Monday Wobbling (Warming): Willy Whompa

Dubstep Disclaimer:  I get pretty tired of the overuse of that wobbly bass that has polluted every dubstep artist’s tracks.  I’m especially confused about how that sound is always considered bass because most of the time its hitting pretty hard on the mids.  But regardless of all that, I can appreciate when that wobbly sound is used skillyfully like here with Willy Whompa (aka Mike Shupe)’s mixes.

Notable Openers: Painted Palms

Last week I was down in Rock n’ Roll birthplace, Memphis, TN and after a quick tour through the recording studio where Elvis Presley got his start we went to see of Montreal at Minglewood (which by the way is a fantastic venue with an intimate setting and I highly suggest seeing anyone there, if possible). The opening band was a group called Painted Palms, a 5-piece from Louisiana. The creative minds behind the music are actually just two guys, cousins in fact, Reese Donohue and Christopher Prudhomme and they have crafted some very interesting sounds on their debut EP Canopy, physically released June 21st.

The band was handpicked by Kevin Barnes, singer from of Montreal, according to the band’s label, Secretly Canadian, and it’s with good reason. The visuals and light show during their set were a trip and the singer used an immense amount of echo on his voice but it was done so skillfully that it sounded like an indie-boy choir chanting over heavy bass and synth-pop. This band is definitely worth checking out. Here’s a sampling of the upcoming EP:

“All Of Us”

“Falling Asleep”

Monday Warming: Two New Arcade Fire Tracks

Good news

Arcade Fire has decided to re-release a deluxe edition of The Suburbs, with two new tracks. Below I have for you the two new tracks.
“Culture War” and a collaboration with David Byrne titled “Speaking in Tongues”

What better way to help your Monday

Culture War by Arcade Fire

Speaking in Tongues by Arcade Fire

Adele Dubstepped

This drop is awesome

British singer-songwriter Adele has been making waves with her latest release “21”, but I prefer her much more with some dubstep added and MartyParty & Minnesota (pictured above) do it right with this track. Not too crazy, not too light, and one sick ass drop (1:27 mark). Let’s hope this inspires other DJs out there to capitalize on such a great female voice to turn into some sick dubstep tracks

South African Indie: Gregory Alan Isakov

Originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, Gregory Alan Isakov is an indie folk artist based in beautiful Boulder, Colorado. His songs are full of folk instruments mirroring those used by the popular band of the same genre, Mumford & Sons, but his lyricism is what really puts him over the top. Artists Isakov is most closely compared to include Damien Rice, Leonard Cohen, and the aforementioned Mumford & Sons. His most recent album titled This Empty Northern Hemisphere was released in 2009. Check out a few of my favorites from it below and if you like them, get the whole album here.

“Evelyn” – Gregory Alan Isakov

“Dandelion Wine” – Gregory Alan Isakov

Monday Warming: Fleet Foxes

We just can’t get enough

Obviously we’re fans of the Fleet Foxes here at Gypsysphere, so I figured I would give you another taste of a track off the newly released Hopelessness Blues. On this track “Montezuma,” Robin Pecknold has moved away from his landscape imagery and into a more introspective position by questioning his past and mortality and the rest of the album follows suit. This new record finds Fleet Foxes exploring more complex song structures and guitar lines but always with those amazing vocal harmonies.

Enjoy: “Montezuma”

Remix Wednesday: Fleet Foxes – The Shrine (Hannes Fischer Remix)

The Fleet Foxes like you’ve never heard them before.

The Fleet Foxes are hot right now, coming off their killer release “Helplessness Blues” on May 3rd, so I figured I would use Remix Wednesday to mention them. This track has a very house feel, but still manages to capture Robin Pecknold’s dreamy voice and make it into something upbeat. Probably a great track to drive to, but it’ll do for a Wednesday pick me up.

Get To Know Tinariwen

Taken from Tinariwen’s Myspace:

In 1980, Colonel Ghadaffi put out a decree inviting all young Touareg men, who were living illegally in Libya, to receive a full military training in the southern desert. Time spent in this military training and later with the Touareg rebel movement, the MPA, introduced the group to more aspiring musicians. Forming a collective, they built their own make-shift rehearsal studio, with a mission to write songs about the aspirations of the Touareg for political freedom, and then to record these songs without payment for whoever turned up at their door with an empty cassette. It was a propaganda machine for a people without any other forms of media whatsoever. The cassettes were taken back to camps and villages throughout the Sahara, and then copied again and again.
Ibrahim, Inteyeden, Japonais, Diarra, Hassan and their friends never saw themselves as one-dimensional propagandists however. They were musicians and poets. Their songs spoke of deep personal struggles and of their love of their desert home, as much as they raised the flag for the rebel movement. In 1989, frustrated by the lack of progress and by broken promises, the members of Tinariwen escaped from the Libyan camp and headed south into Mali. Ibrahim found himself back in Tessalit, the village of his birth, for the first time in 26 years. And then, in June 1990, the rebellion began.
It lasted about six months. Afterwards, most of Tinariwen decided to leave the military life behind and go back to being musicians. Ibrahim and his friends had no doubt that they were musicians first and foremost. They had become soldiers only out of necessity, for a brief and painful period. In groups of two, three, four or more, they also began to play gigs openly. Touareg from all over the Sahara were delighted finally to encounter the group who had invented the modern Touareg guitar style, who had been the pied pipers of the rebellion and whose songs defined the story of a whole generation.

They are a stellar group with some amazing songs.  Listen to “Lulla”

Monday Warming: Umalali

Well this has been the longest we’ve gone without making a post, but now that life is calming down we will be making a full fledged return to you.

Today we have a song that comes from the Central American culture of the Garifuna, the people of that region and bearers of a dying style of Afro-Caribbean music and dance. This song Nibari (My Grandchild) can be found on Umalali’s latest release The Garifuna Women’s Project.  Stop and take a look at the world before all of its lush cultures are gone.

Monday Warming: Nick 13

Everyone should know the psychobilly rockers, Tiger Army, led by lead singer Nick 13.  If you don’t, they sound something like this:

Well now Nick 13 is finally embarking on his long-time-coming solo record which will feature songs more in the vein of such Tiger Army melodies as “In The Orchard” and “Outlaw Heart.”  Basically it’s going to be a little more country/slide guitar/Elvis sounding rather than rockabilly/punk rock.  On the album will also be two new versions of past songs: “In The Orchard” and “Cupid’s Victim.”  The album comes out on June 7th and Nick will be touring alongside Merle Haggard and Ray Price to do some West Coast dates and one in Indianapolis…hopefully more to come.

Tracklist:

01. Nashville Winter
02. Carry My Body Down
03. 101
04. All Alone
05. Restless Moon
06. In The Orchard (2011)
07. Someday
08. Cupid’s Victim (2011)
09. Nighttime Sky
10. Gambler’s Life

Listen to “Carry My Body Down” from the upcoming album: