Toro Y Moi: “DAYTROTTER SESSION”

Columbia, South Carolina’s Chaz Bundick (aka Toro Y Moi) rose to the fore of the music blogosphere in summer 2009 when he and a few peers made their hazy bedroom recordings the most talked-about sound of the season. Critics across the board took notice of the range of his compositions, and his debut album, Causers of This, showcased his ability to make elements of Brian Wilson’s pop, 80s R&B, and Stones Throw hip hop coalesce into a distinct sound that’s as suitable for a dance floor as it is a pair of headphones.

When Chaz first signed to Carpark Records, the plan was to release two records in 2010– one electronic and one with live instrumentation–and although it didn’t quite fit into the same calendar year as his debut, Underneath the Pine is that latter offering. This release sees him following the same creative urges to completely different ends. Having spent the year listening to film composers like Ennio Morricone and François de Roubaix, Bundick returned to his home in Columbia, the birthplace of many Toro tracks of yore, to bring his new ideas to fruition. The result of these sessions is an album evocative of R. Stevie Moore’s homespun ruminations, David Axelrod’s sonic scope, Steve Reich-ian piano phrasing, and the pervasive funk of his first record. Underneath the Pine announces a new phase for an artist whose talent defies classification.

TORO Y MOI

12/03 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg (DJ Set)

Toro Y Moi
Underneath The Pine
(Carpark)
Street Date: Feb. 22, 2011

1. Intro/Chi Chi
2. New Beat
3. Go with You
4. Divina
5. Before I’m Done
6. Got Blinded
7. How I Know
8. Light Black
9. Still Sound
10. Good Hold
11. Elise

TORO Y MOI LINKS:
Band Page: http://toroymoi.blogspot.com/

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/toroymoi

Press Materials: http://www.carparkrecords.com/toropresspage.html

MP3: “Mona’s Lunch”

For any fan of real rock nʼ roll it would be a goddamn shame if you sleep on the raucous and inebriating revelry of Montreal’s most delirious band The Demonʼs Claws. These guys have been pounding out their brand of crazed rock slop since 2004, in which time theyʼve toured endlessly and released two full- length albums and countless singles and 12″s. Now the band has finally followed up their stunning 2007 album, Satanʼs Little Pet Pig, with The Defrosting Of… For legal reasons, the title has to be incomplete. We can only say that itʼs a reference to a very big name in the world of animation, long rumored to be cryogenically frozen.

The Demonʼs Claws seem to effortlessly play roots soaked music that is so ramshackle and loose it sounds if it could fall apart and any second yet manages to hang together perfectly. Part Gun Club, part Back From The Grave, part lo-fi distorted crunch, part young Mick Jagger with a mouth full of pills. All of this is delivered with a weird backwoods creepiness that makes it come off all the more authentic. Stepping up their countrified roots on this outing, Jeff Clarkeʼs gift for writing incredibly catchy hillbilly stomp has never been more apparent. The guy is the real deal.

Self described “liars and scumbags” and sweaty and belligerent by nature, The Demon’s Claws are one of the most dynamic combos to take the filthy route directly to your brain. The Defrosting Of… solidifies their earnest ambition to stomp their Americana-tinged blues-punk death trip into submission. Watch for The Demonʼs Claws on tour in North America in 2011.

“Their music reminds me of when I used to visit an old cabin in Northern Ontario and take mushrooms and drink tons of Labatt’s and go night fishing. This is what we should’ve been playing instead of Sabbath.” -Terminal Boredom

The Demon’s Claws
The Defrosting Of…
(In The Red)
Street date: Oct. 5, 2010

1. Fed From Her Hand
2. Last Time At The Pool
3. Mona’s Lunch
4. Laser Beams
5. At The Disco
6. Catch Her By The Tail
7. All Three Eyes
8. Trip To The Clinic
9. Anny Lou
10. Fucked On Ketamine
11. Weird Ways
12. You’ll Always Be My Friend

THE DEMON’S CLAWS LINKS:

MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/demonsclaws
Label - http://www.intheredrecords.com/

MP3: Tape Deck Mountain - “P.I.” by forcefieldpr

Secret Serf is the follow-up EP to Tape Deck Mountain’s 2009 LP Ghost and an obvious tongue-in-cheek nod to the recent ‘beach’ trend in the indie rock community. Based off the warm coast of San Diego, CA and avid body surfers during the summer months, Tape Deck Mountain has ironically thus far avoided the shoreline lyrical tendencies of many of their peers. Secret Serfexplores’ themes of poverty and privacy, perhaps inspired by frontman Travis Trevisan’s recent bout with unemployment where he worked various under-the-table jobs extending from working for the repo man to pulling his elderly neighbors’ weeds. Sonically, Serf finds the band more focused, exploring and expanding their sound. Secret Serf will be released January 11, 2011 on Lefse Records.

TAPE DECK MOUNTAIN

12/07 Los Angeles, CA Bootleg
12/09 San Diego, CA The Whistle Stop

Tape Deck Mountain
Secret Serf EP
(Lefse)
Street date: Jan. 11, 2011

1. P.I.
2. It Goes Down
3. Trevor
4. Secret Serf

TAPE DECK MOUNTAIN LINKS:

MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/tapedeckmountain
Label - http://lefserecords.com/

MP3: “Cemetary Rain”

In April of 2010 Captured Tracks released a 7″ single by an unknown new york band called MINKS. On the date of release, few people knew any information about the musicians behind the music. Most writers and listeners assumed that it was a one man bedroom music project, like many other artists on the label, and were confused even more when six musicians appeared on stage to perform songs at the first MINKS concert. The first single, titled “Funeral Song” was quickly praised by music journalists and publications like Pitchfork, Stereogum, and Fader. Fader said that it sounded like “If Robert Smith gave birth to a baby, and the baby was actually a cassette of Cure demos that had a lot more staying power than actual Cure demos.”

Seasons changed, and MINKS returned with a follow up 7″ single titled “Ophelia,” which continued to shadow people’s minds with curious thoughts and open ears. The uniqueness of these early singles showed the ability to balance the feelings of joy and sadness, as well as a door to past and present worlds. For these songs were less about the songs themselves, but the ability to make you feel a certain emotion when listening to them. No element alone would stand out, but as a whole, the swirling waves of sound which Pitchfork would describe as “all texture and drift,” would drive you away to a nostalgic place in your mind.

With the release of By The Hedge, MINKS further the ability to make you feel eternal autumn. Frontman and songwriter Sean Kilfoyle’s ability to capture the raincoat grey Boston mornings of his youth, have the desire to make you feel like you are listening to a dream while awake and standing in the pouring rain. put on your raincoat and enjoy the splendor.

MINKS

11/21 Brooklyn, NY Glasslands !

! = w/ Weekend, Young Prisms and Big Troubles

MINKS
By The Hedge
(Captured Tracks)
Street Date: January 11, 2011

1. Kusmi
2. Out of Tune
3. Life at Dusk
4. Indian Ocean
5. Funeral Song
6. Our Ritual
7. Cemetary Rain
8. Bruises
9. Boys Run Wild
10. Ophelia
11. Juniper
12. Arboretum Dogs

MINKS LINKS:

Label Page - http://www.capturedtracks.com/

MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/iamwitchcraft