeto has some interesting credentials, having worked with several groups and releasing critically acclaimed EPs and having worked with Del the Funky Homosapien, but his fuzzed out telephone raps seem out of place. Svelt St. have a sound that's akin to cough syrup, thick, sweet, but because of those raps it leaves a weird taste in your mouth.

Svelt St. - Po' Boy

Svelt St. Myspace

Mason Proper Covers Kanye West & LCD Soundsystem... At the SAME TIME!

Mason Proper, who in some way shape or form are always on the move somehow have released a new free cover of Kanye West's "Love Lockdown" and LCD Soundsystem's "Get Innocuous", not as two separate tracks, but as one whole entity. It sounds like the plot of some funky mad scientist, but the result is irresistably infectious. Could this be the future of the mashup? A live mashup/remix/cover? Either way Mason Proper continue to deliver quality.

This was originally published here as part of Coke Machine Glow's fantasy covers of 2008.

Mason Proper - Love Lockdown Gets Innocuous

Get Mason Proper Frontman Jonathan Visger's Free EP Trilobite Trash Here!

Mason Proper Myspace

The Jellyfish Bandits, Lo-Fi Indie Electro Pop!

The Jellyfish Bandits are Melinda Tracy and Aaron Leck from Portland Oregon. Their lo-fi electronic indie pop is akin to other bands in that vein like Chairs in Arno and Figurine. Although thier music can be distinctly more alternative at times, even including some simple guitar riffs. Their lyrics are mostly whimsical, but when they feel like using harder language they pull no punches. The band is at it's best when they give into sugary choruses and twinkling melodies like on thier track "Famous Art Thieves".

The Jellyfish Bandits - Famous Art Theives

The Jellyfish Bandits - Ghostical Love

The Jellyfish Bandits Myspace

Neon Man's "Knights of Error" is Full of Chimey Charming Guitar

Berlin's Neonman is composed of Ben John Osborn from London, UK and Bastian Asdonk from Berlin, Germany. Together they make post-punk rock that at times swooshes and sashays with a punk ferocity and other times confidentlstrides plods forward with a signifigant dub and reggae influence. At their best they call to mind the post punk explosion of the late 70's and early 80's. Imagine XTC merging with Public Image Ltd, their music is something like that.

Neonman - Peep Show

Neonman - Nightclubbing

Neonman - July 7th Remix

Neonman Myspace

New Murder Mystery Song

NYC band Murder Mystery are back with a new single entitled "The World" that is a nice mellow tune that draws on the best of the Psychedelic Furs, The Cure and the Strokes. Above all the chiming guitars and pulsing synth is vocalist Jeremy Coleman's charming vocals and lyrics. If you're starving for some new Strokes material, this will definitely hold you over.

Murder Mysery - The World

Murder Mystery Myspace

Review: Division Kent's Gravity is a Heavy Trip

Division Kent is a two piece from Zurich, Switzerland that plays swirling, dark new wave rock composed of two members; vocalist Andrea B. and instrumentalist Sky Antinori. Their music is at times dark and heavy, calling to mind the work of psychedelic indie band Midnight Movies due to the ominous melodies and sultry voice of Andrea B. While this is the primary musical mode the band is set in there are some fun surprises along the way.

Right off the bat the band set a mood with the atmospheric "No Kryptonite" that calls to mind Blonde Redhead. "Pat the PanAm Pilot", starts off with some quirky keyboards and a skeptical narrative of the life of a successful pilot. From there the energetic "She's Going Places" takes flight with guitar work and a beat that sounds like a fusing of Lali Puna and the Cure. "The Big Hush" is another experiment in combining a heavy atmosphere with haunting vocals. The track "In The Headlights" separates itself from the rest of the album using ultra bendy bass and a Casio beat that gives way to the most memorable chorus on the album. I could see this track being used in a dramatic scene of a movie. For all I know it might be already.

Once the album gets through most of it's down tempo song, the arrangements, clicks, beats and synths really shine. "L'huere Blue" erupts with a dark 80's pop sensibility and cascades of melodies and bells. Perfect for your retro goth prom. If "L'huere Blue" is an entrance song to said retro goth prom, then "Rooftop Rallye" is the party starter. Waves of aggressive bass pulse as Andrea B. purrs her way through the song. The next track is the most fun off of the album, entitled "Offshore", featuring the most upbeat vocals and guitars that call to mind VHS or Beta in their heyday. The album winds down with the slinky duet "Salty" and comes to a close with the hauntingly programmed number "The Year of Magical Thinking".

All the attention to detail makes Division Kent worth listening to. There are a couple spots on here where their formula, no matter how well done, feels worn out, dark electronica rock with deep sensual female vocals, we get it. It's when Division Kent change up their style a little bit that they really shine, on tracks like "L'Heure Blue" and "Offshore" where their sound moves past brooding girl territory and into kicking electro rock pathos. Whether you're looking for music to sulk dramatically to or music to get the party started, Division Kent has what you need.

Division Kent - In The Headlights

Division Kent - L'heure Blue (Keenhouse Remix)

Division Kent Myspace

New Jersey's Thing One is Movin' on Up!

Thing One is a dance-rock quartet from from Glen Ridge, New Jersey that create bouncy, catchy songs with just a touch of electronic flourishes. At times their music takes on an old school punk/dub sound and other times it takes on an LCD Soundsystem-like sound with percolating beats and spare synths. One thing that makes them stand out is that they create a nice cushion of sound and melody in each of their songs so it's not just death by dance beats, but beat therapy. If that's not enough, the band has familial ties to Ra Ra Riot with Wesley Miles' brother Spencer playing in the band. Is Thing One one to watch? For sure.

Thing One - Move It

Thing One Myspace

Elizabeth Willis is a Soulful Singer/Songwriter from New York City

Elizabeth Willis is a singer/songwriter from New York City who has been classically trained in violin and piano since the age of four. She's got some soulful pipes on her, and her compositions lean heavily towards classical composition. She's been getting some national attention from the likes of NPR and Newsweek.

Elizabeth Willis - In Your Eyes

Elizabeth Willis Myspace

A Flurry of Dirty Disco Youth Remixes!

Dirty Disco Youth is the project of Phil Speiser who resides in Hambug, Germany where he spins his prodigiously hard mixes.

Bloody Beetroots - Rombo (Dirty Disco Youth Remix)

Deadmau5 - ghosts n stuff (DIRTY DISCO YOUTH REMIX)

Digitalism - Taken Away (Dirty Disco Youth Remix)

Stardust - Music Sounds Better (dirty disco youth remix)

Dirty Disco Youth Myspace

Heads We Dance Covers Kraftwerk's "Computer Love"!

Leeds England's own Heads We Dance have flawlessly stepped into the skin of an old Kraftwerk Classic and put their own signature stamp on it. It comes complete with boy girl vocals, vocoder, and plenty of twinkling melodies. A minimal dance extravaganza perfect for a snow day dance party.

Heads We Dance - Computer Love

Heads We Dance Myspace

Music For Swedish Lumberjacks! The Sweet Serenades!

The Sweet Serenades are the next in a long line Swedish pop-smiths who craft bouncy catchy tunes that are sure to make you forget your wintertime woes. Check out their video for their single "Mona Lee".

The Sweet Serenades - Mona Lee

The Sweet Serenades Myspace

The First AZLTRON Mix of 2009!

I've been collecting a bunch of cool songs to put in a mix, and I figured now is as good a time as any to put them out there.

Emil & Friends - Downed Economy

Solid Gold - Get Over It

Pic Vicious - LA Dreamer

Pretty Good Dance Moves - Demons Dancing

Division Kent - Offshore

Red Light Company - Scheme Eugene (James Yuill Omega 3 Mix)

Holiday For Strings - Two of You

Jen Feldman - J Cuddle Hustle

Peter Bjorn & John - Young Folks (Klumpfisk Remix)

The BPA - Seattle Ft. Emmy The Great

Before I Explode - It's Beautiful Up Here

Nicktoons to Air Wolverine and the X-Men! New Cartoon!

This is a little off the beaten path for a music blog, but I will admit that I have been a comic geek from way back. Since like, 1992-1993, and in no small part to the 90's X-Men series. Due to that series and it's somewhat mature themes I have been collecting and studying comic books since I was in 1st grade. I owe a huge amount of graphic influence to that series and as well as many other Marvel Comics properties. There's a new series that has popped up (or will pop up in U.S. on January 23 on the Nicktoons channel) entitled "Wolverine and the X-Men.

This new series features a more mature X-Men team than the X-Men Evolution Series and starts off with a bang, literally, as a blast destroys the mansion, seemingly kills Jean Grey and Professor X and disbands the X-Men. Fast forward to a year later and Wolverine is out on the open road and events fall into place that send him into action reuniting the X-Men.

The premise might seem a little heavy handed with "Wolverine" in the title and a Wolverine motion picture slated for release later this year, but the writing on the show is actually pretty good. They're drawing from the more recent X-Men comic books and story lines, which is what made the 90's cartoon so great. Wolverine still doesn't slash anybody with his trademarked claws, but we do see Cyclops ride a motorcycle and go nuts. If you don't have that crazy Nicktoons channel, fear not, Youtube has provided us heathens with the means to view the series.

All hail Youtube!

Mozart - Dies Irae (Featured in the opening Nightcrawler fight scene from X-Men 2)

90's X-Men Theme (Instrumental)

The BPA release Iggy Pop Video of "He's Frank", and More!

The BPA have released the backing video that Norman Cook has been using during his performances of the track that features Iggy Pop on vocals. Pretty standard fair as far as club remixes go, but I'll be darned if you can resist the child-like joy exuded by Iggy in the video. Can you believe that he's 61? I feel like hitting the gym.

The BPA - He's Frank

If you feel so inclined there is now an offer, in the U.S. only, to pre-order the album "I Think We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat" now at Amazon.

The remix contest that they had going has also ended, so it's only a matter of time before the blog-o-sphere is saturated with even more BPA remixes.

If you haven't been BPA contested out yet... there is also a contest to create the best "Toe Jam" video here.

Phew, they are busy!

For More visit their Myspace and official Site.

Exclusive! 10 Questions with Thieves Like Us!

10 Questions with Thieves Like Us (#2 Best album of 2008!)
By: Aaron Z. Lee

Thieves Like Us is an electro band that's two thirds Swedish, and one third American that creates indie electro pop that's akin to a sonic mix of New Order and Daft Punk. I corresponded with their singer, Andy.

1. You’ve said that Play Music is your autobiography. What kind of events and experiences do you draw from to write a song?

Most of the songs on the album were about breaking up. The three of us were living in Berlin. I had gone there expecting a crowded German metropol... I hadn't even done my research that the town had been bombed. And I thought everything would look like Christiane F. But. The town was empty. People were only listening to techno. No pretty girls would talk to me. The music scene sucked. But, there was this promise, that you could make something in Berlin. AS, it wasn't a "finished city" like NYC or Paris. The three of us were all down, I suppose. Bjorn and I hated everyone and everything. I was binge drinking. Every day. Starting at noon. All through the night. Luckily Pontus stepped in. He wasn't on this mad romp in substance abuse like Bjorn and I were. I had met a sexy Austrian girl. she sang in Sex In Dallas. Which I thought were shit. But she was good in bed. And seemed to love me. I was acting stupid. And I freaked out one night cos of the booze. She just split up with me. And then, I think most of the songs were about losing. We are a band of losers. I think Miss You is the only up song on the album. That one is about being a waitress in a nightclub and also about Angela and David Bowie (I had a dream about them). I don't want to keep writing about losing, though.


2. The sonic vocabulary you guys employ on Play Music is like a rediscovered language of electronica, beyond New Order, where do you guys look for inspiration?

Bjorn and I were sampling our favorite records. And I had two really expensive old delay pedals. I don't know. At that time. We wanted to sound like some late seventies kraut record. I think now... hmmm. We are listening to a lot of seventies stuff. I think Hate it Or Love it by 50 cent is a great example of a song which combines this sixties soul feeling with some modern keyboards. I also think V-2 Schneider and Sound and Vision on the Low record by David Bowie are a really cool fusion of 60s soul and "THE FUTURE". So, I guess we want to combine the past with the far future.

3. How is it to work with bandmates who are from different countries? What unique influences do each of you bring to the music?

Bjorn and Pontus are more pop or up than me. If it weren't for them, I think every song would sound like Broken Heart by Spiritualized. Bjorn is always researching some older obscure music, to look at. Pontus. He. I think he had listened to alot of R and B and soul. He started drumming at 8.

Bjorn and I aren't real musicians. Or we were just hobbyists. We were both big fans of the edge. He saw u2 in 1992 in Malmo and I saw them in 1992 in Denver.

4. While you were in Germany DJing you confused clubbers by mixing into some hip hop and rap into the mix. Can you describe their reactions?

But back then. In 2003.... They hated it. I was working in a hip hop club in nyc as a bus boy. I would take a plane on the weekends sometime to Berlin and play the same songs. This was 2003 before everything was up on the web. So a song would come out in the states and not get released in Europe until six months later. It was like having secret weapons. But a lot of people hated hip hop and r and b. They are so serious. Hmmm. I remember somebody in Berlin getting really angry. Grabbing me by the head and telling me not to play Nigger Music. Fuck. I used to say we were trying to wipe out fascism by playing all those snooop songs.



5. When you were recording the album in Berlin, London, New York City and Stockholm was it all together as a group or did you record parts and send them to each other via e-mail?

It was mostly as a group. I had very little to do with Desire and Miss You actually. I wrote the singing parts after the backing tracks were done.

6. Do you remember the moment that you as a group decided that you could make music that was better than the stuff you heard in nightclubs night after night?

Hmmm. Well that must have been my first month in Berlin. I saw some really silly guy get up with a cd for a backing track. People loved it. I hated it cos it was so tongue and cheek. I was listening to Blonde Redhead a lot. And I think I had this idea for a kind of slightly galmerous but tragic disco band. THat would be us. Hopefully we will morph into the bee gees and make some momey soon.

7. Your songs are so minimalist yet so funky, one of the best examples is the infectious jam “Miss You” that’s one part 80’s rap and one part new wave, how do you make songs so danceable with so few parts?

We work on an Akai MPC. Which has limits. Which is good. It's like Dre's "STILL DRE". It's pretty minimal. Or xxplosiv. I think these are good examples of how to compose.

8. I love the spoken word on “Program of the Second Part”, it’s like reading poetry to the Blade Runner soundtrack. Where did the idea of spoken word in this interlude come from?

We had the instrumental first. And I think I was too proud, somehow. I wanted lyrics for everything, so I wrote a poem for it. I always want our lyrics to be printed. Lyrics are important. Language is important. Poetry is important. That song is maybe about watching time fade away.

9. The Video for “Program of the first Part” works so well with the footage from the Tron movie, did you guys write the song with that in mind, or did it all just fall in place?

Hmmm. It was probably in the back our heads when we made the tune. So, a gift from God maybe.

10. What’s in store for Thieves Like Us in 2009?

We are making a second record, which we want to have out before the end of the year. And hopefully we will tour a lot. If we can get some extra finances, I'd like to see us pimp out our stage show with some lights and special effects.

Theives Like Us - Fass

Thieves Like Us - Miss You (<-- Highly Recommended!)

Thieves Like Us Myspace

Exclusive! 10 Questions with Jeff Bujak!

10 Questions with Jeff Bujak
By: Aaron Z. Lee

I recently had the opportunity to correspond with Jeff Bujak, a composer and instrumentalist who specializes in progressive electronica who is originally from Syracuse, but now resides in Northampton, Massachusetts.
1. You started playing the piano when you were 7, what drew you in about the piano then?

When I was seven, I was such a spaz that I’m not sure anyone took me seriously and especially when I said that I wanted to play piano and that I promised to practice everyday. But, with the great support of my family, I kept my promise. I’m not really sure why I chose piano or why I wanted to play it. The cliché would say “it chose me,” but music runs through my whole family’s blood, so it was inevitable that I would love music. I just wanted to make my own.

2. You taught yourself to play the guitar, how did that come about?

Every boy at 13 wants to play guitar. One was always available to me, so curiosity led me to transposing some of my pieces to guitar. I formed, joined and accidentally fell into many bands as guitarist, but I quickly learned that nothing is better than having all 88 notes laid out for you. I felt a little trapped playing guitar. But I also could see how it can be addicting. Strumming strings that echo in a wooden chamber against your chest can be a good experience. I just prefer using more strings and a bigger wooden chamber.

3. You've played in a lot of different bands and genres, was this for the love of playing music or were you looking for your niche in the world of music? Or both?

I like to test music and dissect it. And what better way to test and dissect than to actually create it yourself and then tear it apart.

4. You play a one man show, how do you arrange your music? What parts do you usually play live, or do you switch which parts you want to play?

All songs start in the studio for me. I program all my own beats and create them to accompany piano pieces that I write. I form a whole song and record it. I then just take the beats and break them up into small samples. I rearrange these samples, add new parts, flow in and out of other beat samples from other songs and play live music to them. My left hand always covers the bass lines and my laptop only runs the beats, rhythms and audio samples. My right hand takes care of all soloing, melodies, effect modulation and the layering of different sounds. My feet control the light rig I use, the volume pedals, the sustain pedals and trigger controllers. I have complete freedom to play anything I want to these beat samples without any communication or consultation with others. It’s quite a fun process.

5. Out of all the genres that you've worked with in the past you choose to write in a progressive electronic style, why is this?

I love progressive music for its excuse to ask “why not” instead of “why” when it comes to writing the music. Nobody judges progressive music for being too different. I love electronic music for its infinite possibilities. You can currently create almost any tone digitally and technology is getting even better everyday. Put the two together and it’s creates a style that creates more questions than answers, and I seem to like that.

6. Is there a genre that you've worked with in the past that you'd like to revisit that's not progressive electronica?

I still play occasionally in a couple of bands that are very far from my current endevour’s style and it’s a nice break to connect on that side once and a while. But overall, I feel that I still have much more to learn about my own music so it keeps me intrigued. Expect much more prog electronica out of me before you see me try a prog metal project, but it will happen eventually.

7. In the list of equipment you use in your live show you don't use an apple lap top like so many other live electronica acts. Why is this?

I started building PCs in early 2000 and I’ve learned to build a great machine. I’m just a Windows XP kind of guy. I never made the transition to Mac because I never felt that I needed to. I understand and am comfortable with PC language and how/why things work. Most of all, I’ve never felt that I was limited with my PC. I always find a way to do what I want.

8. Out of all your instruments, equipment and gadgets that you use in your music, which one is your favorite to use?

My 1974 Fender Rhodes Stage 73 electric piano is my favorite to use for reasons beyond words.

9. You use samples in your music, to you what makes a good sample and how do you get permission to use them in your music?

I never use audio samples on my studio albums; I only use them live where covers, sampling and audio replication is covered by rights organizations like ASCAP and BMI. For the legality of it, search “sampling (music)” on Wikipedia. It’s very fascinating (to me). I’ve read it back and forth to make sure I don’t do anything illegal, even though music sampling industry lawsuits sometimes spawn great exposure. Most of the time, when I use samples of other people’s music, I use it as an accent to my music and not as a basis to the song. Sometimes when I write a new beat progression, it reminds me of another song from my history. If I feel that it would fit, I like to add the sample to somewhat pay homage to my influences and what songs paved my history. One time, I created a bassline that was very similar to the famous Thriller bassline. So, I decided to go with it and use the Thriller sample to the beat that I wrote for this bassline that I created. In fact, I list every sample that I use live on my compositions page of my website. “There are no new ideas, there are only new ways of making them felt.” (- Audre Lorde) As far as finding a good sample, I feel that when done appropriately, any sample can be manipulated enough to be cool.

10. Drawing from all the projects that you've done, and your first solo album, where do you see your music going? Particularly on your upcoming album?

I don’t know where it may go, but I know that I will stay true to what I believe about music and I will always look to other musicians to provide solid music for me to learn from. At least for now, I can see more keyboards being used live, more computers running loopers and beats, more lights and much more of what I haven’t done in the past. I live for the excitement in music. As long as there is more to learn about music, I will be playing it. The new album will be my first venture into “over-production.” I’m not concerned about live performance on this recording. My past 2 discs have been centered on “if I can’t play it live, I won’t record it.” All of the songs on this new album are actually songs that I’ve written and have been playing live for the last year, but done studio style. Check out a full new track at www.jeffbujak.com/spine. Bam! I just had to spam the interview. Thank you for the intriguing questions, Aaron. But, I’m sure I just added more questions than I did answers. I have a tendency to do that.

Jeff Bujak - Slope

Jeff Bujak is playing several dates in the Central New York Area as well as the North Eastern United States. He also has a new album due out March 3rd, 2009.

Jeff Bujak Myspace

Jeff Bujak Official Site

Exclusive! 10 Questions with Steve Schiltz of Longwave!

10 Questions with Steve Schiltz of Longwave
By: Aaron Z. Lee

I was planning to see NYC indie rock band Longwave at the Mohawk in Buffalo, but in true crappy Central New York weather tradition the show was postponed to the spring due to a huge lake effect storm, but I still got a chance catch up with Longwave's modest frontman Steve Schiltz and discuss a few things including their current tour and electrifying new album that was #3 on my best of 2008 list.

1.Your new album sounds great. Do you think that RCA is kicking themselves for dropping you?

I don’t know. Probably not yet. give us time.

2. There are a lot of songs about being lonely or reaching out to friends on Secrets Are Sinister. I know you guys wrote the album while you were unsigned, did it feel like the end of the road?

Sure, a little bit. The record deal didn’t really have a lot to with it, though. If the band wasn’t going to make a new record it wouldn’t have been because of RCA dropping us, it would have been because we were tired of it. We always thought we could get another record deal somehow. We just had to see if we still WANTED to do it.

3. There’s a noticeably more aggressive sound to this record, with you guys even incorporating some guitar solos into the songs, how did this come about?

There were always guitar solos here and there, and most of the time they were me. Shannon would always say I should do more. I went out on tour for a while with some other bands and I got into playing my guitar more, so I was ready to do it. I wanted the guitars to be important on this record. I had a lot of ideas about what I wanted to do with the sounds, especially with the distortion and fuzz sounds.

4. On There’s a Fire, you and Shannon Ferguson wrote the bass parts and assigned the keyboard parts to new members. Is that how it worked out on Secrets are Sinister?

The record was mostly made by Shannon, Jason, and I. So it was kind of like you are saying, except Morgan did join the band towards the end of the recording. Paul and Jeff, who toured with us on there’s a fire, also played on a song or two. We used some recordings we had done at that time, and they had done a good job, so why not?

5. You guys did most of the work on this album yourselves, how does that compare to the past records you’ve worked on?

We have always been very involved. Shannon and I especially. And every record has had some kind of home/demo recording end up making it to the end. This time we just did MORE of it. It is not the first time we have done it, Shannon recorded our first indie record, “Endsongs”. And we had our friend Pete min mix it. Pete recorded some of THIS record too.

6. Does touring with a new album after so much uncertainty feel like a victory?

YES!

7. How have the crowds been reacting to the new songs in general?

So far so good. I write 12 or 13 song set lists, and people generally shout out a few they want to hear. If we know them, we play them. If we do an encore, we generally end at about 16 or 17 songs. So that is nice. I still write the set lists kinda short in case it feels like the show is going badly…

8. You're originally from the Rochester, NY area, is there anything about that area that inspired you to go into the music business?

Our drummer Jason is also from Rochester! And I am IN Rochester for the holidays right now! I only knew that I couldn’t stay in Rochester and play music the way I wanted. The guys I wanted to meet just weren’t there. There were people, like Tony Gross at GFI, John Nau who still repairs my amps, the house of guitars guys, and guys in exploding boy, officer friendly, and the dizzy monk guys, who I learned so much from. It was just that after a few years I knew I needed to go to New York. Ironically, Dave Fridmann is from close by. Dave is amazing. There are great people in/near Rochester, I suppose learning from them made me want to keep going. that meant going to New York.

9. Your new album is being released by the Original Signal indie label, how did you guys get hooked up with them?

Our A&R guy now worked on “there’s a fire” at a different company. People shuffle around, and he wound up at this label and they seemed like they really wanted to do it, and wanted to work hard, so here we are!

10. You guys have toured extensively in the past with lots of bands including Spoon, The Strokes, Kasabian and the National. Since it’s the holiday season, do you guys have any great holiday or snow related memories from touring?

Not GREAT memories!! Hmm……I remember rushing to Boston in the snow once to play some NEMO festival or something. I was still booking the band, this was around the time of our first record. Before RCA. Anyhow I booked this show and someone had given me the hard sell, it was big deal, label people there, lots of BS, etc etc. We wound up in a snow storm, and thought we were surely going to miss it. Our drummer Jeremy got behind the wheel and Shannon guided him through all kinds of tricky traffic maneuvers. We somehow made record time! We pulled up 10 minutes before our set time, and the band before us was just playing their last song! We had made it! We loaded our gear down the stairs in the freezing cold, into the middle east downstairs. We parked the van, started setting up the amps, we couldn’t believe how lucky we were. We were awesome! Then we looked out into the crowd. There was no one there. I think that sums up something for us.

Thanks for doing this interview and hopefully I’ll get to see you guys in Buffalo next year!

Thanks for writing about us, Aaron! Come and say hi at the show.

Longwave - No Direction

Longwave - No I Don't Dare

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Longwave Official Site

Bug Lung Baby's Trilobite Trash Review, Listen for free at RCRDLBL!

Jonathan Visger of Mason Proper once again strikes out on his own, this time under the moniker of "Bug Lung Baby". The new EP released under that name is entitled "Trilobite Trash" and it is a further exploration of the strange sonic world of Mr. Visger. This time around there is a less sparse soundscape and a warmer ambiance to the music. There are driving rhythms, bendy guitars, funky bass, and disembodied vocals sprinkled throughout the EPs four tracks.

The First track "Nuetral Man", kicks off with a bouncy beat and the lyrics "All your friends are joining rival gangs, but you're a nuetral man," creating a pleasingly pleasant and ironic atmosphere for the message of calamity from inaction to form inside your skulls. From there the hypnotically catchy tune "Palinopsia" grabs you right from the beginning and takes over with it's almost chanting lyrics that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. From there we are treated to the twinkling opening melodies of "Paper Crane" that give way to a shuffling beat that could easily score any kind of vehicle in motion, from taking the train, to walking, to riding a bike (Double Seated Perhaps?) with this tune it would most definitely be a fantastic adventure. The last track "This Life" starts off with almost ceremonial vocals before giving way to manic melody and a kind of grandoise sonic production similar to Mason Proper's "Safe for the Time Being" only with less drama and more of a feeling of triumph.

With the quantity and the quality of the work that Jonathan Visger and Mason Proper have released this year, I think it's fair to say that they've had quite a bit of triumph in 2008.

Jonathan Visger - Books About Nothing

To Download the Trilobite Trash Ep from RCRDLBL Click Here