AWD CASTLES

Yoke — “babysit”

Almost ethereal, filling the air as if we were in a closed room, but it is actually all really hollow and displaced without any uniform. While all moving in the same direction, we’re able to find that harmony and even though it may start out very linear, we can find it all falling into place soon enough. As if the tambourines keep us distant for a moment to hold us fundamentally and part-way between our accord, we find ourselves noticing a bit too much and we define our limits, but it’s almost as though this was expected.

Yoke is simply Andrew Tamlyn, a 20 year old student out of Midland, Michigan. While creating his music in his parent’s basement, Andrew has managed to build an accompanying atmosphere to tag along with his music and with this, sometimes you can find that it’s all very fitting to the scene found around you, so that when it all comes together, you’re no longer captured part-way between that affinity, you’ve turned all the way.

Download the EP and Demos for Free @ Yoke’s Bandcamp

mp3//Yoke — babysit

Lady Lazarus — “What It’s Like”

Captured in short moments, but not as if everything is still, it’s more than that. Almost feels as if we’re walking through an abandoned house after a hazy rainstorm passes over. These once coveted trinkets and hung paintings would gather the attention of everyone who passed by. All it’s become is just another building, home to tattered wallpaper and cluttered furniture. Dust settled, but here we are again and we’re guided by a voice, that feels as though it comes from a lost childhood memory. Going through it all, with both the melody and harmony of these undusted keys, we’re almost invited back into this past, but we’ve already been here, standing from a distance where the atmosphere still feels the same, but the chime of the bells and clinks of the glass have suddenly become much more personal.

Mantic is an album that has reminded me of how welcoming a certain sound can be. As if you can jump into the scene of it all and listen to the music the way it was intended. None of this would have really been possible without the way the keys are presented. Melissa (Lady Lazarus) keeps this sound throughout Mantic and so the only way we can experience it again after “Kurosawa’s Dreams and Me”, is to go back to where it all began, to soak in the dreamscape atmosphere and hope we don’t have to wake up for 53:42.

Stream/Purchase Mantic @ Lady Lazarus’ Bandcamp

mp3//Lady Lazarus — What It’s Like

Collective Thought — “Liftoff”

Clean and cut, while reminiscent of a past that’s looking forward, “Liftoff” takes on a sound I haven’t come across since my entry into the work of Bullion. Collective Thought, apart of a Riverside CA rap collective, called Worthless Mindz, recently released this single, which is to be apart of project entitled SKiiGH Bound.

Download more @ Worthless Mindz’ Bandcamp

mp3//Collective Thought — Liftoff

How to Dress Well — “Ready For the World (Star Slinger Refix)”

Feels as if this was meant to be, or some form of this somewhere else. The remix brings the mood of “Ready For the World” much more foreground and it’s a bit different jumping into it all, but Star Slinger holds it well and it becomes easy to play this more than once.

boyattractions:

I always assumed that if Star Slinger were to ever remix How to Dress Well, the earth would turn itself inside out and erupt into a brilliant, universe-devouring supernova. I’m glad this happened instead.

via

mp3//HTDW — Ready For the World (Star Slinger Refix)

Girlfriends — “Chex Urself B4 U Rex Urself”

Haven’t really been able to do much today, other than play the Girlfriends self-titled over and over. These guitar samples over guitar are all I really need right now.

Download the album @ Girlfriends’ Bandcamp

mp3//Girlfriends — Chex Urself B4 U Rex Urself

Ricky Eat Acid — “April Six”

The idea was that there would be a set of six photos and a set of six tracks to go along and score the best month of the year; April. Each song, tangible to its correspondence, has a lovely melody undertaking a soft presence of its downcasted harmony, as if a daydream in a rainstorm was only the beginning.

nothingsoundsbetter:

It’s always something to find an artist as versatile as one Ricky Eat Acid. From his countless 2010 releases under the moniker to his newly released Haunt U Forever tape, the Baltimore-based Sam Ray just keeps on impressing me with each new release. He hit me up with a little information about the project, which was basically that had he taken 6 photo crops from old postcards from the 50s-80s and used them as inspiration for a single track he would write. He then turned these pieces of art onto the digital medium where you can access the project via this [link] and download all six tracks for free of charge. 

- Malcom Lacey

Starfucker//De La Soul — “Teen Challenge/Itzsoweezee”

A little over a month late on listening to this mixtape, mashed/mixed by Starfucker and Skeltron. Shame though, the entire mixtape doesn’t live up to this track alone and while the remixes at the end add much more than most of tracks, it just feels natural to have De La Soul’s “Itzsoweezee” mixed in with the synth fluidity that Starfucker brings in “Teen Challenge.”

Listen to the entire mixtape @ STRFKR’s Soundcloud

mp3//De La Soul - Itzsoweezee / Starfucker - Teen Challenge

Cults — “Abducted”

New lovely single from everyone’s favorite new duo, Cults. I really love this band with every new release and I can probably speak for most people when I say I’m really excited for the release of their debut album, which is scheduled for a May 2011 release. “Abducted” will be released on a Limited-Edition 7” vinyl available on Record Store Day.

(via ahhday)

Parmaga — “Plenty Hands”

Keeping what seems important, but we can’t seem to give it all up. Rhythmically driven aspects built upon each other with added vocals to complete the layercake soundscape, the debut EP, Ghost Pops, from Vermont-based duo, Parmaga (pronounced like parmesan), centers itself around this. Out on Angioplasty Records, you can download the EP below.

Download/Purchase Ghost Pops @ Parmaga’s bandcamp

mp3//Parmaga — Plenty Hands