NEW VIDEO: ZULU WINTER - KEY TO MY HEART

Know that saying never judge a book by it's cover?  It's totally true!  I resisted listening to this band based solely on their name.  I know we all make fun of indie rock bands that have animals and seasons in their names because there are one million of them - there are so many band names with Wolf or Deer or Bear that it's hard to keep it all straight at times.  But come on.....Zulu??  My bias and bad attitude toward crappy hipster indie rock took over, and I just could not be bothered with a band that included Zulu in their name.  I was wrong.

Two things I did not do: 1) realize this was an Arts & Crafts band.  If I had known they put out the debut Zulu Winter record Language in June I would have listened - I really enjoy most of the bands on that label, and 2) they are from London, and I am a sucker for boys with British accents!  Also, all the music coming out of that part of the world right now is just AMAZING!  ​So, I got over myself and took a listen, and now I am totally in love with Zulu Winter.  I think Nylon said it best, “a jaunty collection of smart pop songs featuring falsetto cries, tribal beats, and sparkly synths”.

Check out this new Zulu Winter video for single "Key To My Heart"!​

NEW MUSIC: TIGER LOVE - SUMMER RAIN

This is my find of the day!  New band from London - Tiger Love - are pretty much amazing!  Synth-pop dance goodness is what I would call them!  Tiger Love  formed last year by brothers Gigi, Roiii and Loral.  They are currently working on their debut album in New York​!  New single "Summer Rain" was released last week - check it out!

NEW MUSIC: KEENHOUSE - WHERE I BELONG

Keenhouse have a new track - this is some serious synth action!  This is what Keehouse has to say about it: "'Where I Belong' is a song about the search for a home -- a physical place or inner sanctum. Starting out as a soft-spoken nightly tale, the track's lyrics are weaved into a sci-fi landscape that continuously builds to a climax. The track is also the first single from the forthcoming album Four Dreams. Four Dreams is a story in chapters, a journey through the subconscious, set in electronic music."​

Download "Where I Belong" for free - just click the download button on the soundcloud player above!​

NEW MUSIC: GANGI - RAILWAYS NO. 1-27

I have been seeing Gangi shows for a number of years now....and they are always always great!  This Los Angeles based band has made a name for themselves amongst the oodles and oodles of groups that grace the stages of small music venues spread through out this city - standing out is the trick​!  I went to every night of their Monday night Spaceland Residency back in 2009, and they have played with so many great bands - like Foster The People and Local Natives - so yes.....it is time for some new tunes from Gangi!

The new record - Gesture Is - is set to be released October 2 via Office of Analogue and Digital​.  This new singel "Railways No. 1-27" is a beautiful example of the great electro-psych sound that Matt Gangi and Eric Chramosta create.  There most certainly is joy in repetition - this song takes you on a swirly dreamy journey with repeating vocals and builds with live drums - I find myself getting lost in the rhythmic build and I want to throw glitter on everyone....or something of that nature!  It's really great, and I am excited to hear more!

NEW MUSIC: SPECTOR - ENJOY IT WHILE IT LASTS

I tasted a hundred friends of mine on your lips, I never saw a single sunset on that strip - what a way to start off a record!  Finally - the day has arrived!  Spector has released their debut album Enjoy It While It Lasts in the UK today, and I feel like a 12 year old school girl​ who just had her first kiss!  I have been waiting for this record for months and months.....and now I have it in my hot little hands! 

It is not very often I look forward to a record release like this - with as much excitement and enthusiasm as a fat kid in a candy store!  This is what it was like when I was a kid sitting in my Dad's studio listening to The Beatles records while he explained what the lyrics meant, and I would just stair at the album covers mesmerized by the artwork , and that musky smell of vinyl was forever embedded into my soul - this is how I fell in love with music.  This new Spector record has stirred up all those childlike feelings - every once in a while it still happens - I can forget about the complete state of shit modern / popular music is in and remember how it feels to love music!

I cannot explain why Spector has totally stolen my heart - maybe it's that flavor of Brit-pop I love so much, or the great song writing, and the fun nature of the songs, the cork​ey personalities of the band members and their suits...I am on the second listen of the record and I just love it for all that it is!  Each song being as good as the next, it has met every expectation I had - it is a perfect debut record!  Well done Spector!

Hope to see Enjoy It While It Lasts released in the states soon - until then US kids.....you'll have to obtain it through other means than the norm......​

REMIX: GET PEOPLE - GROVE (REWARDS REMIX)

I know - here I go again....talking about Get People.....but how can I not talk about a band that is so great!  I mean......

I have had their Harmonize EP on regular rotation since it was released last month via Luv Luv Luv Records.  I am dying to see a live show, and I can say they are on the top of my list for SXSW 2013....so I hope they make it to Austin next year!  ​

Check out this Rewards remix of "Grove" - it's delicious!​

NEW MUSIC: LEXICONDON - BURN

Forged during a year spent working at Hollywood Sound Studios in 2008, LexiconDon is the synthpop union of Alex Koons and Fabian Ordorica. Taking inspiration from their daily lives struggling to get by in Los Angeles, the songs are equal parts soulful heartbreak and late-night party jam.  Like something from a John Hughes soundtrack, themes of innocence and young love flirt with darker moods, creating a nostalgic take on the simpler days of youth. For LexiconDon and frontman Koons, moments of late night contemplation are matched by songs worthy of group sing-a-longs, adding up to something richer than your average dancepop.  2009 saw the addition Sam Gabbard (guitar), creating a live show that is built on the energy that can only come with live instrumentation.

Check out the new song from LexiconDon - "Burn"​

NEW MUSIC: LOVELIFE - TONIGHT (WE'RE TAKING OUR OWN LIVES)

Happy Monday!  Everyone remember Viva Brother?  You most likely do if you are in the UK - they were the Brits most favorite rock band to hate - to the point where it was the demise of the band in just 2 years.  I happened to love the band, I could see past the media drama and overly pompous attitude from front man Lee Newell - who by the way was very down to earth and cool to talk to off stage.  I caught their LA show at The Satellite in April 2011 and thought there would be great things in the future for them, but the negative press and lack of support by their label eventually brought things to an end just one year later - and they announced the split on April 1, 2012.

So, just a few months later after some soul searching and re-location to New York - Newell has paired up with Ally Young (Mirrors) to form synth group Lovelife - and the rest of the members from Viva Brother as the backing band.  I happen to think that a re-location to another country is the perfect way to start new and fresh, and from the sound of it, I am back to thinking there will be great things in their future.  Don't expect the grit-pop sound Viva Brother coined...this is some serious synth-pop with dance grooves and funky bass riffs synthed out with swirly vocals.......I'm so into it!

Check out Lovelife's new single "Tonight (We're Taking Our Own Lives)" from their soon to be released El Regreso EP​ - you can also download it for free from the soundcloud player above!

NEW MUSIC: CAPITAL CITIES - NOTHING COMPARES 2 U

I don't post covers here on the BB to often, but when you take one of the best Prince songs ever written and rework it in a dance synth-pop way with a groove and distinct sound like Capital Cities - I just can't resist! ​  OMG - I love this so much! 

Capital Cities are my Los Angeles band crush right now.  I had the pleasure of hosting them at my SXSW showcase this year, and they are just the sweetest, kindest, most down to earth group of awesome people....ever!  So this amazing cover, does not surprise me one bit!  Well done!​