Album Mania!
The cat’s out of the bag by now: Radiohead made their entire new album available on YouTube yesterday. (Let the wild rumpus start!) But this week we aren’t just saluting those deities of indie rock’s Mt. Olympus; we’re also swooning for up-and-coming Swedish alterna-folk act Fredrik. The group crafted a dreamy, album-length video premiere for the soon-to-be-released “Flora.” The video follows a toy wolf named Ylva as she wanders through the small Swedish town of Malmo, and the visuals are almost as hypnotic as the delicately rendered, space-engendering music that accompanies it.
Farewell, LCD Soundsystem
Led by mastermind James Murphy (who only put together a group for live performances), LCD Soundsystem married rock’s edge with electronica’s love for the dance. It was an unlikely experiment which Murphy himself reportedly didn’t take seriously at first, and which saw Murphy vocally aping his inspiration, Mark E. Smith of The Fall. But three Grammy nominations (and one win) later -- and after seeing last year’s release “This Is Happening” hailed on many critics’ end-of-year lists -- Murphy is hanging up the microphone on this particular project. We salute the band the only way we know how: with a playlist.
Aloe Blacc “Loving You Is Killing Me”
Every so often, a video comes along that simply brings joy to your heart. The song is great, and the video just begs to be watched over and over. American soul singer and rapper Aloe Blacc uploaded one of those just a few weeks ago, and we haven’t stopped watching since. Blacc is a compelling figure all on his own, but check out the amazing kid he dances with!
Sarah Bardeen, Music Community Manager, recently watched “Married In Berdichev @ Bocumast Records SXSW 2010.”