Barry Hogan, you warned us: The schizophrenic lineup that the Flaming Lips curated for 2009′s All Tomorrow’s Parties fest could only have been dreamed up by indie-rock’s favorite acid-damaged elder statesmen. You saw the Lips’ penchant for both the beautiful and the deranged reflected in the juxtaposition: well-mannered indie-folk acts like Iron & Wine and Sufjan Stevens sharing the stage with drone and agro-rock heavyweights like the Melvins, the Jesus Lizard, and Boris. Rounding out the lineup’s highlights were sets from festival favorites like Animal Collective, Deerhoof, and the Flaming Lips themselves, while the Feelies and Suicide gave performances of their respective debut albums in their entirety.
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To celebrate the 150th anniversary of The Origin of the Species, fringe-event organizers Winkel & Balktick invited guests to climb aboard their version of the famous HMS Beagle for a night of art installations, performance pieces, games, and music in tribute to perhaps the most famous scientific treatise of all time. House, dubstep, and disco spun throughout the night by the likes of BeenJammin’, Arrow Chrome, and D_JUICE, while those craving something live caught eclectic musical performances from ZXL, Miss Angelina, and Sistene Criminals. If you couldn’t make it to Burning Man, this party was definitely the next best thing.
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Even though we’re moving into the dog days of summer, when things get slow release-wise, there are still plenty of exciting tunes to laze beside the pool with thanks to what’s turning out to be an absolutely stellar year for music. So give your fingers a little warm-up stretch and get ready to “Right Click, Save Link As…,” because after the jump we present 10 essential late-summer jams from our latest Viva Radio show that you should consider required listening at your next barbecue. Read More »
Photo credit: Keisha Rae Witherspoon
Camp Bisco Eight was the eighth-annual incarnation of the three-day music and arts festival in upstate Mariaville, New York. Spread over its two stages and late-night dance tent, the lineup was about as diverse as festival schedules come — regardless of whether your penchant is for indie rock, jam bands, electro-house, or hip-hop. Highlights included Nas performing with Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, legendary ambient-house duo the Orb, psych-pop rockers Dr. Dog, NYC disco revivalists LCD Soundsystem, electronic hip-hop maestro Flying Lotus, and three nights of performances from festival hosts the Disco Biscuits. View our photo slideshow now>>
Nosaj Thing is the alias of LA-based glitch-hop artist and producer Jason Chung.
Chung’s eerie and elegant debut album, Drift, derives its sound from a wide range of influences (one of the tracks is tellingly titled “1685/Bach”), resulting in a record that at times willfully strays from its glitch-hop roots.
He clearly labored over every oddball production detail and sample, and when he can’t find the perfect sound, he just makes it himself — the beat for one song is derived from a sample of Chung peeling masking tape and jangling loose change.
When he’s not obsessing over every aspect of his own tracks, Chung is a prolific remixer for fellow laptop maestros like Flying Lotus, Jogger, and Daedelus.
Read our exclusive interview with Nosaj Thing, download a free remix of “Coat of Arms” or grab the original, watch more videos, see him live in SF or LA, and buy
Drift online.
Free MP3s are great, but they’re even better when they’re for new tracks from some of the bigger names in indie music. We also like to keep things fresh over here at Flavorpill, so we’ve also included a crop of new faces for your listening pleasure, too. Chances are you’ll probably end up liking them just as much — if not more. Click through for downloads from our last Viva Radio playlist, and be sure to check back and listen to the show itself. We update every week. Read More »
This week our Viva Radio playlist began and ended with covers, one a ’90s icon’s take on an unassailable proto-indie classic, the other a relatively unknown performer’s interpretation of a polarizing lo-fi indie up and comer. Pairings seemed to be the unintended theme of the mix, because sandwiched between these two worthy renditions you’ll find come-back two tracks from ’90s indie-rock darlings, two songs from Sweden’s Sincerely Yours, and a trio of cuts from various parts of the UK. Click through for downloads from our last Viva Radio playlist, and be sure to check back and listen to the show itself — we update every week. Read More »
The latest Viva Radio broadcast featured psych-folk freak outs, mixtape mash-ups marrying the L.E.S. to the Dirty South, and a danceable take on Swedish domestic life. Culling our favorite cuts from the show, Viva la Mix is back again to hook you up with 11 of the best new tracks you’ll find online. Click through for downloads from our last Viva Radio playlist, and be sure to check back and listen to the show itself — we update every week. Read More »
Last Friday your friends here at Flavorpill served up some epic metal riffage, childlike psych-pop, brain-frying indie-rap, and a generous helping of danceable Yoko Ono on what was perhaps our most eclectic Viva Radio program yet — but who knows what kind of wanton disregard for genre homogeneity might occur in the future. Until we find out tomorrow, get your mix fix with the latest round-up of the finest new MP3s the blogs have to offer. Click through for downloads from our last Viva Radio playlist, and be sure to check back and listen to the show itself — we update every week. Read More »
Variety is the spice of life, and whether your penchant is for psych-pop, doom-drone, or aggro-noise rock, this latest Viva la Mix! roundup has got a little something for everyone. Courtesy of the master mixologists here at Flavorpill, this discerning blend of tunes is concocted from only the finest and freshest MP3s available. Click through for downloads from our last Viva Radio playlist, and be sure to check back and listen to the show itself — we update every week. Read More »
