Late Night Free Music Friday: The After Hours, Beat the Meet Edition

It's been a looong fucking week at the office, but i ain't gots no time for none of that bullshit and various other grammatically incorrect vernacular vehemence! That being said, there was just too much good music this week not to share. As it happens, i probably could have made this a Beat Meet just as easily, but check your calendar, bitches.

I'm gonna get you high today, 'cause it's Friday; you ain't got no job... and you ain't got shit to do.

Old school gets a lift from the new generation, which is an excellent thing for beat music fans. Brad Laner has a new one out called Natural Selections. What caught my immediate attention, however, was the fact that Baths decided to remix the first single. The Master of the Tub adds his airy touch to an already otherworldly jam. For the helium minded, natch.

mp3: Crawl Back In (Baths Remix) (Brad Laner from Natural Selections Remix)

Ever since i saw them open for Lykke Li a couple of years back, i've been impressed by Wildbirds & Peacedrums. And every new track i hear shows growth and improvement from the last, highlighting their growth as musicians. On this new one, the percussion heavy band adds steel drums to create a breezy, slower jam that's a nice send off to the quickly fading summer.

mp3: The Drop (Wildbirds & Peacedrums from Rivers)

OK, i've dug 2010's foray into fuzz-reverb-heavy, Spector-esque chick bands as much as the next guy, but i think i'm about ready for this phase to wrap itself up. i'm well aware that Frankie Rose and the Outs comes from the highest of pedigrees within the genre, and this track isn't too shabby, but let's watch ourselves here, eh, kids? Too much of a good thing is just going to give you gas, children.

mp3: Little Brown Haired Girls (Frankie Rose and the Outs from Frankie Rose and the Outs)

i kept meaning to check out Prince Rama, but there are only so many hours in the day, right? Of course, much like with Mr. Laner above, it only took the right man to remix things to pique my interest. Enter Sun Araw and one hell of a tribal treatment to his highness' beat.

mp3: Storm Worship (Sun Araw Mix) (Prince Rama from Shadow Temple Remix)

And now a hearty thank you to the fine folks over at the Brainfeeder camp who just decided to overload us with audio riches this past week. Teebs' first single, "Arthur's Birds," for his Brainfeeder debut, Ardour, sounds like the music made by cyborg parakeets, so we've got that. The Gaslamp Killer is getting ready to drop a new one, too. To tease Death Gate, they've released a new track with Gonjasufi, which quite frankly, is the best Gonjasufi track i've ever heard; the two apparently like-minded artists just nail this Far East sounding jam. And what would Brainfeeder be without the magic of their maestro, Flying Lotus, behind it? That's conjecture for another day when we've got more weed than we do now, but you can groove along with him as he sits in with the Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble from this set, live in Los Angeles, July 23rd, 2010.

mp3: Arthur's Birds (Teebs from Adour)

mp3: When I'm in Awe (ft. Gonjasufi) (The Gaslamp Killer from Death Gate)

mp3: Drips/Take Notice (Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble ft. Flying Lotus from a live show in LA, 7-23-10)

With the weather hopefully just starting to cool off a bit, i think i'm going to have to make good on my promise to start "paying back" Levi for their incredible Pioneer Sessions with the purchase of some denim. This week, it's Nas' take on Slick Rick's classic, "Hey, Young World."

mp3: Hey, Young World (Nas from Levi's Pioneer Sessions)

Just when you think you've had enough and right after i bitched about having too much of a good thing, you don't think i'd send you off without this wafer thin offering from Low End Theory, did you? Here's Podcast 17, featuring Daddy Kev and Baths (sumbitch is everywhere lately, which is nice). Oh my.

mp3: Episode 17: Daddy Kev and Baths (Low End Theory Podcast)

Now off with you, and for my U.S. compatriots, enjoy the start of a long weekend.

Friday Freebies

Not to play pimp for music pushers or anything (i do not sell drugs to the community), but i'm recommending you sign up for the email lists at Insound and Amie Street. Every Friday, those fine folks deign to treat subscribers to a free mp3. Sure, sometimes you get throw-away tracks, but there are some seldom heard gems in there, too. As luck would have it, this week has provided a couple of winners.

Now, you might not think an experimental Swedish rock duo is up your alley, but i think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the upcoming EP from Wildbirds & Peacedrums. Now, i was fortunate enough to see them open up for Lykke Li a while back and was pretty taken with their somewhat odd sound then, going so far as to pick up their Heartcore CD. On that one, the sound was a bit out there with the band clearly pushing the boundaries of indie pop/rock. Their sound relies almost exclusively on a range of percussion instruments and the haunting vocals of Mariam Wellentin. Based on this first track from the My Heart EP, though, they've clearly reined things in a bit. Which is great, as i'd like to see this band get a bit more love in 2010. The singer has a beautiful voice, and they've expanded their beat-and-bang-on stable to include some steel drums, making this track a slice of pop goodness with just a hint of reggae flavoring.

Next up is the latest from Gigi, "Strolling Past the Graveyard." Unless this band has something to do with a girl i went to high school with of the same name (it doesn't), i can't tell you much about these cats beyond what you can read for yourself on their MySpace page. What i can tell you, though, is that they craft a catchy tune that resonates with '60s vibes. Insound thinks they've got a Wall of Sound thing going, and i can't disagree. The harmonizing here is strong, and i'm going to re-iterate my "i hope these kids make a splash in '10" sentiments. If the rest of their stuff is as strong as this, i think they just might.

And finally, because i'll pretty much write about anything if asked politely, a couple of tracks from the Unknown Nigerian Wonder, Cyclo-flo. i'll leave it to you to make your own decisions on this cat. i will say this--on "Shuo," Cyclbo-flo spits rapid fire, and with his strong accent, sounds an awful lot like a cross between Busta Rhymes and Shabba Ranks. And on "Hip Hop Ancesion" (stet), he says fuck more times than Eddie Murphy in a leather jumpsuit, so he's got that going for him, too, which is nice.

mp3: My Heart (radio version) (Wildbirds & Peacedrums from My Heart EP)

mp3: Strolling Past the Old Graveyard (Gigi from Maintenant)

mp3: Shuo (Cyclo-flo from ?)

mp3: Hip Hop Ancesion (Cyclo-flo from ?)