[SONG OF THE DAY] Blood Cultures - "Best For You"

New Jersey’s four-piece anon-act Blood Cultures have returned with their second single from their forthcoming sophomore album Oh Uncertainty! A Universe Despairs, which is slated for a September release. “Best For You” is a hazy hypnotic little number full of glitchy vocal slices sampled throughout. This one’s a definite earworm that has the ability to keep you awake with it ringing through your head even though you only played in a couple of times, and of course I mean that in the best possible way.

The band has very strong convictions about remaining anonymous, which they have detailed in a recent manifesto that they’ve shared (and I’ve included below as well). On the one hand, I totally get their intentions here, but as much as it’s nice to just get really invested in a piece of art, there is a communal aspect of it too when it comes to connecting to the artists who made the thing you like.

Perhaps this is something I should hop on the phone and discuss with them soon. 🤔

THE BLOOD CULTURES MANIFESTO
Our hope is to create genuine, emotive art for individuals to connect with in a unique way. We choose to not publicly reveal any information about the project and ourselves in order to effectively carry out this mission: We believe that disclosing our personalities, politics, alignments, intentions, orientations, etc could detach the listener further from the personal connection that they have made with the music.

We must support and respect the unique truths and individual meanings that the listeners generate themselves from the tracks and the visuals. Art is not what the artist intends it to be, but rather what you make of it. If we are simply the vessels, who are we to take meaning away from something by imposing our own views, biasis, intentions, etc?

We choose to be the blank canvas. We want our listeners to find their own significance in the pieces by looking inwardly and seeking the answers within themselves rather than from us: disclosing the context of the work could shatter the individual’s distinct value of the piece that they have created for themselves. There is only one true meaning, and it is that which the listener has concluded is their truth.

Despite not sharing ourselves in the traditional and physical sense, we instead exclusively share our raw emotional selves by exposing our most personal thoughts, moments, and feelings in the music. Anonymity allows us the freedom to be candid and void of restraint, repercussions and fear. This music is the most personal thing I have ever done, so the relationship we have with our listeners through this channel is an extremely intimate one.

If you feel the music, you understand it, you understand us, and just like that, we are connected. Regardless of our potential differences, we are there together, in the same emotional landscape, through this music. And that is worth preserving.

Though we're seen, we will never be seen: just like you

Though we’re heard, we will never be heard: just like you

Though we're known, we will never be known: just like you

Love,

Blood Cultures

[WATCH] Holy Ghost! - "Do This (Official Video)"

photo credit: Harry McNally

In just a few short days the rest of you will be able to hear the dazzling dance delights that is Work from legendary NYC duo Holy Ghost!. As a celebration of the art of making music as memorable as this forthcoming album, the guys have shared the music video for their single, “Do This”, which features clips from the entire creation of the album, from recording in the studio, to pressing the actual vinyl, before finally making it to a record store.

Gonna be honest, I could watch people press vinyl all damn day. Seeing how much care goes into making a record from start to finish is just such a beautiful thing to be able to witness all the way down to the sweet ladies putting the LPs in their jackets. I always wonder if they ever listen to the records that they’re stuffing, don’t you?

As nice as it’s been to obsess over a Soundcloud link for this record in the past month-ish, I honestly can’t wait to drop the needle on this record with my Beyerdynamics. There’s a lot of heart to this record and I’m really anxious to find more reasons to love this record moreso than I already do.

Another cool reason to love this record that hadn’t really sunk in with me until today: the guys are basically trying to singlehandedly resurrect the NYC’s original dance label, West End Records. This is the first LP to come out on the record in more than THREE DECADES y’all. While he was still alive, West End Records founder Mel Cheren was essentially responsible for laying the foundations of what would define early disco, which would then be really influential on pop, hip-hop, house, and techno. Cheren also was responsible for helping to set up NYC's Gay Mens Health Crisis letting GMHC operate rent-free in his Chelsea building, at the dawn of the AIDS crisis as well as establishing charities like 24 Hours for Life and LIFEbeat.

I think it’s so cool that the guys are like painfully aware of the irony in two white heterosexual dance-obsessed guys reviving the label but are still so passionate about using their platform with this album to elevate both the history of the genre and start a dialogue around dance music culture. The origins of dance music weren’t even close to being as white as they are today. It’s important that people pay respect to the genre they love by honoring its origins.

CAN FRIDAY GET HERE ALREADY I WANNA GUSH WITH EVERYONE ABOUT HOW GOOD THIS RECORD IS ALREADY 😩😩😩😩😩

[SONG OF THE DAY] The Goods - "Let's Roll (feat. Touch Sensitive)"

We know I’ve been scrambling to assemble the sounds of the summer for this year but imma need to take a minute with this latest track from Sydney trio The Goods because good fucking Lorde this is so damn smoooooooove.

Building on their reputation for funky synth-stacked jams, the fellas enlisted my #1 professional nu-disco crush, none other than Touch Sensitive, for their follow up to last year’s Make Your Move EP. “Let’s Roll” is one of those songs that your brain will wander to when you’re looking back on a perfect night out. It’s a song that when it comes on you’re going to find yourself unable to hold still. Even if you’re sitting on a crowded subway train you’re always gonna realize that your shoulders are bouncing just a bit. It sounds like every incredible night I’ve ever had. You know those nights that started off all unassuming and ended up at a really amazing place where everything just felt perfect? Yeah, they bottled that. I don’t know how, but they did.

Literally me rn listening to this song:

Y’all are you ready to strap in with me and The Goods? I can tell already it’s gonna be a good fucking summer.

And this is gonna be the soundtrack to every last good vibe.

[SONG OF THE DAY] Pat Lok - "Fearless (feat. Luke Burr)"

photo credit: Nina Krupa

VIBE OCLOCK ON NEW MUSIC FRIDAYYYYYYYYYY!

On the heels of his Corazón EP dropping today, Vancouver born turned recent Los Angeles resident Pat Lok has preemptively shared a cut from the EP, “Fearless” featuring Essex soul singer Luke Burr. The song is a lovely little motivational moment both for us and Pat himself. “In my weaker moments, I often compare my life path to the friends and family I left behind in Canada, and wonder if I'm doing the right thing,” Pat shares speaking on the track, “so this is sort of me in the mirror saying get off your butt. It can be difficult for others to believe in you if you don't believe in yourself first and I hope this might reach anyone else out there who needs to hear it.”

Twitter fam so wise with the heartfelt advice! We loveee!

Go have a listen to the rest of Corazón, dude has delivered a deluge of bops yet again. Bravo, homey!

[WATCH] Brit Daniels - "Deja Vu (Official Video)"

Nashville area pop artist Brit Daniels has unveiled the video for her most recent single, “Deja Vu”, a song that delves into the trials and tribulations of modern dating culture. After going through yet another failed attempt at a relationship, Daniels was inspired to get in touch with her feelings and explore what went wrong. Through writing the song, Daniels realized all the red flags she ignored and noticed a pattern in her dating life. The accompanying video reflects it in a minimally powerful way by repeatedly showcasing a handful of scenes throughout.

Looking forward to hearing more of what the singer-songwriter has in store in the coming months. For now I plan getting better acquainted with her previous releases.

[SONG OF THE DAY] Tycho - "Japan"

photo credit: Scott Hansen

San Francisco soundscape crafters Tycho have returned with a new track, “Japan”, from their forthcoming album WEATHER, out on July 12th. "I had just returned from spending some time in Hakone, Japan with my wife's Japanese relatives," shares project brainchild Scott Hansen. "I was thinking a lot about the kinds of electronic music instruments I had been using when I first started making music in the late '90s. With 'Japan,' I was trying to recapture a part of that sound and combine it with the imagery and experiences from my trip to Hakone. I sent the song to Hannah with nothing more than the title of 'Japan' and she wrote all of the lyrics." As with the recent string of singles they’ve released from this album cycle, the band has offered a 2-pack, which includes the album version and an accompanying instrumental.

Speaking of said instrumental, I wanna talk about how frustrating it was to watch a large portion of the Tycho fandom essentially have a total fucking meltdown about the addition of angelic vocalist Saint Sinner to the mix. As previously mentioned, Hansen has shared how he’s really excited about incorporating the most “organic instrument” on the planet into the Tycho soundscape. I even admitted it was gonna take me a second to get used to the idea. That all said, as someone who lives to watch bands evolve and challenge themselves to push beyond any self or fan-made boundaries, to say I’m disappointed that some folks can’t see the opportunity the band is giving us to reflect on how truly powerful either type of performance is would be an understatement. Hansen is quick to detail the amount of thought that goes into each version, "I wanted to explore the idea of approaching songs from two entirely different perspectives,” he explains, “Similar to 'Pink & Blue,' the instrumental versions are not just the songs with vocals muted, they are different arrangements with different instrumentation and melodies in place of the vocals."

Even before skimming the press release to do this post, just this morning (almost a full month since the “Pink & Blue” writeup mind you) I found myself lost in thought while listening to both versions of “Japan”. I couldn’t help but reflect on how fascinating it is to watch this band begin to be able to articulate into words certain things that maybe their music hadn’t been able to previously. Maybe prior to now Tycho music was akin to those in religious settings who speak in tongues, not sure the exact or best way to fully express themselves, but deep down the sound does enough to speak for itself.

It’s certainly a concept that is worth taking some time to sit with, if only to deepen your appreciation for the band. I hope that those who were upset come around. Personally it just makes me love this band all the more knowing that they’re the ultra meticulous musicians I’ve grown to appreciate them to be busily fretting over every painstaking detail every step of the way with this release.

PS - have you pre-ordered Weather yet? Do you have your tickets for their extensive af world tour coming up? If not, get on that shit, fam!

TYCHO

"WEATHER WORLD TOUR"

2019

JULY

21 - Byron Bay, Australia - Splendour In The Grass *

23 - Melbourne, Australia - Forum Melbourne

24 - Sydney, Australia - Sydney Opera House

26 - Niigata Prefecture, Japan - Fuji Rock Festival '19 *

SEPTEMBER

5 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre **

6 - Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre #

7 - Portland, OR - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall #

8 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre #

11 - Denver, CO - The Mission Ballroom #

13 - Minneapolis, MN - Palace Theatre #

15 - Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom #

16 - Toronto, ON - Sony Centre for the Performing Arts #

18 - Boston, MA - Wang Theatre - Boch Center #

19 - New York, NY - Summerstage #

20 - Philadelphia, PA - Franklin Music Hall #

21 - Slippery Rock, PA - Resonance Music & Arts Festival *

23 - Detroit, MI - The Masonic #

24 - Columbus, OH - Express Live #

26 - St Louis, MO - The Pageant #

27 - Kansas City, MO - CrossroadsKC #

2020

FEBRUARY

9 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller #

10 - Stockholm, Sweden - Vasteatern #

11 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega Main Hall #

13 - Hamburg, Germany - Uebel & Gefahrlich #

14 - Cologne, Germany - Live Music Hall #

15 - Paris, France - Elyse Montmartre #

17 - Brussels, Belgium - AB Ballroom @ Ancienne Belgique #

18 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso #

19 - Berlin, Germany - Huxley's #

21 - Warsaw, Poland - Praga Centrum #

23 - Prague, Czech Republic - Roxy #

24 - Budapest, Hungary - Akvarium #

25 - Vienna, Austria - WUK #

27 - Milan, Italy - Fabrique #

28 - Bologna, Italy - Estragon #

MARCH

1 - Barcelona, Spain - Sala Apolo #

5 - London, UK - Printworks #

* Festival Performance

** Chrome Sparks

# Poolside

[SONG OF THE DAY] LUXXURY - "Change Yr Mind (feat. Adeline)"

Los Angeles producer LUXXURY has teamed up with New York soul/funk singer Adeline for a bi-coastal sun drenched nu-disco bop “Change Yr Mind”. If you’ve been on the hunt for something sexy to saunter poolside to all summer, this is certainly an option. With grooving baselines, glistening synths, and Adeline’s breathy vocals on this track, it’s a sure fire way to beat the heat.

I should note that both have a fair amount of back catalog that’s worth digging around in. I actually need to spend time with Adeline’s self-titled debut LP, I thoroughly loved “Before” (as seen on diSKOAver weekly and now it’s archive).

[SONG OF THE DAY] austenyo - "Commercial"

photo courtesy of Austin Scheer via DM to prove that he was, in fact, playing tennis when I hit him up on Twitter

We got a new friend at the party, everyone!

Fam, please meet Detroit newcomer austenyo, who has just been added to my list of baby bands to keep a close eye on. Born Austen Scheer, he’s been releasing music under the playful moniker for a little over a year now, which were initially part of his Senior Individualized Project at Kalamazoo College.

His latest single, “Commercial” is a perfect blend of effortlessly catchy alt-pop to compliment all of your impending blissful sunny summer days. The track follows previous singles, “Off-Kilter” and “Backup Generator”, that are from his forthcoming debut full-length album, minialbum, which is due out this July. The video, as seems to be a reoccurring theme for the project, is proof that little to no budget for videos isn’t as important as it is to be painfully clever. It’s as much of a performance piece to showcase Scheer’s playfulness as it is a literal commercial to sell his latest batch of merch and to get you to interact with his text bot, “austenbot”. You can tell with his unassuming and mostly improvisational approach to music making that Scheer is serious about not taking himself too seriously, which I find to be incredibly refreshing.

You can expect more on this guy in the coming weeks, TRUST.