Orient Tonight :: Nino DeMaggio

Today was a weird day for me, I talked to much. I get mad when I talk a lot, cause I usually am just thinking in my head constantly but never reveal said thoughts. This music suits the weird day very well. I have been into a lot of ambient electro stuff lately and this is hitting the spot. Nino DeMaggio has acoustic pianos, that's all I have to say. You can't download this song tho, sad face and junk.
-Adam

Chasing After Shadows...Living With Ghosts :: Hammock

It's good to be back on something civil. My best friend Michael was in town for about 5 days so I was busy. I also have not talked to Charlie since he got back in town but I am sure he had a good time, and I loved to see that my assumptions of him being called Sean White a bunch were true. On to the music, Hammock rocks. I have known about this project since its release in May. This is some good post-rock with thin, layered guitars and the climax of a good ol' Explosions In The Sky tune. This is more ambient than anything post-rock I have heard, though. I think that has a lot to do with the flowing synth and almost space like sounds that crescendo and decrescendo throughout these songs. The tracks give me a very dark feeling. It is also very simple but makes me think. Simplicity is great, in my opinion. Definitely go buy Hammock's release either digital or tangible form at Hammock's Bandcamp.
-Adam

Golden :: Blue Teeth

Long time no see. So I just got back in from my wondrous trip out to Vail, Colorado. It dumped most of the time I was out there, and the O2 is in short supply, but the snowboarding was killer. Got my hike on to get to some fresh pow wow. The Shaun White comments and double takes were not in short supply, either. The mountains were the best part though, and Golden's lo fi pop masterpiece single gave me the feel of what the rockies are really all about. Reverbed and some mountaintop whistling. Can't get much better. 

Golden - "Blue Teeth"

-Charlie

Livid Kids :: Michael Bishop/On The Green LP

Livid Kid's new LP is finally here, "Michael Bishop/On The Green" is the second release from my band. It is on our Purevolume for free download until December 20th. It is our Christmas present to all of you fans. When Charlie gets back from Colorado he will be doing a review on the whole record. Since I am the drummer of Livid Kids I thought I would put a track from our new release on here too. Enjoy
-Adam

Livid Kids - I Don't Mind It

Usonia :: Three Hours

Charlie has been kicking my ass in posts. Needless to say I gave him shit for it, fuckin' Sean White. You know whats even funnier? He's going to Vail, Colorado for a week to be even more like Sean White. Wonder how many times he will hear that joke while on the slopes. In all fairness I love Charlie, good ass dude. So onto this band who in fact look like they are lumber jackin' the Coloradian slopes. Usonia is this sweet mix of dance pop, indie, electronic, and bad ass. I am really happy I found these guys. On their track "Three Hours" you here some great work of harmonies, meddle meddle synthesizer, a funky bass line, and some great lead vocals reminding me of some obscure band you have never heard of, dickheads. ANNNYYWAAAY, this song is really awesome so go download it for free at their bandcamp! And as always, do your thang.
- Adam

Usonia - Three Hours

Braids :: Plath Heart

I love it when a band has good female vocals, and Braids is one of them. If you didn't see their other single "Lemonade" circling the blogosphere a while back, nows the time to get in on this. This Canadian pop foursome has a vibe going, and i love it. Maybe all the sweetass electronics going on in this track, I don't know. I'll be leaving for Vail in two days, and this will be coming with me. 

Braids - "Plath Heart"

-Charlie

Tashtooks :: End of Summer

What's up with all this "end of summer" stuff going on? Maybe it's just a trend I'm unaware of, but anyways, killer track.

Tashtooks - "End of Summer"

-Charlie

Open Spaces Beat Tape :: Mainella

I feel somewhat bad because I guess my jokes are too harsh, and I made this girl I'm friends with feel bad today due to my harshness. Some call me an ass hole, I agree. People should know not to take me seriously though. Which brings me to this song called "Chicks"  track 14 on the media player below. It's got the "the tape is skipping" feel to it which I love. It's got a nice almost funk feel to it, I am having a lot of trouble thinking of what to say about this track. All I know is it is pleasing my ears, which is all that matters in the long run. You can pick up Mainella's "Open Spaces Beat Tape" at the beat man's bandcamp for a small fee of 0.00$ U.S. Check it out, chicks.

-Adam

New Iron & Wine :: "Tree by the River"

Iron & Wine's Samuel Beam is set to release Kiss Each Other Clean via Warner Bros January 25. Picked up this new single today over at the website (here) and it's fabulous. He seems to be taking his sound in a new direction (much like Sufjan's Age of Adz) with the lo fi electronics, but personally, I think he's doing it much better.

Iron & Wine - "Tree by the River"

-Charlie

Shook Remixes

I know I've been putting up quite a bit of remixes lately, but this is one i just couldn't NOT put up. This Netherlandian has a great feel for what he wants in a mix, and does it well. Very, very, very cool stuff, man. He also seems to be into comic art too. Anyways head over to his soundcloud and give it all a listen. These two are free to download.

MIA - "Internet Connection (Shook Remix)"
Phoenix - "Lisztomania (Shook Remix)"

-Charlie

Cloud Nothings :: Should Have

Prepped and ready for their sophomore self-titled release via Carpark Records on January 25 (busy first couple months for Carpark with the Toro release the next month), Cloud Nothings sound is just as good as before. Check the fresh track and also check out the wonderful "Understand it All" over at Pitchfork. 

Cloud Nothings "Should Have" by carparkrecords

-Charlie

Miracle :: Koolin'

Winter's been hitting us hard these past few days, and I honestly love it. School's out next week, and you know what that means... New Year parties. Prep for it with this. With badass tempo changes and that classic almost Will Smith sound, Miracle has some fresh jams. Again, no info on this guy either except the phrase summertime. You try googling "Miracle".... Anyways go pick up the track for a measly buck over at his bandcamp. 

"Summertime, wintertime, anytime.. we koolin'"

-Charlie

Neutron Her :: Huab Kub

I can't even begin to explain how much this song hit me when I first listened to it. All of the craziness of finals has had me stressed to the max, and this was just so refreshing. There's next to no information about this guy, but I gotta give him some kudos. Thanks for making finals that much bearable. Head over to his Myspace and support. 

[mp3] Neutron Her - "Huab Kub"

-Charlie

Caleb and the Caroling Caravan :: Vol. II

I just picked a good fight with this chick I'm seeing, it was fun. So then I went looking for Christmas inspired music that is actually good, because I wanted some happier music to lighten the mood.
Caleb and the Caroling Caravan are sick nasty! The first track "Christmas is the Best!" is Christmas to me! Man these layered vocals are really hitting the spot for me. The percussion has a very low fi feel to it which is exactly how I like my percussion unless I'm listening to metal. This track just makes me smile.
The second track "Toyland" is a take on a Christmas classic and I have to say I approve. I really like Caleb's voice, it's very easy to listen to. When the strings come into play over the scratchy guitar you can tell whoever wrote these songs knows what they are doing. It gives me a sit down by the fire and drink some tea feel.
Moving on to the seventh track on this groups band camp, "Tinsel Vision" which has a very similar feel to "Toyland". I have to say this track is awesome too! I haven't found Christmas music I have liked since I was like 10! This is some great stuff, do your thang Caleb and his Carolers!

-Adam

Johnathan Huffman :: Profound Whatever

I come home from school today only to see that my last cig is torn in half, I'm pissed. I decided "Fuck today, sleep time." and I head up to bed hoping to sleep until tomorrow morning (which obviously did not happen). I woke up around 8:30 and thought I might as well do something with my day so i started looking for new jams on bandcamp. Then I found Johnathan Huffman, this dude is unique as hell! His smooth folk riffing mixed with his wavy dissonant vocals and his soft electronic beats in the background make him a great listen for a winter night. This is cool stuff. You can download his track at his bandcamp.
-Adam

[mp3] Johnathan Huffman - Profound Whatever

Gangs Rust :: Loading In Your Thoughts

If all hip hop sounded like this, I would be hooked. I personally think hip hop and jazz have a promising future and I really don't see why artists take advantage of all the jazz there is to sample out there. Jazz = class, that's all there is to say. Oh, and I really love the Barbra Streisand sampling in "Here Is the Life". Genius. Get all 14 tracks here.

[mp3] Gangs Rust - "Here Is The Life"

[mp3] Gangs Rust - "Take That, This Is Jazzy"
[mp3] Gangs Rust - "The Love"

-Charlie

Toro y Moi :: Still Sound

If you don't already know, I'm a huge fan of Toro...

With a fresh album drop due out in February titled Under the Pine via Carpark Records, Chaz Bundick has melded into something new. With live instrumentation in this and now performing with a band, he's began the tradition from strictly electronic jams familiar to 2010's Causers of This to... this. Hard to describe, but I can definitely roll with this. 

[mp3] Toro y Moi - "Still Sound"

-Charlie

Still Summer Mix

So I've been putting this off the last few weeks, and I finally got around to finishing this bad boy (coincidently the day before my calculus final). It just dawned on me the other day that this year is almost over, so I've concocted a short mix of my favorite jams over the past year. I've gone through quite a change in my musical taste. I had started off the year listening to only a few semi well known bands (Beirut, Devendra, Beck) and then transitioned into some more electronic/experimental stuff (Caribou, Four Tet)  and then summer kicked in,  and I was opened up to the wonderful multi-genre of anything and everything "surf". I was instantly hooked, and so this is the result. I hope you enjoy. Sample it here, or pick it up here. 8Tracks shuffles it, by the way.. disappointment.

Track Listing:

[mp3] Float On (Modest Mouse Cover) - Blackbird Blackbird
[mp3] Blisters - MOTHS
[mp3] Jonah (Star Slinger Remix) - Fiveng
[mp3] face paint / breathing circle - Tree Hopping
[mp3] Voices - Pure Ecstasy
[mp3] We Were Never Alone - Slow Loris
[mp3] Tree Fort - I Was a Fountain
[mp3] Late Summer - Seapony
[mp3] Sound + Vision (en espanol) - Megapuss
[mp3] Lions - Jonquil
[mp3] Twelve Roses - Beach Fossils
[mp3] Slang Tang - Discovery
[mp3] Strangers - Young Man

-Charlie

ManzOni :: Euro Indie

ManzOni is one of the coolest projects I have ever come across. This five piece ensemble are innovative and relaxing. The songs by ManzOni remind me of a walk I would go on during a dark winter night, thinking about the questions that cant be answered. This music has a very mysterious tone to it, with its high pitched bleeps and wooshes it really is something different. The drums are very light, the drummer using brushes for some tracks. The beat is making me roll my neck in a circle as I listen, as if I was in a trance. This music is great, I am gonna call it hypnotic Indie, because it sure is hypnotyzing me. You can stream all of ManzOni's Self Titled below.
- Adam

The future of Hip Hop

 Hey everyone, this is Adam and this is my first post on Something Civil and I would like to thank Charlie for asking me to write for this bad ass blog.
So last night I was at a party at a good friend of mines house, there were plenty of 40s (don't ask why we were drinking 40s, maybe it's the same reason I am posting a hip hop song) and a shit load of Bacardi, needless to say the kiddies couldn't handle their liquor.
As the party went on I heard a yell from this drunk b word I am not a fan of, I couldn't recall what she exactly said but that doesn't matter, because she said "Love" and "Cup".
Which brings me to this post about Theophilus London's "Sorry To Interrupt". Theophilus London is the future of hip hop with his 80's influenced synthesizer, his new age flow, and his pounding bass clap that just makes you want to dance. He is a great artist that deserves more respect in the hip hop world, do your thang Theo.
- Adam
Theophilus London - Sorry To Interrupt

Orange Blossom Flyover :: Fast Reverse

A fresh new cut picked up over at NMI. This dream pop gem is a great addition to your "Fuck Winter" playlist. It might just melt all that snow away. 

Orange Blossom Flyover - "Someone Like You"

Unknown Mortal Orchestra :: How Can U Luv Me / Thought Ballune

Definitely growing in popularity, UMO has some serious funk. Cool stuff. Grab a 7" for cheap over at the bandcamp, and spin up some of his other tracks. He definitely hasn't stuck himself in a certain genre, that's for sure. 

Unknown Mortal Orchestra - "How Can U Luv Me"
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - "Thought Ballune"

Diamond Messages :: Smoke & Mirrors EP

Diamond Messages down tempo dream pop is all but irrelevant. Smoke & Mirrors was just recently released via Spontaneous Rhythm, and I would suggest scooping it up for your own personal pleasure. A great album, and definitely one of my favs this year. 

Diamond Messages - "Liquid Summer"
Diamond Messages - "Smoke & Mirrors"

Here's a video for "Smoke & Mirrors". Don't watch this if you're epileptic. 

Koalafish :: Human

Not much information about these guys (and girl) on the web. Very dark and mysterious... Love the lo fi electronic folk think they have going on. Keep it up, whoever you are. 

Koalafish - "Halves & Pieces"
Koalafish - "Human"

Star Slinger :: Remedy

You might have seen this circulating the blogosphere the past day or two, and rightfully so. Star Slinger's set to release this killer 7" split with Hard Mix via the great and glorious Double Denim label on February 7, 2011. Limited to 300 copies. Get one here. Sweeto.

Star Slinger//Hard Mix - "Remedy"

Star Slinger - Remedy *Pre-Order 7" from Double Denim* by Star Slinger

Wayphaser :: Heartwaves/Runnyjim

Wayphaser's uniquely unoriginal low fi dreamy chilled out jams are something we've all heard before, whether it be Neon Indian, Toro, but I still love it. And I honestly can't think why. Maybe it's just me missing summer now that the ground is covered in snow, or something along those lines... Anyways, definitely two solid tracks.

via

Wayphaser - "Heartwaves"
Wayphaser - "Runnyjim"

The Legendary Lightness :: Airplane

The Legendary Lightness - Airplane (official video clip) from The Legendary Lightness on Vimeo.

Cool song. Cool vid. Coolness. Makes me wish I wouldn't have dropped Aerospace...

Strange Names :: Broken Mirror / Luxury Child

Francis Jimenez and Liam Benzvi from Minneapolis recently laid out these two fabulous singles. With distant vocals, and sweet unique usage of percussion, "Broken Mirror" can remind us all of the recent timbres of Levek. Very pretty.

Strange Names - "Broken Mirror"
Strange Names - "Luxury Child"

Peterson :: Through the Snow

That's right. It's snowing. A fresh new track picked up from the bandcamp, this song is sampled almost entirely from the tune "Snow" from the classic film White Christmas. Very creative, and very original.

Peterson :: Through the Snow

Teen Daze :: Beach Dreams

If you've been on any blogs recently, you've probably stumbled across Teen Dazes newest EP. And you've probably been thinking, "this isn't the Teen Daze I know!".. Taking a turn from his traditional neon drenched electrojams, this new sound is very distant from his previous releases, but still very much Teen Daze. Name your price over at the bandcamp.

Teen Daze :: Let's Fall Asleep Together
Teen Daze :: Cliff Jump Love Song