The Walrus is a Philadelphia-based music blog written by Michael. You may send me stuff through the send a tip page or email me. All mp3s should be sent as links. NO ATTACHMENTS, PLEASE. If I like your music, chances are I will write about it.
DISCLAIMER
mp3s on this site are for promotional purposes only. If you wish to have an mp3 removed please contact me.
German label Morr Music is on a bit of a streak these days first with the release of the wonderful Surf City EP and now with Sin Fang Bous‘ (also of Seabear) debut album and 7″. The A-side of the latter, “Advent In Ives Garden”, is a beautifully glitched-out mantra reminiscent of Animal Collective and the accompanying video with its textured, yet crude cut-out and line-drawn animations suits the track perfectly:
You can buy Sin Fang Bous’ excellent debut 7″ and album now from Morr Music.
For those of you looking to fill your day with even more great music, NY radio station WFUV (Fordham University) has just launched a new online music site called The Alternate Side. It features live HD streams of new and old indie music, as well as local concert calendars, podcasts and original video content. The station will focus heavily on NY area bands but also showcase national and international music. As if that wasn’t cool enough, the site’s visuals were designed by our good friends at Gyro. Looks awesome!
Back in the 90’s The Swirlies were the pinnacle of quiet/loud psychedelic pop. Their self-proclaimed “sneaky flute music” was a colorful sound collage of boy/girl vocals, noisy shoegaze and damaged electronics…and I loved every second of it.
The band took on a different direction after 1996’s brilliant album, They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days in the Glittering World of the Salons, some more line-up changes followed as well as some obscure releases.
Good news though…the band has just announced some fresh tour dates and one stop includes Philly’s Johnny Brenda’s (the one venue where the sound is consistently perfect)! Psyched! Here are the dates:
Thu 2/26 – Phila, PA (Johnny Brenda’s)
Fri 2/27 – New York, NY (Mercury Lounge)
Sat 2/28 – Our Beloved Cambridge, MA (Middle East)
What’s better than that? Thanks to the band, you can download all of their old music for free right here. I highly recommend that you grab What to Do About Them, Blonder Tongue Audio Baton and They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days in the Glittering World of the Salons in that order, immediately! Here’s a taste:
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SALEM’s take on Radiohead’s “Reckoner” is just as light as the original, but much more spooky employing ghostly synths and glitched vocals. In other words its not that dissimilar from Thom’s solo work…and that’s a good thing. Check out other “Reckoner” remixes at GvsB.
SALEM’s excellent debut EP Yes, I Smoke Crack is sold out but you may be able to find it through Acephale’s MySpace page. Radiohead’s In Rainbows is available on Amazon.
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The music of LA’s Rainbow Arabia is both other-worldly and primitive, conjuring up images of space aliens building the Great Pyramids and strange ceremonies that may have commenced. A fusion of eastern melodies, tribal grooves and unnerving post-punk melodies, both “Omar K” and its b-side “Let Them Dance” (video below) dance like ancient spirits straight into the subconscious.
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This unsigned and very impressive UK duo The Big Pink borrows their name from the classic 1969 album Music From the Big Pink by seminal American act The Band (they named their album after the pink house in which they rehearsed). But that’s as far as the similarities go.
This Big Pink’s amazing single “Too Young To Love” is more like uploading The Stone Roses, Slowdive and Ministry into a computer and then asking it to produce the most beautiful results possible. I imagine we will be hearing more about these guys before too long.
No word on a full-length yet but you can stream more tracks on their MySpace page.
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Well, I have been waiting a long time to hear some new music from Bishop Allen (only a year or so but it feels like forever), but now we have a taste of the band’s upcoming album Grrr. Check out this clip of the band performing their new song “Ancient Common Sense Of Things” live at The Loft in San Diego. Classic form:
While some other brands (I won’t mention any names–Urban Outfitters–whoops!) like to shell out the big bucks for the “hip song of the moment”, local retailer and artist purveyors Art in the Age decided for a lesser known song. In fact, this beautiful instrumental piece “The Fantasy of Waking With You That Leads to the Loss of Job and Peace†(yes that’s actually the title) by Philly’s Human People has yet to be officially released. It’s as ethereal and authentic as the brand’s mission. Dig it:
Dig this man: You’re walking down a busy street and you see something vaguely resembling a woman walking toward you. She is completely out of focus, but as she slowly approaches you it becomes increasingly clear that she is in fact the most beautiful woman you have ever seen. She is decked out in fabulous 60’s garb and as she grabs your hand, the sounds of Crayon Fields‘ “Mirror Ball” begin to play. The two of you begin to dance to the slow, atmospheric arrangements and hushed, Zombies-esque vocals and before you know it she starts taking off her…ugh, you perv just download the song!
The Melbourne-based band’s debut album Animal Bells is available now from Chapter Music.
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