Any emotions is a surprisingly compelling indie collab between Brian Wilson & the Mini Mansions. Mini Mansions is made up of Michael Schuman, Zach Dawes & Tyler Parkford, while Brian Wilson needs absolutely no explanation. Most people have only heard of these guys as what Queens of The Stone Age does when they’re bored, they’ve managed a huge pick up here. Connecting with the sound of the sun, Brian Wilson, they’ve put together a dreamy, almost indie track that really takes off. It’s really hard to find things that still rock, but this quietly does. It’s over far too soon, but before it’s done, you get classic Brian Wilson vocals, chords that don’t disappoint, and a performance by Mini Mansions that reveres who they’re working with & doesn’t try to steal the spotlight. Kudos again to Joy of Violent Movement for the clutch tag on this.
Category Archives: Midnight Music
Midnight Music: Etherwood – You’ll Always Be A Part Of Me
I am so happy Etherwood has done this. Not only is this a delightful re-imaging of what drum & bass can sound like, but woo dude vocals! Etherwood has carved out a stupendous home for himself and if you don’t know why, tracks like this show it off. This kind of soothing style of d&b is my Wyld Stallions music. This is what I think we’ll all listen to in elevators and all day every day once we reach the future peace society that we only see in fiction. What I’m saying is, Drum & Bass makes peace. I’m going to make sure you know about Etherwood’s releases, so get used to it being all up in this piece. (via The Awesome YouTube Channel of Med School)
Midnight Music: LunchMoney Lewis – Bills (Leah Haxhi Cover) [Indie Cover]
Stupendous. Leah Haxhi needs the highest of fives for creating this. Not only do we have another strong lady taking on covering hip hop, but it’s got gospel & violin in it! This kind of soulful re-working with the gender flip is always going to get some words from me. It’s a fun, well composed indie tune that should both give Leah Haxhi some needed exposure, but signal boost for Lunch Money Lewis in places he may not be heard. The original is below for you to compare & enjoy as well, because, why would I set you up like this and not provide you the comparison right? The take home message here is, I say more ladies with stringed instruments covering hip hop. Can we get a hip lady from Brooklyn to cover Puffy’s discography so we can take back some of that territory? (via Fresh New Tracks)
Midnight Music: New Arty Remix Referencing Bed Stuy, LSD & Brooklyn.
I posted a Facebook status about this a little bit ago, but I wanted to make sure to go on the record noting this has happened. This is a dance remix of a track specifically mentioning Bed Stuy, or Bedford Stuyvesant, one of the battlegrounds of gentrification in BK these days. So, I really like the progressive remix that’s going on here, and it, like the lyrics feel very new and 21st century. It, in my opinion is far superior to the original. The pop track that was remixed has a cool music video, I only have one problem with it being associated with the song. It’s shot entirely in a place with palm trees & empty pools for skateboarding in. That would be LA, not NYC. Guys, I’m all for name dropping the dope parties you’ve been to, but can we at least get a little accuracy in out shoots? The original video is below. Do you think I’m just ranting? Tell me off in the comments if so.
Midnight Music: Hummingbird – Fool
A little while back, I brought y’all this cool EP by an artist named Allume. Thankfully, she’s kept the work going, including with one of her compatriots Souda. This new group is called Hummingbird, and they’ve got the indietronica sound down pat. This almost mournful, yet potent track is a winding delight. The soothing vocals and the soft, but persistent synthy bass got into my head and hasn’t left. So now it’s in yours. It’s good for one of those moody days where you want to feel good, but you can’t deal with sunshine & lollipops in your ears. Great work from down under. I really need to get to a festival in Australia.
Midnight Music: Soular Order – Stay Close
https://soundcloud.com/soularorder/soular-order-stay-close Soular Order has been breaking new ground in soundscapes for quite some time. This Stay Close demo is a perfect example of what Mr. Order (Soular?) is capable of. This ethereal bass structured around sound principles (I’m terrible I know) gives him such a competent oeuvre (look it up kids), that he can put out an early demo and I’ll not only eat it up, I’ll post the everliving crap out of it. This is chill like few others can make it. The vibes here are real, so put this into your face as your systems shut down one by one. At some point, I’ve gotta convince/trick Soular Order into doing an interview with me. If only so I can learn more about how the hell he creates these amazing tracks. Stay close to your loved ones indeed. Once the EP is out, y’all will know, I promise that.
Midnight Music: Coleman Hell – Thumbalina
Tonight, I’m keeping the indie presence here going with this fun little ditty out of Mr. Coleman Hell from Toronto. While I really expected leather, this guy’s got a great sound and so much energy. This kind of upbeat, hopeful, optimistic sound is exactly what you need on Monday night. The lyrics are smart, romantic and may give you a reason to think that you’ll find someone after that last trainwreck. It’s effervescent and that is coming from the old, cynical grumpy Gotham cat himself. It’s entirely difficult to get me to smile this much, so props to Mr. Hell. Can we please get Mr. Hell to be a metal/emo/brutal side project? I mean, probably for my own amusement but it could work? (via Fresh New Tracks)
Midnight Music: Vices & Jailo & BrassTracks & K.B. Starr – We Bout It
So, I’m kind of annoyed at my West Coast people. They didn’t tell me about Moving Castle, this stunning label that’s been making waves at SXSW this year. They just dropped their 4th compilation of future hotness and I wanted to bring you this highlight. This tune combines so many of my favorite things. We’ve got future bass, brass, syncopation, appropriate vocal work & quite a fun set of vibes. This is the kind of work I really like seeing from the EDM universe. The collab between the half dozen pieces of talent that honestly need to keep working together. Hit up the soundcloud page and show some love to these guys on Facebook & Instagram, because you’re going to be hearing way more from Moving Castle in the coming months.
Midnight Music: Dan Deacon – Learning To Relax [Seizure-Inducing Music Video]
Welp, this one is a bit much. It’s wonderful, but I wouldn’t recommend projecting the music video or staring directly at it for too long if you have epilepsy. The tune is tremendous. A fusion between chip & indie with whole lot of fun synthwork on the top, but it’s totally only half the story. The serenity of the track is contrasted with an exceptionally simple music video that complicates itself to the point of insanity by mathematics. It may be a lot, and could give the weaker among us nausea. So, listen to it in another window if that’s you. If not, wheee! It’s crazypants.
Midnight Music: St▲rs ▲re De▲d – Where Is My Mind
This takes the cake for most inventive Pixies remix ever. This chillwave/melodic remix of the track is almost not there. If you ever needed a Sunday morning comedown or hangover track, it’s right here. The airyness & ethereal backing is so perfect I feel like I might just be imagining half of it. The pianos feel like they’re being strained through a chemical fog, but still strongly evoke the best parts of the original Pixies track. This is a masterful reworking by Berlin native John Laudani. I hope The Pixies hear this. Possibly when they’re in the spa or something. Because this is everything a remix should be. Totally different, but still worthy of the original.
Terry Gotham 