A voice is speaking from the marrow of our bones

Take the deep, rhythmic electro-pop indie that is so trendy right now and throw in some soaring 80's glam rock to imagine something almost as magical and moving as Brooklyn's duo Warm Ghost. Their multi-instrumentality and mastery of sound design shines through every track on their debut album, Narrows, released in September. While often grouped with the chillwave movement (think Washed Out, Toro y Moi) or the broader dream pop revival (e.g. Beach House, The xx), these guys are really pioneering their own genre and defying any solid classification.The slow songs are profound and inspired, the fast songs catchy and danceable; it was so hard to choose which songs to give you, I had to pick my top two for listening:

Warm Ghost - Inside and Out by Sound Thinking


Warm Ghost - GTWS by Craze

AND this video, because it was too good to not share. If you are sensitive to artsy nudity, you might want to skip this one.



If you dig what you hear, they are offering a few tracks for FREE right on Amazon. I gotcha hook up HERE.

Your faith decides

Ernest Greene began his career in the bedroom of his home in rural Perry, Georgia, and the sleepy origins of his music pervade through the style to the very core. From the myspace upload of his first few songs as Washed Out a couple years ago, he immediately became a music blogger favorite, and his first full-length album Within and Without, released last month, has already achieved widespread acclaim from the online music community. Like a soundtrack to a dream, the smoothly pulsating 80's-style beats and soothing unintelligible vocals lull you into the most peaceful nap of the summer. Developed in the Sub Pop studio with indie favorite Ben Allen and the same production crew as Animal Collective and Deerhunter, Within and Without delivers a more polished and enchanting sound than Greene's previous releases and, along with other chillwave acts including Greene's personal friend Toro Y Moi and Neon Indian, the album is crafting a new sub-genre appropriately dubbed "glo-fi."These two tracks are perfect for playing on the beach, in the park, on your daily commute, or just about anywhere that could use a little chill:

Washed Out - Eyes Be Closed by adamlunatone

Washed Out, "Amor Fati" by The FADER

As mentioned in a previous post, Washed Out is opening for Cut Copy at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago on September 20, and it is sure to be brilliant. Get your tickets NOW.

It's the distance

Many of you may already know of Columbia, South Carolina's Chazwick Bundick for his remixes of popular indie dance songs, but Toro Y Moi is becoming much more than just another indie DJ. His first album Causers of This, released January 2010 with generally positive reviews, played like a collection of well-crafted beats with thick layers of vocal dissonance on top, in the style of Baths or Animal Collective's Avey Tare. His latest album however, Underneath the Pine, provides a much more accessible and musically pleasant experience, tapping into the chillwave movement alongside his personal friend Ernest Greene of Washed Out. The album, released this past Fenraury 2011, makes allusions to a sort of smooth-listening disco, similar to the popular synthpop of Erlend Øyé's The Whitest Boy Alive but with its own unique brand of funk. The style of his new work is always notoriously difficult to predict, but one can only hope he continues to tap into this sound on his future albums. Check these out:

Toro Y Moi "New Beat" by Carpark Records

Go With You - Toro Y Moi | Pacific Festival: OC 2011 Sampler by FILTER Magazine

He is releasing a new EP titled Freaking Out on September 13, so make sure to get it from his website. He is also playing in Chicago at Lincoln Hall on September 24, so get your tickets NOW.

Heaven is waiting

It has been a beautiful past couple weeks here on the shores of Lake Michigan, perfect for the great new sounds of this summer.

Memory Tapes is the brainchild of New Jersey-based Dayve Hawk, former frontman of the now defunct Philadelphia group Hail Social, and he has made great strides in the uniqueness of his sound on this new project. Generally classified as "chillwave" (think Cults or Washed Out), Memory Tapes combines styles from nu-gaze and synthpop to create a wonderfully fresh sound. His 2009 album Seek Magic received attention from the blog community for songs like "Bicycle" and "Green Knight," but his new LP Player Piano released last month reaches new heights in creativity and accessibility. Check out these excellent selections:


08. Sunhits - Memory Tapes by Republic of Music

Memory Tapes - Worries by EmergencyBroadcastSongs

Memory Tapes is playing at the Empty Bottle in Chicago TOMORROW with The Field Auxiliary and The Ultrasounds. There are still tickets available, so get them NOW.