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.

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”

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:

Monday Warming: Little Scream

Laurel Sprengelmeyer, aka Little Scream, from Montreal is sure to get you going on this Monday morning with her song, “Cannons” from her debut album The Golden Record.  Her album has the regular buffet of wispy girl vocal and acoustic guitar songs but this one here has something a little more special that really stands out.  On the album she plays guitar, violin and keyboard and gets some help from Arcade Fire’s violin player Sarah Neufeld.

The album came out earlier this month on Secretly Canadian.  Enjoy “Cannons”

Monday Warming: Taj Weekes “Just a Dream”

Had a chance to meet this very lovable guy at SXSW this year and it’s good to see him picking up some steam. With last weekend’s headline at the Austin Reggae Festival and some upcoming stints on the West coast, Taj is sure to start making some headlines. He hails from St. Lucia and on his latest album ‘A Waterlogged Soul Kitchen’ he sings on topical subjects such as “Janjaweed” about the armed gunmen in Darfur, “Rain Rain” about New Orleans, and the below track “Just a Dream” which is just a feel good song, telling us “tear fear go away, you will come another day, just deep inside, let’s see life’s sunny side”

Stream Taj Weekes “Just a Dream”

Monday Warming: Little Tybee

First off, apologies for the slow start this Monday.

Second on, check this band out! Little Tybee is somewhat of a small orchestra featuring around 14 instrumentalists on their latest album, Humorous To Bees (now available) in additions to guitarist/pianist/vocalist Brock Scott and 8-string guitar player Josh Martin. Their sound really cannot be tied down. There’s a mixture of atmospheric orchestral sounds with Motown and even some Caribbean-esque sounds. They released their latest album on Paper Garden Records where you can hear some new songs.  Check out a live performance of one of those songs, “Nero,” below.

Little Tybee – Nero (live @ The Goat Farm) from Brock Scott on Vimeo.

Monday Warming: James V. McMorrow

It’s quite the rainy day in these parts, figured I could share a rainy song for you. Ireland’s James McMorrow released his debut ‘Early in the Morning’ back in Feb. 2010, but for some reason is just now really picking up some steam. The best way I’ve heard him described is “Ireland’s Bon Iver” and this comparison will be instantly recognized after today’s warming track. Not sure when his next album is due, but ‘Early in the Morning’ might be the perfect album for you on this dreary Monday morning. Stream/buy here

Monday Warming; Thiago Pethit

Here’s an artist from Brazil who makes me wonder why we don’t post more music from there. Although I don’t speak Portuguese, you can tell this is a very intimate song and Thiago just has that soothing voice you enjoy listening to. Video isn’t too bad either, good for yet another rough Monday wouldn’t you say?

Stream his latest album Brazil, TX here.

Monday Warming; The Head and the Heart (SXSW is Near)

This week’s morning warming will begin our SXSW previews

With one of the coolest festivals out there coming up next week, I wanted to share with you some of the groups I plan on seeing in between the free beer and bbq.
We’ve previewed The Head and the Heart before, but I still have yet to see them live and this might be the group I’m looking forward to the most. I’ve heard nothing but great things on their live performance and it’s been fun watching these guys go from KEXP, to opening for Dave & Tim in Las Vegas, to being signed by Sub Pop. Maybe this is part of the reason?