Lana Del Rey at Amoeba SF 2/9/12

Posted on February 10, 2012 by | Leave a comment

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Photo: Brian Valdizno

After a month of being blasted in the media, lampooned on Saturday Night Live and roasted on every social networking outlet available, Lana Del Rey made her San Francisco debut at Amoeba Records on Thursday. With pending tour dates cancelled because of the negative hoopla, Del Rey’s show at the end of Haight Street was likely one of her only public appearances for the year, corroborated by the bulging crowd that filled the record store’s aisles all the way to the back reaches of the classical section. Yes, even those searching for Bach vinyls needed their Del Rey fix.

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Do you hear that SIREN?

Posted on February 8, 2012 by | Leave a comment

It’s been a while since I’ve heard about a really good, new, independent artist.  Usually, when I browse through Hypem, it’s filled with Skrillex remixes amongst recycled rap music and the like.  Then making his entrance is Stefan Evan Niedermeyer, or SIREN, the 21 year old with a bright future in front of him.

21-year old Stefan Evan Niedermeyer aka SIREN is a half-German, half-Australian musician, who is a young man of many talents. Raised in Singapore, Niedermeyer’s life was initially all about skateboarding, but after moving to London and getting more and more into making music, he’s now about to release his first single ‘Buckets Of Blood’, a beautifully crafted and catchy song about not finding the right path with the right girl. With plenty of more great tunes written and an experienced production team behind him, 2012 will be the year of the SIREN. (via Lodown)

It’s been a while since I’ve heard something sound fresh, yet so familiar and welcoming in a while, so be sure to listen and share with all your friends.

SIREN – Buckets Of Blood (download)

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M. Ward’s “The First Time I Ran Away”

Posted on February 7, 2012 by | Leave a comment

You can argue all day about whether to love Zooey or hate Zooey, but here’s the rub: M. Ward was around before her and will last long after her.

Need proof? The first 20 seconds of his single, “The First Time I Ran Away,” starts out bare-bones tinkling and then — boom — it’s lush, rich texture à la M.

The three-part ditty tells a tale as formulaic as a country song but with the tiny sweetness that Ward’s work never misses, accompanied by animation that plays with motifs of fish, waterfalls, faces and pink argyle patterns. It works. (Bonus point: You might recognize the work of Joel Trussell, the video’s director, who also did the video for “Chinese Translation.”)

Ward’s A Wasteland Companion is out April 10.

M. Ward- Rave On (Feat. Zooey Deschanel) (download)

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Sharon Van Etten’s Tramp

Posted on February 6, 2012 by | Leave a comment

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So, you remember those albums I was really excited about for January? Well, the dark, introspective part of me overrode the quirky and experimental this past month. I assign the blame to Sharon Van Etten, Brooklyn’s modern folk songstress. Her third album, Tramp, is out via Jagjaguwar, and upon first listen I realized that this was the album I hoped to get this year. ‘Heavy rotation’ does not even begin to explain how many times I envision myself appealing to Van Etten’s croon for understanding and rapport throughout the future months. Sharon, we have never met, but you will be my best friend this coming year. I will sing along with you, in grief and elation, and feel that through your songwriting you have looked into my soul and delivered the blackest as well as the most cherished emotions back to me through songs so pristine, that I know myself better now because of you.

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Doe Paoro is a “Little Dreamer”

Posted on February 1, 2012 by | Leave a comment

A deer, a female deer. (Photo courtesy of rcrdlbl.com)

If James Blake had a shy little sister, I’d imagine her to be something like Doe Paoro. A budding songstress with a penchant for emotive reverb and echoing daggers, Paoro has a voice that seems melted onto recordings. Add in light dubstep a la Monsieur Blake and place her over some ivories, and you’ve created an artist with a sound you’ll be unable to scrape from your mind for days.

While her debut LP, Slow To Love, drops in a few weeks (ironically on Valentine’s Day), the most stunning work from Paoro has been her cover of Future Island’s ”Little Dreamer.” Replacing the charming croons of Samuel Herring, the songstress brings a bit of uncertainty and heartache to the track. With a sonar beat that drops in and out with an added doppler effect, Paoro wails and wails, but to no avail. Cupid isn’t saving her any time soon.

Doe Paoro- Little Dreamer (Future Islands Cover) (download)

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Posted in Covers, New Artists, New Releases

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