Toro Y Moi

Nate first blogged about this guy way back in September and here is a video for his new song. Considering we just got bombarded with a blizzard this video is only fitting.

Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean

The continuing evolution of one of our generation's greatest singer/songwriters

Kiss Each Other Clean is the first new release in four years from Iron & Wine, aka Sam Beam. Best known for the dreamy lo-fi masterpieces that defined his early career, Beam has taken advantage of his popularity and immense ability by crafting two full-blown studio epics, The Sheperd's Dog and Kiss Each Other Clean. The latter is even bigger than the former. I never thought I'd hear a saxophone solo on an Iron & Wine album, but there it is. The song writing remains second to none, and Beam is still not afraid to drop the occasional curse word, which I respect. Check out some tracks below. When the credits roll in the movie I'll never make, Walking Far From Home will be playing.

Iron & Wine - Walking Far From Home
Iron & Wine - Tree By The River

Buy it here.

Here's some classic live Iron & Wine for you too:

Sorry for being a day late. Happy Saturday.

Fang Island

One of my good college buddies turned me on to these guys. I don't really know how to describe them because they're all over the place. Yamo would probably think the first song to be very Ozma-ish. Two of my favorites:

Davy Crockett (I don't know why its set to NBA Dunk footage, but it only adds to its awesomeness):

Daisy:

Glasser

Sorry for the long delay TSAD. It seriously won't happen again.

My new winter musical obsession has been Glasser. She's so underground she doesn't even have a wikipedia page and as a result I know next to nothing about her other than her music rocks (and her mom was in a band called Human Sexual Response, which might need its own post after discovering them).

The best way to describe her would be a mix of Bat for Lashes and Bjork. Enjoy one of my favorite tracks and let me know what you think:

Smith Westerns

More sweet Chicago jams this week. Check out the Smith Westerns, a group of young rockers from the North Side. Their self titled debut album is as lo-fi as you'll hear, but it's still apparent that there's some cool stuff going on. Their second album, Dye it Blonde, was released two weeks ago. It is spectacular. The band has discovered a pop rock balance that many acts spend years trying to achieve. Their harmony vocals are reminiscent of MGMT and their songs have that indie pop goodness first pioneered by Big Star. Check it out:

Smith Westerns - Weekend from Fat Possum Records on Vimeo.

Smith Westerns - Imagine Pt. 3


Smith Westerns - "All Die Young" by forcefieldpr

Smith Westerns - 'Smile' by SpunkRecords

I love this album. You can buy it here, and I really recommend that you do. They're playing the Empty Bottle in Chi on February 26. Unfortunately that show is sold out, but given this band's love of Chicago and reputation for playing house parties I'm sure another opportunity to check em out will come along soon. Or you could, you know, scalp tickets. I'll be there, so that's one more reason to go. Happy Friday.

The Giving Tree Band

A little Chicago newgrass to brighten your Friday. Caught these guys at the Chicago Blues and Bluegrass Festival back in December. Don't hold the name against them; they've got a nice full sound because there's eight people in the band, playing every stringed instrument you could want to hear in a bluegrass act. They've got the vocal harmonies, songwriting skills, and live chops to back up all that sweet instrumentation too. Here's their latest album, The Joke, The Threat, & The Obvious:

You can buy the album on their website. Apparently these guys tour in a bio diesel bus and give about 50% of their proceeds to charity, so your money will be well spent. Happy Friday.

Apollo Kids

New Ghostface Killah album. Everything you would expect. Nasty.