New Politics - CIA

Curse me, it's alright
Your words don't add to the status quo
And I'm best friends with my shadow
There's no more room on this pedestal

Oh, hey, I was born a sinner
Michelin Star for dinner
Never been good as a quitter
I push this feed like a Segway

Danish alt band New Politics ended their year long silence following the success of their first album and tour with a jaunty pop rock track back in March (and a cool accompanying video paying homage to Kanye, Kendrick Lamar & the Beastie Boys -- bonus, below). This month they followed that up with announcement that their second LP, Lost in Translation will be released in October - and along with the announcement came "CIA" And with these new releases, I'm officially looking forward to hearing their full sophomore effort this fall. 

RIYL: Walk the Moon, The Griswolds, Bear Hands, Atlas Genius

Upcoming Shows

Strange Ranger - House Show

Portland post-punk band Strange Ranger (formerly Sioux Falls) sound very throwback to me. All the way back to the 90's and the best thing going on for that era outside of hip-hop: Pacific Northwest style emo. If you were into Sunny Day Real Estate, Seaweed, Modest Mouse, Treepeople and Built to Spill, you'll like Strange Ranger. They had a solid EP out last year, Sunbeams Through Your Head and have an upcoming release, Daymoon on Tiny Engines. Yeah, another one on that awesome label.

RIYL: Sunny Day Real Estate, Pinback, Build To Spill, Braid, Modest Mouse

Upcoming Shows

WOWH - Early Hours

So call me up in the early hours
Try not to hurt about it
If it's too hard, it's too hard

So here's a fun track from London indie pop outfit WOWH that reminds me of a lot of the music I loved in the 80's; bands like Blancmange, China Crisis, Ultravox and the like. It's dance-beat driven pop, but has a bit of a polish that sets it apart in my ears. I'll be following along, hope to hear some more from them soon.

RIYL: The Republic Tigers, Blancmange, Ra Ra Riot, The Little Ones, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsen

Upcoming Shows

Incredible Bongo Band - Apache (Grandmaster Flash Mix)

It's the 44th Anniversary of Hip-Hop y'all! As the legend goes, DJ Kool Herc introduced the world to the extended break ("merry-go-round") by setting up two turn tables at a block party in the Bronx, and the Bongo Band featured prominently. (Disco haters need to pause here to respect that this way of setting up equipment originated with the disco DJs). I imagine we have all heard samples from "Apache" mixed into other hip-hop and dance tracks, as well as appearing in the background of commercials and films. I had a great time learning about the early days of hip-hop recently from episodes of the podcast Mogul: The Life and Death of Chris Lighty - I finished the miniseries yesterday, in fact. Woke up today to this Google Doodle and violá! Hope you enjoy this blast from the past, and whatever it reminds you of. 

Skela - Hella

All I've ever wanted was you
Someone whose life was the same shade of blue
All I've ever wanted was someone to drink with
But now that you're here, I can't stop fucking drinking

So pour it up high, talking real low
Pulling at the collar of your sweater
Wrapping my roots all around you
Don't be so selfish with forever
Come on baby, let me tell you what we're supposed to do

Sexy and sultry, yet detailed and devoted, this song reminds me of the popular track "Starving" by Hailee Steinfeld (w/Zedd). Unlike the Southern California actress/singer, Queens-raised Brooklyn-based Skela fashions herself a musician/poet/writer and is hoping to put an "intellectual, nostalgic spin" on modern pop music. We'll see. But any way it pans out for her, this is a repeat-worthy mellow summer jam. 

RIYL: Alessia Cara, Daya, Hailee Steinfeld, Vanic

Upcoming Shows