Check out this remix of James Blake’s Voyeur by UK based Bear // Face. Somehow he managed to out-ethereal the ethereal master himself.

Holy. Shit. If you’re looking for a solid hour of music to get you through your commute, or literally anything else you might be doing, look no further. The entire mixtape is solid and once you hit the last six tracks it gets really real. AND a bonus with two Purity Ring tracks serving as book ends for this mix, absolutely no complaints. We last brought The Hood Internet to your attention when we were obsessed with Foster the People (still obsessed… but taking a healthy break to mix things up). Also, a double bonus, the mixtape has my favorite Hood Internet cover art to date created by Steff Bomb.

You can listen below and/or download from their site or on Soundcloud

We told you all about Tourist back in April and he’s back now with a new single off of an upcoming EP that has him showing that he can mix something a little darker. Tonight builds like Placid Acid does but shows a breadth in style, I dig it.

Local Natives announced today that they not only have a new single but that they will be releasing their sophomore album, Hummingbird, in January 2013 (!!!!). Fans have been waiting not so patiently for something new from the band whose first album was one of the most solidly produced albums I’ve ever listened to.

Local Natives’ new single, Breakers, proves that they are still able to knock it out of the park even after a 3 year break. It has a hint of Grizzly Bear’s sound that seems so popular this fall BUT Local Natives has done it right, they still sound uniquely like themselves with their harmonizing and  solid percussion.

Listen here:

Tour dates listed here.

Lincoln Hall was filled to the brim with excited fans this past Sunday as every sunburnt kid with a penchant for indie rock trekked it to the north side of Chicago to catch Tanlines’ exclusive Pitchfork after show ($7 with a Pitchfork wristband… basically a no-brainer). Tanlines released their first full length album in March of this past year, titled Mixed Emotions, to rave reviews that have built them a pretty serious following. They took the stage with Rain Delay after an ambient introduction comprised of wind chimes (which also served as transition from song to song, something I would normally think of as being cheesy but totally worked in this situation since both Jesse Cohen and Eric Emm seem pretty authentic as far as musicians go). Filling the transitions with funny anecdotes about their short stay in Chicago (buying scalped tickets to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field, welcome to Chicago…) they moved on to play most songs from Mixed Emotions as well as a few previous tracks from EPs and one brand new song that was received well by the crowd. My personal favorite song of the night was All of Me that just sounded so perfect live mostly due to Jesse Cohen’s performance on his impressive set up of drum kit, MacBook Pro, and keyboard.

Honestly, I couldn’t have been more impressed by Tanlines’ live performance. They’re a band I’ve wanted to see live for a while and Lincoln Hall was the perfect place for them to play. Somewhat intimate and filled with fans that truly wanted to be there set the perfect environment. My only complaint is that they didn’t play my personal favorite track off of Mixed Emotions: Abby. I really expected this to be their encore, I even loitered for an awkwardly long time to make sure they weren’t coming back out on stage to play it or even any sort of encore. That being said, I would see them again in a heartbeat and owe it to them for giving me one of the best nights I’ve had all summer.

**If you haven’t listened to Tanlines yet… just do it:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKJ3z9Pa7AU&list=UUfIBo0eCZMykG27FpCeYI6g&index=1&feature=plcp[/youtube]

New Brighton based artist Tourist, or more easily Google searched as William Phillips, is someone who I’ve been meaning to write about for months now. A friend sent me a link to Placid Acid back in January and I couldn’t get enough. I sought out everything else he had recorded to tide me over until he released his first EP which dropped just a few weeks ago (and is fantastic). Luckily, he also posts remixes under the name Little Loud that are just as great to listen to. Placid Acid feels like there should be lyrics to memorize even when none are present. It’s reminiscent of Jamie XX and Animal Collective without feeling like a knock-off which is refreshing in the middle of the EDM era we’re currently in. His sound is versatile; translating anywhere from easy-listening to dance floor.

Check out Placid Acid before he gets big, I promise you won’t regret it:

 

Swedish natives Miike Snow recently released the highly anticipated follow up to their self titled album. Happy To You has arrived two years later but it was worth the wait. The album builds on the foundation its predecessor laid,  adding more layers to their sound, some dissonant and some made purely for dancing. There really isn’t a single track on Happy To You that isn’t noteworthy. The two most circulated tracks thus far have been Devil’s Work and The Wave but my personal favorite is Pretender (and also the transition from the track leading up to it, Bavarian #1). If you can, I would recommend getting your hands on the Deluxe Version since it includes two phenmenal remixes by Wolfgang Gartner and Alex Metric.

Listen to Paddling Out here:

Yo! I have a flight to catch in about 4 hours, yours truly is going back to SXSW.  I’m currently shaking with anxiety, as there is so much to do so much to see, that I have oodles of content from last years SXSW that I never got to share with y’all (stay tuned I’ll probably crack open the vault real soon).

Incase you are curious are/or going to be down there, here are some showcases that caught my eye/people forwarded to me:

[Read more]

The old woman that I’m slowly turning into has been wary of this new trend in streaming concerts, not trusting video quality or not wanting to watch a concert that I can’t make it to. I’ll admit, and I don’t do this often, that I was wrong, it’s awesome. I recently tuned into Foster the People’s set on Live on Letterman, having missed the live airing, and was totally pleased to have the best seat in the house all while never leaving the couch. Their lead singer gets me every time because he dances so enthusiastically (let’s be real, awkwardly) that I can only imagine that’s what I look like when I’m getting down. I was really pleased that they took the time to rock out some of their better songs and didn’t stick to milking Pumped Up Kicks for all that it’s worth. Foster, you’re good, you don’t have to rely on 15 minute Pumped Up Kicks jam sessions. The most notable tracks that they killed it on were Miss You (maybe I’m biased, but I just love that song), Helena Beat (another favorite), and Color on the Walls (ugh, I love every song, I have a problem). Although I’ve been pimping out this band since the beginning of the summer if you haven’t checked them out yet this is a perfect opportunity, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Check it out here, here, here!!

This is not the official video for Foster the People’s Helena Beat… but it should be:

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/21504557[/vimeo]