The Tallest Man On Earth

Beautiful new sounds from a personal favorite, The Tallest Man On Earth, to hit shelves and inboxes June 12th.  Its been such a huge year for some of my go to artists, including M. Ward, Andrew Bird, and Sharon Van Etten.  This record is sounding like it will fit nicely next to those on what is shaping up to be a phenomenal year for music.  Pre order here.   

Howth - Newkirk

Howth is a peninsula north of Dublin. I went walking around it not too long ago, and its pretty darn stunning. It's also the name of indie-folk troupe residing right here in Brooklyn, and they're not too shabby either. "Wind Blows Cold" builds from a pleasant stroll into a storm of guitar noise, juxtaposed by vocal harmonies that float beautifully unaware of the chaos behind them. Its good. Pre order their sophomore release Newkirk, out May 1st, here.

Hiss Golden Messenger

Aquarium Drunkard never fails to turn me on to some of my most obsessed about tunes, and a recent post about Hiss Golden Messenger has got me listening to little else since. Read more about it at AD's site, listen bellow. My personal favorite is "O Little Light", but its hard to choose.  

Doe Paoro - Slow to Love

This one hit my radar last February but only just started to make sense as temperatures have begun to dip into the low 80s.  Tracks like "Born Whole" feel drenched in a drowsy humidity, a slow moving bedroom R&B that should feel right at home by August.  The album varies between minimal electro pop and urban grooves by way of skinny jeans, all with a DIY production style that endears rather than retracts.  Paoro's layered vocals are the star of the show here, cutting through the rough around the edges beats with a raw emotion thats hard to turn away from.  Expect increased spins as spring dips into summer.     

Youth Lagoon / Porcelain Raft

Double header tonight at Music Hall of Williamsburg.  Looking forward to seeing how the dreamy sounds translate live.  Porcelain Raft's record has been growing on me, and Youth Lagoon. . . well Youth Lagoon's record might have been my most underestimated of 2011.  Under the guise of late-to-the-party chillwave, Youth Lagoon's The Year of Hibernation manages to achieve this build and release pattern, allowing songs to slowly grow with exdended intros until they burst with sound and emotion.  A far more compelling listen than most to come out of the bedroom-lo-fi-chill-blah pop scene.   

Jamie Isaac

On a recent trip to London I saw Jamie Isaac's name on a bill for a free show.  After hearing about one minute of his music I bookmarked his Bandcamp page, but kind of spaced him after that as I never made it to the gig that night.  I've been really enjoying  minimal and ambient music over the last year or so, most likely because it chills me the fuck out when I'm running between internships, classes, my thesis, and the rest.  Isaac's music is built on the fundamentals of downtempo and post-dubstep, all with a ghostly atmosphere courtesy of morphed vocals and sparse piano.  I can't stop thinking of this perhaps cliche image of a coastal town at dawn, grey and still with a heavy fog waiting to burn off.  With six singles posted on his bandcamp page, it will be interesting to see how Isaac's music evolves with a proper release.  No news on a date on that yet.    

Half Moon Run - Full Circle

Although I took a hiatus from SXSW this year, its been great watching various news feeds and press accounts of all the happenings, who discovered who and so on.  Big thanks to classmate St. Hillair for posting about Half Moon Run late last night.  The Montreal based band has been making a buzz in their home country, and with a sound inline with the likes of Local Natives, Fleet Foxes, and The Head & The Heart, its easy to imagine this going places stateside in 2012.  Their debut record is available for pre-order now at Bandcamp, hitting inboxes and mailboxes March 27th.  

Tiny Victories - Those Of Us Still Alive

The unseasonably warm weather here in NYC has got me thinking about summer jams, and this new EP from the aptly named Tiny Victories is rapidly securing spots on my summer mix tape.  Recommended for fans of all things indie-electro-pop, ala Cut Copy, Miike Snow, Hot Chip, ect.  Pick up the EP for just $5, pop the windows open and dust off your boat shoes, spring is coming early this year.  

BONOBO - Boiler Room Mix

Love this mix.  Bonobo brings his usual downtempo vibes into triumphant realms, delivering a set that reaches unexpected heights (see the 14-15 minute mark).  This is from the Boiler Room in London, where the producer / dj was celebrating the release of Black Sands Remixed.  Hoping to catch a set with a similar mix of organic and electronic vibes when he has his US release party in NYC at the end of the month (March 29th, LPR).    

Check out the Minimix preview of the Black Sands Remixed record, which can be bought physically here and at itunes here.  

Shearwater - Insolence

Walked in late to the Sharon Van Etten / Shearwater double header at Music Hall of Williamsburg last friday night, to hear Shearwater perform a stunning rendition of "Insolence", one of my favorite tracks off their new record Animal Joy.  The track is one of a handful of standouts on their super solid new record, and live it's nothing short of epic.  Catch em if you can, tour dates here.