#diSKOAverweekly: Week of September 25, 2019

1. Beck - “E-Pro (CapeLion V2 Remix)

   I’m not sure why this remix was being hoarded for so long only to be leveraged in this Destiny 2 trailer, but goddamn if this isn’t the 2 minute burst of energy I needed in my LIFE!!! Also, checked out some of Cape Lion’s stuff. SUPER DOPE.

2. Ssion - “Heaven Is My Thing Again”

   Ugh it’s so hard to keep tabs on all of the NY bbs but imma try harder to make sure that

3. O Mer - “Repack The Junk”

   Brooklyn (by way of Tel Aviv) bb is getting ready to drop an EP titled the same as this track. Should be dropping fairly soon, given I’m just catching up on the handful of tracks he’s dropped this year.

4. Wrabel - “magic”

   My beloved lil bae-bel dropped an EP one of those happy people and I can’t get over how wild of a ride it’s been with this sweetheart since his Sideways days.

5. All Tvvins - “Divine”

   Fresh off tour these dudes hit the studio and started crankin out some hits and this is the first of many to come (per the band)

6. Wet - “Old Bone (Jim-E Stack Remix)”

   Okay so like this is one of those instances where I am just like really taken by how transformative this remix is. Jim-E Stack brought a completely different energy with his take on Wet’s latest single, “Old Bone”. You ABSOLUTELY MUST LISTEN TO BOTH. I’M NOT FUCKING AROUND HERE ABOUT THIS.

7. Jamo - “Connection (feat. YOUNGSOUL)”

   I know you are surprised that I stumbled into a new Australian artist that I am relatively smitten by. It’s cool, you’ll get used to it eventually. Actually I suppose this one’s a 2 for 1 special because although Jamo lures you in with the vibe, singer YOUNGSOUL gets all up in your ear and coats your eardrums with his silky smooth voice and THAT’S WHEN THE REAL SWOONING STARTS.

8. Dansu - “State of Mind”

   I keep waiting for Dansu to take off big time. They’re so fucking perfectly electro-poptastic.

9. Squid - “The Cleaner”

   Feeling v hashtag blessed to have finally checked out Squid this week. Their new EP Town Centre is quite delightful, but “The Cleaner” is by far my fave. It’s super fun, dare I say sassy post-punk. Will probably be grabbing this on vinyl when it’s available on November 15th.

10. PLANET - “Never New”

    Sydney four-piece PLANET make shimmery indie-pop and I would very much like to get on a plane to Australia and just swoon and twirl at all of their shows…maybe forever?

11. Georgia - “Never Let You Go”

    London electro-pop powerhouse Georgia shared the first taste of her forthcoming album Seeking Thrills, which is slated to drop in January 2020. I hope I don’t have to wait that long to hear more of this because this is ✨very much my shit✨.

12. Keelan Mak - “Sleep Talker”

    I think Brisbane’s self proclaimed “22 year old bedroom producer dude” Keelan Mak is tryna seduce us into said bedroom with his latest single. It….might be working. His voice is very swoon-worthy.

13. Justin Jay - “i know ur out there”

    LA house hunny Justin Jay dropped his latest record everything will come together, pt. 1 a few months back. This is the opening track of what ended up being quite a fun run for my earholes, so def don’t sleep on checking out the rest of the record when you find yourself loving this!

14. Sofi Tukker - “Swing (Crush Club Remix)”

    So v v v v v v v v proud to be the president of the Crush Club 💖⚡️Crush Club. This remix is 🔥🔥🔥🔥.

15. Man Without Country - “Forever Endeavour”

    The homey recently launched a Patreon and this was the first single since that all started up. Lucky fans got to hear it before it hit DSPs elsewhere. Very happy he’s sticking it out. I luhhh him.

16. b.i.g.s.h.r.i.m.p. - “Wyoming (feat. Bunny)”

    Another tasty treat from Post Animal guitarist Jake Hirshland’s side project. I wonder how many of these he’s sitting on? I should probs DM him.

Okay fine I’ll post the embed for the archive here too so it’s all in once nice and neat place for you in case you missed last week’s tracks.

#diSKOAverweekly: Week of September 18, 2019

I’ve decided to make more work for myself with diSKOAver weekly! So exciting!

I feel like it’s not fair to the bands I feature in this playlist to not give them the same amount of love I do with all the other features I do so I’ve decided to do a tweets worth of info on each track because after all sharing is caring and boy do I give so many fucks about putting these songs in your hands.

OKAY HERE WE GO!

1. Moon Boots - “You Won’t See Me Cry (feat. Little Boots)

   This cut from the new Moon Boots record is my personal slice of discotastic heaven. The rest of the record is super fun, too.

2. DallasK - “I Know”

   Gonna be honest, kind of embarrassed that I’m just now getting into DallasK but damn I picked a fucking banger to get on board.

3. Mason - “Rhythm In My Brain”

   Honestly it’s not fair that Mason is so perfect. And he’s SO CASUAL about dropping so many bops. This one is SUCH 💥A 💥VIBE💥.

4. Los Padres - “Boomerang (feat. Nina Sung)”

   Holy shit my home state over here making me SO PROUD with this house hitttttttttt. Def gonna be keeping an eye out on this duo for what they do next. 👀👀👀

5. RAAVE TAPES - “stabs”

   I have been OBSESSED with this song since I heard it. They’re like a lovely intersection of The Rapture, Does It Offend You Yeah, Crystal Castles, and Late of the Pier. I WANT MORE DANCE PUNK LIKE THIS. GIVE IT TO ME

6. CRX - “Walls”

   Fun fact: Josh Homme from QOTSA produced this whole record. Love how fucking high energy this is. Oh and Nick Valensi from The Strokes is the singer so you know these dudes aren’t fuckin around.

7. Tomos - “An Intermission”

   If I could float around in space to this I would be pretty hype about it. No, I’m not high.

8. Cashmere Cat - “FOR YOUR EYES ONLY”

   This new single is quite lovely and I’m very happy that they’ll be playing Webby Hall in December.

9. Sparrows - “Do U Wanna Dance?”

   Something about the synths in this makes me think of “Sync” from the FEZ soundtrack but more energetic and that pleases me very much.

10. Rejje Snow - “LMFAO”

    I need to spend more time with Rejje’s last record that this track is from. It’s very much my shit, but I bet you’ll be able to tell why this one was my favorite. 😂

11. AJ Abdullah - “Oh, the Moon!”

    HOW SWEET IS HIS VOICE!? HOW SWEET IS THIS FUCKIN’ SONG!? I’m glad I decided to check my email before I pulled tracks for this week’s update today. This was such a delightful surprise.

12. MXMS - “What’s My Name?”

    This one is a real gut punch. Funeral pop duo MXMS released this on World Suicide Prevention Day and if it doesn’t make your eyes water a little bit you might be dead inside?????????

13. Sego x Vacationer - “YAH.”

    Sego and Vacationer teamed up to cover Kendrick Lamar and it’s just so….. *chef’s kiss*

14. Hunjiya - “go to bed (feat. Ben Hon)”

    My good friend and neighborhood troubadour Jesse Ruben introduced me to Hunjiya (born Alice Kim) when I ran into him on the street a few weeks ago and was like, “you’d fucking love Alice’s music” AND HE WAS RIGHT. Her new EP is FANTASTIC.

15. Sam Hollis - “Miranda”

    I have been sitting on this Sam Hollis jam for way too long (Sorry Sam). Even though he’s homeys with Timi Temple it’s TOTALLY DIFFERENT VIBE A BOY DO I MEAN VIIIIBBBBEEEE.

16. Hundredth - “Whatever”

    So this band gradually pivoted from essentially hardcore to shoegaze and it…..totally fucking works. The older stuff is fine, but they really wear this new direction INCREDIBLY WELL.

IF YOU’VE STUMBLED INTO THIS POST AFTER I’VE SWAPPED OUT THESE TRACKS DO NOT PANIC!! I GOTCHU FAM! You can grab these (and a fuckload more music) over in the archive.

ENJOY! 💖

[SKOA PREMIERE] Alae - "Home" (Official Music Video)

Friday Friday Friday Friday Friday Friday Fridayyyyyyyy!!!

Fam I am happy to premiere the latest video from Auckland four-piece Alae. On its own, their latest single from their debut full-length, Henry St, “Home”, is a delicate track that speaks to loss and belonging. Today, as you’ll soon see for yourself, the newly unveiled accompanying video will challenge you to reflect on how you present yourself to the world versus who you know yourself to truly be.

There are many takeaways from the video for “Home”, but according to singer Alex Farrell-Davey, it aims to create discussions around what it is to have a life outside of your sexuality. “In my mind the idea of breaking out of jail hand cuffed to your cell mate represents leaving work,” he explained, “chained to the version of yourself that you are when you're there. To then come home and to dedicate your night to trying to break free of how uncomfortable it makes you (in an environment that's loving and comfortable).” He adds, “To ultimately be arrested by the red and blue police sirens that represent waking up to an ominous alarm, knowing you have to do it all over again.”

As you’ll see as the video progresses that the prisoner who is taken along the heartwarming reunion (played by Farrell-Davey) that there’s this slow build of loneliness and isolation that’s portrayed being unable to escape how beautiful and heartwarming the love that exists between the fellow convict, partner, and baby is. The pain in his face as he looks away, unable to embrace this other part of him as one in the same. The underlying powerful message in “Home” is that of self-acceptance and if anything, having this reminder gifted to us from a marginalized voice makes it all the more deeply meaningful.

#SKOASelfCare: Wilderado Shares Their Mental Health Maintenance Tips From The Road

Wilderado outside of Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, CA. Photo gently lifted from their Instagram.

Touring is often looked at by musicians as a necessary evil due to how taxing it can be on their mental health. No matter your tour budget, finding moments of self care on the road can be tricky to come up with when you’ve only got so much time before load-in, so I’ve decided to start asking around for ideas from bands while they’re mid-tour.

Since I’m seeing them tomorrow night (10/27) at Music Hall of Williamsburg, I decided to hit up Tulsa rockers, Wilderado (who you hopefully checked out in this week’s diSKOAver weekly playlist) to see what’s been working for them on their tour with other SKOA favorites Sure Sure. Gotta say, I am loving the tips that singer Max Rainer sent through! From my brief stint in tour managing I can tell you that some of these are a hard agree from me.

This is “Thieves”...it smells pretty awesome and supposedly makes you less susceptible to germs. Our drummer’s wife sells this stuff and i dump it on everything (my bag, backpack, arms, neck).

Buy: Young Living Thieves Essential Oil 15ml

Reading books helps me not think so much.

Buy: Fight Club: A Novel

I’m not so sure if this stuff actually benefits me in any way other than tasting great and feeling good. I just like having it around, the name says it all.

Buy: Cold & Flu-Lemon Echinacea Throat Coat

I currently have bronchitis, so maybe i shouldn’t be the one doing this, BUT, these multivitamins are amazing. This is the first time I’ve been sick on the road, and these things are keeping me alive.

Buy: Source Naturals Wellness Formula Wholefood Multivitamin With Vitamins & Antioxidants

Listen to something other than your own music that you’re playing over and over and over. Sometimes I’ll even just hang out listening to the calm app... it sounds so real.

Grab the Calm app on iOS & Android

NY fam come hang with me tomorrow night (10/27) at Music Hall of Williamsburg to catch these guys live. Should you need a refresher of their sound you can find their latest single, “Sorrow” in this week’s diSKOAver weekly playlist below!.

[SONG OF THE DAY] Jaded - "Young"

It’s been a little over a year since I casually slipped UK indie electro-pop trio Jaded in diSKOAver weekly with their breakout hit, “In The Morning”. Since then, I’ve followed along with these dope dudes on Instagram, who have been responsible for me laughing to myself like an idiot on the subway no less than twice. It’s only fitting that they would release a song like, “Young” last week, as it’s *almost* as playful as they are. Almost. This is hands down the care-free anthemic song you need in your life. It’s the perfect microdose of escapism that you need amidst the chaos of everyday life.

Fair warning though: if you’re walking around while rocking this jam you might find yourself pouting, shimmying, and mouthing the words in front of strangers at a crosswalk or something.

Not that I am speaking from experience. 😳

[Listen] San Scout - "In/Balance"

HAPPY #NEWMUSICFRIDAY FAM! 

FIRST BABY BAND OF THE YEAR GUYS! 

YOU READY? 

GET HYPE! 

So I don't know how you Spotify, but since I accepted that Rdio (RIP) wasn't going to reign supreme I figured I would try to see if there were more interesting ways to use Spotify than what they primarily suggest you do. 

You may occasionally peruse your Discover Weekly playlist, but one of the many things I do to take advantage of The Algorithm™ is follow some of my friends' playlists whose taste I trust to see what gets sent their way.  

Enter: London duo San Scout, who I stumbled across a couple of days ago amidst my scavenging. I'm bummed I missed out on supporting the launch of their latest track, "In/Balance", which I have since tested on my commute to and from work as well in the shower which I danced happily to. This dropped back in November complete with a fun little activation over on their website that they made themselves (#respect). If you feel like killing some time, upon heading to the site you can create your own "bootleg" of the song simply by typing whatever you feel like into the text box. It's fairly limited in terms of what you can do, but still a fun minute or two. 

Right so back to the track lol. This song is absolutely my new obsession. I love how their lush vocals glide along the playfully punchy synths. We know how I feel about harmonies so this was a no brainer. Also they manage to make a dog bark sample seem like it's completely normal to be there. Love love love that. 

The band also released an EP last year with some tasty tracks on it called EP1. Definitely worth a listen as well. 

Ooo from the looks of things recently they've trying to get people to text them: 

UK fam - who wants to text them nice things and tell me how it goes? Wait, does T-Mobile charge for international texts? I'll check later and if not maybe I'll see if they'll do an impromptu interview haha. 

Once you fall in love with "In/Balance" be sure to befriend these fine fellows: 

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Soundcloud | Spotify

#NewMusicFriday Guide - 04/29/2016

You Wont - Revolutionaries

My two new favorite goofballs put out an album today! You Won't isn't officially #SKOAfam yet, but don't worry, it will happen soon enough. Maybe at one of their two shows in NYC next week? Talk about being #blessed! Anyway, this record could not have come out at a better time. The winter is finally leaving us, it's getting warm out, and you'll find yourself reaching for this record when the sun is sittin' pretty on your face. It's got the right amount of twang that will make you shake your groove thang just like this: 

Aesop Rock - The Impossible Kid

I have been thoroughly looking forward to this album since the second I heard "Rings" a few months back. The payoff for patiently waiting was certainly worth it, especially with last week's album stream, which was the most excellent of previews/"spoilers". ICYMI, it's a shot by shot recreation of The Shining and you absolutely have to see it for yourself if you haven't already because it's amazing. 

I will be counting down the minutes till I get to hear this live at Irving Plaza on June 13th, that's for sure. Nice work, Aesop! 

Brian Eno - The Ship

Our electro-lord has released more music today. Do I really need to tell you about this? You should know about this already. I am just making sure because our, um, Views are a little obstructed right now on the internet...if you know what I mean. 

I really liked Ghost Culture's self-titled album from last year so I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he had a couple of new tracks out today. These just further confirm that I need to own the self-titled on vinyl. I thought micropennies were enough love for this record, but his craftsmanship on both releases shines through enough that this is worth the shelf space for me. 

Calvin Harris - "This Is What You Came For" 

The jury is still out for me as to whether or not this is going to be *The Song Of The Summer*. This is subtly very awesome. It's really quite lovely. Rihanna's vocal is great. There is a reason why Calvin has a messload of sales plaques on his walls and it shows in the production value for this track. People will certainly listen to this a lot this summer.

All that said, it just... ehhhhhhh. I don't think lightning is going to strike twice for him + Rihanna. I will probably listen to this to get ready to go out, but not trip over myself to make sure I dance to it. 

Zedd (feat. Kesha) - "True Colors"

Okay we need to have a discussion about this. I have seen too many people say that they're disappointed by this track considering this is Kesha's big return post- Dr. Luke drama. 

Seriously? Shame on you. That just further shows how real the struggle is going to continue to be for Kesha because she was launched into stardom courtesy of some party anthems. You really think she was going to step out with a banger the second she was able to legally open her mouth?

Sit. Down. 

Please take a moment to reflect on what she is saying and be grateful that she was able to create her way through a lot of pain. Also, let us be thankful that Zedd knew better than to try to make this about him by going big on the production. Sure, her return is more understated than was anticipated, but she even says so herself: "I've escaped my captor and I have no master." 

Kesha, I'm glad you're back, bb. 

Man Power - Planet Cock EP

You should know by now that in addition to trying to not be completely crushed under the weight of what goes through my inbox that I also just like skimming AllMusic to see what might look interesting. The pairing of an artist called Man Power with an EP called Planet Cock... I am clearly a grown up who did not laugh to myself at all...heh. That's a lie, obviously. 

Clearly I had to give this a spin just for the sake of my sanity and it's actually pretty great. I've since had a look around at his catalog and intend to check out more of it in the weeks to come. I will probably start with his 2014 EP, Flacid Trax.... 

Sorry, it's Friday. I can't be an adult today to save my life. lmao 

Magic Sword - The Legend EP

Holy shit I forgot this was even happening and now it's happened and I'm just a wreck. Apparently there was a little bit of darkness in me because The Seeker and The Keeper aka Magic Sword just SLAYED ME with this EP. Wow. Wow. Wow. I really have zero chill about this right now, jfc. This is the first of a series of EPs that also will have a correlating comic to continue to tell the Magic Sword saga. You can find the first one for their debut album, Volume I over on their website. 

Holy good #Sheezus in heaven the guitar solos on "The Curse" quite literally have me unable to do anything other than shout, "GOOD LORD!" at the moment. WOW.

These guys were still one of the most fun interviews I ever did for #SKOARadio (not to mention the most hysterical meetup arrangements for an interview). I should probably not leave that committed to audio indefinitely. 

Matt Lange - Patchwork

#SKOAfam Matt Lange has followed up last year's Emphemera LP with another gorgeous heady string of dark dancey tunes. It would appear the mau5trap has continued to be good for Lange from the sounds of this EP. This is *ABSOLUTELY* a record you listen to first with your good headphones because the homey has very meticulously pieced this all together, so this is me looking out for your your first play through to be the best it can be. 

(This is terribly awkward that I'm realizing that I just featured two artists back to back with interviews that I aired on #SKOARADIO but never transcribed and shared through. I guess I know what I'm doing over the weekend....)

Holy Ghost! - Crime Cuts

Holy! Ghost!! is! back! I almost forgot this EP was coming out today but Twitter fam is always lookin' out for my ears, which I guess means they're looking out for yours, too. Anyway, YAY Brooklyn bands! This EP is solid. I really wish that Panorama weren't their only upcoming show in NYC at present. That is kind of like saying you can only have hot dogs inside Yankees Stadium in the summer or something imo. I'm sure more dates will be announced soon. Fingers crossed anyway. 

Panty Raid - After Glow

lol I know why this record is called After Glow. It's because the album is pure sex and by the end of it you will be feeling the afterglow of what it did to you. I guess you could say the overall theme that Panty Raid is going for is being executed well. 

[Night Out] VOWWS, Night Club, & Winkie @ Baby's All Right (04/16/2016)

OUR DARKLING CHILDREN CAME TO VISIT US!

As you may or may not know, SKOA has been long time supporters of the glorious gloomy duo that is VOWWS. We've endured all the name changes. We reluctantly watched them pack their bags and head to LA, where they finally hit a nice streak of luck that they rightfully deserve. Now we also make sure to show up every time they're in NYC and wave our figurative pom-poms in support. This time I even brought home made chocolate chip cookies for them. Gotta make sure the kids are eating on tour even if it's just cookies!

Swear to god, the day this all finally comes together for them (which it most certainly will), I'm going to be that mother in every movie ever dabbing her eyes with with a handkerchief blubbering about how proud I am of them. It hasn't even been that long since the last time we saw them and already they're infinitely tighter than I've ever seen them. They also managed to look even more like they just left the after after party in hell. I mean this in the most loving way possible, obviously. 

Not only did our prodigal children come home to Baby's, but they brought a couple of their fun friends from LA with them! Night Club were super retro-dancetastic and fun, although I do worry about singer Emily Kavanaugh's knees from all that sliding around. Hopefully she took her own advice and got some knee pads. 

It was also very nice of Brooklyn's Winkie to spend some time out of the graveyard that it seems they've been living in to come open the show. Sprout was particularly enamored with singer Gina's black veil, which we learned courtesy of Instagram that it was made possible by Brooklyn designer Amy Lehfeldt. I forget that all the gloomy kids didn't abandon us for Los Angeles. I will have to make it a point to see Winkie again very soon. 

VOWWS ARE COMING BACK THROUGH BROOKLYN THIS SATURDAY AT AVIV SO LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE AND COME DANCE IN THE DARK WITH US.