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Tour De Vaap

“A compilation of music from 417”

Monthly Archives: August 2011

30/08/11 Atlas Sound – Terra Incognita

It’s been a few years since Cox’s last album, Logos, released under the moniker of Atlas Sound.  Now a new album, Parallax, is set for release November 7th on 4AD.  Ever since hearing Atlas Sound’s Databank Vol. 1, a free mixtape Cox released in 2010 (I highly recommend it if you can get it), I’ve been a huge fan of his work, especially once I discovered that Bradford Cox records his songs as he goes (stream-of-consciousness writing).  The fact that he can make such intricate songs off the top of his head blows my mind every time.  The first single on his new album, called “Terra Incognita” is one of the quieter Atlas Sound songs: kind of jazzy, very mellow and a little trippy.  On his website, Cox describes the album’s genre as “science-fiction” and after hearing this song, that’s pretty much the only way I can describe this spacial jazz jam.  I can tell this is gonna be a great fall for music.

-M. Kauf

Atlas Sound – Terra Icognita:

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24/08/11 How to Dress Well – Decisions (Orchestral Version)


Another referral this week. D. Gold sent me the Just Once EP from How to Dress Well, the moniker of R&B-ish singer Tom Krell. Krell released his debut album Love Remains in 2010 that I haven’t heard yet. I’m definitely going to seek out that one soon after I was blown away by the EP. The Just Once EP is comprised of 4 orchestral renditions of How To Dress Well’s tracks as a dedication to Ryan Douglas Hitchon, a good friend of HTDW who passed away recently in August 2010. The orchestration on these tracks perfectly matches HTDW’s ethereal and sweeping voice. Krell’s sound reminds me a less edgy-electronic XX with the sweeping harmonies of indie music. I definitely recommend checking out this release, it’s a sound I haven’t heard produced quite as excellently as this before.  Props to D. Gold for the find. Listen to my favorite song off the release below, the closer, Decisions.

-Jon The Wolf

23/08/11 Allah-Las – Catamaran

As summer comes to a close and I rush to pack all of my stuff for school, I spend my free time trying to jam as much summer music into my day as possible.  And to me, The Allah-Las define that heavy, janglely sound that is summer music.  I don’t know much about this California band.  All I know is that I can’t get enough of their throwback sound.  If I didn’t know any better, I’d say these guys were pulled straight out of  a humid garage in 1960s San Francisco.  While they only have a few songs out right now, each song is spectacular and I expect great things to come from this band.  Enjoy your last few weeks of summer and be sure to add this song to your list of summer tunes you must hear.

-M. Kauf

The Allah-Las Catamaran:

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23/08/11 Medicine Head – When Night Falls

When I think about my lady,
sunlight playing off her hair,
When I think about my lady,
Oh, she taught me how to care

Summer is ending. My next post will be from room 817, sitting next to the lovely M.Kauf, back at school. The thought of flying across the country fills me with mixed emotions, excitement and fear, happiness and yet a sadness for the things I’m leaving behind. “When Night Falls,” off of Medicine Head’s 1970 album New Bottles, Old Medicine, evokes similar emotions. Its slow and steady drumbeat, somber harmonica and softly sung vocals create a solemn tone; however, the lyrics — trembling with emotion, are so beautiful you can’t help but smile. – M.Hoff

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20/08/11 Real Estate – Barely Legal (The Strokes Cover)

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of The Strokes classic debut album Is This It, Stereogum has put together an album of covers of each song. While nearly all of the tracks are radically different from the originals and none of them great in their own right, Real Estate‘s cover of “Barely Legal” manages to pay tribute to the original track while simultaneously expanding their collection of recorded material, which so far only consists of one fantastic album, their 2009 eponymous debut. The band’s signature psychedelic acoustic guitars are present from the opening chord, while lead singer Martin Courtney’s vocals are a breath of fresh air compared with Julian Casablanca’s originals, which, while charming, begin to grate after several listens. Covers are a tricky business, but Real Estate nailed theirs from both historic and sonic perspectives.

-B. Orwin

Real Estate – Barely Legal (The Strokes Cover)

Real Estate – Beach Comber (Opening Track from 2009′s Real Estate)

19/08/11 The Weeknd – Thursday

Of all the albums I listened to this summer The Weeknd’s House of Balloons is easily my most played.  So it’s with immense joy that I share the news of his second mixtape Thursday released late last night.  Grab it for free at his website.  Looks like I have some new music to listen to…

-M. Kauf

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16/08/11 The Sheepdogs – The One You Belong To

I’ll be the first to admit I haven’t been keeping up with the song requests I’ve been given to put on this blog.  And, in my first attempt to correct that mistake, I bring you The Sheepdogs: a canadian rock band that you might recognize from Rolling Stones’ latest magazine cover.  My friend Gabe showed me these guys a few weeks ago and I’m only now starting to really listen to them and I must say I’m really enjoying this band.  They have a classic sound that allows them to slip in with the many retro rock groups that have popped up in the past few years.  This band definitely deserved that cover spot and I plan on listening to them a lot during this second half of the summer.  Thanks Gabe.

-M. Kauf

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15/08/11 Keep You Right – Blind Pilot

!!!!!! BLIND PILOT IS COMING OUT WITH A NEW ALBUM !!!!!!

As I have delved endlessly into their 2008 album, Three Rounds and a Sound, I am ecstatic that Blind Pilot, an indie rock group based in Portland, is set to release a new album September 13th. It has been a long three years, and Blind Pilot seems to have matured in sound and style in We Are The Tide. Additional instruments such as the ukelele and keyboard give the band a more full sound, while not straying too far from what made me love their simpler original works. Their teaser for the album, “Keep You Right,” makes me incredibly eager for the rest of their new tracks and the next step in Blind Pilot’s development as artists. -M.Hoff

(Thanks to B.Orwin for showing me Blind Pilot back in 2008 and M.Kauf for notifying me of their new album)

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15/08/11 Unouomedude – Marsh EP

Whether you like it or not, 2011 will probably go down as “The Year of Chillwave“. Bands of the newly coined genre have been popping up from everywhere and flooding the internets, whether they agree with the chillwave classification of their music or not. From Washed Out to Youth Lagoon, new bands have been embracing the new-age lo-fi washy electronic scene. Another band to add to your chillwave playlist is Unouomedude (pronounced you-owe-me-dude — what a crazy name, right?). He has been around for a minute now, releasing an free EP last year, but is still putting out music and trying to improve his sound. A little more upbeat than the likes of other chillwave artists, but Unouomedude is a dude to check out. He recently did a full interview with Earmilk, and from the likes of it, he is a pretty cool guy. Check out his new single, Frequency, and if you are interested stream and download his EP, Marsh, from his bandcamp. – D. Gold

Unouomedude – Frequency

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10/08/11 Beirut – A Candle’s Fire

Santa Fe native Zach Condon’s band Beirut is about to release their third album at the end of this month on Pompeii Records entitled The Rip Tide. The album was already released earlier this month in the UK, so naturally, it made its way to the Internet and listeners everywhere. I haven’t had the opportunity yet to listen to the whole album, but I have heard a few tracks. From what I could gather, this album doesn’t sound like necessarily a distinct departure from Beirut’s past music, but you can definitely see that Condon is directing the band towards another sound. Something a little less morose and Balkansy at times and a little more soft and poppy for the ears. I remember listening to Beirut when they released their first album back in 2006 Gulag Orkestar, and it’s amazing to see how the band has developed. Gulag Orkestar was the product of Zach Condon’s travels in the Balkans and exposure to the folk music of that area. Condon wrote and produced his first album at the age of 15 under the moniker Realpeople entitled The Joy of Losing Weight. The Joy of Losing Weight has a much more electronic sound than Beirut and very much sounds unrefined(in fact, I’d say only really listen to it if you’re a fan of his work, it’s not really worth a listen otherwise in my opinion), but here you can pick up on the underlying sound that dominates Beirut’s newest album. This sound has been brimming under the surface of all their music, but seemed more tempered by the Balkan and folk influences. I definitely like what I’ve heard so far so I’m going to approach this album with open ears. Below, I’ve posted one of the more single-esque songs off the release, A Candle’s Fire, along with a song I’ve taken a liking to, The Peacock(the harmonies on this are amazing with the horns). I’m optimistic about this one…

-Jon The Wolf

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