Tamaryn / photo by Sandy Kim
Mild Confusion / Tamaryn
Without Identity / Mr.Kitty
Tie Me Down / New Boyz
Hearing Damage / Thom Yorke
11th Dimension / Julian Casablancas
Youth and Lust / Cold Cave
The Boxer / Editors
Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) / Placebo
Sans Soleil (Live @ Myspace Transmissions) / Miike Snow
Don’t Fear the Reaper / Van She
Earlier this month, I attended a holiday party put on by the Kaplan Thaler Group, featuring a live set by hip hop duo, the New Boyz. Incredibly talented, and equally sweet, the New Boyz are like an updated version of New Edition with an added dose of swagger. Multicolored and kaleidoscopic, their new album Skinny Jeans & a Mic takes you on a fun ride through the lives of two outsider teenagers growing up in LA.
Mr.Kitty
And speaking of early bloomers, Mr.Kitty is the 17-year-old electro wunderkind that just completed a remix for the A Crowd Electric track “Reckless” available on our upcoming EP, due out in early 2010. I’ve been listening to Mr.Kitty’s latest EP, Illusions, which takes cues from drum and bass all-stars Autechre and Photek, and brings in a melodic sophistication that is well beyond the artist’s years. Download the Illusions EP free, here >
Placebo’s cover of the Kate Bush classic “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” reimagines the song as a goth anthem in a way that only Placebo could pull off. So much so, that the song was featured in the trailer for Daybreakers, the upcoming vampire extravaganza with Willem Defoe and Ethan Hawke.
Oh, and regardless of how little I wanted to acknowledge the box office sales of New Moon, I have to admit that Thom Yorke’s contribution to the soundtrack is one of his best solo tracks to date.
Tamaryn
I made a discovery this month, thanks to our friends at InSound (I signed up for their free weekly tracks, which arrive in my inbox every Friday). The artist is called Tamaryn, a moody bicoastal twosome that combines the ever-successful formula of pretty-girl-meets-Jesus-&-Mary-Chain. Their track “Mild Confusion” is one of the highlights (or lowlights, depending on how you look at it) in this month’s list.
And finally, if you haven’t already, be sure to watch the Myspace Transmission Session featuring Sweden’s emo-lectric ensemble Miike Snow, and download all 4 of the live tracks for free. Here they are performing one of my favorite songs, “Sylvia.” Wait for the last quarter of the song when they get their dance on—well, sort of.
Miike Snow “Silvia” live from Transmissions
MySpace Transmissions | MySpace Video
Still not sure what to get for that emo boyfriend/girlfriend/sibling that seems to have everything? Gift them the Two Blue Wolves Digital Collection – complete with indie rock soundtrack (it’s like Pump Up the Volume on mood stabilizers). 15% of every sale goes directly to the Alzheimer’s Association for research and caregiver support. Preview & Buy Two Blue Wolves >
Willem Defoe fighting vampires? I’m in.
I love Placebo’s cover of “Running Up That Hill” playing at the end of this.
Stellastarr* is coming home to Bowery Ballroom tomorrow night. If you’re lucky, there might be a couple tickets left. If not, you better get on Craigslist, because Bowery is one of the band’s favorite venues and they’re sure to kill it.
Stellastarr’s 3rd album, Civilized is easily one of their best, and if you think they’ve probably all grown old and crotchety by now, you might want to give “Freak Out,” “Numbers” and “People” a spin.
The Bowery show is the last of a nationwide tour, and if there is one thing these guys love it’s a big finale.
Arthur Kremer of Stellastarr*
You can also hear Stellastarr’s Shawn Christensen team up with Elefant’s Kevin McAdams on the song “Castaway” on the soundtrack to Two Blue Wolves – a multimedia collaboration to help raise money and awareness for Alzheimer’s Disease.
Shawn Christensen of Stellastarr*
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