Asobi Seksu

Fuzz, guitars, loud drums, layers of reverb, and heavenly vocals. Sound good? Check out this track from NYC band "Asobi Seksu." Yes it translates to 'playful sex' in english. They were quite good at SXSW and now their new album is creating quite a buzz. Every review of their album notes their similarities to "My Bloody Valentine." I guess.

Did i just start a blog with the word "Fuzz?"

wtf.

MP3: Asobi Seksu-New Years

Asobi Seksu Myspace

Sufjan picks his next state!

Here we go again, news on which state Sufjan will tackle next, from a new Filter interview. Via Stereogum.

FILTER: Have you found people clamoring for you to write about their state?
SUFJAN STEVENS: It happens all the time. What I find most interesting is that my proposition has inspired all kinds of civic pride all over the U.S. People start telling me anecdotes about their small town or their university, their regional flower festival, or their beauty pageant. There is this sense of pride and ownership; feelings of a stronger identity of where they come from. I think that's interesting, because I never intended this to be about civic pride, but it's inspired a little bit of that all over the country.
FILTER: Do you have a plan as to where you want to go next with the state project?
SUFJAN STEVENS: I finally do, yes. But I probably shouldn't say.

Stream the first quarter of the new B-Sides to Illinois.

Midlake

The new Midlake record has come out of nowhere and hit me like a ton of bricks. The Trials of Van Occupanther is an album filled with amazing melodies and great instrumentation. I dont care who you are or what you are into, download this song and check this band out. Top ten of 2006? So far Midlake makes the list.

Midlake-Roscoe

Midlake Myspace

Also check out this interesting article about todays generation of listening to music, I think about this issue quite a bit, and this guy does a great job putting it into words. What do you think? Discuss in the comments!

Jose Gonzalez

I think everybody has those records or mixes that you love to listen to right before you go to bed. A set of songs that lulls you to sleep, not because they are boring, but because they posess that beautiful quality of having just what it takes to put you asleep. For me recently, that album has been "Veneer" by Jose Gonzalez. The whole record is basically just his voice and his guitar, with some ocasional extras.


Check him out this friday night at the Cedar Cultral Center with Juana Molina and Psapp.

Jose Gonzalez-Lovestain

Jose Gonzalez Myspace

Summertime

Today I was tuned into the Current and they hit me with one of those moments that seem to happen all the time lately. They played a song that was perfect for the moment and the mood i was in. That song was Summertime, by Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff. Its a pretty corny song when you listen to the lyrics, but its just right for rolling down your windows and driving in the summer. So far the summer here in the Twin Cities has been beautiful, lets all try to get outside and enjoy it.

"and as I think back makes me wonder how
the smell from a grill could spark up nostalgia
Summer Summer Summertime
Time to sit back and unwind"

Will Smith-Summertime

The Hylozoists

The Hylozoists are Toronto's dream-pop answer to Montreal's Bell Orchestre. The band is bascially an all-star team of canadian indie musicians, with members coming from Broken Social Scene, The Weakerthans, and Final Fantasy. The 10 piece instrumental group features multiple vibraphones, double drums, organ, piano, strings, glockenspiel, flugelhorn, brass, pedal steel and more. Their new record "La Fin Du Monde" is an album full of truly inspired arangements. It hits stores in the USA on July 11th.

The Hylozoists-Strait is the Gate

Hylozoists Myspace

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

Anybody who was around SMU this year knows about this band. They played Winona twice in less than 4 months. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (or more recently just "Boris"), the quartet from Missouri, has quite a bit going for them. Their latest record "Broom", which features their laid back style of summery indie pop, earned them a 8.4 rating from Pitchfork Media this spring, everything has fallen into place since then. They are opening for Sound Team this summer and just today their signing to Polyvinyl records was announced. Congrats guys, this one is for you.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin-Pangea

http://www.morawk.com/boris/


On a related note, this article from City Pages this week chronicles the rise of Twin Cities native Ryan Schreiber, and Pitchfork's effect on indie rock today.

James Figurine

You know Jimmy Tamborello as the technical genius behind DNTEL and the Postal Service (btw, 'Give Up' has sold more than every Death Cab record combined). He brings his gilitchy electronic pop stylings to his new record "Mistake Mistake Mistake Mistake", by which he has created under the name James Figurine. The record sounds and flows more like a DNTEL record, while all the while managing to keep a minimalistic honesty to it.

James Figurine-All the Way to China

www.myspace.com/jamesfigurine

Sound Team

Lately ive been really into the new Sound Team record, "Movie Monster." There has been lots of hype leading up to this release, and it delivers. This is the sextet from Austin's first real proper release. Frontman Bill Baird says "The way I describe it is, we're basically a bunch of people who are into electronic music trying to play a Motown song."

Sounds about right. Enjoy.

Sound Team-No More Birthdays

Hot Chip

Hot Chip's new record "The Warning" is quite the groovin piece of work. Imagine Of Montreal, Prince and Aphex Twin all deciding to collaborate, the final product would sound something like this. "The Warning" just charted on CMJ at number three behind Sonic Youth and The Raconteurs. Pretty good for the London based group.


Hot Chip-Over and Over

Welcome.

Welcome to Fort Cosmo! A new mp3 blog delivering great new music right to your ears. I hope to update 3-5 times a week. I know what you are thinking, theres no way I am going to be able to keep up with this, but i think that something fresh like this will be good for me. I will do my best to update consistantly.

enjoy.