Tuesday, June 21st 2011 was a magical day.

And it was a magical day for two reasons: YACHT's album, Shangri La, and BON IVER's album, Bon Iver, were both released yesterday. And they are both absolutely amazing from start to finish. It's kind of a bummer for YACHT that their album came out on the same day, because anyone who has been on the interwebs at all in the past 24 hours knows how much hype Justin Vernon and crew are getting for their record. I, on the other hand, am so overjoyed with the quality of both albums my head is going to explode. We all know Bon Iver is incredible, and I think enough people are talking about it that my input would be redundant. Thus, I am going to talk solely about YACHT's work, and hopefully enough of you will read this post that they can step on into some of BI's limelight. Let the praising commence:

YACHT- Shangri La

If you were to tell me back in 2007 when I first saw YACHT perform that they were going to be one of my favorite bands, I would have laughed in your face. To put it lightly, I was not that impressed. But holy shit has this band transformed themselves into a talented, brilliantly creative electronic duo. Everything they do now, from writing lyrics to constructing and producing songs to their group aesthetic and live performances, is a work of art. They have taken their slightly offbeat nature and completely made it work, so much so that I think Shangri-La will hold a pretty high standard for future albums of the same genre. Two of their new songs, "One Step" and "Tripped and Fell in Love," have got me helplessly hooked. I think it's their minimalist approach to production and the relatability of their words that make them so appealing, something they have always gone for but have really nailed in songs like these. "Shangri-La," too, completely resonates with me, as does the slightly-more-bizarre-yet-totally-loveable track, "Paradise Engineering." And of course, I would be remiss if I didn't reiterate how much I've loved "Dystopia (The Earth is on Fire)" since its original release earlier this year. You would think I'd be a bit sick of it by now, considering how much I have played that track on repeat, but the fact that I still want to listen to it at least a couple of times a week tells me that they have really got something going; mark my words it will be listed as one of the best tracks of the year. In sum, I would like to say that it is a rare thing for me to feel I can listen to an entire album without the urge to skip a track or two, but I can honestly say that I'm a fan of every single one of the tracks on this fantastic new album. If you are at all into synthy electronic music or have enjoyed any of YACHT's earlier work, you must must MUST get Shangri-La. Listen to "Tripped and Fell in Love" and "Paradise Engineering," AND watch their brand new hybrid music video for both "Utopia" and "Dystopia (The Earth is on Fire)" below:

YACHT- "Tripped and Fell in Love"

YACHT- "Paradise Engineering"

YACHT- "Utopia/Dystopia (The Earth is on Fire) Official Music Video

New CSS!

It's been quite a long while since anyone has heard new material from Brazilian electro-rock crew CSS, but their newest release, "Hit Me Like a Rock," has made it well worth the wait. It's much more mellow than the likes of "Art Bitch" or "Alala" and almost has a reggae swing to it, but it's such a great summertime song. I'm almost positive they played this at Coachella because I remember being struck by it; it really is quite well done, and has made me pretty stoked for the release of their third album, La Liberacion. All of you can listen to this little gem below and download it for free!

The Civil Wars @ Amoeba Records in LA, 06/14/11

Summertime in Los Angeles always means one thing... great free shows at Amoeba. They always present quite the eclectic mix of artists (I've seen everyone from Kate Nash to Amanda Blank perform at the world-famous mecca of music); this week, fans were graced with the presence of The Civil Wars, a folk duo whose simple guitar lines and gorgeous harmonies are nothing short of goosebump-inducing. They were showcasing their newest record, Barton Hollow, which was released in February of this year. I was completely in awe of how natural the connection was between Joy Williams and Jon Paul White, and how full the sound of their two voices and one guitar seemed to be. Though I'm not always partial to this kind of music, I think they have captured something absolutely wonderful together; their performances of "I've Got This Friend," "Poison and Wine," and "20 Years," albeit simple in nature, were so beautiful that I definitely saw a couple of guys in the audience reduced to tears. To my great surprise, too, they covered Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean," which was probably the highlight of the show. I was sad that they didn't play the namesake of the album, but I look forward to seeing much more from them in the future. Wesleyan readers: I spoke with them after the show and they want to come play at school! Keep your eye out. Listen to my favorite track off of their album, "I've Got This Friend," below:

The Civil Wars - I've Got This Friend by LifeBoxset.com

Mumford & Sons: "England" (The National cover)

When I went on to Stereogum earlier today and saw "Mumford & Sons covers The National," my first thought was that if it was a cover of "England," I would have a stroke. Sure enough, it was a indie folk rock dream come true. No stroke occured, but I was dangerously close. For those of you who are true Mumford fans, you know they do a mean cover of Vampire Weekend's "Cousins" and are pretty well respected as a band who can, dare I say it, one-up original works by other groups with their folkrock Mumfordy renditions. "England" is by far one of my favorites by The National, so naturally this melted me into pieces. Watch them perform it live on VH1 Unplugged below:

Tags: Mumford and Sons Unplugged, Mumford and Sons, Music Videos, Live Performances

FYF Fest 2011 Lineup Announced!

...AND IT'S OUT OF CONTROL. Tickets go on sale Friday at 3pm PST. If you are in Los Angeles on September 3rd I highly suggest that you consider going to this. I mean come on... Death From Above, Explosions in the Sky, The Head and The Heart, YACHT, and BSS all in one day for $35??? Don't be stupid. Go.

Stream YACHT's New Album!

YACHT's highly anticipated new album, Shangri-La, is due out in less than two weeks. But lucky for us, NPR is streaming their album in full! I'm liking what I'm hearing so far. Listen for yourself below:

YACHT- Shangri-La Stream

Computer Magic- "The End of Time" video

Danz, aka Computer Magic, is someone I've mentioned on my blog before and someone I completely foresee breaking into the indie music scene in a big way very soon. If you haven't had the chance to listen to her stuff yet, do it. She's the shit, and this video is visual confirmation of that fact. Watch below!

Computer Magic - "The End Of Time" from stereogum on Vimeo.

Broken Soc Gets Gory

Well, I've always thought this song was hauntingly good and slightly creepy in and of itself, but Broken Social Scene's new video for "Sweetest Kill," featuring Bijou Phillips, leaves nothing to the imagination. It's a very literal translation of the song, to say the least, but at least its shot in a cinematographically beautiful way. You've been warned. Watch the video below:

New Jamie xx!

Electronic music mastermind Jamie xx officially released two new songs yesterday, entitled "Far Nearer" and "Beat For." Jamie, frontman of The xx and famous for his collaborations with the magnificent Gil Scott-Heron (RIP), has absolutely never failed to impress in the past; if this new material is any indication of what is to come off of his forthcoming LP, however, I'm not sure my mind will be able to handle the brilliance. I am extremely addicted to these two tracks, and guarantee if you've listened to anything he'd done in the past, you will be too. Listen for yourself, and get excited for future Jamie xx summer releases!

Jamie xx - Beat For (limited vinyl & download out now - http://farnearer.com) by Numbers
Jamie xx - Far Nearer (limited vinyl & download out now - http://farnearer.com) by Numbers

Last Week in LA: Lykke Li at The Wiltern, Arctic Monkeys at The Palladium

Last week was quite an exciting one for me and a great deal of other music lovers in the good old City of Angels, as we were graced with the appearance of two very prominent European acts, and two very different ones at that. Tuesday's Lykke Li show was quite incredible, laden with black draping outfits (curtains to match) and a healthy dose of what Lykke herself is most famous for: sex appeal. Grimes was the opening act, an endearingly awkward little electronic musician hailing from Canada. With such a mousy voice and spindly physique, I was pretty shocked to hear her music include some pretty heavy, soul-shaking beats. Despite minor slip-ups and not so smooth transitions, Grimes was able to captivate the crowd song after dance-invoking song, and impressed me with what she was able to do to her music in terms of distortion and reverb. Lykke's performance, as expected, was chalk-full of amazing theatrics, darkly seductive dance moves, and flashing orange and yellow lights that coincided perfectly with the lyrics of her songs. If there's one thing this girl has proven she can do time and time again, it's put on a good show. She opened with "Jerome", the perfect choice to prep the crowd for what was to come (in my opinion, it's one of the best off of Wounded Rhymes, one of the year's best albums so far). She didn't do a lot of talking or engaging with the crowd, but it's impossible to deny how nuts everyone went around me as she performed numbers like "I Follow Rivers," "I'm Good, I'm Gone," "Everybody But Me," and "Get Some." I was even more impressed to find out how sick she was at the time of the show! Poor girl had the flu and still put on an amazing show, I have a lot of respect for her for that. I left a bit early but got to hear "Youth Knows No Pain" while walking out; a killer way to end an incredible evening.
The Arctic Monkeys show, on the contrary, was anything but a calm spectator sport for admiring fans. After The Vaccines finished their set (not much to say about that, was less than impressed...) and the lights went out, I barely had time to take in what was going on before being pushed about 50 feet forward, jam-packed in the middle of a bunch of rowdy, shirtless drunk men head banging as the Monkeys opened with "Brainstorm" and "This House is a Circus." Not to say that they didn't put on an amazing show; with them playing songs like "Teddy Picker," "Crying Lightening," "Do Me A Favour," and the new and popular "Don't Sit Down," i was impossible not to have a great time. I could have done without being punched in the face, but it was worth it. I would have loved to hear them play "505" or "Dancing Shoes," but the fact that they ended with "Fluorescent Adolescent" made me the happiest little clam in the building. Quite an experience, but I can safely say I can and will do it again. As for their highly-anticipated new album, I've heard a really wide range of reactions: some love the new direction they're going in, some call it a cheap attempt at a Strokes impression. As for me, I've enjoyed what I've heard so far and think is going to do quite well. But we'll see. Watch the videos for Lykke Li's "Get Some" video and Arctic Monkeys' "Don't Sit Down" video below!