Music

We’ve always had a soft spot for Swedish talent (ahem, Miike Snow), and here’s another one to add to the Scandinavian roster: Niki and The Dove’s “DJ, East My Mind,” is simply smoking. The debut single from the Stockholm, Sweden band is so unique, that the band will easily carve out a niche for themselves in the American music marketplace. Sub Pop agrees, the Seattle-based home of artists CSS and The Go! Team, snapped up the duo, Malin Dahlström and Gustaf Karlöf, in March.

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Forget the fact that singer-songwriter Trevor “Trouble” Andrew’s forthcoming record, set to drop March 28, is titled Dreams of a Troubled Man. By all accounts this former Olympic snowboarder with the freshest sound in town is living the dream. Between festival appearances (the latest of which is today’s SXSW performance with Wu-Tang Clan), loyal fans and friends (the latter collectively called the Trouble Gang) and a wife we know as Santigold, Andrew leads a charmed life. Continue…

It’s been nearly two years since Peter Bjorn and John has graced the airwaves with a new EP, so it’s a perfect #MusicMonday sort of preview to catch a listen of the new album Gimme Some slated to drop on March 29 via StarTime International. The tracks are Pop Rocks sunny with ebullient guitar strumming found in “Dig a Little Deeper” and the already fan fave “Breaker Breaker.” It’s also noteworthy that working with outside producers, Per Sunding at Tambourine Studios, for the first time  – Peter Moren, Bjorn Yttling and John Eriksson usually tinker with their own sounds –  has brought out a new decisively pop roundabout. (More in the vein of the trio’s 2006 album Writer’s Block than 2009′s moodier Living Thing.) “Second Chance” is downright enthusiastic. Continue…

Ever find yourself at the end of trying work week in need of some hardcore tunage? Me too. Especially since it’s Winter Music Conference right now in Miami (more for the hot weather setting and less about the debaucherous barely-dressed fist-pumping), my office cubicle is a downright allergen come Fridays at 5 p.m. My new go-to is Milkman’s mash-up CD, Algorithms. Released in Jan. earlier this year (and after two years of work), it’s a free-handed mix of the latest pop tracks over hits from the ’70s and ’80s, and the Milkman delivers. Mashup CDs have been something of a trend du jour ever since  the genius Danger Mouse toyed with Jay-Z and The Beatles tracks. But rather than treading on possibly stale ground, Milkman cuts through with seamless transitions from song to song without it feeling awkward . Continue…

It’s not everyday you come across Asian sisters that combine rap alongside gorgeous live violin melodies.  All of which is exactly why you should pay attention to Korean American duo Knewdles + Sos of Misnomer(S). Springing up from the Buffalo suburbs and now based out of cool brownstone-heavy hood Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn, the twosome throws down a deadly combo of lyrics and classical training. You might have already spotted them in Converse One Star ads or caught Knewdles taking down the mic at Def Jam Poetry Slams. In any case, hear a track off of their album American I(s) that dropped this past fall and you’ll have this MP3 download (gratis, of course) of their single “Too Many Things” to add to your bands-to-watch music collection. Continue…

Remember those days of homecoming crowds and Thursday night back to back basketball games? Well aptly named Rival Schools may not quite take you back to those nostalgic days, but they will spruce up your Friday with their new single “Wring It Out.” The highly anticipated track off their upcoming new album Pedals (out March 8 on Photo Finish/Atlantic Records) sports rich guitar chords with soaring, easy listening vocals. Catch a listen of their skills here (and the music vid too, because we’re thorough like that), along with a preview of their B-side  ”You Should Have Hung Out.”  For live music aficinoados, the New York-based band is slated to hit the road starting March 2. Continue…

Chi-town’s experimental, have-fun-with-it young band Maps & Atlases is tinkering around with their popular track “Living Decorations” off their debut album Perch Patchwork out last year. Come March 1,  the indie four-some and Barsuk Records are releasing a couple mixes and live tracks exclusively via iTunes. Top that off with more tour dates, a stop at South by Southwest and a new music video for “Living Decorations” that’s goofy and tongue-in-cheek and we’d say their momentum is on the up and up.  Check out the new music vid here. Continue…

Few bands have the gravitational pull that Radiohead does. The already epic band has a following the size of the Grateful Dead (albeit cleaner) and leaves tens-of-thousands of thumping hearts begging for more every time they hit the stage. One might imagine a band with the magintude of Radiohead would have a tough time keeping a secret? Think again. Continue…

New York fashion week is set to kick off tomorrow and while prepping for the non-stop seven days ahead, we’ve been de-stressing with our favorite songs in the office. For that carefree, whirl-about-in-the-spring-sunshine, perfect-for-the -70s-revival kind of vibe, PJ Harvey is our chanteuse of choice. Her new album Let England Shake drops Feb. 15. This time around the lyrics are both tight and directional. It could be that her synergy with her long-standing collaborators including Flood, John Parish and Mick Harvey has reached a new high point or it might be the setting; this eighth album was recorded in a 19th Century church in Dorset, atop a cliff overlooking the sea. The “Last Living Rose” certainly has a dreamy quality to it as does “Hanging In The Wire” with its pretty lullaby feel. Meanwhile, “Written On The Forehead” has already gotten some early popular love. Continue…

It’s snowy, slushy Friday in New York, and all to cap off that first sluggish week back from the holidays. In the office, we’ve had something of a Friday anthem to suit the moody spirit. We opted for this new track “Do What You Will” by San Francisco band Papercuts. Front man Jason Robert Quever delivers with pretty songwriting and soaring vocals that recall top-down convertible rides on a Cali day. “There was so much aggressive music when I was younger, and I just felt like trying something different,” says Quever. “I don’t want to hit people over the head. That’s just not who I am. I don’t necessarily like to be the center of attention.” For fans of their easy-to-listen-to sound, the group is set to release its fourth album Fading Parade on March 1 via SubPop. Or if you’re antsy to a quick Papercuts hit, the band is touring with Beach House in February with stops in SF, Los Angeles, NYC and Philly. Continue…